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Coming to visit is a great way to learn more about Ohio State and your program of interest. Can't make it to campus? Explore our virtual options.

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Contact your program directly to learn about options for visiting. Look for contact information for your program under degrees and programs .

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Tour campus virtually from any device.

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Explore virtual events — like our Admissions Overview — offered throughout the year. You can also find us at off-campus events like grad school fairs.

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Visiting Students

Steps to navigate the application and approval process for visiting student rotation., why choose ohio state for your visiting student rotation.

Ohio State offers you the opportunity to be on the front lines providing high level care at one of the nation’s top academic medical centers. The Ohio State College of Medicine has seven health science colleges and is ranked the 13th most diverse medical school in the United States by U.S. News & World Report . Our goal is to expose students to a multidisciplinary approach to medical practice, provide experience with common problems, diagnosis and management, teach and refine examination skills, and familiarize students with common procedures. 

Students complete their rotations through The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where they gain experience serving a diverse patient population. Consistently ranked on the Best Hospitals list by U.S. News & World Report for 31 years, the Wexner Medical Center is also nationally ranked in 10 adult specialties and rated high performing in two adult specialties and 15 procedures and conditions. The hospital's specialties include cancer treatment, sports medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and heart and vascular care. 

Learn what makes Columbus a thriving city 

How to apply to be a visiting student at Ohio State

The Ohio State University College of Medicine accepts applications for electives through Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) offered by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC). For the 2024-2025 academic year, you will be able to view the catalog and schedule in VSLO starting January 22, 2024 . Elective acceptance notifications will be sent beginning March 25, 2024. Please note, we do not offer two-week rotations or accept international students. Students may complete usually one but no more than two visiting rotations for the 2024/2025 academic year.

View the 2024-2025 rotation schedule

• At least 8 WEEKS PRIOR to the start of the rotation, submit your application via VSLO . Notifications will be sent beginning March 25, 2024.
• Within 1 WEEK from the date your acceptance notification is sent, you must accept or decline the offer in VSLO.
• Within 3-5 days of your acceptance, you will receive a welcome letter via email from the visiting students coordinator. This email will provide further instructions regarding completing assignments before your rotation begins. Be advised, if this information is not received in a timely manner, your rotation slot could be jeopardized.
• OSU Administrative Processing Fee of $75 (payable by check, written to "The Ohio State University,” and mailed to The Ohio State University College of Medicine, attn Dennis Johnson, 333 W 10th Ave, 1178A Graves Hall, Columbus, OH 43210)
• Self-Disclosure Form (complete and upload to VSLO - DO NOT MAIL)
• ACLS Card (copy uploaded or verification in VSLO) – BLS is not accepted
• OSU HIPAA Assessment (answer pages only)
• Flu Shot Verification (must be from most current immunization season)
• Toxicology Screen 10 Panel (dated within 12 months prior to rotation begin date) for Amphetamines, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines, Cocaine, Methadone, Opiates, Oxycodone, PCP, Propoxyphene and THC
• COVID-19 Immunization Verification

All questions regarding rotations at the Ohio State University College of Medicine or the application process can be directed to:

Departments with Visiting Student rotation opportunities

Departments.

Learn more about the departments that offer Visiting Student rotation opportunities, as well as those that offer department-specific scholarships for underrepresented in medicine (URiM) students: 

• Anesthesiology
• Dermatology
• Emergency Medicine  - additional department-specific URiM scholarship available 
• Family Medicine  
• Internal Medicine  - additional department-specific URiM scholarship available 
• Neurology  
• Neurological Surgery  
• Obstetrics and Gynecology  - additional department-specific URiM scholarship available 
• Orthopaedics
• Ophthalmology  - additional department-specific URiM scholarship available 
• Otolaryngology  - additional department-specific URiM scholarship available 
• Pathology  
• Pediatrics  
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation   
• Plastic Surgery
• Psychiatry   
• Radiation Oncology  
• Surgery  
• Urology  

Learn about scholarship opportunities for Visiting Students

• View scholarships available to Underrepresented in Medicine & historically excluded groups Learn more

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Visit Campus

Thank you for your interest in visiting the College of Engineering! We look forward to hosting your visit. Please contact the College of Engineering Recruitment Coordinator at [email protected]  if you have questions or need assistance in scheduling your visit.

