Monday October 11, 2010 year: 130 No. 132 the student voice of
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Tressel puts No. 100 to bed
Coach Jim Tressel reached his 100th victory Saturday. He is the quickest coach to 100 at Ohio State so far, doing it in only 121 games.
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throughout the day because of the Columbus Marathon in the morning and the president’s visit in the afternoon. OSU Police Chief Paul Denton said he did not know yet which roads will be closed. His department will help coordinate security with the Secret Service on Sunday. Police will close portions of major campus roads such as High Street, Indianola Avenue, 12th Avenue and Woody Hayes Drive for the marathon, which begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends by 3 p.m. Obama has ramped up his campaign in the months leading up to the Nov. 2 mid-term election, with stops at universities such as Bowie State University in Maryland and the University of Wisconsin. Kamrass said he expected Obama to encourage students to vote and support the Democratic ticket. State Democratic leaders, including Gov. Ted Strickland, will also stop on the Oval on Sunday.
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Protesters: OSU should weigh in on labor dispute DYLAN TUSSEL Lantern reporter tussel.2@osu.edu Football fans were not the only ones sporting their teams’ colors Saturday at Ohio Stadium. Protesting what they said are unfair labor practices at Sodexo Inc., 16 stadium concession employees, dressed in purple labor-union attire, refused to work during the game against Indiana. Dozens of supporters joined the workers, who said Sodexo sti° es their attempts to unionize and pays them so little they cannot afford basic necessities. Alfred King, spokesman for Sodexo USA, a subsidiary of the France-based company that has provided Ohio State concession services since 1989, said such cases are rare. The labor union “has exaggerated the complaints of a small minority of workers,” he said in an e-mail. “Sodexo provides competitive wages, and our beneÿts eligibility for front-line employees is the most liberal in our industry.” Laurie Couch, spokeswoman for Service Employees International Union, said if Sodexo does not begin to respect its workers’ rights, “the workers are not going to back down. “They make as little as $7.50 an hour,” she said. “Most of them have no access to health care, and many of them qualify for food stamps and welfare, even though many of them work as many as 60 to 70 hours per week.” The protesters marched to the Horseshoe from their “base camp” in the parking lot by the intersection of John H. Herrick Drive and Olentangy River Road at 10:20 a.m., as football fans were arriving for the game. About 70 protesters returned at 2:30 p.m. for a second rally when people left the stadium. Members of Service Employees International Union and OSU United Students Against Sweatshops joined the Sodexo workers in the protest, hoisting signs that read, “We Sell Millions But Make Pennies,” and others accusing Sodexo of having unfair labor practices. Many passersby booed or jeered the protesters as they circled the stadium chanting, “O-H-I-O clean up Sodexo” while shaking makeshift rattles and pounding bass drums.
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Two months after a summer stop in a Clintonville family’s yard, President Barack Obama will visit Ohio State’s backyard. Obama will speak on the Oval at 6:15 p.m. Sunday accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama, White House ofÿcials announced Sunday. His speech will be open to the public. Student political leaders began lobbying the White House to bring Obama to campus two weeks ago when they heard that the president would visit
Columbus, said Micah Kamrass, president of Undergraduate Student Government. That group and OSU’s branch of College Democrats will host the visit. Kamrass’ running mate in last spring’s election, Brad Pyle, is treasurer of College Democrats. “We really lobbied to get it here, and the university stands on this: that the university doesn’t usually host events, student organizations do,” Kamrass said in an e-mail. “So the College Democrats and USG are hosting this. We’re going to be working with university administration to plan out the details over the week.” He said some classrooms will be off-limits to the public during Obama’s visit and that more details will be available as planning meetings continue. University ofÿcials said they knew little about the president’s visit and would not release further details. Drivers near campus will face road closures
JOE PODELCO / Lantern photo editor
The Ohio State Buckeyes sing ‘Carmen Ohio’ after Saturday’s football game against Indiana University at Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers 38-10.
OSU is No. 1 ZACK MEISEL Sports editor meisel.14@osu.edu The Ohio State Buckeyes are the No. 1 team in the country and, right on cue, their toughest challenge awaits them this weekend. Following Alabama’s 35-21 loss at South Carolina on Saturday, Ohio State (6-0, 2-0) claimed the top spot in the latest polls released Sunday afternoon. The Buckeyes received 34 out of a possible 60 ÿrst-place votes in the AP poll, and 49 of 59 ÿrstplace votes in the coaches’ poll. OSU heads to Madison, Wis., for a battle with the No. 18 Badgers (5-1, 1-1) at 7 p.m. Saturday. “When you take a look at the Top 10 week to week, the precarious nature of any ranking is obvious,” coach Jim Tressel said. “Just review the change in the makeup of the Top 10 between the beginning of the season until now. The Buckeyes know what it’s like to have a target on our back,
especially since we are now well into Big Ten play. We expect that every team will give us its best shot. How we respond will determine our ultimate ranking.” Oregon, with 15 ÿrst-place votes, moved up to No. 2 in the AP poll, and Boise State captured the No. 3 ranking and eight ÿrst-place votes. The Crimson Tide dug themselves into a 21-3 hole against the Gamecocks, one they couldn’t climb out of. Alabama closed to 28-21, but an unsuccessful fake ÿeld goal in the fourth quarter returned possession to South Carolina, who scored a game-sealing touchdown. With the loss, the defending champions fell to No. 8. South Carolina moved up to No. 10. It’s the ÿrst time the Buckeyes have been ranked No. 1 since before the 2008 BCS Championship game, when LSU knocked off OSU 38-24. TCU claimed the No. 4 ranking, and Nebraska moved up to No. 5. No. 6 Oklahoma earned a pair of ÿrst-place votes. Auburn, who escaped Kentucky with a 37-34 victory, moved up to No. 7.
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Teacher with HIV: ‘I don’t want to die’ CHRIS BURKETT Lantern reporter burkett.41@osu.edu After Graig Cote found out he was HIV positive, he walked to work and told a friend, “I don’t want to die.” But Cote has lived to tell his story, and his work as a speaker has earned him state and local awards. Cote, 49, a lecturer at Ohio State who also coaches volleyball at Thomas Worthington High School, said there were things he didn’t understand about the virus when he learned he had it. All he knew was there was a good chance he could die. Many of Cote’s friends had died from the virus. “Everybody that I knew my freshman year, they’re all dead,” Cote said. “I’ve probably lost a couple hundred people that I knew here or there. For 10 years, I had nobody to say, ‘Remember when we did things?’” Cote attended OSU and studied psychology and now teaches an HIV and AIDS awareness course on Wednesdays at OSU. He was born in Orlando, Fla., but has lived in Ohio most of his life. He moved to San Francisco about 20 years ago because he didn’t want to tell his family he was HIV positive.
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AUSTIN OWENS / Lantern photographer
Ohio State professor Graig Cote, who is HIV positive, teaches an HIV and AIDS awareness course at OSU.
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