STORY TIPS This and every University Communications news release is available on the Internet and World Wide Web. Our Web address is www.acs.ohio-state.edu. RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL RECREATES ROBIN HOOD LEGEND--May 2. Ohio State students and faculty will recreate The Legend of Robin Hood at the 23rd annual Medieval and Renaissance Festival on Saturday, May 2 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the South Oval (12th Avenue at College Road). The goal of the event is to increase appreciation for the medieval and Renaissance periods and to present a glimpse into the characters of people of long ago. The festival begins at 11 a.m. with a Grand Processional through Mirror Lake Hollow. Throughout the day, costumed performers will entertain visitors with medieval sword fights, plays, a human chessboard, dances, juggling, magic and music. CONTACT: Shelly Bansal, festival steering committee, 688-2674, or David Strauss, University Honors Center, 292-3135. COLLEGE OF HUMAN ECOLOGY PRESENTS FIBER ART EXHIBITION--May 2-Aug. 15. Fiber artist and Ohio State alumnus Robert Hillestad celebrates stories of lives, histories and cultures with his coats of many colors. A selection of his unique coats are part of the new exhibition Choreography in Fiber: The Celebrations of Robert Hillestad, May 2-Aug. 15, at the Geraldine Schottenstein Wing, College of Human Ecology, 1787 Neil Ave. A professor emeritus in the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hillestad will discuss his artwork at 12:15 p.m. on May 2 at the Faculty Club. He will be available for interviews at 2 p.m. at the exhibition. The exhibition is open each Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. CONTACT: Curator Gayle Strege, curator, Historic Costume and Textiles Collection, 292-3090. INTERNATIONAL WEEK CELEBRATES CULTURE--May 2-8. Students representing some 120 countries and nationalities will showcase their cultures and lifestyles at the Buckeye World Tour, an international festival and 5K run on May 3 being held as part of Ohio State’s celebration of International Week. Other activities include an art display, a discussion titled Women in Development Dialogue: Rural Women in Senegal, and a poetry recitation. A Study Abroad Fair, with information for student study, work or volunteer opportunities, will be held May 6, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Oxley Hall, 1712 Neil Ave. CONTACT: Michael Penner, graduate administrative associate, recreational sports, 292-7671. PROFESSOR OFFERS METHODS OF MONITORING STANDARDS OF LIVING--May 5. Richard Steckel, a professor of economics and anthropology, will explore various ways of monitoring worldwide standards of living in Keeping Score: New Approaches to the Standard of Living at 4 p.m. in the Wexner Film/Video Theater. Steckel’s specialty is anthropometrics--he uses measures of average human height to indicate living conditions. His lecture is the second of two University Distinguished Lectures this academic year. The lectureship honors Ohio State’s finest faculty. CONTACT: Richard Steckel, Economics, 292-5008. UNIVERSITY CELEBRATES ASIAN CULTURAL DIVERSITY--through May 31. The complexities of Asian and Asian-American culture, language and peoples will be explored as Ohio State celebrates Asian Awareness Month April 30-May 31. There are over 3,000 international Asian students and 2,500 Asian-American students at Ohio State. The goal of the event is to create more accurate portraits of Asians and Asian Americans to combat stereotypes and misconceptions. Among the events: an Asian Food and Cultural Fair, a panel discussion about the conflicts and experiences of growing up with dual heritages, and a play, The Holocaust Memorial -- A Play About Hiroshima, which is set in Hiroshima and Columbus, hometown of Gen. Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the plane that dropped the atomic bomb. CONTACT: Sheila Kapur, Asian American Student Services, 292-0625. UNIVERSITY HOSTS MINORITY AFFAIRS CONFERENCE--May 5. Representatives from 49 colleges and universities in Ohio and the Big Ten will discuss issues affecting minorities in higher education, including affirmative action plans, recruitment and retention, and diversity initiatives at the fourth annual Conference of Offices of Minority Affairs, 9:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union ballrooms, 1739 N. High St. Robert Franklin, president of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, the largest African-American seminary in the country, will give the luncheon keynote address, Liberating Visions-Affirmative Action: A Fortress. Sessions throughout the day will focus on student and faculty retention, individual states’ responses to Proposition 209, insuring the success of diversity initiatives, and the role and responsibility of institutions to affirmative action. CONTACT: Shaletha Mitchell, minority affairs special programs, 292-1417. EROSION OF TENURE IS TOPIC OF MEETING--May 6. James Perley, president of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), will speak on The Erosion of Tenure at an open faculty meeting, 4-6 p.m. in 1005 Smith Lab, 174 W. 18th Ave. Responding to Perley will be two faculty members who are involved in university governance: Nancy Rudd, vice provost for academic policy and personnel, and Alan Randall, president of the faculty council. Perley’s appearance is sponsored by the OSU chapter of the AAUP. CONTACT: OSU/AAUP, 292-6587. PLAY BY CZECH PRESIDENT STAGED AT OHIO STATE--May 6-22. The Ohio State University Theatre Company presents Vaclav Havel’s The Memorandum, a satirical