tl20041209_001 "Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Thursday, 12/09/04 Group addresses commuter issues 5 Blacklisting topic of panel discussion mum Is 5 Local band gears up for area shows Ensemble actors entertain in ]12l Departments Opinion 2 News 5 Paw Prints 8 Police Blotter. 8 Arts 15 Scheer Cinema 16 Classifieds 17 Sports 24 In This Corner. 24 Punt, Pass & Pick 22 State nears decision on tuition USM officials foresee single-digiV increase, await word on size of education funding Brian Stelter The Towerlight Next year's tuition increases may not be as dramatic as previously speculated, officials said this week. """"We haven't made any decisions yet, but we hope to be looking at single-digit increases,"""" University System of Maryland Board of Regents Vice Chairman David Nevins said following a Towson University alumni event Tuesday morning. Members of the board had predicted earlier this fall that tuition could be increased by 10 to 14 percent next year. Last week Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich promised his budget would include a """"bump"""" in funding for higher education. Department of Budget and Management Secretary Chip DePaula said the amount of the bump is """"to be determined,"""" but said the increase """"must be single- digits."""" """"It's very important to the governor that higher education be funded,"""" he said. """"The governor does not want to see [a 10 to 14 percent increase]."""" Ehrlich did not mention higher education funding during his address to Towson students on Tuesday in communications professor Richard Vatz's Persuasion class. When asked about the size of funding increase after his speech, Ehrlich responded: """"We can't say that yet."""" Referring to USM Chancellor Brit Kirwan, Ehrlich said, """"What we asked Brit to do is give us a restructuring plan"""" to make USM more effective. """"We told him that if he did that, we would in turn give him more money for the system. He has done that...Brit has been a terrific partner."""" The Board of Regents had hoped to set tuition for next year at its meeting on Friday. See REGENTS, page 8 Lisa Johnson/The Towerlight Governor Robert L. Ehrlich spoke to professor Richard Vatz's Persuasion class Tuesday afternoon. Ehrlich addressed the recent blacklisting of two Baltimore Sun reporters, as well as the recent presidential election. Ehrlich defends ban during TU visit Jane Valenti The Towerlight During a visit to Towson University Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich commented on the recent media controversy surrounding his relations with the Baltimore Sun and reviewed the events of the 2004 presidential election. In professor Richard Vatz's Persuasion class, Ehrlich explained his decision to ban state employees from speaking to two Baltimore Sun journalists. """"[The Sun] does not have a constitutionally-protected right to commit gross negligence on the front page,"""" Ehrlich told reporters after the class. On Thursday, Nov. 16, the governor's press office ordered government staff not to speak with David Nitkin, the State House Bureau Chief, or columnist Michael Olesker. The Sun filed a lawsuit against Ehrlich in Baltimore's U.S. District Court on Dec. 3. """"[The Sun] does not have a constitutionally-protected right to commit gross negligence on the front page."""" Robert L. Ehrlich governor Before addressing the Sun spat, Ehrlich apologized for putting the class """"in the middle of this,"""" but called it a positive learning experience, as he directed his comments to the television cameras and news reporters in the room. """"There is a world of difference between opinion and incorrect statement of fact,"""" Ehrlich said. """"It is perfectly fine, and a constitutionally protected right, for The Sun to print opinion pieces on the editorial pages. But you should not see opinion pieces on the front page, presented to the readers as fact."""" Ehrlich alludes to an article written by Olesker, printed in November, which indicated that the governor's communications director Paul E. Schurick was """"struggling mightily to keep a straight face"""" when he said pro-tourism ads featuring the governor were not meant for political gain. Olesker did not attend the event. Nitkin wrote an article about several areas of land that were being considered by the Ehrlich administration for sale. The article was printed next to a map that mistakenly identified all 450,000 acres of state-owned preservation land as being up for sale. See CLASS, page 6 Today High 50 Low 41 Friday High 52 Low 58 Saturday High 51 Low 35 Sunday High 50 Low 32 Monday High 48 Low 35"
