Kirwan Institute hosts inaugural conference

By LIZ COOK, Media Relations

The Kirwan Institute on Race and Ethnicity, headed by executive director john powell, will officially launch its mission by hosting a national conference this week that will examine the civil rights implications of Smart Growth.

Titled "Growing Together: Achieving Racial Justice and Sustainable Growth Through Regional Planning," the conference involves national scholars, policymakers and Smart Growth advocates who will participate in a luncheon, community conference and celebration of the institute at various campus and city venues.

john powell

Established in direct response to the university's Diversity Action Plan, the work of the Kirwan Institute will involve examining and challenging racial and ethnic marginalization in the United States and throughout the world, and will seek to resolve social inequities.

The institute will foster and attract cutting-edge scholarship and research on many of the social dynamics involving race and equity, putting Ohio State at the forefront of key societal issues, said powell, who does not capitalize his name.

"Essentially, we will have the best in the academic field facing challenging issues that will have significant impact on people," he said.

The approach will involve an interdisciplinary collaboration among the colleges of Law, Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

powell added that the solutions involve understanding the issues and then creating programs, systems, structures and opportunities for change.

"We all know there is disparity between blacks and whites on almost every indicator that we keep, the same is true for blacks and Latinos," powell said. "It's not just true in the United States but it's true when we move outside our country, including Europe.

"So if you are talking about birth rates, test scores, employment, health care or transportation there are huge disparities. You can take one issue and work on it forever but what we are really talking about is the constellation of disparities and we need to find effective ways of dealing with it.

"The real goal is to disrupt and change the hierarchy regarding social justice issues. It is wrong and wasteful and we want people to be uncomfortable about that regardless of their position."

The conference, funded by the Ford Foundation, marks the start toward that goal, powell said.

"The purpose of the conference is to examine and merge the focus of space to social justice and equity," he said. "To do that, a more regional approach needs to be established involving a coalition of environmentalists, faith-based organizations, developers, social justice advocates and farmers.

"Zoning and spatial dynamics are two of the most important civil rights issues of this decade. Segregation is a result of the way we structure regional growth."

The May 22 session begins with a luncheon at the Faculty Club Grand Lounge, featuring former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, president of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute; former mayor of Albuquerque and author David Rusk; and Hattie Dorsey, president of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Inc.

A community forum will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. at the King Arts Complex. powell will be joined by Glendening, Rusk and Ford Foundation Program Officer Carl Anthony, director of the foundation's Sustainable Metropolitan Communities Initiative.

Various planning sessions will be held throughout the dayMay 23 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High St. An open house will be held from 2:30-5:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of Mendenhall Laboratory. President Karen Holbrook will make the conference's closing remarks at 4 p.m. May 23 in the Faculty Club Grand Lounge.

Supporting Critical Difference

By Jo McCulty At the podium, Helen Smith Price, executive director of the Coca-Cola Foundation, presents flowers to President Karen Holbrook, who accepted a $500,000 gift from the foundation on behalf of Critical Difference for Women at a May 15 luncheon. Surrounding Holbrook, from left, are Rebecca Nelson, associate director of the Multicultural Center; Linda Mizejewski, chair of women's studies; and Gail Feinstein, director of development for Critical Difference for Women. With this gift, the foundation celebrated a decade of generous support for the program.

Theatre and dance students rehearse scenes from The Fire Still Burns. Above, from left, are Leah Reddy, Laura Vinci, Hannah Kosstrin and Joy Damschroder. Photos by Ann Mansolino

Forgotten history given new breath on stage

By SUSAN WITTSTOCK, onCAMPUS staff

In their late teens and early 20s, many of the dancers and actors in the theatrical production The Fire Still Burns are the same age as the characters they portray -- young immigrant women who joined the Shirtwaist Workers strike in 1909 and who perished in the Triangle Factory fire in 1911.

Prior to being cast in the show, many of the student performers had either not heard of or had only hazy understandings of the events they bring to life on stage.

"It's a period of history that involved a lot of social upheaval. Many of the rights that women in that era fought so hard for are now taken for granted. I wanted to bring to light a small piece of what was happening then," said John Giffin, professor of dance and creator of The Fire Still Burns. "It's a cautionary tale of our responsibility, especially to the poorest among us."

The production will be presented at 8 p.m. May 22-23 and May 27-31 and at 2 p.m. May 31 in the Drake's Thurber Theatre. It is co-sponsored by the departments of Dance and Theatre and features 17 student dancers and 15 student actors.

Describing the show is a challenge, even for the creator.

"It's a thing unto itself," Giffin said, finding the term mosaic to be the best description for a show that includes song, dance, pantomime, recitation, music, dialogue and video, blended together to evoke the mood of that time in American history.

From left, are Reddy, Damschroeder, Ben Waters, Carrie Brizius and Kosstrin. The production, created by John Giffin, professor of dance, will be performed May 22-23 and May 27-31 in Thurber Theatre. Call 292-2295 for tickets.

When he began his research, Giffin knew about the Triangle fire, in which 146 female shirtwaist workers locked in the factory were unable to escape, but he hadn't realized that a strike of 30,000 workers had also happened in lower Manhattan two years earlier. "There were probably people who died who were also strikers," he said.

He used a research leave to spend time in NYU's Tamiment Library, at the Kheel Center labor archives at Cornell University and at the oral history collection in the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

Giffin wasn't sure what he was getting himself into when he began his research several years ago. "I never have any idea of the structure when I start. I thought maybe I'd come up with an hour piece. Wrong! It's a big story and it needs that kind of treatment," he said.

He did know that he wanted a large cast and that he needed both actors and dancers. "I wanted to include text, and dancers are not trained to deliver text. I needed a virtuosic movement element, and actors are not very good at that," he said. "I put them together and let them learn from each other -- let them learn what they do best."

