A M a r y m o u n t U n i v e r s i t y S t u d e n t P u b l i c a t i o n J a n u a r y / F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2 i s s u e

Rowley renovations force some to play musical officesCarol WongStaff Writer

After a chaotic start to the spring semester Mary-mount students and faculty are gradually getting used to the rearrangements caused by the renovation of Rowley Hall.

Some offices have been moved to off-campus loca-tions while others have been juggled on Marymount prop-erty. The President’s office is now on the ground floor of the Main House. The Academic Affairs office and the university’s Communication office have relocated to an office building in the 3800 block of Wilson Boulevard. Ef-forts to utilize temporary trailers on-campus were denied by Arlington County.

The relocations occurred over the winter break when the furniture in Rowley was put in storage at Ballston. At the same time the Copy Center previously located at the ground floor of Rowley was moved next to the Mailroom in Berg Hall.

Shelly Dutton, Vice President of Communications and Marketing, explained that her office had already stored boxes away before the break, knowing that they were going to move. The move presents challenges because it’s off campus, but Marymount provides shuttles to the

Clarendon building from main campus. The shuttles run a couple of hours in the morning and in the afternoon to assist those who need to get back and forth between buildings.

Gasper Kay, student worker at the Communica-tion’s office, added: “It was hectic moving everything there. It was a bit difficult, but Mary-mount handled everything well, making the best out of it.” He thinks that the move was good for the office, because there is a lot more space. “Compared to Rowley, it’s huge!” As a senior, Kay really likes it at the new office

and adds that his schedule isn’t busy, so the travel isn’t bad.

If you’re having trouble locating an office or person there is a new section on the Marymount website designed to help you find people-as well as a timeline for the renova-tions. It’s hoped that the renovations will be completed by the end of the summer and that those working off campus will be able to move back.

Once the Rowley project is complete, it’s anticipated that other buildings will undergo renovation. Including Gialhac better known to some administrators as the “G Build-ing”. No timetable has yet been set.

Upcoming EventsJanuary 30–February 3Ethics Awareness Week

February 4Red Hot Chili Cook-Off Lee Center, 3:00–4:00pm

February 7 & 9Movie: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Bernies, 9:30–11:00pm

February 11Snowball Annual Winter Dance Almas Temple, 9:00pm–1am

February 15Shades of Blue: Student and Faculty Poetry Reading Reinsch Library Reception Room, 12:00–1:00pm

February 21 & 23Movie: The Muppets Bernies, 9:30–11:00pm

February 29 Michael Fosberg (One-Man Play) Bernies, 9:00–11:00pm

Inside This Issue:Renovations Move OfficesOstapenko Roof RepairsNews BriefsFour New Faculty Next YearThree New Sports TeamsRising Tuition and Housing CostsLetter to the EditorSGA Spotlight

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2 January/February 2012

Leaks require major repairsClaudia JordanStaff Writer

Two of Marymount’s newest buildings are undergoing substantial re-pairs. Lee Ostapenko Hall and Caruthers Hall have been experiencing major leaks, requiring roof replacements.

The University realized there were problems with the construction of the buildings after faculty and students reported leaks. Initially it was thought the leaks were caused by a problem with the windows. As a result the windows were replaced, making them water tight. When this did not solve the problem infrared testing was done on the roof, proving there were problems with the installation.

According to Ralph Kidder, Vice President for Financial Affairs, it was a quality control issue with installation of asphalt. Asphalt has to be a certain temperature when put down, and during construction that proper tempera-ture was not met. The general contractor has accepted responsibility and is having the roofi ng contractors replace both roofs at their expense.

The replacement of the Ostapnako Hall roof began in early January. Residents, who have been complaining about the noise generated by the repairs, will have to put up with it for two more months.

Caruthers’ roof will be replaced next. Work hours are Monday through Friday from 7 am to 3:30 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 3:30 pm. Osta-penko residents received information about the roof repair project through emails and fl yers before and after winter break. Emails and fl yers were distributed by Ashley Ladyman, Resident Director for Ostapenko Hall. The residence assistants have also talked with residents about the repairs.

Dr. Kidder has made it clear that the University just wants the roof fi xed. “It is really regrettable we have inconvenience for the students and faculty.”

University to add four faculty next yearAriel Marie McManusStaff Writer

The 2013 budget at Marymount adds four new faculty slots in coun-seling psychology, forensic psychol-ogy, fashion design and health and human performance.

The vice president for fi nancial affairs and treasurer, Dr. Ralph Kid-der, explained the three main reasons new faculty members are needed: the fi rst being when somebody retires they need to be replaced. Dr. Sherri Hughes, provost and vice president for academic affairs, explained that several faculty members who have been at Marymount for years and are retiring.

