Issue 37

Sports, B4

Arts & Life, B1

Rockets road struggles continue; Cavs extend losing streak

‘Evil Dead’ comes alive

Independent Collegian IC The

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Serving the University of Toledo since 1919

www.IndependentCollegian.com 91st year Issue 37

UT studies virus in Lake Erie

By Jaimee Hilton IC Staff Writer

Fish have been washing up dead along the shores of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair due to a highly infectuous disease called viral hemorrhagic septicemia, a virus that only affects fish.

Many fish exposed to the virus do not show symptoms or recover.

“However, during specific outbreaks, which are not well understood, large numbers of fish may exhibit visible symptoms of hemorrhage and die in very large numbers, many of kidney or liver failure,” said Douglas W. Leaman, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Toledo. “As mentioned, it is not clear what causes these outbreaks to become so severe, but some can involve thousands of fish.”

Researchers at UT are doing several projects aimed at

assessing the VHS virus spread in the Great Lakes region.

Carol Stepien, director of the Lake Erie Center, is the lead investigator and said tests are being developed to help find the cause of the disease.

“They are developing rapid genetic tests to determine which fish are infected,” she said.“Right now it takes several weeks to a month to determine if fish are affected and the rapid tests are more accurate and can be done in a matter of hours.”

People from her lab are also working at the UT Health Science Campus to develop these tests.

VHS has mutated and affected many fish in the Great Lakes region, but the newer strain is especially contagious, Stepien said. The virus easily spreads from fish to fish.

It spreads in their mucus and occurs in the early spring,

Jacobs appoints budget committee

By Oreanna Carthorn IC Staff Writer

As the budget FY12 season approaches, UT President Lloyd Jacobs has appointed a committee to evaluate ways in which to reduce UT’s budget by 20 percent.

In a letter to the university community in early January, UT President Lloyd Jacobs announced the creation of the FY12 Budget Formulation and Re-Engineering Task Force.

“This task force will work parallel to and simultaneously with our familiar process of budget hearings and unit scenarios, many of which have already been scheduled,” Jacobs said.

Special Assistant to the president and Interim Director of the Scott Park Campus for Energy and Innovation Chuck Lehnert said the task force is driven by the fact that the university should be efficient and they have made a commitment in the Directions 2011 strategic plan to try and use resources as wisely as possible.

Lehnert and the task force are evaluating things such as “Are we spending our utilities as wisely as we can?”

“Are we turning off the lights when the rooms not being used,” Lehnert said, “Are we not heating them when nobody is in

there? Are we not cooling them in the summer time when nobody is using the rooms? Are we doing the very best we can?

Are we exploring alternatives?”

The University of Toledo is the closest to being an all exterior-lit LCD campus in the country, lowering the amount of electricity used while still providing safe lighting at night.

“Our charge is to look at everything,” Lehnert said. “Look at virtually everything that we do and see if it’s the best way that we can do it, and if there’s a better way to do it then we are going to bring those suggestions forward and say here’s an area that we think we can be more efficient in.”

He said that these decisions will be weighed against what will be affected by these changes and if the affects will be positive.

“The goal here is to really try to change the processes that will positively impact the organization, but still save us money,” Lehnert said.

Jacobs said this budget year will require fundamental change.

“The work of the next six months will require reassessment of the bedrock structure or our institution,” Jacobs said. “Nothing short of true reinvention of the University of Toledo is likely to suffice.”

— Budget, Page A6

usually around May when the fish are reproducing.

The disease can also spread quickly through the water.

Leaman is doing research on the immune response of fish cells to viral proteins.

When any virus infects a cell in a body, the cell “senses” the presence of that virus through actions of specific components of the cellular innate immune system, according to Leaman. When the virus is detected, a series of cellular changes are initiated to try to restrict viral replication.

“These pathways are too complex to describe here, but suffice it to say that cells could completely inhibit virus replication if the virus did not fight back,” Leaman said. “As such, many, if not at all viruses, also express proteins that play a role in suppressing the cell’s innate

File photo by Kevin Sohnly / IC

— Erie, Page A6

Carol Stepien of the Lake Erie Center (above) is leading an investigation into the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia in Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.

Bath salts abused as drug

By Randiah Green News Editor and Managing Editor

unless they live in the United Kingdom or Louisiana where the fake bath salts have been banned.

Sold under names including Ivory Wave, Vanilla Sky, Bliss and Hurricane Charlie, the salts are reported to be highly hallucinogenic stimulants and provide the user with experiences similar to what they can experience when using cocaine, LSD and ecstasy.

Users can snort, smoke or inject the bath salts, which contain synthetic stimulants including mephedrone and MDPV which can cause chest pains, increased blood pressure, extreme paranoia and delusion among others, according to White House Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske.

“They’re kind of like a synthetic cocaine, but the problem with this is that it’s a

Graphic by Nick Kneer / IC

man-made stimulant so we don’t really know all of what’s in it,” said Alcohol Tobacco and Other Prevention Specialist Alexis Blavos. “The FDA can’t regulate it because it’s being sold as a bath salt.”

The drug was banned in the UK after being thought to have caused several deaths.

UT Chief of Police Jeff Newton said there have been no reported cases of “bath salt” incidents at UT. “It’s definitely on our radar though and I anticipate we will be looking more closely at it in the near future,” Newton said.

“I have heard that it has resulted in some violent outcomes by the user.”

In Mansfield, Ohio police discovered a man “swimming” down the road claiming the Mexican mafia was shooting at him while he was high on one of the salts.

A man in Mississippi took a skinning knife to his face and stomach repeatedly while under the influence of the bath salts.

Neil Brown, who survived the self attacks, told the Washington Post he had tried “every drug from heroin to crack and was so shaken by terrifying hallucinations that he wrote to one Mississippi paper urging people

Highly hallucinogenic stimulants are being marketed as bath salts and sold in gas stations and convenience stores around the country. The salts can produce an experience similar to using LSD.

— Salts, Page A6

Bath salts are no longer being used as an aid to help someone’s grandmother ease her muscles while she soaks in warm water.

At Ivory-Wave.com, gas stations and convenience stores around the country people can purchase “legal highs” being marketed as “bath salts,”

Beef with Taco Bell

By Allison Seney IC Staff Writer

Graphic by Nick Kneer / IC

Taco Bell was sued by an Alabama law firm for falsely advertising the use of 100 percent beef.

Students who find themselves frequently going on late night Taco Bell runs may reconsider eating at the fast food joint as the quality of taco meat comes into question.

An Alabama law firm sued Taco Bell for falsely advertising the use of 100 percent beef in their recipes when in fact only 35 percent is used.

According to an article published by the Daily Finance, the lawsuit claimed the beef contains fillers such as an isolated oat product, yeast extract, corn starch and other ingredients,

ultimately placing the beef below the 40 percent meat requirement set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s definition of “taco meat filling.”

President of Taco Bell Greg Creed said in a press release the plan of action is to launch a national advertising campaign that will “set the record straight.”

Mediums involved in the campaign mentioned include popular newspapers such as the New York Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times where advertisements will be run that include Taco Bell’s “real recipe.”

Taco Bell plans to target

the Hispanic population and others through the use of digital technology such as YouTube.

On the official Taco Bell website, there is a video of Creed stating the facts of their product.

“Our beef is 100 percent USDA inspected, just like the quality beef you buy in a supermarket and prepare in your home,” Creed said in the video. “It is then slowcooked and simmered in our unique recipe of seasonings, spices, water, and other ingredients to provide Taco Bell’s signature taste and texture.”

— Taco, Page A2

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The

Independent Collegian

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Strategic plan gets revised

By Oreanna Carthorn IC Staff Writer

After going through a lengthy revision process last semester, UT’s strategic plan has undergone more revisions including a name change to reflect the current year.

