Why Get Involved?

The University Honors and Scholars Center offers many different opportunities for involvement through the Center’s events, activities and organizations. It is very important for you to get involved as an Honors and Scholars student as it enables you to connect with your peers, faculty, and staff around campus; gives you an opportunity to be exposed to new cultures and new experiences; and assists you in making the most of your honors and scholars experience at the university.

We do our best to keep you informed about what’s going on at the Center and on campus through Honors & Scholars Net. Look for an email from us every Monday with tons of information about activities and special opportunities that are available to you as Honors & Scholars students.

Events

The Honors and Scholars Move-In Day Reception is hosted by the Honors and Scholars Center each year on Move-In Day. Honors and Scholars students and their parents are invited to stop by to enjoy some refreshments and interact with the Honors and Scholars Staff.

The Honors and Scholars Open House and Activities Fair is open to all Honors and Scholars students. It is an opportunity to learn about the Center’s various organizations, service initiatives, and events.  Yummy refreshments are always provided.

The Honors Scheduling Bonanza is hosted by the Honors Student Advisory Board each autumn and winter quarter. This is an opportunity for students to talk with faculty about the upcoming quarter’s courses that will fulfill Honors requirements.  The winter quarter event also features research, study abroad, and scholarship information.

The Hunger Banquet is a service program held each year that exposes students to the unequal distribution of hunger in the world through an interactive experience. This event coincides with a food drive that is held each fall quarter.

Pinwheels for Prevention involves a Spring Quarter display of thousands of pinwheels on the South Oval that represent the number of reported cases of child abuse and neglect in Franklin County each year. Students can sponsor a pinwheel for $1.00 and all money raised is donated to Prevent Child Abuse Ohio.

The Denman Undergraduate Research Forum is a research competition that provides a means for undergraduate students to share their research with members and friends of the OSU community; to recognize the significant contributions to research by OSU undergraduates; and to facilitate exchange between students, faculty, and the public. Cash prizes are awarded each year.

For specific event dates please visit our calendar.

Programs

Fireside Chats provide an informal opportunity for Honors & Scholars students to interact with faculty in the cozy surroundings of the Kuhn Honors & Scholars House.  Fireside Chats are focused on hot topics and current issues. Alumni Fireside Chat Series offer interaction with Honors & Scholars alumni: topics are generally career-related which allows current students to learn from real-world experiences. The Lunch & Learn Series brings students, faculty and staff together for lunch in the Kuhn Honors & Scholars House to discuss career and graduate/professional school options. Coordinated by Unity, Dinner & Dialogue Programs invite faculty to facilitate conversations about issues relating to multiculturalism and diversity over ethnic cuisine. The Honors and Scholars Research Series features discussions, lectures and workshops where students can learn about getting started in research, enhancing research skills and the cutting edge research occurring at Ohio State. For specific event dates please visit our calendar.

Organizations

Diversity/Art-Related Organizations

Mosaic is a student organization that promotes undergraduate art and literature at Ohio State by sponsoring quarterly poetry readings, art exhibits, and other cultural events. The publication of a student-produced literary magazine occurs annually in the spring.

Unity provides opportunities for students who are interested in programs and education surrounding multiculturalism and diversity. The group organizes:

• The Dinner & Dialogue Series which invites faculty to facilitate discussions over ethnic cuisine.
• The John Rudolph Book Program which invites interested students to read a selected book each quarter and then join the author or a faculty member for a book discussion and dinner.
• The Cultural Events Series that subsidizes tickets to various performances throughout the year, and sponsors local, national, and international trips.  Destinations include The Columbus Zoo, The Franklin Park Conservatory, Chicago, New York City, and Toronto. 

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Leadership Organizations

Association of Ohio State Class Honoraries (AOSCH) is the governing board for the general class honoraries and honor societies. AOSCH comprises eight student organizations (2 per rank) which are all dedicated to scholarship, leadership, and service.

Leadership Ohio State is a first year leadership development program which offers cultural and volunteer opportunities, as well as faculty and social interaction.

The Honors Student Advisory Board provides the Associate Provost a critical student perspective on issues related to the Honors experience.

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Recruitment Organizations

Honors Ambassadors are a select group of volunteers who assist the University Honors & Scholars Center in its efforts to recruit and transition outstanding students to the university. They conduct residence hall tours, co-facilitate overview sessions and help organize campus recruitment events.

Honors & Scholars Hosts welcome visitors to Kuhn Honors & Scholars House.  H&S Hosts also assist with our overnight visitation program.

Scholars Ambassadors are a select group of volunteers from all of the Scholars Programs. They conduct residence hall tours, co-facilitate overview sessions and help organize campus recruitment events while representing OSU and The Ohio State Scholars Program.

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Service Organizations

Adopt-a-school is a student organization which provides Ohio State students with tutoring opportunities at nearby Indianola Middle School and Alton Darby Elementary School. As tutors, our OSU students work in a structured environment to help the children by aiding in their studies and serving as a mentor.

