UT President Sharon L. Gaber issued a statement Sunday expressing the University’s commitment to diversity following the executive order issued by President Donald Trump that temporarily bans citizens of seven countries from entering the country.

The University of Toledo welcomes people of all racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, national and international backgrounds. Diversity is a core value of the University. We believe our diversity makes us stronger, and we work hard to create an environment of inclusion.

UT President Sharon L. Gaber is in agreement with the concerns raised by the APLU (Association of Public and Land-grant Universities), which recently issued a statement on the negative consequences of the recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump. We are signatory to the BRIDGE Act, which would give students temporary protection from deportation through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to continue living in the United States with permission from the federal government.

The University will continue to study President Trump’s recent executive order and the impact it has on our campus. We will communicate more when we have more information.

The Center for International Studies and Programs is available to assist faculty, staff and students as more information becomes available. Contact the center at 419.530.5268 or CISP@utoledo.edu.

Chelsea Clinton will visit The University of Toledo Thursday, Sept. 22, as she campaigns in support of her mother, Hillary, who is running for president.

The event will be at 12:05 p.m. in the Maple Room of the Student Recreation Center on Main Campus. Doors open at 11:15 a.m. and space is limited. Those interested in attending can RSVP online through the campaign website.

According to the campaign, Clinton will lay out the stakes of November’s election for voters and emphasize Hillary Clinton’s belief that Americans are stronger together when the economy works for everyone — not just those at the top. She also will urge Ohioans to register to vote ahead of the Oct. 11 deadline.

The Student Union at The University of Toledo will be renamed in honor of a 55-year UT veteran who dedicated his career to helping students succeed.

The building will be renamed the Lancelot Thompson Student Union, pending approval by the UT Board of Trustees at its next meeting, UT President Sharon L. Gaber announced Monday evening at a memorial service for the late University leader.

Dr. Lancelot C.A. Thompson, professor emeritus of chemistry who served 20 years as the University’s first vice president for student affairs, died Sept. 10 at age 91.

“Generations of future students will know his name and the impact he has had on our University,” Gaber said. “I could not be more proud to continue his legacy in this way.”

The president also announced a new Dr. Lancelot Thompson Student Activities and Diversity Fund that will support programming to enhance the student experience and advance diversity and inclusion initiatives.

A true trailblazer, Thompson was the first African-American full-time faculty member at the University when he joined UT in 1958 and the first black faculty member to receive tenure. He went on to become the first African-American vice president.

A committed classroom teacher, he was one of the first four recipients of the University’s Outstanding Teacher Award. To inspire the next generation of college students, Thompson helped organize UT’s annual Aspiring Minorities Youth Conference, which continues to this day.

Throughout his career and after retirement in 1988, when he was named professor emeritus, Thompson mentored a large number of students and student-athletes.

In 2014, the Dr. Lancelot C.A. Thompson Meeting Room was dedicated in his honor in the Student Union that will now bear his name.

At the time, Thompson noted his passion for helping students. He said, “If anything is said about me, just let it be that I cared about people, especially students, so they had all the help available to them.”

A ruptured steam line in an office on the sixth floor of University Hall set off the fire suppression system Monday evening causing flooding to that area.

No classrooms were impacted by the flooding, which also extended to the fifth and fourth floors of the building; however, a number of office areas were damaged.

Crews with the University worked throughout the evening and continue this morning to clean up the water damage.

Normal operations will continue today in University Hall.

A collaboration between The University of Toledo and Toledo Public Schools will allow students to graduate with both their high school diploma and an associate’s degree.

Through the College Credit Plus program students are able to enroll in the academic tracks that will apply to UT’s associate of arts degree in general studies, enabling them to earn that college degree upon high school graduation.

“UT is excited to expand this partnership with TPS to make a college education more accessible and convenient for students. Not only will these students be able to accomplish their goals of earning college credits early, but also have a degree in hand, further positioning them well for success,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said.

“Our mission is to produce competitive college and career ready graduates through a rigorous curriculum … and this new collaboration will allow many students to get a jump start on their future by earning college credits while still in high school,” TPS Superintendent Romules Durant said.

The statewide College Credit Plus program gives college-bound seventh- through 12th-grade students the opportunity to earn high school credit and college credit simultaneously at any Ohio public college or university.

The University also is helping to train high school teachers to teach the college courses right in their high school classrooms to make it even more accessible for students to participate in the College Credit Plus program.

Dr. Rebecca Schneider, professor and chair of UT’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the Judith Herb College of Education, recently received two state grants to develop programs and pay for high school teachers to earn the needed qualifications.

UT is one of 19 applicants chosen to receive a portion of $10 million in new grant funding allocated by the Ohio General Assembly as part of the Straight A Fund. UT received a total of $769,000 in grants from the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Higher Education. The grants will fund tuition for a master’s degree for up to 40 teachers to be able to teach at the college level.

“The program gives students the advantage of starting the transition to college early, while reducing the cost and length of time to receive a bachelor’s degree,” Schneider said. “By credentialing dozens of high school teachers in our area to teach college courses, we are expanding higher education opportunities for more children.”

A total of 911 students enrolled in the College Credit Plus at UT in fall 2015. Of those, 401 are TPS students.

A ruptured water line on the UT Scott Park Campus over the weekend caused flooding damage to campus buildings.

The Scott Park Campus will be open Monday, Dec. 14, but be under a boil water drinking advisory. Bottled water will be made available while water service is returned to safe use. University officials apologize for the inconvenience and will notify campus when full operations can resume.

Flooding caused by the break was discovered about 8 p.m. Saturday night. The break occurred in the Learning Resources Center causing water damage primarily to that area, but also to the Academic Services Center, Basic Science Laboratory Center and Classroom Center, which are all connected by a concourse.

Classroom and lab spaces on the first floor were impacted, as well as the offices for the Department of Human Resources and Talent Development. The department is not currently assisting guests at that location and those in need of assistance are asked to call 419.530.4747 or visit the satellite office on the UT Health Science Campus located at the Facilities Support Building on the East Medical Loop.

Following multiple exhaustive searches, University of Toledo Police Chief Jeff Newton confirmed there is no evidence to corroborate a report of a gunman or victim in UT’s Student Union.

UT Police issued the all clear following a report of a dangerous situation earlier this afternoon.

Just before 4 p.m., a man called Toledo Police’s non-emergency line and alleged he had a gun to his head and that he had stabbed his girlfriend in the Student Union.

The caller disconnected and then called UTPD dispatch and at 3:54 p.m. gave this same information to dispatchers.

UTPD officers were immediately dispatched to the Student Union at 3:56 p.m. and arrived before 4 p.m. The officers immediately evacuated all persons from the building and began a preliminary sweep.

Due to a potentially dangerous situation, a UT Alert — which consists of an email to every UT student and employee and a text message to those who have signed up to receive them — went out at 4:08 p.m. ordering the UT community to stay away from the Student Union. An outdoor public address announcement also was made and the information was placed on www.utoledo.edu.

Ottawa Hills Police, Toledo Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Toledo Fire responded to assist, and a perimeter was established around the Student Union. A second sweep of the building was conducted looking for the alleged victim or suspect.

Toledo SWAT did a final intensive room-by-room search in the building and no victim or suspect were found.

Anyone who has additional information about this incident or knowledge of anything unusual that would be helpful to this investigation is encouraged to contact University of Toledo Police at 419.530.2600.

The Student Union is set to reopen 7 a.m. Monday, May 4. If you left property inside the building during the evacuation, please contact UTPD at 419.530.2601 and an officer will assist you in retrieving your items.