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99th year • Issue 17
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INSIDE
RECOGNITION
UT physician assistant program keeps accreditation after appeal process By Bryce Buyakie News Editor
Rockets extend win streak
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SPORTS / 5 »
“It is our belief that the age of suggesting and hoping professors have certain, extremely important information on their syllabi is over.”
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The University of Toledo received a letter Monday from the Physician Assistant Accrediting Body of its decision to reinstate the physician assistant program’s accreditation after the agency submitted a report in October putting the program’s accreditation into question. The program was placed on accreditation-probationary status in 2017 by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant after the agency decided it did not meet ARC-PA standards. According to the Oct. 6 letter, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant’s decision to recommend the withdraw included insufficient faculty, lack of oversight by the institution and former interim program director
Linda Dill, and it did not meet “acceptable” education standards. “When we received the notification in early October, we put a group together to carefully look at the issues raised by the accrediting agency,” said Dr. Christopher Cooper, executive vice president for clinical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine
“For those of us working with the students, we made plain that our single area of focus was students and their success.” DR. CHRISTOPHER COOPER Dean of the College of Medicine and Life Science
and Life Science. Following the Oct. 6 letter, April Gardner replaced Dill as interim program director and Linda Speer replaced Patricia Hogue as department chair of the program, Speer said in an October interview with the IC. The PA program’s accreditation was dependent upon the outcome of the appeal process, said Meghan Cunningham, director of communications. “While we were going through the appeals process, our status remained accreditation-probation,” Cunningham said. The PA program began looking at ARC-PA’s standards and conducted a program self-assessment that is still underway, Cooper said. Included in this assessment was a retreat in late December attended by faculty and staff, and weekly group meetings are to discuss the needs
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
IC FILE PHOTO
The physician assistant department is located in the Howard L. Collier Building on UT’s Health Science campus.
of the program. UT will continue to improve “the PA program so that it not only aligns with the standards of ARC-PA, but that it also is on par with the high standards of the well-respected and valued programs at UT and in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences,” UT
President Sharon Gaber said in a letter to students, faculty and staff. The accreditation-probationary status is limited to two years, Cooper said. According to the ARCPA letter, the agency will conduct a site visit in late See Legal / 4 »
TRANSPORTATION
UT cuts costs with new bus system
EDITORIAL It’s on the syllabus OPINION / 3 »
By Bryce Buakie News Editor
FAA’s fourth annual gala COMMUNITY / 6 »
DANE SABO / IC
David Nemeth tells of his time in Korea and encourages those interested in going into the Peace Corps to talk to him.
Marchers unite in solidarity
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COMMUNITY / 6 »
“For Tarte Cosmetics to think that this shade is an accurate representation of its customers’ complexions is extremely ignorant, and to release the products on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is almost laughable.”
RILEY CLIFTON Makeup shade range needs some work OPINION / 3 »
UT Professor wins Distinguished Friend of Korea Award By Gabrielle Huff Staff Reporter
David Nemeth is approaching his 30th year of teaching at University of Toledo, and throughout that time he has conducted extensive research on Korean culture, earning him the second annual Kevin O’Donnell Distinguished Friend of Korea Award this year. Nemeth served in the Peace Corps from 1973 to 1974, but he didn’t know at that time the experience would stand as the foundation for his future career and research. He chose to be stationed on Jeju Island, a small island off the coast of Korea, a place he now describes as mythical. After coming back to the U.S., Nemeth said he “went back and did serious research for my Ph.D., which resulted in my dissertation at UCLA.” His dissertation called “The Architecture of Ideology: Neo-Confucian Imprinting on Cheju Island, Korea,” was later published as a book focusing on Jeju culture. Once Nemeth finished school, he returned to the island and taught at a university there. He was concerned about building a career in the U.S. with little job experience here, so he left Jeju for the States once again, Nemeth said. Eventually, Nemeth landed a position at UT, where he has taught ever since. He might be on the wrong side of the Pacific, but he never gave up his passion for Jeju Island.
