April 16, 1999

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

BEANIE BABIES AND ECONOMICS--April 17. Teachers will learn how to use Beanie Babies to illustrate the basic economic concept used in the fourth- and sixth-grade proficiency test at a Beanie Baby Economic Workshop. Sponsored by the Central Ohio Regional Professional Development Center, teachers will explore resources, supply and demand, market prices, international trade, scarcity, and how the Beanie Baby phenomenon has grown. Participants receive a Beanie. The workshop will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Instructional Technology Services of Central Ohio, Inc., 3966 Brown Park Drive.
CONTACT: Abbe Kehler, College of Education, 292-1178.

GIRL TALK WITH THE JAMES--April 18. Young women are invited to the Ohio Union Ballrooms from 1:30-4:30 p.m. for GIRL TALK! about breast health. Breast cancer experts from the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute will discuss breast self exams, genetic risk for breast cancer and the role of exercise and nutrition in cancer prevention. Stephanie Spielman will talk about her experiences with breast cancer at age 31.
CONTACT: Jan Ray or Linda Montler, The James Cancer Hospital, 293-3670.

OPTOMETRY OPEN HOUSE AN EYE OPENER FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS-- April 18. Students interested in becoming an optometrist or simply learning more about the profession are invited to an open house from 1-4 p.m. at the College of Optometry, 338 W. 10th Ave. The OSU College of Optometry is one of only 19 such facilities in North America. The open house includes tours, a chance to talk with faculty and current students, and information about admissions and financial aid.
CONTACT: Sally Haltom or Paul Todd, College of Optometry, 292- 2647.

DISABILITY AWARENESS WEEK--April 19-23. Disability Awareness Week, designed to increase campus awareness of students with disabilities, features Lunch and Learn presentations on topics like the Americans with Disabilities Act, the effects of Attention Deficit Disorder and international perspectives on disability. Other events include a film series, a job interviewing workshop, art and creative writing contests, and a closing cookout.
CONTACT: Mike Kinney, Office of Disability Services counselor, 292-3307.

ANGELS IN AMERICA PLAYWRIGHT GIVES LECTURE--April 20. Tony Kushner, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America, will present a lecture at 8 p.m. in Thurber Theatre, 1849 Cannon Drive. In Conversation with...Tony Kushner inaugurates the annual Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute Lecture Series. The Department of Theatre will present the first locally produced production of Kushner’s Angels In America: Part One, Millennium Approaches on May 19-23 and 25-28.
CONTACT: Office of Communication, College of the Arts, 292-5171.

STATE LAWMAKERS HONOR MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM--April 21. Coach Jim O’Brien and the men’s basketball team will be honored at the Statehouse in two ceremonies. The Ohio Senate will present resolutions to O’Brien and the team at 1:30 p.m. in Senate chambers. The House of Representatives will present resolutions to Scoonie Penn, O’Brien and the team during at 1:45 p.m. in House chambers.
CONTACT: Gerry Emig, Sports Information, 292-6861; or Colleen O’Brien, director of state relations, 292-4689.

EDUCATION, BUSINESS UNITE FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT--April 22. Ohio State, the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, and several leaders from local universities and colleges on Thursday (4/22) will announce a partnership between the business and education communities aimed at retaining college graduates in the region. The announcement will be made at 2:30 p.m. in the main conference room of the Chamber, 37 N. High St. Principal speakers will be Ohio State President William Kirwan and Chamber President and CEO Sally Jackson. They will discuss how the partnership will sustain the region’s economic development and growth by linking local college students seeking internships and employment with local businesses seeking employees. Representatives from the other education participants will attend. They are Capital, CCAD, Columbus State, DeVry, Franklin, Ohio Dominican, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein and Central Michigan’s MBA program. A mult- box will be provided. The Chamber will release more details next week.
CONTACT: Tracey Gardner, 225-6941, or Elizabeth Houser, 225- 6956, Greater Columbus Chamber.

TAKE A DAUGHTER TO WORK DAY--April 22. Ohio State employees are invited to Take a Daughter to Work and encourage their children to investigate a range of exciting careers. Participants may try their hand at creating a web page, staging a production at Mershon, lifting fingerprints off objects, being a reporter for a day, or teaching a chimpanzee to count. Learn what it takes to become a veterinarian, social worker, lawyer, photographer, scientist or psychologist. Kids ages 9-17 may attend any of the free workshops around campus, taught by faculty and staff volunteers. Several hundred children are expected to participate. Workshops are offered from 9:45-11:15 a.m., 1-2:30 p.m. and 3-4:30 p.m.
CONTACT: Margie Bogenschutz, Take A Daughter to Work Day Committee, 292-8586.

