The News Record 08.28.2013

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VOL. CXXXIII ISSUE I • FREE-ADDITIONAL COPIES $1

THE NEWS RECORD THE UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI’S INDEPENDENT, STUDENT-RUN NEWS ORGANIZATION / WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28, 2013

BEARCATS AT THE ZOO

OBAMA ANNOUNCES PLAN TO MAKE TUITION AFFORDABLE

COST OF COLLEGE

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ELYSIUM

TOP TEN TEAMS

MOVIE DEPICTS DYSTOPIAN FUTURE

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Arts and Sciences dean clarifies bonus to staff In an email to A&S faculty members, Ron Jackson explains $25,000 bonus was one-time deal, declines to accept annual bonus due to A&S deficit. RYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

FILE ART

Dean of McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, Ron Jackson, set the record straight on his one-time $25,000 bonus. President of the AAUP UC chapter, Gregory Loving, said he was satisfied with Jackson’s response.

PUBLIC SAFETY ALEXIS O’BRIEN CHIEF REPORTER

McMicken College of Arts and Sciences Dean Ronald Jackson is setting the record straight on his reported bonus. In an email sent to A&S faculty and others at the University of Cincinnati, Jackson said the $25,000 bonus he received was actually a one-time start-up bonus to help him move from his previous job at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I am only writing this email as a way of clarifying things so you have the facts,” Jackson wrote. “Many of us know that sometimes the media get it wrong or jettison context for expediency, therefore throwing things into a tailspin. In this case, temporal context would have helped.” The Cincinnati Enquirer initially reported the $25,000 bonus in a story on bonuses for high-level administrators and coaches at UC.

The story sparked criticism from the UC Chapter of American Association of University Professors, who argue other lower-level professors and administrators are not receiving large bonuses at a time when universities are cutting costs. “It just seems the people closest to the students aren’t getting anything like this,” said Gregory Loving, associate professor of philosophy at UC Clermont and president of the AAUP UC chapter. “It’s just sad when the people involved in the nuts and bolts can barely keep up with the cost of living.” Jackson said he understands the concerns about the bonuses and that his one time bonus was only categorized as a bonus because that was the label that made the most sense to the Office of the Provost. “People are generally curious about why university is awarding bonuses to administrators when there’s concern throughout the university about the budget,” Jackson said. He added that he turned down an additional bonus earlier in the summer because he did not feel it was right to accept a bonus when A&S is operating with a deficit. Loving said he was happy with Jackson’s response. SEE DEAN PG 2

Final phase of facelift approved

The search for a new police chief and director of public safety at the University of Cincinnati is underway, after former police chief Michael Cureton resigned in July. Whit Babcock, the university athletics director, heads a search committee that hopes to find a permanent chief who will also serve as public safety director by the end of the calendar year, said Bob Ambach, senior vice president of administration and finance at UC. Assistant Police Chief and interim police chief Jeff Corcoran plans to apply for the permanent position, and Ambach will make the final hire decision. Corcoran applied for the job in 2011, but the search committee chose Cureton for the position. In the meantime, Corcoran will work to implement the new public safety strategic plan — a recently completed collaborative agenda that was created under the direction of President Santa Ono. The plan will be presented in its entirety during an open meeting at University Pavilion 3 p.m. Wednesday.

TICKETS SELL OUT JOSH MILLER SPORTS EDITOR

The University of Cincinnati football team’s season opener against Purdue at Nippert Stadium is officially sold out, announced UC Director of Athletics Whit Babcock. A limited number of student overflow tickets are available online as of Tuesday at 8 a.m. UC’s last sellout occurred on Oct. 6, 2012 when a homecoming crowd of 35,097 filled the stands to watch the Bearcats defeat rival Miami (Ohio) for the Victory Bell. The all-time attendance record of 35,106 was set against Illinois on Nov. 27, 2009, a 49-36 UC win. Any remaining student tickets must be purchased online, as no more tickets will be distributed via the ticket office. Additionally, the game will be broadcast on ESPNU and ESPN3. Saturday marks the first game for new head coach Tommy Tuberville, who took over for Butch Jones after his departure for Tennessee. “I am so excited by the enthusiasm shown by the city of Cincinnati, our alumni and fans. Our students have also really stepped up and their attendance should help push Saturday’s crowd to a record level,” Tuberville said. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in the stands well before kickoff for what is going to be one heck of an environment.”

PHIL DIDION PHOTO EDITOR

Two students take a break from classes outside Dyer Hall, which will receive a complete renovation after the Board of Trustees approved Phase Three of the Teachers College renovations Tuesday. Dyer Hall and the Teachers College annex will be altered to reflect the original Teachers College building and a new two story entrance will be built.

