Full Issue 12-6 by The Independent Collegian

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

99th year • Issue 15

THE INDEPENDENT Good luck on finals and

COLLEGIAN

happy holidays!

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Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919

INSIDE

FILM

MUSIC

‘Lady Bird’ soars high Toledo jazz icon A conversation with Greta Gerwig By Sam Williams Sports Editor

UT graduate Jeremy Holloway paves way to success COMMUNITY / 6 »

MAC Champions

“

SPORTS / 5 »

“If we change the way we teach, we can change the way students think—and that can change the world.”

JESSICA HARKER Destroy the idea of subjects in the school system OPINION / 3 »

Documentary filmmaker returns to UT as dean

“

COMMUNITY / 6 »

“There are always going to be finals, and it’s up to you to find the best way to deal with them.”

EDITORIAL Finals stress

OPINION / 3 »

“Lady Bird,” the directorial debut from writer and actress Greta Gerwig, opens with a quote from Sacramento native and world-renowned writer Joan Didion: “Anybody who talks about California hedonism has never spent a Christmas in Sacramento.” Didion’s quote serves as an epigraph to “Lady Bird,” but it signifies more than just its themes. “Well, reading Joan Didion for me was transformative because it was the first time I had the experience of reading a great writer and a true artist turned her eye on a place that I was from,” Gerwig told The Independent Collegian. “And in a way, it was both that she was a woman and that she was from Sacramento. Those things were something that felt different to me.” She said she knew there were women writ-

ers that were people from her part of the world, but it didn’t quite click for her until she read Didion’s works. “I think I can trace back wanting to be a writer and an artist and a creator to reading Joan’s work about California and about Sacramento specifically,” Gerwig said. “Lady Bird” feels like a culmination of the feelings Gerwig had while reading Didion. The movie highlights the beauty and depth of a city like Sacramento but is told through the eyes of a main character that can’t realize its importance until she leaves.

See Debut / 4 »

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLIED INTEGRATED MARKETING

Saoirse Ronan and Greta Gerwig on the set of “Lady Bird”.

dies at 96 By Samantha Gerlach Staff Reporter

A Toledo legend has left his mark on the University of Toledo. Jon Hendricks, worldrenowned jazz lyricist and vocalist and previous professor at UT, died Nov. 22. He was 96. Hendricks was born Sept. 16, 1921 in Newark, Ohio and had 14 brothers and sisters. His father was Alexander Brookes Hendricks, and his mother was Willie Carrington Hendricks. When Hendricks was four years old, his father became the pastor at the Warren African Methodist Episcopal Church in Toledo. Hendricks’ family followed his father and moved to Toledo shortly after. Hendricks lived on City Park Avenue, just five houses down from the home of another famous Toledo jazz pianist, Art Tatum. Hendricks would often visit Tatum to hear him play and received personal music lessons from him.

JON HENDRICKS Former UT Professor and Jazz Vocalist

At a very early age, music became very important to Hendricks. When he was seven years old, his mother encouraged him to sing in the church choir with her at the Warren AME Episcopal Church. When Hendricks began singing, Tatum accompanied him on the radio; by the time Hendricks was nine years old, Tatum was calling him for gigs. By age 14, Hendricks performed twice a week with Tatum at the popular Waiter’s and Bellman’s Club in Toledo on Indiana Avenue. See Vocalist / 4 »

TEACHING

ACCREDITATION

Professors earn science fellowship

UT appeals accreditation status of its PA program

By Olivia Rodriguez Staff Reporter

Three University of Toledo professors were recently elected as fellows to a nonprofit organization that strives to make advancements in science. American Association of the Advancement of Science elected Heidi Appel, dean of the Jesup Scott Honors College and professor in the department of environmental sciences, Karen Bjorkman, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Steven Federman, a professor of astronomy. According to the AAAS website, to become a fellow one must be a continuous four-year member of the organization who has scientifically or socially distinguished work. “It is great to see three people from UT become fellows, especially two from the same department since only seven were selected from the astronomy section,” Federman said. Bjorkman is currently researching the discs of gas and dust that form around stars, she said. Appel said she is currently studying the defense mechanisms plants have against insects. These defenses include chemical ones like spices, hearing when they are being attacked and sensing vibrations, she said. She is also studying the chemical properties of mustard, red wine,

By Gabrielle Huff Staff Reporter

fruits, vegetables and chocolate, HEIDI APPEL Appel said. Dean of the Jesup Scott Honors College The goal of this research is to better understand the medicinal and health benefits of these foods, which can help everyone, she said. Federman studies the interstellar matter between stars and the Earth. Utilizing specKAREN BJORKMAN troscopy, FederDean of the College of Natural man uses “the Sciences and Mathematics star as a light bulb to observe the [chemical] signatures in interstellar matter between the star and us [Earth],” he said. He also studies the different isotopes of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen and how they are produced inside STEVEN FEDERMAN of stars. Specifically, he studies Professor of Astronomy the formation of lithium, boron faculty members for and rubidium, Feearning this honor. derman said. “This recognition “It’s a nice acby AAAS is an exterknowledgement nal validation of the that we have some talented experts on really good people our campus,” Gaber here, and I think it’s said in a press release. good for the univer“UT faculty make sity that people are important contriburecognizing that,” tions to their fields Bjorkman said. of study and actively UT President Shaengage our students ron Gaber said she is in research projects proud of these three in the process.”

