A Homecoming to remember

Homecoming week has evolved over the past several years. Sure, the focus is still on the Saturday football game -- Ohio State defeated Iowa 41-11 -- and the parade that precedes the game. But now events have been expanded to include service-learning activities, a diversity fair and even a Creepy Campus Tour the evening of the big game.

Homecoming 1999, also known as the "Blast of the Century," kept the campus hopping during the last week of October.

A popular event was Under Construction on the Oval, which combined forces of Habitat for Humanity and the Homecoming team for a shed-building project. Sheds were constructed on the Oval and later transported by truck to homes throughout the city. The day was capped off with an energy-packed Buckeye Blast, where comedian Howie Mandel performed and thousands of OSU fans energized the Jerome Schottenstein Center during the giant pep rally.

By Kevin Fitzsimons

Ohio State alumnus Mike Sizer points out a feature on the ninth annual Stadium Cake to his friend Jennifer Alexander during a tailgate party prior to the Homecoming game. Donations for pieces of the cake benefit the OSU Scarlet and Gray Scholarship Fund.

Hundreds of students, faculty and staff members enjoyed an international array of food, music and fun at the Diversity Festival, held Oct. 29 at Mirror Lake Hollow and Browning Amphitheater.

Eager sightseers showed up early the morning of Oct. 30 to stake out a prime spot along Neil Avenue to watch the 1999 Homecoming Parade. Unseasonably warm temperatures made watching all the more enjoyable.

After dark settled on campus following the game, fans celebrated the victory Halloween-style with Creepy Campus Tours leaving the Student Health Center every half-hour. The tours visited sites around campus where legendary ghost stories have evolved over time.

Town meeting: Gay, lesbian and bisexual students air concerns to Ohio State administration

Ohio State administrators left a recent gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) town meeting with a better understanding of the GLBT experience and some steps the University and GLBT community could take together to improve it.

"I think I have, in a much more vivid and personal way, gained an understanding of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender student experience at Ohio State," President Kirwan said after hearing firsthand accounts of the GLBT experience on campus from several community members.

"There is an overwhelming feeling of emotion about the personal toll this issue has on families, students, faculty and staff. We don't speak often enough about the obstacles to diversity, and I intend to change that."

Kirwan was joined on the panel at the Ohio Union on Oct. 26 by Edward J. Ray, executive vice president and provost; David Williams II, vice president for student and urban/community affairs; Martha Garland, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies; Si'le Singleton, coordinator of GLBT student services; Steve Kremer, director of residence life; Josh Mandel, president of University Student Government; and Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Alliance (B-GALA) Co-Chairs Bridget Strathman and Matt Teaman.

Willa Young, director of student gender and sexuality services and the meeting moderator, said she hoped the town meeting -- the first of its kind on campus -- would provide an opportunity to open the lines of communication between the GLBT community and the University administration.

"It may not be the only answer, but it can be the start of something worthwhile," she said. "After listening to comments from both sides, I think we're on the right track.

"We hope the town meeting will be the beginning of a partnership between GLBT students and University officials that will allow them to work together on concerns within the community."

Singleton said the University conducted a campuswide survey of GLBT students, faculty and staff in 1986. Those surveyed listed harassment as their No. 1 concern, followed by job security and domestic partnership benefits, she said.

At the town meeting, students, faculty, staff and parents of GLBT students expressed concerns about those issues and expanded on others, citing the need for GLBT sensitivity training for students and residence hall advisers, additional money that would allow the office of GLBT student services to expand programming, and better support services for GLBT students across campus. Some said the curriculum doesn't adequately reflect gender issues. And parents noted they would like to meet with administrators and the Board of Trustees to help create a better understanding of their children's needs.

At the meeting, Williams pledged to make it possible for students, staff and faculty to purchase football tickets with their domestic partners.

"There have been some advances made that have created an atmosphere that's more conducive to being GLBT," Teaman said. "But there are problems -- hate crimes are occurring on our campus, there are problems in dorms, and faculty, staff and students do not have domestic partner benefits," he said.

Under a domestic partner benefits policy, unmarried partners of University employees and students would be able to purchase a health insurance package from Ohio State.

Williams said the University's Diversity Task Force recently presented a diversity plan to the provost that recommends domestic partner benefits for faculty, staff and students.

"I don't think there's a member of this administration who is not in favor of passing this issue. But I do know we're not in complete control," Williams said.

The issue has been raised in the past at Ohio State, but no policy changes have been made to support a new benefits plan for domestic partners.

"I personally believe in domestic partner benefits," Kirwan said. "It's also my belief that persistence will eventually lead to the establishment of benefits for domestic partners as a commonly accepted practice nationwide."

Jared Lilly, a graduate student, urged administrators to enhance communication even more by meeting in the future with GLBT students in their environment, such as at student organization meetings. He said that's where a true understanding will begin.

