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If you think you’ve registered but haven’t received a confirmation from the Board of Elections, go to the University Library reference desk and register again. The deadline to register is 9 p.m. tonight. If you plan to vote in Ohio, check your registration status at www.sos.state.oh.us.
One tough weekend for Kent State sports. On Saturday the Flashes lost the Wagon Wheel for the second year in a row. SPORTS | SECTION B
DAILY KENT STATER watch. read. listen. react.
www.KentNewsNet.com
Monday, October 6, 2008 • The independent student newspaper of Kent State University
WEATHER
Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower. HI 64, LO 43 Extended forecast, PAGE A2
INSIDE NEWS
KSU keeps above problems on Wall Street Officials watch market closely Ben Wolford
Daily Kent Stater As Wall Street trembles, shudders and otherwise quavers, Kent State remains unshaken but poised,
university financial officials said. Stock market values dipped sharply amid bank failures last week and since then, Kent State’s finance team has been watching the university’s roughly $150 million worth of shares with increased vigor. “Yes, our investments are hurting, of course,” President Lester Lefton said. “But we’re still doing better than the S&P because we have some alternative investments
that don’t track the stock market.” Those alternative investments have kept the university relatively safe, said Gregg Floyd, vice president for finance and administration. He said tuition won’t rise any more than it would have. And even budget cuts — what Floyd said would be the first line of defense if things turned too sour — aren’t on the horizon. Even so, university officials are keeping close watch on Kent
State’s stocks. Associate treasurer David Young said he checks share values if not by the hour, then daily. Fifteen minutes after the House of Representatives passed the $700 billion bailout of the financial system Friday, Young already knew about it and knew the Dow Jones industrial average had already lost almost 200 points.
Searching for KSU’s next top model Kent Interhall Council held a competition as part of Sextoberfest to determine who graces the cover of “Sex Stories” magazine. PAGE A3
OUR VIEW
Well, have you registered to vote? The deadline to register is 9 p.m. tonight. You may think we’re drilling this into the ground, but this is your chance to be heard. PAGE A4
NEWS
THE MESS BEHIND
THE MESS
Every day, it’s in the news: stocks plummeting, Wall Street failing, people losing jobs and houses,
Congress passing a bailout plan that’s supposed to give the economy a boost. This mess didn’t just begin in the past month. It’s been in the works for more than a decade. Here’s a look at some events that contributed to the economic failout of 2008. During the Clinton administration in the 1990s, the banking industry was deregulated. This means banks took more risks with their money into the new millennium. In 2001, central banks around the world were forced to put additional liquidity (assets that can be turned into cash quickly) into the financial systems. This forced interest rates to plummet to historic lows during 2003-2004. Because of this, investors trying to get some sort of return took greater risks than usual.
Suede’s out, but looking forward Now that he’s off “Project Runway,” Suede is looking to the future and teaching 11 Kent State students the tricks of the trade. PAGE A6
People who weren’t credit-worthy were tempted by low interest rates to get mortgages. Banks wanted to keep lending because they made money from the interest rates. The people who weren’t credit-worthy were then not able to pay their mortgages, and banks weren’t making money from the loans they gave out.
NEWS
Remembering Robby Stamps Thirty people gathered in the Student Center to remember one of the nine students wounded on May 4 who died this summer. PAGE A3
DAILY POLL Do you plan on voting for homecoming king and queen? Log on and vote at KentNewsNet.com. >>On Friday we asked you
if you went to see Jack Hanna’s animals in the Kiva. Out of the 21 who voted, 38 percent said they forgot to go, 24 percent said snakes scare them, 19 percent said yes, and 19 percent said no, they don’t like animals.
SCHEDULE 5:30 P.M. NEWS 6:30 P.M. NEWS
Companies such as American International Group (AIG) that issued insurance policies on debt were overwhelmed. Soon, banks had more debt and fewer assets, so they froze credit.
For Your Information PAGE A2 Police blotter PAGE A3 Forum PAGE A4 Classifieds PAGE B3 Sports SECTION B
Investors were fearful of the market and unwilling to trade. They got rid of stocks, and banks became trapped in a cycle of declining value.
Sources: Ron Stolle, assistant professor of finance; John Thornton, associate professor of finance; Lauren Fine, practitioner in residence. Information compiled by Kristina Deckert.
