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132 YEARS IN PRINT VOL. CXXXI ISSUE XLIV
THURSDAY | APRIL 12 | 2012
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Candidates vie for A&S dean position KYLE STONE | SENIOR REPORTER
The University of Cincinnati is currently searching for replacement for the McMicken College of Arts & Sciences current dean, Valerie Hardcastle. Hardcastle has decided to not seek a second term as dean of A&S, finishing out her term Aug. 31, before the start of Fall semester 2012, Provost Santa Ono said in an email. There are currently four candidates being considered for the position: Kathleen Tiemann, interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of North Dakota; Ronald Jackson II, a professor from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Chaden Djalali, chair and professor from the University of South Carolina; and Antonio Cepeda-Benito, dean of faculties, associate provost and professor from Texas A&M University. Tiemann was named a Chester Fritz
Distinguished Professor of Sociology in 2009. The award honors to faculty who demonstrate achievement in research, teaching and service, significant national or regional recognition in at least one of these areas and recognition by colleagues as a faculty member who has made a significant contribution to the quality of academic programs. “We must increase student support, study abroad opportunities, resource sustainability efforts, faculty diversity, faculty research collaborations across the disciplines, as well as gifts and grants; we are forced to be creative,” Jackson said in his letter of interest. Djalali said he would strive for a higher degree of excellence while maintaining an open-minded outlook. “I strongly believe in integrity, perseverance and openness,” Djalali said in his letter of interest. “The dean should appreciate the differences in disciplines and
stay away from the easy approach of one shoe fits all.” Cepeda-Benito stressed the importance of cultivating the student body. “Regardless of degree program, public universities should give students the opportunity to leave college with excellent communication skills,” Cepeda-Benito said. “[They should leave with] the ability to persuade others, to work with people at a distance — people who are not from the same culture — and to dialogue with them about complex issues,” David Richardson, a former candidate for the position, recently withdrew his application. Cepeda-Benito has indicated withdrawal as a candidate, but has not publicly announced it yet, said Louis Bilionis, dean of the UC College of Law and head of the search committee for the position. Ono is still conducting meetings with the candidates, and it is not known when a decision will be made, Bilionis said.
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THE SEARCH CONTINUES As Valerie Hardcastle wraps up her term as dean of A&S, the university looks for a replacement.
Conference to address diversity SAM MORREN | SENIOR REPORTER
In attempts to promote a diverse and inclusive community, the University of Cincinnati will be the hub for a major forum on diversity. UC will host its 4th annual Diversity Conference, Wednesday, April 18 to students, staff and faculty. The conference is designed to encourage faculty, students, staff and Cincinnati community members to build a tolerant and accepting environments through pedagogy, experiential knowledge and innovative practices. “This is a signature event for our campus,” said Provost Santa Ono. “I hope all of us find a way to contribute to [the conference] success and join us in building an even better UC.” The Diversity Conference will revolve around the theme of: “I am a Diversity LEADER (Learn, Educate, Advocate, Develop, Empower and Research).” “Here at UC, we embrace diversity,” said UC President Gregory Williams. “Diversity plays in defining excellence not only in our on-campus community, but also in the community beyond.” UC is a large university, and the conference seeks to embrace the vision of transforming the school into an institution that cultivates the unique talents and perspectives of each member of our community, NEWMAN said Lisa Newman co-chair of the Diversity Conference and director of the communications department. “The conference is important to have a just community and to understand the different elements of diversity,” Newman said. It is a tremendous privilege to host a diversity conference at UC, where the university community is made up of members from many backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities, said Chief Diversity Officer Mitchel D. Livingston. SEE DIVERSITY | 5
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After serving eight years in the Marine Corps, Martin Reid came to the University of Cincinnati to pursue his education. He never imagined, however, it would take nearly six months to receive the benefits payment for his service. Reid, a fourth-year architectural engineering technologies student, filed his paperwork during the 2011 Winter quarter and waited for his check — but it never came. Reid, like most veterans on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001, receives assistance from the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, which took effect in 2009. Veterans who served at least 90 days of active duty can qualify to receive 36 months of financial assistance that could amount to the entire cost of tuition. When Reid went to UC’s Veteran Certification Office to check on his status, he was told that his paperwork got lost and had to be resubmitted. Reid didn’t receive his benefits check until the following summer. “Overall, I think the way the system works puts a lot of pressure on students, and kind of alleviates the college from really being responsible or taking any kind of action on their own,” Reid said.
