131 years in print Vol. CXXXI Issue XXXxIII
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWS ORGANIZATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI | WWW.NEWSRECORD.ORG
THE NEWS RECORD MONDAY | MARCH 7 | 2011
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Matt Damon stars in new movie about defying destiny for love entertainment | 4
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Starting salaries for grads increase james sprague | NEWS EDITOR The University of Cincinnati’s class of 2011 has another thing to look forward to upon graduation besides their diploma — more pay. A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows that, for the first time since 2008, a class of college graduates will be entering a job market in which starting salaries are on the rise. The average starting salary for graduates of baccalaureate programs in the class of 2011 is $50,034 — an increase of 3.5 percent from the same time last year, according to NACE’s Winter 2011 Salary Survey report.
The salary boost doesn’t apply to all majors, however. Two-thirds of college disciplines showed an increase in salary. The biggest jump is in the fields of business, accounting and finance, all of which experienced an increase of approximately 2 percent in starting pay. Other fields such as chemical engineering and civil engineering decreased in starting pay, with civil engineering experiencing an approximate 7 percent drop. The survey also noted the top three fields for graduates in 2011: accounting, sales and investment banking. Recruiting and hiring prospects for 2011 graduates are increasing as well.
At the outset of the 2010-11 academic year, the outlook for the class of 2011 was already significantly better than what we saw for the class of 2010. —marilyn mackes nace executive director
A poll conducted in February showed that 53 percent of 112 firms surveyed by NACE anticipate increasing their college
hiring, compared to less than 50 percent last fall. “That’s good news for the class of 2011,” said Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “At the outset of the 2010-11 academic year, the outlook for the class of 2011 was already significantly better than what we saw for the class of 2010.” The poll is evidence that the job market is opening up for new college graduates, Mackes said. “This suggests that on-campus recruiting activity for both internships and fulltime hiring should be better than what we have seen in the past two years,” Mackes said.
File art | the news record
GREG WILLIAMS
ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT UC President Greg Williams (left) and former Executive Vice President Fred Reynolds (below) are facing claims of retaliation and sexual harassment respectively from a former assistant. ECKSTeiN
MENKE
Calhoun hit with arrests Anthony Orozco | NEWS EDITOR Three University of Cincinnati students are now facing serious charges after a drug bust in Calhoun Hall Monday, Feb. 28. Reports of smoke brought UC Police Division officers to Brendan Menke’s, a first-year student in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, room. Fearing a fire, UCPD entered the room and found burning incense, several open containers of alcohol and marijuana in the empty room, according to the police report. Menke returned to his dorm while police were still present and was arrested on the spot. Officers noticed a locked safe in the room and after Menke denied them permission to investigate it, left to obtain a search warrant. Before being taken to the police station, Menke allegedly asked two friends, Lucas Merker and Stephen Eckstein, both first-year students, to remove the safe from Menke’s room. The safe was moved and later discovered in a different room of the residence hall. The safe contained marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms and smoking paraphernalia. A scale, plastic bags and money were also found in the safe, which led to a drug trafficking charge for Menke. Eckstein and Merker are facing felony tampering with evidence charges. UCPD said that their main concern is the potential for violence that comes from drug deals. The UC Student Code of Conduct states that “Multiple sanctions may be imposed should the behavior call for the imposition of a more severe penalty ... the university reserves the right to require counseling and testing of students as deemed appropriate. The university may impose interim restrictions (i.e., cease and desist, restriction from dining halls, residence halls or specific buildings, no contact) to protect the rights and ensure the safety or address the concerns of students, staff, faculty, and the university community.” Menke’s bond was set at $2,000 in the Hamilton County Justice Center, Tuesday. Eckstein and Merker were processed out of jail before Tuesday’s bond hearing due to jail overcrowding. Menke is to report in front of the Hamilton County Grand Jury March 10 for underage consumption of alcohol, possession of illegal drug paraphernalia, possession of drugs and drug trafficking. Eckstein and Merker will report before the Hamilton County Grand Jury March 15 on a tampering with evidence charge.
