1. Wednesday, October 2, 2013 | The Independent Collegian | 7
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IN BRIEF
UT’s annual
crime report
released
The University of Toledo
Police Department recently
released the annual crime
report required by the
Jeanne Clery Disclosure
of Campus Security Policy
and the Campus Crime
Statistics Act of 1998.This
report, which was released
Oct. 1, is a summation of
the crime statistics for the
past three years.
The following statistics
are for UT’s main campus.
Murder/non-negligent
manslaughter
2010: 0
2011: 0
2012: 1
Sex offenses (forcible)
2010: 3
2011: 2
2012: 1
Robbery
2010: 0
2011: 1
2012: 6
Aggravated assault
2010: 0
2011: 4
2012: 3
Burglary
2010: 69
2011: 105
2012: 53
Motor vehicle theft
2010: 0
2011: 0
2012: 3
Arson
2010: 1
2011: 4
2012: 0
Alcohol law violations
2010: 24 arrests,
248 judicial referrals
2011: 12 arrests,
238 judicial referrals
2012: 11 arrests,
180 judicial referrals
Drug law violations
2010: 3 arrests,
49 judicial referrals
2011: 5 arrests,
168 judicial referrals
2012: 3 arrests,
114 judicial referrals
Weapon law violations
2010: 0 arrests,
6 judicial referrals
2011: 1 arrest,
6 judicial referrals
2012: 1 arrest,
2 judicial referrals
For the complete report,
visit www.utoledo.edu/
depts/police/Crime_
Statistics.html.
STUDENT AFFAIRS
Former director
files allegations
against UT’s
faculty union
ADMINISTRATION
University
names new VP
of finance and
administration
By Samantha Rhodes
News Editor
The former executive
director of the University of
Toledo’s faculty union filed a
lengthy lawsuit on Sept. 24,
aiming 18 charges against
the group that include sexual
harassment, identity theft and
Internet hacking. But mem-
bers are disputing her allega-
tions, with one of the accused
calling them “false and mali-
cious garbage.”
Mary Jane Erard, former
executive director of UT’s
American Association of
University Professors (UT-
AAUP), was fired last April
after working there for
nearly 20 years.
UT-AAUP had previ-
ously filed a lawsuit in the Lucas
County Common Pleas Court
accusing Erard of making unau-
thorized credit card charges, col-
lecting unauthorized compensa-
tion and making unauthorized
electronic transfers of union
funds to an E-Trade account,
which totaled over $50,000.
Erard denies those claims
and, in her counterclaim,
alleges Donald Wedding, UT-
AAUP Grievance Chair, and
Michael Kistner, a member
of the UT-AAUP executive
board, sexually harassed her
and created an “intimidating,
sexually hostile and offensive
work environment.”
According to the lawsuit,
Erard says Wedding “forcibly
grabbed her, and forcibly held
her, and forcibly kissed her on
the mouth” as well as calling her
“baby” and making sexual com-
ments related to her appearance.
The suit also says Kistner
knew Erard was an animal
lover with three dogs and he
“subjected her to stories of
how he tortured small animals
and how lucky it was for him
that his dog has fur so no one
could see the bruising.”
Alan Kirshner, Erard’s attor-
ney, said the sexual harassment
has been difficult for Erard.
“When you’ve been treated
the way she has,” Kirshner
said, “you can either lie down
or you can fight back.”
In response to Erard’s
claims, Wedding said it’s all
“false and malicious garbage.”
“Her allegation is com-
pletely untrue,” Wedding said.
“I have never grabbed her or
kissed her
anywhere,
including her
lips.”
Wedding
also spoke
in defense of
Kistner and
said Erard’s
allegations
against
Kistner were
“false and
outrageous.”
Linda
Rouillard,
vice presi-
dent of UT-
AAUP, said Erard’s accusations
of Wedding and Kistner “are
completely unfounded and
false.”
