History professor to deliver commencement address

By Amy Murray, Media Relations

Historian Geoffrey Parker, the Andreas Dorpalen Professor of History at Ohio State, will deliver the winter quarter commencement address to approximately 1,400 graduates on March 21.

Parker, an expert on European and military history, holds a joint appointment at the Mershon Center, the University's center for interdisciplinary study of international security and public policy.

In his address, Parker plans to focus on the theme, "The Greatest Gift an Education Gives Is Perspective," and how it applies to private, public and finally international affairs.

Parker says he felt inspired when he found that expression in Convicted in the Womb, the autobiography of Carl Upchurch.

"Upchurch is a black former gang member who discovered this truth in prison," Parker said. "He now lives here in Columbus and works tirelessly to help others. I hope to convey that investing an irrationally large amount of effort to help others, even though it apparently offers no benefit to the giver, often produces the finest fruit."

A native of Nottingham, England, Parker earned his B.A. degree from Cambridge University in 1965, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Cambridge in 1968. He received a Litt.D. degree from Cambridge in 1981 and an honorary Litt.D. from the University of Brussels in 1990
his publications in European history.

Before joining the Ohio State faculty in 1997, Parker taught at Yale University, the University of Illinois, the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

The winter quarter commencement speaker is traditionally a member of the faculty. Executive Vice President and Provost Ed Ray said Parker will represent the faculty well.

"Professor Parker is an outstanding choice for commencement speaker," Ray said. "He is a remarkable scholar and teacher who cares deeply about students realizing their potential. I know that he will speak for his faculty colleagues with eloquence and that his message will be timely and meaningful to our students."

Parker has published widely on the social, political and military history of Europe. In all, he has written, edited or co-edited 31 books and 80 articles. Probably his best-known book is The Military Revolution: Military Innovation and the Rise of the West, 1500-1800. That book, now in its third edition, has won two prizes and has been translated into Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. Parker's biography of Philip II of Spain also is in its third edition with translations into Spanish, Czech, Dutch, Italian and Polish.

Parker is the recipient of many honors. In 1984 he became a Fellow of the British Academy, the highest honor open to scholars in the Humanities in Great Britain, and in 1992 the King of Spain made him a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic in recognition of his work on Spanish history. He also has delivered nearly 250 lectures around the world.

He currently is writing a narrative and analytical history entitled The World Crisis, 1635-1665, concerning the climatically induced crisis that created acute political, economic, intellectual and social upheaval in most parts of the globe in the mid-17th century. He hopes that his study will help inform the current debate on the consequences for human society of sudden climatic change and thus provide a new perspective on current concerns about global warming.

Dental school receives grant for outreach project

By Liz Cook, Media Relations

The College of Dentistry is developing a plan to improve access to dental care for underserved Ohio adults and children while increasing the college's recruitment and retention of minority students and faculty.

Called the OHIO project, or Oral Health Improvement through Outreach, the effort was awarded a five-year, $1.5 million grant late last year through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The college, collaborating with medical professionals, government and education officials, and community advocates, was one of 10 in the country to receive a grant to promote community-based dental education.

The OHIO project is the result of a state analysis in 1998 that identified access to dental care as the No. 1 unmet health care need in Ohio.

Canise Bean

Canise Bean, assistant professor in the College of Dentistry and the project director, said the initiative has two primary objectives in reversing oral disease affecting the poor, elderly and members of racial and ethnic groups.

"Our first priority is to develop a service-learning program through our student providers that will help improve access to oral care for members of our communities who are both under- and uninsured," Bean said. "Secondly, we want to increase the recruitment and retention of students and faculty of varied ethnic backgrounds in the college."

Jan Kronmiller, dean of the college, said the project benefits many.

"The OHIO project is a great opportunity for the college as we give students a sense of the oral health needs of Ohioans; build stronger relationships with our practice colleagues; and enhance the future dental workforce," Kronmiller said.

Graduating dental students currently perform 20 days of patient care at area facilities including Columbus Children's Hospital, the Columbus Clinic, and the Ohio State Nisonger Center for Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. They also participate in a community-based dental treatment program for the elderly in Appalachia.

Bean said once the grant is fully developed, outreach efforts will significantly increase beyond Franklin County. Dental hygiene students and graduate program residents will be included.

