Full Issue (3-21-18) by The Independent Collegian

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

99th year • Issue 24

THE INDEPENDENT

COLLEGIAN Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919

INSIDE

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ADMINISTRATION

UT fires former convicted embezzler By Emily Schnipke & Areeba Shah Editor-in-Chief & Community Editor

LSU awards scholarships at annual dance COMMUNITY / 5 »

Toledo women bow out of NIT

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SPORTS / 6 »

UT fell short by hiring a former embezzler to serve in the same leadership position she was convicted of first degree theft for. Prior to serving as the assistant director at the Center for International Studies and Programs office, Diane Engbretson was the assistant director at Camp Adventure at the University of Northern Iowa. However, on Aug. 19, 2010, Engbretson was arrested for firstdegree theft upon using CA funds for her personal use. UT terminated Engbretson for “providing inaccurate and/or misleading information on [her] application for employment,” according to the letter she received from the university Feb. 28. The Independent Collegian filed a public personnel records request for Diane Engbretson on Feb. 17, 2018. UT supplied the documents for the IC’s request on March 14, 2018, releasing the information two weeks after Engbretson’s termination. In her UT general application for employment, Engbretson specified she disclosed her felony conviction and deferred judgment for first-degree theft from 2010 due to purchasing airline tickets for personal use with a company card.

DIANE ENGBRETSON Former UT Employee

The IC’s request for Engbretson’s personnel records included a background report conducted by IntelliCorp for UT. The report includes information on her felony charges. “If we’re elevating the standards for students here, then we should elevate the standards for who we’re hiring,” said a UT student who wished to remain anonymous. The IC also reached out to Sammy Spann, UT dean of students and former assistant provost for CISP, who worked with Engbretson at UNI. Spann set up an interview with our editors, but canceled several hours before the interview on Feb. 28, the day of Engbretson’s termination. Attempts to reschedule the interview were not returned.

Having a ball

“Hawking’s legacy is longlasting and one that people could find comfort in with charisma, alongside very British humor.” SANS BASNET Stephen Hawking: Birth of the universe OPINION / 3 »

BHUIYAN ANWAR / IC

Partners learn to ballroom dance on Sunday, March 18 in the Ingman room. UT’s ballroom dance society holds lessons in the Ingman room every Sunday evening from 4-6 p.m.

AWARENESS

Running after success

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COMMUNITY / 5 »

“#Walkupnotout is troublesome because it portrays the protestors as disturbers of the peace who don’t care about...” BRYCE BUYAKIE The questionable dichotomy of #walkupnotout OPINION / 3»

UT takes action to tackle opioid epidemic By Gabrielle Huff Staff Reporter

President Sharon Gaber is creating a task force focusing on the opioid epidemic at UT, aiming to tackle the issue not only on campus, but around the greater community. Amy Thompson, a professor of public health, and Dean of the College of Nursing Linda Lewandowski will lead the committee, serving as co-chairs. The group had their first meeting on March 15 on the Health Science Campus. “I can’t stress enough the wonderful insight of our president to want to give resources and structure to this because it is a leading public health problem in this region,” Thompson said. The purpose for last week’s meeting was to get an understanding of the current research relating to the epidemic in the different disciplines around UT and to begin organizing potential group collaborations and projects. “When we had our meeting, over 40 people came from every discipline, from pharmacy to social work,” Thompson said. “When you take the opioid epidemic, there’s many ways to address it, it’s prevention, treatment, detection, recovery and families.” Tavis Glassman, professor of public

health and advocate for drug awareness, also attended the meeting. He stressed the importance that opioid addiction doesn’t discriminate. Anyone is at risk and anyone can be affected by it, and that is why the issue must be tackled from every direction. “It was extremely impressive, and the reason I say that is it felt like there were 30 people all with expertise in the area, but all with very unique niches,” Glassman said. Because of this, UT will help any student in need of assistance with opioid problems at UT’s main campus Counseling Center or the Detox Unit at UTMC. Both Thompson and Lewandowski applied for a grant together to teach opioid abuse prevention in Toledo Public Schools. The committee hopes to collaborate with the City of Toledo’s coalition on the epidemic and reach out to the entire community, Thompson said. The first follow-up meeting is at an Opioid Summit on April 10 on UT’s main campus. Leaders from the Ohio Department of Health and the governor’s office will include those in attendance, working with experts on the drug problem from all over UT. See Project / 4 »

A 2009 audit report identified that Engbretson took $19,434.27 of improper disbursements and unrecorded personal leave. The improper disbursements included $9,373.10 used for personal purchases made by the university procurement card under Engbretson’s administration. According to an audit, the improper disbursements also included lodging taxes of $2,798.55 claimed by Engbretson which she did not pay and $1,787.88 of unspent travel advance proceeds she did not reimburse to Camp Adventure. This also included 20 days of unrecorded personal leave valued at $4,686.40.

