Moving fitness forward

By Jo McCulty The Women's Field House is moved across the soccer fields to make room for the new recreation center and a parking garage.

Progress is steady on new recreation center that will replace Larkins Hall

Diane Jensen, associate director of recreational sports, painted an alluring picture of the Recreation and Physical Activities Center and satellite facility that will replace Larkins Hall, as she briefed the University's Board of Trustees on Oct. 4.

A climbing wall, a fitness and conditioning room, outdoor adventure center, and a multi-activity court for indoor turf sports are in store for an Adventure Recreation Center -- a satellite facility scheduled to open in early 2004 east of the Blankenship Hall parking lot. The site is expected to be popular among underserved populations such as outdoor adventurers, sports clubs and true commuter students, and will offer an equipment checkout service, clinics and adventure trips.

Meanwhile, the design for the main recreation center -- to be built in two phases on the current Larkins site -- includes a large glass-enclosed atrium where students can gather, overhead and underground walkways, wireless Internet connections and a student wellness center.

The main facility partners Recreational Sports, Athletics and Physical Activity and Educational Services (PAES), and will be a dramatic change from the current Larkins Hall, according to Jensen.

"We're trying to create a new image of what a recreation center on a college campus can be, rather than create another Larkins Hall with a new look," she said.

Other features include 20,000 square feet of fitness conditioning space, a suspended jogging track, five swimming pools, gymnasiums, squash and racquetball courts, and space for recreation, PAES and athletic aquatic competition.

Additionally, four multi-activity fields will be installed in the open area west of Larkins and south of Ohio Stadium. One of them is being installed with artificial turf reinforced with rubber granules for better shock absorbency. Jensen said the field will serve as a practice field for the marching band, and accommodate intramural sports, club sports and physical education classes.

The design for the main recreation center includes a large glass-enclosed atrium where students can gather, overhead and underground walkways, wireless Internet connections and a student wellness center. Courtesy of Recreational Sports

The new center will be more family-friendly, with a baby sitting area, adjustable height basketball backboards, a leisure pool and family changing rooms.

Jensen said there will be four distinct sections in the new center: An academic building for PAES, the main recreation center, and two aquatics buildings (one for competition and one for recreation).

"It's going to look like four separate buildings from the street level, with them all connected underground," Jensen said.

The design includes an overhead walkway that connects the academic building and the main recreation center, and lots of open areas, lofts and glass walls between various areas.

"We're incorporating lots of glass and better wayfinding so you're not just wandering down long, dark hallways," Jensen said, "You'll be able to look into -- and out of -- the swimming pool, the fitness area and the gymnasium."

A groundbreaking ceremony for the main facility is tentatively scheduled for March 2003; a tentative timetable for opening is autumn 2004 for phase one and early 2006 for phase two.

However, preparation for construction is already underway. Dump trucks have been hauling in dirt being excavated at sites where the new Department of Physics and Knowlton School of Architecture buildings are being built, and the dirt is being stockpiled near Larkins for use when the recreation center construction commences. Jensen said that process is helping to trim overall costs for all three building projects.

Field House move

In the meantime, the 100-ton Women's Field House was moved Sept. 20 to make way for the new recreation center and a parking garage. The building -- built from 1926-27 -- was one of the first collegiate structures in the nation designed specifically for women's athletics.

The field house was most recently used for golf and archery classes through PAES. It will be used as a field support building for the four multi-purpose recreation fields.

The relocation, utilities and code upgrades will cost the University about $613,000, less than it would to construct a new building to serve the same purpose, said Mark Hartmann, construction manager for the University Engineer's Office in the Department of Physical Facilities.

For details on the recreation center, visit the Web at www.osu-larkinsproject.com/index.htm.

Parking garage

Construction is expected to begin in March 2003 on a Neil Avenue Garage that will provide 650 parking spaces in the recreation center area, said Sarah Blouch, director of Transportation and Parking Services. The $11.8 million garage, to be funded through Transportation and Parking Services, is expected to open in autumn 2004.

