“We’re going to go over a basic forward stroke,” a voice calls out from the sun-soaked banks of the Cuyahoga River in Tannery Park. With a paddle in hand, Erin McNamara demonstrates how to steer a kayak through flowing river waters. McNamara is a senior at Kent State University and a guide for the university’s Crooked River Adventures, a canoe and kayak livery in downtown Kent, Ohio. Every spring, for the past six years, Crooked River Adventures has opened its trailer - filled with canoes, kayaks, tubes and stand-up paddle boards - to customers for guided tours up to six mi...
Erin Hawley selected to receive grant by the National Down Syndrome Society The National Down Syndrome Society has announced that Erin Hawley of Medina, Ohio, is one of 18 outstanding students who have Down syndrome to be awarded a scholarship to help cover the cost of postsecondary or enrichment courses through the society’s O’Neill Tabani Enrichment Fund. As more individuals with Down syndrome are being included in kindergarten through 12th grade and graduating with their peers, the next step for many young adults with Down syndrome includes pursuing postsecondary education, and the Nationa...
On behalf of the Kent State University family, I express profound sadness and solidarity with the citizens of Orlando and the entire state of Florida as we all grieve the loss and injury of the victims from the weekend’s tragedy. Please know that Kent State will continue to advocate for peace, reconciliation and understanding among all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or identity. This support is central to our mission to transform lives and communities in an inclusive environment. In the days ahead, we wish for peace instead of violence, love instead of hate, and...
Two Kent State University students are competing for the coveted title of Miss Ohio 2016. Veronica Garey, a junior in Kent State’s College of Communication and Information, and Erin Simonek, a freshman in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, are among 20 contestants in this year’s pageant. The competition kicks off Thursday, June 16, in the Renaissance Theatre in Mansfield, Ohio. It ends Saturday, June 18, with the crowning of Miss Ohio. Sarah Hider, the reigning Miss Ohio and graduate student in Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences, will pass her crown onto...