Friday March 29, 2013 year: 133 No. 45
the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com
thelantern Among the Elite
sports
PATRICK MAKS Sports editor maks.1@osu.edu
Learning to lead
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OSU quarterback Braxton Miller said he is growing into a leadership role this spring.
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LOS ANGELES — For at least the first 20 minutes of play, the defects that often doomed Ohio State during a rocky midseason stretch in February seemed to show in glimpses Thursday night at the Staples Center. In their Sweet 16 bout against Arizona, the Buckeyes veered away from the type of play that had gotten them to Los Angeles and leaned on the skill of junior forward Deshaun Thomas, the team’s and Big Ten’s leading scorer. Enter LaQuinton Ross, whose swift flick of the wrist likely made him the most-talked about person in Columbus. Thanks to the sophomore forward’s 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds to play, OSU won the game, 73-70, and will play in the Elite 8 for the second consecutive year. “This is what every player grows up looking at on TV and wants to hit that big shot, wants to win the game and hit the big shot in the NCAA Tournament or the NBA,” Ross said. “It just feels great to be here right now.” It was the second game in a row a late 3-pointer has lifted the Buckeyes. Just last week, junior guard Aaron Craft, OSU’s defensive heart and soul (and a 30 percent 3-point shooter) buried a game-winning shot en route to 18 points, vaulting the Buckeyes past Iowa State in Dayton Sunday. In some ways, Thursday felt like deja vu. But for parts of the first half, even being in the position to win seemed unlikely. While OSU opened the game’s scoring with a
ANDREW HOLLERAN / Photo editor
OSU sophomore forward LaQuinton Ross (10) prepares to shoot at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on March 28. OSU won, 73-70. basket from Thomas, they seemed anxious and disorganized on both ends of the court. “We started off slow. Guys were being selfish, guys were hugged up on their man, not helping each other out, getting into gaps and tagging,” said Thomas, who finished the night with a game-high 20 points. “I don’t know what it was. It was probably just the heat of the moment. Everybody was just too excited.”
Quickly, Arizona coach Sean Miller and the Wildcats took advantage. After falling the victim to an early, furious 10-2 run, the Buckeyes fell behind, 10-4, with 15:46 to play in the period. Behind Arizona senior guard Mark Lyons and his
continued as Elite on 3A
Sequester to close OSU air control tower
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Moe’s makes its mark
Our reviewer went to the new location of Moe’s Southwest Grill on Lane Avenue.
campus
Campus crime
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A student sent a threatening text message after a sex toy was dangled in front of his face.
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LUKE STIRTON Lantern reporter stirton.2@osu.edu Some say the Ohio State University Airport might see an increased safety risk due to federal funding cuts to its air traffic control tower. OSU’s airport at 2160 W. Case Road in northwest Columbus is just one of 149 Federal Aviation Administration airports across the nation scheduled to lose funding for its air traffic control towers following the implementation of a sequestration plan by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration. The four-week phase-out of funding is scheduled to begin on April 7. “The FAA pays the cost of providing air traffic control tower operations through a contractor,” said Jennifer Cowley, associate dean of academic affairs and administration at the OSU College of Engineering. “The approximate cost of this service is $650,000 per year.” Doug Hammon, director of operations at OSU Airport, said the sequestration plan, implemented by the federal government to reduce costs, has had a significant impact on airports across the country, particularly in terms of air traffic control. “What they say (about the sequestration plan) is that it is to reduce costs, that’s the bottom line,” Hammon said. “(The FAA was) told they had to cut their budget by a certain percent and they said, ‘OK, let’s cut air traffic control.’ There were other areas that were cut too, but air traffic control took a big hit.” An original list of 173 airports were scheduled to have the funding for their air traffic control towers cut,
PAM HARASYN / For The Lantern
The OSU Airport is scheduled to lose funding for its air traffic control towers. but that number was reduced to 149 and released on March 22. OSU’s airport was on the list, despite an administrative appeal the university made. Cowley said OSU has worked with representatives in Washington, D.C., and asked for their support on an amendment introduced by Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran and others to the Senate Continuing Funding Resolution that aimed to stop the funding cut to air traffic control towers. The amendment was introduced on March 13, however, it was blocked. The OSU airport air traffic control tower coordinates
about 70,000 operations annually, including the takeoff, landing and ground controls of corporate, personal and student aircraft. While it would not make operations impossible, closing the tower could increase accident risk, especially with the wide range of flying abilities, Hammon said. “Our concern is that we have a lot of traffic and a big range of pilot ability,” Hammon said. “We have more experienced pilots all the way to student pilots, so it’s nice to have that level of comfort that the air traffic control tower provides.” For students involved in the university’s aviation program, the air traffic control tower provides real-world experience for those hoping to pilot aircraft professionally, Cowley said. “Having an operating air traffic control tower enhances the experience of our students,” Cowley said. “They are able to gain experience interacting with control tower operators much like they would when they become professional pilots working for commercial airlines.” Two students in OSU’s aviation program declined to comment on the issue. According to a March 22 press release, the university will fund tower operations into May in order to “avoid service disruption to our flight education students as well as the numerous corporate and private operators that use the airport on a regular basis.” The university also said it will await further instructions from the FAA before making decisions about the possible closure of the air traffic control tower but is considering options that could result in keeping the tower open.
Some colleges sue when loans go unpaid ALICE BACANI Lantern reporter bacani.2@osu.edu Americans owe about $1 trillion in student loans, and some universities are taking a forceful course of action to get payment. According to multiple sources, schools such as Yale University, University of Pennsylvania and George Washington University have sued their graduates for failure to pay loans. Some of the students targeted are recipients of federal Perkins loans, which are low-interest student loans for those with financial need. About 500,000 Perkins loans are awarded annually, according to “Time Magazine.” Perkins loans differ from other federal loans because the loan is administered by the university and paid for with federal funds, rather than other federal student loans that are only funded by the Department of Education. “It’s the institution’s responsibility to collect Perkins loans,” said Virginia Layton, Ohio State’s director of financial services.
Layton said OSU awarded more than 2,000 Perkins loans in the last academic year, which totaled $5.7 million in Perkins loans. For OSU graduates that default on a loan payment, what happens is not entirely up to the university. If a Perkins loan is more than 12 months delinquent on a payment, Layton said the Office of Financial Services is required to send the case to the Ohio Attorney General’s office to decide how to best collect that payment. From there, some cases are sent to a “special counsel,” and the Ohio Attorney General office can take legal action if needed. Layton said only a “small number” of graduates have been sent to the “special counsel.” Layton did not know if or how many OSU graduates have been sent to court, however in a Monday interview with The Lantern OSU President E. Gordon Gee said less than 1 percent of OSU students default on their loans. OSU students must participate in an entrance interview before they are given a Perkins loan and an exit interview after they graduate in an effort to ensure students understand the responsibility of the loan.
Some OSU students owe $5.7M in student loans OSU awarded more than 2,000 Perkins loans in the last academic year, totaling $5.7 million in loan debt for students. When a student is more than 12 months delinquent on a payment, the bursar’s office is required to turn the case over to the Ohio Attorney General’s office to determine the best methods of collecting the payment. Source: reporting JACKIE STORER / Managing editor of design
“We do our best to educate students about their Perkins loan repayment responsibilities while there are here,” Layton said. “We work with them to help them remember it is their responsibility to make the Perkins loan payment(s) on time.” Kate Riegel, a fourth-year in marketing, is set to graduate this May with subsidized, unsubsidized and Perkins loans. She did not disclose the amount of loans she will graduate with but said it will take her about 10 years to finish paying. “I think (sueing is) a very drastic measure,” Riegel said. “I think from their point of view, if they’re not getting their money, they have to do
something about it, but I feel like there are better steps than suing.” Erin Gerber graduated in June 2012 with a degree in biology and now works for the nonprofit Christian organization Young Life. Gerber, who graduated with $28,000 of subsidized and unsubsidized student loans, said it will take her about 10 years to pay off. She said she thinks graduates should be penalized for not paying loans on time, but suing is not the answer. “Suing them is not going to help the situation, because that will put them in even more debt which means they will struggle even more to pay back their loans,” she said.
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