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The Cleveland State University Board of Trustees approved a six percent increase in tuition effective as of the Fall 2000 semester during a committee meeting on Friday, May 26.

The tuition increase will affect all students, undergraduate, graduate and law, part-time and full-time. Six percent is roughly twice the increase that CSU has seen in its tuition over the past couple of years according to University Interim Provost James McLoughlin.

McLoughlin said Tuesday, May 30 in an interview that CSU’s tuition increases have been some of the lowest of all the educational institutions in the state, and that to continue to be competitive, CSU must increase tuition at this rate.

McLoughlin, said some of the reasons for the increase are to improve the quality of programs offered by CSU, to provide more quality faculty and staff, to use for general upkeep and maintenance concerns, and to continue to improve the level of technology available to the university.

University President Claire Van Ummersen cited several more reasons behind the increase during a telephone interview Tuesday May 30. She cited an increase in utility costs because of expanded energy use and the cost of the new Urban College, new technology and new programs for the university.

“We’ve reached the point where the program quality of the university needed to increase,” said Van Ummersen. She continued added that the tuition increase will allow CSU the opportunity to make those improvements.
Van Ummersen also said that an increase in fringe benefits affecting faculty and staff has contributed to the tuition increase. That includes a 9 percent increase in health insurance and salary increases.

Both Van Ummersen and McLoughlin cited increasing library costs for materials and technology as additional reasoning behind the tuition increase.
McLoughlin added that the increasing cost of advertising for CSU and the increased number of other universities attempting to promote themselves in Northeast Ohio contribute to the need for a tuition hike.

When asked if he thought that the tuition increase would adversely affect the University’s enrollment, McLoughlin said that it wouldn’t. “We (CSU) are so inexpensive in the area and throughout the state, that it won’t hurt enrollment,” McLoughlin said.

Drew Carey, Cleveland native and star of two top-rated television programs, “The Drew Carey Show” and “Who’s Line is it, Anyway?” addressed the Cleveland State University Class of 2000 on May 7. Carey,

Carey attributed his accomplishments in life to goal setting, and stressed that if graduates set goals they will achieve. He said that people who set goals and achieve them are more successful than those who don’t. His humor also appeared when he talked about what comes next in life for the graduates, nothing they would have a “crappy place to live, lots of bills and a bad car.”

Carey also said that one thing he has realized that it is not money that makes him happy, because his best times have been just hanging out with his friends. He also noted that having a Porsche is still fun, but he could live with out it.

Carey advised graduates that the diploma is just a piece of paper, but what’s in their heads and hearts is what really matters and that will take them far in life. He urged them to utilize the knowledge they gained at Cleveland State and to apply it to every day life.

At a press conference held between the morning and afternoon graduation ceremonies, Carey said that he thinks it is thrill to come home to Cleveland. When asked about his career, he replied, “It’s the best of a number of professions.”

Concerning college, Carey said, “I goofed off a lot when I was young.” Carey attended Kent State University, but did not graduate. When he mentioned Kent State in his speech, there was a huge cheer from the graduates. “Oh, I see there’s a lot of second chancers from Kent here,” said Carey.

Carey proved his intelligence to the world on the hit television show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” in April when he won $500,000, which he donated to the Ohio Library Council. Carey compared the Internet to the library. He said it amazes him that people are so fascinated by what they can find on the Internet when all the same stuff is available at any local library and access to that is free. Carey said a book of jokes he took out of his local library when he was younger sparked his interest in his career.

When asked what it was like being on “Who Want’s to be a Millionaire?” he said it was fun and nerve-racking. He reached the million-dollar question, and said he had a hunch, but if he were wrong, the risk of losing the money he had earned was too high. He also said it made him feel good that he knew the answer anyway.

On what an honorary doctorate degree will do for him in life, he said he could now go up to women and say, “Hey, baby, I’m a doctor.” Carey’s overall advice for life to the graduates was simply: “Go as far as you can see and you can always see farther.”

Changes continue at Rhodes Tower

These steps will be reconfigured during the Rhodes Tower reconstruction.

By Matt Bohach

The noise and the dust continue as CSU undergoes various summer construction projects.

