OSU proposes Boys & Girls Club in University District

Several campus units would assist with programming, other resources

Ohio State is exploring the idea of helping to revitalize the University District by locating a Boys and Girls Club east of High Street.

Boys and Girls Clubs provide a safe haven in which affordable after-school and summer activities are provided for children ages 6 to 18. Four clubs already exist in Columbus, serving 5,000 youth. They are located on Gift Street in Franklinton, Cleveland Avenue in the Milo-Grogan neighborhood, Sixth Street in the downtown area and on Dawnlight Avenue in northeast Columbus.

A feasibility study, funded by a $100,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Administration, is being conducted to assess both the need for and possible sites for such a club, said Mac Stewart, associate provost for undergraduate studies and dean of University College, who is spearheading the effort. The group performing the assessment must complete the study by June 30.

Two groups are already in place -- a need assessment committee and a site location committee -- that represent faculty and staff from several colleges at Ohio State, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus (BGCC), and several social service agencies in the University District, Stewart said.

Robert Zuercher, executive director of BGCC, said a similar alliance exists between Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and a Boys and Girls Club in the adjoining neighborhood. He said although all clubs have trained staff, the university brings a wealth of resources to the club that enhance program areas such as after-school tutoring, computer instruction, youth leadership, and social and physical recreation.

Zuercher said the parent group, Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), supports the proposed University District club.

"They are 100 percent behind the project and are very excited because of the prestige of Ohio State and the many resources in terms of programs, students, faculty and staff," he said.

Stewart said specific programming Ohio State would provide for the club will be determined after a need for the club is established. He added that several units already have expressed interest in working with the club, including the colleges of Education, Human Ecology, Arts and Nursing.

"It would be an excellent opportunity for student service as well as service-learning for Ohio State students," Stewart said.

He said the essential human elements necessary to make the proposal work are in place: the Office of Continuing Education, Campus Partners and the Campus Collaborative, along with the strong Columbus presence of BGCA. But finding a site for the club -- provided the need is established -- would entail either renovating an existing structure or building a new one. "Our challenge locally will be to come up with the dollars for the structure," Stewart said.

The facility would include a full-size gymnasium, an arts and crafts center, a learning center for tutoring and other class-related activities, an outdoor area, and a recreation center for games and social gatherings. The club also would feature a state-of-the-art computer lab where University District youngsters could receive instruction and hands-on experience.

"We don't want the students to be disadvantaged by not having access to modern technology," Stewart said.

The feasibility study also will include input collected from several focus groups made up of principals and teachers from eight University District elementary and middle schools and local parents; the Columbus Board of Education and Columbus teachers union; and University units such as student services and different colleges.

The Women's Place emphasizes connection, collaboration, climate

The Women's Place is not much to look at -- a couple of nondescript offices tucked under the eaves of Smith Lab -- but it's not really about "place" in the geographical sense.

What The Women's Place is about is connection, collaboration and climate. Judy Fountain, director of The Women's Place, says part of her role is to help shape this new entity that seeks to provide a voice for women's issues at Ohio State. Throughout the spring, she will be meeting with all women-related groups at Ohio State, college deans and others to identify issues, concerns, resources and partnership opportunities.

"The Women's Place will be a way to collect the separate voices of Ohio State women faculty, staff and students, and to develop a unified strategy around women's issues," Fountain said.

Judy Fountain

• to equitably connect all University women, individually and collectively.

• to enable access to information to enhance involvement in University life.

• to support and enhance the work of all women within the University.

• to serve as a pressure point to improve the processes and systems that create the University's climate for women.

The concept for The Women's Place emerged from volunteer efforts of numerous faculty and staff concerned about how women's issues get lost in the bureaucracy of Ohio State. Several studies have documented that the quality of the work and study climate at the University has not been as supportive for women as should be expected. Although a number of programs exist to provide support to women, they are not well-coordinated or communicated effectively, the studies show.

Fountain was appointed in November and began her duties at the first of the year. She is supported by two graduate assistants and is building a network of advisory groups.

In the initial phases of its development, The Women's Place will be built around three concepts: high technology, high connection and high influence.

Using its Web site, http://womensplace.ohio-state.edu/, as an information clearinghouse, The Women's Place will connect women of diverse backgrounds and all those interested in women's issues. It will also provide broader feedback to inform policy development. Other mechanisms include focus groups, issue-specific forums, support to faculty search committees, links with existing University governance and advisory groups, and being a resource to institutional committees addressing climate issues.

The Women's Place will hold an open house on the first day of spring quarter, March 27, in conjunction with a teleconference, "Shaping a National Agenda for Women in Higher Education." The teleconference is co-sponsored by The Women's Place at Ohio State (see below for details). The open house, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., is in The Women's Place offices, 5046 Smith Lab.

Teleconference explores issues for women in higher education

"Shaping a National Agenda for Women in Higher Education" is a teleconference sponsored by Ohio State and hosted by the University of Minnesota. It is expected to connect 10,000 people at 150 sites during its March 27-29 duration.

The purpose is to seek common ground across the nation about which are the most important issues for women in higher education by asking critical questions about what would make a difference in campus climates for women faculty, staff and students.

The Women's Place is using the teleconference not only to contribute to the national dialogue, but also to help introduce itself to the University community and to establish its collaborative Web-based model of communication, said Judy Fountain, director.

Ohio State participants can connect with it via The Women's Place Web site: http://womensplace.ohio-state.edu/ or conference site: http://www1.umn.edu/women/wihe.html, or view the keynote address on the campus cable TV channel. A live telecast of the address by Johnnetta Cole, former president of Spelman College and now a faculty member at Emory University, will be shown at 3:30 p.m. March 27 during an open house at The Women's Place offices. Those present are invited to participate in a focus group after the talk or to write their comments on a paper-lined "graffiti wall."

Further feedback from Ohio State will be gathered on the Web site until 2 p.m. March 28, then summarized and sent to Minnesota for inclusion in the national agenda. National input will be on the Web site from 2 p.m. March 29 through March 31.

Six OSU representatives will participate at Minnesota: Elizabeth Allen, a visiting faculty member in the Department of Women's Studies; Linda Bryant, fiscal/human resources officer for the Department of Geography, representing the University Staff Advisory Committee; Alma Cardenas, coordinator of Women Student Services; Audeen Fentiman, associate dean of the College of Engineering; Kay Halasek, secretary of the faculty; and Lynda James Myers, representing the Committee on Academic Excellence for Women.

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