CMYK
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
TATTED UP > See Page 11
VOL.
88
I S S UE 8
reflector.uindy.edu
FEBRUARY 17, 2010
WEEKEND LIFE Campus Program Board hosts events for students to enjoy
Tuition rises, affects students’ pocketbooks By Sarah Haefner NEWS EDITOR
By Staci Reafsnyder FEATURE EDITOR The Campus Program Board (CPB) is bringing more of a weekend life to the University of Indianapolis with its “UIndy Nites!” committee scheduling events for students on Friday and Saturday nights. According to CPB President Joanna Huff, “UIndy Nites!” is a fairly new chair which is responsible for all of the weekend programs that have been scheduled recently this semester, such as the Dave and Busters Night and the Snowcoming Talent Show, where Breaksk8 from America’s Best Dance Crew performed afterwards. “It was just created at the beginning of last year,” Huff said. “Before then it was called ‘Late Night.’ It was responsible for putting on a once-a-month program. Having a kind of program like that, once a month, wasn’t really suiting what our mission is.” The “UIndy Nites!” committee is responsible for a lot of weekend programming. CPB found that many students were going home on the weekends due to the lack of campus entertainment. “We wanted to create something that focused more on keeping students on campus, giving them other alternatives as opposed to going out and, in some instances, making bad decisions,” Huff said. “We’ve always heard ‘there’s nothing to do on the weekends.’” New faces on the executive board are bringing many new ideas for events to plan, Huff said.
> See WEEKEND on Page 8
TOP PHOTO: Breaksk8 from America’s Best Dance Crew performed at the CPB Snowcoming Talent Show on Feb. 2 for a large crowd of UIndy students. BOTTOM PHOTO: CPB “UIndy Nites!” chair sophomore Alicia Dalrymple takes attendance at the ice skating event that was held Feb. 5.
is an economic downturn, the cost of the university didn’t decrease.” Many items in the budget had to be cut to implement the UIndy Tuition at the Universit y of replacement fund last year, including Indianapolis will increase by five salary increases for faculty and staff. percent next fall due to a state Vice President for Student Affairs legislature decision last summer. Last and Enrollment Management Mark years tuition increased by 3.2 percent Weigand is hopeful that salaries next year will include an annual increase, from the preceding year. Tuition for the 2009-2010 school although that is not certain. “The five percent increase in tuition year stood at $20,970, with room and board (including the 14-meal plan) allows us to budget the nearly $3 at $7,610. Next year tuition will be million SSACI replacement fund in $22,020 and the same room and board next year’s budget and still maintain operating budgets at levels that ensure plan will be $7,990. The Executive Committee of the quality programs and infrastructure,” Weigand said. “We’re hopeful that if Board of Trustees decided enrollment holds, there to increase tuition rates will be a salary increase for the 2010-2011 school for faculty and staff.” year to build a budget According to Weigand, with more money in the SSACI award amount, financial aid for grants however, may change and scholarships that slightly, depending on the can be redistributed to number of students who students to help make use the Higher Education up for the loss in state and Frank O’Bannon assistance funding. The Fr e e d o m o f C h o i c e extra tuition dollars will awards. If the number of also be used for the dayWEIGAND students does not change to-day maintenance of from last year to this year, the university. This reduction in state assistance however, the award amounts will stay funding occurred after the state about the same. As the university continues its fivelegislature passed a 6.5 percent increase in student assistance funding year-strategic plan to renovate and last summer, when the Indiana expand different aspects of campus, Commission for Higher Education many students may wonder why recommended an 18 percent increase tuition is going up when the university to maintain the caps on the Higher has money for projects such as the Education Award and Frank O’Bannon student athletic recreation center. “The money for the Fr e e d o m o f C h o i c e student athletic recreation Award at levels similar to center was par t of a the preceding year. These bond issue that we took grants are provided by the o u t a b o u t t wo ye a r s State Student Assistance ago,” Weigand said. “A Commission of Indiana tax exempt bond issue (SSACI). Because of the covered the addition to lowered caps, the amount Schwitzer, the remodeling an individual could of the dining facilities and receive from SSACI the new residence hall. grants was reduced from East Hall is paying for $10,992 to $7,584. itself with the students “SSACI money, which PITTS who live there. We also is financial aid money included in that bond from the state, was reduced by $3,000 per student last issue the student athletic recreation year, and we have 1100 students who center. Once you earmark money for are SSACI recipients,” said President a bond issue it has to be [used] for Beverley Pitts. “The university moved certain things. We are restricted to its own budget money into a fund to use that money for the student athletic be able to make up that difference. recreation center. No tuition money is We can’t continue to do that because going toward that building.” According to Pitts, the tuition we didn’t give faculty salary increases. We also need the resources to run the increase will add between $2.5 million university—chemicals for science labs, to $3 million dollars to financial aid, equipment that needs to be replaced assuming that this years enrollment and so on. In spite of the fact that there will be similar to last years.
Hanna Avenue construction ‘ahead of schedule’ By Sarah Haefner NEWS EDITOR
Potholes aren’t the only thing to avoid on Hanna Avenue anymore. With a massive construction project now well underway, students and faculty at the University of Indianapolis have a bit more to look out for on their daily commute to campus. Current construction on Hanna Avenue includes installation of structures for the sewers at intersections. Construction began on the north side and once that is complete, will switch over to the south side. “This project started back in 1998 as a renovation project reconstructing Hanna Avenue—all the utilities, the concrete sidewalks, and everything else,” Ken Piepenbrink, physical plant
OPINION 2
director, said. “Through the years, we’ve been working on partnering with the city and the state to enhance our section of that road so that it better suits our needs as far as safety and beautification.” Student and faculty cooperation and patience, however, are needed for swift progress to occur. “We’ve had a lot of construction projects going on on c ampus,” Piepenbrink said. “Most of the time the students are pretty respectful on following directions, as long as we give them options. In general students take for granted that they can just cross Hanna Avenue any time and anywhere they want, and it’s kind of a bad habit.” The project is expected to be done in June or July of 2011. “They got started earlier than what they expected,” Piepenbrink said. “They
FEATURE 6
ENTERTAINMENT 4
were going to wait until school was out in the summer, but it’s close to a two-year project. It was going to really interfere with us more if they waited so they got started earlier on the first of the year.” Having been in the works since the late 1990s, the renovation and reconstruction of Hanna Avenue was welcomed by many, while others were more hesitant for construction to begin. “The city finally got its act together,” Mike Braughton, Vice President of Business and Finance and Treasurer, said. “In order to widen the street the city had to get easements from property owners, or permission to permanently trespass on private party. Some of the landowners weren’t cooperative. And the city had to pay for a lot of this land, and these things
> See HANNA on Page 8
SPORTS 9
Part of UIndy’s five-year strategic plan, construction on Hanna Avenue is well underway, as workers prepare to install structures for sewers at intersections.
Reflector Reviews
> See Page 5
Love Around the Globe
> See Page 6