Nora Igelnik

Journalist and Editor

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...
The Lantern •

Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted chosen to fill Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s Senate seat

Current Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was chosen by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Friday afternoon to fill Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s U.S. Senate seat. Credit: Joshua Gunter via TNS [Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted at the 2024 State of the State address in Columbus. Sen. JD Vance is expected to leave his seat in the coming weeks to become vice president, creating an opening for a new Ohio U.S. Senator.]

Current Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted was chosen by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Friday afternoon to fill Vice Presid...
The Lantern •

Lawsuits, crime and football: Five takeaways from The Lantern’s January interview with university President Ted Carter Jr.

The Lantern sat down with university President Ted Carter Jr. Tuesday to ask about pressing issues affecting the Ohio State community, from lawsuits to campus crime to the upcoming National Championship game.

Below are the five major takeaways from Carter’s responses.

Lawrence Tower mold lawsuit

Regarding the mold growth in Lawrence Tower and the subsequent relocation of roughly 500 students to other housing accommodations for the spring semester, Carter said the university took action upon l...
The Lantern •

Buckeyes’ bright futures: 20th annual Spring Career Fair to be held Jan. 21

Career-ready Buckeyes can soon flock to the Ohio Union in snappy business wear with crisply printed resumes in hand for the 20th annual Spring Career Fair.

Open to current students and recent graduates alike, the fair will take place Jan. 21 from 1-5 p.m. in the Union’s Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom and Performance Hall. The College of Arts and Sciences is managing the event, but a wide range of disciplines will be represented, from business analysis to laboratory research to graphic design...
The Lantern •

University cancels in-person classes Monday due to winter weather, expected to resume Tuesday

Ohio State has canceled in-person classes Monday due to weather, following a winter weather advisory.

According to a Buckeye Alert sent out around 7 p.m. Sunday, in-person classes are canceled; however, the university encouraged instructors to host “virtual synchronous classes, where feasible.”

“In-person classes are expected to resume on Tuesday, January 7,” the alert states. “Campus will remain OPEN.”

The National Weather Service is projecting seven to 10 inches of snowfall in Columbus from...
The Lantern •

Ohio State men’s soccer player Nathan Demian shot on Chittenden Avenue early Sunday morning, expected to recover

Ohio State men’s soccer player Nathan Demian was shot in an off-campus shooting at 262 Chittenden Ave. around 2 a.m. Sunday morning.

Demian, a third-year in computer and information science and defender on the team, was transported to the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center in “serious condition.” As of 2:47 a.m. Sunday morning, Demian was reported to be in stable condition, according to a Columbus Division of Police report.

According to the police report, officers responded to 911 calls reportin...
The Lantern •

Ohio State cancels raises for over 300 employees after overturning of US Department of Labor rule

Hundreds of university employees had their raises rescinded after a United States district judge overturned a new Department of Labor rule Nov. 15 that made more employees eligible for overtime pay due to a salary threshold increase.

A Nov. 22 email from Katie Hall — Ohio State’s senior vice president of talent, culture and human resources — and Sarah Sherer — senior associate vice president and chief human resources officer for the Wexner Medical Center — alerted 306 Ohio State employees they...
The Lantern •

Students react to election results, identify what factors influenced their vote

Following the 2024 presidential election, The Lantern reached out to Ohio State students to hear their opinions on the outcome.

Following a close and contentious election, former President Donald Trump won with 50% of the popular vote and 312 electoral votes, while Vice President Kamala Harris received 48.3% of the popular vote and 226 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

Out of 31 responses, six leaned conservative while 25 leaned liberal.

The Lantern created a Google Form sur...
The Lantern •

Rear View Mirror: The early seasons of ‘Shameless’ are shamelessly brilliant

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

“Shameless,” one of Showtime’s most acclaimed television series, is a dark comedy that expertly navigates the fine line between humor and heartbreak.

“Shameless” — which ran for 11 seasons from 2011 to 2021 — follows the Gallagher family, led by al...
The Lantern •

Election 2024: Bernie Moreno wins 2024 Ohio Senate race

Trump-backed, staunch Republican Moreno — a car salesman born in Bogotá, Colombia — defeated incumbent and long-time Democratic player Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH-D) to win the election with 50.6% of the vote when it was called Tuesday at 11:27 p.m., according to the Associated Press.

