President-elect and junior Lonny Mallach and incoming SA Senate Speaker and senior Ashley Conner are already aware of several of the issues that they will be facing during the 2002-2003 academic year.
Parking, Corner Store expansion, and student-administration relations rank as major issues for both incoming leaders.
Mallach expects the current parking shortage to be exacerbated by the elimination of 50 student overflow spaces when Wilson Boulevard is reopened. “I’m opposed to the Wilson Boulevard construction and I would like to see more parking available to students,” he said.
Conner supports the Wilson Boulevard reopening, citing the current lack of access to the river and the inconvenient path it currently takes to cross campus. “The much bigger part of the parking problem is the overall lack of usable space,” she said.
Both Conner and Mallach place a high priority on expanding the Corner Store. “The Corner Store is often packed,” said Mallach. In addition to the small size of the store itself, Mallach pointed out that it can only hold a few days worth of stock in its Douglass storage room.
Opinion on the future leaders is positive. Outgoing speaker and Take Five Scholar Bronwen Van Hooft said that she was proud to turn the job of speaker over to Conner. “I think she brings insight and experience to the position and her energy for the job is a real attribute,” Van Hooft said.
Those who have worked with Mallach are similarly enthusiastic and look forward to working with him. “Lonny has been a key part of so many changes that are fundamental to the lives of students on this campus,” former SA president and senior Meng Wang said.
“I think he’s going to do really well,” incoming Senior Class Council president Beth Haber said. “He’s a man with a mission.”
Two prominent administrators leave UR
UR was left with two empty spaces in its administration when Dean of Students of The College Mary-Beth Cooper resigned in December and Director of Student Activities and Wilson Commons Rob Rouzer left in March.
Cooper will become Vice President of Student Affairs at Rochester Institute of Technology.
As Dean of Students, Cooper worked closely with many groups.
“It is the personal relationships that I will miss the most,” she said.
Rouzer, who served at UR for 34 years, is leaving to take a job as the Director of the Campus Unions at the University of Illinois-Chicago.
Dean of The College William Green said Rouzer’s service has been invaluable. “He cares about students and has always done what he thinks is best for them and for the university,” Green said. “He has been a loyal and strong advocate of the University of Rochester and we are sorry to see him leave.”
UR Debate Union completes record-breaking year
At the close of a record-breaking season, the UR Debate Union finished first in the National Debate Tournament rankings. They also finished second in the rankings by the Cross Examination Debate Association.
Senior Mark Entel is feels that the increase in rankings is well-earned. “The current rankings reflect the work of the team this year,” Entel said. “There is a commitment and the rankings show that.”
Tuition increases to $25,430 for 2002-2003
Tuition for the 2002-2003 year will increase by $1,300 from 2001-2002 for full-time students attending The College.
After adding the average costs of room, board and other fees, it will cost just over $34,000 to be a student at UR next year.
“Tuition increases are inevitable if we are to provide the necessary support for our programs,” senior vice president for finance Ron Paprocki said.
Reporting by Kara DeSantis, Todd Hildebrandt, Alissa Miller, and Chadwick Schnee and Karen Taylor.
