The News Record

Page 1

VOL. CXXXVIII ISSUE XVVVXIV • FREE-ADDITIONAL COPIES $1

THE NEWS RECORD THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI’S INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWS ORGANIZATION / THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014

HOLI FEST ALL-AMERICAN TRADITION

CONTROVERSIAL LOCAL FIGURE, FORMER STUDENT ATHLETE DIES

CHARLES KEATING

SEAN KILPATRICK RECEIVES TOP BASKETBALL HONOR

PAGE 3

PAGE 2

BIBLE HITS BOX OFFICE

PAGE 6

PAGE 4

Anti binge-drinking group circulates posters on campus Posters promote responsible drinking for students; portray dangerous consequences of common habit BRYAN SHUPE CHIEF REPORTER

To combat a binge-drinking rate higher than the national average, the University of Cincinnati has been collaborating with the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati to promote responsible drinking among students. The “Less Than U Think” campaign was created and launched by a group of communications students at the University of Alabama in fall 2010. The Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati started promoting the campaign at UC in March. Mary Haag, president and CEO of the coalition, said they received state funding to be directed toward 18 to 25 year olds. After researching different campaigns from around the country, they decided to use UA’s platform to approach the dangers of binge drinking within the community; specifically on college campuses. As defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, binge drinking is when a man consumes

Mayor wants to renovate Burnet Woods in Clifton

five or more drinks, or a woman consumes four or more drinks in a two-hour span. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than 80 percent of college students drink alcohol, and almost half report binge drinking within the past two weeks. The coalition simultaneously pushed the platform at other universities like Xavier University and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Upon coming to UC, the coalition teamed up with Eta Sigma Gamma — a student group from the Health Promotion and Education department — to help raise awareness about the “Less Than U Think” campaign. “We liked it because it had that ‘think’ idea in it, but it was humorous,” Haag said. “It wasn’t just the same old anti-drinking messages and campaigns.” The campaign promotes responsible drinking rather than anti-drinking with posters portraying intoxicated people and captions that read, “You think u can dance. And you could. Three drinks ago.” “It really does take less than you think to do things when you’ve been drinking,” said Regan Johnson, UC Student Wellness Center director. Johnson said the Student Wellness Center conducts a campus survey every three years as part of the National

College Health Assessment. According to the spring 2013 survey, more than 50 percent of UC students said they had blacked out in the past 12 months, and 10 percent said alcohol directly impacted them academically, Johnson said. “A lot of students come into college and look at drinking as a rite of passage and that everybody’s doing it and there are no consequences,” Johnson said. “But we see a lot of consequences of drinking here on campus.” Paige Hensley, a 21-year-old urban studies student, said binge drinking on and around campus is the cultural norm. “UC’s drinking culture is as expected,” Hensley said. “I honestly only think it’s a problem when people are vandalizing with glass bottles, driving drunk and passing out from drinking, but that can happen [anywhere].” According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, four out of five college students regularly drink alcohol. “I don’t know if it’s much different from campus to campus, but based on [UC’s] location, alcohol is very accessible to our students,” Johnson said. “We’re in the middle of an urban community so there are a lot of bars around campus and we’re one of the few campuses that actually serve alcohol on its campus.”

ROUND OF APPLAUSE

CASSIE MERINO STAFF REPORTER

More than six years after funding issues halted possible renovations to Burnet Woods, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley is directing city council to make the park a priority. Cranley said the park, located north of University of Cincinnati’s main campus between Ludlow Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard, could help make the uptown area a destination. “Burnet Woods is an under-utilized gem in our parks system,” Cranley said in a statement. “It’s nice now, but it could be great. I look at Washington Park for an example of what could happen in Clifton.” After speaking with Cranley in February, President Santa Ono said the university would work with the mayor to renovate the park. “This park is a great asset that is used by UC students and the families who live in the area,” Cranley said. “Providing more amenities and better lighting would benefit everyone who uses the park.” Renovating the park was discussed at city hall in 2007, but council failed to secure funding for the project. Since SEE BURNET PG 2

Sociology department wins national award for gender equality SARA STAGGS CONTRIBUTOR

The University of Cincinnati’s sociology department was awarded for gender equality among its faculty for the third time, making it one of the few schools nationwide to win the award every year it was offered. The Sociologists for Women in Society Seal of Excellence recognizes sociology departments that promote gender equality. “One of our goals is to highlight the departments who have done a great job and to encourage others to follow,” said Heather Laube, a member of the SWS Seal of Excellence selection committee. The seal is designed to set a precedent for all universities to follow regarding gender equality, Laube said. “This has been an ongoing effort by a lot of people,” said Steve Carlton, head of UC’s sociology department. SEE SOCIOLOGY PG 2

MADISON SCHMIDT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Luke Visconti, keynote speaker for the conference, congratulates UC for this year’s progress in diversity and remarks on the increasing need for consistent economic growth.

