By Marcus DodsonSports Editor

The University of Toledo football team defeated Iowa State 30-23 in a double-overtime thriller on Saturday. With the win, the Rockets (2-0) became just the third Mid-American Conference school to defeat two Power 5 conference opponents in the same year and just the second MAC school to do it in consecutive weeks.

Iowa State (0-2) had a chance to win the game with a 32-yard field goal at the end of regulation but the kick was missed wide left.

In overtime, UT won the

OT coin toss and selected defense first, holding the Cyclones to a three-and-out. ISU would convert the 44–yard field goal attempt to take a 23-20 advantage.

On Toledo’s first play on offense, senior QB Phillip Ely found sophomore wideout Cody Thompson streaking in the end zone, but the second-year player was unable to hold on to what would’ve been the game-deciding touchdown. Toledo also went three-and-out and freshman kicker Jameson Vest nailed his career-long 42-yard field attempt.

In the second over-time, Toledo started off

with the ball and put the pressure on Iowa State by scoring in just four plays. Junior running back Da-mion Jones-Moore was called on after star junior RB Kareem Hunt came up limp after a six-yard rush on second down.

Two plays later Jones-Moore scampered to the left for a 10-yard TD run.

ISU got as far as the 10-yard line but was stopped in four consecutive plays by the Rockets’ defense.

UT held a 20-10 lead going into the fourth quarter but only managed all but five total yards in the fourth quarter.

The Rockets were

out-gained in Saturday’s contest 481 yards to just 309 yards.

Toledo was led on the ground by Hunt who rushed for 133 yards on 24 carries coming off his two-game suspension. Ely was 11-for-28 in the air for 138 yards with a TD and INT.

Toledo’s defense played fired up with the return of senior defensive line-man Allen Convington. Junior linebacker Jaylen Coleman led the defense with 16 tackles. Junior DB DeJuan Rogers came up with his second game of the season with at least 10 tackles.

The Rockets hope to get the issues worked out in the receiving core heading into Saturday’s GoDaddy Bowl rematch with Arkansas State in which the Rockets won 63-44. Toledo’s wide-outs dropped eight passes which all would’ve resulted in a first down.

Saturday’s game against the Red Wolves will kick off at 7 p.m. in the Glass Bowl for the Rockets’ last non-conference game of the 2015 season.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919

97th year • Issue 6

www.IndependentCollegian.com

INSIDE

Head Coach Campbell writes to the fans

Campbell thanks fans for their support.

SPORTS / 5 »

UT races against time

Help the Hogar, a philanthropic race, will occur Sept. 27.

COMMUNITY / 6 »

Fighting for his life

Cheatham Norrils recovered from a life-threatening illness and is back in the game.

SPORTS / 5 »

““We believe that student pride matters because it is the essential motivator to change and progress.”

EDITORIAL

Got spirit? OPINION / 4 »

Back-to-back win for UT

COURTESY OF UT ATHLETICS(Left to right) Senior Alonzo Russell and junior Corey Jones celebrate after the 16-12 upset over Arkansas on Sept. 12.

Rockets are the second MAC team to defeat two ‘Power 5’ foes in two weeks

FOOTBALL

UT COMMUNITY

UT grieves loss of professor

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

By Jessica HarkerAssociate News Editor

Don Reiber, director of media and associate profes-sor of communications at the University of Toledo, died unexpectedly in his house Sunday night. Reiber was 68 and had been working with UT for 38 years at the time of his death. His wife, Pat Reiber, told The Blade he likely had a heart attack.

Though it was very recent, the effects of his death have already been felt throughout campus, especially by John Eidemiller, media producer for the University of Toledo’s communications department.

Less than 24 hours after receiving the news, Eidemi-ller found himself driving hastily between Rocket Hall and the Glass Bowl stadium, talking frantically into a cell phone trying to find three missing cameras the depart-ment lost track of after Don’s death.

“We’re hanging on,” Eidemi-ller said heavily into the phone.

Without any labels on the equipment dispersed on campus, keeping tabs on the many projects and events held here at UT seemed an

impossible task, Eidemiller said. An impossible task for anyone but Don Reiber.

Reiber was one of the key people who organized video coverage of events on campus and was so busy with both teaching and media coverage that he rarely wrote anything down or labeled any equip-ment, Eidemiller said.

“That’s why me and Don got along,” said Tyler Mattson, a seventh-year communication major with a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical science who worked and had class with Reiber. “He knew

what everything was in his department without writ-ing it down. He’d never ask for help, but he was always willing to help.”

Standing in the Glass Bowl and hoping the object of their search was behind the door in front of them, Eidemiller and Mattson tried unlabeled key after unla-beled key. They had good humor despite their grief.

“Don literally kept it from hitting the fan,” Mattson said. “And the only place the records exist was in his head, he was too busy to write it all down.”

Mattson wasn’t the only person Reiber had an im-mense impact on during his life. After having Reiber as a professor in 1997, Eidemi-ller said Reiber’s dedication to the job was so immense that he would drop anything for his students.

“When I am having din-ner with my family I don’t answer my phone. Don would have answered his phone and dropped anything to come over here,” Eidemi-ller said while holding back

By Colleen AndersonManaging Editor

The Office of Student Involvement and Leadership hopes to eliminate the need for stacks of paper forms and countless Facebook groups with the launch of the organizational program OrgSync.

Donovan Nichols, associate dean of stu-dent involvement and leadership, wrote in an email interview that the system forms an online community through the system.

“The platform helps users con-nect and engage with the popula-tions they serve, improve infor-mation sharing, minimize paper usage, track co-curricular involve-ment and generate reports on all data collected for annual reports and accreditation,” Nichols wrote.

Melissa LaRosa, OrgSync regional manager, wrote in an email interview that OrgSync is being used at over 450 college campuses worldwide and that the system has a retention rate of 95 percent.

The high retention rate may be due to its versatility, as LaRosa said that OrgSync has a number of different customizable features depending on the needs of the purchaser.

Nichols wrote that the numerous func-tions of OrgSync is the reason UT decided

SAVANNAH JOSLIN / ICKatie Cepero, a Toledo athletics video intern, was one of about 75 students, staff and community members who attended a vigil for Don Reiber.

