Feb. 25, 2015

96th year • Issue 23

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Support reading and education COMMUNITY / 7 » www.IndependentCollegian.com

Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919

INSIDE

FACILITIES

Water main break causes utility issues

By Colleen Anderson Associate News Editor

Leading by example Junior men’s golfer Otto Black uses his experience to teach his teammates.

SPORTS / 6 »

My top five favorite accent pieces for your wardrobe Emily Modrowski gives advice on how to find inexpensive items that will help you get noticed.

“

COMMUNITY / 10 »

“Regardless of the decision, we think this was an opportunity for senators to rise to the occasion and represent the students, whether that meant voting for or against the resolution.”

EDITORIAL Close vote closes debate OPINION / 4 »

Is global warming real?

Toledo experiences recordbreaking low temperatures while global temperatures continue to rise. We talked to Michael Weintraub, a professor of environmental science, to learn more about this issue.

COMMUNITY / 7 »

Toledo rebounds on road against Winthrop

Hungry students flocking to the Student Union were disappointed to find the restaurants closed after a water main break on Main Campus.

The break happened early Tuesday morning Feb. 24, shutting down all restaurants and water fountains in the Student Union.

Members of the facilities and maintenance department could not be reached for comment.

However, according to a statement by Associate Vice President of Facilities Jason Toth in UTNews, the break is at the foot of the hill by the Glass Bowl and was caused by the temperature.

“Due to the extreme cold, the water main on Stadium Drive froze and broke,” Toth said.

He also said the water pressure for all surrounding buildings was lowered, including the Savage Steam Plant. The effects included a decrease in the temperature of

AMANDA PITROF / IC

The water main break on Main Campus happened early Tuesday, Feb. 24. The water main on Stadium Drive froze and broke due to the extreme cold. All restaurants in the Student Union and water fountains were shut down and will not be restored until the weekend.

other buildings.

“We’re working to repair immediately, but it may take several hours. We have been forced to cut back heat in most buildings as we work to make repairs. You may

notice buildings beginning to feel cool. Thank you for your understanding,” Toth said.

Toth said an independent contractor will be brought in to assist with repairs, and that he will keep

Not defined by disability

SWAT remodels A blind senior shares personal insights program, and reflects on her college journey highlights diversity

By Samantha Rhodes Managing Editor

I found Rachael Spangler standing alone and alert beside a brick wall, her bubblegum-pink cane beneath a straightforward gaze.

As I touched her arm to greet her, a hearty smile spread across her face.

Her wandering brown eyes didn’t bother finding me — my voice was all she needed.

Spangler is blind. Born with a degenerative eye condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, her retina, or the layer of eye tissue that converts light images to nerve signals and sends them to the brain, is damaged.

“I have a rare form where my parents both carry this really rare gene,” Spangler said.

“Apparently the doctor told my parents that they’d have a better chance of winning the lottery than find another two people who carry the same gene.”

Currently in her sixth and final year at the University of Toledo, Spangler is majoring in special education with a focus in vision impairment.

“Yeah, I think I’m pretty highly qualified to do that kind of thing,” she joked.

And Spangler isn’t alone — about 500 students at UT have self-identified with Student Disability Services, according to department Director Toni Howard.

At the age of 8, Spangler said she could point out red objects to her parents, but now the 24-year-old has no sense of color.

By Jessica Harker Staff Reporter

SAMANTHA RHODES / IC

Rachael Spangler, a blind sixth-year student at the University of Toledo, shares her personal experiences regarding blindness and explains how they’ve shaped the person she’s become today.

However, her world isn’t as dark and dreary as you might think.

Sitting casually at an office desk, hands neatly folded in her lap, Spangler pointed to a reflective laptop cover on her right that glistened ever-so-slightly beneath the room lights.

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly what I’m looking at, but it blocks the light so it’s like a shadow and I can see that,” she said.

Despite her visual anomaly, Spangler said color still holds a See Spangler / 8 »

Grad students network at annual symposium

NEWS / 3 »

See Break / 9 »

PROGRAM

STUDENT FEATURE

The Rockets baseball team rebounded this past weekend in South Carolina, winning two of three games in the series.

SPORTS / 6 »

The symposium will take place in the Memorial Field House and the Student Union on March 21.

the rest of the UT community updated as things develop.

UTNews said in addition to closing the eateries in the Student

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RACHAEL SPANGLER

Spangler was born with a degenerative eye condition known as retinitis pigmentosa. At 8 years old, she could point out the color red, but now the 24-year-old has no sense of color. Majoring in special education, she plans to work with local, visually impaired children after graduation.

The student organization S.W.A.T, or Student Wellness Awareness Team, is revamping their program and accepting applications for the new year.

The program will begin accepting applications Feb. 23, which can be found on the group’s new website through the MyUT portal.

S.W.A.T was created to encourage wellness and healthy habits for students in college, according to Heather Veith, a graduate assistant in the office of the vice president of student affairs. She said the group uses different methods to reach out to the student body such as performances, peer mentoring and advocacy.

The main topics the group covers include drinking, unhealthy relationships, selfperception and other main issues that college students face every year.

This year, the group is in the process of changing things according to Dean of Students Tamika Mitchell.

They are switching departments and management to try to refocus and help the group grow. “[S.W.A.T] is just going to be remarketed and sort of recreated for maybe what the students’ needs are now,” Veith said.

The group is now under the division of student involvement and is in the process of being reorganized to bring more personnel in to help. Darci Ault, who has led S.W.A.T. since it was created and is the professor of the SWAT 1 class, has taken a new role at the University of Toledo, according to Mitchell.

“We’re currently in the position of bringing in additional staff and student involvement that will be working with the programmatic aspect of See SWAT / 9 »

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| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, February 25, 2015

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

How are you affected by the water main break?

“I was mad that I could not access food or have the ability to sanitize hands for the prevention of germs.”

Frank Sutton

Second-year graduate student Public health

“Since the heating has been turned off, my dorm has been more cold, making it harder to wake up in the morning and go to class.”

Managing Editor Samantha Rhodes News Amanda Pitrof, editor Colleen Anderson and Trevor Stearns, assoc. editors Sports Blake Bacho, editor Robert Hearons, assoc. editor

First-year Communication

First-year Economics

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The Independent Collegian staff

EDITORIAL

“It affected me because we can’t shower nor can we heat our dorms. So we’re freezing.”

Community Alexandria Saba, editor Joe Heidenescher, assoc. editor Opinion Morgan Rinckey, editor Copy desk Lauren Gilbert, editor Jared Hightower, editor Photography Andrea Harris, director of photography Addy McPheron, assoc. director

BUSINESS Business Manager Philip Nolletti Advertising Zachary Hartenburg, sales manager Anthony Maulorico, Enzi Satine and William Woodson, account executives Distribution Samuel Derkin, manager Operations Andrew Rassel, manager COLLEGIAN MEDIA FOUNDATION General Manager Danielle Gamble The Independent Collegian is published by the Collegian Media Foundation, a private, not-for-profit corporation. © 2014

NEWS Follow us on Twitter @TheICToledo

IN BRIEF

Zimmerman attorney to give Feb. 26 talk

The attorney for George Zimmerman, Donald R. West will be holding his free, public talk, “The National Media in the Zimmerman Trial,” Thursday, Feb. 26 in the Law Center McQuade Law Auditorium at noon.

During the talk, West will talk about his representation of Zimmerman and how the media affected the second-degree murder trial of Zimmerman.

The lecture is being sponsored by the UT College of Law and its chapter of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity.

Assistant Law Professor Receives Prize Bryan Lammon, assistant professor in the University of Toledo College of Law, received the Eisenberg Prize from the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers for one of his articles.

The Eisenberg Prize is awarded annually to high-quality articles in the appellate practice and procedure field and the winners receive $2,000.

Lammon’s “Rules, Standards and Experimentation in Appellate Jurisdiction,” was the award winning article and was published in the Ohio State Law Journal in 2013.

Lammon is set to receive his award in April during the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers’ spring meeting in Santa Fe, NM.

Engineering Spring Career Expo Feb. 25 The University of Toledo Engineering Career Development Center is holding the UT Engineering Spring 2015 Expo in Nitschke Hall today from 12:30-4:30 p.m.

The expo is a way for engineering students to meet with employers and discuss future career paths.

Pre-registration is available from 9-11 a.m. or at 12:15 p.m just before the event starts in North Engineering Building Room 1022.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

3

Men’s basketball game postponed The UT men’s basketball game against Northern Illinois was postponed until Wednesday, Feb. 25.

The Mid-American Conference game was postponed due to the water main break by Savage Arena that occurred early yesterday morning.

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PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH

Q&A with candidates

Top three finalists discuss finances, leadership and their potential role as UT’s new president

By Colleen Anderson and Amanda Pitrof

Associate News Editor and News Editor

In place of an interview, Christopher Howard referred us to his cover letter, which is where all the answers in this article were taken from.

With the presidential forums more than halfway over, we asked the candidates five questions about themselves and their stances on important issues.

Q: Are you excited to be in the final 3?

