The Murray State News February 18, 2016
TheNews.org
Vol. 90, No. 19
BUDGET
Colleges, schools brace for proposed state budget cuts $2.1 million by June 30, 2016 $4.3 million for fiscal years 2016-17, 2017-18
The Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business The Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business has a plan for how to handle these budget cuts if they are enacted. Gerry Muuka, interim dean of the College of Business, said the budget cut will result in a hiring freeze for faculty searches in the College of Business but will not eliminate a position that is currently filled. He also said the College of Business will reduce the use of adjunct faculty and reduce the number of graduate assistants hired to assist faculty with research. “We will keep the teaching graduate assistants for COM 161 and CSC 199; however, some streamlining will occur in the manner in which we offer, especially the COM 161 labs,” Muuka said. However, Muuka is confident the College of Business can handle a budget cut. “In an email I sent to all faculty and staff in the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business on Wednesday afternoon, I commend them for being a cohesive group, and that I am extremely confident in our capacity as College of Business to meet the challenges before us now, and any unanticipated ones going forward,” Muuka said. Lydia Kiesewetter, junior international business major from Louisville, Kentucky, said she believes the budget cuts are “unnecessary and crazy.” She said although professors may not see a big influence, students in the College of
Business see the downside losing TAs that help students, as well as not having the chance to experience new professors. She also said that Bevin’s budget cuts to higher education make her nervous about finding a job after graduation, and how that will affect her ability to pay back student loans. “With cuts in the states, jobs in Kentucky could be dismissed altogether for the sake of money,” Kiesewetter said. “This is also alarming because we have loans to pay back, and we all want jobs when we get out.” Leslie Shockley, junior finance major from Paducah, Kentucky, said she is afraid that Bevin’s budget cuts will affect the availability of technology and resources that will be available to students in the College of Business, such as the Bloomberg Terminal. Shockley said the Bloomberg Terminal is “a computer system that allows you to analyze and monitor real time financial data.” She also said that the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville also have Bloomberg, “but their students don’t have access to them like Murray State students do.” “Technology is a huge part of the business world, and without these resources, Murray State students will have to do an excessive amount of independent studying to remain competitive in the job market,” Shockley said. - Alicia Steele, Staff writer
The College of Humanities and Fine Arts The newly-proposed budand associate professor of get has everyone squirming, the College of Humanities but the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, said she is conand Fine Arts approaches the cerned about what the perforchallenge with a level head mance-based metrics might and suggestions for overcombe and what that competition ing the upcoming cuts. might do to post-secondary education as a whole. Faculty members and students of the College of Humanities and “We can see the effects of Fine Arts each have individual performance-based funding at plans and suggestions for what lower levels and with an emphasis on standardized tests there, cuts Murray State can afford to and the performance of teachmake. The suggestions range from cutting specific sports proers, and how that translates to grams, like the football program schools, but I do not think you get a full picture of the successes to, not hiring new professors for positions where other professors of a school district just from the performance on a national have retired or left the university. exam,” Charshe said. l o t t e “So I am Beahan, worried profesabout sor in the w h a t College t h a t of Humeans manities f o r and Fine higher A r t s , second- Staci Stone, Interim Dean and Associate Professor said she ary eduquescation.” Regardless of what current tions the need for so many administration positions. suggestions will be turned into “Administrators seem to action in the future, Murray proliferate,” she said. “There State may look like a new instiare deans and then there are astution, Stone said, but one thing sistant deans and then there are will always remain. assistant-assistant deans and “I have heard the guiding prinvice presidents, and there is a ciples for recommending cuts certain point where perhaps it are that we must remain what is time to look at administrator we are at heart,” Stone said. “At cuts as well as faculty cuts.” our core we are a student-cen Beahan also agrees with tered institution, teaching, at the Bill Schell, another professor forefront. What we care about in the College of Humanities is our students and what those and Fine Arts, that the football students have with our profesprogram should be cut or at sors and the experience of our least funded a little less. students.” Staci Stone, interim dean - Bailey Bohannan, Staff writer
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At our core we are a student-centered institution, teaching, at the forefront.