“If we’re elevating the standards for students here, then we should elevate the standards for who we’re hiring.” UT STUDENT

Between February and March 2008, Engbretson issued seven checks to UNI totaling $9,463.69

to repay CA for her personal purchases of airline tickets, car rentals and lodging costs for her and a personal friend. After serving as the assistant director for CA since February 2002, Engbretson was placed on paid administrative leave on March 20, 2008 and resigned from her position on July 3, 2008. As the assistant director, Engbretson’s responsibilities included making travel arrangements and supervising college students working at CA sites in Europe, where she routinely travelled each summer and fall. After leaving UNI, Engbretson went to work at Redstone Arsenal MWR Child Development Center as a Training Specialist, Acting Director and Assistant Director. Five years later, the University of Toledo hired her at in the CISP office under university president Lloyd Jacobs. CISP’s office houses many different student experiences programs including Study Abroad and Camp Adventure. When asked for a response, the university stated that because this is a personnel matter, they decline to comment. Other UT employees reached out to also replied with the same response.

ELECTIONS

One ticket for UT SG By Bryce Buyakie News Editor

Presidential Candidate Drew Williams’s and Vice Presidential Candidate Sofie Rodriguez’s futures are written in stone a week before the Student Government elections kickoff. They are the next SG executive leaders. Even though their executive ticket is uncontested, current Vice President Williams and Senator Rodriguez encourage students and student organizations to cast a vote of confidence at the polls between March 27 and 29. “However, we will be reaching out to orgs because I think it is important that we gain their support,” Williams said. “Even though we are running uncontested, we are still going to ask them to still vote to know that they want us to perform well.” The 2018 SG election was not always uncontested. In February, the Election Board voted to extend the meeting and deadline for senatorial and presidential applications by one day after Senator Dhuval Bhakta submitted incomplete paperwork lacking a vice presidential candidate. He returned the next day with Senator Hassan Quershi as his vice president and the board accepted their candidacies, according to Kyle Zapadka, speaker of the Senate and Election Board chair. The Student Judiciary Council declared the board’s decision unconstitutional because the proper steps to amend the Election Manual’s deadline and meeting dates were not taken. In the same decision, SJC also said that the Election Manual states that no one may cite “ignorance of the election manual as an

excuse,” Zapadka said. “[The Election Board members] know the constitution, and they know it better now because we realized we had some unconstitutional things,” he said. “SJC was on the ball and called us out for not following the constitution, and they made the right decision.” For these reasons, Bhakta and Quershi’s ticket were revoked, resulting in an uncontested executive election. “I agreed with their decision that the ticket was not valid, but it wasn’t something that made me happy because I encourage people to run in the election,” Williams said. “This is a democracy and the student body should have the opportunity for whoever they choose and there should be more than one ticket.” With the election’s outcome decided, Williams and Rodriguez are preparing for their tenure as president and vice president by reaching out to students and administrators. The two recently met with Vice President for Student Affairs Phillip Cockrell to allocate more resources to the Counselling Center. “There are a lot of flaws with the Counselling Center and part of my personal mission as well as the current president is to improve everything [there],” Rodriguez said. A common complaint Rodriguez hears is that students must schedule an appointment a few weeks out because the center is overbooked, she said. “Just [to understand] that students don’t need to wait for long periods of time to even get an appointment at the Counselling Center,” Rodriguez said. “That’s See Student Government / 4 »

PHOTO COURTESY OF UT SG

Current Vice President Drew Williams (right) and Senator Sofie Rodriguez (left), the only executive ticket candidates, are slated to be the future Student Government president and vice president.

| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, March 21, 2018

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OPINION

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 | The Independent Collegian |

Send letters to the editor to Editor@independentcollegian.com

EDITORIAL BOARD

Bryce Buyakie Emily Schnipke

Jessica Harker Areeba Shah

Kristen Buchler Sam Williams

Editorials appearing on this page represent the consensus view of the editorial staff. Columns and letters to the editor reflect the opinions of their authors, not those of The Independent Collegian.

Before we retire...

forced to park far away to make it to campus on time and without freezing to death. This includes efficient busing and no heavy road construction blocking spots and drivers during school hours. Events that require community members to park on campus should redirect these people to more underused lots so as not to disrupt students’ days. 6. Transparency and engaging UT administration and staff We believe that, under President Sharon Gaber, UT administration has taken great steps to ensuring the well-being of its students. However, we fear this trend may not continue. We encourage all students to get involved on campus and to question administration and demand answers. We need to encourage a campus atmosphere of equality and open dialogue between students and those in charge. 7. Student Government The same thing stands for student government. We believe that it is crucial that SG remains in constant attention to the wide range of needs its student body has. This includes maintaining close relationships with student leaders and conveying their needs to administration appropriately. 8. Communication department UT needs to provide more opportunities for students interested in a career in print journalism. Out of the 50 communication courses offered at UT, only Reporting, Media Writing I and Feature Writing offer any knowledge about print journalism. Even then, the classes aren’t enough in teaching students how to publish their work. Students should not have to float around and take a bunch of classes in communication and English to be prepared. It only prepares them for a career in communication, not print journalism. 9. All-inclusive campus Finally, we hope that UT continues to take steps toward a more inclusive campus environment. Since Gaber’s initiation, we have seen changes such as the creation of the vice president of diversity and inclusion position currently held by Willie McKether. This step was crucial, and we need to continue to make improvements to racial inclusion while also recognizing the wide range of need in the student body. We need to ensure accessibility of all kinds for those living with disabilities and encourage a culture of religious, gender, sexuality and identity tolerance. We hope to use the knowledge we have accumulated throughout our four years at the university to help the next generation of students surpass the inconveniences we suffered. Do better and continue to make the University of Toledo everything it can be. Sincerely, 2018 graduates Bryce, Emily and Jessica!