Brown, who had previously held his Senate seat since 2007, and Moreno led a contentious race fueled by constant and aggressive campaign advertising.

According to a Nov. 1 X post from AdImpact Politics, an advertising...
The Lantern •

Photo gallery: Students for Justice in Palestine hosts study-in for northern Gaza at Thompson Library

Ohio State’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine hosted a silent “study-in” protest for northern Gaza in the Grand Reading Room of Thompson Library Tuesday.

Students were invited to study between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. while organizers passed out signs for students to stick on the back of their laptops or other devices.

According to an Ohio State SJP Instagram post, the organization called students to protest “the horrific ongoing genocide in Gaza and the rampant escalations in North Ga...
The Lantern •

Two male students assaulted and robbed near 1728 N. High St. Thursday evening

Two male students who were walking with a female non-student near 1738 N. High St. Thursday night around 11:46 p.m. were physically assaulted and robbed by four male suspects, according to an Ohio State Public Safety Notice issued around 1:20 p.m. Friday.

No arrests have been made at the time of publication, according to the Columbus Division of Police director of communications Jennifer Watson.

Prior to the assault, one of the four male suspects approached the female non-student and made rema...
The Lantern •

Rear View Mirror: Why Samantha Jones and Charlotte York are the true stars of ‘Sex and the City’

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

HBO’s seminal “Sex and the City” is one of the most influential and iconic television shows in recent history.

“Sex and the City” follows the life of 30-something Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), who writes a weekly sex column for the fictio...
The Lantern •

Overview of 2024 Annual Security Report: Fondling, motor vehicle theft and arrests for alcohol violations are top crimes on campus from 2023

In 2023, fondling, motor vehicle theft and arrests for alcohol violations were among the top crimes on campus, according to the 2024 Annual Security Report.

The Clery Act, passed in 1990, requires college campuses to report campus crime data — including Violence Against Women Act offenses, hate crimes, criminal offenses and arrests and referrals for disciplinary action — while outlining policies and procedures put in place to enhance campus safety.

One of the most reported crimes, fondling, in...
The Lantern •

Graduate student injured after shooting at 11th Avenue and North High Street, suspects remain at large

A version of this story was published Sept. 18 at 8:42 p.m. to include information from an interview with Columbus Division of Police Sgt. Joe Albert. The story has since been updated to correct a misunderstanding between The Lantern and Albert, which resulted in an incorrect report that a medic had been shot.

An Ohio State graduate student was injured after a shooting occurred at 11th Avenue and North High Street around 6:18 p.m. Wednesday, said interim Ohio State University Police Division  —...
The Lantern •

One injured after shooting on Olentangy River Road and John H Herrick Drive, suspect still at large

One person was injured after a shooting occurred near Olentangy River Road and John H Herrick Drive Monday night, with the suspect still at large.

According to an Ohio State Public Safety Notice issued at 10:20 p.m., an unhoused individual unaffiliated with the university flagged down a bus on the John H Herrick Bridge at approximately 8:30 p.m. The victim informed the bus driver he had been shot and needed medical attention.

The victim was then transported to the hospital in stable condition....
The Lantern •

Takeaways from university President Ted Carter Jr.’s sit-down interview with The Lantern

University President Ted Carter Jr. visited The Lantern’s newsroom Wednesday to discuss some of Ohio State’s most pressing issues, including university space standards, the unfilled vice president and provost positions, his recent raise and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Space standards

Following a sharp increase in on-campus political activism last year due to the war in Gaza, Carter and Melissa Shivers, senior vice president of Student Life, issued two separate university-wide emails regar...
The Lantern •

Rear View Mirror: How ‘The Sopranos’ showcased society’s reluctance to change

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.

“The Sopranos” is arguably one of the most highly regarded television shows of all time. The program’s premiere put HBO on the map in 1999, establishing it as a network willing to redefine the boundaries programming can cross concerning touchy subj...
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