Engineering visits vary throughout the course of the year. To find the most accurate listing of visit options, please go to  http://campusvisit.osu.edu . Students are encouraged to coordinate an Admissions Overview and Campus Tour on the same day as an engineering visit to connect with all aspects of life as a Buckeye!

For more information about planning a visit to campus, including information about the Engineering Overview Tour schedule and upcoming recruitment events, check out our Visit Campus homepage .

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Visit Fisher

Distinguish yourself. Experience Fisher.

See firsthand what separates The Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business by visiting our campus. Located at 2100 Neil Ave., Columbus, OH 43210 , Fisher sits at the northern entrance of Ohio State's main campus, just off Lane Avenue and is easily accessible via highways and interstates.

Our beautiful, five-building campus, situated in the shadow of iconic Ohio Stadium, is one of the few fully integrated management education campuses in the nation. Among the unique offerings you’ll find at Fisher is Ohio State’s first on-campus hotel, the Blackwell Inn and Conference Center , as well as dedicated support offices serving Fisher students in the areas of career services , diversity, equity and inclusion and global experiences .

Undergraduate Students

The undergraduate admissions and recruitment staff at Fisher is a natural launching point for visiting our campus. Working with student ambassadors who are eager to share their Fisher experiences, the undergraduate admissions and recruitment team curates on-campus tours that provide visitors with an overview of the admissions process, academic programs and life on campus.

Visit the Undergraduate Programs Office’s page to learn more or to schedule your visit today. Or reach out to  Fisher’s Undergraduate Ambassadors who can any questions you may have about becoming a Business Buckeye.

Graduate and Professional Students

Candidates interested in any of Fisher’s graduate degree programs have resources available to them through Fisher's Graduate Programs Office . The office can work with you directly to schedule an individual campus visit or one-on-one virtual call with an admissions team member. We also encourage you to take a virtual tour of campus .

Fisher's Graduate Ambassador s are also available to help navigate the admissions process at Fisher and to provide more information about the many graduate business programs we offer.

Discover Ohio State

As a Fisher student, you have immediate access to the extraordinary depth and breadth of resources at The Ohio State University, one of the largest and most-respected research institutions in the world. As part of the Ohio State community, you’ll have opportunities to join more than 1,000 student organizations, as well as access to one of the most extensive library systems in North America and state-of-the-art facilities for living, dining and staying fit.

Learn more about Ohio State and plan your university tour today .

Experience Columbus

Columbus is home to it all — a vibrant blend of arts and culture, inspired culinary, fashion, music and entertainment scenes; exciting collegiate and professional sports; and business environment that mixes established, Fortune-recognized companies with a blossoming entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem.

With a dynamic downtown, lively urban districts and a diverse array of welcoming neighborhoods, it’s a city that invites exploration. Learn more about how Columbus has established itself as a center of business and culture.

• 14 th largest US city, with a population of 1.8 million
• Leading companies with headquarters in Columbus include Abercrombie & Fitch, Battelle, Cardinal Health, JPMorgan Chase and Nationwide
• 25 Fortune 500 companies and 58 Fortune 100 firms are located in Ohi o

Experience Fisher's campus from anywhere

Explore Fisher's campus at any time, from anywhere in the world with our virtual tour. With numerous stops, 360-degree photos, embedded videos and photos, our virtual tour offers a great way to learn more about our campus community at your own pace.  