The second reason to add fac-ulty that Dr. Kidder mentioned was enrollment. New faculty are needed to accommodate any increase in the student population.

The third reason to add new fac-ulty it when a new program is added. Over the summer a new undergradu-

ate degree was launched. Dr. Hughes added that if a program adds new requirements and courses, the uni-versity will need to recruit faculty to fi ll the needs.

When developing the budget for the next year offi cials must consider the different priorities in deciding what should be funded. Dr. Kidder explained the budging process is similar that used at home by many people. One decides what the es-sentials will cost before deciding on any luxuries. For next year, it was decided that the university will fund new faculty members because of re-tirements and increased enrollment.

According to Dr. Hughes, the counseling psychology, forensic psy-chology, fashion design, and health and human performance programs have already started the recruiting process. Each department is looking for faculty with outstanding creden-tials and a strong commitment to teaching.

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Applications for next fall are up as is the quality of applicants

Donations to the Marymount Fund this year are up

New “Ideas at Work” is being rolled out for faculty and staff

New task forces are formed on wellness and global initiatives

IT consultant delivers extensive report to the university

After 15 years in the Academic Affairs offi ce Dr. Robert Otten isreturning to faculty

The Academic Affairs Offi ce will be reorganized over the summer

Emergency Preparedness drills will continue in the spring

News Briefs

3January/February 2012

It’s going to cost more next yearSofie ScarlettStaff Writer

Tuition at Marymount next fall is going up 5 percent for both graduate and undergraduate students. In addition room and board charges will go up 4 percent. The current undergraduate tuition of $23,160 will go up to $24,900, an increase of $1,740. The changes for room and board will depend on which building the student lives in and if they have a roommate. The average in-crease will be approximately $400.

Students and their families are wondering why are there increases? One reason cited is technology. Marymount replaces the school’s comput-

ers every three years to provide students with the most recent technology as well as trying to increase bandwidth to provide students, staff, and faculty with more reliable Internet access.

Dr. Ralph Kidder Vice President for Financial Affairs, noted that the de-

mand for ever increasing bandwidth is a student driven cost. Dr. Kidder com-mented, “Students, as it turns out, have lots of toys and those toys demand a tremendous amount of bandwidth.”

Other expenses include salaries for faculty and staff, which consti-tute 60 percent of the budget. Dr. Kidder stated that as pay goes up, so does tuition. Improvements of facilities, such as the renovations in Rowley also require funding.

Ever increasing tuitions have recently sparked political discussions with President Obama calling on universities to hold down costs. Statistically, Marymount is on the low end of the charts even if other schools don’t increase their tuition. Against benchmark schools, meaning schools like Marymount, we rank 14 on a list of 20 schools. Dr. Kidder explained benchmark schools are the best comparison. “As an independent university we can’t possibly compete against states schools,” Dr. Kidder stated.

Saints to add three new teamsLuis FernandezStaff Writer

Marymount University will be fielding three new sports next year: Men’s Volleyball and Men’s and Women’s Triathlon. This will increase Marymount’s intercollegiate sports offerings from 12 to 15. These additions were made through the collective efforts of Athletic Director Debbie Warren, Vice President of Student Development and Enrollment Chris Domes, Vice President of Financial Affairs and Treasurer Ralph Kidder, and President Matthew Shank. “It was kind of a team effort,” Dr. Shank said of the collaboration. “We had the right people at the table.”

The group was unsure which sports to add. Af-ter careful analysis of the strengths and weakness-es of various sports, Men’s Volleyball and Men’s and Women’s triathlon seemed to be the best choices. You may be asking yourself, “Why Men’s Volleyball and Men’s and Women’s Triathlon?”

In order to participate in NCAA Division III, schools are required to have a minimum of 12 sports. Every other school in the Capital Athletic Conference has 18-20 sports while Marymount has only 12. In a worst case scenario, if Marymount can’t field a team like for instance, Men’s Golf, we would be under the minimum amount of required sports and in violation of NCAA rules. “We would start to have issues with our affiliation with the NCAA and we don’t want to lose that affiliation,” said Dr. Shank.

The additions of Men’s Volleyball and Men’s and Women’s Triathlon will provide Marymount with a cushion so we don’t run the risk of losing our NCAA affiliation, provided there was ever a situation where we couldn’t field a particular sport.

Another reason to add more athletic teams is enrollment. Along with building interest in poten-

tial students to come to MU, adding sports is used as recruiting tool. Dr. Shank said, “Our student-athletes right now are retained at higher levels, they have higher GPA’s and they come in with slightly higher SAT scores than the rest of the stu-dent population.” By giving them the opportunity to play their preferred sport and not sacrifice their studies, student-athletes at MU have the ability to excel both on and off the field. A secondary benefit is that it builds community around the athletics program by using school spirit and athletics as a rallying point.

