Wednesday, February 8, 2017
98th year • Issue 21
Grab him by the policy COMMUNITY / 5 » www.IndependentCollegian.com
Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919 LEGISLATION
UT reacts to travel ban
University of Toledo remains a place encouraging diversity and inclusion By Morgan Kovacs News Editor
In response to President Trump’s recent travel ban that prohibited individuals from seven countries from entering the United States, University President Sharon Gaber released a statement to the University of Toledo community. “The University of Toledo welcomes people of all racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, national and international backgrounds,” the statement read. “Diversity is a core value of the University. We believe our diversity makes us stronger, and we work hard to create an environment of inclusion.” Gaber also sent an email stating that campus police have not inquired about immigration status in the past and there are no plans to start doing so. According to the statement, UT has signed the BRIDGE Act, which would give students temporary protection from deportation to continue living in the U.S. with permission from
the federal government. However, some faculty and students at UT believe that the school has not taken a strong enough stance in their statement. “I value President Gaber’s emphasis on the importance of diversity on this campus, and I do believe it is true and important to state,” wrote Liat Ben-Moshe, assistant professor disability studies. “But the statement remains vague and lacking in concrete action items or specificity.” After the University of Michigan released a statement that flatly refused to release the immigration status of their students, Ben-Moshe and Shahrazad Hamdah, a UT graduate student, were inspired to start a petition to call on UT to affirm its commitment to diversity with actions rather than vague statements. The petition states, “We, concerned students, staff, faculty, alumni, and Toledo community
members, call upon the University of Toledo to ensure the legal status of all students and employees who may be affected by the recent immigration ban.”
“Diversity is a core value of the University. We believe our diversity makes us stronger, and we work hard to create an environment of inclusion.” SHARON GABER University of Toledo President
Among the petition’s urges are for the university not to disclose immigration status or country of origin, to facilitate the return of employees and
students who wish to come back to the University of Toledo but cannot because of the recent executive order and to keep student status on hold if they are kept from returning to the United States. “The goal is protest the legitimacy of the immigration ban and affirm our commitment to each other,” Ben-Moshe wrote. At the time of print, the petition has been signed by 610 students and faculty member. Ben-Moshe added that some signatures might be alumni as well. Regarding enrollment at UT, Sammy Spann, assistant provost for international studies and programs, said there is speculation that the travel ban will impact next year’s admissions and could potentially have an impact on recruitment. “We will have some students who will pull out of going here and some who will go to Canada,” Spann said. “I have See Policy / 4 »
SPEECH
Angela Davis addresses university By Benjamin Morse Staff Reporter
Former political prisoner turned famed activist Angela Davis presented a keynote speech discussing the current fight for justice to kick off Black History Month at the University of Toledo. The speech was presented to a large group in the Lancelot Thompson Student Union Auditorium on Feb. 4. The recurrent discussion presented in Davis’s speech, entitled ‘The State of Black America: Views From a Political Activist’, was on the intersectionality of struggle. “We need to realize that Black History Month is an occasion for all those that believe in freedom. This is not just a Negro problem,” Davis said. The speech focused on the importance of celebrating our own potential as agents in the movement towards freedom, a message that
resonated with fourth-year student Gabrielle Hodges. “I’ve been a huge admirer of Davis for years now. She has been a major influence of gaining knowledge of myself as a young, black woman in my 20s,” Hodges said. “It was an honor to hear her speak today.” Davis connected historical points in her talk with current events and went on to discuss the parallels between racism towards African-Americans, to the present bout with Islamophobia. “As we celebrate Black History Month, let us therefore recognize the connections between anti-black racism and anti-Muslim racism. To argue that immigration from certain Muslim countries will lead to terrorism is simply Islamophobia,” Davis said. Those coming to stand in support See Black History Month / 4 »
JORDAN GUYTON / IC
Angela Davis speaks at the University of Toledo on Feb. 4 about the intersectionality of struggle. Davis’s presentation was part of UT’s Black History Month celebration.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY SCHNIPKE / IC
The executive order restricts travel from the countries in red: Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Yemen.