“UT faculty make important contributions to their fields of study and actively engage our students in research projects in the process.” SHARON GABER UT President

The University of Toledo submitted an official letter of appeal to the Accreditation Review Commission for Physician Assistants Nov. 3 to return the Physician Assistant program to probationary accreditation status. This comes after UT was notified by ARC-PA in a letter received Oct. 6 that the program’s accreditation was being withdrawn. This letter cited many reasons for the withdrawal, including an insufficient amount of faculty, an inability of the program to conduct a meaningful self-assessment and inadequate resources to educate students. The PA program department chair, Patricia Hogue, and interim program director Linda Dill were both replaced in the wake of the withdrawal, wrote University of Toledo President Sharon Gaber in a statement. The notice of appeal letter sent to the commission states that the review panel should reverse the decision because “the program believes it has demonstrated that the program was in compliance with the majority of the cited standards at the time of the site visit.” PA program administrators say this statement is supported by the program’s application for continuing accreditation, the self-study report completed by the program, and sufficient documentation that was given to the inspectors during the June visit. The letter also claims that the reasons ARC-PA cited as areas of the program’s non-compliance are “erroneous, inaccurate and incomplete.” The university argues that there were a sufficient number of employees within the program, including four full-time PA employees, a hand-

“The program disagrees with the conclusion that it is unable to conduct meaningful program self-assessment and prepare a self-study report.”

ful of administrators, and professors from other departments who aided in PA instruction in subjects such as anatomy and physiology at the time of inspection, according to the letter. According to the appeal letter, “The program disagrees with the conclusion that it is unable to conduct meaningful program self-assessment and prepare a self-study report.” The letter goes on to state that the commission’s claims against the PA program were inappropriate and misleading, stating that the university and program directors were given adequate oversight and analysis throughout the entire process. In ARC-PA’s notice, they stated that PA students are not given an adequate education and that the program lacks resources to carry that out. UT rejected this claim in the appeals letter, stating that the program’s students had a 100-percent passing rate for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination over the past decade. However, according to the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination Five Year First Time Taker Summary Report on UT’s website, the 2012 graduating class was the See Letter / 4 »

MEAGAN O’HARA / IC

UT’s Department of Physician Assistant Studies is located on the Health Science Campus in the Collier Building. UT is appealing the withdrawal of the program’s accreditation.

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* We put a Christmas pickle in this issue. Tweet us if you find it!

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Winter Words

ACROSS: 3. What is the name of Ebenezer Scrooge’s partner from the play “A Christmas Carol”? 5. How many points does a traditional snowflake have?

7. What is the title of the famous Christmas ballet? 10. What was sitting in the pear tree?

DOWN 1. What “spy” hides around the house, telling Santa

who had been naughty and nice? 2. What Christmas dessert is known for its long shelf life? 4. Who stole Christmas? 6. Which food danced above children’s head in “T’was the Night Before Christmas”? 8. Which milk based beverage is

available around Christmas holidays and comes in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic versions? 9. How many days is Hanukkah?

The Independent Collegian Staff Visit us at Carlson Library, Suite 1057 Write to us at 2801 W. Bancroft St., Mail Stop 530 Toledo, OH 43606

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Emily Schnipke Managing Editor Emily Jackson News Bryce Buyakie, editor Sports Sam Williams, editor Jackson Rogers, assoc. editor Community Areeba Shah, editor Opinion Jessica Harker, editor

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The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, December 6, 2017 | 3

OPINION Send letters to the editor to Editor@independentcollegian.com

EDITORIAL BOARD

Bryce Buyakie Emily Schnipke

Jessica Harker Areeba Shah

Emily Jackson 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.

EDITORIAL

Finals stress

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: students finding places to sleep in almost every building on campus, late-night runs for Starbucks and highlighting notes for hours on end. Finals week is fast approaching. Like most students, you’ve probably been warned by your professors not to put off writing your final papers and studying for exams until the last minute. There’s always a lot of work to do in a little amount of time. Each class has some sort of cumulative project — an essay, a presentation, an exam, etc. — and each requires several days of work to prepare. How do you get it all done? We all get stressed out right before finals week each year, no matter how hard we try not to. Georgetown University says that there are several different signs of stress that you can identify: impatience, frustration, and irritability over minor things; feeling increasingly disorganized and forgetful; difficulty making even small decisions, eye twitches; chronic fatigue or difficulty sleeping; stomach problems; and frequent feelings of anxiety or panic. If you’ve been feeling even slightly stressed out, take comfort in knowing that every other student at UT is right there with you. We at the IC have had our fair share of crazy preparations for finals. Here are just a few tips to making the best of the end of the semester.

• Having an effective study strategy

Cramming all the information you need into your head two hours before an exam isn’t going to work very well. Even doing a study session the day before the exam isn’t the best idea. Instead, try spacing out your different study sessions in the days ahead of your exams. Do a severalhour study block for astronomy, take a break and then study for your calculus final. Repeat the next day. Make time for all the subjects you need to study, and do it effectively in small groups.

• Making “off ” time – and letting “off ” hours stay “off ” hours

No one can review for 24 hours a day, even if you’re a super student. Just as a break is important in having an effective study session, it’s vital that your break stays a break.

• Sleep enough Everyone loves napping and sleeping. You have to be crazy in order to pop right out of bed in the morning. During finals week, it is very easy for you to lose sleep or put it off in favor of studying. Don’t do that. It’s a bad idea to stay up for long periods of time and use your brain constantly. Rest is just as important as naming all the muscles in the arm. If you shrug off sleep, your brain doesn’t refresh, and doesn’t do as well at retaining information.