Directions 2010 was a revision of Directions 2007, a strategic plan document created after the 2006 merger of the University of Toledo and the Medical University of Ohio.

The document is now called Directions 2011 and focuses on implementation strategies for several goals.

“I believe the new plan can provide the institution with a road map for the next few years,” said Chair of the Faculty Senate Mary Powers.

A number of external influences have caused the revision of the Directions 2007 document, according to Special Assistant to the president and Interim Director of the Scott Park Campus for Energy and Innovation Chuck Lehnert.

“Those outside influences were things like the global economy,” Lehnert said. “We went from a time

when President Clinton was president and we had zero debt and now we have trillions and trillions of debt.”

Things like healthcare reform, the state’s economy and political leadership are other trends influencing the need for revision, Lehnert said.

“We wanted to make sure that the document was adaptable enough so that if the university felt any kind of economic pleasure based on what was going on at the state, or what was going on at the federal level that we could adapt to that,” he said.

The process was called a recalibration, with the goals, objectives and mission statement remaining the same and no substantial change to the direction of the university, according to Lehnert.

Jamie Barlowe, professor and chair of women’s and gender studies, said the Strategic Planning Committee decided to keep the six main goals of Directions 2007 which focused on undergraduate academic programs, graduate and professional academic programs,

Graphic by Kevin Sohnly / IC

Taco Bell was accused of using meat that is only 35 percent beef.

research and technology transfer, learning environment, health care access and delivery and outreach and global engagement.

“Our values remain the same, but the world is changing around us,” said UT President Lloyd Jacobs. “We need to be ready to pursue our priorities within our values system, and this document provides us with the tools and framework to do that.”

The university took its time collecting input from a variety of different sources in the orgaLehnert nization of the Directions 2011 document.

Lehnert said the approach to gathering feedback was completely transparent and UT utilized social media, print media, verbal communication, video feeds, town hall meetings, and open sessions.

“Working as a whole university community to achieve the strategic goals of Directions 2011 brings us together and increases opportunities for teamwork and collabora-

tion,” Barlowe said. touchdown?”

She said Directions 2011 foConveners of the different cuses all of the university groups contributing to the stakeholders on shared goals strategic plan set goal metrics and strategies aligned with as a part of a working docuour mission, values, and vision ment to ensure the implementhat engage and affect every tation of the goals of the stramember of the university com- tegic plan. munity, including current Goal and sub-goals were work and acaligned with creditation and things that Working as a whole were currently self-study. university community being moni“I have to achieve the strategic goals tored by the worked on earlier strategic of Directions 2011 brings us university inplans at UT, as together and increases op- cluding retenwell as at other portunities for teamwork tion rates, miuniversities, nority particiand I think that and collaboration. pation, and avDirections 2011 Jamie Barlowe erage GPA. is the best, Professor and chair, “All those most compre- Women’s gender studies things that we hensive plan I measured, just have ever as good busiseen,” Barlowe said. ness people and as running a The new 2011 document university, we tried to tie those contains goals, sub-goals, ob- into goals and objectives,” jectives, and specifics on how Lehnert said. to measure the accomplishDirections 2011 addresses ments of these goals. not only what is done inside In a visual representation UT but also how the university Lehnert said, “Give us a goal interacts and partners with post. How are we doing? Are alumni and local, regional, nawe on the ten yard line or are tional and global we on the fifty yard line? Are communities. we getting ready to make a “It is the product of the vifield goal or are we going for a sion of many

Taco From Page A1

plan to take legal action against those who have made false claims against our seasoned beef,” he said.

Coupled with multiple locations spread throughout the Toledo area, Taco Bell’s relatively affordable prices make the food more attractive.

The restaurant located on Secor Road adjacent to the Main Campus is a popular hangout for UT students.

Since news broke about the meat scandal, students expressed mixed feelings about their choice to eat or steer clear of Taco Bell’s food.

Andrea, a shift manager at the Taco Bell on Secor Road and said there have been no complaints or speculations about the quality of the beef.

According to Creed, 88 percent of the beef is USDAinspected beef, three percent is water, four percent are Mexican spices including flavors such as salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, sugar, garlic powder and cocoa powder; the remaining five percent includes oats, caramelized sugar, yeast, citric acid and “other ingredients that contribute to the flavor, moisture, consistency and quality of our seasoned beef.”

Creed said he stands behind the beef completely and is proud to serve it in all of his restaurants.

“We take any claims to the contrary very seriously and

“

”

“Taco Bell stands behind its product and I have not heard of any complaints from any of the customers,” she said.

But there are students on the UT Main Campus who think otherwise.

“This lawsuit is a good thing because it will teach [Taco Bell] a good lesson to be more careful of what goes in their food,” said Kristal Harbert, a freshman majoring in theatre.

Daniel Kilgore, a freshman majoring in communications, disagreed with claims against Taco Bell’s meat quality, stating Taco Bell has not been falsely advertising.

“Though I also agree that that it doesn’t mean that Taco Bell will pay any attention,” Kilgore said.

hundreds of students, staff, faculty, administrators, alumni, trustees, and external stakeholders, including community constituents from business, industry, government, health care, schools, the arts, and non-profit agencies and organization,” Barlowe said.

As a part of the university’s mission statement “improving the human condition” involves a variety of things from lowering the university’s carbon foot print and lessening its contribution to pollution to directly improving peoples’ health in the hospital, according to Lehnert.

“If we do a really good job at educating our students, they become better citizens, they become more educated citizens and more apt to send their kids to school and the process continues,” Lehnert said. “It’s about senior leadership’s commitment to provide the best possible education that we can provide.”

“In the long run, achieving the goals of Directions 2011 will make us an even more excellent university and an even better partner with communities outside UT,” Barlowe said.

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- in our opinion -

GOP assault on women Rape victims should not be called victims until the legal process has declared the guilt of the accused. Until then, they should only be referred to as accusers.

However, those bringing charges of assault or robbery should still be referred to as victims in all court proceedings.

This socially ignorant and disgustingly misogynistic proposition, made

by Republican State Rep. Bobby Franklin of Georgia, shows just one angle of social conservatives’ latest attack on women’s rights and safety. His proposal, H.B. 14, mandates that victims of rape, family violence, stalking and harassment be referred to as “accusers” instead of “victims” in court.

Regardless of the obfuscation and red herring tactics used to disguise the intent of such legislation, a look at the decidedly one-sided statistics regarding the affected crimes reveals the true agenda.

From the Family Violence Prevention Fund: Of the roughly 500 rapes that occur daily in the U.S., women are targeted more than men by a rate of 18-to-1. On an average day, more than three women in the U.S. are murdered by their intimate partner. Eighty-four percent of spouse abuse victims are women and about 75 percent of those who commit family violence are men. Women are victims of stalking at a rate of 20 per 1,000 adults; for men, that rate is seven.

A California Coalition Against Sexual Assault report shows that only 16 percent of rapes are reported to the police.

The predominant reason victims of rape do not report the crime was found to be a lack of confidence that anything would be done about it.

Forcing rape victims to present themselves as “accusers” after they have already suffered a life-changing traumatic experience further discourages them from seeking justice. Since most rapists eventually repeat their

crime if not brought to trial, H.B. 14 would not only put rape victims at a huge legal disadvantage but increase the occurrence of rape.

Georgia currently holds 11th place for most instances of rape amongst the states and Washington, D.C. — the last thing that the state or this country needs is more incentive and protection for rapists.

Here in Ohio, anti-abortion activists seek to posit a “Heartbeat Bill” during the 2011 legislative session. Setting the limit of legal abortions at a milestone that can be detected as early as four weeks is not only a shameful misunderstanding of women’s reproductive biology, but a grave injustice.

How many monogamous, responsible and law-abiding American women have become pregnant and not known for far longer than a month? To set the bar at four weeks is basically to ban abortions in all circumstances.

Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey recently backtracked on his “No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act,” a disturbingly misnamed bill that would deny treatment to any rape victim who wasn’t “forcibly” raped — a meaningless distinction that makes it easier for rapists to elude justice.

Though the text has been changed, Smith’s original wording would make it impossible for rape victims who were impregnated to receive a governmentfunded abortion, even if the pregnancy was life-threatening.

This nation has made great progress in terms of women’s rights, but there are constant threats from those who want a society where men can freely abuse and rape women without threat of recourse.

Please, stand and speak in opposition to these sexist, regressive politicians and their proposals to decimate women’s rights to life and happiness.

Give a Valentine’s Day gift that doesn’t support child labor, wage stealing, rape and murder Chocolates, greetings cards and fresh flowers — these are the traditionally-expected, transient gift items that will be purchased in en masse in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. Most Americans learn at an early age the meaning and mechanics behind the holiday, but few seem to consider the industries that sell these products and the people who are affected when we buy them.

Advertisements show happy couples smiling, laughing and kissing after exchanging beautiful flowers. What they do not show is the teenage girl in Ecuador whose only means of survival is the pittance she receives for working long hours in pesticide-smothered flower fields, at constant risk for abuse and sexual assault from her bosses. Americans overwhelmingly respond to the ads by shelling out their paychecks for a fresh bouquet, paying the salaries of these abusive bosses for the hope of romance.

A number of human rights groups work to pressure companies like 1-800-Flowers, one of the largest flower

distributors, to start improving these conditions by offering Fair Trade options. Fair Trade refers to systems of economic regulation that require businesses to maintain employment standards, providing a safe a healthy workplace for employees as well as labor conditions such as minimum wage and a ban on hiring minors.

If you plan to buy flowers for your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, take a few minutes to learn about the sourcing and employment standards of the company. How would the receiver of your gift feel if he or she knew that it was grown and harvested by an abused, impoverished young person?

We have tremendous power to impact the world by carefully choosing which businesses we support. Buying Fair Trade certified products guarantees that most of your money will be used to provide education, healthcare and housing for local communities, instead of lining the pockets of the wealthy landowners who exploit and abuse their workers.

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- in Your opinion -

Psychic potential Most scientists are quick to deny that humans are capable of psychic powers.

There simply is no significant evidence to indicate that psychic abilities are real.

Yet, according to a 2005 Gallup P o l l , three out of four A m e riStephen cans beBartholomew lieve in paranormal activity such as extrasensory perception (ESP,) ghosts, telepathy, clairvoyance and astrology.

Personally, I don’t put too much stock in my horoscope, but I am open-minded to the possibilities of the paranormal. I think science can explain a lot, but it can’t explain everything - at least not yet. Science is constantly playing catch-up to the puzzling mysteries of the expanding universe.

Scientists once believed that the sun revolved around the Earth. This was accepted as common knowledge and anyone suggesting otherwise was considered crazy or persecuted as a heretic. It took considerable time, study and argumentation before this geocentric fallacy could be disproved.

Nearly everything can be explained through science.

It’s just that some things take longer to figure out.

The nature of consciousness and psychic abilities are two such enigmatic realms of thought.

I recently attended a lecture and received a free 10-minute psychic reading by a soft-spoken, self-proclaimed clairvoyant gentleman.

He began his lecture by discussing archetypes, which are models or specific forms of human behavior.

According to Jungian psychology, archetypes are primitive mental images inherited from the earliest human ancestors.

One such example is the person who is about to drown but is saved. Another is he who only plays games that they know they can win.

There are numerous archetypes and they are typically metaphorical, but can be as literal as the one who loves to eat. According to the clairvoyant’s lecture, everyone operates based on a combination of archetypes.

Archetypes inherently exist in either the unconscious or sub-conscious, where mental phenomena propel people to act without their knowledge.

By becoming aware of the

unconscious archetypes that play an active role in one’s behavior, personal growth is made more possible, the clairvoyant reasoned.

With total confidence the clairvoyant went on to discuss his ability to see chakras, which are centers of spiritual energy located in the body. Chakras are a part of Hindu belief, but psychics often incorporate them into their practices.

There are believed to be seven chakras; six are vertically aligned along the spinal cord and the seventh is located above the crown of the head.

In ascending order, the chakras correspond to an individual’s relationship to the Earth, sex drive, emotions/intuition, ability to love, communication, psychic ability and connection to God. Depending on the person, some chakras are more open than others. According to

“

Despite all the horrible stories about phony psychics I’ve heard from people, this clairvoyant actually seemed genuine and compassionate.

”

the clairvoyant, these centers of energy, along with archetypal sources, influence a person’s mental state.

After meditating consistently throughout his life, the clairvoyant decided to teach a meditation workshop. While meditating in a group he realized he was able to receive information about those meditating around him. He was hesitant to ask those in the group if his perceptions were correct, but he eventually confirmed that he did have psychic abilities.

Since then he has been improving his extrasensory perception skills. Allegedly, he can see which chakras are open in an individual and understand the energy sources at work within the chakras. By understanding a person’s chakras he is able to see what archetypes are operating within their consciousness. He claimed to have helped many people with his perceptions.

There was really no way to prove or disprove any of this. But I was curious to see what would happen in my ten-minute psychic reading.

I sat down in a private room, the clairvoyant studying me with remarkable concentration from across the

room. After about a minute of focused meditation he proceeded to tell me surprisingly accurate information about myself. He explained personal conflicts I was having and detailed personality traits of mine.

I know that there are scamming psychics out there who make vague observations under the claim of clairvoyance. When it comes to ESP, credibility is hard to judge before making the financial investment to receive a reading.

Despite all the horrible stories I’ve heard about phony psychics, this clairvoyant actually seemed genuine and compassionate.

Of course, I was influenced by how much I wanted to believe that the selfproclaimed clairvoyant had psychic abilities. How much was my experience impacted by his ability to theatrically perform? Regardless, I was impressed.

Beliefs in psychic powers date back to ancient times.

Astrological fortune-telling, Greek mythology, tribal shamans, Alexander the Great, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce and even United States presidents have contributed in some way to the tapestry of psychic history.

Science has come a long way and has explained many previously unexplainable phenomena. But there will always be the realm of the unknown, the realm of possibility.

There is no scientific evidence of God, Allah, Vishnu, Yahweh, Jah or whatever name one uses for the divine. Believing in God or an afterlife requires suspending the constructs of definitive reality.

For whatever reason, people believe in things they cannot prove. Perhaps this is a result of the need for meaning, or maybe such beliefs are based on experiences of higher consciousness. Either way, there is room for skepticism.

Science has given us instruments that allow us to measure the forces for which our senses cannot consistently and accurately account. Yet, we must rely on our senses to interpret the information such instruments gather.

For such a mysterious, constantly expanding universe, science is a finite practice. Perhaps science has such a difficult time defining the obscurities of consciousness because consciousness, like the universe, is limitless.

—Stephen Bartholomew is an IC columnist and an English education student at UT.

The

Independent Collegian

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Phony solutions for real social ills

Social conservatives say they’re trying to address the problems of family breakdown, crime and welfare costs, but there’s a huge disconnect between the problems they identify and the policy solutions they propose.

It’s almost like the man who looked for his keys on the thoroughfare, even though he lost them in the alley, because the light was better.

Social conservatives tend to talk about issues such as abortion and gay rights, stem cell research and the role of religion “in the public square”: “Those who would have us ignore the battle being fought over life, marriage and religious liberty have forgotten the lessons of history,” said Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., at the Family Research Council’s 2010 Values Voter Summit.

But what, exactly, are the policy problems they say they aim to solve?

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, at the same summit, said: “We need to understand there is a direct correlation between the stability of

families and the stability of our economy. ... The real reason we have poverty is we have a breakdown of the basic family structure.” And Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said: “It’s impossible to be a fiscal conservative unless you’re a social conservative because of the high cost of a dysfunctional society.”

