News editor Candace Pontoni is the primary author of this article, I merely contributed.

Published: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 in The Whitworthian as part of a package on how health care reform will affect student life.

Reactions on Whitworth’s campus to President Obama’s recently approved health care reform bill are mixed. Students and faculty came down on both sides of the fence when asked about the bill.

On March 23, President Obama signed into action legislation that will, among other things, allow Americans to purchase health care through state-based exchanges.
The vote on Capitol Hill was split nearly even, with 100 percent of Republicans in both the House and the Senate voting against the measure, and most Democrats voting in favor. The measure passed 219-212 in the House.

Aaron Korthuis, political activism club president, said he has heard both sides of the debate supported by Whitworth students, but that overall he has heard more negative than positive comments about the reform.

“People are less favorable than favorable. There are a lot of people who would have rather seen it passed another way,” Korthuis said.

Andrew Hogue, assistant professor of political science, said he is hearing far more questions than comments.

“There has been a lot of misunderstanding about the bill,” Hogue said. “Even the people who drafted the key components of the bill, and certainly most everyone who voted for it, are unlikely to have read the whole thing.”

Mike Ediger, department of health sciences chair, said he believes some students feel the reform won’t affect them.

“Access to health care is a big issue, but students don’t realize it because they’re on their parents’ health plan,” he said.

Whitworth graduates who aren’t able to afford health insurance have come to Ediger asking for health advice, he said.

“A lot of them are skipping necessary medical procedures because they aren’t able to afford health plans,” Ediger said. “Many aren’t getting health screenings, are skipping their allergy shots, and they are more inclined to have a tooth pulled instead of having the problem with the tooth fixed.”

The new plan will help by giving young adults the option of remaining on their parent’s insurance for a longer period of time.

One stipulation of the bill will allow young adults to remain on their parents’ insurance until they are 26, regardless of whether they are enrolled at a university.

“If you are attending college and want to take a year off of school, right now you wouldn’t be covered by your parent’s insurance during your time off,” said Glen Stream, a doctor at Rockwood Clinic.

As most of the new legislation will not become effective until 2014, however, it’s likely that current students won’t be affected by the reform during their time at Whitworth, Hogue said.

Hogue said many people seem under the impression that they won’t be able to keep their current insurance plans. This, he said, is the most misunderstood part of the new legislation.

“To quote the President, ‘If you like your insurance you can keep it,’” Hogue said.

Another misconception, Hogue said, is that the bill is socialized medical reform. It isn’t correct to classify it this way, Hogue said, as the government won’t be playing the role of an insurance company and providing the same coverage for everyone.

It should instead be considered a system in which the government subsidizes insurance for some, he said.

Like Hogue, Ediger said he doesn’t feel the reform will socialize the health care system.
“I don’t think we’re heading in that direction,” Ediger said. “This may open the door to go there, but I don’t think it will. Making health care available to all is good.”

Stream said allegations that quality of health care will deteriorate under the reform are not grounded, as the bill affects the insurance side of the health care system.

Those who choose to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges should still be able to obtain high-cost procedures such as organ transplants and dialysis, he said.
Some do have concerns about the legislation, however.
Ediger believes greater government presence in the system could result in confusion as to who should dictate the type of care each individual should receive. He feels it is possible that legislative oversight may be brought into health care.

“When we give our government more control of health care, it makes me nervous,” Ediger said. “Health care providers, not congressional committees, should determine quality of health care.”

It’s important that Americans continue to question who is dictating the care they receive as the reform is implemented, he said.

A concern held by Ediger, Stream and Korthuis is that there will not be enough medical health professionals to go around if all Americans who are currently uninsured take advantage of the chance to obtain insurance.

“If all of those who are now uninsured make medical appointments once they are insured, there won’t be enough medical practitioners to care for all of them,” Stream said.

Korthuis likewise feels that the reform has the potential to lower the quality of medical care received by Americans due to increased demand for health care, though the bill contains many provisions that seek to ensure health care quality, he said.

“I think it’s going to depend on the way the medical community responds,” Korthuis said.
Ediger said he feels this problem will likely be addressed through physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

“I believe they will be leaders in primary health care over the next 20 years,” Ediger said.
Hogue said he hopes people are able to get behind the bill.

“I’m hopeful, but not optimistic, that people can come on board and hope for the best with this bill, whether they supported it or not, since it is now the law of the land,” Hogue said.

Stream is looking further down the road.

“I hope we can move quickly beyond the political fallout,” he said. “My hope is that we use this imperfect piece of legislation as a starting point to build a new health care system.”

