The Murray State News February 27, 2015
TheNews.org
Vol. 89, No. 22
A thin line
Staff Congress keeps voices heard for more than 30 years
Murray State Women’s Center raises awareness about eating disorders and the line between being healthy and harmful
Amanda Grau
Amanda Grau
News Editor
News Editor
agrau1@murraystate.edu
agrau1@murraystate.edu
Julia Mazzuca
Zachary Orr || Contributing writer
Staff writer
zorr@murraystate.edu
jmazzuca1@murraystate.edu
The Murray State Women’s Center continued its fight this week to educate students about eating disorders, which affect more than 20 percent of women and 10 percent of men in universities nationwide. Called Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Feb. 22-28 is set aside to promote knowledge of disorders in both men and women. Abigail French, director of the Women’s Center, said there is focus throughout the week and the entire month of February to help encourage students to “think critically about what they believe about their bodies.” College students who are adjusting to a more independent lifestyle are likely to engage in unhealthy eating and exercise habits. “Unhealthy eating and exercise habits are often promoted, encouraged and even praised in the college population,” French said. The Women’s Center, along with universities across the country, showed the fourth installment of “Killing Us Softly,” a short documentary challenging societal pressures for girls to match the ideal body type. In an effort to increase attention, the Student Nutrition Association led a “Love Your Selfie” campaign Feb. 25 at a booth in the Curris Center, where students took selfies to symbolize self-love. Caitlin Beyea, junior from Louisville, Ky., said the selfies taken at the booth were yet another way to generate awareness for the cause.
see AWARENESS, 2A
BY THE NUMBERS
10
percent of college-aged men have an eating disorder
Photo courtesy of niftynotcool.com
20
43
percent of college-aged women have an eating disorder
percent of men have body image issues
Source: Multi-Service Eating Disorder Association, National Eating Disorder Association
Tuition forum discusses possible increase
Lucy Easley || Staff writer leasley@murraystate.edu
An open forum held Wednesday evening to discuss tuition increases for the 2015-16 school year piqued interest of students, faculty and staff alike. President Bob Davies spoke at the meeting, which was an opportunity for students to express concerns about the proposed 3 percent tuition increase, which will be voted on this Friday. Davies As state appropriations for public universities decrease, Davies said the Board of Regents
91
percent of college-aged women have attempted to control their weight through dieting
is left with deciding how to keep Murray State tuition affordable, predictable and competitive. “We are trying to provide the best return on the investment students are making on their education,” Davies said. “The biggest driver of tuition at public universities is state appropriations, time and time again.” The 2014-15 budget rang in at $131 million, 56 percent of which was made up of tuition money. The rest was funded by state appropriations. Murray State is one of many public universities facing tuition increases to make up for receiving less. Jackie Dudley, vice president of Finance and Administrative Services, presented information at the forum that compared Murray State to other Kentucky public universities. Dudley said the
Staff Congress, now over 30 years old, met Tuesday to do what it always does: make sure staff voices are heard. This week, it was about the snow closure and worries about the coming tobacco ban. Marion Hale, member of Staff Congress, said the purpose of the organization is to help with problems and glitches, from small to large. “Staff Congress provides students, faculty and staff with representation that they may not otherwise get,” Hale said. Staff Congress deals with everything from working conditions to the implications of working on a tobacco-free campus for employees who are not the president, a vice president, a dean, a department chair, teaching more than one class or in a tenure tract position. When the Board of Regents unanimously approved the creation of Staff Congress on April 27, 1983, amid complaints about staff pay, it was a natural chain of events, said Joyce Gordon, Staff Congress president from 1984-1985. “It wasn’t anti-anything,” she said. “A couple of regional universities had formed them also. It was more an idea whose time had come.” Staff Congress’ time did come. In a letter to Kala Stroup, then-president of Murray State, Gordon wrote that 287 staff members were only making $10,000 a year. Due to budget cuts, the risk was losing another 1.97 percent of their yearly pay. “Staff members are gravely
tuition increases set to be proposed this week are on par with statewide trends. Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Eastern Kentucky University, Northern Kentucky University, Western Kentucky University, University of Louisville and University of Kentucky are all expected to propose a tuition increase as well, all averaging 3 percent. Among these state schools, Murray State ranks second in lowest proposed tuition rates, paying 22 percent less than Western Kentucky and 16 percent less than Northern Kentucky. At the forum, students expressed concerns about what tuition money paid for within the university. Both Dudley and Davies said one of the University’s top budget priorities is people. “Eighty percent of costs are people,”
