This article was written by Gabriel Mott and Sam Schneider.
On February 25, 2026, Ohio Northern University’s Office of Financial Affairs announced that the campus’ 24/7 C-Store would be “closing for an indefinite period beginning February 25, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.” through an email to students and faculty.
The C-Store serves as one of five locations on campus for students to utilize their dining dollars, and the only one of them to be available to students 24 hours a day. During the period in which the C-Store was closed, the locations students could spend their dining dollars were limited to McIntosh Dining Hall, WOW Café American Grill and Wingery, Starbucks, and Northern Lights.The latest-open of these establishments (WOW Cafe) closes at 11PM.
“We identified and are investigating 13 incidents of theft at the C-store since December involving multiple individuals,” reported Vice President for Financial Affairs Jason Broge. As a result, the university has decided to increase security measures in the C-Store.
A new email from Financial Affairs went out to students and faculty on March 6 which reports that “additional video cameras, video monitors, and signage” will be installed in the store, and that “[i]f the thefts continue, the store will be closed for the remainder of the semester while we develop a long-term solution.”
Chief of Public Safety Craig Scott did not respond to a request for comment. General Manager of Dining Services Danny Carson also did not respond to a request for comment.
The 24-hour self-service version of Ohio Northern University’s C-Store opened on September 5, 2023 and has provided almost nonstop service to the student body since. Products have included soda, candy, snacks, and even medicine. It was not the first 24-hour C-Store at ONU, however. In 2012, Kroger implemented a similar kiosk on ONU’s campus. Previous Northern Review reporting indicates that later iterations existed in Affinity and the McIntosh Center.
Until the C-Store re-opens (or if it ever closes again), Polar Bears in need of 24-hour access to food can also go to the Polar Bear Food Cupboard. The Polar Bear Food Cupboard is located in the Chapel, and more recently some residence halls, and stocked with both non-perishable food and personal items such as shampoo, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.