cabrinicollege,radnor,pa. _19087
friday,mar.1, 1985
vol.xxxi, no. 18
Reaganproposesstudentaid cuts Informedcollegestudentstake actionagainst suggestedreductions by Michelle M. Bamber Although late in starting: student action against President Reagan's proposed budget cuts is now beginning. If Reagan's proposed budget cuts for student financial assistance are passed by Congress, $2.3 billion less will be appropriated for fiscal year 1J)86 than for 1985. This will affect the 84 percent of the students on campus who receive financial aid. Reagan has also presented several legislative proposals that would cause some students to be ineligible for-any federal aid at all. All students from families with adjusted gross incomes above $25,000 could not receive any federal grants, direct loans or work-study jobs. Students from families with adjusted gross incomes above $32,500 would not qualify for the Guaranteed Student Loan program. When asked if she had done anything about the proposals, Karen Dinan, senior, said, "No, because it does not directly affect me. I have a lot of other things I should be doing." Dan Radice, junior, has not done anything either. When asked why, he said, "I just have not buckled down and done it." Robin Larkins, president, Student Government Association (SGA), said, "Awareness is lacking because students do not under~tand the meaning of the cuts."
She along with the rest of the SGA executive board is organizing a campus campaign to build student awareness. A letter to the key people on campus was sent out earlier in the week to announce the campaigns' kick off. At the SGA meeting last week, Arlene McEvilla-Dittbrenner, director, financial aid, spoke to students concerning the proposals for the first time. This past Tuesday, a letter writing workshop was held by McEvilla-Dittbrenner at the SGA meeting. Larkins hopes this will get students involved and build awareness at the same time. The history and political science club lent assistance to the SGA campaign by finding out names and addresses of legislators. If this is successful, Larkins plans to take another course of action. She would like to invite other area colleges to a rally on campus to again build awareness of the proposals to students outside of Cabrini. The responses she receives from the other colleges will determine the possibility of a rally. She said, "Maybe if we can be the catalyst in building awareness we'll have served our purpose for serving students. The next possible step that Larkins sees is a trip to Washington, D.C. Over 300 Cabrini students in addition to students from all over the country attended a sun-
ilar rally four years ago. Because of student involvement the proposals were not passed. The Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities, located in Harrisburg, PA, was responsible for organizing the Pennsylvania students who attended the march. A spokeswoman from the association said, •~nother march is in the talking stages, although nothing is definite." Even though no date has been set, they are planning something. She added, "Cabrini is on our list." McEvilla-Dittbrenner feels very strong on the issue of fighting the proposed cuts. She said, "Every student has a responsibilty to let their congressman know how it would affect them." She continued, ''This is an issue that we should not panic about, but rather act upon. Everyone should be very aware that their opinion counts." John Briscoe, an area spokesman for Representative Robert Edgar said, ''It is clear and succinct that this administration has abandoned all programs that seek to invest in the future of this country." He also said that Edgar, who is against the proposals, thinks that "money invested in education is a good investment and should continue to be put there." Briscoe stressed the unportance of contacting members of Congress by first calling to find out where they stand on the
issue and then writing them. He said, "It really makes a difference." In the Feb. 25, issue of Newsweek, it was stated that Republican Senator Robert Stafford, who chairs the Senate education subcommittee, is confident that there are enough votes in Congress to defeat the proposals. James Hedtke, professor, political science, commented on the proposed cuts saying, "I think all students should be involved in things that affect them, even seniors. They have a moral duty to take care of the next generation." Hedtke stressed the point that parents of students should also get involved because the 30-50 year old age group has the highest amount of voters. They are viewed as the ones who make the contributions and voice their opinions to their friends. According to McEvilla-Dittbrenner, many people view financial aid as a free ride, not realizing that students work hard during college and must pay back all the money. An additional point that she brought to the out was that a hightechnology age such as ours requires an educated population to make value judgements. McEvilla-Dittbrenner summed up how she feels on the issue of student federal aid cuts by asking, ''Who are todays students? They are tomorrows leaders."
Majorchangesto occur 1nhousingfor fall '85 by Lisa A. Rancatore After careful consideration and planning, Mary Ellen Lilly, director, resident life, has decided to institute some changes concerning housing next semester. Lilly arrived at her decisions by researching the current resident figures, projecting new figures based on an attrition rate, usually 10 percent, and determining the number of available spaces that she has for the residents. One of the changes is the conversion of Xavier Hall from an all-female residence to an all-male residence. Xavier Hall can house 120 people and 116 male residents are projected for next year. Lilly feels the male population "would fit in there very nicely." "Since I decided to put them in a dormitory situation," Lilly said, "I preferred to give them the better dorm, (Xavier); especially since it was their only option." She added she thought it would be a more comfortable at Xavier for the- male residents. Another change in the housing situation for next semester concerns Counsel Hall. Counsel is going to have its population reduced and become a women's residence. "Counsel is really not an ideal- living environment so it was a very high priority to me to see if we could close Counsel for men and switch it over to a women's residence. This would be yretty much like a house situation since there would only be
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20 women living there," Lilly said. She added that she hopes for renovations to happen before the fall term begins. Thirdly, the houses will become female residences. Lilly considered the possibility of turning the houses over to the men of the campus. This would mean giving five of the seven houses to the male residents. "I am not convinced a house situation would be ideal for freshmen," Lilly said. Woodcrest will remain a women's dorm, yet internal changes will occur. To begin with, the first and second floors will be tripled. The third floor will be mainly sophomores in doubles. Lilly believes due to the projected number of freshmen, the rooms will be tripled. "I think it's unfortunate that we have to triple Woodcrest," Beverly Reilly, resident manager, Woodcrest, said. "But we don't have any other choice given the way facilities are." · Resident student opinions on this issue seem to vary. "I don't want to go but I have to, so I will," Joe Gagliari, freshman, said. "I will greatly miss it (Counsel)." Most are sympathetic to the problem faced by the men of the college but understand the reasoning behind the changes. "I understand how the men might feel being in one building, but it's one of the best facilities we have," Reilly said. "It's a shame the guys can't have a choice · of a second residence," Julia Malik, sophomore, said.
·Asurpriselanding: A sunny afternoon on Tarrytown Lakes, Tarrytown N. Y. This Canadian goose soars in for a graceful landing. (photo by Mark Magner)
Looki_ng at a top rock station For an inside look at one of the top radio stations in Philadelphia, see the living section page 5. (insignia cour-tesy of
WMMR)
Gettingrid of wintertime blues Forgetting all about low temperatures and half-melted snow, the women of Xavier Hall held a beach party; this was the first dorm function in Xavier. See SGA, page 7. (photo by Cara Graham)