University switches to summer hours

The University will implement summer hours of 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on June 17. Hours of 8 a.m.-5 p.m. will resume on Sept. 3.

Offices that have extended hours to serve students or the public may continue extended hours on an as- needed basis or discontinue extended hours for summer quarter. In all cases, extended hours should resume on the first Wednesday of autumn quarter.

Each office is responsible for communicating any schedule changes to faculty, staff and students/customers.

Details can be provided by departmental administrative contacts.

Caregiver support group to meet June 24

An Older Adult Caregiver Support Group will be held from 5-6:30 p.m. June 24 at the NeuroScience Building.

For details and registration, contact Lisa Borelli, University Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, at 293-2060 or borelli.3@osu.edu.

Optometry assists Special Olympians

The College of Optometry will be offering free eye exams and glasses to participants in the Special Olympics from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 29. The Special Olympics will be held June 28-30 on the Ohio State campus.

For details, call 688-8310 or 292-8462.

Group seeks volunteer opportunities

The Young Buckeyes of Franklin County Alumni Club is currently searching for ways to become more involved with the Ohio State community. Consisting of young professionals in the central Ohio area, the alumni club is looking for volunteer opportunities on campus.

For details, contact Dawn Mericle at 451-8384, 222-4004 or dawnmericle@hotmail.com.

OSU Hospitals East hosts Medicare Q&A

A Medicare information session will be held from 9 a.m.-noon on June 25 in the Wallace Auditorium of University Hospitals East, 1492 E. Broad St.

The free session will cover recent changes in the Medicare program and how the changes affect older adults. A Medicare representative will be available to answer questions on a wide range of topics, including eligibility, coverage options and assistance for low-income patients.

The informational program is sponsored by the University Medical Center in conjunction with Ohio Medicare Partners and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Advance registration is requested by calling 293-5123.

CGS seeks nominees for faculty adviser

The Council of Graduate Students, the student government organization for all graduate students at Ohio State, is undertaking a Universitywide search for a new faculty adviser. Jim Siddens, assistant dean and college secretary of the Graduate School, who served as CGS adviser for the last 18 years, has retired.

The Executive Committee of the Council of Graduate Students has appointed a search committee, chaired by incoming CGS Vice President Kerry Hodak. Nominations for the position should be sent by June 17 to Hodak at 208 Ohio Union or hodak.2@osu.edu. Self-nominations are encouraged. Nominated individuals are asked to send a letter of interest and a current curriculum vita.

For details, contact Hodak at 292-4380 or hodak.2@osu.edu.

Deferred compensation advice available

The Ohio Public Employees Deferred Compensation Program can help public employees take advantage of broad pension reforms that took effect on Jan. 1. Public employees can contribute the maximum to a 457 plan or a 403(b), allowing an individual to defer a total of up to $22,000 this year dependent upon gross income. Also, upon retirement, some, if not all, unused vacation and sick time distributions can be distributed to a deferred compensation account.

For details or to enroll, contact Greg Carruth toll free at (877) 644-6457, option 2, or visit the Web at www.ohio457.org.

Pharmacy deductible takes effect July 1

Effective July 1, an annual $25 deductible will apply for prescription drugs purchased at a retail pharmacy, which will have to be paid before the insurance payments begin. The deductible is per person, with a maximum of three per family.

Those with questions or concerns regarding pharmacy benefits shouldcontact the Office of Human Resources Customer Service Center at 292-1050, (800) 678-6010 or service@hr.osu.edu.

Book Community selects autumn authors

The Buckeye Book Community, a book program for first-year students and members of the Ohio State community, has announced its autumn 2002 book selections. They are Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies and How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents, and Michael Chabon, Pulitzer prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.

Both authors will visit Ohio State in October to discuss their books, conduct writing workshops and meet with the campus community. Copies of all books are available at a reduced price of $10 at the University Bookstore, Long's Bookstore, Taylor and Lincoln Towers, and Stradley Hall.

For details, contact 247-6285 or askfye@osu.edu.

Block fund-raising golf tournament is June 24

The 20th Annual Herbert J. Block Memorial Tournament benefiting the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute will take place June 24 at Winding Hollow Country Club in New Albany. Registration and lunch begin at 10:30 a.m.; tournament play starts at noon.

