Arts & Life, B1
Sports, B4
The ghosts of costumes past
Rockets set to take their talents to the Horeshoe
Independent Collegian IC The
www.IndependentCollegian.com 92nd year Issue 5
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Serving the University of Toledo since 1919
Library databases cut By IC Staff
Budget cuts to the university library system will result in the cancellation of 37 electronic resources, the most significant cut to resources the university has made in recent years. According to Vice Provost Ben Pryor, dean of the Department of Learning Ventures, UT’s library budget is a little more than $2 million, slightly below the median of institutions the university’s size in Ohio. He said the library exceeded this budget in the past by subscribing to electronic resources that resulted in long term commitments the university could not afford. As a result, cuts to the library needed to be made. According to Pryor, enough library staff was cut,
therefore resources were the next option. “We asked where else can we cut and we had two questions: one, are we spending money on things that nobody uses anymore? Do we want to maintain a museum consisting of books people aren’t reading or checking out anymore,” he said. The cuts to electronic resources were made in order to sustain services students wanted, such as keeping the library open longer. Pryor said electronic resources were cancelled based on how little the materials were used. This included how many people accessed and download the journal articles and how often the articles were cited. Some of the journals the — Database, Page A2
A closer look at ... Toledo’s manly rankings out of 50 cities Sports: 42 Based on the number of professional sports teams played in the city. Manly Lifestyle: 5 Covers various consumer behaviors in a city such as the number of registered pickups and motorcycles, sports TV viewing and fishing. Concentration of manly retail stores: 21 Businesses described as manly in the city include BBQ and chicken wing restaurants, steak houses, Harley Davidson dealerships and home improvement stores. Manly occupations: 27 This covers the number of construction workers, police officers, firefighters based on the “Occupational Employment Statistics” survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Salty Snack Sales: 7 Total sales of salty snacks and crackers were measured for each city. Emasculating criteria: 48 Cities lost points for the number of cupcake shops, coffee shops, sushi restaurants, “modern” male apparel stores, and home furnishing and décor stores.
POD to open in Stranahan Hall By Casey Cheap IC News Editor
Students at the College of Business and Innovation in Stranahan South will soon be able to have lunch without having to leave the building A new Provisions on Demand Market, similar to the ones in the North Engineering Building and Carter Hall, will be set up on the first floor of Stranahan South and will open no later than Friday. It will occupy a former student lounge that used to include vending machines. “It will include pizza by the slice, grab-and-go sandwiches, salads, ice cream, soda, water and coffee,” said Joy Gramling, director of auxiliary services. “We renovated the old student lounge and vending machines have been moved to the basement.” Nick Kneer/ IC
— POD, Page A5
The POD in Stranahan South will be similar to the ones in Carter Hall and the North Engineering building.
Toledo ranked 12th ‘manliest’ city By Jennifer Ison and John Gummersell IC Staff Writers
Cupcake shops, coffee shops and sushi restaurants make a city more feminine. A lack of these establishments increase the “masculinity” of an area. This is why Toledo was ranked as one of the manliest cities in the nation in a nonscientific survey funded by Mars Incorporated. This year, the Glass City climbed 14 spots to 12th place in the third annual Combos “America’s Manliest Cities” survey. The study looked at 50 of the largest metropolitan cities in the country and ranked them based on a list of qualifications. The broad categories ciities were ranked on include the number of professional sports teams, manly lifestyle, concentration of sports bars, home improvement stores, number of manly occupations such as police officers and construction workers and salty snack sales. Toledo rose in manliness due to its rise to fifth place in the manly lifestyle category. This category includes the number of registered pickup
