HIGHLIGHTS: Scarlet and Gray football game -- April 29.

SPRING FOOTBALL AT THE CREW STADIUM -- April 29. The Scarlet and Gray Ohio State Football Spring Game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday (4/29) at the Crew Stadium, north of the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Tickets are $5 at Ticketmaster and Schottenstein Center Box Office. A limited number of tickets will go on sale at 9 a.m. at the stadium. From 9:30 a.m. to kickoff, OSU athletic apparel will be sold in the stadium's south parking lot. Ohio State players and coaches will be available for autographs for 45 minutes after the game.

OSU HOSPITALS EAST MARKS FIRST ANNIVERSARY -- April 29. The Ohio State University Hospitals East will mark its first anniversary in the community on Saturday (4/29) with health screenings, tours and a volunteer cleanup of its Near East Side neighborhood. Health screenings will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the cafeteria. Public tours of the Emergency Department and newly renovated operating rooms will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Earlier in the day, at 10 a.m., hospital staff and other community members will spruce up the neighborhood along Taylor Avenue. The 404-bed hospital, located at 1492 E. Broad, was purchased by OSU Medical Center in 1999.

CONTACT: David Crawford, 293-3737, or pager 770-8134.

CONCRETE CANOE SET TO SAIL -- April 29. Engineering students in Carolyn Merry's "concrete canoe" class are preparing to set sail for next week's Concrete Canoe Competition, Saturday (4/29) 29 at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky. The canoe team is placing the finishing touches on this year's canoe and practicing rowing skills before heading south for the competition. Student teams must design and build a working canoe entirely from concrete, then race the canoe against other universities in regional and national competitions. The final product is a culmination of student ideas, workmanship and applied consultation with working professionals in all areas of engineering.

CONTACT: Carolyn Merry, 292-6889, or Gina Langen, Engineering Communications, 688-4423.

NOBEL PRIZE WINNER GIVES LECTURE -- May 1. Gerard 't Hooft, winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize for physics, will be here on Monday (5/1) for several technical discussions and to deliver the 38th annual Smith Lecture at 8:00 p.m. in 131 Hitchcock Hall, 2070 Neil Ave. 'T Hooft is a professor of physics at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. In addition to the lecture, he will be available to media from 3 to 4 p.m in 1094 Smith Lab, 174 W. 18th Ave. Reporters should park in the Arps parking garage, accessible from College Road or High Street, between West 17th Ave. and Woodruff Ave.

CONTACT: Melissa Weber, College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 292-2254.

OHIO STATE HONORS BLACK STUDENT LEADERS -- May 1. Ohio State will hold the 25th annual Black Student Leadership Awards Monday (5/1) from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center, 153 W. 12th Ave. This year 13 African-American graduate and undergraduate students will be honored for their accomplishments and commitment to the university and the Columbus community.

CONTACT: Timeka Thomas Rashid, African American Student Services, 292-6584.

INTERNATIONAL WEEK 2000 BRINGS THE WORLD TO OHIO STATE -- May 1-6. Each year, more Ohio State students decide to travel abroad to study in another country. International Week 2000 showcases the range of possiblities and allows students to experience many of these countries before deciding where to go. It also gives Ohio State's international students a chance to introduce their cultures to the campus. The week includes opportunities to watch the ancient Indian practice of Sahaja Yoga, sample Middle Eastern cuisine and play a game of cricket. International Week closes with the Buckeye World Tour, 3 to 9 p.m., May 6, at Fred Beekman Park, at the corner of Kenny Road and Lane Avenue. Students, faculty and staff are invited to enjoy an international festival, sports challenges and entertainment.

