Posts Tagged OSU
Speaker: Tara McKenzie Allison on February 20, 2018 @ 11:10 am
Posted by anitajuneparker in HDFS 5440 (aka 370), Local Events, OSU, Sp2018, Speakers, Uncategorized on February 20, 2018
Photo by Ralph Orr @ Summit on 16th United Methodist Church during The Transgender Military Recognition Night, Columbus, OH, 8/12/2017
Tara McKenzie Allison will visit my HDFS 5440 classroom on The Ohio State University Main Campus (Townshend Hall, Room 247 ) today from 11:10 am to 12:30 pm.
Tara is a local attorney who graciously offers her time to my students. Active in the local LGBT community, Tara is a tireless activist supporting equal rights for all people. Her presentation is followed by an informative Question&Answer period. Previous students have described her visit as life changing… and that echoes my sentiments. She is amazing.
More about Tara: In 1987, Tara received her undergraduate degree in Marine Engineering, from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Following graduation, she served as a Commissioned Officer in the US Navy. After being honorably discharged, Tara worked as a nuclear engineer for over a decade. She is a licensed Professional Engineer. In 1999, she partially completed a MBA degree, at the College of William and Mary, before relocating to Columbus. In 2005, Tara graduated from Capital University Law School, cum laude, passed the Ohio Bar Exam, and was admitted to the Ohio Bar. Following graduation from law school, she has served as General Counsel / Contracts Manager for a mid-sized, construction-industry company, in Lexington, KY. In 2008, she relocated back to Columbus, in order to start her own law practice. She is a member of the Columbus Bar Association and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. She practices primarily in the areas of domestic/family law, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgender law, contract law, construction law, and civil litigation. Tara is an active public speaker on LGBT-related issues; she has spoken numerous times at The Ohio State University, The Ohio State University Law School, Capital University Law School, Dennison University, Ohio Northern University, Transylvania University, Columbus Alternative High School, the King Avenue United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio, and the LGBT Subcommittee of the Columbus Bar Association. She has been a presenter at the TransOhio Annual Transgender and Ally Symposium (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011). She has also spoken on LGBT issues at the 2010 Ohio Diversity and Leadership Conference, the 2011 Equality Ohio CAUSE Conference at Columbus State Community College, before the Columbus Community Relations Commission, and the Columbus Police Academy.
NOTE: Please ignore any ads that may appear below. They are not endorsed by me and simply the “cost of doing business” on wordpress under my current license.
Nick Wolack: Evolved Body Art
Posted by anitajuneparker in HDFS 5440 (aka 370), Local Events, OSU, Speakers on April 6, 2017
Nick Wolack, the owner of Evolved Body Art, poses in the old shop location above Too’s on North High Street. Credit: Mason Swires | Assistant Photo Editor
I am often fortunate enough to have the time available for a visit from Nick and staff members from his businesses. Unfortunately, this semester did not provide us a chance to schedule something. I wanted to toot his horn, though, as he was featured in The Lantern.
Evolved Body Art continues to be the only tattoo business that I “vouch for” because of their adherence to quality standards and their partnerships in a variety of ethical events and organizations. I am proud to call Nick a friend and consider him a colleague in the world of education.
Care to learn more about some of the businesses and events at which Nick hangs his creative hat? See links below!
Book Drive Challenge!
Posted by anitajuneparker in Au2016, Local Events, OSU on September 14, 2016
Competition is fun, eh?
We (Buckeyes) have a long-standing feud with the folks up north… y’know.. Mmmm(cough)ichigan! Ah, but it isn’t all football – we also use that competitive urge when we have blood drive challenges with the Red Cross to see which university can bleed the most – and save lives while they do it.
Competition CAN be fun and it CAN be productive.
So… drumroll please… This semester, my activity of choice is a book drive. In our text (The Second Shift by Hochschild and Machung) we learn that not all families are created equal. In class, we view a video (Nigel Marsh’s tedtalk about balancing family and work), in which the speaker relates how he read to his son from Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach. We discuss how some families have no books on hand.
