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FREE SPEECH

Banner sparks debate

Students question free speech, content By Areeba Shah & Ben Morse Community & Associate News Editors

Running toward answers COMMUNITY / 5 »

Heavey’s battle for the ballot

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NEWS / 4 »

“Technology is moving so quickly, ideas that were once science fiction are now a reality.” WILL SANDERS Threatening technology OPINION / 3 »

UT mourns STEM professor’s death NEWS / 4 »

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“The liberal arts didn’t prepare me for one specific career; it prepared me for almost any career. ”

They hung up a banner. Someone took it down. The university held a town hall. To tell all sides of the story, the Independent Collegian interviewed participants to write this comprehensive timeline. In pop culture, President Trump’s portrait has gained the pointed-white hood infamously donned by the Ku Klux Klan. After he initially failed to publicly condemn a group of white supremacists at a protest that left one dead in Charlottesville, Va. over the summer, the New Yorker published a cover of the president blowing into a Klan hood posed as a sail. Before that, The Economist illustrated Trump speaking into a white bullhorn with two holes cut out of the front for eyes—another ode to the hate group. Last week, the UT College Democrats took their turn to display the president in the same compromising light after hanging a banner in the Student Union emblazoned with an image of Trump in the familiar white hood and a message urging students to join

their organization. But, what was originally intended to start a conversation surrounding alleged “racism of the president,” as President of the College Democrats Sydney Jones said, turned into a campus-wide argument surrounding free speech, adding UT to the list of colleges participating in a national discourse on First Amendment protections. The Decision The College Democrats’ office is a short walk away from where the banner hung. Their work space is covered in yard signs promoting Democratic candidates and a large “Bernie” [Sanders] sticker is posted on the filing cabinet. During an interview, communications director Alexander Seifert, Jones and member Nick Horsman sat at a conference table just outside the office door, the political signs visible in the background. Addressing where the idea for the banner originated, Seifert made it clear: “This was a discussion we had about how we were going to go about recruiting more members.” Because it’s “difficult to get students involved, we started talking about a more aggressive

EMILY SCHNIPKE / IC

recruitment tactic and maybe being slightly more controversial to get more people interested in the organization,” Seifert said. “[We want people to know] what our views on the president are.” Based on his statements, his policies, the appointment he’s made, the endorsements he’s received, the group felt justified associating Trump with “a racist terrorist organization in the U.S.” Since conventional methods

MEDICINE

Students secure residency at match day

By Gabrielle Huff Staff Reporter

Match Day at UTMC paired 156 medical students with residency positions in an array of specialties at hospitals and clinics across the country. This year’s matches on March 16 included 23 different fields including child neurology, family medicine and orthopedic surgery. Most matches were in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. Of the matched students, 10 percent of them will work in Northwest Ohio. One of those graduates is Christina Camick, who matched to a general surgery residency at UT. She said she was ecstatic to continue at UT because she is from Toledo and is very comfortable on campus. Camick attended UT for both her undergraduate and medical degrees. As for her future career after residency, Camick said, “I think academic medicine is for sure my future. I enjoy research as well as working with students.” Camick also said she wants to continue her career at UT but would be happy to be anywhere in the Midwest close to her family. Grace Maltbie and 59 medical students matched to residencies in Ohio. Maltbie matched to a radiology residency in Cleveland, her hometown. The residency is split between two hospitals, with the first year at St. Vincent’s, and the rest at University Hospitals, which is affiliated with Case ReserveWestern University.

She plans to specialize in breast and abdominal radiology. Maltbie has visited many hospitals and done several rotations with them, and from all the feedback she has gotten, people say she seems very well-prepared, Maltbie said. She attributed her preparedness to her training at UT’s medical school. Several matches were also made in other states, with Michigan and Pennsylvania being the second and third top contenders after Ohio. 12 students, including Latima Collins, matched in Pennsylvania. Collins matched at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – Magee Campus in a OB/GYN residency. “I’m from Detroit and I’m also a minority. I’m black, and so many of the people I know from Detroit all have children, but they aren’t married, they don’t have an education and they’re struggling to take care of their kids,” Collins said. “They aren’t really informed about women’s health.” Collins is specializing in maternal/fetal medicine with education on women’s health: two areas at the forefront of her career goals. Collins said UT did a great job preparing its medical students for residency, holding meetings and conferences about matching, providing mock interviews with professors and meeting with students to talk about what residency would be best for them. UT Medical students matched to positions in 26 other states across the country, but Ohio remains the number one choice for students.

