The Towerlight, Summer Special 1982

к Vol. 75 No. 29 Towerlight PUBLISHED BY THE STUDENTS OF TOWSON STATE UNIVERSITY TOWSON, MARYLAND 21204 Summer Special Major events atTowson State reviewed Dorms As the semester draws to a close several events, such as the approval and construction of the new dorm complex, the legislation saving Lida Lee Tall and the Student Govern¬ ment Association’s election among others seem well worth noting. After years of planning and Searching for financing, construc¬ tion began in March on new dor- matories for the Towson State cam¬ pus. The four 14-story dorm towers and a two-story dining hall are be- , ing constructed on a 2.12 acre tract of land adjacent to the Glen and the University Union near Cross Cam¬ pus drive. The $36 million project will be financed through the sale of In¬ dustrial Revenue bonds. The land on which the dorms are being built Was owned by Thomas F. Mullan, Jr. and Charles A. Mullan; it was donated to the state and then leased to the developers of the project, Mullan Enterprises. Since state-owned land in not tax¬ ed, the University will make cash payments to Baltimore County in lieu of property taxes. The first pay¬ ment, due in the fall of 1983, will be $42,000. After that payments will increase 6 percent each year until 1994, when they will reach $70,9681 and remain stable for the following) 30 years of the lease agreement. The new dorms will bring another 1,700 resident students on campus. The increase will raise the Universi¬ ty’s resident population from the present 13 percent of the 9,528 full¬ time day students to 30 percent. In order to fill the new dorms, the University is eliminating its present Policy of not allowing students liv¬ ing within a 20-mile radius of the University to live on campus. The two-year limit on dorm residency Will also be dropped. The new dorms are scheduled to open in the fall of 1983. When they do, room and board fees will in¬ crease from $2,060 to a maximum of $3,091. The University and the Towson businesses will benefit from the in¬ creased student population. The University may find that an in¬ creased resident population helps solve some of the problems caused by the University being a largely commuter school, problems such as Poor participation in extra¬ curricular activities and poor atten¬ dance at athletic events. In other news, Van Bokkelen Hall reopened in the fall, after being clos¬ ed for two years for renovations. Van Bokkelen Hall houses the Speech and Mass Communication department and the Communication Sciences and Disorders department. Prior to the $2,079,000 renovation project, Van Bokkelen Hall was in¬ famous for pealing paint, falling plaster and leaking classrooms. The renovations included a new speech ®ud hearing clinic, considered by some to be one of the best on the east coast. However, the renovation of 67-year-old Stephens Hall has been Postponed until at least 1986, because money for the project is not Ubmediately available. Like Van Bokkelen Hall before its renovation , Stephens Hall is noted for peeling Paint, falling plaster and leaking Windows and ceilings. The cost of the proposed renova¬ tion is estimated at between $7 and *8 million. In other budget related news, in So effort to save approximately *300,000 a year, the University decided to turn its housekeeping "ork over to a private contractor, thereby ending University employ¬ ment for 139 housekeeping employees. The private contractor, which will take over housekeeping on July 1, *982, will be required to keep pre¬ sent housekeeping employees for at *®ast six months at their present "'ages. University officials said they in¬ tend to try to find new jobs for the farmer housekeeping workers. The University put a hiring freeze on maintenance, grounds, stock clerk mid guard jobs so housekeeping Employees could apply for those mbs. tiastyear a total of 388 students "'ere academically dismissed after lbe fall semester and 614 students ' "are academically dismissed after tfie spring semester. Academic dismissals are higher in •be spring, because semester freshman are never dismissed. photo by Bob Tarleton Student Government Association The Student Government Association complex is quiet now; however, last year’s SGA was far from quiet. Each spring, elections for SGA executive positions and Senate posi¬ tions are held. This year’s elections were marred by low.voter turn-out, alleged election violations, and the absence of a full slate of Senate can¬ didates. Nevertheless, the election went off as scheduled with Dave Thomas’ “Students for the Students” ticket winning a close race. Though all candidates said that there was a lack of real issues in the campaign, the major tenet of the Thomas platform was to combat the problem of apathy. The officers all agreed that better communication between the SGA and the students, the addition of more cultural events, and improv¬ ing funding for projects that would reach the majority will help combat the problem of apathy. Several weeks after the election the Senate began its budgeting pro¬ cess. This spring, the Senate allocated $164,069 to 23 organiza¬ tions during the hearings that took two weeks to complete. The money allocated comes from the $23.25 in student fees. The money allocated at this year’s hear¬ ing is based on a projection