Published: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 in The Whitworthian as part of a package on how health care reform will affect student life.

Tucked away in more than 2,400 pages that make up President Obama’s health care reform bill are measures to change the way students receive federal loans.

The student loan reform will allow the federal government to take control of student loans.

“The federal government has paid the banks before, but now they can remove the banks as middle men and save that money,” said Mike Ediger, chair of the health services department.

The government will be able to save money that has been going to the private banking industry, said Aaron Korthuis , president of the Political Activism Club.

“Now the government will be offering loans directly,” he said.

Removing banks from the picture could ultimately save the government $61 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The money saved will go toward funding health care reform, reducing the national deficit and increasing Pell grants for students.

Current Whitworth students will not see any benefits from the changes, however. These measures will not begin going into effect until July 1, 2014. And even then, it’s unclear how much the changes will directly affect students, as many of the shifts in policy occur behind the scenes.

One change future students will see are increases to the Pell grant, which provides “need-based grants to low-income undergraduate and certain post-baccalaureate students to promote access to post-secondary education,” according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site.

However, even these changes are slight. An article on SmartMoney.com, an affiliate of the Wall Street Journal, called them “watered down.” The official plan is to increase the Pell grant from it’s current amount of $5,350 to $5,975 by 2020 – a $625 dollar increase over 10 years.

Published: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 in The Whitworthian as part of a package on how health care reform will affect student life.

While President Obama’s health care reform won’t directly affect businesses, it does carry implications for employee benefits which may be of interest to students looking for work in the coming years.

John Sporleder, a human resources consultant and president of Sporleder Human Capital, said that many employers struggle with the cost of providing insurance for employees. If they are able to save money by not offering insurance, he said, employers may opt to let their personnel fend for themselves with the public option.

Whitworth employees can rest easy for now. Although insurance premiums may go up over the next year, it won’t be due to health care reform, said Rick Scott, associate director of human resource services.

Scott said that Whitworth has no solid plan of action for changes in polices due to the passage of health care reform.

“It’s wait and see at this point,” he said.

Whitworth insures its employees through Group Health. Group Health has been slowly sharing information on the effects of the bill’s passage with Whitworth as details are uncovered.

“We hear bits and pieces at a time. It’s an ongoing process. As they figure things out, we hear things,” Scott said.

Due to the lack of hard information on the effects of health care reform, Whitworth employees will not be charged more for their insurance due to Mr. Obama’s bill.

“Premiums may go up, but it’s not because of the reform,” Scott said.

At this point, business owners are not anticipating immediate changes. However, the future is uncertain.

Published: Monday, April 12, 2010 in The Whitworthian.

When junior Megan Fraser walked out to discover that her car had been broken into one morning last October, business as usual quickly devolved into the start of a months-long process of dealing with the aftermath of theft.

Fraser’s Nissan Maxima had been locked, but thieves smashed the rear window and gained access to her purse, camera, iPod and other valuables.

“I had to drive back to Montana to get a new license,” Fraser said.

Fraser lives off-campus about one-half mile from Whitworth. Crime in the area is understandably a concern for students who opt out of dorm living.

“Everyone knows someone who has gotten something stolen,” senior Nic Vargus said.
Vargus lost roughly $500 worth of stereo equipment from his car in December.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Department keeps records of all crimes in the area, and displays them on an interactive map linked from their Web site. Since December 2009 up until this printing, police have responded to over 70 crimes within a half-mile of Whitworth’s campus.

Doug Silver, systems coordinator for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department, said that one problem spot in particular is the area around the intersection of Highway 395 and Highway 2, known as the ‘Y.’ North of the ‘Y’ and between the two highways, vehicle prowling and burglary are relatively common.

However, the area around Whitworth remains one of the safer neighborhoods in Spokane, Silver said. For example, police have responded to 191 crimes in the half-mile area around the Monroe Street and Sprague Avenue intersection in downtown Spokane since December of last year.

Students feel that the area around Whitworth is relatively safe.

“I’ve always felt it was really safe,” Fraser said. “After [the theft] we just took more precautions.”

Vargus has adopted a pragmatic view since his experience.

“I feel like it’s a small chance that it could happen, but it does happen,” he said.

Silver said that students should take care not to leave things visible inside their cars at night.

If something is stolen out of a vehicle, recovery is often problematic. Burglars don’t want to keep stolen merchandise, Silver said.

What students can do is report crimes and suspicious persons as soon as they are able. The sheriff’s department engages in “intelligence led policing,” Silver said, a method of crime prevention that seeks to identify areas where crime is occurring regularly and establish a presence there.