CONTACT: Karissa L. Shivley, University Relations, 292-8295

ASIAN AWARENESS MONTH 2000 -- April 29-May 31. Students come from as far away as Beijing and Calcutta to study at Ohio State, bringing with them a rich cultural heritage that enhances the lives of students, faculty and staff throughout the university. During Asian Awareness Month 2000, April 29 through May 31, Ohio State's Asian community will share elements of that cultural diversity as it hosts a month of learning, fun, food and entertainment for all to enjoy, including an Evening of Asian American Writers (5/16), 7 to 8:30 p.m., Ohio Union Stecker Lounge, 1739 N. High St., and China Night, a program including folk music, Chinese dance groups and Karaoke, (5/20), 8 p.m. to midnight, Dreese Lab Auditorium and Lobby, 2015 Neil Ave. In addition, the month provides educational opportunities to learn about Asian Americans: persons of Asian descent who are United States citizens or permanent residents.

CONTACT: Karissa L. Shivley, 292-8295.

NAACP PRESIDENT HERE FOR STATEWIDE CONFERENCE -- May 2. Ohio State University will host the 6th annual Big 10 & Statewide Conference 9 a.m.- 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, (5/2) in the Ohio Union East Ballroom, 1739 N. High St. The Hon. Kweisi Mfume, former Maryland congressman and now NAACP national president and CEO, will give the keynote address at the conference luncheon. This year's theme is "Racial Legacies and Learning: Bridging the Political, Educational & Economic Divide." The conference will to provide an opportunity for discussion of diversity and affirmative action. It also offers a chance to network, brainstorm and formulate positive solutions that may lead to ethno-cultural equity and inclusion at all levels of society. The conference is co-hosted by The Ohio State University Office of MinorityAffairs and the Office of Student Affairs. Mfume will not be available for one-on-one interviews.

CONTACT: Lesley Deaderick, University Relations, 292-0569

MAYA ANGELOU COMES TO SCHOTT -- May 2. Maya Angelou -- author, poet, historian, actor, singer, songwriter, playwright, film director and civil rights activist -- will give a presentation at Ohio State's Jerome Schottenstein Center (5/2) at 7 p.m. Tickets for her presentation are available through the Schottenstein Center Box Office, Kroger Ticketmasters centers or by phone at 431-3600. They are $10 for the public, $5 for OSU faculty/staff and free to Ohio State students with valid ID. The event is presented by the Division of Student Affairs, the Schottenstein Center and Coca-Cola.

CONTACT: Karissa L. Shivley, 292-8295.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE FRANKLIN COUNTY GOP? -- May 3. Two veteran political observers share their opinions about the state of the Franklin County Republican Party and make predictions about the party's future. Herb Asher, professor emeritus of political science at Ohio State and interim director of The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy, and Joe Hallett, politics editor for The Columbus Dispatch, will address these issues on Wednesday (5/3), at noon, at the Columbus Metropolitan Club, 85 E. Gay St., downtown Columbus.

CONTACT: Shari Lorbach, College of Humanities, 292-1882.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETS -- May 5. The Ohio State University Board of Trustees and its committees hold their regular monthly meeting at 10:30 a.m. in the Grand Lounge of the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road. Committee meetings, where most of the discussion takes place, begin at 9 a.m.

CONTACT: Elizabeth Conlisk, University Relations, 292-3040.

OHIO STATE GOES MEDIEVAL -- May 6. Knights, English country dancers and Celtic music are just part of the 25th anniversary of Ohio State's Medieval & Renaissance Faire, Saturday (5/6) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mirror Lake Hollow and the South Oval, at the corner of 12th Avenue and College Road. Other activities throughout the day include medieval sword fights, a human chessboard, magic and juggling.

CONTACT: Mary Simonetti, Council for the Medieval and Renaissance Faire, 294-6113.

The person listed as the contact for each item will have the best information about the story. Call our media relations staff for help with these or other Ohio State news stories--Elizabeth Conlisk, 292-3040; Amy Murray, 292-8385; Lesley Deaderick, 292-0569; Melinda Sadar, 292-8298; and Karissa Shivley, 292-8295.

Compiled by Amy Murray, University Relations, (Murray-Goedde.1@osu.edu)