Kent State University officials have the final word on allowing natural gas and oil drilling on its eight campuses. Although all the campuses are a part of the state's property, the owner of the land is still the university.

Heidi Hetzel-Evans, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Natural Resource, told Patch, "Certainly as the managers of the land, the university would have all the say on whether to move forward with offering the land for leasing."

Altogether, the university owns 100s of acres of land across Northeast Ohio, including, Kent State Airport and Golf course.

If the officials do lease out the land, the state can have easy access to Marcellus and Utica shale formations.

Oil shale is an organic-rich fine-grained sedimentary rock from which shale oil can be produced. Shale gas is a natural gas formed as a result of being trapped within a shale rock.

State's House Bill 133 says that public universities can make their land available for drilling in consultation with the state's oil and gas department.

As part of this Bill, concerned universities are supposed to make a list of their lands suitable for drilling.

Kent State spokesperson Eric Mansfield told the newspaper that as of now they do not have any plans to start drilling on university property.

Although, the university officials have the final say, it's unclear if a decision should be made by the administrative department or the Kent State Board of Trustees.