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Rocket Slippery Rock University Student Newspaper Est. 1934
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Heart of the Rock:
Exploring Slippery Rock Park
March 18, 2011
Volume 93, Number 20
President Smith ready to fight back against budget
By Courtney Nickle Rocket Assistant News Editor
Under Governor Tom Corbett’s proposed 2011-12 budget, which slashes state funding to public universities by 51.4 percent, Slippery Rock University would face a deficit of $22 million. “Sort of makes our $8.9 million issue of last year seem reasonable, almost desirable,” SRU President Robert Smith said at the budget information meetings held Tuesday and Thursday, which over 700 staff, faculty and students attended. In 2010-11, the state appropriation to all PASSHE (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) schools was $503.3 million. Under Corbett’s budget, $258.8 million would be taken away, leaving $244.5 million for the fourteen PASSHE schools. According to Smith, the budget cut reduces state funding to less than it was in 1983, the first year the state allocated money to PASSHE. “Back then, [PASSHE] enrollment was at 81,000,” Smith said. “Now it’s over 120,000.” Smith said he thinks Corbett’s proposed budget is sending a clear message about his stance on public education.
“When you make the choice that you’re going to balance the budget by cutting 50 percent of what is foundation for public education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you’re making a statement, you’re not balancing a budget,” he said. SRU should receive about $18.6 million, compared to the $35.9 million allocated to SRU for the 2010-11 fiscal year. With an estimated enrollment increase of about 2 percent and $106.5 million in estimated expenditures for 2011-2012, SRU is left about $22.1 million in the hole. Smith said it hasn’t been decided how SRU will make up for that deficit. “No decision has been finalized yet,” he said. “We have to be mindful that as draconian as the circumstances might be, we still don’t know exactly how this is going to play out.” According to Smith, no decisions will be made right away. “We’re just going to sit down for two or three weeks to see where this goes,” he said. “The risk in this is that when we do make decisions, we’re going to be very late in notifying people.” Right now, it’s estimated that the $22.1 million deficit equates
Wiz Khalifa performing at the ARC on April 25
JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET
Caitlin Niemic (left), Marcie Johnson (middle) and Corey Street (right) announce Wiz Khalifa as the performer for the spring concert Tuesday in the Union, which will be held in the ARC April 25.
By Eric Busch
Rocket Staff Reporter
Wiz Khalifa will be performing for SRU’s annual spring concert April 25 in the Abersold Recreation Center, the University Program Board announced Tuesday night. According to SGA President Jeremiah Rosser, the final cost of the contract with Khalifa is around $50,000. UPB Vice President of Concerts Audrey Foreback said the concert will consist of Khalifa and J Cole, who will be the opening act. The appeal of artists like Khalifa and J Cole is that they are up-and-comers whose popularity is on the rise, Foreback said. “Wiz is the hottest thing on the market,” she said. Rosser said the contract is
in the act of being finalized after a lengthy exchange with Khalifa’s agent. “Contracts with artists are a lot longer and more detailed,” Rosser said. He said he didn’t approve certain aspects of the contract and is waiting for final word from Khalifa’s agents on if they accept the changes. The original price of tickets was supposed to be $20 for students and $40 for non-students, but that has been lowered, according to Foreback. She said the new prices are the same as last year’s Drake concert, which were $15 for students and $25 for nonstudents. UPB President Marcie Johnson said the original SEE CONCERT, PAGE A-2
JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET
President Robert Smith responds to Pa. Governor Tom Corbett's proposed 2011-12 budget, which would slash state funding to public universities by 51.4 percent and cause SRU a $22 million deficit.
to 131 positions at SRU, Smith announced Tuesday. But Smith made it clear Thursday that there are no plans to cut 131 jobs at SRU. “We don’t really have any idea what it means in terms of people,” Smith said. The deficit would also equate to a tuition increase of about $2,460 more per student, an increase of about 50 percent. Smith said SRU has no intentions of letting that
happen. “This is just giving you an idea of the challenges we’re facing,” he said. Smith showed an estimated budget for 2011-12 with a 5 percent increase in tuition, bringing the deficit to $20.15 million. Smith said that’s the number he’s looking at for right now. Some people have been suggesting to Smith to stop the renovations and building
on campus. But according to Smith, that wouldn’t solve anything. “I can’t move that money from the capital budget to operational funds, not because I don’t want to, but because it’s the law,” he said. “If we gave up that money, they’d just give it to some other institution.” The construction of the new union is one cause of concern for many people. But Smith said the money to fund that
project didn’t come from the state. “Not one dollar of state money is in the union project,” he said. According to Smith, SRU’s reduction in state allocation amounts to less than a 50 percent decrease because of performance funding, extra money given by PASSHE to institutions that meet specific performance goals and demonstrate quality. Rita Abent, executive director for University public relations, said some of the categories used to measure performance funding include freshman to sophomore retention, graduation rates, diversity, accreditation and contributions to the community. “SRU has consistently ranked in the top three institutions for earning performance funding,” Abent said. But performance funding was cut completely under Corbett’s proposed budget. The McKeever Center and the Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education were also hit hard by the budget cuts. Under Corbett’s proposal, both facilities would lose every cent of their state funding. SEE PASSHE, PAGE A-2
Marijuana debate draws in crowd of over 650 By Courtney Nickle Rocket Assistant News Editor
A former DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agent and the editor-in-chief of High Times Magazine debated the legalization of marijuana at the University Union Tuesday night, drawing a crowd of about 650. Bob Stutman, 68, retired from the DEA, as special agent in charge of the New York Field Division, in 1990. He argued against the legalization of marijuana. Steve Hager, 60, became editor-in-chief of High Times in 1988.He advocated for the legalization of marijuana. At the beginning of the SEE HAGER, PAGE A-3
GRAPHIC BY JASON ELLWANGER/THE ROCKET
Former DEA agent, Bob Stutman, and editor-in-chief of High Times Magazine, Steve Hager, debated the legalization of marijuana at the University Union Tuesday night.
New SGA Bookstore construction to cost $5 million By Eric Busch
Rocket Staff Reporter
The Cooperative Activities Board approved to pay the first $2.5 million installment for the construction of the new SGA Bookstore at its meeting Thursday. Co-Op Business Manager Cathy George said SGA agreed to fund the new bookstore and that it would cost about $5 million. The approved motion stated Co-Op would pay the first part of the bond by May 15.
Vice President of Finance Adam Kennerdell said this move had already been approved, but a vote needed to be held for the records. Co-Op also approved a new $1,550 initiative for the Inline Hockey club to attend a national tournament in Madison, Wis. from April 5 through April 10. Kennerdell said the money would cover the rental fee of three vans from Enterprise and the $500 registration fee. He said the reason Co-Op is paying for the registration
fee is because the hockey team will have to pay for gas, lodging, food and other extra costs. The Geography, Geology and the Environment Club also had a new initiative approved by Co-Op for $1,500 to bring Carlo Hawk Walker, a Native American speaker from the Western Cherokee of Missouri tribe. Walker will be speaking during Earth Week, and he will also be performing a sweat lodge purification ceremony. Kennerdell also
discussed future policy additions he would like CoOp to research and consider. One addition was to sustain a yearly budgetary reserve of $100,000. He said the idea behind this change would be to keep the reserve at $100,000 at the beginning of each school year. As an example, Kennerdell said if Co-Op spent $60,000 one year, that’s what it would put back into the reserve at the end of the year. Kennerdell also SEE KENNERDELL, PAGE A-2