Those are reasonable concerns. As a 2009 Heritage Foundation report stated, children born to single mothers “score lower on tests, have increased chances for committing a crime, have higher chances of living in poverty, experience more emotional and behavioral problems, are more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol and have higher chances of becoming pregnant as teens.”

And social problems like that do tend to lead to higher government spending.

But those problems have nothing to do with abortion or gay marriage, the issues that social conservatives talk most about.

Abortion may be a moral

crime, but it isn’t the cause of high government spending or intergenerational poverty.

And one thing gay couples are not doing is filling the world with fatherless children. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine that allowing more people to make the emotional and financial commitments of marriage could cause family break-

“

the “high cost of a dysfunctional society” that worries DeMint.

But the “Family Values” section of DeMint’s Senate website talks about abortion and gay marriage, along with adoption. There’s no mention of divorce or unwed motherhood.

Or take a look at the key is-

Far better to pick on a small group, a group not perceived to be part of the Republican constituency, and blame it for social breakdown and its associated costs.

down or welfare spending.

When Huckabee says that “a breakdown of the basic family structure” is causing poverty — and thus a demand for higher government spending — he knows that he’s really talking about unwed motherhood, divorce, children growing up without fathers and the resulting high rates of welfare usage and crime. Those also make up

The world passing by In these days of tiger-mother hysteria about raising children with academic backbone, President Barack Obama has weighed in with yet another cause for paranoia. The president dropped India and China into his State of the Union speech, just long enough to say they are educating their children earlier and longer.

Generally, school days are longer in Asian countries, and vacation breaks, though more frequent, are shorter — no more than five weeks in summer. Subjects are introduced earlier. South Korean parents, for example, insisted that President Lee Myung-bak recruit more English teachers, so that kids could begin language lessons in the first grade.

Research supports these measures as important to kids’ learning. Few educators would disagree that more time on task and shorter intervals away from the classroom are beneficial.

Obama’s clear implication is that if we want to keep up, to hold on to a place of prosperity in an increasingly competitive world, we should be considering these things.

Americans have one of the shortest school years on the planet. Our kids attend school for 180 days each year, while Germany and Japan average 230 days. In South Korea — where teachers are hailed as “nation builders” — school is in session for 225 days each year.

By the time American students reach eighth grade, they’ve spent roughly 400 fewer days in school. So there’s a

lot of pressure on teachers to cover subjects in a shorter time, and in less depth.

Not coincidentally, perhaps, middle school is where American students begin to fall behind their global peers. By high school, among 30 developed nations, U.S. students rank 15th in reading, 21st in science, 25th in math and 24th in problem-solving.

People who study these trends, like Education Secre-

“

By high school, among 30 developed nations, U.S. students rank 15th in reading, 21st in science, 25th in math and 24th in problem-solving.

”

tary Arne Duncan, believe that the United States has stood still while others have moved past us. In an October speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Duncan said, “Here in the United States, we simply flat-lined. We stagnated. We lost our way, and others literally passed us by.”

So while people of my generation might say to ourselves, “We didn’t know much math, and we turned out OK,” we’d be missing the point. The rest of the world is changing. We need to prepare our children for a knowledge economy.

It’s not entirely bad for Americans that other countries are growing wealthier

Tell What Think Us You

and better educated. Having a market for our products abroad is essential to our economic growth, and an educated world is a safer one.

But we don’t want to be left behind. Some U.S. schools have been experimenting with more time in the classroom.

Roughly 1,000 schools — including 800 charters and about 200 traditional district schools — have expanded their schedules by more than one to two hours a day, according to the National Center on Time and Learning. KIPP Academy, one charter success story that started in the Bronx, requires parents to sign a contract saying they will not pull kids out for a family vacation.

Expect to see more of this.

As Congress moves to reauthorize and rework No Child Left Behind, the Obama administration is pushing for flexibility for school districts to break from established norms. In November, the New York State School Boards Association advocated a longer school day and year “where it will serve students well.”

Midafternoon dismissal times and long summer breaks are impractical holdovers from an agrarian past — increasingly so, as more homes are led by single parents or two working parents. It’s time to dust off those problem-solving skills and put them back to work.

—Anne

Michaud

is

”

sues on the website of the Family Research Council, the chief social conservative group. It recently listed eight papers on abortion and stem cells, seven on gays and gay marriage, and one on divorce.

Nothing much has changed since 1994, when I reviewed the council’s publications index and found that the two categories with the most listings were “Homosexual” and

a

member of Newsday’s editorial board.

Send your letter to the editor to forum@independentcollegian.com and let the campus and community know what’s on your mind.

Letters must be under 500 words and are subject to editing for content and length. All letters must be signed.

“Homosexual in the Military” — a total of 34 items (plus four on AIDS). The organization did show some interest in parenthood — nine items on family structure, 13 on parenthood and six on teen pregnancy — but there were more items on homosexuality than on all of those issues combined. There was no listing for divorce. Since that time, the out-of-wedlock birthrate has risen from 32 percent to 40 percent.

Back then, conservatives still defended sodomy laws.

These days, after the 2003 Supreme Court decision striking down such laws, most have moved on. Now they just campaign against gays in the military, gays adopting children and gays getting married.

Reducing the incidence of unwed motherhood, divorce, fatherlessness, welfare and crime would be a good thing.

So why the focus on issues that would do nothing to solve the “breakdown of the basic family structure” and the resulting “high cost of a dysfunctional society”?

A5

Well, solving the problems of divorce and unwed motherhood is hard. And lots of Republican and conservative voters have been divorced. A constitutional amendment to ban divorce wouldn’t go over very well, even with the social conservatives. Far better to pick on a small group, a group not perceived to be part of the Republican constituency, and blame it for social breakdown and its associated costs.

That’s why social conservatives point to a real problem and then offer phony solutions.

But you won’t find your keys on the thoroughfare if you dropped them in the alley, and you won’t reduce the costs of social breakdown by keeping gays unmarried and preventing them from adopting orphans.

—David Boaz is executive vice president of the Cato Institute and the author of “Libertarianism: A Primer” and “The Politics of Freedom.” He wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.

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Tyranny of the armed Why are Americans such wusses? Threaten the Greeks with job losses and benefit cuts and they tie up Athens, but take away Americans’ jobs, 401(k)s, even their homes, and they pretty much roll over. Tell British students that their tuition is about to go up and they take to the streets; American students just amp up their doses of Prozac.

The question has been raised many times in the last few years, by a variety of scholars and commentators — this one included — but when the eminent social scientist Frances Fox Piven brought it up at the end of December in an essay titled “Mobilizing the Jobless,” all hell broke loose.

An editor of Glenn Beck’s website, theblaze.com, posted a piece sporting the specious headline “Frances Fox Piven Rings in the New Year by Calling for Violent Revolution,” and, just two weeks before the Tucson shootings, the death threats started flying.

Many of the most provocative comments have been removed from the site’s comment section, but at one time they included such charming posts as: “Bring it on biotch (sic). we’re armed to the teeth.” Or: “We’re all for violence and change, Francis (sic). Where do your loved ones live?”

If the dozens of Beck fans rhetorically brandishing their weapons at Piven were all CEOs, bankers, hedge fund operators and so forth — i.e., the kind of people who have the most to lose from mass protests by the unemployed — all this might make more sense.

But somehow, and I may be naive about these things, it’s hard to imagine a multimillionaire suggesting that “folks buy battle carbines with folding or collapseable (sic) stocks and 16(-inch) barrels so they can be more easily hidden under jackets and such. Also, buy in NATO-approved calibers (5.56/.223, 7.62/.308) so you can resupply ammo from the bodies of your enemies too.”

One of Piven’s would-be assassins even admits to being out of work, a condition he or she blames, oddly enough, on Piven herself, adding that “we should blowup (her) office

and home.”

