Post (Athens, Ohio) August 27 2009

              THE POST THE SUMMER EDITION Thursday, August 27, 2009 thcpost.ohiou.edu Our 69th year Tour de Athens Jessica Holbrook | Editor in Chief Amanda Lucci | Copy Chief With construction on the Nelsonville bypass underway, many Southeast Ohioans are anxiously awaiting a faster way to get from Columbus to Athens. Lance Armstrong, however, will be making the trip the fastest way he knows how on his bike. Armstrong, a professional cyclist and seven-time Tour de France champion, will lead the Pelotonia Bike Tour, a 100-mile tour through Franklin, Fairfield, Hocking and Athens counties to raise money for The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer i lospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James). On Saturday, the city of Athens will be an overnight hub for Armstrong and other riders. Lance Armstong will be raising money for cancer and making a stop in Athens this Saturday during the Pelotonia Bike Tour »DAY 1 DEPART OSU Campus | 7:15 a.m. Stop 1 Hamilton Township | 7:30 a.m.-10 a.m. 25 Mile Finish | Groveport Rec Center | 7:45 a.m. -11 a.m. Stop 2 Marcy General Store | 8:30 a.m. -11 a.m. Stop 3 Amanda-Clear Creek High School | 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. 50 Mile Finish Stop 4 Clear Creek Metro Park | 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Stop 5 Lake Logan Dam 110 a.m. - 5 p.m. Stop 6 Hocking College 111 a.m. - 7 p.m. FINISH OU'sTailGreat Park 112 p.m. - 9 p.m. 100 Mile Finish (180 mile ride overnight stay) Source: Post Research Lance Armstrong cycles around Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland, Tuesday, Armstrong's next stop will be Athens, Ohio for the Pelotonia Bike Tour, OU approves tuition hike Caitiin Bowling For The Post Ohio University's Board of Trustees passed a resolution that increases tuition by 3.5 percent beginning Winter Quarter Ohio University's Board of Trustees passed a resolution Friday to increase tuition by 3.5 percent Winter Quarter. The rise in tuition translates to about $lOO more per student each quarter and will increase OU's revenue by about $2.6 million, according to documents from the board's meeting. Tuition and fees for Fall Quarter this year cost $8,907 for an in-state undergraduate student. "The increase will keep a balanced budget this year," said Becky Watts, chief of staff for President Roderick McDavis.The resolution did not address whether or not tuition will increase again during fiscal year 2011, in which state funding will decrease by about $10.6 million. State funding increased this year by about $2.7 million. "We are still mindful of the university's affordability," said C. Robert Kidder, chairman of the Board of Trustees. However, the increase was necessary to reduce the effect of state funding cuts on the university's academic programs, he said. "Nobody feels very good about any tuition increase," Kidder said, adding that the board followed the advice of representatives from various university constituent groups. The Budget Planning Council, a financial advisory committee, recommended OU increase tuition at its meeting last month. The board's decision has left at least a few students with questions. As of Tuesday morning, the president's office had received emails from 20 to 25 students about the increase, Watts said. Most were questions from students about the budget, she said. Along with the tuition increase, the board allocated up to $1.7 million to students negatively affected by changes to the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, a need-based grant. Changes to the grant have resulted in a $1.7 million reduction in OCOG support, according to an email from McDavis. Originally, OCOG awarded students $4OO to $2,500 based on a sliding scale, but with the passage of a new state budget this summer, the state began awarding all qualified students a $l,OOB flat rate. Although all qualified students received a $619 increase in the Pell Grant funding this year, some students have also seen a $77 to $9OO decrease in OCOG funding, said Craig Cornell, vice provost for enrollment management. OU will use some of the additional revenue from the tuition increase to bridge the gap in financial aid. "The increase in Pell Grant funding is not enough to cover the decrease in OCOG," Watts said. By increasing tuition and helping to close the gap in financial aid, OU will face a potential budget shortfall of up to $1,317,000 this year, according to documents from the meeting. Discussions at the meeting, which focused on the financial health of the university, included topics such as Vision Ohio, a five-year academic improvement program. University officials will try to condense the 40-page Vision Ohio document to onepage summary with five to Students deal with grief in unique ways, campus support available Jesse Hathaway For The Post When Erik McCool, a junior studying sports management, found out that his friend from high school had died, he dealt with the resulting feelings in an The stages of grief 1. Numbness/Shock 2. Bargaining 3. Depression 4. Anger 5. Acceptance uncommon way. "When my friend died, my grades and social life weren't affected that much. If it affected anything about me, it made me work harder in classes," McCool said. "I wanted to do better for