of how many fee paying students the University will have next semester, said Arlene Campeggi, SGA business manager. Before the Senate budget hear¬ ings, members of the Black Student Union voiced their displeasure with past SGA Senates in its budget dealings with the organization. Aaron Copeland, past BSU presi¬ dent, said that in the past the Senate has been unsympathic to the needs of black students and doesn’t fully understand the role and pur¬ pose of the BSU at the University. Senate has been unsympathetic to the needs of black students and doesn t fully understand the role and purpose of the BSU at the University'. Copeland sent Hoke Smith, University president a proposal for economic autonomy for the BSU. The request was denied. Unheralded for its ac¬ complishments by many, the Senate did do a study on campus security. The Study was initiated by the Senate University Affairs commit¬ tee. The committee set up a series of “Night Walks” for students and University officials. After studying lighting and other security detriments on campus the Senate committee made several recommendations to the University. The SGA was also instrumental in restructuring and establishing a University Residence Government. The new government was establish¬ ed in order to replace the now defunct Residence Council. The Residence Council, said former director of communications, Gerry Muccioli, was merely a pro¬ gramming board using informal means to address the needs of student’s problems and questions to the Residence Department. The formation of the Residence Government is an effort to give residents a representative voice in the areas of policy development, im¬ plementation of policy and the maintainence of facilities, Muccioli Legislation When the General Assembly rais¬ ed the drinking age, campus organizations wondered about their revenue sources and the administra¬ tion pondered its policies and possi¬ ble changes. However, former SGA president Keith Hark said, “It (the sale of alcohol) is the icing on the cake, not the cake itself.” The alcohol concerns committee submitted a list of recommenda¬ tions to Dorothy Siegel, vice presi¬ dent of student services. Among the recommendations were: * The separation of alcohol from areas where dances and events oc¬ cur * Because of the extreme difficul¬ ty in regulating and controlling those drinking in open areas, there should be a phase out of Glen parties which serve alcoholic beverages. In another piece of legislation that made students and staff hap¬ pier than the raised drinking age, the General Assembly passed two companion bills that created a learn¬ ing resource center on the Towson State campus, thereby insuring the existence of Lida Lee Tall. Governor Harry Hughes also transferred $129,000 from the University’s budget to the Mary¬ land State Department of Educa¬ tion to provide funding for Lida Lee Tall. Financial Aid College students and their parents witnessed a rash of reduc¬ tions and revisions to federal finan¬ cial aid and low-interest loan pro¬ grams in the past school year. The federal government’s alloca¬ tion for the five major aid programs and seven other aid sources to academic year is eight percent less than the amount received for the 1981-82 year. The belt-tightening on the stu¬ dent aid supply began Oct. 1 after President Ronald Reagan signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. The most heavily used source of aid — Guaranteed Student Loans — was hit with a battery of regulations and stipulations, but faired well in the long run. The loans are offered by over 100 banks and lending institutions in Maryland, at a nine percent interest rate. Students can defer repayment of the loans until after graduation from college. For the first time in several years, a $30,000 income ceiling was impos¬ ed on the program, and students from families earning more than that amount must take a “needs analysis” test to qualify for the aid. The origination fee, which is used by banks to process the loans, was also raised from 1 to 6 percent. The University received $3.9 million to back the loans for the coming school year. Pell Grants, outright gifts to students who can demonstrate a need for financial aid, were also threatened by stiff reductions from Washington, but the University’s tentative allocation for the coming school year is $1.5 million — 17 per¬ cent less than last year’s federal contribution. Yearly Pell Grants range from $146 to $1,670. National Direct Student Loans, five percent federal loans to low- income students, were house clean¬ ed a bit. Since the 1960s, when colleges in Maryland began offering NDSLs, the number of students who have failed to repay the loans has forced some schools into high default rates, and consequently, penalties for lax collection procedures. As a result of the University’s 20 percent default rate for the loans, the federal contribution to the University for the 1982-83 school year could be reduced from last year’s $168,378 to $19,000. Supplemental Education Oppor¬ tunity Grants, another federally- backed aid program, was trimmed slightly for the coming school year. The University received $193,339 — down from $264,206 — for the 1982-83 year. College work-study programs could receive a small shot in the arm next year if the University’s