Over the decades Nemeth has published many research-based works. “Jeju Island Rambling: Self-exile in Peace Corps, 1973-1974” is a 52-chapter memoir about his time in Korea. “All of the things I experienced were pure harmony between man and nature while I was there, so I like to capture that,” Nemeth said. His work also caught the attention of Friends of Korea, prompting it to grant him the second-ever Kevin O’Donnell Distinguished Friend of Korea Award. Friends of Korea is a group founded by former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the Republic of Korea. Its website explains that its mission is to be “dedicated to enhancing cultural awareness and friendship between Americans and Koreans.” This year, the award was given to a handful of former volunteers who devoted their scholarly careers to Korean studies. They were honored at the 2017 annual meeting in Ann Arbor this past October, according to the website. Nemeth expressed how grateful he was to win the award, as he has never received much international recognition for his work. “I was so glad because the Peace Corps really changed my life,” he said. Nemeth said he believes he received this award because he has documented a Jeju Island of the past, one See Honor / 4 »
A new bus-finding app went live Jan. 16 as part of the University of Toledo’s plan to make Transit Services more efficient and cost-effective. Passio Go! is a free app that allows students, faculty and staff to track and view every bus route at once, see arrival times and receive alerts, said Steve Wise, manager of transit services and motor vehicle operations. The main difference between this app and what previously was available is the developing company – Passio Technologies Inc. — Wise said. With introduction of a bus-finding app, there are now two automated systems on UT buses. “The second is a swipe system where students and faculty swipe and it counts how many riders we have,” Wise said. “It also validates the ID saying these passengers are allowed to ride.” To simplify the current system and save money, UT decided to use the bus finder app offered by Passio alongside the swipe system, he said. The new system is estimated to save the university $16,792.33 annually, according to Wise’s calculations. At the time of publication, the
exact amount of money spent on the new system’s installment was not available. Some students felt the app had glitches, but is overall helpful. “The timing is off, inaccurate,” said Walaa Kanan, a social work major at UT. “I feel like it’ll be good once they fix the glitches with the time and schedule.” Amanda Major, a business student, said she relies on the schedules posted in the waiting shed more than the app. “I do think it is helpful, but not as much as the old one,” Amanda Major, a business major, said. “I expected it to be a lot more updated, but it’s not.” See App / 4 »
CHARITY
surpasses campaign goal By Benjamin Morse Staff Reporter
Michele Soliz, assistant vice president for student success and chair of UTC3 — the University’s annual Community Charitable Campaign — smiled as she looked at her computer displaying donations totaling six figures. With a goal of raising $125,000 between Nov. 1 and Dec. 22 to support more than 220 local nonprofits, Soliz described the success of the campaign by saying, “We are at $127,622.” Although only one UTC3 campaign fell short of its financial mark in years past, Soliz was worried about this year’s contributions. Just months ago, the University of Toledo’s first Day of Giving, Rocket Forward: You Launch Lives, raised over $450,000 for the university. “We weren’t sure we were going to be able to meet our goal due to the fact that everyone had just given,” Soliz said. But, by rallying support and spreading the message via email and
video message, donations flooded in. “UT is once again very proud to support the broader Toledo community through UTC3,” said University of Toledo President Sharon Gaber as she kicked off the campaign in an online video. “As a university and as individuals, we are one. Please give regardless of the amount to support the charities of your choice.” With four major foundations receiving funds — Northwest Ohio Community Share, EarthShare Ohio, Health Charities and the United Way — participants had a range of organizations to donate to, including the African Wildlife Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Toledo. For Celia Williamson, professor of social justice, UTC3 was a chance to “stand united in support for people that are less fortunate.” Mentioning personal prosperity and the importance of paying it forward, Williamson said, “As we celebrate our success, and we cash See Funds / 4 »