OXFORD, Ohio — A Miami University student's death is under investigation, the Butler County Coroner's Office said.

Allyson Webb, 19, was found dead Nov. 5 at the 400 block of Oak Street in Oxford.

The coroner's office has not given a cause of death.

Miami University released a statement Nov. 7 regarding Webb's death.

"We are heartbroken to lose this member of our community and send our condolences to our student's family and friends," the university said.

The university said Webb lived on campus in Hamilton Hall.

Miami did not give any more specifics into her death and said no more information would be provided as they honor the family's request for privacy.

Counseling services were made available to residents of Hamilton Hall, as well as any Miami University students who need it.

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HAMILTON, Ohio — An Indiana man is facing multiple charges for allegedly raping a Miami University student in January 2006. The arrest involved coupling DNA with forensic genealogy.

Lloyd Wendell Ailes, 58, was taken into custody on Thursday in Connersville, Indiana, by Ohio law enforcement, including Butler County Prosecutor’s Investigator Paul Newton, according to Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.

Ailes was arraigned on Friday morning by Butler County Common Pleas Judge Keith Spaeth, who set bond at $775,000. He is scheduled to be back in court on Jan. 6 for a pretrial hearing.

Ailes, who was a construction worker in Oxford in 2006, was indicted on Thursday afternoon by a Butler County grand jury for rape, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery. All charges carry a gun specification alleging a gun was used in the crimes.

The assault occurred on Jan. 9, 2006, at an off-campus house, according to the indictment and Gmoser. The suspect wore a mask, but his face was visible to the woman for a brief time and a sketch of the suspect was made. His DNA was also found at the scene. After forcing the victim to commit several sex acts, Ailes took $60 from her purse, Gmoser said.

In March 2006, a similar attack happened in Fayette County, Indiana. DNA collected there matched the DNA in the Oxford case, but there was no match to DNA entered in any law enforcement data base. The case went cold.

During the arraignment hearing, Gmoser said Ailes wore a mask in the Indiana assault, but “didn’t speak a word,” because the victim was known to him and his voice would have been recognizable.

Gmoser said Newton and his office have been working for years with experts to track down the suspect using genealogy DNA data bases piecing together a family tree of the suspect.

“And we finally did,” Gmoser said.

He said he will be prosecuting the case himself, along with Assistant Prosecutor Lindsay Sheehan.

“The science of this investigation is fascinating,” Gmoser said.

OXFORD, Ohio —

Jacob Maten is a college student who is happy to show off a new gift from his father, a carbon monoxide detector for his dorm room.

"I stopped at Home Depot on my way down here," said Jacob's father, Mike Maten.

Mike Maten made the four-hour trip from Michigan to Oxford, Ohio, to visit his son at McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital. Jacob, a Miami University student, was hospitalized Thursday for suspected CO poisoning.

"I'm feeling a lot better than yesterday. I'm still just filtering out everything," Jacob Maten said.

Jacob lives at Hillcrest Hall on the Miami campus.

He wasn't feeling well Thursday and was sleeping when firefighters began banging on his door.

"I just started freaking out as soon as I woke up. There were alarms blaring, firefighters telling me to get up and get out right now. It's like, 'Oh my God what is happening?'" Jacob Maten said.

"I'm not sure how they knew he was in his room, but thank God they did," said Mike Maten.

More than 250 students were forced from their rooms overnight due to CO levels in the building. They were given the all-clear Friday morning.

Miami University officials declined an interview but released the following written statement:

"We are updating you on an incident that occurred yesterday in Hillcrest Hall on Western campus. The Miami University Police Department was notified by a resident that his personal carbon monoxide detector was sounding an alert. We called the Oxford Department, they detected carbon monoxide, evacuated the building, and began investigating the source. By early evening, it was clear that we would not find and repair the source of the carbon monoxide in time for students to return to the hall to sleep. More than 250 students were assigned a temporary room on campus and they have just been notified that they can return to the building at their convenience.

Because Hillcrest Hall is heated by geothermal energy, we knew there was no combustion source related to heating and cooling in the building that could have caused the elevated levels. Miami University has been and continues to be in full compliance with the requirements of the state fire code for the facility. Our physical facilities department staff partnered with the Oxford Fire Department to investigate throughout the night. The source of the carbon monoxide was ultimately identified as exhaust from a hot water heater that is used to heat the water for showers and faucets. Under some conditions, the exhaust was pulled back into the building from outside through small openings in the structure of the building, which have been repaired. Both Miami's physical facilities staff and the Oxford Fire Department have tested the building multiple times and have found no remaining carbon monoxide. We are in the process of inspecting all other residence halls on campus; thus far, no other issues have been discovered.

We have installed temporary carbon monoxide detectors in Hillcrest Hall and in an abundance of caution are determining how best to install them in all halls as a permanent system. We will provide additional information and an update on our corrective actions in future communications.

