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SIGNAL
VOL. 78 • ISSUE 5 • SEPTEMBER 21, 2010 REGISTER ONLINE FOR BREAKING NEWS AT
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MARTA pass prices rise
Daniel Beauregard • Signal A student stands at auxiliary services to purchase a MARTA card.
Kirkland Carter • Signal President Becker presents A.W. Dahlberg with a panther statue following the unveiling of the newly renamed Dahlberg Hall
the sale numbers. When gasoline prices fell this year, he said, the card sales declined. As for MARTA’s rising prices, Hanson said politics are the cause, not economics. “Maybe MARTA knows that when they increase the prices, people don’t ride less,” he said. “MARTA knows what happens when they increase their price.” “When I go buy a soda from the store, the market dictates that price,” he said. “MARTA doesn’t work like your regular market. There’s only one MARTA.” Georgia State decides what price to set on discounted MARTA passes, the supervisor for MARTA’s media sales, Anne Harris, said. Breeze Card Services said MARTA just provides the cards to the university, not the price. But, Director of Parking and Transportation in Auxiliary and Support Services Mike Sproston said Georgia State does not determine the price difference between the student passes and the faculty and staff passes. Students can purchase MARTA passes at the Rialto, the Cashiers Office at Student Accounts, University Bookstore and the customer service windows of Auxiliary and Support Services.
Alumni Hall renamed for school alum
By DANIEL B. RINALDI Staff Writer Student, faculty and staff discounted MARTA pass prices will rise Oct. 1, according to Georgia State’s Auxiliary and Support Services. The student passes will cost $41, an increase of $3.50, Director of Administrative and Customer Services Phil Wells said. Faculty and staff passes will cost $53, an increase of $4. MARTA’s full price for a monthly pass will be $68. “Even at this price, it is still a good deal,” Wells said in an e-mail message. “The demand for these cards is expected to remain strong.” When the price rises, the typical response would be for people to use MARTA less, Assistant Professor of Economics Andrew Hanson said. Hanson, who said he uses MARTA every day, said the response depends on the alternatives. “It’s expensive to buy a car or park on campus,” Hanson said. “I’m going to take MARTA no matter what. The people from MARTA hope for people like me.” Despite the MARTA fidelity that people like Hanson have, student MARTA card sales decreased during the fiscal year 2010, which ended June 30, Wells said. He said students purchased 56,055 cards this year but 57,612 last year, a decrease of 1,557. The number of passes sold depends on certain factors, Wells said. He said the price of gasoline and additional factors affected
For further information on student, faculty and staff discounted MARTA passes, contact Mike Sproston, director of Parking and Transportation in Auxiliary and Support Services, at 404-413-9514.
By NICOLE SCHIMMEL Staff Writer Georgia State has officially renamed Alumni Hall in honor of alumnus A.W. “Bill” Dahlberg. At a 2 p.m. ceremony on Sept. 18, the building was renamed and officially dedicated in Dahlberg’s name. The dedication was held in the courtyard behind the new Dahlberg Hall behind M Deck. A 1970 graduate of Georgia State and retired chairman and executive officer of the Southern Company, Dahlberg raised a family, worked and earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. The dedication was made in his name because of what he has done for the school. Dahlberg chaired the university’s first capital campaign,
responsible for both the Aderhold Learning Center and restoration of the Rialto Center for the Arts. In addition, he was recognized by administrators for his longstanding support of the university. Dahlberg said he hopes students will, one day, “look at the building and see someone who worked through school, achieved some success in business and gave back to the university. Georgia State University gives you that opportunity to succeed.” While working for Southern Company, he served as senior vice president, president, and CEO, as well as chairman before retiring in 2001. Dahlberg then served the Mirant Corp. as chairman until he retired again in 2005. Dahlberg and his fellow alumni pay dues and are very
active around campus and the Atlanta community. “The Alumni Association is your lifelong link to the University. We strive to foster these lifetime relationships through membership. Annual and Lifetime member dues provide scholarships, distinguished alumni awards and alumni club support for alumni, students, and the University community,” according to the alumni website. Alumni can be found tailgating before each football game, at various other sporting events and at various events they sponsor around campus. To learn more about the Alumni Association or to become a member, visit their website at www.gastatealumni.net.
Safety on the rise in Atlanta By JACK CULLER Staff Writer According to the latest Uniform Crime Report released by the FBI, Atlanta is slowly becoming a safer place to live. In the city of Atlanta, violent crimes such as rape, aggravated assault and robbery are becoming less prevalent. This year, Atlanta has seen a 24 percent drop in rapes,
a 17 percent drop in robberies and a 5 percent drop in aggravated assaults. Crime rates have also dropped in almost all of the major cities around metro Atlanta. Decreasing crime rates have been a national trend for the last three years, according to the most recent UCR. With the recent shootings of two Georgia State students, Max Fiandt and Samuel Blizzard Jr.,
crime in Atlanta has become a very pertinent issue among Georgia State students. “I don’t fear for my safety at Georgia State, but I have been more conscious about [putting myself in] potentially dangerous situations around the school and the city since the shootings,” sophomore biology major Amber Combellack said. Cont. on page 06
Safety