2/13/98

The following Ohio University professors are available for insightful interviews on topics in the news. Please contact Dwight Woodward at 614/593-1886 or Todd Anderson at 614/593-1885 to arrange an interview.

MORTGAGE RATES LOW, TIME TO REFINANCE? The 30-year fixed mortgage rate has dipped below 7 percent, the lowest rate in three decades. Is it time to refinance? Many experts suggest at least a 2-point spread between an existing mortgage and a new mortgage rate, but K. Rakes, chairman of the department of finance at Ohio University's College of Business, says, "It could be worth it even if it is just a one-point spread. What you need to do is look at the difference between the current monthly payment and the new monthly payment under the reduced rate plus the total cost of the refinance and compare the costs over the life of the loan." Rakes is a member of the board of directors of a savings and loan and can discuss the nuances of home refinance.

WHAT IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT? President Clinton's questionable relationship with a White House intern highlights a workplace issue that has come of age in the 1990s -- sexual harassment. Clinton has been dogged by the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit for years, drawing media attention to an issue nearly unheard of a few years ago. But just what is sexual harassment? College of Business Professor Arthur Marinelli has reviewed and written about Supreme Court decisions involving sexual harassment since President Bush signed the Civil Rights Act of 1991. "It may be the most important issue affecting employers in the 1990s and the coming years," says Marinelli, who also has a law degree. As Americans have become more aware of the sexual harassment concept, there has been a dramatic increase in complaints of sexual harassment in the workplace, Marinelli says. In 1997 there were 9,090 filings of sexual harassment complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, nearly triple the number of filings in 1991. Marinelli can define the two kinds of sexual harassment, "quid pro quo" and "hostile environment," and comment on pending Supreme Court cases involving sexual harassment.

CLINTON GAINS POPULARITY AS JOKES ABOUT HIM INCREASE: E.W. Scripps School of Journalism Professor Mel Helitzer says President Clinton's ability to shrug off jokes about him is part of the reason his popularity is increasing. "Political humor has always been a factor in getting the public to warm to the candidate," says Helitzer. "Reagan used humor and people loved him. Clinton has been the butt of humor and we like people who we can laugh at or laugh with -- look at Clinton's ratings in the polls. Americans can't understand the national debt or what our Social Security payments will be, but sex in the White House is something we can identify with." Helitzer is the author of five books, including Comedy Writing Secrets, which has sold more than 100,000 copies, and the Associated Press Podium Humor Guide. He started the first comedy writing course at a college campus 20 years ago in which the final exam is a stand-up routine.