COLUMBUS, Ohio – Injection wells owned by an Ohio state senator leaked fracking waste deep underground in Noble County before blasting through the surface miles away at an oil well, warranting a $1.3 million cleanup effort.

The state paid to remediate the mess in January 2021, but it hasn’t asked state Sen. Brian Chavez’s Deeprock Disposal Solutions for a dime to cover the costs. Instead, state regulators billed the owners of the idled production well that the brine used as a chimney to reach the surface before contaminating nearby land and water.

Over the past week, universities across the nation have been at the center of pro-Palestine protests in which students have organized marches and encampments to demonstrate solidarity for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza.

In Ohio, protests have been reported at Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University and most recently, Miami University in Oxford. The protest began Thursday evening with a march and concluded with an encampment at the University Seal, located right in the heart of campus outside of Roudebush Hall.

Here’s everything we know about the protest as of Friday evening:

Are protests allowed at Miami University?

Students are allowed to protest and march in outdoor areas of the campus. However, protests cannot disrupt teaching, research or previously scheduled events.

Are non-students protesting?

Miami University Students for Justice in Palestine, a student group that describes itself on social media as connected to the university, organized the pro-Palestine march and encampment. They were also joined by the university’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, according to a statement from the university.

According to university rules, non-students can only demonstrate on campus perimeter sidewalks designated by Miami, and have to comply with the same rule as staff and students.

What are the protesters demanding?

According to a statement from the Students For Justice in Palestine, the protest is to demand that Miami University disclose and divest its funds from companies involved in the “perpetuation of this genocide.”

More specifically, they want the university to stop investing in companies that do business with Israel.

“Miami students are joining together in solidarity to demand our university to disclose and divest its funds from the extremist Israeli genocide of Palestinians,” the statement reads.

The student group met with Miami University President Gregory Crawford on Wednesday, a day before Thursday’s protest, to present their demands of disclosure and divestment. However, their efforts were mostly unsuccessful, according to the statement from Student for Justice in Palestine.

What has the university said?

Shortly after the protesters had set up the encampment Thursday, Miami University issued a statement:

“The safety of our students is Miami University’s top priority, and that priority will guide university actions in this unfolding situation. Students for Justice for Palestine, a student organization, held a march this evening (May 2), and were joined by the Young Democratic Socialists of America. As with any demonstration, university staff have been present to maintain student safety and ensure that university policy is followed. Unfortunately, participants have chosen not to follow university policy. Those present have been informed that they are currently violating policy and must come into compliance.”

A number of protesters stayed at the encampment overnight and some are still there as of Friday afternoon.

The university issued a second statement Friday, saying the student organizations that set up the unauthorized encampment have since come into compliance with the university’s policy.

“Encampments create the need to provide continuous safety and security resources, which can divert these important resources away from the rest of our community,” the statement reads. “They can interfere with students’ ability to attend classes and prepare for finals and can strain the resources and facilities of the buildings located nearby. We continue to prioritize providing support and care for all of our students. Throughout this year, members of our student life staff have been in regular contact with students and student organizations discussing their concerns and supporting their well-being. We will continue to do so.”

What can’t protesters do?

Protesters are not allowed to use amplified sound, create temporary structures or leave behind literature. Miami also imposes safety measures, such as restrictions on campfires and outdoor camping.

Can Miami University have protesters arrested?

Demonstrations that block traffic or pedestrians, prevent access to a building or space, prevent a space from being used for its intended purpose or disrupt school activities could lead to an arrest, Miami’s website states.

Was there any opposition to the protest?

Enquirer media partner Fox19 reported that a group of Jewish students gathered across from the encampment in opposition. As of Friday evening, there were no reported clashes between any of the opposing groups.

Hillel, a Jewish student group at Miami University, said in a statement on social media that it is aware of the protest and is continuing to provide support to Jewish students.

“We are hopeful that the protest will be peaceful and that Miami affiliates will eschew the antisemetic language and incidents that have happened on other campuses,” the statement reads. “Our top priority is the physical and emotional safety of our students − first, foremost, and always.”

“While students have a right to protest, they do not have a right to intimidate or threaten Jewish and Israeli students − their classmates, peers, and for some, fellow Jews − who may have different viewpoints,” Hillel added in their statement.

Ohio State seemed to have an idea of what Avery Gach would become. 

The Buckeyes offered Gach in the middle of his sophomore season at Groves High School in Birmingham, Michigan, when the 2025 offensive lineman held one offer: Toledo.

Ohio State was first, followed days later by Michigan, months later by Michigan State and Wisconsin, and nearly a year later by programs such as Georgia, Southern California, Oklahoma and Florida State. 

