THE BG NEWS
A TASTE OF CULTURE Students took part in a cultural showcase on Tuesday night as part of Latino Awareness week. Read coverage of the event on BGNews.com.
ESTABLISHED 1920 | An independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Volume 93, Issue 91
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‘Sexist’ signs targeted for removal University Faculty Senate passes resolution, calls University to stop move-in signs on Wooster Street By Danae King Editor-in-Chief
For more than 20 years, students and community members who live on Wooster Street have been displaying signs during move-in weekend with what some consider sexist messages. “Daughter drop off,” “We’ll trade beers for girls,” “Freshman boy drop off” and “Freshman girl training center” are examples of the messages that have been on the signs in the past. Now, graduate student Diana DePasquale and Faculty Senate are trying to stop the signs. During its meeting Tuesday, Faculty Senate passed a resolution
calling for the Dean of Students’ office to “impose the appropriate sanctions against students found in violation of Student Code of Conduct regarding sexual harassment that creates a hostile environment.” DePasquale tried to do something about the signs in August, but Jill Carr, vice president of Student Affairs, said the office has been trying to do something about them for years. “[It’s] something we’ve worked on consistently over the years because it certainly does not present a positive image of the community or University,” Carr said. Student Affairs has worked with the city on stopping the signs and has made progress, as Carr said the
signs used to be bigger until the city passed a size ordinance. The University police have also knocked on doors and talked to people about taking down the signs during move-in weekend for the past three years, said University Police Chief Monica Moll. This year, Moll would like University officials to go out the week before move-in and be more “proactive” about stopping the signs. “My big hope is that we can come together … [Student Affairs] has been kind of the lone ranger on this for many years,” Carr said. “There’s a fine line between free speech and a hostile environment, verbal abuse … or however you look at it.”
If those displaying the signs are students and are violating the student code of conduct, they can be punished through the University, but only if a student files a complaint. According to the student code of conduct, something could be considered sexually harassing if: “[It] has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s employment or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working or educational environment.” DePasquale and Julie Haught, senior lecturer in English, said the signs do create a hostile environ-
See SIGNS | Page 5
SAM RAYBURN | THE BG NEWS
Employee Megan Erhart makes coffee at the European-style Cafe Havana. The cafe is located on South Main Street behind Falcon Food Mart.
a cafe to call home Cafe Havana offers Mediterranean food, coffee By Eric Lagatta Campus Editor
When brothers Sam and Issa Baiz opened Café Havana nearly two years ago, they designed it with their home in mind. The interior of the café is adorned with the work of local artists, and the outside features a mural, artificial foliage and potted trees, all to remind them of their grandfather’s home in Lebanon. “When we sit in here, we felt like we’re back home,” Sam said. The store is behind Falcon Food Mart, located off South Main Street, which Sam and Issa have owned for four years. The success they had with the food mart allowed them to open Café Havana. But they didn’t just want their café to allow them to feel at home — they want their customers to feel at home, too.
SAM RAYBURN | THE BG NEWS
Brothers Sam and Issa Baiz opened Cafe Havana two years ago. They say the cafe reminds them of home.
See HAVANA | Page 2
Administration still criticized for faculty cuts Peter Blass
By Eric Lagatta and Danae King The BG News
“Benchmarking” the University against other colleges is something the administration often does, but Faculty Senate members said they don’t want to be like everyone else anymore. During the Tuesday meeting, Peter Blass, senate representative for the Chemistry Department, asked Provost Rodney Rogers, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, why cuts fall upon faculty during the meeting. Blass was referring to the 30 nontenure track faculty whose contracts were not renewed by the University for fall 2014. “When you cut faculty, you cut
SCORELESS FALCONS
Faculty Senate Representative the University,” Blass said. “I think cutting faculty was the wrong move. Convince us why there was nothing else to cut.” Besides faculty, there have been other reductions as well across the University and positions among classified and administrative staff have not been filled, Rogers said. The University compared the number of faculty members to the student body, which revealed the University was “quote-unquote ‘overstaffed,’” said University
The men’s soccer team lost 2-0 to the Dayton Dutch Lions professional team. The Falcons will play Ohio Wesleyan University Friday at 7 p.m. to end their spring season. Read more in SPORTS on | PAGE 3
President Mary Ellen Mazey. Faculty members protested her statement, saying they know specific examples of faculty members who were cut and who had full classes for fall semester. Blass said the faculty doesn’t see the argument that the University needs to be like every other institution. “We’re compared with every other university,” Mazey said. “We’ve been losing ground.” The University can beat other universities by being different and doing something they’re not doing, Blass said. “Our discontent affects enrollment and retention,” said Sarah
See SENATE | Page 2
END OF THE YEAR
SLAM POETRY
partner receives $25,000
NWO to fund STEM Education with grant By Kathryne Rubright Reporter
Batelle Memorial Institute announced a $25,000 grant to the Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in STEM Education at the University. This brings Batelle’s total grant contribution to nearly $1.3 million. The Northwest Ohio Center for Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education is a partnership among higher education institutions, K-12 schools, other education institutions and businesses. “Our mission is to advance STEM education for people of all ages,” said Bob Midden, director of NWO. He said that partnerships are essential to doing so. “This is one of the very best collaborations I’ve ever seen,” said University President Mary Ellen Mazy. NWO’s work includes working with teachers to improve STEM Education and hosting STEM in the Park. “We really can create schools that reach all kinds of kids,” said Aimee Kennedy, Battelle’s vice president of education, philanthropy and STEM learning. “The community of support that you guys have built in northwest Ohio really meets the needs of those kids and you should really be very proud of it.” STEM Education isn’t just about a lot of science and math classes, Kennedy said. “We really push against that notion, because we believe that STEM education is about critical thinking, problem solving, working in the real world … You need to be able to work across discipline, be a designed thinker and work with someone who is not like you.” STEM Education is essential to future jobs, Mazey said. “What we’re doing here in northwest Ohio is meeting the needs of the future labor force of this region
See STEM | Page 2
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ANTHONY KAPPLER | THE BG NEWS
Asia Samson, of the Asia Project, performs spoken word poetry in the Union Tuesday night. For the full story on the event visit BGNews.com.
Columnist Michele Mathis talks about to-do lists and how easy it is for someone to not force themselves to get things done. She also talks about how to stop that. | PAGE 4
WHAT DID YOU DO TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY? “I went outside to take selfies with strangers.” Ally Tharrett Sophomore, Telecommunication