NEWS
A2 “WOLF,” from A1 He argued that a severance tax would allow Pennsylvania to have additional revenue to use toward improving roadways and school districts while keeping tax rates low. A severance tax, which would be paid mostly by the residents of other states to use Pennsylvania’s natural resources, would force other states to become accountable for their usage of natural gas, he said. According to Wolf, severance taxes are utilized in Texas, Alaska, Louisiana and Oklahoma — all of which are known for their roles in the oil and gas industries. Democrats overwhelmingly supported the address, praising Wolf for his intent to increase spending on education. He plans to fund that section of the budget by improving tax collections as well as taxing on the collection of Marcellus Shale natural gas, according to Pennsylvania Legislative Services. The party was also pleased by the governor’s focus on decreasing crime rates in the state, but wished Wolf had honed in on issues such as gun violence, minority inclusion efforts and mass incarceration. “There is very little that he said that is controversial, other than the severance tax,” said Sen. Art Haywood, a Democrat representing parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I think he and the legislature have learned how to work together.” Immediately following the address, Republican legislators gathered for a press conference in the Capitol Building that included numerous critiques of Wolf’s proposal. Rep. Dave Reed (R-Indiana County) thanked the governor for his efforts to relieve financial burden from Pennsylvania’s working-class families, but said he is concerned about the repercussions of a proposed increase in state spending. “There are questionable components that can lead to increases in the future,” Reed said. “We are willing to look outside the box to re-envision what our government should be.” Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman said “the governor has a nice agenda,” but that it is impossible to as-
sume that Wolf and the Republicans will not have any areas in which they disagree. Corman refuted Wolf’s intent to increase government spending in order to generate state revenue, claiming it is “highly unlikely” that there will be any increase in revenue next year. Republicans also took issue with the fact that Wolf did not address a number of state entities that are responsible for a considerable amount of the budget, including higher education, according to Corman. “We’re going to have to find a large number of reductions,” Corman said. Corman estimated that the finalized budget for next year could be finished by as early as May or June, but not without strife in the capital. Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh County) compared Pennsylvania’s $1.5 billion deficit of last year to this year’s $40 million surplus and described Wolf as aggressive with what he intends to spend next year. “The only thing that can put us at risk is overspending,” Browne said. “We have to continue to keep our spending rates at where they’ve been. Based on his proposal, we would be $7 billion higher than we are now.” House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny County) said Republicans once again bear the responsibility of creating a realistic budget proposal. “I find it interesting that once again, Republicans are the adults in the room,” Turzai said. “Clearly, [Donald] Trump’s agenda is having a positive effect nationwide.” Turzai mentioned the debate between Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans while creating last year’s budget proposal, and described the situation as unnecessary conflict. He blamed Wolf for not holding himself accountable for the struggle to finalize the budget. “[That was] inexcusable — we won’t go through the same shenanigans with this budget,” Turzai said. He emphasized that the focus of next year’s budget should be creating new jobs and an environment where Pennsylvania residents can receive as many opportunities as possible. “Our citizens deserve no less,” Turzai said.
February 13, 2018
Photos by Meghan Schiereck/The Slate
Luis Melara shares his experiences from when he traveled abroad in India to teach students at the Indian Institute of Technology. He was able to travel and teach due to a Fulbright Scholarship. He taught about 80 students at the institute which only had four majors, and all of them were related to engineering.
Professor shares stories about life, teaching in India Shannon Long News Editor
Math professor Luis Melara shared his life and teaching experiences during a lecture Tuesday evening about when he spent seven months in India. Melara was able to teach in India because of a Fulbright scholarship. He said it took a while to get ready to travel because he was not sure how to prepare. Fulbright gave him a handbook that advised him about his trip and outlined many diseases. Melara said he and his wife spent about $1,000 on vaccines. They also had to request visas and documents that would allow them to travel. After a difficult trip to India, Melara found that communicating was much more interesting than he imagined. Even when some people spoke English, it was hard to understand since they spoke British-English and words and phrases were different. When Melara visited Hyderabad, he was surprised because people thought he was from India. “I think being in India has opened up my eyes to who I was, how did people perceive me, the dynamics between my wife and myself,” Melara said. “Because I look Indian, they actually thought I was a tour guide at times or the driver.” He was also surprised by the news in India. Most stories were focused on the presidential election because it was 2016, and they were also focused on what Indian-Americans were doing in America. While in Bhubaneswar, he was surprised that there were so many stray cows on the roads. They would sit on the side of the road, and if they were in the middle of the road drivers would simply drive around them. While in Bhubaneswar, Melara taught at the Indian Institute of Technology. Students at the school were supposed to be elite, but he found that some of them struggled in his class. He taught about 80 students, but there are only four majors at the school and they are all strictly engineering. Classes were two hours long and in most classes there were more men than
This Week on Campus Special Dinner
Paint Nite
Act V Meeting
• Kriner Dining Hall is hosting an Anti-Valentine’s Day Dinner on Tuesday from 4-7 p.m.
