When she served in its Athletic
Department in numerous
capacities during her 31 years
at Kent State, Judy Devine was
a standout, a person who was
extremely capable and possessed
of integrity, a devotion
to high standards and institutional
loyalty.
Her gift of $1.2 million, the
third largest in the university's
history and made in the form
of a bequest to the Athletic
Department, is consistent with
the standards she set when she
worked at Kent State University
and it sets an inspiring example
to all.
About to kick off this week
the university's Centennial
Campaign to raise $250 million
to strengthen KSU's endowment
for scholarship and its
ability to provide for its students,
Kent State will be able
to announce it has a substantial
amount of its goal already
raised in the form of pledges,
commitments and gifts.
One of the reasons it will be
able to do so is because of the
generosity of donors such as
Judy Devine, who if she were
the boastful type, we could say
“puts her money where her
mouth is.”
Ms. Devine, however, is anything,
but boastful. She leads by
example, quietly going about
her work with a thoroughness
and diligence that are admirable.
Her abilities made her
an obvious choice to help Kent
State steer its way through Title
IX, the federal gender equity
rules for intercollegiate athletics,
and her work was relied on
by KSU athletic directors and
KSU presidents who accepted
her recommendations as a gold
standard because of her careful
fact-gathering and analysis.
In addition, she oversaw financial
aid for athletes and adherence
to academic standards,
ensuring that those who competed
in intercollegiate athletics
were true students able to pursue
and complete their academic
goals. Earlier in her career she
also was the first head coach of
KSU women's basketball and
directed women's field hockey.
Ms. Devine's bequest is not
her first gift to Kent State. Earlier
she gave KSU $200,000.
It, like her current bequest, is
aimed at strengthening intercollegiate
sthletics at the university.
It goes to the Academic
Resource Center, designed to
keep the “student” in the term
“student-athlete” and to permanently
endow the Academic
Athletic Honors dinner, held
each year to recognize academic
achievement by student
athletes.

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Sep. 29--Firefighters from Ashtabula, and Plymouth and Saybrook townships are preparing for this year's Fire Prevention Week in a new way.

In cooperation with Ashtabula Area City Schools, Ss. John and Paul Elementary School and Kent State University, the firefighters will be showing an innovative video Oct. 5-9 that takes the audience inside a fire.

Produced by veteran TV science reporter/ meteorologist, Dr. Franklyn Field, who spent nearly 50 years in the New York market, the film dispels Hollywood's misconceptions about fire.

The video, "Fire is ...," is a realistic film that presses adults to plan for fires at home by educating their children about what a fast-moving blaze can do. It includes riveting scenes of Field, in a mask, stumbling for an exit in a smoky fire at a training facility, as well as footage from real fires.

The goal for this year's Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 4-10, is to dramatically increase the number of children and parents who see this life-saving program, according to a press release from the Ashtabula Fire Department.

The Ashtabula area is one of Field's pilot sites.

In cooperation with Kent State University-Ashtabula, the "Fire Is ..." video series will be repeatedly shown on the Kent State Time Warner Cable TV Channel 29, starting at 6 p.m. Oct. 5, through the end of the month. A new part will be aired each night of the week at 6 p.m., then repeated at 8 each night.

Every elementary school student in the Ashtabula Area City School District will be given a notice and schedule to take home of when the movie will be aired. The student will be asked to watch it with parents. They will then be asked to return a simple form to their school, listing which of the five parts they watched at home.

Observance dates to Chicago fire

Fire Prevention Day began Oct. 9, 1911, on the anniversary of the great Chicago gire of 1871.

The disaster killed 250 people and destroyed 17,430 buildings at a cost of $168 million, but the blaze got people thinking in terms of fire prevention instead of just fire fighting.

The Fire Marshals Association of North America, now part of the National Fire Protection Association, started Fire Prevention Day.

President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed the day on the 40th anniversary of the Chicago blaze.

Copyright © 2009 Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio

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Published September 28, 2009 10:31 pm - Firefighters from Ashtabula, and Plymouth and Saybrook townships are preparing for this year's Fire Prevention Week in a new way.

