UT 101: Summer/Fall 2013

Fall 2015

Serving the University of Toledo community since 1919

A student-to-student guide to life at the University of Toledo

2 | The Independent Collegian | Fall Semester 2015

New students,Congratulations, and welcome! Whether you just graduated from

high school, took a few years off to get ready, or are coming back to finish a degree, get ready for the next few years at the University of Toledo if you do them right, theyll be the most exciting, ful-filling and mind-blowing years of your life.

While youre getting settled in and trying to figure things out, you may feel a little dazzled, a little unsure of yourself. Your first year of college, while exciting, is also complicated, confusing and terrifying. But dont be too worried: the staff here at The Indepen-dent Collegian, UTs student newspaper, wants to help you out.

During the academic year, we print a weekly edition every Wednesday that we distribute for free from stands across campus and in local business around Toledo. But what youre holding in your hand right now is different. UT101 is a special edition for new students, filled with advice from upperclassmen who have been in your shoes.

Weve tried to fill this issue with things you should know, things that made our freshman years easier, or things we wish someone had told us as freshmen. More importantly, we tried to add infor-mation that isnt available anywhere else you know, the kind of stuff you can only get from a real student whos been through this.

As you begin to figure out this college thing, we hope this guide speaks to you in some way. But remember the best parts of the journey are the ones you figure out by yourself.

Good luck,

The IC staff

Welcome, new Rockets!

I would like to formally congratulate you on your decision to make The University of Toledo part of your lifes journey. Regardless of your academic past, I be-lieve that you will quickly discover and take interest in many of the endless opportunities that UT provides. With over 300 student organizations, nationally recognized academic and athletic programs, top-tier facilities, and positive relationships with hun-dreds of companies, there are innu-merable possibilities along your path to success. Whether you as-pire to study abroad in Spain, host a radio talk show, conduct ground-breaking research, or even form your own company, the University of Toledo can lead you to achieving the unthinkable. Even if you are not certain about what career path is the right fit for you, or are unsure about what impact you plan on making, the extraordinary staff, fac-ulty and fellow students on campus are here to allow

you to recognize and achieve your dreams, regardless of any doubts or fears you may have.

Personally, I can remember the beginning of my collegiate experi-ence like it was yesterday. Coming from a rural high school in a grad-uating class of only 58 students, I initially felt overwhelmed by the idea of attending a larger university. Although one of my best friends from high school chose to attend UT as well, I still recall feeling mo-rose at the thought of attending a university quite distant from nearly

everyone I have ever known. However, once I partici-pated in college visits and experience days, I immedi-ately felt as if I had found my new home.

When the day finally came to attend Rocket Launch, I decided to cast aside the shy demeanor I used to pos-sess when meeting new people. At every possible op-

portunity, I went out of my way to meet as many new people as I could. When doing this, I quickly realized that many of the other incoming freshman around me began to step outside of their comfort zones to in-troduce themselves to others as well. Also, to my surprise, most of the peo-ple I spoke with reflected the outgo-ing, positive attitude that I was con-veying. As a result, I made many new friendships that day, including a young man who would eventually be-come one of my greatest friends.

Thus, I would strongly encourage you to not shy away from the oppor-tunities to network that you will be presented with during orientation and move-in week. College will allow you

to develop yourself in ways you cannot even imagine, but it is the friendships you make along the way that will truly allow you to fill these next few years with memories that you will cherish forever.

All in all, whether or not The University of Toledo was your first choice, I can assure you that if you are willing to take advantage of what this university has to offer forming lifelong friendships along the way you will quickly realize that you have made the right choice. On behalf of Student Government, the student body, faculty, staff and alumni, I warmly welcome you to the University of Toledo.

Best of luck, and Go Rockets! Cody Spoon Student Government president

Welcome to UT!A letter from the IC

A letter from the Student Government president

Fall Semester 2015 | The Independent Collegian | 3

CODY SPOON SG PRESIDENT

What are we painting on the cover?Photographer Neera Martin and IC News Editor Trevor

Stearns painted the University of Toledos main campus spirit rock on May 27 for the 2015 issue of UT101.

SEVEN UT EVENTS YOU WONT WANT TO MISS

By Jenna NanceStaff Reporter

Whether its getting familiar with a new class schedule, fig-uring out housing arrangements or finding ways to get involved on campus, freshmen are often bombarded with choices from all sides. For those looking to get involved, Greek Life is one of many options.

Greek organizations are brotherhoods or sisterhoods that students join through fra-ternities and sororities. In addi-tion to joining Greek Life, stu-dents in certain Greek organi-zations have the option to live in McComas Village, a collec-tion of houses for social Greek organizations built in 1990.

Dana Breese, a third-year ma-joring in accounting, said she

believes going Greek was one of the best decisions she made in her college career.

She found herself very in-volved in Greek Life as the fi-nancial vice president of social sorority Alpha Xi Delta and a

member of professional busi-ness fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi.

Breese said her experience with Alpha Kappa Psi encour-aged her to join the sorority.

I rushed because of the great bonds I made with my

fraternity brothers and I wanted to have the same with sisters as well, Breese said.

Professional Greek organiza-tions like Alpha Kappa Psi focus more time on the profes-sion the organization is dedicat-ed to. The social Greek organi-zations like Alpha Xi Delta can include a group of students studying various majors in college.

Brittany Graham, program manager for Greek Life, said giving students a home away from home is one of the best parts of Greek life.

When you ask people why they joined or what moment did they know that was the right chapter for them, and a lot of people will say they walked in and just knew that it

felt like home for them, Gra-ham said.

Egor Antipov, a fourth-year majoring in chemical engineer-ing and member of Pi Kappa Phi, said he found his family through his fraternity.

My fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, is truly my family. Without a doubt, the friendships I have cre-ated through being involved in Pi Kappa Phi will last well beyond my college time, Antipov said.

According to Graham, being a member of Greek Life can enhance a students college experience and positively affects their academic performance. Due to certain chap-ters requirements for academic performance, the Office of Greek Life said students do better in the classroom as a Greek member than those who are non-Greek.

SEVEN UT EVENTS YOU WONT WANT TO MISS

[Greek Life] has made me into a more well-rounded person. Academic-wise I have received higher grades once I became a member and I enjoy helping out my community, Breese said. My sorority is working towards being 100 percent involved, meaning that every sister is also involved in another organization.

DANA BREESEFinancial Vice President of Alpha Xi Delta


From

The national founding date for Alpha Xi Delta, pictured below, was on April 17, 1893. Nicknamed Alpha Xis and Fuzzies, the chapter symbol for the sorority is the quill. Their colors are double blue and gold. To be in Alpha Xi Delta, the GPA requirement is at least a 2.75 college GPA. Alpha Xi Deltas chosen philanthropy is Autism Speaks, and the sorority hosts events like Fuzzie Funnelcakes and AmaXIng challenges to raise money for Autism Speaks.

CURTIS LANE / ICThe national founding date for Delta Delta Delta, pictured above, was on November 15, 1888. Nicknamed Tri Delta, the chapter symbols are a dolphin, a pearl, a pine tree and a pansy. Their colors are blue, silver and gold. To be in Tri Delta, the GPA requirement is at least a 2.5 college GPA. Tri Deltas chosen philanthropy is Childrens Cancer Research, and they are in a national partnership with St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital.

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CURTIS LANE / IC

[Greek Life] has made me into a more well-rounded per-son. Academic-wise I have re-ceived higher grades once I be-came a member and I enjoy helping out my community, Breese said. My sorority is working towards being 100 per-cent involved, meaning that ev-ery sister is also involved in an-other organization.

Many students involved in Greek Life experience unique opportunities outside of the classroom. Members of Greek organizations are given leader-ship development and network-ing opportunities through their respective sororities and fraternities.

Greek members are also en-couraged to participate in cam-pus activities and philanthropic

opportunities such as intramu-rals and traditional events on campus like Big Event, Relay for Life, Songfest, RockeTHON and Homecoming.

Graham said members of the community are appreciative of the efforts of Greek students and this support drives those students to continue their work within the community.

Antipov suggested being open-minded when thinking about which Greek organization to join, and that you will know in your heart when you find the one that fits you best.

Dont let any assumptions or anything you hear prevent you from exploring your options. Be sure to have an open mind and meet as many members as pos-sible before you commit to

one, he said. Along with tips and resources

for students looking to join Greek organizations, the Office of Greek Life also offers infor-mation to parents as well.

Not only the students, but also the parents will have ques-tions as well, Graham said, and UT Greek Life knows that and wants to help make this de-cision and experience a benefi-cial one for all parties.

