Nora Igelnik

Journalist and Editor

WOSU Public Media •

Community Shelter Board conducts annual homeless count in Columbus and Franklin County

The Community Shelter Board is conducting its annual Point-in-Time count on Thursday to evaluate the extent of homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County.The count is an effort to document the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and is conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.Volunteers ventured out for a land count from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Thursday. The volunteers continued to do an unsheltered count throughout the day, visiti...
WOSU Public Media •

Three people arrested at Ohio State career fair during Customs and Border Protection protest

Three people were arrested by Ohio State Police on Tuesday for criminal trespassing at the Ohio Union during a protest targeting Customs and Border Protection at the College of Arts and Sciences annual spring career fair.Around 75 students and community members gathered at the Ohio Union to confront the CBP recruiters — who operate under the Department of Homeland Security — and generally protest against the university’s decision to include the organization among the 150 employers at the career...
WOSU Public Media •

Mid-Ohio Market to re-open on Wednesday after Tuesday morning fire

The Mid-Ohio Food Collective plans to re-open its no-cost Mid-Ohio Market at noon on Wednesday, despite a fire that happened early Tuesday morning.Erich Hiner, director of communications for the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, said the organization is working with Columbus fire officials to determine what caused the fire at the Norton Road facility.Hiner said that at first glance, the damage seems external. Staff need to examine each item for damage, but so far, only some cabbage and bread items neede...
Transitions •

Czechia’s Baby Bust - Transitions

Just a few years ago, the country had one of Europe’s highest fertility rates. Those figures have plummeted. Demographers and young Czechs share their insights on why. 

For Katerina, a 25-year-old married doctoral student living in Prague, her long-time dream of living on a small farm with four children seemed almost plausible.

That was, until the reality of today’s economic situation in the country set in. By 2022, the Czech Republic saw rising consumer prices, with inflation reaching over 15...
Transitions •

Truth at a Cost - Transitions

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The Lantern •

SJP student leader issued summons for criminal trespass; graduate student suing Trump admin and attorney held under investigative detention after on-campus press conference Thursday

One Ohio State student was issued a summons for criminal trespassing and another was held under investigative detention following a press conference outside of Thompson Library Thursday.

Jineen Musa, co-president of Ohio State’s chapter for Students in Justice in Palestine and a third-year in health sciences and health information management and systems, was issued a summons for violating the university’s space standards, while Ohio State graduate student Ahwar Sultan and his attorney Jana Al A...
The Lantern •

Navigating the ever-changing higher education landscape: Four takeaways from The Lantern’s sit-down interview with university President Ted Carter Jr. Monday

Amid an era of unprecedented shakeups in educational institutions across the country, the American public university system has faced multiple challenges from both federal and state policies over the past six months — and Ohio State is no exception.

From Ohio Senate Bill 1 to diversity, equity and inclusion rollbacks to visa revocations, students, faculty and staff at Ohio State are left to wonder what is next for the university.

The Lantern sat down with university President Ted Carter Jr. Mo...
The Lantern •

Opinion: Five under-the-radar stories from this year’s campus desk

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, w...
The Lantern •

Five international Ohio State students have F-1 visas revoked for reasons unknown to the university

At least five international Ohio State students had their F-1 visas revoked as of Friday afternoon, the university confirmed.

Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said in a statement the university does “not have any indication why this action was taken” at this time, but that the students are still in the United States as they, their attorneys and the university consider next steps.

A F-1 visa allows individuals to enter the United States as full-time students at accredited academic institutio...
The Lantern •

SB 1 becomes law; Ohio public higher education overhaul bill signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Friday afternoon

Ohio Senate Bill 1 — which bans diversity, equity and inclusion programming and faculty striking, limits the teaching of controversial subjects, requires the online publication of course syllabi and more across Ohio’s public higher education institutions — was signed into law by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Friday afternoon.

SB 1 — formally known as the “Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act” and introduced by Ohio Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) — previously passed through the Ohio Senate Feb. 13, p...
The Lantern •

PHOTO GALLERY: Approximately 200 students, faculty and staff walked out to protest Ohio Senate Bill 1 Wednesday

Roughly 200 students, faculty and staff walked out Wednesday in opposition of Ohio Senate Bill 1, which aims to ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and faculty strikes at public higher education institutions statewide.

The protest — which was organized by the Ohio Student Association — marched from the Oval to the Ohio Statehouse from noon to 2:30 p.m., as chants of “This is what democracy looks like” and “Mikey, Mikey hear us say, we need DEI to stay” rang through the streets, in r...
The Lantern •

Ohio House passes DEI-banning Senate Bill 1; bill returns to Ohio Senate for concurrence

A bill that would reconstruct the state’s higher education passed the Ohio House of Representatives Wednesday afternoon and will now move to the Ohio Senate for concurrence.

Ohio Senate Bill 1, also known as the “Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act,” aims to ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and prevent faculty from striking, as well as limit the teaching of controversial subjects within Ohio’s public higher education institutions.

The Senate intends to concur with the House...
The Lantern •

Arts & Life desk’s picks for the top 20 TV shows of the 2020s

With streaming services like Peacock, Paramount+ and Max entering the TV scene in the early 2020s — combined with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping much of the world indoors for months — the decade has dramatically redefined entertainment as consumers know it.

As audiences began embracing new viewing habits, networks and streaming platforms responded with a surge of content — ranging from fresh takes on the Marvel and Star Wars universes with shows like “WandaVision” and “Andor” to acclaimed limite...
The Lantern •

Ohio State joins OpenAI higher education consortium as company commits $50 million to advance research and education at 15 institutions

Today, OpenAI launched NextGenAI at Ohio State, a consortium of 15 “leading research institutions” committed to using artificial intelligence for research breakthroughs and transformations in education.