Firefighters from Ashtabula, and Plymouth and Saybrook townships are preparing for this year's Fire Prevention Week in a new way.

In cooperation with Ashtabula Area City Schools, Ss. John and Paul Elementary School and Kent State University, the firefighters will be showing an innovative video Oct. 5-9 that takes the audience inside a fire.

Produced by veteran TV science reporter/ meteorologist, Dr. Franklyn Field, who spent nearly 50 years in the New York market, the film dispels Hollywood's misconceptions about fire.

The video, “Fire is ...,” is a realistic film that presses adults to plan for fires at home by educating their children about what a fast-moving blaze can do. It includes riveting scenes of Field, in a mask, stumbling for an exit in a smoky fire at a training facility, as well as footage from real fires.

The goal for this year's Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 4-10, is to dramatically increase the number of children and parents who see this life-saving program, according to a press release from the Ashtabula Fire Department.

The Ashtabula area is one of Field's pilot sites.

In cooperation with Kent State University-Ashtabula, the “Fire Is ...” video series will be repeatedly shown on the Kent State Time Warner Cable TV Channel 29, starting at 6 p.m. Oct. 5, through the end of the month. A new part will be aired each night of the week at 6 p.m., then repeated at 8 each night.

Every elementary school student in the Ashtabula Area City School District will be given a notice and schedule to take home of when the movie will be aired. The student will be asked to watch it with parents. They will then be asked to return a simple form to their school, listing which of the five parts they watched at home.

Observance dates to Chicago fire

Fire Prevention Day began Oct. 9, 1911, on the anniversary of the great Chicago gire of 1871.

The disaster killed 250 people and destroyed 17,430 buildings at a cost of $168 million, but the blaze got people thinking in terms of fire prevention instead of just fire fighting.

The Fire Marshals Association of North America, now part of the National Fire Protection Association, started Fire Prevention Day.

President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed the day on the 40th anniversary of the Chicago blaze.

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WARREN The varied work of the faculty and graduate students at Kent State University School of Art is currently on view at Trumbull Art Gallery. An opening reception is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at TAG, 198 E. Market St.

Titled Touch and Scale, the show features dozens of pieces that include journal drawing on paper, glazed ceramic bowls, and enamel on metal. Painting, printmaking, and weaving also will be represented, with deliberate juxtaposing to establish complementary contrasts.

Curated for TAG by Janice Lessman-Moss, head of the KSU textile department, the exhibition showcases the talent of more than 20 faculty members and graduate students. As stated by Lessman-Moss, whose work has been internationally displayed, the show represents a range of sensibilities and provides a glimpse into the exciting work being done by these artists, many of whom have long established careers in the Northeast Ohio area.

The KSU exhibit closes Nov. 14. For more information, contact TAG at (330) 395-4876, or go t o www.trumbullartgallery.com.

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WARREN The varied work of the faculty and graduate students at Kent State University School of Art is on view at Trumbull Art Gallery. An opening reception is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at TAG, 198 E. Market St.

Titled Touch and Scale, the show features dozens of pieces that include journal drawing on paper, glazed ceramic bowls and enamel on metal. Painting, printmaking and weaving also will be represented with deliberate juxtaposing to establish complementary contrasts.

Curated for TAG by Janice Lessman-Moss, head of the KSU textile department, the exhibition showcases the talent of more than 20 faculty members and graduate students. As stated by Lessman-Moss, whose work has been internationally displayed, the show represents a range of sensibilities and provides a glimpse into the exciting work being done by these artists, many of whom have long-established careers in the Northeast Ohio area.

The KSU exhibit closes Nov. 14. For more information, contact TAG at (330) 395-4876, or go to www.trumbullartgallery.com.

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EAST LIVERPOOL - At 7 p.m. today in the Slak Shak, the Kent State University East Liverpool Campus, Biology Department will present "All about flu." The program will begin with a short overview of flu basics by Dr. Qunxing Ding. This will be followed by a panel including Dr. Ding, Dr. Augusto Soriano, and Dr. Roxanne Burns who will address audience questions. If media coverage of "swine" flu has left you confused or frightened, join us for the straight story. The Slak Shak is on the lowest level of the Main Building. Please enter through the 4th St. or rear doors.