During new student orienta-tions, parents and students are encouraged to ask as many questions as they can so they can feel comfortable with this transition. Graham said that the office of Greek Life will be present at the orientations and is prepared to help out in any way they can.

For the 2015-2016 school year, recruitment dates have been set and the recruitment process must be signed up for in advance. Online sign-up will be available by the start date of

the new student orientations.There is no cost for fraternity

recruitment, but sorority re-cruitment has a $30 fee. Sorority recruitment is the second week of school in the fall, and the fra-ternity recruitment is the fourth week of school in the fall.

If youre interested, definite-ly try it and see what happens, Graham said. If you have any questions you can always con-tact our office. Were always willing to talk to students and give them more information. And dont let anyone tell you that you cant do something were here to help.

To learn more about Greek Life, contact the Office of Greek Life at 419-530-4036. They can also be reached at [email protected]

If you goWhat: Sorority and frater-

nity recruitmentWhere: The University of

Toledo CampusWhen: Sorority Recruitment: Au-

gust 31 to Sept. 6Fraternity Recruitment:

Sept. 13 to Sept. 18Sponsored by: Panhel-

lenic Council, Interfraternity Council, and the Office of Greek Life


CURTIS LANE / ICThe national founding date for Pi Kappa Alpha, pictured below, was on March 1, 1868, and the fraternity was originally founded by six men at the University of Virginia. Nicknamed Pike, the chapter symbols for the fraternity are an oak tree and a white horse. Their colors are garnet and old gold. To be in Pi Kappa Alpha, the GPA requirement is at least a 2.6 college GPA. Pi Kappa Alphas chosen philanthropy is the Fight Against Domestic Violence.

CURTIS LANE / ICThe national founding date for Pi Kappa Phi, pictured above, was on December 10, 1904. Nicknamed Pi Kapp, the chapter symbol for the fraternity is a star shield. Their colors are white, gold and royal blue. To be in Pi Kappa Phi, the GPA requirement is at least a 2.7 college GPA. Pi Kappa Phis chosen philanthropy is Push America (disability awareness). The philanthropy was founded by and is currently run by the fraternity itself.

A guide to going Greek and Greek Life on UTs campus


Youre all packed to move into your new pad at UT, but theres one thing mak-ing you anxious your roommate.

Day-to-day living with a roommate can be a stressful or enjoyable situation, depending on how you handle the relationship. If handled poorly, it can make for a pretty awk-ward living arrange-ment. Our goal is to help you prevent that from happening.

In order to help you foster good roomie hab-its, here are ten tips for developing a better rela-tionship with the people who will come to know you best this year.

1. Communicate. As with any relation-

ship, you and your roommate absolutely must speak with one another frequently. Regardless of whether this is a short-term living arrangement or a long-term one, communication is key for making sure both parties are on the same page. Though it may be awkward at first, hav-ing a conversation about setting rules will help ease tension later. Some people find it helpful to write up a roommate agree-ment in which they write down rules, responsibilities and conditions you both agree with. This way, everyone has a clear description of their responsibilities and understands the rules they must follow. Have everyone sign a copy, print it off and post it where it can be easily accessi-ble in case you need to refer to it.

2. Address things while theyre small.

Is your roommate always forgetting his or her stuff for the shower and tak-ing yours? Are your clothes borrowed faster than you can wash them? Do you hate how your roommate always hits his or her snooze button ten times every

morning? If you dont ad-dress the issues that bug you while theyre small, your roommate may never be aware of the frustration youre feeling. Saying something sooner rather than later is much easier and allows you to be more polite, rather than waiting until the situation esca-lates and you end up los-ing your temper saying words youll later regret. Being clear from the be-ginning and letting your roommate know about your quirks and prefer-ences is the best way to

eliminate problems before they become even bigger problems.

3. Be prepared to compromise.

You are not the tyrant of the room and neither is your roommate. Dont al-low yourself to be walked on, but dont be stubborn either. Compromise is an essential part of a roommate relation-ship if you both want something to change, talk it over and meet in the middle. You cant expect your roommate to budge if you refuse to acknowledge his or her wishes as well.

4. Be courteous of your roommates sleeping habits.

Are you a night owl? If so, keep your noise down and turn the lights down as

soon as your room-mate goes to bed. If you go to bed early, dont be annoyed by your room-mates sleep schedule, but instead try to find ways you can sleep undisturbed by asking them to move lo-cations or use a dimmer light. The same thing applies for rising in the morning or taking naps. Sleeping habits are something that need to be addressed immediately and it never hurts to know the little details (I need dead silence to fall asleep, I need a fan running at night to relax or I need at least fifteen minutes after waking up before I can speak to anyone, etc.)

5. Spend time with your roommate.

Say hello and goodbye, ask them how their day was, and show interest in their life. By getting to know the person you live with, youll gain valuable per-spective into their life and, in turn, they will more fully be able to understand yours. Once youve developed a rapport with that person, dealing with problems that arise wont feel as nerve-wracking. Bonding with that person will help you relax more when youre together. Set a time you both can hang out each week and try to cook dinner together or watch an occasional movie. Doing something nice for your roommate will really show them you care, and they may even return the favor. Try performing random acts of kindness for them bake them cookies, offer to drive them somewhere if they dont have a car or make their bed after they leave for class: the little things speak volumes.

6. Stay flexible and be empathetic.

Be understanding about whats going on in your roommates life and work to accommodate their needs. If they have a big test coming up, leave the room for a few hours to give them time to study un-disturbed. If you know your roommates parents are coming for a visit, help tidy up the room to rid them of any inclina-tion they may have that the two of you are slobs. Try to put yourself in your roommates shoes and think about how you would want your roommate to act in a given situation. Be courteous. After all, wouldnt you like your roommate to give you the same consideration?

7. Respect your roommates stuff.

This may seem obvious, but its proba-bly one of the biggest reasons why room-mates experience conflict. Dont think hell mind if you open his bag of pretzels to snack on? For all you know, you just stepped over an uncrossable line that will infuriate your roommate. Dont borrow, use or take any-thing without getting permission first. Its beneficial to talk about what the two of you are willing to share and what is off limits.

8. Watch who you bring into the room, when and how often.

See Roommate / 20

SAMANTHA RHODES

How to thrive while living with a roommate


Whats in the Gateway?

There are a lot of little places that offer a variety of services in the long building on campus by Secor Road. If you are spending the afternoon in Rocket Hall, here are the things you can check out over there.

Barnes & Noble - On the far corner, theres a two-floor Barnes & Noble bookstore with books, school supplies, UT clothing and a cafe that sells Starbucks coffee.

Gradkowskis - Named after the former UT football player who opened it, Gradkows-kis is a restaurant that serves everything from pizza to pasta.

Great Clips - If you are in need of a haircut, there is a Great Clips in the Gateway.Huntington - There is a Huntington bank and ATM near the bookstore.Jimmy Johns - This sub shop offers food both in the restaurant and for delivery.Lofts at Gateway - Students can rent apartments on campus at the Lofts over the shops

in the Gateway.Rice Blvd - If asian food suits your tastes, you may want to visit Rice Blvd.Verizon Wireless - New phones or plans can be bought here.


Student resources

Carlson LibraryPhone: (419) 530-2298

Center for Experiential Learning and Career Services

Student Union 1533Phone: (419) 530-4341

Center for International Studies and Programs

Snyder Memorial 1000

Commuter Student ServicesStudent Union 3504Phone: (419) 530-8521

Counseling CenterRocket Hall 1810Phone: (419) 530-2426

Learning Enhancement CenterCarlson Library B0200

Medical Center on the Main CampusAcross from International House Phone: (419) 530-3451

Mulford Health Science Library3000 Arlington Ave.Phone: (419) 383-4225

Office of the Registrar- Main campusRocket Hall Suite 1100Phone: (419) 530-4844

Office of the Registrar- Health science campus

Mulford Library 114 Phone: (419) 383-3600

Office of Student InvolvementStudent Union 3504Phone: (419) 530-4944

Rocket Solution Central Rocket Hall 1200Phone: (419) 530-8700

Student Legal ServicesRocket Hall 1610 Phone: (419) 530-7230

Student Disability ServicesRocket Hall 1820Phone: (419) 530-4981

University of Toledo PoliceTransportation Center 1302Police/Fire/Medical Response:

(419) 530-2600Non-Emergency: (419) 530-2601

Buying or renting books from the school bookstore is a bad idea.