We are grateful to, and proud of, the Hillcrest students who alerted the MUPD to this situation."

On Friday, students said they are happy to sleep in their own beds again but not without concern.

"The only reason it got caught is because there was a carbon monoxide detector in some kid's room," said student Will McKay.

Student Sophie Kwiatikowski said, "If that one person didn't have a personal detector, it wouldn't have been detected."

Many students said their parents already bought them their own CO detectors.

CINCINNATI — Officials with three local colleges will gather Wednesday at The Banks to kick off a program they hope will help ensure students of all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds have the same opportunities on their campuses.

"Moon Shot for Equity" is a national program spearheaded by the Washington, D.C.-based education research institute EAB, with the goal of leveling playing fields in higher education in regards to admissions, academic and extracurricular success, and post-graduation opportunities.

Here in the Tri-State, Cincinnati State Community and Technical College, Northern Kentucky University, Miami University and Gateway Community and Technical College are all participating in the program.

"The goal is, we want to eliminate equity gaps within our region by 2030," said Ande Durojaiye, vice president and dean of Miami University regional campuses' Liberal Arts and Applied Science programs. "So when I say equity gaps, we want to make sure that all students — regardless of their race, their background, their socioeconomic status — are successful in higher education, achieving their goals."

Representatives from the college and two universities will kick off the program at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Wednesday at 8 a.m. Officials will be on hand to detail specific changes in store for each of their campuses by 2030.

OXFORD, Ohio —

Among those who hope Miami University will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 this fall is sophomore Savannah Walls.

"I totally believe that it can be your choice, but when you're affecting that many other people like with this pandemic, I feel like it should be mandated," Wall said.

Walls, who's been vaccinated since May, is glad to know more than 150 Miami faculty members signed onto an open letter to university officials. The letter calls on officials to make proof of vaccination a requirement, now that Pfizer's vaccine has received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

"I think it just says that, like, the majority of people on this campus, and the most educated people - I mean our professors are the people we're learning from - if they think that's a good idea, I feel, like, then faculty should take that, or administration should take that into consideration," Walls said.

That's what's happening according to a spokeswoman for the university, though it's not clear when a decision will be announced.

Jeremy Boncela hopes he will continue to be able to choose whether to get vaccinated during the fall semester.

"Personally, I'm not vaccinated, just because I think it's been not long enough to know what could happen," Boncela said. "Also I'm a Catholic. And just as a religious thing I feel like I don't need to take it."

About 25% of Miami's students who are on campus have either declined to take the shot or refused to share their vaccine status with school leaders.

Boncela isn't sure what he would do if a COVID-19 vaccine does become mandatory.

"I think I would do my best to resist it," he said. "But I think, right now I'm not totally sure. I think that is something that has crossed my mind and I've had to consider it more as of recent."

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Miami University said an announcement about a possible coronavirus vaccine mandate to be expected soon.

As far as other universities in the area go, Xavier University is requiring its students to get the COVID-19 vaccine before the start of the spring 2022 semester. A letter to students stated that university officials came to the decision following the full approval of the Pfizer vaccine by the Food and Drug Administration.

At the University of Cincinnati, officials say they are considering it, particularly after several state universities have implemented similar policies. President Neville Pinto released a statement Monday morning, saying they are watching other schools and universities closely as they consider a similar mandate.

Miami University will require facial coverings in almost all cases on its campuses no matter their vaccination status beginning on Monday, the school announced today.

According to the Journal-News, Miami University President Gregory Crawford said the decision came because of concern about the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19 and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coverings will be required indoors beginning on Monday, except when exempted under the university’s COVID-19 policy. Students will not be required to wear masks inside their residence hall rooms.

“Our top priority is ensuring the health and safety of our campus community,” Crawford said. “Public health officials have advised us that the safest course of action for the successful completion of a robust, in-person semester is to take preventative actions now.”

Miami is urging anyone who is not vaccinated to get vaccinated immediately.

“Vaccines remain our best protective measure against the virus,” President Crawford said.

The first day of classes is Aug. 23.

CINCINNATI — College students – and their professors – found themselves forced online in spring 2020. Suddenly, every class was a virtual one and the idea of limited classroom time continued into the fall, as the pandemic dragged on.

WCPO surveyed local universities to see how online enrollment and virtual or hybrid class numbers changed since 2019. We found a steady, but not rapid, increase in online learning in our area.

"You can't just snap back to 2019 and expect this stuff to work," said Matthew Cecil, Northern Kentucky University's new provost. "We need to know our students better. That's the challenge for everyone in higher education."

Cecil started at NKU in highland Heights this summer and said he plans to spend the next six months or so meeting students and listening to what they want in terms of mix of in-person and online learning.