OPINION

Destroy the idea of subjects in the school system

It’s not an unusual phenomenon in schools today to find connections between different classes. In fact, it would be unusual to say that there are no connections. So why is everything taught separate, and encouraged to be thought of as separate? This semester, in my college courses, I took three classes in three different colleges; Mass Communication Ethics for my major, Environmental Science for my last science credit and Introduction to Peace Justice Studies as an elective.

JESSICA HARKER OPINION EDITOR

personally. I have learned a lot about my personal philosophy and made changes regarding my lifestyle because of the lessons I have learned from these courses.

It’s not an unusual phenomenon in schools today to find connections between different classes. In fact, it would be unusual to say that there are no connections. So why is everything taught separate, and encouraged to be thought of as separate? Yet, somehow, each one of these courses taught me about the same idea: sustainable development and its connections within the environmental, political and business spheres. This got me thinking about why these courses are so different and how my ideas regarding each course would have been altered if I hadn’t taken them during the same semester. I feel like it would have hurt me academically and

Finland has already identified this as a better way to focus education. According to the Washington Post, Finland has switched to a topic-based learning program, combining two or more subjects per lesson. This would mean that lessons regarding foreign language would be combined with geography, or subjects like economics and geography would result in lessons about the European Union.

• Don’t abuse caffeine Many college students don’t even think about going to the library without a venti of black coffee. Others don’t need it to survive. In the case of finals week, students sometimes substitute caffeine for sleep. Carlson Library’s trash cans overfill with Starbucks cups and RedBull cans during finals week. The quick fix of caffeine to keep you awake may end in some pretty nasty circumstances. Sugar crashes, irregular sleep and general fatigue does not help you study any better. Get some sleep, drink some tea and study more efficiently to avoid running on caffeine fumes.

• Unplugging

You are not going to be able to write your English final if you’re pulling out your phone to play Pocket Camp every two minutes. The same thing goes for any form of social media. “Unplugging” is the best way for anyone to get actual work done for finals. Leave your phone in your bookbag, your bedroom or shut it down completely. This doesn’t work as well if you can open Tumblr and Reddit on your laptop, but resist the urge.

You are not going to be able to write your English final if you’re pulling out your phone to play Pocket Camp every two minutes. The same thing goes for any form of social media. Don’t let yourself get overloaded. In your break time — whether it’s half an hour or 10 minutes — completely stop studying. Stare at your phone, text your friends and do something that shuts your mind off for a moment.

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Let your study sessions be actual study sessions. There are always going to be finals, and it’s up to you to find the best way to deal with them. Finals will not kill you, no matter how hard they try. Good luck on your finals and happy holidays!

This helps combine real life with school subjects and allows for students to have a lot more freedom in their own education. It allows students to find their passions and to explore topics in new and exciting ways. It also promotes a different way of thinking, inspiring new and innovative ideas in the next generation that can only continue to improve our society. Not only that, but Finland has proven, according to the Washington Post article, to score better on tests and in comprehensive learning than students in the United States. If we are considering education reform in this country, I think it is imperative to notice how having rigid ideas about subjects affects students. If we were to follow in Finland’s footsteps and teach students about the real world while also teaching them about history, math, science, writing and everything else they need to know, imagine how much the country could accomplish.

This got me thinking about why these courses are so different and how my ideas regarding each course would have been altered if I hadn’t taken them during the same semester. I feel like it would have hurt me academically and personally. It is a widely held opinion that the education system in this country needs to be changed, and this is the direction to for those changes to occur. If we change the way we teach, we can change the way students think— and that can change the world. Jessica Harker is a fourthyear communication major with a minor in women and gender studies.

This would mean that lessons regarding foreign language would be combined with geography, or subjects like economics and geography would result in lessons about the European Union. This helps combine real life with school subjects and allows for students to have a lot more freedom in their own education.

EDITORIAL

Reflecting on the first 15-week semester At the start of the Fall 2017 semester, the University of Toledo implemented a switch from a 16week to a 15-week semester. According the UT Faculty Senate, where the idea originated, the aim of altering UT’s calendar was to improve degree time, align with other four-year institutions, expand time for students to strengthen finances and enhance opportunity for faculty research and scholarship. A number of surrounding schools also have a 15-week semester, including Ohio State University, Miami University, Ohio University and Cleveland State University. However, a majority of these schools do not have a fall break. Back when Faculty Senate discussed the idea, the possibility of not having a fall break and a change in the amount of time students spent in class was considered. The IC wrote an article in December 2016 stating, “…if UT switches to shorter semesters, it is possible that class times will switch from 50 minutes to 55 minutes

A number of surrounding schools also have a 15-week semester, including Ohio State University, Miami University, Ohio University and Cleveland State University. However, a majority of these schools do not have a fall break.

