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Clarion Call THE
CLARION UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1913
SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
VOL. 98 ED. 3
PASSHE spokesman talks dollars and sense KELSEY HUEBERT News Editor
Clarion, Pa - The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s allocation from the state and federal government fell by almost $90 million from last year’s, according to PASSHE Media Relations Manager Kenn Marshall. That’s down about 18 percent, Marshall said, the largest decrease in state funding in PASSHE’s 28-year history. “Our board works very hard to keep tuition down,” Marshall said, “but when faced with a $90 million budget cut, they were faced with no choice but to raise tuition.” Marshall said in late June the PASSHE Board of Governors, which sets general policy for the 14 state schools in the system, voted to increase students’ tuition by more than 7 percent. “In four of the previous five years,” Marshall said, “our tuition increases have been below the rate of inflation, which is something that no other
Caitlin McGill / The Clarion Call
PASSHE Media Relations Manager Kenn Marshall visits Clarion to establish better contact with student media on his 14-school tour. public university system in the country can claim.” The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics sets the inflation rate for August 2010 to August 2011 between
3 percent and 4 percent. “The board was very committed that it was not going to pass along the entire cut to the students,” Marshall said. Spread evenly between
the more than 120,000 students in the PASSHE schools, Marshall said, the cost of the budget cut would have raised tuition by more than $800 for each student.
“Tuition was raised by $436,” Marshall said. “They kept that promise.” Marshall said the increase in tuition still left a $35 million shortfall in PASSHE funding.
Marshall noted the decade-long effort on the part of PASSHE schools to reduce costs “by almost $200 million.” Saving on energy is one of the foremost ways the university system cuts costs, Marshall said. “A perfect example,” Marshall said, “is the solar panel array on Clarion’s new science building.” PASSHE schools also save money by purchasing energy contracts jointly, Marshall said, pooling their buying power to get better rates. Marshall said he thinks the reason the cuts amounted to 18 percent instead of the 50 percent proposed by Gov. Tom Corbett was the advocacy in Harrisburg by students and citizens on the behalf of PASSHE prior to the budget’s passing. “The best thing you can do to encourage more funding for the system is to write a letter to your legislator,” Marshall said. “Call their offices,” he said, “because they listen. Write the letters from your heart.”
For a listing of your local congressional representatives, see page 3
PASSHE, AFSCME agree to final terms of new contract Harrisburg, Pa., - The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents approximately 4,000 employees at the 14 state-owned universities and in the Office of the Chancellor, have reached a final agreement on several addendums to the Commonwealth’s new four-year contract. The Commonwealth concluded negotiations with AFSCME on wage, salary and benefit issues earlier this year, and the AFSCME membership approved those terms.
PASSHE participated in those negotiations, as well as in separate discussions on a variety of issues that were specific to the State System. Those discussions included meeting with the 14 university chapter presidents to review the separate issues. The agreement between the Commonwealth and AFSCME includes significant savings in healthcare costs. It is anticipated those savings will nearly offset wage and salary increases scheduled for the second, third and fourth years of the contract, which will run through
June 30, 2015. “This agreement will essentially pay for itself because of expected healthcare savings in excess of $25 million over the next four years,” said PASSHE Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Labor Relations Gary K. Dent. “It is an agreement that will benefit our universities, our students and our employees as we all struggle through extremely challenging fiscal times.” The final terms of the PASSHE/AFSCME addendums call for the parties to work together to help enhance workforce efficiency and to preserve
jobs. A new position classification system will be developed, in part to allow greater utilization of employee skills, while a joint labor management committee will help design a process where AFSCME staff may be shared among universities. The sides also agreed on how to manage grantfunded positions and on a plan to convert some 12-month positions to nine months, while continuing the employees’ year-round benefits. “As both sides looked at the challenges facing the university system, its students and employees,
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we focused on common goals to ensure the success of the students by finding ways to strengthen our workforce,” said AFSCME Council 13 Assistant to the Executive Director Darrin Spann. “In the end, I believe we accomplished these goals with our willingness to work together and become partners.” “It is a credit to the negotiating teams on both sides that they were able to develop an agreement that addresses a number of key issues while helping to ensure the viability of our campuses,” Dent added. “It will result in a
much greater level of collaboration, and is a model we are exploring with our other employee groups.” AFSCME is one of seven labor unions with which PASSHE has been negotiating. Talks with the others are continuing. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with nearly 120,000 students. The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Press release by Kenn Marshall
Inside THIS WEEK’S EDITION
OPINION Dear Bacon
Allison Doherty tells her tale of bike fires in Amsterdam. PAGE 4
FEATURES Prepare the parade
RSO’s prepare this year’s Autumn Leaf Festival parade floats. PAGE 5
What’s on your mind? Creature Feature Alizah Thornton explores popular college myths. PAGE 4
Features Editor Russell Pekelnicky conjures the medieval Gargoyle. PAGE 6
Editorial Cartoon
Top 10
Online Editor Mike Ramsey: It’s only “Class Warfare” when poor people do it. PAGE 4
Features Editor Russell Pekelnicky scuttles the cuddly animals that will mess up your day. PAGE 6
ENTERTAINMENT SPORTS
CU-TV “The Nest”
Women’s soccer
Movie Review
Football falls
Music Box
Face-Off
WCUB-TV undergoes station transformation. PAGE 8
“Drive”starring Ryan Gosling from director Nicolas Winding Refn. PAGE 8
The Boxers review Blink-182’s new album “Neighborhoods.” PAGE 7
Classifieds, comics and puzzles: Page
Clarion drops two matches over the weekend. PAGE 11
Clarion is overpowered by number 17 CalU. PAGE 11
Should Pitt and Syracuse join the ACC? PAGE 11
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See SENATE, page 2