Off-campus ambassadors inform, unite students

Tornado sirens and pouring rain could not keep students on Eighth Avenue from attending Drew Tisdale’s community cookout last fall.

“The forecast said it was going to rain, and this guy had a porch, so we all just crammed in,” said Tisdale, a senior in communication. “When it started pouring, there were about 25 people there and two more guys showed up in the middle of the tornado warning just to get free food.”

Tisdale is one of 22

community ambassadors at Ohio State who try to bring the students on their streets together by holding fall and spring cookouts, safety seminars and community competitions such as Light Up The Night and the May Madness Off-campus Cornhole Tournament.

The idea for community ambassadors started in 2002, when rioting and parties began to get out of control at OSU, said Sean McLaughlin, assistant director of Off-Campus Student Services.

“I believe the CA program has helped the area around campus and made students more aware of what is going on in their communities,” McLaughlin said. “As a program, we are trying to get students thinking differently about their neighborhoods.”

Since the winter of 2003, almost every street from Eighth Avenue to Oakland Avenue has had one or more CAs. The CAs work with students on their streets to create a community and keep students safe and well-informed.

“The purpose of a CA is not to enforce rules, but to inform the community about things that are going on and make them aware of all of the resources available to them,” McLaughlin said.

The job description of a CA includes planning community events, marketing the events, sending out newsletters to students and fielding questions.

“We really want the CAs to be mini-experts for students to go to,” McLaughlin said.

Some perks of being a CA are a $100 monthly stipend during the academic year, free supplies for community cookouts, great experience in leadership and a highlight for resumes, McLaughlin said.

Tisdale said he has enjoyed his year as a CA and thinks the program benefits students.

“Students living off-campus don’t have time to get to know each other,” Tisdale said. “We give them an outlet to meet neighbors.”

Tisdale hosted a safety event at the Drexel theater in the fall. Stephen Swihart, a senior in math and physics, was one of the students who attended.

“Drew had a police officer come in and talk about crime and other things that were useful,” Swihart said. “I liked the event because we talked about relevant things and it was more informative than a community cookout.”

Swihart also enjoyed the cookouts and said they were good for meeting people on the street and finding out about events around campus.

Julie Baker, a junior in finance, decided to become a CA on Oakland Avenue this year because she wanted to help build community on her street and said she believes the program helps improve safety.

“I definitely think it helps when people know there are bad things happening on their street,” Baker said. “It becomes more real.”

As a CA, Baker said she has been able to meet many of her neighbors, and events such as cookouts have made her street friendlier.

CAs hold events throughout the year. Each fall, the CAs present Light Up The Night, a community competition of holiday house decorating. The winners of the event receive Best Buy gift certificates for up to $2,000.

The fourth annual May Madness Off-Campus Cornhole Tournament will take place Saturday. The tournament is for pairs of students living off campus and is free to enter.

Members of the winning team each receive a 27-inch flat-screen TV. The event begins at 1 p.m. at Drinko Hall, and free food will be available all day. The deadline to enter the tournament is Thursday, and anyone interested can enter at offcampus.osu.edu/cornhole.asp.

Students who are interested in becoming community ambassadors for their streets for the upcoming academic year can apply online at offcampus.osu.edu/ambassadors.asp or contact Off-Campus Student Services at [email protected].

Ashley Bass can be reached at [email protected].