TNR - 2.11.10

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THE INdependent student newspaper at the university of cincinnati

Vol. CXXVV Issue 46

thursday , feb . 11, 2010 archbishop of cincinnati The UC junior forward Rashad Bishop is the Bearcats’ lockdown defender page 6

robert’s rants Valentine’s Day movies and what makes a good one. page 3

godspeed, kareem elgazzar Managing editor Kareem Elgazzar is hitting the old dusty trail. page 3

CARD Act aims to curb young credit debt taylor dungjen the news record

Students might have to strike the phrase “charge it” from their vocabulary. Legislation approved by President Barack Obama May 22, 2009, will institute more regulations for credit consumers. The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 will take effect Monday, Feb. 22. After that, anyone younger than 21 years old and looking to establish a line of credit must have a co-signer or show proof of income. The act will not allow card issuers to market to anyone under 21 on college campuses using incentives — such as free T-shirts or free food, said Ben Woolsey, director of consumer research at creditcards.com

Without access to credit cards, students might find it more difficult to establish a line of credit and find the new regulations cumbersome. “Credit allows people to change timing of when they consume goods, particularly durable goods, and this is part of why young people are actually, I think, really disappointed, by being denied access to credit,” said Ben Passty, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Cincinnati. In four years, from 2004-08, the number of undergraduate students who own at least one credit card increased from 76 percent to 84 percent, according to Sallie Mae’s “How undergraduates use credit cards” study. More than half of college students have four or more credit cards. The average number of cards is 4.6. Last year, in one of Passty’s economics classes, approximately one

third of the students said they had at least $6,000 in credit card debt. The new regulations present an opportunity for credit card education, Passty said. The 2008 national average for undergraduate credit card debt is $3,173; 21 percent of undergrads have balances between $3,000 and $7,000. “A credit card is a very powerful tool, like a car is a very powerful tool. Look at all the resources we devote to training someone to use a car,” Passty said. “It would certainly help if there was a way of formalizing [credit card] training.” The CARD Act also says credit card companies must have approval from consumers before issuing over-the-limit fees for any transaction above the given credit limit. The act will also allow card companies to offer credit to consumers who have previously had difficulty obtaining credit.

photo illustration by justin tepe | the News Record

new credit rules Individuals younger than 21 years old must now have a co-signer when they apply for credit cards.

DID YOU KNOW? An official “snow day” comes as a result of a complicated process. Gene Ferrara, the director of public safety, checks with highway maintenance, weather reports and campus dispatch at 3 a.m. Ferrara takes into account the fact that the university is a business and research center — the largest employer in the city — when considering a close. Ferrara calls Robert Ambach, interim vice president of Administration andFinance,at3:30a.m.anddiscloses his findings. As Ambach is designated by the president to make the final call, Ambach makes the game plan. Ferrara calls Greg Hand, university spokesperson, by 4 a.m. Hand proceeds to notify students, faculty, staff and media of the closing. If the university remains open, Ferrara encourages everyone to decide what is safest for them. Although the University of Cincinnati closed at noon, Tuesday, Feb. 9, most students did not receive the emergency closing e-mail until 5 p.m. When Hand sent the message, it was delivered to the student e-mail system. It sat in the system for hours. There are alternatives to receiving emergency notifications. One is to register a cell phone number with UC Emergency Text Messaging. Students can also log on to Blackboard where a message is clearly posted in the case of a snow emergency. index

1 News 3 Entertainment 4 ElgazzarBLVD 5 Classifieds 6 Sports

PRICE to play eamon queeny | The News Record

notes fall flat A student in Terence Milligan’s Instrumental Conducting course plays the flute while keeping time with a student conductor. Each full-time College-Conservatory of Music student faces a $150 increase per quarter fee, while part-time students pay $15 per credit hour.