Take the tour

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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

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EXPERIENCE OHIO STATE FOR A DAY (EOFD) VISIT

For High School Juniors, Seniors and Transfer Students

Experience Ohio State for a Day (EOFD) will provide you with an opportunity to engage in a personalized visit with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

• Meet with staff from the Prospective Student Services Office to talk about the college and its vast programs and resources.
• Shadow a current student in the college to see various classrooms, the Oval, the Union, a residence hall, and eat lunch with them in a Dining Services location.
• Connect with faculty and staff in your academic interest areas for one-on-one appointments to learn more about the majors and minors you are considering.
• Click on the button below to register. Choose your date, click the "Register" button, and be sure to register both the visiting student and guest(s).
• Because of the planning it takes to create a personalized visit for you, registration closes two weeks before the visit date.

REGISTER NOW!

OVERVIEW TOUR

• Take a 60-minute tour of the CFAES campus with a college ambassador.
• Click on the link below to discover all in-person visit opportunities being offered at Ohio State.  For visits offered by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences specifically, click on the college name in the menu options.

    TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS BY CLICKING THE PICTURE BELOW.

Schedule a Group Visit

Schedule a visit to ohio state ati located in wooster, stay/eat around the ohio state university columbus campus.

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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

Personal connection makes the difference – Meet Sanaa

• Rooted in passion: The growth of CFAES' future agricultural leaders
• Ohio State breaks ground on Multispecies Animal Learning Center

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Spring planting delays may cause some farmers to make adjustments to...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Heavy rains and wet fields across the region that have delayed planting have some farmers questioning whether they should swap out their full-season varieties with early-maturing ones that will...

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Summer 2024 Schedule

Summer Sessions will begin on June 4 and run from 6:30-9 pm at Lincoln Tower Field south of Ohio Stadium. On June 4, all Summer Sessions attendees will meet inside the Steinbrenner Band Center at 6:30 pm. For the rest of the summer, the drumline will meet at 5 pm for a sectional outside the band doors (between gates 10 & 12). Arrive early to get a drum and to set up in preparation for the 5 o’clock downbeat. 

Tuesdays : Sectionals from 5:00 – 6:30 pm and full band from 6:30 – 9:00 pm (excluding June 4th when all attendees will meet in the band center at 6:30 pm)

Thursdays : Sectionals from 5:00 – 6:30 pm and full band from 6:30 – 9:00 pm

2024 Summer Session Schedule (subject to change)

June: 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27 July: 2, 9*,10*, 11*, 16, 18, 23, 24, 30*, 31* August: 1*, 5, 6, 7

*-Denotes Focus Week

Detailed Schedule

June 4: Posture / Attention / At Ease / Chair Step / Instruments Up & Down / In Place Movements (right face, left face, about face, step forward about-face) June 6: Mark Time Drill / Mark Time / 8 to 5 Forward / Flanks / Regular TTR / Halt Kick Down

June 11: Slow Turns / Box Drills / Backward Marching / Box TTR June 13: Step Sides and Side Steps / Lateral Slides / Slide TTR / Countdowns

Week Three:

June 18: Up Step Turns / Forward Adjusted Step (6, 12, 16) / Backward Adjusted Step (12, 16) June 20:  Review / “Horn Slides and Backwards Lateral Slides Translation”

“Fight the Team” and “Buckeye Battle Cry” memorized

June 25: Obliques / Hats Off Short “Beautiful Ohio” memorized (m. 13, optional cut to m.61) June 27: Step Kicks

July 2: Flex Day (weeks 1-4)

Long “Beautiful Ohio” memorized – Mock-Tryout Song Short “Beautiful Ohio” memorized (m. 13, optional cut to m. 61)

Week Six (Focus Week 1):

July 9: Review fundamentals (week 1)

July 10:Review fundamentals (week 2)

July 11: Review fundamentals (weeks 3-4)

“I Wanna Go Back” memorized

Week Seven:

July 16: Ramp entrance

“Buckeye Battle Cry” verse lyrics memorized

July 18: Ramp review, review fundamentals

Week Eight:

