Monday April 22, 2013 year: 133 No. 58
the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com
thelantern OSU expands background check policy
sports
DAN HOPE Oller reporter hope.46@osu.edu
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Leaders and Legends no more
The Big Ten realigned its 2 divisions and renamed them to East and West.
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An extension to Ohio State’s background check policy is intended to make campus a safer place for children. Under OSU’s new policy, all employees and volunteers who work with minors in university-sponsored 4-H youth development programs, child care and overnight youth camps are subject to background checks at the time of hire. OSU spokeswoman Liz Cook said these background checks consist of fingerprinting from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and are required once every four years after an individual is hired. Employees and volunteers who have a break in service will be required to undergo another background check at the time of rehire, while those who work with overnight camps and child care will also be required to complete an annual “Statement of NonConviction” from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Cook said in an email that OSU is “dedicated to the education and development of children,” and this policy will help ensure the safety of children with university development programs. “Securing their safety while engaging in universitysponsored programs is of the utmost importance,” Cook said. Volunteers under the age of 18 working with children are still required to complete background checks, but
Courtesy of MCT
Former assistant fooball coach Jerry Sandusky leaves the Centre County Courthouse after being found guilty in his sexual abuse trial in Bellefonte, Pa., June 22. Cook said parental consent is obtained prior to completing background checks on minors. During a March 25 interview with The Lantern editorial staff, OSU President E. Gordon Gee said recent events both within and outside the university made this policy necessary. “We have a responsibility to particularly younger people on this campus to make sure that they are, when
they’re here, that they’re safe, they’re secure, that we don’t have predators,” Gee said. A sexual imposition was reported in Drackett Tower during a youth wrestling camp in July. According to OSU Police, that incident involved two minors, but neither was affiliated with the university.
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Gee: OSU to ramp up 2nd-year experience 2nd-year Transformational Experience Program urs
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Puppeteering a horse
‘War horse’ is scheduled to make its Columbus premiere Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Ohio Theatre.
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“I’ve said this before ... the fact that, if we just think about students in terms of classrooms 18 hours a week, but if we think about our students as having 168 hours of experience on this campus, we need to really be concerned about the other 150 hours,” E. Gordon Gee Ohio State President
The OSU Second-year Transformational Experience Program plans to focus on the quality of the experience that second-year students have not only in the classroom, but outside of it beginning with the
$370 million
MARGARET MECKLENBORG Lantern reporter mecklenborg.2@osu.edu Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee says the university needs to focus on the student experience outside the classroom. The OSU Second-year Transformational Experience Program (STEP) plans to focus on the quality of the experience that second-year students have not only in the classroom, but outside of it, beginning with the $370 million North Campus Renovation Project, Gee said during a March 25 meeting with The Lantern editorial staff. “I’ve said this before … the fact that, if we just think about students in terms of classrooms 18 hours a week, but if we think about our students as having 168 hours of experience on this campus, we need to really be concerned about the other 150 hours,” Gee said. OSU announced Thursday that Ohiobased Messer Construction Co., will spearhead the North Campus project after considering several firms during a review process. OSU estimates this review process has resulted in a savings of
$26 million from the original $396 million budget. “Messer is thrilled to be selected as The Ohio State University’s design builder for the North Residential District Transformation. We look forward to helping OSU realize President Gee’s vision by the implementation of this portion of the One Framework Plan,” said Rob Verst, vice president and general manager of Messer Construction Co., in an email Thursday. Gee said the university needs to think more about the value of the experience that OSU offers its students, and he recognizes how much the undergraduate student body helps pay for the research conducted at the university. “We do a billion dollars’ worth of funded research on this campus. We’re one of the most important research universities in the world,” Gee said. “Yet much of that is paid for on the backs of our undergraduate students. So we really do need to think about the quality of the experience that you have.” The new program allows students to become more involved in the college experience, merging classroom work with research,
How to prep for a campus 2 rapes reported in past 2 weeks at OSU threat North Campus Renovation Project, Gee said. source: reporting
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Two rapes were reported on Ohio State’s campus within the last two weeks. Both investigations are ongoing, and the victim knew the suspect in each case, according to Ohio State University Police. The first case was reported at about 6:30 p.m. April 15. The incident allegedly occurred on April 7 in Bradley Hall between 1:30 and 5 a.m., according to the report. University Police Deputy Chief Richard Morman said the suspect was “a friend of a friend.” The 19-year-old woman is an OSU student, but the male suspect is not affiliated with the university, Morman added. The second rape was reported at 2:40 p.m. on April 12. The incident allegedly occurred earlier that day, between 1 and 3 a.m. in the Residence on 10th, according to a University Police report. The 20-year-old woman was friends with the suspect, and the two had previously been in a consensual relationship, Morman said. Morman said both the woman and the suspect in this case are OSU students. Alcohol was involved, according to the report. OSU Student Life spokesman Dave Isaacs said offering support to the students is the university’s main focus. “The university takes these reports very seriously,
Because we knew who the suspects were in both cases, it’s not a continuing threat to the university community. So this wasn’t a situation, and not to downplay the seriousness of it because it’s still a serious crime whether the victim knew the suspect or not. Richard Morman University Police Deputy Chief and obviously one of our first priorities is the wellness of students involved,” Isaacs said. “We want to support them in any way that we can.” Isaacs said OSU has many resources for students involved in cases of sexual violence, including the Student Wellness Center, Counseling and Consultation Service and the Student Advocacy Center. Morman said a public safety alert was not sent to students after either incident because police know who the suspects are. “Because we knew who the suspects were in both cases, it’s not a continuing threat to the university community,” he said. “So this wasn’t a situation, and not to downplay the seriousness of it because it’s still a serious crime whether the victim knew the suspect or not, this is not a situation where it’s a continuing threat to the campus community.”
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One of the females declined to comment, and the other did not respond to an email requesting comment. Nine out of 10 college-aged victims of sexual assault have known the suspect. Of victims between the ages of 18 and 29, two out of three had prior relationships with the perpetrator, according to the National Institute of Justice. Fourteen sex crimes have been reported on OSU’s campus since the beginning of Fall Semester. A rape was reported on Oct. 12 in Park-Stradley, followed by a gross sexual imposition reported on Nov. 4 that is still pending investigation. There was also a rape reported on Nov. 21 in Park-Stradley, but the location was later changed to Paterson Hall. The case has since been closed because the “victim refused to cooperate,” according to the University Police log. Investigations into an alleged Sept. 9 rape and an alleged Nov. 11 sexual imposition, both in Morrill Tower, have been closed, as well as an alleged Nov. 21 rape at Mirror Lake. Alleged rapes in the Neil Avenue Residence Hall on Nov. 10 and Norton House on Jan. 8 are listed as “investigation pending.” The case of an Oct. 14 reported sexual imposition in Neuropsychological Services has been closed. Reported sexual impositions on Aug. 30 at the South Oval and Sept. 7 at Medical Center East are both still under investigation. The investigation into an alleged Jan. 12 rape in the Neuropsychology Department is listed as “unfounded,” according to the police log.
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