Daily Mood-fitting music A writer reviews a performance by Saria Idana at Viento y Agua this past Friday. www.daily49er.com Vol. LIX, Issue 210 www.daily49er.com Tuesday, March 2, 2010 49er 6 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y High Low 62 52 Tomorrow’s Forecast High 62 Low 50 Today’s Weather U-Pass likely to go the distance We contacted Mark Rudometkin, director of Parking and Transportation Services, to get more information on whether or not it has been giving out more citations this semester in comparison to past semesters. All revenue coming from parking citation and forfeitures on campus goes directly into the department to maintain projects, parking lots and alternative transportation programs on campus, such as Zimride, U-Pass, shuttles and carpools. As stated in a previous Daily 49er article, the California Education Code mandates that state university parking fine revenues “shall be used exclusively for the development, enhancement and operation of alternate methods of transportation programs for students and employees.” With budget cuts and a rocky economy, some may feel as though students are receiving more citations in order to earn an extra buck for the school’s benefit. Rudometkin maintains that this is not the case. He said there has been little change in the amount of citations issued A Daily 49er reader asked: “Is Parking and Transportation Services giving more parking tickets?” CSULB students in Chile OK after quake No California State University students studying in Chile were harmed by the devastating earthquake that struck Concepcion on Saturday. “Our first concern was to track down all of our students and make sure we knew where they were,” said Leo Van Cleve, CSU director of International Programs. Van Cleve said the 29 CSU students studying at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile have been contacted by either e-mail or telephone. “Everybody is accounted for and everybody is OK,” Van Cleve said. The year-long program is currently on semester break. The second semester was scheduled to begin March 3 but has been postponed until March 8. All future study abroad programs will continue as normal, according to Van Cleve. There will be no changes in next year’s program. Census to take snapshot of Long Beach Photo Illustration by Maximi llian Piras & Huy Vo By Megin Hernandez Contributing Writer By Brianne Schaer and Brian Cuaron The fall 2010 study abroad program will continue Cal State Long Beach officials will be sitting down with Long Beach Transit to discuss the renewal of the U-Pass program, which offers free rides to students, faculty and staff year-round. The current contract expires at the end of the 2009- 10 school year. “There is really not a chance of the program being discontinued. If there are, it is extremely slim,” said Mark Rudometkin, general manager of Parking and Transportation Services, via e-mail. “We will soon be sitting down with Long Beach Transit to discuss next year’s program and costs associated with that.” With the large number of people who take advantage of the program to help offset student fees and furloughs, CSULB plans to make every effort possible to provide relief from the By David Cowan and Janine Zuniga Negotiations are underway this month as LB Transit and CSULB discuss extending the program until next year See U-Pass, Page 2 See Ask, Page 2 In the coming weeks, the United States Census Bureau will begin sending out forms to citizens across America. The census, which is conducted every 10 years, serves as the leading source of quality data about the nation’s people and economy, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site. “The census is important because it captures how many people are living in the U.S. and where they are living,” said Cal State Long Beach student and iCount LB member Cristina Cortez. “Knowing how many people live in the U.S. and where they are living impacts how the government distributes funding and government representation. It is important that everyone is counted so that funding and representation is fair and accurate.” Responses to the census determine how much states will receive of $400 billion in federal funding. Cortez said students should participate in the census because a portion of the $400 billion that is distributed among communities affects student loan programs and grant money. “If students are not counted, then their schools and communities will not receive the funding that is needed to sustain all of its students,” she said. Additionally, information gathered from the census can be used by students conducting research. Many students and professionals rely on census information, and if those numbers are not accurate, then the information is not as valuable, Cortez said. “Students are considered a hard-to-count population because they often do not know what the By Kim Morgan Staff Writer Results of the census will influence student loan programs, among other services See Census, Page 2 Buildings in the older center of town, shown on March 1, in Constitucion, Chile, were especially hard hit after a massive 8.8 earthquake struck the area. (Michael Robinson Chavez/Los Angeles See Chile, Page 2 Times/MCT) 2 Tuesday, March 2, 2010 www.daily49er.com [email protected] www.daily49er.com/blogs Interested in Blogging? Daily 49er Blogs a new dimension to campus news Contact Rachel Terrazas Daily 49er blog editor at [email protected] U-Pass Continued from Page 1 high cost of driving and maintaining a vehicle. This will allow those who are not able to take advantage of the program to have the ability to arrive, park and leave campus as safely and efficiently as possible, Rudometkin said. Long Beach Transit marketing manager Marcelle Epley said there are “no plans to cancel the U-Pass program.” While no figures have been mentioned for the 2010-11 U-Pass cost, the concern is tempered by the benefits. The “cost is substantial, but with the large number of folks on campus who utilize the U-Pass, it balances itself out with less traffic on campus, available spaces for those who need to drive their vehicle and the overall goodwill that it allows parking to provide,” Rudometkin said. At this time, the cost of the program could increase or decrease due to the number of riders using the program. However, CSULB is working toward a fair agreement for both parties, Rudometkin said. This year, the program cost CSULB approximately $1,200 per weekday and $250 per summer weekday, Elissa Thomas, rideshare coordinator, told the Daily 49er in April 2009. Ask Continued from Page 1 this semester. “It has been consistent with the past years,” he said. According to university documents, in the 2007-08 fiscal year, the department had a total of 30,834 citations. In the 2008-09 fiscal year, there was a total of 27,735 citations. This fiscal year, which has so far netted 11,505 citations, ends in June 2010. All leftover balances from total revenue made by Parking and Transportation Services — including citations, forfeitures and DMV remittances after investments — is carried over to the next fiscal year and used toward expenses and projects for the department. Rudometkin said Parking and Transportation Services is enforcing the parking rules in all areas and checking all lots thoroughly, including staff and employee lots but that there is no set quota of citations that must be met. To generate revenue, the department requires parking permits in all lots on campus. CSULB did, however, see an increase in parking rates in July 2008, going from $98 to $123. This raises the question: Will we see another increase anytime soon? “[It is] a goal of ours to try to maintain parking rates as long as possible,” Rudometkin said. “We want to generate revenue without increasing student parking rates.” Students at other colleges pay the same or more compared to CSULB. For example, Cal State Fullerton charges $162 per semester, Cal Poly charges $115 per quarter, Sacramento State charges $153 per semester, Cal State Los Angeles charges $90 per quarter and Cal State San Bernardino charges $84 per quarter for general parking. Parking citations range from $45 for an invalid parking permit ticket to $335 for parking unlawfully in a disabled parking space — and the numbers are always changing. According to Rudometkin, the Senate passed a bill charging an extra $4.50 on parking citations for court fees. In order to offset that increase, CSULB made an increase of $5. Because of the change in citation prices, there is a direct effect in revenue numbers coming into the department. Have a question about CSULB that you’d like to find the answer to? Write to Ask the 49er at www.daily49er.com/ask-the-49er. Census Continued from Page 1 census is or they think that since their parents claim them that they can be counted on their parents’ census,” Cortez said. “Most students are not aware that even if they are supported by their parents, they need to be counted in the city where they eat and sleep most of the time.” President Barack Obama released a 30-second message on YouTube, explaining the importance of the census. “Every 10 years, our Constitution requires the federal government to conduct a census. This helps determine your representation in Congress, as well as how federal funds are spent on things like schools, roads and where businesses decide to put new stores and factories,” Obama said. “So when you get your census form in mid-March, take about 10 minutes to answer the 10 questions, remembering to include everyone in your household, because we can’t move forward until you mail it back.” Students can participate by filling out the census form when it is mailed to them.