 "Photo: Courtesy of Student Body University")
Fifteen female Ohio State students made a trip to Middle Bass Island June 12-16 to pose in the summer sun wearing their best bikinis.
The women were on an all-expenses paid trip to pose for photos for the upcoming "Women of OSU" calendar, set to be in stores by fall.
"It was really fun," said Ebony Hatcher, a sophomore in communication. "The shoots lasted about 15 minutes for each girl and the rest of the day we were able to lay by the pool and get some sun."
Ebony Hatcher and her twin sister, Ivory Hatcher, a junior in strategic communication, both posed for the calendar, but were only there for two days.
"It was a great time for everyone," Ivory Hatcher said. "We didn't know any of the girls before, but now we have become friends with some of them."
The calendar is being produced by Student Body University, a Newark-based company that creates calendars, specializing in ones of the college swimsuit variety. The models do not receive any monetary compensation, but some feel that the exposure of being in a mass-produced calendar is enough compensation.
"Getting yourself out there like that is huge," Ivory Hatcher said.
The calendar will be titled "Women of OSU," said Shane Miller, director of marketing at SBU, and other than the title will have no references to the university.
"We're not trying to illegally use any OSU trademarks or anything like that in any way," Miller said.
Rick Van Brimmer, director of OSU Trademark & Licensing Services, said he does not think there is going to be a problem with the calendar and trademarks.
Despite these comments, some Ohio media outlets have made this calendar into an issue.
Two Ohio television stations have aired stories about what they say is a "controversy." The original story was aired by a Cleveland station and then picked up by a local station.
In the story, women are shown at the photo shoot. In addition, an interview with Van Brimmer and shots of a 1999 OSU-themed swimsuit calendar that the university had stopped, via court ruling.
During the TV interview with Van Brimmer all types of licensed OSU merchandise are shown, including swimsuits, which the reporter specifically points out.
Van Brimmer thinks the media were trying to make something out of nothing.
"The calendar in '99 featured unauthorized uses of OSU logos and trademarks," he said. "The issue was with copyright and trademark infringement, not swimsuits."
OSU won its case in U.S. District Court in August 1999 and that resulted in all of the "Scarlet & Gray Girls" calendars being destroyed.
It does not appear that this new calendar will cause those types of problems.
"We just wanted to do something fun that people would enjoy," Miller said. "And the girls had fun and got to make some new friends."
"Swimsuit calendars are pretty benign and you're going to have them," Van Brimmer said. "That's not something we're worried about."
Ebony and Ivory Hatcher agree.
"I don't see what the big deal is," Ebony Hatcher said.
"There's no OSU stuff on there," Ivory Hatcher said. "I don't see how it could be a problem.
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