By Kennedi Combs
Broadcast version by Mary Schuermann reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As the Delta variant sweeps across the state, Ohio's public universities are taking a range of protective measures for the upcoming fall semester, from requiring students to report their vaccination status to implementing incentive programs to motivate students to get vaccinated.

All 14 state universities are requiring masks indoors for the fall semester, according to an examination of COVID prevention procedures as explained on schools' websites.

Universities - including Kent State University, Bowling Green State University, Miami University, and The Ohio State University - have implemented incentive programs for all students who are vaccinated and report their vaccination to their university. Vaccinated students are entered into raffles for the chance to win prizes on a weekly basis.

Some including Shawnee State University, University of Cincinnati, Wright State University, Miami University, and Youngstown State University - are offering all three vaccines for students, staff, and faculty on their campus.

Kent State University is requiring face masks to be worn regardless of vaccination status during all indoor activities. Along with this rule, KSU has also put an incentives program into effect for vaccinated students. All Kent State students who are vaccinated and register their vaccination on the University Health Services website are eligible to win prizes in twice-weekly drawings. The drawings take place through Oct. 12; prizes include free tuition for a semester, free room and board for a semester, a kayaking trip, Homecoming concert tickets, Beats headphones, and Apple Watches.

However, sophomore journalism major Jayla Forest thinks vaccinations aren't enough. "There are people who are vaccinated who are still contracting COVID," said Forest, who received the Moderna vaccine last May. "And honestly, even though they have rules and restrictions, not everyone is going to follow those rules and restrictions. So, I don't really know if being vaccinated is enough to go back on campus and become normal again."

Cleveland State University also requires students, faculty and staff to wear face coverings for the upcoming semester, and encourages students to get vaccinated. On its website, the school expresses a commitment to following CDC guidelines. It also lists exceptions and accommodations to the mask mandate for certain situations, such as when eating in the dining hall, when a student is alone in their residence hall room with a roommate, or when a person has been granted a university-approved medical or religious accommodation to not wear a mask.

"On a scale of one to 10, I feel like a 'six'as far as how safe I am on campus," said Jordan Hill, a sophomore engineering major at CSU."When they open up campus completely, I would give it within a month before there's a spike in cases, and we all have to go remote again."

Unlike all the other public universities in Ohio that just encourage students to register their vaccination status, the University of Akron is requiring students to report it.

"In order for the University to make informed decisions about COVID-19 and to further facilitate contact tracing, we are requiring all members of the campus community (faculty, contract professionals, staff and students) to report their vaccination status by August 20," said spokesperson Cristine Boyd in an email. "All members of the campus community who are unvaccinated or do not confirm their vaccination status will be subject to up-to-weekly testing, beginning the week of August 16 (employees) and August 30 (students)."

Boyd added the university will provide remote classes to accommodate students. "We currently have a variety of options available for classes, including in-person, hybrid and fully online as we try to meet the needs of all students," she wrote. "Not all courses are guaranteed to be available online."

Incoming University of Akron freshman Romeo Pitts-Medley appreciates the university's commitment to keeping students safe. "I think it's a really good idea that they are keeping track of who is unvaccinated and making them get tested," he said. "It's the only way to keep everyone as safe as possible with the delta variant on the loose."

Ohio has seen 1,180,986 total coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic. With 64,215 hospitalizations and 20,689 deaths, more and more Ohioans are making the decision to get vaccinated. Half the state's population, 51.22%, has received a vaccination. Of Ohioans ages 12-18, 59.87 % are vaccinated, while the vaccination rate is 62.15% for adults 18 and older.

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

A new Gallup and Lumina Foundation poll unveils a concerning reality: Hoosiers may lack clarity about the true cost of higher education.

The survey reveals merely 23% of U.S. adults without college degrees could estimate the annual net cost of a bachelor's degree from a public college within $5,000 of the actual expense. The repercussions of the financial fog can be overwhelming for students.

Gabriela Espinoza, a 27-year-old nursing student at IUPUI in Indianapolis, said looming debt from school casts a shadow over her future.

