the
buchtelite the independent voice of The University of Akron
Jessica Rogers Junior | Education
Hello
“Chipotle because they have the best rice ever.”
Wilson
Goodbye
Scarborough
Gregory Burns Junior | Sports Management “My favorite restaurant is The Market because they have so many varieties in there. I like The Market a lot.”
Abdullah Alghagai Junior | Chemical Engineering “Starbucks and I’m happy that they opened it at Bierce Library. It makes it easier for me when I’m studying here.”
See Wilson A2
See Scarborough A2
Hannah Reed Sophomore | Middle Childhood Education “I like the salad bar that they have in the Union. I feel like they have more options this year than there were last year.”
Brett Jones Freshman | Accounting “I’d have to say Freshens. They’ve got all the good stuff that you need to get bigger and grow stronger. I’m not typically a fan of the fast food style dining.”
See Town Hall A2
Marissa Wittmann Junior | Early Childhood Education “My favorite food place is Chick-fil-A because I love their chicken.”
THUR
8
FRI
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SAT
10
TUES
13
FRI
16
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Thursday, September 8, 2016
www.buchtelite.com
A3
WELCOME BACK STAFF EDITORIAL
Hello everyone, and welcome back to fall semester at The University of Akron. We hope your classes have started smoothly and you are engaged in your work. We’d like to mention three things in this piece. First, who we are; second, what we’re like; third, some thoughts on the University.
into it. Anyone can write or take photos for The Buchtelite: any major, any year, any experience. Because it’s volunteer work, you can also choose how much you want to do, whether it’s one story per week or one per semester. If you are interested, email editor-in-chief@ buchtelite.com.
Who we are For those who might not know, we are the University’s independent, student-run newspaper. We publish twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our papers can be picked up from little metal stands at many sites across campus, usually just inside the doorway of whatever building you have classes in, along with the Bierce and ASEC libraries, Rob’s Dining Hall, Buchtel Hall, and various dormitory buildings. They are free. Please take as many as you like. You can also find all our stories online at buchtelite. com. We have extra content there that cannot be printed, such as digital polls and sports scores (updated immediately). Check those out. There’s a new poll every week, and it’s important that you make known your thoughts on the issues at UA. You’ll also find us on social media. We have a Facebook and a Twitter that are updated frequently. The links to all the stories we publish in print are posted there too. If you have something you think the rest of campus should know about – let us know on social media (or by email, or phone call, or anything, really). We’ll look
What we’re like You probably don’t care about us. That’s understandable; newspapers are fast declining the country over, especially the lesser-known, smaller-staffed papers on college campuses. For younger people, national news often takes precedence over local news. TV is more entertaining than reading. Social media is easier than going to a news site. Paper is difficult to handle…etc., etc. We get it. There is still something to be said for us though. We may not have the fastest or most complete coverage, the best reporting or the best photos, the largest staff or the most volunteers. But we do have a perspective that no one else has – the truly local perspective, the perspective of fellow students at The University of Akron. We write for the students, and we are students. Whatever news happens, we’ll always cover it with that in mind. If your goal is to get to the University, get a degree, and get out in the shortest time possible, the least you can do is keep yourself informed. And if you are going to keep yourself informed, you cannot ignore the local perspective. UA news is not just news. It is a part of your life as a student;
and your life as a student, in the present, is just as much a part of your life as your life in the future, perhaps with jobs, money and a family. Stay informed. Participate in present concerns.
Michelle DeShon opinione-ditor@buchtelite.com
The past year Was crazy. Petitions, protests, presidential problems, angry people, misunderstood people, well-meaning people – it all was there. In short, a much-criticized administration led by former president Scott Scarborough (who now teaches class at UA) made many large changes to the University in a short amount of time, including but not limited to cutting more than 200 positions and reducing or eliminating programs, attempting to rebrand the school to “Ohio’s Polytechnic University,” beginning controversial initiatives, and, above all, communicating ineffectually. The drive behind these changes, Scarborough often reminded us, was to get UA out of its financial trouble. But it didn’t work as planned, and after a year of such activity, donations, enrollment, and University reputation were down. They must be brought up again. And the interim president, former dean of the UA law school Matthew Wilson, is more than promising. His sincerity cannot be doubted. His communication is, so far, outstanding (see the Town Hall article on the front page). We hope his enthusiasm keeps up, and also finds room in the hearts and minds of all others who care about the University.
Photo by Michelle DeShon “Chill” sign on the brick building that houses Chill Artisan Ice Cream.