commentary on the bureaucracy, in Stadium II Theater, Drake Union. Havel spent four and a half years in prison for crimes which have no counterpart in a free society. Now president of the Czech Republic, Havel aimed his parody of bureaucratic silliness at the Czechoslovakia of the time, but its truths will be recognized by anyone who has ever been caught in the web of a government office. CONTACT: Lois Foreman Wernet, College of the Arts, 292-8835. SYMPOSIUM LOOKS AT SHIFTING ARTS POLICY SCENE--May 7-9. The 1998 Barnett Arts and Public Policy Symposium, New Steps, New Partners, Everybody Dance: New Policy Ideas for the Arts, will be held downtown at the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts. Sponsored by the Ohio State University College of the Arts and the Arts Policy and Administration Program, this biennial event brings together experts from across the country to talk about the shifting arts policy scene at the local, state and national levels. On Friday morning, Ellen McCullouch-Lovell, deputy assistant to the president and adviser to the first lady on the millennium, will give the plenary speech, The Arts: Can We Have A Public Policy? On Saturday, Frank Hodsoll, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, will present Government, Performance Review, and the Arts. There will be four panel discussions: New Revenue Streams for the Arts, Beyond Economic Impact: New Ideas About Measuring the Impact of the Arts, Performance Assessment: A Wave of the Future, and New Partners Across the Arts Spectrum. CONTACT: Lois Foreman Wernet, College of the Arts, 292-8835. MEDICAL CENTER OFFERS BODY IMAGE ADVICE TO MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS-- May 9. Body Talk, a workshop presented by the OSU Medical Center, teaches mothers and daughters how to handle the sensitive issue of body image and the factors that affect how women -- and especially teenagers -- view themselves in society. The program is from 10 a.m.-noon at the Center for Wellness and Prevention, 2050 Kenny Rd. CONTACT: Beth Nufrio, Medical Center Communications, 293-3737. SPRING LECTURE SERIES LOOKS AT ROCK AND ROLL AND LATE NIGHT TV--May 11-12. The Ohio and Drake Union Activities Board (ODUA) offers a spring lecture series. Andy Richter from the “Conan O’Brien Late Show” will present How to be a Talk Show Sidekick and Other Worthless Crap, a multi-media lecture about untold stories of life in late night, May 11 at 8 p.m. in Independence Hall, 1923 Neil Ave. On May 12, James Henke, chief curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will speak on The Societal Implications of the Counterculture Press and Rolling Stone Magazine at 7 p.m. in the Drake Union Stadium II Theater. The former music editor of Rolling Stone magazine brings to the lecture an extensive knowledge of rock history and experience in working with artists and musicians. CONTACT: ODUA Lecture Chairperson Frank Lazar, 292-3117 or 297- 8748. COMPUTER ANIMATION GROUP HOSTS OPEN HOUSE--May 12. The Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) will host a 10th anniversary open house from 4-6 p.m. at their lab at 1224 Kinnear Rd. The event will showcase computer graphics research and educational projects developed at the center. Students, faculty and staff will perform demonstrations, present briefings and offer tours of the facility. With roots in the College of the Arts, ACCAD works with many academic areas at Ohio State to merge science with artistic images. With ACCAD, Ohio State is one of just a few schools nationwide to offer graduate specializations in computer graphics and the arts. Many ACCAD alumni work in the feature film industry in the growing field of special effects. CONTACT: Elaine Hamilton, 292-1053, or Lois Foreman Wernet, 292- 8835. NPR CORRESPONDENT GIVES LECTURE--May 14. Susan Stamberg, special correspondent for National Public Radio, will give a free, public talk titled Considering All Things: My Life as a Cultural Reporter at 7:45 p.m. The evening with Stamberg, also the author of two books and co-editor of a third, is co-sponsored by The Ohio State University College of Humanities, the Ohio Humanities Council and media co-sponsor WOSU. A book-signing and reception will follow the speech. CONTACT: Shari Lorbach, College of Humanities, 292-1882. STUDENT RESEARCH SHOWCASED--May 15. You may one day report on a medical breakthrough that began in an Ohio State University laboratory. More than 50 undergraduate students will showcase their work at the Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Recognition Day. Students will present their projects at the Undergraduate Research Forum, 1-5:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union West Ballroom, 1739 N. High St. Cash prizes will be awarded to forum winners. CONTACT: Ruth Gerstner, University Communications, 292-8424. OHIO STATE SMOKIN’ BUCKEYE RACES AT INDY--May 16. The Ohio State University Electric Race Car Team will be at the Indianapolis Raceway Park for the Indy Electrical Classic. The race will be broadcast live on ESPN2. The team last finished in second place to in-state rival Bowling Green at the APS Electrics at Firebird International Raceway in March. CONTACT: Chris Maupin, Smokin’ Buckeye team, 688-4084. The person listed as the contact for each item will have the best information about the story. Feel free to call on our news services staff for assistance with these or other Ohio State news stories-- Amy Murray, 292-8385; Ruth Gerstner, 292-8424; Tracy Turner, 688- 3682; and Emily Caldwell, 292-8309. **Compiled by Amy Murray, University Communications, (Murray- Goedde.1@osu.edu).