www.IndependentCollegian.com COMMENTARY

The questionable dichotomy of #walkupnotout

EDITORIAL

With less than three months until spring graduation, the editors of the Independent Collegian find ourselves in the difficult position of having a majority in the same class and leaving the school come May. Reflecting on our time here has left us with a few very specific ideas that only years of walking the same campus can give you. We don’t want our campus knowledge to go to waste, so we present the top nine things we believe need to be done at UT to better student life. 1. More sidewalks Simply put, we think there needs to be a sidewalk with a direct path between BowmanOddy and the Field House. There is already a path worn down in the dirt that students walk every single day, so why not just pave it to prevent the ruined ground and our muddy boots? 2. Lights and cameras This is an issue we have addressed a few times throughout the year but still one that we find to be of the utmost importance. The safety of students is crucial to us, and we believe that the lack of cameras and appropriate lighting in the parking garages and parking lots on campus poses a serious security risk. Though no major violent crime has occurred in any of these areas due to these lapses quite yet, we worry that it is only a matter of time. Why not address the problem before it becomes a threat? We need to make campus safety a priority. 3. Keep dining open later Many of the dining options on UT’s campus currently close before the last classes are done. This causes a major inconvenience for anyone with an afternoon course or planning a late study session at the library. Keeping dining options open later would be a huge convenience to students on campus. People eat dinner past 6 p.m.! 4. UT Alerts expanded Already, we have found that the UT Alert system has been underutilized for its intended purpose, and that poses a risk to UT students. But not only do we believe that UT Alerts need to be utilized in all instances of crime on campus, but we also think that it could be expanded to cover road closings and accidents surrounding the university. If students were alerted in advance of issues on certain routes and to accidents that may be blocking their paths, it could make the commute to campus much easier. This could save students time and gas money as well as hours of frustration and angry glares from your professors when you walk in late, again. 5. Parking Enough has been said, but we’re tired. At the very least, we do not need to take away spots that are currently available and do everything we can to make it easier for students

BRYCE BUYAKIE

NEWS EDITOR

Just over one month ago, a mass shooting left 17 dead at a Florida high school. Now, students across the nation demand a response to Capitol Hill’s inaction. The Blade reported that Toledo-area high schoolers participated in the nationwide event on March 14, displaying signs such as the one Caitlin Collins championed: “Sorry For the Inconvenience, We’re Trying to Change the World.” A counter-movement to this walkout recently emerged on social media calling for students to “walk up,” not “walk out.” Ryan Petty, the father of a student killed in last month’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, proposed his alternative on Twitter. “Instead of walking out of school on March 14, encourage students to

walk up – walk up to the kid who sits alone at lunch and invite him to sit with your group; walk up to the kid who sits quietly in the corner of the room and sit next to her… Build on that foundation instead of casting stones. I challenge students to find 14 students and 3 adults to walk up to and say something nice in honor of those who died in FL on the 14 of March. But you can start practicing now! #walkupnotout.” At the bottom of the flyer, “out” in “National School Walkout” is crossed out and replaced with “up.” He prefaced this flyer in a tweet: “The #March4OurLives supporters will accomplish only two things. 1. They’ll exercise their 1st Amendment right. 2. They’ll get a little exercise. If you really want to stop the next school shooter #walkupnotout.” Although Petty’s message encourages inclusion and promotes an anti-bullying campaign, it delegitimizes students’ voices such as Collins’ by promoting a message of kindness toward the bullied and discouraging protest. While I agree with Petty’s sentiment that inclusion is an answer, I believe students such as those who kickstarted the #NeverAgain movement and those who feel strongly about gun reform should never be discouraged from speaking out.

When asked by @Westdal_ Hayward on Twitter, “How about both? #walkupandout,” Petty replied, “Sure, why not. Just remember one will have a lasting impact.” When Petty encourages inclusion, he tells teenagers they are fighting a losing battle and protesting will not impact the conversation, but he only needs to look at history to realize these movements are not in vain. From the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Equal Rights Amendment, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage, these movements set lasting precedents.