MORGAN KOVACS Choosing my major for myself OPINION / 3»

HARIS AHMAD / IC

Students in the UT medical program matched March 16 with residency programs across the United States.

Sydney Jones, fourth-year political science major and president of UT College Democrats, spoke at the town hall March 22 in the Student Union.

of recruiting members through flyers is no longer effective, the group decided to turn towards something attention grabbing, fourth-year political science major Connor Kelley said. According to the group, the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership approved their banner. After a dialogue with the OSIL, the Office of Conduct, the administration and a unanimous vote, the final decision was made. The banner placed in the

Student Union on Tuesday afternoon was gone by Wednesday. However, the College Democrats decided not to replace the banner since everyone was already talking about it, Membership Director Kelley said. The administrators explained why they allowed the banner to go up in the first place. “We are here to [allow you See Town hall / 4 »

Young activists protest

BRYCE BUYAKIE / IC

Toledo area high school students protest at the March for Our Lives against gun violence and a neglected education system March 24.

SAFETY

UTPD to get new hub By Olivia Rodriguez Staff Reporter

The Ohio State Highway Patrol and UT Police Department partnered up to build a new safety building at the corner of Dorr Street and Secor Road. UT’s master plan outlines the proposed safety building, but the timing worked out that the State Highway Patrol also needs a new building, UT Police Chief Jeff Newton said. UT and the highway patrol requested capital funds to finance the building. “It is tough to finance a building alone so with the state patrol we are hoping to do it together since it is difficult to do it on our own,” Newton said. The 10-year master plan calls for the removal of the transportation center being replaced by the new safety building. “The State Highway Patrol security station on Airport Highway in Swanton was built in 1962 and is too small for the number of people that go in and out of it,” Captain John Altman said, Findlay district commander of Ohio State Highway Patrol. With the move, neither UTPD nor the state highway patrolmen will experience operational changes. “We will still have our duties and UT will still have theirs, just

both forces will be in the same building,” Altman said. The building will be on Secor and Dorr in the empty lot UT owns across the street from Oasis. The transportation center will be removed after the new building is constructed. “We will be able to help each other when we cannot do it on our own like the opioid problem and fatality rates, we are here to support everyone,” Altman said. “They saw a collaboration of assets to be more efficient.” Some students hope the new building will reduce crime and increase student safety in the area. “I think it is a great idea, I have heard the neighborhood near that area is not good so hopefully it will reduce crimes in the area,” said Alexander Miller, a third-year information systems major. It will act as a central hub for UTPD, Newton said. In an emergency, UT police or students can go to the patrol post of help. “My concern is the efficiency going to be there, there is a lot you can do with the multimillion dollars they are requesting, is it going to be worth it?” said Jeremy White, a third-year international business major.

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COMMENTARY

Threatening technology

WILL SANDERS IC COLUMNIST

Over spring break, I visited the Grand Canyon state of Arizona. Over the course of my wild weekend, I noticed something Toledo didn’t have that Phoenix and Tempe possessed. What I was introduced to was self-driving Ubers. I was mesmerized by this new technology I’d only seen on the internet. The Ubers held what looked like radars on top with metal support beams encasing the SUV. According to Uber’s website, self-driving vehicles are outfitted with different types of radars, laser scanners and high-resolution cameras to map out the environment. The device is placed on top of the vehicle to communicate with the satellite, and it’s believed be safe. However, how safe is it? Sunday evening in Tempe, Arizona, a self-driving Uber struck a pedestrian attempting to cross the street. The 49-yearold woman was quickly taken to the hospital where she succumbed to her wounds. This tragedy made me contemplate how far we’ve come in this era of technological advancement. The self-driving SUV was a wakeup call for me. Technology is quickly advancing every day. New technologies are continuing to be invented for tasks to be quickly and safely completed, but what types of risks are we taking? Technology is moving so quickly, ideas that were once science fiction are now a reality. Today, we have machines that can grade our bubble sheets so that professors can spend more time on other

