For students excited to return to their on-campus social lives, Ohio State offers several community-building events throughout January. Click on the title of any event for more information.
Jan. 14 — Career Closet Pop-Up (1640 Neil Ave.)
Oftentimes, students might have trouble finding clothes for an upcoming job interview or internship. Ohio State’s Career Closet Pop-Up will offer free clothing to all current students with a valid BuckID.
The recurring pop-up event happens multiple times throughout the academic year, with the next one scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Younkin Success Center.
According to the event listing, the pop-up will provide a wide selection of both men’s and women’s clothing — all donated by faculty, staff and community members — and nearby restrooms that allow students to try on any clothing items they’re interested in.
For more information about the Career Closet Pop-Up, visit its event listing on Ohio State’s website.
Jan. 14-25 — Creative Lives: Staff Artists & Makers Exhibition (50 W. Town St.)
This January, the Urban Arts Space — an Ohio State gallery, arts laboratory and community space — will host the “Creative Lives: Staff Artists & Makers Exhibition.” According to the university’s website, this exhibition will showcase diverse artwork from more than 40 Ohio State professors.
In addition, “Creative Lives” will highlight “how the study of the arts can be a powerful catalyst for lifelong expression,” the website states.
The exhibition will be on view from Jan. 14-25, with the Urban Arts Space hosting an official reception Jan. 18 from 4-6 p.m.
The Urban Arts Space is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Jan. 15-16 — Spring Student Involvement Fair (1739 N. High St.)
The annual Spring Student Involvement Fair offers students the opportunity to meet new people and learn more about Ohio State’s various student organizations.
According to the university’s website, this free fair is “smaller and more intimate than the Student Involvement Fair held during the Fall Semester’s Welcome Week.”
This year’s fair will take place Jan. 15-16 from 4-7 p.m. in the Ohio Union’s Performance Hall and Archie M. Griffin Grand Ballroom.
Each day will feature different organizations to ensure students can be exposed to a vast array of groups, the website states.
Organizations related to technology, the arts and sports and recreation will be in attendance Jan. 15. On the other hand, organizations related to awareness and activism, sustainability, community service, religion, culture and fraternities and sororities will be in attendance Jan. 16.
Jan. 17 — Chamber Music from Latin America: Celebrating Public Domain Day 2025 (1858 Neil Ave.)
Every January, a new collection of copyrighted works become “public domain,” meaning their intellectual property rights no longer apply.
To celebrate, Ohio State will host a live performance of chamber music from Latin America, featuring musical works from 1929 that are officially entering the public domain in the United States.
According to the university’s website, Mark Rudoff — a professor emeritus in Ohio State’s School of Music — and his string quartet will perform Mexican composer Manuel Ponce’s “Four Miniatures” and Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “String Quartet No. 3.” This performance will be followed by a discussion about the music, as well as the copyright developments surrounding it.
The event will take place from 4-5 p.m. Jan. 17 in the Campus Reading Room, located on the 11th floor of Thompson Library.
Jan. 18 — OUABack to School Late Night Skate (390 Woody Hayes Drive)
The Ohio Union Activities Board will host the “OUABack to School Late Night Skate” from 5-7 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Ohio State Ice Rink.
According to the event listing, this free event is “first come first serve,” with one ticket available per Ohio State student with a valid BuckID. Tickets must be purchased on OUAB’s website, before the event.
Jan. 22 & 29 — OUAB Flicks For Free: “Ponyo” and “Venom: The Last Dance” (1739 N. High St.)
Every year, OUAB hosts a “Flicks For Free” series that gives students an opportunity to watch notable movies on campus.
This semester, OUAB is kicking off the series with a screening of “Ponyo” — an animated film that follows a 5-year-old boy named Sosuke, who develops a relationship with a young goldfish princess — from 8-10 p.m. Jan. 22.
This will be followed by a showing of “Venom: The Last Dance” — a sci-fi story about Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote “Venom,” who find themselves in hot water as they’re pursued by adversarial forces — from 7-10 p.m. Jan. 29.
Both films will be screened at the Ohio Union’s U.S. Bank Conference Theatre. For more information about upcoming “Flicks For Free” events, visit OUAB’s Instagram page.
Jan. 23 — 53rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in partnership with the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center, will host the 53rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration from 6-7:30 p.m. Jan. 23.
Over the span of 50-plus years, the event has featured prominent guest speakers like Angela Davis, Ben Crump, Nikki Giovanni and Michael Eric Dyson, according to the university’s website. This year, the featured speaker is hip-hop artist Chuck D, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Acheivement Award winner.
At the time of publication, the location for this event has yet to be announced. More information can be found via the event listing on Ohio State’s website.
Jan. 29 — Inaugural Lecture: Leslie Lockett, Writing the History of Cheese in Medieval Europe (181 Oval Drive S.)
As a part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ inaugural lecture series, Leslie Lockett — an Ohio State professor of English and associate director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies — will give a lecture titled “Writing the History of Cheese in Medieval Europe” from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 29 at the Faculty Club’s Grand Lounge.
According to the university’s website, Lockett will cover topics including cheesemaking, cheese consumption and cheese’s cultural significance in medieval Europe.
To register for the event, visit its listing on Ohio State’s website.
