I Monday, Jan. 11,2010 Board requests Ihistees ask for 2010-2011 By Megan Rogers COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER The Penn State Board of Trustees submitted the lowest increased appropriation request in almost 50 years last month, hoping to avoid a repeat of this year’s appropriations battle with the state. Gov. Ed Rendell released $334 million in state appropriations to Penn State on Dec. 17 about two months after the delayed state budget was passed. The Penn State Board of Trustees submitted a “very austere budget and prudent” request Dec. 18. asking the state to cover only increasing costs for the following academic year, university spokes woman Jill Shockey said. The board asked for $360.9 mil lion in appropriations a 3.9 per cent increase from this year's appropriation and the smallest increase request since 1964. Citing rising retirement and health care costs, the university is asking only for funding that will allow programs to remain at their current level, Shockey said. The board’s request comes after an intense political battle in Harrisburg on the legalization of table games. Rendell had said he would not release appropriations for Pennsylvania’s four state-related schools until table gaming legisla tion was legalized, arguing the legislation was needed to balance the budget. But he disbursed the funds I)ec. 17 after realizing that not doing so could keep Pennsylvania from qualifying for federal stimulus education fund ing. Student leaders were pleased Table games to help schools By Megan Rogers COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER Local representatives said they hope the state budget debate is put to rest, now that controversial table games leg islation has passed much debate. Gov. Ed Rendeil signed legislation Jan. 7 allowing casinos to add games such as Rendell blackjack, poker and roulette. Gaming legislation was passed by a 28-22 vote in the Senate and 103-89 in the House meaning the 1,000 state jobs Rendell said would be cut if table games were not passed by Jan. 9 are now safe. The expansion of table games will create jobs and could produce more than $2OO million in tax rev enue this year, Tor Michaels, chief of staff for Rep. Scott Conklin, said. While Conklin, D-Centre, and state Sen. Jake Corman, R- HUGE POSTER SALE art • music • film • photography • vintage • humor MAGNETS, SHOWER CURTAINS, POSTCARDS, FRAMES, TAPESTRIES AND MORE! that Rendeil broke the link between appropriations and gam bling. "Public welfare and education should be the first priority of any government," said DJ Ryan. Council of Commonwealth Student Governments (CCSG> governmental affairs director. "For them to put such a large con tingent of college students and their families in that position is unacceptable." Because Penn State and the three other state-related schools are considered "non-preferred." funding was not released with the state budget and needed approval from both the Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives. The first of the 12 appropriation Approprations timeline October 2009: State budget passes, but Penn State needs Pennsylvania House and Senate to app'ove appropriation Dec. 11, 2009: The House votes 95-97 not to release appropria tions for the four state-related schools Dec. 14, 2009: Appropriation passes through the House with a vote of 184-6 Dec. 15, 2009: The House votes ir : ; v.r tion, which will legalize blackjack, review Pennsylvania casinos Dec. 16, 2009: The Senate passes an amended version of the House’s table games bill Dec. 17, 2009: Gov. Rendell announces mot he will release appro priations for state-related schoois. ever; though table games legisla tion has yet to pass Dec. 18, 2009: Penn State's Boaro of : rusoees submits next year's appropriation request, with the iowesi increase since 1964 Jan. 5: Senate passes table game legislation Jan. 6: House passes table games leg Rendell’s desk Jan. 7: Gov. Rendell signs table games ;e Centre, voted differently on the legislation, both expressed opti mism that the bill will add much needed revenue to the state budg et. Though he doesn't support gambling, Conklin voted in favor of the legislation, Michaels said. The table games legislation was the only revenue source the Republican-controlled Senate would pass, he said. "Hopefully it will do what it is intended to do. which is supple ment our budget during these ter rible economic times." Michaels said. Corman, who voted against the bill, said he was wary to legalize more gambling. Though he said history has shown an increase in social issues stemming from gambling, he feels it is time to move forward. "Budgetary-wise, I suppose it's a good thing,” he said. "But as far as expanding gambling. I had concerns." The legislation will require casinos implementing table games to pay a one-time licensing fee of $16.5 million for larger easi $360.9M appropriations I'iie-. ho six of them overdue has liti! yet arrived, but Shockey said this was not unexpected and cited normal paperwork issues as e reason for the delay, i vnn State was forced to take ! risks while appropriation lundinc was up in the air, includ ing delaying construction proj ect- Operating costs were reduced, salaries frozen and re>e: \ e landing was used, univer sity spokeswoman