July 23: Hang on Sloopy, review fundamentals “Hang on Sloopy” memorized

July 24: Hats off-OHIO/Hats off-R123, step kicks, Hang on Sloopy review

Week Nine (Focus Week 2):

July 30: Review fundamentals (weeks 1-2)

“Down by the Ohio” memorized – Tryout Song

July 31: Review fundamentals (weeks 3-4)

August 1: Review fundamentals (weeks 7-8)

Week Ten (Focus Week 3):

August 5: Mock Tryouts

August 6: Mock Tryouts

August 7: Mock Tryouts

Focus Weeks

Two weeks of Summer Sessions will be designated as “Focus Weeks,” which will provide a review of music and marching fundamentals covered to that point over three rehearsals. If you’re an out-of-state student or simply unavailable to attend as many Summer Sessions as you’d like, these Focus Weeks are specifically designed to bring you up to speed over a short period of time. The first Focus Week will be July 9-11, and the second will be July 30-August 1. We unfortunately are not able to provide housing during Focus Weeks.

Instrument Check-Out

For those registered for auditions in August 2024: After agreeing to our instrument policies, brass players can sign out an instrument (and mouthpiece if necessary) to keep through the end of tryouts. Due to high demand, sousaphone and percussion players can only check out instruments on a per-session basis against some form of collateral (e.g. state-issued identification, car keys); however, after attending four consecutive Summer Session rehearsals, they may check out an instrument via a bond card for the remainder of the summer through tryouts.

For those not registered for auditions in August 2024: High school students who are not eligible to try out in August can sign out an instrument and a mouthpiece on a per-session basis against some form of collateral (e.g. state-issued identification, car keys).

If you wish to park on campus while attending Summer Sessions, there are a few options. All on-campus parking requires payment.

You may also park in the surface lots around Ohio Stadium. There are pay-by-plate machines that will allow you to pay for a certain amount of time, or you can use the Parkmobile app. If you use the app, please be sure to enter the correct zone number .  The West Stadium Lot is 69344, the Northeast Stadium Lot is 69323, the Southeast Stadium Lot is 69331 and the Midtower Lot is 69322. Zone numbers are also posted by lot entrances.

If you plan on attending multiple sessions, you might want to consider getting a visitor permit or, if you are an Ohio State affiliate, a campus pass. 

After 4 p.m., any campus pass holder (including West Campus passes) can park in a non-reserved central campus parking space in surface lots.

The Ohio State Marching and Athletic Bands is not responsible for any parking citations or fines incurred.

Out-of-State or Unable To Attend

Don’t worry about being left behind! Our veteran marching band members will help get you caught up on the fundamentals taught throughout the summer. This summer, we are offering two Focus Weeks (July 2-3 and July 23-24) that each will provide a review of music and marching fundamentals, so you can catch up without having to attend sessions over multiple weeks. Get in touch with us at [email protected] to let us know how we can best help you. 

Our virtual Summer Sessions, returning in 2024, are also a tremendous opportunity to learn our marching and playing style from anywhere in the world. You can also upload a video of yourself marching to YouTube and our squad leaders will review it and give you feedback.

Incoming First-Year Students*

As an incoming first-year student, you may attend Summer Sessions during your summer orientation! Check the schedule and see if there are any sessions during your time on campus. Often, students will schedule a Wednesday/Thursday orientation to be able to attend Summer Sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Tryouts will be held on August 11-12, with Candidate Days on August 9-10 being required for all who have not been members of The Ohio State University Marching Band before. 