The 18th banned books vigil begins Oct. 1 COMMUNITY / 6 »

DONOVAN NICHOLS Associate dean of

student involvement and leadership

OrgSync provides student life with a new platform

See OrgSync / 3 »

If you goWhat: Football

game against the Red Wolves

Where: Glass BowlWhen: Saturday,

Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.

See Reiber / 2 »

“He knew what everything was in his department without writing it down. He’d never ask for help, but he was always willing to help.”

TYLER MATTSONSeventh-year

communication major

2 | The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, September 23, 2015

CAMPUS DIGESTFacebook.com/ICollegian www.IndependentCollegian.com

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What is your favorite banned book?

“‘The Great Gatsby.’ I’m more of an action reader, and it had a little bit of action in it.”

Somer NocellaFirst-year

Pre-nursing

“‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,’ because of the moral of the story.”

Makenna RuizSecond-year

Biology

“‘The Great Gatsby’ because I gener-ally enjoy the 20s era and that book appealed to me the most.”

Tristen PocodeSecond-year

Chemistry and English

BUSINESSAdvertisingAaron DeGuilio, sales managerWilliam Woodson and Neil

Young, sales representatives

DistributionMegan Gaysunas, manager

Operations Andrew Rassel, manager

ProductionCrystal Valdez, manager

Online content Kyle Turner, webmaster

EDITORIALEditor-in-ChiefAmanda Pitrof Managing EditorColleen AndersonNewsTrevor Stearns, editorJessica Harker,

assoc. editorSportsMarcus Dodson, editorOpinionMorgan Rinckey, editorCommunityAlexandria Saba,

editorAnna Glore, assoc.

editorFeaturesJoe Heidenescher,

editorCopy deskLauren Gilbert, editorJared Hightower,

editorPhotographyAbigail Sullivan,

directorSavannah Joslin,

assoc. director

The Independent Collegian staffVisit us at Carlson Library, Suite 1057Write to us at 2801 W. Bancroft St., Mail Stop 530

Toledo, OH 43606Contact the editor at editor@independentcollegian.comAdvertise by emailing sales@independentcollegian.comPhone: 419-530-7788 Fax: 419-530-7770

COLLEGIAN MEDIA FOUNDATIONGeneral ManagerDanielle Gamble

The Independent Collegian is pub-lished by the Collegian Media Foundation, a private, not-for-profit corporation. © 2015

UTMC Bus Line24-Hour

EmergencyMaintenance

Affordable pricesShort Term Leases Short Term Leases (min. 3 months)

1 Bedroomstarting at

$3352 Bedroomsstarting at

$375

NOW LEASING You don’t have to pack! Just call, we’ll tell you how!

tears. “It’s just the type of person he was.”

He was a true expert in his field, said Meagan Dietz, a third-year communication and film major who worked alongside Reiber.

“He loved when you asked questions and he was so excited to tell you about ev-erything, even if you couldn’t remember it,” Dietz said.

Damaris Sims, a third-year communication major, said Reiber truly was an inspira-tion and an encouraging force to anyone who took the time to utilize his skills.

“He really couldn’t be com-pared to any other professor on campus,” Sims said, “He had so much experience and he was always helpful. Any questions you had he was willing to

answer. He was just really com-mitted to all of his students.”

Not only did Reiber have an immense effect on UT, but also just the people he encountered in everyday life, said Eidemi-ller. One of these people was a grocery store worker who remembered Don from his regular visits to the store.

“A couple times a week Don would come over and buy a steak from her for his wife. She had one set aside, and yester-day Don never came, and she came to the vigil,” Eidemiller said, referring to the informal candlelit ceremony which several students, faculty, staff and community members held Sunday night on the front steps of the Student Union. “She only knew Don from that in-teraction that she had a couple times a week but the fact that here’s somebody that he just saw in a store and they were

so moved by his kindness and drawn to his personality that he had that much of an effect on them. It’s just who he was.”

Reiber’s family requested not to have a public visitation. UT said a “celebration of his life and legacy will be held at a later date.” The family told UT they will use memorial dona-tions sent to the University of Toledo Foundation to start a scholarship fund for broadcast communication students.

Reiber from page 1

“He really couldn’t be compared to any other professor on campus.”

MEAGAN DIETZThird-year communication

and film major

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 | The Independent Collegian | 3

NEWSFollow us onTwitter @TheICToledo Like us at Facebook.com/ICollegian www.IndependentCollegian.com

IN BRIEF

Water quality lecture

Ohio State University professor Brent Sohngen will give a lecture at UT about water quality and the cause of recent prob-lems. The lecture is part of UT’s Esteemed Speak-er series and is titled “Do Agricultural Conservation Programs Reduce Nutri-ents in Watersheds?” The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held Sept. 23 at 4 p.m. in Bowman-Oddy Labo-ratories Room 10. For more information, contact Scott Heckathorn at scott.heckathorn@utoledo.edu.

Master plan in discussion

Starter conversations regarding the University of Toledo’s first facilities “master plan” since its merger with the Medi-cal University of Ohio in 2006 are underway. These initial discussions will lead to a survey to be distributed to students this month

According to Jason Toth, associate vice president for facilities and construction, UT will be working on the plan with the planning con-sultant Smithgroup JJR. Smithgroup will return to campus in October to discuss broader cam-pus topics. Check The Independent Collegian in coming weeks for more information on UT’s master plan.

CLASSIFIEDSTo place a classified ad call 419-530-7788 or email classifieds@independentcollegian.com. Ads must be received by 5

p.m. Monday. Please read your ad on the first day of publication and call immediately if there are any errors; we accept re-sponsibility only for the first day of publication. All classified ads must be prepaid with a check or credit card.

FOR SALE4 BED 2.5 BATH, NEAR SWAN PARK

Awesome 4 Br., 2.5 bath, basement. 2 Story.

4482 Meadow Creek Ct., Toledo, OH.

Walk to Swan Creek ParkGourmet kitchen, all appliances.Huge yard, has gazebo, tiered deck,

bar, grill & sink.$220,000 range. Real Advantage Realty, Marita

419.509.0529

HELP WANTEDM OSTERIA NOW HIRING

NOW HIRING -- An upscale casual Italian Restaurant Downtown Toledo near the stadium. Looking for Bartend-ers, Wait Staff, Hostesses, and

General Help. Apply in person or email resumes to support@marcos.com. M'Osteria and Bar, 611 Monroe St. To-ledo, OH 43604. An EOE employer.

