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news Wednesday November 2, 2011 www.thewichitan.com 4 wichitan the Harassment charges rock Cain campaign

MARK BARABAK MCT

Herman Cain was already struggling with the leap from campaign novelty to serious presidential contender when he was hit with sexual harassment charges. The contradictory statements he made in his defense seem likely to fan rather than quell the controversy.

Heightening their import, the yearsold harassment charges — first reported Sunday by the Politico website — surfaced as the presidential race enters a crucial two-month stretch ahead of the first balloting on Jan. 3. Politico reported that two female employees of the National Restaurant Association accused the Republican candidate of improper conduct during his tenure as the organization’s chief from late 1996 to 1999. The women, who were not identified, signed agreements with the association that included financial payouts and barred them from discussing their departures, Politico said.

Cain on Monday called the allegations a “witch hunt” and said that “in all my over 40 years of business experience … I have never sexually harassed anyone.”

But in a series of interviews over a period of hours, Cain offered several different accounts of what happened and what he knew.

On Fox News Channel Monday morning, Cain said that if the association had arrived at a settlement with anyone, he did not know about it. “I hope it wasn’t for much,” Cain said. Later, at an appearance at the National Press Club, Cain again denied the harassment charges and said he did not know whether the matter was settled, or how much it might have cost. When he was accused — “falsely accused, I might add” — Cain said he stood aside and allowed the trade group’s attorney and human resources officer to deal with the matter.

Yet Politico reported that the head of the association’s human resources department said she was unfamiliar

MCT

with any complaints regarding Cain. In a second appearance on the Fox network, Cain spoke knowledgeably about a settlement with one woman, saying it may have been for two or three months’ salary. “I do remember my general counsel saying we didn’t pay all of the money they demanded,” Cain said.

Cain muddled things further in a PBS interview when asked whether he had ever behaved inappropriately. “In my opinion, no,” he said. “But as you would imagine, it’s in the eye of the person who thinks that maybe I crossed the line.”

Many conservative activists were quick Monday to rally behind Cain. Brent Bozell, a frequent media critic, called the allegations a “high-tech lynching,” summoning the language Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas used when accused of harassment at his explosive 1991 confirmation hearings.

“This will play to his advantage with the grass-roots,” predicted K.B. Forbes, a GOP strategist who has

worked for previous insurgent candidates. “One of their favorite lines is, ‘It’s the liberal media.’”

But for insiders — donors, Republican strategists, and others among the political establishment — the episode could raise further doubts about Cain as well as concerns about the wherewithal of his seat-of-its-pants campaign operation.

According to Politico, campaign operatives knew the article was coming for 10 days. And yet in its initial statement — which was widely circulated — the campaign did not deny the harassment allegations. That was left, many hours later, to Cain.

In further testament to his new prominence, Cain faced allegations Monday that supporters may have violated state and federal laws in setting up his candidacy. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that two of his highest-ranking staff members used a nonprofit group to pay for tens of thousands of dollars in expenses, including travel and chartered flights. Cain said Monday he was unaware of the matter, but would investigate.

Those campaign-finance charges, however, were overshadowed by the more sensational allegations of personal impropriety.

The controversy came at an especially difficult time for Cain, who was visiting Washington this week for a series of meetings and appearances intended to allay doubts about his underdog candidacy. An afterthought for most of the campaign, Cain began surging after an upset victory in a Florida straw poll in late September. The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and one-time member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has come under greater scrutiny since then, not always to his advantage. He revised his trademark 9-9-9 tax plan after economists said it would force many Americans to pay more. He delivered contradictory statements on abortion, bargaining with terrorists and installation of an electrified fence on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Still, Cain has remained at or near the top of several Republican preference polls. A recent Des Moines Register survey showed him essentially tied for first in the state with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Cain’s opponents chose to ignore the storm surrounding his candidacy on Monday, consistent with a strategy of making nice with their upstart rival. Even before the allegations surfaced, advisers to some of the candidates were convinced Cain would soon fall away, a victim of his weak campaign operation and lack of depth on various issues.

“Cain has demonstrated how far a talented motivational speaker can go in the Republican primary process with a few catchy proposals and debate performances,” said Steve Schmidt, who managed John McCain’s 2008 presidential effort. “But as people get ready to begin the voting process, it is increasingly clear that he’s making this up as he goes along and there’s not a lot of substance there.”

