Valentine’s Day Special. Who loves you? Page 14. theBARUCH COLLEGE, ticker THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK VOLUME 93 • ISSUE 3 WWW.THETICKER.ORG FEBRUARY 11, 2008 Bloomberg: Spitzer More suffering gypped New York City at 17 Lexington BY MICHAEL WURSTHORN that needs to be corrected. He stat- MANAGING EDITOR ed that the temperature is so high n Promised cut sometimes that he feels as if he can Renovation on 17 Lexington is barely breathe. funds include CUNY in serious jeopardy due to budget “Th e heat is unbearable and stu- cuts proposed by Governor Eliot dents are sitting in class in tank tops and SUNY aid Spitzer in the 2008-2009 state bud- and fanning themselves with pa- get on Jan. 22. per. Th e teacher is standing in front Planned renovations for the 17 of the classroom sweating, her face BY LILLIAN RIZZO Lex building may be put on hold beet red, and her hair plastered to STAFF WRITER for a number of years, which will her head with sweat,” Stemp said in be a major blow to Baruch. CUNY’s an e-mail. On Jan. 22, Governor Elliot proposed Five Year Capital Budget Vice President of Student Aff airs Spitzer released his state budget Request asked for about $3 billion Dr. Ben Corpus stated, in an inter- proposal for this fi scal year. Howev- BY WINEGAR TICKER DUSTIN THE I ILLUSTRATED worth of funds, but Spitzer saw fi t to view, that some members of the er, just a few days later, Mayor Mi- provide only $960 million, leaving a faculty expressed concern over the chael R. Bloomberg claimed, dur- $2 billion gap for CUNY to fi ll. current conditions of 17 Lex. ing testimony in a joint legislative Major changes are needed for Corpus reported that Baruch budget hearing, that, unlike what 17 Lex, as the building falls into College Campus High School Prin- he originally promised, this budget greater disarray each year. Issues cipal Alicia Perez-Katz is one of fl eeces the city by $500 million. such as heating within the building those concerned faculty members. In the proposal for fi scal year aff ect students on a constant basis, According to Corpus, Perez-Katz 2008, which starts on April 1, as it seems the temperature cannot reported the following problems Spitzer proposes new taxes and fees be controlled. at 17 Lex: Fibrous glass dust within while cutting money from health- Baruch is not to blame for the the air ducts, mold growth on plas- care and education, in Bloomberg’s current conditions of 17 Lex , how- ter and sheetrock in the science lab opinion. Spitzer plans on making ever. Th e main perpetrator of these and classrooms, rodent infestation, about $1 billion in healthcare cuts. problems is the State, as they chose lack of air fl ow and dirty carpeting Th e proposal is in response to the to disregard the serious health and causing respiratory problems with- downward turn of the economy but safety issues at this institution. in the main offi ce. economists Sam Stemp, a third year student Perez-Katz further reported a at Baruch, feels that the heat situ- SEE SPITZER PAGE 6 ation at 17 Lex is a major problem SEE RENOVATION PAGE 6 Por Columbia protests terrorism SGA squashes press BY LIA EUSTACHEWICH to fi re the attorney was made in or- BY CARLOS MACIAS FEATURES EDITOR der to prevent the newspaper from STAFF WRITER continuing to spend SGA-allocated Partial funding was released legal fees “illegally.” SGA argued Millions of Colombians for Montclair State University’s that its bylaws were violated by Th e marched worldwide on Th ursday, student-run newspaper, Th e Mont- Montclarion’s contract with its at- Feb. 4 showing their disapproval clarion, after a dispute between the torney, whose retainer was paid against the guerrilla group FARC newspaper and Student Govern- by SGA. In order to spend funds, and their terrorist tactics. Th e group ment Association escalated into a contract must be approved and is known for kidnapping, extortion, a decision that left newsstands signed by the president of SGA, Ron drug traffi cking and coercion used around the campus noticeably Chicken. Th e contract between Th e to fi nance arms and their four de- bare. Montclarion and its attorney was cades of confl ict with the govern- Two weeks ago, SGA froze the only signed by de Vries. ment and paramilitary groups. weekly paper’s budget, a decision Last week, Th e Montclarion’s Among those millions, Baruch that news editor Shayna Jacobs budget for printing and offi ce sup- College’s club Por Colombia joined calls “a punishment, a way to make plies was partially released, but in on the march in New York City. a statement and exercise author- only for 30 days. During this time, Th e organization, whose acronym ity.” Th e problem began months negotiations between the news- translates to