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Painkillers
Ohio lawmakers address opioid problems
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Women’s Soccer
Women’s soccer team faces new spring season
THE NEWS RECORD / UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI THURSDAY, APR. 6, 2017
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Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval First Democrat in 100 years to fill position
MOUNIR LYNCH | STAFF REPORTER
Hamilton County Clerk of Courts Aftab Pureval, 34, is the first Democrat to fill the position in over 100 years. The former P&G attorney and University of Cincinnati alum isn’t hesitating to make some big changes to the structure of the office. After five new firings, Pureval has issued the resignation or dismissal of now 23 staff members in the Hamilton County court system. Pureval defeated former Clerk of Courts Tracy Winkler, a Cincinnati elite, in the 2016 election. Tracy Winkler faced criticism by opponents for allegedly giving unfair benefits to certain people in the court system. The previous clerk’s brother and husband Ted Winkler served in the
Hamilton County court system, and Winkler is alleged to have hired family members and personal friends into the clerk’s office who may not have been qualified for their jobs. It is uncertain whether Pureval’s personnel changes were related to the alleged corruption in the office, but Pureval claims he is finished releasing employees. Hamilton County residents expressed concern with the previous clerk office’s spending habits and the possibility of corruption in the office’s workplace and the court system it is responsible for. The promise for reform helped Pureval defeat the status-quo in the election by nearly 20,000 votes. The new clerk has also added revamped technology to the clerk’s office to improve the flow
of the court system. This new technology is also claimed to have had an effect on the issue of what Pureval claimed to have been an unbalanced court system under Winkler. “I made it a point to meet face to face with most, if not all, of the staff,” Pureval told the Business Enquirer. “I said change is inevitable. We are changing the organization to make sure it’s efficient and cost friendly, and in some cases changes to personnel.” Very soon after he told the Business Enquirer about this, he announced firings of clerk employees. Pureval’s plan to increase office productivity also includes a zero tolerance policy for political activity during work hours in the court system. Former Clerk Tracy Winkler was discovered to have emailed court employees, asking
them to participate in her campaign against Pureval. This leads to a heavily politicized office that Pureval says he will not tolerate. “I told them there would be no political activity tolerated whatsoever during work hours,” Pureval said. “All salaries and promotions will be based on merit alone,” Pureval told the Business Enquirer. Pureval’s zero tolerance policy hopes to add productivity and a focus on making sure the court’s staff has the right qualifications. Pureval certainly has brought change to his new department, and only time will tell how Hamilton County’s court system will change economically and politically.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FACEBOOK
Hamilton Country Clerk of Courts, Aftab Pureval.
JEAN PLEITEZ | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The CARE/Crawley Building is located on Medical Campus, Monday Jan. 9, 2017.
UC College of Medicine sets funding mark LAUREN STYCZYNSKI | STAFF REPORTER
In the 2016 fiscal year, the UC College of Medicine held $115.8 million in research grant monies, an increase of 30 percent from the fiscal year of 2015. Also, UCCOM faculty submitted 605 proposals with a 31 percent approval rating, which is the highest within the past three years (even though there was similar submission rates). Dr. Melanie Cushion is the senior associate dean for research at UCCOM. She expressed that, essentially, it means we are getting recognition at every stage of the research process. With the average success of a university attaining National Institutes of Health (NIH) approval being at 10 percent, this would be considered good luck by the UC College of Medicine. “[We were] fortunate to receive some large grants this last fiscal year and combined with our above average success of attaining NIH funding speaks to the talents of our faculty,” she said. “The diversity of the funding portfolio at the college of medicine supports all the stages of the disease cure pipeline starting with the discovery phase, which identifies molecular targets and pathways through analysis of big data sets or bench science; the translational phase, which tests the safety and efficacy in animal models; clinical research, which tests the candidate drugs or interventions in humans; and outcomes research, which studies the implementation of changes in the processes of health care delivery and its effects on patients. The ultimate goals of this pipeline are to ideally lead to more cures in diseases that plague humans, such as heart disease, strokes, cancer and infections, but also to improve the delivery of health care to susceptible
populations.” The college received funding in the 2016 fiscal year from four main sources: $94 million from federal sources, $1.8 million from industry, $18.9 million from non-profit agencies and $783,633 from the state of Ohio. Graduate students get stipends from the university, and this increase in funds is all good news for them. “Graduate students interested in any or all of these aspects of medical research can be supported in laboratories funded by the NIH and other funding agencies that will support their research, but also expose them to the larger picture of their contributions to the healthcare environment,” said Dr. Cushion. This is also exciting for undergraduate students wanting to get involved in research because “sufficient funding of laboratories opens up opportunities for undergraduate students alongside graduate students and medical trainees,” according to Dr. Cushion, adding that this blend of inter-disciplinary talents “bodes well for the education of all involved.” However, even though there is plenty of funding going through the college of medicine, prospects don’t look so great for future graduate students. “To be honest, we, as a nation, must be clear in our priorities. The United States is a beacon for medical research, graduate education and medical and resident trainees. To remain as a research-intensive country that continuously contributes new cures and disease interventions to the U.S. and the world, we must have the committed support of our politicians and fellow Americans. Such support will provide the training the U.S.’s next generation of scientists, physicians and healthcare providers,” she said.
