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Show Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010 StatesmanCampus News Page 3 ASUSU plans campaign against budget cuts By BENJAMIN WOOD assistant features editor Associated Students of USU Executive Vice President Spencer Lee informed members of the Executive Council Tuesday that a series of two- to three-minute presentations are being planned for USU classrooms with more than 100 students. The presentations, to take place in the coming weeks, will address the expected budget cuts for the upcoming academic year in an effort to raise awareness among the student body. Lee said speculated cuts for next year are around 7 percent, which would translate into the Kansas court orders judge to rethink media ban WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has ordered the judge in the murder trial of the man who has confessed to killing an abortion provider to reconsider a decision to ban reporters from jury selection. Four news outlets, including The Associated Press, had asked the court to overturn Judge Warren Wilbert's decision last week to ban reporters from jury selection. Wilbert said he closed the proceedings to accommodate the large jury pool and to avoid creating a "chilling effect" on juror candor. News outlets argued the ban would wrongly keep the public away from the process. It was unclear late Tuesday what effect the high court's order would have on the start of jury selection, scheduled for Wednesday. Scott Roeder has confessed to killing abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, saying it was necessary to save unborn children. loss of approximately 35-45 USU professors and 60-90 less classes taught next academic school year. As part of the campaign to lessen the cuts to higher education, Lee and a group of student lobbyists are planning an Aggie Ice Cream day at the Capitol on Feb. 10 to meet face to face with state representatives and distribute material detailing their desires for softened budgetary blows. "They all like us that day because we give them free ice cream," Lee said. In other business, Student Involvement and Leadership Director Tiffany Evans urged council members to participate in Wednesday's Martin Luther King Jr. Candlelight Vigil. "It is a wonderful event," Evans said. "Please make it a point to be there if it fits into your schedule." According to promotional materials distributed around campus, the event is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Taggart Student Center Ballroom. Dr. David E. Dixon and Pastor France A. Davis are scheduled to speak, and the USU Black Student Union will perform songs and poetry. Council members were encouraged to dress warm if attending. Lee said the event will move outdoors and will end with a song and benediction at The A. Food will be provided after. — b.c.wood@aggiemaiLusu.edu USU student chosen to participate in U.S. Department of Agriculture forum BY USU MEDIA RELATIONS Taylor Adams, a junior in the agriculture systems technology education department at USU, has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program after writing and submitting an essay on agriculture as a career. The USDA launched the Diversity Program in 2007 that focuses on students majoring in agriculture-related majors at land-grant colleges and universities. The program provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about agribusiness, the latest research, future trends and policy in contemporary agriculture at the forum, which takes place in Washington, D.C. "I will be able to not only network with other students from land-grant universities nationwide, but also learn from professionals in agriculture," she said. "I am excited to bring back to USU what I have learned from policy makers, producers, students and business executives in agriculture." Adams wrote about the careers in agriculture in the past, present and future from her view as an agricultural communication and journalism major. She decided to enter the Student Diversity Program because the opportunity of winning the contest would provide a priceless experiADAMS ence. She is excited for the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C., to meet new people and learn more about agriculture. Adams will be in Washington, D.C., in February for two days to participate in the forum. Employer health mandate may be dropped WASHINGTON (AP) — House and Senate negotiators working on President Barack Obama's health overhaul bill appear likely to drop a proposed income tax increase on high-wage earners and possibly jettison a requirement for large businesses to offer coverage to their employees, Democratic officials said Tuesday. Negotiators are considering extending the Medicare payroll tax, which now applies only to income from wages, to cover some of the investment earnings of couples making more than $250,000 a year, and individuals earning above $200,000. That could make up lost revenue from dropping the high-wage income tax and scaling back a proposed tax on high-value insurance plans, which is strongly opposed by organized labor and House Democrats. On another high-profile issue, the negotiators are discussing a hybrid of a proposed national insurance exchange contained in the House bill and the state-by-state approach favored by the Senate. House Democrats are pressing for a national system to apply pressure to the insurance industry after their proposal for a new government-run insurance option was ruled out due to opposition from Senate moderates. These officials also said key lawmakers and the White House were hoping to include more money to protect state governments from the cost of an expansion of the federalstate Medicaid insurance program for the poor. That issue flared after Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., the critical 60th vote for the health care bill in the Senate, got a deal for the federal government to pay the full cost of Medicaid expansion in his state forever, whereas other states would have to pick up part of the tab after a few years. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not free to disclose details of the negotiations. The developments came as the pace of negotiations on health care legislation quickened with House members returning to Washington on Tuesday from a holiday recess. The White House wants a final bill for Obama to sign in time for his State of the Union address early next month. