Heck of the North B3
THE STATESMAN UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH
WWW.UMDSTATESMAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013
Many services on hold due to government shutdown BY SHANNON KINLEY kinle005@d.umn.edu
On Oct. 1, many Americans awoke to find that they could no longer get their passport renewed, were on furlough (temporary unpaid leave from their job) and couldn’t visit their favorite national park or zoo. According to media
estimates, an approximate 800,000 federal workers are out of work. This is the first government shutdown in 17 years, and there is no estimation of when the government will be up and running again. Each year, Congress is supposed to come to an agreement on an appropriation bill, which helps fund federal agencies and set priorities
Johns Hopkins professor visits UMD for Fall of the Faculty event for coming to campus to speak on the current issues at UMD due to Scholar and author the implementation of Benjamin Ginsberg trav- Program Prioritization. “The presentation eled to Duluth to join UMD in a two-day con- made me feel conference that focused on cerned,” Israelson said. ways to restore and pre- “I don’t think (Program Prioritization) is going serve higher education. People gathered in in a direction that will the Marshall Perform- be favorable for the stuing Arts Center (MPAC) dents.” Following the presenThursday evening to hear from Ginsberg, as tation, the conference well as Commissioner of continued into Friday Higher Education Larry afternoon with workPogemiller and Rodney shops and discussions Rowe, the secretary- about Ginsberg’s book and how it treasurer relates to of EducaThe presentation UMD. tion Minmade me feel “ T h e nesota, concerned. I don’t i n t e r e s t s the largest think (Program of the stuadvocate for public Prioritization) is going dents are not ideneducat ion to in the state. in a direction that will tical “(UMD) be favorable for the that of the f a c u lt y, is a really students, but there’s good institution, but it’s under enormous overlap,” said Ginsberg in an exclustress,” Pogemiller said. Ginsberg’s book, “Fall sive interview on Sept. of the Faculty: The Rise 27. “The interests of stuof the All-Administrative dents and administrators University and Why it are at odds; it’s just that Matters,” has been used students don’t know it. by many UMD faculty The administrators want members to point out the to charge more for less. flaws within administra- Students want to pay less tive growth and spend- for more.” Ginsberg’s noted that ing at UMD. “Confrontation is dif- even though the univerficult, but if we don’t sity isn’t given enough oppose the steps that the money from the state to administration takes, it begin with, the insuffibecomes a failure,” said cient allocation is being Holly Israelson, sopho- misused. “Administrators are more at UMD. Israelson, along with spending money that companion and peer should be spent on stuDaniel Bernard, a senior dents . . . money that at UMD, attended Gins- comes out of student berg’s lecture. The two tuition, personally thanked him see FACULTY, A3 BY KIM HYATT hyatt045@d.umn.edu
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for spending. The government shutdown is a result of Congress not being able to come to an agreement on the federal budget, the biggest issue being Obamacare. The only federal government services that will be available during this shutdown are those that are deemed essential, which is any service that has to do with national security and
public safety (military, police officers etc.). Frequently asked questions: 1. How does this affect your financial aid? Federal financial aid is one of the few things that will still be available during this shutdown; however, public universities and school districts will suffer due to a large number of educational
employees being put on furlough. 2. What does this mean for national defense? The military will still be up and running because it is deemed an essential service. 3. What happens to Social Security and Medicare? Social Security and Medicare checks will still be mailed; however, peo-
ple should expect delays. 4. What about national parks? All national parks and zoos will be closed to the public during the shutdown. 5. Can passports still be renewed? Passports are deemed an unessential service, therefore passports will not be able to be renewed or obtained.
UMD data mirrors national trends in administrative bloat
BY KIM HYATT hyatt045@d.umn.edu
Numbers aren’t everything, but they matter. At a time when the administration is gathering data to justify drastic changes and the need to cut, some faculty members are fighting back with facts and figures. “We (the UMD Department of History) have not had a single new faculty position since I began at UMD in 2005,” said UMD history professor and University Education Association (UEA) member Scott Laderman. “My department had more faculty fifty years ago when the student population was a fraction of what it is now.” Laderman addressed the crowd at Benjamin Ginsberg’s discussion Thursday, Sept. 26, to identify key aspects within Ginsberg’s book, “Fall of the Faculty: the Rise of the All-Administrative and Why it Matters,” and how they can be applied to UMD. For example, he noted the Office of Financial Aid and Registrar was
On Fri., Sept. 27, author Benjamin Ginsberg held a book signing session. Those who attended the conference were given a free copy of his book. KIM HYATT/STATESMAN
split into two separate entities just last year, creating the need for an additional director and five new positions in the registrar’s office. Associate Vice Chancellor Jackie Millslagle sent an email on May 22, 2012 regarding these administrative additions. “I recognize that this is the largest staff expansion this campus has seen in a while, and there will be questions and hallway conversation about how this happened. I
am assuring you that the need exists . . . ” Millslagle wrote. It was after receiving emails advertising job openings at UMD that Laderman noted an apparent growth within the administration. This sparked an interest in investigating and interpreting the numbers. “Data at the University of Minnesota are frustratingly opaque, and sometimes inconsistent, even contradictory,” Laderman said. “Trying
to make sense of this data is a herculean task.” He reached out to economics professor Jennifer Schultz and together they worked to compile data directly from an annual report on allocation and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the main postsecondary education data collection program for the National Center for Education Statistics. see GINSBERG, A3
UMD White Coat 5K celebrates American Pharmacists Month BY ALOYSIA POWER power270@d.umn.edu
Pharmacy students will celebrate the beginning of October— American Pharmacists Month—with the inaugural White Coat 5K at the Bagley Nature Center on Oct. 6 at 11 a.m. All professional pharmacists and UMD health science students and faculty members are invited to wear their white coats and join the free event, organized by the Minnesota Pharmacy Student Alliance (MPSA), UMD PharmD Fitness, the College Board, and the Graduate and Profes-
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sional Student Assembly (GAPSA). Racers who are already signed up will receive race T-shirts, and the top three finishers will be rewarded with surprise prizes. Race coordinator Kari Nohner said it is more than just a celebration of the month; it is a promotion for healthy lifestyles. “If we’re going to tell our patients about being healthy and the benefits of being healthy, we need to be able to do it ourselves,“ Nohner said. “It doesn’t take that much to be active. Thirty minutes out of your day can
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really make a huge difference on your health.” The race is also a way for health science students and professionals to mingle outside of the classroom and workplace. “These are the people we’re going to be working with the rest of our lives and building those relationships with,” Nohner said. “So, why not get out, get active and do something fun outside of the classroom?” Even though the event is outside of the classroom and workplace, one thing will remain the same: the white coat attire. Those who don’t
own white coats yet or don’t want to wear theirs are still welcome to run. Nohner plans to wear hers on the warm-up lap and isn’t afraid to get it a little dirty. After wearing hers for almost three years now, it has already seen some wear and tear. Plus, next year she and the other fourth-year pharmacy students will receive new ones. For those racing in white coats, Nohner has a tip: “Roll up the sleeves and keep it buttoned so it’s not flying out behind you—that’s what I’ve got so far,” she said.