VOL. CXXXIII ISSUE I • FREE-ADDITIONAL COPIES $1
THE NEWS RECORD THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI’S INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWS ORGANIZATION / THURSDAY, OCT. 10, 2013
STUDENT, ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATION SETS RECORD
HOMECOMING
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MILEY CONDITION STABLE GRAVITY WRECKS IT FLOORS FOOTBALL PLAYER INJURED IN FATAL CRASH RECOVERING
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Opinion: UC officials urge community to engage more, not less Ono, Davenport, Marshall respond to racist cartoon, plan dialogue on race It is hard to imagine a sector of our society that is more devoted to understanding difference than higher education. Race, class, gender, ability, sexuality, religion and nationality are more than words, numbers or goals for us. These are complex realities that are lived, learned, researched, debated, celebrated, tested, leveraged and supported on college campuses every day and in various ways. Difference is essential to who we are, what we do and why we matter. Nevertheless, every year campuses across the country find themselves dealing with racist acts or toxic utterances that seek to deprive difference of its value
Proposal would add university presidents to CPS school board
and impact. The University of Cincinnati knows this reality well. Such incidents shock the system: how could a member of our community do such a thing? The hurt is real, and it can be compounded if felt by some but not all. Our immediate response must be to reach out to those targeted or threatened, ensuring their safety and sense of wellbeing. No one should stand alone in our community, especially at a time like this. Our next step may be the hardest, but it is the one that we are distinctively equipped to take: we must talk more, not less, about what makes us similar and different; more, not less, about our responsibility to recognize and protect free speech, even—and perhaps especially—when it is objectionable; and more, not less, about how we, individually and collectively, plan
to transform such occurrences into positive outcomes for our campus community. Our discussions should leverage our academic training and experience, leading us to examine every sort of rendering—
“We must talk more, not less, about what makes us similar and different; more not less, about our responsibility to recognize and protect free speech.” written, spoken, drawn or performed—to determine its motives and effects, its claim on truth. And while all members of our community have the right to express an odious opinion, we also have an equal
right, even a duty, to challenge it. Just as there are better and worse ways to conduct research, teach classes and write papers, there are better and worse ways to discuss disagreements. The better way? To stretch minds, not close them; to attack falsehoods, not personhood. The point of civility is not to cultivate thin skins or to lose perspective. The point is to act responsibly and respectfully. The alternative is simply not worthy of the people we aspire to be. Recently, we launched a national search for UC’s Chief Diversity Officer, a formerly part-time role that was elevated to a fulltime position in early 2013. Someone asked if we plan to be forthright with external candidates about the diversityrelated challenges facing the University. SEE RACISM PG 2
RESEARCH IN PERIL?
BRYAN SHUPE STAFF REPORTER
A proposal brought to the Cincinnati Public School Board Monday, recommended the addition of local, publiccollege presidents as nonvoting members of the school board and President Santa Ono might be one of them. Vanessa White, Cincinnati School Board member and Cincinnati City Council candidate, suggested that adding University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati State presidents to the school board could do great things — like increase local college retention — for Cincinnati Public Schools. Ono and Cincinnati State President O’dell Owens would sit on the school board as ex-officio members, meaning they would be unable to vote, but their experience leading two local universities could help increase graduation rates in CPS. “I would welcome an opportunity to serve on CPS’s Board. UC is already substantively involved in several CP schools and we take our role as an urbanserving university very seriously,” Ono said in an email. “Service on that board would only help align our collaboration further for the betterment of both institutions and the city of Cincinnati.” In her fourth year on the school board, White has noticed that high school graduation rates have been rising, but the focus needs to be turned toward encouraging young people to attend and graduate from college. “We know it’s inadequate at a time where post-secondary degrees are practically essential when you’re talking about workforce development,”White said. “I think we’re going to improve both the graduation rate and the college persistence rate.” Adding the two presidents to the school board would require finesse to adhere to Ohio law. The law states that members of the school board must be voted in, so the legislature would need to make an exception for Ono and Owens to become nonvoting members. But the feat is not impossible. Other Ohio cities benefit from university presidents on school boards in a similar fashion. Two presidents of public universities in Cleveland are members of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District School Board as nonvoting members. While the effects of such involvement are hard to predict, White said the change “could only have positive impact.” “I know UC had a record freshmen class and that’s great, but I think there is untapped possibilities with students that aren’t graduating and going to college,” White said. “This plan is just one way to ensure a higher degree of collaboration and accountability between both the university presidents and our school board.” SEE CPS PG 2
FILE ART
Researchers at Cincinnati universities are likely to be most affected by the government shutdown, but that could expand to students applying for loans for the Spring semester.
