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The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

Valerie and her mom, Irene

I am the daughter of immigrants

Valerie Royzman September 4, 2019

He was like a washing machine, my dad.Cycling through tasks, moving mindlessly, over and over. He worked at Parker Steel Inc. in the daytime, returned home to eat and sleep, then drove to his second job...

Veteran Josh Vandygriff talks about his time in the Army and his struggles with opioid addiction at the Nonprofit Spotlight Speaker Series event held at Henderson Hall on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018.

Speaker series on opioids brings community closer through stories of addiction, hope for recovery

Valerie Royzman October 19, 2018

Rachel Pike-Lee told the packed room in Henderson Hall on Thursday her family has tried “everything you can imagine” — hospital visits, drug court, Oriana House classes, Veterans Affairs services,...

Junior business management major Hannah Robinson (left) talks with junior marketing major Kelly Corey (bottom right) about the new meal plans in front of Rosie’s Diner in Tri-Towers on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018.

‘You talked, we listened.’ Meal plan changes come to campus

Valerie Royzman September 7, 2018

Last week, Dining Services — on social media and through Vice President of Student Affairs Shay Little at an Undergraduate Student Government meeting — promised to hear students out on their frustrations...

A student walks across the "K" at Risman Plaza on campus of Kent State University the evening of September 5, 2018. 

Kent State falls in Forbes’ college rankings, but does it really matter?

Laina Yost and Valerie Royzman September 5, 2018

In an email addressed to all members of the Kent State community in September 2017, President Beverly Warren touted the university’s status in the U.S. News and World Report rankings released every year...

Debby Thrasher Smith, 66, steps into her Ravenna home on Sunday. Her son, Joe, died here Oct. 29, 2014, of a heroin overdose — his third. He battled with substance abuse in the several years before his death.

A mother reveals what it’s like to live with a son addicted to heroin

Valerie Royzman April 30, 2018

I’m standing on Debby Thrasher Smith’s front porch in Ravenna, tightening my trench coat around my waist. The four wind chimes behind me are knocking delicately against each other, and their tinkling...

Faculty Senate members settle into their seats as their monthly meeting kicks off in the Governance Chambers Monday, March 12, 2018.

Faculty Senate rejects proposal for new global-learning program

Valerie Royzman March 13, 2018

Faculty Senate spent close to 40 minutes of the meeting Monday discussing a newly proposed program focused on global and intercultural learning, only to shoot it down.Kenneth Burhanna, the interim dean...

Firestone High School Principal Larry Johnson and President Beverly Warren listen to David James, the superintendent of Akron Public Schools, speak at a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, which announced a partnership geared toward experiential learning. 

Kent State unveils partnership with Akron Public Schools to strengthen innovation, design thinking

Valerie Royzman and Laina Yost February 21, 2018

Akron Public high school students’ learning will soon expand beyond the classroom, allowing them to engage in opportunities targeted toward their college careers through a partnership with Kent State...

Kent State University President Beverly Warren talks to the crowd attending the first home basketball game of the spring semester Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017.

President offers updates on ‘inclusive,’ community-driven Master Plan

Valerie Royzman February 21, 2018

President Beverly Warren revealed new details on the developing Master Plan at a public session on campus Tuesday, highlighting the Kent State community’s input was crucial in shaping the proposal.Over...

Todd Diacon, the provost and vice president of academic affairs, speaks during the Faculty Senate meeting Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.

Faculty Senate to vote on proposed electronic, face-to-face course evaluations

Valerie Royzman February 12, 2018

Faculty Senate is expected to vote on a new recommendation for student course evaluations at its first meeting of the semester Monday.The suggested electronic, in-classroom Student Survey of Instruction,...