UNDER FIRE UC, Williams, Reynolds named defendants in suit FRED REYNOLDS
Gin A. Ando and James Sprague | The News Record The upper echelons of the University of Cincinnati’s administration found themselves named as defendants Friday after a former employee filed documents suing UC President Greg Williams, former Executive Vice President Fred Reynolds and the university itself. Sandra Smith, a former assistant to Reynolds, filed a multi-faceted lawsuit in the Southern District of the U.S. District Court. The complaint alleges Smith was sexually harassed by Reynolds, who left his position at UC Feb. 1, and wrongfully terminated by Williams after bringing her complaints to his attention. Smith could not be reached for comment.
In an e-mail sent Jan. 7, Reynolds cited his inability to receive medical benefits while living in Ohio after retirement as his reason for leaving. Currently, he is named as an English professor at the City College of New York — where both he and Williams were formerly employed. Repeated attempts to contact Reynolds were unsuccessful. The suit alleges that Smith was subjected to excessive hugging and was kissed on the forehead by Reynolds after mentioning she had a headache. The complaint also alleges that, before Reynolds was officially employed at UC, he sent an e-mail to Smith that read, “I already miss you and I’m not even there yet.” Smith, who was executive director to three UC presidents — Nancy Zimpher, interim
Anthony Orozco | NEWS EDITOR The vacant strip of land between Calhoun Street and McMillan Avenue will finally be seeing development after nearly a decade’s wait. The project, University Square
at the Loop, is slotted to open during fall 2012 and is a joint effort between the landholders, the Clifton Heights Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. (CHCURC) and development companies Towne Properties and Al. Neyer Inc.
The project proposes more than 150 Towne Properties apartments, a 40,000 squarefoot office building and a streetlevel strip of restaurants and retail spaces. After gathering ideas from various developers, CHCURC initially partnered with Towne Properties in fall 2008, but the project was halted due to financial instability. “With the economy being as bad a it was for so long, basically there was nowhere to go with the project,” said Matt Bourgeois, director of the CHCURC. “We had to wait for that to slowly start to thaw itself out which occurred later last year, at which point we ramped up the project again, and now we are at a point that we
think it is ready to go.” CHCURC has hosted open houses and surveyed the community to gauge what stores, restaurants and other outlets they felt would be good for the area. “I think it is long awaited,” Bourgeois said, citing the steady increase of enrollment to UC and the rising demand for retail options in the area for attracting more retailers to the site. The development will also offer a park area and a reserved piece of land for a possible hotel in the future. Verbal agreements between the developers and possible tenants are not being disclosed as of press time. Construction is set to begin June 1.
Marisa whitaker | Staff Photographer
LONG TIME COMING After almost a decade of waiting, the University Square at the Loop project is expected to open in fall 2012. The development will have offices, restaurants and retail. INSIDE
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University Square nears fruition
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Monica Rimai and Gregory Williams — reported her complaints to Williams and the UC human resources department, but was then terminated “without cause” Aug. 4, 2010, after being promised by Williams that HR would investigate the complaints, according to the lawsuit. “Management, human resources, [and] Williams were aware of the harassment by Reynolds, yet took no actions to protect Smith from this behavior,” according to the lawsuit. Following a surgery, members of UC’s senior administration regarded Smith with indifference and, in August, Williams sent a letter informing Smith that she had been terminated, documents stated.
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IN BRIEF
Lodge Bar closes The Lodge Bar’s Cincinnati and Columbus locations have closed their doors and shut down their websites, leaving only an apology in its stead. The bar’s website posted a message on the main page on Wednesday, Feb. 16, reading, “We apologize to our loyal
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patrons. The Lodge Bar Cincinnati has closed. Thank you.” In January 2007, Bar Investment Group, which owned Lodge Bar, signed a 15-year lease on the Seventh Street location in Downtown Cincinnati. There is no word as of what will take Lodge Bar’s place.