THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWS ORGANIZATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI | WWW.NEWSRECORD.ORG
THE NEWS RECORD
131 years in print Vol. CXXXI Issue XXXIX
MONDAY | FEB. 21 | 2011
VICTORY IN OT
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Bearcats defeat Friars in electrifying overtime win
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Pell grants slashed in 2012 budget anthony orozco | News Editor
Budget cuts proposed by Washington reach as far as the University of Cincinnati — and possibly into students’ pockets. University Of Cincinnati students might see a decrease in available federal grant money due to budget slashing plans coming out of the Obama Administration. In his 2012 budget, President Barack Obama proposed cutting approximately $100 billion throughout the next 10 years from the Federal Pell Grant program. The cuts would become effective Oct. 1. “It is important to note that no decisions have been made,” said Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president for enrollment management at UC.
Approximately 26 percent of Uptown campus students are Pell Grant eligible, while more than 50 percent of regional campus students are eligible. Those impacted students might have to increase loans, increase work or drop out until resources are created, Miller said. Budget cuts for the Pell Grant would come in two reductions: an end to the “yearround Pell” policy that lets students collect two grants in a calendar year with the second grant used for summer school. Under regulations adopted in 2008, a summer Pell Grant becomes available only if a full-time student spent the year’s worth of grant money during the standard academic year. If the proposed cuts are enacted, students would be eligible for a single, year-long grant. This
FEDERAL PELL GRANT PROGRAM SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR CROSS YEAR REFERENCE
AWARD YEAR
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
FEDERAL PELL GRANT RECIPIENTS
5,167,979
5,167,979
5,542,893
6,156,750
TOTAL EXPENDITURES
$12.7 billion
$12.7 billion
$14.6 billion
$18.2 billion
AVERAGE PELL GRANT
$2,456
$2,456
$2,648
$2,971
STATISTICS PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
act alone is projected to save $8 billion in the next year and $60 billion throughout the next decade. The grant will, however, retain its maximum payout of $5,500. The second proposal would reduce loan subsidies for graduate and professional students, which is forecast to save $2 billion
in the next year and $29 billion throughout the next 10 years. Congress will have to approve both proposed changes to the grant’s distribution policies before they are official.
senate bill five: collective UNREST - part one
see PELL | 2
IGA battle reaches governor james Sprague | News Editor
LAUREN JUSTICE | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
GIVING THE DETAILS Richard Harknett spoke on behalf of UC faculty about the tenure process.
SG talks tenure, funding anthony orozco | News Editor
Student Government tackled a busy night Wednesday, Feb. 16, addressing professor tenure, swearing in a new senator and allotting funds for college events. Richard Harknett, chair of university faculty, spoke on the tenure process review promoted by SG. Harknett detailed the tenure approval process, which currently consists of a department committee review, a review by approximately six prominent researchers of the specific field, a review by the department head, a college committee of nine, the college dean and a final review by the provost’s office. “The university’s position is … that teaching should carry as much weight as research [in the tenure approval process].” Harknett said. “In reality, that is not necessarily always the case, in part because of measurement assessments.” Research has shown that teacher evaluations have a strong correlation with the grade the student expects to receive. Harknett see SG | 2
Tom Lynn | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT
NOT TAKING IT Protesters march around the state capital in Madison, Wis., Friday, Feb. 18, demonstrating against Wisconsin legislation similar to Ohio’s proposed Senate Bill Five.
