Story Ideas for Media 12/9/08

News

Ohio State leads Big Ten Conference with 80 Academic All-Big Ten Selections. With academic honorees in all seven eligible fall sports, Ohio State ranked first in the Big Ten with 80 student-athletes named to the Big Ten Fall Academic All-Conference team.
The Buckeye football program led the way with 26 honorees, followed by the men's soccer team with 13 selections. Field hockey sophomore Alicia Anzivine maintained a 4.0 grade point average. Senior Brian Robiskie was one of eight football student-athletes to capture ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors. Robiskie was again a first-team recipient after earning first-team laurels in 2007.
To be an Academic All-Big Ten selection, a student-athlete must be a letterwinner in at least their second academic year and carry a grade-point average of 3.0 or better. In all, 682 conference student-athletes were honored. CONTACT: Leann Parker (614) 688-0294. SEE: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=3627533

Ohio Stadium scores 190 tons of trash at home football games. With its totals from the final three 2008 Buckeye football home dates, Ohio State's Scarlet, Gray and Green sustainability campaign has collected nearly 190 tons of recyclable materials the last two seasons.
The sustainability program averaged approximately 14 tons of recyclables per game over 14 home dates the last two seasons. The program has exceeded expectations in its first two years, gathering more than 135 tons of recyclables inside Ohio Stadium.
In addition, tailgaters outside the stadium deposited more than 54 tons into the scarlet recycling dumpsters stationed in targeted areas the last two seasons. At each home game, tailgaters received white plastic bags to encourage collection of bottles, cans, paper and cardboard. CONTACT: Pat Kindig ,(614) 292-3577. SEE: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1575394

Research

Ohio State researcher: Women 'On Their Own' Much Worse Off Financially. Single women – whether they never married, are divorced or separated, or are widowed – are in much worse financial condition than other Americans, according to an analysis of the Federal Reserve Board's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances.
"The financial differences are large ones," said Catherine Montalto, associate professor of consumer sciences at Ohio State University, who conducted the analysis in partnership with the Consumer Federation of America.
Montalto has worked on projects with the Consumer Federation of America since 2000. The complete report, "The Financial Condition of Women on Their Own," is available on the association's Web site, www.consumerfed.org, under "What's New." Montalto completed the analysis earlier this year. She and Stephen Brobeck, executive director of the federation, described the findings in a teleconference earlier this week.
Among the biggest revelations for Montalto was the low savings rate among "women on their own."
"Women on their own are more likely to say they do not save regularly or save money at all," Montalto said. CONTACT: Catherine Montalto, (614) 292-4571. SEE:http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~news/story.php?id=4906

Students and academic cheating. A new survey from the Los Angeles-based Josephson Institute shows that 64% of students said they cheated on a test in the past year, with 38% saying they did so two or more times, up from 60% and 35% in a 2006 survey. Professor Eric Anderman, College of Education and Human Ecology, an educational psychologist and editor of the book, "The Psychology of Academic Cheating," can discuss the motivation behind academic cheating and his recommended solution based on his research. He provides tips for teachers on preventing academic cheating:
http://ehe.osu.edu/news/2008/tips.cfm. . Anderman is best reached by phone (614) 688-3484 or e-mail anderman.1@osu.edu.

Events

Graduates celebrate at autumn commencement – Dec.14. Richard A. Hollingsworth, vice president for student life at Ohio State, will be the speaker for the university's autumn commencement, set for Sunday (12/14) in the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Approximately 2,000 students will receive degrees during the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. Hollingsworth, who is retiring after 35 years at Ohio State, has devoted his entire career to Ohio State and improving the lives of its students.
In addition, three individuals will be honored during the ceremony. An honorary doctorate will be presented to William E. Evans, director and chief executive officer of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Distinguished Service Awards will be presented to alumni Anne Kitredge Jeffrey and Bruce W. Lavash, who have committed time and resources to many university projects. CONTACT: Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385.

The person listed as the CONTACT will have the most current information about the story. Call on our media relations staff for help with any Ohio State story: Liz Cook; (614) 292-7276; Shelly Hoffman; (614) 247-4748; Jim Lynch; (614) 247-4110; or Amy Murray; (614) 292-8385.