EDITORIAL: Packing heat not yet cause for rejoicing or panic. – Viewpoints, page 6
The Marquette Tribune SPJ’s 2010 Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper
What it takes to launch a Slow start dooms MU new student organization in 1-0 loss to Louisville PAGE 12
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Since 1916 www.marquettetribune.org
Volume 96, Number 20
Spill at plant
Student financial aid at risk Federal funds depend on Congress reducing deficit By Sarah Hauer sarah.hauer@marquette.edu
Photo by A. Martina Ibanez-Baldor/angela.ibanez-baldor@marquette.edu
Crews have been at work for nearly a week cleaning up Lake Michigan after a landslide at a We Energies energy plant dumped soil and coal ash.
Collapse dumps coal ash and soil into Lake Michigan By Olivia Morrissey olivia.morrissey@marquette.edu
One week after a large section of a bluff collapsed at a We Energies power plant in Oak Creek, Wis., crews are still working to clean up the debris in Lake Michigan and determine what exactly caused the collapse. The landslide occurred just after 11 a.m. on Oct. 31, sending a pickup truck, dredging equipment, dirt and coal ash into the lake. No one was injured and power output from the plant was not affected, said Brian Manthey, a media relations professional at the company. The area of the bluff collapse is mainly a construction prep area where construction tools and machinery are stored, Manthey said. The landslide carried about 2,500 cubic yards of coal ash and soil into Lake Michigan. The coal ash had been buried in the soil of a ravine since the 1950s, before management, reuse and disposal regulations existed, said Ann Coakley, director of waste and materials management at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. We Energies is concentrating
its efforts on the cleanup, Manthey said. “Our focus has been on establishing a safe area for crews to work, containment of the debris both on land and in the water, and clean-up,” Manthey said. The mucky mixture is being disposed of at a landfill on the power plant property. Large debris, including sections of a storage building, was pulled out of the mud and dropped in garbage containers, Manthey said. Manthey said the damage has been contained. Neither the Coast Guard nor a hired contractor detected any noticeable fuel sheen near the site or other debris beyond the impact area. The shoreline five miles north and south of the plant continues to be monitored, and containment booms have been installed along the shore to absorb any fuel that may be on the water’s surface. A barrier has also been constructed to prevent additional ash and other debris from entering the lake. The significant volume of coal ash and other debris washed into Lake Michigan, which is a source of water for many Wisconsin residents, is a concern both We Energies and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said they are addressing. Manthey said the plant has looked to additional agencies,
Federal student aid programs could be cut or altered, potentially affecting more than half of Marquette’s students, if Congress does not reduce the federal deficit before Thanksgiving. If they do not make that deadline, Congress will be forced to cut a $600 billion block of funding from discretionary spending, which includes funding for education. According to Marquette’s Office of Student Financial Aid, 4,834 students received some form of federal financial assistance for the 2010-2011 school year. The potential cuts would affect all federal student aid programs, including Pell Grants and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, which provide funding to students in individually tailored packages. The federal work study program, which provides aid that students can earn through parttime employment, would also be affected. The threat of a decrease in federal aid is a national problem that would affect 14 million families who receive the assistance. Students received an email from the Office of Student Financial Aid last week asking them to sign
a petition written by the Student Aid Alliance, who are imploring Congress to spare federal financial aid programs from congressional budget cuts. The Alliance, a group representing 62 higher education associations, started the petition two weeks ago as part of a campaign to lobby against the possibility that financial aid would be reduced. More than 51,000 people have signed the petition, including Marquette students. Philip Pfeilsticker, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said he signed the petition because without financial aid, he and many students like him would not be able to pursue higher education.
“If financial aid were cut, I personally couldn’t afford to continue my education at Marquette,” he said. “I would need to transfer to a university that is cheaper and depending on how my credits were to transfer, it could take more than a year to finish my degree.” Jessica Koziel, a junior in the College of Business Administration, signed the petition from Santiago, Chile, where she is studying abroad this semester. “Since I am studying abroad, I probably would not have even known that they are considering cutting federal student aid,” she said in an email. See FInancial Aid, page 5
$
For the 2010-2011 school year: 4,834 undergraduates received federal financial aid 1,567 students received Pell Grants 1,200 students were involved in the federal work study program 545 students received Supplemental Educationl Opportunity Grant (SEOG) funding
Source: Marquette Office of Student Financial Aid Graphic by Haley Fry/haley.fry@marquette.edu
Marquette women’s soccer to face Toledo
Photo by Elise Krivit/elise.krivit@marquette.edu
The Marquette women’s soccer team watches in anticipation at the University Sports Annex as the squad waits to be selected for the NCAA tournament. See Women’s Soccer page 12.
See Lake, page 5
INDEX
DPS REPORTS.....................2 CALENDAR.......................2 VIEWPOINTS........................6 CLOSER LOOK....................8
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
STUDY BREAK....................10 SPORTS..........................12 CLASSIFIEDS..................14
News
News
Sports
Marijuana
Minority
Greska
Chicago alderman proposes eased possession laws. See PAGE 3
Race no longer a factor in grant applications. See PAGE 4
It’s only a matter of time before college athletes are paid. See PAGE 12