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Independent Collegian IC The
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Serving the University of Toledo since 1919
www.IndependentCollegian.com 91st year Issue 55
Speakers set for commencement By Vincent Curkov IC Staff Writer
UT will send 2,657 graduates into the workforce and, as always, has selected two separate commencement speakers to inspire students as they set out to start careers. CEO of Chrysler Group Sergio Marchionne will give the commencement speech to the colleges of Business Administration, Engineering and Arts and Sciences while University System of Ohio Chancellor Jim Petro will speak to graduating students from the colleges of Education, Nursing and Health Science and Human Service. Marchionne started his career as an accountant and tax specialist working for Deloitte & Touche. He has been the CEO of Chrysler Group since Fiat Industrial S.p.A purchased 30 percent of the company in June 2009. He remains the CEO of Fiat. Marchionne has also been CEO for other companies around the world including the SGS Group of Geneva in
Switzerland, Lonza Group Ltd. and Algroup. “[Marchionne] has been at the core of our economy and the core of the car industry,” said Bill McMillen, interim main campus provost. Marchionne has dual citizenship in Italy and Canada. He has never spoken at an American university before. UT President Lloyd Jacobs personally visited Marchionne’s Chrysler office in Detroit and invited him to give the commencement speech to UT graduates. “He has a passionate work ethic and impressive track record for turning companies around that certainly will inspire our students as they embark upon their careers,” Jacobs said. Petro was the Ohio Attorney General before becoming chancellor of Ohio’s university system, which is the largest public education system in the nation. “Interestingly enough, he comes from a private institution [Denison University,]” Mc-
Millen said. Petro has held many elected public positions including Ohio Representative, Cuyahoga County Commissioner and Rocky River City Councilman. McMillen said this will be one of Petro’s first times giving a major speech at a university as well. “He will bring a certain political perspective,” McMillen said. It is a UT tradition to give commencement speakers honorary degrees. Marchionne will receive an honorary degree from UT at the commencement, while Petro already received an honorary doctorate from UT in 2000. “Honorary degrees are given out for recognition of life’s work,” McMillen said, “Most [universities] give out one [honorary degree] maybe two per ceremony.” The recipients of honorary degrees are chosen by the commencement committee. Recipients are typically — Speakers, Page A2
File photo by Nick Kneer / IC
Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne laughed with a Jeep employee as he toured the assmebly line at the Jeep Wrangler plant in Toledo, Ohio on August 23rd, 2010. Vice President Joe Biden also toured the facility and delivered a speech on the climate of the automobile industry.
Virginia Tech survivor to show documentary tonight By Megan Gross IC Staff Writer
Morrison Wilson / IC
Paul Spradley, director of multicultural student services at Robert Morris University, speaks during an interactive workshop about diversity on Monday.
Paul Spradley holds diversity workshop By Allison Seney IC Staff Writer
At a young age, Paul Spradley learned people were treated differently based on skin color. “I remember a couple of years ago I was in Washington D.C. and I was passed up by two taxi cabs and [the] guy who finally gave me a ride told me that no one wanted to give me a ride because I was black,” the Pittsburgh native said. Spradley, the director of multicultural student services at Robert Morris University, held an interactive workshop to teach what it means to be a leader in a diverse world Monday. “Everyone has a story to tell and our story is interesting to other people, and know that we are all created equal,” Spradley said. The concept of the workshop he teaches is to develop as leaders and know three basic points, recognizing equality, everyone is connected and
part of a larger community and being intentional. “I want you to think deeper to survive than only thinking on the surface,” Spradley said. To begin his workshop, Spradley had everyone break off into pairs and had each person talk about themselves for one minute. Then he asked the audience various questions as to what it means to be a leader and what diversity is in a general sense. “I want people to open their minds and understand that we are all connected as being part of something greater then ourselves,” Spradley said. All the exercises worked together to help people learn the skills of what it means to be successful in a diverse world. “Diversity can be an issue, people can be too closed minded, success is reached by learning how to connect with others, and if people let ignorance get in the way then people are not reaching the quality of life that they could have,” Spradley said.
Main areas of diversity are measured by gender, race, religion and disability by some, and in countries like America, its declaration allows everyone to live equally. “Diversity is a heavy concept and it threw people off and sometimes people understand it is not the same,” he said. In another exercise, the audience broke off into groups of three and a sheet of paper containing specific directions was given to each group. The sheet of paper read about a plane crash scenario and the groups had to reach a decision as to which four people out of nine could enter a life raft. Out of the nine people there were two women, six men and one child. Each one had a backstory explaining who they were as an individual, but participants could only choose four. The point of the exercise was to think in terms of all people being created equal. — Diversity, Page A2
The day began like any other school day for students attending Virginia Tech University on April 16, 2007, the day the media called “the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history.” After 11 minutes of gunfire, Seung-Hui Cho, 23, had shot and killed 32 students and faculty on campus. It was later reported that he had shot himself. Eta Sigma Gamma, UT’s public health education honorary group, is partnering with several gun control awareness groups to host the arrival of Virginia Tech survivor Colin Goddard, who was one of seven survivors in his class of 17 that day and was shot four times by Cho. “I was in the right place at the right time,” Goddard said in his documentary, “Living for 32.” “I was in class.”
The documentary shows his experience with the shooting and what he is currently fighting for with regards to the possession of firearms. “Living for 32” will be shown tonight at 5:00 p.m. in the Health Science and Human Service Building Room 1711. Since graduating college, Goddard has been working with government legislation across the U.S. to fight for gun regulation and purchasing. He is currently the assistant director of Legislative Affairs of the Brady Campaign, a policy that promotes background checks on purchases from all types of gun dealers. Professor of public health and advisor of Eta Sigma Gamma Amy Thompson said the reason they are bringing Goddard in to speak is to create awareness of firearm possession to students. “By bringing it to the campus level, it makes people
realize this can affect them,” she said. “Virginia Tech can happen anywhere. It can happen at any college campus.” Thompson said one objective is to promote a reduction of firearms in the community, and in this situation, on college campuses. “The key becomes being prepared, having faculty and students trained,” she said. “And try to prevent it by having policies in place that don’t make guns on campus readily accessible.” Thompson added that college campuses are the next area being targeted to allow carrying guns. She said a bill is being introduced in both Ohio and Texas to allow college students to carry firearms on campus. Arizona’s governor just vetoed the bill last week, and Utah and Colorado have already passed it. One quarter of all — Survivor, Page A2
Nick Kneer / IC
Sax Man Tan Xu plays saxophone in the UT Jazz (FUSION) Ensemble on Monday in the CPA Recital Hall.