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Clarion Call THE
CLARION UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1913
FEBRUARY 16, 2012
VOL. 98 ED. 15
President Whitney speaks on budget proposal ALIZAH THORNTON Copy Editor
CLARION, Pa. - Last Tuesday, Feb. 7, Gov. Tom Corbett proposed the budget for the 2013 fiscal year that would include a 20 percent cut for stateowned universities. “A 20 percent deduction in state funding would have a debilitating effect,” Clarion University’s President Karen Whitney said. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education includes 14
schools across Pennsylvania. This decrease in funding would equate to $120 million for the entire state system, leaving Clarion University with a cut of about $4.4 million, Whitney said. “We’re reviewing what the governor said and what effects it would be on financial aid for students,” Whitney said. “It is too soon to tell about tuition increases.” According to a Feb. 7 news release from the Pennsylvania Department
of Education on Corbett’s proposed budget, PHEAA “will receive $361.9 million to provide grants to students attending college.” Last year, Gov. Corbett proposed a 50 percent cut, yet the actual cut was 18 percent, Whitney said. Clarion reduced expenses and increased revenues to make up for the deficit last year, “having to add another cut will be harder,” Whitney said. Some of the things that were done this year to help were reducing
part-time faculty, declining nonteaching assignments, limiting overtime in departments to an asneeded basis, increasing the number of students in classes and offering more academic programs. It will be difficult, but the university will have to improve and change in some areas, Whitney said. “I do not want to eliminate anything at this university.” Until the final budget is established by the House and Senate, no concrete plans can be
made. Nonetheless, at this time, Whitney said she is working with staff to look at budgets, faculty and department chairs, and work on being financially stable with the decline in funding. She said she hopes to have Clarion’s proposed budget for next year by May 1. President Whitney described three ways to survive—grow, earn and cut. The university would grow by getting more students; earn by having faculty teaching more stu-
dents and cut following the methods mentioned above, she said. As more information becomes available about the budget situation, President Whitney said she would tell everyone. On March 1, an open forum will be held on financial planning. “First and foremost, we want to continue to serve students and their families in the community,” Whitney said. See BUDGET, Page 2
Second “Not On OUR Campus” Panel at Hart
WEEKLY REPORT
Student Senate ROBERT HANNA News Staff
CLARION, Pa. - Clarion University Student Senate members voted unanimously Monday to allocate $1,546 to The Clarion Call student newspaper, to allow its editorial staff to attend a journalism conference held annual in New York City. Elora Walsh, editor-inchief at The Call, made an announcement during the meeting, explaining what the staff has learned after repeated attendance of the event. “The conference helps us gain knowledge of the fast-changing times of media and print journalism, also the convergence of media with radio and television,” Walsh said. “We gain a lot of experience with this because we do a lot of work with our radio and our television station. Another big thing is print media is moving online, and we are working to change our website to a new layout with things we have learned in these workshops, such as more video and audio streaming, and we’re
working on integrating television shows into our newspaper,” she said. When asked how The Call editorial staff plans to use the trip to benefit the Clarion University community at large, Walsh cited the realworld experience a staff member gained through a past internship won with the New York Post. Walsh also used The Call’s consistent adoption of new technologies featured at the conference to help plead her case in justification of the funds. At one point, the perfunctory question of fund-raising was posed to a Call representative. To this, Jeanna Schwerer, Clarion Call business manager, explained that advertising deals made with McDonald’s restaurants, online sales giant Amazon.com and CU-affiliated Reinhard Villages are ways of supplementing the senate’s financial endorsement of the trip. The Clarion Call’s editorial staff will be attending the College Media Association’s national spring convention March 17-20 in New York.
Jessica Bedeax / The Clarion Call
(From left) Mark Lepore, Patty, Brenda Manno, Diane Kuntz and Tracy Park sit at Clarion University’s second “Not On OUR Campus” panel to speak about sexual abuse issues and how to handle them in Clarion.
Locals speak out on sex abuse topics in Clarion RACHEL FARKAS News Staff
CLARION, Pa. - Sexual assault dominated the conversation at the second “Not on OUR Campus” panel on Monday night in Hart Chapel. The panel was organized to focus on “issues for victims, consequences for perpetrators, and treatment and prevention of sexual assault.” Rather than a response
to the child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State, as the University’s first panel did in December. On the panel were Tracy Park, victim’s services/ district attorney’s office; Diane Kuntz, executive director of PASSAGES; Brenda Manno, a clinical social worker with Project Point of Light; Mark Lepore, supervisor of counseling; and a sexual abuse survivor who only identified herself as Patty.
Bob Girvan, Clarion University professor, moderated. The panel was sponsored by Clarion University Presidential Commission on the Status of Women, Clarion V-Day Project, Women and Gender Studies and PASSAGES Inc. Many issues were discussed, but the need for the people to listen was repeated throughout the night. “It is important for people to listen and look for
the signs. Ask questions and not expect an answer because sometimes there isn’t an answer,” Patty said, as she discussed her personal journey through recovery. Patty explained to the audience how she was abused by her father as a child, and subsequently went into a sexually abusive marriage with a man.
See CAMPUS, Page 2
State police recruit cadets BLAYNE SHEAFFER News Staff
CLARION, Pa. - According to Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2012-13 budget proposal, the Pennsylvania State Police will be allotted $7.9 million to go toward 115 cadet troopers to address to the decrease in staff this past year. The State Police came to Clarion University on Feb. 10 to inform students and make them aware of the available
career opportunity. Even with adding cadets, the projected amount of vacancies by 2013 is around 500. Maintaining a sufficient staff will be the biggest challenge for the Pennsylvania State Police this year. Corbett also recommends that current officers not be given more vacation time and changes in the revenue created from troopers patrolling municipalities, which do not have their own po-
lice force. From this the approximate $8 million of expected earnings in trooper ticketing will be put toward the purchasing of equipment. Also being added from the budget will be Liquor Control Officer Trainee classes, since the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement will be receiving funding as well. For more information visit www.psp.state.pa.us
Caitlin McGiill / The Clarion Call
Abby Blazavich set up in Carlson Library on Feb. 10 as part of Pennsylvania’s State Police efforts to recruit college students.
INDEX
Inside THIS WEEK’S EDITION
“Until the Violence Stops” shown at Hart Chapel. Features Page 5
Valentine’s Day game show in Gemmell MPR. Entertainment, Page 8
Clarion wrestling goes undefeated. Sports, Page 10
Opinion Features Classifieds Entertainment Sports Standings
WEATHER Page 4 Page 5 Page 7 Page 8 Page 10 Page 11 Today: Rain High: 41 Low: 28 Extended 7-Day on Page 2