Aspire is a service organization designed to increase the aspiration of high-ability, economically disadvantaged high school students and their parents to successfully complete the college search, application, and transition process. This organization utilizes a hands-on, step by step approach to increase the aspiration of these students to successfully graduate from high school and enroll in and complete their post secondary education.

Serving with Honor provides students with opportunities to serve the community in a variety of ways. The program features assistance with locating sites at which to serve and opportunities to participate in service events, projects and discussions that are grounded in social justice issues.

Social Issue Immersion Projects enable students to focus on one social justice issue throughout a quarter by immersing themselves in the issue through a chosen book, community site experiences, and presentations by professors, community partners and authors. Past Social Issue Immersion Projects include: Housing and Homelessness; Child Maltreatment and Prevention; HIV and AIDS; and Prisoner Reentry.

For specific event dates please visit our calendar.  

Trips/Excursions

The Honors & Scholars Center offers domestic excursions each year. Students have traveled to Washington D.C. to tour the Holocaust Museum and national monuments; Chicago for a first-hand glimpse of the history and culture of the city; and New York City to focus on Harlem and visiting sites such as the Apollo Theatre and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture as well as on immigration through the Big Onion Tour and a stop at Ellis Island. The 2009-2010 will feature an excursion to Chicago, sponsored by Unity, to explore the working poor through destinations such as the Hull House, the first Settlement House in the United States, and other historic landmarks that can only be found in this vibrant city. There are also many short-term study abroad programs available through Honors & Scholars. For more information about these opportunities, click here.

Serving With Honor

What is it?

Serving with Honor is the Honors & Scholars service organization that provides students with opportunities to serve the community in a variety of ways. The program features assistance with locating sites at which to serve and opportunities to participate in service events, projects and discussions that are grounded in social justice issues.

Visit our new website:http://servingwithhonor.org.ohio-state.edu

Our Goals:

• Provide our Honors and Scholars students with exposure to the social justice issues and -isms that exist in the University district and Columbus area through service projects
• Educate students on becoming advocates for service
• Strengthen healthy relationships between students and the university and Columbus community

What We Do:

• Represent the Serving with Honor Program at activity fairs or other functions where it makes sense
• Coordinate “big group” service projects
• Sponsor fireside chats or lunch and learns
• Sponsor various service projects and events (2 per quarter)

How To Get Involved:

• Sign up for the Serving with Honor (SWH) listserv by contacting Vicki Pitstick at pitstick.10@osu.edu and ask her to include you.
• Sign up to be on a committee (see list below) – contact Vicki Pitstick at pitstick.10@osu.edu to let her know of your specific committee interest – your committee chair will then contact you within the coming weeks.
  Note: You do not have to be on a committee to participate in our projects throughout the year.
• Watch H&S Net (sent every Monday) and the SWH listserv for specifics on volunteering for projects listed.

Highlights of 2008-2009 Year:

Fall Quarter - Empty Bowls Project – Students made and glazed clay bowls to be sold at our Empty Bowls Event. During this event the campus community is invited to the Honors & Scholars House to buy a hand-made bowl for a $10 donation. They are then served a bowl of soup, bread, and a beverage and all money donated benefits the Mid-Ohio Food Bank to help fight hunger in Central Ohio. The majority of the soup is donated by local restaurants. 2008 sponsors included Potbelly’s and McFadden’s. The Empty Bowls project raised $600.00 in 2008-2009!

Winter Quarter - Students made 40 no-sew fleece blankets and distributed them to homeless people living off the land in downtown Columbus.

Spring Quarter - Serving with Honor sponsored the Pinwheels for Prevention Project for the third year in a row. As April was Child Abuse Prevention Month, we partnered with Prevent Child Abuse Ohio to honor the victims of child abuse and raise awareness concerning this ongoing problem by bringing the Pinwheels for Prevention display to campus. On Monday, April 13th, over 4,000 pinwheels, representing one-half of the child abuse or neglect cases reported in Franklin County last year, were planted on the South Oval and remained on display through Friday, April 17th. Students were able to "sponsor" a pinwheel for a $1 donation! Thank you to the countless students, staff, and faculty who contributed and volunteered their time throughout the project.

Plans for 2009-2010:

This year Serving with Honor will again deal with social justice issues such as homelessness, hunger, and youth development.  If you are interested in being on one of the committees listed, please contact advisor, Vicki Pitstick at pitstick.10@osu.edu.

Serving with Honor Committees:

Hunger Committee

Hunger is the #1 social issue facing the Columbus area, and this committee will focus on projects aimed at helping relieve this issue in our community. This committee will be responsible for planning and implementing the Empty Bowls Project and the Hunger Banquet in autumn quarter and conducting the H&S Food Pantry for the entire year (see below for further descriptions about each of these events). New projects related to hunger may also be created by this committee.

The Empty Bowls Project involves a bowl-making event and fundraiser. Hand-made bowls are made and donated through the Columbus Recreation & Parks Dept. On Oct. 30^th the campus community will be invited to a lunch-time event where they can buy a bowl for a donation of $10 – they also receive soup, bread, and a drink for their donation. All funds raised go to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank to help fight hunger in Franklin County.

