Wednesday, October 12, 2016
97th year • Issue 9
Check out our special Homecoming issue inside » www.IndependentCollegian.com
Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919
INSIDE
Rockets spoil Eagles’ homecoming During last Saturday’s game Logan Woodside, third-year quarterback threw 247 yards and four touchdowns. SPORTS / 6 »
Taking pride in who you are UT hosts a panel explaining the harmful effects of conversion therapy. COMMUNITY / 4 »
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“Slowly but steadily, the clown craze moved closer and closer until it happened: a clown sighting at the University of Toledo.”
EDITORIAL A little too spooky OPINION / 3 »
Volleyball drops two matches over the weekend UT Rockets volleyball team played two matches over the weekend against WMU and NIU. SPORTS / 6 »
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“Assigning gender roles to basic housework and praising boys when they pick up a broom or rinse off a glass is problematic.”
HEALTH
Asbestos in the attic
The University of Toledo’s meeting room, Rocky’s Attic, is found to have asbestos in the walls By Meg Perry Staff Writer
The University of Toledo’s Rocky’s Attic, located on the fourth floor of the Student Union, continues to use materials that have been found to have asbestos from the building’s original construction. Much of the asbestos containing material, such as steel structural beams and floor tile, were put in in the 1980s, though it still remains in the elbows of Rocky’s Attic’s plumbing. Tim Niederkorn, Chemical Hygiene Officer and Environmental Specialist of the University of Toledo’s Environmental Health and Radiation Safety Department, explained that is very common for buildings built prior to 1975 to have asbestos- containing materials as part of their construction.
“If the asbestos-containing material is in good condition, we leave it alone. If the asbestos-containing material is in bad condition, then we repair it to make it in good condition again or we replace it.” The groups that put on events in Rocky’s are not made aware of the asbestoscontaining material upon booking the room because, Niederkorn said, it does not pose as a threat to their health. Niederkorn said, “The asbestos in here is not floating around in the air; it becomes a health threat when you breathe it in. The asbestos here is keeping the hot water pipes hot and the cold water pipes cold.” The University of Toledo calls a certified contractor in to fix any asbestos containing materials that are potentially
See Asbestos / 8 »
LECTURE SERIES
INCLUSION
comes to UT By Maryam Jawaid Staff Reporter
TEDxUofToledo, in collaboration with Campus Activities and Programming, hosted a TED talk Saturday, Oct. 8 in the Student Union. The theme of this event was “Caveman to Cosmonaut,” highlighting the evolution of the human species. The event consisted of four speakers, questions and answer sessions following each talk, as well as two TED videos. “TEDx is an independently organized version of TED, which is meant to have people around the community share ideas they might have but cannot find a platform to share it on,” said David Smith, Lead Organizer of TEDxUofToledo. “In TEDxUofToledo’s case, it allows members of the university to share things that they have been working on or ideas that they have.” The first speaker was Therese M. Griebel, Associate Director for Strategy at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). She spoke of the next great human mission: the journey to Mars. Griebel spoke of the technological and logistical obstacles currently faced by NASA and the tools that are required to accomplish this mission. The 255-day journey, the 15-month stay and the return journey must all be taken into consideration as part of this historic expedition. “I think that human exploration into the solar system is something that NASA has always been about,” Griebel said. “Personally, I am responsible
for ensuring that at GRC, we are contributing to the priorities of NASA by doing what we are the best at, which includes power systems, propulsion systems, advanced communication architectures and technologies and the advanced materials to maximize them.”
“TEDx...is meant to have people around the community share ideas they might have but cannot find a platform to share it on,” DAVID SMITH Lead Organizer of TEDx Utoledo
The second speaker was the Associate Chair of the University of Toledo’s Department of Art, Barbara Miner. Miner spoke about the prevalence of art since the origin of modern humans and how it played a critical role in the development of our species. She encouraged the transformation of the educational curriculum S.T.E.M. to S.T.E.A.M. to include arts with the other disciplines. Furthermore, Miner said that both science and art require creativity and ingenuity for moving their respective fields forward. “Actually, ‘Caveman to Cosmonaut’ is not specifically about our evolution to space. It’s about evolution as a whole through all topics including technology, psychology, arts,”
JESSICA HARKER Does it matter who does the dishes? OPINION / 3 »
SAVANNAH JOSLIN / IC
The sign outside Rocky’s Attic directs all those who book the room for their group or event to the fourth floor of the Student Union.
Organizers and speakers of the Oct. 8 TEDx Utoledo talk.
said Smith. The third speaker was Sans Basnet, a third-year particle physics student at the University of Toledo and a researcher at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Basnet spoke of the standard model of physics and the subatomic particles that make up our world. Basnet spoke of the experiments currently being conducted at Fermi Lab, and how neutrinos may hold the answers to change our understanding of the universe. The final speaker was Timothy Walker, a senior Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Toledo and has recently accepted a position as an engineer at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Walker spoke about his involvement in a project developing algae removing drones. Walker further spoke of his ambition to change the world and solve real-life problems. “It was great. It gives you a lot to think about. You walk away feeling smarter, and I feel like it is definitely one of those things we need to support and keep having,” said Zach Wantz, fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student who attended the event. Wantz said he attended similar events in the past and wanted to attend because he was interested in the conversation the event had to offer. The event capped off with refreshments for the guests, along with jazz music by a student band, Mission Spectrum. TEDxUofToledo hopes that this endeavor will become an annual event.
SANSKAR BASNET / SUBMITTED
RACHEL NEARHOOF / IC
Kayla Pokornik, a second-year communication major, attends UT’s most recent diversity dialogue.
UT hosts diversity dialogue for Latino heritage, LGBTQA+ history month By Emily Lorton Staff Reporter
La lucha de revelar su orientación sexual es una tema que trasciende fronteras. The struggle of revealing your sexual orientation is an issue that transcends borders. The Office of Multicultural Student Success is partnering with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to demonstrate how individuals have multiple identities and how they all intersect. The “Escucha Nuestras Voces, Hear our Voices: Latinx Coming-out Stories” panel took place Oct. 11 in the UT Student Union. “The idea for the multigenerational, multi-identity panel came from a meeting between Arturo Ordonez Vazquez, Latino Initiatives Graduate Assistant; Sherry Tripepi, professor of Social Work; and myself following a meeting with the LGBTQA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer,
Questioning and Allied) History Month planning Committee,” said Danielle Stamper, LGBTQA+ Initiatives assistant. Vazquez said during their planning meeting, the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando initially came to mind. “Most of the victims who died that day were of Latino culture,” Vazquez said. “We wanted to have an event where Latino individuals in Toledo could share their coming-out stories.” Dr. Willie McKether, the University of Toledo’s vice-president of Diversity and Inclusion and vice provost, offered to partner with Hispanic Heritage and LGBTQA+ History Months for the Dialogues on Diversity and Inclusion event in October. “What students said in particular was that they wanted opportunities to have dialogues,” McKether See Diversity / 8 »