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Hit the dance floor
So You Think Tech Can Dance showcased manytalented dancers15
8% state budget cuts will hit the USG
Board ofRegents mandates higher budget cuts to Georgia Universities THE FACTS
By Emily Chambers Editor-in-Chief
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Governor Sonny Perdue announced Wednesday morning that state revenue collection for the month of Oct. was down. Last month saw revenue of $1,140,090,000, a decrease of $240,770,000 or 17.8% from last year’s Oct. revenue of $1,386,160,000. Revenue between fiscal year 09 and fiscal year 10 is down a total of 15.1%. This continued decrease in state revenue will cause a move to 8% budget cuts for the University System of Georgia. Contingency plans were made for 4%, 6% and 8% budget cuts earlier in the Fall semester. Budget cuts of 8% will not result in more furlough days for staff and faculty members
for this spring, but might increase the mandatory “academic excellence fee�. “The proposed 8% reduction in the state-funded portion of Georgia Tech’s budget would translate to a total of $18.8 million in cuts to our budget. Based on the results of the Board of Regents meeting next week, we will continue to evaluate budget reduction decisions.� said Institute President G.P. “Bud� Peterson. The State Board of Regents will be meeting Nov. 17 and 18 to vote on budgetary measures, including a potential $100-$150 increase to the mandatory fee. The mandatory academic excellence fee will not be covered by Hope or any needs-based scholarships, and any increases will be effective for the Spring 2010 semester.
Crime hits area business, bank
1IPUPT CZ ,FMWJO ,VP Student Publications
Two armed robberies occurred near campus last week at the Wachovia on State St. and Arby’s on Spring St. off-campus. By Vivian Fan News Editor
Two separate armed robberies occurred over the last week off-campus. Both of the crimes occurred within the expanded patrol zone of 500 feet past campus covered by the GTPD. The two instances mark the eighth and ninth armed robberies since May in and around Tech’s campus, and serve as another reminder of the increasing crime in the Atlanta area over the past few months. The first of the crimes was an armed bank robbery on Friday, Nov. 6. Unlike the majority of the armed robberies which happened in the Home Park neighborhood which happened between 11 p.m.
and 3 a.m., the robbery at the Wachovia happened at 11:15 a.m. The suspect, described as a five-foot-five to five-foot-nine black male in a plaid shirt, entered the Wachovia Bank near Techwood Parkway and State Street and proceeded to rob the bank. The GTPD believe that the suspect may have been carrying a handgun during the robbery. The suspect then reportedly drove off in a 2004 silver Nissan Maxima, heading northbound on Techwood Parkway. The car is also believed to have been one stolen earlier from South Atlanta. Less than a week later, a second armed robbery occurred at the Arby’s on Spring Street and Fourth Street. Three black males who ranged from
five-foot-ten to six-foot-two in height were wearing dark clothing and dew rags over their faces when they entered the restaurant at 10:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The men each displayed handguns to the employees and proceeded to take all the contents of the cash registers. Afterwards, they fled from the scene towards Williams Street. Although no one was injured in the incident, the suspects were still at large as of Wednesday night. With the increase in crime activity, the GTPD and Atlanta Police Department (APD) recommend that students be extra alert and take extra precautions when See Crime, page 6
State furlough days announced By Coby Lu Contributing Writer
Tech administrators have announced that four of the six furlough days required to be taken by the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents (BoR) are to be taken from Dec. 21 till Dec. 24. The remaining two furlough days will be taken before May 10, 2010 and will be scheduled by agreement between individual employees and their school chair or supervisor. These days will not be designated by the Institute as specific dates in order to provide flexibility. Earlier this year, the BoR mandated that all USG employees take a minimum of six days of furlough during fiscal year 2010 due to the $900 million downturn in state revenue. The furloughs are a last resort to help bridge the gap in smaller budgets. The BoR recommended and mandated these measures following the economic downturn and the necessity for budget cuts within the USG. The primary objective in scheduling the furlough days was to minimize disruption of normal activities of the Institute. In particular, the furlough days should not result in the cancellation of scheduled classes or other instruction-related activities. A set committee analyzed the calendar to determine potential dates for the furloughs, and then made recommendations for President Peterson and his administration. President Peterson confirmed them noted above as the official furlough days to be taken by faculty and staff. “Dec. 21-24 is when we work, but it doesn’t affect students. Students will be away having a holiday so it was done to minimize the effects on the education of students. If you think about it if a faculty is teaching five days a week, when is he or she going to take a furlough day without cancelling a class? So we just didn’t want that to happen so we took the four days right before Christmas,� said Dr. Anderson D. Smith, senior Vice Provost of Academic Affairs. This time period was chosen because it is during the winter break, and consequently, there will be no classes taking place. Students therefore would not be directly affected. “Things are kind of slow here and there aren’t a lot of events on campus,� said Institute President G.P. “Bud� Peterson. While it is expected that faculty and staff will be furloughed during this time frame, there will be some exceptions. Employees can, with a business-related exception, request to take the four furlough days at another time. “There may be reasons why those days don’t work for some people. For our development staff, that’s right before the end of the year and people do tax and give gifts related to tax benefits right before the end of the year so it is a very busy time for the development staff. So for special situations a supervisor can have their employees take different days. However, the vast majority of people at Georgia Tech will take those days,� Peterson said. In the spring, the Tech administration will allow much more flexibility for employees as far as selecting the affected days. There are no preferred dates. The decision will be left up to the employees and their supervisors See Furlough, page 4