RED SUN R I S I N G >> Local band uses music for politics and "the greater good." all | section b
DAILY KENT STATER watch. read. listen. react.
www.KentNewsNet.com
Thursday, October 2, 2008 • The independent student newspaper of Kent State University
WEATHER
Police continue to investigate armed burglary
Chilly, especially at night with scattered showers. HI 54, LO 39 Extended forecast, PAGE A2
INSIDE
No indication the house was targeted
FEATURES
Theresa Bruskin
Daily Kent Stater
Texting and driving could be a disaster Recent studies suggest that text messaging and driving could be as dangerous as driving drunk. PAGE 10
NEWS
USG looks to help with renovations USG wants to meet with university administrators to discuss $200 million worth of necessary classroom improvements. PAGE A5
FORUM
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SAM TWAREK | DAILY KENT STATER
A cents of drinking Partying may lead to financial headaches for college students
Cost of various party items at different locations in Kent: 30-can pack of Natural Light 101 Bottles: $13.49 Acme: $10.29 (only sells 24 packs) Campus Wine: $12.80 Circle K: $13.49 Sheetz: $13.49
Kristina Deckert
Daily Kent Stater
L
Columnist Darren D'Altorio explores how the sometimes edgy genre holds a power that needs to be recognized by all Americans. PAGE A4
NEWS
Take a hammer to a car for charity For a few bucks, Alpha Phi Omega will let you take a swing at a car painted with University of Akron Colors. PAGE A8
DAILY POLL Did you watch Kent State alum, Suede, on Project Runway? Log on and vote at KentNewsNet.com. >>Yesterday, we asked
you if you were registered to vote. Out of the 42 people who voted, 83 percent said they’ve been registered since they were 18, 5 percent said they just registered for this election, 5 percent said they haven’t gotten around to registering and 7 percent said voting doesn’t really matter.
Phil Burwell had a party, he and his roommates spent almost $400 on alcohol and things like cups and ping pong balls. Partying comes naturally to Burwell, as it does to most college students, but the financial impact of hosting a party is often less obvious than a bad hangover — even though it might be as painful.
SCHEDULE 5:30 P.M. NEWS 6:30 P.M. NEWS
CONTENTS For Your Information PAGE A2 Police blotter PAGE A3 Forum PAGE A4 Classifieds PAGE A9 Your Life PAGE A10 Arts. Life. Leisure. SECTION B
1/6 barrel keg of Bud Select 101 Bottles: $34 plus $30 keg deposit and $20 tap deposit Campus Wine Cellar: $36 plus $40 keg deposit and $40 tap deposit Cups (20 count, 18 oz.) Acme: 2 packs for $3 Circle K: $2.79 (for 16 oz.) CVS: $2.49 (for 16 oz.) Sheetz: $3.49 Walgreens: 2 packs for $3
Burwell, a senior sports management major, prefers the price of kegs to the price of cases of beer, but said he thinks cases are easier to get. “With kegs, you get more beer for less price,” Burwell said. “But buying a keg is a ON THE WEB hassle. There’s gas money, and it’s time-consum- READ about how ing. Instead of getting 24 the business is for cases in 15 minutes, we local alcohol retailers have to drive 45 minutes during the current each way to get them.” economic slump at Burwell goes to Pennsylvania to buy kentnewsnet.com. kegs, where there are more beer distributors than in Ohio. Beer distributors sell kegs both in Ohio and Pennsylvania, but kegs are somewhat cheaper in Pennsylvania. See PARTY | Page A6
Stacey Carmany
Daily Kent Stater Negotiators for the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 037 will meet with federal mediator Laura Shepard, management and attorneys for the Portage Area Regional Transit Authority today in Independence. The parties will discuss
www.ruckus.com
Ping Pong Balls (pack of six) CVS: $3.99 Walgreens: $2.49 Wal-Mart: $1.28 Sheetz Reload Pack with cups and ping pong balls: $6.99 Pizza (Large one topping) Brunos: $14.99 Europe Gyro: $6.49 Guys: $11.49 Hungry Howie's: $10.74 Papa John's: $12.59 Pizza Hut: $12.99
See PARTA | Page A6
Ruckus gives students legal alternatives to obtaining free music Daily Kent Stater Thanks to legal alternatives, the number of illegal downloads on campus has dropped. Last year, Kent State occupied a spot on the Recording Industry Association of America’s list of top 20 schools with illegal downloading activity. It now occu-
*all prices without tax.
