THE INdependent student newspaper at the university of cincinnati
Vol. CXXVV Issue 52
thursday , feb . 25, 2010 the sports dungjen
ace attorney The new DS game puts gamers’ sleuth skills to the test. page 4
Columnist Taylor Dungjen makes an appearance on the sports page and has fresh idea for UC basketball. page 6
SG looks to expand recycling
vanity un-fair The city of Cincinnati does have some things to brag about, actually. page 3
Taylor dungjen the news record
University of Cincinnati Student Government unanimously approved the endorsement of a universitywide, comprehensive recycling program to further initiatives to establish a more sustainable campus. The resolution bill, presented by Sen. Alyssa Penick, endorses a proposal from Rick Wiggins, the director of Facilities Management. “The bill reflects the students’ interests and passion,” Penick said. “It’s what they’ve wanted for a long time — I hope it will become a reality with the passage of this bill. It’s really reinforcing that university-wide recycling is something studenst really care about.” The $150,000 Facilities Management proposal, if approved by the Board of Trustees, would establish recycling on all of the university’s campuses, in all buildings — academic, residential, athletics, student life facilities and at special events. The proposal request is being made for the 2011 fiscal year. Currently, recycling receptacles purchased by Hamilton County are in storage due to a lack of funding, according to the appropriations bill, presented at the Wednesday, Feb. 24, SG meeting. The university is in the midst of Recyclemania, a multi-university, 10week competition.
Student Government applications The University of Cincinnati undergraduate Student Government is currently accepting at-large senator and slate applications for the 201011 academic year. Applications were made available Tuesday, Feb. 23. Students interested in running for Student Government can pick up applications in the SG office in Steger Student Life Center, Room 655, or download an application from the SG Web site, www.uc.edu/sga. Approximately 40 applications had been picked up from the SG office as of Wednesday, Feb. 24, according to figures presented at the SG meeting. Applications are due 4 p.m., Monday, March 29.
graphic by zach mueller | the news record
gin a. ando the news record
Despite a surge in returning students, more than two-thirds of Americans say access to a college education are slipping away, according to joint survey by Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Taking the economy and ballooning tuition rates into consideration, approximately 70 percent of responses in the “Squeeze Play 2010” survey suggest the “vast majority” of qualified people do not have the opportunity to earn a degree.
“Generally, this is not new,” said Amber Ott, a research manager with Public Agenda and co-author of the report. “People were concerned with rising tuition costs and students borrowing too much money.” As of Fall 2009, the University of Cincinnati’s Main Campus had the third-most expensive “instructional cost” fees for Ohio institutions on the quarter system. Its out-ofstate charge for students, however, ranked as most expensive of quarter-based institutions at $4,841, according to statistics from the Ohio Board of Regents. Gov. Ted Strickland’s tuition freeze for public Ohio universities
and colleges, which was instated in 2007, came to an end with the recommendation that universities keep any further tuition increases below 3.5 percent. The UC Board of Trustees will vote on a 7 percent tuition increase in March. “What our impression is, is tuition increases are keeping people out [of school],” said Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. “There’s a lot of money going into financial aid, but tuition is going up faster. Most of that money is being eaten by tuition increases.”
Climate change under fire
1 News 3 Opinion 4 Entertainment 5 Classifieds 6 Sports photos by eamon queeney | the news record
a winter wonderland Students cross a snowy campus Wednesday, Feb. 24. Some climate change critics cite the multiple storms as proof global warming isn’t as bad as reported.
THURSDAY
Report claims humans aren’t mostly responsible
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amanda woodruff the news record
Recent evidence suggests the global warming debate continues to play out with equal weight on both sides. The Fourth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) and the researchers who worked on the project suggest that climate and environmental changes point to global non-warming. The IPCC observes climate change as the effect of both natural and human activity in equal parts. With arguments such as 49 of the 50 states in the United States being under snow early this year, reduced melting in Antarctica and minimal decimal differences in statistics, the world lacks evidence for warming, according to the report. Although the report does blame human action as the underlying reason for climate change, it mentions that “[m]ost of the global average warming over the past 50 years; is very likely due to anthropogenic [greenhouse gases] increases and it is likely that there is a discernible human-induced warming average over each continent (except Antarctica).” Increases in sea level remain consistent with the warming perspective, and during the last 50 years, overall temperature changes also support global warming. A third face to the argument exists. It’s not human activity, but greenhouse gases.
“I’m sure the majority of my IPCC colleagues cringe when I say this,” said John Christy, IPCC contributor. “But I see neither the developing catastrophe nor the smoking gun proving that human activity is to blame for most of the warming we see.” Even if global warning isn’t taking place at the rate reported, it can still affects many things. “Climate change will interact at all scales with other trends in global environmental and natural resource concerns, including water, soil and air pollution, health hazards, disaster risk and deforestation,” the report said. To combat effects of climate change, the assessment offers advice on how to tweak sectors of an area. Although citizens might have to foot the bill, the report claims, it would be cheaper than implementing such measures later.
measuring the effects The 5-foot weather tower atop Braustein Hall in 2002 feeds data to meterology students.
see slipping | page 2
DID YOU KNOW?
index
weather forecast
Callan’s organization gave Ohio’s higher education’s affordability an F. Since 1982, though, college tuition and fees around the country have risen more than 400 percent — making it one of the highest rising costs of anything in the country. Comparably, medical care has risen 251 percent and the median family income 147 percent. “It’s a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the administration of higher education,” Callan said. “You don’t see stores raising prices in the middle of an economic downturn.” Although budget cuts are becoming more common for
Due to the recession and financial struggles American families have experienced during the last three years, the family pet might have been knocked off the priority list. The expenses attached to a cat or dog include food, proper veterinary care and pet supplies. When wallets began to tighten, families might have cut out the costs of keeping a pet. There are two ways the cut could occur: finding a new home for the pet or abandoning the pet. The Cincinnati Pet Food Pantry and Pet Alliance combined efforts to open a pet food pantry, March 6, to prevent families from making the choice to cut their pets out of the picture. Recycled Doggies, an adoption agency for canines formed by former volunteers in Kentucky, is partner in the pet food pantry idea. The organization holds regular adoption events for prospective dog owners. Three generations of the Yarmark family in Cincinnati top the list with the highest donation amount totaling 963 pounds of food. A total of 3,800 pounds will be presented at the grand opening ceremony from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Although food is accepted at the shelter, the pantry also accepts monetary donations. Financial donations may be sent to 2319 Madison Ave, 45212. The next food donation date is Saturday, Feb. 27, at 4775 Red Bank Expressway. Although Recycled Doggies does not currently have an in-house kennel or housing facility, all their dogs are with foster families and can be seen and adopted at their Web site, petfinder.com/ shelters/recycleddoggies.html. Microchip and spay or neuter services are also available through the Pet Alliance.
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