THE INdependent student news organization at the university of cincinnati
Vol. CXXVIV Issue 2
thursday , sept . 24, 2009 uc vs fresno state
back to school Check out the photos for familiar faces and hackey sack page 7
arlis perry Local metal heads assault listeners with hard rockin’ page 3
The undefeated Bearcats look to continue their streak Saturday page 12
Jewish Hospital to leave Health Alliance Sara Maratta the news record
The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati recently agreed to sell Jewish Hospital to Catholic Partners, leaving the Health Alliance at risk to dissolve. In the Health Alliance contract, if two or more hospitals leave the Alliance within a six-month period, it says the Alliance will be dissolved; Jewish Hospital is the second of two, following suit with Fort Hamilton Hospital. This leaves only University Hospital, West Chester Medical Center, Alliance Primary Care and the Drake Center within the Health Alliance. Fear swept Alliance workers as well as the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees and the College of Medicine. “These actions will do great harm to the safety-net health care services on which our community relies, and to the teaching and
Report: student satisfaction up from last year Eric Johnson the news record
research programs of UC,” wrote Buck Niehoff UC chairman of the Board of Trustees in a letter to the Jewish Foundation and Jewish Health Systems boards. “[University Hospital] can stand on its own, and we’ve developed scenarios where that can happen, but it wouldn’t be as able to perform its current missions in the community if it were alone,” Niehoff said. “What we will not do is ‘roll over’ and allow hard-earned assets of the university and the state of Ohio to flow to a private organization to the detriment of the university.” The protracted search by the Jewish Foundation for new ownership ended after a devout 18-month quest. Mercy has taken possession of Jewish Hospital for approximately $180 million. Catholic Healthcare Partners is Ohio’s largest health system and one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the United States. “Jewish Hospital must be aligned with
a clinically sound and financially strong healthcare system to ensure its long-term vitality in an increasingly complex healthcare environment,” said Gary Heiman, president of the Jewish Foundation. Throughout the hospital’s 159 years of service, it remained in the hands of members of the Cincinnati Jewish community. The sale will allow the Jewish Foundation to pursue other charitable endeavors within the local Jewish community. In addition, Mercy aims to respect the traditions of the hospital. “Our mission is excellent patient care and Jewish does the same thing,” said Jim May, president and CEO of Mercy Health Partners. With the acquisition of Jewish Hospital, Mercy’s sphere of influence will expand to the Kenwood area. Mercy already owns hospitals in Batavia, Anderson Township, Fairfield, Mount Airy and Westwood. “We’re trying to keep people in their
communities to get their care,” May said. Mercy aims to provide services that once were not available to their patients through the addition of Jewish’s unique services. Jewish Hospital’s oncology department offers the only bone-marrow transplant center in the region, along with the largest center for joint-replacement services and a well-known cardiac program. Not only are the services of Jewish attractive to Mercy, it is financially viable as well. Last year Jewish Hospital ended the year with a surplus of around $27 million. The details of the deal are still being determined and the sale will not be finalized until the end of the year after a government review. This new combined system of Mercy and Jewish Hospital will become one of the region’s largest, with a budget of almost $970 million. Jewish Hospital will retain its name and employees. Services at Jewish Hospital will not be disrupted during the transition period.
UC welcomes historic number of freshmen Welcome to the Big time
Student satisfaction rose more than 5 percent since 2008’s UC|21 report card, according to the report presented Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the University of Cincinnati’s Board of Trustees meeting. Interim-President Monica Rimai started the session with a presentation of the UC|21 plan report card, which has been presented to the board since the plan’s implementation in 2003. She covered the six areas* in which the plan is focused. Student retention rates also rose 1 percent compared to 2008’s report card. Vice President for Student Affairs Mitch Livingston and his team gave a comprehensive overview of how the university will disperse aid this year. Split between need-based aid, merit awards and special talent scholarships, UC plans to award approximately $34.2 million this year to undergraduates. The primary focus of Livingston’s report was to highlight the narrowing gap between the education of white and black students. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Plan is also a part of Livingston’s strategy to combat the difference. In collaboration with Cincinnati Public Schools, UC has successfully opened the second center at Hughes Center High School. The STEM center’s aim is to prepare students from urban neighborhoods for the challenges that will meet them at higher academic levels. Jeff Williams, chairman of the UC Foundation reported that this was the fourth most successful year in fundraising for the university. More than 32,000 donors, up approximately 22 percent from the previous year’s report card, gave almost $91 million.