The loss of one week of classes hasn’t seemed to affect the amount of material covered in classes. With the change in class times, professors have an hour and 20 minutes to teach instead of the previous one hour and 15 minutes. But does 10 extra minutes of class time each week make up for an extra week of classes? and 75 minutes to 80 minutes. This way, students will still spend roughly the same amount of time in classes.” After spending a semester in this new system, we have mixed feelings about the schedule change. The loss of one week of classes hasn’t seemed to affect the amount of material covered in classes. With the change in class times, professors have an hour and 20 minutes to teach instead of the previous one hour and 15 minutes. But does 10 extra minutes of class time each week make up for an extra week of classes? Including more minutes into a class period is different than having a separate class. Professors usually talk about new information on a new day. The loss of two potential class days means the loss of education. Some students are experiencing professors who let students out early due to the extra five minutes. After spending a few years teaching on the hour and 15-minute schedule, it’s hard to transition to fit more material into a class period that has already been through the system a few times. In addition, we really don’t understand why the addition of five more minutes constitutes such weird class times. Many classes start at five minutes until the hour or even at 35 minutes into the hour. These weird class times lead to confusing schedules for students.

It was easy to think about what time to leave home, find a parking spot and get to class when the class started on the hour or half-hour.

...we really don’t understand why the addition of five more minutes constitutes such weird class times. Many classes start at five minutes until the hour or even at 35 minutes into the hour. These weird class times lead to confusing schedules for students. Within the last four years, UT has gone from classes at an hour and 40 minutes, to one and 15, and then to one and 20. The constant shift in the amount of time spent in class and the schedule of classes is annoying to students and professors. At the very least, move the classes back to starting on the hour. Make our lives a little bit easier. We are spending a lot of time here and a pretty penny to do so. It’s always nice to hear the Bell Tower playing while you’re running late to class.

| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, December 6, 2017

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IN BRIEF

Rockets to play Appalachian State in Dollar General Bowl The University of Toledo has accepted the invitation to play Appalachian State in the 2017 Dollar General Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The game will be played at 7 p.m. Eastern time Saturday, Dec. 23 on ESPN. UT head coach Jason Candle has led the Rockets to an 11-2 record and a Mid-American Conference Championship title. Appalachian State defeated the Rockets in last year’s Raycom Media Camellia bowl, 31-28. Appalachian State is 8-4 and 7-1 in the Sun Belt Conference and finished as co-champions of the Sun Belt with Troy.

State approves security, safety projects for UT State Representative Michael Ashford announced Dec. 4 that the University of Toledo and the Northwest Ohio Psychiaric Hospital will receive $1.375 million in state funds to make security and safety improvements. Funding was approved by the Conrolling Board. $1.3 million will upgrade UT’s firewall, network security, anti-virus and malware protection. NOPH will receive the remaining $75,000 for winer snow and ice removal.

UT Foundation reports increased donations in 2017 The University of Toledo Foundation had the highest level of donor contributions in a decade since the last major capital campagin. According to a letter from the UT Foundation, gifts and pledges totalled $22.7 million, a 22 percent increase from 2016. The 2017 one-year incestment return was 12.5 percent, compared to a 10.9 percent. The Foundation also raised $16.8 million that went to scholarships, athletics, capital needs and research.

Vocalist from page 1

Hendricks encountered the world’s most famous jazz musicians while working and singing at the then-famous club. Music was put on the backburner when Hendricks was drafted into World War II in 1942; when he returned to the states in 1946, he settled in Rochester, New York. It wasn’t until 1949 that he decided to return to Toledo to study pre-law at the University of Toledo. During his time at UT, he continued to perform at different jazz clubs in the area. It was at the Civic Auditorium in Toledo that Hendricks sang in front of Charlie Parker, who told him that “He ain’t no lawyer; he a be-bop singer.” Parker invited him out to New York to perform right then and there. And the rest is history. Hendricks spent the rest of his life traveling the world, performing at numerous concerts, recording albums and becoming more famous every day. His specialty was “vocalese,” which sets lyrics to established instrumental recordings. Hendricks and vocalists Dave Lambert and Annie Ross came together to form a vocalese jazz trio and performed internationally from 1957 to 1966. The University of Toledo offered Hendricks a position as first distinguished professor of jazz studies at the university on May 12, 2000. He returned to his alma mater to “make the University of Toledo a center of jazz activity in America and the world,” he said in his acceptance letter of the job offering. Ellie Martin was a master student in vocal jazz performance in 2007 when she met Hendricks, but she soon became his teaching assistant in his History of Jazz class. She wrote her master’s thesis on him and his years in Toledo. She finished her Ph.D. in 2016 and wrote her dissertation on his vocal group: Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross. “He was tremendously in-

Like us at Facebook.com/ICollegian fluential, a natural story-teller,” said Martin. “I loved interviewing him because I could ask him one question, and he would begin to tell the most brilliant stories.” Hendricks told personal stories of his days with other famous jazz musicians of his time, including Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. “Because he personally knew the artists we studied in History of Jazz, it helped me to better understand the music,” Martin said. While he taught at the university, Hendricks also headlined concerts and hosted events like the UT Jazz Party to benefit the Art Tatum Scholarship Fund in 2001. “His life experiences with Tatum combined with his artistic excellence made him unforgettable,” said David Jex, professor of music. “He was a man of humility,” Martin said. Lori LeFevre Johnson was a student in Hendricks’ vocalese class at UT. She was also an elementary school teacher. One day, Hendricks decided to visit her class and sing for the students. “I sang for those kids, and let me tell you, they were snapping their fingers on two and four; they were swinging. I’m telling you, it was the most amazing thing,” Hendricks said in an interview. Hendricks taught at the University of Toledo from 2000 to 2015 and toured internationally with his own ensemble of Toledo students and local singers. He was predeceased by his wife, Judith, son Eric, and a daughter, Colleen, both from his first marriage to Connie Moore, which ended in divorce. He is survived by his daughter, Aria, of his second marriage, a son, Jon, and daughter, Michelle, of his first marriage, and three grandchildren. “He was just an incredible person,” said Martin. “We’re sad to see him go.”