Preparing for Summer Sessions

• Drinking 8-12 ounces of water four hours before the beginning of practice, then again two hours before practice. During practice, drink fluids early and as often as thirst and common sense drive. Sports drinks might be helpful for heavy sweat situations.
• Eat healthy carbohydrates and foods with lean protein in the meals before practice (e.g. turkey sandwich on whole grain, quinoa with chicken, chicken marsala). Fruit is always a performance food for the carbs and electrolytes as you get closer to start time. Pretzels or similar low fat chips can help with fueling and hydration.
• Wear comfortable athletic clothing and good athletic shoes.
• Warm-up before marching by stretching.
• Be familiar with musical scales.
• Start becoming familiar with our school songs (Across the Field, Buckeye Battle Cry, etc.).

Ohio State is your community. You’ll connect with people who share your interests, challenge you and help you grow.

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“You’ll have THE opportunities to engage in different experiences and do some amazing things not thought of before.” 

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Exploring Ohio State? See what your Buckeye experience might look like. Use this tool to help narrow down academic and extracurricular options that interest you.

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The decision about where you’ll go to college is a big one. Want to talk about financing your education? Want to confirm we have the academic program that’s right for you? Want to know how you’ll be able to personalize your Buckeye experience? Email us at [email protected] or call 614-292-3980 .

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⚾️ Super regionals hosts, game times set

🥎 Oklahoma vs. Florida in WCWS semis

DIII baseball champ series

DII baseball finals

NCAA | May 27, 2024

2024 ncaa division i baseball championship bracket announced.

INDIANAPOLIS – The field of 64 teams competing for the 2024 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.

The national top 16 seeds are Tennessee (50-11), Kentucky (40-14), Texas A&M (44-13), North Carolina (42-13), Arkansas (43-14), Clemson (41-14), Georgia (39-15), Florida St. (42-15), Oklahoma (37-19), NC State (33-20), Oklahoma St. (40-17), Virginia (41-15), Arizona (36-21), UC Santa Barbara (42-12), Oregon St. (42-14), and East Carolina (43-15).

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) leads the way with a record 11 teams selected from the conference. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has eight teams in the field followed by the Big 12 (6), Sun Belt (4), Big Ten (3) and Pac-12 (3). The American Athletic, Big East, Big West, Conference USA and Missouri Valley all have two teams in the field.

High Point, Niagara, and Northern Kentucky are making their first appearances in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, while Evansville is making its first appearance since 2006.

Vanderbilt has the longest active streak with its 18th straight appearance. Other notable consecutive streaks include Florida (16), LSU (12), Oklahoma State (11) and DBU (10).

Selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.NCAA.com/mcws , Tuesday, June 4 at 10 a.m. ET . The Men’s College World Series begins play Friday, June 14, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.

Other Selection Information

Field by Conference (30)

2024 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship Games | Friday, May 31, 2024

*all times Eastern

Athens Regional hosted by Georgia #1 Georgia (39-15) vs. #4 Army West Point (31-21), 1 p.m., ESPN+ #2 UNCW (39-19) vs. #3 Georgia Tech (31-23), 7 p.m., ESPN+ Bryan-College Station Regional hosted by Texas A&M #1 Texas A&M (44-13) vs. #4 Grambling (26-26), 1 p.m., ESPN+ #2 Louisiana (40-18) vs. #3 Texas (35-22), 6 p.m., ESPNU Chapel Hill Regional hosted by North Carolina #2 LSU (40-21) vs. #3 Wofford (41-18), 12 p.m., ESPNU #1 North Carolina (42-13) vs. #4 LIU (33-23), 6 p.m. ESPN+ Charlottesville Regional hosted by Virginia #1 Virginia (41-15) vs. #4 Penn (24-23), 12 p.m., ESPN+ #2 Mississippi St. (38-21) vs. #3 St. John’s (NY) (37-16-1), 7 p.m., ESPN+ Clemson Regional hosted by Clemson #2 Vanderbilt (38-21) vs. #3 Coastal Carolina (34-23), 12 p.m., ESPN2 #1 Clemson (41-14) vs. #4 High Point (34-25), 7 p.m., ACCN Corvallis Regional hosted by Oregon State #2 UC Irvine (43-12) vs. #3 Nicholls (38-20), 4 p.m., ESPN+ #1 Oregon St. (42-14) vs. #4 Tulane (35-24), 9 p.m., ESPNU Fayetteville Regional hosted by Arkansas #1 Arkansas (43-14) vs. #4 Southeast Mo. St. (34-25), 3 p.m., ESPN+ #2 Louisiana Tech (45-17) vs. #3 Kansas St. (32-24), 8 p.m., ESPN+ Greenville Regional hosted by East Carolina #1 East Carolina (43-15) vs. #4 Evansville (35-23), 1 p.m., ESPN+ #2 Wake Forest (38-20) vs. #3 VCU (37-21), 6 p.m., ESPN+