The breakout artificial intelligence research organization that operates the AI chatbot ChatGPT is dedicating $50 million in “research grants, compute funding, and [Application Programming Interface] access to support students, educators, and researchers advancing the frontiers on knowledge,” ac...
The Lantern •

PHOTO GALLERY: Students, faculty and staff organize sit-in protest, letter-writing and march across campus Friday in response to Ohio State DEI changes

Students sit in front of the Center for Belonging and Social Change in protest of the closure effective Friday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
Penelope Rupert, second-year graduate student in comparative studies, sits outside of the Center for Belonging and Social Change Friday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
Students sit outside of the Center for Belonging and Social Change in protest of the closure effective Friday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor...
The Lantern •

‘We laughed at him:’ Ohio State community reacts as President Carter announces end of Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Center for Belonging and Social Change

The fabric of Ohio State’s diversity, equity and inclusion programming has begun to unravel following Thursday’s University Senate meeting.

Inside Drinko Hall’s Saxbe Auditorium, Ohio State President Ted Carter Jr. announced the university’s plan to discontinue the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Belonging and Social Change effective Friday, meaning 16 related professional staff positions will be removed within 60 days, per prior Lantern reporting. The 3:30 p.m. meeting dre...
The Lantern Projects •

Brotherhood and parties or violations and sanctions: Inside the hazing culture of Ohio State’s fraternities

In September 2022, the Student Conduct office within Ohio State’s Office of Student Life received an anonymous report alleging hazing had taken place on Alpha Tau Zeta’s property, specifically inside the fraternity’s house at 153 E. 14th Ave. Credit: Carly Damon | Asst. Photo Editor










Ohio State’s chapter of FarmHouse International Fraternity, Alpha Tau Zeta, is a fraternity committed to shaping men into intellectual, moral, spiritual and physi...
The Lantern •

US Department of Education, DOGE issued letter Friday threatening to pull public education federal funding if DEI initiatives remain

In a Friday letter posted on the Department of Government Efficiency — or DOGE — X account, the Department of Education threatened to remove federal funding from public education institutions if the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives isn’t achieved by the end of the month.

The letter — written by Craig Trainor, the Department of Education’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights — outlines public academic institutions’ “racial discrimination” through admissions, sch...
The Lantern •

University eliminates DEI leadership position; former senior vice provost of inclusive excellence Wendy Smooth returns to faculty role

Ohio State eliminated a top leadership position that directly focused on university diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in late January.

Wendy Smooth, former senior vice provost of inclusive excellence, returned to a faculty position Jan. 31, according to an email sent by then-interim Executive Vice President and Provost Karla Zadnik to university colleagues. The email, sent on Jan. 9, said Smooth would return to a College of Arts and Sciences faculty position at the end of the month an...
The Lantern •

PHOTO GALLERY: ‘Nobody wants this bill:’ Ohio State students and faculty gather to oppose Senate Bill 1 at Ohio Statehouse Tuesday, bill passes 5-2 through Higher Education Committee Wednesday morning

The Ohio Senate heard hours of opposition testimony Tuesday over Senate Bill 1 — or the “Enact Advance Ohio Education Act” — which would most prominently eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and ban faculty striking in an attempt to improve public higher education.

SB 1 passed through the Senate Higher Education Committee with a 5-2 vote among party lines Wednesday morning, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. The bill will move to Senate Rules and Reference.

Students and profe...
The Lantern •

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appoints former Buckeyes football coach Jim Tressel as new lieutenant governor

The position became available after DeWine appointed Jon Husted to former senator of Ohio — and now Vice President of the United States — J.D. Vance’s Senate seat Jan. 17, per prior Lantern reporting.

Tressel must now await confirmation by the Ohio House and Senate, according to the Statehouse News Bureau. If confirmed, Tressel will serve for the remaining two years of DeWine’s term.

The Mentor, Ohio, native served as the head coach of the Buckeyes football team from 2001-10, during which he w...
The Lantern •

Rear View Mirror: You’re a Gleek!

Rear View Mirror is a monthly TV show column that examines the cultural influence and societal reflection of the “New Golden Age of Television,” prioritizing shows from the late 1990s to the mid-2010s.

Disclaimer: There may be slight spoilers ahead.

Families during the 2007-09 Great Recession and its aftermath struggled with foreclosures, a lack of economic security and a high unemployment rate.

They could turn on the TV and listen to the news to learn more about the country’s faltering finan...
The Lantern •

Hundreds of Buckeye fans storm Ohio Stadium after Ohio State’s National Championship victory

Ohio State fans stormed the ‘Shoe Monday night and into Tuesday morning in an attempt to steal goalposts, following the Buckeyes’ 34-23 win against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

By 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, crowds were no longer present on the field or outside the stadium.

University spokesperson Dan Hedman said at 12:55 a.m. “police are still working to monitor all areas of campus.”

“The crowd at the stadium is dwindling, police remain on site,” Hedman said. “At...
The Lantern •

J.D. Vance, first Ohio State alum to be elected vice president, sworn in during Monday’s presidential inauguration

Vance, a former venture capitalist and author of best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” took the oath of office while standing beside his wife, Usha. Vance took the oath by using a family Bible that belonged to his great-grandmother, who is featured in “Hillbilly Elegy” — a chronicle of Vance’s rural Appalachian roots and experiences with his mother, who suffered from drug addiction, according to The New York Times. He received the Bible in 2003 when he left to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps.

V...
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