my friend." Ten Ohio University students have died between August 2008 and August 2009. Although every student experiences the loss of a loved one or significant other in a different way, there are some common reactions to the trauma. These reactions often come in stages, first identified by Doctor Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in 1961. Kubler-Ross theory, also known as the "five stages of grief," is the current psychiatric model of how people deal with bereavement in everyday life. The five stages of grief identified by Kubler- Ross include numbness or shock, bargaining, depression, anger, and finally, acceptance. "The model helped people understand their reactions to death," said OU Counseling and Psychological Services staff psychologist Frank Weiner. "While everyone may experience some of those reactions, they don't necessarily grieve in the same way. It all depends on the individual."People deal with grief in different ways and use different methods of coping to deal with the loss of a loved one. For Lykia Duncan, a freshman studying international business, the grieving process was delayed. She said that she dealt with the death of her cousin by emotionally supporting her family. "1 always thought of my cousin as my older brother, because I didn't have a brother. At his funeral, I never cried," she said. "I had to be the 'tough one' so my family could cry." For other students, the death in their family came at a time when they were young, in these cases, the loss affected them in more indirect ways. Megan Hawranick, a senior studying visual communications, was in third grade when her grandmother died. She said that she did not cry, but saw others in her family affected by the loss. "It was really sad to see my father cry, and it was a really strange feeling to know that I'd never PUTNAM MURDER TRIAL 3rd trial begins for teen Frank Thomas For The Post 17-year-old Abdifatah Abdi's trial begins in association with the New Marshfleld shootout, convicted parties called to testify If prosecutors insist that the two testify, then they should be allowed to change into street clothing, the defense said. Prosecutors responded that they had no way of knowing if the two would testify, adding that Osman and Boler's cooperation would help them when they are eligible for parole in 28 years. The defense also argued during their opening statement that Boler may have committed the crime, but Abdi was not involved, Assistant County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said. If the defense will make that argument, they have an interest in questioning Boler and Osman about their client's involvement, he said. Although Judge Michael Ward allowed prosecutors to call the witnesses, he instructed the jury not to draw any conclusions from their refusal to testify. In addition to calling Osman and Boler to the stand, prosecutors played recordings of 911 calls from the alleged victims of the raid. On one of the calls, the owner's daughter told to the 911 operator that her father recognized one of the assailants as a man named Tez, who has since been identified as Osman. This is third of four murder cases resulting from the fatal Feb. 15 shootout. Prosecutors say Abdi went with Boler, Osman and Hamda Jama, 21, to raid a New Marshfield man's home just past midnight. The assault resulted in a shootout that left Donnie Putnam, formerly of Meigs County, dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. A jury found Boler guilty of robbery and murder in June, and Ward sentenced him to 28 years to life in prison. A second jury found Osman guilty of similar charges two weeks ago, and Ward also sentenced him to 28 years to life in prison. Both have appealed their convictions. Jama will go to trial in late September. Prosecutors have also charged her with aggravated robbery and felony murder. The defense had asked Ward to move the trial to Columbus, saying pretrial media coverage had tainted the jury pool. Ward denied the motion after both sides interviewed potential jurors and found an impartial jury. ft9Bo6oB@ohiou. edu Prosecutors yesterday called two previously convicted co-defendants to testify during the first day of a 17-year-old Columbus man's trial. Prosecutors called Philip Boler, 27, and Mohat Osman, 17, to testify against Abdifatah Abdi, who they say accompanied them to a shootout that killed a Meigs County man in February. Neither Boler nor Osman would answer questions from either side and were allowed to step down. Prosecutors had also called Boler and Abdi to testify in Osman's trial, but they would not answer questions. The defense objected to calling the two during Abdi's trial, saying prosecutors knew the two would refuse to testify and having them present while in prison clothing would prejudice the jury. They added that jurors had admitted to knowing about Boler's and Osman's convictions, and that this testimony would cast unfair doubt on their client. SPORTS » Page 6 SPORTS NOTEBOOK Men's basketball will play 9 non-conference home games CULTURE » Page 4 FILM REVIEW Inglourious Basterds a "mind-blowing fantasy www.thepost.ohiou.edu THEPOSJ ONLINE Read local and breaking news on our Web site TODAY Partly Cloudy H 85° L 60° TOMORROW T-Storms H 85° L 62° See TUITION, Page 4 See CYCLING, Page 4 See GRIEF, Page 4