96th year • Issue 5
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Banned Books Week returns COMMUNITY / 7 » www.IndependentCollegian.com
Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919
INSIDE
GLOBAL ISSUES CONFERENCE
MODERN SLAVERY
ENROLLMENT
Student count Human trafficking demands local attention during UT conference drops less than 1% By Emily Johnson Associate News Editor
Leaders in consistency Mancz and Detmer are two of the Rockets’ most iconic and influential seniors this season.
“1,078 children are recruited or trafficked in any given year in Ohio,” said Celia Williamson, a criminal justice and social work professor. “27 million people worldwide are affected by what is now deemed as modernday slavery.” According to Williamson, the average age of those trafficked in Ohio are between the ages of 14 and 15, and nationally it is 12 to 14. In June of this year, The Ohio End Demand Act was made into law. The law states that those who purchases sex from a minor, the charge will no longer be a misdemeanor, it will now be a felony. The law was meant to reinforce the Safe Harbor Act, established in 2012, that will provide a safe place and services for the victims. The SHA also increased the punishments for traffickers. Human trafficking and prostitution has been a problem in Ohio for quite some time, though Ohio has dropped down to eighth in the nation of youth trafficking, it is still a problem. Pete Swartz, a detective with the Toledo Police Department and member of the FBI Child Exploitation Taskforce, has been actively conducting investigations since 2006 to help bring an end to human trafficking in Toledo. According to Swartz, TPD has 10 full-time detectives who coordinate undercover operations — called
SPORTS / 5 »
Local lands into works of art 3-D sculptures by artist Judith Greavu are on display in Carlson Library. The largest sculpture, “Current Forces,” is on display outside of BowmanOddy.
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COMMUNITY / 7 »
“Why not try actually living by the set of values you portray to others? Ever think about how that would actually make you feel about yourself, and not just how it would make others feel about you?”
See Trafficking / 3 »
GRAPHIC MADE USING VENNGAGE.COM
Rove’s presence stirs protest at Doermann lecture Sept. 15
DEVAN LUTZ When did we start leaving decency out in the rain? OPINION / 4 »
SAMUEL DERKIN / IC
Protesters talk with a University of Toledo police officer Sept. 15 outside the Karl Rove lecture in Doermann Theatre. They wanted to hold their signs in the back of the room, which UTPD said is against policy. Read more of this story, “Rove’s presence stirs protest,” at IndependentCollegian.com.
Students to participate in annual breast cancer race Rockets for the Cure will partake in the race Sept. 28 in downtown Toledo. The monetary goal for the team is $1,000. They hope to have 20 participants. COMMUNITY / 7 »
2.5% wage raise for 2 unions A pay raise of 2.5 percent is coming for many University of Toledo employees after this year’s round of contract negotations. NEWS / 3 »
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Interim provost speaks about his upcoming plans at SG Sept. 16 By Katelyn Montgomery Staff Reporter
Administrative transparency, the library and the bike share program were the big topics of discussion when Interim Provost John Barrett spoke to Student Government at their Sept. 16 meeting. Barrett said he is focusing on improving current programs at UT rather than starting new projects. “In many ways I feel this is not the time to be looking for the next great thing,” Barrett said. “I will be using my time as interim provost to focus on just making everything be happier, work better.” Barrett stressed how important having a transparent administration is to him. “I’m a very blunt individual,” he said. “I think it’s a lot easier to
let people know the information they want to know. It’s a lot easier get people to buy in what you’re trying to do, and if you can’t stand up in front of a group of people and support what you’re doing, you shouldn’t be doing it anyway.” Barrett said he also plans to focus a lot of attention on the Carlson Library. According to Barrett, Carlson Library is a net borrower in the OhioLink system – that is, it borrows more than it lends out. Barrett said he plans to put “quite a bit of money” into modernizing the library. In order to aid this process, Barrett plans to put together a committee to help decide how to properly update the library. See Plans / 8 »
ANDREA HARRIS / IC
Interim Provost John Barrett spoke about the status of his office at the Sept. 16 Student Government meeting.
By Emily Johnson Associate News Editor
Enrollment at the University of Toledo has continued to decrease since 2010, but in 2014, the decrease has been significantly less. This fall semester, the student population dropped by less than 1 percent. Cam Cruickshank, vice president of enrollment and distance learning, believes enrollment has dropped less this year compared to previous years, in part of the actions UT has taken to improve enrollment. “We have ramped our marketing and recruitment efforts, we’ve been traveling to different countries, we’ve been experimenting with different marketing techniques and marketing partners,” Cruickshank said. This fall, 70 percent of freshmen are full-time students, which is the highest percent UT has seen in a decade.
Enrollment changes from fall 2013 to fall 2014 Overall enrollment: down by 103 students. Students direct from high school: increased by 47. Jesup Scott Honors College students: increased by 342.
After continual decreasing of enrollment, UT has seen an increase in many aspects of enrollment this fall. According to UT’s 15th day census, the direct-from-highschool students have grown from 3,137 to 3,184. The number of recipients of the Honors Award scholarship, which awards students who strove for academic excellence in high school, has gone up from 1,166 to 1,296. The number of students participating in the Jesup Scott Honors College has grown immensely from 954 to 1,296. The overall enrollment has dropped slightly from last year due in part of UT raising its academic standards. The total fall enrollment for this semester is 20,625 while the fall enrollment in 2013 was 20,728. UT has raised their academic standards due to the fact that state funding of universities is now based on graduation numbers; the funding used to be based on overall enrollment, Cruickshank said. “We knew when we raised standards we’d see a temporary dip in student enrollment.” Cruickshank said. Despite the dip in enrollment as a whole, out-of-state enrollment has increased. More than 1,016 new students this fall are from out of state. This number also includes the 794 students from Michigan that are attending UT this fall. According to a UT press release, a great amount of students have returned for their second year of schooling. Cruickshank hopes that UT can continue the increase in students in both sections of enrollment. Tara Chlebowski contributed to this story.