Tallahassee Regional hosted by Florida State #1 Florida St. (42-15) vs. #4 Stetson (40-20), 12 p.m., ACCN #2 Alabama (33-22) vs. #3 UCF (35-19), 6 p.m., ESPN+ Tucson Regional hosted by Arizona #2 DBU (44-13) vs. #3 West Virginia (33-22), 3 p.m., ESPN2 #1 Arizona (36-21) vs. #4 Grand Canyon (34-23), 9 p.m., ESPN+

2024 NCAA DIII baseball championship: Selections, bracket, schedule

2024 NCAA DII baseball championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

• 8 super regional hosts and game times announced for the 2024 NCAA Division I baseball championship
• Championship Info
• Game Program

Men's College World Series

• 🗓️ 2024 schedule
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• 🏆 Programs with the most MCWS titles
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• ⚾ Every champion in tournament history

Everything you need to know about how the Men's College World Series works

Di baseball news.

• 2024 NCAA baseball bracket: Men's College World Series scores, schedule
• Full 9th inning from East Carolina-Wake Forest NCAA regional elimination game
• 'We're hungry man': Kentucky baseball is starving for its first trip to Omaha
• 2024 DI baseball selections: Santa Barbara and Bryan-College Station regionals

College baseball career home run leaders

Here are the baseball programs with the most Men's College World Series titles

The 7 longest home runs in MCWS history (that we know of)

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The grief of Native American mothers whose children were separated from them

For these ongoing losses, there is no sense of meaning or closure, originally published in, by ashley l. landers , assistant professor of human sciences, the ohio state university.

Native American mothers whose children were separated from them – either through child removal for assimilation into residential boarding schools or through coerced adoption – experience the kind of grief no parent should ever feel. Yet theirs is a loss that is ongoing, with no sense of meaning or closure.

While some families have eventually been reunited, far too many languish in the child welfare system, where Native American children are overrepresented as a result of discrimination and racial bias, structural racism and increased exposure to poverty .

A panel I attended years ago in California was composed of three birth mothers representing three generations of Native American women who had lost a child to foster care or adoption. While each story was unique, they had one thing in common: a never-ending grief that had stayed with them long after they were separated from their children.

I still vividly recall that, with a lump in her throat, one of these mothers said, “I can still hear my baby crying.” Those mothers and their stories left a lasting impression on me and my colleagues, which was the catalyst for a new line of research for us. After listening to the panel, my collaborator Sandy White Hawk, a Sicangu Lakota elder of the Rosebud Tribe in South Dakota , responded, “We have to do something for our birth mothers. We cannot let them pass to the other side carrying this grief.”

I am an assistant professor of human sciences and I conduct research in partnership with the First Nations Repatriation Institute . This work focuses on the health and well-being of Native American families that have experienced family separation by way of the foster care system and adoption.

For the past 10 years, we have explored the outcomes of fostered and adopted children and what happens when families are reunified .

Foster care and adoption

The adoption era refers to a period of time beginning in the 1950s with the Indian Adoption Project , a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Child Welfare League of America. It aimed to promote the adoption of Native American children into non-Native homes and has been criticized as another attempt at forced assimilation into non-Native American culture and the destruction of Native American families .

