The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
VOLUME 138 NO. 10
Friday, September 24, 2010
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
In 1946, The Miami Student reported a partial alleviation of the 400 men living in Withrow Court after the crowded living conditions sparked a state investigation. With the looming investigation, 200 men were moved into residence halls.
CAMPUS
Miami to phase out passport meal plan
By Shane Corcoran For The Miami Student
As a vast majority of students abandon the passport meal plan option in favor of the more flexible diplomat option, Miami University has proposed eliminating passport altogether for the 2011-2012 school year. Currently, there are 850 students on the passport plan and 6,025 students with diplomat, and these numbers continue to change each week as more students convert from passport to diplomat meal plans, according to Lucinda Coveney, director of housing contracts and meal plans. Coveney said Miami expects 200 to 300 students to change their meal plans by spring semester each year. She said an increased number of students have reported difficulties purchasing full meals with the basic passport
meal plan at à la carte dining locations like Bell Tower and La Mia Cucina. Unlike buffet-style dining halls where students are charged one flat fee, food items at à la carte locations are priced individually. This difference makes it more difficult for passport users to purchase full meals while staying under the assigned cash allowance. Even with additional snack accounts, students with passport still do not wield the same freedoms as those with diplomat. Sophomore Cameron Mokas is forced to dine at à la carte locations because of his busy schedule. “I went to Bell Tower for lunch and couldn’t even get a spicy chicken (sandwich), a small fry and a drink without going over (the price limit),” Mokas said. “I had to stand there extremely embarrassed until the kid behind me in line offered to pay for me with his diplomat.”
According to Coveney, the base rate for the passport plan is re-evaluated each year in accordance with the re-evaluation of all food-associated costs. Fluctuating with supply and demand changes and ingredient costs, prices also depend on labor, maintenance and utilities. “The passport plan is priced with a balance between the cost of the food served in all-you-care-to-eat buffets as well as à la carte services,” Coveney said. She said the overall price of passport is based upon the adjusted prices of breakfast, lunch and dinner, which are currently priced at $5.50, $6.95 and $7.85 respectively. While Coveney said she regrets problems students with passport face, she said an overhaul of dining locations has largely contributed to problems with passport.
wSee PASSPORT, page 11
CAMPUS
MU prepares for smaller first-year class By Melanie Rybar For The Miami Student
Miami University may be expecting a smaller class in 2015. While Miami’s current firstyear class is made up of 3,635 students, the class of 2015 is expected to be approximately 3,450 students. The Strategic Priorities Task Force proposed the suggestion. “Even though the decision is still just a proposal, it seems as if there is strong support throughout the university for lowering the enrollment … a definite decision has not been made, but it seems to be generally accepted,” Associate Provost Michael Dantley said. Dantley said the smaller class size would have beneficial impacts on all students. “(This would) allow the university to maintain a steady state, and by that I mean this would provide the student body with better access to the resources the university has to offer such as the housing, dinning, smaller classes and professors,” Dantley said. “The smaller class size allows us to keep a steady state without having to increase anything in those areas and
CAROLINE BUCK The Miami Student
First-years Anna Karwowski, Quinn Butler, Sammie Arundel and Lauren Wenstrup enjoy Miami four weeks in. given the financial situation, maintaining status quo makes good financial sense.” Sophomore Casey Wyckoff said she did not agree. “Honestly, I’m worried about this decision,” Wyckoff said. “Lowering the class size could lead to an increase in tuition or a decrease in the budget. I believe that Miami needs to work on solving the housing problem, but I’m not sure what to think about this.” A smaller class size would not necessarily create a hole in the university budget, according to David Creamer, vice president of finance and business services. “You must understand that new revenue for the university is looked at as a five year period of time, we are not looking at a single year,” Creamer said. “No
immediate financial shortfalls (or) changes in revenue are expected for next year.” Wyckoff wonders what would happen to upperclassmen who want to live on campus. “The fact that the university is cutting the number of beds available to upperclass students is crazy,” Wyckoff said. “I can’t believe they are going to turn away upperclassmen. A university should be able to house all of its students that want to live on campus. Although I am skeptical about some of these decisions, I am confident that eventually everything will work out with the housing problems Miami faces, even though they may not happen as rapidly as we would like.” While Miami will still be offering upperclassmen the option of living on campus, Creamer said not all students will be satisfied.
