THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWS ORGANIZATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI | WWW.NEWSRECORD.ORG
THE NEWS RECORD
131 years in print Vol. CXXXI Issue XXXXVIi
MONDAY | APRIL 4 | 2011
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Bearcats prep for 2011 season
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sports | 4
SB5 signed into law by Gov. Kasich Anthony Orozco | News Editor
Thursday marked the official signing of the controversial Ohio Senate Bill 5, which sparked multiple pro-union demonstrations throughout the state,. The collective bargaining overhaul passed in the Republican-controlled Ohio House of Representatives with a 53-44 vote of approval. The bill will restrict the collective bargaining rights for some 360,000 public employees. Later that night, the Senate passed 25 House amendments by a 17-16 vote. The amendments range from small semantic changes to substantial alterations including the provisions to allow police and
Overseas students increase
firefighters to negotiate for their equipment, the elimination of court fines for public worker union strikes and limits of union funding and death benefits. “Senate Bill 5 gives local governments and schools powerful tools to reduce their costs so they can refocus resources on key priorities — like public safety and classroom instruction — while at the same time preserving government workers’ right to unionize and collectively bargain,” said Gov. Kasich after signing the bill. Despite thousands of people amassing at the state Capitol and demonstrating, Kasich is confident that the results of SB5 will be appreciated — eventually — by those who were actually protesting.
“There are a lot of people upset, and we respect that. But I think they’re going to find out at the end of the day we’ll have stronger communities,” Kasich said. Opponents to SB5 have begun work on a campaign organization called We Are Ohio to stop the new legislation. The campaign will attempt to write a ballot issue for November elections, raise money to persuade Ohioans to strike down the bill and to collect the 231,147 valid signatures from registered Ohio voters within 90 days of Kasich’s signature. A website, sb5truth.com has been launched to combat what many House Republicans have called misinformation about the bill.
Eamon Queeney | Photo Editor
YOUR SIGNATURE, PLEASE Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed Senate Bill 5 into law Thursday night. The bill will greatly limit collective bargaining of public workers.
MUSIC FESTIVAL ROCKS CLIFTON HEIGHTS
scott winfield | senior reporter
jayna barker & eamon queeney | the news record
In recent years, the international student community at the University of Cincinnati has risen by approximately 11 percent. While the percentage of nonU.S. resident males has remained static, there has been a surge in the percentage of non-resident female students at UC’s Main Campus. Approximately 2,000 UC students are non-residents as of fall 2010. Nearly one-half of those international students are women, according to statistics from UC’s Office of Institutional Research (OIR). The Middle East and China are among the two largest regions feeding international students to UC. Approximately 527 Chinese non-resident students were enrolled at UC in Fall 2010, and nearly one-half of those students were Chinese women, according to the OIR. Xia Liu, 21, came to UC from Hong Kong to improve her English proficiency skills. As a first-year student in the conversation-heavy marketing field, she joined the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at UC to help build success in her career and pursue a bachelor’s degree. “I like the program at Cincinnati,” Liu said. “I have learned English and [made] many friends.” Many of the non-resident female students enroll in ESL program to help garner knowledge of American language, culture and customs. Students in the program are taught basic English skills, conversational skills, speaking and listening skills, oral presentation skills, pronunciation skills, etc, according to UC’s College of Education and Human Services ESL website. At the end of each program, ESL students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to evaluate their individual ability to use and understand English in an academic setting, which will then grant them admittance into the university itself. For some students, though, the TOEFL isn’t so easy — even after months of being in the program. A student from Saudi Arabia, Haneen Samman, 25, came to UC to pursue her master’s degree in marketing and must complete the ESL program before moving into the graduate marketing program. Samman received her undergraduate degree in Saudi Arabia, but she has plans to stay in the United States. She will remain in the ESL program for one year until she takes the TOEFL to determine her proficiency score. The 11 percent increase in nonresident international students of more than 115 different countries across the globe suggests UC’s ESL program works. Samman has been having difficulty in the quick and intensive ELS program. Liu, whose ELS program only last three months, agrees. “It is hard to learn because people talk fast. I can’t understand,” she said. “I ask my teachers to talk slow.” The UC2019 “Accelerating Our Transformation” aims to achieve a global engagement target for international student enrollment at 8 percent, pending the semester conversion in Fall 2012, according to the Office of the President.
