The Lantern • 28th December 2023

The loss of the “good great gathering places:” University District leaders reflect on development in University District

Tucked onto the corner of North High Street and West Blake Avenue, a once thriving hub for food, drink and community stands vacant, with only a picturesque blue mural in its wake.

The Blue Danube — or “the Dube” — was once a community meeting place for Doreen Uhaus-Sauer and Pasquale Grado, two University Area commissioners with strong roots in the community. In 2018, it closed its doors after 78 years of business.

Grado, who authored the 1984 University Community Business Association’s Univer

The Lantern • 22nd November 2023

Black Student Association and NAACP OSU hold discussion on Ohio police with family of victims of Columbus police violence

At least 50 students and community members gathered inside Hale Hall for “Let’s Talk: A discussion about Ohio Police,” a dialogue on Ohio’s policing system, hosted by the Black Student Association and NAACP OSU Monday.

Featuring a panel of family members of victims of police violence in Columbus, along with a civil rights attorney, the discussion provided a space to spread awareness on police brutality in Columbus and ensure the support for victims doesn’t fade, according to Brayon Miller, a fo

The Lantern • 17th November 2023

Ethyl & Tank, Midway propose new structure between establishments

The University Area Commission will recommend a proposal by the owners of Ethyl & Tank and Midway to city council, bringing students even more “block.”

The owner of the bars, A&R Creative Group, had its proposal for an indoor event space connecting Midway on High and Ethyl & Tank approved by the commission by an 11-5 vote Wednesday. Located at the corner of 13th Avenue and North High Street, the proposed space would feature a 2,330-square-foot rooftop patio to “provide adequate outdoor space fo

The Lantern • 2nd November 2023

Know your neighbors: University District residents reflect on off-campus living, share advice for students moving off campus

Between the house party noise and early morning treks to classes, students who come and go after four years pass by residents who have called the University District home for decades.

According to the University District Organization, only 22 percent of homes in the area are owned, while the rest are rented, and these dwellers are looking to bridge the divide between students and residents.

Doreen Uhas-Sauer, an Iuka Ravine resident, said many longtime residents have either received their degr

The Lantern • 2nd November 2023

Sustainability tips for off-campus living

Practicing sustainability off campus can help students not only cut down on their carbon footprint but also save money, Tom Reeves, director of Sustainability with the Office of Student Life, said in an email. He said students can save energy by turning their thermostats back a couple of degrees, as well as opting to use public transportation and refrain from creating excess waste through thrifting and recycling.

“Culturally, we tend to focus more on what to do with waste once it’s created, but

The Lantern • 20th October 2023

Campus safety notices: when and why they occur

Crime is at the forefront of students’ and parents’ minds as several notable violent crimes have occurred in the off-campus area since the beginning of the autumn semester.

One such instance, the fatal stabbing of Emily Foster last month near Iuka Park, left some community members wondering when a crime warrants a safety notice put out by the university, as none have been issued yet this semester. Dan Hedman, a university spokesperson, said in an email that no notification was issued because th

The Lantern • 29th September 2023

Fostering community care: University Area Commission holds first all-district trash mob

Tired of kicking cans and stepping over broken glass on the way home from class?

So is the University Area Commission.

On Oct. 8, the commission will host its first “trash mob” across all four districts in the university area where participants can volunteer to help clean up litter. Katie McDevitt, organizer of the event and a commissioner from the northeast part of the University District, said she is bringing the trash mobs she previously hosted in her own district after noticing an increasi

The Lantern • 28th September 2023

Ecstatic Dance fosters newfound dance community in Columbus

Tucked away on the corner of Indianola and East Maynard avenues, a quiet church sits alongside the road. After dark, however, the church transforms into a mystical dance space.

Called the Church of the Sparkling Unicorn, the space is essentially the headquarters for a flourishing dance organization: Ecstatic Dance Columbus.

Formed in October 2022, Ecstatic Dance Columbus regularly hosts ecstatic dance parties, according to its website. Columbus-based DJ Allan Kofman, who DJs at many Ecstatic D

The Lantern • 27th September 2023

Ohio State lacks a university-wide land acknowledgment

Since its founding as a land-grant university in 1870, Ohio State has resided on Shawnee, Lenape, Miami, Wyandotte, Delaware, Potawatomi, Peoria, Ojibwe, Seneca and Cherokee peoples’ land.

Over those 150 years, the university has never provided a statement recognizing such land belongs to Indigenous people of the area.

This is known as a land acknowledgment, and according to Newark Earthworks Center — an Ohio State organization that focuses on research and projects surrounding Indigenous peopl

The Lantern • 27th September 2023

University District “Can Fairy” project encourages students to keep community clean

It isn’t magic that there are fewer beer cans to trip over each game day.

It might be fairies, though.

The University District Organization expanded its “Can Fairy” curbside recycling program this semester, aiming to provide students living off campus with an easy way to take care of their homes and the community. Nora Gerber, the executive director of the organization, said she created the program last year with Keep Columbus Beautiful after seeing and hearing about the copious amounts of lit

The Lantern • 1st September 2023

New Wi-Fi, who’s this? Ohio State rolls out new network

By the summer of 2024, the university is hoping to have all users away from the current osuwireless network and on eduroam, an international Wi-Fi service made for universities or research partners. This will help resolve connectivity issues and provide a network usable at other campuses, Ryan Holland, the director for enterprise networking at the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation, said.

“Eduroam is in 100 different countries and even places like Columbus State, Denison University, Oh

The Lantern • 23rd March 2023

Students protest campus TPUSA event, Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens speak on LGBTQ rights and nuclear families

Conservative activists Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens spoke to an audience of about 1700 in the Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom at the Ohio Union Wednesday about topics — including LGBTQ rights and the nuclear family. During the event, about 60 protestors gathered outside the building to oppose the speakers’ ideology and rhetoric.

The free event, which was followed by a Q&A, was a part of the Live Free Tour hosted by Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization advocating for conservative polit

The Lantern • 8th December 2022

Undergraduate Student Government pilot program to provide free transportation for students to and from airport for break

The Undergraduate Student Government announced a new program to provide students and staff with free transportation to and from the John Glenn Columbus International Airport this winter break.

In collaboration with the Office of Traffic Management, USG is offering free shuttles to the airport Dec. 15 and 16 as well as when students return from winter break Jan. 7 and 8, according to the Transportation and Traffic Management website.

According to USG’s website, the shuttles will depart from Ohi

The Lantern • 13th October 2022

City of Columbus introduces potential new restrictions for food cart vendors

Columbus City Council members and the Department of Public Safety proposed restrictions on food cart vendors along the Short North and University districts July 21, with the council finishing its first draft of potential changes last week.

The city proposed changes — including requiring vendors to close at 2 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. and creating a stricter permit system for where and when vendors can set up carts. As vendors face the loss of business, neighborhood representatives and city officia

The Lantern • 13th October 2022

Ohio Board of Education’s controversial resolution on LGBTQ+ protections draws a crowd, no decision given

State of Ohio Board of Education member Brendan Shea sponsored a resolution proposing to change the educational policy for LGBTQ+ students in Ohio. After hours of public commentary, the board failed to vote on or pass the resolution.

The resolution, which was first announced Sept. 20, will not move forward, and it will instead be sent to the executive committee after a 12-7 vote in the general assembly.

The stated its opposition to the U.S. Department of Education Title IX regulations protecti