ing, or completely capture wellperformed sentence structure. Unlike a machine, a good professor can fully capture and critique flaws in a collegiate paper. Humans provide informative feedback to improve student’s writing. Most writing is subjective and holds an emotional message only another human being could comprehend. However, a computer is objective, ignoring witty jokes and silly banter. Tests are a computer’s specialty. A true or false answer analysis, right or wrong, black or white is what a machine understands. I feel that once AI has advanced far enough that it evolves to a point of science fiction, my viewpoint may change.

I warn those who have a solidified career to be wary of the evolution of technology, not only how it could surpass humans in workplaces but how it could endanger people’s lives. According to Forbes, hardworking Americans are afraid of losing their jobs to AI, and that assembly line positions and other types of factory work are believed to be the beginning. Soon enough, jobs that require coherent and advanced thought could be stolen. Human beings prove obsolete compared to advanced AI. What’s next? Where does it stop? I warn those who have a solidified career to be wary of the evolution of technology, not only how it could surpass humans in workplaces but how it could endanger people’s lives. Companies should hold off on advancing technology so quickly and be sure AI can’t harm Americans.

According to Forbes, hardworking Americans are afraid of losing their jobs to AI, and that assembly line positions and other types of factory work are believed to be the beginning. tasks. Tomorrow, AI could be grading our essays and papers. Though a machine grading my paper sounds disheartening and unfair, a computer in this time can’t measure reason-

The age of robots and selfaware AI is on the horizon and we should be more proactive than reactive. Will Sanders is a third-year communication major.

COMMENTARY

Choosing my major for myself There I was standing in front of a bathroom mirror on campus where the word “dick” was written in red lipstick framed by a heart. Something inside me sank, as I couldn’t help laughing at the painful irony: I had just left my poetry workshop. Isn’t that the most fitting metaphor for being a liberal arts student? That the conversation we had in class about our duty in the world as writers 10 minutes before got wiped out the second I entered this reality where “dick” is a profound enough word to become graffiti on a university campus. The liberal arts are seriously undervalued right now. I did not anticipate spending so much time during my final semester defending my degree. I get it. With such an emphasis on STEM fields right now, liberal arts get brushed aside and dismissed as a trivial area of study.

My English degree helped me accomplish my goal of attaining a fulfilling education. I am more perceptive and intuitive. When I tell people I’m graduating with an English degree in May, I can see the secondhand anxiety creep into their eyes. It’s flattering anyone cares enough to worry about me, but they can all stop. It used to make me nervous. If I was a nursing, education or accounting student, no one would ask me about my future plans, but here I am bravely choosing to study something I love and I have come to realize that leading by emotion

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MORGAN KOVACS

IC COLUMNIST

freaks people out. When I started college, I didn’t know what career I wanted to pursue. To be honest, I still don’t. I did know, however, that I wanted to graduate feeling as though my life has been deeply enriched in some way. The thought of learning one area of study really well, but lacking in other areas scared me. How could I decide what was of real interest to me unless I dabbled in everything? Though, lately, it seems college is fueled strictly by the purpose of attaining a job, I wanted to get back to the roots of college being for an education and an enlightening experience. I held this unconventional notion that my college experience should do its original intention and make me an all-around smarter, more aware person. With that, my dad, who was a history major, told me to pursue a degree in the liberal arts. He argued that if I want a well-rounded education, a degree in the liberal arts would be the best option. He championed for an English degree from the start, so after some gentle bullying, I declared English my major and only regretted it a few times — like when I have four papers due during the same week every semester. Even more daringly, I decided to concentrate in creative writing. Another