JERRY SPRINGER ON CAMPUS--April 22. Talk-show king Jerry Springer speaks in an interactive presentation at the Ohio Union Ballrooms at 9 p.m. Jerry Springer-My Thoughts is sure to bring both laughs and intrigue to what exactly was going through his mind during past episodes. The event is sponsored by the Ohio Union Activities Board (OUAB).
CONTACT: OUAB’s Frank Lazar, 292-3117; or Marc Sasala, 297-0436.

COLUMBUS 4TH GRADERS CHECK OUT THE BIG FARM--April 23. City kids can pet a llama, see how milk becomes ice cream, and learn about food safety at Scarlet and Gray Ag Day, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at two campus locations. About 600 fourth graders from 11 Columbus elementary schools will learn about agriculture first hand at the event, which is a community service project by students in the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Bacteria and Food Safety takes students on a “safe food journey” from the farm gate to the dinner plate. Corn and More lets students make biodegradable plastic materials from corn. Life with Llamas offers participants a chance to pet and lead a llama while learning llama care and wool harvesting. I Scream for Ice Cream shows how ice cream is made, with trips to the dairy farm and a lab for processing milk into ice cream. A session on the importance of dairy products offers all kids a picture of themselves with a milk mustache.
CONTACT: Sue Mantey, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, 292-2011.

PITCH IN TO KEEP CAMPUS BEAUTIFUL--April 23. Picking up litter on the 1,715-acre Columbus campus is a $5,000-per-week expense for Ohio State. To help raise awareness about how much litter is generated on campus every day, the Department of Physical Facilities, along with the Undergraduate Student Government, the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of Academic Affairs and Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services are sponsoring the Scarlet and Gray Cleanup Day on April 23 from 8 a.m. to noon. Organizers are asking student organizations, residence halls, employee groups and individuals to donate an hour or more of their time to pick up litter in a designated area on campus. Shifts are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 10 a.m. to noon. The first 1,000 volunteers will receive T-shirts, food coupons and other prizes. Trucks will collect the litter at several points and bring it all to the Oval (near University Hall) at noon to show much litter was collected in four hours.
CONTACT: David Sweet, Physical Facilities, 292-2377.

YUGOSLAVIA IS TOPIC FOR TWO TIMELY FORUMS--April 23 and 24. Ohio State experts examine aspects of the Balkans war in two separate events.
--Why Kosovo?, a roundtable discussion and forum, will be held April 23, 1-3 p.m., 122 Main Library. Moderators are Charles Gribble, professor of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures; Goldie Shabad, associate professor of political science; Gregory Jusdanis, associate professor of Greek and Latin; Predrag Matejic, Center for Slavic and East European Studies; and Maria Todorova of the University of Florida. The event is sponsored by the Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities.
CONTACT: Humanities Institute, 292-8892.
--Ethno-Religious Conflict in Rwanda and Bosnia: Origins, Consequences and Implications will be held 9 a.m.-4 p.m., April 24 at the Ramada University Hotel, 3110 Olentangy River Road. Planned and scheduled before the Kosovo operation, OSU faculty will join experts from other universities and agencies in four panel discussions: The Origins of the Bosnian and Rwandan Conflicts (9-10-15 a.m.); The Recent Ethnic Strife in Rwanda and Bosnia (10:30-11:45 a.m.); International Peacekeeping in Bosnia and Rwanda: Lessons Learned (1:45-3 p.m.); and The Challenge of Providing Humanitarian Assistance in the Rwandan and Bosnian Crises (3:15-4:45 p.m.). This interdisciplinary conference is sponsored by five OSU departments.
CONTACT: Center for Slavic and East European Studies, 292-8770.

OHIO STATE, COMMUNITY GROUPS LAUNCH PROJECT BUILD--April 26. Ohio State is joining with local agencies for Project Build, a six-week construction job training program for residents living in the southeast portion of the University District. The program centers on basic skills for building maintenance and highway and utility construction, and “soft skills” necessary to gain and maintain employment. Organizers hope the program creates a pool of qualified employable neighborhood residents who can go on to jobs or additional training. All training will be provided at no cost to Project Build’s 20 participants, residents of the Campus Partners neighborhoods near campus. Participants are being recruited by the Godman Guild, a community organization. Project Build is part of Ohio State’s Community Outreach Partnerships Center, a neighborhood improvement and empowerment program focusing on the Weinland Park neighborhood.
CONTACT: Sandra Pritz, Project Build coordinator, College of Education, 688-8148.

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).