He workshopped the material winter quarter, meeting with the dancer and actor groups separately to eventually formulate a script.

With the actors, he sifted through texts he had collected while researching, using only historical documents for all words used on stage. "Much of the text comes from the New York Times and the New York Call newspapers," he said, as well as from autobiographies, memoirs and oral histories.

With the dancers, they worked on physicalizing ideas from the era. In one scene, a new immigrant girl is introduced to American culture when her friends dress her up to look like a Gibson Girl. As the song "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" plays, the dancers strike poses favored by Gibson Girl models, and the new girl struggles to imitate them.

Students said they enjoyed the chance to be a part of a show's creation.

"It was neat how he (Giffin) read us the text and we made up movements and he turned it into a dance," said Celeste Platt, a junior majoring in dance who is in the dance ensemble.

Dean Evans, a senior theatre major who portrays a capitalist newspaper reporter, enjoyed the challenge of working with text pulled straight from the New York Times, as well as the chance to be a part of a large ensemble. "It's a whole different process. It takes a lot more time then when you start with a script, but there's a lot more you can contribute," he said.

"I have to acknowledge how hard the students have worked during this process," Giffin said. "I wanted for them to have input and was serious when I asked for opinions. They've really taken ownership."

Giffin also credits his creative team for help in creating the look and feel of the show -- period costumes complete with fashionable hats and gloves; a soundtrack that includes Yiddish, vaudeville and Fanny Brice music; and a three-story set that evokes a tenement building. Crew members are: Carla Chaffin, scene designer; Jocelyn Jurlina, costume designer; Chris Jones, lighting design; David Atkinson, sound design; Melissa Bialko, properties; Janet Parrott, videography; and Becky Rhinehart, stage manager.

Jeanine Thompson, associate professor of theatre, served as co-director for the production. "Jeanine is a long-time collaborator with me in my own dance theater work. She is a liaison for me and the theater department and has been extremely helpful," Giffin said.

He hopes that the show will share a few lessons. "It's a crime that every school child does not know the names of Rose Schneiderman and Pauline Newman. They dedicated their lives to labor relations and unions. We stand on their shoulders," Giffin said. "It's too easy to forget."

For tickets, call 292-2295.

Dancing DNA

Third year graduate students Rachel Boggia, left, and Anne Burnidge, right, rehearse with junior Luke Gutgsell for a May 8 dance performance in Professor Susan Fisher's Biology 101 course, "The Basics and Beauty of Biology." Designed to interpret the inner workings of DNA replication, "Dancing DNA" is one of several efforts to expand Universal Design for Learning in the College of Biological Sciences introductory courses.   By Jo McCulty

Federal research survey shows Ohio State's achievements

By EARLE HOLLAND, Research Communications

The latest federal figures ranking universities by their annual expenditures for research and development activity place Ohio State in first place in the state and third nationally among public universities for industry-sponsored research.

Ohio State ranks fifth nationally among all universities for industry-sponsored research, according to the FY 2001 National Science Foundation Expenditure Survey, the latest survey available.

The report shows that the university rose from 40th to 32nd place in federally financed research and development expenditures, and from 21st to 17th place when compared to other public universities competing for federal funding.

While some rankings use the amount of research funding through grants and contracts as a measure for evaluation, gauging expenditures spent on research is believed to offer a more accurate comparison.

"We are elated by these latest figures," explained Tom Rosol, interim vice president for research and a professor of veterinary biosciences.

"This is just another indication of the great strides our faculty are making in competing with other universities for research support from federal and state agencies, foundations and private corporations. The research advances that follow this progress will lead to major improvements in the lives of Ohioans and people throughout the nation."

Late last year, Ohio State reported that its research funding had topped $426 million in fiscal year 2001-02, the latest year for which figures are available. That represented a 13 percent increase over the previous year but an 80 percent growth compared to what the university received in 1997-98.

Ohio State Marion names interim dean

By WAYNE ROWE, Marion Communications

Greg Rose, currently associate dean and associate professor of geography at Ohio State Marion, has been appointed to serve as interim dean and director of the Marion campus, effective July 1.

He replaces F. Dominic Dottavio, who will bring his tenure to a close June 30 after nearly a decade as dean and director of the campus. Dottavio was recently named the 13th president of Heidelberg College.

Rose will work with all aspects of university planning and day-to-day operations of Ohio State Marion, and will serve as liaison to the Columbus campus and community at large.

According to Rose, his normal responsibilities as associate dean, which include working directly with faculty and all academic programming at Ohio State Marion, will likely be assigned to others at the university during his interim duties.

Originally from Chicago, Rose joined Ohio State Marion in January 1982, shortly after receiving his doctorate in geography from Michigan State University. He earned his undergraduate degree from Valparaiso University with a double major in geography and history, and also has a master's degree in geography from Michigan State.

Based on similar searches recently completed at the Mansfield and Lima campuses, the search for the permanent dean and director may require six months to a year. The search committee is slated to begin reviewing applicants by mid-June.

To receive a broad spectrum of viewpoints about potential candidates, the university has held open forums to allow faculty, staff, students and the community to voice ideas about what Ohio State should look for in applicants and to review the form the committee will use as it reviews applicants' files. Two forums were held earlier in May; the last forum is at 7 p.m. May 27 at the Delaware Center conference room.

Marion campus search committee members include: Mary Jo Fresch, associate professor of education; Anne Bower, associate professor of English; Dan Christie, professor of psychology; Michael Short, financial aid coordinator; and Brad Saul, Ohio State Marion student. Ohio State Marion Board of Trustees members on the committee are Gary Sims and John Keggan.