...the only way high schoolers can politically express themselves is via lobbying, protest and a large social media presence. Petty’s message also insinuates that the political statements, legislation and lobbying should remain in the hands of the adults while keeping the inexperienced children in the classrooms. Because these “children” are under 18 years of age and

cannot vote, the only way high schoolers can politically express themselves is via lobbying, protest and a large social media presence. #Walkupnotout is troublesome because it portrays the protestors as disturbers of the peace who don’t care about the bullied or even as those who do the bullying. Petty should not present students with such a dichotomy – express yourself or be kind – because the two are not and never should be mutually exclusive. Just because Collins protests doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about inclusion, and because someone is inclusive doesn’t mean he/she can’t project his/her voice. #March4OurLives, #Walkupnotout and #NeverAgain are all on the same side, but Petty’s message polarizes the movement and makes it harder to accomplish anyone’s goals. Instead of telling students they shouldn’t protest, Petty and everyone involved with the movement should promote #walkupandout because students need to be inclusive. However, the United States, politicians and Petty must include everyone under the age of 18 in this conversation, and we can only do this by listening to everyone and giving students the ability to project their voices. Bryce Buyakie is a fourthyear student double majoring in communication and history.

COMMENTARY

Stephen Hawking: Birth of the universe On March 14, Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest scientific minds of our time, passed away. Born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s birth, whom he greatly admired, Hawking died on the very day Albert Einstein was born. This forever connects three men of science that had revolutionary ideas of nature. His famous book “A Brief History of Time,” a New York Times bestseller, transformed the Cambridge professor into something of a star. Hawking was born in Oxford, England in 1942. Raised in Highgate (near London) at the height of World War II, his family moved to Oxford because the historic city was safe from the war. At the age of 17, Hawking, as an undergraduate at Oxford University, acquired strong skills in mathematics and physics. He found the undergraduate work so easy that he estimated to have studied for 1,000 hours in three years at Oxford. Post-graduation, with first-class BA Hons, he packed for Trinity College in Cambridge for his doctoral work. The ‘60s were the renaissance period for Einstein’s theory of gravity — general relativity. There was a “big debate” in physics at that time whether the universe was static — steady state theory — or if it had a beginning —Big Bang theory. Hawking was a proponent of the latter. Collaborating with British physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking proposed the “singularity theorem” that stated that the universe started from a singular point, now known as the Big Bang. This idea was revolutionary, and it settled the debate about the origin of the universe, much like Darwin did with the origin of life. Another noteworthy contribution of Hawking came when he implied the consequence of bringing quan-

SANS BASNET FOR THE IC

tum mechanics and general relativity near extremely curved spacetime structures such as a black hole. You see, pair particles of matter and anti-matter are produced and annihilated constantly, borrowing energy from space-time, popping out of nowhere and annihilating. Hawking realized that a pair produced near an event horizon of a black hole could be separated faster before they could annihilate.

When this occurs, conservation laws are broken because the borrowed energy is not returned through annihilation. As a consequence of broken conservation laws, black holes radiate in a form called the Hawking radiation. In other words, a black hole evaporates over time. This came as a shock to cosmologists in 1974. Another implication was that an event horizon of a black hole can never decrease. This is due to the second law of thermodynamics that states the entropy always increases, another marvel milestone in black hole physics. Hawking proposed various ideas of physics, sometimes noteworthy, sometimes debatable in the scientific community. He was well-known for betting with people like Nobel Laureate Kip Throne and theoretical physicist John Preskill for if the particle physicists would find the

Higgs Boson at the LHC or the outcome of black hole information paradox. He lost the bets most of the time. Diagnosed with motorneuron disease at 21 and given two years to live, Hawking lived for another 55 years. Hawking will remain one of the most influential figures of modern science. He had frequent references in popular culture: “The Simpsons,” “Star Trek,” his portrayal in Hollywood film “The Theory of Everything” and his famous book “The Grand Design.” Hawking’s legacy is longlasting and one that people could find comfort in with charisma, alongside very British humor. “My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.” - Professor Stephen W. Hawking Sans Basnet is a fourth-year physics major.

| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, March 21, 2018

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safety

charity

Carlson slated for security improvements

UT affiliates donate books

Carlson Library will undergo a series of safety and security upgrades to its facility to better protect students and faculty. The library underwent a major renovation project this past summer, which included a total redesign of the second floor and an increased number of study rooms. With this overhaul, the library saw an incredible surge in attendance, said Beau Case, dean of University Libraries. “This year, we are going to break the one million mark for attendance in the library. That is up 40 percent,” Case said. “It’s a new beautiful space and people want to use it. We have three million pass throughs on the concourse.” Case strongly believes in the prioritization of students and their safety. “This has been a safe building forever and I want to keep it that way,” Case said. “Our priority will always be the students.” The first upgrade is the installation of a public address (PA) system. This will allow library staff and other officials to communicate with students quickly and effectively. “We had no way to communicate with the students besides sending staff upstairs,” Case said. “It just seems smart to have some kind of PA system so if we need to communicate with students, we can.”