As recently as two weeks ago, Cain’s staff numbered just 35, a farflung band of political novices, public relations operatives and volunteers who seemed overwhelmed by the sudden crush of media attention. Virtually none has experience running a presidential campaign.

Still, one of Cain’s greatest assets, a quick and clever sense of humor, was obviously intact on Monday.

Asked by his National Press Club host if he would end his appearance with a song, Cain readily complied. He sang a verse of his favorite gospel hymn: “He Looked Beyond My Faults.”

MSU online courses gaining popularity

RACHEL HELMS FOR THE WICHITAN

Online courses taken by students looking to obtain a bachelor’s or master’s degree from Midwestern have grown by 2,789 students since they started 13 years ago.

“As of Spring 2011, 171 students were taking purely online courses,” James Morris, WebCT technician said. “This number has grown every year.”

When online courses starting in 1998, six students took advantage of the different style of class.

As times have changed, the popularity of taking classes on the web has expanded to 2,795 total in 2010.

In the Fall 2011 semester, 174 different online courses are offered to students ranging from financial accounting to special education law.

Among the popular courses, 21 nursing classes are offered along with 20 radiologic science courses and 11 criminal justice courses.

From 1998 to 2010, popular courses have stayed in the fields of nursing and radiologic science.

In these 12 years, 1,409 students were enrolled in the various 19 nursing courses and 708 students were enrolled in the different 17 radiologic science courses offered.

Radiologic science courses were the first classes to be offered online at MSU, said Dr. Pamela Morgan, associate vice president of outreach and engagement. “They were already doing some distance education through other means,” Morgan said.

A main advantage of online courses to many students is the convince.

They never have to step into a classroom. Degrees can also be contained online, making these courses much more friendly to students.

MSU offers many bachelor’s degrees online in radiologic science, respiratory care and nursing.

Some students are drawn to solely online courses. Other mix them with traditional classroom courses.

In 2004, MSU began tracking the type of student, fully online or blended, enrolled in online courses, said Julie Gaynor, director of public information and marketing.

In 2010, 13.6 percent of MSU students were taking courses on the Internet and in the class while 12.3 percent were enrolled in online courses only. It is how they are comfortable learning, Morgan said.

“I like how I can sit in my room and take my quizzes and tests online,” sophomore Cassi Cox said of her online economics lass. “It is very easy to manage and makes learning a lot more interesting.”

Self discipline plays an important role for a student in online courses.

It requires a student to sit down and pay attention to the work that is put in front of them on their computer screen, Cox said.

“It isn’t very hard to find the time to sit and do the work, but the student has to be willing to log off of Facebook for a set period of time and focus on what is really important,” she said. ‘After all, it is still school and grades are still going to be given, even if the class was just online.”

In College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Bachelor of Applied Arts of Sciences online degree is popular.

It is currently part of the Grad TX initiative to help adults return to college and complete their bachelor’s degree, Morgan said.

Applied arts and sciences courses have been offered since 1998 and have had 116 people take part in them.

Master’s degrees can also be obtained online through MSU. They include training and development, nursing, health administration, public administration and radiologic sciences.

The Post-Master’s Certification Program for Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Educator can also be completed online.

“Many students would not be able to finish or pursue a degree without the opportunities provided by online programs and classes,” said Morgan.

Online courses work for one reason: the faculty that is in charge of them, said Morgan.

The faculty teaching online courses meet the same criteria as a classroom professor and come mostly from MSU’s full-time faculty. There are a few teachers who are active in online courses only and are adjunct professors, Morris said. “They have worked hard since we began the Internet effort to develop and provide online opportunities to students,” Morgan stated.

The academic colleges on campus make the decision to put classes online or to use a traditional in-classroom setting. All classes offered online meet the same requirements as classes on campus.

Teachers lecturing in a normal classroom setting have the option of using supplemental instruction on WebCT, the online program used for online classes, said Morris. This gives a student an idea of how an online course might work if they have not taken one before.

According to the Distance Educa

tion’s website, the university has the right to limit enrollment to students with a definite need for distance education. “Families, jobs, and geographical limitations all play a role in the need to offer more online courses to our students,” Morgan said.

Information can be found on the campus website under the Distance education Department.

“I would definitely recommend online courses to a student,” Cox said. “They are an interesting alternative to sitting in class for a period of time to get credit for courses.”