useless area, right? I challenge anyone who thinks creative writing is a joke to sit in on a creative writing workshop where each student has to pass out his/her work, sit in a circle and listen without responding to everyone’s criticism of said work. If that isn’t preparing me for rejection in the socalled “real world,” then I don’t know what will. Of course, I don’t mean to sound snobbish or elitist. I understand there are plenty of reasons why students can’t always pursue a liberal arts degree, like the insane cost of college and return on investment, for example. With one month to go before I graduate, I find myself ruminating on my decision often. And despite the fact I don’t know where I’ll be in five years, I’m confident I’ll be successful because my dad was right: The liberal arts didn’t prepare me for one specific career; it prepared me for almost any career

(don’t worry, I’ll stay away from the medical field). My English degree helped me accomplish my goal of attaining a fulfilling education. I am more perceptive and intuitive. I can articulate solid arguments, express myself clearly both orally and in writing and while I’m definitely not saying I know everything, I graduate knowing I have the capacity to understand and critically assess most things on some level. Therefore, I do believe I’ll be successful in whatever path I choose. So, while I appreciate the concern of others, I am going to be fine. Truthfully, I’m not sure I could say the same if I had not chosen the liberal arts. Mostly, I feel grateful and maybe a little spoiled. I got to enjoy an education driven by a love of education rather than the fear of my future. Morgan Kovacs is a fourth-year student majoring in English.

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Go online and vote The Student Government polls are now open on Orgsync. Students can vote for 16 Senatorial candidates and one executive ticket-incumbent Vice President Drew Williams and Senator Soﬁe Rodriguez. The online poll is open until Thursday and can be accessed via MyUT Portal and Orgsync.

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FACULTY

UT mourns STEM professor’s death By Haris Ahmad Staff Reporter

A chief proponent of inclusion and diversity in the STEM fields, Anthony Quinn died last Wednesday in ProMedica Ebeid Hospice Residence in Sylvania aged 59 years old. He died after a four-year fight with pancreatic cancer. “It’s a huge loss,” said Karen Bjorkman, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, distinguished university professor of Astronomy and Helen Luedtke Brooks endowed professor of Astronomy. “Dr. Quinn was an amazing person. He really cared about our students. He was instrumental in helping so many students, mentoring them.” Quinn joined UT in 2001 and was an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, as well as Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion in UT’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. For over four years, he suffered from pancreatic cancer. He received a bachelor’s degree in biology from MidAmerica Nazarene

University and a master’s degree in biology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He then received his doctorate from University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and continued his postdoctoral studies at UCLA. Quinn was especially passionate about the inclusion and retention of minority students in STEM fields. He co-chaired the Multicultural Emerging Scholars Summer Bridge and Living Learning Community Program and led the Brothers on the Rise mentoring program. “He came to me with so many good ideas about things that we could do and ways to help those students succeed and really mentor them and help them along the way, including the summer bridge program,” Bjorkman said. Quinn also co-chaired the Strategic Planning Committee that created The University of Toledo’s Path to Excellence plan. With much of his laboratory work focusing on the interplay of the immune system and diabetes, he was

