Tuesday February 23, 2010 year: 130 No. 68 the student voice of
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Faculty get voice with trustees CAITLIN O’NEIL Lantern reporter oneil.97@osu.edu The Ohio State Board of Trustees selected professor David Horn as the first faculty representative on its Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee. “Faculty have always played a crucial role in the administration of the university, but until now the opportunities for faculty and trustees to have sustained conversations about academic issues and the needs of students have been limited,” said Horn, who teaches comparative studies and will join the board in May. “The decision to give faculty both a voice and a vote on this committee recognizes the potential value of that interaction.” In addition to his role as chair of the Department of Comparative Studies, Horn served two terms on the University Senate and served as chair of the group’s Steering Committee. “As a former chair of an interdisciplinary department, I’ve learned
ZACH TUGGLE / Lantern photographer
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David Horn will serve as the first faculty representative on the Board of Trustees’ Academic Affairs and Student Life Committee.
Three-decade career gets fanfare finale ZACH TUGGLE Photo editor tuggle.17@osu.edu
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Two Beanies better than one OSU will add two running back recruits to its arsenal, both who resemble former Buckeye ‘Beanie’ Wells
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Thirty one years after he came to Ohio State, Steve Sterrett was honored Monday afternoon by a visit from the Ohio State Winter Athletic Band. He was even allowed to try his hand at conducting the band as part of his honorary ceremony. “That was fantastic,” Sterrett said after leading the band. “That was one of the best things in 31 years.” But Sterrett has done some more important work during his tenure. He has served as the community relations director of Campus Partners since its inception in 1995. During his time with the organization, he helped create a working relationship among the university, the university district and the several communities surround OSU. “Steve will be impossible to replace,” said Doug Aschenbach, president of Campus Partners. “He has done a really good job of bridging the symbolic gap between the university and the surrounding neighborhoods.” Sterrett was hired by OSU in 1978 as the editor of onCampus,
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ZACH TUGGLE / Lantern photographer
Upon his retirement from OSU, Steve Sterrett, director of Community Relations, was given an opportunity to direct the OSU Winter Athletic Band Monday at the South Campus Gateway. Sterrett has worked at Ohio State for 31 years.
Buckeye fan to turn fire truck into tailgating dream machine DANIELLE HARTMAN Lantern reporter hartman.271@osu.edu It previously served a fire department in Michigan, but from now on, this fire truck belongs to the Scarlet and Gray. Buckeye fan Travis Van Ness bought a fire truck on eBay in October 2009 with the goal of turning it into the ultimate tailgating vehicle. But before he could launch his “Fire Buck” project, he had to take a trip into the land of the Buckeye rivals. “I made a covert trip — classified as ‘Operation Fire Buck’ — into enemy territory to rescue the truck and convert it into what is sure to be one of the most recognizable OSU-themed vehicles in Ohio,” said Van Ness, a patient care associate at the Ohio State University Medical Center. The fire engine, a Ford C-8000 Sanford Pumper, most recently belonged to a landscaping company that used it to transport water. But Van Ness decided it was prudent not to tell the previous owners in Michigan of his grand scheme.
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Baptism by snow: Winter has been test for FOD’s Readey RICK SCHANZ Lantern reporter schanz.5@osu.edu
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“I kept everything a secret until after I placed the cash in [the previous owner’s] hands and had the keys and title in mine,” he said. He crossed the Ohio-Michigan border on Oct. 10, 2009, to bring the engine home. He also had to keep the project a secret from his family. “It was classified because I didn’t want my mother to find out I spent money on a fire truck,” he said. “She wouldn’t have been happy.” Van Ness said the Fire Buck will feature two flat-screen televisions, highdefinition satellite coverage of Buckeye football games, a video game system, propane grill, and removable seating on the rear deck. He said he has entertained fans’ suggestions of installing a hot tub in the engine’s rear deck and changing the water tanks into kegs. However, the final plans are known only by Van Ness. Restoration of the tailgating machine will likely cost $20,000, not including the price of the televisions or luxury features. Van Ness has already spent $6,250 and is seeking donations and sponsorship from businesses. He said he has no commercial sponsors yet but has received donations from fellow fans.
Mary Lynn Readey was not on the job long before she was put to the test. Readey, who has been the associate vice president of Ohio State Facilities Operations and Development since October, had a lot on her plate throughout the first weeks of February, due to the near-record snowfall. “The challenge is the urgency of things that come up and dealing with the issues that are important but are not as urgent at the same time,” Readey said. “There is a balance you have to find.” Over a three-day period of heavy snowfall last week, Facilities Operations and Development employed 175 of its workers to clear snow from roads and sidewalks. The department has amassed more than 4,300 work hours and used more than 1,000 tons of salt this season. Readey’s job includes a focus on supporting
OSU’s environment and managing the department’s budget. Despite this winter’s heavy snowfall, Readey said she doesn’t expect the department to exceed its annual budget of about $42 million, with $20 million allocated for maintenance, $16.5 million for custodial costs and $5.5 million for MARY LYNN READEY landscaping grounds. Readey was hired fulltime after working during the summer on an interim basis in her present position. She refers to the hire as “an unexpected opportunity,” but knew she was prepared. Once voted in a peer-rated review as one of central Ohio’s top lawyers, she has had opportunities to experience an array of occupations that led her job with Facilities Operations and Development. After receiving her juris doctor from the University
of Dayton, she began her career as a trial lawyer. She subsequently worked in education law and construction law. Her position as an executive director of a state agency devoted to the construction of K-12 school buildings has aided Readey’s knowledge about public construction, which is pertinent to her job at OSU. The skill set that Readey has acquired throughout her career is especially useful to her job at OSU, Readey said. For example, “being a lawyer involves a lot of problem solving, a skill I can always use,” she said. Her motivation to improve campus came from walking around university grounds and viewing photographs from the OSU Archives. “I gain a sense of the history that we want to add too,” she said. “We are stewards for a short period of time in the long history of OSU.” To ensure there is a vision for the future, OSU is
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