Story Ideas for Media 9-18-06

News

Ohio State Athletics contributes $5 million to library renovation campaign. The renovation of Ohio State’s William Oxley Thompson Memorial (Main) Library has received a significant boost with a $5 million gift from the OSU Department of Athletics. The gift was announced by President Karen Holbrook and Athletics Director Gene Smith. Holbrook said the gift is yet another way that the university’s strong athletics program provides substantial financial benefits to OSU’s academic programs each year. The additional revenues to be generated from Big Ten television rights, including the Big Ten Channel to be launched in 2007, make the gift possible. The money will be disbursed to the library project over five years. CONTACT: Shelly Hoffman, (614) 247-4748.

Experts

OSU food scientists conduct research to prevent future E. coli problems in fresh vegetables. Ohio State University food safety experts are available to speak with media about the recent outbreak of E. coli in the United States, which has been linked to contaminated bagged spinach. They are Ken Lee, professor of food science and technology in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and director of Ohio State’s Center for Food Safety; and Jeff LeJeune, assistant professor with the Food Animal Health Research Program at the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster.
Lee and LeJeune are involved in a new research study funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, whose aim is to investigate how foodborne pathogens such as E. coli survive in fresh produce, particularly leafy salad vegetables. Their research is expected to find new ways to prevent foodborne-pathogen outbreaks in produce by targeting factors (such as lesions caused by plant diseases) that may contribute to contamination of vegetables in the field and during transportation. CONTACT: Lee, (614) 292-7797 or lee.133@osu.edu; and LeJeune, (330) 263-3739 or lejeune.3@osu.edu.

Events

Welcome Week offers events for new and returning Ohio State students – through Sept. 24. Ohio State welcomes its best freshman class for the 12th consecutive year, as well as returning students with a week’s worth of activities through Sept. 24. Welcome Week 2006 events include:
*Scarlet Fever Pep Rally, 4:30 p.m. today (9/18) at St. John Arena. The Department of Athletics sponsors this traditional pep rally, featuring Brutus Buckeye and the Cheerleaders, the Ohio State University Marching Band, and athletes and coaches from some of OSU’s fall sports teams.
*Community Commitment Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday (9/19) – Community Commitment is one of the largest single-day community service projects on a college campus in the nation. Hundreds of students volunteer to perform various community service activities at more than 90 community organizations.
*Picnic with the Buckeyes-Columbus Jazz Orchestra, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Tuesday (9/19) South Oval – The Columbus Jazz Orchestra provides a free concert on the South Oval for Ohio State students, faculty, and staff to kick off the new school year.
*Autumn quarter classes begin, Wednesday (9/20) – An army of “Campus Locators” will be at strategic places around campus in brightly colored tents on the first two days of classes to helps students navigate the campus in a timely fashion. Volunteers will be available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Neil and 17th avenues, Mirror Lake, Woodruff Avenue and College Road.
*World’s Largest Pillow Fight, Wednesday (9/20), 8:30 p.m. on the Oval – Mortar Board Senior Class Honorary is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the largest pillow fight. The group hopes to have more than 3,500 students participate in the 60-second battle, which also benefits the battle against pancreatic cancer.
All Welcome Week events are listed at http://www.ohiounion.com/welcomeweek/calendar/
CONTACT: Liz Cook, University Relations, (614) 292-7276, or Amy Murray, University Relations, (614) 292-8385.

The Ohio State University Trustees to meet – Sept. 21 and 22 – The Ohio State University Board of Trustees and its committees will meet on Thursday and Friday, (9/21 and 9/22) at the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road. The schedule includes a meeting of the Affiliated Entities Committee at 11 a.m. on Thursday (9/21). On Friday (9/22), the schedule includes meetings of the Medical Affairs Committee at 8 a.m., the Investments Committee at 9 a.m., and the Fiscal and the Academic and Student Affairs committees at 10 a.m. The formal Board meeting will begin at 11:15 a.m. in the Sanders Grand Lounge. Trustees will recess into executive session at 12:30 p.m. See http://www.osu.edu/news/newsitem1433
CONTACT: Shelly Hoffman, University Relations, (614) 247-4748.

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