Lisa Powers -coo !. ; Michaels, chief of staff for If l 'o Scott Conklin, said it was '‘embarrassing" that appropria tions were released so late and said Conklin was "very frustrated wit'n the process that [was] hold inu onr schools hostage." s v"-1 -r» )i ; leoorter: mersl9o@psu.edu or table games legisla t'd other games in cm. sending it to Gov. nos ami >7.5 million for smaller. Revenue from the table games be taxed at 16 percent. Founeon percent of the tax will go to the state, and the other 2 per cent will go to the county and municipality of the casino. t 'orman said revenue tax for the state will go into the general I fund and will not be used to fund ! -ititc appropriations for state related schools as implied by pro pmteirs of the bill. uoruleil had said he would not pa-s state appropriation legisla tion rr state-related schools with- j i;t the approval of table gaming I leiiislation as well, that it was ! need'd a balance the budget. mi i>?\ from table games ’ : a ded to fund the appro- Porman said, and the | was released in :. when table games leg si ill in the House and ; The Pennsylvania w i ontrol Board said it will % to nine months to install able games in casinos, according to a press release. Sponsored by the Office of Unions and Student Activities For a Limited Time Only! HUB-Robeson Center, Prefunction Lounge eporter: mers2oo@psu.edu At Penn State University/University Park Sunday, January 10 Thru Friday, January 15 9am - 9pm 'ress Jay Leno speaks during the panel for “The Jay Leno Show" at the NBC Universal Television Critics Association summer press tour in Pasadena, Calif. Leno has had the show since Sept. 2009. NBC to end Leno’s prime-time show By Lynn Elber ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER PASADENA, Calif. NBC said Sunday it decided to pull the plug on the Jay Leno experiment when some affiliate stations con sidered dropping the nightly prime-time show, and the net work is waiting to hear if Leno and "Tonight" host Conan O'Brien accept its new late-night TV plans. "the Jay Leno Show." which airs at 10 p.m. EST, will end with the Feb. 12 beginning of the Winter Olympics, said NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin. Leno would return to his former 11:35 p.m. slot after the Olympics ended under the net work's new plan, which also calls for O'Brien to retain his job with "Tonight" but at the later hour of 12:05 a.m. EST. Jimmy Fallon and his "Late Night" would be pushed a half hour later as well, to 1:05 a.m. EST. "My goal is to keep Jay. Conan and Jimmy as our late-night line up." Gaspin said, adding later that they "have the weekend to think about it" and discussions with them will resume today. NBC had moved Leno to prime-time last year in order to keep him from leaving the com pany and keep a promise it had made to give O'Brien the “Tonight" show. The change was one of the most dramatic in prime-time television in a genera tion. It was also a roll of the dice at a time NBC was suffering in prime-time. It didn’t even last six months. Gaspin said the new proposal gives Leno what's important to him telling jokes at a later hour and O'Brien his top priority, retaining "Tonight." "I hope and expect that before the Olympics begin, we'll have everything set. I can't imagine we wont have everything in place before then," Gaspin told a meet ing of the Television Critics Association. Gaspin said that despite lower ratings for NBC at 10 p.m. com pared to last year, the network was making money off the show. The Daily Collegian “My goal is to keep Jay, Conan and Jimmy as our late-night lineup.” Jeff Gaspin NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman But affiliates were upset that it was leading fewer viewers into their late news programs, costing them significant advertising rev enue. Some affiliates told NBC in December they would go public soon about their complaints if a change wasn't made, or even take Leno's show off the air. Gaspin said about one-third of the affiliates were really hurt by the Leno show, although he was n't clear on how many said they might pre-empt his show. "I asked them [the affiliates] how many are they talking about, because I could have lived with one or two. But I got the sense that it w'as more than one or two." he said. Michael Fiorile. chairman of the NBC Affiliate Board, said it was a great move for NBC sta tions. the networks and viewers. "We admire their willingness to innovate, and their willingness to change course when it didn't work for us." Fiorile said. Gaspin said he pondered com binations of possible schedule changes before the holidays and then called his boss, NBC Universal Chairman Jeff Zucker. for approval to act. "I don't want to wait anymore. Now is the time," Gaspin recount ed telling Zucker. Both Leno and O'Brien made comedic hay out of the issue last week. Leno joked in his mono logue that NBC was working on a solution in which all parties would be treated unfairly, while O'Brien wisecracked that he and Leno would be thrown by the net work into a pit to fight and "the one that crawls out gets to leave NBC." Gaspin said he’s "perfectly fine" with their on-air remarks "if that's how they blow off steam and that’s how they're comfort able."
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