This weekend, four members of UT’s Student Government (including myself) had the opportunity to attend a conference hosted by the Ohio University’s Student Government. This was for the Ohio Student Government Association, a collective organization representing all of the state universities in Ohio. It was a wonderful experience and a great way to learn more about what other institutions are doing.

One thing that was brought up was the idea of a university-wide body that consists of students, faculty, staff, and administration. I heard about it from the delegates representing Ohio State. At OSU, “The Senate is a body of one-hundred-thirty-seven members representing three constituencies: faculty, administration, and students.” That description comes from their website for the University Senate. Thier University President serves as the presiding officer, but the membership consists of a majority of faculty (70 members) - representing all of the colleges and regional campuses, 26 administrators, and 41 students.

OSU is not the only example of this system. It seems like this idea is being used across the country in places like The University of Pennsylvania, Northern Illinois University, University of Maryland, and Columbia University.

I think that this concept is worth looking into and having a conversation about.

Your thoughts? Please remember to use your University Email to log in to comment. Your email will not be posted publicly.

I was one of those people who wanted to hold off on getting vaccinated until the shot came out but I gave in today and got the FluMist (the nasal vaccine). Many people are nervous about getting the nasal vaccine because it is a weakened live virus.

However, unless you have certain conditions, you are just fine to get the nasal spray. Those that cannot get the nasal spray are: people with asthma, pregnant women, women who are breast feeding, and a few others (more info on utoledo.edu/fluprep or cdc.gov).

I was finally convinced to get it today when I heard about how few doses are currently available. There was a problem with the manufacturing of the vaccine which has slowed down production and thus limited the supply. There are currently about 400 doses left of the FluMist on our campus and there is only one other clinic scheduled for Lucas County to get the shot. No one knows currently when we will get more doses.

So I figured that it is better to just give in, trust the CDC, and get the shot! Here’s a pic:

I feel just fine and the clinic is open today until two. So run over to the Student Union 3018 and get your vaccine!!

Here’s a video some of my fellow pharmacy students and I made:

And here is another from physicians on the health science campus:

NEW INFO!!!!!
This was just posted within the last hour on the CDC’s website. It covers the flu clinics that will be available through the Lucas County Health Department this week. Click Here to view it.

Casting is THIS SUNDAY, October 18th so make sure that you register soon to reserve your spot!!!

Personally, I have seen the effects of smoking not only on the smoker but on the family who must deal with the consequences. My grandfather (I called him Papa) smoked like a fiend when he was younger. He eventually quit, probably for my Gramma (yes that’s how we spell it), but never the less, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He fought it but died shortly after with several brain tumors and cancer all over his body. Was it worth it?

As a student in the College of Pharmacy, I have been exposed to many different therapies that are available for patients to stop smoking. I have also learned about the physiological process that cause stopping to be so difficult. What I have not had clearly explained to me is why, with all of the knowledge that is provided to us from grade school D.A.R.E. to commercials on TV, do people my age (or any age) start?

Anyways, that philosophical question is not the debate I am referring to in the title of this blog. What I am talking about is the Smoking Ban on Campus Debate. Some campuses are against it (see an article from Carnegie Mellon) but never the less (that seems to be my phrase of the day) it is a growing trend.

Whenever this proposal is brought up, people who oppose it are quick to argue that it is an “infringement on our rights”; or “where do the bans end? Will we ban trans fats next?” (Hmm… I wonder if my diets would turn out better if they did ban trans fats…); or, this is my favorite, “smokers are actually less expensive to society because they die sooner.” Yes, that last one was actually used at a Student Senate meeting last year. Talk about “Improving the Human Condition” huh?

And that takes me back to UT. We can look at other schools and benchmark all we want but what really matters to me is what happens in little old U of T. I know that this discussion brings up a lot of emotions because we discuss it in terms of extremes, no smoking or smoke all you want.

Well I have to admit that I, personally, am in the no smoking extreme. I think it would be great if production of cigarettes stopped and the world was made of cotton candy and licorice. But I understand reality. And I can see the other side of the argument. The most compelling of the “other side’s” arguments, to me, is that people LIVE on our campus. Their home is their dorm room. We cannot tell people what to do in their houses, so how can we tell them what to do where they live during college?