• APB is hosting a paint nite on Feb. 16. Tickets are $10 per person.
• Act V will be having a general meeting from 9:3010 p.m. on Feb. 19 in the Orndorff Theater.
Valentine’s Bingo
Concert
Inclusive Basketball
• APB is hosting Valentine’s Day bingo on Thursday at 9 p.m. in the CUB MPR.
• The Luhrs Performing Arts Center is presenting “America” on Feb. 16 at 8 p.m.
• The social work department will be hosting inclusive basketball from 1112 p.m. on Saturday in Henderson Gym.
Presentation
Guest Panel
Lecture
• The Women’s Center is presenting “The Vagina Monologues: Intersectional Feminism” on Feb. 15, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for faculty, staff and the public.
• The Political Science Department is hosting an “American Foreign Policy Bureaucracy” guest panel from 6:30-9 p.m. on Feb. 19 in Grove Hall Room 101.
• Eric Rothschild will be hosting a lecture for the 10th annual forum on science and religion on Thursday from 7-9 p.m. in the Orndorff Theater.
women. Melara found it strange that the students would stand up when he entered and left the room. If a student was late, he said they would stand at the door and wait for him to acknowledge them and tell them it was OK to enter the classroom. Melara was able to do a lot of traveling while in India, and he and his wife spent a month in South Korea and Japan to end their trip. He said he found out a lot about who he was and who he was not during his time in Asia. “If you can [find] an opportunity to spend some time abroad, I would strongly encourage you to do that,” Melara said.
Melara recounted many of the different cities he encountered on his 8-month trip. Eventually, he began to think of Bhubaneswar as his home away from home because it was where he taught.
SU named a preferred college by The Pittsburgh Promise Hannah Pollock Asst. News Editor Shippensburg University is now a preferred college partner by The Pittsburgh Promise, a foundation in Pittsburgh aimed at helping local students. The goal of The Pittsburgh Promise is to “provide college scholarships to transform the lives of children and vitalize the region,” according to its website. “The Preferred College Partners Program is intended to strengthen relationships between The Pittsburgh Promise and certain postsecondary institutions that provide additional financial aid and robust services for Promise Scholars,” its website states. As a preferred college partner, SU will provide grants for room and board, as well as textbooks, beginning with the high school class of 2018. These students will receive up to $5,000 per year for four years of postsecondary education. “The Pittsburgh Promise Scholarship is a ‘last dollar’ scholarship, meaning The Promise pays for eligible expenses after all other grants and scholarships, such as Pell, PHEAA, FSEOG and institutional grants have been deducted. Loans and work study are not included in the calculation. The
Promise pays the remaining balance up to the student’s maximum award for each of four years of education,” according to The Pittsburgh Promise website. SU, and other preferred colleges, will also provide additional academic support services to further aid students to promote retention and success. To be eligible for the scholarship, The Promise requires students to: live in the city of Pittsburgh, continuously, without interruption, for at least the four years of high school; attend Pittsburgh public schools, continuously, without interruption, from at least the beginning of 9th grade, and through to graduation; graduate with a cumulative, unweighted GPA of 2.5 or higher; maintain an attendance record of 90 percent; use the scholarship at an accredited college or university or trade and technical school in Pennsylvania and file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and PA State Grant Form. Other Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools included in the list of preferred colleges are Slippery Rock and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. More information is available at https://www.pittsburghpromise.org.