The Los Angeles Loyolan, Volume 72, Issue 7 - October 12, 1994

LOYOLAN VOL. 72 • N0.7 LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY October 12, 1994 5.5 Percent Tuition Hike Approved for 1995-96 Tuition for Incoming Students Jumps 7.7 Percent under New Dual Cost Program By Kent Jancarik Assistant News Editor The Loyola Marymount Board of Trustees met last Monday to set the cost of tuition for the 1 994- 95 school year for returning stu¬ dents at $14,340, an increase of 5.5 percent over this year. In addi¬ tion, incoming students will pay a different tuition of $14,640, an in¬ crease of 7.71% over this year. The Board also discussed the on¬ going capital campaign, Trustees’ recommendations for faculty sal¬ ary increases and the reports from the various standing committees, which include Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Finance, and Fa¬ Campus Life Pep Band Gets New Director •page 6 Arts & Entertainment The River Wild Reviewed •page 14 Perspective We Do Not Live on Bread Alone •page II Sports W. Volleyball Wins Sixth in a Row •page 16 cilities, among others. Other increases in costs for stu¬ dents include a 3.48% increase in the cost of dormitory housing, a 4.02% increase in the cost of the student meal plan, a 1 2% increase in the cost of the yearbook, and a 3.85% increase in the cost of regis¬ tration. The accident insurance The 5.5% tuition increase com¬ pares favorably to those of other Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The national average increase in tuition for the 1994-95 academic year for Jesuit Colleges and Uni¬ versities was 6.56%. The 5.5% tuition increase for the 1995-96 academic year also represents the ‘Since 1985-86, the yearly tuition increase has averaged 8.77%.’ — - - \ 1994-95 1995-96 Tuition* $13,592 bv Housing (Residence Hall) $3,276 $3,390 $2,746 Other Fees $176 $181 'Tuition figures are for returning students only. Incoming students will pay an additional$300 tuition under the new dual tuition program. J policy fee will remain unchanged at $50. The total increase in cost as a result of the fee changes that were adopted for continuing students is 4.94%, or $972. The total increase in cost for new students is 6.47%. lowest tuition increase in the past decade. Since 1985-86, the yearly tuition increase has averaged 8.77%. Paul Suppa, President of ASLMU, voiced his pleasure at the small size of this year’s increase. “I am certainly relieved that this year’s increase will be kept at a minimum of 5.5%, ” Suppa said, attributing the yearly need for a tuition in¬ crease to inflation and the continu¬ ing need for the university’s reno¬ vation. Suppa added that one of his pri¬ mary objectives for the students at the meeting was to keep the tuition increase to an absolute minimum. The Board of T rustees could have approved a blanket increase of 6.2% for all students, but this alternative was rejected in favor of a dual increase for new and continuing students. The other major issue debated was the status of the capital cam- continued on page four Students Test out Prototype Electric Car By James Keane News Editor Д n emission-free vehicle could be spotted cruising about cam¬ pus yesterday as students and cam¬ pus administrators test drove the new General Motors Impact Elec¬ tric Vehicle. The car is being driven about Southern California by cus¬ tomers from Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles De¬ partment of Water and Power for the next month, and is also being displayed and tested by individuals at various other locations, includ¬ ing Loyola Marymount, as part of a nationwide field test. The Loyola Marymount student . branch of the Society of Automo¬ tive Engineers also displayed the prototype vehicle at their meeting for professional SAE members last night, where members had a chance to test drive the car and to attend a technical program on elec¬ tric vehicles being offered in St. Robert’s Auditorium. Before the presentation Dr. Gerald Jakubowski, Dean of the Loyola Marymount College of Sci¬ ence and Engineering, commented, ‘This is going to be a good opportu¬ nity for our students to see what engineers are doing to improve the pollution problem in Los Angeles and the nation.” The car was displayed on Regent’s Terrace from 9 a.m. to noon, with student test drives tak¬ ing place until one and administra¬ tors driving the vehicle the rest of the afternoon. Drivers were se¬ lected by raffle. The Impact Electric Vehicle is a two-door, two-passenger vehicle with a range of 70 miles per electric charge in city driving and 90 miles per charge in highway driving. It has an acceleration of 0 to 60 in 8.5 seconds and a top speed governed at 80 miles per hour. California regulations mandate that by 1998, 2 percent of all ve¬ hicles offered for sale in the state Photo courtesy of James Keane Curious students and staff inspect the new General Motors Impact Electric Vehicle , which was displayed on Regent's Terrace yesterday. must emit no pollutants. Electric vehicles are the only vehicles which currently meet this standard; they emit no tailpipe emissions and run almost 97 percent cleaner than conventional gasoline-powered ve¬ hicles. By the year 2003, automobile manufacturers will be required to make 1 0 percent of all automobiles offered for sale annually “zero emission” vehicles. Congress Approves Cap on Pell Grants Perkins Loans Increase; Pell Grant Funding Cut by $60 Million By Jennifer D’Andrea Staff Writer On September 20 of this year, Congress approved a new cap on the number of students who can receive Pell Grants next year. While there will be a $40 increase in the maximum amount of a Pell Grant, to $2,340 for 1995, total spending for new Pell Grants will decrease by $60 million. Congress will also limit the number of students receiv¬ ing grants to 3.9 million. Laura McClintock, legislative di¬ rector of the United States Student Association, noted that while 3.8 million students received Pell Grants last year, usage rates are currently increasing. Donna Palmer, Director of Fi¬ nancial Aid at Loyola Marymount, believes that usage rates are on the rise because more students are currently applying to four year uni¬ versities. The trend in the last few years has been for students to con¬ tinue their education at a junior college after high school. Recently the pattern has been shifting to an increase in applicants for univer¬ sity enrollment. “I don’t think it is going to affect LMU much,” said Palmer. “It will probably hurt proprietary schools who start on a monthly basis if the number of students who can re¬ ceive Pell Grants is already filled when they apply.” LMU students have five months to apply for financial aid, from Janu¬ ary 1 to May 1 . Palmer believes that in that time the cap of 3.9 million students will not yet be reached. It is the students who are applying to schools that accept continued on page three