Buckeye Commons aims to bring accessible programming throughout the semester

Sophie Reynolds
Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:37:11 +0000
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A table display at the Mindfulness Minutes event on March 3. Credit: Courtesy of Madalyn Damron

Within the Ohio Union, students of all abilities can participate in events offered by the Buckeye Commons. Within the Office of Student Life, senior faculty connected with student leaders across campus to ask how their needs could be supported, said Scott Brown, the director of Buckeye Commons.?

“They wanted an open and inviting and multipurpose space where they can connect with each other, with their peers, with faculty, with staff, with alumni and with other student organizations,” Brown said. “That really extended from academic support to career preparation, to mental health and wellbeing, to mentorship opportunities.”

Madalyn Damron, an access specialist within Student Life Disability Services who designs programming for Buckeye Commons, said that the department creates events based on student needs.

“A lot of the programming has really taken shape just due to hearing students, what they want, what [Buckeye Commons] could maybe provide,” Damron said.?

This led to events centering the needs of disabled students, Damron said.?

“Even if it’s not inherently obvious, all of the events that I plan are with disabled students in mind,” Damron said. “Every single one, at its root, is meant to be accessible and supportive.”

Below is a list of events in this category, all of which are free to students.?

Body-Doubling Study Sessions

Meant to help students focus on homework and students, these sessions are held every other Tuesday in Suite 1000 of the Alonso Family Room in the Union, resuming on March 31 from 4-5 p.m.?

“The purpose of body-doubling is to have a centralized space where students can come together and it is meant to be a distraction reduced space,” Damron said. “It is really beneficial for any student that struggles with maybe some organization, procrastination, maybe just motivation in general or some time management.”?

Damron plans and hosts these events. She begins by passing out a piece of paper explaining body-doubling as a study tool, and then encourages students to come up with a goal they want to make progress on by the end of the session.?

These sessions use the Pomodoro study method, which involves working in blocks of about 30 minutes, taking a five minute break and then resuming until the end of the session. During the short break, Damron said she checks in with students on how they’re progressing.??

At the end of the event, she said she helps students make plans to complete their goal if it wasn’t completed within the hour.?

The final Body-Doubling Study Session of the semester, retitled “Pomodoro & Pizza Study Session” will function the same way, but offer free pizza to students attending. This session is on April 28 at the same time and location listed above.?

The Alonso Family Room is also open for general, unstructured study time from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.?

Deep Breathing Tabling

This event is designed to teach participants breathing techniques that can help reset their nervous system, which can benefit autistic students or ones with anxiety, Damron said. There will be free sensory fidgets available, as well.?

This event is on April 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Great Hall in the Union.?

This event is part of the Mindfulness Minutes Series.?

Make Your Own Sensory Kit Events

Students can create personal sensory kits on two different dates for the rest of the semester.?

The next event will be held as part of Buckeye Family Day on March 28 from 10 a.m. to noon and another on April 7 from 4-6 p.m., both held in Suite 1000 of the Alonso Family Room and will include drinks and pastries.?

There will be five stations that correspond with each of the five senses and provide relevant sensory tools. Damron said, for example, the smell station will provide essential oils, Damron said.?

Each person attending will be able to pick up a bag they add their sensory tools to as they go to each station to create a sensory kit, Damron said.?

“There will be a mix of pre-made and offered sensory items, but we’re also going to do some DIY stuff just to be more fun and engaging,” Damron said.

This event will also offer information about the different senses and how to avoid sensory overload, which can be beneficial to students on the Autism spectrum, Damron said. There will also be information about tools students can seek out on their own, such as soundproof headphones with white noise playing.?

This event is part of the Mindfulness Minutes Series done in collaboration with the Jeffrey Schottenstein Program for Resilience which are designed to help students build healthy habits, according to the Buckeye Commons website.?

Off-Campus Excursion — Prototype: The Experimental Museum

This is the first of a series of Buckeye Commons field trips designed to expand access to the wider Columbus community, Brown and Damron said.

On April 11 from 12:30 to 4 p.m., a group of 30 students will be able to visit an interactive museum in Columbus, Prototype. Accessible transportation will be provided and tickets will be paid for by the Jeffrey Schottenstein Center for Resilience.

Registration will be open from Tuesday, March 31 at 8 a.m. until Friday, April 3 at midnight through the Buckeye Commons website. The first 30 students to register will be guaranteed a spot on the trip, the rest will be added to a waitlist..?

“It is something that all students can take advantage of because we’re ensuring that we have the proper resources to ensure that no student is excluded from that type of event,” Damron said.?

Gratitude Tabling?

This event is designed to help students highlight their successes before the end of the semester, which can be beneficial to disabled and chronically ill students who may have struggled, Damron said.?

It will be held on April 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Union.?

“It’s really a time to just sit back and reflect on the things that did go well,” Damron said. “Maybe it was a particularly challenging semester but you had a faculty member that really helped you in the class even though you were struggling. They gave you deadline extensions.”?

There will be free journals, pens and self-care items available for students who attend. This event is part of the Mindfulness Minutes series.