DIRECT CARE AIDS WANTEDSpecial Education/Social Work &

Psychology MajorsPT positions available$9hr increasing to $9.25 after 90

daysWorking with adults with mental re-

tardation living in group home settings and adult day services throughout the Toledo area.

Assistance with: meal preparation, personal hygiene, home maintenance, community outings, medication assis-tance, etc.

Qualified applicants: 18+ yrs of age, hs diploma/GED, valid driver license which meets insurance standards, clean criminal background

Interested applicants can complete the online application at: www.wiley-homesinc.coom or contact the office at 567-686-1130

NOW HIRING AT KOREANA

Koreana Asian Grill & Sushi is now hiring servers and kitchen help. Send your resume to Koreanamanager@gmail.com or apply at our location at 1423 Bernath Pkwy.

FOR HIREMATH TUTOR AVAILABLE

Math tutor available, geometry, alge-bra, trigonometry, calculus, business calculus. David Zapadka 567-288-6896 dzapadka@yahoo.com. If I can't help you, I will help you find someone who can!

Sim center brings together different disciplinesBy Ashley KingStaff Reporter

Since its opening in 2014, the Lloyd Jacobs Interprofes-sional Immersive Simulation Center has provided learners with opportunities to im-prove their skills in the field.

According to Brandi Barhite, media relations specialist for UTMC, the simulation center has trained an average of 2,000 learners per month since its opening.

Users of the center include pharmacy, medical, nursing, physician assistant students and hospital staff from UTMC.

Roy Schneider, manager of Medical & Biological Illus-tration at the center, said one of the benefits it gives the learners is a chance to work with others of a different medical background.

“The information that they’re learning and sharing

is not just with an isolated silo group,” Schneider said. “They put teams of students together of different disciplines and they share their experiences.”

Barhite said she agreed with having learners of all different backgrounds working together, and that this will aid in the preparation of working in an actual medical environment.

“That’s the way it is in the real world. Nurses aren’t only going to work with nurses. They’re going to work with doctors and pharmacists,” Barhite said.

Kelsey Wolschlager, a fourth-year nursing major at Bowling Green State University, wrote in an email interview that nursing majors from BGSU are allowed to use the simulation center through the agreement made by BGSU and UT.

“BGSU does not have the facilities that UT has for the nursing program, so they teamed up and they accept applications into the pro-gram from both universities and once accepted into the program all of my classes were held at the UT medical campus,” Wolschlager wrote. “So both UT and BG students have to commute to classes. I still pay tuition and register for classes through BG and will get a diploma from BG as well.”

Carol Hasbrouck, direc-tor of Interprofessional Education at UTMC, said

UTMC’s simulation center is set apart from others by the three levels dedicated to different studies.

“Most medical schools have a clinical simulation center,” Hashbrouck said. “What’s unique about this one is when they built it, they wanted to have three floors that were very diverse.”

According to Hashbrouck, having the simulation center is not only beneficial for aca-

demic purposes, but for the patients that will one day be treated by the learners as well.

“When you end up in a hospital you’ve got a team of people helping you. If they don’t know how to … commu-nicate with each other and or respect one another, your care goes down,” Hashbrouck said.

Wolschlager has used the simulation center and said the benefits of using the center has helped her with

patient care in her clinicals.“It gives you the chance

to work with patients and become comfortable around them and talking to them and giving them care without being judged or facing a real patient,” Wolschlager wrote. “The more Sim Labs I at-tended, I noticed my clinical skills increasing, both with my ability to provide care and my ability to relate and com-municate with the patients.”

ASHLEY KING / ICThe center provides its learners with realistic mannequins that are able to talk and also have bodily functions. The sim center is used by hospital staff members from UTMC and pharmacy, medical, nursing and physician assistant students from UT and BGSU.

Hands-on experience

Presidential Inauguration InfoClasses:• All classes beginning at or after 1 p.m. are cancelled.

Processional: • Scheduled to meet at the Student Union at 1:30 p.m. • Robing and Procession will go from the Student Union

to Savage Arena, as long as the weather permits and will begin at 2:30 p.m.

Inauguration: • Friday, September 25 located in Savage Arena at 3

p.m. and estimated length is about an hour to an hour and a half.

Reception: • Will take place immediately after the ceremony in the

West Lobby of Savage Arena.

To find more information on the Inauguration Day events, go to our website to read more.

to purchase the program. It allows students to create external websites for their organizations and easily pass along control of the organization’s website and information when leadership changes.

Anna Crisp, a student trustee and pres-ident of International Service Learning, compared the platform to a Facebook for student organizations.

“This could be your homepage, your little UT Facebook,” Crisp said. “I think it’s a great resource; I’m excited that we got it. You know, there’s been talk about it for a while so I’m really excited that we went ahead and did it.”

Nichols wrote that the program costs $17,000 a year, but may cost more or less depending on the amount of features UT uses and how many ‘umbrellas’ or organization pages are on the system.

The paper forms that are currently mandatory for student organizations will all be online in the future, which Nichols said could potentially save hundreds of dollars for the university.

According to LaRosa, “our campus partners moved over 28,000 forms to OrgSync, which saved more than 6.7 million sheets of paper and represents a cost savings of approximately $749,600.”

However, Nichols said the purchase is not meant to save money, but to benefit the students.

“It’s more we see it as enhanced features that we have to pay for, not necessarily saving money in other areas except for printing costs, really,” Nich-ols wrote. “This is more an additional feature that brings about things like the

event calendaring that we didn’t have in the system before, that just stream-lines processes and makes it easier for student organizations.”

LaRosa wrote that OrgSync is more than just a tool for organization; it also helps student involvement offices gather data about the level of involve-ment on campus.

“Campuses may leverage the data collected in OrgSync to assess the impact of student involvement and co-curricular programming on over-all student success and retention,” LaRosa wrote.

The complete switch from physical paper forms will take place on Sept. 24, and all student organizations should have registered with OrgSync by then. Any organization that has not regis-tered by Sept. 24 will be marked as in-active until they complete the process.

While the transition to using OrgSync is quickly approaching, the full process is far from completed. The next phase involves teaching student organizations how to best utilize OrgSync.