“Both of these two people
are moral and ethical people
who would never engage in
this behavior,” Rouillard said.
Kistner was contacted by the
IC and declined to comment.
According to the counter-
claim, Erard repeatedly com-
plained about Wedding and
Kistner’s behavior to the board
members and officers, but they
did nothing about it.
Wedding rejected this and
said “members of the board will
testify that she never complained
about me or Kistner” and “spoke
well of me and Kistner.”
The suit states that Wedding
and Kimberly Nigem, treasurer
of the UT-AAUP, hacked her
personal email, internet pages,
and online accounts, such as
her Facebook and E-Trade
accounts, even changing the
passwords and taking control
of some of the accounts.
Kirshner said he and Erard
are waiting to get original
records from Internet servers
and providers.
“We’ve talked to E-trade,”
Kirshner said. “E-trade has told
us that there have been numer-
ous break-ins and that data
was changed, but they require
subpoenas. Now that we’ve got
the counterclaim filed, we can
start getting those out.”
According to
her counterclaim,
Erard alleges
that members
of the board
conspired to end
her employment
and that she was
wrongfully dis-
charged for false
accusations re-
garding financial
transactions that
had previously
been authorized
and noted in the
annual audits.
Kirshner said
he has a positive outlook on
both Erard’s counterclaim and
the original claim filed against
her.
Erard was not faced with
any criminal charges and after
a hearing from the Ohio Un-
employment Compensation
Review Commission, whose
mission is to provide par-
ties an opportunity for a fair
hearing before an independent
tribunal, it was determined
in August that Erard was
“discharged without just cause
in connection with work,” the
suit states.
“We’ve already had this hear-
ing with the unemployment
commission in front of the
hearing officer who said that
Jane was credible and they had
nothing,” Krishner said. “They
had no reason to fire her.”
Erard is asking the court
to dismiss the faculty union’s
lawsuit against her and is
seeking in excess of $25,000
on each of 17 claims, $11,908
for unpaid compensation, and
attorney fees.
Judge Ruth Ann Franks has
been assigned the case.
By Samuel Derkin
Staff Reporter
University of Toledo
saw an administrative
reconstruction Sept. 15 as
David Morlock stepped
into his new role as
executive vice president
of finance and adminis-
tration.
Morlock’s new posi-
tion will encompass
the responsibilities
of now-retired David
Dabney, former chief
financial officer and vice
president of finance, and
former Vice President of
Administration Chuck
Lehnert, who is now
working with corporate
relations.
Morlock said he will be
overseeing departments
of finance, information
technology, auxiliary
services, facilities and
human resources.
Morlock has over 20
years of experience with
the University of Michi-
gan as the CFO of the
health system, in which
he oversaw the medi-
cal school and hospital.
Before coming to Toledo
and after his employ-
ment with the University
of Michigan, Morlock
worked as a consultant
for the publically traded
company Accretive
Health.
“What I hope to bring
is multi-year financial
framework and thought-
process to help us al-
locate our considerable
resources in the most
effective way to position
the University of Toledo
for the future of higher
education,” said Mor-
lock.
During his first two
weeks, Morlock said he
has been meeting with
various UT constituents,
such as administrators,
faculty senate mem-
bers, and board mem-
bers. Morlock said that
through these meetings,
he has been receiving
various viewpoints on
the industry of higher
education.
“I’m trying to take
all of their feedback to
help inform our strategy
and our thinking in our
resource allocation and
planning frameworks,”
said Morlock.
Lehnert, a UT employee
for over 30 years, said
he’ll assist Morlock with
facilities, human resourc-
es and construction as the
new vice president eases
into his role.
“As I transition out,
I’ll be helping him for
whatever period of time
he thinks is appropri-
ate,” said Lehnert, who
is working currently
with businesses such
as Horizon Health and
Ernest Healthcare. “This
[University of Toledo] is
a very complex organi-
zation that needs some
transitioning.”
