THE BG NEWS
A summer of construction
Tuesday
April 28, 2009
Volume 103, Issue 146 WWW.BGVIEWS.COM
CAMPUS
Book drive for Kenya
A University doctoral student inspired by lack of library access at his Kenyan home initiated a book drive that will send books overseas | Page 3
NATION
FORUM
Come share a ride
Everybody was reminded to “go green” during Earth Week, and columnist Marisha Pietrowski gives the details on why public transportation is a great idea | Page 4
The summer will be a busy time on campus Campus master plan to be as various renovations are expected to begin By Lin Chafetz Reporter
preparations for the Stroh Center with the construction beginning in September. “This will be a very busy summer” When the Stroh Center starts is a reoccurring thought for Steve construction this summer, parkKrakoff, one of the planners for ing lot 6, where current on-camthe upcoming campus construc- pus students park, will be used tion. as the staging area. When fall Renovation on the lobby of semester begins, students will Harshman Hall began earlier this have to park in Lot 12, which will semester, starting one of many be expanded over the summer, of the projects happening in the Krakoff said. months to come. “Along with the Stroh Center, the This summer, numerous proj- Wolfe Center will begin construcects are slated to begin, including tion in mid-late fall,” he said.
Other projects that will be worked on this summer include construction on the tunnels below Mercer along with the web of tunnels below campus. The construction of a chiller plant southeast of the Fine Arts building is also on the project list, along with roof work on the Math Science, Psychology and Moore Musical Arts buildings. “This is the beginning of a very
See SUMMER | Page 2
revealed in June By Hannah Sparling Reporter
Despite losing three senior defensive linemen over the past year because they were dismissed, the linemen that remain think they’ll still succeed | Page 7
See PLAN | Page 2
ORGAN DONATION HOPE FLOATS Photos by Freddy Hunt | Editor-in-Chief Green Balloons, 3,000 of them, floated yesterday in the Union Oval to raise awareness of organ donation. The balloons represented the 3,000 Ohioans waiting for organ transplants. “Eighteen people die every day waiting for an organ transplant,” said senior Lauren Butts, who is the campaign manager for BGSU Do It Now. Students participating in the flash mob event woke up at 4 a.m. to fill the balloons, Butts said. “What are you w8ing for?” is the slogan adopted by the University chapter. The effort is part of the Do It Now Ohio campaign, whose goal is to register 240,000 new donors in Ohio this year. The University is one of 17 schools competing in Ohio to register the most organ donors.
dutch dairy
TAKES OVER Dutch dairy farmers find monetary success operating large U.S. dairy farms
WEATHER
PEOPLE ON THE STREET
By Courtney Flynn Reporter
Dutch dairy farmers are capitalizing on the land of opportunity to turn their Dutch milk money into gold by buying and operating large dairy farms in the U.S., but not without concerns from local residents. Since 2000, there has been an influx of dairy farmers from the Netherlands. These farmers are leaving their native country and coming to the U.S. to spend large amounts of money on dairy operations so as to earn more. While the majority of these dairies are family owned, they do not fit in as a mom-and-pop dairy operation due to their size and efficiency. The majority of the Dutch dairy farms in the area contain more than 500 cows, said Jonathan Haines, Wood County executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Vreba-Hoff Dairy I and II in Southeast Michigan have over 3,000 cows each, and Manders Dairy has about 700 cows. Both are owned by former Netherlands residents. Between 2000 and 2006 the number of dairy farms with 500 cows and above increased from 5.5 percent to 23 percent in Ohio and 20 percent to 39 percent in Michigan. With that increase the number of dairy farms with 100 cows or fewer fell from 49.5 percent to 36 percent in Ohio and 28 percent to 18 percent in Michigan during the same time period, according to data produced by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. With the decrease in small farms and the current econom-
What would you do with 3,000 green balloons?