By orientation for 2016’s incoming class, Nichols wrote that OSIL plans to introduce an OrgSync that has all students regularly interacting and connecting with on-campus events and organizations.

Right now, the plan is still in a rela-tively preliminary phase.

“We want new users to have a great experience and find what they are looking for the first time they visit, which is why we are being strategic about how we roll out the marketing for OrgSync,” Nichols wrote.

The university purchased OrgSync last fall, with Student Government

members participating in discus-sions about the program. The former SG student affairs chair, who worked on the project, declined to comment.

Nichols wrote that the launch took longer than anticipated because of external circumstances.

“As with all major projects with multiple moving parts, there are always unforeseen situations which can slow down an implementation,” Nichols wrote. “We have run into a few of those situations, but have suc-cessfully navigated the issues with the support of UT’s IT department and the OrgSync staff.”

Crisp said while she expects the tran-sition to take time, it will ultimately be beneficial for students to join.

“I think it’s really student-friendly, and obviously the focus here is for the students, so I think that’s what’s most important,” Crisp said. “We want to encourage involvement, and I think this is a great way to do it.”

OrgSync from page 1

“I think it’s really student-friendly, and obviously the focus here is for the students, so I think that’s what’s most important. We want to encourage involvement, and I think this is a great way to do it.”

ANNA CRISPStudent trustee and president of

International Service Learning

“Nurses aren’t only going to work with nurses. They’re going to work with doctors and pharmacists.”

BRANDI BARHITEMedia relations specialist

for UTMC

I felt terrified seeing the blue, flashing police lights in my rearview mirror as I was pulled over last Saturday night. I was pulled over after the victory over Iowa State for driving without my lights on. It’s ironic how much fear we have of the same institution that should make us safe.

We expect the police to protect lives and property but today, “killer cops” have become judges on the street. They decide who deserves to live or die by dispensing “the death sentence on the street,” as a Univer-sity of Toledo’s law professor, Jelani Exum, described it. Killer cops know that by simply saying, “I was afraid for my life,” they have almost certainly secured their freedom from the crime of killing unarmed civilians. This is sad — and it’s why we fear the police for even random traffic stops. We’re not sure if the officer is a “killer cop” or one that knows that all Ameri-cans have rights under the Constitution. It’s natural to be concerned these days.

For all kinds of police brutality, including deaths, Canada recorded 127 incidences between 1932 and 2015; the UK had 70 cases from 1920-2015, while Germany recorded 19 cases since 1967. According to The Economist in August 2014, “it is hardly surprising that cops resort to the weapons more frequently” in America. Forget about the publicized deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Walter Scott or 12-year old Tamir Rice, and focus on the 814 un-armed civilians who became unfortunate victims of these “killer cops,” according to Killed By Police 2015. These killings have become common among the American public and seriously diminished public trust in American law enforcement.

I don’t downplay the daily threats our

officers face on the streets. This year, 26 on-duty cops were killed by gun-fire including Dwight Maness, Joseph Ponder and Charles Gliniewicz in recent months. There’s a real threat out there on the street but we expect great discretion from officers as they make these life and death decisions. Too bad we can’t revive

lost lives. As a world leader, America should not imply that it’s fine to kill an unarmed citizen just because an officer feels threatened for his life.

Lately, I’ve been trying to under-stand why our cops are prone to using deadly force when that should be the last resort. Could it be the

thrill of pulling a trig-ger? Or has our soci-ety’s general apathy to the issue encouraged this growing trend?

There could be other factors as well.There’s no denying that academic

qualifications tend to correlate with job performance. This is still true for police officers. Professor William Terrill of Michigan State found that cops with only a GED tend to use force more than those with higher credentials. Also the public is not happy when bush-league cops don’t receive just punishment for their crimes. It’s common for police departments to use victim-blaming and shaming strategies to cover up unjust activities. The most com-mon punishments are paid administrative leaves or suspensions which do little to stem gross indiscretion. At other times grand juries also fail to indict “killer cops.” This encourages police impunity and faux pas which fuels public distrust. For instance, how does Ohio’s Beaver Creek or Cleveland police departments expect the families of either John Crawford III or Tamir Rice to trust them or believe they won’t suffer similar fates?

The streets of Ferguson and Bal-timore provided glimpses into the unnecessary but growing militarization of America’s police forces. The general feeling was as if these police depart-ments wanted to put up public reenact-ments of Iraq and Afghanistan.

There is also a lack of a national da-tabase to catalogue incidences of police brutality. Information is power and awareness of the actual magnitude of the situation is important for change.

Racial characterization of the situa-tion by referring to the race of victims only divides public sentiment and collaboration needed for changing policing policy. There’s no doubt race relations is a big problem in America but the victims of police brutality tran-scend races. It’s not a black or white or Hispanic issue; it’s an American prob-lem that needs an American solution.

If we can clean our police depart-ments and streets of “killer cops,” we would improve public trust and our re-lationship with cops. A civilian shouldn’t feel he is about to have his last conver-sation when he encounters the police. We should have more training and professional development opportunities for police officers in addition to regular psychological evaluations. Killer cops should receive just punishment for their crimes. As a deterrent, it would perhaps be helpful to society if families of victims ask for huge financial settlements for these crimes. It should be very expensive for cops to kill unarmed civilians. The police should also improve their public outreach, especially with populations that feel unnecessarily discriminated against by the police.

The real change however starts with po-lice officers’ decision to be very thoughtful in their actions. Lethal force shouldn’t be the first option because our streets are not war zones. Imagine the possibilities of American law enforcement truly protect-ing lives rather than taking it.

Philemon Abayateye is a doctoral student in geography and planning.

4 | The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, September 23, 2015

OPINIONSend letters to the editor to Editor@independentcollegian.com www.IndependentCollegian.com

EDITORIAL

COMMENTARY

COMMENTARY

Got spirit?

The death sentence on the street

PHILEMON ABAYATEYE

IC COLUMNIST

Editorials appearing on this page represent the consensus view of the editorial staff. Columns and letters to the editor reflect the opinions

of their authors, not those of The Independent Collegian.

