VOLUME 85, ISSUE 1 www.theticker.org FEBRUARY 2, 2004 INSIDE Baruch President Ned Regan to Freshman Passes Step Down in Fall 2005 Tragically at Semester’s Close By AARON SIEGEL Jesse Dweck was only a few days shy of expe- riencing his first finals week at Baruch College when he was tragically struck by a van at the corner of 26th St. and Lexington Ave. on Friday, December 12, 2003, in the early after- noon. He died at a hospital later that evening. Dweck, 18, a freshman at Baruch was walk- ing with friends the time of the accident. His friends automatically called for an ambulance and reached his cousin, Baruch College Classical Indian Odissi Psychology Professor David Sitt. “Jesse [Dweck] was a very special person,” Dancing Fuses With President Regan took the helm of Baruch College in Fall 2000. He will step down from the said Sitt, who was the first to be alerted of the presidency in 18 months. (Photo/ Ticker Archives) Modern Flair In Nayikas 7 accident. “Jesse [Dweck] struck a balance in By AARON SIEGEL state of New York as a politician, an educator life beyond his years.” Chess Club Can Do Much and an administrator. Dweck had recently settled into a new apart- After a three and a half year tenure as the He began his career teaching university level ment in Manhattan. “Despite a busy life, he More For Baruch If USG President of Baruch College, Edward (Ned) V. courses in Government at various SUNY col- kept out of trouble and maintained his confi- Does More For Them Regan has decided to step down as announced leges and later became Buffalo City dence,” said Sitt. “[Dweck] was a renaissance 10 on January 27, 2003. His resignation will Councilman-at-Large and the President of the man. He was a smart kid. He really enjoyed become effective in June 2005, in order to Bison Liquor Company, Inc. in Buffalo, N.Y. in Baruch.” allow for enough time for the CUNY Board of 1971. Neil Sullivan, professor of Dweck’s Public Trustees to decide upon a new president to take He served as Erie County (which encompass- Administration 1250 class returned his paper to his place. es Buffalo) executive from 1972 until 1978 and the family with a note: After his retirement, Regan will be appoint- ed as a CUNY Distinguished Professor. Throughout his career, Regan has served the See PRESIDENT, Page 5 See FRESHMAN, Page 5 Benefit Performance of “Kalighat” Student Services Kicks off MELA: A South Asian Festival Takes Hit With By MARCIA BARRAN and by Paul Knox. Named after Kalighat, a home SANDRO LEMBERG established by Mother Teresa for the dying in Calcutta, India, the play intends to bridge the Budget Cuts The Baruch Performing Arts Center (BPAC) gap of understanding between the residents of in conjunction with the Indo-American Arts the home and the missionaries who come from By AARON SIEGEL Council premiered “Mela: A South Asian abroad to work there. In essence one of its goals Festival” on January 22. Mela, which means is to establish common ground between Eastern A financially strapped New York State has With Chutes Too Narrow, “fair” in Hindi, comprises the art forms of the- and Western cultures while the Westerners dis- been recently cutting CUNY and SUNY budg- atre, dance, music, film and comedy and will cover their true inner identities. ets and when allocating money, Student The Shins Prove That showcase these events through February 15. “I wanted to provide a knowledge about the Services are usually the first to take a blow. With a focus on both classic and modern pieces, work of missionaries,” said Knox who former- Sam Johnson, Vice President for Student Good Pop Music Does the festival aims to exhibit both performing and ly worked at Kalighat. “My own experience Development at Baruch College noted that Indeed Exist visual art. with that was complex and it made me confront CUNY lacks a minimum standard of service 13 “Art is a feast for the eyes and all of the sens- issues of judgment.” personnel per student. es, it stimulates and entertains,” said Aroon “I wanted to show what is human about mun- “Most schools have a ratio of one psycholo- Shivdasani, executive director of the Indo- dane missionary work,” added Knox. “It is an gist to 800 or 900 students which is the nation- American Arts Council. “What I really want is experience colored by people.” al recommended ratio,” said Johnson. “We have to showcase the different Indian art Knox, who admitted that he was both relieved a ratio of two to 15,000.” forms…hopefully it creates goodwill.” and terrified due to customary opening night Johnson added that Student Services, which To kick-off the festival, an opening night ben- are vital to all students, are usually the