UC alumni awarded for merit
coulter loeb | the news record
TAKING OVER CLIFTON Hours Before Morning performs at Christy’s Biergarten on West McMillan Street (above). Rome Ntugoku and Far-I-Rome brought dozens of bands to the areas surround the University of Cincinnati’s campus for the fourth Clifton Heights Musical Festival. For more. turn to page 3.
New bills aim to curb texting
Cell phone use while driving to be banned jason hoffman | senior reporter
A committee in the Ohio legislature voted Thursday to move forward with a bill to ban texting while driving throughout the entire state. House Bill 99 (HB 99) passed the bipartisan House committee and now awaits a vote on the floor of the Ohio House of Representatives. HB 99 will make it illegal to use any wireless text-based communication device while operating
File Art | the news record
TEN AND TWO New legislation proposes a statewide ban on text communication while operating a motor vehicle, fines up to $150.
a motor vehicle on a public road. If caught texting while driving, motorists can expect to receive a $150 fine and possibly a court summons. The bill is similar to Cincinnati’s ban, which went into effect October 2010. Currently, Toledo, Columbus and Cleveland have similar legislation. Rep. Rex Damschroder (R-Sandusky) said he was appalled to find out that texting was still legal statewide when he was elected to office last year. During his testimony to the committee, Damschroder quoted a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2008 that found 5,850 people died in crashes caused by distracted driving and another 515,000 were injured in similar incidents, Damschroder said. The NHTSA study also found that 16 percent of fatal accidents in which drivers under the age of 20 were caused by distracted driving. Currently, HB 99 offers a six-month grace period where officers would only be able to issue written warnings to motorists caught texting. Similarly, another legislation, Ohio Senate Bill 35, proposes to ban using handheld communication devices while driving completely. If HB 99 is passed in the coming weeks, Ohio would become the 31st state to enact a texting ban. Kentucky banned motorist texting in January. Washington was the first state to ban texting while driving in 2007.
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Six University of Cincinnati alumni award recipients will be recognized June 9 at the UC Alumni Association’s annual UC Day Celebration. Award recipients were selected for their accomplishments and contributions to UC and the Cincinnati community. “[UC Day] allow[s] us to celebrate and recognize our most remarkable alumni and the positive marks they’ve made in their professions and in their communities,” said Myron Hughes, UC Alumni Association executive director. Dr. J. Richard Wuest, a 1958 College of Pharmacy graduate, received the William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement — the highest honor awarded to a UC alumnus — for his work as a leader in pharmaceutical education. Wuest developed labels for prescription bottle alerts and reminders and his copyrighted labeling system is currently used on more than 4 billion U.S. prescriptions. Richard Foley, a 1961 College of Engineering graduate, and David Watkins, a 1992 College of Arts and Sciences graduate, both received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award for rendering outstanding, faithful and selfless service to their alma mater. Foley established and funds a scholarship for first-year students at UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Drew McKenzie, a 2005 College of Business graduate, received the Jeffrey Hurwitz Young Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award for developing marketing strategies, attracting new business and leveraging technology to his clients’ benefit at Empower MediaMarketing. Eric Abercrumbie, a 1987 College of Arts and Sciences graduate and current director of Ethnic Programs and Services at UC’s African American Culture and Resource Center, and Dr. Marilyn Edmondson, graduate of both the College of Nursing and College of Education, both received the Mosaic Award for championing the cause of the underrepresented and promoting greater equity and opportunity for others. Edmondson has worked with organizations including the humanitarian organization, CARE International to bring health-related opportunities to African nations. correction In the Thursday, March 31, issue of The News Record, it was incorrectly reported that a Toppers Pizza delivery driver was given an address on Mound Street. Information regarding the address was not released. The News Record regrets the error. FORECAST
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