When trying to decided what to write about in this week’s column, I found myself wobbling between two subjects. I direly wanted to respond to a letter to the editor written by a Mr. Chris Maher concerning the placement of advertisements for the Eagle Bar. I came to the conclusion, however, that there is no shortage of bigots, not even on a college campus and therefore, the opportunity to respond to this type of infantile mentality would arise again. As for the other subject, the time is right.On the heels of a debate concerning the inherent value of the Honors Center here at OSU that played itself out on the pages of the Lantern, the honors program has experienced a great loss. In the recent edition of an Honors Center newsletter, David Hothersall announced that this will be his last term as director of the University Honors Center. The loss of Hothersall will not go unnoticed by the students of the honors program, nor the staff. Looking back upon my personal experiences with Hothersall, numerous instances of his dedication to the honors program and its students come to mind, but one in particular stands out. Upon arriving at OSU in the fall of 1996, I was very excited to be starting my college career. I had great expectations about my college experience, and was ready to have them met. About five weeks into the quarter, however, I became ill. A gloomy fall and early winter caused me to experience one of the worst episodes of Seasonal Affected Disorder that I can remember. This, compounded with chronic sinusitis, which would later require surgery, left me virtually helpless. I had trouble with my vision, trouble with my health, and was so let down by the fallacy of my expectations that I was ready to leave the university altogether. My hopes and dreams of living out a college experience I had begun to plan my junior year of high school were crushed. Mentally, my bags were packed and I was ready to head home. Had it not been for the compassion and support of Hothersall and Mabel Freeman (associate director of the honors program), I would have certainly found myself a Florida State Seminole, or a UCLA Bruin within a year. Because of their dedication to the students of the honors program and the university in general, I was able to remain a buckeye, for which I am eternally grateful and forever in their debt. As a result, I find the honors program’s loss of Hothersall tragic, and am only slightly comforted to know that he will not be leaving the Ohio State University community altogether. It turns out that the Honors Center’s loss will certainly be the Psychology department’s gain, as Hothersall will have more time to serve as both a professor and scholar.I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hothersall, a great director, a great scholar, a great professor, and a great man. The impact he has had on my life is immense, and I am sure I speak for all the students of the honors program when I thank you for leaving the honors program and students it nurtures, a little better than you found them.
Andrew J. Hall is a regular Lantern columnist.