tenative allocation of $115,622 becomes a reality. Perhaps the best advice to students would be that they study the aid programs like they study a chemistry text — carefully. Many financial aid administrators are themselves confused about how much money is available for students. Policy changes Students living outside a 20-mile radius of Towson State will no longer be given housing priority when the school’s new dormitories are completed. This action follows a decision by the Board of Trustees of State Col¬ leges and Universities to allow each school to set its own housing policy. The State Board for Higher Education approved SBHE com¬ missioner Sheldon Knorr’s plan to decentralize state college governing boards. Towson State, Frostburg, Bowie and the University of Baltimore would be given separate governing boards under the plan, which now must be passed by the Maryland Legislature. The new plan will allow the schools to lobby more independent¬ ly and efficiently for funds, said a spokesman at the State Board for Higher Education. The four schools are currently governed along with Salisbury State and Choppin under the Board of Trustees or the State Univer¬ sities and Colleges. photo by Edvins Lagzdins Campus Crime Towson State also had its share of crime — some petty and some not. A former Towson State business administration professor was sentenced in September to 20 years for assaulting a Hechinger’s store assistant manager. James Riffin, who was originally charged with assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, possession of a quantity of drugs and a handgun violation, was convicted of assault and a handgun violation. Riffin assaulted Christi Nicholis Gean koplis, the assistant manager, after Geankoplis had testified against Riffin on a shoplifting charge. Riffin went to the Hechinger’s parking lot in the 8600 block of Pulaski Highway, and forced Geankoplis into the front seat of Riffin’s car at gunpoint. The trunk of the car had been con¬ verted into a makeshift gas chamber, said state’s attorney Tom Basham. The inside was lined with black plastic and a propane cylinder at¬ tached by two timers set up to release hydrogen cyanide gas, Basham said. After a rash of stolen mopeds and bicycles had been reported since the semester began, University police established new parking regulations for mopeds and bikes. Gene Dawson, director of univer¬ sity police, said chaining the bike or moped in an out of the way place, such as against a tree or lamppost, presented problems in preventing bike theft. The new regulations said all bicycles and mopeds should be registered with the university police, as well as chained only to bike racks. After working with dorm residents and the C&P Telephone Company for four months, Universi¬ ty police arrested an Owings Mills man in connection with a rash of obscene phone calls made to Univer¬ sity dprms. Ernest Bernard Holdclaw was ar¬ rested April 6 and charged with six counts of telephone misuse. It was alleged that Holdclaw made over 50 calls to the University dorms during that period. The sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy who was visiting the University to play video games in the recrea¬ tion room has led to an access rule forbidding anyone under 17 to enter the University Union or the recrea¬ tion room unless accompanied by an adult. The changes were made one week after a white male, age 25 to 30, ap¬ proached a boy asking for help with a package. After luring the boy to the third floor bathroom, campus police said the man then switched out the lights, grabbed the boy and made him perform unnatural sex acts with a threat of physical harm if the boy didn’t cooperate. A building manager alerted by the boys’ friend of his absence found the boy shaken but unharmed. Revocation One of the two campus-based fraternities at Towson State had their operating charter revoked April 1 for several violations of the University’s anti-hazing policy. Alpha Omega Lambda, the oldest local fraternity on campus, was known for its visible pledging ac¬ tivities during the five-week pledge period in March, and during “Hell Week,” which takes place during the fifth week of the induction rituals. The revocation of the group’s charter stemmed from reports of two incidents in the Newell dining hall in March, where several pledges were forced to eat food that had been doused with Tabasco sauce and ice cream that was covered with salt and pepper. Dean Siegel, vice president for student services, suspended the fraternity for hazing violations March 26. Following the suspen¬ sion, the group continued to assem¬ ble on campus, administrators said, and their pledging rituals con¬ tinued. One of the eight fraternity pledges was killed March 30, and two others were injured, in an early morning car accident on Interstate 83 just north of Seminary Avenue. The students were out acquiring signatures from fraternity alumni before the crash, as part of their pledging activities. The fraternity’s pledging prac¬ tices this year forced University ad¬ ministrators to revise the school’s anti-hazing policies for fraternities, said Dean Knox, associate dean of students. Knox developed a five-page anti¬ hazing plan in April, which he says is more enforceable and spells out exactly what hazing is. photo by Colleen Kadan