Post (Athens, Ohio) February 13 2008

              the post 02.13.08 WEDNESDAY WWW.THEPOST.OHIOU.EDU ATHENS, OHIO OSU lawyer hired as OU interim director of legal affairs David M. Hendricks Jr. | CAMPUS SENIOR WRITER dh100006@ohiou.edu A lawyer who works part-time for Ohio State University and has 16 years of experience in higher education law was appointed Ohio University's interim director of legal affairs yesterday. John). Biancamano, who was approached several weeks ago about filling the interim position, signed a contract with OU yesterday. He will take charge of the Office of Legal Affairs' $600,000 budget and seven staff members. Biancamano will split his time between Athens, where he will earn a $59,288 annualized salary as interim director of legal affairs, and Columbus, where he earns a $88,932 annualized salary as senior associateassociate general counsel for OSU. His total salary, $148,220, now will be equal to what he earned before he retired from full-time work at OSU late last year. "I've kind of resigned myself to working Saturdays to keep up with both," Biancamano said, adding that he will officially work two days each week in Athens and the remaining three in Columbus. Biancamano said he was uncertain whether he would be a candidate for the permanent position. "If I wasn't interested in OU, I wouldn't have signed up for the position," he said. If the simultaneous appointments create q conflict of interest, OU must pay to hire an outside counsel, said Michelle Gatchell of the Ohio attorney general's office. "We don't see any conflicts of interest; they are .both state institutions," Biancamano said, adding that the attorney general's office offers legal assistance to all state universities. "We are all working as part of the same family." Biancamano relieves OU President Roderick Mc- Davis, who wrote in a Jan. 7 e-mail that he would serve as the interim director of legal affairs until a more permanent director was found. An assistant attorney general handled legal questions during McDavis' tenure, which lasted about a month, while McDavis handled day-to-day administrative matters. McDavis declined to comment on his tenure as interim director through Joe Brennan, executive director of Communications and Marketing. In a statement, McDavis said he looked forward to working with Biancamano and was pleased that he accepted OU's offer. OU's director of legal affairs John Burns retired Jan. 1. Hired to that position in 1971, he is the only person to hold the title to date. Though retired, Burns continues to advise OU on a number of ongoing lawsuits that began during his tenure. OU has not posted the director's position on its job search Web site but has convened a 13-member search committee and hired a search firm to find a new director, according to a university news release.Sally Linder, OU senior director of media relations, was not able to say how much the search firm would be paid before deadline yesterday. Alumnus helps CRANK out THAT hit song Katherine Bercik | FOR THE POST kbl28005@ohiou.edu When Ohio University alumnus Stuart Pflaum attended the Grammy Awards Sunday evening, many people assumed he was someone's son or had good connections because of his young age. But Pflaum was there for a good reason. His music publishing company, Element 9 Recordings, helped distribute the song "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," which was nominated for Best Rap Song. Although the Grammy went to Kanye West for "Good Life," the 26-yearold Ohio University graduate said he was honored to be at the Grammys so early in his career. "It was flattering when a lot of these peop'e who I spoke (with) found out how vital a role I played in the success of Soulja Boy's record," he wrote in an e-mail after the ceremony. Element 9 Recordings markets and promotes up-and-coming hip-hop artists, particularly through online campaigns, Pflaum said. While Element 9 did not record the song, the company got it circulating on the Internet and was the first to get it playing on the radio. The attention the nomination created has opened the door to many prospects for the young company. "With this exposure, we've seen an increase of clients," Pflaum said, adding that there is a possibility the company will partner with a major distribution label or other record labels. Element 9 is only two-and-a-half years old, but Pflaum said he thinks it might become a household name within a short period of time. Looking back on the success of "Crank That," Pflaum said his experiences at OU prepared him for the politics of the music industry. PROVIDED PHOTO Stuart Pflaum, an OU alumnus who graduated in 2006 with a degree in entertainment law and management, attended the Grammys on Sunday, The song he helped publicize, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," was nominated tor Best Rap Song. HDL Center to officially become part of university Caitlin Bowling | TOR THE POST cb119506@ohiou.edu At Friday's Board of Trustees meeting, trustees unanimously approved the $9.25 million purchase of the HDL Center by Ohio University. OU currently pays $826,680 per year to lease a total of 68,890 square feet in the HDL Center, plus another $137,780 a year in utilities, according to a memo from Bill Decatur, vice president for Finance and Administration. The university will purchase the entire 105,000 square-foot HDL Center. The