This semester (AU16), students in my two 2367 classes will have an opportunity to help children in their community WHILE scratching that itch to compete.
I’ve worked with a staff member from a local middle school to gather a list of these students’ favorite books, authors, and topics. My students will collect books and other supplies that these students (in “inclusive” programs) can use in their classroom. Those students will be encouraged to fall in love with some of those books and be permitted to take them home – to keep – as their own.
I’ll pop in from time-to-time to post updates as we will not be taking one load of donations (as we did with our clothing drive in Sp16), but delivering books and items as we collect them… in order to get them into the hands of those who need them as quickly as possible!
Let the games begin…
Community Involvement – Clothing Drive 2016
Posted by anitajuneparker in HDFS 2367 (aka 367), Local Events, OSU, Sp2016 on September 14, 2016
When possible, I encourage my students to step out of their LITERAL comfort zone – to venture into the community around OSU – to see life through someone else’s lens.
I do this through many of my extra credit opportunities. I also do this – from time to time – with agencies. A few years ago, my 2367 students collected food for the Mid Ohio Foodbank and my “Helping Skills” class was visited by a representative of that foodbank to explain what they do and how we can help. Often, my 5440 students meet activists in the human sexuality realm and learn – firsthand – the challenges they face.
In Spring of 2016, I had two classes of 2367 students and they combined efforts to gather clothing (especially coats and OSU gear) for some students attending Beechcroft High School.
That effort far surpassed expectations and we created a board in Campbell Hall to commemorate the experience.
The whole effort came about organically. I spoke about students – in our own community – who walk to school without coats in the dead of winter. I talked about young people who have no college plans because that seed has not been planted.
My students were ready to help. Wow. What an amazing response it was. Over the course of two weeks, students brought in coats and hoodies along with t-shirts and fun items as well. They were encouraged to donate OSU items to foster college aspirations. The clothing drive was not attached to points or homework. They didn’t get extra credit for donating, but we collected more than 100 items in quick order.
With the assistance of Skye Zuza (at Beechcroft High School), several high school students in the special education program made posters about the drive to share with my students. Ms. Zuza was also instrumental in receiving and distributing the new and gently-used OSU gear to Beechcroft students.
- A special thanks to the students in both of my 2367 classes in the Sp16 Semester – for their generosity and interest in others.
- A special shout-out goes to Deston Howard (of my Monday/Wednesday class) who created the informative maps seen in the bulletin board image above. He took on that mapping project as an individual extra credit project and knocked it out of the park by providing all of us with a visual comparison of the demographics of the communities being served by a few of the wealthiest and poorest schools in our area.
- I am grateful to the staff at Beechcroft – They were essential in getting items to the students who had need and took the opportunity to talk to students about college aspirations.
Photo taken by – and used with permission of – Raquel Bahmer (student)
Speaker: Tara McKenzie Allison on September 6, 2016 @ 11:10 am
Posted by anitajuneparker in Au2016, Extra Credit, HDFS 5440 (aka 370), Speakers on September 5, 2016
Attorney Tara McKenzie Allison
Tara McKenzie Allison will be visiting my HDFS 5440 classroom on The Ohio State University Main Campus (Jennings Hall, Room 060) on Tuesday, September 6 from 11:10 am to 12:30 pm.
Tara is a local attorney who graciously offers her time to my students. Active in the local LGBT community, Tara is a tireless activist supporting equal rights for all people. Her presentation is followed by an informative Question&Answer period. Previous students have described her visit as life changing… and that echoes my sentiments. She is amazing.
If you are in another instructor’s 5440 or you’ve taken it with me previously… YES, you may come. But it is sometimes standing-room only, so be prepared. If you wish to bring a friend? The same thing applies. Make certain they are adults and tell them that chairs aren’t part of the bargain. Note: guests should not ask questions of speakers unless students have exhausted all of their inquiries.
