Trustees at the March 3 meeting heard recommendations from the Greek Life Task Force, appointed last spring by David Williams II, vice president for student and urban/community affairs, to improve fraternity and sorority life on campus.

Recommendations include implementing a minimum 2.25 grade-point average for chapter members; requiring two advisers for each house, one of whom must be an Ohio State faculty or staff member; and requiring students to have at least 12 credit hours before joining a sorority or fraternity. The suggestions were developed after the task force met with sorority and fraternity chapters, presidents and advisers, and Ohio State alumni. Two town meetings were held recently to discuss the task force's findings.

Paul Bohlman, task force member and past international president of Delta Chi fraternity, told trustees he felt the town meetings were informative for everyone involved.

"Many students who attended the town meetings don't want to believe that there is a problem with Ohio State's Greek system," Bohlman said. "Much of this stems from the high turnover in leadership positions within the organizations. New leaders either aren't aware problems exist or they're in denial."

"We're trying to raise the bar academically, socially and in the caliber of community service undertaken by the chapters," said Teniell Trolian, president of Ohio State's chapter of Delta Zeta sorority.

Trustees name campus locations

The University Board of Trustees on March 3 approved the naming of several campus facilities, including the Allied Medical Professions Building, now named Robert J. Atwell Hall; Lane Avenue Park, now named Fred Beekman Park; 1501 Neil Avenue, now named the Mershon Center as long as the building houses the academic programs of the Mershon Center; and the Grand Lounge in the Longaberger Alumni House, now named the Sanders Grand Lounge.

Trustees also approved the renaming of the Department of Medical Biochemistry to the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry to better reflect the research and teaching activities of the department.

Construction work approved

Trustees authorized the University to hire architects for the Wiseman Hall expansion and to seek construction bids for the expansion and for asbestos abatement at Caldwell Laboratory.

The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute is planning to construct a two-story addition to the existing cancer center, which will extend the third and fourth floors out over the north side second floor of Wiseman Hall. The expanded Wiseman Hall will house the John W. Wolfe Cancer Genetics Laboratory. The $5 million cost of the project is funded through a $6.5 million gift received in September from the Robert F. Wolfe and Edgar T. Wolfe Foundation.

The board also approved a project to abate the sprayed-on asbestos material on the ceilings of several areas in Caldwell Laboratory.

Technology transfer process amended

Trustees amended a 1996 resolution to authorize the Technology Transfer Oversight Committee to approve research incentives for all faculty, staff and students who meet the criteria of being potential inventors of Ohio State technology. Previously, the resolution applied only to faculty inventors who wished to be involved in private business ventures to commercialize University technologies they had created.

Nichols gives board endowment update

University Treasurer James L. Nichols updated trustees on the University's Endowment Fund, which had reached a market value of $1.3 billion as of Feb. 28. That compares with $1.06 billion at the end of July. The total number of funds as of Dec. 31 was 2,758.

Nichols stated the return for the first six months ending Dec. 31 was 16.2 percent. The amount distributed to colleges and departments for fiscal year 2000 stands at $45.2 million.

Trustees also approved appointments and reappointments of external investment managers to assist in the management of the University's Endowment Fund.

May presents development report

Trustees accepted a $1.5 million gift from the late William Greenville Pace III and his wife, Joann Norris Collins-Pace, that will be used to establish an endowed chair for cancer research in Ohio State's College of Medicine and Public Health. Pace, who died in 1996, joined the University faculty in 1959 and at the time of his death was clinical professor emeritus of surgery.

The William Greenville Pace III and Joann Norris Collins-Pace Chair for Cancer Research will be held by Larry J. Copeland, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, who will continue to hold a concurrent appointment as chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the College of Medicine and Public Health.

The announcement of the Pace Chair highlighted the report by Vice President for Development Jerry May to the trustees. The board established 17 other named endowed funds with gifts totaling nearly $2.1 million. The endowed funds are:

Richard C. Veler, D.D.S., and Betty G. Veler Dental Scholarship Fund, $48,742; Larry Peterson Young Educators Award Fund, $27,461; Vinton County 4-H Endowment Fund, $17,635; Clark County 4-H Endowment Fund, $15,690; Jerry N. Ulrich Undergraduate Scholarship Fund, $68,212; The Caroline B. Monahan Fund within the Department of Psychology, $59,657; The Robert W. and June G. Setterlin Endowment Fund in Engineering, $51,010; Lake County 4-H Endowment Fund, $47,864; The Pickett Family Cancer Genetics Research Endowment Fund, $40,000; The Jean H. Willett Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund, $28,130; The Jean and Agnes Lemmermen Endowed Scholarship Fund, $28,130; The Ellmore Wright and Belle Kinsman Hatton Fund in Cancer Research, $26,821; The Ellmore Wright and Belle Kinsman Hatton Fund in Medicine, $26,821; The Victoria S. Carnes Memorial Scholarship Fund in Elementary Education, $26,000; The Medical Class of 1947 Endowment Fund, $25,490; The Nanette N. Hoge Scholars Fund, $25,000; and The Katherine H. vanFossen Wildflower Garden Endowment Fund, $18,000.