UT relays for life

Carla Marzari / IC

(Above) Team Lord Byron’s Army stands with its trophy for winning first place with its spin on Tetris. The University of Toledo hosted its first hackathon event on Dec. 2. Over 45 students attended the event.

Debut

from page 1

The movie focuses on the final year of high school for Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, portrayed by Saoirse Ronan. Lady Bird is motivated through the movie by a desire to experience something, to live through something significant. She feels deeply disappointed in the life she has lived so far, longing to leave Sacramento and go to New York so her life can finally start. “Lady Bird” echoes the feelings many teenagers across the country have in this phase of their lives. Growing up dissatisfied with your hometown isn’t uncommon, and feeling the need to go somewhere that is perceived as culturally significant or important is even less so. What “Lady Bird” excels at is not only making Lady Bird’s discontent so relatable but making every aspect of the story feel personal to the viewer. Gerwig said she’s always loved that movies can take you into a world you’ve never been in, and will never be able to go in, and still make you feel like you know it. “I wanted to make it this town and this people

and these people. Because I think the truth is that through that specificity, people would have a greater likelihood of connecting to their own life and their own hometown and their own families and where they’re from and where they’re going,” she said. “And I didn’t expect, though, how much so many people would say to me, ‘I’ve never been to Sacramento but I have a Sacramento in my heart.’” Gerwig said it’s incredible that everyone can understand it. When you watch “Lady Bird,” it’s hard not to relate it back to your own life. Every person Lady Bird interacts with, every struggle she goes through and every conversation she has feels applicable to something personal. The characters not only feel real, they feel like people you have known for years, and it adds a level of genuineness to the movie that stays with you beyond the theater. “Lady Bird” hits many of the same notes for the audience that Joan Didion hit for Gerwig, except in a much wider capacity. Seeing art that recognizes the importance of your home in an artistic sense is important to those that feel they need to change

Letter

The University of Toledo has selected Healthcare Highways RX to be the new pharmacy benefit manager effective Jan. 1. The move is to provide an improvided precription system that will reduce health-care costs, said Wendy Davis, associate vice president of human resources. Out-of-pocket medication costs may be lower if employees opt to fill prescriptions at a UT pharmacy, she said.

The University of Toledo Medical Center is holding a stuffed animal toy drive on the Health Science Campus this week. The drive is organized by student organizations. Donations can be dropped off between noon and 2 p.m. through Dec. 8 in the Four Seasons Bistro. Monetary donations are also accepted. Proceeds go to pediatric patients at the UTMC Emergency Department.

Hacking a good time

from page 1

University employees to receive new pharmacy benefit manager

UTMC hosts stuffed animal toy drive

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Photos by Mike Miller / IC University of Toledo students participated in the annual Relay for Life Dec. 1 at the Recreation Center. (Top left) Students clap as cancer survivors and caregivers walk during the first lap of the night. (Top right) A cancer survivor cuts the ribbon to start the event. (Middle) Two UT students walk as caregivers with their survivor. (Bottom) UT’s Blue Crew showed up to Relay and walked during the first lap around the track.

site, the 2012 graduating class was the only class to receive a 100-percent pass rate. The following classes’ pass rates were 95 percent in 2013, 85 percent in 2014, 92 percent in 2015 and 74 percent in 2016. The PA program’s letter also states that there were sufficient staff, contrary to what ARC-PA reported in its notice letter. First-year physician assistant major Allie Pangallo said that when the withdrawal was first announced she was very worried about the future of the program and her entire education, but after learning more about the situation and talking to many PA graduate students and faculty, she has no worries. “The single thing that matters to me the most is that we look out for our students who are currently enrolled,” Christopher Cooper, executive vice president for clinical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, said. The university is proposing an additional site visit by ARC-PA this spring, when ARC-PA would decide if the program should be returned to continued accreditation status, according to the appeal letter. If that plan is successful, a new class of only twenty students will be admitted in fall 2018. The letter states that rejecting the appeal would be a disservice to the community because UT has historically accepted and graduated many underrepresented minorities into the profession and received the Physician Assistant Education Association Excellence Through Diversity Award in 2011. 2017 graduates will be able to graduate from the program with accredited status, but, for this to happen, the university must submit a teach-out program to ARC-PA that will allow the university to teach current students through graduation, according to the PA program’s website.

locations to find their true meaning, or that where they grow up is insufficient. Gerwig said she hopes that the film connects to people from less documented cities because she is interested in those types of cities and their stories. “I think there’s a lot of richness there and a lot of things that we don’t get to see and that’s what I’m always looking for when I go to the movie theater and hope that in a way someone will watch this and feel like they can make a film about the place that they’re in and not feel like they have to leave in order to make their artistic statement,” Gerwig said. While “Lady Bird” stays deeply committed to Sacramento, it’s difficult not to fill in the cracks with your own experiences. During the final monologue when Lady Bird calls her parents from New York City and describes all the things she misses about Sacramento, she might as well be describing landmarks from your own insignificant home town. The things you can only appreciate once you leave are on full display in “Lady Bird,” and it makes for an experience that lets you recognize them before you’re gone.

