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Central Michigan Life
Monday, Feb. 14, 2011
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
Bill would ax maximum Pell Grant amount by $845 7,689 students could be affected at CMU By Kyle Kaminski Staff Reporter
Robert Burrum funds his own college experience The Williamston freshman works two jobs in his hometown, has large student loans to pay and, like 7,688 other CMU students, he utilizes Pell Grants. But for the 35.5 percent of CMU undergraduates who receive a Pell Grant, life could get just a bit tougher financially.
House Republicans proposed a bill Friday to ax the U.S. Department of Education’s budget by $4.9 billion, including a $845 reduction to Pell Grants. The proposal would reduce the maximum Pell Grant amount of $5,550 to $4,705. “I really don’t understand why education would be the target of any budget cuts,” Burrum said. “I really can’t afford to lose any grant money. It’s already hard as it is.” The federal Pell Grant program is operating at a $5.7billion deficit. Special Education, Title I, and Head Start also would lose funding. The bill is expected to go to
the floor later next week where it could receive some amendments or even further budget cuts. “I’d definitely say this was a poor decision,” Burrum said. “I really hope the bill doesn’t pass.” While the bill still has to stay afloat through a Democratcontrolled Senate and nothing has become official, it has done little to ease the nerves of college students struggling to pay for their education. “Cuts will be made to the federal education programs,” said Diane Fleming, associate director of client services at the Office of Scholarship and
Borowski said. “Students have enough to worry about as it is, cutting the few programs that actually help us is ridiculous.” During the 2009-2010 academic year, 6,629 CMU students received a Pell Grant for a total of $25,553,270, Fleming said. In the 2010-2011 academic year, 7,689 CMU students have received a Pell Grant for a total of $28,550,894. “As you can see, there was a significant increase in the number of Pell-eligible students from (fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2011),” she said. “This increase has a direct correlation to the Michigan economy and
Financial Aid, in an e-mail. “It’s unknown at this time which programs will see reductions or be eliminated.” Fleming said it will have a significant impact on CMU students if the 2011-2012 Pell Grant is reduced. “Students and families will be forced to borrow more loans, work more hours, and/ or enroll in fewer credits,” she said. Dansville sophomore Michelle Borowski said the last thing she needs to worry about is losing more financial aid. “Between paying for rent, books, gas and food, it’s already really hard to manage,”
Obama will reveal plan to reduce $1.4-trillion deficit
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Project’s progress ‘on track’ WMU, Oakland closer to opening med schools By Annie Harrison Staff Reporter
Unattached students rejoice, despise Valentine’s Day By Theresa Clift | Staff Reporter
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allmark cards, boxes of chocolate, balloons and hearts are a sign it’s that time of year again — Valentine’s Day has arrived. Many single students dread the infamous Feb. 14. “It kind of sucks being single on Valentine’s Day,” said Troy sophomore Kenny Mero. “It sucks seeing everyone going out to dinner with their girlfriends, and seeing all the commercials and stuff.” Some think the term “Singles Awareness Day” is a more appropriate moniker. “I’m not particularly a fan of the holiday,” said Matt Balmes, also a Troy sophomore. “It’s almost a smack in the face to single people.” Many people use the opportunity to show their friends and family how much they love and appreciate them instead of reserving the holiday for couples.