Almost all the books that I needed couldve been pur-chased or rented elsewhere for so much less than they cost at Barnes & Noble. Also, it seems to be a re-ally good idea to wait until classes start to figure out which books and access codes will actually be necessary.

Its really easy to gain weight. In high school, I stayed in shape thanks to

sports, but when I got to college, I didnt have the motivation to go to the Rec every day. Its a lot harder to go work out when its com-pletely voluntary, rather than having a manda-tory practice schedule laid out. I havent had any morning classes all year, and Im a bit of a night owl. All that late-night snacking has led me to put on a couple of pounds.

Class really isnt optional.Most of my professors have taken atten-

dance (and usually its been counted as a grade), but even in the classes where attendance is optional, not going would mean missing out on important information for exams. An exam I took recently actually included a question that was completely irrelevant to the course itself, but it was some-thing our professor mentioned several times in class, so all of us who actually showed up had a leg up on those who didnt.

Studying also isnt optional.I can count on one hand the number of times I ever stud-

ied in high school, and I had hoped that college would be the same way. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Watching Netflix instead of studying is a terrible idea.

Its also a great idea. Priorities.

Rarely leaving my room didnt help much with making friends.

In fact, it wasnt until near the end of my first semester that I even talked to several of the people on my floor. (And actu-ally, I still dont know the names of a majority of the people Ive been living down the hall from since August. Oops.)

My academic adviser is so nice and helpful.

In high school, sometimes it was like pulling teeth to get the guidance counselors to help us (and be nice about it).

But here, my academic advisor emails me back within min-utes, answers all my questions, and is generally just very sweet. Since guidance counselors and academic advisors seem to have similar job roles, I didnt expect such a stark difference between my experiences with them.

I really dont care about a lot of my old classmates.

There are, of course, several people I like and talk to (even if its just occasionally), but for the most part, I dont care if I ever see most of my high school class ever again. Everyone always said thats how it would be, but I didnt believe it until I got here and realized how true it is for me.

I learned to like coffee, but I also learned that I cant drink it.

My first real experience with coffee (Id tried a sip once or twice before, but never liked it) came after I stayed up til 4 a.m. the night be-fore an exam. I was in desperate need of a

boost to get me through the day, so I decided to give coffee a shot. After all, everyone talks about its magical abilities to wake one up and increase concentration! Unfortunately, that hasnt been my experience. Instead, when I drink coffee, I get jittery and start to shake, my head starts hurting, and Im more tired than I was before I consumed the caffeine. So even though Ive learned to like coffee, and I sometimes have random cravings for it, Ive learned that consuming it only hurts me.

My room is a terrible place to study. Its almost impossible to study in my room (especially if

Im sitting in bed). If I really need to get something done, I have to go to the library.

Going to get lunch between 11 and 1 usually means standing in line forever.

Except on Fridays, because campus is pretty much dead on Fridays.

No matter how much Lysol and hand sanitizer I use, Im still going to get sick.

I can wipe down everything in my room with Clorox wipes, spray Lysol everywhere, and sanitize or wash my hands several times a day, but none of that matters Im still going to end up sick.

Ashley Gearheart is a second-year majoring in international business.

Freshman year in review

ASHLEY GEARHEARTIC COLUMNIST

COMMENTARY

NEERA MARTIN / IC


Making it as a UT resident: a guide to on-campus livingBy Amanda Pitrof Editor-in-Chief

Everyone knows the stereo-types of living on campus you get the roommate from hell, eat questionable dining hall food, and overload your-self by joining half a dozen or-ganizations in your first week.

While these stereotypes are sometimes true, campus life isnt all that bad. It can be pret-ty great if you do it properly, and these are a few of the best ways to survive on campus.

Use the PODThe POD is open until 2

a.m. The name is short for Provisions on Demand, but youll probably never hear any-one call it that. Its extremely useful for everything from late-night snacks to grabbing a meal at the odd hours between lunch and dinner when the dining halls only serve pizza and salad.

In addition to fresh food, the POD gives students the option to get food that can be saved for an-other time. Its a great way to use up extra meal swipes on Fridays and Saturdays, which is a good idea because your meal swipes for the week are gone once Sun-day comes around.

Get involvedAs exciting as joining several or-

ganizations at once can be, remem-ber that moderation is the key. Join-ing one or two at a time is one of the best ways to make friends quickly. It provides a niche that can help you to feel like you belong and give you something to do in your downtime.

This also can be a way to create a really strong support system for yourself, which is nice when school gets stressful.

Manage your timeDoing your homework so you

have time for other things is im-portant, but a more motivating and arguably more important reason to manage your time wisely is to give yourself more time to sleep. Sleep is a very precious re-source to most college students, so it is nice to get everything done and take advantage of the time you have to sleep.

Stanford University professor and sleep medicine pioneer Wil-liam Dement wrote in a 1997, The average sleep requirement for college students is well over eight hours. Keeping this in mind, it is crucial to manage your time so you fulfill most of that sleep re-quirement. Some students even keep track of how long it takes them to get to various classes from their dorms because then they can determine exactly how long they can sleep in for.

Stock up for winterWeve experienced in the last

two winter seasons what felt like small-scale versions of the Ice Age. We were even told to stay home for a couple of rare snow days be-cause all the roads in the entire Lucas County area were closed so cleaning crews could make them safe to travel.

This was a relaxing break for stu-dents, but it also meant there was no access to food or other necessi-ties besides what was already in your dorm room. There will likely be heavy snow storms again this winter, and it would probably be a good idea to stock up on food and supplies just in case.

Save your rocket dollars

With certain meal plans, stu-dents are given both Rocket Dol-lars and Dining Dollars. The Din-ing Dollars can be used only for food on campus, but the Rocket Dollars are more flexible.

They can pay for washers and dryers when you do laundry, which is very helpful when you run out of quarters. Rocket Dollars can also be used at the bookstore for textbooks and supplies, and at the many vending machines around campus. Buy your latte with your Dining Dollars and save those Rocket Dollars for laundry or off-campus restaurants.

Get off campusIn spite of all the things to do on

campus, you can feel a little cooped up here now and then. It is healthy to change your surround-ings sometimes and go off campus.

Walking is always an option, but if that isnt your style, there are also UT shuttle busses you can ride for free, taxis and the TARTA public transit system.

Keeping these tips in mind, your dorm experience will be a positive one. Living the on-cam-pus life can be exciting and fun many students find more free-dom than they have experienced before. With no parents around to give you a curfew and tons of chances to join different groups, you can be as busy or lazy as you want to be. Just remember to not overload yourself!

Parks Tower is a residence hall exclusively for first year students, located near the Glass Bowl, Flatlands, and Student Recreation Center. Parks Tower mostly consists of two-person rooms, but has limited one-person rooms available. A limited number of lofts are also available for rent. The building was the University of Toledos first large-scale dormitory. Despite the common perception, Parks Tower is not actually the tallest building on campus. The Bell Tower clears Parks Tower by 34 feet and six inches.

NEERA MARTIN / IC

COMMUTER

STUDENT

SURVIVAL

GUIDE


COMMUTER

STUDENT

SURVIVAL

GUIDE

The Commuter Student Lounge is Room 3504, located in the

Student Union by the entrance from Centennial Mall and the Trimble Lounge. It is staffed Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and remains open until midnight. It is a study area with lockers, a

refrigerator and a microwave.

NEERA MARTIN / IC

Lets face it. You dont live far from campus and you dont need to leave home just yet, so you decide to com-mute to campus for your first year. Its a tough decision, espe-cially if you know what lies ahead of you.

Commuting means youll have to fight for your parking spots oc-casionally, youll be running to your classes to make it on time and youll be stuck eating campus food more than youd like to admit. The commuter life is a tough one to live and one that will take time to master. As someone who survived their first year of commuting, I of-fer these suggestions to help you first-timers survive in the world that is UT commuter life.

Arrive earlyThis is probably the simplest, yet

most important rule for parking at UT. On my first day of class, I got to campus 40 minutes before my class began, and I still managed to be late. Parking is a free-for-all here, and I just wasnt prepared.

Parking spaces fill up fast every day, so give yourself plenty of time to allow for traffic and con-struction you may not be expect-ing. Its Toledo after all, and that kind of stuff happens all the time.

Being early on exam days is doubly important. Some teachers understand the parking woes stu-dents have to suffer, but that wont buy you any extra time to finish that test.

Know your desti-nation

Knowing where each of your classes is located ahead of time is crucial. This could save you 10-20 minutes on your first day, es-pecially if you dont quite have your bearings down yet.