trucks and the amount of Winning title of “manliest sports TV viewed in the city. city” was Nashville, Tenn. The sale of salty snacks also Other Ohio cities on the list rose, moving Toledo up to were Cleveland in sixth, Cinseventh place in that cinnati in 14th and Columbus category. placing 18th. A city’s ranking drops if Only two cities from Michithere is an excess of coffee gan made the list. Detroit shops, sushi restaurants, ranked 25th and Grand Raphome décor stores, cupcake ids was 29th. shops and other stores listed Olugbenga Ajilore, a proin the “emasculating crite- fessor of economics at UT, ria.” Toledo said being manranked 48 This study seems ly is a part of out of 50 in the Midwestern to be defining culture. this category, ‘manliness’ in ways which means “The Midthey are very that do not reflect the western struclow on the realities of men’s lives ture of geogranon-mascuin the 21st century. phy lends itself line scale. to motorcycle W e n d y recreation,” he Skaff, man- Charlene Gilbert said. “Working ager of local Chair, with your hands Womens and Gender Studies resturant is a historical Star Diner, said she credits factor of Toledo.” the success of the restaurant Matias Hidalgo, a sophoto Toledo’s masculine more with a pre-law concenatmosphere. tration, said the Jeep plant is “I definitely believe the a strong masculine industry manly aspect of the city has in Toledo. fueled our business,” Skaff Like other students and said. “Our owner plans on faculty interviewed, he does opening a Star Bar within the not agree with the masculine Toledo area due to our suc- criteria cities were judged cess here.” under in the survey. The Star Diner wait staff Charlene Gilbert, chair of uniform is similar in concept the Women’s Studies Departto the Hooters uniform. ment, said she is skeptical
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about the survey because it was sponsored by a snack company. “[This] makes me hesitant to draw any substantive conclusions based on this research,” she said. According to Gilbert, one of the motives of the study is to gain the attention of consumers who might represent its targeted demographic. “This study seems to be defining ‘manliness’ in ways that do not really reflect the realities of men’s lives in the 21st century,” she said. Gabriella Edgar, a sophomore majoring in psychology, said the businesses used in the survey to measure a city’s masculinity, such as hardware stores and steak shops, are a regular part of any large city. “I don’t think that these ‘manly’ businesses thrive here because of the masculinity,” she said. “I think if these businesses were anywhere else, the ‘masculinity’ would be higher there, too.”
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Students compare two-year and four-year colleges By Allison Seney IC Copy Editor
Some students believe a fouryear degree holds more value than a two-year degree — at least at UT. Students from across the nation are looking to the different types of career pathways provided by two-year degrees due to a stagnant economy and high unemployment. That trend, however, has not caught on at UT, which only offers 10 associate degree programs, according to their website. When asked about how they view a four-year degree versus a two-year degree, some students
at UT thought that a four-year Labor Statistics, the most recent degree was worth more. median annual wages of a physiSydney Drexler, a freshman cal therapist assistant is $49,810, majoring in precompared to a physiphysical therapy, It is impled that you cal therasaid it is smarter to have a fourmake more money pist who year degree. [with a] four year degree. can earn “A two-year deIf I could make more $77,990 a gree in my field is money with a two-year year. for a physical “It is imdegree, I would do it. plied that therapist assisyou make tant,” she said. Chaz Boes “You can make Sophomore, more monmore money as a Computer engineering ey [with a] physical therapist. four year The more advanced degree you degree,” said Chaz Boes, a sophhave, such as a doctorate, will omore majoring in computer enpay even more money.” gineering and technology. “If I According to the Bureau of could make more money with a
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two-year degree, I would do it.” Though investing in college is costly, developing the skills toward a high-paying job is the ultimate goal. According to the College Board website, 47 percent of all full-time undergraduate college students attend a four-year university where tuition and fees add up to less than $9,000 per year. At a two-year college, however, the average cost is $2,713. “Four-year versus two-year degrees is simply different opportunities for different people at different stages in their lives,” said Paul Many, a professor of communication. “A two-year degree,
among other things, may be all someone wants or needs to qualify for particular employment, or it may be a way of taking courses close to home while someone saves up money to continue their education later at a fouryear college.” Many said students not in a rush may find it more convenient to attain a four-year degree. “A four-year college degree, for example, may be useful for someone who is more academically inclined or who doesn’t have particular employment needs at the time, like someone still being supported by parents,” he said. “Some may use the fouryear degree as a springboard to
higher degrees such as degrees in law, for example.” Janet Rozick, a visiting professor of history, believes a twoyear degree isn’t as respected as a four-year degree, but she believes that a degree is better than not having any degree. “A two-year degree may work, depending on the institution, though a completed two-year degree transfers better than just taking assorted courses,” Rozick said.
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