This IS an extra credit opportunity for students in my 2367 class.
More about Tara: In 1987, Tara received her undergraduate degree in Marine Engineering, from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Following graduation, she served as a Commissioned Officer in the US Navy. After being honorably discharged, Tara worked as a nuclear engineer for over a decade. She is a licensed Professional Engineer. In 1999, she partially completed a MBA degree, at the College of William and Mary, before relocating to Columbus. In 2005, Tara graduated from Capital University Law School, cum laude, passed the Ohio Bar Exam, and was admitted to the Ohio Bar. Following graduation from law school, she has served as General Counsel / Contracts Manager for a mid-sized, construction-industry company, in Lexington, KY. In 2008, she relocated back to Columbus, in order to start her own law practice. She is a member of the Columbus Bar Association and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. She practices primarily in the areas of domestic/family law, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgender law, contract law, construction law, and civil litigation. Tara is an active public speaker on LGBT-related issues; she has spoken numerous times at The Ohio State University, The Ohio State University Law School, Capital University Law School, Dennison University, Ohio Northern University, Transylvania University, Columbus Alternative High School, the King Avenue United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio, and the LGBT Subcommittee of the Columbus Bar Association. She has been a presenter at the TransOhio Annual Transgender and Ally Symposium (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011). She has also spoken on LGBT issues at the 2010 Ohio Diversity and Leadership Conference, the 2011 Equality Ohio CAUSE Conference at Columbus State Community College, before the Columbus Community Relations Commission, and the Columbus Police Academy.
NOTE: Please ignore any ads that may appear below. They are not endorsed by me and simply the “cost of doing business” on wordpress under my current license.
We all can’t stay here forever
Posted by anitajuneparker in HDFS 2367 (aka 367), HDFS 5440 (aka 370), OSU, Sp2016 on May 9, 2016
I’m on campus for a meeting today.
Meetings aren’t generally my favorite thing but this one? Relatively painless 🙂
It’s a nice change from grading -to be simply talking with a colleague – and so here I am. Most of the work from Spring 2016 is behind us, and a new Carmen is on its way. Summer (and summer classes) are on the horizon. Change is hard but it is good.
Did you catch that?
Change. Is. Good.
Speaking of change… OSU is very very quiet today. This is what happens when students are either GONE for good, or have headed off for summer plans… or are curled up in a ball nursing their wounds after grade-posting. Here’s hoping it’s one of the first two for all of my students. What a great semester – and what fantastic students. Yes… fantastic for the most part. I said it.
We hear a lot about millennials and it’s often negative. I’ve got news for the world: My students aren’t better OR worse than the generation that came before them. Some of them have their head on straight and are focused on their work. Some of them could not care less about school work. Some are just trying to figure out who they are in the world. That’s okay. It’s what young adults are doing today. It’s the same thing their parents and grandparents did before them.
I want to thank my students for an awesome semester. Some of you gave me a headache but nearly all of you made me smile or laugh at least once. If you screwed up this semester? Time for a change. Don’t let that define you. If you screw up in the future? Same advice. We are all capable of monumental failures and epic achievements. I’ve made my fair share of both. I suspect I’ll do the same in the future 😉
I always ask students to keep in touch if they’ve graduated. Let me know where you land… where life takes you. If you start a business or a family (or both), I’d love to hear about it. If you are at OSU still (or for a visit), let’s meet up for coffee.
I hope you get the chance…
Posted by anitajuneparker in Local Events, Music, OSU, Uncategorized on April 28, 2016
So that happened. Yesterday. There was more violence and much closer than many of us would care to feel it. Scary? Yes. Receiving those “shelter in place” messages can send some of us to a dark place.
Fear.
