The Beet
Bartending class will soon count for chemistry EM credit
COLUMBUS – University officials have confirmed that Ohio State will begin counting bartending classes as EM credit for chemistry, beginning with the start of Autumn Quarter 2008.
The news was confirmed late last week in a statement released by the Department of Chemistry. "We have taken a bold step, adapting our academic programs to account for our students' 'real world' experience," says department chair Bruce Burnsten. "This helps make our discipline more accessible."
OSU is not an innovator when it comes to taking its students' work experience into account when it comes to doling out credit towards degrees; other institutions in Central Ohio and the rest of the state have taken similar steps.
Neighboring Franklin University grants credit for criminology classes to students who have worked as security guards, and The Columbus State University is in its third year of offering an associate's degree in organic chemistry and mixology. Northwest Ohio's Bowling Green University rewards former and current bar and club bouncers with physical education credits.
The Department of Chemistry's press release also announced the creation of the Richard P. Lewis Endowed Chair in Single-Malt Liquor, which was made possible by a significant donation by alumnus Richard Lewis, a noted actor, writer, comedian, and drunk.
Bartending's newfound collegiate recognition has already been a boon to Ohio State's recruitment materials. The reclassification of nearly two-dozen campus area bars as laboratories has added to the university's research facilities. Alcohol-mixing's newfound legitimacy has made it natural for the people who market OSU to brag about decades of cutting-edge research by students in Columbus.
Some students are already combining bartending classes with strenuous physical education classes, creating an interdisciplinary degree that would create drink-mixers in the mold of Tom Cruise's character in "Cocktail."
Bartending's increasing acceptance in chemical circles has top chemistry publisher Elsevier considering the acquisition of alcohol-related magazines, like the bimonthly Imbibe magazine or the ever popular Malt Advocate.
Concert tracker Pollstar says Obama tour #3 this summer
LOS ANGELES – A recently released report by the trade publication Pollstar says that presidential hopeful Barack Obama was the third most popular touring act this summer, behind acts from the reunited Who and Coldplay.
“Senator Obama’s overseas trip into the Middle East and Europe drew crowds exceeding 200,000 people, which far exceeds older, more established acts like Radiohead or the newly reformed Stone Temple Pilots,” says Pollstar analyst Jarryd Downs.
Obama is not the first American act to find more success on foreign soil than in his own country. Illinois rock band Cheap Trick enjoyed moderate success stateside, but are superstars in Japan, regarded by many as the “American Beatles.” Niche metal acts from the U.S., like Iced Earth and Death have found similar popularity touring in Europe.
Music critics have so far been impressed with Obama’s onstage setlist. “His vision of an Obama-led America is incredibly reminiscent of David Bowie’s ‘Changes,’” says pretentious reviewer Timothy Page. “I find his compromise on domestic wiretapping very similar to the Police’s ‘Every Breath You Take.’ It’s masterful.”
Obama’s ascent to the top of the touring charts vaults him into the company of other megastar entertainers like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, both of whom are critically acclaimed entertainers.
The Illinois senator will end his summer tour August 28 at Denver’s Invesco Field. His performance will cap a week-long festival held by the Democratic Party to select their presidential nominee. President and Senator Clinton’s Sonny & Cher cover band is slated to open for Obama. Tickets are first come first served. Gates open at 7 p.m.
Originally Published: Issue 663 - August 13, 2008
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