“The single thing that matters to me the most is that we look out for our students who are currently enrolled.” Christopher Cooper

Dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences,

Last Week’s Solutions

Wednesday, December 6, 2017 | The Independent Collegian |

SPORTS MAC CHAMPIONS V O L L E Y B A L L

F O O T B A L L

MAC EAST

AKRN OHIO BUFF MIAO BGSU KENT

6-2 5-3 4-4 4-4 2-6 1-7

7-5 8-4 6-6 5-7 2-10 2-10

TOL CMU NILL WMU EMU BALL

MAC WEST 7-1 6-2 6-2 4-4 3-5 0-8

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10-2 8-4 8-4 6-6 5-7 2-10

MIAO BGSU OHIO BUFF KENT AKRN

MAC EAST 13-3 13-3 10-6 8-8 3-13 2-14

MAC WEST

23-8 17-11 17-14 15-13 5-22 6-22

BALL WMU CMU EMU NILL TOL

11-5 8-8 7-9 7-9 7-9 7-9

19-11 17-12 15-14 16-17 8-23 12-16

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FOOTBALL

MEAGAN O’HARA / IC

Second-year wide receiver Diontae Johnson secures a pass from Logan Woodside for a touchdown Dec. 2 during the Mid-American Conference Championship game in Detroit. By Sam Williams Sports Editor

The University of Toledo headed to Detroit Dec. 2 to face off against Akron University in a battle for the Mid-American Conference Championship. Toledo entered the game as 18-point favorites, fueled by its 48-21 victory of the Zips earlier in the season. The previous game proved a good indicator for the championship game as Toledo came away with its first MAC title since 2004, winning 28-45. “It’s definitely been a long time coming, but this team just grinded all year, and great leadership starting with Coach Candle preparing us for this moment to stay in this moment,” said fourth-year running back Terry Swanson. “It’s definitely special for the city, the university and the fans.” Toledo was led by fourth-year quarterback and player of the game Logan Woodside and the high-powered Rocket offense. Toledo put up 561 total offensive yards in the victory, including 182 rushing yards from Swanson. Akron was unable to get anything going on offense, putting up just 396 total yards. Neither team’s offense could make waves in the first half, with both offenses punting on their

first drives. Toledo was kickstarted by a massive 48-yard punt return from second-year receiver Danzel McKinley-Lewis, putting them on the Akron 17-yard line. A holding penalty set them back 10 yards, but a 27-yard pass from Woodside to second-year wide receiver Diontae Johnson put Toledo in the endzone, giving the Rockets a 7-0 lead. Toledo stopped the Zips on the following drive, putting the ball back into the hands of the Rocket offense. Toledo started on its own 18-yard line and pounded the ball down the field on a 10-play, 81-yard drive that ended in a missed field goal from thirdyear kicker Jameson Vest. Akron switched its quarterbacks on the following drive but was unable to convert a first down. At the end of the first quarter, Toledo held the lead, 7-0. Toledo started the second quarter with the ball, but, after an early fumble, Akron took the ball back deep in Rocket territory. Akron had its own problems as back-to-back penalties took away a potential touchdown and set the Zips farther back than they had started. After a failed attempt to secure a first down, Akron attempted a field goal. The attempt was blocked by second-year

defensive lineman Nate Childress and returned by third-year safety Josh Teachey all the way back to the Akron 34-yard line. Three plays later, Toledo was in the endzone again, this time on a two-yard rush from Swanson. Toledo extended its lead to 14-0. Akron continued to struggle on offense as it punted again after gaining only one yard on three plays. The Rocket offense continued to dominate, putting up another touchdown and eight-play, 64yard drive. The score came from another Woodside to Johnson connection, giving the duo two touchdowns in the game. Toledo maintained a 21-point lead as Akron still looked for its first score. Things started to get uglier for the Zips as fourth-year Akron quarterback Thomas Woodson threw his first interception of the game to fourth-year cornerback Trevon Mathis, giving Toledo a chance to put even more points on the board before halftime. Toledo, instead, responded with an interception of its own, as Woodside recorded his first turnover of the game. Akron was unable to score, and Toledo took over with 1:39 left in the half, looking for redemption after the previous turnover. The Rockets redeemed themselves on a 27-yard Jon’vea

Johnson touchdown, giving Toledo a 28-point lead heading into the half. Toledo dominated the Zips on offense, with the Rockets putting up 326 total offensive yards in the first half compared to Akron’s 98. The Toledo defense also helped with the massive first half lead, holding Akron to only six first downs in the first half. Toledo drove the ball 76 yards down the field, but a fumble by Swanson on the one-yard line ended the drive before the Rockets could score, and the ball was recovered by the Akron defense. Akron’s failings on offense continued as they punted on third down again. Toledo brought their next drive close enough for Vest to nail a 47-yard field goal, making the score 31-0. The next score of the game came on a Woodside pass to first-year running back Shakif Seymour for a touchdown, extending the score to 38-0. Akron’s offense woke up deep in the third with a 59-yard pass, putting Akron in prime position to cut into Toledo’s lead. Akron recorded its first touchdown off a seven-yard rush, making the score 38-7 heading into the third quarter. Second half troubles followed Toledo into the fourth quarter as Toledo opened its drive with Woodside’s second inter-

ception of the day. Akron interview. “These guys set out capitalized on the intercepon a journey back in January, tion by scoring its second and like every team across the touchdown of the game, cut- country, they wanted to be ting Toledo’s lead to 24. champions.” Toledo gave the ball back The Rockets will head to the to Akron after yet another Dollar General Bowl Dec. 23 fumble, this time coming from where they will face off against Seymour. The Rocket defense Appalachian State University. quickly made up for the offense’s mistake as Toledo forced and recovered a fumble of its own on Akron’s first play. Swanson was back in the game for Toledo, and, on the first play after the fumble, he took the ball 54 yards down the field for another touchdown. This extended Toledo’s lead to 45-14. Late in the game, Akron managed to score two more touchdowns, but the rally proved too little, too late. Toledo managed to hold on to its massive lead and took home the MAC Championship, 45-28. “Just really proud of our football team for being who they said they wanted to be,” MEAGAN O’HARA / IC said head coach Jason Fourth-year quarterback Logan Candle in a postgame Woodside runs up the field Dec. 2.