Michele Wheatly: “I feel very honored, and I’m very excited at the opportunity. I think this a potentially interesting hiring, because of course the merger has taken place as of 2006 and in everything that I’ve heard and read, that’s gone down really very well.”

“My understanding is that everybody’s come together in the same household and is really getting along well, figuring out how to work well together.”

Sharon Gaber: “I look forward to hearing from them, and I hope we have a great conversation … I’m excited about the entire opportunity.”

Gaber said the search committee was “wonderful to talk to,” and that future conversations with UT leadership will offer ways to move the university forward.

Christopher Howard: In his cover letter, Howard wrote “It would be an honor” to be able to further discuss with the committee and university “the role I might play in helping this fine school (Rocket) achieve even greater heights.”

Q: Why UT? Michele Wheatly: “I worked for 17 years in the state of Ohio at Wright State University in Dayton, and so I have a lot of connections to the state,” Wheatly said. “I heard on the grapevine that the position was open, and the more that I learned about the merger with the … Medical University of Ohio and the University of Toledo, I thought this might be a good fit for my

skills and interests.”

Sharon Gaber: According to Gaber, she chose to apply to UT because it is “in a fantastic location with the opportunity to have an impact on a region and make it stronger and better, which is really what I have learned to do by discipline and get excited about doing as well.”

Christopher Howard: “The University of Toledo has all the attributes of a 21st-century exemplar campus.” Howard wrote, adding that “as one of the few institutions offering terminal degrees in virtually all the health sciences, UT has and will continue to attract the brightest faculty, staff and students from around the world.”

“I think this a potentially interesting hiring, because of course the merger has taken place as of 2006 and in everything that I’ve heard and read, that’s gone down really very well.”

MICHELE WHEATLY Presidential candidate

Q: What do you think the role of president means?

Michele Wheatly: “I think being a president of any large organization... is a challenging role, because in a way, you have to be a figurehead,” Wheatly said. “So you have to person of high integrity, a person who has credibility, because the most important thing you have to do is build trust in the organization.”

Sharon Gaber: The president needs to be an “inspirational leader; it’s somebody communicating with students, communicating with faculty. It’s somebody listening to one of the issues, having the groups on campus to work on those issues, making the connections in Northwest Ohio,” said Gaber.

Christopher Howard: “My sense is that the next president of the

University of Toledo would have experience leading an institution of higher learning and the myriad challenges associated with doing so,” Howard’s cover letter read.

“I look forward to hearing from them, and I hope we have a great conversation.”

SHARON GABER Presidential candidate

Q: What does leadership mean to you?

Michele Wheatly: “In most industries, it’s primarily about distributed leadership and you have to have people working as part of a team,” Wheatly said. “All hands on deck. All the faculty, all the students, the staff.”

She said the university needs both distributed involvement and someone as a primary leader.

“You’ve got to have some level of distributed involvement in the university,” Wheatly said. “At the same time, you need to have somebody out there in front that they want to inspire others, and that’s probably one of the things I have done well in all of the roles I’ve had thus far.”

Sharon Gaber: Gaber said she is big on shared governance, and described herself as collaborative and communicative. She said she meets monthly with many university groups including the student government and faculty senate there.

“Anybody can come in and say, ‘Here’s what we’re going to do.’ Well, you want people that are working alongside you,” she said. “You want them bought into the concept.”

Christopher Howard: Howard said in his cover letter he recognizes “presidents work within the framework of shared governance together with faculty, students, staff, coaches, alumni, the local community and the board of trustees to achieve mutually agreed-upon goals. Said another way, leadership in higher education requires a team effort.”

RESEARCH EVENT

Graduate students to network at annual symposium on March 21

By Torrie Jadlocki Staff Reporter

Graduate and professional students are sometimes overshadowed by the vast number of undergraduate student events — but the Midwest Graduate Research Symposium gives the gradlevel students their time to shine.

The University of Toledo will host the symposium in both Memorial Field House and the Student Union on March 21 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Last year, over 200 students from over 60 schools, including the University of Michigan and Purdue University, attended the research symposium.

This year, the event’s coordinators plan for it to be even bigger.

“This event will host individuals from around the nation and is a great opportunity for presenting research, networking and fostering intercollegiate collaborations and friendships,” said second-semester graduate student Jennifer Solanics, the event’s press and media coordinator as well as a dual Master of Business Administration student.

The symposium was started by the Graduate Student Association six years ago to give graduate and professional students the opportunity to practice their presentation skills and network with students and faculty from around the region, according to lead symposium coordinator and GSA president Aaron Shaw, a fourthyear in the biomedical science program.

“Our hope is that we can sharpen presenting skills by giving the participants the opportunity to get feedback from judges at the symposium,” Shaw said.

Additionally, the symposium offers students the opportunity for oral and poster presentations as well as the

chance to sit in on discussion panels, including transplant surgeon and medical doctor Michael Rees’ keynote lecture, “What It Means to be Human.”

Acting GSA Vice President Eric Prichard said the biggest highlight of the symposium is the experience students gain from publicly presenting their research.

“We are most excited to bring together graduate students from UT to show the diversity of great work that is taking place on our own campus.”

ALCY BARAKAT Symposium Judge Coordinator

“The food and the speakers are great, but it’s really about graduate students showing off their work, getting a chance to network, and getting practice presenting research in a supportive environment,” Prichard said. “We are all about giving grad students a chance to show the best of their work.”

Prichard said the symposium was created to give students an opportunity to gain professional experience as well as increased awareness and exposure to research from other fields and universities.

“When you travel to a subject-specific conference, you really only see people from your field,” Prichard said. “It’s fun for a psych person to get to see what an art person or a physics person is doing.

And it is also fun to see what students at neighboring schools are working on.”

Shaw said this collaboration will expand students’ networking capabilities as well as provide professional and individual feedback.

“It is our hope that students will make some connections for research at UT and collaborate with other universities as well as get feedback for bettering their presentation skills,” Shaw said.

Alcy Barakat, health science campus GSA secretary and symposium judge coordinator, said she feels this will be a good opportunity for graduate students to see diversity in campus research.

“While we have great attendance from other regional schools, we are most excited to bring together graduate students from UT to show the diversity of great work that is taking place on our own campus,” Barakat said.

Prichard also mentioned that there will be socialization opportunities and free food.

“You cannot forget the free food,” Prichard said. “That’s something it is hard to turn down when you are in graduate school.”

For those interested in presenting, the free-of-charge registration deadline is Feb. 28. The GSA is also looking for volunteers to help facilitate and judge the event.

“Volunteering is a great way to see the day’s events and get involved if someone is a soon-to-be grad student, or hopes to present in the future,” Barakat said.

Faculty members or those holding doctorate degrees interested in judging can apply at https://graduatestudentassociationblog.wordpress.com/midwest-graduate-research-symposium/registration/.

For more information or to register for the event, visit utoledogsa.com.

Q: How do you plan on handling the university’s finances?

Michele Wheatly: Running a budget for a university is no different from running a household budget; it just is a larger scale, according to Wheatly.

“The test of priority is to make sure that all the resources currently flowing into the university are actually used to promote missions of the university,” she said.

In her time as provost, Wheatly said she was responsible for a large amount of resources — specifically, a $2.5 billion budget.

“I absolutely love math,” she said.

“There are very elegant solutions to any very complicated, arithmetic equation.” One solution Wheatly suggested to bring more money into the university is to “identify new revenue streams.”

Sharon Gaber: “Obviously, raising tuition is not the answer,” Gaber said. “We’re going to lose students if we wind up doing that.”

“The University of Toledo has all the attributes of a 21stcentury exemplar campus.”

CHRISTOPHER HOWARD Presidential candidate

Instead, she suggested increasing the number of students that are enrolled at UT as a way to bring in more money without raising tuition.

“It’s probably looking also at private philanthropy. I would need to be out fundraising to assist with scholarships,” she said.

Christopher Howard: While Howard’s cover letter did not include any tactics or strategies specific to UT’s financial situation, he wrote he increased enrollment while keeping debt down. “When I arrived at my current institution almost six years ago,” Howard wrote, “we were slated to run a $2MM [sic] deficit and now are projected to run almost a $1MM [sic] surplus.”

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| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, February 25, 2015

OPINION Send letters to the editor to Editor@independentcollegian.com

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EDITORIAL BOARD

Colleen Anderson Samantha Rhodes

Morgan Rinckey Amanda Eggert Joe Heidenescher

Amanda Pitrof Trevor Stearns

Editorials appearing on this page represent the consensus view of the editorial staff. Columns and letters to the editor reflect the opinions of their authors, not those of The Independent Collegian.

EDITORIAL

Close vote closes debate Student Judicial Council votes 5-to-4 to rule resolution unconstitutional

If you’ve been keeping up with Student Government news, you know that last week’s closed meeting was extremely controversial.

After the heated debate about the proposed resolution, the Student Judicial Council surprised us all last week by stopping the resolution before it hit the floor for voting.

The purpose of Student Government, at least according to their constitution, is to “represent the student body with authority derived from the students and recognized by the university.”