The PA system will also be useful for university officials, such as the University of Toledo Police Department, to make emergency announcements. “It’s helpful for the library to operationally announce closing times and whatnot and certainly if there’s any kind of emergency situation” said Jeff Newton, director of public safety and chief of police. Security cameras were only at Carlson Library’s entrance and exits. The second upgrade plans to add cameras throughout the whole building to reduce possible “incidents,” Case said.

Project

Every faculty member on the committee stressed the importance of opioid prevention awareness, providing accessible aid for opioid addiction all over campus and the Toledo community, as well as reducing the stigmas around it, Thompson said. One of their goals is to fill gaps of services in the community they see surrounding the epidemic.

from page 1

Thompson and Lewandowski said they were impressed at how much Gaber’s “proactive charge” allowed the committee to start working toward solutions. “There are many researchers, physicians and educators across the university working on issues related to the

“This has been a safe building forever and I want to keep it that way.” beau Case Dean of University Libraries

“We’re happy to have those cameras,” Newton said. “Hopefully, it’s a deterrent for criminal activity. It also helps us solve cases. The camera footage is valuable evidence, and often times, it leads to the identification of a suspect that’s taking things that don’t belong to him from our students.” The video captured by the

“Our goal is to bring all of these individuals together to ensure that we are collaborating to find solutions to this public health crisis across our region and state.” Sharon Gaber UT President

opioid crisis,” Gaber said. “Our goal is to bring all of these individuals together to ensure that we are collaborating to find solutions to this public health crisis across our region and state.”

“We will begin to develop work teams of people, so we can start assigning things to do, projects to start and grants to apply for,” Thompson said.

cameras is only accessible by David Remaklus, director of operations of the University Libraries, along with UTPD. They are only stored on a short-term basis and only reviewed during an investigation of an incident. Second-year Zuhab Shoib said she is happy the library’s security is being considered. “I’m at the library a lot and it’s good to know they’re making the place safer,” Shoib said. Leftover budget from University Libraries funded the PA system, while the provost provided the funds for cameras. “I’m very pleased, in my mind, it’s usually a good investment when you are investing in security cameras and things of that nature,” said Newton. “We think that it pays dividends for us.” Case believes that the cameras and PA system will be operational sometime this summer. The library will also hold its biennial ALICE training this month. ALICE, short for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate, is an active shooter civilian response training program for organizations. “We’ve been doing ALICE training on campus for many years,” Newton said. “We have a number of officers who are certified ALICE instructors”.

Student Government

It might not be warm outside yet, but bookworms all over Toledo are fired up to celebrate National Reading Month in March. That might be owed, in part, to UT’s Women & Philanthropy and the Judith Herb College of Education for Women & Philanthropy’s 2017 Holiday Project titled, “Encouraging Early Literacy.” Dorothea Sawicki, the 2017 Holiday Project chair, said that members of Women & Philanthropy pay dues to the society to help people in need. In 2013, they took on the idea of raising funds to do something over the holidays.

“We also wanted to make sure we had books representing a range of cultures and ethnicities.” Jenny Denyer Faculty Adviser and Associate Professor

Amongst their efforts, they collected money to buy stuffed bears for kids at the UTMC hospital and have also bought mittens, gloves and blankets for children in Toledo, Sawicki said. “The Toledo Blade has had a number of articles over the last year about the need for extra effort in helping young children learning to read and the importance of early literacy,” Sawicki said. Sawicki is also a professor and vice provost for Health Science Affairs and University Accreditation. She said the Judith Herb College of Education is an expert in early childhood education that already offers several different after-school reading activities for elementary students in Toledo Public Schools. “The second grade is critical,” Sawicki said. “The third year, about this time, they take a proficiency test in math and English, so if we

discussing options such as creating a direct TARTA bus route to downtown and implement student discounts at most restaurants, bars and clubs, he said.

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one thing that is very frustrating for students to put themselves in the position where they are very vulnerable.” Rodriguez, a third-year recreational therapy major and disability studies minor, founded UT’s chapter of Active Minds and plans to sponsor legislation through her organization and to allocate more funding to mental health resources on campus. She and Williams adopted current SG President Jimmy Russell’s plans to connect UT with downtown restaurants and hope to see tangible results during their tenure. A recently introduced policy requires students living outside a 25-mile radius of UT to live on campus, but Williams argues this policy creates a “gap” between the university and the city. He wants to bridge that gap. As someone who has never seen a Mud Hens baseball or Walleye hockey game, Williams wants students to enjoy the traditions of Toledo — like a Tony Packo’s hot dog. Williams and Russell are

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“We want students to understand exactly what we do.” Sofie Rodriguez Student Government Senator

