African studies

Study abroad trip takes class to South Africa, Zimbabwe

African studies faculty and students will take their classroom halfway around the world as they travel from Ohio State to South Africa and Zimbabwe for an 18-day study abroad program.

The trip, Ohio State's first study abroad program to that part of Africa, follows a 10-week class in which students studied the countries' histories, religions and cultures. Those dividing their time between the two countries will be Lupenga Mphande, associate professor of African-American and African Studies; his students; and Sherif Barsoum, coordinator for the Office of International Education. They leave June 12.

These countries are sites of some of the earliest civilizations on the African continent, and are a good representative sample of the environment and a generous historical and cultural tradition typical of the entire region, Mphande said.

The need for this type of course was first expressed at a meeting that Ohio State had with the Zimbabwean ambassador to the United States last year, Mphande said.

"We discussed the means of broadening Ohio State students' experience in understanding global cultures, particularly those cultures that minority students, such as African Americans, would identify with, in an attempt to empower them," he said. "This study-abroad course fulfills a critical intellectual need in the Ohio State curriculum."

Aaron Harker, 22, a senior English major, said he has been waiting for Ohio State to offer a program like this for several years.

"I had been interested in going to southern Africa for a number of years, but there had never been a program available through the University that I was able to apply for," he said. "There had been a few semester programs available through other universities, but since South Africa is in the southern hemisphere and they are in opposite seasons from us, I would have had to sit out at least two quarters here at OSU to get one semester there."

Ohio State currently provides students with the opportunity to participate in more than 100 study abroad programs, most of which are in Europe and South America, Barsoum said.

"Being involved in these programs allows students to better understand and appreciate the world once they have been outside their own environment," he said.

A portion of the African program is subsidized by the Office of Student Affairs, and the Office of Minority Affairs gave two scholarships to students enrolled in the course. Each student is responsible for $1,975 out of the $3,400 trip.

The number of students in the class was limited to a maximum of 23; when more than 30 applied, he and Mphande gave priority to upperclassmen who expressed interest in the culture and history of South Africa and Zimbabwe, Barsoum said.

"We have a great mix of students, half African American and half white," Barsoum said. "This was not by plan; it just happened that way. We had a feeling this trip was going to be very attractive to our minority students."

Khallai Taylor, 23, a junior computer and information science and Spanish major and an African-American student, said that after reading about the course on a flier posted around campus, she quickly became interested in applying for the class.

"I thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me," she said. "The other reason I wanted to go on the trip and take the class was to give me a better chance to go to the place where I got my complexion, where my roots are. So it's more than a learning experience; it's a spiritual lesson of the history of my people.

"I expect to see beautiful sights, wild animals on our safari and some Africans who at last have their equal rights."

Merrari McKinley, a sophomore international studies and Japanese major, said she has high expectations for the trip.

"I predict the trip will make the imagined reality," she said. "All the things our class has been merely reading about thus far will become tangible: the Zimbabwe Ruins, Soweto and Victoria Falls."

The trip also will include stops in Cape Town and Johannesburg, both in South Africa; Roben Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated; and the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The group also will dine on traditional dinners along the way, Mphande said.

In class, students studied a wide variety of topics to prepare them for the many different aspects of life in southern Africa, including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They also attended two orientations on cross-cultural awareness and safety basics to prepare for the trip, and were required to obtain a passport and immunizations.

Each night during the trip, students will meet with instructors in a group setting to discuss the day's events.

"We want to give the students a chance to talk in a group about what they have seen, how they feel about race relations, how Africans may see some things differently than white people living in the same countries, and how they can talk about it and bring their new knowledge back to Ohio State," Barsoum said.

Hot dog vendor bids farewell to OSU after 24 years on campus

At noon on any given weekday, the corner of Neil and West 17th avenues is alive with activity. Professors toting briefcases walk briskly by. Students shouldering backpacks amble along in groups of twos and threes. Classmates breeze past on bikes or rollerblades. Buses and cars nudge their way through the congestion.

Joe Palcsak witnessed and participated in this scene for 24 years. He stood in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, wielding his spatula and sharing his wit as he served up lunches of hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches and beef fajitas to the hungry that lined up in front of his cart.

Last week was Palcsak's last as owner of Boss Doggs, the small company that operates the three hot dog stands on main campus. Palcsak has sold his half of the company to his brother, David, and moved to Colorado to start a personal chef business.

The week before he was to leave, Palcsak's spirits were up as he stood cooking for the lunchtime rush, but he admitted that he will miss the view.

"You know, just the old parade of life that I get to be right in the grandstands for, right in the thick of it," Palcsak said.

He looked around at the busy sidewalk with evident pleasure. "This is the flagship location for Boss Doggs," he said.

His cart, with a red and white Coca-Cola umbrella springing up from the top, was situated under the shade of a tree just across the street from University Hall. Palcsak's kitchen consisted of little more than a grill positioned a half-turn to his right, and a cardboard table loaded down with bread and buns a half-step further on his right. A few coolers with soft drinks and bottled water grouped around the table completed his operation.