"Ultimately, in the final year of the grant, we will have our students providing dental services for up to 60 days at community sites statewide," Bean said. "The partnerships the college is building among community organizations, hospitals and schools have already enabled us to identify outreach sites in Cincinnati, Zanesville and Coshocton."

She added that teaching diversity and building a diverse unit of faculty and student practitioners are essential.

"Dean Kronmiller is extremely supportive and recognizes that the face of those seeking health care in today's world has really changed," Bean said.

"We know that we will have to incorporate cultural training inside the walls of the college because of the vast disparities that exist among people of varying ethnicities," she said. "Ideally, we want our first-year students to be immediately exposed to this element of care and for all of our students to feel confident and welcomed regardless of their environment."

Bean said community service is critical to the college and to the success of the OHIO project.

"Along with providing dental care, we want to instill in our students an ethic of community service and to impress upon them that there is a socially responsible element that goes along with being a dental professional," Bean said. "If we are successful, their service-learning experiences through the OHIO project will become lasting solutions to what former Surgeon General David Satcher described in May 2000 as the ‘silent epidemic' of dental and oral diseases."

Task force update: Riot prevention research under way

By Joni Bentz Seal, onCAMPUS staff

When the Buckeye victory over Michigan celebration erupted into destructive rioting last November, Ohio State found itself the center of national attention on rowdy fan behavior and lack of civility.

In the weeks following, President Karen Holbrook and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman convened the Task Force on Preventing Celebratory Riots to explore the causes of these events, identify issues and recommend strategies to predict and prevent future occurrences -- at Ohio State and at colleges across the nation.

Chaired by David Andrews, dean of human ecology, and comprised of members of the University and Columbus communities, the task force is divided into four workgroups that have been meeting regularly this quarter to accomplish its charge. Each workgroup is focusing on one of four issues that have been identified: celebration management; alcohol consumption and binge drinking; community, communications and culture; and understanding young adult behaviors.

With the assistance of the University's Survey Research Center, and working closely with Student Affairs and Athletics, Andrews and the workgroup chairs are in the process of conducting two research projects to gain new insight into these issues.

The first, to be conducted and analyzed by mid-March, is an institutional survey consisting of interviews with student affairs and public safety officials at 33 in-stitutions with similar "celebratory riot" experiences, or of comparable size and scope as Ohio State.

The second is a series of focus groups currently being constructed and scheduled for March. One session will involve students who live in residence halls; another session will feature students who live in off-campus housing near the most recent disturbances; and a third group will consist of University and community administrators and leaders who were observers of the Nov. 24 disturbances.

"The institutional survey and the student focus groups will help us to better understand the factors that are contributing to these riots," Andrews said. "The survey will compare institutional and community practices at universities who have experienced these problems with those places where these problems have not occurred and will be very informative to our process. The focus groups are designed to get more information from students who have actually witnessed and participated in celebratory riots. While student perspectives have been explored, less information has been gathered from actual participants."

The final report, outlining strategies and recommendations based on the task force's research, will be submitted to Holbrook and Coleman on April 7.

"While the destructive behavior of a select few tarnished -- even temporarily -- the University's reputation, Ohio State now has the opportunity to emerge as a leader in this national effort, which plagues college campuses across the country," said Andrews, referring to the role Holbrook, Coleman and Athletics Director Andy Geiger played as panel members in the first Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit held in Dallas on Feb. 20. The summit was organized by a coalition of university academic and intercollegiate athletics leaders, including commissioners from all NCAA divisions, to address the growing problem of fan behavior.

"The success of implementing the task force recommendations -- especially the longer term activities -- will be contingent upon our ability to design and embrace a ‘campaign' approach to changing an emerging culture," Andrews said. "Developing and reinforcing a community defined by respect for others, civility and caring is a lofty, yet achievable goal."

Task force workgroup chairs are: celebration management: John Reilly, associate legal counsel, Office of Legal Affairs, and Mitchell Brown, director of public safety, City of Columbus; alcohol: Louise Douce, director of Counseling and Consultation Services, and Kim Carmine of Central Beverage; Community, communication and culture: Steve Sterrett, community relations director, Campus Partners, and Ron Hupman, president, University Area Commission; and young adult behavior: Ray Montemayor, professor, Department of Psychology, and Eddie Pauline, president, Undergraduate Student Government.

