Brown and White Vol. 117 no. 18

              Ed. secretary says teacher education inadequate
By RACHEL SCHARMANN
In a speech at the University of Delaware last Tuesday, U.S. Sec­retary of Education Arne Duncan made a call to action for all U.S. colleges of education to improve the way they prepare the next generation of teachers.
“America’s university-based teacher preparation programs need revolutionary change — not evolutionary tinkering,” Duncan said in his speech.
The appeal is part of a plan to radically change the curricula in schools of education across the country.
Lehigh was already planning to make some adjustments that are consistent with Duncan’s goals.
“Students will receive many, many more hours of classroom-based experiences in the new program as well as more inclusive practice for special needs and ELL [English language learners] students,” said MJ Bishop, as­sociate professor and program coordinator of Lehigh’s College of Education.
The program will focus much more on experience and training in a certain area of specialization. In this aspect, Lehigh’s College of Education is already ahead of the schools that Duncan is calling to for improvement.
The college maintains a strong emphasis on research, both for students and professors. New
See EDUCATION Page 6
By CALLIE BURROWS
One hundred sixty-one li­quor-law violations were issued on campus in 2006. In 2007, 145 violations were issued, and in 2008, 107 citations were is­sued, according to the Lehigh Police Department’s Security Report 2009.
In addition, 10 drunkenness violations occurred in 2006, 12 occurred in 2007 and eight oc­curred in 2008. Should students be worried that these citations might ruin their chances at get­ting a job?
After being issued a cita­tion, students must respond to the local magistrate within 10 days and plead either guilty or not guilty, according to Lehigh Chief of Police Edward Shupp.
If the student pleads guilty, a fine is set, which is on a sliding scale and could be anywhere from $100 to $300. Students who plead not guilty will then have a hearing. The officer who issued the citation must attend, along with any witnesses that may have seen the incident, said Shupp.
“These are not criminal ar­rests.” said Shupp. “No finger prints or pictures are taken.”
Although these citations will not show up on your record, the Lehigh Police Department is required to release all crime
See CITATIONS Page 6
College citations may affect job offers
Vol. 117 No. 18
Friday, November 6, 2009
‘All the Lehigh News First’
THE BROWN AND WHITE
Lehigh University’s Student Newspaper Founded in 1894
SPORTS
Wrestling rides
the Broncos
Page 16
ONLINE
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www.thebrownandwhite.com
Challenges of living off campus
Page 7
LIFESTYLE
By LAUREN KELLY
Trend reports show that student borrowing of private loans dropped by almost 50 percent last year, while the price of tuition continued to rise, ac­cording to reports recently released by College Board.
College Board reported in its “Trends in Student Aid 2009” report that undergraduate students received an average of $10,185 in financial aid. This average included $5,041 in grant aid and $4,585 in federal loans.
Total borrowing increased by $4 billion, or 5 percent, between the 2007-08 and the 2008-09 school years, College Board reported.
Total education borrowing includes federal borrowing and nonfederal loans. Federal borrowing increased by nearly $15 billion for the 2008-09 school year.
In contrast, nonfederal loans de­clined by about $11 billion.
For the 2008-09 school year, col­leges and universities provided 39 percent of undergraduates grant aid while the federal government provided 36 percent, according to the College Board report.
The Pell Grant is a federal program that provides need-based grants.
The grant amounts are dependent on the student’s expected family con­tribution, the cost of the institution’s tuition for which the student attends, whether the student attends full-time or part-time and whether the student attends for a full academic year or less.
The average Pell Grant was $2,973 for the 2008-09 school year. College Board reported that 58 percent of Pell Grant funds went to independent undergraduate students, and among dependent Pell Grant recipients, 62 percent went to students with families of annual income below $30,000.
College Board reported that $168.4 billion was the total amount of grants distributed in the 2008-09 school year to undergraduate and graduate stu­dents from all sources: Federal Work-Study, federal loans, and federal tax credits and deductions.
Private loans decrease as tuition continues to rise
See LOANS Page 5
Construction underway on SteelStacks complex
By DANI TODD
ArtsQuest broke ground last Thursday on its Center for Per­forming Arts, Julie Benjamin, SteelStacks campaign director, said.
The Center for Performing Arts will be located on the former Bethlehem Steel Mill site and will be part of the new SteelStacks complex ArtsQuest is creating.
ArtsQuest is a Bethlehem-based non-profit organization that works to promote and enrich the arts and culture in the Lehigh Valley area, according to the organization’s Web site.
One of the major missions of the ArtsQuest organization is to provide arts and culture to the diverse community, providing as many different options as pos­sible, the Web site states.
The organization also runs the Banana Factory on West Third Street and organizes Musikfest, a 10-day music festival held in Beth­lehem each year.
The Center for Performing Arts will feature the 600-seat Musikfest Café that will host a wide range of musical perfor­mances that often do not have a venue in the Lehigh Valley, Ben­jamin said.
“We’ve been meeting with special groups in the Lehigh Val­ley to help determine what we are lacking,” Benjamin said. “The Musikfest Café will offer a caba­ret-style experience. You can sit and order something to eat while you enjoy the show.”
The Center for Performing Arts will also feature the 3,000-square foot Blast Furnace Room, which will be used for community functions, as well serving as a two-screen art cinema. The art cinema will present independent, foreign and documentary films, Benjamin said.
The art cinema, unlike most in Pennsylvania, will allow drinking.
The opening of the Center for
See STEELSTACKS Page 3
B&W photo courtesy of ArtsQuest
Above is an artist’s rendering of the SteelStacks complex, which will be home to arts and cultural events. Construction on the complex began last Thursday at the former Bethlehem Steel site.
n A report recently released by the College Board shows that fewer college students are receiving private loans.