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YOUNGSTOWN -- While some students gave Youngstown State University's new president a chilly reception, at least one faculty member offered Bill Johnson a warm welcome.
At noon, in front of Tod Hall, Mike Costarell, professor of computer science, information, and engineering technology at YSU, hosted a gathering to support the university's new leader on his first day.
"I just want to let the community know that there's not zero support for Bill Johnson," he said.
The gathering, attended by a handful of students and some older adults who had supported Johnson as a U.S. congressman, took place at noon, about two hours after a group of 50 or so students, alumni, and faculty gathered in the same spot to protest Johnson's hiring.
That group, among others on campus and in the Valley, have objected to Johnson's positions on immigration, LGBTQ issues, support for former President Donald Trump, and lack of experience in higher education. They also have criticized what they say is a lack of transparency in the hiring process by YSU trustees.
Costarell lamented the objections to Johnson, noting that the former congressman - whose district includes part of the Mahoning Valley - won his last election with 67 percent of the vote.
"My conclusion was that Bill Johnson is not a radical, and he has views common with hundreds of thousands of people in this area," Costarell said.
He called out students and some faculty for what he views as hypocrisy -- that they have called out Johnson for positions they find inhospitable to their interests, but they have been inhospitable and unwelcoming to Johnson.
Costarell said he thinks that instead of criticizing the new leader, his fellow faculty should focus on what can be done over the next couple of years to help students overcome what he sees as the bigger challenge -- mental health.
He cited statistics from the National Institutes of Health showing that 33.7 percent of people 18 to 25 suffer from any form of mental illness and 11.4 percent suffer from serious mental illness.
Costarell said he thinks these problems are caused by the age group's stress over COVID-19, climate change, race and gender.
He also said the education community in Youngstown needs to work with parents to raise "resilient children," by the standards of conservative thought leader Jordan Peterson.
Costarell said students would be less stressed if the community around them focused on more involvement with family, teaching them to be accountable for their "actions and inactions," and impressing upon them the value of merit.
"Learn things that people will pay you to do," he said.
Danny O'Connell, director of support services at YSU, attended the rally.
"I think it's important that we welcome him. I'm just excited that we have a new president," he said. "I've been here a long time and I trust the board of trustees to give him the direction the university needs."
O'Connell said everyone has the right to protest, but he thinks Johnson deserves the community's support until he proves otherwise.
When former president Jim Tressel announced his retirement last year, trustees said they would seek a successor to continue his legacy. O'Connell said he believes Johnson is that person.
"I think Bill Johnson can be the person to take us down the same road Jim Tressel took us," he said.\