ONU education students under the direction of Dr. Sarah McCluskey recently examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected education in the United States. This is the latest addition to ONU’s Institute for Civics and Public Policy’s (ICAPP) “Critical Questions” series. The student authors find the pandemic has resulted in learning loss for students, increased workloads for educators and has made forging deeper relationships with families more difficult.
In the fall of 2019, Ohio Northern University introduced esports to the athletic department. At the time it was the newest, fastest-growing trend to hit the collegiate athletics scene; more than three years later, it’s only getting bigger.
The numbers alone tell the story of ONU Esports’ growth: 10 games, 80 varsity and junior varsity players, a gaming club with nearly 300 members, and approximately 40 student workers helping everything run smoothly.
When you attend ONU’s Holiday Spectacular, are you busy trying to find familiar faces? In addition to the student cast from Ohio Northern University, local youngsters audition for roles in the production. Director Kirsten Osbun-Manley notes “We have eighteen young children and seven teens in the Holiday Spectacular this year (2021). They are involved in...scenes throughout the production: Frosty, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, and as Santa's reindeer in Here Comes Santa Claus.”
The attached photo shows the cast during technical rehearsals.
On November 11, 2021, Ohio Northern University observed Veterans Day with wreath laying ceremonies and a special outdoor Chapel service. The event was held at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month, the hour when guns fell silent on World War I battlefields.
In wind-swept ceremonies near Main St., the Color Guard of Ream-McElroy VFW Post 9381 of Ada Posted the Colors and Dr. Adriane Thompson Bradshaw sang the National Anthem. Cole Mefford, President of the ONU Veterans Organization introduced speaker Chaplain (Colonel) Dan Burris, State Chaplain for the National Guard of Ohio.
A routine Google search by the Ada Icon for “Ada, Ohio” news revealed that ONU decisions regarding the sale of “Back the Blue” t-shirts by the ONU College Republicans have been discussed online since September.
It was also the subject of a political roundtable discussion in Kenton on November 6.
Ohio Northern University department of Communications and Marketing released the following statement to the Ada Icon on November 8:
A recent report finds that student voting at Ohio Northern University increased significantly in last year’s presidential election, rising 12 points to 65% in 2020 from a rate of 53% in 2016.
Dr. Robert Alexander, the founding director of the Institute for Civics and Public Policy at Ohio Northern notes that he is “excited to see such large numbers of students take part in the important ritual of voting.” He adds that “For most, this is their first experience voting and establishing this habit early is instrumental in connecting one another to the democratic process.”
