Story Ideas for Media 2/14/11
News
Mellon Foundation grant awarded to Wexner Center to support art and artists of Brazil. The Wexner Center for the Arts and The Ohio State University have been awarded a $782,300 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support a multidisciplinary, four-year initiative focusing on the vibrant visual and media arts culture in Brazil. The grant will support trans-institutional curatorial research and programming across exhibitions, film/video, and arts education —all in the spirit of developing in-depth and sustained creative and intellectual exchange. Over time, the center’s engagement with Brazil will include artist residencies and commissions, a film project and series, a significant exhibition and catalogue, lectures, scholarly symposia, and a postdoctoral fellowship to be shared with the university. CONTACT: Karen Simonian, (614) 292-9923 or ksimonian@wexarts.org SEE: http://www.wexarts.org/info/press/1011/mellon/
Experts
Bartenders may be ideal for helping veterans – even better than family. Recent research Ohio State social work professor Keith Anderson shows that some bartenders may be in a good position to identify veterans in need of mental health services and help connect them to the appropriate agency. While 73 percent of the bartenders surveyed said their role with customers was “like family,” Anderson says that veterans may tell bartenders things they wouldn’t tell spouses or family – and in turn, bartenders may be able to say things to veterans that a spouse would be reluctant to say. About 80 percent said they’d be willing to refer veterans to services and 60 percent would be interested in additional training on how to spot physical mental health problems in their customers. CONTACT: Frankie Jones-Harris at (614) 292-3540 or (614) 330-2206.
Research
Ohio State study: One factor can make mortgage modifications up to one-third more likely. One factor, little-known by borrowers, can play a large role in whether banks are willing to renegotiate mortgages with homeowners who are struggling to meet payments.
Unfortunately, it is a factor that homeowners have no control over.
Researchers found that mortgages owned by lenders were 26 to 36 percent more likely to be renegotiated than very similar mortgages that the original lenders sold to other companies, which turned them into securities.
“Homeowners don't have a say in whether their bank sells their mortgage or not, but that can have a significant impact on whether their loan is re-negotiated,” said Itzhak Ben-David, co-author of the study and assistant professor of finance at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business.
“From the homeowners’ perspective, whether their mortgage is traded among investors is completely outside of their control.” CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu SEE: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/securitization.htm
Ohio State experts: Schools often react poorly to student suicides. Many school officials react in exactly the wrong ways when one of their students completes suicide, according to the authors of a new book. While they may be well-intentioned, administrators who don't send the right messages may make copycat suicides more likely, and are not providing the help needed by others hurting from the tragedy, said Darcy Haag Granello, professor of counselor education at Ohio State and co-author of the book Suicide, Self-Injury and Violence in the Schools: Assessment, Prevention and Intervention Strategies. CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457; Grabmeier.1@osu.edu SEE:http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/postvention.htm
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 or cook.17@osu.edu; Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748 or hoffman.511@osu.edu; Jim Lynch, (614) 247-4110 or lynch.270@osu.edu; or Amy Murray, (614) 292-8385 or murray-goedde.1@osu.edu