So my conclusion, as someone who is trying to find a solution for all of the students, is to propose a compromise. For those of us who don’t enjoy walking through a cloud of smoke on our way to class, ban smoking on campus. But, for those who are going to smoke anyways and don’t appreciate being regulated in their homes, allow smoking on the south side of the river (and map out an area that includes the Quad as well).

So now I’m throwing this idea out to all of you. I want to hear what you think about this debate. Please keep your responses respectful and include a UTAD email (which is shown on the the website – only to me) so that we don’t have any anonymous posters with bogus email addresses. I really want to know what people are thinking so if I can’t get back to you, then I won’t be able to effectively carry forward your opinion.

SEE YOU AT THE GAME!!!

The theme of the debate will be centered on topics that are relevant to students and young people in general and, of course – The Constitution!!

Candidates will be given two minutes for opening statements, one minute answers for each question, thirty second rebuttals, and a two minute closing statement.

We will have free birthday cake and pocket Constitutions to hand out as well!

Please help us by sending in your questions for the candidates to krystalyn.weaver@rockets.utoledo.edu! We will also be accepting questions from the audience at the debate on Thursday. Look for a table with note cards and write them down for us.

Let’s show the candidates just how important the students at The University of Toledo are to the City of Toledo and have a big crowd for the debate.

Any questions – get in touch with me. See you there!!!

This was taken at the Bonfire hosted by RSA on the Thursday before classes. I have NEVER seen this many people at this event. Nice job RSA! Shout out to Stephanie Gurgol who is a fellow blogger and the President of the Resident Student Association!!

This is from the foam party that was hosted by Campus Activities and Programming on the Friday before school.

The student activities fair was a great success this year. There were tons of student organizations there and even more new students.

This is me jumping on this big bouncy thing at the fair!!
There were some great events last week and even more to come.

So the words A-Pass in the title probably caught most of your eyes. If you are a student leader and think that having a faculty/staff pass would help you with the work that you do on-campus, feel free to apply for an A-Pass from Student Government. Here is a letter explaining this opportunity and here is the application. They are due by Monday (I know it’s Labor Day – but you can email them) to either myself, krystalyn.weaver@rockets.utoledo.edu or Rachael Wise, SG’s VP – rachael.wise@rockets.utoledo.edu.

The third topic in my title is Job Opportunity. In the Student Government Office, we have several secretary positions available for work study students. This job entails answering phones, data entry, checking the mail, and other secretarial duties. If you are interested and eligible for work study, please email me your resume and we will set up a time for an interview.

Last but not least, my new obsession is Tweeting. I love it! And now I have my latest Tweets fed onto my blog. So help me carry forward the Twitter Revolution and Tweet with me! I’ll be tweeting about events that I go to at UT and other useful information about campus life in general.

There are some other really cool features with this system too. There is instant messaging, photo sharing, and tons of other things that I still haven’t figured out. I know there are features that are similar to social networking sites – adding friends, photo tagging, etc.

So let’s be a little more positive about the change. I know having a new email name is difficult but it was necessary in order to upgrade to this new system. Also, if you really don’t like the new name, you can set it up so that your email from another account is forwarded to your UT account. So you could use a yahoo or hotmail account and still check your UTAD at the same time.

Continue to voice your concerns so that the kinks can be worked out but try to look at, and appreciate the good things too!

If you are still having trouble getting to your email address, look at the step-by-steps that I put in my last blog.

1. Go to https://myutaccount.utoledo.edu/? and change your password. I know your password probably isn’t expired but change it anyways. This will make your new email box up-to-date.

2. Go to Rockets.utoledo.edu and sign in with the NEW password and your UT identifier (the one you use to sign in to email/MyUT)

3. Don’t stress, they are still working on this so there may be some kinks in the system.
4. Get excited because now you have WAY more space in your mail box and even more space to save documents and such.

Any other questions or technical concerns, the IT help desk’s number is 419.530.2400. They are very helpful.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions or need help!!!

Today I went with some of the men of Sigma Alpha Epsilon to clean up a portion of 475 that they “Adopted.”  Here are some pictures:

Top row: Allen, Josh, Alex, Todd, and Chris  Bottom row: Nate and Paddy

Nice job guys! Keep up the good work!

To learn more about Adopt-a-Highway or to get your organization involved in the program click here.

If you are interested in getting involved with a Greek Organization, learn more about recruitment and the individual chapters at the following websites: for the ladies, the Panhellenic website and for the men, the Interfraternity Council website