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INSPIRATION

Documentary filmmaker returns to UT as dean By Areeba Shah Community Editor

Before moving to Toledo in 2007, Charlene Gilbert was a tenured professor at American University in Washington D.C. teaching documentary filmmaking. Her interest in administration and desire to raise her kids in the Midwest brought her to the Glass City. Gilbert is now the dean of the College of Arts and Letters. “I think UT is an amazing university,” Gilbert said. “What I love about [the College of Arts and Letters] is how broad it is and how we have all the arts, all the humanities and all the social sciences in our college.” Growing up in a military family, Gilbert moved frequently, from Georgia to Texas, Maryland, Colorado, New Jersey and finally Connecticut, where she graduated from college. Her love for books encouraged her to be studious and perform well in school. As a kid, she looked up to the journalist Nellie Bly, who piqued her interest in journalism. “I liked the part about journalists being engaged in social activism,” Gilbert said. In the 1800s, Nellie Bly became famous for smuggling herself into a mental health institution in New York City and writing an exposé about its poor treatment of patients. “So, I liked the notion of kind of being able to help people by telling the truth through journalism,” Gilbert said. In high school, Gilbert practiced her skills by writing for her school newspaper. In college, she wrote for the Yale Daily News, covering stories about sexual harassment. Gilbert often spent her summers,

working at newspapers like MacNeil News Hour, Philadelphia Inquirer and even a local cable station.

“I really want people to be caring toward each other and not turn a blind eye when you see something wrong going on.”

CHARLENE GILBERT Dean of College or Arts & Letters

The four major TV stations at the time included ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS, where Gilbert interned. At PBS, she was assigned to the international desk, ripping copy for producers at the top of every hour. “I remember taking the copy to one of the producers and saying, ‘Do you want me to fact check that?’ and he was like, ‘Nope,’” Gilbert said. Within weeks, Gilbert was beginning to question her job. The idea of being a journalist felt different from what the reality was, she said. “And then one day, a woman walked in and she had on a white T-shirt, blue jeans and comfortable shoes. She had been doing stories on Mexico and the economy in Mexico over the summer. She put a tape on the desk, she dropped off a camera and walked out the door—and I was like, whatever she does, I want to do that,” Gilbert said. In that moment, Gilbert decided she wanted to become an independent documentary filmmaker. Her first documentary was about a textile worker in North Carolina.

Gilbert said she assembled a volunteer crew and produced a documentary on a woman’s involvement in leading a campaign to organize textile workers in her town. “I was very passionate about it, and I still am,” Gilbert said. “I just loved every minute of it.” This encouraged her to continue training until she landed her very first pay check from PBS for filming a documentary on Haiti. “I remember I made a copy of a check and was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do something I love,’” Gilbert said. It wasn’t until she really explored the field of journalism that she realized how much she enjoyed documentary journalism, Gilbert said. She added that documentaries are important because they allow filmmakers to go into depth and talk about an issue, or tell a story based in reality. While filming her first documentary, Gilbert shared that she hit a point where she didn’t have enough money to finish up her production. She thought about closing her production office until she could raise more money. However, the very next day, she got one of the grants she applied for. “I also am a woman of faith, so my faith has carried me through those rough times,” Gilbert said. Gilbert said she never imagined her life would end up the way it did, but her drive to succeed in life never stopped her from going after what she wanted. “Okay, so they’re telling me all the things I can’t do, so I intentionally said, ‘What are all the things I can do?’ So, then I made myself do all the things I could do,” Gilbert said.

She wasn’t allowed to play contact sports, so she settled for tennis, where she made the varsity tennis team. She joined the newspaper and yearbook, remaining determined to overcome adversity. “In my own mind, I came up with my own plan on how I was going to get through it,” Gilbert said. Even as a little kid, Gilbert said she was always a planner and still implements this practice today. “Even now, I’ll be at a meeting and making my five-year plan and my 10-year plan,” Gilbert said. “Sometimes I’ll look back at my plan, and cross something off my list and be like, ‘Yeah, I did that.’” The first time Gilbert came to UT was in 2007, when she served as a professor and chair of women and gender studies. Gilbert left to become the director at Ohio State University for three years and has now returned as the dean of the College of Arts and Letters.

“You have to work really hard, but don’t let other people define your goal and your life dreams.” CHARLENE GILBERT Dean of College or Arts & Letters

Her advice to students is to focus on doing what they’re passionate about and not to let other people change them and make their story smaller. Years after you graduate, very few jobs ask you what you ma-

CHARLENE GILBERT Dean of College of Arts & Letters

jored in, Gilbert said. “It’s like [being] on your own journey in the forest: As you ride through it, people will try to scare you off, and that’s happened to me. People were like, ‘You can’t do that, that’s not going to work.’ Stand up, ignore them, make a plan. You have to work really hard, but don’t let other people define your goal and your life dreams,” Gilbert said. She added she would like to be remembered as someone who worked really hard to create opportunity for talented students, regardless of their background and economic situations. “I hope every student in this college understands, at the end of the day, no matter what they major in or do, I hope when they leave here, they are good members of their communities and they remember to speak up for other people,” Gilbert said. “I really want people to be caring toward each other and not turn a blind eye when you see something wrong going on.”