So perhaps economically hard-pressed Americans aren’t wusses after all. They may not have the courage or the know-how to organize a protest at the local unemployment office, which is the kind of action Piven urged in her December essay, but they stand ready to shoot the first 78-year-old social scientist who suggests that they do so.

Americans were not always so myopic that they saw the world through the cross-hairs of their rifle sights. During the depression of 1892 to 1896, unemployed workers marched to Washington by the thousands in what was then the

“

Although ropes and bombs are also mentioned, most of the people threatening Piven on Beck’s website referred lovingly to their guns, often by caliber and number of available rounds.

”

largest mass protest this country had seen. In 1932, even more jobless people — 25,000 — staged what was, at that time, the largest march on Washington, demanding public works jobs and a hike in the inheritance tax.

From the ‘60s to the ‘80s, Americans marched again and again — peacefully, nonviolently and by the hundreds of thousands — for civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, economic justice and against wars. In fact, this has been a major focus of Piven’s scholarly work over the years — the American tradition of protest and resistance to economic injustice — and it’s a big enough subject to keep hundreds of academics busy for life.

There are all kinds of explanations for how Americans lost their grassroots political mojo: iPods have been invoked, along with computer games and anti-depressants. And of course much of the credit

goes to the so-called populist right of the Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck persuasion, which argues that the real enemy of the down-and-out is not the boss or the bank but the “liberal elite” represented by people like Piven.

But at least part of the explanation is guns themselves — or, more specifically, the recent and uniquely American addiction to high-powered personal weaponry. Although ropes and bombs are also mentioned, most of the people threatening Piven on Beck’s website referred lovingly to their guns, often by caliber and number of available rounds.

As Joan Burbick, author of the 2006 book, “Gun Show Nation: Gun Culture and American Democracy,” has observed, “The act of buying a gun can mimic political action. It makes people feel as if they are engaging in politics of political protest.” She quotes one gun enthusiast: “Whenever I get mad at the government, I go out and buy a gun.”

Jobless and overwhelmed by bills? Hunker down in the basement and polish your Glock.

Never mind that there are only a few ways you can use a gun to improve your economic situation: You can hock it. You can deploy it in an armed robbery. Or you can use it to shoot raccoons for dinner.

But there is one thing you can accomplish with guns and coarse threats about using them: You can make people think twice before disagreeing with you.

When a congresswoman can be shot in a parking lot and a professor who falls short of Glenn Beck’s standards of political correctness can be, however anonymously, targeted for execution, we have moved well beyond democracy — to a tyranny of the heavily armed.

—Barbara Ehrenreich’s most recent book is “BrightSided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America.” She wrote this for the Los Angeles Times.

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Police Blotter The following events occurred between Feb. 1 and Feb 2. Anyone with information regarding these events should contact UT Police at 419-530-2600.

Theft On Feb. 1, a police officer was dispatched to the Student Union Building to take a theft report. The victim reported someone took his book bag from a chair in the food court near Pizza Hut. The victim laid his bag on the chair next to him while he was eating and forgot the bag when he left the area. Upon realizing the bag was missing, the victim checked the area for the bag and could not find it.

The bag contained the victim’s laptop which was valued at $600, a textbook valued at $100 and some school supplies.

On Feb. 3, a police officer was dispatched to the UTMC to take a theft report. The victim stated the vase which used to be on the reception desk was taken. She stated the vase was on the desk when she left that evening and was not there when the receptionist came in the next morning. The surveillance tape showed the vase being on the desk. The tape then jumped ahead ten minutes and the vase was no longer on the desk. The arrangement was valued at $100.

On Feb. 4, a police officer was dispatched to the Student Recreation Center to take a theft report. The victim reported his wallet and bank card were taken from his locker. The victim stated he left the items unsecured in a locker at the recreation center.

Theft from motor vehicle On Feb. 2, a police officer was dispatched to

Thursday, February 10, 2011

File photo by Kevin Sohnly / IC

Fish are dying and washing up on the shores of Lake Erie (above) after contracting viral hemorrhagic septicemia. Researches at UT are investigating the spread of the virus. parking lot 01 North to take a theft from motor vehicle report. The victim stated someone had stolen his University of Toledo “A” parking permit from his vehicle. The permit was valued at $125.

On Feb. 3, a police officer was dispatched to the East Parking Ramp to take a theft from motor vehicle report. The victim stated he parked his vehicle in the parking ramp and upon returning found his driver side rear window had been shattered and his iPod, valued at $150 and iPod docking station, valued at $30 were missing.

Burglary On Feb. 7, a police officer was dispatched to Wolfe Hall to take a burglary report. The reporting person stated an unknown person removed a MacBook valued at $1,300 from Wolfe Hall. He stated, on Feb. 1, he left two MacBooks sitting on a shelf in the technical office in Wolfe Hall. When he returned on Feb. 5, one of the MacBooks were missing.

Salts From Page A1 to stay away from the bath salts.”

The salts were banned in Florida after a woman tried to behead her grandmother with a machete while high on the substance.

The fake bath salts are also banned in Louisiana.

Blavos said any time a substance is marketed for consumption and has a “not for human consumption” label on its packaging, there is cause for alarm.

“It says not for human consumption, yet they’re marketing it as a legal high,” she said. “[The Ivory Wave website calls the product] legal high wholesale. Human consumption isn’t just eating. It’s smoking it, snorting it; any way of consuming it into your system.”

Regardless of the legal high wholesale tag Ivory Wave sells its products under, Student Conduct Officer Tracci Johnson said people should never use something it is not intended for, such as smoking a bath salt.

“Part of the problem with these types of substances, when people abuse things in a way that they’re not intended, is they haven’t been tested in humans,” she said. “People have bad reactions when they use them for purposes they’re

not intended for. While [students] think it might be something they want to try, it’s just not a good idea because you don’t know how it will interact with your system.”

Though the bath salts are sold legally in most states if a student is caught smoking or injecting it on campus, they can have action taken against them under the student code of conduct, according to Johnson.

“It’s a legal substance when you use it as a bath salt,” Johnson said. “But when you use it as a drug, it becomes an entirely different thing. If someone smokes a substance that is not intended for consumption it’s a violation and can be processed.”

Blavos said she fears what can happen if a teenager uses the substance since it is legal and easily obtainable.

“It’s kind of in your genes when you’re between 12 and 18 to experiment,” she said. “But sometimes young people will rebel in unsafe ways. When you’re like 15 or 16 and you don’t know where to buy marijuana, you know you can go to the local drug store and buy a bath salt.”

Blavos said the bath salts are obviously marketed towards the younger generation because “you’re not going to see anyone in their 30s saying, ‘hey, I’m going to go smoke a bath salt.’”

immune response.”

This means viruses related to VHS, such as rabies, express proteins that block known components of the cell’s response pathways.

“We are studying VHS proteins to see if any of them similarly block fish innate immune pathways,” Leaman said.

He said there has not been extensive study of VHS in fish to date, so there is a lot of information to be gathered from studies conducted by researchers at UT and elsewhere.

Using the rapid genetic tests, researchers hope to be able to quarantine the diseased fish faster and prevent spread so it doesn’t affect agriculture in surrounding

Budget From Page A1 The committee is considering among other things hierarchical layering, the number of departments, mid-level staff support, opportunities for outsourcing, and policies and procedures.

The task force is in the beginning stages and is currently brainstorming on ways that the university can be more efficient.

They are currently collecting data and having preliminary discussions on what can be done to improve the university, according to Dean of Students Michele Martinez, who is also an enrolled graduate student studying to get her PhD in Higher Education.

“From those discussions, then we will be making recommendations to the president,” Martinez said.

Martinez has a dual role in the task force, providing both the student perspective by her direct involvement in academic studies at the university and also being a student advocate as the Dean of Students.

