The News Record
THE 132-YEAR-OLD AWARD-WINNING INDEPENDENT STUDENT-RUN NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
THURSDAY | JANUARY 10 | 2013
VOL. CXXXIII ISSUE LVVVVVIV
Remedial exemption standards
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Ohio universities adopt uniform standards for exemption from remedial classes DANI KOKOCHAK SENIOR REPORTER NEWSRECORDNEWS@GMAIL.COM After months of deliberation, Ohio’s public universities adopted uniform standards Jan. 3, to exempt incoming students from taking remedial classes. The standards include specific scores on standardized tests university presidents agreed would determine whether a student is prepared for credit-bearing coursework. Prior to the uniform standards, the board of regents provided guidelines for institutions to follow, which led to wide inconsistencies of enrollment in remedial courses at public institutions. “That degree of variance was unfair to students, and unclear to students,” said Rebecca Watts, associate vice chancellor for the Ohio Board of Regents. “Students, high school faculty, and parents need to have a very clear goal for students to be able to achieve so that they can feel confident that they are ready for success at their next level of learning.” Currently, approximately 41 percent of Ohio public high school students are enrolled in at least one remedial course upon entering college, according to the Ohio Board of Regents. At the University of Cincinnati, the new standards mean abandoning the current use of placement tests for incoming students, said Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president of enrollment at UC. Instead, students’ placement in math and English courses will be based on their ACT or SAT scores. Approximately eight percent of students are placed in a remedial math course upon entering UC’s main campus, Miller said. “I think the really beneficial thing is the greater likelihood of … curricular alignment between universities and high schools,” Miller said. “The likelihood that [incoming students] are going to be prepared is much greater.” However, meeting the new standards for remediation-free classes will not mean guaranteed acceptance. “If you achieve these scores, that doesn’t guarantee you admission anywhere…there still are selective admission institutions in the state,” Watts said. The legislative initiative began in spring 2012 with faculty members from universities, community colleges and high schools around the state, Watts said. Funding for remedial courses at public universities will be reduced to support less than five percent of students by 2019, Watts said. The standards will not include community colleges or regional campuses. CTM meets the first Monday of every month at the Clifton Recreation Center. For more campus, local and state news coverage and photo galleries, go to newsrecord.org.
LAUREN PURKEY | PHOTO EDITOR
EMBRACING HIS JOURNEY Mitchel Livingston embraces his son, Josh Livingston, at a retirement reception in the Great Hall of Tangeman University Center Tuesday. Livingston worked on numerous diversity initiatives and contributed to the concept of MainStreet.
LIVINGSTON RETIRES After 19 years at UC, iconic leader steps down KARA DRISCOLL NEWS EDITOR NEWSRECORDNEWS@GMAIL.COM After 19 years at the University of Cincinnati — a career spanning the tenures of 15 university presidents — Mitchel Livingston, vice president of student affairs and chief diversity officer, said farewell to the institution he helped build. Prominent city and university officials honored Livingston at a retirement reception Tuesday, highlighting his numerous accomplishments with UC and the city. While juggling his responsibilities as a member on six different corporate and community boards, including Fifth Third Bank and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Livingston managed to spearhead the transformation of UC into a “top choice destination.” Former UC President Joseph Steger recruited Livingston in 1994 to enrich the student affairs division and enhance the college experience on campus. “I could see the tremendous potential of this unit and especially in the individuals committed to diversity and excellence in all aspects of university life,” Livingston said. Reflecting on the past two decades, Livingston said he was overwhelmed by the amount of progress he and his team were able to accomplish. During Steger’s tenure, Livingston was at the helm of the construction of a new student union and recreation center. After six studies and 15 focus groups with students, the concept of MainStreet was conceived. “Construction started and we ended with the most beautiful campus in America,” Livingston said. “What you witness today is what some people call the ‘Miracle in Clifton’.” Officials worked to push parking toward the perimeters of campus and to create more green space on campus, such as Sigma Sigma Commons. Livingston, “a man with a vision,” worked on OneStop and
