Metro digest

YSU president welcomes 2013 class at ceremony

YOUNGSTOWN — Dr. David Sweet, president of Youngstown State University, welcomed the university’s Class of 2013 to campus Sunday at the annual Freshmen Convocation in Beeghly Center.

Citing a national survey, Sweet advised the hundreds of freshmen attending the ceremony to focus on three things to have a “great college experience”: Get to know faculty members for advice and support, learn the importance of writing well and get involved with campus groups and activities.

Ikram Khawaja, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the Class of 2013 continues YSU’s trend of consistently improving the academic caliber of its incoming freshmen. This year’s freshmen class includes 72 high school valedictorians, 40 University Scholars and more than 500 recipients of university scholarships for academic excellence, he said.

Among others welcoming students at the ceremony were Cynthia Anderson, vice president for student affairs, and Scott Schulick, chairman of the YSU board of trustees.

A picnic followed the convocation.

Today is the first day of fall semester classes at YSU. Enrollment is projected at about 14,000.

Coroner investigates drowning of boy, 6

WARREN — Township police said an autopsy was to be performed this morning on a 6-year-old boy who drowned in a swimming pool Saturday.

Police refused to reveal the child’s name or give any new details of the case, saying it is now a coroner’s case and any information must be released by the Trumbull County coroner’s office.

Police said Saturday that the child was at a pool party and had apparently removed or lost the flotation devices.

Body found on North Side

YOUNGSTOWN — City police were trying to identify the body of a man found on the city’s North Side with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the back of his head.

Police said a Tod Lane man walking his dog around 8:20 a.m. Sunday found the body in a field at Tod and Kensington Avenue near Crandall Park.

In addition to the apparent gunshot wound, the man had been set ablaze with a flammable liquid, police said.

He was identified only as a black man, about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds. He had a beard and wore a white T-shirt, black leather coat, black jeans and red and black tennis shoes.

The body was turned over to the Mahoning County coroner’s office.

If ruled a homicide, the death will mark the 16th in the city this year, compared with 21 at this time in 2008.