EDITORIAL BOARDJoe Heidenescher

Trevor StearnsAmanda PitrofAnna Glore

Morgan Rinckey Colleen Anderson

There are few things in life better than the comfort of a best friend. They are there for us when we need them, always up for a good time and no matter the distance, they always show they care. I can guar-antee someone’s face just popped into your mind as you read that. For me, that person is Alexis Willoughby.

Many of us are so used to constantly seeing our best friends, sending them that daily text and covering our rooms with their photos, we often take them for granted. This is not to say that we ‘use’ them or forget about them, but that we forget to say thank you for all that they do for us.

Alexis and I met in high school.

After joining a few of the same orga-nizations, we became fast friends by

proximity. Through-out high school, she was always someone I could go to about anything, someone who greeted anyone with open arms. She never judged, was always quick to show compassion, and certainly knew how to have a good time.

As time went on, our friendship got stronger, and by graduation, we were deeply upset to leave each other for col-

lege. Unlike false promises made by many friends, the message of, “stay in touch, I love you, and I’m here for you,” had the utmost validity. Ohio State is a few hours away; close enough to make a visit over a break, but far enough away to make

weekend visits less than easy. Along with keeping up by texting

and using Facetime, we write letters and cards of encouragement to each other in the mail. These letters are invaluable to me: on tough days, I reread them to remind me that I am loved and have a support system. It is much more meaningful to have a palpable note hanging in my room rather than a transient text message.

But it wasn’t until I was asked by her family to write a letter for her for a retreat, that I realized I hadn’t stopped to thank her in our five years of friendship for all she has done for me. It’s strange: when someone is close to you, you often see them as a constant part of your life, an unmoving force. Until you are apart, you never really stop to look back on all that they had done in your life.

Writing that letter was a turning point for me. It showed me I had to work on gratitude, because I had so much to be thankful for, and she needed to know it too.

Sitting down to write the letter was

easy: I could go on and on about all the late night phone calls, ‘emer-gency’ text messages, last minute hangouts and everlasting support. The words seemed to flow effort-lessly: I realized just how many good things I could think of about her and how many good times and memories we had shared together.

While I was writing, a memory of Alexis at a high school retreat kept flowing into my mind as a thought of our friendship. All students in my class were given candles and lined up in a circle. One student had a lit can-dle, while the rest of the candles were unlit. The student with the flame had to take their candle and light the wick of someone else in the class’s candle who had been a true friend to them. As we continued around the circle, I remembered feeling shocked and so full of love as Alexis crossed the circle to light my candle. It was in that moment that I realized not only had she been a true friend to me, but she saw me as one to her too.

In my letter, I told her how much

I appreciated all that she did for me. I told her how she motivated me in ways she would never know to be my best and do my best, because she was always rooting for me. I told her how she knew me better than I knew myself, and always worked to settle my fears and help me make the best decisions because of her knowledge of me. I told her how I could see us in the future planning weddings, baby showers, and watching our kids grow up together. Finally, I told her how I knew she was a true blessing in my life. When so many others had walked out, she stayed, and that meant the world to me.

I know not everyone finds a friend as special as she is, and I will never take her for granted.

I challenge you: If you have had a friend like Alexis in your life, take time to tell them a simple ‘thank you.’ When we are so used to having them around all the time, those simple two words can go unsaid.

Alexis Nieszczur is a second-year majoring in pharmacy.

The words I don’t say enough to my best friend

Last Thursday, Centennial Mall was spilling over with nearly 2,000 people. Students on tiptoes snagged colorful selfies to add to their Snapchat stories. The sounds of brass blared and the beats of drums percussed across the beautiful, sunny mall. Everyone buzzed with excitement and anticipation for the triumphant University of Toledo Rockets to arrive — when they finally did, the crowd broke into an ecstatic frenzy driven by echoing chants “T-O-L-E-D-O!”

But, how many of those people showed up to class Monday morning?

The pep rally was held to support the football team after their upset over the Arkansas Razorbacks and to get hyped up for the game against Iowa State, and it was an electric, power-ful moment. The problem is that once we come down from the buzz of school spirit, students fall back into the same patterns of keeping their heads down and anonymously complaining on Yik Yak without getting out of bed to change anything.

Simply put, students need to start giving a shit.Hold on to the feelings of pride and joy swelling in your

chest. Hold onto that feeling of bursting excitement and enthusiasm, but don’t expect it to carry you through your time at school. Short term enthusiasm isn’t a substitute for a deeper sense of concern and awareness of what’s happening at UT.

It’s important to be an active participant on campus, not only for you as an individual, but for the community. We have the ability to make a difference, yet it’s rare that students are recognized for their grassroots efforts to make changes at the university. Change is only impossible when no one cares enough to make it happen.

Students are capable of enacting change, and have instituted huge changes in the past. The UT Feminist Alliance helped prevent the movement of the counseling center to a less-than-ideal location, a group of protestors at a lecture motivated the university to update the free speech policy and the UT Student Government persuaded administration to keep the library open for extended hours during exam week.

School spirit comes from participation and excitement, but real pride in your school comes from knowing your university has been made better by the informed choices and efforts of those who are a part of it. Real participation involves a deep-seated care and respect for the school.

The IC editorial board is not the be-all and end-all authority on defining “the college experience,” but we think taking an active role in shaping the environment you chose is definitely a step in the right direction.

We’re not saying you have to be at every football game and have “Rocket pride,” but it does mean actively caring about what happens at your school. And since you are reading this paper, you must care at least a little. We too have a mission to serve the students and this community; we are proud. We believe that stu-dent pride matters because it is the essential motivator to change and progress. If you have no pride, you have no improvement.

As we said in last week’s editorial, this school is only as good as you make it.

You — yes, you — are the key to change. Challenge the ad-ministration, push for, or against a referendum, start a purpose-driven organization or publish a column with us. Care enough to not settle for a second-rate university, because if students are satisfied being mediocre, then that’s what UT will become.

Students should take pride in UT in order to make a change

ALEXIS NIESZCZUR

IC COLUMNIST

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 | The Independent Collegian | 5

SPORTSFollow us on Twitter @IC_Sports www.IndependentCollegian.comLike us at Facebook.com/ICollegian

StandingsFOOTBALL

Fighting for his life

PHOTO COURTSEY OF UT ATHLETICSSenior defensive captain Cheatham Norrils looks in for the play call in the Sept. 12 game against Arkansas. The Rockets won the turnover battle forcing an interception and fumble.

