eInside Briefs

Athletic Department Scores Record-Breaking Spring Semester

Kent State women's track athletes celebrate winning the
MAC championship this past May. Kent State's student-
athletes continued to raise the bar in the classroom, making
the spring of 2013 their best semester in recorded history
with an all-time high cumulative grade point average.

Kent State University student-athletes continued to raise the bar in the classroom, making the spring of 2013 their best semester in recorded history. The department’s cumulative grade point average is also at an all-time high, while six teams broke program records.

Of the nearly 400 student-athletes at Kent State, 61 percent had a spring grade point average of 3.0 or higher, helping the department to a term record 3.11 GPA. More impressively, 36 percent of Golden Flashes had term GPAs of 3.5 or better, while 24 individuals posted a perfect 4.0.

The 23-member softball team’s 3.71 was the highest semester GPA by any team in the department’s history, which included 19 members netting a 3.5 or better. Gymnastics (3.49), football (2.84) and women’s track and field (3.40) all set new program records for term GPAs. Wrestling (3.03) tied a program term record, while baseball (3.06) shattered a spring semester record.

The women’s basketball team also had a strong semester with 10 players earning a 3.0 or better, including five on the Dean’s List and one on the President’s List. Football placed 14 student-athletes on the Dean’s List and two on the President’s List. Volleyball (3.36) had its highest term GPA since 2009.

“The academic profile of Kent State University continues to rise, as does the academic caliber of the student-athletes our coaches are recruiting,” says Assistant Athletic Director for Academic and Student Services Angie Hull. “This past year, we were able to increase the amount of athletic academic counselors serving our student-athletes and also launch new programs to assist their academic transition to college.”

Prior to the spring of 2012, the Golden Flashes never recorded a collective 3.0 in a term, but that milestone has now been reached in three straight semesters.

Kent State also continued its success on the playing fields and in the arenas during the 2013 spring semester. The women’s track and field team won conference championships in both the indoor and outdoor competitions. Men’s and women’s golf each defended their conference titles. Baseball won a MAC regular season crown, while softball won a MAC East title. Men’s track and field claimed indoor and outdoor runner-up finishes at the MAC Championships and wrestling finished second in the conference standings.

Parking Rates for the Kent Central Gateway Take Effect July 29

Pictured is a view of the Kent Central
Gateway from E. Main Street. Parking
rates for the parking deck go into effect
July 29.

The Kent Central Gateway parking rates will become effective July 29. The daily parking rates vary depending on the length of time, and parking rates will differ for special events.

The rates are as follows:

• The first 30 minutes - Free
•  30 minutes to one hour - $1
• One hour to an hour and a half - $2
• One hour and a half to two hours - $3
• Two hours to three hours - $4
• Three hours to 24 hours - $5
  

The maximum rate is paid for lost tickets, and there are no in-and-out privileges. Anyone staying at the Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center can see the front desk for overnight rates.

“The Kent Central Gateway increased transit accessibility and emphasized multimodal transportation,” says Frank Hairston, director of marketing for the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA). “There are bicycle amenities, hike and bike trails, an opportunity to park and an opportunity to ride to Akron and Cleveland. The Kent Central Gateway is a vital civic space that will contribute to the health, safety and sustainability of the Kent and Portage County communities for generations to come.”

Hairston believes the parking deck will bring more visitors to Kent from other cities.

PARTA received a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. The Kent Central Gateway created 266 construction jobs and 703 long-term jobs.

The new multimodal transportation facility will combine elements of buses, pedestrians, bicycles and cars, and will serve as a transfer point that allows bus transport to Akron, Cleveland and all points in Portage County. Located at Erie and Depeyster streets with a curb cut into Haymaker Parkway, the Kent Central Gateway project is estimated to stimulate $60 million worth of new investment, both public and private, in Kent. 

For more information about PARTA, visit www.partaonline.org.

Bike Repair Station Now Available on the Kent Campus

A bike repair station has been installed
on the Kent State University Esplanade,
between the Kent Student Center and
the Kiva.

(Photo provided by Brandon Richards)

Located on the Kent State University Esplanade, between the Kent Student Center and the Kiva, is a Dero Fixit Station, which is a bike repair station. The station provides a repair stand that can hold most bikes, an air pump and basic tools for minor adjustments, and is free and open to members of the Kent State community.

There also is a QR code on the station. If you have a repair that you are unsure of, you can simply scan the QR code, using a smartphone, for troubleshooting repairs.

The Dero Fixit Station was installed about a month ago. Currently, there is one station to test the amount of usage it receives.

“So far, the Fixit Station has been extremely well-received on campus,” says David Herpy, outdoor adventure coordinator for Kent State’s Department of Recreational Services. “This is just a small way for us to be a more bicycle-friendly university.”

Herpy expects dozens of uses per day of the Fixit Station.

The Dero Fixit Station was funded by the Department of Recreational Services and the university’s Sustainability Office.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Recreational Services, visit www.kent.edu/recservices.

For more information about sustainability initiatives at Kent State, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability.