Wednesday April 6, 2011 year: 131 No. 47 the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com
thelantern Budget cuts hinder access to aid
sports
CORY SHAFFER For The Lantern shaffer.294@osu.edu
5A
Looking forward to the future
Jon Diebler, Dallas Lauderdale and David Lighty set their sights on the NBA after their careers came to a close.
arts & life
1B
‘Your Highness’
The fantasy comedy film starring Danny McBride, James Franco and Natalie Portman opens in Columbus Friday.
campus
MCAT, GRE prep for change
2A
student voice
weather
4A
high 64 low 49 showers
R F SA SU
65/55 showers 66/54 scattered t-storms 66/63 cloudy 73/65 isolated t-storms www.weather.com
Ohio State could lose more than $15 million in state and federal ÿnancial aid next year under budget proposals from Gov. John Kasich and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, said Diane Stemper, director of Student Financial Aid at OSU. “This year is exceptionally challenging,” she said. “Because Congress can’t get a budget passed, it just continues to make it uncertain for us.” The bulk of the cuts would come from a proposal by congressional republicans that would: eliminate summer Pell Grants and subsidies for graduate student loans; reduce the maximum annual award by $845, from $5,550 to $4,705; and reduce the number of students eligible to receive partial Pell Grants by 1.7 million. Stemper estimated those proposals could take $9.6 million from OSU students. Currently, 15,000 students on all OSU campuses receive a combined $55 million in Pell Grants, she said. The proposal, part of the Republicans’ initial
budget proposal in response to President Barack Obama’s budget proposal, passed the House by a vote of 235-189, with three Republicans joining all Democrats against it. It then stalled in the Senate. In his budget, Obama proposed eliminating summer Pell Grants and graduate student loan subsidies, but maintaining the maximum award at $5,550. According to the Ofÿce of Enrollment Services, 2,380 students currently receive about $3.4 million in year-round Pell Grants. Stemper said Kasich’s budget proposal would cut funding for state-based ÿnancial aid to OSU by about $5.5 million, including 5 percent reductions each in the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, or OCOG, and the War Orphans Scholarship. OCOG provides money to Ohio residents demonstrating the highest levels of need based on FAFSA results, according to the Ohio Board of Regents. The Ofÿce of Enrollment said 120 OSU students currently receive the War Orphans Scholarship, which covers 80 percent of tuition and fees for children of deceased or permanently disabled veterans. The governor’s budget does, however, increase the National Guard Scholarship Program, which
covers full tuition at main campuses at public universities, and partial tuition at private universities, for members of the Ohio National Guard, by $2 million, or 13.4 percent. Kasich also proposed doubling the amount of vouchers to help parents pay for their children to attend private K-12 schools. Lucas Kamholz, an undecided ÿrst-year, said they had to get the money from somewhere. “But it’s not really fair to take money from students,” Kamholz said. Even with a 3.5 percent tuition increase – the maximum allowed in Kasich’s budget proposal – the ÿnancial aid department is still likely to lose millions in funding. Stemper said her eyes are on the Pell Grants because cuts there would affect more students than at the state level. “I’ve never seen the Pell Grants this uncertain at this stage in the game,” she said. Because incoming freshman have until May 1 to formally enroll in the university, Stemper said the department had to get the ÿnancial reward letters out despite the funding uncertainty. On March 30, the Student Financial Aid
continued as Budget on 3A
Union dropped balloons, $8,600 for party THOMAS BRADLEY Senior Lantern reporter bradley.321@osu.edu
Ohio Union anniversary party costs add up
The Ohio Union’s birthday party last week attracted thousands of attendees, offered various desserts, featured a group hug of the building and cost $8,613.22, said David Wiseley, associate director of business services at the Ohio Union. One of the main events for the day, a countdown to the ofÿcial one-year anniversary, featured a replica cake of the Union and a balloon drop. The cake, purchased from a local baker, the Suisse Shop, cost $2,790, roughly one-third of the total budget. Cake was handed out to students throughout the day after it was cut for the countdown. Tracy Stuck, director of the Ohio Union, said past anniversaries of the Union have been marked with a replica cake. She said they decided to continue the tradition. “(The replica) cake was the most costly part of the event, and the student guests overwhelmingly appreciated the treat,” Stuck said in an email to The Lantern. Emilie Duncan, an event planner in Worthington, said the price the Union staff paid for the cake is relatively normal. “A custom sculpted cake, like the one they had, generally runs around that price,” Duncan said. The Union staff also spent $625 on cupcakes for the event. Stuck said they made 1,500 cupcakes in the Ohio Catering Kitchen. Duncan said cupcake vendors generally charge $2-$4 per cupcake. The fact that they were able to get 1,500 cupcakes for that price, she said, was an “unbelievable deal.” Adding the cost of the cake, the cost of the cupcakes and a budget for catering the rock, paper, scissors tournament, the total food expense for the event was $4,221.38. Rose Buoni, a second-year in English, said she thought the whole event was over the top. “I found out about the party about a month beforehand, and I wasn’t interested from the start,” Buoni said. “I felt like it was only a big deal to the
The Ohio Union celebrated its 1-year anniversary on March 29 with a party that cost the Union $8,613.22 on food, supplies and prizes. The Union reports that several thousand people attended the party.
continued as Union on 3A
One cupcake = $200
Supplies
Food
Prizes
Crowns – $818
Cake – $2,790
Rock Paper Scissors prizes – $160
$4,221.38
$4,121.84
$270
Balloons – $1,105 Scavenger Hunt prizes – $110 Cupcakes – $675 Photographers – $1,570 JEFF BARNETT / Lantern photographer
Rock Paper Scissors catering – $756.38 Streamers – $245
Ohio Union food service chefs serve a cake replica of the Union for the 1-year anniversary celebration on March 29.
Eating utensils – $230
Rock Paper Scissors supplies – $153.84
Source: David Wiseley MOLLY GRAY / Managing editor for design
Wexner reappointed to Board of Trustees JAMI JURICH Managing editor for content jurich.4@osu.edu Gov. John Kasich reappointed Leslie Wexner as the chairman of the Ohio State University Board of Trustees Tuesday, Kasich’s spokesman Rob Nichols conÿrmed to The Lantern. Wexner’s current term was scheduled to end on May 13. Wexner was appointed to the Board of Trustees in December 2005. He previously served on the board from 1988-1997 and served as chairman of the board from 1996-1997, according to the Board of Trustees website. Wexner, who founded Limited Brands, also serves as the chairman and CEO of the company, which includes Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works and C.O. Bigelow. On Feb. 16, Wexner and Limited Brands announced a $100 million donation to OSU, the largest philanthropic gift in OSU history, said Tom Katzenmeyer, senior vice president of university communications. Shelly Hoffman, assistant vice president for media relations at OSU, said Wexner’s gift will be spread out across a nine-year period, to be completed in 2020, with $20 million being donated this year. Wexner and his wife, Abigail, personally donated $65 million of the total donation, Hoffman said. The remaining $35 million of the donation is from the Limited Brands Foundation. Spokespeople for the Limited Brands and OSU did not immediately return requests for comment Tuesday evening regarding Wexner’s reappointment.
JEFF BARNETT / Lantern photographer
Leslie Wexner speaks to the Ohio State community in a discussion regarding his donation of $100 million to the university. He joined President E. Gordon Gee and students the morning of Feb. 16 morning in the U.S. Bank Conference Theatre at the Ohio Union.
1A