Buckeyes give: top Arts and Sciences stories from 2022-23

The Margaret Hall and Robert Randall Rinehart Chair in the School of Communication has a long history, starting with a gift from alumni Robert Randall Rinehart, who graduated in 1937 with a BS in journalism, and Margaret Hall Rinehart, who graduated in 1938 with a degree in the arts. In 2005, a gift of over $1 million from Robert and Margaret’s estates established the Rinehart Chair, which supports a faculty member who is considered a scholar and teacher in the field of mass communication. This outstanding gift has allowed the legacies of Robert and Margaret to live on in perpetuity and ensure support for this crucial area of study at Ohio State. 

Today, the Rinehart Chair is held by Dr. Brad Bushman, who is tackling timely issues, including how violent media impacts human aggression and violence, especially in children. 

“My endowed chair has literally changed my life,” he says. “I was a full professor at the University of Michigan when Ohio State asked me to consider the endowed chair position. After we got the offer from Ohio State, we could not say no.” 

This funding has allowed him to conduct crucial research on topics like gun violence and road rage.  

“One thing that gun owners and non-gun owners agree on is that guns are not toys. The leading cause of death among American children is firearm injury,” Bushman states. One factor that might cause children to be attracted to guns is exposure to violent media characters who use guns, because children want to emulate the characters they see. Bushman’s research found that guns are increasingly common in media. For example, acts of gun violence in PG-13 movies have nearly tripled in the last 30 years. “I wanted to test whether children who see media characters use guns are more likely to use real guns themselves,” he says. 

Two of his most viewed studies examine how violent movies and video games affect children ages 8-12 in a lab. Pairs of children watched 20 minutes of a movie or played a video game that had violence (e.g. characters shooting guns), while another group of children did the same activities with violence edited out. After, they played in a game room, where a real, disabled 9-mm handgun was hidden in the bottom drawer of a cabinet. The gun was modified to record the number of times the trigger was pulled and a hidden camera recorded the children's behavior.  

The results showed that 72% of the children found the hidden gun. Also, children who were exposed to the violent media tended to hold the gun for longer and pull the trigger more times than those who did not. The results support Bushman’s hypothesis that exposure to media characters who use guns can increase children’s dangerous behavior with real guns.  

Bushman was able to conduct these studies because of the support he received from his endowed chair position. It allowed him to purchase the guns, modify them and bring participants in for the studies. This would not have been possible without the Rineharts’ generous gift. 

The Rineharts’ gift also supports graduate students who work in Bushman’s lab so that they can focus on their studies and research. 

Generous gifts such as this make a tremendous difference in the lives of Ohio State faculty and students every day. 

Support the Margaret Hall and Robert Randall Rinehart Chair by making a gift to the Margaret Hall and Robert Randall Rinehart Chair Fund.