Inside

Section A
Contract controversy; and unsatisfied cravings.

Darius comes east

Star of documentary comes to UT; and a review of "Role Models" and "Madagascar 2."

Rockets in NCAA
Soccer plays against Notre Dame; and basketball teams open season.

Todays weather

Independent Collegian IC
The
Thursday, November 13, 2008

Forum, A6

Arts and Life, B1

Sports, B4

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www.independentcollegian.com
89th year

Serving the University of Toledo since 1919

Issue 22

Students reflect on economy's impact Jacobs'

By Daniel Trzcinski IC Staff Writer

UT students are concerned about the state of the economy and are adjusting their spending habits, a survey conducted by The Independent Collegian found. If a recession does happen, there will be less money to pay off loans, scholarships might be tougher to get and parents may not be able to help financially, said Derek Ludwig, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering

and computer science. The IC's unscientific written survey was handed out to 76 UT students in various classes and in the Student Union Building over the last two weeks, and the majority said they budget their expenses carefully and spent less than $100 during fall break. Despite those findings, the survey found 40 percent of freshmen did not cut down on any expenses in the last six
Impact, Page A8
Graphic by Joseph Herr / IC

IC Unscientic survey: how students are cutting

back, divided by class

contract renewed
Renewal's timing was surprising, say faculty
By Melissa Chi News Editor

Dr. Compaan's 'Lectrk' lifestyle

UT distinguished physics professor powers home and car with solar electricity
By Joe Griffith News Editor

Not only do 96 solar panels supply his home with electricity, but they also power his GMC pickup truck. This is a dream that weve both had for many years, which is to have an energyefficient home ... and a vehicle for commuting that would be solar powered, said Al Compaan, a distinguished physics professor at UT. According to his wife Mary, the 2,600 square foot home located in Holland, Ohio cost about $350,000 and has been running on efficient energy for the past four years. The pickup truck, license

plate LECTRK, runs on 20 batteries charged from the solar panels, he said. Were basically generating as much electricity as we need for the house and for charging my electric truck, he said. If the electric company were to cut off his system to work on power lines, Compaan could actually use his truck to power the house, he said. Ive never had to run [the house] more than four hours, but I figure that [it] will run about four to five days off the [trucks] batteries, he said. The houses construction and design, as well as all of the lighting and appliances,
'Lectrk', Page A2

Nathan Croak / IC Nathan Croak / IC

Distinguished physics professor Al Compaan stands in front of his pick-up truck, which is charged by solar energy collected from panels on the roof of his home.

The series of batteries in the trucks bed are wired together and power the electric motor that replaced the internal combustion engine.

UTs Board of Trustees voted unanimously to extend President Lloyd Jacobs contract until 2013 during a meeting on Oct. 23. Jacobs, former president of the Medical University of Ohio, has been president since July 2006 and will remain in the position until at least Nov. 16, 2013. The board and I think that Dr. Jacobs has performed exceptionally well, specifically with the integration with the two universities, said UT Board of Trustees Chairman Rick Stansley. With the respect of the merger, we think it has gone above what our expectations have been; we believe the university is significantly better positioned today than weve been in our most recent history. Jacobs will receive $450,000 in bonuses on top of his annual salary of $392,700. Ive always said, Ill keep going as long as theyll have me, Jacobs said. Im happy to be able to continue in this role. The members of the Faculty Senate, however, were not expecting Jacobs contract extension to occur at this time. [Dan Brennan, former chairman of UTs Board of Trustees,] made a promise to do what he called a 360 review, which I ... assume by that, [he wanted to review] everything on Dr. Jacobs before any contract extension offers were made, said Chairwoman of the Faculty Senate Jamie Barlowe. The point I want to make clearly is that Faculty Senates response to the contract extension is not about Jacobs performance or accomplishment; its about a process. Mike Dowd, a faculty senator and the chairman of the
Contract, Page A8