“I’m really trying to look at things not only from what it would feel like as a student to have something done differently but also what it would mean to the student body as a whole,” Martinez said.

She said the goal of the task force is to do things better here at the institution in a

regions and the fishing industry.

There are hundreds of thousands of fish that have turned up dead due to the disease with outbreaks being very sporadic, which leads Stepien to believe there is a new strain of the virus.

Leaman’s long-term goal is to possibly understand why the virus can sometimes cause massive fish genocides while other times it is barely noticed.

“There’s really no way of preventing it right now other than isolating areas or quarantining fish that have the virus,” Stepien said.

While there is no cure for the fish, Stepien said the genetic tests are becoming more accurate and have made finding and quarantining infected fish much faster. way that would save money.

“We haven’t talked about anything being cut that I really had to voice my opinion on at this point, but I’m ready to do that; to talk about what the impact will be for students, and also to bring the information back to students,” Martinez said.

The task force committee is “very collegial,” according to Martinez. It is composed of a lot of people different areas including faculty, backroom operations, finances, and student involvement.

“We all come to it from a different perspective and seeing things from our own point of view,” Martinez said. “Everybody in there really talks about what’s best for the institution overall. I think we work really well together.”

Faculty Senate President Mary Powers was appointed

by Jacobs to represent the Faculty Senate on the FY12 budget task force.

“I work to bring ideas from the Faculty Senate to the group and also to provide a faculty perspective to the work of the group,” Powers said. “I think the group will work to give careful and thoughtful consideration to a number of ideas for helping the university meet the budget challenges of the coming year.”

“Overall everybody is really trying to think of what would be best for the institution not just tomorrow or next year but long term,” Martinez said.

“I am so tired of rearranging my life around what the stupidest people might do” — Bill Maher

Section

B

www.IndependentCollegian.com

Around

town

Feb. 10 — Feb. 16

today

Arts and Life Thursday, February 10, 2011

By Jason Mack Editor in Chief

Brown Bag Seminar – Put on by the Eberly Center for Women at 12:30 p.m. “How the American Chemical Society Helps Women in Science.” Edith Kippenhan will be providing a one hour lecture. Students may bring their own lunch.

We are the Willows – Minneapolis-based folk artist Peter Miller and his project We are the Willows will be performing at Ramalama Records on West Central Avenue at 6:00 p.m.

friday

saturday Persian Student Association Movie Night – An Iranian film will be shown at the Student Union building room 2591 at 7:00 p.m.

1

DC Guastella – Editor

‘Evil Dead’ comes alive Musical rendition of cult film debuts at Valentine

Last Rocket Standing - Can you make people laugh? If so, come audition to compete in the annual Last Rocket Standing competition held at 9:00 p.m. at the Student Union Auditorium.

The winner will be crowned the 2011 Last Rocket Standing Champion, as well as a chance to perform at the professional comedy club The Funny Bone.

Winterfest Sledding Contest – Held on the hill near Parks Tower from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Judging on best sledding technique will be held at 5:30 p.m..

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Photo by Nick Kneer

Washing blood out of your clothes is not part of a traditional night out at the theater, but “Evil Dead the Musical” is anything but traditional.

Director James Norman, a part-time English professor at the University of Toledo, is premiering the production at 7 p.m. tomorrow night at The Valentine’s Studio A Theatre in downtown Toledo. Norman has directed for several Toledo area high schools, sang with the Toledo Opera for 20 years, and has directed productions such as “The Full Monty” and “Victor Victoria.”

“Evil Dead the Musical” is the first musical based on a series of movies, adapted by George Reinblatt from the cult horror classics that began with Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” in 1981.

The plot centers around five college students who spend a weekend in an abandoned cabin and accidentally unleash demons. The show is not just for fans of the movies: Norman put the production together without ever watching the films.

“I don’t know a lot of it because I have not watched but about 30 minutes of the second one,” Norman said.

“What I hear from my experts is that this plot is based more on the first movie but

with the campiness of the third movie. The second movie isn’t really in this much at all. Obviously fans of the movies get it more, but it’s a piece that’s ridiculous in its campiness and it works.”

One of Norman’s experts is Ryan Zarecki, who plays the lead role of Ash. Zarecki has acted in productions ranging from “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” to “Bloody Bess” to “High School Musical.”

“I’ve run the gamut from god-awful to having a hell of a good time,” Zarecki said.

“Ryan is a dream because he is my expert on Evil Dead,” Norman said. “He’s seen them all, quotes it all and knows it all right down to what should be worn. He’s helped with a lot of the effects and things. He’s been a godsend for us.”

“I’m a big fan of Sam Raimi,” Zarecki said. “I love ‘Evil Dead.’ I’ve probably watched the second one a lot more than the third one. We obviously don’t cover ‘Army of Darkness.’ Nobody has that budget. We try to stay as truthful to the gore and the effects and the campy double-takes as much as we can.”

The campiness and gore have achieved success so far in other productions. The musical began in 2003 in a small bar in Toronto. It has since spread around the world with productions

everywhere from New York to Tokyo.

“This is really not my genre at all, but as a director I wanted to stretch my limits a little bit,” Norman said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’m used to a little bit bigger musical with a larger cast and bigger flash and trash type stuff.”

“Given the vein of the film as the camp horror fest that it is, sort of a horror comedy in the way it’s delivered, if there was a way to put it on the stage, a musical would be the best way to go about it,” Zarecki said.

Zarecki is also used to more traditional theater but was excited for the opportunity to do something different.

“Usually it’s the mom and pop, blue hair musical theaters where it’s ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ or ‘My Fair Lady,’ just all the classics,” Zarecki said. “The minute I heard this was even a remote possibility in this town, I jumped at it.

How often do you get to sport a chainsaw hand and spurt blood on the audience?

That day has come.”

The gore has forced the actors to learn a completely new dimension of performing. Every time a gun is fired or a limb severed, the affected actor uses a syringe or other device to shoot blood into the first two rows, which are referred to as the — Evil Dead, Page B2

(Above) Ryan Zarecki as Ash. In one hand he holds a shotgun, and in the other, no hand at all. (Below Left) Jeffrey King as Jake has just been stabbed. (Below Right) Kathryn Zarecki as Cheryl being attacked by demonic trees come to life. (Bottom) Ash and Annie prepare for a face-off with an evil horde.

monday Fair Love: Chocolate and Flowers – The pre-date event to see two short films about flower and cacao production, held on Valentine’s Day. It will begin at 5:51 in Bowman-Oddy Laboratories room 3045. The event will hold discussions on garden volunteer opportunities in the Outdoor Garden Classroom, as well as providing information on adopt-a-plot volunteering and scheduled work days. Free fair trade chocolate and seeds will be provided.

Photo by Jason Mack

Photo by Nick Kneer

tuesday Black History Month – Self Expression Teen Theatre – A troupe of teen actors also function as educators and counselors. SETT members will be performing on the importance of cultural identity at 7:15 p.m. in Rocket Hall room 1520. Contact Dr. Lynn Hamer for more information at lynne.hamer@utoledo. edu.

wednesday Lantern Festival Celebration – The Confucius Institute will invite Dr. Tu Weiming from Peking University to speak on Confucius, the Huazhong Normal University Performing Troupe. It will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will break for a free lunch. Contact Aige Guo at aige.guo2@utoledo.edu for more information.

Harlem Renaissance Night – An event for students to step back into history and experience the music, poetry and art from the Harlem Renaissance will be held in Rocky’s Attic in the Student Union building at 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Nick Kneer

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Evil Dead From Page B1 “Splatter Zone.”

“In this house, because we’re so small, it’s difficult to just get the first two rows,” Norman said. “Last night we hit the fifth row, so we’re really working on only hitting the first two. Actors are looking to make sure they are not hitting anything else. We’re taking that campiness to a new high.”