“In my mind, (OSU offensive line coach Justin Frye) did a tremendous job of identifying a talent not because everyone else had identified him, which is what happened afterward,” said Groves offensive coordinator Matthew Turner. “But he took the first step to make the identification.” 

Ohio State made Gach a priority. But on Friday, Ohio State finished on the outside looking in as the four-star, 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle committed to Michigan. 

“It’s 45 minutes from my house,” Gach said before his Michigan commitment. “They just came off a national champion win. They brought 18 guys to the combine, which no team has done. And my main goal is to go to the NFL … so that just shows that they can do it.”

Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Gach is the second-best Michigan prospect in the 2025 class behind five-star quarterback and LSU commit Bryce Underwood. Gach is also ranked as the No. 236 player in the country. 

Groves coach Brendan Flaherty said Ohio State made Gach feel he was a priority throughout his recruiting process, from impromptu school visits by OSU assistant coaches to a tandem visit with offensive line coach Justin Frye and head coach Ryan Day.

Through multiple camp, game-day and unofficial visits to campus, Gach, Flaherty said, saw firsthand Ohio State’s pitch of how the program would get him better and help him get to the NFL. 

“He’s a down-to-earth guy,” Flaherty said of Frye. “Like he’s been open and honest with Avery from the get go. I think one of Justin’s first comments was like, ‘Hey, I’m part of the process. But this is a business. You shouldn’t make a decision on picking a school on just your position coach or one coach. There’s a lot of factors here. I’m going to take care of you. Here’s how I coach, here’s what I do.’ ”

Gach said Ohio State “took a chance” on him as his second offer and that the Buckeyes were always good to his family.

But to Gach, no school provided the relationship Sherrone Moore provided him, having recruited him initially as Michigan’s offensive line coach before filling Jim Harbaugh’s shoes as the team’s head coach.

“There’s not a school that has done that,” Gach said. “I don’t think there’s a head coach that I’ve built a relationship with as well as coach Moore.”

What’s next for Ohio State offensive line recruiting in 2025?

Ohio State has already started its 2025 offensive line class with a prospect it desperately needed to secure. 

Carter Lowe, a Toledo four-star tackle and the No. 50 prospect in the country, committed to the Buckeyes over Michigan in February. Lowe said after the OSU spring game he feels “completely at home” with Ohio State.

Of Frye’s eight signees in the 2023 and 2024 classes, five have been from Ohio, including the state’s top option in 2023, Luke Montgomery. 

When it comes to out-of-state signees under Frye, one has entered Ohio State as a top-200 prospect: Indiana 2024 four-star Ian Moore. Ohio State finished as finalists for five-star Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) and four-star Olaus Alinen (Alabama) in 2023 and five-star Brandon Baker (Texas) in 2024. 

In 2025, with Lowe already in the fold, Frye and Ohio State find themselves in a similar situation. 

Ohio State is a finalist for David Sanders Jr., a 6-6, 285-pound five-star offensive tackle out of Charlotte, North Carolina, who is the No. 2 prospect in the class.

Providence Day School coach Chad Grier said Sanders is an NFL shoe-in and already puts up testing numbers that “would have been exceptional at the NFL combine.” 

Grier said Ohio State has “done a great job” recruiting Sanders. 

“The program speaks for itself,” Grier said. “David knows that and surely knows the pedigree of the guys that have come out of there and the guys that coach Day has been a part of producing.” 

But Ohio State is one of six finalists vying for Sanders’ services along with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“It was no small feat to cut a list from 130 to six,” Grier said. “He left some really great programs and coaches he cared about off that list. But the final six were thoughtful and deliberate, and Ohio State earned the right to be on that stage with David.” 

Sanders may be at the top of the list. But he’s not the Buckeyes’ only offensive line target in 2025. He’s joined by four-star Micah DeBose, four-star Douglas Utu and five-star Josh Petty, each of whom are top-100 linemen from outside of Ohio.

In the days leading up to Gach’s commitment to Michigan, Ohio State’s offensive line offer list grew to include Fort Worth, Texas, three-star Henry Fenuku and Roswell, Georgia’s Andrew Stargel, who is not ranked on 247Sports’ composite rankings but holds offers from Kentucky and Cincinnati. 

Like Sanders, Ohio State was “on that stage” for Gach. The Buckeyes were there at the beginning, but came up short and will instead have to face him for the next three to four seasons.

Missing Gach is not the end-all, be-all of Ohio State’s 2025 offensive line recruiting class. But Gach is another miss on a list of highly-coveted misses, one that can only end with a highly-coveted out-of-state offensive line recruiting win. 

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