RockeTHON is celebrating 16 years at The University of Toledo this weekend when the largest student-run philanthropy event on campus is set to raise its millionth dollar for Mercy Children’s Hospital.

Since the 13-hour dance marathon began in 2001, $970,000 has been raised for children’s health care.

“Our mission is to create miracles for sick children in our community by raising funds and awareness for Toledo’s local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital,” said Julianne Putano, overall director of RockeTHON. “We are able to see the impact that we make on a local level, and throughout the years, we have helped hundreds of families. All of the money that we raise goes to providing crucial treatments, programs and equipment for the children who are treated at Mercy Children’s Hospital.”

More than 1,000 people are expected to attend RockeTHON from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, April 8 in Savage Arena.

As part of the Miracle Network Dance Marathon, UT is one of more than 300 universities and colleges across the country to hold dance marathons benefiting Children’s Miracle Network hospitals.

Putano encourages donations to the RockeTHON drive, stating that her team needs all the help they can get to reach their goal this year of raising $200,000.

“We work hard all year long to not only put on an amazing 13-hour dance marathon, but to hold fundraising events as much as we can for the hospital,” Putano said. “The culmination of our yearlong fundraising effort is the dance marathon where we are able to meet many of the children and families who have been impacted by what we do, and they are our motivation. They are the strongest, bravest and happiest people we have ever met, so we do everything we can to support them.”

To register for RockeTHON or donate, visit https://events.dancemarathon.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1216.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Driscoll Alumni Center, Board Room

5:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Social Dinner

Monday, April 17, 2017

Driscoll Alumni Center, Schmakel Room

12:30 p.m. Clinical Affairs Committee Meeting

1:00 Finance and Audit Committee Meeting

1:15 p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting

A luncheon for the trustees will be held at noon

in the Driscoll Alumni Center Board room.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Radisson Hotel, 3100 Restaurant

8 a.m. Board of Trustees Social Breakfast

Any questions may be directed to the University Communications Office by calling (419) 530-2077 or via email at Christine.billau@utoledo.edu.

Sometimes people aren’t aware of how their attitudes and beliefs operate below conscious level and affect their judgment or behavior.

The UT Office of Diversity and Inclusion wants to change that and is sponsoring the Implicit Bias Speaker Series throughout the month of April.

“Implicit bias refers to the unconscious attitudes we have about people that, left unchecked, can lead to prejudice and discrimination,” Jennifer Pizio, associate director for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said. “By learning about these biases and making the implicit explicit, we can change our attitudes and help create a more diverse and inclusive environment.”

Ari Melber, MSNBC chief legal correspondent

Ari Melber, MSNBC chief legal correspondent, will kick off the series by giving a talk on “Bias in a Post-Truth Era” 5 p.m. Thursday, April 6 in Doermann Theater.

“There’s nothing new about bias distorting our view of the world, but are polarized politics and selective information making bias worse? What can we learn from social science and legal training to combat our own biases? I’m hoping to tackle those questions in this program,” Melber said.

Listed by date, other topics and speakers in the series are:

• Thursday, April 13 — “Unconscious Bias and Its Impact on the Patient-Clinician Relationship” by Dr. Adil Haider, surgeon and Kessler Director of the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, at 4 p.m. in Collier Building Room 1000B.

• Tuesday, April 18 — “Discrimination, Subtle Bias and Inequalities in the Workplace: In the Name of Meritocracy” by Dr. Leanne Son Hing, associate chair of psychology at the University of Guelph in Ontario, at 5 p.m. in Thompson Student Union Room 2584.

• Wednesday, April 26 — “Unconscious Racial Bias in Health Care and in Medical School Admission” by Dr. Quinn Capers IV, associate dean for admissions at Ohio State University College of Medicine, at 4 p.m. in Health Education Building Room 110.

For more information on the free, public talks, contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 419.530.2260.

University of Toledo students, faculty, staff, alumni and the public are invited to UT President Sharon L. Gaber’s State of the University address.

The event is 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 5 in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium. An ice cream social will follow the address.

This marks Gaber’s first State of the University address since her arrival in July 2015.

“I look forward to reviewing the progress we have made over the last couple of years and outlining the direction we are moving in the future,” Gaber said. “The culture at UT is changing, and we can feel the excitement when we walk across our campuses. But we also face considerable challenges, and we have to address them head-on. I need everyone – faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community – to join me in a commitment to continuing to build a stronger University.”