“Between the shotgun, the chainsaw, the blood effects, the demon cabin, for an hour and a half show it is very tech heavy,” Zarecki said. “I think that’s the hardest challenge people have putting this show up outside of finding the right cast. Thankfully that was the easy part for us. Now we just have to get the tech right.”

The tech involved presents unique challenges, like the director having to do laundry between performances.

“Those have been a big challenge, especially with us having two shows on Saturday nights,” Norman said. “Having one set of costumes and laundering at intermission is a big thing. Obviously the blood is washable, so we don’t have to

The

Independent Collegian

go through 10 sets of costumes. That’s been a big challenge. It’s so heavy on tech.”

The musical is also heavy on themes of graphic violence and sexuality, so viewer discretion is advised.

“We’ve said 16 and older,” Norman said. “It’s definitely TV-14. The F-bomb is in there and a lot of sexual situations.

I would say 16 and older if they’re mature, can handle it.

My son or daughter would not be coming if they were younger.”

The musical features graphic songs such as “What the F--- Was That?” and “Blew That Bitch Away” along with “Do the Necronomicon” which pays homage to “Time Warp” from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

“The language in this is a little bit stronger than Rocky Horror, so high schools aren’t going to be able to adapt this.

With a song like ‘What the F-- Was That?’ you can’t really change that. It think this will be a little bit tougher, but I think it’s building a cult following.”

The campiness of the production is the biggest reason for the cult following, combining comedy and horror like

the movie and other classics such as “Shaun of the Dead.”

“It’s pretty easy [blending comedy and horror] because anybody who does comedy well will tell you that you have to take it very seriously,” Norman said. “If you screw around with it, people won’t laugh. If you take it seriously, which you have to do with horror, people will laugh.

We’re playing it pretty straight.

It’s the piece that makes the laughs.”

With a small budget, Norman was creative with casting and developing the special effects. Many of the cast members also contribute behind the scenes. Zarecki is one of the fight directors and assists with special effects construction. His real-life wife, Kathryn Zarecki, is the choreographer and plays the role of Ash’s sister Cheryl.

“The Valentine [Theatre] had the foresight to give Jim the free reign to pick his own cast. A lot of us didn’t know each other from the get go.

Our first read-through, we clicked as a group and realized this was going to be fun.

The rest of the time it was ‘how the hell are we going to pull this off?’”

The group had to figure

everything out quickly with just a four and a half week rehearsal period.

“Normally for a musical I do eight weeks,” Norman said.

“This has been much shortened, but this is a hand-picked cast. They pretty much came in knowing it and were ready to go. They’re chomping at the bit waiting for an audience.”

“We really need an audience,” Zarecki said. “Every show gets to that point where you’re throwing out the jokes and it’s just black chairs here.

As fun as it is to see the vinyl all blood splattered, it’s a lot more fun to see people blood splattered.”

Anyone interested in getting splattered can call the box office at 419.242.2787 for tickets and information. The show runs Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 7 and 10 p.m. from tomorrow night through Feb. 26.

“It’s just a hilarious night in the theater,” Norman said. “It is 90 minutes, so you’re not giving up your whole night.

There’s a cash bar. It’s a lot of fun, you’re going to laugh a lot, and if you sit in the splatter zone you might get hit.”

For more photos, please take a look at the Independent Collegian Facebook page.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Photos by Nick Kneer / IC

(Top Left) Scott and Shelly witness the transformation of one of the characters. (Top Right) Ash with his newly acquired chain saw arm, ready for action. (Below) Guts pour out of Scott into Ash’s hands.

Challenges From Page B4 the flu.”

“We had the day off yesterday but we are going to get back at it today. The main thing is to have some very difficult practices. When you have a lot of games in such a short amount of time, you can’t really kill them because you want them to have legs in the games.”

One player that was been affected is senior forward Melissa Goodall, who has been playing the past two games.

“I know Melissa Goodall was really sick during the Akron game,” Cullop said. “To her credit, she did not tell me

Side Lines

Fisher named MAC Athlete of the Week Junior Ari Fisher has been named Mid-American Conference Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after posting a first place finish in the 3,000-meter this past Saturday at Notre Dame’s Meyo Invitational.

“It was a great effort for Ari,” UT head coach Kevin Hadsell said. “She had the lead the entire race and it was her first race over a mile this season so it is still early. The goal is to prepare for the 10k in the outdoor season, so patience is the key.”

Fisher ran all 3000-meters in 9:29.95 which is the fastest time posted for the event in the MAC this year and the third fastest finish in the history of UT Track.

Elezovic earns Player of the Week honors The Toledo Rockets soccer team held its annual awards banquet Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Toledo to honor outstanding achievements during the season and recognize the team’s six graduating seniors.

this

until after the game. Knowing that after the game it made a lot of sense. She was missing a lot of her lay-ups and just seemed very lethargic.”

Goodall was 2 of 9 from the floor against the Zips but knocked down all eight of her free throws to end the game with 12 points.

Despite some team members being ill or injured, the Rockets pulled together for a free throw-a-thon on Saturday and raised $21,000 for the team’s planned trip to Israel to visit junior guard Naama Shafir’s home country.

“The trip is going to cost close to $100,000 and we have funds coming from several different areas,” Cullop said.

“We have to raise all of the funds, they had to come from outside of our budget. We have had a lot of different people step to the plate.

“I thought that it was a great success. To be honest, I was going to be to happy with $15,000, but I am elated with $21,000. I am just so thankful that we have some tremendous people in the UT community.”

Toledo must stay focused on the MAC for now as they face a tough schedule down the stretch including a rematch with Central Michigan on March 2 at Savage Arena, the only conference opponent which has beaten the Rockets this season.

All awards were based off votes cast by the players themselves.

Second-team All-MAC senior Brittany Hensler was voted as the Rockets (15-4-2, 101-0 Mid-American Conference) Offensive MVP. Hensler finished the season tied for the team lead in goals with seven and finished second on the team in total points with 15. Hensler also scored three match-winning goals which was third most in the league and was also credited as the MAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 18, 2010.

Sophomore defender Natalia Gaitàn was credited as the team’s Defensive MVP. Gaitàn earned spots on the Ohio Coaches Soccer Association’s Second Team and the MAC’s All-Tournament Team thanks in part to her role on a Toledo defense that ranked second in the conference in goals allowed (17) and shutouts (10).

Senior Sarah Blake was given the Rocket Award which is awarded to a student-athlete that best exemplifies the core values of the soccer program – academic commitment, athletic excellence and social responsibility.

In addition to these accomplishments, the Rockets soccer team finished the fall

campaign with a share of its second MAC regular-season championship in three seasons and head coach Brad Evans was named the 2010 MAC Coach of the Year.

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Elezovic earns Player of the Week honors University of Toledo senior Aleksandar Elezovic has been named the MidAmerican Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week after a 4-2 showing over three matches last weekend.

The doubles tandem of Elezovic and classmate Sven Burus had a perfect 3-0 weekend at the No. 1 slot against tandems from Michigan State, IPFW and Notre Dame.

Including the showing from this past weekend, Elezovic leads the Rockets with a 12-7 singles record (52 duals, 7-5 fall) and is 19-3 (7-2 duals, 12-1 fall) when paired up with Burus at No.1 doubles.

Elezovic and the rest of the Rockets return to action this weekend this weekend as they host Wright State Friday, Feb. 11 as part of a men’s and women’s doubleheader and will travel to take on IUPUI and Indiana on Sunday, Feb 13.

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Zach Davis / IC

Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott was “mad as hell” after his team lost their 26th straight contest last night in a 103-94 loss to the Pistons.

Cavs From Page B4 guys getting better. The last week we got better each game but tonight we took a gigantic step backwards.”

The most troubling aspect of last night’s loss was undoubtedly the effort. Cleveland, who had lost the last four contests by a combined 21 points and led or tied in the fourth quarter of each game, came out completely flat against the Pistons and didn’t seem too concerned with obtaining the all-time futility record.