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The School of Nursing and Health Professions Marcia H o b b s , Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, said planning for growth with the Hobbs budget is going to be very difficult, particularly for applied health sciences. She said the department is deeply concerned about the cuts and thinks the massive nature will affect the num-
ber and quality of professors hired. “I think our program will be affected just as any other program on campus with respect to equipment,” said Kristan Erdmann, Athletic Training Program Director. “We have been very fortunate to purchase some fantastic equipment in the past couple years.” She said she would hate to see their ability to continue to purchase quality supplies be hindered because of budget cuts. The department purchased a nerve conduction velocity and electromyography unit and a muscle skel-
etal machine in the past few years. Murray State is the only school in the state to have a muscle skeletal machine. Erdmann said she is also worried about their ability to travel to conferences and workshops, in which they would lose the ability to bring new knowledge and insight into classrooms. “If our professional development funds decreased, we would be impacted financially on a personal level,” Erdmann said. She said the exercise science program is in the process of hiring an additional faculty
member and hopes they can continue with that process. She does not foresee anyone wanting to leave and has not heard that anyone plans to. “It worries me because I am looking for the best education possible in my field of study and the department needs funding to do that,” said Bryanna Kampwerth, freshman from Highland, Illinois. She thinks in the long run, the budget cuts will hurt students and hopes they are reworked so that students do not suffer. - Mikayla Marshall, Staff writer
The College of Education and Human Services The College of Education and Human Services, COEHS, has the highest ranked elementary education program and the second highest ranked secondary education program, said David Whaley, dean of College of Education and Human Services. Despite the proposed cuts, COEHS is committed to upholding instruction for students in the department. Since Gov. Bevin’s budget is not finalized, Whaley is unsure what specific cuts will be made if the budget passes. He said he is identifying the college’s priorities. “Priority No. 1 is that ‘The COEHS desires to maintain its earned reputation for out-
WHAT’S
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standing academic programs that provide students with opportunities to excel in their chosen disciplines,’ according to the College of Education and Human Services,” Whaley said. Another priority is to maintain a rigorWhaley ous course study for students, Whaley said. “I’m glad that Dean Whaley is devoted to our education,” said Alyssa Smith, freshman from Marshall County, Ken-
tucky. “As an education major, I do not want my education to be affected because we do not have the money to pay for professors and learning tools, but Dean Whaley is keeping the emphasis on academic achievement.” COEHS will maintain their academic programs and a well-trained and educated staff. Quality teachers and professors are a priority. Whaley said the College of Education and Human Services is committed to quality staff and quality education, and it will be accommodated in a new budget. Incoming students whose majors fall under COEHS should know their education
will be affected by Bevin’s proposed budget cuts. “I think the department will suffer and education majors might have less hours going into schools to observe before practicum, and it could affect student teaching,” said Elizabeth Grogan, sophomore from Murray. Education majors need 200 or more hours for practicum, observation and field experiences. “Individually, we will have to each work a little harder and make adjustments quicker, so that it doesn’t affect us getting jobs,” Grogan said. Whaley is not certain what
see COEHS, 2A
Hazing prevention program aims for zero tolerance Greek life members reinforce empowerment, living up to values Breanna Sill Staff writer
bsill@murraystate.edu
Marquise Braham was a freshman at Penn State University-Altoona when he committed suicide after being hazed by his fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa. Braham jumped from the window of a hotel while on spring break in March 2014. What his brothers did not know, prior to making him consume large amounts of alcohol and mouthwash, kill, gut and skin live animals and swallow live fish as part of hazing exercises, was that Braham had suffered severe mental illness and suicidal thoughts for the majority of his life. Had his brothers known this about Braham, would they have hazed him as dangerously as they did? Or at all? This was one of the scenarios that was presented to leaders of Murray State’s G r e e k c o m m u n i t y during a session on hazing prevention training organized Ditty by Evan Ditty, Coordinator of Greek Life and Student Leadership Programs. “This program was made to show us that hazing does happen at university level Greek organizations,” Ditty said. “This is not news to any of us, but with all the bad publicity that Greek life has gotten in the past year and a half and the stuff we are doing, it just doesn’t seem to work on the modern college campus.” Ditty said he thinks it’s important for the people working in Greek life to catch up with the other college systems. He can’t say for sure that hazing is a problem at
Murray State, but based on the national average, he said there is a definite possibility that it happens on this campus as well. “The idea is to empower the students, specifically the leaders, the presidents, the risk management chairs and the new member educators to take that stance and say ‘Enough is enough. We need to stop this. This doesn’t fit with our values as an organization,’” he said. “We want all of our organizations to be living up to their values.” Taylor Chadduck, junior from O’Fallon, Missouri, and new member educator for Sigma Sigma Sigma, said she learned a lot about the different kinds of hazing during the class. “We learned everything that goes into hazing,” she said. “It’s like verbal abuse, mocking and things that others might not even consider to be hazing.” For Chadduck, hazing is something she said she and the other members of her organization have zero tolerance for. “These are our new members and we don’t want them to feel uncomfortable or to feel like they are not a part of the organization because they are new,” she said. Ditty said the university may not see the impact from the classes externally from Greek organizations, but he believes they are something that will evolve internally. “I think it’s all something as simple as fixing up their processes,” he said. “A lot of the times groups sometimes go back to the mean, and that’s not what we want. We want all our organizations to be high-functioning and doing things right. Ideally, we will have more awareness of what hazing is.” Chadduck echoed Ditty and said within her own organization, she is planning
see HAZING, 2A
CORRECTION On Thursday, Feb. 11, The Murray State News printed an error in the article, “Bringing awareness.” The article incorrectly quotes Abigail French, director of the Women’s Center. She should be quoted as saying that “There has not been a significant increase in diagnosed instances of eating disorders ... ” and that friends should not try to be a doctor or counselor. to someone with an eating disorder. On Thursday, Feb. 11, The Murray State News printed an error in the article, “STEM writing workshop combats gender stereotypes.” Constance Alexander was incorrectly quoted and her quote included a grammatical error. Additionally, the cutline incorrectly identified Dr. Heather Passmore as a student. The News regrets the errors.
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