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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 THELANTERN.COM
ARTS&LIFE
THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
YEAR 136, ISSUE NO. 13 @THELANTERN
SPORTS
The Ohio State Department of Theatre is set to host performances of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. ON PAGE 4
The Ohio State baseball team has appointed two new co-captains for the 2016 season, which starts on Feb. 19. ON PAGE 8
Financial aid changes
USG convenes for University Address
NICK ROLL For The Lantern roll.66@osu.edu
AMANDA ETCHISON Editor in Chief etchison.4@osu.edu
Ohio State merit-based scholarship funding is expected to decrease next academic year as some funding is reallocated to needbased financial aid. The money awarded for the National Buckeye, Maximus, Provost and Trustees scholarships is decreasing in the fall by 5 percent, with that difference, $2 million, being redirected to need-based financial aid, said Diane Corbett, executive director for student financial aid, in an email. The decrease in merit funding will only affect incoming freshmen. Merit scholarships are awarded as block amounts that are distributed over four years, so current scholarship holders will retain the level of financial aid with which they started. “We took care to ensure that no (current) student feels penalized by applying the 5 percent reduction to the incoming class,” Corbett said in an email. For example, Casey O’Connor, a third-year in accounting, will retain her $12,000 Provost Scholarship at the level it was originally awarded, but a member of the class of 2020 with the same scholarship will receive the award for $11,400. O’Connor said she has mixed feelings about the shift in funding. “Having a scholarship has really helped me afford (OSU), but I’m also all for need-based aid,” she
From welcoming the vice president of the United States to campus for an “It’s On Us” campaign event to launching a new student safety mobile app, Undergraduate Student Government president Abby Grossman and vice president Abby Waidelich have had a busy first semester. The duo touched upon these highlights and many more Tuesday night during USG’s State of the University Address, but both student leaders ultimately emphasized one common theme: Neither has plans to slow down anytime soon. “Although Abby (Grossman) and I may be facing our final hurdle, we are far from finished,” said Waidelich, a fourth-year in biological engineering, to a crowd assembled in the Great Hall of the Ohio Union. “There are many projects and initiatives we still have to execute and we won’t stop working for Ohio State students until our time is done.”
DENNY CHECK | MANAGING EDITOR FOR DESIGN
Need-based aid increases as merit scholarships decrease said. Cam Snyder, a third-year in strategic communication, holds an $8,000 Trustees Scholarship, which is set to drop to $7,600 for incoming freshmen. He said he likes the increase in funding for need-based aid, but he still has concerns about the decline in merit-scholarship funding. Snyder said it seems unfair that an incoming freshman won’t receive as much as he did “for the same list of accomplishments.” All four scholarships had either
increased or stayed the same since the 2012 academic year, according to the data provided by Corbett. All scholarships, except the Provost Scholarship, will remain above 2012 levels despite the cuts. Going forward, the university’s plan is to maintain the merit scholarships at the new levels, though Corbett said this will be re-evaluated as part of the budget analysis for fiscal year 2018. Tuition has yet to be set for next year, though the January Board of Trustees Meeting minutes showed
that a freeze on undergraduate instate tuition was listed as “recommended.” Costs listed as “under evaluation” included out-of-state tuition, housing, dining and program-specific fees. The target number of students to receive merit scholarships for the incoming freshman class is 3,262, Corbett said. There are 12,575 total undergraduates with merit scholarships this year. Corbett said the university hopes to maintain that target number of students for the following year, up from 12,000 aided this year.
USG CONTINUES ON 2
Topics covered • College affordability • Energy privatization and sustainability For more coverage, check out Wednesday evening’s Scarlet Scoop on The Lantern’s website
Girls Circle to empower Columbus women
CARLEE FRANK Lantern reporter frank.442@osu.edu
Prioritizing the voices of girls and women: that is the motto of The Girls Circle Project at Ohio State. Founded in 2008, the Girls Circle Project at OSU is a yearlong program that trains college women to run Girls Circle at Columbus-area middle schools. The group focuses on creating a safe space for girls to discuss life issues, such as peer pressure, relationships and bullying. Girls Circle meets for one to two hours a week at each school, said Sarah Smith, a third-year in social work and recruitment chair of the program. Each session is run by two women and usually begins with an opening ritual, such as lighting a
candle, which brings everyone into the space together. The girls then do activities centered on that day’s topic, which transitions them into the discussion. While the college women play a large role in what the discussion topic will be, they encourage the girls to help decide as well. Although curriculum is set before meetings, the co-leaders must also be prepared to think on their feet. “In my most recent circle, the girls all came in upset,” Smith said. “We had curriculum planned, but two of the girls were being bullied on Instagram, so we ended up discussing that the whole session.” This aggression among girls is one of the reasons that Vicki Pitstick, associate director of OSU’s Second-year Transformational Experience Program, created and coordinates the Girls Circle Project at
OSU. “I thought that it would be nice if girls understood that they are all going through the same things,” Pitstick said. “If they come together and talk through the issues as opposed to being catty, there would probably be a lot less bullying and trouble with relationships.” Pitstick said she wanted a program at OSU that would teach girls and women the importance of community, which led to her founding Girls Circle. The group is under the One Circle Foundation, which was founded by Giovanna Taormina and Beth Hossfeld in the mid1990s. After receiving grants from the Women’s Place of OSU, Pitstick said she and five colleagues began recruiting students in the autumn of 2008. Students apply during Spring Semester, and if they are selected
after the interview process, they enter a Women’s Circle in the autumn. Participating in Women’s Circle, Pitstick said, teaches them the structure of Girls Circle. The women also take a workshop conducted by Pitstick in which they learn strength-based language, which emphasizes the girls’ strengths as opposed to their weaknesses; relational-cultural theory, which teaches that women grow the most through community; and how to be a good facilitator. In the spring, the women take
lead Circle projects at their designated schools. The Girls Circle Project partners with schools in Grandview, Upper Arlington, Hilliard, Columbus City Schools and charter schools. Pitstick said one of her favorite parts of the project is the intergenerational aspect. She said the bonding between the college women and the girls is important. “We are allowing girls to see that they can have a voice,” Pitstick said. “For them to feel empowered in these circles, to know they can COURTESY OF MOLLY DUERRE
Members of the Girls Circle Project don capes with motivational quotes written on them as part of an activity. Peer Power: Theory and Practice of do whatever it is they want to do in Peer Outreach, a service learning this world; I think it’s very importcourse taught by Pitstick that stud- ant to get that message out to the ies feminist theory, leadership the- younger generations.” ory and the importance of working Smith said her life has become GIRLS CIRCLE CONTINUES ON 2 in the community. The women also