numerous diversity initiatives with heart and soul, said UC President Santa Ono. The physical construction of main campus had a direct correlation with the prestigious quality of academics and the increase in enrollment. While students initially viewed UC as a second choice for higher education, the construction and commitment to bettering the university transformed the school into a university comparable to Ohio State University, Harvard University and Yale University, Livingston said. “You can build in brick and mortar. You can see and you can touch it, but you can also build in other ways,” he said. “You can build in community and build a sense of institutional values.” His commitment to diversity shows through “Just Community,” a UC initiative promoting cohesiveness and an appreciation for diversity. Livingston
introduced the concept after arriving at UC, and the program soon received national awards and attention by international figures such as Colin Powell, Elie Weisel and Maya Angelou. “How grand it is that the University of Cincinnati would aspire to be a just and caring community,” Angelou said during a speech at UC. Livingston never stopped aspiring to encourage an equal and open community at both UC and Cincinnati. His distinguished presence and his work with police and community relations have impacted the city, said Shakila Ahmad, a director on the board of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “His influence is long lasting,” Ahmad said. “I’ve had the distinct pleasure of SEE LIVINGSTON | 2
LAUREN PURKEY | PHOTO EDITOR
A KISS GOODBYE Livingston greeted guests who came to his retirement reception Tuesday in Great Hall. Livingston’s career spanned the tenures of 15 UC presidents.
Clifton town meeting funds cameras Community organization agrees to fund three additional cameras aimed at detering graffiti in Clifton neighborhood BENJAMIN GOLDSCHMIDT CHIEF REPORTER NEWSRECORDNEWS@GMAIL.COM In an effort to crack down on graffiti in Clifton, Clifton Town Meeting (CTM) Monday allocated funding in its 2013 budget for three new deer cameras to catch vandals in the act. Lisa Johnson, Clifton liaison officer, pitched the idea for the cameras to CTM and said similar cameras have provided evidence that helped get restitution from previous vandals in court. In one case, Johnson said, a “tagger” named Evan Ackner was brought to court because of video evidence and was fined $4,000 in restitution. Ackner will also serve 60 days
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in jail starting Jan. 16, Johnson said. Two cameras are already posted in undisclosed alleys that are hosts to regular graffiti vandalism. CTM allocated $600 to purchase three additional cameras, and Johnson suggested posting a camera on Shiloh Street and another by the United Dairy Farmers on Clifton Avenue, though the locations will most likely change as vandals catch on, Johnson said. “It doesn’t have to just be in one place, I want to make sure we get our money’s worth, and get our money back from whoever we arrest with them,” Johnson said. “That’s called restitution, and I want it. They’re starting to tag people’s houses; it’s not even just businesses any more. Nobody [Is] safe.”
Other neighborhoods such as Northside and Price Hill have seen some success in deterring illegal behavior using similar cameras, but there are too many “taggers” in Clifton to tell if making examples of a few would be an effective deterrent at this point, Johnson said. Johnson noted that most known “taggers” in the area are kids who come from wealthy families in areas like Loveland and Madeira as opposed to, “just some poor kid who’s struggling and wants to deface property,” she said. “Big brother is watching us anyway, I’d rather catch the bad guys and get money out of mommy and daddy’s pocket or their pocket, or get them expelled from school,” Johnson said. “The dean of
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DAAP is working with us [and] if any of his students are caught, he’ll give them a disciplinary letter.” Three DAAP students were recently caught with a camera, and the video evidence was used against them successfully in court, Johnson said. Since its meeting in December 2012, CTM underwent some personnel changes including a new president, Ben Puntajo. When the pitch for funding for cameras was made to the previous administration, many members raised questions of privacy and civil liberties. Those concerns were completely absent in Monday’s meeting.