Students live change
By Morgan Kovacs News Editor
The University of Toledo is home to approximately 2,000 international students, accounting for 10 percent of the student body. According to Sammy Spann, assistant provost for international studies and programs, the national average is five to seven percent, meaning the University of Toledo is one of the more diverse college campuses. Spann said there are about 75 faculty and students who are from the seven banned countries and described the atmosphere amongst international students as tense. “This country was founded and built off immigrants,” Spann said. “This country is strong because of its diversity, and though it is one of the most diverse countries in the world, it is, in my mind, one of the best countries in the world.” MJ, an Iranian Ph.D. student, compared the travel ban to a slap in the face. When he first came to the U.S. in 2013, he looked at it as an adventure and was pleasantly surprised at how friendly the people were, but lately, he said his vision of the U.S. has suffered. “After this, and you see a lot of people are fine with it, it kind of changes the way you
think about the U.S. Maybe we were all mistaken,” MJ said. MJ said he and his wife thought they had a nice, bright road ahead of them in the U.S., but now he says those feelings have shifted to uncertainty. Regarding those in support of the ban, one Syrian student suggested those people try to meet a refugee family or consider other people and families being affected. “I just wish people would think about others in their actions,” said FA, third-year biology pre-med student. “Other people are being affected. You are safe at home; other people are out in the cold, or in the street, or under bombs.” American is a land of freedoms. That is how Iranian Ph.D. student GV viewed the U.S. when she decided to further her education abroad in 2011. GV had admissions from Italy, but ultimately decided that the U.S. was the better option. “I was really, really excited,” GV said. “Even when I was applying.” GV said that she knew the U.S. was not a “dreamland” and it wouldn’t always be easy, but she chose to look at it like an adventure. GV said she always received respect as a See Travel / 4 »
POLITICS
Forum held to discuss current US political atmosphere
By Bryce Buyakie Associate News Editor
During his lecture “The Election and the Future,” Jeffrey Broxmeyer, assistant professor in the UT department of political science and administration, said the 2016 election came down to four distinct areas of interest: unequal economic gains, declining trust in institutions, polarization and the gridlock in the national government. Broxmeyer’s lecture focused on the election, the future of the United States and the changing American political landscape. It was hosted by the Golden Alumni Society on Feb. 3. The purpose of the lecture is to en-
“
sure students and alumni are involved and well informed, said retired judge George Glasser, a member of the Golden Alumni Society and coordinator of the event. Those four distinct areas of interest highlight concerns among the American people and concerns regarding the future of the U.S., Broxmeyer said. “It’s safe to say that we are entering a period of historic uncertainty. This is important because this is the world our new president inherits,” said Broxmeyer. Much of the international infrastructure, the system of security and economic alliances that was
“It’s safe to say that we are entering a period of historic uncertainty.”
JEFFREY BROXMEYER Assistant Professor of Political Science and Administration
constructed by the U.S. and her allies are in a moment of free fall, according to Broxmeyer. There are a number of significant changes occurring around the world, from Brexit to the rise of what political
INSIDE
“
“The first indication that the Falcons might lose this game was when Lady Gaga didn’t bring out OutKast at halftime.”
“I was quite literally running away, if only for a week. No emails, texts, or calls. My personal heaven of a hiatus.” MORGAN KOVACS Want more fun? Travel alone OPINION / 3 »
scientists call “BRIC countries” – Brazil, Russia, India and China – where a lot of the global economic growth and an increase in military resources has been concentrated, and an increase in authoritarian governments. “A number of political scientists a few years ago noted that, when countries move from authoritarian forms of government to democracies, that’s a process we refer to as democratization,” Broxmeyer said. “It’s clear now that this period [of democratization] is now over, and the wave is going in the other direction. We have a wave of de-democratization that is taking place, and there are a fresh number
Puck Cancer COMMUNITY / 6 »
SAM WILLIAMS
No longer a peachy relationship
OPINION / 3 »
of dictatorships consolidating all over the world.” Broxmeyer also suggested in his lecture that the U.S. is now in an era of “bad feelings,” which is characterized by growing political polarization. “We used to have some common ground in the center of the political spectrum and the political system. Republicans have become more conservative and Democrats have become more liberal, and the middle has pretty much fallen out,” said Broxmeyer. “A poll by Keith Pool suggests that Congress today is more polarized than after the Civil War.” See Election / 4 »
CORRECTION: Our article last week entitled “UT names Michele Soliz new vice president of student success and inclusion” was found to be incorrect. Soliz was named the assistant vice president. We regret these errors.