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Thursday January 20, 2011
Volume 92, No. 63 www.theshorthorn.com
Island Paradise
Since 1919
The best of the best Pulse is back with a list of the top media including film, music and gaming in 2010. PULSE | SECTION B
Both men’s and women’s basketball teams blow past Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. SPORTS | PAGE 4 TEXAS LEGISLATURE
Axe could fall on Texas Grant Budget draft in Texas Legislature proposes cutting funding to state grant. BY J.C. DERRICK The Shorthorn senior staff
The future just got cloudy for students relying on the Texas Grant to fund their education.
Under a budget draft submitted by the Texas House Appropriations Committee this week, The Austin-American Statesman reports the Texas Grant would be slashed about 41 percent as part of sweeping cuts which could impact state agencies for the 2012-2013 biennium. Karen Krause, financial aid and
scholarships executive director, said the cut’s impact would be significant at UTA, where 820 new freshmen received Texas Grant funds this year. “For our new students, it would be fairly significant,” she said. “That would mean, for next year, that many new students wouldn’t be eligible for Texas Grants. We’ll
have to make up those funds from an existing program, or that freshman class would basically be out of luck. It’s pretty drastic.” The proposed cut would reverse a trend that has seen Texas increase its student financial aid investment from $91 million to $477 million between fiscal year (FY) 2000 and FY 2010, according to
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Federal programs, including loans and Pell Grants, will be unaffected, but Krause said the reduction could still leave some students scrambling for funds. “The problem is that the federal BUDGET continues on page 5
STUDENT SERVICES
Water-bottle fillers aid in reducing waste The Sustainability Office plans to place more fillers if student response is positive.
ONLINE Will you use the bottle filler stations? Tell us why or why not by commenting at theshorthorn.com
BY JOEL COOLEY The Shorthorn staff
The Sustainability Office has placed bottle-filler stations on campus with hopes of cutting down on bottled water costs. Over the winter break, the office placed two bottle-filler stations in high traffic areas so students can conveniently access them. The fountains feature a “GreenTicketer,” a digital counter that records how many 16-ounce bottles of water are filled. Each station can filter up to 3,000 gallons of water. The fillers have been placed in
the University Center and Maverick Activities Center. A third is being placed on the MAC’s second floor weight room. “If students continue to give us positive feedback, we plan on adding around 12 more filler stations in buildings across campus if we get proper funding,” said Jeff Johnson, maintenance operations and special projects director. “Our long term goals are to place filler stations in University Hall, the Life Science WATER continues on page 3
CRIME/SAFETY
Citizen academy launches in March The police classes will include a mock crime scene, ridealongs and demonstrations. BY SARAH LUTZ The Shorthorn staff
The Shorthorn: Aisha Butt
BACK-TO-SCHOOL STROLL Civil engineering sophomore Bradley Thomas strolls with other Phi Beta Sigma fraternity members Wednesday afternoon on the University Center mall. The Delta Alpha Omega fraternity hosted its annual Grill and Chill fundraiser, during which they sold hotdogs, hamburgers, chips and sodas.
Students can apply for a new class through the UTA Police designed to educate citizens on things like crime prevention and an officer’s everyday operations. The classes begin March 7 and has sessions Monday nights for eight weeks. The classes will run about three hours and include lectures, ride-alongs, hands-on demonstrations and a mock crime
FACILITIES
ARLINGTON
New building’s gear enables faster research
Hike and Bike put on hiatus
Nine science faculty members moved into the new Engineering Research Building. BY ASHLEY BRADLEY The Shorthorn staff
Engineering students, faculty and staff aren’t the only ones with a new home in the new Engineering Research Building — nine faculty members from the College of Science also moved their research projects and offices to the building, along with their graduate students. Science dean Pamela Jansma said the decisions on who moved to the
building were based on research criteria, collaborations or potential collaborations with engineering researchers and external funding. One of the nine faculty members to move was biology assistant professor Jeff Demuth. He said besides having a new area to work, he also finds himself inspired by the large amount of light coming from the windows. “This is a state-of-the-art facility,” he said. “There’s nothing like getting new furniture and equipment to work with.” For Demuth’s research project seSCIENCE continues on page 3
scene, assistant chief Rick Gomez said. “There’s going to be, hopefully, some hands-on training that will involve shoot/don’t-shoot scenarios,” he said. “It’s only through experiencing something like that, that people come to realize what officers have to deal with on a day-to-day basis and how they go about making split second decisions.” Classes or workshops like this are often offered in different communities and can facilitate more conversation between the police CITIZEN continues on page 5
Arlington citizen Jodie Ryan, with her guide dog Cinder, displays her full support for potential biking lanes to the city council Wednesday evening at the City Hall. Ryan rode her bike to her workplace in previous years until being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
After a Wednesday meeting, Planning and Zoning Commission delay decision until Feb. 2. BY ALI AMIR MUSTANSIR The Shorthorn senior staff
The Arlington Planning and Zoning Commission delayed their decision on an Arlington Hike and Bike trail until Feb. 2. The delay came after a public hearing on the Hike and Bike Master Plan and Thoroughfare Development Plan, a plan to create more bike lanes and sidewalks throughout the city, Wednesday. If the committee passes the proposal after furBIKE continues on page 6
ONLINE View the plans for the trails, including maps, at theshorthorn. com. The Shorthorn: Allyson Kaler