The Pendulum
ELON, NORTH CAROLINA | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2011 | VOLUME 37, EDITION 3
www.elon.edu/pendulum
History of conflict in Egypt
hits home for Eion community
m.
Kassondra Cloos
News Editor
Although riots in
Egypt are calming
down, Shereen Elgamal,
assistant professor of
Arabic, has not stopped
worrying.
Elgamal said she lived
in Egypt for 28 years
before coming to the
United States in 1993 and
is “beside herself with
worry.” Except for her
husband and children,
all of Elgamal’s relatives
still live in Egypt.
“1 called back home
and some people are
apprehended and in
custody and some people
are not and waiting for
this to happen," Elgamal
said. “Some people are
missing, totally, and
some people are badly
hurt and in hospitals
trying to get treatment.”
Following the
Tunisian uprisings that
resulted in the ousting
of President Ben Ali,
_ millions of Egyptians
lave been protesting in
the streets of Cairo in an
[ attempt to force President
[Hosni Mubarak, who has
liuled since 1981, out of
' power.
What started as mass
protests against Mubarak
Jan. 25 soon escalated
when pro-Mubarak forces
entered the equation
and clashes became
violent. As many of the
protesters coordinated
through social media,
the government turned
off all Internet and
mobile phone access on
Jan. 28.
While access was
restored Feb. 2, after
Mubarak announced he
would not run for re
elect ion in September, t he
communication gap did
not stop the hundreds of
thousands of Egyptians
who continued to
convene in Tahrir, or
Liberation Square.
“Didn’t anybody see
this happen?” Elgamal
said. “Was it a surprise
that Hosni Mubarak has
been resented by his
people for many years?
Has it been unclear
that he is 82 years old
preparing to run for
presidency? Was the
sufferingoftheEgyptians
unknown? It has been
known to everybody, and
everybody was sitting
and watching.”
Freshman Ronda
Ataalla, whose parents
are Egyptians currently
living in North Carolina,
said the violence in
Egypt was difficult for
her parents.
“They’re taking
See EGYPT I PAGE 2
Photos courtesy of MCT Campus LUKE LOVETT | Graphics Edito
Elon’s price tag expected to increase by $l,496
Sam Parker
Senior Reporter
In the face of major tuition increases
at colleges around the country, Elon
University’s administration has planned
to increase tuition by 3.98 percent for the
2011-2012 academic year, totaling Sl,496,
the smallest increase in more than a
decade.
Steven House, the provost and vice
president for Academic Affairs, said Elon
has made a conscious effort to uphold its
lower tuition prices in order to preserve
its reputation as a best-value university.
“One of The Elon Commitment goals is
to maintain Elon as abest-value institution,
which means big bang for the buck,” House
said. “And we’re trying to make the bucks
as small as possible. When you compare
us with our peer institutions, our tuition
is considerably lower.”
Meghan Green, a junior athlete on
the Elon golf team, said despite the low
tuition increase and her partial athletic
scholarship, the raise in her tuition is still
a stretch for her family because of the
tight economy.
“Elon is an expensive school to begin
with, but one of the best buys for a private
school, as they say,” Green said. “My
family and I are looking at Elon more as
an investment and less as a cash outflow.
However, as a business major, 1 can
understand the tuition increase with the
increased cost of commodities and the
declining value of the dollar.”
A recent article in The Burlington
Times News stated 13 of the University
of North Carolina’s 17 campuses want
their Board of Governors’ permission for
maximum tuition increases, which are
limited to 6.5 percent per year, because of
statewide budget cuts.
Gerald Whittington, senior vice
president of business, finance and
technology, said although Elon suffers
from the same general deficits as the rest
of the country, expansion and growth are
still possible.
House said he is grateful Elon is not
enduring the same financial burdens as
larger, public universities because private
funding allows the university to continue
to seek excellence.
blessed," House said.
“We are very
“There are institutions all around
that are cutting because there aren’t
enough funds to support the programs
they already have, but we’re supporting
the programs we already
have and supporting
new ones. We’re very
fortunate."
In considering the
allocations of this year’s
budget, Whittington, House, President Leo
Lambert and the Business and Finance
Committee of the Board of Trustees
weighed the external forces affecting the
university, Whittington said.
“We consider questions such as,
‘What’s the national economy like?’"
WTiittington said. “‘How’s our enrollment
doing?’ ‘What’s retention like?' ‘What’s the
consumer price index doing?' Things of
that nature.”
According to House, the next step
involves collecting revenues and
considering where mone> should be
spent. He said funds are allocated toward
programs deemed the highest priorities
according to The Elon Commitment. This
year, financial aid, faculty salaries, various
FOR THE LATEST
Q%-
academic
programs,
a national center
for engaged learning,
gender equity scholarships
for athletes and numerous construction
projects are receiving sufficient amounts
of money.
Whittington said most of the gifts Elon
receives each year from philanthropies
go toward financial aid and scholarships
for students. He said funding also stems
from increased tuition rates in the MBA
and law programs, as well as from higher
room and board prices.
Whittington said a raw copy of the
budget is in its final stages of the process
and has been given to the Board of
Trustees and a final verdict is expected by
Feb. 14.
■ ELO