SG has set goals for itself, which include defending the student body and protecting them from discrimination. Any resolutions that violate these provisions can and will be ruled unconstitutional by the SJC, a power that We think this was must be used carean opportunity for fully. senators to rise to the A resolution sponsored last week by occasion and represent Students for Justice the students, whether in Palestine called that meant voting for or for UT “to divest from socially irreagainst the resolution. sponsible companies that violate Palestinian human and legal rights.” The SJC ruled this resolution unconstitutional on the grounds that it does not protect against discrimination, according to Justice David Manor.

We are disappointed that Student Government did not ultimately vote on the resolution. Regardless of the decision, we think this was an opportunity for senators to rise to the occasion and represent the students, whether that meant voting for or against the resolution.

In a five-to-four vote, the council prevented this resolution from even making it to the floor. Clearly the opinions were split down the middle, and the opinion on deciding to rule the resolution unconstitutional seemed as divided as the senate itself.

Justification for this ruling came from the notion that if UT were to divest from companies that did business with Israel, then Jewish students on campus could experience an increase in discrimination.

Those on SJC who disagreed with this cited the constitution’s articles about accurately representing students and working towards a more perfect university as the reasoning to allow the senate to vote.

The authors of the resolution claimed the legislation was only about the moral and ethical ramifications of investing in companies that do business in Israel. Their goal was not discrimination against Jews on campus. The authors and supporters of the resolution advocated for peace, not for the creation of more tension and unkind feelings.

However, members of Hillel spoke about their fear of discrimination on campus, even if it was not explicitly stated by the resolution. SJC was divided on whether this argument was a valid one, but in the end, the majority decided the danger of discrimination was too great to ignore.

Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture. Here’s what we believe the problem is — if SJC had such a close vote, why not let senate vote on it? Since there are clearly strong opinions on both sides, letting the larger body of the senate vote might have brought more perspective to the issue than the nine members of SJC. If the senate also found that passing the resolution would lead to discrimination, then they could have voted it down or proposed an amendment to the resolution that could have helped protect Jewish students from discrimination.

Generally, the idea is the more minds working together on a problem, the better. We will never know if the senate’s vote would have ultimately been a benefit or a detriment to the students. However, what we can do is look back on the issues this resolution raised and continue debating them as a university.

If we continue to promote peaceful dialogue and discussion, then regardless of the outcome, we have found a way to grow, both within our Student Government and in our UT community.

COMMENTARY

Oklahoma’s attempt to erase history Edmund Burke, a political theorist tive as slaves, we enforced racist Jim and philosopher, said, “Those who Crow Laws, we prevented women don’t know history are doomed to from having a voice, we engaged in repeat it.” Quotes like this one — facts, chemical warfare. . . the list could go actually, because as we on and on. We’ve know, history has tended made countless to repeat itself in the form mistakes, but our of wars, colonialism, social biggest mistake yet movements, etc. — are would be failing to important to keep in mind educate our counright now, considering try’s students on a what’s currently happening realistic version of in the Oklahoma legislature. our history.

For those of you who are Clearly the 11 Reunsure what I’m referring publicans who voted to, here’s a brief synopsis: in favor of banning Republican lawmakers in AP U.S. History Oklahoma have, just days disagree. Instead, ago, approved a bill that they want to paint would kill funding for and the past as sunshine effectively end Advanced and rainbows; they IC COLUMNIST Placement U.S. History want our country to courses in their state (AP seem perfect from courses are rigorous classes and exams the very beginning. “American excepoffered at the high school level to tionalism” is what our U.S. History allow students to obtain college credit classes should teach, they say. If they before graduating). Their claim behind have it their way, our students will no the action is that, says State Represenlonger learn where our country has tative Dan Fisher, the AP U.S. History gone wrong (that, they might say, is curriculum focuses on “what is bad just anti-American!), but instead will about America” and doesn’t preach the be taught a very romanticized version idea of “American exceptionalism.” of the past, one that emphasizes the The fact of the matter is that heroic actions of American soldiers history is full of events that make during WWII (and I absolutely do America look bad. We’re not perbelieve that our soldiers are and were fect; nobody is. We killed Native heroes) but conveniently fails to raise Americans, we held humans capquestions of the morality of the atomic

ASHLEY GEARHEART

bomb or U.S. internment camps that Japanese-Americans were forced into.

I love my country, I really do. I’m proud to be an American, and I think it’s terrific that there’s a strong push to celebrate the victories our country has had. However, I also think it’s important to give students a realistic view of the past — and considering that the past hasn’t always been pretty, the stories we tell shouldn’t always be pretty. These lawmakers want to focus on “America’s founding principles” (one of which was freedom, unless I’m mistaken), yet they want to take away the freedom of so many students to go above and beyond what is required of them by accepting the challenge that Advanced Placement offers and learn a realistic, in-depth version of our great country’s history.

My hope is that the actions initiated by these state representatives do not take effect, and that those who see things my way bring things to a screeching halt. If they don’t, I fear that other states will follow suit, and the validity of U.S. history education will severely decline. As Edmund Burke pointed out, unless we know our history, we are doomed to repeat it. And repeat it we will, if we fail to educate our future leaders with the whole truth.

Ashley Gearheart is a first-year majoring in communication.

COMMENTARY

Don’t send bad news through text A little over a month ago, I was in Most Popular Ways to Share Good my apartment and about ready to go and Bad Personal News,” by Paul to my Sociology 1010 class. I was so Biscelio, stated that even though excited because it was my last day of face-to-face communication has class for the week. Suddenly I heard my the higher percentage, compared phone vibrate. I went to see who texted to text messages and phone calls, me, and it was my boss. I opened up social media is creeping in. About 30 the text message, assumpercent of people ing it was about covering share news over a someone’s shift, however, all text message, 25 I could see was a long text percent over phone message. The first words I calls, 9 percent could see was, “This isn’t over Facebook, 5.5 working out.” I just found percent emailing out that I got demoted. and 5 percent over What was even worse was instant messaging. the fact that not only did I In other words, get demoted, but I got the around 74.5 percent news over a text message. I of people are using was appalled. either social media This brings up the or smartphones to question: what is the best share good or bad IC COLUMNIST way to break bad news to news. someone? Think about In my opinion, it. How do you break up with your breaking bad news over social media girlfriend or boyfriend, how do you is unacceptable for our society today. tell someone that their loved one has There are many reasons that people passed away or how do you tell your say bad news over smartphones and employee that he or she has been social media. For one, it is an easy way demoted or even fired? For most to get a hold of someone. When there Americans, it may be difficult to is something you want to say right do it in person, so instead of saying away to someone, you just pull out the news in person, they do it over your smartphones and instantly get smartphones or social media. This the message through. Another reason is unacceptable. It is unprofessional is that he or she is sending bad news and impersonal. over smartphones is because they are In our society today, most too cowardly to say it face-to-face, esAmericans are constantly on their pecially because of the reaction he or smartphones, and tend to be not as she will receive. No one likes to hear social as Americans who do not use someone yelling at you after you break their smartphones on a daily basis. bad news. It’s uncomfortable and even The Pacific Standard article, “The hard to make the situation right, so

OLIVIA LATZ

instead, some people call or text the bad news, which in this case is rude.

I also think that it is very unprofessional to say bad news in a work environment. Back in the day, no one had smartphones and cellular devices, so employers would have to use email or have a face-to-face conversation with their employees. If they were to fire someone, they would call their employee to their office or work space. When I asked students their input about my situation, they were distraught and thought it was wrong to receive bad news through text message. I also asked some employers how they fire their employees and every one of them said that they prefer firing someone in person. Some employers give the news over email, though.

None of them said anything about giving the news over text messaging.

Breaking bad news is hard for everyone, but it is unacceptable to do it through smartphones and social media. I believe if you say the news in person, it shows that you are respectful.

The person receiving the message may get upset, but is it better to endure the reaction from the news rather than to have the other person fester over why it was sent via text.

In my situation, if I were my boss, I would contact my employee, whether be a phone call, a text message or an email and tell him or her that we need to meet in person. By breaking the news in person, it shows respect, courage and professionalism.

Olivia Latz is a second-year majoring in communication.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

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6

| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, February 25, 2015

SPORTS Follow us on Twitter @IC_Sports

IN BRIEF

UT vs NIU postponed

A water main break has led to a basketball double header at the University of Toledo.

The UT men’s matchup with Northern Illinois was postponed Tuesday night due to a water main break near Savage Arena. The game is now scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. and the Toledo women will play at 5:30 p.m. against the Western Michigan Broncos.

The Rocket men (18-9, 10-4 MAC) are currently tied with Central Michigan for first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division.

Evans resigns After his 14th season coaching the University of Toledo women’s soccer team, head coach Brad Evans has resigned from his position, UT vice-president and athletic director Mike O’Brien announced Tuesday.

The two time MidAmerican Conference Coach of the Year will be taking up a position outside of coaching soccer, he said in the statement. Evans also stated that he appreciated the time he had coaching at the University of Toledo.

