Issue 43

Page 1

Arts & Life, B1

Sports, B4

Spring Break options for college students

Toledo tops CMU, wins first MAC Title since 2001

Independent Collegian IC The

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Serving the University of Toledo since 1919

www.IndependentCollegian.com 91st year Issue 43

President Jacobs shows support as Issue 5 passes By Randiah Green News Editor and Managing Editor

Public employees may soon see their collective bargaining rights disappear with the passage of Senate Bill 5. The bill was passed in the Ohio Senate by one vote yesterday. It has to go to the Ohio House of Representatives for a vote. The vote on the bill was 17 to 16. If passed by the House, the legislation will become law in 90 days. Ohio Governor John Kasich released a statement yesterday applauding the senators and showing them appreciation for their “courage.” “This is a major

step forward in correcting the imbalances between taxpayers and the government unions that work for them,” he said in the statement. “Our state, counties, cities and school districts need the flexibility to reduce their costs and better manage their workforces, and taxpayers deserve to be treated with more fairness.” UT President Lloyd Jacobs is also a supporter of the bill. On Feb. 16, Jacobs sent a letter to Chair of the Ohio

Senate Insurance, Commerce, and Labor Committee Kevin Bacon expressing how “more effective and efficient operations” could be facilitated by Senate Bill 5. In the letter, Jacobs explained how various amounts of money could be saved at UT with the passage of the bill, including as much as $10 million. Jacobs “Many of our faculty members are members of the American — Issue 5, Page A4

Rubin running unopposed By IC Staff

Jason Mack / IC

Rockets clinch MAC Title on senior night The UT women’s basketball team clinched the Mid-American Conference regularseason title last night with an 85-75 win over Central Michigan in the final game at Savage Arena for seniors Melissa Goodall and Jessica Williams. Above, Williams cuts off a piece of the net during a post-game celebration while Goodall holds the ladder.

Obama stops enforcement of Defense of Marriage Act By Casey Cheap IC Staff Writer

In an unprecedented move, President Barack Obama has stopped the U.S. Department of Justice from enforcing the Defense of Marriage Act. The 1996 law, signed by former President Bill Clinton, was put into place to bar the recognition of same-sex marriages at the federal level. This allows individual states to decide the issue on their own.

Obama and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder cited the DOMA as “unconstitutional,” saying it will no longer be enforced “despite having done so Obama’s first two years in office,” according to The New York Times. Social conservatives denounced the move as purely political and questioned the legality of the Obama Administration not enforcing a federal law it does not agree with.

Advocates of same-sex marriage praised the move as a “watershed moment” just weeks after the military’s repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Although a new federal law or constitutional amendment allowing same-sex marriage on the federal level is currently not being considered, no longer enforcing the DOMA is enough for some people. — Marriage, Page A4

(Karl Mondon/Contra Costa Times/MCT)

Robert Heddleston and Chris Hollar are disappointed after receiving word on Thursday, August 12, 2010, that a temporary ban on same sex marriages remains in effect until August 18. The two were among the dozens of gay couples in line at San Francisco City Hall hoping to be married.

Following last night’s Student Government Election Meeting, the Rubin/Maddocks ticket for presidency was unopposed, giving the duo a second term as SG President and Vice President. According to SG President Matt Rubin, his and Vice President Jordan Maddocks’ presidential ticket was the only one who collected signatures and filled

out the election materials. Rubin said just because he and Maddocks have the seats for another year, the two do not plan on slacking for the rest of this academic year. “Although we are going to be serving another term, by no means do we plan on coasting or going into cruise control,” Rubin said. “We want to make sure we can use Rubin the end of this year and all of next year to improve what

we’ve built so far for Student Government.” Rubin said the opportunity to serve again will give him a chance to learn from the experiences from this year to improve SG. “Knowing that we won’t have to make the same mistakes that we did throughout the year, knowing things we already know and knowing how the system works is going to be an extreme advantage for what we can accomplish in the future,” he said. Aside from the presidential candidate meeting, the SG Student Senate Candidate meeting — Rubin, Page A4

Law student honored by Huffington Post By Jaimee Hilton IC Staff Writer

Kyle Smitley, a third-year law student at UT, was named “Greatest Person of the Day” by the Huffington Post two weeks ago for her eco-friendly clothing line for children, Barley and Birch. In her career, Smitley has many accomplishments. She has been named one of the 25 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in Fortune Magazine and one of Inc. Magazine’s Top Coolest Entrepreneurs Under 30. “I was sitting in class my first year of law school and I kept getting this call on my business line and it said Los Angeles. It was Ashlee Simpson’s publicist asking me to send stuff,” Smitley said of one of her other accomplishments. Smitley, who is from Defiance, Ohio, founded the company in 2008. She was motivated to start the company while working in the White House in 2007. She did consulting for a children’s boutique after graduating with a degree in environmental science. Smitley participated in consulting on various children’s products, including inquiring what they were made with and what sort of dangers and regulations were involved. From there she looked deeper into each brand and their supply chain. — Huffington, Page A4

Nate Croak / IC

Kyle Smitley talks yesterday with the Independent Colegian. The Huffington Post recently named the third-year law student at UT the “Greatest Person of the Day.”


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