The week before classes started last fall semester, three of my friends and I took a whole day to learn each of our schedules. We explored Field House, Rocket Hall, University Hall and the whole engineering campus.

This is essential for commut-ers. Those living on campus have an advantage because they can explore the campus whenever they want after they move in. Commuters should make a day out of this. It allows for you to be prepared for your first day and it may turn out to be kind of fun if you go with friends. Youll avoid the embarrassment of walking into the wrong classroom Mon-day morning, too.

Car closetWe live in northwest Ohio.

This means the weather could switch between all four seasons in a single day if it wanted to. The best way to deal with this is to keep a spare set of clothes in your car. If you dont know what the weathers going to be, this is a real life saver.

Ive gone into class while it was bright and sunny only to walk

out into what looked like a mon-soon. I was forced to run to my friends dorm through the pour-ing rain and tornado sirens. I didnt have a raincoat or umbrel-la and I was dressed in a T-shirt, jeans and Converse high tops. I wasnt prepared.

Dont be surprised by the pop-up snow showers that come in late fall and early winter, either. Be prepared with a hat, gloves, scarf and a pair of boots if it starts to get bad. It definitely isnt fun being caught off-guard by the weather when youre on campus.

Have somewhere to go

At some point during your first year, youll most likely have a huge gap in your schedule. You dont want to go home and risk losing that PERFECT spot you parked in this morning, do you?

There are plenty of things you can do or places to go and spend that time, so plan ahead. Check with your friends to see if any of their schedules align with yours. It helps to have a friend who lives on campus that will let you hang out in their dorm for those few hours a week that you have to kill.

If youd rather be more pro-ductive, you can always go to the Carlson Library and study or do your homework. Theres also the Trimble Lounge on the second

BY TREVOR STEARNSNEWS EDITOR

See Commuter / 17

By Ashley KingStaff Reporter

Ive been a commuter student at the University of Toledo for a year and a half now. This time has not come without stress over parking.

Its come with bumping and nicking other cars and even finding dents on my own car. I have been late to class because I couldnt find a spot in time. Ive had tickets. Ive even had to ask a professor for change to put in the parking meter because all I had were nickels and pennies.

My biggest anx-iety about parking was the fact that I have a wider car; which makes it that much more difficult to pull in and out of the spaces. Certain parking lots were a nightmare for me, but it has got-ten better. I un-derstand how UT parking works now, from where I can park to what time I should ar-rive on campus.

UT determines where you may or may not park by examining three main categories: how many credit hours youve obtained at the be-ginning of a semester, if you live

on campus or not and which pro-gram youre a part of.

People with less than 30 hours are typically first-year students. They are identified by the letters: F and K. The F identifies fresh-men residential and the K identi-fies freshmen commuters. If you have more than 30 credit hours, your identification letters will be either a D for upper class residen-tial or C for upper class commut-er. Those with the parking per-mits of C and D may park in vari-

ous parking lots throughout the UT campus, in-cluding East Ramp, West Ramp, and Rock-et Hall. Each parking lot has signs stating which letters are allowed in that specific area.

What Ive expe-rienced with parking at UT is its always best to arrive on campus an hour before your class starts. If you have to park in area that is known for fill-ing up quickly, you may want to arrive even earli-

er, or have another place that is still in walking distance from your class as a backup. When you arrive

early, it gives you more time to find a parking space without stressing and rushing to class.

I also find it best to try to park in one specific lot instead of driving around to different places. This past semester, I had classes in two build-ings that were close to each other, so I found a nice in-between lot and walked to my classes from there.

Parking spaces can also be color coded for different people, so its good to take notice of colors when parking. Certain parking lots may include spaces for faculty along with students.

For example, Lot 13 by Memorial Field House includes parking for students and professors. The student spaces are white, while the faculty spaces are yellow. Although its all in one parking lot, students arent al-lowed to park in the yellow spaces.

The parking services do drive through the parking lots making sure people are in their designated spots. If they see that a student is parked in a space for a faculty mem-ber, you will be notified through

your rocket email stating youve re-ceived a ticket. My very first semes-ter, I received not one, but two tick-ets in a one week span because I was parked in a space for faculty.

The parking garage situation is one that I had to recently deal with. I never wanted to park in the garag-es simply because tight spaces scare me and my car is wider than most. I figured if I was having trouble parking in the outside spaces, I

didnt even want to imagine the trauma of an indoor parking space. But truth be told, Ive enjoyed the parking garage more than the out-door parking spaces. I honestly wish I would have conquered my fear sooner; maybe I wouldnt have been as stressed as I was before.

By keeping these hints and tips in mind this upcoming semester, it might make parking a little eas-ier for you and your car.

For any more questions or con-cerns about parking at UT, please log on at: www.utoledo.edu/park-ingservices/index.html

Here you will find a list of links from the campus map, stu-dent permits and UTs parking policy. You may also contact the parking services at:

Main CampusTransportation CenterRoom 1400419.530.4100


Parking at UT

What Ive experienced with parking at UT is its always best to arrive on campus an hour before your class starts. If you have to park in area that is known for filling up quickly, you may want to arrive even earlier, or have another place that is still in walking distance from your class as a backup.


Rec Center OpportunitiesHere are some things to check out next time youre at the rec center:

Climbing Wall The Rec Center has a climbing wall that is avail-able for use. Bouldering (moving horizontally across the wall) is free, may be done at any of the open hours and doesnt require any gear or experience from students. However, being able to top rope (vertical climb) requires a climb card, which can be obtained by completing a climb clinic.Fitness Programs There are multiple fitness programs available to Rec members, including Rocket-Ex Group Exercise, personal training and the Wellness Center. Rocket-Ex is available to all mem-bers who are 18 and older and pro-

vides an exercise schedule personal training is available to members 14 and older. Forms are available to fill out on the Rec Centers website. The Wellness Clinic is available two days a week and tests multiple fitness levels. Appointments can be made through the website.Intramurals If you like to play sports for fun and youre looking to meet new people, intramurals are a great way to do this. UT offers multiple intramural sports ranging from bowling to ultimate Frisbee. Information on the clubs can be found through UTs website.Others Aside from those listed above, the Rec Center offers a lot more to its members, including Red Cross certification classes, summer day camp, swim lessons, wilderness expeditions and regu-larly hosted special events.


Critical thinkingGood writing

CuriosityIntegrity

GutsStudents of any major can apply.Email [email protected] for more information.

Applications available inCarlson Library Suite 1057

(419) 530-7788IndependentCollegian.com

Were looking for REPORTERS

who have

floor of the Student Union which provides a large sitting area for students and theater-style seating in front of multiple TVs. The commuter office is also available in Student Union Room 2505 and is an area for commuters to relax and do homework if they please.

Lastly, many student organizations have an office that they allow their members to hangout in. This allows you to get involved in campus activi-ties while providing you a place to go in your off time.

Bring Your Own Lunch

You may think to yourself, Doesnt packing a lunch seem a lit-tle childish? Im a college student now, after all.

You wont be thinking that when you look at your bank account after the first few weeks of buying yourself lunch every day. The cost of eating on campus adds up quickly. Besides, if youre limited to eating at the

restaurants provided to you in the Student Union, youre going to tire of them extremely fast. Not to men-tion the dreaded Freshman 15, the traditional 15 pounds freshmen are known to gain once becoming free to set their own dietary limits.

You may be surprised at how ma-ny people bring their own lunch. If youre worried about people think-ing youre weird for carrying a lunchbox around, theres no need to worry. Youre on a college campus now and others have a lot more on their minds than poking fun at someone with a lunchbox.

The lines in the Student Union at lunch time are ridiculous as it is. Youre a busy college student now; you dont have time to wait for that!

It gets betterBeing a commuter comes with

its own special perks. Sure, you have to pay for a parking pass and you waste a lot of your extra time on campus, but youre provided with many luxuries that students living on campus miss out on. Af-ter youre done with all of your

classes for the day, you get to drive back to your own house and relax in your own bed, instead of being crammed into a tiny room on a floor full of loud neighbors.

For those of you who live with your parents still, how nice is it that you can have meals already prepared for you? A lot of the on campus students have to live off of food they get from the POD con-venience stores or the restaurants on campus. They dont have the luxury of eating a home-cooked meal multiple nights a week.

Think of the money you save by doing your laundry at home as well. Laundromats arent provided for free to students, and its quite expensive, too.

Residents have easy access to the services and activities UT offers, but would you really trade your freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want, for that?

