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Bat Cats shut out by Sycamores 9-0 |

 

 

 

 

 

 

New state budget means
tuition hike, program cuts

Better than expected: After bracing for deeper cut,
UK still scrambles for ways to make up for shortfall

_By Tracy Kershaw

EDITOR IN CHIEF

UK fared better than ex-
pected under the new state
budget. but the resulting cut
in state funding will still
force UK to raise tuition.
continue its hiring freeze
and make painful cuts to
programs. administrators

said.

“While it could have
been worse. there is not
much to celebrate when you
look at that magnitude of re—
duction.“ said Mike Nietzel.
academic provost.

UK, along with other
Kentucky public colleges
will endure a 2.6 percent cut
in state funding according to

a budget state lawmakers
passed late Monday night.

The cut means UK must
pay the state $8.6 million be-
fore July 1. Though UK will
receive $3.1 million from the
state next fiscal year. the
school will face a net loss of
$5.5 million.

Lawmakers allotted $120
million for the Bucks for
Brains research program
and gave UK permission to
sell $46 million in bonds to
build on-campus housing.

During the budget
process. universities feared
they would take as much as
a 9 percent cut. Dealing with
the 2.6 percent cut will still
be difficult. said Jack Blan-
ton. senior vice president for
administration.

“We‘ll never achieve Top
20 with those types of cuts."
Blanton said.

To continue progress a
and possibly give faculty and

See BUDGET on 3

 

FORMER PLAYMATE SHARES HER STORY.

MEREDITH KINKEAD I KERNEL STAFF

Former Playboy Playmate Rebeklra Armstrong gestures to the crowd as she talks about her experiences as a person with HIV. Arm-
strong, 36. thinks she acquired the virus when she was 16 years old. She now tours the country speaking to college students.

 

Man accused of UK thefts arrested

Incarcerated: Police also say man's house contained
laboratory for making drugs; he says he is innocent

By Emily Hagedorn
7557mm NEWS EDITOR

The man who is sus-
pected of stealing chemicals
from UK to foster his
methamphetamine and ec-
stasy lab was arrested Mon-
day by the Fayette County
Sheriff‘s of-
fice.

Michael
W a r r e n
Clark. 42. of
Frankfort.
turned him-
self into a
s h e r i f f ‘ s
d e p u t y.
Clark earli-
er denied
that he ran a drug lab or
stole from UK.

“There is no meth lab
here." he said last Thursday.
“I know lam innocent."

Clark is being charged
with two counts of third-de-
gree burglary and one count

Clark

C. lfi‘m we __

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of possession of burglary
tools. according to the
Fayette County Detention
Center.

He is being charged for
a March 5 burglary. in
which UK chemistry profes-
sor Arthur Cammers said
he confronted a man who
appeared to be stealing
from his lab in the Chem~
istry and Physics building.

The man was found
searching in Cammers' re»
frigerator. Through a heat-
ed discussion. Cammers
said he learned the man‘s
name. Mike Clark. and was
told the man worked in the
building.

After the man left.
Cammers found a duffel bag
left in the lab containing
(‘ammers' chemicals. note-
books. burglary tools. a UK
student directory. a flask.
personal items. chemistry
catalogs and instructions
for making ecstasy

" "‘

 

 

Jourt Imam | unuttswr

Kentucky State Police say this house may contain the largest
methamphetamine and ecstasy lab ever discovered In the state.

Clark is also being
charged with a March 4.
2002 burglary in Chem»
Phys. Chemicals and a vacu-
um pump were stolen total-
ing $1578.30 in losses.

Clark said he attended
UK for one year. but is not a
current student. He studies
in the Chem-Phys library

0

about rare Asian maple
trees. which he raises in his
home. he said.

Last Wednesday. the
Kentucky State Police and
UK Police raided (‘lark's
house on indian Gap Road
in Frankfort. They found

See METH on 3

Get wild.qetwet- butdon'tqet hurtl KEG

l Nietzel, students

l

l debate proposal
for new drop fee

1
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|
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scon usmusn | mmsmr

Marie DeAeth voices her concerns about a proposed drop tee to
Provost Mike Nietzel at a forum for students in the Student Center.

Opposition: Students say dropped classes result from
poor teaching, scheduling and missing information

By Rebecca Neal
STAFF wnnrii

A heated debate between Provost Mike Nietzel and stu-
dents over a proposed drop fee at the Student Center Tuesday
drew both cheers and angry accusations from students.

“Before you try to raise a fee. let's look at why students are
dropping and the quality of the instruction." said Terri Seay.
an elementary education sophomore. to a round of applause.

Nietzel said that wasn’t sufficient to explain why 8.300
classes were dropped during the fall 2002 semester.

“We still have the majority of students staying in classes

with poor instruction." he said.

The version of the fee Nietzel proposed to the University
Senate Monday would charge students 20 percent of the credit
hour cost of the class being dropped. Nietzel said too many stu-
dents are signing up for more classes than they intend to keep
and that this behavior costs the university money in instructor

salaries.

“We would hope that by having that penalty that we would

See DROP on 3

 

Committee updates
student conduct code

Confusion: Code's convoluted language and procedures
befuddles even those who are seeking to change it

By Rebecca Neal
STAFF WRITER

Not even the people who
administer the student code
can understand it.

In fact. one administrator
called the Student Rights and
Responsibilities code “a con-
voluted mess."

A committee is reviewing
the code to find ways to get
rid of its legalistic language
and unclear rules and make it
easier to understand.

“If you tried to diagram
the steps you'd go through for
a certain procedure. it's a con-
voluted mess." said Patricia
Terrell. vice president for stu-
dent affairs and chair of the
committee.

She said even the com-
mittee formed to review the
code had trouble understand-
ing the rules and procedures.

“We actually had to sit
down and map it out our
selves. It's not easy to follow."
she said.

A change in the code's
wording is long overdue. said
Tony Blanton. associate dean
of students. The code hasn‘t
been significantly revised
since the 19608. he said.

“We've decided there
Were some issues with the
code we'd like to look at now."
he said.

He said the language
used in the code is “legalese”
and unnecessary for a univer-
sity setting.

“You are found guilty un
der the rules. not found re
sponsible the student disc1~
plinary system is not a court

__ *1-

of law." he said.

A revised draft of the
code should offer a clearer
outline of student rights. he
said. “If you read though the
processes for a case now. it's
not clear what your rights as
a student are." Blanton said.

Three student representa-
tives will be on the subcom-
mittee creating a draft. Ter-
rell said. The students are
Michelle Mendelsberg. the
president of Resident Student
Council: Noah Friend. the
vice president of RSC: and
Joe Ruschell. the vice presi-
dent of Student Government.

All three student mem-
bers said they hadn’t been
told about their status on the
committee. "I'm sure we‘re on
it. but we just haven't been no
tified yet." Mendelsberg said.

Blanton said the commit-
tee wants student opinions on
the new version of the code.
He said they plan to put a
draft online for feedback by
the end of March.

The draft must be ap
proved by the Board of
Trustees to become official.
Blanton said he hopes to have
a drafi ready for the board by
the summer to take effect for
the fall semester.

Blanton said the goal of
the revision is to make things
easier for students. not create
more confusing rules. “We
don‘t want to be punitive or
adversarial here." he said

The existing Student
Rights and Responsibilities
Code can be viewed online at
http: wwwuky edu
StudentAffairs Code .

‘1