Myth: Kent read, Kent write, Kent State

“Well, it’s clever, but it’s obviously wrong, and self-defeating. First, it implies that students come here because they are not capable of succeeding at other colleges, which is simply not true. Second, it implies that the level of education provided here, particularly in the fields of liberal arts, English and communications, is not comparable to that of other colleges, which is also ridiculous.”

– Matthew Shank, English professor

Myth: Risman Plaza is so windy because it was designed to be at a school in a hotter area

“The quick answer is ‘no.’ The Student Center was designed specifically for Kent and was not designed to create more wind. The wind is more likely caused by the fall face of the library.”

– Tom Euclide, executive director of facilities planning and operations

Myth: Kent State’s campus is unsafe because of events like the College Fest riot

“College Fest was a great disappointment to the community, the city and the university because of the actions of a number of people off campus – most of which were not students. That’s usually the case for off-campus issues.

“But when you’re talking about coming to Kent State and wondering if you’re safe or not, you really should be talking about ‘Are you going to be a victim of assault or some serious crime?’ If you look at all of the statistics from the department of education of the United States to the FBI to the department of justice, you’re going to find that Kent State has one of the lowest crime rates, not only in the state, but in the country.”

– John Peach, director of public safety and Kent State chief of police

Contact principal reporter Allison Smith at [email protected]