Spring 2019 Web Exclusive Features:

Marijuana Use at UT
VegBASH
Samantha Gerlach, UT:10 News Reporter
April 9, 2019
​
TOLEDO, Ohio - Although the stigma against marijuana is being erased by increased public acceptance, UT police chief Jeff Newton says that it is still prohibited on campus.
In Fall of 2017, UT’s School of Population Health performed a survey of UT students and found that 20% of them had used marijuana in the preceding 30 days.
Marijuana is legal for medical use in 25 out of the 50 states. Ohio was added to the list in September 2016. 
It’s only prescribed for certain medical conditions, like epilepsy, anorexia, and anxiety says UT professor of health Tavis Glassman. 
However, Glassman says that marijuana is still a drug. Because it contains carcinogens, there are very serious short-term and long-term risks.
Glassman says marijuana isn’t as physically addictive as nicotine or heroin, but chronic users might experience irritability and sleeplessness without using it.
“This isn’t your daddy’s weed,” says Glassman of the marijuana available for use today. The psychoactive element of marijuana, THC, is much stronger than it was even as short a time ago as the 1960s.
Glassman says there’s different forms of THC available in the marijuana plant, edibles, and waxes or oils. The seriousness of risks is dependent on the dosage and frequency of marijuana use.
Glassman says that more research is needed to discover the medical benefits of marijuana consumption, but senior communications major Kemonte Glover believes it’s the best medicine for himself.
Glover says he uses it to stay calm and reduce his anxiety. He says it helps him focus.
He says he doesn’t bring it on campus, and his mom doesn’t approve of his use, but he finds time to drive up to Michigan and smoke with family and friends.
Marijuana was approved for recreational use in Michigan in November 2018, and Glassman says that its increased accessibility will increase use of marijuana.
He says that medical marijuana normalizes marijuana use.
However, Newton says that while those caught with marijuana on campus will face punishment, like fines, jail time, or suspension from school, he doesn’t see marijuana use as a current problem on campus. 
He says any infractions are well-handled by the Office of Residence Life, and the severity of punishment is dependent on the amount the person is caught with and their intent.
“Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s healthy,” Glassman says. “You don’t see me rolling around in poison ivy.”
Rachel Schneider, UT:10 News Reporter
April 7, 2019
​
MAUMEE, Ohio - The Toledo Area Vegbash held its third event here in the 419 Sunday, April 7. 
The one day celebration of vegetarian and vegan cuisine featured over 30 food venders, artists, and local businesses selling cruelty free or plant based products. 
According to Innova Market Insights, there was a 45 percent growth in vegan food and beverage products from 2013 to 2017. 
With vegetarian and vegan diets becoming rapidly more popular - 2019 has been called The Year of The Vegan. 
Susan Stark and her husband, Thom, came to an event three years ago as patrons. 
At the time, Thom was a retired health care professional with health scares of his own. 
They were given samples the Essante Organics products, and noticed dramatic results. 
Now, they swear by the plant based products and sell the same supplements.   “We noticed, after about a year, the surgical scar he had, about 15 inches, was disappearing, so naturally I started taking it and I felt so much better.” 
Lynda Martinez has been eating a vegan diet, free of meat and dairy for the past year and a half. She says she has experienced numerous improvements in her health. “I can see better, I feel better, I don’t have a lot of the stomach problems that I had previously. So, I definitely have seen the benefit of taking away a lot of the garbage.” 
Plant based diets and supplements have also risen to popularity in the weight loss industry and health professions. 
If you’re looking for an excuse to go vegan, you can find one at VegBASH.
2019 Mud Hens Opening Day
State of the University
Isaac Petkac, UT:10 News Reporter
April 4, 2019
​
Bailey Lustic, UT:10 News Reporter
April 3, 2019
​
Drop the Puck on Cancer
Jessica Zientek, UT:10 News Reporter
March 16, 2019
​
Professional wrestling in Toledo
Marla Gootee, UT:10 News Reporter
March 12, 2019
​
Free Clinic Grand Opening
Assistance for UT homeless Students
Kaylee Loofbourrow, UT:10 News Reporter
March 9, 2019
​
​TOLEDO, Ohio - After a few months of seeing and treating patients, Halim Clinic held a ribbon cutting ceremony this past Saturday. The grand opening showcased what the collaboration between local doctors, volunteers, and University of Toledo medical students is offering to the community. 
The clinic provides free primary care services for individuals who have limited to no healthcare coverage. 