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David Frese, a veteran who works in the UC admissions enrollment management office. The current status of veteran affairs is a far cry from former Provost Anthony Perzigian’s intention. Perzigian said he wanted UC, “to become a preeminent destination for America’s veterans.” His tenure, from 1998 to 2010, saw the creation of the UC Veteran Task PERZIGIAN Force, which focused on making necessary changes for UC to become a desired destination. Frese attributes the current problems with assisting veterans to a disproportion between the amount of personnel in the office and the growing number of student veterans. Veteran enrollment at UC has risen since 2008, from 600 to 1,300 currently, generating millions in tuition payments, Caroline Miller, vice president of the office of enrollment management, said in an email. The increase far exceeds the goal set in 2009 for an annual 5-percent growth through 2013 in veteran enrollment. UC saw, instead, an average 18 percent annual growth from 2008 to 2012. “We’re doing a great job of getting more people in here, but yet the support for that population is the same,” Frese said. “We have the same amount of people doing all the paperwork and processing for that [larger] population.”
Currently, there are two certifying officials within the registrar who are responsible for certifying the 1,300 veterans at UC. In comparison, Xavier University has one certifying official who is responsible for 200 student veterans, said Mark Caddo, treasurer of the Xavier Student Veterans Group. “There are things that they [the UC VA] could do better to make UC a more veteran friendly school,” said Drake Taylor, an Air Force veteran and current UC graduate student, who worked in the Veteran Certifying Office. “It’s just disheartening that a lot of veterans aren’t going to be helped.”
INSUFFICIENT FUNDS For veterans that depend on the benefits to pay tuition, late payments can prove to be inhibiting and costly, because of the repercussions the university enacts when payments are not made on time, Frese said. “[The university creates] a block so they can’t sign up for more classes [and] we give them late charges,” Frese said. “We basically scare the crap out of them with all these fines and late charges and all these things that are going to happen to them because we didn’t get paid.” Fines for paying tuition late, as of January, include a flat $50 fine and a 1.5 percent monthly interest fee charged to outstanding balances of more than $200. SEE VETERANS | 5
‘Natural’ products contain harsh chemicals
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Veteran influx exposes university’s staffing shortfall
But Reid’s case is not an isolated one, said
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Environmental researchers have recently uncovered an array of chemicals found in everyday products that are not always listed on labels and are more harmful than people might realize. The Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Mass., published a study that tested 42 conventional products for harmful chemicals. The study found that even some products advertised as being green or all natural contain these chemicals. Sanitizing products — such as fragrances, soap, shampoo and antibacterials — often contain chemicals that are harmful if ingested or absorbed into the body by prolonged, daily contact, according to the report. There are several negative health effects to prolonged exposure to these chemicals, and cancer is at the top of the list. Susan Pinney an epidemiologist and associate professor at the Univeristy of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine, said people
can do a lot to manage the effect these chemicals have on us. “One of the best ways to reduce exposure is to do simple things like vacuum to minimize dust, and wash hands with just basic soap and water,” Piney said. “We can’t be afraid of every environmental harm there is; it’s just good to reduce the amount of chemicals we expose ourselves to.” Even products that are not meant to be used on the body can be harmful. Products that contain phthalates — which are used increase the flexibility of a product’s plastic — can mimic and alter the function of naturally occurring hormones in the body. Hoses, shower curtains, vinyl flooring, wall coverings and raincoats often contain phthalates. “As your raincoat gets older — and you might use it a long time — gradually, its coating will begin to flake off, and when they flake off they turn to dust,” Pinney said. “You could be inhaling these phthalates from the dust. The same is true for flame retardants. As a piece of
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furniture that has flame retardants gets older, they flake off and get into the air in your home.” Many electronics can also pose a threat. When someone throws away a cell phone, for example, it will end up in a landfill. The rain will wash off chemicals found in the phone — like lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium — creating toxic runoff into soil or water. Aimin Chen, an assistant professor in environmental health, is leading the first study designed to determine how exposure to this e-waste affects our health. However, runoff isn’t the only way chemicals from electronics can enter our system. Often times, television sets and larger household electronics contain flame-retardants, and they flake off of electronics the same way they flake off of furniture, Pinney said. “People need to be their own health advocates; consumer products are, in fact, products marketed because they are designed to fill a perceived need of the general population,” Pinney said. “Regulations are not always as strict as they seem.”