Town hall from page 1

to] grow to be a true professional and in order to do that, we have to engage in some type of civil discourse,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Phillip “Flapp” Cockrell, days after the banner was hung. While the banner did personally offend him, Cockrell said that as a practitioner and an academician, his role is to educate and create spaces for students to share their ideas, opinions and experiences, regardless of how he feels. “People are going to have different opinions, but this is an educational institution and so we have to create those spaces where people can have dialogue and if we don’t do it as an educational institution, then, we’re failing our students,” Cockrell said. The Republican Rebuttal UT College Republicans Chairman Shane Logan saw the banner during afternoon rush hour. While most students were distracted by their phones, Logan said he was shocked and hurt. “I have no problem with them expressing their viewpoints, but I also have a viewpoint to say that’s wrong, and I don’t agree with it,” said thirdyear sales and finance major Logan. “When you put out labels saying someone is a white supremacist, that does not encourage debates, that shuts down debate,” Logan said. “You are assassinating their character, and that does nothing for anyone, and that’s what that banner did whether we like it or not.” To Logan, the hurt stemmed from connecting the Republican Party and individuals who consider themselves conservative with the Ku Klux Klan. “We wanted to work with the College of Democrats, but on two separate occasions, including with this banner, they decided [to] basically give us the middle finger,” Logan said. Sharing similar feelings of shock, Vice-Chairman Kyle Zapadka said he believes the motive behind placing that banner was to stoke the flames and stir the pot. “This [act] is intrinsically divisive,” second-year finance major Zapadka said. “This is something that is meant to separate us and not bring us together.” For him, this image hits especially close to

an active member of the American Association of Immunologists, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, Immunology of Diabetes Society, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and Clinical Immunology Society.

“Dr. Quinn is the reason why I am the person I am today, both academically and personally.” DAVID JONES Fourth-year Public Health Major

“He was actually pretty well-known for that work and received an University of Toledo Interdisciplinary Research Initiation Award some years ago from the research office here at UT,” Bjorkman said. Quinn was influential in creating the STEM Fellowship Fund.

home. White supremacists dragged his Polish grandfather and his family out of their home and attacked them in Nazi Germany. The College Republicans are not racist, Zapadka said, and invited students to engage in an open dialogue over coffee.

“I have no problem with them expressing their viewpoints, but I also have a viewoint to say thats wrong...” SHANE LOGAN Third-year College Republicans Chairman

Even though the College Republicans disagree with the banner, they still encourage free speech and believe the banner should have stayed up. “They put up walls instead of bridges,” Zapadka said. “We wanted bridges and not walls.” Gaber Responds A day after the banner was displayed and subsequently torn down, President Sharon Gaber sent an email to the UT community. “I want to address a banner that was put up yesterday in the Thompson Student Union that I personally find offensive,” Gaber wrote. “I’ve heard from several other members of our community as well, across the political spectrum, who feel the same way.” “I have been asked why we didn’t remove the banner and why we let it go up in the first place,” Gaber continued. “The University of Toledo respects the First Amendment rights of our students, faculty and staff. While we may not always agree with the way individuals or organizations choose to express their views, we must respect their freedom to do so.” In her email, President Gaber encouraged students to attend a town hall meeting arranged for Thursday to discuss freedom of speech. The Town Hall A group of over 100 students and community members discussed free speech in the SU. First Amendment scholar and Department of Political Science and Public Administration chair Sam Nelson moderated the forum. Before public comment, Nelson laid out the

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“The idea was to help support students, especially those who wanted to go into graduate or professional programs in STEM,” Bjorkman said. The fund has been renamed the Dr. Tony Quinn We Are STEMM Fellowship Fund in his honor. In addition to advocating for minority students in STEM fields, he left a lasting impact on both students and his colleagues through his mentorship. “He was very effective as a mentor and I think that’s really what his lasting legacy here is, as somebody who was very generous with his mentorship, and helping people get through things from a professional, academic, and personal level” said Bruce Bamber, associate professor and chair and postdoctoral research fellow. David Jones, a fourth-year public health major with a pre-medicine concentration, worked on the Multicultural Emerging Scholars Program with Quinn, co-director of the program. “Dr. Quinn is the reason why

basics of free speech, reminding attendees that “criticism of political leaders [is] at the very core of the meaning of the First Amendment.” Andy Taylor, a fourth-year exercise science major, thanked the College Democrats for providing the catalyst to hold the public forum. “However,” Taylor said, “if your goal was to prompt this discussion, there are different... ways you could have gone about it. This type of discourse is far more destructive than it is helpful for the student body. You cannot combat extremist rhetoric with extremist imagery.” Kelley, who at this point had only responded to critics via Twitter, took the forum as an opportunity to defend the group’s decision in a more formal setting. Explaining that because “political norms have changed” in the United States, the group felt comfortable using this sort of medium to express the “overt racism by the president of the United States.” Elizabeth Layhew, a second-year paralegal studies major, responded to Kelley and those like him who “decided this action was OK.” “I want campus to be an inclusive place,” Layhew said. “Your banner has done just the opposite. Your

