THE NEWS RECORD VOL. CXXXVIII ISSUE XVVVXV • FREE-ADDITIONAL COPIES $1
THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI’S INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWS ORGANIZATION / MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014
UC receives more than $40 million from state in capital bill State allocates millions to complete infrastructure projects on UC medical, branch campuses RYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR
The University of Cincinnati will receive more than $40 million in state funds to help start or complete various infrastructure projects on its medical campus and other branch campuses. The funding is part of the $2.38 billion state capital bill, which allocates funds for infrastructure projects around the state, signed by Ohio Gov. John Kasich Wednesday. UC will receive $40.72 million of the $454.5 million designated for public higher education projects. That portion is the second largest awarded to Ohio’s 37 public universities and colleges, trailing only the $71.35 million given to Ohio State University. “Thank you for the support and confidence you placed in me and my colleagues as you reappointed the Ohio Higher Education Funding Commission to develop
funding recommendations for the 2015-16 capital funding bill,” said President Santa Ono in a statement. Larger universities with more square footage tend to have more buildings that need to be renovated so it makes sense that they receive larger portions of the funding, said Margie Rolf, associate vice president of government relations. Ohio University, for example, with its large main campus and multiple branch campuses, received $19.85 million. The vast majority of the $40.72 million for UC is designated for renovations to the Medical Sciences Building on east campus. Renovations to the building, which is primarily used for research but also contains classrooms for the College of Medicine, started in June 2013, said Dale Magoteaux, project manager. The $28.8 million for the Medical Sciences Building will be used to help complete phase four of a massive renovation process on east campus that started with an overhaul of the Center for Academic and Research Excellence building.
The CARE renovations were completed in 2008. Phase four renovations, which include a complete “electrical tear-out” of the south quadrant of MSB, are expected to be finished in January 2015, Magoteaux said. The university still expects another $28.8 million from the state to reach the projected $80 million cost of the renovations, Magoteaux said. Additionally, UC will receive $8 million to complete roof repairs in the Health Professions Building. That work started in April 2013. The projects on east campus are vital to ensuring UC’s medical campus — the largest in the region — has top-ofthe-line facilities. “The needed renovation … will benefit not only UC students, but also the Cincinnati community and contribute to the transfer of research technology to the business of health care,” Ono said. UC’s branch campuses are also set to receive money: $1.17 million for roof repairs at UC Blue Ash, $1.75 million for HVAC and roof repairs at UC Clermont and $1 million for renovations to Muntz Hall at UC Blue Ash.
Ohio congressman wants higher ed funding restored in Ryan’s budget BRYAN SHUPE CHIEF REPORTER
PARTY FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHT TO
Police in riot gear respond to massive party on Stratford Avenue; three students arrested RYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR
Broken glass and trash littered the yards on Stratford Avenue where a series of parties got out of hand early Sunday morning, forcing police officers to clear the area. Nearly 1,000 people were partying on the street when police responded around 2 a.m., said District Five Police Officer Lisa Johnson. Some people started throwing beer bottles at police cruisers, which led some officers to use riot control gear to disperse the crowd. “It was just a party that got out of control,” said UCPD Capt. Rodney Chatman. Three students were arrested, and some police cruisers were damaged, Johnson said. The police first arrived on Stratford around where hundreds of students had gathered 2 a.m., said Chris Magarian, a second-year communications student who lives a block from away from Stratford. Once the police arrived, some students started throwing beer bottles and beer cans at the police cruisers. “I don’t want to say … but I guess you could say [the partiers] were kind of asking for it,” Magarian said. “That’s what
it looked like to me.” Hosts of the party tried to stop members of the crowd who were throwing the bottles, but it was nearly impossible to prevent because of the sheer number of people on the street, Magarian said. Once the police broke out the riot gear, the crowd dispersed without incident, for the most part. Students took to social media Sunday morning using the hashtag Stratfordpalooza, which started trending on Twitter. President Santa Ono said he was briefed about the incident Sunday morning, but he did not have enough knowledge to comment on it. He would not comment on possible punishment for the students who were arrested, instead referring all questions to UCPD, who aided Cincinnati Police in clearing the street. Since CPD is leading the investigation, UCPD has no extra information, Chatman said. Daniel Cummins, director of judicial affairs, could not be reached for comment. Johnson said she hopes the administration acts in some way so as to act as a deterrent for any possible situations in the future.
LAUREN KREMER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Greg Loving, AAUP UC board approval.
“It’s not going to be tolerated,” Johnson said. “Hopefully people will be suspended. If someone would have gotten hurt, then what?”
PROVIDED Students started throwing beer bottles at the police. Top photo illustration by Phil Didion, photo editor.
CHIEF.NEWSRECORD@GMAIL.COM / 513.556.5908
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) likes Committee Chair Paul Ryan’s budget proposal, except when it comes to higher education. Tim Ryan proposed an amendment to the Budget and Finance’s budget Wednesday that would prevent $90 billion in cuts to federal Pell Grants and $41 billion to the federal loan program. “I just think that’s a ridiculous burden to ask the student — or the parents of the student — to take on while they’re trying to make investments and get an education,”Tim Ryan said in a conference call.“I just want students to know that it’s time to get active and get involved with this.” Paul Ryan’s office did not respond to phone calls made by The News Record. Under the plan, titled “Path to Prosperity,” that he proposed April 1, the maximum award of $5,370 for the current year would be frozen for the next 10 years. The budget also proposes a maximum-income cap for eligibility and would disqualify part-time students. The changes are necessary to combat the rising cost of the program, which has expanded from $16.1 billion in 2008 to an estimated $26.9 billion in fiscal year 2015, according to the budget document. The $41 billion cut from the loan program would mean that student loans would not be subsidized while they’re in school. “So not only will you have to take out a loan with the rise in tuition costs, you’re going to have to pay back interest on the loan while you’re still in school,”Tim Ryan said. According to the Institute for College Access and Success, the average debt for college for a student after graduation is $29,400. “This is a heavy burden and a real drain on our economy,” Ryan said.“Given the fact that if you come out with nearly $30,000 in debt, you’re less likely to buy a house, buy a car, start your own business, whatever the case may be.” However, Paul Ryan’s proposal, which he said would “tighten the belt” of the U.S. economy, will likely not see approval for the 2015 fiscal year, due to spending levels already set in place under a bipartisan budget co-authored by Paul Ryan and signed by President Barak Obama in December. Furthermore, the Democrat-controlled Senate has said it will not draft a budget for the fiscal year, and is unlikely to consider Paul Ryan’s budget should it pass in the house.