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If Ohio's public colleges had any doubts about whether the rotten economy would keep people from showing up for the new school year, they don't anymore.

Enrollment is up on the main campuses of 12 of the 14 state universities, with many posting record highs.

Even the two schools that lost students -- Bowling Green State University and Miami -- have been swept by a surge of students at their regional campuses.

"I think most schools are taking a sigh of relief," said Craig Cornell, vice provost for enrollment management at Ohio University.

Although college enrollment historically goes up when the economy turns down, schools worried that this recession was sinking families faster and deeper into debt than any other downturn since World War II.

"None of us really knew what to expect of this recession, causing a lot of anxiety," Cornell said. "But it seems to be working out for most of us."

And that goes for schools in many states outside of Ohio. California, Florida and Kentucky are all reporting record enrollments -- and they are all dealing with the headaches that go along with the growth, including having to deal with students who can't get into the classes they want or need to take.

In Ohio, Kent State and the University of Akron have increased the total enrollments of their main campuses the most, with nearly 2,000 new students each this fall.

Kent State's overall enrollment also jumped nearly 12 percent -- its highest recorded enrollment in its 100-year history.

Two smaller schools, the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy and Central State University, the state's only historically black college, have the highest overall percentage growth, nearly 15 percent and more than 12 percent, respectively.

"Since 2005, Central State University enrollment has grown by 50 percent," spokeswoman Fran Robinson said. "It's really phenomenal considering the deep grip of this recession."

Ohio University has set multiple records, including an all-time high of 21,000 students on its Athens campus and 31,700 students universitywide.

"All told, Ohio University is the largest and best it has ever been," Cornell said. "We've seen growth in every college, regional campus, undergraduate numbers and graduate numbers. I don't get to say that much. It's pretty cool."

Last week, Ohio State University welcomed 6,550 freshmen, about 500 more students than last year and its largest freshman class in a decade. The school has had a slight increase in the number of students at both its main Columbus campus and its regional branches. And if it hadn't graduated its largest class in university history in the spring -- 8,162 students-- it wouldn't have been able to accept so many first-year students, said Jim Lynch, OSU spokesman.

Like many two-year schools nationwide, Columbus State is grappling with another quarter of unprecedented growth after a year of record highs. As of yesterday, the school had 29,301 students registered for classes, a nearly 17 percent increase over the same time last year.

Throughout the state and country, students are flocking to community colleges because of their lower prices and flexible scheduling. Some are recent high-school graduates looking for bargains; others are laid-off workers in need of new job skills.

"Our semester-schools are averaging a 23 percent increase in enrollments, while our quarter-calendar schools are seeing anywhere from a 5 percent to 29 percent growth," said Ronald Abrams, executive director of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges.

And most schools already are feeling the strain of the swelling student bodies. Just a few weeks or even days into the new school year, they are scrambling to add teachers, find room for classes and parking and money for advising, tutoring and other support services to help the growing number of students who are unprepared to succeed.

"As challenging as some of these things might be, they are good problems to have," Abrams said.

Even the schools with shrinking enrollments on their main campuses aren't complaining.

"We're down a little bit in enrollment overall, but we have more students attending full time, which will save them valuable time and money," said David Kielmeyer, spokesman of Bowling Green.

He said the school's Firelands branch has 2.6 percent more students than last fall, and it had planned on remaining flat at its main campus.

"As far as we're concerned, in this economy, flat is the new up."

epyle@dispatch.com

Copyright © 2009 THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH and may not be republished without permission.

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Universities usually can count on enrollments to grow when the economy is bad, but this time, because of the deep recession and problems with debt, they weren't so sure. They needn't have worried.

Michael Heinze of Cincinnati, a medical student at Ohio State University, experiences one of the side effects of higher student enrollment: more competition for parking spaces on the Columbus campus.

View larger image" vocusinstance="1">

College survival guide

The Dispatch has teamed up with central Ohio civic, business and university leaders to launch EasyColumbus.com, a one-stop resource for the more than 110,000 people who attend college in the area. The online survival guide features leisure activities, student discounts, internship postings and more.

