IN THIS ISSUE:
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CAB hosting events throughout the month of January
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6
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Jane McAnallen explores the protest in Oregon
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Women’s basketball wins defensive battle
Wednesday, Januar y 20, 2016
Issue 2
University opens food service contract USG starts Wednesday’s forum phase in selection process semester allocating club funds By: Josh Croup Editor-in-Chief
photo by Chloe Jakiela
RaeShawn Richardson, five-year food service member at Point Park, prepares ready-to-eat food for students in the Café on Monday. Point Park is in the process of reviewing bids for food service providers for a contract to take effect next fall.
Provost candidates meet with students By: Iain Oldman Staff Writer
Point Park students and faculty engaged with potential provost candidates this week in a round of interviews as part of the process to determine the school’s next provost. The candidates interviewed for the provost position were Lorin Arnold, Elizabeth Throop, John Pearson and Balaji Rajogopalan. Arnold currently serves as dean of the College of Communication and Creative Arts at Rowan University (N.J.), where she has been working as a dean or professor for close to 17 years, according to her personal website. She received her doctorate in interpersonal communication from Purdue University in 1996. Throop is an associate professor in graphic design at Georgia State University and received her master’s degree in graphic design from North Carolina State University in 1996. Pearson is a professor of English and Associate Vice President of academic affairs at Stetson University (Fla.), where he has worked for the past 26 years. Pearson received his doctorate from Boston University. Rajogopalan serves as Chief Academic and Administrative Officer of the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College. He received his doctorate from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. “The Provost is the Chief Academic Officer and leader of the University’s Office of Student and Academic Affairs,” Lou Corsaro, managing director of Point Park University marketing and public relations, said. “The University is seeking a successful teacher and established scholar committed to academic excellence,” Corsaro said via email. “Their life and work should demonstrate an intellectual curiosity with a commitment to the best in interdisciplinary liberal arts education at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels.” An initial round of interviews
with multiple candidates began a month ago, Pearson said, and the field was cut down to four candidates. Pearson had his round of interviews conducted at the university on Friday, Jan. 15. “It is a very important role at any institution, but especially at an institution like Point Park that has gone through significant change. Anyone coming into a leadership position is going to be a really important hire,” Pearson said. “They are taking very, very good care to make sure they get the person that they want.” Students were invited to meet with the candidates and take part in the interviews. “The University believes it’s important to give students an opportunity to play a role in the process, and we have made every effort to inform them of these opportunities,” said Corsaro. “We appreciate those students who have
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A new food service provider could come to Point Park next fall. Aramark is in its last semester under contract as Point Park’s food service provider. The University is currently in the process of accepting bids from Aramark and other companies for next school year. Last year, the United Student Government (USG) received more complaints about food service than any other issue, which led the group to submit a vote of no confidence in March. “I’ve spoken publicly about this. I want to move on,” USG President Blaine King said in a phone interview last week. “I’m willing to work with Aramark, but they have to reach out to USG. We already signed a vote of no confidence last year. With that said, I’m not going to run to Aramark and try to work with them. It’s going to have to be them running to us.” A vote of no confidence is both a rare and serious action. With the document, USG is stating that the student body is looking to eliminate Aramark and not just implement small changes. Dean of Student Life Michael Gieseke said last year’s vote of no confidence played a major role in starting the search for a new food vendor. “The president of the university and the vice president for finance and operations oversee this contract,” Gieseke said after Monday’s USG meeting. “They both saw and heard that. From that, they made the decision. It was huge.” USG Vice President Gabe Dubin said in a phone interview last week that USG is in the process of putting together a request for proposal (RFP) to send to other food service providers in order to possibly replace Aramark. Dubin said he appreciates the novelty items that Aramark has put in the café such as sushi, but believes the same issues still exist. “Part of that is an inconsistency within the management,” Dubin said. “We have had different food service directors in the past four or five years. It’s difficult to maintain a high level of food service with the overlap. We really just
Coming back from a seven-week hiatus between semesters, Point Park’s student government went right to work, allocating $21,350 to 31 clubs and organizations for the first budget period of the spring semester. The United Student Government (USG) allocated the largest budget of $4,335 to the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) for a broadcast networking conference in Las Vegas this spring for six students. The BEA’s budget was followed by Outdoor Adventure Club with $2,421, the SAEM Club with $1,365 and Forensic Science Club with $1,250. This time around, clubs requested a grand total of $35,254. The Finance Committee recommended $20,348. However, the legislative body allocated $21,350 to clubs and organizations for on and off campus events. This currently leaves $1,002 for budget rollover into the second budget period. Throughout the meeting, several questions popped up regarding allocations to several clubs. “We went through all of the clubs individually based off of first come, first serve and then we went through again and took a second look at their events,” said sophomore Senator Bobby Bertha. “If we felt it appropriate to fund more than half of the admission for an off campus event, we did so,” Bobby Bertha said during the meeting when asked about inconsistencies regarding funding for off campus events. A topic of raised discussion during the meeting focused on the funding to a Super Bowl Party to be held by the SAEM Club, with $75 al-
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USG By: Sabrina Bodon USG Beat Writer
City to celebrate its bicentennial with events throughout year By: Alexander Popichak Co-News Editor
This year marks a major milestone for the city of Pittsburgh: the bicentennial its incorporation as a city. To celebrate, the city has announced plans to mark the occasion in grand fashion, with Point Park serving as a partner in the festivities. “In 2008, Pittsburgh celebrated the founding of Fort Pitt and the beginnings of a community at the ‘Forks of the Ohio,’ as they called it in 1758,” Andy Masich, chairman of the city’s Bicentennial Commission, said in a phone interview Thursday. “But now, we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the founding of the city of Pittsburgh.” What had begun as a fur trading outpost and pre-Revolutionary War
fort had grown into a hub for trade and industry. “In those days, the [state] legislature had to determine if a township or a borough was of significant enough stature to become a municipality, a city,” Masich said. “On Mar. 18, they took a vote in Harrisburg and determined that it was time for Pittsburgh to become a city.” Gloria Forouzan, office manager for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, said in a phone interview Saturday that in anticipation of the bicentennial, last year the city “assembled a commission consisting of the leaders of over 30 nonprofits.” In turn, these nonprofits have recruited partner organizations – including Point Park University and the Pittsburgh Playhouse – to create a network to plan a year-long cele-
bration. Forouzan said that in total there are over 200 smaller community-oriented organizations taking part in hosting or sponsoring events. The celebration kicks off Mar. 16 with a celebration at the City-County Building on Grant Street. Masich said that city officials will open a time capsule placed in the cornerstone of the City-County Building 100 years ago at its dedication. “We will have the original charter here on exhibit,” Masich said. “It’s been in Harrisburg for the last 200 years, and we’re working now to conserve it and then have it brought from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh for the first time in 200 years, and that will be on exhibit at the City-County Building on March 18.” After its unveiling, the charter
Weather Forecast Today: PM Snow Showers H 28, L 15
Thursday: Mostly Sunny, H 34, L 21 Friday: PM Snow, H 33, L 23 Saturday: Snow, H 32, L 15
Sunday: Mostly Sunny, H 38, L 24 Monday: PM Showers, H 44, L 31 Tuesday: Cloudy, H 38, L 27
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