TUESDAY
THURSDAY
SATIRICAL NEWS
P2
A study by an OSU professor looks at the impact of late-night shows on the public’s political opinions.
REMEMBRANCE
P3
An alumnus remembers Patricia Cunningham, a mentor and adviser to many Buckeyes.
‘7 WAYS TO SAY I LOVE YOU’
P4
The Department of Theatre presents a series of short on-stage rom-coms.
TUESDAY TAKE
P8
With the departure of several stars, the talented incoming class of cornerbacks has to step up.
The student voice of the Ohio State University
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
thelantern.com
@TheLantern
Moritz lawyers discuss recent immigration orders
MITCH HOOPER | ENGAGMENET EDITOR
A panel met to discuss President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration in the Moritz College of Law Saxbe Auditorium on Feb. 6. MITCH HOOPER Engagement Editor hooper.102@osu.edu A panel discussion about the legal aspects of President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders on immigration was held in the Ohio State’s Moritz College of Law on Monday. The panel consisted of law professors Ruth Colker, David S. Bloomfield, Mohamed Helal and Peter M. Shane, and was moderat-
ed by Alan Michaels, the school’s dean. Students, faculty and OSU staff members, as well as Columbus community members, were in attendance and were encouraged to join the conversation. By examining the legality of the new executive orders, panelists provided information for both sides of the argument, saying that the ban violates the rights of an individual, but also saying it’s unclear whether the orders violate international law. Since the pan-
el focused on explaining the law, Shane said he wanted to make it clear that “legal and illegal are not synonyms for good and bad.” Colker, who studies constitutional law and disability discrimination, and Shane, who studies administrative law with a specialty in the separation of powers, began the discussion explaining what is spelled out in the two new executive orders, as well as why they view it as unconstitutional. IMMIGRATION CONTINUES ON 3
Year 137, Issue No. 8
Amended USG constitution to be voted on in March MATT DORSEY Lantern reporter dorsey.215@osu.edu In March, undergraduates will vote not only for representatives, but also for constitutional changes to student government. If passed, changes will stand for the next five years. The bylaw changes — proposed by Undergraduate Student Government’s Constitution and Bylaw Review Commission and approved for the ballot during Wednesday night’s General Assembly meeting — include a reduction in the campaign-finance cap, a lowering of petition signatures required to run for president or vice president, and the removal of the vice president from the general assembly, the organization’s legislative body. The CBRC had specific goals in mind when drafting the proposed changes. “We wanted USG to be more accessible to people, and we also wanted the bylaws to be a little bit more clear on some of the things that candidates need to do in order to be on the ballot,” said Jenna Gravalis, chair of the CBRC and a fourth-year in political science. The campaign-finance change would considerably help accessibility, she said. Candidates for USG often form “slates,” meaning they campaign
MASON SWIRES | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Changes in USG bylaws could affect campaign finance and the makeup of the General Assembly.
together as one entity. A slate might consist of a presidential, vice presidential and multiple senatorial candidates, and is currently allowed to spend up to $4,000 on campaigning. If the proposed changes pass, the amended constitution would cut this limit to $2,000 beginning with the 2018 election, ideally allowing candidates with less capital a better opportunity to compete. “The issue is USG is supposed to represent all students so it shouldn’t be about who can raise the most money and buy the most promotional items to give out to students,” Gravalis said. She said the lower limit also would allow for more transparency. “Every campaign, once campaigning starts, they must publish a (campaign value report), so you know this is just making it more clear since it’s $2,000 and it’s a lot USG CONTINUES ON 2
Some researchers concerned by EPA grant freeze RIS TWIGG Lantern reporter twigg.10@osu.edu Some professors are concerned for their environment-related research after President Donald Trump imposed a freeze on all contracts and grants for the Environmental Protection Agency in January. Concern for research funding depended on the type of environmental research being conducted, which can range from the natural to social sciences. Most professors that The Lantern reached out to acknowledged that funding opportunities might be more difficult for their colleagues working specifically with the EPA or studying climate change, though many declined to comment on the politically sensitive topic. “There’s been some political debate as to whether some research is deemed worthy of federal support,” said Ramiro Berardo, assistant professor in environmental and natural resources policy.
Berardo researches how policy actors try to influence governmental decision-making processes at the legislative and individual agency level. The bulk of his research is funded through the National Science Foundation. In his area of study, 65 projects were submitted to the NSF and only seven were deemed “competitive,” signaling they will receive federal funding from the NSF. With the Trump administration’s decision to review each project submitted to the EPA, the proposal process would be even more difficult for professors trying to pay for their research. Some researchers worried that these initiatives could spread to other federal agencies, like the NSF, who typically support scientific research at colleges and universities. “We are in a high-uncertainty environment,” Berardo said. Other professors were similarly apprehensive, but were less concerned about their specific areas of study. Kaigung Zhao, assistant pro-
fessor of environmental modeling and spatial analysis, studies climate modeling and ecosystem changes using geotechnology and is primarily funded through NASA’s Earth science program. Zhao said each administration change brings a different emphasis on funding for NASA’s Earth science program. The Bush administration cut funding while the Obama administration invested more into the program’s climate research. “As a researcher, I wouldn’t worry too much, but that’s only applied to me,” Zhao said. “Basically, because the pie becomes smaller for other research, you’re not really competing against yourself, you’re competing against your colleague.” But in another researcher’s case, the pie keeps getting bigger. Associate professor of wildlife ecology Robert Gates expressed less concern in regards to federal funding for his research because it comes from the Pittman-Robertson Act.
RIS TWIGG | LANTERN REPORTER
President Donald Trump signed an executive order which imposes a freeze on all grants and contracts at the Environmental Protection Agency, potentially affecting environmental research conducted at universities across the nation. Congress passed the act in 1937 after hunters, sportsmen and wildlife agencies urged them to extend the already existing 10 percent tax on all firearm and ammunition sales as a way to fund wildlife conservation.
“With expanding interest in guns and shooting sports, that pot of money is growing,” Gates said. “If you look at my particular area, I’m not terribly concerned about our base of funding.”