Senior corner Cheatham Norrils overcomes life-threatening illnessBy Keith BoggsSports Reporter

After a year off from his impressive tackle record, senior cornerback Cheatham Norrils has returned to the field as co-number one in the 2015 preseason.

Norrils was redshirted last season as a result of a life-threatening, unknown viral illness.

“It was a life or death situation,” Norrils said. “For the first ten days I was in the hospital, I was more worried about surviving than football.”

Until that moment, Norrils played football for three years and started for two. In high school he was named North-west Ohio’s “Player of the Year” by The Blade.

Norrils’ illness was sudden and put a huge pause on his football career.

“The first four or five days, he was critically sick,” said Head Coach Matt Campbell. “It was really scary for him and his family, as well as us coaches.”

For more than ten days Norrils was stuck in a hospi-tal bed, and his doctors were unable to diagnose what was plaguing him.

“They narrowed it down to a viral infection,” Norrils said. “But there were no specifics on what it was, or where it actually came from.”

As one can imagine, spend-ing more than a week in the hospital diminished a lot of Norrils’ strength.

The illness caused him to lose nearly 40 pounds, which put him at a weight that would prevent him from playing football.

After things began to get better for Norrils, he had to go through a long, grueling

process of rehab. “I had to take care of my

health,” Norrils said. “The way I was eating, even sleeping. Everything had to change just to stay healthy.”

Norrils was at a battle with his body to recondi-tion himself to football standards — which meant regaining lost muscle mass and lost weight.

“I had to be more careful about what I did,” Norrils said. “I didn’t really workout much, and when I did, it was more body weight and resistance-type things.”

After nearly half a year of recovery and rehab, Norrils was able to get back on the field for the Rockets’ spring game this past April.

“He has a new appre-ciation for the game, after being told by some people he might not play again,” said Defensive Backs coach DK McDonald. “He had a newfound joy to be back on the football field; it was contagious and infectious throughout our secondary.”

In his first true game action since his illness, he made a remarkable come-back and picked off a de-flected pass in the second quarter in Toledo’s Spring Game.

“He’s played really well for us this year and it

started in spring practice,” Campbell said. “How quick he was able to bounce back was impressive.”

His notable performance in spring carried over into fall camp and Norrils was able to secure a starting cornerback spot.

“He has god-given ability,” Campbell said. “He’s a really special athlete.”

Norrils’ peers agree that he was hardworking before the illness, and has only worked harder after.

“Last year at this point I was really worried about liv-ing,” he said.

Now, with his mysterious illness behind him, Norrils can focus on football again.

“Cheatham is a heck of a player and even better competitor,” McDonald said. “I knew that once he stepped back on the field, he would be a better version of what he was.

“He’s one of the best competi-tors I’ve ever coached.”

The improvement is already beginning to be seen throughout the defense since his return.

While Toledo has given up their fair amount of yardage so far this season, they’re only allowing 17.5 points per game, compared to 30 last season.

The improvement shouldn’t solely be attrib-uted to Norrils, but if the Rockets want to continue making noise at a national level, they’re going to need him around.

“When he steps on to the field, he doesn’t want anyone to catch a ball over him; he wants to make every tackle,” McDonald said.

“That’s what makes him who he is.”

SoccerSchool MAC Overall

EAST DIVISION Kent State 0-0 4-2-2Miami 0-0 4-3Bowling Green 0-0 4-3-1 Buffalo 0-0 4-3-1Akron 0-0 3-4-1Ohio 0-0 2-5 WEST DIVISION Ball State 0-0 4-2-2Western Michigan 0-0 3-2-2Toledo 0-0 4-5Eastern Michigan 0-0 3-4-1Central Michigan 0-0 1-5-1Northern Illinois 0-0 1-6

VolleyballSchool MAC Overall

EAST DIVISION Ohio 0-0 10-3Miami 0-0 8-5Kent State 0-0 6-6 Akron 0-0 6-7Bowling Green 0-0 4-9Buffalo 0-0 1-11 WEST DIVISION Eastern Michigan 0-0 8-5Ball State 0-0 6-8Central Michigan 0-0 5-8Northern Illinois 0-0 4-8Western Michigan 0-0 4-11Toledo 0-0 3-10

FootballSchool MAC OverallEAST DIVISION Ohio 0-0 3-0Buffalo 0-0 2-1Akron 0-0 1-2 Bowling Green 0-0 1-2Kent State 0-0 1-2Miami 0-0 1-2 UMass 0-0 0-2

WEST DIVISION Ball State 1-0 2-1Toledo 0-0 2-0Northern Illinois 0-0 2-1Central Michigan 0-0 1-2Western Michigan 0-0 1-2Eastern Michigan 0-1 1-2

To all University of Toledo students, faculty, staff, alumni and all fans in Rocket Nation:

On behalf of the coaches, staff and players of the Univer-sity of Toledo’s football team, I would like to personally thank all of you who came out and supported us in our 30-23 double overtime victory over Iowa State on Saturday night. As I told the media right after the game, that was your win! You are the ones who made the Glass Bowl electric. You stayed with us and drove us to victory

when the odds seemed to be against us. You showed the nation what great fans we have and also what a special place the University of Toledo is.

Our football team is always striving to make you proud, whether it is on the football field, in the classroom or in the community. You make us proud by your support and enthusi-asm. You make us stronger by making the Glass Bowl such a great environment for us and such a difficult place to play for our opponents.

We need that great support again this Saturday night at 7 p.m. when we play Arkansas State, our opponent in last year’s GoDaddy Bowl. Let’s pack the Glass Bowl and keep the excitement of this great season rolling.

Rocket fans are one of the things that make playing football at the University of Toledo truly special. We can’t thank you enough for your continued support.

Go Rockets!— Matt Campbell, head coach

MATTCAMPBELL

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

Rockets take 10th place at the Inverness Intercollegiate

The University of Toledo Men’s Golf team finished 10th at the 11th-annual Inverness Intercollegiate on Tues-day. The tournament was played at the historic Inverness Club (Par 71, 7,323 Yards).

UT posted a team score of 55-over par 907 which was 30 shots behind the champion California who shot 25 over par 877.