If Ohio's public colleges had any doubts about whether the rotten economy would keep people from showing up for the new school year, they don't anymore.

Enrollment is up on the main campuses of 12 of the 14 state universities, with many posting record highs.

Even the two schools that lost students - Bowling Green State University and Miami - have been swept by a surge of students at their regional campuses.

"I think most schools are taking a sigh of relief," said Craig Cornell, vice provost for enrollment management at Ohio University.

Although college enrollment historically goes up when the economy turns down, schools worried that this recession was sinking families faster and deeper into debt than any other downturn since World War II.

"None of us really knew what to expect of this recession, causing a lot of anxiety," Cornell said. "But it seems to be working out for most of us."

And that goes for schools in many states outside of Ohio. California, Florida and Kentucky are all reporting record enrollments - and they are all dealing with the headaches that go along with the growth, including having to deal with students who can't get into the classes they want or need to take.

In Ohio, Kent State and the University of Akron have increased the total enrollments of their main campuses the most, with nearly 2,000 new students each this fall.

Kent State's overall enrollment also jumped nearly 12percent - its highest recorded enrollment in its 100-year history.

Two smaller schools -- the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy and Central State University, the state's only public, historically black college -- have the highest overall percent growth, nearly 15 percent and more than 12 percent, respectively.

"Since 2005, Central State University enrollment has grown by 50 percent," spokeswoman Fran Robinson said. "It's really phenomenal considering the deep grip of this recession."

Ohio University has set multiple records, including an all-time high of 21,000 students on its Athens campus and 31,700 students universitywide.

"All told, Ohio University is the largest and best it has ever been," Cornell said. "We've seen growth in every college, regional campus, undergraduate numbers and graduate numbers. I don't get to say that much. It's pretty cool."

Last week, Ohio State University welcomed 6,550 freshmen, about 500 more students than last year and its largest freshman class in a decade. The school has seen a slight increase in the number of students at both its main Columbus campus and its regional branches. And if it hadn't graduated its largest class in university history last spring - 8,162 students- it wouldn't have been able to accept so many first-year students, said Jim Lynch, OSU spokesman.

Like many two-year schools nationwide, Columbus State is grappling with another quarter of unprecedented growth after a year of record highs. As of yesterday, the school had 29,301 students registered for classes, a nearly 17 percent increase over the same time last year.

Throughout the state and country, students are flocking to community colleges because of their lower prices and flexible scheduling. Some are recent high-school graduates looking for bargains; others are laid-off workers in need of new job skills.

"Our semester-schools are averaging a 23 percent increase in enrollments, while our quarter-calendar schools are seeing anywhere from a 5 percent to 29 percent growth," said Ronald Abrams, executive director of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges.

And most schools already are feeling the strain of the swelling student bodies. Just a few weeks or even days into the new school year, they are scrambling to add teachers, find room for classes and parking and money for advising, tutoring and other support services to help the growing number of students who are unprepared to succeed.

"As challenging as some of these things might be, they are good problems to have," Abrams said.

Even the schools with shrinking enrollments on their main campuses aren't complaining.

"We're down a little bit in enrollment overall, but we have more students attending full time, which will save them valuable time and money," said David Kielmeyer, spokesman of Bowling Green.

He said the school's Firelands branch has 2.6 percent more students than last fall, and it had planned on remaining flat at its main campus.

"As far as we're concerned, in this economy, flat is the new up."

epyle@dispatch.com

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Chronic alcohol consumption blunts the biological clock's ability to synchronize daily activities to light, disrupts natural activity patterns and continues to affect the body's clock (circadian rhythm), even days after the drinking ends, according to a new study with hamsters (see also ).

The study describes the changes that drinking can produce on the body's master clock and how it affects behavior. The research provides a way to study human alcoholism using an animal model, said researcher Christina L. Ruby.

