Racers fall short of OVC Championship
The Murray State News TheNews.org
March 14, 2013
Vol. 88, No. 25
Study abroad program sees low enrollment
Extended campus on schedule
Alex Berg || Staff writer
Ben Manhanke || Staff writer
aberg1@murraystate.edu
bmanhanke@murraystate.edu
As the Study Abroad program is seeing low enrollment for the Regensburg, Germany excursion planned for the fall semester, they are forced to push back the application deadline. Last fall, 18 students were accepted by the Study Abroad office to go on the Regensburg trip. So far, they have only accepted nine applicants for this fall and are currently considering five more applications. The application deadline was originally set for Feb. 15, but a low number of applications forced Study Abroad to extend the deadline by a month to March 15. Although earlier in the semester they feared cancelation of the program, Study Abroad confirms the deadline extension to Friday has allowed the program to continue, and there is no need for cancelation. Melanie McCallon, associate director of education abroad, said the low enrollment is not entirely untypical. “We have had enrollment as low as six for this program and as high as 25 and literally everything in between.” McCallon said. “There is really an ebb and flow with study abroad and it depends on the given year as to what students are looking for.” McCallon also said, although they are seeing lower enrollment in that course, they are in turn seeing higher enrollment in advanced language courses. Regensburg is a city of 130,000 people in the German state of Bavaria. Students who attend the trip abroad will be studying at the University of Regensburg, a comprehensive university of 18,000 students, where they will also live in the university housing. All students who make the trip to Regensburg must take at least 12 credit hours, including one German language course and GER 105, German culture. Every course, except German language,
see ENROLLMENT, 2A
The Board of Regents meet today to discuss the draft recommendations consolidated by the budget planning and review teams, the President’s Office and the vice presidents.
Despite inclement weather, construction is on schedule for the new 43,000-square-foot Paducah (Ky.) Regional Campus. Construction of the new regional campus began in December and, since then, the concrete foundation for the building has been laid and contractors are in the process of erecting the structural steel body. Prior to construction, the Paducah-based company Central Paving Co. completed much of the site work for Oatman the new facility, which included grading both the future site of the new structure and its parking lots, the creation of an entrance road and the installation of utilities. Kim Oatman, chief facilities officer of Facilities Management, said the approximately $10 million new campus is now about 12 percent complete. “The weather has caused some delays, but the contractor has been able to make up for lost time on the bad days,” he said. “The project is still on schedule.” Oatman said the contractor, A & K Construction, who were also7 responsible for the design and construction of Murray State’s J. Jones Chemistry Building and the Jesse L. Jones Family Clock Tower, have a lot of work left to do. “By mid-May, we hope to have the trusses on and the roof installed, plus the exterior sheathing completed,” he said. “By late-May, the windows should be installed, so the building should be dried-in. We should also be well under way with the interior framing and installation of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and
see CUTS, 2A
see CAMPUS, 2A
Photos by Lori Allen/The News
President Randy Dunn was in the spotlight again this week answering student, faculty and staff questions about 2013-14 fiscal budget.
Let’s talk about
Cuts (a little bit)
Regents to hear final report Chris Wilcox || Chief Copy Editor cwilcox2@murraystate.edu
A student listens to Dunn’s presentation Wednesday morning, following along with a copy of the final recommendations for budget cuts that will go before the Board of Regents today.
Sequester
Spending cuts hit University programs TRiO agency, Pell Grants among programs with uncertain futures Lexy Gross || Assistant News Editor cgross2@murraystate.edu
As the deadline for the activation of $85 billion in federal budget cuts loomed nearer last week, Americans pondered the consequences. In 2011, President Barack Obama created a budget control act as an incentive for Congress to outline a plan, saving the growing federal debt. If Congress did not create an alternative, trillions of dollars would be cut from the federal budget – an action known as the sequester. At midnight on Feb. 28, those very cuts went into effect, staving off growing national debt, but diving deep into federal programs and services. These cuts will delve into specific projects, one being college education. In Kentucky alone, 1,710 fewer low-income students will receive financial aid next year, according to a report released by the White House prior to sequestration. Bob Jackson, associate vice president of Institutional Advancement, said the effects of the sequester on education will
KENTUCKY EFFECTS By the Numbers •400 fewer victims will be served by STOP Violence programs •470 fewer students eligible for work-study jobs •16,690 fewer people will get the help and skills they need to find employment Source: White House
likely place additional hardships on students and their families. “It’s unfortunate, especially in this period of time when the economy is fragile anyway,” Jackson said. “The University will do everything it possibly can to assist in a positive way and to accommodate that blow.”
The Pell Grant, a form of financial aid funded by the federal government, currently provides 3,517 Murray State students with up to $5,635 a year. Although these grants would not be affected by the sequestration in 2013, Pell Grants will lose their protected status in 2014. If Congress chose to do so, they could reduce the grants at this time. Kayla Clark, junior from Brandenburg, Ky., receives a large sum from the Pell Grant program annually. Clark said if it were not for her Pell Grant, as well as other financial aid, she would not be able to attend Murray State. “I’ll be able to graduate with less debt than I would without (the grant) because it reduces the amount of loans I have to take out,” Clark said. Although the Pell Grant will not be immediately affected, other programs such as the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education grant program will see definite cuts. The TEACH program provides up to
see SEQUESTER, 2A
Lori Allen/The News
Racer escorts are up this semester, following a yearly University trend.
Rise in Racer escorts may be due to repeat users in spring semester Staff Report The number of students utilizing Racer escorts has steadily risen over the last several semesters. The service, offered by Murray State Racer Patrol, has been used nearly 30 times this semester. If escorts increase in a steady manner, the spring se-
WHAT’S
NEW FOOD
IRAQ WAR
INSIDE
Late-night 15th Street restaurant to replace Quarter’s, 3A
Section looks back on America’s ‘Breds grasp first game, lose international war on terror, 5A in second against NIU, 1B
SPLIT SERIES
mester will likely surpass the 49 total from Fall 2012. For the last two spring semesters, escorts have been higher than the fall semesters before them. In the fall 2011 semester there were 26 escorts. There were 79 in the following spring semester.
see ESCORTS, 2A
DIGITAL COLLECTION Public library enters electronic age, offers e-book rentals, 5B