Being a commuter gets easier as you learn the ebb and flow of your own schedule and of UT. Just keep these tips in mind and you may successfully survive your first year as a commuter.

Ive always been a pretty in-dependent person, so I never really considered the possibility of feeling homesick. I was excit-ed to get away from my irritat-ing siblings and closed-minded hometown and jump into all the new experiences that were waiting for me in Toledo. I nev-er even imagined how much these new experiences that I craved would affect me.

Homesickness isnt just about missing home or missing family, its about missing whats comfort-able to us. College is a stark change from what many of us were used to before no more parental supervision, were basi-cally feeding ourselves, its on us to get to the doctor if were sick and (often for the first time) our professors treat us like adults. It can be difficult to make a smooth transition into all of these new adult responsibilities.

Not everyone experiences home-sickness, of course. But for those of

us who do, its something that can be hard to deal with, especially if your home is far away from Toledo.

Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to combat home-sickness when it hits.

You can talk to an RA.

Residence assistants help fresh-men transition smoothly into col-lege. If youre struggling with any-thing, theyre a good place to go. Sometimes, when youre upset or dealing with homesickness, all you really need is someone to listen to you and your RA is there to do just that.

You can get in-volved.

Join a club or some other type of organization. If youre taking foreign language classes, you might be inter-ested in joining one of the many dif-ferent foreign language clubs on campus. If you enjoy athletics, you

can join a club sport team or create an intramu-ral team with some friends. If youre in-to the idea of Greek life, there are a number of sororities and frater-nities on campus. Getting involved in something and staying busy can help fend off some of that homesickness.

You can stay con-nected with the peo-ple back home.

Keep in touch with home through

FaceTime, Skype, phone calls, texts, etc. Dont spend all of your time talking to family and friends from home, because that could prevent you from getting the most out of your col-lege experience, but it could definitely be helpful to check in with them ev-ery once in a while.

You can keep something that reminds you of home.

Maybe its a photograph, maybe its a stuffed animal someone close gave you, or maybe its the blanket youve had since you were a baby. Whatever it is, bring it along. Who knows maybe one night when youre feeling extra homesick, youll wrap yourself up in that blan-ket, turn on Netflix and feel like youre back in bed at home.

You can spend time with your friends.

At college, when youre living just seconds or minutes away from your friends, theres a good chance theyll become a second family to you. If youre feeling homesick, go and spend some time with them, and those nega-tive feelings will likely fade.

Homesickness isnt ideal, but it happens. Its actually pretty common, especially for college freshmen. If youre struggling a lot with homesickness in the fall semester, theres a good chance those feelings will be gone in the spring. By then, college will feel more normal and comfortable. The important thing to remem-ber is that its only temporary. Eventually, your homesickness will subside, and it gets easier as time goes by.

Ashley Gearheart is a second-year majoring in international business.


Leaving home, and the challenges that come with it

ASHLEY GEARHARTIC COLUMNIST

COMMENTARY

Commuterfrom page 11UT Traditions

Fight SongU of ToledoU of Toledo, well fight for you(Fight! Fight! Fight!)U of Toledo, we love the Gold and Blue(Lets go Blue!)Men of the Varsity, the enemy must yield,Well fight just like our ancestorsand march right down the field!T-O-L-E-D-O, Toledo!

Alma MaterIn tower shadows voices now raising, To alma mater Golden and Blue, Fair Toledo praise to thee, Portal of learning ever be, Hallowed halls we shall revere, Vow to keep thy memory dear.

AMANDA PITROF / IC


7 things to look forward to on campus

FOR THE IC

Though theres no dance, our university still holds a homecoming celebration. Its a time filled with traditions, events and concerts, and culminates with the annual Homecoming Parade and game. Various organizations around campus build floats that represent that years homecoming theme. The 2015 UT Homecoming will be held on Oct. 10.

FOR THE IC

Music Fest is a free outdoor concert put on by the University of Toledo around the time of the Rockets first home game. It is an all-day event, held on campus in the fall and open to the UT and Toledo community. Last years line-up included The Infatuations, David Cook and Mike Posner.

FOR THE IC

Every year, the Rockets go head-to-head against archrival Bowling Green State University in a game known as The Black Swamp Showdown. The winner of this annual competition gets bragging rights, and also becomes the temporary owner of the Battle of I-75 trophy. UT has defeated the Falcons for the last five years, and the teams are scheduled to face-off again on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Bowling Green.


FOR THE IC

Like many communities across the country, UT hosts its own Relay for Life, usually in November. Over the course of 12 hours, students and community members walk to raise thousands of dollars for the American Cancer Society. Each year, over 13,000 students participate. Attendees gathered at the Student Recreation Center to walk around the track and participate in activities and games.

SAVANNAH JOSLIN / ICUTs RockeTHON, formerly Dance Marathon, is a tradition that began at Penn State and has spread to universities across the nation. Students spend several hours learning dances and playing games to raise funds for the Childrens Miracle Network, a non-profit that works to fund associated childrens hospitals. UT students began participating in 2001 and in 2013, UT raised over $70,000 for Toledo Mercy childrens Hospital. Last year, students raised over $102,000.

SAVANNAH JOSLIN / ICFor this service project, UT students come together for one day to clean up the residential areas in Toledo, Bancroft Hills and Secor Gardens in order to show their appreciation to the surrounding community. It began in 1982, is usually held in March and has been called the largest student-run service project in the nation. The number of volunteers jumped to about 2,500 this past year.

CURTIS LANE / ICSororities, fraternities and UT organizations have gathered every year since 1937 to perform in UTs Songfest. The competition, usually held in April, features groups singing and dancing live with props and costumes as they try for the top spot. But winning isnt everything the money raised by each group goes toward a different charity every year.

By Colleen AndersonManaging Editor

Were surrounded by countless commu-nities, organizations and activities that strive to enrich our college experience. But theres a major arm of the University of Toledo whose mission is to enrich our academic experience.

The Jesup Scott Honors College website says their mission is to nurture and chal-lenge high-achieving students while of-fering them opportunities. The college encourages experiential learning in a number of ways, including connecting students with internships, study abroad programs, undergraduate research and service learning.

Samuel Duling, a third-year majoring in political science and economics, wrote in an email interview that he has benefit-ed from the experiential learning oppor-tunities offered by the Honors College.

The Jesup Scott Honors College is the key I needed to seize experiential learn-ing opportunities, both in the community and abroad, Duling wrote. Without Honors, I would have no career to look forward to.

Duling said the most beneficial part of the Honors College has been meeting the people involved, and that he is particu-larly thankful for the opportunity to learn from role models among the facul-ty, staff and administration.

The greatest benefit of being a student of the Jesup Scott Honors College has been learning from the inspiring faculty, staff and administrators, Duling wrote. For example, Dean Ransom is one of the greatest role models I have ever encoun-tered. Role models are never easy to come by, and I have cherished every sec-ond of learning from her immeasurable wealth of knowledge.

According to Honors College website, Honors students receive preferred admis-sion to advanced degree programs, in-cluding admission to UTs graduate pro-grams in law, medicine and pharmacy.

Students enrolled in the honors program also have the option to live in hous-ing built exclusively for Honors students, which in-cludes the Honors Aca-demic Village, MacKinnon Hall, and Scott and Tucker Halls.

To receive an Honors di-ploma at graduation, the college has several require-ments for students to ful-fill. The requirements list-ed on the website include:

Fulfilling all the nor-mal requirements for each students respective degree program

Complete 33 credit hours of honors courses. Six of these hours Honors 1010 and Honors 1020 are man-datory classes for all Honors students. The remaining hours can be filled by taking various types of courses.

Earn a minimum GPA of 3.3

Complete an Honors thesis or project

Complete the require-ments for honors within each students respective degree

Honors College lecturer Page Armstrong said the requirements in place can be challenging, but she feels they actually enhance stu-dents experiences at UT.

Youre going to have some requirements that go beyond those you have in your regular degree, but I think all those are very valuable, she said.

For Honors students seeking to meet other students from the college, they have the option to join the Honors Living Learning Community while signing up for housing. Living Learning Communi-

ties are on-campus hous-ing based communities of students in the same residence hall who share academic or special interests.

Armstrong, who is also the director of the Hon-ors College division of the program, said being involved in the Honors College LLC helps stu-dents stay active in the community.

Its just a way of offering our students opportunities to be active in the commu-nity, whether culturally, or with enter-tainment, or to social outreach, she said.

Some of the activities the honors LLC participated in this year included trips to the Toledo Museum of Art, a trip to Cedar Point, hosting speakers from the communi-ty and various social outreach activities. Armstrong said the activities had an atten-dance ranging from five to 60.