Morlock said he’s “re-
ally impressed by the
esprit de corps” of his
new team.
“Everybody I have
talked to, in their heart,
you can tell, has the best
interest of the University
of Toledo in mind and
that’s a great situation to
see.”
Commuter lounge renovations expected to be completed
LAWSUIT
By Lindsay Mahaney
Staff Reporter
Complete renovation: That’s
what is happening in the student
commuter lounge at the University
of Toledo.
With funding from the offices of
student involvement, the provost
and the president, UT is expanding
and overhauling.
The lounge, located in the Stu-
dent Union Room 2500, has been
under renovations since August.
Sammy Spann, assistant provost
for the Center for International
Studies and Programs, said he
expects the project to be finished
in two to three weeks.
The new space will include new
seating, both couches and tables
with chairs, and lockers. Addition-
ally, the space was made larger
by joining the former commuter
lounge and surrounding offices.
Spann said the idea to renovate
the commuter lounge came to
him when students would come
to his office and ask to leave their
stuff there because there was no-
where else to put it or just study
because the surrounding areas
were too loud.
“My intent is not to build what
I want or what the administration
wants, but to make something stu-
dents want,” he said.
Student Government public
relations chair Nick McCullough
said he thinks the new lounge is a
benefit for commuter students and
is a step in the right direction for
the university to be more inclusive
of commuters.
“I think it’s a great way for
them to have their own space and
leave their stuff in a secure place
without worrying about it being
taken,” he said.
Spann agreed that the university
is working towards making the
commuter population feel more
included on campus, a demographic
that Spann estimates to be about
17,000 of the roughly 20,000 stu-
dents enrolled at UT.
“Let’s take the time to think about
those people who actually bring in
80 percent of our revenue and actu-
ally give them something,” he said.
Victoria LaRoy, a third-year
education major and commuter stu-
dent, said this space is much needed
for commuter students on campus
because they don’t have enough
places to go.
“Commuters definitely need more
places [on campus],” she said. “I’d
use a new one as long as it’s conve-
nient and comfy.”
Stephen Olson, a second-year
supply chain management major
and commuter student, said he
thinks the university does not need
to change the commuter student
lounge, much less have one at all.
“I will likely visit the new one,
but I doubt I will make a practice
of using it,” he said. “I don’t think
remodeling it was necessary; stu-
dents don’t really need a commuter
lounge, obviously, since they are
surviving without while it’s under
construction.”
Megan Meier, a second-year the-
ater major and commuter student,
said she doesn’t even know where
the commuter lounge is located and
has no interest in using it even if it’s
renovated.
“I think it was a waste of money
because the commuters who spend
time on campus are here so they
can spend time with their friends
and there are plenty of places on
campus where everyone can sit
and enjoy themselves,” she said.
Spann said one of his goals is
to provide an environment for
commuters to connect with their
friends and create memories. He
said he believes having a good
environment for such activities to
take place is necessary for the col-
lege experience.
McCullough said while he is not
a commuter student, he thinks
this new space is an asset for all
students.
“I just think that it’s going to
look great when it’s finished and I
can’t wait to see the finished prod-
uct,” he said.
Spann said he encourages all
students to come to him with their
concerns or ideas as his department
begins to look for more projects like
this on campus. He said students
need to come forward because he
is unable to “exceed expectations”
without their help and ideas.
“I define magic as when real-
ity exceeds expectations,” he said.
“And to me, when you ask me to
do something, I should be trying
to create magic for you, because
I should be trying to exceed your
expectations.”
DAVID MORLOCK
Executive Vice President of
Finance and Administration
“Her allegation is
completely un-
true. I have never
grabbed her or
kissed her any-
where, including
her lips.”
DON WEDDING
Grievance Chair, UT-AAUP
NICOLE BADIK / IC
The student commuter lounge, located in Student Union room 2500, is currently undergoing a full-scale
renovation and should be finished in two to three weeks, according to administrator Sammy Spann.