Bearcats must bring in transfers to become the next Gonzaga JASON SZELEST | STAFF REPORTER OPINION
Gonzaga University played in their first ever national championship game on Monday. Coming from the West Coast Conference, which is coined a “mid-major” conference, simply getting to the final game was quite an accomplishment. Only three other teams have made it to the title game playing in non-power five conferences this century, and two of them either had previous experience playing in a big conference or currently play in one. Both those schools, the University of Connecticut and Butler University, were Cinderella stories, with neither entering the tournament higher than a No. 5 seed. They still fit the mid-major billing of mediocrity, but simply got hot at the right time and went on a magical run through March and into April. The Bulldogs were no surprise in the championship game, as they dominated throughout the season on their way to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament,
the third time in five years that they earned a top-two seed in the big dance. The only other mid-major since 2000 to demonstrate that kind of dominance on their way to the championship was the University of Memphis, which is located in a recruiting hot-bed and was coached at the time by recruiting wizard John Calipari. Cincinnati and head coach Mick Cronin have been good in recruiting, but they simply do not have the resources to pull in five-star recruits on a regular basis and follow the mold that Memphis used. So, if they want to become national title contenders, they must follow the Gonzaga method. While there is something to be said about bringing a player in as a freshman and coaching him up through the years, three of the five starters for Gonzaga were transfers from other programs, all of them happening to be in power conferences. Realizing they cannot compete with Kentucky and North Carolina for the top high school players in the country, they are
very patient with their recruiting. Instead of settling for secondtier prospects, they wait for the first-tier prospects who become unhappy with their current situation. For the most part, Cincinnati has done the opposite, with the majority of their roster being comprised of low four-star and high three-star prospects who signed with the Bearcats out of high school. While Gary Clark, Troy Caupain and Jacob Evans are solid players, not one of them is a star who can lead UC to a championship. Cincinnati struggled with Southern Methodist University this year, in large part due to their inability to stop Semi Ojeleye, the former five-star prospect who transferred from Duke. It came as no surprise that neither Caupain nor Clark, both preseason first-team allconference selections, proved to be the team’s most talented player this year. Rather, it was Kyle Washington, a first-year player who
transferred from North Carolina State. Next year, Washington will be joined by fellow transfer Cane Broome, who somewhat singlehandedly kept the second unit close throughout most of the Bearcats’ Red-Black Scrimmage. Broome’s offensive ability was often able to poke holes in the nation’s eighth-best defense in opponent’s points per game during that scrimmage, and he will provide a huge boost to the Bearcat offense next year. The Gary Clarks and Troy
Caupains that Cronin constantly gets are needed – just as Przemek Karnowski, who spent five years in Gonzaga’s program, was a huge piece in Gonzaga’s dominant season. However, they need to be paired with explosive talents that Cincinnati is unable to get on the first attempt. Essentially a college basketball free agency, transfers have become the key for any midmajor to find sustainable, toplevel success.
JEAN PLEITEZ | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kyle Washington (24) goes up against Malcolm Bernard (11) on a rebound, Thursday, January 26, 2017 at Fifth Third Arena.
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