THE INdependent student news organization at the university of cincinnati
Vol. CXXVIV Issue 5
thursday , oct . 1, 2009
look out for the undead! Educate yourself about the different varities of zombies. page 5
Sabel’s Haus
staff editorial Streetcars in Cincinnati and what we think about them page 3
Why head football coach Brian Kelly should stay at UC. page 8
SGA backs
DYNAMIC DUO
housing Web site Carly Tamborski the news record
Coulter loeb | the news record
William Johnson and Valerie hardcastle, deans of the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services and Arts and Sciences respectively, make presentations regarding what the University of Cincinnati is doing to help further the STEM program.
STEM Summit seeks to educate Gin A. Ando the news record
The University of Cincinnati hosted the first Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Wednesday to showcase new methods of instruction for local educators. UC invited approximately 200 people to the Tangeman University Center’s Great Hall to take part in the meeting, which was broken into three sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sept., 30. Educators, community figures and university officials were in attendance to present and listen to innovative strategies to raise the general educational level of students
in Southwest Ohio. “Business and community members and educators are here,” said Carla Johnson, director of the Furthering Urban STEM Innovation, Outreach, and New Research Center at UC. “We’re bringing the trio together.” The STEM program is a progressive education plan in which teachers are targeted and introduced to ways of integrating technology into their curriculum, such as allowing students more access to computers while in school. All educators were able to attend the summit, as STEM is attempting to target teachers of all grades and levels.
justin tepe | the news record
the first regional meeting of the STEM group presented teachers and educational authorities with new ways to teach children. Integrating technology was stressed heavily as teachers and professors prepare students for life after school.
Eric Johnson and Amanda Woodruff the news record
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index
1 News 3 Opinion 5 Entertainment 7 Classifieds 8 Sports brief
Let’s go to the zoo! Saturday, Oct. 3 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.
where
see stem | page 2
see sga | page 2
Financial aid frustrations addressed
weather
when
Tasking the educators alone is not STEM’s goal. Those who attended the summit say the approach must be well-rounded and the students must take initiative as well. “We need businesses on board,” said Brian Lien, a Princeton High School technology education teacher. “If you’re not close to a university, utilize a two-year college.” Set up with the intent of ultimately helping students for the challenges of progressing through the educational system, STEM has programs and teachers are across the U.S. UC officials were also on hand to offer their input on the initiative. “There are two challenges,” said Valerie Hardcastle, dean of McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. “We have to get people into the pipeline and stop the pipeline from leaking.” Speakers presented information about scholarships that were awarded with the intention of keeping talented students in-state. The Choose Ohio First program awarded 167 recipients of the scholarships. These scholarships make up approximately $80 million with $20 million still set aside, said Lawrence Johnson, dean of the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services at UC. The program was scheduled to take the entire day so teachers who work during the day had a chance to visit and take part in the program, Johnson said. Hughes STEM High School in Clifton began its first year of incorporating STEM curriculum Aug. 18 and works with UC. Incoming UC freshmen with declared majors that are included the STEM curriculum
For the last five years, the University of Cincinnati’s student government has been trying to create a student housing Web site to aid students in their search for quality, affordable off-campus housing. At the Sept. 30 Student Government meeting, members discussed Resolution Bill S. 10-R-004, which proposed the Student Government partnership with the company Living Off Campus 101 (LOC101). LOC 101 is a for-profit business that creates off-campus housing Web sites for schools such as the University of Toledo, University of Akron, Kent State University and is currently in the process of developing a site for Xavier University. The proposed partnership will be of no cost to the university. Area landlords who wish to participate in the service by having their properties listed on LOC 101’s Web site pay the company fee. To list an available room will cost a landlord $10, while listing an entire house will cost $20. The company will develop and maintain the Web site, but Student Government is required to promote and endorse it through newsletters and the Blackboard portal. Terms of the endorsement will include allowing LOC 101 to use the Student Government logo on its Web site. Additional benefits increase the appeal of the partnership. “In exchange for our endorsement, LOC 101 will give us 10 percent of their