WCPO

Data provided by NKU shows 4,500 students enrolled in accelerated online programs -- generally graduate or professional certifications -- for the fall, which equals out to one in four students at the university. This fall, 27 percent of other courses will be online, up from 18 percent in fall 2019.

"I do think it will stick," Cecil said. "I don't know exactly where the percentages will come down, but I think it is highly likely that we will see this kind of mix [going forward]."

Other local universities are seeing more mixed moves toward online learning.

Thomas More University in Crestview Hills told WCPO it will offer 114 courses online in the 2021-22 school year, up from 80 courses in the 2018-19 school year. Enrollment is climbing, too. 798 students have enrolled in online courses for the upcoming school year, compared to 683 in 2018-19.

Miami University is offering 724 online courses across all its campuses this fall, or 15.6 percent of courses, up from 528 in fall 2019, representing 11.1 percent. But that's down dramatically from the forced online presence of 2020, when Miami recorded 2835 online courses.

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It will also offer 157 hybrid courses this fall, or about three percent of courses.

At Xavier University in Evanston, a spokesman said "nearly all" courses were returning to in-person, but did not have exact numbers readily available for fall 2021.

The University of Cincinnati also did not provide exact numbers to compare its fall online courses and enrollment, but said it offers "a good mix of online and in-person options."

UC noted, like Xavier, it was returning to a more traditional fall semester, but had an eye on online-only options moving forward.

So, if you thought the pandemic was pushing the end of the days of huge campus construction projects, new dorms, and a college building boom – think again.

"The reality, of course, is that there's always going to be an audience of students who want that on-campus residential experience," said NKU's Cecil. "You still have to attract that audience that wants the nice dorm rooms, the dining halls, all the activities you have on campus."

Cecil warned, though, that colleges and universities needed to meet more students – and prospective students – where they are.

"I need to know more about the students, and what their experiences were during COVID – and we know they weren't always what they wanted them to be – and what they need from us going forward," he said.

Cecil jokes that one day some university will make lots of money by figuring out a way to provide virtual courses in a similar space as newly popular workout programs, like Peloton.

Online-only universities fared particularly well during the pandemic.

Columbus, Ohio-based Franklin University has seen steady growth through the pandemic. According to data it provided to WCPO, its enrollment has grown from 4,333 in spring 2019 to 5,352 in spring 2021.

"The way the world is now, we're always moving," said K.L. Allen, president of Western Governors University Ohio. "It forced us to pivot and, luckily, we were already 100 percent online and students were able to continue to live their life and go to school."

WGU Ohio has seen enrollment grow more than 13 percent this year, and its graduation rate has increased 33 percent.

Michael Benedic

"[My students] always look on my wall – I have pictures of when I was in school, my first teaching job – and they always ask me questions like, 'That's you in that picture? Where did you go to school at?'" said Jaton Kershaw, a teacher at Cincinnati's Woodford Academy. "And I tell them, 'I didn't go to a traditional school where you would go into a building. I graduated from an online school."

Kershaw got her teaching degree online after she left the University of Cincinnati when tragedy struck and turned her life upside down.

In 2004, she was at the Black Family Reunion along the riverfront downtown when gunfire erupted. Kershaw was shot and spent time in the hospital and then at home recovering, dreading returning to school.

"I conquered my fear, I did," she said. "I had a lot of anxiety and didn't want to go into a lot of public places. I didn't trust large crowds."

The numbers show more people are taking Kershaw's approach to higher education – more options, less expensive, on their time.

"We now have lives we have to live, we have responsibilities as adults to take care of our family, we want the American Dream on our time," said WGU's Allen.

But there is not a dramatic shift happening to online courses, hastened by the pandemic. At least, not yet.

OXFORD, Ohio — A 21-year-old construction contractor from northern Ohio is in jail, accused of sexually assaulting a Miami University student early Saturday after giving her a ride home from a bar.

Zachary Michael Frankart of Clyde in Sandusky County, was arrested and booked into the Butler County Jail on suspicion of rape and for theft, for allegedly taking items belonging to the woman, the release stated.

Oxford police responded around 1:20 a.m. to North College Avenue. A passerby called 911 who reported he found a crying woman lying in a front who said she had been raped.

The Miami student said she did not know the assailant but that she accepted a ride from him from an uptown bar, according to a release posted to the Oxford Division of Police Facebook page.

Police officers and detectives identified a suspect within hours of the sexual assault report and found him at a local hotel.

OXFORD, Ohio — The City of Oxford, along with Miami University have jointly committed $350,000 towards bringing an Amtrak stop to the city.

The $700,000 will go towards the design and construction of a platform at Chestnut Fields location at 909 South Main St.

The Oxford stop will be located on the Cardinal line, which travels from Chicago to Washington, D.C.

The approved stop will be a Category 4 Amtrak platform, which is an unmanned kiosk.

Currently, the city is negotiating vendors on design and cost estimates for the platform.