You could say Palcsak has been pleased with his time at Ohio State. "I have the best customers in the world," he said, adding, "Every moment here has been a pure pleasure."

"I got out of school without many goals, but one was that I never have any boss but myself," he said. Street vending was appealing to him. "It kind of came together for me and, boom, I was in business. I ran a couple of different businesses, always pushcarts. I enjoy cooking, owning my own business, the people. The only thing not to like is the long hours," he said.

He generally worked about 10 to 12 hours a day, with seven to eight of those on location.

In Palcsak's book, there are no days off for bad weather.

"We've been out here in minus 40," he said. "The last day we missed due to weather was in 1993. That day the wind chill factor didn't get higher than minus 53." He planned on coming in anyway, but the University shut down for the day.

He was adamant about the importance of reliability. "People have got to make lunch plans. You know you can count on Boss Doggs. If we're only out here half the time, we're not serious about what we're doing. You have to be able to count on us," he said.

He broke into a smile. "Basically, if you can't take the weather, you shouldn't be a wienie man."

Even after 1 p.m. the Friday before Memorial Day, he fielded a steady stream of people waiting in line to sample his cuisine. At times, the line grew to seven or eight deep, customers squinting in the bright sunlight that had afforded Palcsak, in an Ohio State T-shirt and black shorts, a tan.

"Whenever I make myself lunch, this is what happens," Palcsak said, putting aside the brat he had just fixed for himself to cook yet another chicken fajita.

Palcsak deftly prepared the food, his hands flying from cooler to grill to cart to grill to napkin dispenser in one smooth flurry of motion, frequently carrying on a conversation as he went.

"Certainly the success of our business hinges on our being able to serve many people rapidly," he said.

He preferred to think of it as an art form, not a science. "I have it down to an art," he said, explaining that "I'm not scientific. I'm a bit too scatterbrained."

He quickly worked through the line of customers. Two women took their hot dogs and strolled over to a nearby bench. A guy in sunglasses took his sandwich, hopped on his bike and rode off.

Palcsak has seen a lot of customers over the past 24 years.

"When I started it was right toward the end of the psychedelic era. People were very liberal and open," he said "People have become more reserved."

He still enjoys the interaction, though. "It's a friendly thing here," he said. "People are all here for one single purpose. Very little has changed between me and my customers."

Palcsak's had a lot of regulars.

"Naturally, there are some faculty and staff I've had the pleasure of serving for well over a decade now," he said. Students have been known to stop by when they come back for football games.

He enjoyed the opportunities to converse.

"Weather is big. Sports is big. And just the more you know me, the more we get to chat about with each other," he said.

When Terry Conlisk, professor of mechanical engineering, stopped by for lunch, the two men greeted each other by name. They have been on a first-name basis since their sons played softball together 10 years ago.

Conlisk guessed that he's been a customer of Palcsak's for more than 10 years. "Oh, let's see. Ten years easy, probably more. Fifteen maybe?"

Conlisk stopped by about twice a week. He'd give Palcsak his order on his way to play basketball, and pick it up on his way back. He said there was a simple reason why he kept coming back. "He's got good stuff. It tastes good."

They discussed Palcsak's plans to move to Colorado.

"I'll have sunshine and low humidity," Palcsak said. "I'm going to love life and enjoy my kids."

"That's tough, Joe," Conlisk said.

"Somebody's got to do it, Terry," Palcsak shot back.

The men shared a chuckle.

Palcsak was looking forward to working banker's hours as a personal chef in Colorado, and for the chance to spend more time with his wife and three children.

He is passionate about cooking. "A lot of people say to me, ÔI bet you don't cook at home.' I do. I've been doing personal chef cooking on the side and I do all the cooking at home."

There is one entree he won't be preparing any time soon.

"Oh, half a year down the road I might cook a hot dog for myself," he said.

NSF fellowships go to OSU alumna, students

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Graduate Research Fellowships to four Ohio State students and one alumna.

"National awards such as these indicate that students who pursue a challenging program at Ohio State and who perform at the highest level are among the most promising young scholars in their fields," said John D. Wanzer, assistant dean in the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences.

NSF fellowships, intended for students at or near the beginning of their graduate study, are awarded to students pursuing research-based master's or doctoral degrees in the fields of science, mathematics and engineering. The fellowship stipend during 1999-2000 is $15,000 plus a cost-of-education allowance of $10,500 per year and is renewable for up to three years during a five-year period.

James Baumgardner II, Benjamin Gelbart and Alycia Stigall provided information for this story.

Baumgardner, of Worthington, is a physics major with a specialization in condensed matter experimentation. After graduation, he will study physics at Harvard University.

Gelbart, a linguistics major from Rehovot, Israel, plans to continue research into phonology, morphology, historical linguistics, and Baltic, Slavic and Semitic languages at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Stigall, a geological sciences and biology major from Cincinnati, will attend the University of Kansas, studying paleontology in the geology department.

Teresa Hart, a student in the College of Engineering, and Ohio State alumna Jennifer Russell also received fellowships.

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