Speakers applaud university for efforts to improve diversity, inclusion at UC MELANIE TITANIC-SCHEFFT STAFF REPORTER

Though diversity, or lack thereof, at the University of Cincinnati prompted much controversy on campus during the Fall semester, speakers at the annual diversity conference applauded UC for its progress. Non-negotiable diversity was a theme throughout the Dr. Marian Spencer Diversity Ambassador Awards Luncheon at the sixth annual Diversity Conference in Tangeman University Center’s Great Hall Wednesday. In a packed room of students, faculty, staff and board of trustee members, Luke Visconti, luncheon keynote speaker, congratulated UC for its progress in diversity and highlighted the need for diversity in order for Cincinnati to grow economically. “Diversity is much more than simply giving equal opportunity to everyone,” Visconti said. “It raises the economic status of a city.” Cincinnati’s economy will not grow at the rate it should if more women and members of minority groups don’t hold high positions, he said.

Marian Spencer, the special remarks speaker, stressed the importance of matching the city’s economic progress with UC’s diversity and economic growth. “The lack of diversity and inclusion in an economically disadvantaged area reduces our overall competitiveness,” Spencer said. “We were statistically 11 out of 12 in racial and ethnic diversity, minority owned businesses, and female owned businesses. We are here today to address this distance, to plan, to prepare our student body to meet the challenge.” Visconti and Spencer agreed Cincinnati’s public schools must have structured mentoring by diverse mentors to help improve diversity at UC. Diversity and inclusion were hot-button issues at UC during the Fall semester. The resignation of Ronald Jackson — the first black dean in the history of the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences — in November sparked a campus-wide dialogue on diversity and inclusion at UC. The university and its newly hired Chief Diversity Officer Bluezette Marshall started meeting with different community members to address concerns with inclusion on campus. “This isn’t a sprint, but it is a marathon, and the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” Marshall said. “So,

we’re taking our first steps and each day we have to get better and better.” In December, President Santa Ono and Provost Beverly Davenport announced a new $440,000 annual investment in UC’s Diversity Plan. They said the funds will support the Turner, Niehoff Presidential and Yates scholarship programs, all of which benefit underrepresented minority students. While more work is needed, Marshall said the improvements are impossible to ignore. “I think that we have made significant progress,” said Marshall. “Sometimes when we stumble or have our challenges, that gets highlighted more than the good work that is happening. Today I am very overjoyed.” Scott Blake, a third-year engineering student, said he is impressed with UC’s internal work toward ensuring diversity on campus. “I love the efforts UC is putting forth for diversity, not only for African Americans, but for LGBT and all minorities,” Blake said. “We need to keep up with the rest of the world in growth on all fronts.” Debra Merchant, UC vice president for student affairs, said members of the SEE DIVERSITY PG 2

UC community remembers deceased students, faculty at annual event Administrators, students take time to remember former president, football player, others MELANIE TITANIC-SCHEFFT STAFF REPORTER

MADISON SCHMIDT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Antrione Archer, director of player development, shares experiences about Benjamin Flick, a football player who died in September.

University of Cincinnati students, alumni and faculty commemorated members of the UC community who died in the past year. “It is by far the most difficult part of being a university president, losing a member of our UC family, especially when that individual is a student,” said UC President Santa Ono. At the candlelit ceremony in the Russell C. Myers Alumni Center Thursday, more than a dozen speakers from the UC community gave personal tributes for the recently deceased students, alumni, colleagues and faculty. “As difficult as it is to grasp, death does not end your relationship with that individual,” Ono said. “It simply forces a new type of relationship, one based not seeing them on a daily basis, not on his or her physical presence, but a relationship of memory, spirit and love.” The service honored six students who died in the past

LAUREN KREMER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Loving, AAUP UC board approval.

CHIEF.NEWSRECORD@GMAIL.COM / 513.556.5908

year, including Benjamin Flick, a first-year student and redshirted football player who died in a car crash in September. Ono spoke about the legacy of UC’s 24th president, Joseph Steger, who held the second-longest presidential term in UC history. Steger passed away in May 2013. “Steger helped spearhead the university into achieving increasing renown for fiscal responsibility and indicators of academic quality, which increased dramatically in his term,” Ono said. The university awarded Steger an honorary doctorate of humane studies in 2004. Debra Merchant, vice president for student affairs, welcomed the speakers and opened the service with words of gratitude for those in attendance. “Each year we reflect on the sense of loss we feel, but also on the relationships, gifts and time we have shared with students, colleagues and friends,” Merchant said. “No measure of time nor combination of words can hold all the memories and capture all the love, and pride and respect we have for our co-workers and family members.” The memorial service ended with a moment of silence while chimes rang 13 times, once for each person remembered.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.