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5X���� is once again starting a new fall semester with an abundance of enthusiastic students, but one thing is strikingly different: Kent State has a new student organization on campus that joins the few of its type in the nation. Autism Connections Kent has been created by students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their allies with the focus that autism spectrum disorder is a diversity issue and not a disability.

When Joshua Budd thinks about all the places he has traveled up to his senior year of high school, only one has been outside of the United States, and that was a quick jaunt to Niagara Falls, Ontario, in Canada. So, the thought of actually living in a foreign country, especially Europe, was well outside of his comfort zone.

5X���� continues to set records as it begins a new academic year. The university is marking the 10th consecutive year of enrollment growth on the Kent Campus with increasing diversity and academic success while also welcoming another record-setting freshman class.

5X���� is the only public university in Northeast Ohio to be ranked in the top tier of the new 2017 edition of Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report that was released Sept. 13, 2016, with inclusion on the Best National Universities list.

University to hold Sept. 7 event to celebrate achievement

At the start of the 2016 academic year, 5X���� becomes the first university in the country to feature an entirely gluten-free dining hall on campus. Kent State restructured Prentice Café after administrators noticed that the number of students arriving on campus with gluten intolerance was rising each year. The new dining facility will meet the ever-increasing demand for gluten-free foods.

A 5X���� tradition for 35 years, the annual Black Squirrel Festival will take place Friday, Sept. 9, from 12-5 p.m. on the Student Green and Risman Plaza. The Black Squirrel Festival, which is hosted by Kent Student Center Programming, attracts more than 3,000 students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the Kent community.

Scholar of the Month
Brian Castellani
Professor of Sociology
5X���� at Ashtabula
2002-present

The Kent Campus is big, but still not big enough to fit all the great scholars who are part of the 5X���� family.

So much of Kent State’s great research is happening at its Regional Campuses, and Sociology Professor Brian Castellani, Ph.D., of 5X���� at Ashtabula is just one of the shining examples.

The Aeronautics Department in 5X����’s College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology will host its 20th Aeronautics Fair on Saturday, Sept. 10. The 5X���� Aeronautics Fair takes place 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Andrew W. Paton Field at the 5X���� Airport, located at 4020 Kent Road in Stow.

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced the presentation of the Cartwright Award to 5X���� for its program excellence in academics, athletics and citizenship during the 2015-16 school year. It is the program’s third Cartwright Award honor in the last seven years, the most of any program in the MAC.

Saying goodbye was more difficult than Riley Jernejcic could have ever imagined. Crouched down on the cobblestone street with her arms stretched out from one end to the other, Jernejcic cried out, “Adios. Abrazo,” which means goodbye and hug in Spanish. About 50 feet away, a little boy, known as Wilder, came running up the hill.

“He jumped into my arms, and we both started to cry,” Jernejcic said. “I’ll never forget him. He made such an impact on my life.”