Advocacy

Central Ohio Student Advocates for the Arts (COSAA) is an organization committed to empowering students who are passionate about the arts across Ohio State's campus. The mission of COSAA is to educate students about legislation and policy affecting the arts at the local, state, and national levels, unify and mobilize student advocates to bring about positive change in the arts community, and provide a platform for students to engage in critical debate of arts advocacy issues. Through workshops, guest speakers, and advocacy-related projects, while maintaining partnerships with CreativeOhio and the Greater Columbus Arts Council for local and state advocacy initiatives, COSAA aims to provide students with the skills and networks necessary for life-long careers as arts advocates.

COSAA is operated by two student representatives under the supervision of Dr. Zülâl Fazlıoğlu Akın, COSAA’s faculty advisor. Keep an eye out for upcoming events by following @osucosaa on Instagram!

Star balloons and sign that says museum advocacy day

Pamphlets and buttons about arts advocacy

COSAA Leadership

Lauren Cox, President

Lauren is pursuing her MA in Arts Policy and Administration. She earned her bachelor's degree in Illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design, where she not only developed her visual arts abilities but also achieved a minor in Creative Writing and won the college's annual Creative Writing Awards. Her work has been featured in several literary publications, including Botticelli and Young Raven's Literary Review. In addition to her academics, Lauren also was a ballet instructor for five years, where among her proudest accomplishments were creating the boys' ballet program at the studio as well as directing the studio's first production of The Nutcracker.

Lauren's passion lies in arts equity and access. Her work is driven by the belief that the arts are an essential part of our humanity, and that expanding arts access to reach beyond socioeconomic classes and elitist barriers is a key step towards a more equitable future.

Katie Harvey, Vice President

Katie Harvey is a theatre educator, director, and administrator pursuing her MA in Arts Policy and Administration. She earned her BA in Arts Administration and BA in Theatre from The Ohio State University in 2022. In her years post-undergrad, Katie worked as the Assistant Education Director at Weathervane Playhouse, served as the Director and Administrator of the Perry Middle School theatre department, and production managed 4 seasons for Imagine Productions. In addition, she also works as a freelance director and intimacy coordinator. Katie’s thesis will research the inequalities of education policy implementation and the direct effects on theatre education, though she also has interests in data collection methods for arts organizations and accessible and abundant theatre education both within and outside of the public school setting.