Today's Update: High Five Friday
July 10, 2026
Dear Student Life team,
Happy High Five Friday!
Why does the air conditioning always seem to go out on the hottest days of the year? It’s what happened in part of the Wilce Student Health Center during the recent heat wave, so High Five to the Student Health Services team for their flexibility and perseverance. Several teams worked together to help everyone get through it. High Fives to everyone involved including Robert Thorne, Jim Robinson, Stacey Renker, Teri Cugliari, Josh Tabler, Lisa Poturalski, Chuck Petty, Pete Calamari, Michael Scheller, Scott Crum, Michelina Markiewicz, Isaac Faulds, Matt Pfeifer, David Markiewicz, Chris Wandel, Troy Keller, Rahul Ponappa, Chris Coleman, Kathie Serif, Nick Arabian, Chad Osborne, Michelle Rankin, Mindy Clagg, Zach Talstein, Hannah Davenport as well as the Dining Services Central Production Kitchen team who provided freezers, chests of ice and ice cream for the Student Health Services team.
A colleague in Technology Services is Scarlet and Grateful to John Cronin and his team for helping with a project at Crane Cafe, saying they brought “everything from trucks to tools. They offered fantastic assistance and helped me convert a multiple hour job into a half hour of maximum effort.” In addition to John, High Fives go to John, Drew Foley, Joe Hast, Justin Wilds and Isaac Cox.
High Fives to Leslie Beary (Marion), Kelly Kyser (Wooster), David Miller (Mansfield), Bryan Albright (Lima) and John Davenport (Newark) for serving as the Campus Activism and Event Engagement Team representatives for their campuses and for hosting Risk and Emergency Management for informative tours this summer.
Xavier De Freitas and Gabi Bockelman get High Fives for serving as Housing and Residence Education reps for all things Orientation as it relates to housing. Gabi and her team have been busy processing all things “staying overnight” (and there are a lot of “things!”) while Xavier and his team have put together Orientation presentations. Both have answered MANY questions from incoming students and their families.
High Fives to Ethan Smith and Michael Hilty in Student Life Events and Conferences for helping a colleague with a last-minute reservation request last week. She said, “They went above and beyond to help find a space and a configuration that works for our needs on very short notice and I am very grateful!”
Parent and Family Relations submitted a High Five for the Marketing team of Rachel Conners, Debbie Wakefield, Kierra Hampton, Christian Manning and Travis Barnhart for helping with a last-minute situation involving their family apparel store.
I received a sweet note from a team member suggesting a High Five for Housing and Residence Education director Qiana Smith, saying Qiana “helped me grow professionally by encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone, develop my leadership skills and believe in my abilities.”
Have a Scarlet and Great weekend, and Go Bucks!
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD
Senior Vice President for Student Life
The Ohio State University