Is the bowling team overlooked? — See Page 4
Dr. Randal Pinkett to speak at NSU — See Page 7
Jersey Shore returns — See Page 8
5.2.12
Vol. 59, I ssue 11
BROWN IS
DR. A. HAS BIG
GOING DOWN
PLANS
By: Marian Brooks
President Atwater’s talk of renovating the campus was the highlight of a recent student forum. “The earth will shake as old buildings go down and new buildings come up,” Atwater said, and Brown hall tops the list. “There will be definite renovations to the 1950’s Brown Hall and the shelf life has expired, so it will be getting rebuilt,” said Atwater who referred to Brown as being on his “hit list.” The crowd cheered and clapped, but one alumni did not share the excitement. Tearing down Brown Hall offers mixed emotions, and one alumni told him angrily “You are going to find out pretty soon that many people are not going to be happy with your decision.” President Atwater responded by asking for a show of hands as to “How many people feel Brown is a satisfactory place to learn?” No one raised their hands and Atwater continued to speak on his main concern of safety. He has received the sour end of the conversation hearing
statements like “Please don’t do away with Brown Hall” and “We will call the state legislator on you,” but after the assessments it will cost 24 million dollars to rehab Brown Hall. Atwater believes that 24 million dollars is not a price worth paying just to fix it up. “It has to go,” he said. Next on the list is to build a new Nursing and Allied Health building. “That will be completed by 2014 and you can bank on a 140,000 square foot building,” said Atwater. He will then tackle Wilder, Fine Arts, Woods, and the old hospital. “We have funding from the state that has been earmarked to expand fine arts and upgrade the performing arts, where we have continuing needs in respects to the theater and arts,” Atwater said. Many complaints were made about Fine Arts and its’ lack of equipment, concerns with lights and a leaky roof. After hearing about Woods not having working windows, dead outlets and a lack of air
Continued on p. 6
In this file photo, President Barack Obama speaks on healthcare to a joint session of Congress. Experts say employers and insurance companies, not the government, will drive health care changes for the next 10 years or more if the Supreme Court strikes down President Barack Obama’s overhaul law. (AP Photo/Jason Reed, pool)
By: Krysta Ricks
mandate was first introduced. Obama said “If a mandate was a solution, we could try that to solve homelessness by mandating that everybody buy a house.” Now it seems the president has a different view on the issue. Buying an individual policy or getting health insurance through an employer or government program are ways in which consumers can be in agreement with Obama’s mandate. Consumers should consider each possibility as the individual insurance mandate requires citizens to have health insurance or pay a fine. The mandate received criticism from opponents who be-
President Tony Atwater hit the ground running when he was named the fifth president of NSU. In addition to incorporating some student ideas tossed around at periodic forums, Dr. A. has come up with a few ideas of his own to make some positive changes on campus. The Spartan Crusade for Academic Success (SCAS) and the Academic Excellence, Partnerships, Institutional Advancement and Enrollment (APIE) programs have been implemented to help raise graduation rates so that NSU can play a vital role in making President Barack Obama’s “Race to the Top” initiative an attainable goal. President Atwater initiated SCAS in order to promote educational success and college preparedness at elementary, middle and high school levels. Low-income and minority students in the Hamp-
Continued on p. 3
Continued on p. 3
INSURANCE MANDATE RECEIVES MIXED REVIEW, JULY COURT DECISION
By: Krysta Ricks In an attempt to get medical insurance to an additional 30 million people at a reasonable cost to private insurers and state governments, the Obama Administration added an individual mandate section to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. If a person does not want to purchase insurance, the federal government does not have the right to force them to do so. The government can, however, impose a mandate requiring that almost every individual carries health insurance. A statement from a 2008 speech in which Obama opposed health care mandates has been floating around since the
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