MOTIVATION

UT graduate Jeremy Holloway paves way to success By Emily Schnipke Editor-in-Chief

This fall, Jeremy Holloway, a Ph.D. student in education with a focus in curriculum and instruction, was selected as one of Toledo’s 20 Under 40. As stated on the program’s website, 20 young community leaders have received the prestigious award each year since 1996. The program showcases dynamic leaders from Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan who are under the age of 40. These individuals have distinguished themselves in their careers and/ or in the community. Holloway was nominated and won the award for his involvement in the community and in programs at the University of Toledo, such as the Graduate Student Association, Student Government, Narrow Gate Community, Kappa Delta

Pi, Brothers on the Rise, Big Brother Big Sister and the Multicultural Emerging Scholars Program. Many people are nominated for the prestigious award, and Holloway said that when he was nominated, he was just appreciative of the chance to be a part of the event. “It’s nice to go; there’s some good food there and the chance to meet some people,” Holloway said, “so I just took it at that.” Holloway said winning this award has led him to reflect and remember how he got here. “I’m just grateful for the University of Toledo, thankful for the organizations on campus and thankful that we have students that really care and want to be the best that they can be,” he said. Holloway’s story at the University of Toledo doesn’t

actually start with him; instead, it starts with his father.

“I learned a lot about who I am and the things I gravitate towards, like what are my talents and my abilities that can be used most to help other people.”

JEREMY HOLLOWAY Ph.D. Program in Education

“My father went here to the University of Toledo, and he couldn’t find a job,” Holloway said. “He came back to the University of Toledo, not as a doctor or a professor, but as a janitor and he worked for 10 years here… he retired here.”

Holloway said UT is a place of legacy, especially for him personally. “The reason why I’m here is because of him [my dad],” Holloway said. “I walk and I teach in classrooms that he swept. He swept classrooms in the middle of the night for me.” Holloway took his legacy to heart when he arrived on UT’s campus for undergrad. When he was a freshman, he said he remembers being solely determined in going to his classes after taking a semester off. “When I came back, I was like, ‘You know, I’m going to do this,’” Holloway said. “I happened just to meet a couple of people on campus that invited me to different things. And I just got involved and I started to really like it.” Holloway said from joining groups, he got the unexpected perk of a rise in his grades. In the organizations he joined, Holloway started to learn more about who he was as a person. “I learned a lot about who I am and the things I gravitate towards, like what are my talents and my abilities that can be used most to help other people,” Holloway said. Holloway got involved with UT Student Government during his senior year. He said he really wanted to go all in and make an impact. “I wanted to really be present on campus,” Holloway said. “I wanted to be a present person, I wanted to be accessible too. I wanted people to have access to me so I could help in some kind of way.” In SG, Holloway earned the position of community relations director. At first, Holloway wasn’t too sure of his new role and wondered exactly how important it was. But his opinion soon changed.

“Wow, that was the perfect role for me,” Holloway said, “and it was big. It was connecting off-campus residents with on-campus residents. It was a great and powerful experience.” Just like with other organizations on campus, Holloway’s involvement soon led to other opportunities on campus. Recommendations from the then-president of SG helped Holloway to sing the national anthem for several events, including women’s basketball games. Holloway’s senior year was one of his busiest. As an education major, he started student teaching while still being involved in multiple campus groups. “I’ll tell you what I know now,” Holloway said. “Now I can say that I work better when my schedule is a little full… For me, the fuller my schedule is, the more I’m able to take everything I’m doing seriously and really buckle down.”

“ I plan to keep building and connecting with others to make an impact and to help others...” JEREMY HOLLOWAY Ph.D. Program in Education

Holloway said that it was a challenge sometimes, but he had to learn to schedule his time well and sometimes delegate. When asked if he’d recommend students to get involved as soon as they step foot on campus, Holloway responded with a resounding “yes.” “The cool things about organizations is that if you don’t like it, you don’t have to go… if you don’t limit yourself and get involved with everything you can, then maybe at the end of the semester for example, you

JEREMY HOLLOWAY Ph.D. Program in Education

can say, ‘I really like this and this and this organization and I’m going to stay with these,’” Holloway said. Holloway is now a public speaker, which he says is a way for him to connect. He says this way, he can help people to learn about who they are so they can make an impact themselves. “I won this award, not because of just me, but because I got involved,” Holloway said. “I want to speak to as many places as I can to share that message as well.” Holloway said with public speaking, he has found a deeper way to connect with his students and what’s going on in their lives. “It’s helped me learn about what message am I actually carrying to people,” Holloway said. “What‘s my interacting actually doing to other people? Is it helping them or not? Public speaking has helped me more aware about myself and my community and how I can contribute.” Even though he’s still involved with plenty, Holloway said he is looking for more opportunities to teach on leadership. He still has a year and a half left before he completes his Ph.D. program in education. “I plan to keep building and connecting with others,” Holloway said, “to make an impact and to help others make an impact in their community.”