THE INdependent student newspaper at the university of cincinnati
Vol. CXXVV Issue 38
monday , jan . 25, 2010 cats drop to 4-4 in big east Cats lose third-straight road game after second-half slump. page 6
“living free” Substance abuse group provides treatment to students at UC. page 3
music by moegly Cincinnati indie-folk-pop-acoustic-coffee band rocks and rolls. page 4
Deaconess closes emergency room james sprague the news record
Financial struggles have resulted in a local hospital closing its emergency room, and the creation of a restructuring plan for inpatient services to fit the needs of those requiring shorter hospital stays. Deaconess Hospital ended its emergency room operations at midnight, Monday, Jan. 11, and is in the process of turning it into an Urgent Care facility. The hospital, located across the University of Cincinnati campus on Straight Street, has been a local mainstay since 1888. “Deaconess plans to focus more and more on outpatient services,” said Barbara Lohr, a hospital spokeswoman.
DID YOU KNOW? Najah and Fath, three-month old sand cats, made their public debut at the Cincinnati Zoo Thursday, Jan. 21. The duo joins their mother, accounting for three of 36 sand cats in the United States. The species is considered endangered after much destruction to their natural habitats in desert environments, including its origin, Arabia. The population decreased drastically in the 1960s as they were hunted for sport or collected as pets. It is difficult for them to survive as domestic animals because they naturally need to hunt and that usually happens at night and alone. It is one of the smallest breeds of cat, but its ears are large and triangular. The ears serve as an early detection system for predators and allow the cats to hear sounds coming from above and below the sand. Each kitten weighs approximately 1.5 ounces when it is born, but grows quickly. There is religious belief that the sand cat was the companion of Prophet Mohammed, which protects the cat from unwarranted killing. The Cincinnati Zoo includes the sand cats as part of the A.D.O.P.T program, Animals Depend on People Too.
Some of the services the hospital plans to focus on are diagnostic and cardiac imaging, laboratory services, ambulatory surgeries and its Older Adult Mental Health Program, Lohr said. There are distinct differences between an operating emergency room and an Urgent Care facility. Emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day and can provide expert and immediate care for major injuries or illnesses. Yet, patients might find themselves waiting for hours to receive services at an emergency room. An Urgent Care facility differs in that it provides services for minor afflictions, including colds and infections, and are available to patients who do not have a primary physician. Urgent Care centers accept most insurance plans and
require low co-pays compared to emergency rooms, according to Tri-State Urgent Care Centers statistics. Local residents, including UC students, will be supportive of the Deaconess Urgent Care center and patronize it, Lohr said. “UC students have always been supportive of the Deaconess emergency room services,” she said. There is no scheduled time frame for the opening for the urgent care center. Within the last few years the hospital, a non-profit entity, independent of any health care system, has struggled financially. Deaconess operated in 2008 at an approximate $13.1 million loss, according to its 2008 budget report. see er | PAGE 6
Coulter loeb | the news record
emergency room closure Deaconess Hospital has deemed its ER unprofitable and decided to replace it with an Urgent Care center. The nonprofit hospital will now be able to serve patients with an elapsed wait time.
Fall applications still pouring in University staff sorts through more than 1,000 forms in one weekend gin a. ando the news record
weather forecast
MONDAY
eamon queeny | the news record
39° 28°
TUESDAY
32 /24 WEDNESDAY
37 /32 THURSDAY
32 /19 FRIDAY
24 /14 index
1 News 3 College Living 4 Entertainment 5 Classifieds 6 Sports
growing student population Tangeman University Center becomes inundated with students looking for a bite to eat between classes Wednesday afternoon. Finding a seat might be a rarity with a target freshmen class of approximately 4,100 for Fall quarter.