I am the person I am today, both academically and personally,” Jones said. “There was a time in my life where I didn’t have the confidence that I was smart enough to become a physician. Dr. Quinn took the time out of his busy day and talked with me about this subject for hours. But that was just the type of person he was. He would do anything for you if he could.” Quinn suffered from pancreatic cancer through Jones’ tenure at UT. “I admired him very much for not shrinking away from life when he got diagnosed, he really embraced it,” Bamber said. “I think it’s a real tribute to who he was. He just never gave up.” Surviving are his wife, Belinda, his son and UT graduate, Colin, his mother, Minnie Sampler, and his brothers, Keith, Darren and Christopher Sampler. “You hate to really close the chapter on Tony. He was a wonderful member of our department and we will all miss him very much,” Bamber said.

banner and your individual right to freely speak has spoken for an entire group of people who as a whole do not support this message.” For some students, the banner was gratifying; it addressed the discomfort of being black in “Trump’s America.” For some, strong language was the only way to identify how they truly feel. “Donald Trump and his policies treat me like a nigger,” said community member and activist Julian Mack. “I’m proud of the College Democrats for standing up and making that clear for everybody who walks in this Student Union.” Political science major Jared Duke echoed Mack’s sentiment. “[The College Democrats] gave us a voice,” Duke said. “Time and time again we’ve said this how our president treats us.” Jones shared the same views. “I know that this picture upset a lot of people,” Jones said. “As a black girl on a predominantly white campus, I’m uncomfortable every day. So, if this image makes people uncomfortable for one day, but it gives us the platform to discuss the problems, then let’s all get uncomfortable and have this conversation.”

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FEATURE

Running toward answers By Emily Schnipke Editor-in-chief

In Algeria, in the Sahara Desert, lives a community of 100,000 Sahrawi refugees who escaped war over 40 years ago. This is also where Inma Zanoguera, a UT master’s student, traveled to find out the story of her personhood. Hers is a unique story but, at the same time, is one we all can connect with — the pursuit of one’s identity and background. Inma and her siblings were adopted at a young age and had what she described as a comfortable and normal childhood with very loving parents. As she grew up, she got involved in sports, playing basketball for Toledo while an undergrad. She also played professionally after graduating in 2015. “But it was there that I found out, or rather discovered, that wasn’t really the life that I wanted to lead,” Inma said. “I felt in my bones that I was done with basketball.” Inma was 22 at the time, having spent 15 years of her life playing basketball. She said she found herself not really knowing who she was outside of sports. “I think that’s where my curiosity about everything that makes me a person began,” Inma said. She spoke with her family and friends and, soon, her sister got the idea to provide Inma with some answers about their adoption. She sent her some documents that didn’t provide

much information, but, for Inma, it was enough to start with: her mother’s name, the place she was born and her birthday. “That’s where it all began,” Inma said. “I set out unconsciously that day to find out more. That was a part of my life that had been neglected, forgotten or dogged as unimportant.” While she was researching her mother and the adoptions, Inma came across a website advertising a race in the area her mother was from that would benefit the refugees. Her biological mother was one of these displaced refugees. She said that before she even signed up, it was a done deal. The 42 kilometers that constitute the Western Sahara Marathon connect the refugee camps of Laayoune, Auserd and Smara. In February, Inma ran this marathon, having only picked up running the year before. “I get the running part is a parallel story that I sometimes forget because people are like, ‘Why can’t you just go there and not run?’ That’s what the running is all about,” Inma said. “I didn’t set out to take on another sport, it just kind of happened actually.” She said the questions about her origin and the place she’s from started coming around the same time as she started running. When she saw the marathon, Inma said, “I just knew that this was going to be my path.” She questions if “fate” is the right word to describe