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and instead celebrate the freedom of not being tied down to anyone or having any responsibilities or expectations to live up to. “It actually feels great knowing that I don’t have to take anyone to eat or buy them anything,” Brighton sophomore Kevin Zaborowski said. Daniel Pugh recalled several solitary Februaries. Patience eventually paid off for Pugh, an instructor of sociology, anthropology and social work. “I went through many Valentine’s Days alone,” he said, “but it was okay because eventually I met someone I love.” studentlife@cm-life.com
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guitarist Brad DeRoche, was the second of three performances in Art Reach’s Winter Concert Series. More than 60 people attended the concert. Kathy Hill, executive director of Art Reach, said Tucker was a natural choice to perform in the series. “We know that she performs and she’s done a concert here before, so it was a short trip to asking her,” Hill said. In addition to working on the Art Reach Board of Directors, Tucker also works as a secretary at the School of Music at Central Michigan University. She schedules many of the per-
formances hosted by Art Reach and usually selects artists from a local talent pool. She said many of the center’s recitals feature faculty members from the School of Music, which leads to highquality, professional-style performances. “We have a lot of talent in this community,” she said. “This has always been a passion of mine, to get this type of recital together.” The idea for the Spanishthemed concert came from a conversation between
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cm-life.com w Check out a photo gallery of the week’s best photos w Visit coverage of Friday’s Sing It, Act It, Play It story with added video from the event
According to a study by the National Retail Federation, Americans will spend more money on kids, family, friends and co-workers than the significant others in their lives. It found average consumers will spend about $77 on their loved ones versus a total of about $98 on other important people in their lives this year. Many single students spend time together on Valentine’s Day to feel less alone. “It’s great because you get to get really drunk with all your other single friends,” said Hartland junior Jeff Miller. Some single students are not bothered by the holiday,
Universities all over Michigan are scrubbing up their curriculums with new medical schools. CMU’s College of Medicine is “on track” both structurally and financially, according to administrators close to the project. Dr. Ernest Yoder, the college’s founding dean, said the project has received positive attention and $1,035,000 has so far been raised. The amount is about $35,000 more than first reported by CM Life in September. “Everyone in the wider community has been extremely supportive,” he said, “and I believe we will hit our targets in a timely way.” Yoder said the overall goal is to raise $25 million. He said $15 million will go toward facilities, $8 million toward endowing scholarships and $2 million toward startup. Steve Lawrence, CMU’s associate vice president of Facilities Management, said construction for the college is 55 percent complete and is “on schedule to reach substantial completion on Aug. 31, 2011.” Oakland University and Western Michigan University are also developing new schools of medicine. Dr. Angela Nuzzarello, associate dean of Student Af-
Faculty perform Spanish music at Art Reach concert
LATE PUSH | Women’s basketball makes a 8-0 run for a 78-72 victory
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c o ll e g e o f m e d i c in e
By Maria Amante Senior Reporter
Significant cuts can be expected when President Barack Obama reveals his proposed budget today. Jacob Lew, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, wrote in The New York Times Feb. 6 the president will attempt to reduce a $1.4-trillion budget deficit through a “comprehensive and responsible” plan. Lew said a $125-million cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, about a quarter of the current funding levels for the project, will be proposed. Larry Sych, associate political science professor, said the president will undoubtedly propose cuts, but they will be more modest than those of the Republican-controlled House. “The president’s proposal is really just advisory. Congress can choose to take a president’s proposal (or ignore it),” he said. “The Republicans pledged to cut spending to 2008 levels — that may be deeper than what the president is proposing.” Both the House and Senate will propose budgets, Sych said, and Republicans will not give Obama’s budget a warm reception. The budget will include a five-year freeze on domestic spending, as Obama promised in his State of the Union address. According to the Washington post,
our high unemployment rate.” Fleming said cutting the Pell Grant would only account for a small percentage of the total national budget. In order to achieve significant budget reductions, she said Congress needs to tackle the entitlement programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and defense. She said the federal government must also do something about increasing revenue. “While the suggested budget cuts are a start, they will not go very far in reducing the national debt,” she said.
jake may/photo editor
Freshman forward Taylor Johnson fights for possession of the ball Saturday against Kent State. The Chippewas trailed by 10 points before storming back to win the game.
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Art Reach of Mid Michigan, 111 E. Broadway St., came alive Sunday afternoon with the sounds soft guitar notes and soprano vocals floating through its halls. Spanish Songs for Voice and Guitar, performed by singer Antoinette Torres Tucker and
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