Evans has posted a 138-116-29 record while winning three regular season MAC Championships and four MAC Tournament titles from 2001-‘14.

Juice earns 11th MAC West Player of the Week award Senior guard Juice Brown was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week for the third time this season and for the 11th time in his collegiate career, the MAC announced Monday.

Juice and the Rockets have won fivestraight road contests, with Juice posting a team-high 20 points and 4.0 assists in victories at Akron and Western Michigan.

Juice currently leads the MAC in free-throw percentage and ranks second in scoring, third in assists and fifth in three-point field goal percentage.

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MEN’S GOLF

Leading by example Black uses experience to teach his teammates

By Robert Hearons Associate Sports Editor

Toledo junior Otto Black is certainly not new to the game of golf.

Before he even graduated high school, Black had earned all-state honors, a spot on Michigan’s AllState Super Team and five Top 20 finishes in AJGA events. Now three years into his collegiate career, the two-time Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Week has done nothing but add to his impressive resume.

“He’s hard working,” said Black’s teammate, freshman Colin Joseph.

“He’s dedicated. He’s got goals and he does what he can to get to them.”

Black is a two-time All-MAC second team player and has five Top Five collegiate finishes under his belt.

He’s been doing this a while and his veteran experience level is appreciated by his peers and head coach alike.

“[Black is] hard working. He’s dedicated. He’s got goals and he does what he can to get to them.”

COLIN JOSEPH UT freshman golfer

“Otto is very coachable,” said head coach Jamie Broce. “He wants to be good and I want our team to be good, so to be on the same page on that regard, we can get through the trials and tribulations and try to complete on the level that he is [at].”

For Broce, having a player like Black is essential when trying to motivate younger team members.

“It definitely helps when you have that experience because they can definitely relate to the freshmen probably a little bit easier than a coach,” Broce said.

“When I come in and say stuff people

either get kind of scared or intimidated.

“They can have some assumptions about what we’re [coaches] trying to do and I think sometimes it’s easier coming from the upper classmen. And when we’re all on the same page and we all buy into the same type of mentality then it really makes it easier for the upperclassmen to have an impact on the younger ones.”

Black has more than just leadership skills. His abilities on the course are what have earned him respect from his teammates.

“Definitely driving and chipping,” Black said of his strong suites. “I keep the ball in play a lot, and that can go a long way. I always try to give myself as many opportunities as I can when I’m on the green to make birdies and pars.

“I have all the tools and everything like that. You know, not every day you have your best game but it’s important that you use your strengths.”

Once college ends and the real world begins, Black plans on taking his strengths to the next level.

“I plan to play professional,” he said. “There’s people I have connections with here at UT that I’ll use as resources. It’s mostly just figuring out a schedule and what works best. There’s all kinds of tours that you can join, it’s pretty exciting.”

Watching and taking part in Black’s transformation from freshman to potential professional has been nothing less than a delight for Broce.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said.

“He does a lot of work on his own too, so it kind of makes it easy for him to grow. Otto has all the tools when it comes to driving and iron play and putting and chipping, he has a strong mentality.

“At times he can be a little too hard on himself and I think he’s really learned how to be a little more relaxed on the golf course, which is how he is off the golf course.”

Toledo junior men’s golfer Otto Black (pictured above) has five Top 5 collegiate finishes on his resume. Black is a Pinckney, Mich. native.

BASEBALL

Toledo rebounds on road against Winthrop

By Keith Boggs Sports Reporter

Bravo-Harriot earns first MAC West Player of the Week award Toledo women’s basketball freshman guard Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott was named Mid-American Conference West Division player of the week, the MAC announced Monday.

Bravo-Harriott averaged a team-high 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal in games against Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan last week. Harriott scored a career-high 24 points in Wednesday’s game against the Huskies.

After limited minutes earlier in the season, the England native is now coming off the bench in MAC play and averaging 25.6 mpg while contributing 11.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.1 apg.

It’s not Rocket Science! (Trivia) The University of Toledo men’s golf team has how many players currently on the roster that were originally from Ireland, and what are their names?

PHOTO COURTESY OF UT ATHLETICS

Junior infielder Deion Tansel last season against Akron. UT won two games in a series against Winthrop last weekend.

The Rockets baseball team rebounded this past weekend in South Carolina, winning two of three games in a series against Winthrop.

Toledo took the first game on Friday 3-0, before dropping the second game of the series 11-3 the next day. UT was able to win the rubber match 4-3 in the second game of Saturday’s double header.

It was the Rockets’ first victories of the season. UT was swept in their opening weekend series, falling to Wright State and Belmont in Nashville, Tenn.

“We weren’t fully prepared the first weekend,” said freshman pitcher Alex Wagner. “I don’t think we were ready for the pace of the game, but the second weekend we were.

“We have a couple guys in the lineup and the rotation who went down with injury, but we have other guys stepping up so far.”

UT receivied major contributions from a pair of freshmen during their rebound weekend. Freshman catcher AJ Montoya led the way for the Rockets, batting 7-for-13 on the weekend with three runs scored and a RBI. Freshman SS Matt Hansen also had a productive weekend at the plate. He batted 5-of-11 with a run and a RBI. “We want contributions from every class,” said head coach Cory Mee. “Montoya and Hansen were outstanding this weekend. They jump-started our offense from the one and two spots in the order.”

In the Rockets’ two victories, their pitching staff kept them

in contention. UT held the Eagles to three runs in the first game and none in the third.

Senior RHP Cameron Palmer threw 5.2 solid innings, picking up the victory in the series opener. The senior sat down seven Eagles and gave up two hits.

In the rubber match, junior RHP Caleb Schillace pitched 6 innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out four batters. Senior RHP Alec Schmenk entered the game in the 9th, picking up the win in relief work.

“We weren’t fully prepared the first weekend. I don’t think we were ready for the pace of the game, but the second weekend we were.”

ALEX WAGNER Freshman pitcher

“We got two good starting performances from Schillace and Palmer,” Mee said. “We had a much-improved performance from the bullpen and timely hits offensively.

“We also played better defensively and played with much more hustle and enthusiasm.”

The Rockets managed more hustle and enthusiasm despite several injuries to key players. Despite that, Mee is hoping his team can play at full strength sooner rather than later.

“We’re hoping to have a couple guys return to health,”

he said. “Guys like [senior] Deion Tansel and [senior] Dan Zuchowski that have been everyday players for us.

So we still have decisions to make with how we put together our lineup. The goal is just to get better every week.

Every team has to deal with injuries and every team has to deal with adversity. The teams that do that the best tend to be the most successful.”

The Rockets had to travel to Tennessee their opening weekend and then to South Carolina for this past series.

Despite the long travels and tough schedule, Mee says the travel is no problem.

“We’re used to being on the road,” he said. “I think our first 20 games are on the road.

We like to challenge ourselves by playing the best competition we can. We play against a high level of competition day in and day out so we can play at a high level day in and day out. Consistency is something we’re hoping to develop.”

It’s still early in the season, but with a pair of wins under their belts, Toledo has shown the first signs of the consistency that Mee desires.

“We’re still learning our team and our strengths,” Mee said. “I liked the way we played [against Winthrop].

If we continue that, we’ll like the results we see.

“We really responded well from our opening weekend.

We won a series on the road against a good Winthrop team. I think we improved in all facets of the game.”

The Rockets will travel to Blacksburg, Va. on Friday, Feb. 27, to take on the Virginia Tech Hookies in a three game weekend series.

Answer: Freshman Stephen Watts and seniors Chris Selfridge and Jamie Richardson all hail from Northern Ireland.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

COMMUNITY Follow us on Twitter @TheICToledo

CALENDAR

Thursday, Feb. 26

6 p.m. -- Pi Kapp’s Date Auction, this is the 2nd-annual Date Auction.

The lucky winner of a Pi Kapp will receive a night out on the town, including but not limited to dinner of choice. All proceeds benefit The Ability Experience (formally known as PUSH America). This event is open to both Greeks and non-Greeks.

The top three sororities in attendance and money donated will receive a credit towards the Sorority Quarter Race during No Boundaries Week.

Located in the Student Union Auditorium.

Like us at Facebook.com/ICollegian

7

www.IndependentCollegian.com

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Is global warming real?

Toledo experiences record-breaking low temperatures, but globally, temperatures rise

Friday, Feb. 27 7:30 p.m. -- Twelfth Night, Written by William Shakespeare, directed

by Cornel Gabara. A shipwrecked Viola, believing herself alone in the world, dresses as a man in order to earn a living.

Humorous and inevitable complications arise when she falls in love with a man who doesn’t know she’s a woman, and a woman who thinks she’s a man falls for her.

Located in the Center for Preforming Arts. For more information, contact Angela Riddel at TheArts@ utoledo.edu.

Sunday, March 1 11 a.m. -- Fitnessthon, Delta Phi Epsilon presents the 1st-annual Fitnessthon. There will be zumba instructors, raffles and an auction. Tickets are $5 pre-sale and $6 at the door.

2 p.m. -- UT Choral Concert, UT Choral ensembles will perform, led

by Dr. Stephen Hodge, Director of UT Choral Activities. Located in the Center for Preforming Arts Recital Hall.