‘They just need some really basic routine, uh, examinations or diagnoses or medicines, but they can’t afford to or are too scared of going to the doctor, uh, because it costs so much,” Mazzin Elsamaloty, first year UT medical student and director of administration, said. 
Patients can walk in or schedule appointments not having to worry about bills being sent to insurance companies, said Dr. Lailah Abawi, attending physician at Halim. 
“They check in, give us their names, their past medical history, and these kinds of things and then we get the ball rolling from there.” 
High blood pressure, diabetes, and common colds are some of the current cases the medical staff is attending to. 
The clinic is affiliated with Pathology Labs, which provides the clinics patient’s basic lab testing at no cost, Abawi said. 
The staff is currently working to offer services such as an in-house pharmacy and dental care. 
Halim clinic is breaking the cycle for a lot of people who cannot afford healthcare or are too scared to go for it by breaking that ice and introducing them to how a doctor visit looks like, Elsamaloty said.
Samantha Gerlach, UT:10 News Reporter
February 28, 2019
​
​TOLEDO, Ohio - Twenty-eight percent of the 276, 491 people living in Toledo, OH are impoverished. 
One in four people live with a food insecurity said Dan Rogers, CEO of Cherry Street Ministries. 
College students are no strangers to the statistic. 
There are 33 to 50 percent of them living with food insecurities said Dan Boyle, Coordinator of UT Student Advocacy and Support. 
People living with food insecurities might know what they’re eating for breakfast, but not necessarily for lunch Boyle said. 
UT has many resources for students experiencing tough financial times. 
The Office of Student Advocacy and Support opened a food pantry for students and staff in Fall 2016. 
Students register with their rocket cards and can then visit the pantry one to two times a week and take food at no cost to them. 
They can take food for a whole week or just a couple snacks. 
If registered students do stop in for a snack, it will not count as one of their weekly visits. 
Raiko Schaib, second year engineering major, said her meal plan allows her 200 meals per semester, so she uses the food pantry to save them. 
When the pantry opened, Huntington National Bank, a partner of UT, granted $10,000 to the pantry to purchase food. 
Food and toiletries are supplied through donations from students, faculty, and businesses. 
“Our hope is that alleviates some of the stress and some of the, the malnourishment our students might experience, so they can focus on their academics, because that’s really why they’re here,” Boyle said. 
Donations of nonperishable foods can be dropped of during the pantry’s business hours, Monday through Friday, eight a.m. to five p.m. Boxes are also located around main campus for convenient drop-offs.
2019 Football National Signing Day
Alexis Wheatley, UT:10 News Producer
February 14, 2019​​
New app replacing aging phone poles
Kaylee Loofbourrow, UT:10 News Reporter
February 28, 2019
​
TOLEDO, Ohio – The blue emergency poles are being phased out at the University of Toledo due to the high cost of maintenance and replacement. 
The poles were installed on campus in the early ‘90s to help faculty, students, and staff stay safe. 
When the pole’s button is pushed, the location is sent to dispatch and campus police is notified immediately, even if no one responds, UT Police Chief Jeff Newton said. 
However because of how old the poles are, repairs are becoming limited because parts are not being made anymore. 
The poles are also operated through copper wire whereas the newer ones are all on fiber, Newton said. 
“You would have to buy new product completely and run fiber to that location, so it’s a pretty costly endeavor,” he said. “It would probably be a million dollars or more to replace and upgrade all the phones that we have on campus.” 
There are 52 blue emergency devices on Main campus, according to the UT Facilities Map; however, after a two-hour search for the devices, 14 could not be located. 
The poles are routinely checked but it is not known whether a pole works until someone ultimately uses it, Newton said. 
Many poles do not function properly due to the cold and poor weather conditions the poles are exposed to on a daily basis. 
The university wants to phase out the old technology and replace it with the new technology available on a person’s phone, but not everyone agrees the buttons are obsolete. 
Last semester, Grace Johnson, a second-year biology student, did not have any other way to call for help besides the blue pole. 
It was five a.m. and no one else was on campus when I was locked out of my car and my cell phone was locked inside my car, Johnson said. 
“I tried to get into my car and it didn’t work, tried a bunch of different options and the only thing I could resort to was the blue pole,” she said. “I pressed the emergency button and they sent a police officer to help me get into my car.” 
As the emergency poles continue to disappear from campus, UT has been pushing the mobile app Rave Guardian since 2015. 
This app puts the emergency device in a person’s phone and has added features including a campus directory, a personal profile, and a hot button to UT police. 