"I'm trying to figure out what my debt is going to look like and how long it's going to take me to pay off," Espinoza explained. "I'm luckily in a position right now where I live at home with mom, and she's been helping me out. You know, eventually, I'd like to think about moving out and moving on my own."

Among those polled, 75% believe a bachelor's degree is "extremely" or "very" valuable. However, cost is a major deterrent for many who wish to get a degree. Experts say higher education leaders need to bring clarity to the true cost of college to reduce confusion and provide a pathway for the millions of Americans who have considered college but have not yet enrolled.

For those participating in the poll, 31% have considered stopping coursework within the last three months due to the cost of attending college.

Parker Madison, another nursing student at IUPUI, said the expense is a major concern.

"If you get your college education, you still may be making the same amount as someone without a degree," Madison pointed out. "I feel like sometimes the college education's not even worth it."

More than half, about 56%, of unenrolled adults said cost is a very important reason they are not pursuing a post-high school education. Debt is also a factor for students who stopped out of college, with 35% of students saying loans prevented them from returning to finishing their degree.


get more stories like this via email

Educators and public school advocates are pushing back on a measure which would consolidate state-funded services that have been an important part of schools in rural Iowa for generations. Some state lawmakers said the funding could be used more efficiently.

Area Education Agencies have been the go-to place for educators in rural Iowa when they need state services at the local level, in all 99 Iowa counties. House Bill 2612 would consolidate the agencies, outsource some of their services and give the state oversight of them.

Mike Owen, deputy director of the group Common Good Iowa, said the agencies have been critical resources for generations.

"The Area Education Agencies have been a very valuable regional system that helps school districts, large and small, with various services that they can't really do on their own," Owen explained. "From special education to media services, to professional development of teachers."

Gov. Kim Reynolds, who signed the measure, said it will provide a more efficient way to spend the state's education dollars. It is scheduled to take effect July 1.

The battle over public school funding has been playing out on a variety of fronts in Iowa, which enjoys a reputation for some of the best-quality public education in the nation. The state recently enacted a private school voucher program, paid for with state dollars.

Owen sees consolidating the Area Education Agencies and outsourcing some of the services they provide as another step in the wrong direction for Iowa's K-12 classrooms.

"It's total disrespect to locally elected decision-makers for schools," Owen contended. "One more example of how education, unfortunately, is being used to pit people against one another, when it is really a unifying value for Iowans."

There are nine Area Education Agencies in Iowa. The State Department of Education will assume oversight of all of them.


get more stories like this via email

The solar eclipse has sparked more interest in science and technology, especially among young people.

But the saying, 'You can't be what you don't see,' is a reality for youth of color considering a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math career.

A 2024 Black Girls and STEM Report indicates this demographic aspires to become astronauts, engineers and more -- but a lack of Black representation can dampen their enthusiasm.

Crystal Morton is the founder and director of the Girls STEM Institute, which offers courses for girls ages 7 to 18.
She said the emphasis is on relevant cultural content and careers for girls who might not otherwise have access to these experiences.

"That might be doing a session on the science of Black hair," said Morton, "looking at different products to understand the science behind how that product is made, and what's in that product or how it may be impacting them. So, we make our own products. You can be able to look at a label and say, 'Hey, I should be able to pronounce what I'm putting on my skin, or in my hair.'"

She said the students quickly get the connections.

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics says about one-third of STEM workers are women. But Black workers make up only 18% of the 35 million people employed in STEM fields.

Morton said the Institute's Saturday programs are in partnership with the Indiana University, Indianapolis School of Education. And in the summer, volunteers engage with students about careers in aviation and medicine.

As a former math teacher, Morton said she believes early exposure to this information is key, and said kids begin showing their curiosity as early as third grade.

"Understanding how things happen with technology, that they all need to have different mathematical levels of understanding," said Morton. "They need to have computational thinking skills, because that's the way this world is moving. And I believe that they do have it -- if you just sit back and watch them play, you see the problem solving happen."

A report on Indiana's STEM education priorities shows the number of undergraduate degrees is up since 2015, but the number of STEM-related degrees awarded hasn't moved much.

Hispanic and Black students earn between 3% and 5% of those STEM degrees. They make up 6% and 9% of the state's population, respectively.