a proposed labor agreement that PARTA attorney Thomas Evan Green sent to Trina Molnar, field representative and chief negotiator for OAPSE Local 037, on Sept. 17. PARTA and the union have not met for negotiations since Aug. 14. Claudia Amrhein, PARTA human resources director, and operations manager Brian Trautman did not comment about what items were included in the proposed contract or whether a fair share provision would be offered.
Illegal downloads drop on campus Glennis Siegfried
Playing Cards (Bicycle brand) CVS: $3.29 Walgreens: $3.29 Wal-Mart: $2.18
PARTA, union to discuss proposed labor agreement Sides meet for first time since August, hope to sign contract
See ROBBERY | Page A6
24-can pack of Bud Light 101 Bottles: $17.49 Acme: $16.99 Campus Wine: $16.99 Circle K: $16.99 Sheetz: $16.99
ast time
America needs hip hop more than ever
There is no evidence at this time to suggest that the armed burglary on Franklin Avenue Monday morning was targeted at college students, Lt. Ray Stein, head of the Kent police detective bureau, said yesterday. The police are continuing their investigation of the robbery, in which four men held Erik Urycki, senior public relations major, and Emma Sherrie, senior anthropology major, at gunpoint in their home, Stein said. “Right now we don’t have any indication as to why it (the house) was targeted or that it was in fact targeted,” Stein said. The men allegedly stole several thousand dollars worth of electronics and other valuables in a time period of about 15 minutes.
Stein said anyone aware of the stolen items being sold should contact the police. “A lot of times they take things and pawn them at pawn shops or sell them on the street to other students,” he said. The university was not alerted about the incident because the home was in an area that wasn’t adjacent to the university, Stein said. In other cases, such as the February home invasion where four students were allegedly held at gunpoint and robbed on University Drive, the university sent a mass e-mail alerting students and faculty to the situation. Kent police arrested three men in connection to that robbery. The decision to contact Kent State is “primarily about proximity” to campus, Stein said. The Franklin Avenue home is approximately half a mile from the edge of campus, while the University Drive home was less than a block away.
pies spot number 118. Part of this drop can be attributed to the introduction of Ruckus in August 2007, said Tom Beitl, executive director of infrastructure and operations. More information is now available to students, which he said may also have helped. Ruckus is a program that allows users to download music files and play them from their computer for free. Users can pay a $20 fee to transfer music files to their MP3 players. IPods are incompatible with Ruckus, however.
See RUCKUS | Page A6
E L E C T I O N 2 0 0 8 | V I C E P R E S I D E N T I A L D E B AT E
Palin, Biden prepare for debate VP hopefuls to square off in St. Louis tonight Beth Fouhy
Associated Press NEW YORK —Sarah Palin is heading into her debate with Joe Biden, easily the most-anticipated vice presidential faceoff ever, weighed down by fresh evidence that voters are developing serious doubts about her readiness for the job. A new AP-Gfk poll released Wednesday found that just 25 percent of likely voters believe Palin has
BIDEN
the right experience to be president. That’s down from 41 percent just after the GOP convention, when the Alaska governor made her well-received debut on the national stage. There’s a potential bright side: tomorrow night’s debate in St. Louis
PALIN
gives her a chance to overcome the doubts in a 90-minute showcase, the first time most Americans outside Alaska will see her in a lengthy giveand-take session.
See DEBATE | Page A6