The Women's Place co-sponsored the Annual Women's Reception, which followed the Diversity Lecture given by Valerie Lee, chair of the Department of English, Oct. 8. The honored guests were, from left, Phyllis Bailey, the university's first director of Women's Athletics; Elaine Hairston, former Ohio Board of Regents chancellor; President Karen Holbrook; Interim Provost Barbara Snyder; and Judy Fountain, director of The Women's Place. Bailey's career is highlighted in the 2003 Status Report on Women.

At right, Lee chats with lecture attendees.   Photos by Jo McCulty

Women's council begins third year

By JONI BENTZ SEAL, onCAMPUS staff

The President's Council on Women's Issues began its third year Oct. 16 with the first of its quarterly meetings, following a very strong second year and a program review that has validated its purpose and set a direction for the future.

The council serves as an advisory group to the president and provost on issues related to the experience of women faculty, staff and students at Ohio State with initiatives that support both the Academic and the Diversity Action plans.

At the meeting, Kate Haller, associate general counsel in health sciences, was installed as the council's new chair, succeeding Jackie Royster, professor of English and current interim dean of humanities, who served as the council's first leader.

Kate Haller, associate general counsel in health sciences, was recently installed as the council's new chair.

Haller said she was honored when first invited to join the council and was intrigued by the opportunity to pursue women's issues from the perspective of the university as a whole. "Nothing is static in this world," she said. "If we don't devote attention and energy to these types of issues, we not only lose momentum, we lose what has been gained. It was obvious that under the leadership of Jackie Royster and Judy Fountain, the council was going places."

Fountain, assistant vice provost for women's policy initiatives and director of The Women's Place, was a key coordinator in the development of the council and of TWP back in 2000, and now serves the council in an ex-officio capacity.

"Both The Women's Place and the council exist at Ohio State to advance the same essential mission: enhancing the capacity of the university and its individuals to more effectively deal with factors related to the recruitment and retention of women, most frequently through connecting and collaborating with existing services and resources," Fountain said. "The collective goal is to create processes that allow for shared responsibility across the university for improving the environment for women."

The success of such efforts is even more comprehensible, coinciding with Ohio State's appointment of its first woman president, Karen Holbrook.

"When she first arrived at Ohio State, President Holbrook spoke eloquently about diversity, and said that achieving real diversity makes the educational experience richer for faculty, staff and students," Haller said. "That statement reaffirmed the work of the Diversity Council and the President's Council on Women's Issues."

Holbrook is a strong supporter of the council and its collaboration with other women's proponents around campus.

"The President's Council on Women's Issues is an effort unlike any other I've encountered in my experience," Holbrook said. "I realize I hold a unique place in the history of Ohio State. I believe the council is a very important mechanism for assisting my office with identifying and addressing policies and practices critical to the success of women at the university."

Working toward progress

The council is comprised of 31 members representing faculty, staff, central administration, students and a small panel of women community leaders and corporate executives. Five are men. All undergo an extensive nomination process before being recommended by the council and approved by the president for a two-year term.

The majority of the council's progress is made through workgroups, which oversee communication, data collection and analysis, and planning activities. Two focus on the recruitment and retention of women faculty and staff.

"We take seriously our charge to identify intervention strategies which help the university create an environment in which all constituencies -- including women ó can survive and thrive," Haller said, adding that the council's members hail from a variety of backgrounds and from many units. "Our workgroups are made up of women and men from the council and from campus at large who support the work of the council, and each of us views our charge as advancing the university as a whole. We do that best by staying in touch with faculty, staff and students."

During its second year, the council underwent an external evaluation, called for by the Office of Academic Affairs (its sponsoring unit) to familiarize Holbrook with the council's history, mandates and actions. The evaluation yielded large support for the direction of the council, and the progress of women in general.

"I appreciate the council's decision to evaluate its work to align itself with the change in presidential leadership," Holbrook said of the evaluation. "I was pleased to see the strong support of the council for its continuation, which clearly reflects on the effectiveness of its inaugural members and provides an effective road map for the next phase of the council."

Among the recommendations from the evaluation was the creation of a leadership-planning model in the form of chair and vice chair positions that alternate faculty and staff succession. This year, Deb Ballam, professor of finance in the Fisher College of Business, serves as vice chair.

"The idea of the leadership rotation -- having both staff and faculty in those two leadership roles, ensures we're looking at issues from both perspectives," Fountain said

Moving forward

Included in its recently released annual report are initiatives the council will pursue in the coming year. Moving ahead with its Faculty Cohort project and developing a research project related to the cohort's role in retaining women faculty; establishing a new workgroup on women, sports and recreation and expanding workgroup participation to include non-council members; developing a project related to professional development issues for staff women; and developing more effective mechanisms for examining student concerns and encouraging ongoing student leadership, have been deemed as necessary for the council to continue its forward momentum.

"The council's strength is in its membership, and this is a transition year, with many new members," Haller said. "Since its inception, most of the projects have come from within the council, driven by the enthusiasm and energy of the members."

That enthusiasm and energy extends to and from the regional campuses as well. Carol Bowman, director of labs and prairie at the Marion campus, is one of two regional representatives.

"I believe regional campus participation is very important as it gives a perspective that otherwise wouldn't be represented on the council," she said. "It is difficult to serve the entire university when some segment that is very unique and different is left out. Several times I was able to include that perspective in the discussions and decisions made by the council."