The Rockets finished second among five Mid-American Conference teams that participated in the tournament. The Golden Bears held a three-shot cushion over last year’s champion East Tennessee State who posted a score-card of 28-over par 586.

Senior Otto Black paced UT at 13-over par 226 and tied for 31st place. Sophomore Colin Joseph finished just one shot behind Black and finished tied for 35th.

Sophomore Stephen Watts finished at 16-over par 229 and freshman Spencer Shoemaker just one shot more at 17-over par 230 to tie for the 40th and 46th spots, respectively.

Individually, Michigan State’s Mitch Rutledge captured medalist honors at two-under par 211. Rutledge fired a tourney best five-under par 66 in Tuesday’s final round to post a three-shot victory over runner-up Michi-gan’s Kyle Mueller at one-over par 214. Rutledge just missed the lowest single round score in tourney history by a mere one shot.

The Rockets will get back to the course when they compete in the Fires-tone Invitational on Oct. 5 in Akron, Ohio.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letter to all UT students

SOCCER

Rockets wrap up non-conference play with winBy Jackson RogersSports Reporter

The University of Toledo women’s soccer team finished up their non-conference slate of games with with a 2-0 win over Northern Kentucky on Sunday.

After dropping five straight games, the Rockets (4-5) won their last three games heading into Mid-American Conference play on Friday.

“It’s a long season full of ups and downs,” said Head Coach T.J. Buchholz. “We struggled early but we’ve been playing great the past couple of weeks so we’re feel-ing confident now.”

The Rockets applied heavy pressure all game recording 23 shots with 11 on goal.

Freshman forward Italia Biondi made her first goal of her collegiate career for Toledo in the 33rd minute. NKU goalkeeper Brooke Schocker caught the shot but fell over the goal line to give the Rockets a 1-0 lead.

Junior forward Kiersten Johnson gave UT some insurance with a goal in the 73rd minute. Senior mid-fielder Geri Siudzinski placed a cross into the box where Johnson headed it into the back of the net for her team-high third goal of the season.

The defense was strong again for Toledo, allowing only two shots on goal for the whole match. Senior goalie Sam Tiongson recorded her second shutout of the season.

“Sam’s been a great leader for us in net,” Buchholz said. “She’s come up with big saves when we needed her to.”

Toledo will kick off conference play against Northern Illinois on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Com-plex. They will travel to Western Michigan to resume play on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Heading into MAC play, the Rockets were projected to finish sixth in the west division by the league’s coaches. As of now, the Rockets hold the third-best record in the west division.

“The MAC is balanced,” Buchholz said, “Every team could win the conference. The margin of error is low for each team.”

The non-conference schedule helped the Rockets to prepare for conference play. Of the nine games the team faced in the past month, three were nationally-ranked teams in the AP Top 25.

“We had a tough non-conference schedule,” Buchholz said. “It makes us play our best but it also sees where you need work. The non-conference schedule has prepared us well.”

The MAC women’s post-season soccer tournament will be held Nov. 2, 7 and 9 at the University of Buffalo.

ABIGAIL SULLIVAN / IC(Left to right) sophomores Regan Price (UT) and Bryce Hueber (WSU) fight for a free ball on the Sept. 13 for a 1-0 win.

“I was more worried about surviving than football.”

CHEATHAM NORRILSSenior defensive back

IN BRIEF

6 | The Independent Collegian | Wednesday, September 23, 2015

COMMUNITYCALENDAR

Wednesday, Sept. 236:30 p.m. -- Film

Screening of “Teach,” in Health and Human Servic-es Building Room 1600.The film screening will be followed by a discussion beginning at 8 p.m.

6:30 p.m. -- Poetry Speaks: Beat Poetry and Jazz Scene, The event will feature local poets reading the work of Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti etc. alongside local jazz musicians. This program will be held in the Huntington Room at Main Library (325 Michigan St., Toledo, Ohio). The Poetry Speaks series is FREE and open to all ages. For more information, please call 419-259-5218.Thursday, Sept. 24

11:30 a.m. -- Presi-dent’s Backyard BBQ, for students, faculty, and staff at Centennial Mall on Main Campus.Friday, Sept. 25

1 p.m. -- All classes starting at 1 p.m. or later, are canceled in or-der to give everyone the opportunity to attend Dr. Gaber’s Inauguration.

3 p.m. -- Inauguration of President Gaber, will be held in Savage Arena.Saturday, Sept. 26

10 a.m. -- Pianist Frances Renzi, to play at the first recital of the Dor-othy Price Piano Series Master Class. Located at the Center for Performing Arts Recital Hall.Sunday, Sept. 27

9:30 a.m. -- 22nd-An-nual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Join team captains Sharon Gaber and UT Board of Trustees Chair Sha-ron Speyer. Located in Downtown Toledo.Tuesday, Sept. 29

2 p.m. -- 2015 Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Cel-ebration, Live music, Free Moon cakes and Chinese Food, Cultural activities, poem recital available to all students. Located in the Student Union.

7:30 p.m. -- UT’s Jazz Night at Crystal’s Lounge, UTJazz student combos and faculty per-form every Tuesday night at Crystal’s Lounge in the Ramada Hotel.

Follow us on Twitter @TheICToledo www.IndependentCollegian.comLike us at Facebook.com/ICollegian

SERVICE ORGANIZATION

Race against timeHelp the Hogar has students running and competing in obstacle courses on campusBy Alexandria SabaCommunity Editor

Running with two legs is easy, running with three — not so much. Grab a friend, tie your legs together and get ready to bring out your inner child.

“Help The Hogar is a phil-anthropic event created to raise awareness and funds for the Hogar De Niños Eman-uel,” said Lucas Zastrow, a fourth-year pre-physical therapy major. “The event itself is a three-legged race around campus, with some obstacles to complete along the way.”

The Hogar De Niños Emanuel is an orphanage in Honduras and all proceeds will be given directly to the orphanage to help support the children, Zastrow said.

“We are trying to keep it fun and kid-themed for the chil-dren,” said Katelyn Rottinger, a fourth-year nursing major.

Twelve students from the Catholic Student Associa-tion were given the privilege to go on a mission trip to Honduras over winter break last year, according to Rottinger.