For more information, contact Angela Riddel at TheArts@utoledo.edu.

4 p.m. -- UT Wind Ensemble Concert, located in UHall Doermann Theatre. For more information, contact Angela RIddel at TheArts@ utoledo.edu.

ANDREA HARRIS / IC

In front of University Hall, there are mounds of snow covering the grass and the walkways. On Friday, Feb. 20, Toledo broke the record for the lowest temperature in the month of February, -19 degrees Fahrenheit.

By Joe Heidenescher Associate Community Editor

If global warming is really changing the face of this planet, then why on Earth is it so cold?

Last Friday, Feb. 20, Toledo broke a record for the coldest temperature recorded in February. According to the Blade the temperature at 7:40 a.m. was -19 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to AccuWeather, the 2013-14 winter was the snowiest winter in Toledo history. The greater Toledo area received snowfall of over 84 inches, which is about 47 more inches than normal.

With all of this abnormally blustery winter weather, Toledo residents begin to question, ‘Is global warming even real?’

The long story short is yes, global warming is real, according to Michael Weintraub, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Toledo.

“We get this disconnect, ‘what warming?’” Weintraub said. “It was not warmer than average in central North America last year, but what’s interesting … Alaska had one of its hottest years last year.”

Overall, according to Weintraub, the world is experiencing a trend of increasing temperatures.

“Even here on average it’s rising,

but not in 2014,” Weintraub said, ridge of warm high pressure around “And that’s the way weather works…

Alaska is pushing the jet stream north weather varies a lot.” to our west and its responding by In 2014, the average temperature bulging south further east,” Weinin the Midwest was lower than the traub said. “It’s dipping south right twentieth century average, according over us that’s opening up the door to to Weintraub, but everywhere else allow cooler weather from the artic the temperature was warmer than the regions to wander south.” historical temperatures.

Basically, the colder weather that “It’s like we’re sitting in front of a cold has been occurring in Ohio is a proddraft in a hot room,” Weintraub said. uct of a fluctuating jet stream. The “It doesn’t feel hot to us cold arctic air is being because we happen to be pushed south because “Some people the ones sitting in front of warmer temperadon’t realize that of the draft.” tures in Alaska. So Weintraub said technically, global global warming there is a good reason warming is real and is is in fact a global for this shift in winter still causing abnorweather patterns. mally cold temperaissue, not a local “What we’ve been tures here in Toledo. one.” getting is this persistent “Although it may NACORI LYONS weather patterns since seem colder in our Fourth-year enviomental late 2013,” Weintraub region and other parts studies major said. “A ridge of warm of the world, the Earth high pressure air is is getting warmer pushing up the west coast and up into overall,” said Nacori Lyons, a fourthAlaska and the jet stream, which is year environmental studies major. a global current of air that circulates Lyons said that through her studies the earth.” at UT she has learned how climate Weintraub said that “the jet stream change impacts the world globally, kind of works like a waterbed.” He not just locally. said that a push in one area causes a “Climate change affects different bulge in another. parts of the world differently,” she “What’s happening here is this said. “And some of the effects include

PHILANTROPHY EVENT

CARnival event to support reading and education in elementary students

higher incidences of extreme weather and more violent storms, as well as increasing or decreasing average temperatures for different regions.”

According to Lyons, in Ohio the winters have been colder the past few years, but this doesn’t mean that global warming isn’t still an issue.

“Some people don’t realize that global warming is in fact a global issue, not a local one,” Lyons said. “It may seem to us in parts of the United States that climate change isn’t happening because of recent cold winter conditions, but other parts of the world are experiencing different problems, such as higher temperatures, drought, floods and other extreme weather and climate fluctuations.”

Lyons said there is a definite need to care about our changing weather and climate patterns.

“We actually do have a pretty clear sense of where [global warming is] coming from,” Weintraub said.

According to Weintraub the warming in Earth’s temperatures can be attributed to the greenhouse effect, the notion that excess gases like carbon dioxide trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, which causes high temperatures.

“This is about as accepted in the See Climate / 10 »

Shapiro Essay Contest

By Anna Glore Staff Reporter

This year members of the Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon will being taking the CARnival to elementary students while teaching them reading skills.

CARnival will take place Friday, Feb. 27 at Winterfield Venture Academy from 4-6 p.m.

“CAR stands for Champions are Readers and it is a unique reading enrichment program designed to help improve the literacy skills of children in grades K through third grade,” said Lauren Banks, a second-year occupational therapy major and Pi Beta Phi’s vice president of philanthropy.

Banks said that the event will include literacy activities, reading to the students and giving them new books to read. The event is hosted in cooperation with Pi Beta Phi’s philanthropy, Read > Lead > Achieve, according to Stephanie Elkins, a first-year marketing major and Pi Beta Phi’s vice president of communications.

Elkins said that Banks came up with the idea of making it a CARnival, rather than simply just a reading event this year.

“We wanted to come up with a way to end the program on a high,” Elkins said. That is why they added carnival events after the reading is done.”

Banks said that the event is open to the academy’s kindergarten through third grade students and a few local daycares.

According to Elkins the two organizations will focus on reading to third grade classes at Winterfield.

“Our sorority has been routinely volunteering at the Winterfield Venture Academy in Toledo to put on this program and help the third graders there develop their reading

skills,” Banks said.

Banks said that this is the first year that the carnival events will be held after the reading event; in the past the event has only included teaching reading skills to students. Banks said she wanted to add an element of fun.

If you go What: CARnival.

Where: Winterfirld Venture Academy.

When: Friday, Feb. 27 from 4-6 p.m.

Sponsored by: Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“At the CARnival we will have inflatables, face painting, games, a snow cone machine, a popcorn machine, inflatable bowling and prizes,” Banks said.

Aaron Degiulio, a third-year business major and the member of Sigma Phi Epsilon in charge of the CARnival event, said that the fraternity looks forward to helping out Pi Beta Phi with the event.

“We love the ladies of Pi Beta Phi and would do anything to help them with their philanthropic, community events. I am hoping the event is a huge success and can’t wait to see how it all turns out,” Degiulio said.

In addition to helping out Pi Beta Phi, the See CARnival / 10 »

RAJ JESSICA THOMAS / IC

Michaela Roberts (front), Linnea Vicari (middle) and David Nguyen (back) edit stories that they were given during the Shapiro Essay Revision Contest on Tuesday, Feb. 24. This is the 26th year that the contest has been held at the University of Toledo. There are multiple cash prizes for the winners. The contest is being held Feb. 23-26 and is located in Memorial Field House Room 2420. All students are welcome to enter the competition.

8

| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Spangler

from page 1

special place in her life, just not a traditional one. She “sees” color by trying to associate colors with objects that she knows.

Hence, her salmon-colored floral scarf, highlighter-pink shoes, lacey, purple blouse and neon-pink winter jacket.

“When I think of pink and purple, I think of those as pretty colors,” Spangler said. “Not that any of the other colors aren’t, but it’s like, generally when I think of something bright and pretty, I think pink.”

“Bright and pretty” is also the color of her folded lightweight cane she uses to navigate. “Being in step,” or extending the cane opposite of your stepping foot, is how Spangler ensures she doesn’t run into anything.

“If my left foot is about to go forward, my cane should go over here because I want to clear it before I step,” Spangler said, standing to demonstrate the technique.

“You just have to realize that there’s going to be good people in this world and there’s going to be people in this world who are just out there to hurt others. If I take each situation personally, I’m going to be upset all the time.”

RACHAEL SPANGLER Sixth-year special education major

Spangler resides in downtown Toledo with her older brother Robby, a 2012 UT graduate who is also blind. Together, the duo manages everything from navigation to doing household chores.

“I won’t say it’s not challenging, but I mean, everything has its challenges,” Spangler said. “And he likes to cook, so that kind of helps.”

Spangler said she usually takes the TARTA bus to campus, gets off on Bancroft, then crosses the street to University Hall, her most familiar location. Walking to class, she estimated, takes her about 10-15 minutes if the weather is good.

Getting around on-campus wasn’t always easy though, especially during her first semester when she found herself lost in a wide-open space in Centennial Mall. Frustrated and homesick, she found a set of steps and sat down to cry.

“I called my mom and was like ‘I want to come home. I hate college,’” Spangler said. “But then I thought about it and I’m like, well I could sit here and cry and be upset or I can get up and continue walking around.”

And indeed she did. She summoned the courage to ask a stranger for help and hasn’t looked back since.

As we left the on-campus office, I asked her to take me to one of her classrooms in Gillam Hall. Once outside, she released her soft grip on my right arm and took charge of her surroundings, guiding me swiftly into the Student Union and past one of her landmarks of smell — the unmistakable pungent aroma of roasted coffee beans at Starbucks — all while keeping “in step.”

A fan of Starbucks’ pumpkin spice lattés, Spangler said she

frequents the café at least once a week, but admitted that waiting in public lines makes her feel insecure.