Ikarian's odyssey Book likens football to business leads to Toledo

By Brittany Tritschler For the IC By Emil Whitis Copy Editor

Gigantic Mediterranean waves thrashed the small fishing boat carrying a young Ikarian boy and his family. We encountered a terrible storm, said John Chrysochoos, professor emeritus of chemistry at UT. I remember the women all the women were on their knees praying. I remember the men ... [the] terror in their face. As they neared the shore, a Turkish sentry spotted the fragile craft being battered by waves and helped them to land. There were about a dozen Turkish guards, and my father, to thank them for their help, gave them a big bottle of ouzo

... the soldiers started drinking ouzo like water ... so my fathers face grew very white from fear that ... the soldiers would get drunk, and there were only four men in the group and 16 women and children, Chrysochoos said. Although the guards drank themselves to sleep, Chrysochoos said he can remember his father and two other men slowly moving toward the collection of guns in case the guards became violent. Chrysochoos was 9 years old in 1943 when his family fled their native Ikaria, a part of Greece, in fear of the Germans who had taken over the island. We realized that we couldnt
Odyssey, Page A3
Photo illustration by Joseph Herr / IC

Football and business may seem worlds apart, but for one books authors, the game can be used to describe winning business tactics, perhaps ones needed to drive against todays receding economy. The book The Two-Minute Drill: Lessons for Rapid Organizational Improvement from Americas Greatest Game attempts to revive older, trusted methods for practicing business. Through comparisons to football, authors Gregg Papp, president of Cube Culture Corporation, Tim Stansfield, president of IET Inc. and Clinton Longenecker, professor of leadership and organizational excellence at UT, give a new twist to succeeding in the business world. Longenecker said football is a good conduit for the re-in-

troduction of the books ideas into the business world. We have a good metaphor in football for the business world, he said. The book is about making fast changes in a company when the current business plan is failing and little time is left to save the future of the company. Using hard work and perseverance as the main staples for success, the book presents readers with suggestions on the problem-solving process and how to move ahead of the competition. Treating the conduct of business like a football playbook, the authors said they strive to instill a winners mentality into readers. Breaking down success into eight steps, the book defines the readers necessary steps to success.
Football, Page A8

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A2
Police Blotter
The following events occurred between Nov. 5 and Nov. 8. Anyone with information regarding these events should contact UT CrimeStoppers at 419-5307777.

Independent Collegian percent of the worlds energy, Compaan said. Environmentally, its an were specifically chosen to unsustainable lifestyle, he reduce the demand for elec- said. We have to get ourtricity, Compaan said. The selves off this unsustainable energy-efficient refrigerator, style of living. Compaan said he believes microwave and the compact florescent lighting all reduce energy-efficient homes are a energy costs. Even the tele- realistic possibility for most vision uses a liquid crystal Americans. Some homes may not be display, which is more efficient than regular televi- suitable if they are facing the wrong direction or if theyve sions, he said. I wanted to illustrate how got lots of shading trees, but you could have a lifestyle many homes would be capable of taking solar that didnt have to The excess panels, he said. be significantly The 96 solar panmodified and still electricity is els, which cover be very energy-effirunning out about 55 percent of cient, Compaan into the grid the roof, are each said. and being eight square feet in The Compaans chose the houses used by our size and cost about $50,000 all together, design to include neighbors, including installaboth a large, unibut our tion. The typical form roofline for the solar panels and electric home, however, an electric many south-facing meter is without would only vehicle windows, he said. running use about half the The south-facing backwards. number of panels, windows help comhe said. bat the energy they Al After writing a use from natural Compaan proposal to the state gas. Distinguished of Ohio, the state Although were professor, covered half of the using natural gas Physics cost through a small for heat, were trying to conserve, he said. grant program, which is still We have a lot of south-fac- available to other Ohioans, ing windows, which is to Compaan said. The state of Ohio is gradtake advantage of passive ually increasing incentives, solar [energy]. Not only does the houses he said. Some other states design cut back on their use like California have better of natural gas, but Mary often incentives ... its quite possihang-dries their laundry to ble now in many states to get conserve energy, she said. In a system and have about addition to their energy-effi- two-thirds of the cost covcient home, the Compaans ered by different kinds of also grow their own vegeta- incentives. Today, solar panels and inbles and recycle the excess stallation are expensive, but material in a compost pile. This is one of the biggest Compaan believes the cost problems in our society; the will be greatly reduced in extravagant use of energy, the future. As [solar panels] become Compaan said. Electricity is mostly gener- more and more popular, ated by coal, which produces there will be more and more carbon dioxide and other competition among installharmful pollutants, he said. ers, and theyll learn how to America has a small fraction do it more efficiently, he of the worlds population, said. Despite the $25,000 Combut its citizens consume 25