NOW: The Treasury wants to buy bad assets from banks to break the cycle. The government passed the bill Friday to lend $700 billion to banks. This proposal would buy the bad debt and hold it until the system stabilizes. The money will help banks to begin lending to each other again, but it may take some time to jump-start the economy.
Making out-of-state student votes count CountMore.org identifies the nation’s swing states Daily Kent Stater Out-of-state students may have more of a say in the upcoming presidential election than in-state students. A new Web site, CountMore.org, shows college students where their vote will count more. According to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Symm v. U.S., students have the right to vote in either their home state or school state. “College students are in the unique position of being able to vote in their school state or their home state, and CountMore. org helps them figure out where their vote
“
College students are in a unique position of being able to vote in their school state or their home state ... Matt Lerner chief technology officer for front seat
makes more impact” said Matt Lerner, chief technology officer for Front Seat, a civic software company and incubator. Front Seat launched CountMore.org in September. CountMore.org factored in the 2004 election results and the number of electoral votes to determine where students should vote and the most important swing states.
See VOTE | Page A7
$330 million in total investments. $150 million in equities. $60 million in short-term investments. $120 million in other alternate investments.
Economic crisis moves from the TV to the classroom Many professors are talking about Wall Street’s woes during their classes Bo Gemmell
Daily Kent Stater
The current financial crisis and bailout plans are making their way from news headlines to Kent State classrooms. Some professors are expanding their curriculum to include discussions of current events, especially those concerning the subprime mortgage crisis. Because of its connection to his class, economics assistant professor David Vera said he devotes an average of 10 minutes per class to discussing the financial news or showing students other media. “It allows me to introduce a topic,” he said. It allows me to “Some things going on in the economy are directly introduce a topic. linked to a model I’m going Some things going to talk about in class.” Vera uses current events on in the economy most in his Intermediate are directly linked to Macroeconomic Theory and Policy class, but he also a model I’m going to mentions them in Principles of Macroeconomics. talk about in class. Sophomore exploratory David Vera major Kyle Sholtis said he economics professor learns about issues facing the nation’s economy in a microeconomics course. He said assistant professor Curtis Reynolds discussed the weak economy in addition to his lecture. “He explained it well,” Sholtis said. “I just couldn’t comprehend all of it.” While today’s economy has a direct connection to classes in the economics department, it’s also being incorporated in other fields. Aerospace studies professor Lowell Bailey said he usually talks about a current event each time his Defense Studies I class meets. Bailey last discussed the economy with his ROTC cadets when the Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 700 points on Sept. 29. Bailey said he averages about five minutes discussing current events during the senior-level class because he wants the students to “start thinking outside of college life.”
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THE BOTTOM LINE: No one truly knows or understands what would be sufficient to stop this mess.
Nicole Stempak
CONTENTS
The banks that gave out the mortgages split up the money, packaged it and sold it off to investment firms. These are called mortgage-backed securities. Wall Street institutions then couldn’t pay off these mortgage-backed securities they used as collateral for increased debt.
See INVESTMENT | Page A6
Kent State investments at a glance:
See CLASSROOM | Page A7
Candidates compete for the crown
Lyndsay Elliott
Ilya Poklad
Anastasa Williams
Nickname: Lynds Hometown: St. Clairsville Sponsoring organization: Phi Sigma Pi National Co-ed Honors Fraternity Major: Public Relations with a minor in Applied Conflict Management Honors and activities: Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society, Phi Sigma Pi National Co-ed Honors Fraternity, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Dean’s List, Trustee Scholarship, Kent State Relay for Life Publicity Chair, Public Relations Student Society of America, Fashion and College of Education, Summer Kent Stater reporter, Donate Life Ohio “Do It Now” College Competition
Nickname: none Hometown: Gaithersburg, Maryland Sponsoring organization: Allyn and Clark Halls Major: Finance Honors and activities: two-year resident assistant at Allyn Hall, American Association of Airport Executives, University Orientation instructor, Habitat for Humanity My dream job: to be an airport manager at an international airport My best stress reliever is: going to the Rec center Best memory at Kent: getting my private pilot’s license at Kent State’s airport during my freshman year
Nickname: Stas Hometown: Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania Sponsoring organization: Kent Student Ambassadors Major: English Honors and activities: Honors College, Kent Student Ambassadors, Undergraduate Student Government Allocations Committee, First Year Experience Student Instructor, campus tour guide, Washington Program in National Issues 2008, Leadership Excellence Award Recipient My dream job is: to be a sports attorney My best stress reliever is: listening to music, working out
See COURT | Page A7