Meet the new staff
Let’s talk with: Jane Bond
Jacob Allen Sports Editor Age: 22 Major: Mass Media
Over the next few weeks, The Buchtelite will be publishing letters from important people who played important parts in the events of the last year at UA, specifically those dealing with the beleaguered administration, the myriad initiatives, and the many changes that occurred. The writers of these letters have latitude to discuss what they want, whether it be analysis of the past, hopes for the future, or opinions on the present. What matters is that the conversation about the betterment of UA continues; and each writer is, we hope, doing what they think to be their fair part. This week’s letter is from Jane Bond, a retired Summit County common pleas judge who was involved with the “Advocates for The University of Akron, Students and Faculty” campaigns last year, which published numerous full-page ads in the Akron Beacon Journal – one of which contained more than a thousand community member signatures – calling for change in UA leadership. The University of Akron spent a year in the grip of a storm that shook it from top to bottom. The damages to its reputation, its educational mission and its financial stability were severe. Efforts are now underway to repair those damages and recover from the storm. What happened? Why did this historic institution experience such a cataclysm? I think the primary reason is that those in leadership stopped listening. They did not trust others within the University and refused to consider whether decisions that they had made might be wrong. It began in the spring of 2015 when the new president convinced the Board of Trustees that there was a financial crisis -- a “sixty million dollar problem.” He also convinced them that universities, such as UA, were dinosaurs doomed to extinction unless they radically changed the way they were structured, operated and delivered their “product.” A series of radical changes
were then proposed and quickly adopted. These changes in governance, in the identity and mission of the University and in staffing, faculty and operations were arbitrarily imposed by the leadership. The changes were not developed by those who would be directly impacted or those who were part of the larger community which has always been an essential part of the success of the University. When these changes began to take effect, the reaction was immediate and widespread. The alarm of the faculty was sounded clearly. Administrators and staff were traumatized as layoffs and outsourcing undercut their ability to work in a stable environment. Alumni were incensed when long honored traditions and connections were destroyed. Students demanded accountability for how their tuition dollars were spent. Voices began to be raised and serious questions asked. But they were not heard.
Those in leadership dismissed the public clamor as “white noise.” Faculty protests were seen as the selfserving demands of an overreaching, unionized minority. Administrative and staff concerns were silenced with job insecurity. The Board and president believed that these reactions were temporary and would soon end. They were convinced that the changes made were painful but necessary given the crisis at hand. They refused to consider that perhaps they were wrong. They would not listen to or talk with their critics. As a result, protests continued. Community leaders organized. Faculty voiced their lack of confidence and donors refused financial support. The reputation of the University in the region and nationally began to suffer. Faculty resignations increased, enrollment began to drop and turmoil on campus increased as demoralized employees struggled. A wide variety of concern finally
Communications; minor in Spanish
Michelle DeShon Opinion Editor Age: 22 Major: Mass Media Communications; minor in Photography
Arden Palmquist Arts & Life Editor Age: 19 Major: Mass Media Communications; minor in Anthropology
Courtney Blaha Page Designer Age: 19 Major: Graphic Design;
His hobbies include watching sports and Netflix and playing video games. He said, “I hope to bring in different writers for the sports page while bringing new ideas and features to the sports page as well.”
While she’s not working for The Buchtelite, Michelle can be found photographing in Akron, collecting vinyl records and antique cameras, and reading the latest issue of The Devil Strip.
She hopes she can help get students more interested in what’s going on on campus. She said, “There is so much to see and do and what better way to get information than reading our school’s paper?”
She came to The Buchtelite to get more experience in her field. In her free time, she enjoys watching Netflix, drawing, and bowling.
minor in Marketing
Emily Salopeck Online Editor Age: 21 Major: Public Relations crystallized in the universal demand that the president had to go. Still the Board turned a deaf ear and blind eye as the damages mounted. They refused to admit that the policies they had undertaken were damaging the institution. They blamed their critics and felt justified in their isolation. This dynamic prolonged the
situation far beyond the time when the conflict should have ended. Had they engaged in real dialogue, in a relationship of mutual trust with stakeholders who were just as devoted to the University as they were, the damages could have been dramatically lessened. The storm finally broke and today new bonds of trust and communication are being
Emily enjoys traveling, going to concerts, and laughing with her friends and family. She wrote the “Artist of the Week” feature last year.
forged. There must be a joint recognition that true leadership is not the dictatorial imposition of an agenda by a few but it is the shared vision and understanding that come from respect, trust and communication between all those involved. Only then can the niversity thrive and grow. - Jane Bond
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