THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
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REFLECTOR.UINDY.EDU
VOLUME 88 • ISSUE 1
• AUGUST 19, 2009 •
EAST HALL
State budget cuts diminish student aid By Sarah Haefner FEATURE EDITOR
Photo by Anne Toliver • The Reflector
Newly-built East Hall houses152 upperclass students in single rooms. Residents share a bathroom with one other student and have their own sinks, as well as moveable furniture.
Residents pack on-campus housing By Kim Puckett NEWS EDITOR
East Hall’s construction has not only given upperclass students a single-room living option, but has caused an influx of students to choose on-campus housing. This year, about 200 more students signed up to live on campus than in 2008-09, when every residence hall on campus extended capacity with students living in basements and lounges. East Hall will house 152 students, but Residence Life still has to place the remaining residents. “My thoughts are students see activity on campus, like construction and renovation, and want to be part of the action,” said Greg Smith, senior student affairs associate for information. “This tends to have an effect on housing. When Schwitzer and Central were built, we also saw
a large jump and went over capacity.” To compensate for the additional on-campus students, the floor lounges in Cory Bretz will be used as rooms, and 30 students will be living in the basement of Warren Hall. Resident Assistants will take on roommates and be compensated about $800 a semester. “You’d think building a new residence hall, we would be under capacity,” said Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli. “What we thought was going to be our extra capacity ended up housing our students that wanted to return to campus. And so we were left once again with an overflow situation.” The new dorm was popular during residence sign-ups last spring, filling up in just three hours. But a discrepancy in reported costs, including one from a May Reflector article, caused an outcry from students via Facebook. The Reflector reported the extra cost as $400, but Vitangeli said the actual cost of $743 per
semester had been posted since February. “We never stated ever that it was only $400 a semester,” she said. “The intention has always been that the adjustment to East Hall would be the cost of a single room, which is $800.” Sophomore Lauren Bauer said the extra cost was a sacrifice, but said it is worth the price to have her own room. “I thought it was going to be a couple hundred extra, but we lessened my meal plan, so that money went toward the dorm,” she said. Residence Director Anna Glowinski said East Hall not only provides privacy, but a sense of community with only upperclass students living in the new dorm. “Some of the advantages are [that] you are with people your own age, so you are going through similar experiences,” she said. “Upperclassmen may be looking for jobs or looking for internships, and they are in a different place in their life.”
Welcome Week 2009 Event Schedule August 19
11 a.m. Greyhound Picnic 2:30 p.m. Opening Session 3:30 p.m. Orientation Group Meetings 6:30 p.m. Residence Hall Meetings 7:30 p.m. Playfair on Smith Mall 9 p.m. Welcome Back Bash
August 20
9:15 a.m. In the Know Session 1 10:15 a.m. In the Know Session 2 1 p.m. Social Responsibility Presentation 3 p.m. In The Know Session 3 8 p.m. Mini-Circus with CPB
August 21
8:30 a.m. Math Placement Exam 10:30 a.m. Academic Department Meetings by Major 12 p.m. UIndy Life Expo 12:45 p.m. Modern Languages Placement Exams 1:30 p.m. Discover UIndy Session 1 2:30 p.m. Discover UIndy Session 2 2:30 p.m. Pre-OT Info Session 3:30 p.m. Pre-PT Info Session 3:30 p.m. Pre-PTA Info Session 7 p.m. Campus Carnival with CPB
August 22
9 a.m. Service Project with Circle K 12 p.m. Wet ‘n Wild with ISG 1 p.m. Dance Team Tryouts 3 p.m. Pool Party with BSA 7:30 p.m. 33 Miles Concert with The Deliverance Project 9 p.m. Bowling with Student Alumni Association
August 23
11 a.m. Worship Service on Smith Mall 1 p.m. Dance Team Tryouts 4 p.m. Catholic Mass 9 p.m. Outdoor Movie: “Star Trek”
CAMPUS COLORS
Students at the University of Indianapolis had short notice of a statewide loss in financial aid this year, and university officials are attempting to compensate with a temporary assistance fund. The State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana (SSACI) provides the Higher Education Award and Frank O’Bannon Freedom of Choice Award, grants that benefit numerous UIndy students. An insufficient budget increase forced SSACI to lower the maximum need-based grants that an individual student could receive from last year’s $10,992, to $7,584. School officials anticipated a change in state financial aid but had no way of predicting the final state budget. Once the actual numbers were released on July 17,the university realized it would need to soften the blow to students’ wallets. A temporary assistance fund will help compensate up to $3 million of the $3.7 