The concrete canopies that cover the stairs that go down to the Visitor’s Garage and the street in front of Rhodes Tower will be gone come mid-July. The two sets of stairs in front of the building also will be demolished, opening up that space.

New lighting fixtures will also brighten the area.

The stairs closest to the Rhodes Tower entrance will be widened, flared out, and curved. These more graceful stairs will get new tiles to replace the old, slippery ones.

According to full-time university architect Edward Schmittgen, the $2.8 million addition to the west end of Rhodes Tower is on schedule. The noise and rumbling there is necessary to complete the project on time, said construction managers. Noise should lessen as the project nears completion.

Gray granite blocks are currently being mortared onto the base of the new entrance and elevator tower at the west end of Rhodes Tower.
The elevator tower will be a pleasing blend of limestone and glass, said Schmittgen.
A glass and steel canopy will extend from the entrance out toward Chester Avenue. The expected completion date is Aug 1.

Renovation will soon spread to University Center. The third-floor will receive a facelift similar to the fourth-floor and fifth-floor renovations.
No other work is scheduled for University Center, but there is an area to avoid at the east end of the Science Building.

The steps near East 24th Street have been demolished. This small project should be done within the next week or so, said Schmittgen.

Cleveland State first in nation to apply watch programs to university

By Barbara Green

Did you know Cleveland State University pioneered the first crime prevention program designed for colleges and universities during the early 1980s?
Cleveland State University was the first institution of higher learning to have Campus Watch, a crime prevention program designed for the college scene.
Kathleen Price, a lieutenant with the CSU police, developed the concept in 1981 after a block watch program that had been successful in Mentor.
Since then, it has been copied by colleges and universities all over the world, explains Det. David Ostroske, the depart-ment’s liaison to Campus Watch.
Campus Watch formed to be the eyes and ears of CSU, to report suspicious activity to the CSU police, and to dispel any rumors that may be circulating around campus, says Suzanne Armbruster, a former Campus Watch president and administrative coordinator in the College of Urban Affairs.
Its 150 members are made up of faculty and staff at CSU. Members must attend an intense two-hour training session.
The training teaches not only about crime prevention but also to be observant about behavior or appearance of a suspect, such as identifying specific features—shapes of glasses, length of hair, skin tone and any tattoos or other characteristics.
Speakers at their quarterly meeting relate information about new drugs, the problem of credit card fraud, safety and any new developments in the security field. All members receive a newsletter called The Watcher. It advises them of any crime that has occurred on the campus as well as crime prevention information.
Ostroske, a member of the police department for 20 years, says crime trends have changed.
He sees an increase in theft from automobiles and remarked the only way to prevent this from occurring is not to have property visible. He said,“If they can’t see it they don’t attack it.”
When training new members he reminds them to “think like a potential criminal.” In this way members are more aware of security problems in the area they are covering. Ostroske tells them nobody knows their building as well as they do.
Mary Pozydaev, the current president of Campus Watch and on the staff of the dean’s office in the College of Urban Affairs, says new technology has helped in its effectiveness. If a problem occurs, the Campus Watch members are informed by e-mail and voice mail. The members then post notices in their area of responsibility.When it is necessary to inform the entire university, Ostroske says, the information goes from the police department to the Department of Public Relations before it is disseminated across campus.
Pozydaev says the 24-hour escort service is an important part of CSU’s safety program. It can be reached by dialing 2020 on any campus phone.Another service of Campus Watch is to leave a card anytime a member sees something that is not secure on campus such as a wallet or book bag. The card reads, “We are watching out for your safety, are you?”
Campus Watch is completely self-funded and raises money by holding a holiday raffle in December with prizes donated to the organization. It is also known to have one of the best bake sales on campus, and has a cookbook called “Cooking with Campus Watch, Too” available for $3 by calling 687-2098.
Campus Watch will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. For the thousands of students who come to CSU today, Campus Watch helps make the campus a safer place.

The Cleveland Stater is a laboratory newspaper put out by students enrolled in media writing classes and a special topics class in the Department of Communication at Cleveland State University

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