“That was probably the worst effort we have had in the last month, it’s that simple,” Scott said. “It was all because of lack of effort — no sense of urgency whatsoever and that amazes me.

When you’ve lost as many in a row as we have lost and when you have been as close as we have the last four or five games to come home and come out the way we did — that amazes me.”

Detroit, on the other hand, looked determined to not be the team that lost to the Cavs. The Pistons jumped out to a 23-14 advantage and didn’t relinquish the lead the rest of the way.

Although losing defending two-time MVP LeBron James to the Heat was a significant blow, the Cavaliers have

played considerably worse than their capabilities all season. Cleveland’s problems have less to do with talent and are more centered around attitude.

It’s clear that the Cavs matchup with James’ Miami squad was the beginning of the season’s downward spiral.

Coming into the matchup, Cleveland was 7-10 on the season including a win a win over Boston in their opener. However the intensity shown against the Celtics has not been seen much since the 28-point drubbing from the Heat, in a matchup where Cleveland’s fans were the only ones who wanted to make a statement to their former star.

Since that game, Cleveland has lost 35 of 36 while the previously 11-8 Miami squad has won 26 of their next 32.

The effort simply hasn’t been there for the Cavaliers, who look determined to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on a nightly basis.

“We have to challenge their pride,” Scott said. “We’ve got professional basketball players in there and you’ve got to have some pride in what you are doing. Everybody has to come home and take a good hard look in the mirror.”

Unfortuantely for Cleveland fans, there’s not much else Scott can do. Cutting minutes is difficult with the injuries suffered to Varajao, Mo Wil-

liams and Leon Powe.

It’s difficult to imagine this team being any worse, however that’s exactly what is going to happen after the February 24 trade deadline.

Cleveland’s most consistent player, Antawn Jamison, will be had to whoever wants the nearly $22 million remaining on his contract through 2012. If they can’t find a deal, Jamison will almost certainly bought out by the team.

Cleveland will be pushing to move Williams, but with nearly $21 million due to him through 2013 as well as his knack for disappearing in the playoffs, it will be hard to trade the injured guard.

36-year-old guard Anthony Parker is a almost a lock to be traded (possibly to Chicago) while Daniel Gibson would bring a lot of interest around the league if Cleveland makes him available.

Ultimately the Cavaliers don’t need to rack up wins this season, but they must find players that show the effort and intensity required to compete down the road when the team ultimately improves. Right now, this group just won’t cut it.

— Zach Davis is the Sports Editor and a senior majoring in communication. He contributes to FOX Sports Ohio and Scout.com.

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I thought we battled, competed and played much better ... Our effort, attention to detail and toughness was much improved from our last game.

Tod Kowalczyk UT Men’s Basketball Coach

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www.IndependentCollegian.com Scott ‘mad as hell’ as Cavs tie all-time futility record CLEVELAND, Ohio – At this point, it’s getting harder and harder to remember what a Cavaliers win felt like.

With a 103-94 loss to the lowly Pistons (20-33) last night, Cleveland (8-45) extended their NBA record to 26 consecutive losses, tying the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL with the longest losing streak in the history of American sports.

Zach The CavaDavis liers have yet to win in 2011, recording their last victory in an Losing 36- o v e r t i m e of-37 games game on 18 wears on a Dec. New coach, and it against York. Clevelooks like land entered Cleveland fi- that contest a 10 nally found with game losing Byron Scott’s streak and if b r e a k i n g Knicks forward Amar’e point.

Stoudamire h a d n ’ t missed an open midrange jumper as time expired to win the game, the Cavaliers would be on an unbelievable 37 game losing streak— approaching nearly double the previous record of 23 games.

Losing 36-of-37 games wears on a coach, and it looks like Cleveland finally found Byron Scott’s breaking point after the first-year head coach kept the team in the locker room for more than 30 minutes following their loss to the Pistons last night.

“I’m mad as hell,” Scott said. “I can deal with losing, especially when our guys play as hard as they’ve played the last couple of weeks. I find it very hard to deal with when guys don’t come out ready to play.

“The thing I’m focused on is

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Zach Davis – Editor

UT loses sixth straight game at Ohio, 71-58

By Joe Mehling Assistant Sports Editor

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— Cavs, Page B3

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

File photo by Jason Mack / IC

The Univeristy of Toledo is now 4-20 under first-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk and holds the nation’s longest road losing streak at 44 games. The Rockets will look to end their current six game skid against Miami (OH) on Saturday at Savage Arena.

Toledo dropped their sixth straight game last night in a 71-58 loss in Athens to Ohio.

The Rockets 43 game road losing streak is the longest in the nation dating back to March of 2008. UT is 4-20 this season under first-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, whose team has lost all 12 of their games away from Savage Arena.

“I thought we battled, competed and played much better,” Kowalczyk said. “We still had some opportunities in the first half that we did not capitalize on and I think that really hurt us.”

UT trailed by 13 at the break and shot just 8 of 23 Ohio from the field in- Toledo cluding 2 of 10 from beyond the arc.

“We missed some lay-ups and had some ill-advised turnovers,” Kowalczyk said.

“Overall I think our effort, attention to detail and toughness was much improved from our last game.”

The Rockets had four players in double-figures with sophomore Malcolm Griffin leading the way with 16 points while freshman Reese Holliday added 11.

Two surprises in the scoring category for the Rockets were sophomore Jay Shunnar with 13 points and senior forward Justin Anyijong with 11.

“I thought Jay did a good

job tonight,” Kowalczyk said.

“He was cutting hard and was making his foul shots.

“We are having a hard time scoring. We need to find guys that can get the ball in the basket. We have to do a better job of making plays.”

The Bobcats (12-12, 5-5 Mid-American Conference) were led by senior forward Tommy Freeman with 21 points while sophomore Ivo Baltic added Griffin 16 points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds. DeVaughn Washington joined his teammates in double-figures with 14.

OU scored 22 points off of 18 Toledo turnovers and shot 47 percent from field including 44 percent from threepoint range.

The Rockets never led in the contest 71 but kept the game 58 close early before OU scored nine unanswered after a three-pointer from Freeman gave Ohio a 25-13 lead with 7:09 remaining in the first half.

Toledo chipped away and cut the lead to seven but back-to-back Bobcat threes gave them the 36-23 advantage at the half.

OU came out of the break on fire knocking down four of their first six shots to expand the lead to 46-31 just four minutes into Shunnar the half. The Rockets would trail by at least 12 points the rest of the way.

Toledo returns to Savage Arena on Saturday to face Miami at 7 p.m. following the women’s game at 4:30.

Rockets look forward to end of season challenges

File photo by Jason Mack / IC

The Rockets look for their ninth straight win at Savage Arena on Saturday against Ohio at 4:30 p.m.

By IC Staff

Zach Davis / IC

Foward J.J. Hickson has averaged 12 points and 7.3 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have lost an NBA record 26 straight games and 36 of their last 37.

With just six games remaining before the Mid-American Conference Tournament, the Toledo women’s basketball team has found themselves in the driver’s seat in the MAC West Division with 9-1 record against league opponents, the best start in school history.

However, winning has not come easy for the Rockets.

UT started the season 5-4, including a 102-69 loss at Dayton on Dec 5. Since then, Toledo has won 13-of-15 games, including eight straight at Savage Arena.

“I knew it would take some time but I didn’t know how much time,” UT head coach Tricia Cullop said. “We stayed true to what we believed in teaching and our players never doubted. They just stayed

true to the plan and sooner or later things started clicking.”

Toledo has not only been preparing for their matchup with Ohio on Saturday, but trying to get healthier with both injuries and illness affecting the team.

“I think this bye week came at a good time,” Cullop said.

“We had a few players that were dealing with colds and — Challenges, Page B3