The Board of Trustees approves $45 million to renovate Dyer Hall and Teachers College. Construction set to start in summer 2014, expected to take two years to complete. RYAN HOFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

The University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees approved Phase Three of the Dyer Hall Teachers College renovations Tuesday. “It really demonstrates our commitment to students,” said Larry Johnson, dean of the College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services. Currently, the compound that is home to CECH consists of three different buildings cobbled together; Dyer Hall, Teachers College and the annex connected to Teachers. The $45 million renovations will involve renovating Dyer Hall and the annex so the buildings are more uniform with the original Teachers College. “It will look very similar as far as the look, interior design and furnishings,” said Barrett Bamberger, project manager in the office of Planning, Design and Construction. While most of the renovations involve cosmetic changes, some of the changes will provide students with new resources, including a new

science lab that will have an outdoor green space for students, Johnson said. “The new building will create an exciting learning space for not just our students, but all students,” Johnson said. The trustees agreed to a plan capping total costs at $45 million. Of the total costs, $42 million will come from bonds that the university will issue sometime in December, $1 million will come from CECH and the remaining $2 million is money left over after Phase Two was completed in the summer of 2008, said Bob Ambach, vice president of administration and finance. The renovations will include 140,000 square feet of space, 130,000 of which is existing space, Bamberger said. The 10,000 additional square feet will include a new two-story entrance and a complete overhaul of the courtyard outside of Teachers College. The renovations will be the third and final phase of a process that started more than 13 years ago. Phase One, completed in 2000, focused on modernizing the fifth floor of Teachers. Phase Two renovated all 60,000 square feet of the original Teachers College Bamberger said he expects to receive final design plans from Champlin Architecture sometime this week. Once they are submitted, Bamberger’s office will review the plans and send their recommendations back to Champlin. Bamberger said he expects to start the bidding process with construction companies in the next two months, and construction will likely start in the summer of 2014.

Officials will have to find temporary space for students who study in the buildings. The amount of available space will determine whether both buildings are renovated at the same time or in phases. Bamberger expects construction to be completed by the start of the 2016 Fall semester.

MADISON SCHMIDT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Francis Barrett, joined fellow board members in approving Phase Three of renovations for Teachers College Tuesday morning.

Officers simulate active shooting scenarios, train at UC Clermont Officers from four agencies put tactics, communication to the test as first responders to a shooting. BEN GOLDSCHMIDT NEWS EDITOR

BEN GOLDSCHMIDT NEWS EDITOR

An officer clears a room in Snyder Hall at UC Clermont’s Campus Sunday during an active shooter simulation.

Students at the University of Cincinnati Clermont College can study a little easier knowing that the college’s first-responding officers are better trained to handle emergency situations. In particular, officers responsible for responding to UC Clermont trained for an active shooter situation on campus Sunday. “People have asked if this is in response to Sandy Hook — it’s not,” said Ed Bridgeman, program coordinator of Criminal Justice Technology

at UC Clermont. “We evaluate our protocols every year to find out what works and what doesn’t work, so we can make changes.” Bridgeman thought it would be prudent to focus on the active shooter scenario Sunday because this is the first year UC Clermont will be covered by four departments: campus police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Batavia Police Department and the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office. Squads of officers would ideally enter a building with an active shooter in groups of four, and getting officers used to working with other departments in a simulation reduces the chances of miscommunication in an actual emergency situation. Practice is especially important because officers are trained to quickly stop the shooter from doing any more damage, which means going into

the building as soon as possible, police said. “The philosophy [of stopping an active shooter] changed after Columbine,” Bridgeman said. “We used to secure a perimeter around the building until more officers arrived, but that means the bad guy is still inside killing people.” Officers from all departments worked together in a simulation in Snyder Hall where they had to locate and apprehend an active shooter. Officers used paint bullets to fire at the shooter, if they needed to. Volunteers lined hallways and stairwells to simulate confusion officers may experience while looking for a shooter. Depending on the building, dozens of people may be inside trying frantically to get out. Bridgeman did not want to disclose anything SEE SHOOTER PG 2

Future of Emery Theatre uncertain, judge to decide who has rights to historic venue UC-owned building needs $3 million to meet code regulations, $30 million for complete renovations. ALEXIS O’BRIEN CHIEF REPORTER

The fate of the historic Emery Theatre in Overthe-Rhine remains unknown as the University of Cincinnati — its owner — its sub leasers and its revival organization await a judge’s decision on which group can occupy the theater. “The university is being involved in this because we still own the building,” said Greg

Hand, UC spokesperson. “But our relationship is we’ve leased the entire building to this other group, [The Emery Center Apartment Limited Partnership].” ECALP developed the south side of the building into apartments and then subleased the north half, the theater portion, to the Emery Center Corporation. In 2010, the ECC entered into a binding management contract with The Requiem Project, the site-specific organization that has managed the theater’s revival and programming since. The agreement was not renewed and The Requiem Project was asked to vacate the building by Aug. 3. The organization then decided to sue UC and filed a temporary restraining order

against all three groups. “We asked for the restraining order to keep the creatures of UC from locking us out, because we have a lease,” said Mark Painter, lawyer for The Requiem Project. Though Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Carl Stich denied the restraining order Aug. 14, he said he didn’t have enough information to rule on The Requiem Project’s right to a long-term lease of the theater, which they claim to need in order to continue progress. The Emery Theatre needs an estimated $3 million to be brought up to code and as much as $30 million for a complete revival, money The Requiem Project said they can’t raise without a lease.

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The next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 25, when a trail date will probably be set. “In the mean time, we’re going to ask that UC be removed from the picture all together,” Painter said. The university offered to give the Emery Theatre to the city as long as the university’s interests are preserved, but the proposal hasn’t yet been accepted by the city. “Our goal, the university’s goal, is to see that the Emery Center is preserved,” Hand said. “This other stuff that’s going on is just getting in the way, but the university has no direct involvement in it.”


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