her situation, but she said the events just seemed meant for her. She said she’s a very curious person by nature, and her search is fueled by that curiosity. “It’s a constant discovery of my personhood to finding out about my origins and the story of my mom and the history of the people of the Western Sahara and also just like what is means to be adopted and start out in a world that is supposedly not the world that you were fated to live in,” Inma said. “So that alone, regardless of where you are adopted from, brings out some existential question of why.” Leading up to the trip to run the marathon and visit the refugees in the Sahara, Inma still couldn’t believe what she was doing was real. “I knew it was going to happen, but then I would wake up and be like, ‘This is so crazy. Am I really doing this?’” Inma said. “So there was a part of me that was questioning if this was really happening, so when we finally landed, I was relieved to see that something that I wished for so much actually come to fruition.” Inma, along with Michelle-Andrea Girouard, a cinematographer and friend, are making a documentary that followed Inma’s training in Toledo; her family life back home in Mallorca, Spain; and her journey in Tindouf where she stayed with a refugee family and ran the marathon. The documentary raised $6,315, and 20 percent of

PHOTO COURTESY OF INMA ZANOGUERA

these donations went directly to the refugee camps through the organization of the Sahara Marathon, according to the documentary’s website.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but Inma says her efforts with the refugees are “something I maybe will start; I gotta graduate first.”

She says her journey isn’t over as only some of her questions has been answered, but she is very grateful to the Toledo community which has supported her.

Students belt it out

BHUIYAN ANWAR / IC

UT students sang and danced their way through Songfest March 24 in Savage Arena. Over $120,000 was raised for Veterans Matter, a charity that houses United States veterans.

| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, March 28, 2018

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Fletcher accepts award

BASEBALL

Toledo baseball takes on Western Michigan By Kenny Kruse Staff Reporter

UT’s baseball team (6-14, 2-1 MAC) took on the Western Michigan Broncos (10-11, 1-2 MAC) in a three-games series in Kalamazoo, Michigan this past weekend. The Youngstown State game last Wednesday was canceled and is rescheduled for Tuesday, May 8 with first pitch at 3:05 p.m. WMU Game 1

MEAGAN O’HARA / IC

Fourth-year University of Toledo guard Tre’Shaun Fletcher accepts the 2018 Chuck Ealey College Undefeated Spirit Award. Fletcher received the award during Songfest in Savage arena on Saturday, March 24. The Chuck Ealey foundation gives out the award each year to a student-athlete who best demonstrates the behaviors of living the Undefeated Spirit in his or her sport, in the classroom and in the community. Fletcher averaged 18.1 points per game, 8.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists. Fletcher is the second member of the men’s basketball team to receive this award.

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Rockets go 0-2 against Buffalo and Akron By Jackson Rogers Associate Sports Editor

Over the weekend, the UT women’s tennis team (10-4, 0-1 MAC) were defeated by the Buffalo Bulls and the Akron Zips by the same score of 5-2 in Amherst, New York. The matches were the first of the Mid-American Conference season. “We came out with a bang in doubles today, but could not sustain it through the singles,” said Tracy Mauntler, head coach. “There is a reason Buffalo is the defending MAC champs, and their experience showed today.” Toledo struck first by claiming the doubles point. The No. 1 pairing of fourth-year Sidnay Huck and third-year Kokoro Chishaki won 6-3, and the No. 2 pairing of fourth-year Colleen O’Brien and second-year Dee Dee Leenabanchong won their 12th straight match in doubles play with a 6-1 victory. Buffalo answered back and pulled away during the singles competition by nearly sweeping every match in two sets. Third-year Claire Aleck managed to force a tiebreaker in the No. 5 spot but ended up falling 6-3, 7-6 (3). Leenabanchong earned UT’s second point of the day in the No. 2 spot. She led 7-6 (5) when her match was called.