“Me and Jimmy are already working with Bonnie Murphy from Auxiliary Services, and she set up a committee with people from around campus to help discuss getting TARTA access to downtown,” Williams said. In a time when the #MeToo movement is in full swing, Rodriguez, a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, believes Greek Life and student organizations must better address sexual assault, abuse and harassment education. A new member symposium she attended for her sorority focused on diversity and inclusion, but failed to include sexual assault, alcohol, drugs and sexu-

are going to give these young people a whole year to work on that, it’d be best to put our efforts into the second year.” She went on to say that by picking one of the first three grades to focus on, they were able to further extend their money into more classrooms in more schools. “We also wanted to make sure we had books representing a range of cultures and ethnicities. We want the children to be able to see themselves in the books,” said Jenny Denyer, faculty adviser to Virginia Keil and interim dean to the Judith Herb College of Education. Scholastic dollars earned by the Judith Herb College of Education from a book fair nearly three years ago added to the money Women & Philanthropy raised for the project Keil said. The combination raised $6,800 to donate approximately 1,000 books to 33 secondgrade classrooms at 19 Toledo Public Schools Sawicki said. “We gave a little over $200 in books to each classroom,” Sawicki said. Two after-school activities hosted by the Judith Herb College of Education are held at Old Orchard Elementary School, where Women & Philanthropy Chair Marcy McMahon joined TPS superintendent Romules Durant at 10:30 a.m. on March 15 to present the books Sawicki said. “When the kids saw the books on the table, they swarmed,” Denyer said. Keil said that Women & Philanthropy already announced that it is their intention to have the 2018 holiday project be a collection of dollars to purchase books for the remaining second-grade classrooms in Toledo Public Schools. “Our students are placed at Old Orchard for field experience and student teaching, and this provided us with an opportunity to focus our students’ attention on the importance of not just going to a school, but becoming a part of a school in a very different way,” Keil said.

al education, Rodriguez said. She suggests revamping the educational side of the symposium and utilizing the Panhellenic sexual assault program in sororities, fraternities and other student organizations to better educate and bring awareness to the student body about these issues. “We’re not dumb, that happens on a college campus, and being part of Greek Life, that’s prevalent,” Rodriguez said. “Greek Life is in the news nationally because people are dying from alcohol poisoning.” SG also plays a part in making education more accessible, making Title IX more approachable and bridging the gap between students and administrators, she said. “I think a lot of students think [of] Title IX, and say ‘it’s a scary thing,’ but it can be something that students can use,” Rodriguez said. “I can name a ton of students who have gone through this on-campus, offcampus while they’ve been at UT and just haven’t been comfortable enough to do anything about it.” Her solution is to build a safe and welcoming environment at SG, the Counseling Center and Title IX office for students and victims of abuse and sexual assault. For SG to promote a wel-

coming environment, it must be transparent and open to all students, Williams said. “We want students to understand exactly what we do,” Rodriguez said. “My friends think ‘I have to be part of this secluded secret government clique and I can’t come into the office,’ but we encourage people to come into the office.” To increase SG’s involvement on campus, they might drop tabling or supplement it by approaching students directly at events or throughout the student union, Williams said. Rodriguez and Williams worked together on legislation with Zeta Phi Beta Incorporated to put feminine products in bathrooms, but not many students knew about this change before going to a restroom, he said. William’s solutions are increasing the SG newsletter’s circulation, boosting their social media presence and post legislation online and on the bulletin board outside their office. “[We want] to hand out shirts and walk around the union or around the university and asking people what they want to see,” Williams said. The Student Government elections are March 27 through 29 on OrgSync.

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CALENDAR

UT Tuners Meeting

March 22, 7:30-9 PM Rocket Hall 1542

The University of Toledo’s home for automotive enthusiasts. Their car group is welcome to anyone and everyone whether you have a car or not. Norooz

March 24, All Day SU Auditorium

Nowrooz (literally “New Day”) is the name of the Iranian New Year which is celebrated worldwide by Iranian people, along with some other ethno-linguistic groups, as the beginning of the New Year. Pi Kappa Phi: No Boundaries Week March 26-30 SU Overhang Join Pi Kappa Phi in a week full of activities to raise funding and awareness for The Ability Experience. All proceeds will be donated to the benefit of individuals with disabilities.

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EVENT

LSU awards scholarships at annual dance By Christopher McCormick Staff Reporter

A night of community support and dancing united Latinos of all backgrounds in celebration of their dedication to their organization. UT’s Latino Student Union hosted its 45th annual scholarship dance March 17th in the Student Union and awarded four scholarships to deserving students. Over 250 people attended this year’s scholarship dance to celebrate Latin culture and recognize individuals who went above and beyond to serve LSU. Assistance totaling in $19,000 was awarded to three Latino Student Union members and two incoming freshmen for the 2018-2019 school year. Isabel Guel, LSU treasurer and second-year business marketing student, hopes her and the LSU’s efforts will encourage Latino students to fill leadership

