March 12, 1999

This and every University Communications news release is available at http://www.osu.edu

HOW DOES THE FEDERAL BUDGET AFFECT OHIO WOMEN AND CHILDREN?--March 12. Ten politically active Ohio women host an event from 7-9 tonight (3/12) to examine the effects of federal policies and budget priorities on Ohio women and children. Women Take Action! will be held at the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road, and is sponsored by Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) and Women Legislators’ Lobby (WILL). Local co-sponsors include Ohio State University’s Department of Women's Studies and Office of Women Student Services. As a tangible example of how the federal budget is allocated, a large “pie” will be sliced to show the proportions of funding given to military and social programs. Officials of both groups will be available for interviews after 1:30 p.m. today or after the event.
CONTACT: Rhonda Benedict, Women’s Studies, 688-4711.

LAW CONFERENCE LOOKS AT IMPACT OF WELFARE REFORM ON CHILDREN--March 12-13. While adults are the focus of most discussions on welfare reform, the 1997 law is also changing life for millions of children who are welfare recipients. Experts from around the country will discuss The Implications of Welfare Reform for Children March 12-13 at the College of Law, 55 W. 12th Ave. The two-day symposium will focus on the legal, medical, economic, health and policy ramifications of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (the Welfare Reform Act). There are four panel discussions: today at 2 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., and Saturday at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Most speakers are available to reporters after their presentations.
CONTACT: Liz Cutler Gates, College of Law, 292-0283.

FANCY HAIR, FUNKY HAIR AT THE WEXNER CENTER’S HAIR BALL--March 13. Fancy ‘dos, crazy coifs, and wacky wigs are encouraged for party-goers attending the Wexner Center’s Hair Ball, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturday at the Wexner Center. This flashy evening of teases, dye jobs, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and dancing includes a hair-judging contest with prizes for the best-tressed. Hosted by 12 ¼ Circle, a volunteer group, proceeds support the Wexner Center’s children and family programs.
CONTACT: Karen Simonian, Wexner Center, 292-9923 or 292-0330.

COORDINATING HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CHEMISTRY--March 16. Three Ohio State chemistry professors will lead a panel discussion of the Coordination of Teaching of High School and College Chemistry at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (3/16) during the local section meeting of the American Chemical Society at Chemical Abstracts Service, 2540 Olentangy River Road. Panelists include professors Larry Anderson, Matthew Platz and Weldon Mathews; and Gloria Letts of Columbus Public Schools.
CONTACT: Melissa Weber, College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 292-2254.

KIRWAN WILL SPEAK TO AKRON ROUNDTABLE--March 18. Ohio State President William Kirwan will address the monthly Akron Roundtable meeting at noon on Thursday (3/18) at Tangier Restaurant in Akron. Co-sponsored by the Akron Beacon Journal, the Akron Regional Development Board and the Kiwanis Club of Akron, the Akron Roundtable is a community forum where business, political and community leaders are invited to share their ideas. As it does with all speakers, the Roundtable will host a news conference with Kirwan at 11 a.m. The program will be broadcast live on WKSU-FM and on the Internet at http://www.akronroundtable.org

MEDICAL STUDENTS ANTICIPATE MATCH DAY--March 18. National Residency Match Day, the day senior medical students across the country learn where they will begin their careers, is Thursday (3/18). For students at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, the suspense will come to an end precisely at noon when they rip open sealed envelopes in hopes of “matching” with their preferred program. This year, the Match Day event will be held at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe, 1421 Olentangy River Road.
CONTACT: David Crawford, University Medical Center, 293-3737.

CERAMIC ARTS ARE DISPLAYED--through March 19. Ceramic artists from around the country are exhibiting their unique works at a celebratory exhibition in Hopkins Hall Gallery, 128 N. Oval Mall. The exhibit is in conjunction with the 33rd annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, co-hosted this year by Ohio State. Ohio State will also spotlight historic works in a little-known ceramics library housed in 052 Hopkins, March 17-19. Though small, the Arthur E. Baggs Memorial Library contains a rich and historic collection of books, glaze tests and thousands of samples of pottery of all types.
CONTACT: Prudence Gill, gallery director and curator, 292-3689.

EXHIBIT LOOKS AT SACRIFICES MADE TO ATTAIN THE IDEAL BODY--through March 20. Bodies Under Siege, a gallery exhibit of amazing and sometimes outlandish ways that bodies have been shaped and modified by clothing, underwear and shoes over the years, continues until March 20 at the Columbia Gas Student and Alumni Center, Campbell Hall, 1787 Neil Ave. A project of the Body Image and Health Task Force at Ohio State, the exhibit examines ‘ideals’ of beauty and the personal costs of pursuing them, artwork by people who have survived body image disorders, and interactive displays to explore how we feel in our bodies.
CONTACT: Nancy A. Rudd, College of Human Ecology, 292-4385.

LECTURER SPOTLIGHTS HEREDITARY CANCER--March 18. Richard Klausner, M.D., director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), will deliver the seventh annual Herbert J. Block Memorial Lecture at 8 a.m. Thursday in the Rhodes Hall Auditorium. Klausner’s lecture is titled Hereditary Cancer Syndromes: Kidney Cancer as a Case Study. The Block Memorial Lectureship recognizes an individual whose contribution to cancer research, patient care or education has received international recognition. In addition to receiving the Block Lectureship award, Klausner will receive an honorary degree and speak at winter quarter commencement.
CONTACT: Jan Ray, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, 293-6054.

1,400 WINTER QUARTER GRADUATES RECEIVE DEGREES--March 19. Ceremonies begin at 9:30 for in St. John Arena winter quarter commencement exercises. Richard Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute, will deliver the commencement address.
CONTACT: Tracy Turner, University Communications, 688-3682.

SPRING GOSPEL TOUR--March 20-22. The African-American Voices at Ohio State will travel to Portsmouth, Va., for a spring gospel tour. The 27-voice choir will perform a Saturday evening concert for the public, and will worship on Sunday with their hosts, New Bethel Baptist Church, 4212 Greenwood Drive, Portsmouth. The choir bus will leave the Hale Black Cultural Center at 11:30 p.m. Friday (3/19) and return on Monday (3/22) evening. Founded in 1922, the choir comprises undergraduate students.
CONTACT: Michael Bailey, African-American Voices, 292-0074.

OHIO STATE GRADUATE NOMINATED FOR ACADEMY AWARD--March 21. Alumnus Chris Wedge is vying for an Oscar in the category of Best Animated Short Classic for his computer-animated film Bunny. Wedge, who earned his M.A. from the Department of Art Education, is a former student at the university’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD). Bunny is the tale of a tattered old rabbit baking alone one night in her kitchen who deals with a hairy, battered moth that seems to stalk her. The seven-minute film is the first to use radiosity, an advanced rendering technique that mimics the most subtle properties of natural light. While at ACCAD, Wedge did two short films--Tuber’s Two Step and Balloon Guy.
CONTACT: Victoria Ellwood, College of the Arts, 292-8835.

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; and Emily Caldwell, 292-8309.
**Compiled by Amy Murray, University Communications, (Murray-Goedde.1@osu.edu).