The tournament honors Block, a prominent Columbus businessman who died of colon cancer in 1981. The tournament has generated almost $1.5 million to support patient care, education and research at The James.

For details, contact The James Development office at 293-3744.

Arboretum joins state GOAL program

Secrest Arboretum, located on the Wooster campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, is participating in the "What I Learned This Summer" essay contest recently launched by Gov. Bob Taft. This is the arboretum's first year participating in the GOAL program and essay contest, which is designed to challenge students in grades 1-8 to make the most out of their summer vacations by visiting educational travel destinations in Ohio and submitting an essay of 400 words or fewer on what they learned. The contest runs through July 31.

Families can visit during special arboretum events, such as the Wooster Garden Festival held July 19-20. Secrest Arboretum is open to the public free of charge seven days a week during daylight hours.

OARDC is the research arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. For more information on Secrest Arboretum, call (330) 263-3700.

University to host Ohio 4-H Youth Expo

Nearly 450 teens from around Ohio will gather on the Columbus campus June 19-21 to participate in leadership, citizenship and educational activities during the 86th Ohio 4-H Youth Expo.

This year's expo celebrates the 4-H centennial, and offers hands-on workshops on topics such as roller coaster design and physics, pet therapy, rocket science, and sheep, dairy, beef and swine projects. Groups will perform community service that incorporates what they learned in the workshops. All 4-H members age 14 to 19 can attend the summer youth conference.

For details, contact Allen Auck, 292-9606 or auck.1@osu.edu; David Farrell, 292-6942 or farrell.55@osu.edu; or Martha Filipic at 292-9833.

Hospital offers free prostate screenings

The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute will be offering free prostate cancer screenings from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. June 24 in its first-floor clinic.

Screenings are recommended for men age 50 or older, age 40 or older and African-American, or those with a history of prostate cancer in their family.

Registration is preferred; there will be only limited appointments for walk-ins. To schedule an appointment, call 293-5066.

P-12 symposium to be held June 21

The Ohio Collaborative for Research and Policy For Schools, Children and Families is sponsoring a symposium from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 21 at Longaberger Alumni House. Policymakers, researchers and education practitioners will discuss what scientifically based research means for education quality in Ohio and the role higher education can play.

Attendance is by invitation only. Public and private four-year universities and Ohio education policy experts are encouraged to put together a team to represent their institution and a school district of their choice to participate in afternoon breakout sessions on reading and professional development.

For details, contact Julia Spears at 688-3621, 247-7090 or spears.59@osu.edu, or visit the Web at www.osu.edu/p12.

OSU Golf Course memberships available

The Ohio State Golf Club has openings for faculty and staff memberships, which continue to be offered for $1,600. Membership offers unlimited golf on either the Scarlet or Gray courses, tee times taken up to five days in advance, and membership for a spouse for $1,600 or children 21 or younger for $800 each. New this year is a faculty or staff spouse rate of $2,000 for those joining on their own.

For details, call 459-4653 or visit the Web at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.

Newark campus kicks off summer concerts

The Rick Brunetto Big Band will open the Newark Campus Summer Concert series with a free concert at 7:30 p.m. June 16 in the Martha Grace Reese Amphitheatre. Guests are invited to bring picnics and lawn chairs.

The 17-piece orchestra blends musical styles from swing and Latin to show tunes and contemporary rock.

OSU Newark will also host the Independence Day Concert and Fireworks on July 3 featuring the Heisey Wind Ensemble and Sticks & Stones; the Land of Legend Philharmonic Family Concert Aug. 3; and McGuffey Lane Sept. 1. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. and are free to the public.

For details, contact Teri Holder at (740) 366-9420 or holder.20@osu.edu.

Stone Laboratory hosts guest lecture series

Christopher Jones, director of the Ohio EPA, will deliver "Is 'Environmentalist' a Noun or an Adjective?" June 20 as the Stone Laboratory Guest Lecture Series begins another season.

Jane Forsythe, Bowling Green State University, will deliver "The Geologic Setting of Lake Erie" on June 27.

The free lectures are held Thursday evenings from 7:45 to 9 p.m. June 20 through Aug. 15 on Gibraltar Island in Lake Erie. Transporation is available from South Bass Island at 7:15 p.m. on lecture nights.

For details or a lecture schedule, call 292-8949 or visit the Web at www.sg.ohio-state.edu/publications/f-activities.html.