“I get really nervous because if I’m behind a nice person, I can say ‘Can you tell me when the line moves up?’ and it works out,” she said. “But if the person doesn’t want to, I have to keep moving up and I might keep hitting them or tapping them with my cane and then I’m thinking in my mind ‘Oh my God, are they getting frustrated with me?’”

We trekked on, her extended cane sniffing back and forth like a bloodhound on the trail. Some passersby glanced up from their phones and sidestepped her, while others tried to be helpful by holding open doors.

These acts of kindness don’t go unappreciated by Spangler, especially when she needs help reorienting herself in public.

“I would say it’s about fiftyfifty,” Spangler said. “Half the people are like, ‘Sure, it’s this way’ or, ‘I’ll walk there with you.’ But then there’s other people who if they’re uncomfortable with dealing with someone who has a disability, they’ll just keep going as if they didn’t hear me.”

Unfortunately, Spangler has had ample experience with the latter, recalling an incident during her freshman year when a man unloaded from a bus, tripped over her cane and snapped it in half, walking away without saying a word.

“A lot of people are really uneducated when it comes to dealing with people with a disability,” Spangler said.

And it’s more common than you might think — about 12.1 percent of people in the U.S. had disabilities in 2012, according to Cornell University’s Annual Disability Status Report.

This means about 37,627, 800 people reported at least one disability.

We entered the difficult-tonavigate food court, an area saturated with both fond and painful memories for Spangler.

“I’ve had situations where I’ll be in the food court and I’ll bump into someone’s table because the chairs are everywhere, and I may hear them laugh about it or make a joke about it to their friends, but that’s something I’ve lived with my whole life, so I just kind of brush it off,” Spangler said. “Well, unless I’m having a really bad day.”

And when she is having a really bad day?

She still never snaps back because she’s just “not that kind of person.”

“You just have to realize that there’s going to be good people in this world and there’s going to be people in this world who are just out there to hurt others,” Spangler said. “If I take each situation personally, I’m going to be upset all the time.”

“I called my mom and was like ‘I want to come. I hate college.’ But then I thought about it and I’m like, well I could sit here and cry and be upset or I can get up and continue walking around.”

RACHAEL SPANGLER

As we took a breath of fresh air, using the sidewalk as a roadmap to reach University Hall, Spangler filled me in on a little secret.

“Blind people are not really

PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHAEL SPANGLER

Rachael Spangler poses for her 2009 school photos. Born with a degenerative eye condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, the 24-year-old is blind and lives in downtown Toledo with her brother, who is also blind. Spangler is in her sixth year at the University of Toledo and is majoring in special education. She plans to work with local visually impaired students after graduation.

good at walking straight lines, just so you know,” she warned me. “At least this one isn’t.”

She reiterated that wide-open spaces lead to navigation issues and can make the blind extremely uncomfortable. Sidewalks, Spangler said, make any journey easier and navigating inside buildings is a piece of cake.

“When you’re blind, landmarks are one of the most important things,” she said. “We use them all the time. Whether it be a sound landmark or something on the sidewalk we can feel, we use all that stuff.”

Without landmarks, getting hurt is all too easy. Spangler recalled various injuries, such as slicing open her hand when she fell on ice and slamming her forehead on the side of a floating staircase. She said the most common injury comes from smashing her shins into benches.

“That spot hits a lot of things,” Spangler said. “I think when I was younger, I had like permanent bruises there. I was always hitting stuff about that level.”

Her cane touched grass to her left, telling her to readjust right.

When we hit a bump in the sidewalk, she knew we were almost to the next doorway.

Spangler has a mental map of campus — like a photographic memory, but based on what she can feel from her surroundings.

Because restrooms are a main priority for memorization, Spangler knows where to find them in nearly every building she’s been in.

If not for the cane, you might not be able to tell which of us was the blind one.

“Right when you walk in these doors here, there’s a lobby and there’s chairs everywhere,” she warned me.

“Oh, and that metal door divider.”

Even after stumbling briefly into a chair and brushing arms with strangers, Spangler didn’t seem fazed. She said once someone shows her around, she knows where to go.

Although she can’t drive, her excellent sense of learned direction also comes in handy when inside a car.

“I know my way around the city really well so if I’m riding with my friends, I just tell them where to go,” Spangler said. “I tell them to turn off their GPS, like I’ve got this. I have a map in my head of where everything is.”

However, she’s open to expanding that map, and dreams of traveling both the states and internationally someday.

Once we reached her classroom on the fourth floor, discussion turned to academics. Although she said good grades aren’t her main priority, Spangler maintains a 3.6 GPA and can type about 80 words per minute on her special laptop, which uses a text reader to read all of her assignments to her.

“I always give people a chance. If someone sees someone and they don’t look approachable, you might not approach them. But I’m not going to know that so I’m going to talk to anyone. I might get to know the really good person who’s there who someone else may not have gotten to know because they were thrown off by some kind of look.”

RACHAEL SPANGLER

That is, except for math, which requires Braille for diagrams.

Though she started learning Braille at the age of five, she said the process of reading and writing it is far more complex than people think.

Braille, she explained, is comprised of six dots that, when placed in different ways, form the 26 letters of the alphabet. It gets complicated when you consider there are over 200 contractions to memorize.

“For example, if you have just a letter ‘c’ by itself in Braille, it means the word can,” Spangler said. “If you have a ‘d’ alone in Braille, it means do. Then take a ‘d’ and put a dot five in front of it, then you’ve got the word ‘they.’”

However, her background in Braille is twice as useful considering she’s involved in UT’s Council for Exceptional Children and hopes to teach local visually-impaired students after graduation.

“I feel like I can relate to them and their personal experiences since I went through all of the same experiences myself,” Spangler said. “Even if I’m not a classroom teacher, I would love to be teaching them how to use technology, read Braille or learn independent-living skills.”

Spangler isn’t all work though.

A lover of country and 1960s-70s music, Spangler said she enjoys reading, watching movies and hanging out with her friends. Her favorite movie, Frozen, is one she estimated she’s seen “between 15 and 20 times.”

“I was counting, but I lost track after I saw it seven or eight times,” she said, laughing.

Despite the obvious hindrances of being blind, Spangler said it’s forced her to mature quickly and spurred more bonding with her brother and parents. Her experiences have also strengthened her morals and taught her not to pass judgment on others.

“I always give people a chance,” Spangler said. “If someone sees someone and they don’t look approachable, you might not approach them. But I’m not going to know that so I’m going to talk to anyone. I might get to know the really good person who’s there who someone else may not have gotten to know because they were thrown off by some kind of look.”

We passed another stranger who awkwardly opened the door for us when he saw her cane exploring the tile floor.

Debunking misconceptions about being blind, such as the idea that blind people can’t walk up or down stairs or that they all have fantastic hearing, is one of Spangler’s favorite ways to raise awareness about disability.

“People don’t realize that we’re normal people and we have all the same wants and needs as everyone else,” she said. “I’m just a normal girl trying to get a college degree.”

Hungry for lunch, Spangler slung her bag over her shoulder and thanked me for my time. I held open the double doors and crisp air rushed in, blowing about her blonde hair.

As I watched Spangler walk away, I could hear the faint tapping of her cane on the cracked sidewalk. She knew where she was going — her long strides, infused with an energetic bounce, didn’t falter.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

Delta Phi Epsilon raises awareness for eating disorders

ADELLYN MCPHERON / IC

Members of Delta Phi Epsilon table for ANAD Week from Feb. 24-26. Students can buy purple ribbons to show their support against eating disorders. A life-size Barbie with notes written by students that start with “I am not like Barbie because” are used to show bodies aren’t perfect.

Break

from page 1

Union, water was also shut down to Savage Arena, Larimer Athletic Complex and Health Education Building.

The men’s basketball game against Northern Illinois was also postponed due to the water issues, and has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 25, according to UTNews.

Jose Viloria, a first-year majoring in electrical engineering, said his usual schedule was disrupted by the break.

“In my case, I always eat here in the Student Union, so that’s a problem for me,” Viloria said. “I didn’t get breakfast, so I was waiting to eat here.”

Zachary Mercurio, a first-year majoring in psychology, said while it did not affect him directly, he could see how it would affect other students.

“A lot of the food places closed down, so, you know, if someone was planning on eating, then they might have to make other plans, and arrange to get food or go somewhere else, so it might throw a wrench in someone’s plans,” Mercurio said.

Nadine Sarsour, a second-year majoring in biochemistry, mentioned being inconvenienced by the cold.

“I was kind of upset, because especially the building I was in, also, was really cold. Basically the hallways had absolutely no heat, at least in Bowman-Oddy,” Sarsour said.

According to Sarsour, she had also been planning on going to the Student Recreation Center later in the day, but chose not to go once learning they did not have heat.

“I feel like this happens every year. A

SWAT

from page 1

S.W.A.T,” Mitchell said.

According to Veith, the main purpose of this change is to help grow the program by including more diverse students with different cultures and backgrounds who can bring interesting perspectives to the group. She said the administration hoped to include a larger variety of students in the group, as many of the members encourage their friends to join, which can cause the group to miss connecting with a large part of the student body.

