2011 Buckeye Book Community
Click here for details about this year's common book, Outcasts United, by Warren St. John.
About Outcasts United
Outcasts United is the story of a refugee soccer team, a remarkable woman coach, and a small southern town turned upside down by the process of refugee resettlement.
In the 1990s, Clarkston, Georgia, became a resettlement center for refugees from war zones in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The town also became home to Luma Mufleh, an American-educated Jordanian woman who founded a youth soccer team to help keep Clarkston’s boys off the streets. These boys named themselves the Fugees, short for refugees.
Outcasts United follows a pivotal season in the life of the Fugees, their families, and their charismatic coach as they struggle to build new lives in a fading town overwhelmed by change. Theirs is a story about resilience, the power of one person to make a difference, and the daunting challenge of creating community in a place where people seem to have little in common.
About Warren St. John
Warren St. John has written for the New York Observer, The New Yorker, Wired, and Slate, in addition to his work as a reporter for The New York Times. His first book, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania (2004), was named one of Sports Illustrated's best books of the year, and ranked number one on The Chronicle of Higher Education's list of the best books ever written about collegiate athletics. His second book, Outcasts United: An American Town, A Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference was published in the United States in April 2009, and subsequently in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan, and China.
St. John was born in Birmingham, Alabama, where he attended The Altamont School. He studied English literature at Columbia College in New York City, where he now lives with his wife and daughter.
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Campus Commitment
The 9th Annual Campus Commitment will take place Monday, September 19, 2011. Campus Commitment is a half day service event which brings together students, faculty and staff members in order to provide volunteer assistance to various non-profit organizations in the local community. This service event is a great way to meet other first year students, and to have an impact in your new community. Campus Commitment will begin with registration at 12:15pm sharp in the Warner Center Atrium. The service projects will take place from 1:00 until 4:00pm. The day will conclude with a closing event and food at 4:30 pm. To sign up, contact the Student Activities Office at (740) 366-9171.
Convocation
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The Ohio State University at Newark will celebrate Convocation 2011 on Tuesday, September 20. This event serves as your formal welcome to campus. The program will take place at 11:00am in the Reese Center Auditorium, followed by a luncheon on the Reese Center lawn. New students and their families are welcomed and encouraged to attend this event. Our speaker for this year's Convocation is Loung Ung, a survivor of the killing fields of Cambodia and author of First They Killed My Father and Lucky Child.
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Orientation Binder
Click here for a pdf version of materials distributed at student orientations.