OPERA

A midsummer’s night approaches By Emily Schnipke Editor-in-chief

UT’s opera ensemble will perform with pure magic Benjamin Britten’s opera of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For those who love the play, Britten’s libretto brings a new musical element to the already wonderful world of Shakespeare. The chamber orchestra will be led by UT’s director of orchestral studies Matthew Forte. Denise Ritter Bernardini is the producer and assistant director of the opera. “This one of the most difficult opera scores,” said William Floss, a UT student performing as one of the Rustics. “Some of us weren’t sure we could pull it off. Dr. Forte has led us valiantly through this score and has done an amazing job conducting and holding all the music together. Dr. Bernardini has also led us very well.” Floss said Bernardini has taken on multiple roles of directing, producing, choregraphing, costume design and pulling together the set for the performances. He also said Wayne Anthony, the rehearsal pianist and vocal coach, has worked with the cast to coach them on the language and Shakespearean context.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 | The Independent Collegian |

“This opera is musically completely different from what you might expect opera to sound like,” said Meridian Prall, a UT student playing Hermia. “The show is based on the Shakespeare play, and so people will hopefully be at least a little bit familiar with the story, but the way the music is written, you get a sense of how the atmosphere feels, rather than what recognizable tunes sound like.” Floss agreed with Prall, also saying that the storyline contains many ups and downs. “The show is crazy and beautiful,” Floss said. “It will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions.” As one of the Rustics, Floss said he hopes to bring fun humor to the stage. “Personally, I’m ecstatic about getting to perform this repertoire,” Floss said. Performances are from March 23 to 25 in UT’s Doermann Theater. For ticket prices and showtimes, visit the Department of Theatre’s website.

“[The event’s purpose is] to award members who are deserving of scholarships based on an essay, on academics, community involvement, things like that, and to celebrate it with the community.”

JAVIER GOMEZ Latino Student Union president

roles on campus and, most importantly, to graduate. “We obviously want to keep a high retention rate of the Latino population, we only make up 3.3 percent of the population at UT,” Guel said. “It’s important that we keep their retention not only with the LSU but to stay in college.” LSU has been a part of UT for over 40 years. The organization works to empower the Latino community on campus by promoting cultural awareness and providing a sense

of community for Latinos of all backgrounds. LSU funds these efforts in part from the proceeds of the previous year’s scholarship dance, as well as from the original endowment with which the organization was founded. Past dances have been successful enough to grow the event each year and enable LSU to award more scholarships and book more prestigious musicians. Javier Gomez, LSU president and a fourth-year accounting student, aspires

that the event will reinforce the sense of community LSU works to generate. “[The event’s purpose is] to award members who are deserving of scholarships based on an essay, on academics, community involvement, things like that, and to celebrate it with the community,” Gomez said. Attendees were treated to plenty of music and dancing, as well as a ceremony for the recipients. Jesus Porras, a 2018 scholarship winner and second-year engineering student, expressed his gratitude to LSU and

hoped that his achievement will inspire others in his family to graduate. “I just want to have a family of graduating brothers and sisters,” Porras said.

Running after success

Photos by Mike Miller UT students and community members participated in a 5K race March 17 hosted by UT Engineering Counil and Theta Tau Professional Engineering Fraternity. All proceeds from the Suits for Success 5K went to the Dean Nagi Naganathan Engineering Student Career Success Fund.

| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, March 21, 2018

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Toledo women bow out of NIT in second round Jackson Rogers

-11 at the end of the first quarter. UT continued to have good ofOn Friday, the UT women’s fensive production as they took basketball team defeated Wright to 34-22. The Rockets outscored State by a score of 64-50 and lost the Raiders, 17-10, in the third to Michigan State on Tuesday by quarter to cruise to victory. a score of 66-64 in the NCAA In the third quarter, UT outWomen’s National Invitational scored the Raiders 12-3. A notable Tournament. play in the quarter was a threeAgainst Wright State, fourthpointer by second-year guard Sara year guard Jay-Ann BravoRokkanen to extend the Rockets’ Harriott scored 18 points and lead to 46-25 with 4:31 left to play third-year center Kaayla McIntyre in the period. added 14 points and 11 rebounds Toledo’s lead grew to 51-32 to pace the Rocket offense. going into the last quarter. “I know there are a lot of people Wright State came out firing around the region that probably in the fourth quarter, going on a thought our team didn’t deserve 10-3 run to shrink the deficit to this,” said Tricia Cullop, head 60-48 with 3:47 left to go in the coach. “I used it as motivation game. UT calmed down after by because, honestly, I felt like we did sealing the game with a layup by and I knew if we got the chance second-year Mariella Santucci and we would prove the fact that we a pair of free throws from Bravodeserved an opportunity.” Harriott. The Rockets shot 23-of-57 (40.4 “I think everyone is into it and percent) from the field and held everyone knows that you can be Wright State (23-11) to just 18-of- one-and-done,” McIntyre said. 68 (26.5 percent), including just “So, you have to play your hardest 9-of-35 (25.7 percent) in the first every night. You can’t really have half. Toledo also outrebounded any mess-ups. We just came out the Raiders, 48-40. tonight and really focused on Bravo-Harriott was hot in the what coach taught us.” first half, scoring 16 of her points Against MSU, McIntyre led the to help Toledo build a lead of 18 Rocket offense with 16 points, a game-high 10 rebounds and five assists, posting her “I used it as motivation ninth double-doubecause, honestly, I felt like ble of the season. we did and I knew if we got First-year forward Tanaya the chance we would prove Beacham was also the fact that we deserved an in double digits, opportunity.” scoring 12 points along with nine TRICIA CULLOP rebounds. University of Toledo Head Coach Bravo-Harriott Associate Sports Editor