It really allows them to connect with each other outside of the classroom, she said. It gives them a chance to find peo-ple within the Honors College that have similar interests, and not just academi-cally related. Its a whole support system, basically.

For more information about the Hon-ors College, students can visit their office in MacKinnon Hall room 2000, call the office at 419-530-6030, or email them at [email protected]


Honors offers students options

NEERA MARTIN/ ICThe Jesup Scott Honors College offices are part of MacKinnon Hall, where students can go with any questions regarding the college. MacKinnon Hall also serves as a residence hall for Honors students.

The Jesup Scott Honors College is the key I needed to seize experiential learning opportunities, both in the community and abroad. Without Honors, I would have no career to look forward to.

SAMUEL DULINGThird-year political science and engineering student

A persons room is equivalent to his or her sanctuary. By bringing swarms of unknown people into your roommates safe place, you may betray their trust.

Learn your roommates preferences and comfort levels with visitors. If you know your roommate is an in-trovert, dont embarrass them by bringing a crowd of people into the room without their knowing. Always introduce anyone who enters the room and be especially careful not to invite your boyfriend or girlfriend over for hours on end.

Public displays of affection or making out in front of your roommate is not ac-ceptable either think about how you would feel in that scenario. Other hang out locations, such as the library, Stu-dent Union or another friends room, may be better options to give your roommate space.

9. Be open to change and new things.

College is jam-packed with people who were raised differently from you, partake in a variety of hobbies and es-pecially those whose brains dont func-tion the way yours does. Thats the great thing about college being exposed to others who arent a mirror image of you.

So get used to the diversity and try to keep an open mind. To you, your roommates passions or beliefs may sound strange or seem like a waste of time, but keep in mind that he or she may feel the same way about your hob-bies, which could include your love of science fiction or your obsession with Pinterest, which is evident from your wall, covered with half-finished crafts you started last week and failed to fin-ish. Whatever it is that makes you and your roommate smile, you both deserve to engage in those activities without judgment from one another.

10. If nothing else, follow the Golden Rule.

Treat your roommate like youd like to be treated. Regardless of what hap-pens during the course of your relation-ship, if you treat your roommate with the same respect you know you would want, you can take comfort at the end of the year knowing you did the right thing and acted as an adult.

Samantha Rhodes is a fourth-year double majoring in communi-cation and English.

Roommatefrom page 6


Tuition: Every student at colleges every-where pays tuition its the overarching fee to attend the school. Tuition rates vary depending if you live in or out-of-state, or depending on your status as a part-time or full-time student. If you exceed 16 credit hours, you will have to pay per extra credit hour, and each hour is worth several hun-dred dollars.

General Fee: This supports activities sponsored by Student Government, campus activities and campus athletic events. This money also goes towards the upkeep of the Student Union building, intramural sports, transportation services and other student organizations which require funding. The money is allocated at the end of each aca-demic year by a general fee committee, made up of students and approved by up-per administrators.

Special Service Fee: Its a mandatory se-mester fee that covers processing of official academic transcript requests made through Rocket Solution Central and the Office of the Registrar. The fee also goes toward the processing of graduation applications.

Lab Fee: Despite the name, lab fees are not just for science classes. A lab fee can be applied to almost any specialized class, and are requested to cover equipment and ma-terials used in a class.

Tech Fee: Its used to fix or buy technolo-gy and supplies in labs, classrooms and computer labs for whatever college desig-nated on your bill.

Library Information Resource Fee: This money goes toward electronic library resources.

Parking Permit (Optional): You can re-quest a parking permit on your myUT por-tal, and the system will assign you a permit type based on several factors, including your year in school and your commuting status. Your permit information will auto-matically update as your student status changes. While you dont necessarily have to purchase a parking permit, you will be ticketed if you park on campus without one.

Health Insurance: All students regis-tered for six or more on-campus credit hours are required by UT to have health in-surance. You will automatically be issued a bill to be a beneficiary of UTs plan, but you can waive the fee if you have compara-ble health insurance or are covered by your parents plan.

Payments: Anytime you make a payment on your bill, the amount you paid and the way you paid it will appear.

Loans and Scholarships: If you earn a scholarship or receive loans, this is amount going toward your bill.

Understanding your billWhat do all those items on your UT bill mean? Heres a breakdown.

What about those optional fees?Student Legal Services

Any student who has paid the $10-per-semester legal services fee is eligible for free counsel from Student Legal Services.

The Student Legal Services program was initiated in 1995 to provide quality legal coun-sel to students. The program assists students with a wide variety of legal issues including, but not limited to:

Traffic citations. Criminal matters. Landlord-tenant issues. Debt collection or consumer issues. Insurance issues.The cost of hiring a private attorney in the Toledo area can range from $100 to $500 per

hour, so even if you dont think youre likely to need legal services, $10 per semester may be a small price to pay for security.

Student Legal Services is located in Room 1533 of the Student Union.

Green FundThe UT Student Green Fund (SGF) serves to finance student-proposed and executed projects that promote sustainability, renewable energy, efficiency, waste reduction, and educational initiatives such as conferences, workshops, public classes, and internships.

The UT Student Green Fund is a student-conceived, student-created, and student-led program. It is a self-replenishing pool of money collected from students that is used to finance student-backed projects that serve to support the SGFs mission to make the University of Toledo a greener, more sustainable, and environmentally friendly campus.

During the fall semester of 2011, several students met to outline their collective goal to implement a voluntary, $5 per semester fee intended to dramatically increase the speed at which students and student organizations could receive funding to make im-pactful, eco-friendly changes to the campus. The fund is supported by a voluntary,

opt-in fee of $5 available to students each semester. Projects funded by the SGF may range from campus-wide sustainability initiatives

such as free high-quality water bottles and filtered water refill stations to cut down on plastic waste, providing capital for senior capstone projects or research and internship

stipends, and possibly implementing more renewable energy resources such as wind and solar power, lowering the utility cost and carbon footprint associated with every UT com-munity member.

IC file story


Small steps for big pay-offsWhy starting healthy habits in college will benefit you in the long run

By Samantha RhodesStaff Reporter

Its inevitable youre going to stand naked in front of a mirror at some point in your college career.

Perhaps youll try not to glance at your reflection too long, horri-fied of what may become appar-ent once you start analyzing your physique. Or maybe youll love admiring every inch of your ev-er-changing bod.

Regardless of your attitude, one thing is absolutely crucial during college: being mindful of your health.

Ive been in your shoes and experienced binges of post-midnight snacking, gulping cream-overloaded coffee and skipping the gym for a study session. All of these will likely happen to you.

Youll try to be mindful of la-bels, flip the package over and gasp when you see a calorie number higher than youve counted since you were 10. But lets be honest the word no doesnt top your cravings vo-cabulary list.

So in record-breaking time, youll shove the entire thing down your pie hole in exchange for the surge of endorphins to spike your

mood. Nobody is guilt-shaming you. Its the rational decision col-lege students make while endur-ing mental fatigue.

As per the famous acronym, YOLO, you already have an ex-cuse to eat that third brownie. But I take a slight twist to this same idea youre only young once.

Because your young metabo-lism is most likely still burning at a rampant pace and you truly are only young once its okay to engage in unhealthy eating at times. After all, none of us boast of perfect control.

However, keep in mind that college is a developmental peri-od in your life. Youre going to repeatedly make decisions that will form subconscious habits, rituals and routines, some of which may be increasingly dif-ficult to change later on.

Take a crisp, new piece of notebook paper and crumple it in your fist. Now try to flatten it back out to its original ap-pearance. Its nearly impossible. No matter what you do, the creases are deeply embedded in the pages physiology.

The same concept applies to the habits and routines you form in college they will be impressively difficult to change

later on if you allow them own-ership of your life now.

Weve all heard it: Go hard or go home.

This ideology has been in-grained into our minds by mus-cle-bulging athletes, eye-catching Nike T-shirts and risky people who often spout it off the tips of their tongues when theyre about to do something incredibly stu-pid and need an excuse. Sadly, this phrase has destroyed motiva-tion to do things that are seem-ingly small, simple or dont pro-vide immediate results.

Its total bologna.Newsflash the world (and

your body) accept small contri-butions. You dont have to transform into a gym rat, train for a marathon or partake in a hardcore, no-margin-for-error diet. You will most likely fall and thus are setting yourself up for devastation. Instead, take small, habit-forming steps in a direction that will reap life-long health benefits.