THE
INSIDESCOOP
TWEAKING TESTING
New changes to the GRE will make the test more fair for all students.
“I expect that there will be some juniors and seniors who would prefer to live on campus that won’t be accommodated,” Creamer said. “The housing plan is already very expensive and the cost and risk of the plan would increase if we built enough beds to respond to the maximum demand that we might experience in any given year. The university’s residential experience is primarily designed around the needs of freshmen and sophomores.” This decision will require an effort from all parts of campus. “Lowering the class size will no doubt increase the quality of the class, even though we can’t complain about the current quality — it will make the application process a more challenging effort for students,” Dantley said. “Making a class takes a university effort, it is not just about admissions, it is the entire university’s responsibility.”
GETTING THE GOLD
The only Miami student to receive an Olympic medal as a student reflects on his experience.
SCISSORS, SCALPEL
FEATURES, page 6
McCullough-Hyde Memorial
CHANGING IT UP
The Miami University Bookstore begins renovations at the Shriver Center.
COMMUNITY, page 4
MOVIN’ ON UP
CAMPUS, page 2 Butler County receives funding to redevelop struggling neighborhoods.
COMMUNITY, page 4
By Kristen Grace Senior Staff Writer
Student organizations that have trouble staying in the black when it comes to budgeting will have to be a little more careful with their spending habits. Tom Foster, vice president of student organizations, will soon be introducing new legislation to student senate that will close the debt relief program and change the way Associated Student Government (ASG) handles the funding of organizations that fall into debt. Currently, student organizations that are in debt to the university have their accounts frozen and are no longer able to access additional funds. These organizations have the option to enter the debt relief program, which was established by ASG two years ago. In this program, ASG takes on an organization’s debt to the university and then the organization is indebted to them, Foster said. The organization is then expected to raise funds to repay their debt, which ASG matches 200 percent, hopefully pulling the organization completely out of debt. “We essentially cut that debt by a third,” Foster said. Foster’s new legislation proposal will close the debt relief program, no longer offering a fallback for student organizations. He said while the program helps to relieve organizations in debt, it does not help prevent them from getting into debt in the first
place, which is what he hopes his new legislation will do. Foster said he plans to include in the legislation that any student organization that falls into debt will not have access to certain university privileges such as table tents and reserving rooms for meetings as part of a deterrent. In the past, organizations have had trouble keeping track of their budget because of a difficult to read monthly statement, Foster said. But now, they will be able to check their available balance online any time they want. “Organizations have the tools now to know how much there is in their accounts and not go into deficit,” Foster said. “Now it’s going to be on organizations to check that beforehand and make sure they have enough money.” Up for approval is potentially the last round of organizations that will receive assistance from the debt relief fund. This includes the glee club, which two years ago was over $100,000 in debt after the money for the club’s tour to China was not responsibly collected, said current glee club president Chris Greenland. “Our then-treasurer decided to just trust that everyone would pay for the trip rather than keep track,” Greenland said. The glee club initially decided not to enter the debt relief program. “We had so much debt originally that
wSee ASG, page 11
ONLY
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WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET BLOG: ROCABILLY RETRO This new blog brings the things of the past back into the present with its focus on retro-style music.
CAMPUS, page 2 Hospital cuts hours and employees in a tough economy.
ASG may cut debt relief
THREE’S A CHARM?
Miami football takes on Missouri in an attemept to win three games straight.
SPORTS, page 12
FEATURES: PHOTO GALLERY Check out a slideshow of Olympic gold medalist and Miami alumnus Bill Mulliken.
BLOG: OFFBEAT SPORTS
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Sun
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Mon
72 q 51 p
Garrett Smith breaks down the upcoming NHL season.