S.W.A.T. is hoping to see a wider range of students apply. The students who apply are desired to be motivated, goal-driven, in good academic standing, and those who want to give back to the community, Veith said.

Level-three S.W.A.T. member and fifth-year senior majoring in exercise science Corey Dumski said S.W.A.T. members should have certain characteristics.

“Be charismatic,” Dumski said. “Be open-minded.”

“We’re currently in the position of bringing in additional staff and student involvement that will be working with the programmatic aspect of S.W.A.T.” TAMIKA MITCHELL Dean of students

S.W.A.T altered their interviewing process as a way to achieve this goal. They now have an online application submission process, and have put together a committee to review the applications, according to Veith.

“This is our goal,” Mitchell said. “It’s to put together a committee where the students are involved and there’s a full-time staff member.”

The new committee will then interview the candidates and choose 30 new

lab I worked in last year also had a water pipe burst in the lab and ruined a lot of things, so I think they just need to be able to maintain that better, especially in the winter, because I know it’s really cold and the weather’s really severe around here,” Sarsour said.

According to UTNews, water was restored early Tuesday evening; however, water is still under a 72-hour boil advisory, and food service for the Student Union will not be restored until the weekend. Subway and Starbucks are planned to reopen at noon Saturday, Feb. 27. The rest of the building is expected to resume business as usual on Monday, March 1.

“In my case, I always eat here in the Student Union, so that’s a problem for me.

I didn’t get breakfast, so I was waiting to eat here.”

JOSE VILORIA First-year electrical engineering major

This is the second water main break at UT this year. The first one occurred on Jan. 20, and water was shut off in the Main Campus Medical Center, International House, Academic House and Sullivan Hall.

A notice released two days later on the Facilities and Construction webpage said the water was restored and had been declared safe to drink by the City of Toledo.

A heating issue in the Center for Performing Arts on Feb. 16 also caused class cancellations due to a bad release valve.

“You’re not just sitting there and listening to Darci lecture, you’re getting out of your seats, you’re interacting with other students around you, you’re talking about hard-hitting subjects.”

COREY DUMSKI Fifth-year exercise science major

applicants. They will announce the new members in early April, so the students can schedule around the program.

All members accepted during the application period will be level-one members of S.W.A.T. This level is purely a classroom setting. Students get credit hours for taking the course and learning valuable skills.

Throughout the semester, students will develop public speaking skills, leadership skills and gain an extensive knowledge on how to promote wellness and healthy habits on campus and throughout their lives, Veith said.

“You’re not just sitting there and listening to Darci lecture, you’re getting out of your seats, you’re interacting with other students around you, you’re talking about hard-hitting subjects,” Dumski said.

After the completion of the class, students will be considered level-two members and will put on different skits and programs with the group to educate students about important topics.

One example of these performances is the Life at College program, which Veith said most orientation teachers require their students to go to for class credit. This program teaches freshman about drinking and sexual assault on campus.

According to Veith, the students will be considered nationally-certified peer educators once the program is completed, and will walk away with a new set of skills they can take into any job field.

“It’s not just a semester class,” Dumski said, “it’s a whole career that you’re developing and networking.”

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| The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, February 25, 2015 FASHION

My top five favorite accent pieces for your wardrobe

from page 7

3. Skirt:

EMILY MODROWSKI

You may not think of a skirt as an accent piece, but let me introduce you to this new concept. A black shirt with black tights and black shoes paired with either a solid color or a fun patterned skirt really makes a statement and makes the skirt pop. It’s a great look for any occasion, formal or casual.

FASHION COLUMNIST

Every wardrobe needs a few key items that allow you to really stand out and show that you want to be noticed. These five items are easy to find, you can get them relatively cheap (depending on where you go) and they can be used over and over again.

4. Bag:

1. Necklace:

Something that has always been a great staple accent piece is a purse or bag. Neutral colors in shirts and bottoms paired with a bright colored bag give a simple, modern and clean look with a sense of fun. The pop of color in the bag will make people notice you in a more subtle way than if you were to wear neon head to toe.

It’s also especially nice for showing off your favorite bag.

A necklace is the most common accent piece for an outfit, but it’s also a needed one. A big, flashy necklace can really add enough show for the rest of an outfit to be more on the plain side. Necklaces are truly a staple for your wardrobe. They give great variety and switching out one accent necklace with another one can really change the tone of the outfit; you could quite literally have a whole different look with just that small change.

5. Shoes:

2. Blazer: At least one blazer is an absolute necessity in your wardrobe. Blazers can be used for casual or dressy occasions. It’s only a pants change away from a work-filled day to a fun-filled night. Trade in your work pants for a pair of jeans and your blazer has suddenly become more casual. To make a statement, a brighter colored blazer paired with darker colors is a good choice. It also makes an outfit more fun.

Climate

NEERA MARTIN / IC

The bright red blazer pops because it accents off of the black clothes underneath, according to Modrowski.

Like bags, shoes have been great accent pieces since the beginning of fashion.

Pairing neutrals, especially black or white, with a pop of color in a shoe makes for a sleek look and really makes the shoes stand out. This is especially a good look if you really want to make those brand new hot pink pumps you just bought the star of the show and the cause for conversation.

Emily Modrowski is a second-year Communication major.

CARnival from page 7

Now Accepting Applications for Fall 2014 1 Bedroom Apartments from $430 2 Bedroom Apartments from $582

members of Sigma Phi Epsilon also are doing this for a cause of their own.

“Our national philanthropy is Big Brothers/Big Sisters so I thought this could be a great way to get myself as well as the rest of the guys to go out and touch the lives of kids while adding more meaning to such a great cause,” Degiulio said.

According to Dexter Emchs, a third-year criminal justice major and the president of Sigma Phi Epsilon at UT, giving back to the community is very important to the fraternity, and all of Greek life.

“As Greek life as a whole we try to

break the stereotypes and show what Greek life really does,” Emchs said.

Elkins also said that they look forward to pairing up with Sigma Phi Epsilon for the event, and for a good reason.

“We are partnering with Sigma Phi Epsilon because Dr. Seuss was a member of their organization and Dr. Seuss also happens to be the theme/mascot of our philanthropy,” Elkins said.

Both Pi Beta Phi and Sigma Phi Epsilon expect a large turnout for the event, and know that it is for an excellent cause.

“We are doing this event and excited about it is because of the positive impact we can have on young students in the Toledo area,” Degiulio said.

COURTESY OF MICHAEL WEINTRAUB

This map shows the difference between 2014 average temperatures and the twentith century average. The blue area shows that the 2014 temp. was lower than the average.

scientific community as is the science that smoking is bad for you,” Weintraub said.

He said that it is generally accepted that humans are a root cause of excess greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere.

“We’re putting an extra six billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year,” Weintraub said. “Most of the CO2 humans are putting into the atmosphere is coming from fossil fuel emissions, but changes in land use are an appreciable factor as well.”

These changes in land use include deforestation, increased agriculture and increased concentrated animal feeding operations.

According to Weintraub there are steps you can take to help reduce carbon emissions.

“Climate change is definitely still a problem,” Lyons said, “It is not an issue that will go away on its own, especially if humans are contributing to it. There are many things students can do if they are concerned about climate change.”

Weintraub said the biggest problem is that “each one of us feels hopeless in the face of such a giant problem, but there are some small things that we can do individually.”

He said that changing our dietary choices can impact the environment. According to Weintraub it takes less energy to produce vegetables than it does to produce beef or chicken.

“Eating less meat in general is going to reduce your ecological footprint,” Weintraub said.

Besides food choices, Lyons said that people can get active in environmental policy and conditions.

“They can educate themselves and others on the issue,” Lyons said. “They can contribute to or support organizations that research and promote efficient policy changes that will reduce human contributions to climate change.”

According to Weintraub and Lyons, even though it is still cold here in Toledo, and global warming doesn’t seem real, it is still shaping the climate of our planet, and it is still very important to play a role in reducing anthropogenic effects on our climate.

TOLEDO HOUSING GUIDE

Spring 2015

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2 | The Independent Collegian | Spring 2015

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technology integrated into a modern style apartment and contemporary community.

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Edge 1120

2540 Dorr Street 419-214-6999 www.Edge1120.com Units available: Studio, 1- to 3-bedroom apartments and townhomes.

Description: Edge 1120 is Toledo’s most contemporary student housing community. Designed with the 2015 student in mind, Edge 1120 offers state-of-the-art

Gardenview Homes at Swan Creek

1258 Rockcress Drive 419-389-0096 www.wallickCommunities.com Units available: 3- and 4-bedroom single family homes.

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Honors Academic Village

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1450 Secor Road 419-530-1330 www.loftsatgateway.com www.facebook.com/loftsatgateway Units available: 2- or 4-bedroom apartments.

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Olde Towne University Square Apartments

1744 N. Westwood 419-530-5900 www.toledostudenthousing.com facebook.com/OldeTowneApartments Description: Olde Towne offers fully furnished student apartments in a variety of floor plans to choose from, individual liability leases, cable, internet and water are included. Each unit comes with a washer and dryer and every resident has their own private bathroom.

