Tuesday March 5, 2013 year: 133 No. 33
the student voice of
The Ohio State University
www.thelantern.com
thelantern Tuition freeze won’t help out-of-staters DANIEL EDDY Lantern reporter eddy.80@osu.edu
The OSU basketball team plays against No. 2 Indiana Tuesday at 9 p.m.
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NON-RESIDENT
$4 0,4 96
RESIDENT
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Source: reporting
Minnesota
Nebraska
Ohio State
Iowa
Wisconsin
Purdue
Penn State
Illinois
Indiana
Michigan State
Michigan
Nebraska
Iowa
Purdue
Indiana
Ohio State
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Minnesota
$8 ,05 7 $7 ,89 7
$1 0,3 85 $1 0,0 37 $1 0,0 33 $9 ,90 0
$2 0,6 47 $1 8,7 09
$1 3,8 19 $1 3,4 59 $1 3,2 11
$1 4,9 60
$3 3,0 94 $3 1,4 83 $2 9,1 0 $2 2 8,7 4 $2 6 8,7 02 $2 6,6 3 $2 4 6,2 79 $2 5,4 45
$1 6,4 44
A tuition freeze for in-state students in the coming academic year awaits approval from the Ohio State Board of Trustees, but the decision won’t affect graduate and out-of-state students. OSU’s President E. Gordon Gee proposed a tuition freeze for 2013-2014 last month, but it only applies to in-state students. The distinction has left some out-of-state students with questions as to why. Erik Gaarder, a first-year in Italian from New York, said as a freshman he is already in debt and would rather not add more. “It’s already expensive enough for (out-of-state students),” he said. “Why do we need an increase?” Audrey Schultz, a third-year in English and political science from New York, said she understands why in-state students would experience the tuition freeze but doesn’t like the fact that she would be excluded.
Michigan
Battle in Bloomington
2012 to 2013 academic year tuition and required fees for undergraduate students at public universities in the Big Ten Conference
Illinois
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Tuition in the B1G
Penn State
sports
KAYLA BYLER / Design editor
Protestors call for another arrest in Steubenville rape case A group petitioning for an additional arrest in the Steubenville rape case rallies outside the Ohio Attorney General’s office at 30 E. Broad St. on March 4.
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Chipotle’s new competition
Moe’s Southwest Grill on West Lane Avenue is scheduled to open Thursday.
HALIE WILLIAMS / Asst. arts editor
campus
Commencement Controversy
Despite ticket increase, worries still linger MJ DORONY Lantern reporter dorony.4@osu.edu
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Studying on spring break
Under semesters, some OSU students have exams right after spring break ends.
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willing to pay other students for tickets if that’s what it comes down to. “I think my parents would pay anything — at least $100 a ticket since my family has already booked their flights,” Benninger said. “I saw a post on Facebook for $250 … that’s ridiculous but students seem to have no problem charging other students to make a profit.” Kilee Hards, a fourth-year in human development and family science, is another student hoping to purchase tickets but has not heard or seen any concrete asking price. “I’m very interested to know what people were pricing them,” Hards said. “I have no idea, maybe Ohio State will be able to fix the problem.” Even though there is confusion, Hards said she
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Neilwood to house 60 students next fall
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SHAY TROTTER Lantern reporter trotter.35@osu.edu
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After backlash from some Spring Semester graduates at the thought of having only four loved ones attend Spring Commencement, the university upped the allotment to six tickets per graduate. But a week later, some students are realizing that still isn’t enough. Much of the ticket limit controversy emerged after news broke that President Barack Obama would be giving the commencement speech. The ceremony is scheduled to take place May 5 at Ohio Stadium, which is currently undergoing renovations — another contributing factor to the limit, university officials have said.
The Feb. 26 change to six tickets from four has helped, but students continue to make posts on Facebook, visit Craigslist and make online petitions in hopes of making sure their families and friends are at the ceremony. Tara Benninger, a fourth-year in psychology, said she is hopeful that the change will make the process of finding tickets she can get from other students easier. “I really hope people will recognize we now have six tickets and think, ‘I only have two people coming so I should probably make an effort to give these four away,’” Benninger said. She said she could use four more tickets since her family, from Maryland and Chicago, has already purchased flights to Columbus to watch her graduate. Benninger said she is hoping she can find a friend that would be willing to give them to her, but is
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Neilwood Gables will be available next year for 60 residents, despite the plumbing renovations that initially caused the building to be removed from the housing renewal options. “Obviously in any project like this, you try to be as least disruptive as possible, and so that takes a lot of coordination,” said Student Life spokesman Dave Isaacs. “And so that decision couldn’t be made in time for the renewal forms, unfortunately, but now that those plans have been finalized, it was obvious that there would be those units that we could still use.”
A Feb. 28 email from University Housing announced that a change in the schedule of the $1.25 million renovation project will allow for an accommodation of residents in about 30 apartments, less than the number being used to house the 104 current residents. “We were able to use these units because it wouldn’t impact or be impacted by the renovations,” Isaacs said. Maintenance has been ongoing for the last few years in Neilwood Gables, but Isaacs said the bulk of the 89-year-old building’s original piping still remains. The plans to replace the risers, vertical pipes that run the length of the building, and riser valves of the plumbing system for $1.2 million and $50,000, respectively.
Those interested in living in Neilwood Gables in the fall were required to reply to the email by Friday and were put into a random lottery for the available spots. “Rather than try and sort it out by selection criteria like GPA or something like that, it was easiest to just do a lottery,” Isaacs said. “It’s the fairest for everybody.” Toni Greenslade-Smith, the associate director of OSU Housing Administration, said in an email that 106 students expressed interest in Neilwood Gables and sent requests to be entered into the lottery. Holly Weimer, a second-year in health sciences and current resident of the building, said while she understands the housing administration’s decision to allow some
students to live there next year, renovations should be a main focus. “I think that they should renovate it to bring it back to its full potential,” Weimer said. “I think that hopefully if they just change the interior and make it more new and modern it will be in high demand for students in the upcoming years.” The residence hall has also undergone maintenance in other areas, including electrical upgrades in 1998 and 2002 and a fire alarm replacement, Isaacs said. Minor electrical problems will also be addressed when the building is closed.
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