Despite last fall’s record number of freshmen and talks of a budget cut, the University of Cincinnati has no plans on capping enrollment for the 2010-11 academic year. The admissions office hasn’t seen a decline in applications to the university, either. The beginning of December brought a spike in applications — 1,123 in two days. The norm, as well as what was reported in November 2009, is between 700 to 800 per weekend. “We have set targets [for admissions],” said Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president of enrollment at UC. “But some places in [the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning] and [the College-Conservatory of Music], which are competitive, have shut admissions down.” The university is presently near capacity in terms of students, and managing more students could become taxing on the staff, said UC President Greg Williams. Applications for Fall 2010 quarter are up approximately 12 percent from last year and are in higher academic standards from the pool of the 2009-10 year as well, said Thomas Canepa, associate vice president of admissions at UC. The final tally of students enrolled at the university this academic year hovered near 40,000. Last year, the number of expected freshmen — the record-setting class — was just more than 4,500. For 2010-11, the target Miller is shooting for is approximately 4,100. With another considerably large class, UC is looking for ways to accommodate the students. “It’s typical for this time of year,” said Anthony Perzigian, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “The whole university is developing a plan.” Although the university has received word of a 15 percent pending budget cut, it has not caused any change in enrollment policies. Another problem the UC administration is tasked to address is where to place students who would have otherwise been enrolled in the Center for Access and Transition, which is set to dissolve at the end of the 2009-10 academic year. “We know we won’t be likely to [enroll] all the CAT students,” Miller said. Students who are not accepted into UC could take an alternate route and take classes at Cincinnati State or other schools near campus with the help of UC. However, the such profound effects such as merging classes and outsourcing students for class is “the worst case scenario,” Perzigian said. What the continuing flow of new students might cause is larger class sizes for general education classes such as English composition. “It’s just some things you can teach in bigger classes,” Miller said.
Solar Decathlon team preps for next round
Student members aim to adopt design that reflects Cincinnati’s green goals taylor dungjen the news record
University of Cincinnati Solar Decathlon team hopefuls are gearing up for the 2011 competition – if they can make it through the next round of cuts. The team drafted and submitted a participation proposal in November and was given clearance in mid-January to move on to the second round. The team must put together and submit a 3-D concept design by March 16. They will find out if they are one of the 20 final teams to participate in April. This is the first year the Solar Decathlon competition is requiring a concept design entry to advance to the final round. The team representing UC will consider the city of Cincinnati in its design and how houses can be adapted for different occupants’ needs, said Nick Germann, a first-year master’s of design student. Germann was also a part of the university’s 2007 team. Because there are returning
member’s from the 2007 team, they’re using notes from their first experience to help make them more competitive. “Now we have all the back knowledge of what worked and what didn’t work,” Germann said. “Mostly what didn’t work — and how to get around those obstacles.” In order to finance the project, the team must raise approximately $350,000 for building supplies and travel expenses, Germann said. With total donations of materials and supplies, the team will need approximately $600,000, said Ryan Rosensweig, a first-year master’s of architecture student. In 2007, UC participated in the competition for the first time, bringing together students from three different colleges — the College of Business, the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning and the College of Engineering. Of the final 20 participating teams, UC finished 15th. The Solar Decathlon is hosted at the National Mall in
coulter loeb | the news record
solar house decathlon Team members of the 2011 decathlon team are looking to their past experience to improve their next model. Washington, D.C. The global competition began in 2002 and is in its fourth run. If the team advances to the final competition, it will begin to grow and will encompass students from different disciplines.
“We’re not in the competition to win,” Germann said. “We’re in it to push the boundaries of sustainable home design, to make better houses … Our goal is to push ourselves and to push the industry.”
online @ www.newsrecord.org drop us an e-mail TNR is working on a Web site overhaul (makeover). We want to hear your suggestions and expectations. E-mail us with ideas at TNRtalkback@gmail.com
% %
tnr poll Which college do you think has the highest ratio of students-to-teachers?
newsrecordnews@gmail.com | 513.556.5908
photo slideshow Check out pictures of the men’s basketball game against Louisville and the women’s tennis match versus Bowling Green.