Community & Society
![Flashes of Pride 2023 Photo Session Flashes of Pride 2023 Photo Session](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/FlashesPrideBanner.jpg?VersionId=Wb80VWn1KzozPXO.cyEqe2iBz5AR2P9d&h=32d47049&itok=ImGg6GlA)
‘Represented and Proud’
This week began the annual photo shoot for the Flashes of Pride Poster, which features the faces, names, sexual identity and majors of some of С»ÆƬÊÓƵ’s LGBTQ+ community and allies.
![Hotel evening view Hotel evening view](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/Evening%20Hotel%20Shot.jpg?VersionId=j2duiYwa2rBq2nj1DRlEkQtsFQbduapT&h=511b1a2e&itok=Y_8Anb8e)
10 Years and More Than 200,000 Guests Later
The С»ÆƬÊÓƵ Hotel and Conference Center is celebrating 10 years of being at the heart of a transformed downtown.
![International Overdose Awareness Day is Aug. 31 Graphic for International Overdose Awareness Day](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/IOAD2023-banner-2048x678.jpg?VersionId=Qbt_Z5skBGqRTLvCfzzHFKoa9KoLFewM&h=38613253&itok=t6lXIiAj)
Learn the Signs of an Overdose and How to Help
The С»ÆƬÊÓƵ Kent Campus will be one of four locations offering free Narcan education from the Kent Health Department on Aug. 31. To help raise awareness about overdoses in Portage County, Open United Recovery (OUR) Place, the Mental Health and Recovery Board of Portage County, Kent Health Department and Brightview Kent Addiction Center will distribute free resources and educational materials.
![Fall 2023 Nursing sophomores White Coat Ceremony. Fall 2023 Nursing sophomores White Coat Ceremony.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/DSC06441_edits.jpg?VersionId=YWxIlISWW9Uj3A.VxoS_QoHfYkC1O3Pp&itok=xh-nXFuf)
IN A FLASH: White Coats and Big Smiles
The Fall 2023 White Coat Ceremony marked nursing students' transition to professional nursing classes.
![Pictured (from left to right) are Mary Kutchin, Tracey Motter, Erin Slay and Holly Ma. Pictured (from left to right) are Mary Kutchin, Tracey Motter, Erin Slay and Holly Ma.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/Mary%20Kutchin%2C%20Tracey%20Motter%2C%20Erin%20Slay%20and%20Holly%20Ma.jpeg?VersionId=1Edq2zQ8A2wsrJ4rXgcdR9UK8hkrFRPq&h=52d3fcb6&itok=sBwmS4aV)
С»ÆƬÊÓƵ and University Hospitals Awarded $4 Million Grant to Develop an LPN-to-BSN Pathway, Further Nursing Education and Careers
Faculty researchers from С»ÆƬÊÓƵ’s College of Nursing recently received nearly $4 million in grant funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration to develop an LPN-to-BSN pathway called the LPN Education Advancement Program (LEAP). The program will provide licensed practical nurses at University Hospitals the opportunity to increase their skill set by removing barriers that may have prevented them from furthering their education.
![Barbie-mania has people talking barbie dolls grouped together](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/dolls-3857137_1920.jpg?VersionId=pxPXCds4os1HYZRT161YZR3EkLrKxG7R&h=e5aec6c8&itok=HRbH5faX)
Barbie, Patriarchy and My Pink Hijab
Lydia Rose, Ph.D., director of Public Relations for the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent and an associate professor of sociology at С»ÆƬÊÓƵ, shares her perspectives on the resurgence of Barbie’s influence on our culture today.
![Students discovering downtown Kent. Students discovering downtown Kent.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/KSU_3274.jpg?VersionId=6eianjSVoTYcxekVZgn4qPpjSICJM4xo&itok=U1724HCV)
New 'Flashes First Thursday' welcomes students to explore our vibrant college town
The first "Flashes First Thursday" welcomes students to experience the shopping, dining, music and more that make downtown Kent a fun place to visit.
![Scene from Summer Commencement 2023 Scene from Summer Commencement 2023](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/20230819_BC_Commencement_PM_141.jpg?VersionId=s9EyOHVrFsN3Pi8RNQL3zWCiZ3pFRMP0&itok=aFhhFj6T)
IN A FLASH: The Summer Class of 2023
С»ÆƬÊÓƵ's Summer Commencement ceremonies took place on Manchester Field last Saturday.
![Hospitality students in the DI Hub. Hospitality students in the DI Hub.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/IMG_0027.jpg?VersionId=eLMCyGcKIahSJvRAaa8TeTadQ9tVNyjg&itok=vSrj0A7-)
Supporting Hospitality’s Next Generation
A scholarship funded through the С»ÆƬÊÓƵ Hotel and Conference Center benefits students in С»ÆƬÊÓƵ's Hospitality Management program.
![Students Painting The Rock. Students painting The Rock.](https://www-s3-live.kent.edu/s3fs-root/s3fs-public/styles/1_5_2_thumbnail/public/151210-KSU-00177.jpg?VersionId=2wmq9ie3nwBVuD7wyLKyogIYWiNeyqN2&itok=DSaBUJlf)
100 YEARS AGO AT KENT STATE: Happy Anniversary to The Rock!
For more than a century, "The Rock" on the Kent Campus has been a colorful canvas expressing the changing moods of the community.