As research grant deadlines approach, prolonged shutdown could pose issues BEN GOLDSCHMIDT & MELANIE TITANIC-SCHEFFT THE NEWS RECORD
Cincinnati colleges are already starting to feel the heat from the government shutdown, particularly research institutions like the University of Cincinnati. Though the impact is mild for now, more negative effects will be felt later, depending on how long the shutdown lasts, said William Ball, vice president of the UC Office of Sponsored Research. “Seldom are the effects of such a shutdown experienced immediately, however, the communication with [government] offices are halted, which will affect the outcome of newly submitted grants the longer the shutdown continues,” Ball said. Grants that have already been funded won’t be affected, but newly submitted grants are on hold and the shutdown will likely affect how much funding is given and who receives funding based on how long it lasts, Ball said. “At the moment, UC is heavily leveraged with government funding, but we fear that will suffer if this continues much longer as time progresses,” Ball said. Miami University is in a similar situation. Jim Oris, Miami University’s associate provost for research and scholarships, said the longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk for significant impact to the university’s research and education programs. “The research funding environment is already extremely competitive, and
the delay or postponement of proposal submissions, reviews, and subsequent awards further erodes our capacity to conduct meaningful research with our students,” Oris said in a statement. Xavier University has seen some more specific issues arise due to the shutdown. Shari Howell, grant services officer at Xavier’s Office of Grant Services, said some routine activities have been halted and in one case, a new hire will have to wait for funding to come through for a job. However, Xavier hasn’t seen any effects on recently submitted grants that have not been funded yet, Howell said. That’s not to say the university’s ability to conduct research hasn’t been affected. Research
“At the moment, UC is heavily leveraged with government funding, but we fear that will suffer if this continues much longer as time progresses.” William Ball, vice president of the UC Office of Sponsored Research
proposals are due soon, and Howell isn’t able to work on proposal pieces because she has no access to the electronic systems necessary to do so. “Even if the shutdown is resolved soon, this could limit our ability to respond to requests for proposals by the established deadlines and force us to delay submitting a proposal until the next [request for proposal] is issued,” Howell said. Other Cincinnati universities are almost completely unscathed by the shutdown. The College of Mount Saint Joseph has no government-funded grants and has no
plans to pursue any in the near future, but the college is unsure how student loans will be affected. Student loans at UC are currently unaffected, but Ball is afraid for loans applied for and submitted for the Spring semester depending on how money will be reallocated after the shutdown. Ball also said UC had plans to pursue research with NASA’s Ames Research Center in California, but those plans have been stopped and cannot be renegotiated until after the shutdown. “Essentially, as time goes on we will feel the effects, but exactly how much and where it will hit the hardest will remain to be seen.” As of press time, no progress toward ending the shutdown has been made. The political standoff that has gummed up the government for nine days showed no sign of ending Wednesday as Democratic leaders dug deeper into their position that they would not negotiate with Congressional Republicans leaders until the government is reopened. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) met with Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) but the 40-minute conference in Boehner’s office showed no signs of untangling the logjam. Democrats had agreed to lower the budget figure to $986 billion, the Republicans’ baseline spending level, and begin a conference to delve into exactly where government spending would be cut, Pelosi said in a statement.She said she had 200 House Democrats who would accept the cuts. But in exchange, Democrats want the Republicans to drop efforts to derail the Affordable Care Act. McClatchey-Tribune News Service contributed to this report.
UC Technology Commercialization Accelerator hub opens at temporary location New center aims to help startups get off ground, hope district becomes hub ALEXIS O’BRIEN CHIEF REPORTER
The University of Cincinnati opened its Technology Commercialization Accelerator hub on Short Vine Monday. “The area is adjacent to the university campus and is in a bridging location between UC’s East and West campuses,” said Dorothy Air, UC vice president of entrepreneurial affairs and technology commercialization, in an email. “With much development activity going on in this area, Short Vine is likely to become an important innovation district.” The endeavor formed out of the UC Office of Entrepreneurial Affairs and
Technology Commercialization in February 2012. During its launch, the accelerator’s founders and SV ARX, LLC, a Short Vine development group, signed a memorandum of understanding that the accelerator would eventually move into a space on Short Vine. The accelerator is now moving into its temporary location at 2612 Vine Street. “Our intention all along has been to locate on Short Vine and we are very happy to serve as a catalyst for future growth and development of what’s likely to become an innovation district in Cincinnati,” Air said. The accelerator works to create startup companies by pinpointing promising technologies, assessing them to determine viable opportunities,
developing commercialization strategies, and facilitating the work needed to move
“With much development activity going on in this area, Short Vine is likely to become an important innovation district.” Dorothy Air, UC vice president of entrepreneurial affairs and technology commercialization
technology toward commercialization, according to Air. Already, the accelerator has committed $160,000 in awards for four promising projects led by UC investigators. “As a major research institution, [UC] develops a range of technologies that have potential to become products that can
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impact lives,” Air said. “Because of this, universities have the ability to be economic drivers in the region and beyond.” New inventions reach the program through invention disclosures that inventors file with the UC Intellectual Property Office, and through colleges and departments that identify opportunities. “The products that get to market have the potential to generate a royalty stream back to the university, offer educational experiences for students, generate jobs related to start-up companies and contribute to the economic vitality of the region,” Air said. Renovations are currently underway at what will become the accelerator’s permanent home — 2630 Vine Street. The space is expected to be ready for the accelerator’s occupancy in 2014.