For example, try eating small-er meals or snacks more fre-quently throughout the day to keep your metabolism burning at top speed, maximizing calo-rie output and reducing hunger pangs. Start a workout sched-ule, even if its only twice a week. Go for a jog, even if its only a half-mile. Avoid con-stantly consuming red meat and

fried foods every day in the dining halls and opt for poultry, salad or grilled options instead.

Some form of action is always better than nothing.

If you accustom yourself to occasional workouts, turning down French fries and choosing water over pop, these painfully dreaded decisions will slowly become easier and require less on-the-fence mental debating.

Its a simple matter of calories in vs. calories out. Eat more calo-ries than you burn, and youll gain weight. Burn more calories than you consume, and youll lose weight. Therefore, every pre-vented or burned calorie adds up and may even contribute to weight loss over a period of time.

Your minds willpower is like a muscle; in order to be strong, it must be trained over time.

The lure of junk food and the desire to sit on your bum all

day make an impressively per-suasive duo that will never fully be banished from the back of your mind. But if you always choose the easy route, the hard-er route will never get easier.

Perhaps Anthony Robbins said it best: If you do what youve always done, youll get what youve always gotten.

With ongoing persistence and mental awareness, you can off-set the formation of unhealthy habits (and unwanted weight gain) by slowing integrating positive ones into your day-to-day lifestyle.

Studies say it takes between two and eight months for our brains to solidify a habit. Repetition be-comes regularity and so it can go with your health habits.

One time becomes two and two becomes three. And before you know it, youll stop count-ing altogether.

Health Tips Dont drink your calories. This means avoid pop, juices, energy drinks or any high-calorie beverage if theres an available alternative like water. These calories sneak up on you and often contain absurd amounts of sugar.

Eat smaller meals more frequently. This will control your hunger and maximize your metabolisms calorie burning process. Plus, who doesnt like more opportunities to put food in your mouth?

Carry a bottle of water with you wherever you go. Drinking water will keep you hydrated so your brain isnt tricked into believing you are hungry. Drinking ample water throughout the day also helps clear your body of toxins.

Create a work out plan that fits your needs, even if its only twice a week. Regardless of whether youre doing crunches in your dorm room or lifting weights at the Student Recreation Center, any movement and strength training is better than none. If you schedule time in advance for activity, youll have less of an excuse to blow it off later.

Do little activities that add up. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Flex your abdominals while sitting in class. Break into a random jog in the middle of a walk. At the end of the day, your calorie output is compared to the number you consume, so make every effort possible to burn as many as you can.

Make a concentrated effort to practice saying no. Occasionally turn down French fries or ice cream. Swap your hamburger for a deli sub. Hone your self-control skills and youll realize that denying yourself unhealthy food isnt as hard as it used to be.

NEERA MARTIN / ICThe Student Recreation Center has a wide selection of workout equipment, including the exercise bikes pictured above. Individual machines are available to visitors, who can also opt to join a group fitness cycling class. The Rec Center also has weight lifting rooms, basketball courts, a swimming pool and a climbing wall available.

NEERA MARTIN / IC

Victoria Grieshop, a third-year nursing student, works out using the Rec Center free weights collection. The Rec Center is free to all UT students, and is open every day with the exception of holidays.


The ins and outs of UTs transport systemsBy Jessica HarkerStaff Reporter

Whether youre living on cam-pus at the University of Toledo or youre commuting everyday, there are a lot of quick, easy-to-use ways to get around campus.

Diana Watts, the transit coordi-nator at UT, said the transportation system is easy to use if students take the time to understand it.

There are many ways to get around campus and the city of To-ledo. UT Transit Services is avail-able to students, faculty and staff free of charge with a valid UT ID,

Watts said. All current schedules, maps and times of departures are on our website at www.transit.uto-ledo.edu. You can also call our of-fice if you need more explanation.

For transportation on campus, Watts said there are two main bus routes, the Gold Loop and the Blue Loop, that circle campus most days of the week.

These busses make loops going in the opposite direction of each other on all days of the school week from 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. They make stops at the busiest plac-es on campus including the Student

Union, the engi-neering campus and the Lot 2 parking garage.

Parking around the cen-ter of campus can be challeng-ing, and I have seen students circle lots some-times up to 15 minutes to try and find a park-ing spot, when they could have parked in Lot 25 or 20 and ride the shuttle into the center of campus quicker, Watts said.

Along with transportation on campus, the

university has multiple opportu-nities for transportation off-campus as well.

There are busses running to the Toledo Museum of Art and the Health Science Campus Monday through Friday that stop half an hour before the Blue and Gold Loops do all of which are free to ride with a valid UT ID.

Many students are surprised to learn that our bus takes you directly to the Toledo Art Museum, which has free admission, Watts said. The museum does charge for parking, but if you ride the shuttle, you have a nice afternoon of exploring one of the most amazing museums in the United States for free.

There is also a stop to the local Wal-Mart that is incorporated in-to the Health Science Campus route Monday through Friday starting at 5 p.m., allowing stu-dents to get the things they need that they cant buy on campus.

For freshmen living on campus who also have cars, they will have to park at the Scott Park Lot off of Main Campus. There are a couple of options available to those stu-dents looking to retrieve their cars.

Freshman who are having to park on the Scott Park Cam-pus can utilize our shuttle to obtain their vehicles Mon-day through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 5 p.m. to

10 p.m. After-hours service to Scott Park is provided by Night Watch, Watts said. Freshmen can park on Main Campus Friday night and re-turn their cars back Sunday evening, or the evening before the start of school when it concerns a break or

holiday. To keep students

from being over-whelmed by all the transportation op-tions, there is an app called Trans-loc. It allows stu-dents to track the

bus routes in real time, and is avail-able on most smartphones.

So lets say you are at the Stu-dent Union and want to know when the next bus will be there to take you to your residence hall, you can look that up on your smartphone, computer or tablet on the spot, Watts said.

For those who dont have a smartphone, any of the bus stops with kiosks can also show students where the busses are, and the times are also listed on the transit service page of the UT website.

CURTIS LANE / ICThe UT transit system operates on two main loops, the Blue Loop and the Gold Loop. During the school year, the busses on each loop travel in opposite directions from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. During the summer, select shuttles run from 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m.

CURTIS LANE / ICThe Transportation Center, which is also home to the University of Toledo Police Department, sits by a bus loop on the south side of campus.

Busses make loops from 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. each day of the school week.

Eateries in the Student Union

Looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat? Here are the locations open in the Student Union over the summer.

Subway: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Magic Wok: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Starbucks: Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Phoenicia CuisineTake-out: Monday-Thursday 10

a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Dine-in: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-

3 p.m, Friday 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Samantha Heinze


Starting college with your best foot forward

College life can be tough when you try to stay on top of your schoolwork and be out-going. The experiences and memories you make in college will last you a lifetime, so you want to be sure to make the best of it. This begins with doing well in class and there are many things to be aware of in or-der to put your best foot forward in college.

Going to office hours

On the first day of the new semester, make sure to write down a note of where your professors office is and when he or she will be avail-able. Its important to find out if your professor prefers you to just walk in during office hours, or if they would prefer you to set up an ap-pointment with them.

Take advantage of office hours for help with homework and test preparation. Find-ing time to visit with your professor shows them that you care about what youre learning, and it will encourage them to take you seriously.

Getting to know your professors

We all know the feeling of being stuck with a teacher you just dont get along with. A great thing about college is that, when you schedule your classes, youre able to choose which professor you want. There are websites like ratemyprofessor.com that allow you to see how other students felt about professors.

As you get further along in your college career, try to figure out which professors you like best. You can decide this based on their personality, their grading scale, their teaching method, etc. Sometimes it is bet-ter to take a class you need based on the professor who is teaching it, rather than only being interested in the course materi-al. Liking or disliking your professor can have a big impact on the grade you end up receiving in that class.

Creating a study groupThe material you have to learn for some

classes can be hard and having a group of people there to support you can help you tremendously. Make friends with a few people in your class and work out a time when all of you are available to meet and study for quizzes and exams. Study groups

can be especially help-ful if youre more so-cially inclined.

As someone who stays more focused when studying on my own, there are some good study strategies you can do on your own. My favorite way to study is to make flashcards whenev-

er a new concept or chap-ter is introduced in class. The physical task of writing out the information by hand helps me remember it. Then I quiz myself over and over until I have no trouble recalling the information for any flashcard. If you decide to use this strat-egy, make sure to spread out the time you spend on studying. You will remem-ber the information for the test better if you spread out your studying rather than trying to learn it all in one huge cram session.