concerned,” Gordon said. Shortly after, a working conditions survey was released to all Murray State staff. The results showed about 73 percent were unhappy with their pay and 54 percent felt salaries were unevenly distributed within their department. President Bob Davies first spoke words of thanks at the most recent meeting to all who helped with the snow closures last week. He also asked for any input on closure processes and what to potentially do differently next time. The tobacco policy was also brought to the floor. Board of Regents, Staff Congress, and Faculty Senate all work together to reach out to the Murray State body to address any issues that need to be discussed, such as the impending tobacco ban, said Laura Lohr, current Staff Congress president. Lohr, also a five-year member of the organization, said Staff Congress and Faculty Senate work as a team. The individual groups work separately on issues that only regard them, but come together on other subjects. Lohr said the future of the Staff Congress looks to be bright. “We hope to continue to grow and work together for the better of the whole campus community,” Lohr said. “We collaborate with Faculty Senate to discuss overall issues that affect everyone.” Gordon said watching Faculty Congress grow and develop from its inception to now has been an exciting experience. “It’s been very gratifying to me how effective the group has been,” Gordon said. “Throughout the years it has certainly become what we envisioned.”
Davies said. “We want to keep high quality faculty for our students.” Approximately 35 percent of tuition comes back to students in the form of discounts such as scholarships. Olivia Jacks, sophomore from Louisville, Ky., said this percentage should be higher. “Well, I’m not happy about the tuition increase,” Jacks said, “But there should be more scholarship money available if you want to encourage students to go to college and further their education to get more opportunities.” Jacks said many students and their families are under pressure to pay for college. “Frankfort needs to hear from students,” Davies said. “I can tell them that higher education funding is important, but they would love to hear it from students.”
Ice damages Curris Center, 22 other buildings Ben Manhanke
Chief Videographer bmanhanke@murraystate.edu
Warming temperatures and melting ice revealed new problems and new work for Facilities Management last weekend, besides the clearing of sidewalks, parking lots and external building features of ice and snow. Building service technicians as well as other Facilities Management personnel spent their weekend Saturday and Sunday assessing water damage from the snow and heavy rain that damaged approximately 22 buildings on campus. Primarily ceiling tiles and the floors and carpets of buildings were damaged when ice, which had gotten under the
WHAT’S
INSIDE
TAP 216
roofs of these buildings, began to melt. Some of this water pooled harmlessly in buildings, but in other cases it left far more extensive damage, rendering the third floor of the Curris Center closed at the beginning of the week. David Burdette, interim chief officer of Facilities Management, said in some ways the University was fortunate it received only the damage it did. He said ice freezing Burdette beneath buildings’ roofs is not uncommon and, depending on the path the melting water follows,
could have amounted to more extensive damage. Burdette said the Curris Center was initially recognized as the most extensively damaged building although Facilities Management’s assessment of the total damage to the campus continued throughout the week. “We’re going through each of the buildings and documenting,” he said. “We’re documenting for two reasons: one, we have the opportunity for some FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) recovery, so we’re trying to go that route, and then insurance reimbursement if FEMA doesn’t work.” The damage to Murray State from the winter storm, once calculated, will be compiled with the total damages to
OUR VIEW
Former bar The Olive has a slow Eating disorders affect transition to Tap 216, 3A everyone, all the time, 4A
Calloway County and those of other affected counties around the state. If these damage’s amount is not significant enough to warrant federal reparations, Murray State will have to rely on its insurance from general liability damages to pay for any repairs. Burdette said he was not sure when the Curris Center’s third floor will reopen, but said on Monday his teams were already replacing damaged ceiling tiles and cleaning up water spots left behind by the inclement weather. “I can’t compliment the Facilities Management staff enough,” he said. “Everybody just pitched in. From the snow storm of a week ago to the rains of Saturday and Sunday, everybody pitched in and got it done.”
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