Tuesday May 11, 2010 year: 130 No. 105 the student voice of
The Ohio State University
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thelantern Background checks in ‘state of evolution’ JACK MOORE Lantern reporter moore.1732@osu.edu There are gaps in the background check process for Ohio State students and employees, administration and Human Resources officials said. Those gaps, which could apply to some students and most faculty, will be addressed in a discussion about campus safety at a Board of Trustees meeting Thursday. Background checks are used to “lower the odds” of violence on campus, said Martha Garland, vice president for Student Life, who will lead the discussion at the meeting. “But even perfect background checks don’t guarantee that someone won’t … do something terrible,” Garland said. The board discussion was prompted by the workplace shooting in March, she said, when a third-shift custodial worker shot and killed a supervisor, wounded another and then turned the gun on himself. A background check performed at the time the
shooter, Nathaniel Brown, was hired in 2009 failed to turn up a conviction for receiving stolen property. The background check system might be incomplete, Garland said, because in most cases, faculty members don’t get reviewed. But she said that would likely change as “step by step” MARTHA GARLAND more people are included in checks. The background check process “is in a state of evolution,” said Larry Lewellen, vice president for Human Resources, in an e-mail. “Over the past two years, we have significantly increased our background check requirements,” he said, “and today the majority of our staff positions require (a) background check.” Human Resources rules require that candidates for certain top-level administration positions, such as the president or provosts, undergo background checks.
Beyond that, it is up to individual departments, such as Dining Services or Housing, to decide whether to conduct background checks on other positions. Human Resources must approve the departments’ procedures. Some departments check all final candidates for all position openings, and some only check for positions “deemed to be ‘sensitive’ in nature, some of which may be required by law,” according to Human Resources documents. “We haven’t gotten to (faculty) yet,” Garland said. “But we’re moving in that direction.” The other possible gap involves the small number of student applicants who might be subjected to background checks. The OSU application form includes a question that asks if applicants have ever been convicted of a felony or have been the subject of judicial procedures at another university. If the record shows a propensity for violence,
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Union flash mob dancers didn’t stop believing Video of OSU student, staff routine now a YouTube sensation
Unknowing students and visitors at the Ohio Union were bombarded May 3 by a mob of Ohio State students and staff members — a flash mob, that is. Dancing to the tune of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” about 70 OSU students and staff members, including President E. Gordon Gee, Brutus Buckeye and Tracy Stuck, director of the Union, shocked the crowd with a surprise choreographed routine. Last week’s ambush had been kept a secret since the idea came up in December, said dancer Matt Fenstermaker. “We practiced one to two times a week and more as it got closer,” said Fenstermaker, a second-year in art education. “It all started with Jordan Davis.” People might recognize Davis’ name, as she recently ran against president-elect Micah Kamrass in the Undergraduate Student Government elections. “It was about December
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Mark Bradford at Wex
The Los Angeles artist’s three-month residency at the Wexner Center began Saturday. It goes until Aug. 15.
campus
Board to vote on tuition Jackets player hitting this week the books, not the puck
ANDY GOTTESMAN / Lantern photographer
A crowd of students and visitors overlooks the flash mob performance last Monday in the Union’s Great Hall.
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RACHEL JACKLIN Lantern reporter jacklin.5@osu.edu
TRAVIS KOZEK Lantern reporter kozek.2@osu.edu Missing the playoffs for the eighth time in the Blue Jackets’ brief nine-year history was a disappointment the team, but R.J. Umberger is using his break to head back to school. With time off, the former Buckeye All-American is back at Ohio State in pursuit of the college degree he began working toward nearly 10 years ago. “This is something I set out to do at the beginning, and I like to see things completed,” Umberger said. “There is
always life after hockey, and it helps me prepare for that.” The 27-year-old marketing major is no stranger to taking classes in the off-season. He managed to take online classes four of the last five summers. However, Umberger has left the comfort of his own home this spring and is back on campus. “Things have changed,” Umberger said. “The fact that I know I am older than everybody and I don’t know anybody, that is probably the biggest change.” Enrolled in Marketing 750 and 758, the Blue Jackets winger needs just three more
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ZACH TUGGLE / Lantern photographer
R.J. Umberger, winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets, is currently pursuing his marketing degree at Ohio State.
U.S. presidential adviser to speak at Spring Commencement
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LAUREN HALLOW Lantern reporter hallow.1@osu.edu
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David Gergen, editor-at-large at U.S. News & World Report and a past adviser to four presidents, will be this year’s Spring Commencement speaker. “We are deeply honored to have David Gergen address our graduates,” Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee said in a press release. “No fewer than four presidents have depended upon his wise political analysis, broad historical understanding, and superb common sense. Without question, his insights at this time of great challenge and opportunity will enrich and enliven our Commencement ceremony.” Gergen spent time working for former presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, and then became the director of communications for former President Ronald Reagan. He later served as a counselor to former President Bill Clinton on both foreign policy and domestic affairs. Gergen also served as an adviser to former President George H.W. Bush during his 1980 campaign for presidency. Although most of his political work has been with Republican administrations, Gergen said in a 1993 interview with The New York Times that he considers himself to be an Independent. Gergen wrote a best-selling book in 2000 on his political experiences, titled
“Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton.” From 1983 to 1994, Gergen was the editor of U.S. News & World Report. He is now the editor-at-large for the magazine. Gergen has also appeared on many television programs, such as “The Colbert Report,” “Anderson Cooper 360” and “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” From 1984 to 1989, he was a political commentator with Mark Shields for the MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour on PBS. He now serves as a senior political analyst for CNN. DAVID GERGEN Today, Gergen is a professor of public service at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and is also its director for the Center for Public Leadership. This won’t be Gergen’s first visit to OSU. In 2002, he gave a lecture on the future of leadership, and in 2007, he spoke to students at the Moritz College of Law. Gergen received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1963 and his law degree from Harvard University in 1967. Spring Commencement will be held at noon on June 13 at the Ohio Stadium.
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