“We’ll station undercover officers and place cameras in those areas,” Silver said.

If students observe suspicious behavior, they should report it immediately.

In the meantime, taking some advice from Vargus can’t hurt:

“Always lock your doors,” he said.

Published: Monday, February 16, 2009 in The Whitworthian.

Whitworth’s radio station, KWRS 90.3 FM, made its last radio broadcast in December and has moved to an online-only format.

KWRS staff received notification in early December that the plug would be pulled sooner than anticipated.

“We were initially told we would be losing the frequency next September,” said Bud Bareither, general manager of KWRS.

The frequency will be taken over by Spokane Public Radio.

KWRS has been anticipating this change for quite some time. Because KWRS uses a 10-watt transmitter, thus limiting the broadcast range to about three miles, the station has always been a prime target for absorption into a larger station, said Ben Leighton, former general manager of KWRS, in an article in The Whitworthian.

“The FCC really doesn’t pay too much attention to small stations like us,” Leighton said.

However, KWRS will not be closing its doors. The station already broadcasts over the Internet and will broadcast solely online from now on.

The station continues to broadcast at http://www.kwrs.fm.

A major overhaul of the online station is in the works, Bareither said.

“We’re going to add more content and clean up the appearance of the Web site,” he said.

Bareither said the KWRS staff is a little stressed because the transition is happening much faster than originally anticipated.

“It’s tough losing the frequency,” he said. “But we’re pretty excited about the possibilities.”

Although the radio station won’t be under the FCC decency guidelines governing broadcast content, Bareither said the radio station will stay clean. All DJs for the station must sign a contract that states they will not use expletives on the air or play songs with expletives. |

The change is perhaps a good one, said Ginny Whitehouse, associate professor and chair of the communication studies department.

“I am excited to see what the students do to develop Pirate Radio under this new format,” she said. “The students remain committed to producing good programming. The medium is just different now.”

Published: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

As the Nov. 30 deadline for early action applications approaches, numbers are on track for a larger applicant pool than last year.

Thus far, there are 3,662 applications for the incoming class of fall 2009, representing a 5.7 percent increase over the number of applications received at this time last year.

Previous years have seen larger freshman classes than expected, resulting in parking and housing crunches and breaking past the university’s stated goal of a 2 percent increase per year in the size of the student body.

The university plans to enroll a smaller freshman class of 525 next fall, said Fred Pfursich, vice president of admissions and financial aid.

There were 570 incoming freshmen this fall, according to the Fall 2008 Tenth Day enrollment report.

The admissions schedule is divided up into weeks starting the first of October, Pfursich said. The university uses the schedule to organize and spot trends in the application process.

“We’re currently in week seven,” he said.

The early application process is important to the university because it yields a high percentage of enrollments, Pfursich said.

Out of the nearly 3,500 early applications received last year, 30.8 percent of those admitted were enrolled, compared to 21.1 percent of regular applicants.

This difference can usually be attributed to the types of students who tend to apply early, Pfursich said.

“In general, students who apply early are a little more confident in their choices of schools,” he said. “They want to get on with it.”

The regular application deadline is March 1.

Schools nationwide are also receiving a surprising number of early action applicants in spite of the economy, according to a recent article in The New York Times.

People are often more prone to try to get into school during an economic downturn, Pfursich said, because of the greater number of career opportunities open to college graduates.

Pfursich said the applications received are in line with a typical Whitworth applicant pool in terms of gender, ethnicity and GPA.

Prospective student Clarissa Riches is in the process of applying to Whitworth.

“I like the smaller campus,” she said. “The students all seem really enthusiastic. Almost everyone’s wearing a [Whitworth] logo.”

Pfursich expressed some concern over how national situations such as the economy might affect enrollment.

State schools such as Eastern Washington University and Washington State University face potential budget cuts of up to 20 percent pending budget decisions that Gov. Christine Gregoire will make in the coming months, according to an article in the Spokesman-Review.

The cuts won’t affect Whitworth directly, but it’s impossible to say what the indirect effects might be, Pfursich said.

“It’s way too early to make any kind of projections, but it’s definitely going to be an interesting and challenging year,” he said.

<!–By Jerod Jarvis

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Published: Friday, November 14, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

Major construction projects on Whitworth’s horizon are in danger of being put on hold due to economic considerations, said Brian Benzel, vice president for finance and administration.

“We’re not making delay decisions yet, although it’s highly possible the HUB expansion and Phase II of the science complex may be delayed,” Benzel said in an e-mail interview.