New quarterly fee burdens CCM students ariel cheung the news record

weather forecast

THURSDAY

30° 8°

FRIDAY

29 /11

For students in the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, a new $150 fee per quarter will be in effect come Spring quarter. Students were informed of the fee at the beginning of February in an e-mail and a Facebook post. “Delivery of CCM’s quality education required continued maintenance of performance, rehearsal and practice spaces and equipment, as well as the technology labs,” the e-mail reads. The fee will primarily be used to maintain facilities, said Frank Weinstock, CCM interim dean. “Money is short and since tuition hasn’t gone up, we are not able to continue providing the facilities we need to,” Weinstock said. CCM students will have the additional $150 fee on their bills beginning Spring quarter, while part-time students will pay $15 per credit hour.

31 /15 SUNDAY

32 /20 MONDAY

26 /14

“The competitors they’re talking about are all private schools like Baldwin-Wallace,” DeVries said. “You can’t compare a public school to a private one and say, ‘Oh, look how much cheaper it is.’” With the possibility of a tuition increase in the upcoming year, there is a possibility the new fee could be retracted, Weinstock said. “The fee has been approved by the university as an ongoing fee,” Weinstock said. “We would love at some point to get rid of it, but I can’t make any promises.” But with the late notice and mid-year addition of the fee, students are still feeling left out of the loop. “I think it’s unfair for the college to expect extra resources from its students when it can’t handle its own funds properly,” DeVries said. While the e-mail states there was “no other choice” but to implement the new fee, it’s understandable for students to be upset, Weinstock said. “I know it hurts, particularly in the middle of the year,” Weinstock said. “I’m sure it disappointed a lot of students.”

UC population of fifth-year seniors mounts ashley morgan and evan wallis the news record

SATURDAY

The fee will generate approximately $170,000 per quarter, Weinstock said. One CCM student questioned why the fee was added so suddenly. “They just bought a new fleet of pianos,” said Kevin DeVries, a second-year vocal performance student. “I don’t understand how it got to this point without anyone noticing.” CCM decided against adding the fee in the fall as several other colleges did, including the colleges of nursing and business, Weinstock said. “We really didn’t want to do it,” Weinstock said. “But we had to cave in.” The response from students has not been as negative as Weinstock expected. “I know I would be angry if it were me. I expected more anger,” Weinstock said. “But I think students understand that times are tough and our expenses have gone up.” The e-mail sent to CCM students explains the state budget cuts and declining endowment income were part of the reason for the new fee and the cost of CCM education is much lower than its competitors.

The University of Cincinnati is facing the same problem as other United States universities regarding graduation rates. National graduation rates for a bachelor’s degree within six years stands at 53 percent, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. UC is only 2 percent above the average, according to university statistics. At UC, 19.4 percent of students graduate within four years, and 47.7 graduate at the five-year mark. “The big jump between four- and five-year [graduation rates] can be attributed to the large number of co-op students,” said Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president for enrollment management. At least one student takes advantage of the five-year graduation rate and co-op program.

“I am not really in that much of a hurry to leave college,” said Lee Groh, a fourth-year digital design student. The benefits of co-op outweigh the tuition costs of a five-year bachelor’s degree, Groh said. “It’s beneficial because I knew I wanted to be in my major, but I did not know what I wanted to do with my career.” Within four years, 12 percent more women than men graduate with a bachelor’s degree. The gap decreases as the six-year graduation rate stands at .6 percent. David Ryder, a fifth-year electronic media student, took fewer credit hours due to personal problems, which has led to one extra year in his program. “UC’s curriculum is set up to keep students in the system longer,” Ryder anna bentley | the News Record said. “Once you are not a freshman, what four-year degree? The University of Cincinnati is it is a struggle to get into classes pertaining following a national trend in that there are increasingly more and more to your major.” fifth-year seniors compared to the traditional four-year graduation rate.

online @ www.newsrecord.org farewell mr. elgazzar

snow show

TNR facebook group

Take a look at a slideshow of Kareem Elgazzar’s personal selections of photos he’s taken for The News Record.

UC students are not too old to play in the snow together, making snow angels.

The News Record is requesting more fans to join the TNR Facebook group. Let’s get the total number to 2,000.

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