It will be attached at the south end of the recreation center, about due north of the 12th Avenue garage, and will be designated as permit parking (faculty, staff and students) during the daytime hours, with hourly access during afternoon and evenings. Access to the garage will be off Neil Avenue with a new road to the garage being built along the north side of Campbell Hall.

Learning while serving

New Web site intensifies OSU-neighborhood connection

Ohio State is forging a solid community connection as service-learning becomes an integral part of education at the University.

Service-learning provides opportunities for students to put classroom learning and theory into practice while working to meet pressing issues and needs in the neighborhoods surrounding campus.

The Rev. Glenn Schwerdtfeger of Maynard Avenue United Methodist Church, 2150 Indianola Ave., turned to Ohio State to make his dreams of providing one-to-one academic tutoring a reality. Thanks to OSU students, he said approximately 45 children ages five to 12 received math and reading tutoring once a week throughout the summer.

"I really think the children came out of the summer program with a much richer reading experience than we would be able to provide, partially because of a lack of manpower but also because of the skills and the passion that the OSU students provided," Schwerdtfeger said.

He currently is partnering with Godman Guild, a community organization that works to improve the quality of life in the University District, to offer mentoring for University district teens that relies heavily on OSU student volunteers.

These are examples of the many service-learning partnerships already being cultivated at Ohio State.

Designed to further promote service-learning among the 17 colleges of the University while building the capacity of community organizations and schools in the University district is the Service-Learning Initiative (SLI), housed at the Human Ecology House, 1621 N. Fourth St.

And accelerating the process is Community Connection, a new Web site sponsored by the Service-Learning Initiative, the Office of Student Affairs' Project Community and the P-12 Project's Learning Bridge program. Activated in September, the new Web-based service tool allows community organizations to post volunteer opportunities on a database (http://communityconnection.osu.edu) where faculty and students can search for, and sign up for service opportunities, said Susan Brooks, program manager for the SLI.

Student organizations can focus on one or more community projects, and students can track their cumulative hours into a service "transcript" for potential use upon graduation. Faculty also can use the Web site to support their service-learning courses using a variety of searching and reporting tools, Brooks said.

Community Connection is linking students with service opportunities to meet a variety of community needs, including mentoring programs, community and economic development, health initiatives, translation services, computer and technology needs, and housing and homeless issues.

"That's why we have the Community Connection -- so the community can express their needs and we can help match them up with University resources," Brooks said.

The Web site was developed with support from a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service Learn and Serve Foundation. The Ohio Supercomputer Center's Free-Net, an initiative that promotes the use of information systems and technology for community enrichment, has developed and will maintain the Community Connection Web site.

The service-learning commitment is growing by leaps and bounds at Ohio State.

• Students enrolled in service-learning courses in spring quarter 2002 were projected to complete 3,300 hours of community service within the University District.

• Since 1998, the Educational Policy and Leadership 271 "Leadership in Community Service" course has illustrated the growing impact of service-learning with 500 undergraduate and graduate students providing more than 13,000 hours of service.

• A Service-learning Scholars Roundtable, a forum of faculty interested in community-based scholarship and service-learning, has grown from seven to 50 faculty members since it was created in 1998 by Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Affairs Martha Garland. It is coordinated by faculty members Golden Jackson, College of Human Ecology, and Susan R. Jones, College of Education, with monthly meetings providing an opportunity for faculty to learn from one another.

• Forty courses are currently listed with the Service-Learning Initiative, representing a wide range of colleges. That number is up from about 20 courses a year ago, Brooks said.

Those numbers should continue to climb as funding is currently available for grants of up to $5,000 for the development of service-learning components in new or existing courses. Funding is provided by a grant from the Corporation for National Service. The next round of proposals are due Nov. 1, with tentative deadlines for winter and spring quarter competitions set for Feb. 14, 2003 and May 23, 2003. Fifteen grants (out of 30 total) have been awarded thus far.

For an application and budget form for the 2002 service-learning grants, contact 299-5940 or slearning@osu.edu.

As associate professor of consumer and textile sciences, Jackson incorporates service-learning in the courses she teaches -- a pattern that is spreading among institutions of higher education around the country.

"Service-learning has gained support at Ohio State and other institutions because it facilitates a shift in emphasis from teaching to learning, a focus on problems rather than disciplines, and an emphasis on collaborative rather than individual action and learning," Jackson said.

