By Megan Parker, News Contributor
May 6, 2018
Zippy, The University of Akron’s kangaroo mascot, celebrated turning 65 with students, faculty, staff and fellow mascots Webster from the Akron RubberDucks and Pozzie from Canton Charge. During the celebration, students, faculty and staff could take pictures with Zippy and her friends, eat cupcakes and donate non-perishable food items for the Campus Cupboard. The birthday celebration took place on May 1, 2018 in the Jean Hower Taber Student Union Trapezoid Lounge from noon to 1:15 p.m. According to UA’s Athletics History & Traditions web page, Zippy became the University’s mascot on May 1,1953 — three years after UA athletes changed their nickname from the Zippers to the Zips. Then, in the 1980s, she changed from a jumpsuit and paper-mâché outfit to a full kangaroo suit, a media advisory said. The Alumni Association, with the help of the Athletics Department, Meghan Meeker with social media, and the University’s Communications & Marketing Department,...
By Meenakshi Kodati, Correspondent
May 4, 2018
Relay For Life is a fundraiser event of American Cancer Society. It is staffed and coordinated by volunteers in more than 5,200 communities across 20 countries in the world. It is a team fundraiser event where people get together to organize themed campsites at the venue. They organize games, activities and sell food to raise money and donate the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Each event takes place with a member on track, to signify that cancer never rests, neither do the patients. Every year, the Relay For Life event is organized on The University of Akron campus by volunteers of Akron Against Cancer. Akron Against Cancer is one of the college chapters of Colleges Against Cancer, a nationwide organization comprising college students, faculty and staff who work towards eliminating cancer. “We are a group of students who were touched by cancer in some way. We get together to support each other and organize this event to raise funds,” Olivia Cole, the chairperson of Akron’s...
By Robert Barrett, Jr., Copy Editor
April 27, 2018
The Buchtelite’s first special edition of the 2017-2018 featured an interview with President Matthew Wilson titled “State of the University: Incredibly Optimistic.” In the brief time since that article, The University of Akron has experienced several major changes such as the position of president and a shortening of the class week from five to four days. The state of the University has come a long way since when, then president Luis Proenza, said the state of the University was “strong,” in 2013 and since Wilson said he believed the state of the University to be “incredibly optimistic,” in August 2018. The interview with Wilson at the beginning of this academic year allowed Wilson to discuss his goals and vision for the University. Wilson focused on his initiative called “Stabilize - Invest - Grow,” or SIG. As Wilson’s time as UA’s president comes to a close, many will look back at this initiative and what degree of success it achieved, if any. In late...
By Jake Herron and Megan Parker
April 23, 2018
One of The University of Akron’s historic buildings went up into flames late Wednesday, April 18, 2018, in a fire that caused a building nearby to close due to poor air quality and took hours for emergency responders to put out. Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, the University of Akron Police and Akron Fire Department received reports of smoke and flames in the old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 354 E. Market St. The three-alarm blaze became so intense that it set off fire alarms at the C.P. and Cornelia Chima Family Center located across the street, Rob Camer, a custodian at the Chima Family Center, said. The Akron Fire Department closed East Market Street at North Forge Street most of the day Thursday, April 19, due to the extent of the damage and debris caused by the fire. The C.P. and Cornelia Chima Family Center also closed Thursday due to poor air quality from the smoke and debris across the street. Although they were unable to combat the blaze inside the...
By Pam Duncan, Guest Writer
April 6, 2018
One month after a gunman took the lives of 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida, a nationwide school walkout took place on March 14, to memorialize the lost and advocate for legislative action to limit access to automatic weapons. UA freshman Samara Rice, Elizabeth Duncan and Noah Spinner--both admitted to UA’s class of 2022-participated in local events, each with a unique, yet unified, perspective on the issue. “Our children need to be protected from guns…” On the morning of March 14, students and other advocates gathered outside Bierce Library despite the bracing cold to express solidarity and support for the lost and their loved ones and to publicly implore our elected leaders to enact legislation that would limit access to automatic weapons. Samara Rice, a participant at the UA campus walkout, noted that a similar event was taking place at her high school in Cleveland. She expressed gratitude for the...
By Emily Bower, Special Editions Editor
March 13, 2018
On Saturday, March 10, the Rock Mill, located on Carroll Street, hosted their second Ladies’ Night. The goal of this event was to introduce women to the world of rock climbing and to get them excited about the sport. The event was held after the Rock Mill’s normal closing time on Saturday, and only women were invited to attend. “The idea behind Ladies’ Night is to just give women an opportunity to come and try out climbing in a less intimidating space and to really experience the community of women climbers that we already have here. It’s so awesome to me to see our members who come to this event just to share their love of climbing with the women who are experiencing it for the first time,” Liz Yokum, Co-Founder of the Rock Mill, said. While the event was mainly focused on having its attendees free climb for the majority of the time there was also a group yoga warm-up at the beginning of the event and some of the more seasoned Rock Mill climbers offered demonstrations...