Clothes, American Style

The dress at left is among those featured in Fashion American Style, 1900-1999, an exhibit documenting America's rise during the century to dominate world fashion. The exhibition is organized according to three eras in fashion, moving from formal and constrictive American fashions to todayÕs casual simplicity. Curated by Gayle Strege, curator of the Historic Costume and Textiles Collection in the College of Human Ecology, the exhibit will be on display through May 18 in the Campbell Hall Geraldine Schottenstein Wing. Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free. Photo by Andy Morrison. Reprinted with permission of The Blade, Toledo, Ohio, Dec. 20, 2001.

Creating a healthier Appalachia

OSU nursing professor leads tobacco use, hypertension research aimed at improving lifestyles

Researchers from Ohio State are teaming up with OSU Extension and health departments in select Appalachian counties in Ohio to conduct research and outreach aimed at encouraging healthy lifestyles in those areas.

The study team is led by Mary Ellen Wewers, professor of nursing and a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

Three distinct, but related, programs are addressing issues related to three threats to good health: tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and hypertension. Wewers said family history and tobacco use could increase the risk of developing hypertension, often called the "silent killer."

Ohio counties in Appalachia -- a 13-state region stretching from New York to Mississippi -- are being targeted because their health care needs are greater, and there is a shortage of access to health awareness and prevention programs. Those counties also have a higher rate of cancer, heart disease and lung disease than any other areas in the state.

"We're looking to form partnerships through OSU Extension with the health departments in these areas that can devise programs that address health concerns such as smoking and hypertension," Wewers said.

She believes tobacco cessation programs may be enhanced by engaging lay facilitators -- health educators who live in the communities in which they work, belong to the tobacco users' social group and share their values. She said lay educators have already proven effective in breast and cervical cancer screening services in areas of Appalachia.

"They are proud of their communities and they have a genuine interest in the health and welfare of their community, and they are able to establish trust and credibility -- all of that is useful when a clinician is trying to change a behavior," Wewers said.

One habit the OSU researchers will try to break is the use of smokeless tobacco, which has risen dramatically recently, with sales of snuff tripling over the past 30 years. Researchers also will examine user patterns because there is significant lack of knowledge about how smokeless tobacco is used among various populations in the United States, especially in Appalachia.

"We're going to be looking at patterns of use and how people try to stop using," Wewers said. "We're also going to be designing a cessation program specifically tailored to the Appalachian population."

The use of smokeless tobacco is directly related to the development of various oral diseases, including cancer. Wewers said the medical profession is concerned because there seems to be a widespread belief that the use of smokeless tobacco is safer than the use of cigarettes.

"Physical dependence on nicotine is very similar between the users of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco," Wewers said. "The nicotine that enters the body through smokeless tobacco is more slowly absorbed and lasts longer than that which is taken in by cigarette use. They're both powerfully addictive."

The OSU studies are supported by a total of $3 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health.

The research process is kicked off with announcements of the study being advertised through newspapers in the area, fliers and word of mouth. Interested persons then volunteer for the study and meet with a lay educator, who discusses the relevant topic, shares printed materials about the subject, and provides counseling, including suggestions for changing behavior.

"Then we follow their progress for 24 months to evaluate if the program has an impact on whatever behavior they are trying to change. Results at 12 months and 24 months are compared with the national averages to see if we had an impact," Wewers said.

Questions asked of study participants at the 12- and 24-month evaluation points help determine: length of abstinence from tobacco use; number of attempts to quit using tobacco; other family members that may be attempting to quit; changes in exercise or diet; medications being taken; doctor consultations; and many other factors.

Results from the first 12 months are just now being evaluated, but Wewers said she is encouraged by the results so far. Approximately 700 adults are participating in the study, but, more importantly, less than 5 percent have dropped out of the study since beginning it, Wewers said.

"I think that's telling that there is a need in those counties for expanded health care and awareness programs."

Spring commencement to return to Ohio Stadium

Students favor tradition that dates to 1927

Spring commencement 2002 at Ohio State will return to Ohio Stadium after being held on the Oval the last three years to accommodate renovation of the stadium. Now that the renovations are complete, the spring ceremony, scheduled for June 14, will return to the ÔShoe.'

In deciding whether to return the ceremony to the stadium, University officials consulted with students, who overwhelmingly favored the improved stadium facilities.

"The Oval has been a wonderful site for the ceremony during the last three years," said Bill Hall, vice president for student affairs. "But given a choice, our students have said they prefer to return to the stadium for their ceremony."

Carol Ries, director of the Office of Commencement and Special Events, said that until 1999, nearly every spring commencement ceremony since 1927 was held in the historic landmark.

"With the renovation, the stadium now offers great facilities for graduates and guests," she said. "Improved seating, better accessibility for visitors with disabilities, and new space for auxiliary activities are just some of the features that will help make commencement an enjoyable experience for everyone."

Ohio State is unique among major universities in having one, Universitywide commencement each quarter in which each graduate receives his or her own actual diploma.

The summer, autumn and winter commencement ceremonies are held indoors. Only the spring ceremony is outdoors. It is the University's largest ceremony, with approximately 5,500 graduates and 30,000 guests.

When the stadium renovation forced relocation of the ceremony in 1999, University officials considered several options. Since there is no indoor facility on campus or in the community large enough to accommodate 35,000 people, the choices included dividing the event into two or more smaller ceremonies, or holding one ceremony on the Oval.

Ultimately, students preferred to maintain the traditions that make Ohio State commencements special.

HERO Program

New initiative aims to improve climate for OSU's GLBT community

Under Ohio State's Diversity Action Plan, the Office of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Student Services has received funding to develop and implement a training program to increase awareness of GLBT issues and to foster a more inclusive and welcoming climate for members of the GLBT community at the University.

The program, known as the Heterosexism Education and Reduction Orientation (HERO), is designed to be an effective way for departments and offices to gauge and improve the environment in their units for GLBT people, said Brett Beemyn, coordinator of GLBT Student Services.

Beginning this month, HERO workshops are available to all University offices and departments at no cost and are conducted on-site by staff members of GLBT Student Services and the Multicultural Center.

"We ask that an office or department commit at least two hours to the training. Preferably, we like to conduct a three- to four-hour session and then do a one- to two-hour follow-up session a few weeks or months later to check in with the group and discuss the progress they have made in creating a more inclusive environment," Beemyn said.

Because participants are asked to devise ways that they can individually and collectively make their workplace more welcoming to GLBT people, workshop organizers prefer to limit a given workshop to one office or department and to have everyone from that unit take part.

For larger offices and departments, workshop leaders will conduct additional sessions so that training groups will not be larger than 30 or 35 people. GLBT requires a minimum of 15 participants for a workshop, unless the office or department has fewer than 15 employees.

Offices and departments can arrange a HERO workshop for any day of the week during the winter and spring quarters by contacting GLBT Student Services at 292-6200 or glbtss@osu.edu.

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