THE INdependent student news organization at the university of cincinnati
W ednesday ,
Vol. CXXVIV Issue 4
sept . 30, 2009
Give peace a chance
Twitterpated UC students aren’t the only ones tweeting about their lives page 4
Vote for Bearcat 2009
Troops being transferred to Afghanistan not a surprise page 3
UC’s mascot is in a national collegiate competition page 6
Colleges adjust to budget cuts Allie See the news record
In the new school year, a $23 million budget cut forces University of Cincinnati officials to look at new ways to save money while maintaining academic standards. The shrinking budget has also caused the university to lay off approximately 200 administrative and maintenance staff in the last three years. It is a possibility there will be less trash collection and landscaping this academic year, said James Plummer, vice president of finance for UC. Compared to last year’s budget, each college at UC is facing an 8-percent cut. Despite the cuts, UC is encouraging colleges to maintain growth. Any college that increases its enrollment from the previous year can use the additional tuition to make up for
losses, Plummer said. The McMicken College of Arts and Sciences is one college benefiting from the performance-based budgeting. “We do not have a smaller budget,” said Valerie Hardcastle, dean of arts and sciences. “Rather, we have the same budget, but more students to handle with it.” Students enrolled in the arts and sciences program grew by as much as 700 students this year, Hardcastle said. “I’m hopeful that students will not notice too much of a change,” Hardcastle said. “Some courses will have more students in them and some other classes are at capacity. But so far we seem to be able to handle our load OK.” UC students are noticing the increase in students in their classes. “My anatomy class last year had almost 250 people in it,” said Serena Matson, a second-year nursing student.
“My biology class this year has [more than] 300.” UC students could also face a tuition increase in 2010-’11; the Board of Trustees recently granted the university approval to raise tuition by 3.5 percent in the next academic year if necessary. The board also approved a tuition increase for the current year, but UC officials thought it was unfair to students to raise tuition so close to the start of the quarter. “We felt that students and their families had already planned their budgets for the coming school year,” Plummer said. The university is also looking to save money in the long run by making buildings more energy efficient. “We probably won’t build any more buildings with large atriums like TUC,” Plummer said, adding that while they look good, they use a great deal of energy.
Word
Kareem Elgazzar | the news record
Mel Achtermeyer, a campus electrician, represents the many employees on the maintenance crew that may see effects of the cuts. Hundreds of UC workers have been laid off in the last three years.
The Streetcar named Desire
on the
Officials endorse STREET streetcar program What is your
Justin Tepe | the news record
JO OBERMEYER, of Anderson, attended the Streetcar exhibit in the Huenfeld Tower Room downtown.
view on the Streetcar plan?
“They should have something below ground, put more money toward the subway. But I’m all for a bigger transit system.” Ebon McGlown, first-year architectural engineering technology student
“If we vote it down, I feel we’ll be left behind in the race with other cities.” Lee Southwood, first-year aerospace engineering student
“It would be easier to travel if we had them.” Gaby Wilson, first-year exploratory student
Justin Tepe | the news record
SUSAN THOMAS, of Pleasant Ridge, views informational posters regarding the Cincinnati streetcar proposal exhibited by city officials. “It creates jobs and money. In the long run it will help.”
Shymal Ruparel, first-year computer science student
“I don’t think it would hurt.”
Natalie Cass, first-year communications student
Gin A. Ando the news record
To bolster support for the streetcar program, the Cincinnati Department of Transportation held its third public forum. Administrators placed boards containing important information in the main branch of the Cincinnati library and were on hand to answer any questions citizens may have. “I hope it does what it’s
supposed to do,” said Hugh Koon, 70, of Cincinnati. Koon grew up with trains and streetcars and says University of Cincinnati students would benefit as well. Although he says local residents support the streetcar, the outcome may still go either way. “I have no idea [about how it will turn out],” Koon said. “You never know what people are going to do when they get to the ballot box.” Officials handed out
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index
1 News 4 Spotlight 5 Classifieds 6 Sports brief
Part-time job fair when Wed., Sept. 30. 10 a.m. where 310 University Pavilion
graphic from cincinnatistreetcar.com
2 p.m.
Need a J-O-B? Attend the University of Cincinnati’s part-time job fair in University Pavilion, room 310, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Career Development Center and UC Human Resources present the parttime job fair where students can find on and off-campus jobs. For more information contact Arthur Walton at 513-556-3471.
the current plan aims to connect Cincinnati businesses and eventually extend the route all the way to the UC campus.
informational sheets and talked to residents about their concerns. “I’ve been following it since the beginning,” said Mark Hunter, a Kentucky resident. Hunter, who may be attending UC to pursue a graduate degree in historical urban renewal, saw other cities’ public transportation. “It’s going to impact the city.” Monetary concerns still remain an obstacle administrators are attempting to address with the series of open hall meetings. The entire project requires $128 million from capital sources and Cincinnati has already promised $61 million, according to the statistics handed out at the forum. In order to secure funds from federal sources, the department is required to gather a consensus of how the locals feel. To quell the doubt, many of the pieces of information being distributed by city officials included important facts about the funding of the streetcar project. “We wanted to make sure the numbers are straight. It won’t create a new tax,” said Lea Eriksen, Cincinnati’s budget director. “It will actually generate tax revenues. It will not be a tax increase – it’s part of the budget.” Administrators are aiming to use the open house forums as a way to answer many of the questions being asked by citizens. “We would expect big groups and small groups,” said Michael Moore, director of the Department of Transportation for Cincinnati. “Once you get the nuts and bolts the first time, it’s easier.” The first presentation, at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, attracted approximately 60 people, Moore said.
There are still seven open house meetings Moore is planning for. The variety of places and audiences keeps him busy tweaking the presentation to keep it applicable to the people being targeted. The next forum is slated for Oct. 13 and each subsequent meeting approximately one week after. “It’s going to be different information if we present to say, the Women’s Club of Cincinnati and if we were to present to the Engineers’ Club,” Moore said. By conducting the open houses, the city is gathering the public opinion needed to be granted federal funding, but it is also a way for them to personally speak to the people about what the streetcar can do for Cincinnati. “Public transportation means more to me than other people,” said Koon, who works at the Cincinnati Association For the Blind. “It’s not as easy as jumping into your car and going places for some people.” Connecting various attractions of the city is also a reason why certain city officials are rallying for the streetcar. Under the current plan, the route will include Fountain Square, the Contemporary Arts Center, Findlay Market, the Brewery District and other popular locations in Cincinnati. “We have all these gems and the streetcar can connect them,” Eriksen said. “More residents, jobs and small businesses [will] pop up along the line.” Locals remain optimistic about the plan. “There’s so much potential,” said Jodie Beerman, a Kentucky resident who works in Clifton. “There’s potential for the city to be so much fun.”
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