*UC|21’s Interests 1 2 3 4 5 6
Scholarship Citizenship Stewardship Leadership Partnership Cultural competence
Head football coach, Brian Kelly, made an appearance to celebrate Saturday’s victory over the Oregon State Beavers and encourage students to attend the Sept. 26 game. “Usually our motto is ‘Come early. Be loud. Wear black.’ but Saturday is a whiteout game so we’ll see if you really are the smartest freshman class if you can all wear white,” Kelly said.
briefs
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Coulter Loeb | the news record
University leaders welcome incoming freshmen at the convocation event Sunday Sept. 20.
Local police streamline patrols
see convocation | page 6
UCPD and CPD begin collaboration to increase efficiency
index
Amanda Woodruff the news record
1 News 3 Entertainment 5 Opinion 7 College Living 11 Classifieds 12 Sports briefs
hoxworth: life saving luau when Thursday, Sept. 24. 4-6 where McMicken Commons
The new student convocation kicked off Welcome Week for incoming freshman class Sunday, Sept. 20, in Fifth Third Arena. Leaders of the ceremony welcomed students to the University of Cincinnati community by encouraging them to connect with their new campus, provide information about college life and start off their college careers. Fifth Third Arena was packed with eager students, their families and new mentors. UC’s band, dance team, cheerleaders and Bearcat pumped up the crowd before Marla Hall, faculty chairperson, began the introductions. All present UC faculty and administrators dressed in full academic regalia, including interim president, Monica Rimai. “Today we are here to celebrate your entrance into the UC community, discuss tools for success and offer advice to ensure a well-rounded, satisfying college experience,” Rimai said. “Really enjoy yourselves this year. Pursue experiences outside of class, but don’t forget why you came here in the first place – please go to class. Above all else, pursue balance,” Rimai said. The incoming freshman class is the largest in UC history with more than 6,000 students bringing the university total to approximately 38,700 – the highest since 1981. The class also represents 945 Cincinnatus Scholars, 28 National Merit Scholars, 34 states, 36 countries and 58 valedictorians. The large class size worries some of the incoming students. “Being a member of the biggest and smartest class makes me afraid that I won’t find a job when I graduate,” said Therese Nagengast, a first-year biology student. Others favored UC because of the size. “I chose UC because it was close to home and I liked the big, urban campus,” said first-year business student Zak Stewart. “But I’m kind of afraid of getting jumped. I’ve heard stories about crime that happens around campus.”
Support for sports
weather
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Carly Tamborski the news record
p.m.
The Hoxworth Blood Center is hosting a luau to augment their regular blood drive. Expect to see grass skirts and tropical drinks. The Hoxworth Blood Center staff will attend the party and address any student questions and concerns about giving blood. Contact Eric Schmaltz for more information. 513-558-1200 or visit www.hoxworth.org.
The University of Cincinnati Police Department joined the City of Cincinnati Police Districts in a joint-car system to patrol the surrounding campus areas. This collaborative effort began Sept. 13, as the only program of its kind in Cincinnati. The objective is to place one UCPD officer in the same patrol car as a city police officer in order to reduce crime. It also alleviates the down time in situations where students are involved and UCPD must be called to the scene. WEB EXCLUSIVE
Old Chem is Falling Down The 600 and 700 levels on the north section of the building are off limits to students and faculty until next summer.
“We were looking for a way to get better use of our resources,” said Capt. Karen Patterson of UCPD. “We decided to try the joint-car idea and the city was wiling to buy into it.” The decision came after a high number of reported crimes last academic year and during the summer months. The dividing line between Districts 4 and 5 aligns with Jefferson Avenue. Yet, student housing permeates those boundaries, therefore, the responsibilities and presence of UCPD officers overlap with those of CPD. The joint-car system with
District 5, respectively, will encompass areas west of Clifton Avenue, South of McMillan Street and Martin Luther King Drive, and east of Highland Avenue. The cars will run in the evening hours, when crime is statistically more probable. The joint-car is different than a see ucpd | page 6 Justin Tepe | the news record
in combining patrols, the UCPD and CPD Districts 4 and 5 aim to reduce crime by overlapping jurisdictions
online @ www.newsrecord.org Slideshow Audio slideshow of students along MainStreet on the first day of classes.
newsrecordnews@gmail.com | 513.556.5908
Photos of the Week A showcase of the TNR photo staff’s best pictures of sports and current university news.