million lost due to the new caps. “This is my 30th year working at the university as vice president for student WEIGAND affairs,and I can never think of a year when the cap had been adjusted this drastically and been lowered,” said Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management Mark Weigand. The financial aid department worked to revise award letters, including a re-evaluation of the 1,150 students affected. If possible, they increased Stafford loan amounts, said Financial Aid Director Linda Handy. “We tried to make the difference modest and in an amount that we thought students could absorb, especially given the late decision-making that we were all faced with,” she said. Prior to the temporary fund, the average UIndy student would have lost about $3,100. With the temporary fund, the average student lost somewhere between $300 and $1,000. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education recommended an 18 percent funding increase for student assistance this year in order to keep caps on SSACI grants relatively similar to the previous year, allowing students to obtain a comparable amount of state aid. This increase was needed because the number of FAFSA filers increased this year by more than 20 percent. “More students were eligible because more parents are out of jobs and more students are going back to school,” President Beverley Pitts said. However, the state budget, which was not passed until June 30 in a special summer session, called for a 6.5 percent increase in funding, a compromise from the 18 percent proposed by the Indiana House of Representatives and the three percent proposed by the Indiana Senate. This modest increase led to a 31 percent reduction in student state aid. Replacement funds for state aid are being obtained through several university facets. No faculty and staff will receive salary increases this year, a decision President Pitts recognizes as a huge sacrifice. “These are people that have families. They don’t make huge salaries. They, too, are happy they have jobs. They love UIndy,” she said. “They want our students to be here.” Every budget in the university will be tightened with fewer conference trips, less entertaining and lowered equipment spending, but she said no educational aspects are in jeopardy. “We are not shutting down any academic programs, classes are not going to get bigger,” she said. “We’re not sacrificing anything that affects the academic quality of the university.” University officials hope the temporary assistance fund will prevent students from having to take a semester or year off due to inadequate financial aid. “The majority of the loss the university picked up, and our hope is that students will still enroll,” Weigand said. “Right now our enrollment registrations for fall are up around 200 students over this time last year.” The two-year budget passed at the end of June includes a three percent increase for state aid next year, so unlike this year, the amounts will not be a surprise. Hopefully, this forewarning will allow the university to provide students and families with a more accurate aid assessment.
university spotlight
< MURAL TO MERGE As part of her honors project, Senior Ashley Seaton used student input to create a mural design for campus. On August 21, all students are invited to help paint the mural in a by-the-numbers fashion. > See the Mural to Merge Facebook page
online exclusive
MOVE-IN MULTIMEDIA Check The Reflector Web site after Welcome Week for a slide show of students arriving on campus. Look for yourself and your friends in our multimedia presentation. > See The Reflector Online (www.reflector.uindy.edu)
scholarship fund
STUDENT’S FAMILY GIVES BACK > Caitlin Walter, a UIndy student who suffered an untimely death this summer (see the University Spotlight), has a scholarship fund in her name. The family is asking for $25 donations to the fund. Photo by Carolyn Harless • The Reflector
Taken too soon: Student dies unexpectedly By Adrian Kendrick EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Caitlin Walter, 21, became the victim of an apparent murder-suicide committed by her ex-boyfriend Matthew Ford on May 13, according to Indianapolis Metropolitan Police. Her mother Colleen Walter said she was initially shocked and saddened by the incident, which could have been prevented. “A week before [her death], Caitlin told me she was the happiest she has ever been in her life,” she said. “It’s sad that someone with so much potential is no longer around.” Walter was a first-year physical therapy assistant student who began her classes at the University of Indianapolis in the fall of 2008. She also studied at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
> See TAKEN on page 3
> See Caitlin’s Web site (www.caitlinwalter.com)
WELCOME WEEK SPECIAL!
Reflector Reviews
> See Page 2
Photo contributed by the Walter family
First-year UIndy physical therapy assistant student Caitlin Walter was killed this summer.
Freshman Advice
> See Page 2