Story Ideas for Media 04-09-07

News

Opera Columbus to perform at Wexner Center’s Mershon Auditorium in 2005-06 -- Opera Columbus soon will stage its productions at the Mershon Auditorium in Ohio State’s Wexner Center for the Arts. General Director Philip M. Dobard and the Opera Columbus Board of Trustees announced recently that the change to Mershon Auditorium is effective 2005-2006, the company’s Silver Anniversary Season. Mershon Auditorium, built in 1957 and renovated in 1993, sits at the eastern edge of Ohio State’s Columbus campus. CONTACT: Ashley Martin, Opera Columbus, (614) 461-8101 ext. 27.

Experts

Experts can discuss the role independent money is playing in campaign finance -- Who pays for the political attack ads you see on TV? The candidates say they've got nothing to do with it. Seemingly independent groups on both sides are attacking each other's candidates. Where do they get their money and what, if anything, can or should be done about it? Campaign-finance experts Edward B. Foley and Donald Tobin, professors in the Moritz College of Law, can discuss the issue. In addition, Foley and Tobin will join Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley E. Smith in a panel discussion, “Money and Politics 2004: New Rules, New Practices,” at noon on Wednesday (9/15) in the Saxbe Auditorium of Drinko Hall, 55 W. 12th Ave. The event is a part of events for Election Law @ Moritz, a comprehensive election law project directed by Foley that gives insight on the laws governing federal, state and local elections. CONTACT: Edward B. Foley, Moritz College of Law, (614) 292-4288; or Donald Tobin, Moritz College of Law, (614) 688-3539.

Research

Study: First 10 minutes after meeting may guide future of relationship -- Within just 10 minutes of meeting, people decide what kind of relationship they want with a new acquaintance, a recent study suggests. The research, conducted with college freshmen who met on the first day of class, found that these snap judgments influenced what kind of relationships actually did develop and showthat the course of a relationship may be influenced much more quickly than was once believed, said Artemio Ramirez, Jr., co-author of the study and assistant professor of communication. For more information, see http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/1stimpre.htm CONTACT: Artemio Ramirez, School of Communication, (614) 292-7016; or Jeff Grabmeier, University Relations, (614) 292-8457.

Events

Trustees’ Facilities Planning committee to hear presentation on Airport – Sept. 10. -- The Facilities Planning Committee of Ohio State’s Board of Trustees will meet from 8 to 10 a.m. on Friday (9/10). The meeting will be held in the Alumni Lounge of the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road. On the agenda is a presentation from the College of Engineering on the Ohio State University Airport at Don Scott Field. The presentation will focus on the Airport’s relationship to the University’s academic mission and an update on the status of the proposed 2004 Airport Master Plan. CONTACT: Elizabeth Conlisk, University Relations, (614) 292-3040.

Roads Scholars Tour gives glimpse of university’s statewide outreach – Sept. 14-15. -- Meeting with prospective college students, learning about university/community partnerships and understanding Ohio State’s role as a land-grant university are goals for the participants of the 2004 Roads Scholars Tour. On Sept. 14 and 15, approximately 40 new or newly tenured faculty and key staff members will travel through western Ohio as part of the eighth annual tour. The tour gives participants a glimpse of the university’s statewide outreach efforts and its role in the state’s agriculture, education, business and industry. Approximately 550 Ohio State faculty members and staff have gone on the tour since 1997. The 2004 tour will stop in seven Ohio cities: East Liberty, Lima, Dayton, Beavercreek, Wilberforce, Yellow Springs and Jamestown. CONTACT: Shannon Wingard, University Relations, (614) 247-6821.

The person listed as CONTACT will have the best information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story – Elizabeth Conlisk, (614) 292-3040; Liz Cook, (614) 292-7276; Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385, and Shannon Wingard, (614) 247-6821.