The HUB expansion will add a new area to the dining area, and Phase II of the science complex will include the renovation of the existing center as well as a 16,000-square foot addition.

“We are keying the projects on our ability to finance and start construction on Phase I, the new science building,” Benzel said.

The primary issue is the university’s ability to sell the bonds that will fund the project, Benzel said.

“We are preparing to sell bonds, but won’t make that decision until at least January,” he said.

Published: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

Construction on an expansion to the Hixson Union Building’s dining area could begin as early as this summer, said Brian Benzel, vice president for finance and administration.

The current dining hall seats about 350. The new expansion will add about 8,000 square feet, the equivalent of 170 new seats, or roughly 50 percent more available seating.

“The overall budget for the project will be about $5 million,” Benzel said.

The HUB was last remodeled in 1997 when there was a total of 2,043 students, according to the 2005-2010 strategic plan. There are 2,674 students this year, according to the Fall 2008 Tenth Day enrollment report.

Sophomore Tobin Eyestone said the dining area needs to be expanded.

“During peak lunch hours there’s hardly any place to sit, especially if you’re with a group of friends,” Eyestone said.
The expansion will be constructed on the north side of the HUB, extending out from the existing dining area toward Arend Hall.

The expansion will consist of two levels, a ground level and a mezzanine above it, with lots of windows providing natural light.

Steve Thompson, director of capital projects, said the new area will have a different feel to it than the current dining area.

“It won’t just be a big open eating area like the current dining hall,” he said.

The expansion will consist of several themed eating spaces, such as Italian and Mexican food areas, Thompson said.

Although there won’t be any food preparation facilities in the expanded area, the decor and atmosphere will make the new area a unique place to eat.

The current eating and kitchen areas will not be affected by the expansion, Thompson said, adding that students will be able to continue eating in the dining hall while construction is underway.

Sophomore Ryan Gerhard said although the dining hall could use an addition, he is concerned about the financial implications.

“Any improvement they make is cool, as long as it doesn’t cost me any more money,” he said.

The funding for the expansion is coming from the same bond issue that will be used to finance the East Residence Hall and science center projects.

The current economic situation could potentially force a postponement of the construction, Benzel said.

“It depends on when our bonds can get sold,” he said. “The market isn’t affecting us at this point because we’re not ready to sell the bonds yet.”

Benzel said he wants to wait until the market situation improves before selling bonds.

He said he hopes the expansion will be completed by fall 2010.

Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 in The Whitworthian.

Act Six is now recruiting applicants from the Spokane area and the first Spokane cadre in fall 2009 will be split between Whitworth and Gonzaga Universities.

“There are a lot of students in the Spokane community that could benefit,” said Tim Herron, Act Six national director.

Founded by Herron in 2002, the program is in its sixth year at Whitworth. The Act Six program draws its name and inspiration from the story of the early church as described in the Bible in Acts 6.

The program encompasses intensive leadership training, a full-ride scholarship and post-graduation community integration, according to the Act Six Web site.

Herron, a former Tacoma math teacher, envisioned the program after watching many of his most promising students drop out of college, according to the Web site.

Whitworth has seen many changes due to the direct influence of Act Six, including the introduction of the Gospel Choir, which was founded by Act Six scholar and 2008 alumna Sha’Nay McQuirter, according to the Spring 2007 issue of Whitworth Today.

The move to Gonzaga is being headed up by Rodney McAuley, Act Six Spokane director, who sees the program as an investment in the Spokane community, according to a July 28 Whitworth press release.

“Even in this supposedly remote corner of the world, the demographics are shifting,” McAuley said in the press release. “Twenty-five percent of the Spokane public schools’ population are students of color, compared with 8 percent in the overall population of the city.”

Raymond Reyes, vice president for intercultural relations at Gonzaga, said he is excited about becoming part of the program.

“It’s a win-win,” Reyes said. “When you have a diverse student body, everybody wins.”

Herron said he is excited about the expansion.

“The first step of the Spokane expansion was the opening of a Spokane branch of the [Northwest Leadership Foundation] downtown,” he said.

Sophomore Yong Kim, an Act Six scholar, is also in favor of the expansion.

“I’m glad that colleges are seeing the value of Act Six,” Kim said.

Eighteen Act Six scholars will enroll at Whitworth and Gonzaga next fall – nine from the Spokane area and nine from the Seattle/Tacoma area. Gonzaga’s first cadre will consist of eight scholars, while Whitworth’s seventh cadre will have 10 scholars.