Against Akron, UT started in a hole by losing the doubles point in a close match. O’Brien and Leenabanchong came together in the No. 2 spot and won their 13th-straight doubles match victory by beating their opponents 6-2. Fourth-year Megan Miller and third-year Thalita Rodrigues forced a tiebreaker in the No. 3 spot, but lost 7-6 (4). “It was good to see [Chishaki] and [Rodrigues] bounce back and play tough today against Akron after rough performances against Buffalo on Friday,” Mauntler said after the match. “We just didn’t have our best stuff this weekend. I’m frustrated for the players because they’ve worked hard to get to this point. I told them that this is an obstacle and great teams keep their focus and work ethic and keep pushing forward.” The Rockets fought hard during singles competition, but could not come back. The No. 6 match finished first, with Rodrigues defeating her opponent in a clean 6-0, 6-4 two-set match. Chishaki followed behind with a 6-3, 6-2 victory in the No. 4 spot. Toledo could not keep up the momentum and fell in the Finish reading this piece online at www.IndependentCollegian.com

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Western scored a trio of runs in the first inning to take an early 3-0 lead. Two more Broncos runs were scored, split between the fourth and eighth innings, leading 5-0. WMU collected six hits and an error in the 5-0 shutout victory over the Rockets. John Servello, first-year outfielder/right-handed pitcher, Ross Adolph, third-year outfielder, and AJ Montoya, fourth-year outfielder/catcher, collected the three Rockets hits in the MAC season opener. Michael Jacob, third-year lefthanded pitcher, started for UT’s pitching. Jacob struck out five and tied a career high of seven innings pitched. Game 2

Toledo got on the board with a run in the third inning, 1-0. Casey Gose, fourth-year infielder, bunted for a single and advanced to second on a sac-fly from Matt Hansen, fourth-year infielder. Servello hit an RBI-single to score Gose. Three innings later, the Rockets tacked on another run, 2-0, due to a pair of WMU errors. Brad Boss, fourth-year fielder, hit an RBI-single with bases loaded. In the ninth, UT collected an insurance run, 3-0. Gose’s deep sac-fly to center field brought Trace Hatfield, first-year infielder, in to score. Sam Shutes, fifth-year righthanded pitcher, threw a careerhigh 8.1 innings. Shutes (4-0) allowed five hits, walked one and struck out eight. Nate Haugh, third-year right-handed pitcher, secured the Rockets victory. “I was able to

get ahead of guys with my fastball again, and then late in the count my slider was effective. I was even able to attack with my fastball late in the count.” Shutes Said. Game 3

The Rockets were eager to capture the weekend series Sunday afternoon. Toledo jumped on the board in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead. Boss walked and scored on Adolph’s RBI-double to right field. WMU responded with a quartet of runs, between the first and third innings, taking a 4-1 lead. Scoreless innings occurred until the seventh inning when UT scored a handful of runs, leading 6-4. Hansen, Dalton Bollinger, fourthyear infielder, and Chris Meyers, first-year infielder, each drew a bases-loaded walk. Gose crushed an RBI-single and Servello was hit by a pitch, bringing in a run. UT’s offense left off where they ended the previous inning, scoring a run for each day of the week, leading 13-4.

“I was able to get ahead of guys with my fastball again, and then late in the count my slider was effective. I was even able to attack with my fastball late in the count.” SAM SHUTES Fifth-year Pitcher

Gose and Hansen each drew bases-loaded walks and brought in runs. Boss creamed a two-RBI-double in the left-center gap. Michael Ryan, second-year catcher, hit an RBI-single and Adolph brought in a pair of runs due to a mishandled line drive to third base. Alex Wagner, fourth-year lefthanded pitcher, earned the victory (1-1) and Haugh secured another save. The midnight blue and gold continue the season with another four games in five days, all on the road throughout the Buckeye State. The Rockets will battle the Ohio State Buckeyes on Wednesday, March 28 at 6:35 p.m. The remainder of the week will be in Oxford taking on the Miami Redhawks in a three-game series. First pitches in Oxford are at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 30, 4 p.m. on Saturday March 31 and 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 1.