first tar- efit performance was held on January 21 debut- get of budget cuts. He also said that the budget ing “Kalighat,” a new play written and directed See BPAC, Page 5 for Student Services at Baruch is a far cry from the necessary amount needed to support stu- dents. Baruch ranks last in CUNY with a $409,000 Student Services budget. Among the leaders are Brooklyn College and City College, with Medgar Evers having the highest budget at $820,000. At each school, the budget for Student Services is determined upon based on the dis- cretion of the college’s president. Funding has also decreased in recent months with the budget losing $60,000 from the Baruch College Fund due to a decrease in yields in Men’s Basketball Goes endowment. Funding over the past year has also dropped from $173,000 to $80,000. Eleven Deep To Dominate Johnson noted that the Academic Development Center and the Career Development Center are Medgar Evers 15 best funded. The current spring semester will put an extra strain on the depleted services. “Spring is not a good semester as many students face gradua- Features 7 tion and career choices—so it is a stressful time,” said Johnson. “This spring there is extra Op-Ed 9 pressure on international students due to Arts 13 increase in costs as well as many financial pro- posals that have the possibility of getting Sports BACK (From L to R) BPAC General Manager Kathleen Eads, Aroon Shivdasani, executive director of the Indo-American Arts Council and world renowned writer Salman Rushdie were present at one of Mela’s performances. (Photo/ Aleksandr Yulevitch) Next Issue: February 9, 2004 See BARUCH. Page 5 2 THE TICKER NEWS FEBRUARY 2, 2004 THE TICKER NEWS FEBRUARY 2, 2004 3 Baruch VP Proposes New Schedule Grid to Improve Efficiency By AARON SIEGEL must have a break elapsing at least 25 minutes graduate level class schedule times. Also, a may have to alter the times that they offer between classes. Under Murphy’s proposal, the separation has been made between the three courses every week. Due to the recent concerns of students trying length of breaks would be shortened to 20 min- and four credit courses. Four credit courses are Other changes include a request to depart- to balance a life complete with a hectic course utes allowing for greater classroom utilization. also separated between levels and have differ- ments who run one section of a specific course schedule intertwined with a strenuous work “We don’t need 25 minute breaks between ent start and end times as well. every semester, to instead alternate when such schedule, many Baruch students have raised classes,” said Murphy. “Twenty [minutes] is “The reason we are doing this is to reduce courses are given every semester between the concerns over the current scheduling grid and more realistic.” congestion,” said Murphy. daytime and the evening. its impact upon students’ ability to take as Murphy also noted that when the current grid Murphy also noted that most course instruc- “The schedule would allow students to take many credits in a short period of time while was established, the Baruch campus spanned as tion is currently given in the Vertical Campus more classes in less hours, giving students a working. far west as Park Ave. and 26th St. and as far and with a decrease in an enrollment, there is greater opportunity to work,” said Murphy. “It Jim Murphy, Assistant Vice President of south as 18th St. Before the completion of the less of a need to use the 17 Lexington Avenue will enable students to take more classes and Admissions recently proposed a new schedul- Vertical Campus, students were forced to take Building. graduate in four years.” ing grid in order to optimize the greatest long walks and endure lengthy waits for eleva- “Everyone wants to be in the Vertical He noted that the process to bring the new amount of space used within Baruch College, tors in order to get to class. With the elimina- Campus,” said Murphy noting that most facul- grid to fruition will begin this semester and the allowing students to take an increased number tion of these past campus spaces, students no ty members want to be near their offices in the date targeted for its use is Fall 2004 or Spring of courses in a shorter period of time. longer need the mandatory 25-minute blocks in VC and don’t want to walk to 23rd St. espe- 2005. “Now many students usually end up with 55 order to get to class on time. cially during the winter. “We will communicate with the USG, Faculty minute breaks,” said Murphy. “Many students The new grid was also created in order to ease Yet, obstacles do lie in the way of the current Senate and Administrators,” said Murphy.