The Annual Hunger Banquet will take place during fall quarter. This program is designed to give students an idea of the extent of hunger that exists in our community.

The H&S Food Pantry requests specific, non-perishable items to be collected each month. Our goal is to collect at least 100 units of the requested item each month through drop-off sites at Taylor Tower, Lincoln House, and the Kuhn Honors & Scholars House. All items collected are given to NSI, Inc., a local food pantry located within the university district.

Homelessness and Housing Committee

This committee will plan and implement events and activities focused on the issue of Homelessness and Housing in Columbus. Two of the projects that are this committee’s responsibility are described below. New projects that relate to this issue may also be created by this committee.

The Blanket Project consists of coordinating a presentation on homelessness in Franklin County for students. Following the program, students make no-sew blankets for homeless individuals that are then delivered to homeless individuals throughout Franklin county.

Star II Program - The Star II Program provides supplies and services to homeless teens living on the street. Serving with Honor sends volunteers there each week to interact with the teens and also holds monthly events at the facility such as football parties, spaghetti dinners, and other activities.

Children-Centered Committee

This committee works with our projects that are related to children. These include:

The Giving Tree benefits children who are struggling with various issues during the holidays. Committee members choosing the organization that will benefit from the Giving Tree, publicize the project, then organize and deliver donated items. The Giving Tree has benefited the children at the Dowd Center and children whose parents are incarcerated.

The Pen Pal Program – Serving with Honor works to establish and maintain a pen pal program with local Columbus City School children. Students serve as pen pals but also plan quarterly activities with the children.

The Pinwheel Project, Pinwheels for Prevention, brings awareness to the issue of child abuse. April 2010 will mark the 5th year that Serving With Honor has hosted the pinwheel display on campus. We are planning some very special events for this landmark year and hope to raise more money than in the past! Committee responsibilities include publicity, fundraising, volunteer coordination and of course, pinwheel plotting.

Sciences Day - Committee invite local school children to campus for an entire day of experiments and demonstrations focused on science which is planned and implemented by Serving With Honor students.

Other Service Efforts - Serving with Honor also gets involved with other service efforts throughout the year. New opportunities are continually listed on H&S Net – the Honors & Scholars list serve.

Social Issue Immersion Projects

What is it?

Social Issue Immersion Projects are unique programs offered each quarter that enable students to focus on one social justice issue throughout a quarter. Students don’t just do service, they themselves in the projects in the following ways:

• Reading a book and/or articles focused on the issue
• Serving 25 – 30 hours at a community service site that focuses on the issue
• Hearing presentations by guest speakers - including professors, community partners, and authors - to educate students more about the issue
• Other discussions and unique experiences related to the social justice issue

2008-2009 Social Issue Immersion Projects

Fall Quarter – Mental Health: The Good, the Bad, and the Societal Impact
Winter Quarter – Elder Care
Spring Quarter – HIV & AIDS

2007-2008 Social Issue Immersion Projects

Fall Quarter - Housing and Homelessness
Book: The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
Service Sites: 1494 Residence, Maryhaven Engagement Center, MAP Furniture Bank Dowd Center/Homeless Families Foundation 

Winter Quarter – Who IS and Who IS NOT Coming to College?: Economic Access to Education
Book: A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind
Service Sites: I Know I Can, Southside Settlement House; Ohio College Access Network; OSU Office of
Economic Access; OSU Outreach Office (part of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience), South High Library Homework Help Center

Spring Quarter – Sex on the College Campus Book: Selected Case Studies Used Instead
Service Sites: Planned Parenthood; Pregnancy Decision Health Centers, OSU Student Wellness Center, Columbus Public Health

2006-2007 Social Issue Immersion Projects

Fall Quarter – HIV and AIDS
Book: My Own Country: A Doctor’s Story by Abraham Verghese
Service Sites: OSU Student Wellness Center, Columbus AIDS Task Force, Tobias Project, Project OpenHand

Winter Quarter – Child Maltreatment and Prevention
Book: Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory
Service Sites: Center for Child and Family Advocacy

Spring Quarter – Life After Prison: This Issues Faced by Ex-Offenders
Book: Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble and Coming of Age in the Bronx by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
Service Sites: Franklin Pre-Release Center, Adult Parole Authority, Corrections Medical Center, Ohio Reformatory for Women, Pickaway Correctional Institution, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction

2005-2006 Social Issue Immersion Projects

Fall Quarter - Housing and Homelessness
Book: The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
Service Sites: YWCA Family Center: Volunteers of America, COHHIO,
Homeless Families Foundation

Winter Quarter - Child Maltreatment and Prevention
Book: A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer
Service Site: Center for Child and Family Advocacy

Spring Quarter - Access to Education for Students with Disabilities
Book: Planet of the Blind by Stephen Kuusisto
Service Sites: Ohio School for the Blind, Columbus Public Schools classrooms

**Please note: project issues subject to change

Social Issue Immersion Projects are a way for students to get a deeper service experience while learning as much about a social issue as they possibly can.