The study "Chronic ethanol attenuates circadian photic phase resetting and alters nocturnal activity patterns in the hamster" appears in the American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. Christina L. Ruby, Allison J. Brager, Marc A. DePaul, and J. David Glass, all of Kent State University, and Rebecca A. Prosser of the University of Tennessee, conducted the study. The American Physiological Society published the research.

Batteries not included Alcohol consumption affects the master clock, located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) section of the brain. This clock controls the circadian cycle, a roughly 24-hour cycle, which regulates sleeping and waking, as well as the timing of a variety of other physiological functions, such as hormonal secretions, appetite, digestion, activity levels and body temperature. The SCN synchronizes physiological functions so that they occur at the proper times and keeps these functions synchronized with daylight. Disruption of the clock dramatically increases the risks of developing cancer, heart disease, and depression, among other health problems.

The researchers used hamsters to find out how alcohol affects circadian rhythms. Although hamsters are nocturnal, light synchronizes their clocks, just as with humans. The animals were divided into three groups, differing only on what they drank. The control group received water only. A second group received water containing 10% alcohol and the third group received water containing 20% alcohol. Hamsters, when given a choice, prefer alcohol, which they metabolize quickly.

The animals drank as much as they wanted and lived in an environment that provided 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness each day.

Sleeping in The researchers recorded the activity levels of the three groups throughout the day. Late in the dark cycle, about three hours before the nocturnal animals would normally be settling in to sleep, the researchers put on a low-level light for 30 minutes. The light was similar to the dim light of dawn. At another time, the groups received a brighter light, akin to the light in an office building. Hamsters exposed to the light late in their active cycle will normally settle down to sleep at the same time, but will wake up earlier. In effect, the light pushes their circadian clock forward.

In addition, the researchers tracked how long it takes alcohol to travel to the master clock in the brain. They also took regular readings of subcutaneous alcohol levels, which are akin to blood alcohol levels. In the final phase of the experiment, the hamsters that received alcohol were switched to regular water to examine the effects of withdrawal.

The study found that:

The hamsters that drank alcohol had the hardest time shifting their rhythms after exposure to the dim light, and the more alcohol they drank, the harder it was to adjust. Exposure to dim light caused the water-only hamsters to wake up 72 minutes earlier than they normally would. The 10% alcohol group woke up 30 minutes earlier and the 20% alcohol group woke up only 18 minutes earlier. Exposure to bright light helped the alcohol-consuming hamsters to wake up sooner, greatly reducing the difference in wake up times among the groups. The control animals woke up 102 minutes earlier compared to the 20% alcohol group that woke up 84 minutes earlier. Total time spent active during the 24-hour period was the same for all three groups. However, the hamsters that consumed alcohol had fewer bouts of activity that lasted longer than the water-consuming controls. The control group had more bouts of activity over the course of the day. When the hamsters were withdrawn from alcohol for 2-3 days and then exposed to the same light treatment again, they woke up much earlier than the animals that had drunk only water. The hamsters that were withdrawn from alcohol woke up 126 minutes sooner compared to the water drinking controls, who advanced 66 minutes. This exaggerated response persisted even up to three days later, when the experiment ended. The hamsters drank the most heavily shortly after the beginning of the dark cycle, when they would naturally be most active. A peak in alcohol reached the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain 20 minutes later.

Human applications? The researchers aim to apply the research to people, who also show circadian disruptions from drinking. Specifically, the study suggests the following:

People who drink alcohol, particularly late into the night, may not respond to important light cues to keep their biological clocks in synch with daylight over the next 24 hours. Even low levels of alcohol may impair the response to light cues, said Ruby. After the first 24 hours, the circadian cycle continues to be affected, even without further consumption of alcohol. Exposure to bright light in the morning may reduce the disruption of alcohol to the biological clock. Chronic drinking continues to affect the biological clock even after withdrawal from alcohol. The hamsters withdrawn from alcohol woke up much earlier in response to light than they normally would, just like people who are trying to stop drinking. Getting a person's circadian rhythm back in line after quitting may be why staying abstinent is so difficult. Chronic drinking may affect activity patterns, making drinkers less active at times of the day when they should be active and more active when they should not be, such as late at night.

Copyright © 2009 Biotech Week via NewsRx.com

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