The

Thursday, November 13, 2008

'Lectrk' From Page A1

Theft
On Nov. 5 an unknown individual or group removed an LCD projector, case and the cords from a conference room in the Student Union Building. The projector is valued at $1,200. On Nov. 6 an officer responded to a theft report at the Ruppert Health Center on the Health Science Campus. When the officer arrived on the scene, the witness informed him the suspect was seen reaching half of his body into a physicians-only office and rummaging through a black purse. When the witness yelled out to the suspect, he dropped the purse and said he had an appointment. The witness then tried to detain the suspect by grabbing onto his arm, but the suspect fled the building. The witness followed the suspect and saw him drive away. The witness was able to obtain a description of the vehicle, license plate number and the direction the vehicle was traveling. While the officer was taking the witness' report, the suspects vehicle returned. The suspect exited the passenger side door, and his mother exited the driver side door, telling the officer she was not involved in any way, but she was only bringing back her son to resolve the matter. The suspect told police he was in the building to pick up a prescription and he had not stolen anything but was only looking for a restroom. Although nothing in the victims purse was missing, the suspect was charged with theft. On Nov. 6 an officer was dispatched to The Crossings on a report of theft of laundry. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with the victim who stated he had placed his laundry in two
Blotter, Page A3

Nathan Croak / IC

The solar panels on physics professor Al Compaan's home are located on the south-facing roof in the back. The panels greatly reduce the cost of providing electricity to the home. paan paid for the panels, the environmental impact outweighs the time it will take for him to recover those funds, he said. Our out-of-pocket cost is about $25,000, and I figure its going to take about 25 years to get the total cost back, he said. From about June to October, the Compaans are credited on their electric bill because the solar panels produce more electricity than the house requires, returning electricity to the grid. Over the past four years, theyve spent about $360 on electric bills about one-thirteenth of the $4,800 a similar sized house would spend on electricity for four years, Compaan said. The solar panels generate direct currents that are run through an inverter system in the basement to generate alternating currents. The alternating currents actually power the electrical appliances. The panels typically generate just enough to power the house, but they use the credit they receive for excess electricity in the day to pay for powering the house at night when the solar panels arent collecting energy, he said. Not only do the panels generate enough electricity to run his house, but Compaans neighbors also utilize the excess power. We dont store anything on site, he said. The excess electricity is running out into the grid and being used by our neighbors, but our electric meter is running backwards. Regulations from the Public Utilities Committee of Ohio restrict Compaan from seeing any real profit from the excess electricity his panels generate. Other states, however, such as California offer full retail value for electricity that can be put back on the grid, he said. In Germany, [they dont] provide any incentives to help you purchase the system, but once you put it in place, they reimburse you at three times the normal rate, he said. The Compaans purchased the solar panels from First Solar, a local solar panel manufacturing company. First Solar guaranteed the panels for 20 years, and so far there have been no electrical problems or maintenance to the panels, Compaan said. The panels were even tested for hail impact at 70 or 75 miles per hour from one-inch diameter hail stones, he said. We just wait for the rain or snow to wash the dust or dirt off, he said. Ive been very happy with these. [The panels] work really well no maintenance. Theyve done actually slightly better than what we predicted. In their fourth year of use, the panels have already made up for the energy used to produce them, Compaan said. The production [of energy] from panels like this will recover essentially all of the energy thats used in the manufacturing of the panels, and the wiring and everything, in one to two years, he said.

Correction
In a Nov. 10 article in The Independent Collegian ("Safety the topic of Town Hall"), we mistakenly reported UT officials discovered 15,000 names weren't transferred to the UT Alert system from an older one called Red Alert. 1,500 had not been transferred, not 15,000. The IC regrets this error.

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