Bowman said she looks forward to the changes in policy and procedures that will result from this ongoing effort by the council, through the research that it generates and the policy that it recommends. "I have seen positive directions emerging from the combined efforts of the council and university leadership," she said.

At the Annual Women's Reception Oct. 8, both the president and Interim Provost Barbara Snyder spoke of initiatives already underway that support professional development for faculty and staff, including a high-level faculty leadership opportunity and several work/life initiatives. "Those announcements tell us that the president sees many avenues to create an environment where high achievement and professional growth are valued," Haller said.

Calling for accountability and providing more resources in support of women at all levels of the university will ultimately benefit everyone, Holbrook said. "As we move toward institutional excellence, we fully intend for Ohio State to be a place where women and men will succeed."

The Annual Report of the President's Council on Women's Issues and the 2003 Status Report on Women are available on The Women's Place Web site at http://womensplace.osu.edu.

Courtesy of University Archives Today, computer-generated cards have replaced hand-painted paper bags, shown in this Block "O" formation circa 1939.

Block ëO' energizes Ohio State fans for 65 years

By JESSICA SHERRICK, Media Relations

On the surface, Block "O" is the spirited group of students whose cheers and colorful card stunts energize fans throughout Ohio Stadium during home football games.

However, beyond the sea of scarlet- and gray-painted faces, the organization has spent 65 years mastering the art of planning, scripting and organizing its more than 1,300 members to reflect Buckeye pride.

To ensure card stunts go smoothly and cheers ring loud and clear, Block "O" spends more than 20 hours during each home-game week preparing for the performances.

"Behind the scenes, there is a lot of time, planning and creativity involved in maintaining the Buckeye fans' spirit during the game," said Jarrod Weiss, president of Block "O." "It is a big job to make the card stunts and cheers fun and interactive for everyone in Ohio Stadium."

With more than 6,000 plastic cards in an assortment of 10 colors, Block "O" uses these props to visually set the student members apart from the other 100,000-plus football fans in the stadium and to support the team with messages like "Go Bucks."

The card stunts have evolved since Block "O" began in 1938. Originally, members cut brown paper bags, painted them the appropriate colors and used them as "cards" in stunt formations, Weiss said. Now Block "O" uses a computer program to design the card stunts.

Until a few years ago, all of the stunts were created by hand, which took a lot of time, Weiss said. "Now, the members just plug the dimensions of the cheering section into the program and fill in each square or ëseat' on the screen until the desired graphic is created. Then, the computer automatically prints the appropriate card assignments for each seat in the section."

Although the computer program is a timesaving technique, members of Block "O" still spend time during the week tweaking the game-day routine. Beginning Thursday night before a home game, members learn and practice cheers. Then, on Friday night and Saturday morning, they organize cards, card assignments and any other props needed for the game.

Once the gates open, the Block "O" Spirit Committee gathers gallons of red, gray and white paint, Ohio State temporary tattoos, paint brushes and sponges to coat members' faces with the official Buckeye colors using an assembly-line process.

At kickoff, the performance begins. Organization officers stand in front of the Block "O" section and use a megaphone to guide members through the strategically planned cheers and stunts.

"Because we get a script of the game, we choreograph the cheers and stunts so they do not conflict with the cheerleaders, band and video board," Weiss said. "Planning ahead and being organized is key to everything going smoothly."

Along with the scripted card stunts, cheers and face painting, Block "O" is an opportunity for students to take an active role within the Ohio State community.

"Block ëO' is a great avenue for students to get involved in the university," said Shawn Collier, public relations director of Block "O." "Through game days, community service activities and socials, students can get a real sense of Buckeye pride and tradition."

Minority investment firm to oversee bond issue

By LIZ COOK, Media Relations

A minority investment firm has been awarded the management of a $233.8 million bond package, the largest in the history of Ohio higher education financing. SBK-Brooks Investment Corp. of Cleveland will serve as senior account manager for 24 separate Ohio State projects, marking the first time a minority investment firm will serve in that role for the university.

The projects include construction of the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital and the renovation and expansion of Larkins Hall and various academic buildings. Outstanding notes and bonds also will be refunded.

University Treasurer Jim Nichols said the bond issue, approved recently by the university's Board of Trustees, is just one result of Ohio State's long-term commitment to include minority-owned companies in university business operations. Identifying companies that could provide financial services was a key initiative, he said.

"Building business relationships that result in such partnerships has been a key part of our effort," Nichols said. "We have worked with SBK-Brooks in the past and found the company to be of excellent service to Ohio State."

SBK-Brooks is a full-service investment-banking firm that also maintains offices in Detroit, Houston, Chicago, Columbus and Indianapolis. The firm offers institutional investors, municipalities, corporations and financial institutions a wide range of services.

Nichols added that uncertainties in the state budget and price fluctuations in the bond markets could have driven up bond yields and increased the expense of the issue.

Since 1990, minority firms have helped issue 86 percent of six bond issues totaling $697 million. A minority firm has been the top performing fixed income manager for Ohio State's endowment for three of the past four years.

Minority firms manage the investment of more than one-fourth of the actively managed portion of the university's $1.3 billion endowment fund. Nearly one-third of the $3.7 billion of securities purchased by Ohio State over the past four fiscal years were bought from minority brokers or dealers.

Nichols said that continued progress is dependent on the active recruitment of minority firms. "We will continue to recruit minority-owned companies to ensure that they are provided with the necessary information and resources to participate in the business operations conducted here at Ohio State," Nichols said. "It is critically important to the overall goals and mission of the university."