Post (Athens, Ohio) July 19 2007

              talkingf rankly Frank Solich discusses upcoming season PAGE 6 the Mimmer post ATHENS, OHIO THURSDAY 07.19.07 WWW.THEPOST.OHIOU.EDU Committee examines semestersurvey data Chris Kardish | FOR THE POST ck23o3os@ohiou.edu With an approaching end-of-summer deadline, the Academic Calendar and System Committee is finishing its final report that will include a recommendation to either maintain the status quo or to make a change to the semester system. The committee has the daunting task of pleasing the divergent groups of students, faculty, and staff that are divided within themselves over the possibility of Ohio University moving to a semester system. At least one top university official, however, has indicated her support. There are many benefits to moving to a semester system, which include greater internship opportunities for students and an easing of the transfer process, said Kathy Krendl, executive vice president and provost. The Committee posted online surveys in May to find out how receptive students, faculty and staff are to making a comprehensive change, said Phyllis Bernt, a committee chairwoman and ITS professor. "In general, the students—and there is a difference between the undergraduate and graduates—who responded seemed to want to stay on quarters," Bernt said. "The faculty is split." One reason for the polarized staff could be a generational rift, said Joe McLaughlin, a committee member and chair of the English department. "Faculty who have been here for twenty years and don't stand to gain the same longterm benefits are generally opposed to doing it," McLaughlin said. "Faculty who have not been here long and plan on making a career here are generally in favor of the change." About 68 percent of the 1,707 students who responded favored the quarter system while a narrow majority of faculty members preferred semesters. A plurality of staff endorsed semesters. All three groups supported finishing the academic year earlier. A major concern the committee addressed is the transitional difficulty any institution encounters with a change of this magnitude, said Bernt. "One of the things that happens to most institutions is they have a short term dip in enrollment because there are people who tiy to get out," Bernt said. Aside from financial constraints that the university would face in transition, the main cost—which is difficult to quantify—is the amount of time the faculty will have to spend in department meetings revising curriculum, McGlaughlin said. To gain perspective on the growing pains inherent in any system overhaul, the university consulted with other schools that have made the change to semesters within the last decade, such as Youngstown State University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Georgia. In some cases, outside influences dictated the change to the semester system. APD finds man who fled accident Christa Gould | FOR THE POST cg32ooo4@ohiou.edu Athens police have found the passenger of an SUV that apparently hit an Ohio University student, who died in the accident. The passenger apparently fled the scene of the accident on June 30, according to police. Police have identified the passenger as William R. Preece. Circleville police arrested Preece, 29, on July 2, on a felony warrant from Franklin County, Circleville police said. Lt. John Withers of the Athens Police Department said the warrant was for a robbery. Circleville police reported that Preece was an Athens resident. "We spoke with [Preece] as a witness to the accident," Withers said. No further information was released about their discussion. Police have also received the results of blood tests for the SUV's driver, 26-yearold April Hankinson of Athens, Withers said. They declined to release the results. According to a search warrant for Hankinson's vehicle, she reported to police that she had consumed beer and Hypnotiq, a French liqueur, before running a red light on June 30 at Richland Avenue and State Route 682. An eastbound car on State Route 682 hit Hankinson's Ford Explorer traveling northbound on Richland Avenue, police said. Hankinson's SUV then skidded on to the sidewalk of the Richland Avenue Bridge and apparently hit Abhishek Singh, a 22-yearold physics graduate student from India, who had been walking. He was knocked over the bridge's guardrail and into the Hocking River, police said. They found his body in the river the following day. Rob Driscoll, Athens County assistant prosecutor, said a grand jury is scheduled for July 23. He said he could not comment on whether he will present a case to the jury. the years flew by. happy 50th, Caroline Melia | FOR THE POST cm246oos@ohiou.edu One common summer pastime and one of the world's fastest growing sports would not be possible without the Frisbee, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. In the 19205, students at Yale began throwing around empty pie tins from the Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, according to the World Flying Disc Federation. In 1948, Walter "Fred" Morrison of Los Angeles and collaborator Warren Franscioni invented a more accurate version of the disc, made of plastic. After the Rob Hardin | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Ohio University sophomore Bryan McGaughey stretches out to grab a Frisbee while playing catch on the soccer fields near South Green on Monday, July 16. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the flying disc. Attorney General: shine sun on loans Emily Grannis | FOR THE POST eg3492o6@ohiou.edu Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann joined attorneys general from 31 other states and the District of Columbia in urging the Senate to pass the Student Loan Sunshine Act. The act calls for more transparency in the lending process as well as an end to the trend of private loan officers working closely with, or directly for, universities. New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who started the recent trend of investigations into the student loan industiy, wrote the letter, which was sent to four senators. Dann's office has not yet released the results of its investigations into Ohio schools' relationships with lenders, and therefore would not comment on which elements of the act were most applicable to the state's schools. However, Leo Jennings, Dann's communications director, said the attorney general signed Cuomo's letter out of concern for the general situation. "We are deeply troubled by (where the loan industry is) in the state of Ohio and nationally," he said. Mary Lou Nixon, a student support services adviser at Cleveland Scholarship Programs, Inc., works with students trying to navigate loan and scholarship opportunities. She said that before the problems were exposed, loan officers approached her to recommend their companies. Since Cuomo and Dann began their investigations, however, colleges and lenders have quieted down, she said. "What I find interesting is that I don't know (...) specifically what impact this has had at the colleges because it's very quiet," Nixon said. "The colleges are laying low. The fact that they've listed anything (in preferred-lender lists) makes them very nervous." At Ohio University, however, officials say they are not particularly worried about their preferred-lender list. "I think we're pretty solid," said George Mauzy, a university spokesman. The Student Loan Sunshine Act does mention preferred-lender lists and requires proof that the chosen lenders are actually in the students' best interests. Dann is investigating alumni associations' relationships with preferred lenders at universities in Ohio, including OU's relationship with Nelnet. The university's Alumni Association promotes the National Education Loan Network to its members. Mauzy said he has not heard updates about the investigation. Financial Aid Director Soni Williams said her office has not heard back from Dann's office, but she added that she is optimistic. "Maybe no news is good news," she said. During his investigation in New York, Cuomo also discovered that lenders were giving students different rates based on where they went to school. The companies often justify the practice by asserting that students from certain schools are more likely to be able to pay off their loans than graduates from other schools. LOOK! Copperheads roll to victories INSIDE tonal missed the mark with grad budget PAGE 2 Dean of Students resigns, takes job at Northern lowa PAGE 4 see FRISBEE, page 4 see SEMESTERS, page 4 see LOANS, page 4 see ABHISHEK, page 4