Our clubhouse has on-site managers and maintenance throughout the week and 24-hour maintenance. Other amenities include 24-hour computer lab with free printing, 24-hour fitness center, game room, movie theater, pool and basketball court.

PLANNING

A list of essential move-in items

By Samantha Rhodes Managing Editor

You’re all ready to move in — except you feel like you’re forgetting something.

Creating a must-have item list will help you remember what you need before you realize you need it. Below is a list of essential items to help make your new place feel like home.

For the kitchen: • A can opener and bottle opener • Measuring spoons and cups • An oven mitt

For the living room: • Blankets • Coasters • Small lamps • Coffee table • Wall décor • TV cabinet

For the laundry room: • Laundry basket • Detergent • Bleach • Dryer sheets • Ironing board

For the bedroom: • Full length mirror • Hangers

For the bathroom: • Plunger • Bath mat • Towel set

For cleaning purposes: • An all-purpose cleaner • A toilet brush and cleaner • Broom and dust pan • Paper towels

For around the house: • Duct tape • Flashlight and batteries • Fire extinguisher • First aid kit • Basic tool set

Spring 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

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4 | The Independent Collegian | Spring 2015

Spring 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

5

HOUSING

Signing your first lease?

Tips to remember before you make it official

By Samantha Rhodes Managing Editor

You toured the place, asked all the right questions and decided you want to be a renter. But first, you have to finalize the agreement with your landlord. Signing a lease can be an intimidating process, but doesn’t need to be.

To help answer some common student questions, we’ve interviewed Charlon Dewberry, managing attorney at the University of Toledo’s Student Legal Services.

In legal terms, what is a lease?

“A lease is a legally binding contract which sets forth the rights and obligations agreed to by the property owner (landlord) and the person renting the property (tenant),” Dewberry said. “If either party does not perform their obligations under the lease, then they can be sued for breach of contract.”

What types of leases will students see?

Contrary to popular belief, Dewberry points out there is no such thing as a “standard lease that fits all situations.” Some landlords may give the tenant a one-page document while others will present a longer one with multiple pages.

“Some leases are on a monthto-month basis, other leases are for a short term – such as 6 months – while other leases are for a longer term, such as one year or two years,” Dewberry said.

Why is it important to read the entire lease?

According to Dewberry, the landlord-tenant relationship is governed by Chapter 53 of the Ohio Revised Code, which explains the tasks and responsibilities that the tent and landlord

should each perform.

“However, one party in a lease can agree to assume some of the tasks and responsibilities that the other party was to perform,” Dewberry said.

Dewberry urges students to make sure the landlord isn’t “trying to transfer some of their statutory obligations to the tenant,” or forcing the tenant to assume responsibility for things the landlord is normally under obligation to do.

For example, if the tenant signs a lease which says he or she is responsible for paying the cost of repairs to appliances provided in the rental, then the tenant is then responsible for those costs. The lease can also require the tenant to pay a “non-refundable” appliance fee, according to Dewberry.

Dewberry said the lease should, at the very least, include provisions concerning the amount of rent to be paid, the date rent is due, identification of the property or premises to be rented, the contact information for the landlord, any fees for late or missed payments, default provisions, how long the lease will last and any responsibilities that the tenant has to pay, such as utilities.

“Take the time to ask questions, to ask for modifications to the printed lease and to investigate multiple properties before making a decision.”

CHARLON DEWBERRY Managing Attorney at UT Student Legal Services

Leases should also explain how much advance notice the tenant must give the landlord if he or she does not plan to renew the lease.

the rent, utilities, etc.

These agreement forms are available at Student Legal Services in Rocket Hall Room 1610.

What are some red flags to look for?

“Unfortunately, a lot of people assume that they only have to give 30 days advance notice … then they get hit with a bill for another month’s rent or more because they moved without either giving notice or they gave insufficient notice,” Dewberry said. “We have also seen leases automatically renew for an additional year.”

Dewberry reminds students that a lease is a binding contract and if signed, the court will assume all of it has been read.

What if you aren’t 100 percent sure?

First and foremost, don’t allow yourself to be pressured into signing a lease you don’t understand or agree with. According to Dewberry, tenants have the right to speak up and ask to have terms they don’t like or agree with changed or removed from the lease.

“There is a lot of rental property around the university and so tenants should not give in to the hard sale and the pressure tactics that some landlords will engage in to get you to sign the lease as soon as possible,” Dewberry said. “Take the time to ask questions, to ask for modifications to the printed lease and to investigate multiple properties before making a decision.”

What about roommates?

According to Dewberry, finding well-matched roommates to live with should be a priority.

“Before you sign the lease and definitely before you move in together, have a serious conversation with anyone you plan to move in with,” Dewberry said. “Discuss your study habits, your housekeeping preferences, your socializing preferences … Keep in mind that living with someone is different from hanging out with someone.”

According to Dewberry, most leases are “joint and several,” meaning that everyone who signs the lease is jointly and individually responsible for all of the obligations under the lease.

“Your liability under your lease does not go away just because your roommate moved out or you are no longer getting along with that person,” Dewberry said.

Consequently, it’s crucial to ask yourself the question: “If my roommates move out or never move in, can I afford to rent this place on my own?”

Dewberry advises students to fill out a roommate agreement, or a written contract between all roommates that acknowledges their liability to each other for paying their respective share of

According to Dewberry, the following are warning signs: 1. The prospective landlord refuses to give you a written lease – while Ohio law recognizes oral leases, you are running the risk that a dispute is going to arise at some point about what was promised.

2. The prospective landlord won’t let you take a copy of the lease to have someone review it with you. Ask yourself – what are they trying to hide?

3. The property management or ownership keeps changing.

4. You are asked to sign a lease that has blank spaces on it, and your landlord refuses to give you a copy of what you are signing.

Need more help?

Student Legal Services and Commuter Services will host a Landlord/Tenant Walk-In Lease Review Clinic on Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Student Union Commuter Lounge. Students need to bring their leases, photo identification, and any emails, photos, or correspondence with their landlords.

Dewberry urges students who do not understand their leases to consult with an attorney at Student Legal Services before signing, where proposes leases can be reviewed by a licensed attorney.

“We would be happy to review your lease with you and explain to you in plain English what the lease says and how those terms will impact your rights and obligations,” Dewberry said.

For more information, contact Student Legal Services at 419-530-7230.

6 | The Independent Collegian | Spring 2015

Spring 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

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8 | The Independent Collegian | Spring 2015 RENTING

How to assess a potential apartment

By Samantha Rhodes Managing Editor

Considering which apartment complex will best suit your needs as a tenant can be a long and tedious process.

However, before you sign a lease, here are some tips that will help you quickly separate the quality apartments from the subpar ones.

5 warning signs: Evidence of pests Shine a flashlight in the nooks and crannies of cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom. Other common hiding places for pests include under the refrigerator and laundry room appliances.

If you see bug droppings, which look like black pepper, or mice droppings, which resemble maggotshaped black pellets, then it’s time to start looking elsewhere.

Warping and stains Leaks in the ceiling or under a sink can potentially turn into mold problems, so take a close look at ceilings for blotches of discoloration.

Signs of warped wood or linoleum under bathroom and kitchen cabinets, black specks along baseboards or damp-feeling carpet are all sure signs that the landlord

isn’t fixing these mold and mildew related problems.

Obvious odors or drafts If a room smells musty, moist, smoky or like bug spray, these strange odors mean there’s an underlying problem the landlord doesn’t want to tell you about.

A lack of working smoke detectors If the landlord doesn’t care enough to install or replace a smoke detector’s batteries, he or she doesn’t value the tenants’ safety.

A burglary bulletin board in the office If the complex office has a burglary bulletin board that’s covered, chances are your area has a high crime rate. Be sure to check out the surrounding houses near the apartment, not just the complex itself.

5 good signs: Good lighting and availability in the parking lot If the parking lot seems to have spaces available during all times of day, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to snag a spot without waiting. The guest

parking policy is also important to ask about if you plan on having people visit.

Good lighting and visibility at night means the landlord cares about your safety.

Positive reviews from the neighbors Knock on doors and talk directly to the neighbors within the complex about how responsive the landlord is. Does he or she respond quickly to maintenance requests and act professional?

These people will give you honest reviews based on firsthand experience.

A new-looking water heater and other appliances Having hot water is vital — the newer the water heater looks, the less chance you’ll be stuck taking cold showers. Other appliances will also work more effectively the newer they are.

A phone number for a maintenance person Good apartments have a phone number tenants can call for a maintenance person — even after hours. Inquire about how many maintenance people work on the property, how to get in touch with them, and when they are available.

Soundproof walls and insulation Some apartments have a concrete sheet between the walls and under the floors to minimize outdoor sounds, such as street traffic.

Ask the landlord about details such as insulation that you can’t see with the naked eye.

Spring 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

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10 | The Independent Collegian | Spring 2015

Spring 2015 | The Independent Collegian |

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12 | The Independent Collegian | Spring 2015

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