7 1/2 things you missed this summer
1. Kent State’s Board of Trustees raises tuition
Kent State’s Board of Trustees raised tuition by 2 percent this semester. The increase will tack on $98 onto undergraduate tuition and $104 for graduates. It is estimated to bring in $5 million in revenue.
2. Quavaugntay Tyler sentenced
The man who fired a gunshot on Kent State’s main campus last semester was sentenced July 22 to 180 days in the Portage County Jail and a $300 fine. Quavaugntay Tyler pleaded guilty to charges of tampering with evidence, carrying a concealed weapon and inducing panic.
3. Associate professor Julio Pino’s letter
Associate professor Julio Pino published a letter to academic colleagues online Aug. 2, blaming them for the death of nearly 2,000 Palestinians in the recent Israel-Egypt conflict. Pino is a tenured history professor known for his 2011 outburst of “death to Israel” during a public event on campus. Several on-campus student groups responded with public statements denouncing his choice of action and lack of discipline from the university.
4. Residence Services enforces RA roommate policy
Residence Services is enforcing an existing policy and requiring its resident assistants to have roommates this fall to deal with housing the large incoming freshman class.
5. Enrollment closes early
Kent State admissions closed enrollment six weeks early this spring due to a large number of applicants. The university said in June about 4,500 students committed to Kent State.
6. Woman charged with vehicular homicide
Allison E. Barton, 22, was charged and pleaded not guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide among other charges. Barton had heroin in her system when she hit two cars and killed a 37-year-old man near the intersection of North Water and Columbus streets on July 17. She fled the scene and was taken into custody by Kent Police.
7. Kent’s former economic development director dies
Dan Smith, Kent’s economic development director who helped shape downtown development, died July 23 after a yearlong battle with brain cancer.
7½. Main Street bridge still closed
The Main Street bridge has been closed in downtown Kent since construction began in June 2014. Originally set to be closed for 75 days, repairs have been delayed and are expected to be completed by the end of September.