Revolutionary Armed ago after the newspaper, which is paper and SGA will take place in Forces of Colombia, is a Marxist- funded by SGA, hired an attorney hopes of reaching a compromise. Leninist group, although it is con- who was advising the paper on the “If the mediation is successful then sidered a terrorist group by more New Jersey state Open Public Meet- [SGA will] back down and stop ask- ILLUSTRATED BY DUSTIN WINEGAR I THE TICKER than 30 countries. Th e demonstra- ings Act. ing for the correspondence that tion is considered the largest civil After publicly challenging SGA’s they don’t have the right to, and display against FARC in Colombia’s was held in front of the United Na- goals focused on Colombia.” practice of closed meetings, Karl they’ll agree to put our budget back history. tions building at 42nd Street and Marchers wore white t-shirts de Vries, editor-in-chief of Th e in tact,” said Jacobs. SGA Treasurer Messages of support were heard First Ave. Early Monday morning, with the slogan “I am Colombia” Montclarion, was ordered by SGA Melissa Revesz said that the gov- from fi ve continents and cities like Por Colombia members Angie Van and “No More Kidnapping! No to submit correspondence be- ernment would unfreeze the bud- New York, London, Madrid and To- Den Berghe, John Moreno and Jef- More Lies! No More Murder! No tween the paper and its attorney. get only if the newspaper submitted kyo held marches. Th anks to social frey Navarro joined 5,000 others to More FARC!” When de Vries refused to submit the requested correspondence. Th e networking, Colombians also dem- march for the cause. According to “We protested in an orderly the correspondence, SGA fi red the Montclarion and its former attor- onstrated in places as remote as the the Baruch website, Por Colombia fashion, Colombians from the tri- newspaper’s attorney the next day. ney adamantly refuse to release it. Kurdistan region in Iraq, the Red is an organization whose goal is to state area attended the rally to send Th e newspaper contends that SGA Th e Montclarion currently Sea in Egypt and the Chilean Pata- “provide students with the means a loud message to the FARC that practiced executive privileges by has legal representation from the gonia region. and the support to act on personal then freezing their budget. In New York City, the march initiatives and accomplish specifi c SEE PROTEST PAGE 4 According to SGA, the decision SEE MONTCLARION PAGE 2 INDEX FEATURES LEISURE SPORTS ADVERTISING Opinion . 8 Hate A T-shirt Bearcats Business . 11 studying says 1,000 decapitate To place an advertisement, Features. 16 at home? words. Hawks! contact Edward Drakhlis at Arts . 19 Do it (646) 312-4713 or e-mail Science . 21 abroad. [email protected]. Leisure . 22 Sports . 26 Page 16. Page 22. Page 28. NewsPAGE 2 I THE TICKER NEWS FEBRUARY 11, 2008 Montclairion at war with government Students cast vote of ß CONTINUED FROM FRONT mately $60,000 from outside adver- said Jacobs. tisers that is “earmarked” out of Montclair State University stu- American Civil Liberties Union and SGA funds. “We don’t have dents have voiced their thoughts the New Jersey Press Association direct access [to our money on this campus contention on the confusion legal team, because the newspaper from advertising], we have newspaper’s website, themont- does not have funding to hire an to go through SGA to get our clarion.org, as well as through sup- BY JANA KASPERKEVIC outside attorney as a result of their own money that we earn,” port groups on Facebook. Jacobs SENIOR STAFF WRITER frozen budget. Jacobs said. “It goes also mentioned that the national “Supposedly, [SGA’s] attorney into the SGA ‘other coverage has “helped immensely,” Although it was raining and the represents us now, but we can’t get appropriated sur- generating e-mails from people Giants Parade dominated the lower in touch with him, we have to go TICKER THE I WU EDWARD BY ILLUSTRATED plus’ and it’s con- nationwide, off ers to help pay for part of the city, on Feb. 5, New York- through Chicken … We were never sidered earmarked printing issues and vocal support ers found the time to cast their vote truly represented by their attorney for us. I don’t like the from professional and student and make their mark in this year’s after ours was let go,” Jacobs ex- way that sounds at all.” journalists. primary election. Baruch College plained. Any request for legal ad- Cancellation of the Chicken is backed by other SGA found itself immersed in this po- vice must be submitted to Chicken, fi rst issue’s publication executive board members and leg- litical process as it housed two of who would then speak directly to cost the paper about $1,800 islators, which Jacobs said was pres- Manhattan’s polling sites.