SENATE BILL 5 SPARKS UPROAR of protests Wednesday and Thursday in Columbus. Approximately 4,000 state A proposed Ohio Senate bill eliminating workers demonstrated. Jones, however, said in testimony to collective bargaining rights for state employees the Senate Insurance, is drawing the ire of Commerce and Labor thousands of workers I am not doing this because I Committee Feb. 8 that throughout the state. the bill will allow for R e p u b l i c a n think it’s a magic bullet that will government flexibility Sen. Shannon Jones of solve Ohio’s immediate budget and control of the Ohio’s Seventh District problems. It will not … although I work force so it can — which includes provide sustainable Warren County and do think it will make a significant services over time — not parts of Hamilton difference in future budgets — which punish workers. County — introduced is an absolute necessity. “I am not doing this Ohio Senate Bill because I think it’s a —sen. shannon jones Five Feb. 1. Republican senator of Ohio’s magic bullet that will The bill proposes Seventh district solve Ohio’s immediate to change the state’s budget problems,” Jones collective bargaining law enacted in 1983 and eliminate collective said. “It will not … although I do think it will bargaining for state employees such as make a significant difference in future budgets professors, police officers and firefighters. — which is an absolute necessity.” Regardless of the fiscal possibilities, the The bill would also require workers to pay 20 percent of their health insurance costs, cut ability of University of Cincinnati faculty to practice academic freedom and share pay increases for longevity, prohibit employers governance with the university might also be to pick up worker pension contributions and prevent employees from going on strike. see BILL 5 | 2 The bill has led to back-to-back days james Sprague | News Editor
EAMON QUEENEY | PHOTO EDITOR
IN BRIEF
SENATE BILL FIVE PROTEST
WHERE’S THE CALAMARI?
University of Cincinnati students will gather Monday, February 21 at 3:00 pm, on McMicken Commons on UC’s Main Campus to protest Ohio’s proposed Senate Bill Five. For more information, contact Elisabeth Ampthor at (419) 344-3149.
scott winfield | senior reporter
Traditional textbooks could become obsolete as availability of low-cost electronic textbooks and reliability in Google and Wikipedia searches increase, according to student researchers from the University of Cincinnati’s psychology program. Senior members of UC’s chapter of the Psi Chi international honor society of psychology students along
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According to figures on the UC Libraries website, students can expect to spend up to $900 per year on textbooks alone.
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COULTER LOEB | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
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Textbooks shifting to digital Using e-books, Google as cheaper options
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The fight to reopen a Clifton grocery store has now landed on Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s desk with full backing of the Cincinnati City Council. City Council finalized a resolution Wednesday supporting the reopening of Keller’s IGA on Ludlow Avenue, which closed Jan. 6 for owing approximately $180,000 in back taxes to the state. City Council member Wendell Young proposed the resolution to City Council’s Livable Communities committee Tuesday. The committee approved it unanimously. Young personally delivered the resolution along with petitions from the citizen group Friends of Keller’s Thursday to Gov. Kasich’s office. “It is important that Gov. Kasich hears from our community that he needs to take immediate action to protect local jobs and ensure that his administration supports businesses,” according to a statement on the Friends of Keller’s website. Brad Reynolds, director of constituent affairs for Gov. Kasich, is working to bring the Attorney General’s Office and the State Tax Commission together to work with Keller’s to solve the tax repayment issue, according to a statement on the website.
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QUITE THE VARIETY Students get their fill at the International Food Festival Thursday in the Great Hall of Tangeman University Center.
with Charles Ginn and Stephen Acker of the Ohio Digital Bookshelf Project presented their research findings at the national EDUCAUSE Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Feb. 14. The Digital Bookshelf Project, an initiative under the University System of Ohio (USO) Strategic Plan for Higher Education, aims to create a highquality, affordable and flexible system of higher education with a wide range of educational options. The project is exploring textbook alternatives
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including e-texts and other alternatives aimed at reducing student costs. Students involved in the project logged more than 2,000 hours of research comparing 1,132 terms found in an introductory psychology textbook with search results for the terms found through Google and Wikipedia. “What they found, for the most part, was that information that students [search for on] Google and Wikipedia is quite good,” Ginn said. “With their efforts, [the presentation] was very wellreceived by a cross section of people in Washington because of the depth and breadth of the work they did and their qualifications to do so.” According to figures on the UC Libraries website, students can expect to spend up to $900 per year on textbooks alone. Students can save money through e-texts and websites like FlatWorldKnowledge.com that offer free online textbooks, Ginn said. “Compared to our current version, which is $168 in the bookstore, the e-book version of [the introductory psychology textbook] is given to students for free by the publisher at no cost whatsoever,” Ginn said. “They can print a black-and-white version for $30 and a color version for $59.” While an exact figure for the amount see BOOKS | 2