Fear isn’t terribly useful past its initial “flight or fight” impulse. It’s healthy to fear if it spurs us to action and saves us further damage. Wallowing in it? Avoiding it? Neither are useful. Ah, but the fear can also put us into a fairly primitive place where our minds realize how much of our day-to-day life is just noise. In those moments we receive a gift of sorts: We realize what is and is not truly important to us. That’s useful too.
Fear.
Do your best to face it.
Feel it.
Appreciate the initial message your body and mind communicate to you… they are trying to keep you safe.
My best advice is to FEEL it but not FEED it.
Easier said than done, I know. Take care of yourself – ask for help if you need it – and refocus your energies on the things you CAN control: Studying, for instance (wink).
GOT STRESS? NEED OFFICE HOURS?
Posted by anitajuneparker in Courses, HDFS 2367 (aka 367), HDFS 5440 (aka 370), Sp2016 on April 26, 2016
The semester is winding down, and for many of you that means:
Stress
Anxiety
All the Feels
If you need to see me, I’m holding OPEN OFFICE HOURS today and Thursday.
TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2016 7:30 am – 1:30 pm
(yup, I’m already here!)
and
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016 7:30 am – 1:30 pm
If you need to see me at another time, you will need to schedule private office hours. These are possible, but limited.
Whether you visit during drop-in hours or by-appointment, please come prepared with specific questions or concerns. Help me help you.
Don’t want to see me but anxious about grades? Please be patient as I chip away at this mountain of papers! You will be notified when all grades are in Carmen and ready for the Registrar’s office. If you have anything lower than an “A” I will give you an opportunity to verify your grades before the push to the main system.
Now – On a very serious note: If your stress levels have exceeded your coping strategies, please seek some help. There are lots of resources in the community. There are folks on campus that can talk with you as well. They’ll help you develop strategies to cope with finals as well as other issues. The Younkin Success Center offers excellent Wellness Services that cover everything from tutoring/studying assistance to counseling. Heck, if you are a graduating Senior, you can even go get help with your resume or career search!
If you need help… make sure to ask!
Vagina Monologues
Posted by anitajuneparker in Local Events, Uncategorized on April 26, 2016
If you’ve ever wanted to see them (or to see them again… since they are so different each time), check out the local Vagina Monologues this Friday or Sunday! You’ll probably recognize some faces (Tara for one!). Sadly, not mine. Nope… I can’t make it 😦
There is a cost (ten dollars at the door) or you can pre-purchase tickets online to be sure you get a spot. As I type this, there are still some TABLES available too in case you want to take a group and get comfortable!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1583991648557392/
This is Public Health
Posted by anitajuneparker in Uncategorized on April 25, 2016
Today, at our last class meeting of the semester (for HDFS 2367 Mon/Wed) a student shared a bumper sticker with me. Here it is!
She said it seemed like a very good fit with the class we’ve shared and I agree. That’s why I am sharing the information with you now after checking out the website first, of course. I love it when students make connections with course material and share information (like this) with me.
THIS IS PUBLIC HEALTH
(from their website):
About
The This is Public Health (TIPH) campaign was created by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) to brand public health and raise awareness of how public health affects individuals, families, communities, and populations. The simple statement – This is Public Health – has proven to be a powerful tool in raising awareness about and support for public health efforts. Join this global effort to promote public health awareness.
Social
This is Public Health promotes public health awareness through social media, which allows users to interact with the campaign via Facebook or Instagram. Take photos of public health efforts, issues, or events and share your photos on social media by using #thisispublichealth. Stay up to date with photo contests, monthly challenges, and campaign activities by following us on social media.
Resources
Interested in getting involved? The resource page is where you’ll find materials to help you build your campaign. Traditionally, the campaign utilizes stickers with the slogan This is Public Health placed in strategic locations around communities to build awareness of the many ways in which public health impacts our well being. Other resources include campaign downloads, messaging, and videos.
Speakers and Organizations
Attorney Tara McKenzie Allison
Goddessy
eroticawakening.com
PolyColumbus
adventuresinsexuality.org
