THE BG NEWS
Art in the swamp Look on BGNews.com for a video about the Black Swamp Arts Festival and what people thought about the art featured at it.
ESTABLISHED 1920 | An independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community
Monday, September 9, 2013
Volume 93, Issue 8
Music on Main
Downtown bars risk health code violations Businesses lack toilets, other restroom needs By Alex Alusheff Managing Editor
Dan Gaertner would rather take his chances outside than use a bar bathroom downtown. “There’s always a long line and they’re dirty,” said Gaertner, a sophomore, of the bars he frequents. “It might be better to try and go outside.” While some patrons may risk violating the law, what’s inside some bar bathrooms is just as illegal. Bar owners must provide toilets, toilet paper dispensers and soap dispensers for customers, according to the Ohio Revised Code. A handful of downtown bars do not provide these amenities and have not received violations from the Wood County Health Department and Wood County Building Inspection. Shots Inc., Nate & Wally’s and Brathaus did not provide toilet paper dispensers or rolls in the men’s bathroom upon a visit from The BG News, while Tubby’s Tavern had no soap dispenser. The men’s bathroom in The Attic has three urinals, but no toilet. While businesses can substitute some urinals for toilets, it can’t substitute them all. “It’s not right; they should have something for the public to use,” said Mike Rudey, chief building official for Wood County Building Inspection. “A lot happens that we don’t know about.” When asked about the three urinals in The Attic, a manager said they would look into it and that they haven’t received complaints. If an underage male had to use a toilet while at The Attic, they would not be allowed downstairs to use the one in City Tap, the manager said. “We don’t let them down-
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Fair to promote volunteer opportunities Non-profit organizations to be featured Tuesday By Abby Welsh News Editor
Jack O’brien, of The Bright Light Social Hour, performs on the main stage.
Photos by Alyssa Benes
Sidi toure, a singersongwriter from Mali, performs at the festival Monday.
Tim Tegge performs at the festival Sunday on the acoustic stage.
Some people travel long distances to listen to live music at Black Swamp Arts Festival By Dylanne Petros Copy Chief
While the Black Swamp Arts Festival happens yearly, the music almost never stays the same. There are three music stages at the Black Swamp Arts Festival. The stages include the main stage, an acoustic stage and a family stage. Some festival-goers go to the main stage, which was located between East Wooster and South Prospect Streets. “I came to see Elvin Bishop because I am a huge fan,” said Kevin Russell, a resident of Marysville, Ohio.
See BARS | Page 5
a member of The Bright Light Social Hour sings during the festival on Friday.
See FAIR | Page 2
See MUSIC | Page 5
University to offer students chance to help others, travel during time off school By Kendra Clark In Focus Editor
While most students will be heading home or elsewhere for fall break, some will be helping the homeless in Detroit. The Office of Service-Learning is hosting a new way for students to get involved called Bowling Green Alternative Breaks. Junior Maddi Georgoff is the president and helped found the program. “An alternative break is a service trip that happens over the academic breaks during the year,” Georgoff said. “It’s focused on social issues so it’s more about doing volunteer work.” The program will start during fall break in Detroit, and students will be focusing on homelessness and poverty. “The intention for this [break] is that we have 14 students with us,” Georgoff said. “That will
The Volunteer and Community Partnership Fair can be a way for students to learn about more than 80 local non-profit organizations, which happens to be one reason why sophomore Jennifer Rudy will be attending. “I’m pretty excited to go to it, especially because I have already done volunteer work before,” Rudy said. “I think it is a great opportunity for ever yone.” The fair is Tuesday in the Union Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will be the Office of Service Learning’s fourth time hosting the event. Before the fair starts, there will be a morning workshop from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. on social media. “The fair is open to everyone to offer professional development and connections for those who seek it,” said Jane Rosser, director of service learning. There are a few returning organizations along with a handful of new ones who will be attending, she said. “We support the organizations getting connected with our campus and this workshop is also a great way for that,” Rosser said. Rosser said she recommends students to attend both the workshop and the fair. “This is a great opportunity for both organizations and the students because people respond really well when meeting face-to-face, plus it is a great way to become aware of opportunities students may not have thought of before,” Rosser said. Rudy did volunteer work this past year at a soup kitchen and it made her realize there are more volunteer opportunities. She encourages ever yone to volunteer at some point in their lives. Since Rudy has volunteered in the past, she believes the fair is a good way to help shed
Jane Rosser
Director of Service Learning
be including two or three of our board members so there are about 11 spots open with the applications right now.” Because this is the first break the office is starting for the program, it is aiming for a smaller group of students, Georgoff said. “We are trying to have a really good break trip, then, in the future have several trips going out at once,” she said. “There are a lot of universities that have 20 different breaks going out per spring break.” Students on the break will be working with two different nonprofit organizations and com-
ANOTHER Football WIN
The BG football team showcased its offensive weapons with its 41-22 win at Kent State University Saturday. The Falcons received votes in the AP and USA Today top 25 polls. Following its first conference victory. | PAGE 3
munity partners. “Those w ill be Cass Community Social Services and Motor City Blight Busters,” Georgoff said. “They provide housing, meals and employment opportunities to the homeless.” Senior Antoinette Liwag isn’t involved with the trip, but said she thinks working with the homeless is a good way to reach out and help. “It’s a good idea for students to have an option of getting involved,” Antoinette said. “Having the University as a direct link for the students is really good and to have them working with issues like homelessness and minorities can help students experience new things.” Jane Rosser, the director of the Office of Service-Learning, hopes this first trip will serve
as a foundation for future trips. “The role of our office is to support all kinds of immersion and experiential learning,” Rosser said. “I have been interested in opportunities that break trips can have and we have had some amazing trips going out of BGSU but we would like to see more of them.” This program is an intiative to build a five-year plan with student-run leadership and to create a sustainable model, Rosser said. Georgoff thought of bringing the alternative breaks to other students at the University after she went on one herself during the summer. “Especially since the BG community is so close to Toledo and Detriot, yet we look down upon
A CHANGE IN DIRECTION Editor-in-Chief Danae King talks about what changes The BG News will be making in the next year, including additions to content and reporting changes. | PAGE 4
See BREAKS | Page 2
CAMPUS brief
Graduate Student Senate hosts first meeting, approves new award
Graduate Student Senate hosted its first general meeting of the year Friday afternoon. During the meeting, the senators discussed what they want to do this year and hosted speakers to talk about changes at the University, said GSS President Linxgiao Ge. “It went pretty well,” Ge said. A representative from the graduate college came to speak to students to let them know about recent or upcoming changes and staff from the Falcon Health Center came to speak as well. The senate also approved a new award GSS plans to offer this year. The award is called the Regalia Award and will help graduate students purchase or rent regalia so they can walk during graduation, Ge said. The award will first be available for students graduating in December, Ge said. The deadline to apply for the award is Oct. 4 and GSS will make an announcement soon to all graduate students. The next GSS meeting will be hosted Sept. 20 in the McFall Gallery from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHAT SOCIAL ISSUES DO YOU THINK STUDENTS SHOULD TACKEL DURING BREAK? “Hunger... I’m hungry.” Raymond Szparagowski Senior, Mathematics Education