and third-year Mikaela Boyd also finished in double figures for the Rockets with 10 points each. As a team, the Rockets shot 56.0 percent (28-of-50) from the floor, including 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent (6-of-9) from the free throw line. UT played well off-the-glass against the Spartans, out-rebounding them 35-25. In the first quarter, MSU scored the game’s first seven points, but UT closed the opening 10 minutes on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 19-15. McIntyre and Rokkanen were key contributors to the run, scoring 11 of UT’s 15 points in the quarter, including two each in the final two minutes to make it a two-possession difference. In the second quarter, the Rockets outscored MSU 18-13 to take a 33-32 lead into the half. Five different Rockets scored in the quarter. UT’s 9-3 burst midway through the period was crucial to the lead change. In the second half, the Rockets continued to play strong, extended their lead to a game-high six points two different times in the quarter and had a slim 48-45 advantage, heading into the final quarter. Boyd and McIntyre scored six points each in the period. In the fourth quarter, the teams went back and forth, trading the lead eight different times. The Rockets were in a 66-62 hole with only 18 seconds left, but they answered with back-to-back baskets from Boyd and Beacham only to lose off the Spartans’ last-second layup for the game winner.

DAN MILLER / UTOLEDO

Third-year center Kaayla McIntrye puts a shot up over Wright State University.

MORE ONLINE

Toledo golf heads to Arizona

UT softball goes 2-1 in Eagle Classic tournament

By Justice Sunderland Staff Reporter

The Toledo women’s golf team traveled to Mesa, Arizona, to compete in the Clover Cup where the team finished in a tie for 11th place. The Rockets shot 16 over par in the final round to finish 52 over par for the tournament. Second-year golfer Saralok Tumfong paced the Rockets shooting six over par and finished in 17th. Third-year Pinyada Kuvanun was next for UT at nine over par, finishing in 29th place. Third-year golfer Pimchanok Kawil shot 17 over par, good for 53rd place and second-year Donchanok Toburint finished tied for 67th at 22 over par. Toledo started slow in the first round, shooting 24 over par. They sat in 14th place after the first day of play. Tumfong and Kuvanun shot the best rounds for UT at 76 and 77, respectively.

The second day went much better for Toledo as they shot twelve strokes better. Tumfong posted her best round of the tournament, shooting 73. Kawil and Kuvanun followed closely shooting 74 and 76 respectively as UT climbed to 11th place. Kuvanun shot the best round by any Rocket in the tournament with 72. Tumfong matched her previous round shooting another 73 and Kawil shot 79 as the team shot 16 over par. The last day of the tournament did not finish without some drama. No. 15 University of Oklahoma entered the last round trailing No. 8 Arizona State University by four strokes, but they shot four over par 292 as ASU shot a 10 over par 298. The Sooners won the team title by two strokes with a strong final round led by Julienne Soo with the best round of any player in the tournament at four Finish reading this piece online at www.IndependentCollegian.com

By Adam Jacobs Staff Reporter

Morehead State in a showdown that was defined by third-year pitcher Heather Webb’s dominant pitching performance. Webb struck out seven batters and only allowed three hits in the Rocket’s 4-0 victory. Fourth-year centerfielder Ashley Rausch broke through in the third inning with a solo home run, breaking a no-hit bid for opposing pitcher Chelsea McManaway. Third-year second baseman Megan Choate smashed a two-run home run that would solidify a 4-0 win. In the final game of the classic, the Rockets would meet their match against an upset-minded Oakland team. Oakland went into the match at only 5-12 on the season thus far and with the Rockets striking first, and scoring twice in the first inning, the game seemed like a foregone conclusion. However, that was not the case. Oakland scored in each of the last three

UT’s softball team went 2-1 in the Eagle Classic over the past weekend against Oakland University, East Tennessee State University and Morehead State University. The first contest of the Eagle Classic pitted UT against East Tennessee State, a formidable opponent. Despite this, UT prevailed with an 8-5 victory. Thirdyear pitcher Kailey Minarchick pitched the whole game for her sixth victory of the season thus far. The Rockets were also aided due to strong bat performances. The team scored in each of the first five innings, with first-year center Bailey Curry, second-year first baseman Morgan Paaverud and third-year third baseman Katie Cozy all hit home runs for the Rockets. For Curry, it was her teamleading seventh home run of the year. The Rockets then faced host school Finish reading this piece online at www.IndependentCollegian.com