Beth Ann Wilson, head coach of the Women’s Volleyball team, said: “The entire women’s volley-ball program was thrilled to hear about the addi-tion of a men’s program. I also hope we will com-bine resources such as quality student workers and training equipment, allowing us to make the volleyball stu-dent athlete experience even better at Marymount.”

In terms of recruitment she mentions, “The more vol-leyball a recruit sees on cam-pus, the more excited they are going to be about being part of the program. The addition of a men’s volleyball program is nationally significant.” Coach Wilson also pointed out that NCAA recently voted to have a Division III men’s volleyball championship. As a result, Division III schools can now compete against each other, thus paving the way for growth at the national level. “It is extremely exciting

the Marymount has chosen to be one of the first schools to take advantage of this opportunity.”

With the buzz about the new sports programs, people are wondering what’s next for MU Ath-letics? Dr. Shank would like to see Baseball and Men’s and Women’s Hockey added to the sched-ule. But there’s still the matter of finding a field for Baseball and investigating how much it would cost to start up a Hockey program. Hockey is in the realm of football, in terms of sports that are expen-sive because of equipment costs and field location.

Nonetheless, Dr. Shank feels “Athletics is a very important part of Marymount and we want to continue to invest in athletics and make our programs as strong as they can be in the Division III level.”

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4 January/February 2012

Student Government Association Has a Full Plate The purpose of the Student Government Association

is to be the offi cial representative of the student body; to provide a balanced forum for communication between students, faculty, and administration; to advance student opinions and concerns through legislative action; and to ensure a fair and representative judicial process.

The semester has begun and already the SGA has a full agenda.

At the fi rst general meeting of the semester SGA was presented with proposed new regulations that would charge students an additional fee for using their credit/debit cards on all vending machines on the campus. SGA voted unanimously to have signage be produced that

would inform students of this regulation instead of in-creasing the price for all snacks and Pepsi products as this would affect all cash students as well.

SGA will also be seeking approval to set in motion a meal card system that would allow students to have ac-cess to vendors off campus.

For additional information regarding SGA’s activities you may email sga@marymount.edu

Drop by the SGA offi ce to express any concerns and/or comments. The offi ce is located in Gerard 1026.

Ashley PhillipsSGA President

Banner Staff

Editor-in-ChiefNicole Howard

Art DirectorKatie Harley

WritersCarol WongClaudia JordanAriel Marie McManusBrenna SwartzSofi e ScarlettLuis FernandezAshley Philips

PhotographersKatie HarleyCarol Wong

SGA SpotlightSGAMarymount University

StudentGovernmentAssociation

Letter to the EditorI want to start off my term as the new editor-in-chief for The Banner by thanking Professor Byers, our staff advisor, and Brianne Deerwester, the former editor, for choosing me for this prestigious position. I will never be sure why I was chosen but you two saw something in me unknown to myself and for that I will forever be grateful.

I’m happy that I have already begun to receive letters from students wanting to discuss issues. Please continue to do so because it gives me a forum to directly communicate with everyone.

Dear Editor,

There has been much talk on the campus for a GSA or an organization of the sort here on the campus for students who are Lesbian, Gay Bi, Transgender, Queer, Asexual, Andro-sexual, and Intersexual (LGBTQAI). Why is it that it is taking so long for an organization to form here? Some have been saying it’s because Marymount is a Catholic school, but we have many clubs and organiza-tions that do not necessarily hold to the Catholic tradition but they are still allowed. In all fairness to those students who identify themselves as LGBTQAI there should be a place for them as there is for all the other students. Do you think that we will soon be seeing something like this on campus?

Angrily Waiting,GSA Advocate

Dear GSA Advocate,As someone who is a GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) supporter, I am also frustrated at the length of time it is taking to create this organization. I understand that Marymount is trying to stay to its Catholic “roots”, but to me this argument is invalid. Taking a look around campus it is clear to see we are a diverse school. There are several organizations (such as the Muslim Student Association, etc.) that do not align with Marymount’s Catholic background. In fact, in the lodge there is an interfaith prayer room available for people of all faiths to come and pray in harmony. While I am beyond happy that Marymount has established such practices, I don’t think it’s fair for Marymount to pick and choose which groups outside of the Catholic norms are acceptable and which are not. When one group is given acceptance ALL should be

given acceptance. Isn’t that what being a Christian is supposed mean? Aren’t we told to love our neighbor? I feel like this principle changes when the “neighbor” is from the LBGTQIA community rather than someone of a different religious group. I can’t say for sure when a GSA chapter will come to Marymount but nothing will happen if people don’t demand change. GSA advocate, you have my love and support and I will do what I can to help change this policy.

Interested in publicly voicing your opinion and getting it published in The Banner?

Email Nicole_howard@marymount.edu with your letters to the editor.

Be Heard!