university will save $7 million over the next 20 years by purchasing the HDL Center, which it has leased for the past ten years. OU was locked in a ten-year lease, which expired June 30,2007, said Decatur. OU was leasing the building from Harold Laughlin, who purchased the property after OU moved several financial offices to Lindley Hall. In early 2007, the university began examining its options, according to the memo. These included extending the lease another five to ten years, leaving the HDL Center for another off-campus building or a vacant space on campus, extending the lease for two and a half years while renovating a future space or purchasing the HDL Center. If the lease were renewed, OU would pay $13.40 per square foot leased for the first year, compared to the previous $l2 per square foot leased, according to the memo. Utilities would also increase by $12,000 in the first year. "The lease payments that we'd be making are going to pay the debt service and pay for the operations of the building," Decatur said. The memo also listed the Central Classroom facility, located west of Chubb Hall, and The Ridges as potential replacements Name change approved for Women’s Studies department Ashley Lutz | CULTURE SENIOR WRITER al164906@ohiou.edu The Women's Studies department at Ohio University will soon have a new name that faculty say is more appropriate for the modern world. The department will change its name to Women's and Gender Studies effective Fall Quarter 2008. "The new name is more accurate to the wide range of topics we study, such as gay rights," said 'Judith Grant, department chair. The change was first discussed two years ago after concerns were raised that the title of "Women's Studies" was too exclusive to fulfill the department's goal of educate students on the complexities of gender, Grant said. The Women's Studies Curriculum and Advisory Committee discussed the change and sent out a survey seeking input from more than 70 faculty members, she said. The committee received all positive responses from the survey but was then faced with the challenge of whether to change the name to "Women's and Gender Studies" or just "Gender Studies," she said. The committee ultimately chose Women's and Gender Studies because they didn't want to negate the original purpose of the department as a resource for feminine studies, Grant said. The old name expressed an outdated approach, said Jeannette Klein, an OU art professor who is a member of the committee."We just felt that the name change was more appropriate to the nature of the program," Klein said. After being approved by the committee Fall Quarter, the request for the change was forwarded to the University Curriculum Council, who approved the request in January. Beginning Fall Quarter 2008, student DARS reports and transcripts will reflect the name change, sajd Patrick Beatty, associate university registrar. Diplomas from this school year for a major or minor will not reflect the name change, he said. OU is the second public university in the state to change the women's studies department name to Women's and Meeting about strip club decision delayed Brigitta Burks | STAFF WRITER bb115006@ohiou.edu An Athens City Board of Zoning Appeals meeting that was set to discuss the possibility of a strip club moving into the former New-to-You Shoppe location has been rescheduled for personal reasons, said Steve Pierson, code enforcement director. Chris Stotts, who applied for a zoning perniit for the 11 and 13 W. Stimson Ave. property owned by Prokos Rentals, Inc., has also hired a lawyer. That lawyer, Scott Mergenthaler, works for the Columbus-based firm Carlile, Patchen and Murphy LLP, Pierson said. The zoning board will meet March .11 because Mergenthaler needed to attend calling hours last night for the death of a friend, Mergenthaler said. "I wanted to go there, rather than attend a zoning meeting," Mergenthaler said. Stotts previously stated that he might not have been able to attend the original meeting because of his undisclosed job. "Mr. Stotts is anxious'to cooperate with the city in the application process and is hopeful that the permit will be granted," Mergenthaler wrote in a letter sent to Pierson Feb. 5. The strip club does not break any city codes and denying Stotts the use of 11 and 13 W. Stimson Ave. would violate his First Amendment rights, wrote Mergenthaler. It is hoped that the referral to the zoning board is not a ploy to delay the club so that laws forbidding such businesses are passed, Mergenthaler wrote, adding later that "I have no reason to believe that anything nefarious is going on." City Council introduced a resolution Feb. 4 that stipulates the distances that sexually-oriented businesses must be from certain types of buildings. If passed, the resolution will not affect the strip club or any other businesses that are already open, said Peg Cohn, Athens Planning Commission chairwoman. SNOW HEAVENLY ■ Sam Saccone I STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER , Outside of Washington Hall yesterday morning, students took advantage of •T- freshly fallen snow by making snow angels. THE SCOOP www.thepost.ohiou.edu THEWEB + Managing Editor Rick Rouan writes about the stories behind the news THEINSIDE + Game nights bring students to Baker Page 3 * THEOUTSIDE TODAY 36720° TODAY 43732° See SONG, Page 4 See HDL. Page 4 See WOMEN. Page 4