Students for Concealed Carry is a student run organization spreading across the state of Ohio, and now they're knocking on The University of Akrons door.

"Students for Concealed Carry is a single issue organization and our issue, our goal, is to address where those with licenses can and cannot carry firearms" says Michael Newbern, Director of Ohio Students for Concealed Carry.

After a series of applications and interviews with the organization, Matthew Mansell was approved to become The University of Akron's campus leader, but they are still seeking the schools approval and recognition.

Newbern talked about the interest Akron students have in the organization.

"Matt is our campus leader in Akron. As far as i know he has 25 students that are interested in the group and interested in joining. For that size University thats a pretty good effort. When we first started at Ohio State there were only a handful of us" he said.

Ohio State, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Dayton and Case Western Reserve universities and Lakeland Community College all currently have chapters of "Students for Concealed Carry" and according to Newbern, none of those campuses have had a single incident of gun violence involving licensees.

"I mean if i can carry in a shopping mall,  a restaurant, bar, pub that serves alcohol, if i can carry in state parks why is campus different? And thats what were all asking, and hopefully we'll get our answer very soon."

One hurdle Mansell and other chapters around the state have been confronted with is faculty involvement.

"He's (Matthew Mansell) finding that there are a lot of faculty that are apposed to it, and the ones that aren't apposed to it don't want to be vocal in their support because of the ostracizing they could get from their colleague" says Newbern. 

The organization actually stretches nationwide with over 350 chapters and 36,000 members across the United States.

If you are looking for more information about the group you can go to their web site at concealedcampus.org.

Could Akron be the future home of a professional football team ?

AkronNewsNow reported earlier this Spring that the new United States Football League was looking at Akron as a possible location for one of its teams to begin a Spring 2013 season. Now the Akron Beacon Journal reports that officials from the league will meet with city of Akron and University of Akron officials next week to discuss putting a team in Akron to play its games at the idle Rubber Bowl. The Bowl hosted its last University of Akron game in 2008 and is in need of repairs and upgrades.

The USFL would not compete with the NFL, but would be a developmental league that could send players to the NFL, similar to what the former NFL Europe did. USFL officials think Akron is an attractive location for such a team, but investors must also be sought.

On the web : ohio.com

 

Several thousand degrees were conferred over the weekend at The University of Akron and Kent State University.  The next step:  Finding a job.

The job hunt after college graduation can be tough, but there are signs that graduates are finding jobs sooner than expected.

Kim Beyer, interim director of Career Center at the University of Akron, said the proof is in the numbers.

"Our indications are showing that hiring is up about 7 percent for undergraduate students, but 4 percent overall which is the average for all college hires," said Beyer.

Hiring of new college graduates is expected to increase to 10.2 percent in 2012, according to a survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

More students are lining up interviews at career fairs, according to Beyer. She says most employers are are targeting students with various skills.

"A lot of our employers don't necessarily specify a specific major," said Beyer. "They're looking for candidates that have very specific skill sets."

Deanna Dunn, director of the cooperative education program in the UA College of Engineering, said at least half of the engineering graduates have already landed full-time jobs.

"We've gotten calls from companies that we have never heard before where we are staring new relationships. It definitely has increased," said Dunn. 

On the Web: www.naceweb.org

Jim Tressel  has a new job, but his lifetime goal remains the same as he will continue to work with students.

"I always wanted to be a teacher and coach and for many years I had 150 students, but now I have about 35,000 and that is great," Tressel said.

Monday night, Jim Tressel was the featured speaker for the 10th Annual Shaw Jewish Community Center Sports Dinner in Akron. The former Ohio State University Football Coach is now the vice president for strategic engagement at the University of Akron.

"This is something I have always wanted to do, but I will say that I did not have it planned this early," Tressel said.

Tressel described the past year and a half as stressful for him and his family, but he considers himself lucky to have coached the Buckeyes for 10 years.

"When I was hired, I told my family that I would be lucky to last five years at that level and it would be a dream to last 10 years," Tressel said.

Tressel had a great 15-year run as the head football coach at Youngstown State University before he moved to Columbus to guide the Buckeyes.

In 2002, Ohio State finished 14-0 and won a National Football Championship under his direction.

He says that was a special and memorable moment, but all the teams and big games are different and important to him.

Will he ever coach again?

"Ever is a long time," Tressel said. 

The re-opening of the Mill Street Bridge could be a sign of future growth at The University of Akron.

The bridge connects the north end of the main part of the campus toward downtown Akron, specifically Quaker Square, which is now owned by the university.

The university's expansion efforts have mainly focused on moving toward downtown, but mainly from the southern and central parts of the campus.  Now that the bridge is open, is the university eyeing further expansion toward the northwest?

"It's logical that we grow to the north and to the west," said UA Vice President, Capital Planning and Facilities Management Ted Curtis.  "We look forward to that and this bridge is very significant in helping that growth happen."

The bridge has been closed for two years for a complete overhaul.