revenue from the landlords’ listing payments,” said Lane Hart, an at-large senator and second-year business student. “We are considering starting a scholarship fund with that money.” Student Government spoke with the already-partnered universities to verify the services provided by LOC 101. The company assures its services are free of charge to all UC students and is solely responsible for the management and content of the Web site. “If we approve this project, we believe they’ll make it worthwhile for us,” Hart said. “At the end of the proposed two-year contract, we have the first option to renew it. Additionally, either party can terminate the agreement with 30 days notice; if this partnership doesn’t work out for any reason, we can easily get out of the situation.” There are few concerns about the partnership. “If the company is not giving out quality information, we can terminate the agreement in 30 days,” said Mark Rooney, senator at-large and a third-year business student. “However, we believe the Web site will give qu-ality information to both students and landlords. Because it doesn’t cost landlords a high expense to sign up or to list their properties, it shouldn’t cause them to raise their rent fees.” While a contract has been created, it has not yet been signed by Tim Lolli, student body president. “We did not pass any resolution regarding this bill, but plan on passing the terms along to UC Legal and having them look over the
Cincinnati Zoo
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is open only to University of Cincinnati students and faculty, with Lucy, the bearcat, as the main attraction. Tickets are now $7, and include unlimited rides, parking and the 4-D theater. Visitors may purchase tickets at www.uc.edu/zoo or contact Janet Wolf at 513-556-0433 for information.
With the University of Cincinnati admitting its largest enrollment numbers in nearly 30 years, students are becoming more proactive when securing financial aid for themselves. “Students can apply for financial aid after Jan. 1,” said Connie Williams, director of financial aid at UC. “It’s a first-come, first-serve basis, so students need to get their applications in early.” While most students who apply for aid do receive it, many find that the process can become more difficult the closer they get to the deadline. With a significant influx of students submitting their applications several weeks before school starts, the financial aid office can have trouble processing all of the paperwork at once. “Generally, if an application is filled out correctly and in a timely manner, it can be done in almost a week,” Williams said. “But right before school has become one of our busiest times of the year, and things tend to take a little longer then.” The process can take even longer when a student’s application is audited. About one-third of UC students are chosen for the process and it often comes as an
unexpected delay. “If a student is picked for verification, they have to give us their tax forms,” Williams said. “If the Federal government has to make edits to your application, they inform the school. We send the students e-mails and let them know we need additional information.” The e-mail system is another important tool when keeping up with the financial aid process. The university sends out e-mails regularly in order to keep students up to date with their application; however, there is often difficulty trying to keep consistent communication. This was not always the case. Fourth-year accounting student, Ben Willis, experienced the common frustrations of a student in dealing with financial aid. After two years of receiving aid from the government, his loans were entirely withdrawn. “They didn’t really explain it to me until senior year,” Willis said. “After I had withdrawn from a few classes the first two years, they took away my financial aid. I had no clue until I started my junior year.” After so many e-mail notifications, the Financial Aid Office will send out paper notifications. In this case, it is important for students to make sure that their contact information is up to date so they can
be reached. There is a chance to redeem oneself by going through one quarter without withdrawing from classes, and maintaining a GPA above 2.0, Willis said. “But how am I supposed to afford that one quarter without any financial aid?” Willis said. In addition to poor notification, there are thousands of students applying for financial aid every year. “We have 28,000 applications for financial aid [per year],” Williams said.
While there are many things that can be done to prevent complications with financial aid, there are still issues that are can complicate the process. Officials and students alike will admit that the process seems a little complicated at times. This year, the university estimates that it will award nearly $350 million in financial aid, as opposed to last year, which was approximately $300 million. However, with UC growing every year, it will become increasingly important for students to be proactive as possible, Williams said.
Brittany Fong | the news record
students applying for financial aid at UC experience a number of hangups including from lost paperwork and delayed processing.
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