Know the way you studyThere are some good study strategies that

you can utilize on your own besides form-ing a study group. You can make flashcards whenever a new concept or chapter is in-troduced in class. The physical task of writ-ing out the information by hand helps to commit information to memory. Then you can quiz yourself. You can also outline chapters, review lecture notes or watch Khan Academy videos at www.khanacade-my.org to learn the material. Find out which way you like to study the most and ace all of your tests.

Just remember to study in increments, because one cram session before an exam wont help you.

Joining groupsDuring the first few weeks of

school every student group is pushing for new members. If you want to join a group, this is the time. New groups are great places to make friends with people who share the same interests.

The first few group meetings are very non-committal just because you go to the first meeting doesnt mean you have to go to the rest. That way you can meet with different groups, find out what they are all about and join the ones you are interested in.

If you go to a meeting further into the semester, it might be a little more stressful because youre the new frog on the log. But you shouldnt let that stop you from joining a group. Every group wants more commit-ted members who want to participate. Find out what your friends are interested in, and maybe they will join with you.

First week activitiesThe first week activities are awesome for

everyone they let you meet new people, try new things, get free goodies and not have to buy food for two weeks. Student organization Campus Activities and Pro-gramming puts on events throughout the year, but over the first few weeks they do activities that allow students to get to know one another, like bon- fires and barbeques. You wont want to miss out on any of these events. You can learn when and where the events are by reading the newspaper, looking at fliers in the Stu-dent Union or by liking different University of Tole-do student groups on Facebook.

Be ready before class starts

It is best to be prepared for class.

Knowing where youre going is vital. It will be helpful when you want to go to different events on campus. Get to campus early to map out where you have to go. Showing up late to class because you dont know where youre going can be awkward if there are on-ly ten people in the class, and it can be diffi-cult to find a good seat if you are in a large lecture. Plus, you wont make a good impression.

Where you sit during class

As an incoming freshman, you may think that sitting in the way back of a 100-plus person lecture hall and catching up on some Zs during class is the way to go.

Its not.On the first day, and on every day there-

after, get to class 15 minutes early and snag a seat in the front row. After the first week of class, everyone will automatically sit in the same seat every day. Sitting in the front few rows of the classroom will show your

professor that you are inter-ested in learning, and that you are taking your grade in the class seriously. If your professor is one to use the projector and put up a Pow-erPoint to coincide with that days lecture, sitting in the front will help you be able to take better notes. It will also help you focus on the lesson better.

Lauren Gilbert is a copy editor for The Independent Collegian.

Morgan Rinckey is the Opinion editor for The Independent Collegian.

COMMENTARY


#UTs social mediaWhether its finding out about a class

cancellation from a classmates tweet or ranting anonymously about your problems, its more important than ever to stay on top of the social media scene. Now that youre starting college, here are a few social media accounts you should be watching out for.

FacebookDespite claims that

Facebook is useless and outdated, it isnt all that horrible, and it can still be quite useful while in college. (And if your old high school friends clog up your feed, you can block them.)

A majority of student or-ganizations, fraternities and sororities use Face-book groups to stay in touch with all the members of their organization.

If you are going to be in-volved in any campus student organization, you should probably have a Facebook.

In addition to being involved in groups, Facebook is also a great platform for event planning, and to stay on top of remember-ing birthdays.

Even if you arent involved in any UT clubs or organizations, you might get invit-ed to one of their super cool events on Facebook.

If getting involved socially isnt your thing, Facebook also functions as a won-derful online host for your millions of bathroom mirror selfies. You can even cre-ate different albums for each year. (If you forget this, you might miss a #Throwback-Thursday next year.)

TwitterNow its probable that on Facebook you

have some friends that you might not want reading certain, more vulgar, statuses that you post. (Our parents generation is start-ing to find it easier to like and comment on our posts.)

Therefore, its time to graduate to Twitter if you havent already. If you create an in-teresting enough handle, most people that you wouldnt want seeing your 140 charac-ter tweets, wont. (You can also set your ac-count to private.)

Besides having a little bit more freedom

to swear publicly, the greatest thing about Twitter is its hashtag ability (which Face-book and Instagram have now implemented.)

If something interesting or potentially dangerous or just plain fun is happening on campus, tweeters on campus can add hashtags to the end of their posts. If other

people also hashtag the same thing, it will start to trend in the local area. You can check Twitter trends and hot hashtags by clicking on them or searching for them.

For example, UT had a host of water main break issues last year, and UT students showed just how savage they could be. Many tweeters thought it was funny to

steal a hashtag that was in-tended to prompt students to tweet about the positive reasons they chose UT. In-stead, the hashtag #whyUT became a common com-

plaint trend where students would com-plain about why UT was not the greatest.

Follow and create as many hashtags as you want this year we will be sure to keep track of them but whatever you do, you should also find tweeters that tweet about UT-relevant things.

One of UT students favorite Twitter ac-counts is @UT_Problems. The account will occasionally retweet UT students com-plaining about problems they face in class, while parking or the Arctic winter.

The account will also tweet their own gems like, The only thing falling faster than my GPA is the value of my textbooks, or BGSU is a respectable institution of higher learning. #AprilFools.

Yik YakIf you need to post about your bottled-up

hate for BGSU, or if you want to complain about how annoying people in Carlson Li-brary are, you should post about it anony-mously on Yik Yak.

Yik Yak is a lot like Twitter and Reddit combined, and its completely anonymous.

The social media site has just started to become really popular on college campus-es and at UT. In fact, UT crashed the Yik Yak server back in September because we yaked so much.

Download the app on your phone it is free, and you can instantly see what thousands of students on campus are talking about.

One of my personal favorite yaks is On a scale from 1 to nature valley granola bar, how much is your life falling apart? and aptly the top-voted response was, Pretty close to a Jenga tower.

The great thing about Yik Yak is if some-thing worth talking about it happening on campus, students will usually upvote the Yak and more people can see it at the top of their feed. And when people say very stu-pid stuff, which happens often, students downvote that into oblivion. (The posts ac-tually disappear after five downvotes.)

As long as you are posting hilarious BG-SUcks puns or jokes about the struggles of living in Parks Tower, then your yaks will surely be read by pretty much every smart-phone user on campus.

Word of cautionSocial media is not real life. Do not let

yourself become addicted to it. There are still tons of people on campus to meet and interact with socially. There is no need to check Yik Yak five times in one day; set some limits for yourself otherwise youll never finish that paper thats due tomorrow.

Being yourself on social media also comes as drawback if you post more ris-qu things. Employers these days have been known to look employees up on social media sites to see if they want to hire them.

To avoid this, avoid posting crazy things that would make you look bad, set your ac-count to private or create a username that is not your name this way people cannot just Google search you and find out you were partying last night.

But what happens if other people tag you in some embarrassing pictures that might tarnish your otherwise flawless so-cial media presence? On Facebook, Twit-ter and Instagram you have the ability to report any post or photo that is consid-ered harmful. For the most part these sites are good at removing this material. Yik Yak will not allow users to post names, photos or any identifying material.

Just like being social in the real world, there are rules and cautions. Make sure to have fun out there on the Internet and to get safely involved.

Joe Heidenescher is a third-year majoring in English, and he is the associate Commu-nity editor for The Independent Collegian.

JOE HEIDENESCHERIC COLUMNIST

COMMENTARY


About this publication

UT 101 is a special edition produced by The Independent Collegian, the University of Toledos student newspaper.

Editor-In-ChiefAmanda Pitrof

Editors:Colleen Anderson, Trevor

Stearns, Morgan Rinckey

Copy Editors:Lauren Gilbert and Jared

Hightower

Cover photo:Amanda Pitrof

Cover models:Neera Martin and Trevor

Stearns

Advertising sales:Zachary Hartenburg

Adviser:Danielle Gamble

About The Independent Collegian

UTs student newspaper was founded as The Universi-Teaser in 1919. For much of its life, the paper was simply called The Collegian and was funded in part by UT. But in 2000, facing attempts by then-president Vik Kapoor to exer-cise more control over the pa-per including trying to install his own hand-picked candi-date for editor-in-chief the paper began the move toward organizational independence.

Kapoor was forced to resign that spring, and in the fall, The Independent Collegian was born. With help from members of the faculty, board of trustees and local press, The Collegian severed legal and financial ties to the university and even-tually moved off-campus.

Although the IC now leases space in Carlson Library, it is still run independently by the Collegian Media Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit. The IC is committed to remaining

UT 101: Summer/Fall 2013

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