Thursday January 22nd, 2026
THE LANTERN
Issue 15, Year 145.
The independent student voice of Ohio State University since 1881.
Dorm renovations, the Ohio Union protest and Wexner’s name on campus: The Lantern’s sit-down with Ted Carter Davis Beatty and Ally Wolfe Managing Campus Editor and Campus Editor
O
hio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. hinted at, but said there are no finalized plans for major dorm renovations, supported students’ right to free speech amid Tuesday’s protest at the Ohio Union and does not anticipate Les Wexner’s name will disappear from campus buildings.
In a 30-minute interview with the Lantern Tuesday, Carter also talked about his confidence in Ohio State’s football team despite over 30 players entering the transfer portal, the hard work of faculty and staff to comply with Senate Bill 1 and explained why there was a decline in international students. Here is what Carter had to say. On-Campus Dorms On Jan. 10, a major pipe failure in Taylor Tower, a 60-year-old dorm, displaced over 750 students who had to find alternative housing two days before the spring semester began, per prior Lantern reporting. Students in Lawrence Tower had to move out prior to the 2025 spring semester after major mold growth was found in the rooms. “[I’m] never going to try to make excuses
SANDRA FU | MANAGING PHOTO EDITOR
for when bad things happen, and the timing of the thing that happened in [Taylor,] you know. [It] was not good,” Carter said. When asked if Taylor Tower will reopen, Carter said maintenance work was set to begin in June 2026 but with these new circumstances, the date was moved up and will “eventually get that back to where it’s in good living conditions.” Regarding any renovations or changes for other dorms, especially the older, non-air conditioned South Campus residence halls and Morrill and Lincoln towers, Carter said they are developing plans but have not yet been finalized. “Lets face it, those towers have been there a long, long time,” Carter said. “Not making any hard announcements today, but we’ve got to come to some decisions here in the next few months.” Carter said they will continue to look at the aging living spaces on campus and develop a new strategy because overall, the students’ safety and experience on campus is his priority. “When something bad happens, you know what, we’re going to own it, and we’ll do everything we can to fix it and make it right by our students,” Carter said. Career Fair Protest As The Lantern was meeting with Carter, a protest was taking place at the
Ohio Union for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s involvement at the College of Arts and Sciences Career Fair, per prior Lantern reporting. The fair had over 150 private and public companies, and the border patrol has had a table there for the last four years, Carter said. About 60 protesters chanted in the lobby and through the second floor ballroom where the fair took place. Eventually, three people, two of them students, were arrested for refusing to comply with space standards set by the university. “I’m aware that there was, you know, a lot of emotions around this, and certainly around [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], and there’s people concerned about ICE on our campus,” Carter said. “We have not had an issue with ICE on our campus to date, and I want people to know that they can go out there and raise their voice and let them have their voices be heard.” Carter said people also must consider the students who came looking for a job at the fair. “We also got to be respectful of the many students who want to come in and have a chance to meet employers and have a chance to maybe get an interview for a job,” Carter said. “That’s what that career fair is all about.”
TED CARTER continues on page 3.