October 19, 1999

Here are descriptions of the radio stories available on the Ohio State University Info Line, October 22 through October 29, 1999. Stories are changed at noon. All feeds include one wraparound report of approximately 1:00 and at least one other actuality plus background material. If you have questions, want additional information, or need a re-feed of a missed story, call Amy Murray at 614-292-8385.

Friday 10/22 - Monday 10/25 - Parents of teen-agers, don't despair. Ohio State University research finds that parents continue to influence their adolescents' behavior, even as friends and schools loom larger in teens' eyes. Sociology Professor Sung Joon Jang studied more than 1,700 teens for five years. He found that, as expected, that the effect of friends and school grew during early adolescence, peaked in mid-adolescence, and then began to slowly decline. He also found that the influence of parents did not diminish, but remained steady through the teen years. (rescheduled from 10/15)

Monday 10/25-Wednesday 10/27 - The vampire is a common sight during the Halloween season, but in eastern Europe, the myth of the vampire has endured for centuries. Daniel Collins, a professor of Slavic and Eastern European Languages and Literatures at Ohio State University, teaches a class on the vampire in eastern European and American culture. He says monsters are useful symbols for coping with fears.

Wednesday 10/27-Friday 10/29 - A new nationwide study suggests that American adults generally experience less economic difficulties as they get older, even after they retire. John Mirowsky, a sociology professor at Ohio State University, found that 16 percent of adults under age 40 reported frequent difficulty paying bills during the past 12 months, compared to only 6 percent of those age 60 and over. He says the findings call into question official government statistics which say poverty increases among the elderly.

Many news outlets are getting our news releases electronically. Would you like to receive your weekly Info Line rundown via e-mail? It’s faster than the postal service and offers less chance for bad addresses, lost or damaged mail. We can e-mail this and other news releases directly to your computer. E-mail Amy at murray-goedde.1@osu.edu or call 614-292-8385 to make arrangements.

www.osu.edu is Ohio State’s Internet address. News releases (including this rundown sheet) from University Communications and many other offices are posted on the website. The site is also a great source for answers to frequently asked questions about OSU.