"You're right," Vice Provost Martha Garland said. "It will be better to meet with you as individuals rather than as a panel."

Office supports campus lives of veterans

For Ohio State's Office of Veterans Affairs, addressing the needs and experiences of veterans is more than planning annual Veteran's Day events. Created in 1992 under the Human Resources umbrella, the office serves veterans in a variety of ways year-round, by promoting affirmative action, offering informal counseling services, educating supervisors, publishing a newsletter and encouraging interaction between veterans.

"We're a representative or advocate for veterans," said Director Bill Hospodar. "We provide assistance to any Vietnam veterans or disabled veterans seeking employment or promotion and provide general assistance to any veteran who has an employee relations problem."

He estimates there are approximately 2,000 veterans employed at Ohio State, working in every capacity from vice president to faculty member to University Hospital's staff. Approximately 1,000 of those veterans are from the Vietnam era, and about 400 of them have self-identified for affirmative action.

By Jo McCulty

Ohio State honors veterans with a memorial near Bricker Hall.

As a government contractor, Ohio State is subject to Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, which requires the University to take affirmative action in the employment and advancement of qualified Vietnam era veterans and disabled veterans.

A recent law, the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998, expands the coverage to include veterans who served in any war or campaign -- including in World War II, Korea, Desert Storm or Bosnia.

"I came here when the office was first started in 1992. At the time, there was quite a bit of controversy," Hospodar said. "There had been several complaints from faculty and staff of alleged discrimination.

"The Department of Labor came in and did some investigation and found the University to have several shortcomings in this area. They said the University needed a more positive environment and needed outreach programs and affirmative action."

As a result, the Office of Veterans Affairs was established.

"Ohio State, as far as I know, is the only university that has a veterans office like we have. Most handle just students' GI Bill," Hospodar said. "From when the office was formed until now, the situation has improved quite a bit and we seem to have a positive environment for veterans."

Affirmative action is intended to assist veterans whose careers were adversely affected by their time in the military. "Congress passed a law to off-set (those disadvantages)," Hospodar said. "Those who didn't serve in the war went on with education, got jobs and were promoted. Those who were drafted and served were out of the picture for those years."

The social and political climate also had an impact on some veterans' careers. "Many veterans felt that when they came back from the war they were treated unfairly because it was an unpopular war," he said.

Veterans can choose whether or not they wish to be considered under affirmative action laws.

"One thing I point out when I teach my class is that not all veterans feel as if they are discriminated against," Hospodar said. "Some do and some don't. Many veterans feel they are doing just fine and don't need any help and want to be treated fairly. You have a variety of feelings on how they feel. It's definitely a mixed bag."

John Guilmartin, professor of history and a Vietnam veteran, was chair of a 1991 task force which recommended the creation of the veterans office. "We found at that time that there were significant discrimination and affirmative action problems," he said. He believes the office serves a useful purpose. "I think they perform an important function. They're a good clearinghouse to identify veteran's concerns. It is a distinct community within the overall University community that has common interests and concerns."

Bob Ransom, director of diversity and outreach in the College of Education, is a Vietnam veteran who sat with Guilmartin on the task force. "Since the University has taken a strong position on affirmative action for veterans with the establishment of a Veterans Affairs office, things have improved for the better," he said.

Hospodar brings his own experiences as a veteran to his position as director. When he came to Ohio State, he had just retired as a colonel after 28 years in the Army, a career which included two tours of Vietnam. "Having been a veteran myself, I know the kinds of problems that can be encountered," he said. He enjoys "helping veterans and making sure they know what their rights and benefits are and doing general counseling."

Veterans Affairs offers an informal assistance to veterans that is not intended to replace the more formal consulting and intervention services offered to all employees by the Office of Human Resources. "I'm sort of an interference runner for veterans who may have a problem they can't resolve. They may have a misunderstanding with a supervisor and can come discuss it with me before it becomes a problem," he said.

For example, Hospodar has assisted veterans with disabilities who needed time off for medical appointments by meeting with their supervisors to work out a plan for absences.

He also can assist with questions regarding time off for military service. "A lot of questions come up when reserves or the national guard get called up and we have a certain number of employees or students who have to leave," he said.

Veterans Affairs works as a resource for student veterans. "There are approximately 900 students who are veterans using the GI Bill," Hospodar said. "We process applications, and verify enrollment and grades."

The office plans several activities a year to draw attention to veterans issues and to provide a chance for Ohio State's veterans to meet one another.

Two events were planned for this year's Veterans Day. A Veterans Memorial Service was scheduled to take place at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 10, in front of Bricker Hall, conducted by Ohio State ROTC cadets. A Veterans Appreciation Day celebration is planned for 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Fawcett Center. The event was to include a talk about the Vietnam War by Guilmartin and the chance for veterans to meet with representatives from University offices.

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