The adoption era continued until the enactment of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 , which aimed to protect the best interests of Native American children by establishing federal standards for their removal and placement . An estimated 25% to 35% of Native American children were removed from their families prior to the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 .

The Indian Child Welfare Act protects Indian children by prioritizing placement with extended families, within the tribe or with an Indian family.

The child welfare system tracks when children leave the system through reunification with family of origin. Reunification can occur after aging out of foster care at age 18 or being adopted .

To date, there is no way to consistently track how many fostered and adopted Native American children have reunited with their family of origin . However, our team’s studies suggest that more than 80% of Native American people who were fostered or adopted eventually reunify .

Separated families

The loss of a child to foster care, adoption or both is not uncommon in the United States. In 2021, approximately 606,031 children were involved in the foster care system. According to the latest data provided by the Children’s Bureau , an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in September 2021 more than 391,000 children were residing in foster care and over 113,000 were waiting to be adopted. In addition, more than 54,240 children were adopted through public child welfare agencies in 2021.

Legislation known as the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 requires only that states report adoptions that occur in public child welfare agencies. Therefore, the statistics above do not account for the thousands of children who are adopted, often as infants, through private agencies outside of the child welfare system. Unfortunately, there is no way to determine the total number of children adopted each year in the U.S.

This is especially true for Native American children. Alarming numbers of Native American children remain involved in the child welfare system . Allegations of abuse and neglect of Native children at the hands of their parents and other caregivers are twice as likely to be investigated, and Native American children are four times more likely to be placed out of the home than white children.

In my view, the rights of Native American caregivers to raise their children have been violated by systematic practices of child removal that targeted Native American families . Until recently, Native American mothers have been omitted from research on the grief and loss of birth parents .

Ambiguous loss

As a family therapist, I have sat with hundreds of families that were grieving the loss of a loved one, particularly a child lost to miscarriage, stillbirth and even death. Still, I was struck by the grief of Native American birth mothers. This grief was different. While it sounded like the grief that follows the death of a child, these children had not died. They were taken. They were alive but still lost.

While my colleagues and I have spoken with dozens of Native American birth mothers over the years, we interviewed eight of them who lost a child to adoption for what is called a phenomenological study. Phenomenology is used to explore the lived experiences of a group of people who experienced a similar event or phenomenon.

We wanted to understand the lived experiences of these mothers. We asked them how they became a birth mother, how their child came to be adopted and how this experience affected their health and well-being.

Our study found that these Native American birth mothers experienced ambiguous loss , which is a loss that remains unverified and without resolution .

In Native American culture, mothers are revered as “life givers.” The loss of a child to adoption stripped Native American birth mothers of this respected role and of their dignity.

Loss is often linked to death, but there are other types of losses. In ambiguous loss , there is no closure or resolution . Ambiguous loss is different from other kinds of loss. It is unfathomable, confusing and immobilizing.

There are two primary types of ambiguous loss . One is a psychological absence with physical presence, such as when a loved one has dementia. Another is physical absence with psychological presence, such as the loss of a child to the foster care or adoption system .

The downstream effects

Our research suggests that many Native American birth mothers felt forced to surrender their children to adoption because they were young and lacked resources. In many cases, they were unable to say goodbye or hold the baby. They felt ashamed and unworthy.

In addition to the unresolved grief, these mothers became vulnerable to mental health and substance abuse problems .

From my perspective, there are glaring and unanswered questions on the ethics and well-being of foster and adoption practices for children separated from Native American families. Native American adults who were fostered, adopted or both have also reported experiencing profound grief that parallels the ambiguous loss felt by Native American birth mothers.

The healing of Native American birth mothers will be an ongoing and collective effort. One by one, Native American birth mothers are telling their stories . These stories are gaining momentum. What happened to one woman happened to many others.

Ashley L. Landers , Assistant Professor of Human Sciences, The Ohio State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

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