VOL. 104, NO. 2 | Single Issue Free
Lifestyles The Second City comedians to visit Fayetteville page 7B Sports Hogs look to shore up offensive line page 1B
University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. WEATHER
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Page 1A |WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2009
Managing Editor
Bicyclists on campus will soon be required to display a UA parking permit on their bikes, but because of student input last semester, these permits will be free of charge – for now. “You are going to be required to have a permit, but because of an overwhelming amount of students who didn’t want to pay for it … for right now there won’t be a charge,” said Andy Gilbride, program adviser for the Transit and Parking Department. The department has yet to receive the new permits, so students won’t see any changes in bicycle parking yet. But once TPD officials have the permits, they’ll begin tagging all bicycles on campus to notify their owners that they need to visit the parking office to register their bikes, Gilbride said. The purpose of the impending policy is to track bikes on campus and ensure they’re parked in the right areas, he said. “We want to figure out where the bicycles are and how many there are so we can get more parking, keep them from parking in the wrong spot and keep them from tearing up the landscape,” Gilbride said. The policy will specify that “bicycles parked in a manner that obstructs handicap access, blocks pedestrian paths or otherwise creates a safety hazard or are secured to trees and landscaping, sign posts, parking meter posts or painted light poles will be immobilized or impounded.” According to the policy, abandoned bicycles – meaning bikes that are habitually left unsecured, or bikes missing major components like handlebars or pedals – will be impounded for 60 days before disposal.
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Faculty bears brunt of tight finances What comes at no cost to students still comes at a price – just ask administrators and faculty members who this year accepted flat salaries to compensate for flat tuition rates. “With essentially no new funds, we had no new money to raise the salaries of the faculty,” said Don Pederson, vice chancellor for finance and administration. “That’s not desirable because our faculty are generally underpaid compared to peer institutions. If we don’t pay faculty competitive salaries, we might lose them to other institutions.” Pederson has been working overtime to find ways to offset the difference in revenue created by the stagnant cost of tuition, said associate vice chancellor Tysen Kendig – but, because of the nature of state appropriations this year, he still couldn’t salvage salary increases for administrators and faculty. The state government originally cut the university’s budget, but Governor Beebe was able to restore some of that projected cut with one-time money. That qualification – “one-time money” – was precisely what limited Pederson’s planning. “Even though the state appropriated more money, less money was available in a way that we could budget for the future,” Pederson explains. With the one-time money from the state, the university could have hired new faculty or raised current faculty salaries – only to have to fire or decrease salaries of those faculty next year, supposing the state could not provide the same amount of money. “That’s not something we want to do,” Pederson said. “When you hire someone from the general budget, you assume you’re hiring someone who’s going to be here for a while, and, when you make
LARRY ASH Staff Photographer
Matthew Sweetser, a junior social work major, rides his bike in front of the Arkansas Union Monday. Beginning
Lana Hazel
Assistant News Editor
Assistant Managing Editor
BAILEY MCBRIDE News Editor
Junior Erica Whitworth and sophomore Katie Rowan get water during lunch in Brough Commons Tuesday. Brough was recently remodeled for $925,000, Chartwells officials said.
the morning. This keeps the food fresher and ultimately better, Huff said. “Most students don’t necessarily know it, but we have six chefs on campus, one at each dining location, and people who really care about the food they are putting out,” Chartwells marketing director Kim Johnson said. “We want to know what students are thinking, particularly if
they like something and want to see more of it. If there is something that is not quite right, we hope they will ask for a manager like they would in a restaurant.” That kind of increased interaction is an important aspect of the new Brough, Johnson said. See
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UA continues push for sustainability Jaclyn Johnson
“The food tastes the same, but it looks a lot fancier, so I’m more excited to come here,” she said. Brough chefs also plan to expand the number of menu options and replace mass food production with what Huff called “batch cooking.” This means only small amounts of food will be prepared at a time throughout the day instead of everything being cooked in
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Brough Commons receives facelift The renovation of Brough Commons, which incorporated both aesthetic and functional changes, lasted nearly four months and cost $925,000 – but it will ultimately enhance food quality, Chartwells officials said. “When the students come in they will be wowed by the changes, but we really want to wow them with the food,” said Lisa Huff, director of Brough Commons. Much of the project money went to the curvilinear design, better lighting, decorative red tiles, an area for lounge furniture, a bakery display case, a $6,000 wok and a second grill to be dedicated solely to cooked-to-order breakfasts. The improvements enable chefs to prepare food directly in front of students – a shift that emulates upscale retail restaurants. “In a fancy restaurant, such as an open kitchen, you might see the food being made in front of you, and we are using the same concept,” Huff said. Sophomore Sarah Kaminksi said the new look makes Brough a more enticing place to eat.
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Tina Korbe
Last semester, TPD officials considered a policy that would charge students $15 to register their bikes and receive a permit to park them on campus. Many students spoke out against the policy, and more than 1,000 people joined the Facebook group, “U of A Students Against Bicycle Parking Fees On Campus.” The creator of that group, UA student Jon Bame, said that though he’s pleased the TPD decided not to charge bicycle owners, he still has some concerns – namely, that Fayetteville residents who bike to campus for public events will have their parked bicycles confiscated for not being registered. “I think that this service has a good intent, but I do think there are still some kinks to work out, and I hope that this policy does not cause any nonstudent visitors to have their bicycles impounded. That’s the most important part to me,” he said. Though Bame’s not in favor of a fee, he said he’d be open to working with university officials if the TPD decided to charge for bicycle permits in the future. “I would say that if the university decided to honestly and seriously consult with and work with student bicycle commuters for a fee on this, there would have to be an open dialogue,” he said. Bame said he thinks there’s a shortage of bike racks on campus, and that’s why students have locked up their bikes in other areas. He also noted that members of his Facebook group have had good ideas for installing more costeffective bike racks on campus. “As long as I’m going to be on this campus, I’ll be ridSee
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Warm with a 10% chance of precipitation.
Bicycle registration, permits to be mandatory – but free – this semester KImber Wenzelburger
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With the rise of global warming and an emphasis on conservation, “sustainability” has become a popular buzzword around campus. In response to the national trend of going green, the UA has more than 42 research projects, 14 centers and academic programs, and seven institutional policies that address the issue of sustainability, according to the Sustainability at the University of Arkansas 2009 report. But what does sustainability really mean for the UA and its community? Three main components are necessary when a program or project of sustainability is put forward, said Nick Brown, executive assistant of sustainability. Social, economic and environmental concerns need to be addressed for a successful project, he said. How the UA thinks of sustainability on campus is based on the ideas of the Bruntland Commission, he said. This means that sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compro-
mising the ability of future generations to also meet their needs, he said. The Sustainability Council was established in spring of last year by the UA Executive Committee. The council is meant to direct university programs and projects so that they comply with the American University and College Presidents’ Climate Commitment, as well as find solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of the UA, according to the report. Most important for the campus is its greenhouse gas footprint and trying to avoid fossil fuel energy or conserve it more wisely, Brown said. Several students have noticed some of the green changes around campus, many of which have occurred in the past few years. Catherine Breland, a senior psychology major, noted the inconvenience of no longer having lunch trays in campus dining halls, but said that sometimes going green is simply a trade off. “I do notice that they have a lot of recycling stuff around, and they’re convenient,” said Billy Quinn, a See
GREEN on Page 6A