“There we got the privilege to stay at an orphanage for a week which housed around 90 children all aging from 6 months to 18 years old,” Rottinger said. “During this week we got to learn a lot about these children and their backgrounds. Most of these kids were in gangs, have had to beg for food and have seen their parents or other siblings be killed right in front of them. After all of these horrible things, the kids were still the happiest they could be. They treated us like royalty and offered us so much.”

Zastrow said he experi-enced first-hand acceptance and love from a group of chil-dren that have been through tragedies he can’t even begin to imagine.

“I went to the orphanage ready to serve these children, and they ended up serving me. Despite their humble living conditions, they treated me with extreme generosity and kindness,” Zastrow said. “These children have touched my heart, and I want to do whatever I can to improve their lives in any way I can.”

Now the Catholic Student Association wants to give back to them.

“Luke Zastrow and I started this event last year after returning from Honduras for the first time,” said Lauren Banks, a third-year recre-ational therapy major. “It was a life-changing experience and we really felt called to give back in some way. This event gave us the opportunity to make a difference for a cause that was so special to us. After

returning to Honduras a second time, we hope that the event can be even bigger and better this year.”

Zastrow said he thinks people should get involved because they have an op-portunity to give to a group

of children that never got to experience all of the things we take for granted here in the United States.

“The orphanage home is located in San Pedro Sula in Honduras. Honduras is the number one country for crime and murder per capita. These children are not safe in this orphanage,” Rottinger said. “Gangs walk outside the or-phanage and the children are

only protected by a high fence. We are trying to raise funds to be able to build the children a wall so they are protected while living at the orphanage.”

According to Banks, some of these children have already had harder lives than any of us could ever imagine.

“The least we can do is run this race for them and show them that we are thinking about them,” she said.

Zastrow said students should attend this event for multiple reasons.

“This event is a great opportunity for individuals to broaden their horizons and have their eyes opened to the reality of life in other countries,” Zastrow said. “I also think people should get involved because it is going

to be an extremely fun event. We are going to provide food and prizes and ensure people have a blast trying to com-plete the course.”

At last year’s event, the CSA raised over $1,400; they hope to top that num-ber this year.

“At this year’s event, we will be making a few positive changes,” said Zastrow. “The first is that we will be provid-ing food for this year’s par-ticipants. We have Chipotle, Jimmy John’s and Chick-fil-A catering and we are grateful for their support. We will also be adding a new obstacle to the race this year. In addition, we will be explaining more about the orphanage and ensuring that participants understand where their sup-

port is going.”According to Zastrow,

they are extremely excited to put on this event and they hope to see a large amount of students supporting it.

“This is something I am extremely passionate about,” Rottinger said. “These kids have a lot of love, but need more in their life. Even with being broke college kids, we have so much to offer. I want to hold an event to show them that they are cared and loved for. Little things like this helps them become a better person and will help the country of Honduras as a whole.”

The event will take place in Centennial Mall at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27. To sign up for the event, go to www.helpthehogar.eventbrite.com.

COURTESY OF LUCAS ZASTROWSam Daney (left) is a member of CSA and a part of the Help the Hogar team. She is with a group of children inside the Hogar De Niños Emanuel orphanage in Honduras.

“These children have touched my heart, and I want to do whatever I can to improve their lives in any way I can.”

LUCAS ZASTROWFourth-year pre-physical

therapy major

LIBRARY WEEK

Banned Books Week begins Oct. 1 in Carlson LibraryBy Marla GooteeStaff Reporter

While drugs, sex, offensive language and violence usually have no place in a library, the 18th-annual Banned Books Week wel-comes books with all those topics and more in a celebration of reader’s rights.

The vigil will be held Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the fifth floor of Carlson Library.

Arjun Sabharwal, Digital Initiatives Librarian and UT Banned Books Coali-tion member, describes the event as a “celebration of our right to read, speak and create in general.”

“As students go through college and are exposed to books through these events, they have better information of what they may have missed while they were growing up,” Sabharwal said. “And at the same time, they have the oppor-tunity to evaluate, and that’s the idea of reading, is that you evaluate your sources, just like when you research, you have to say, ‘OK, well is this really a good book, or a reliable book?’”

According to Sabharwal, this year’s theme centers around young adult books and he said he understands where the concern is coming from in regards to the impressionable young minds that young readers possess.

At the same time, he also said that with libraries cutting off access to books deemed as inappropriate, young readers are being deprived of great opportunities thus caus-ing their field of vision to be narrowed.

A Banned Books coalition member and former staff reporter at The Inde-pendent Collegian, Josephine Schreiber, wrote in an email interview that she sees it as a violation of her rights whenever

she hears of a library or school challeng-ing or banning a book. She views UT’s Banned Books Week and Banned Books Day as a way to give students the ability to defend their rights as citizens.

“While I think it’s okay for parents to oversee what their child reads, I don’t think it’s okay for a public group or administrator to dictate what can and can’t be read by a group of people,” Schreiber wrote.

Not only does UT’s Banned Books Week and Banned Books Day celebrate the books that have been banned, it also helps students and staff learn more about their rights as readers.

Danielle Pigula, fourth-year communi-cation major and Banned Books Coali-tion member, said that the event covers aspects of the First Amendment includ-ing freedom of speech and freedom to protest. Pigula stressed how important the event is in correlation to ending the banning of books in schools.

“I guess I feel that it affects you in ways that you don’t even know. When I went

to this banned books vigil I was thinking, ‘Oh, they don’t do that anymore, that was just the past that they banned books,’ but it’s still an issue today,” Pigula said. “Especially in high schools, like what kind of books they’re allowed to read and what books libraries will offer. So I definitely think that it’s important for us to keep making strides to not have any books banned. Freedom to read, freedom to get any informa-tion that we can.”

Pigula said she encourages all of the students and staff to attend at least one session of the Banned Books event because it will be covering a wide range of topics and will appeal to many of their interests.

The public is also invited to Banned Books Day; it’s a free event that will feature twenty-minute presentations and speakers. Light snacks will be provided throughout the day. Door prizes and banned books will also be given away every half hour.

If you goWhat: Banned Books

Vigil.Where: Fifth floor of the

Carlson Library.When: Oct. 1.Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“As students go through college and are exposed to books through these events, they have better information of what they may have missed while they were growing up.”

ARJUN SABHARWALDigital Initiatives Librarian and UT Banned

Books Coalition member