But there are issues with only having access to a mobile app. 
Phones can die and not work properly, so I would prefer the blue pole, but if you have a reliable phone, use the app, Mohamed Ahmad, second-year information technology student. 
We spoke to several people on campus and most said they would prefer to have access to both blue poles and the app regardless of cost. 
However, the university is pushing the Rave Guardian app in multiple campus events and currently, there are no plans to save the blue emergency poles.
The millennial dating scene
Rachel Schneider, UT:10 News Reporter
February 14, 2019
​
Toledo International Auto Show
Shawn Hehl, UT:10 News Reporter
February 12,2019
​
Toledo, Ohio – The Toledo Auto Show made it’s annual one hundred and second return to downtown this weekend. 
26 automakers brought 180 different cars, trucks, and S-U-V’s down to the auto show this year. 
The show was held inside the SeaGate Centre from Thursday February 7th through Sunday February 12th . 
With the revealing of the new Jeep Gladiator, the return of the Ford Ranger, and the debut of the re-designed GMC Sierra with it’s new Multi-Pro tailgate, trucks took center stage in 2019. 
Dealerships get excited for the auto show each year as it is the beginning of the new selling year and kicks off their summer sales campaigns according to Kelly Danison - Director of Events for the Ohio Automobile Dealers Association. 
The show is for families looking for a hassle-free place to do some car shopping and car enthusiasts everywhere. 
Tickets and additional information can be found on the Toledo Auto Show’s website, or click the link below. www.toledoautoshow.org
Slippery sidewalks on campus
Feed My Starving Children Program
Alyssa Norden, UT:10 News Reporter
February 7, 2019
​
TOLEDO, Ohio - Several weeks ago, it was brought to UT:10 News' attention that there have been issues with disabled students getting around campus effectively. 
Slippery walkways have been posing an issue around campus for those with disabilities, leaving many to wonder if the grounds crew is able to do its job effectively. 
Senior Associate Vice President for Facilities and Construction Jason Toth says he believes this is just an anomaly that occurred because of the weather. 
When asked if he believed his department was understaffed, Toth said no. But UT Advisor Lisa Bollman, who has mobility issues, says they are. 
Her office at Sullivan Hall is an especially slippery area, because it is not as well traveled as other areas of the University. 
While Toth says he is satisfied with his team's efficiency, he also says that the extreme weather, such as the frigid temperatures we experienced recently, have made it difficult for the treatment placed on the walkways to melt the ice. 
“Given the extreme cold that we had, it rendered that brine solution to be effective. When you get around minus ten- or ten degrees, you no longer have the effective nature of the rock salt to get rid of the snow that occurs on our sidewalks, or the ice that occurs on our sidewalks.” 
Student Disability Services says there have been no reports of incidents, when it comes to walkways being inaccessible due to ice. 
Bollman and Toth both encourage students to be cautious on the ice and walk slowly. 
If you do see a disabled student struggling to get through an icy spot - do not be afraid to ask them if they need help. 
Students that would like to report an untreated walkway may call 419-530-1000 for Main Campus - and 419-383-5353 for the Health Science Campus.
Samantha Gerlach, UT:10 News Reporter
February 7,2019
​
TOLEDO, Ohio - UT students and faculty partnered with the Toledo community on Feb. 1 and 2 to help feed the world’s starving children. 
Over one thousand volunteers filled the gym at the Health Education Center on Main Campus to pack meals for third-world countries. 
Professor Clint Longenecker, distinguished professor and director of the Center of Leadership and Organizational Excellence in the College of Business and Innovation said that volunteers had to be placed on a waiting list because so many signed up. 
Ninety students from the Klar Leadership Academy at the College of Business and Innovation raised $45 thousand to purchase food from the, “Feed My Starving Children” program for the two-day mobile pack. 
The academy was founded in 2015 by Steven Klar, 1971 UT business alumnus and New York City real estate developer. 
“We did this on behalf of the “Feed my Starving Children” organization, and they distribute the food from these mobile pack events to, uh, whatever country that needs them,” said Jason Gonring, fourth year Electrical Engineering student. 
Packing shifts were two hours long, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. 
The meals contained a nutritious rice and vegetable blend, prepared specifically for undernourished children. 
This is the third year in a row that the Klar Leadership Academy organized the mobile pack. In 2017, volunteers packed 140 thousand meals, in 2018 they packed 173 thousand, and this year, they packed over 202 thousand meals. 
Longenecker said that the academy’s goals are just to improve every year by recruiting more volunteers and packing more meals.