See DAIRY | Page 2
CITY BRIEF AYESHA JENNINGS Junior, Psychology
“I would release them across the country so all of the organ donors have one.” | Page 4
TOMORROW Cloudy High: 62, Low: 48
U.S. urged to remain calm in face of swine flu By Lauran Neergaard The Associated Press
A medical student accused of murdering a woman he met on Craigslist owes over $130,000 in loans and can not afford attorney | Page 9
TODAY Rain/Thunder High: 62, Low: 44
J. PAT CARTER | AP PHOTO
SWINE FLU : Marco Lugo walks through the Miami airport, yesterday, after arriving on a flight from Mexico City for a family visit.
Last night University administrators revealed tentative plans to update, renovate and build new residence and dining halls on campus. The plans are part of the Master Plan for Residence Life and Dining
Student loans overwhelmed alleged killer
From out of the ashes
SPORTS
ESTABLISHED 1920 A daily independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community
Extra police officers called in to control loud crowds downtown this weekend An increase in downtown activity this weekend resulted in the Bowling Green Police Department calling in five extra officers during the late hours of Saturday night. Several loud and rowdy crowds in the downtown area were eventually disbanded after officers were forced to use pepper spray in the area, Lt. Tony Hetrick said. After spraying the area, Hetrick said most violators fled the area; however, several arrests were made. According to Hetrick, the increase in activity could have been caused by a hip-hop event taking place in downtown Toledo. Hetrick said the event was shuttling people back and forth between the two cities, which could explain the large crowds in the city.
WASHINGTON — Confirming at least 40 cases of swine flu in the U.S., the Obama administration said yesterday it was responding aggressively as if the outbreak would spread into a full pandemic. Officials urged Americans against most travel to Mexico as the virus that began there spread to the United States and beyond. President Barack Obama urged calm, saying there was reason for concern but not yet “a cause for alarm.” Yet just in case, administration officials said that they were already waging a vigorous campaign of prevention, unsure of the outbreak’s severity or where it would show up next. U.S. customs officials began checking people entering U.S. territory. Millions of doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile were on their way to states, with priority given to the five already affected and to border states. Federal agencies were conferring with state and international governments. “We want to make sure that we have equipment where it needs to be, people where they need to be and, most important, information shared at all levels,” Janet Napolitano, head of the Homeland Security Department, told reporters. Her briefing came shortly before the World Health Organization raised the severity of its pandemic alert level to four from three on a six-point scale. Level four means there is sustained human-to-human spread in at least one country. Level six is a full-fledged pandemic, an epidemic that has spread to a wide geographic area. “We are proceeding as if we are preparatory to a full pandemic,” Napolitano said. She said travel warnings for trips to Mexico would remain in place as long as swine flu is detected.
CAMPUS BRIEF
Students told to take precautionary health measures The University Student Health Services sent an e-mail to students yesterday at 2:21 p.m. to take precautionary measures against the recent outbreak of the swine flu. According to the e-mail, the people currently most at risk are those who have traveled to infected areas, and the University is monitoring the situation in conjunction with local health officials. There have been no reported cases of the flu on campus, in Wood County or Erie County, where the University’s Firelands campus is located. Statewide, there has been one confirmed case of a child in Lorain County who had been in Mexico. To prevent an outbreak, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take the precautions they would normally take to prevent colds or flu: - Wash your hands often with soap and water (hand sanitizer is also effective) - Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth - Avoid close contact with sick people - Don’t share drinks, toothbrushes, etc. The symptoms of the flu usually include a high fever generally ranging from 102 104 degrees Fahrenheit, chest discomfort, body aches, headaches and/or exhaustion. Symptoms of the common cold are usually not prominent. If experiencing symptoms consistent with the flu, University students should see the Student Health Service or visit a primary care provider. The Student Health Center and area doctors will be reporting all flu cases to the Wood County Health Department. Students should contact their instructors if they have any instances of flu-like symptoms and staff members should inform their supervisors. For more information, contact the Student Health Service at 419-372-2271.
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