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democratic leaders were scheduled to meet with Obama at the White House on Wednesday to narrow the numerous issues that remain unresolved. The president has weighed in forcefully in recent days, telling lawmakers he wants at least a pared-down tax on high-cost insurance plans as well as a commission with authority to order cuts to Medicare spending under limited circumstances — both measures designed to hold down spiraling health care costs. The House-passed bill included an income tax increase on individuals making more than $500,000 a year and couples making over $1 million, as well as a requirement for large businesses to cover their workers. The Senate bill contained neither. It included a tax on high-value insurance plans and a modest increase in the Medicare payroll tax. Instead of requiring employers to offer health coverage, the Senate bill penalized businesses if any of their workers obtained government-subsidized health care. The move away from the House approaches is a bow to the influence of moderates in the Senate, who oppose those and other liberal priorities and are critical to Reid's fragile majority in support of the bill. Officials said Obama has indicated support for a national version of the exchange — a clearinghouse where consumers could shop for health coverage. He also is signaling support for ending the decades-old antitrust exemption enjoyed by insurance companies. On those two issues the president is siding with House Democrats over their Senate counterparts. The legislation passed by both chambers before Christmas is similar in many respects, including expanding Medicaid and imposing a first-time requirement for almost everyone to purchase insurance. Both PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA walks down the Colonnade to the Oval Office at the White House Tuesday, Jan. 12. AP photo bills would extend health coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans over the next decade. members would be unduly penalized cerned about any compromise that On other issues: by the tax, and there's been discuswould appear to give unions special —House Democrats are pushing sion of moving the thresholds higher. treatment. They want a fix that for more generous subsidies to help Obama met with union leadprotects both union and nonunion low- and middle-income people buy ers Monday, and one union official middle-class workers from paying coverage, and Obama supports that. familiar with the discussions said higher taxes on health plans. Under the Senate bill, the average The goal was for White House subsidy that someone shopping in the labor leaders and White House staff also explored the possibility of staffers to come up with a revised exchange would get in 2019 is $5,600, exempting or delaying health plans plan for the insurance plan excise tax while in the House bill it's $6,800. covered by collective bargaining within 48 hours of Monday's meet—Negotiators are looking at how agreements from being subject to ing. Union leaders, including AFLto tweak the tax on high-value insurthe tax. They also discussed possible CIO head Richard Trumka, met with ance plans. As passed by the Senate, carve-outs for state and government Pelosi on Tuesday afternoon. the 40 percent tax would hit indiemployees, many of whom are unionThe union officials spoke on convidual health plans worth $8,500 or ized. dition of anonymity because of the more and family plans worth $23,000 But some union officials are consensitivity of the negotiations. or more. Union leaders fear their Briefs Campus & Community January HASS Hour announced January's HASS hour will feature associate professor of German Felix Tweraser with "Vienna: City of My Dreams and Site of Cultural Transfer." The event will take place Thursday, Jan. 21, at 5:15 pm at Hamilton's Steak and Seafood restaurant. The cost is $6.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For planning purposes, please RSVP to Natalie Archibald Smoot at 797-2796 or Natalie.archibald@usu.edu. Dr. Felix W. Tweraser works on the literary and cultural legacy of turn-of-the-century Vienna, film theory and criticism and the instrumentation of arts and letters during the Cold War. Community ecologist to come to campus The USU Ecology Center announces the visit of James S. Clark, a Blomquist Professor of the Nicholas School of the Environment, at Duke University. Clark has authored more than 100 publications and his research has been a major catalyst for the development of community ecology. Clark will be giving two seminars as part of the Ecology Center Seminar Series. The first seminar, "Climate Change Vulnerability of Competing Species", will take place Wednesday, Jan. 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Engineering (ENGR) building, Room 101. The second seminar, "Individuals and the Variation Needed for High Species Diversity in Forest Trees," will be given on Thursday, Jan. 21 from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Natural Resources building, Room 105. All are welcome to attend both seminars. More information can be found at the Ecology Center Web site, http://www.usu.edu/ ecology. Feb. 5 deadline for Robins Award The Robins Awards are the most coveted of all Utah State honors. They reward students and faculty for hard work and dedication to their individual goals, as well as the goals of USU. The awards memorialize William (Bill) E. Robins, a campus hero who had a rare quality to turn his vision into Utah State's vision. Robins served as USU's student body president in 1949. He was the primary and initial visionary of today's Taggart Student Center. In 1954, Bill and wife Geraldine died in a plane crash, leaving behind a one-year old orphan boy. This prompted Bill's fraternity to set up a fund so the boy could go to USU when he was ready. Tragically, the boy died at the age of eight from leukemia. Since then, the fund has been used to continue the Robins Award tradition. Each year, the gallant event is held in the evening, and several awards are presented. The ceremony is followed by the Blue Carpet Ball. Throughout the years, the name of Bill Robins has stood as a symbol of the best efforts students can offer. As a memorial to him, the night's feature award is called the Bill Robins Memorial Award. Other awards include Achievement of the Year, Woman of the Year, Man of the Year, Organization of the Year and the Val R. Christensen Service of the Year. As a change this year, any students who nominate another student or organization will have the chance to attend the ceremony if their nominee becomes a finalist. This year's Robins Awards will be hosted April 24 in the TSC Ballroom. Students can be nominated on the first floor of the TSC or at http:// www.usu.edu/asusu. The deadline is February 5. 11Compiled from staff and media reports |