For a listing of all members, or to submit comments, visit the task force Web site at www.hec.osu.edu/taskforce.

OSU Extension, health agencies team up to fight West Nile Virus

By Randy Gammage, onCAMPUS staff

An alliance of Ohio State Extension and state health agencies is stepping up its public awareness campaign to brace for increasing occurrences of West Nile Virus (WNV) in 2003.

WNV is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause encephalitis -- an inflammation of the brain -- in animals and humans. Mosquitoes first become exposed to the virus when they feed on birds that are infected with the disease, and can transmit it to humans or animals that they bite.

WNV was first detected in 1999, in Long Island, N.Y., and has increased exponentially each year since. Cases were reported in 44 states last year, said William Saville, Extension epidemiologist/large animal internist with the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

"You hear a name like West Nile Virus and it scares people, but I don't think people recognize the importance of protecting yourself," Saville said. "Despite our educational efforts, I think 2002 was a wakeup call, with more than 400 cases of encephalitis in humans and well over 600 equine cases reported in Ohio."

Saville will lead a satellite conference, "Educating the Public about West Nile Virus and Its Prevention" at 2 p.m. March 19. Topics are "An Overview of West Nile Virus and its Spread in the United States and Ohio," "Human Infection with WNV," "WNV Surveillance in Birds and Mosquitoes," and "WNV and Farmers and Horse Owners." Funding is being provided by the Fort Dodge Animal Health Division of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

The conference is sponsored by the Ohio West Nile Virus Work Group, comprised of Ohio State Extension, the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Association of Ohio Health Commissioners, Ohio Mosquito Control Association, Ohio Environmental Health Association, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The group was formed in 2000 in response to the rapid spread of WNV in the United States. Saville chairs the education and communication subcommittee.

"It is a grass roots effort designed to educate the people of Ohio by partnering OSU Extension specialists with health agencies throughout the state," Saville said of the subcommittee.

A product of that group is the satellite conference, launched last year to provide annual updates on WNV and discuss possible prevention measures.

Saville and Joanne Kick-Raack, OSU Extension entomology program director, have recently received funding from the Ohio Department of Health to increase educational programs, currently ranging from conferences and lectures to posters and periodic news releases to the media. Saville said they will be presenting educational programs to the Amish and Spanish-speaking populations and the elderly, because they suspect those groups have missed their messages.

Additionally, Kick-Raack will conduct pesticide training workshops across the state.

Public health officials found WNV in crows, blue jays, mosquitoes and horses in all 88 Ohio counties during 2002. Once this was known, Saville said mosquito control efforts were increased in those areas to protect people from the disease.

Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito will demonstrate no signs or symptoms, according to an OSU Extension fact sheet. However, some will experience a mild infection with a slight fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes a skin rash or swollen lymph glands. Symptoms usually occur five to 15 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. A very small number of people will suffer from a severe infection that is marked by a rapid onset of a high fever, a severe headache, neck stiffness, nausea or vomiting, confusion, muscle weakness or paralysis, seizures, coma and, rarely, death.

While a vaccine for horses is now available, Saville said a human vaccine is probably three to four years away. Right now, the emphasis is on prevention and protection.

"We don't want to create panic, but we do want people to take the threat of WNV seriously, and to exercise common sense," Saville said. "People are urged to clean up their yards to reduce areas that could be used for mosquito breeding, and to protect themselves when out in areas of mosquito activity."

Precautions for eliminating mosquito breeding sites include:

• Eliminate any standing water that collects on your property.

• Remove all discarded tires from your property or put them under cover so they don't collect water.

• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers.

• Make sure roof gutters drain properly. Clean clogged gutters in the spring and fall.

• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs. If not in use, keep empty and covered.

• Drain water from pool covers.

• Change the water in birdbaths at least once a week.

• Turn over plastic wading pools, and wheelbarrows, etc. when not in use.

• Remind or help neighbors to eliminate breeding sites on their properties.

• Keep windows and doors closed and make sure screens are in good repair.

For details on the conference, contact Ken Kulka at 292-9675 or kulka.1@osu.edu. For those unable to attend, PowerPoint presentations, brochures and fact sheets are available at all OSU Extension offices.