Teaching a service-learning course, she said, is also a way for faculty to deepen academic learning, enliven teaching, help students connect academic learning to relevant societal problems, and to integrate teaching, applied research and service.

Jones, assistant professor of educational policy and leadership, said that students are coming to college with extensive community service experience in high school and are looking to further that experience in higher education. She said college students inevitably respond that service-learning at this level is life changing.

"They say they are clearer about their career aspirations, their own values, and say they learn course material more deeply because they can apply what they are learning," Jones said.

Additionally, placing students in communities different from their own promotes far greater understanding of diversity and inclusion than traditional classrooms.

"At their best, service-learning courses promote sustainable relationships with community organizations and schools such that community capacity is developed and increased," Jones said.

For additional information on service-learning, visit the Web at www.service-learning.ohio-state.edu.

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Sweet smell of success: OSU launches drive to support community charities

The scent of freshly baked cookies or simmering chili may be a signal to faculty and staff that campaigns are up and running for donations to the 2002 Community Charitable Drive. The annual drive began on Oct. 1 and will continue through Nov. 27, with a goal of raising $800,000 for local health and human services charities.

The cookie aroma was generated for faculty, staff and students in the College of Nursing, who responded to cookies baked in a first-floor kitchen by drive coordinators Lindsey Margaroli, development officer 2, and Nancy Ryan-Wenger, professor of nursing. The kick-off, strategically held prior to the college's faculty meeting on Sept. 24, generated $4,016 in pledges toward the college's goal of $8,000.

"It's a fun way to get people's attention and encourage them to get involved," said Margaroli, who served milk, coffee and pledge cards with her baked goods. "It really isn't a tough sell."

It shouldn't be, said Ned Cullom, program manager for human resources.

"Ohio State's faculty and staff can feel good about giving money to charities that they personally select. It's a drive that offers a lot of flexibility in your gift giving," he said.

Eight federations of charities are the designated recipients of funds: the Black United Fund of Ohio; Community Health Charities of Ohio; Earth Share of Ohio; Community Shares of Mid Ohio; The United Negro College Fund; and United Way of Central Ohio, Delaware and Fairfield counties. Each group serves as an umbrella organization for several independent member agencies.

"Individuals are welcome to pledge to a charity not listed in the donor guide. All they have to do is complete the 'Other Agency Designation' on the pledge card," Cullom said.

A recognition program that began last year, Leaders Circle, will continue again this year, with membership determined on a graduated scale. Depending upon their salary level, faculty and staff who donate between half of 1 percent to 2 percent of their annual salaries can be recognized as Leaders Circle participants.

"It provides a way of thanking and recognizing individuals at all income levels for their contributions. We had over 100 members of the OSU community who were part of the Leaders Circle last year," Cullom said.

Leaders Circle members from throughout central Ohio will be invited to the Leaders Circle Cele-bration on Dec. 5 in Nationwide Arena, with entertainment provided by Aretha Franklin and Sinbad.

David W. Andrews, dean of the College of Human Ecology, is chair of this year's drive. "There is no better way for OSU to confirm its commitment to our overall community than to financially support local organizations with our personal resources," Andrews said. "Our faculty and staff have been extremely generous in past campaigns and we are encouraging them to continue to support our local charities. As one of the largest employers in central Ohio, it is our obligation to make a positive impact on our community through our personal commitments."

Last year, Ohio State raised $793,276 -- 104 percent of the $760,000 goal.

The College of Biological Sciences contributed roughly $13,000 to that figure last year, fueled in part by the success of a chili cook-off in the Biological Science Building.

John McCauley, administrative assistant to the dean and lead coordinator for the college, plans to repeat the event again this year, but with the addition of soup. He'll also be holding a bake sale again.

"We had a lot of participation. We had some faculty members, the interim dean and staff members contribute chili," McCauley said. "The event was very social, and we thought that really helped build good will. It also helped people realize they're part of something bigger. If you can generate that good feeling, they just might fill out their pledge card for a little more."

For more information about the drive, call 292-0641 or contact your unit's coordinator.

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