The Northerner

Board extends partner benefits

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The Board of Regents voted to extend family benefits at its meeting April 28.

The board voted 7-2 to expand the benefits package to incorporate employee health care benefits for domestic partners.

President James Votruba said this expansion is consistent with Vision 2015.

NKU to be annexed to city

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

"Welcome to the city of Highland Heights, the home of Northern Kentucky University," said Highland Heights Mayor Greg Meyers as he announced that NKU would be officially incorporated into the small city that surrounds it.

Meyers, alongside University President James Votruba, signed the agreement that would merge the two areas April 23.

Programs merge to create Center

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The Office of International Programs and the Office of International Students may be merging to create the International Education Center next semester.

"It will be a center for all things international," Elaine Jarchow, dean of the college of education and human services and coordinator of the internationalizing Northern Kentucky University task force, said.

Students' personal information released

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The middle two digits of Kyle H's Social Security number is 39. The Northerner has this information because it was released in records obtained under state open records law from the Vice President of Student Affairs and General Counsel, Sara Sidebottom. Northern Kentucky University is not required to provide such personal information to records requests.

UP investigation declares rape case unfounded

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

A sexual assault claim made by a Norse Hall student on April Fool's Day has been classified as unfounded, according to Northern Kentucky University Police Chief Harold Todd.

The female student alleged that a male subject sexually assaulted her in his Norse Hall dorm room at 9:22 p.

Smoking shelter resolution passes

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The Student Government Association ended the school year by unanimously passing four resolutions at its meeting April 28, including swearing in the new executive board and senate for the 08-09 school year.

The "All Purpose Grant Resolution" requests $3,000 for the implementation of a grant that would cover the extra costs that, for example, art, nursing and music majors have to pay out of their own pocket.

Ensemble Promotes Health

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Kentucky Writer's Day, seven hour celebration

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Northern Kentucky University celebrated Kentucky Writer's Day, sponsored by the Kentucky Arts Council, April 24 in the Otto M. Budig Theater with seven hours of poetry reading. Entitled "Turning Pages," the event included readings by several Affrilachian authors.

WTF: Answering your NKU-induced head scratchers

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

With all the traffic going in and out of the University Center, between to grabbing some lunch or getting some supplies for class, many students maybe completely unaware of UC 320, which houses Testing and Disability Services. One of the primary goals of Disability Services is to help create a diverse student body and accommodate students with disabilities in a way that allows their education without hindering the education of any other student.

Second round of senior art shows

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Christine Bonenfant's chandelier of ceramic fabric hangs in the center of the main gallery, a focal point of her "Better Living Through Ceramics" exhibit.

Directly behind the chandelier is Brandy Bader's "Nature of My Mind" painting exhibit. Slightly to the right there is a dark miniature man made hallway with dimly lit lights that was built to encase Joshua White's photography exhibit, "These Precious Things.

Band proves the punk heart alive and well

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Punk's not dead, despite what punk rockers' T-shirts advertise.

However, it is on life support, kept alive by bands who understand what punk's about. One of these bands is Northern Kentucky's own Now Entering Rehab (NER).

NER, complete with drummer Nathan Bartlett, an undeclared sophomore, helps to keep the scene breathing.

The Fix deux

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

From Disney teen sensation to prostitot, Miley Cyrus is apparently not the innocent daddy's girl whom she portrays on her Disney show Hannah Montana.

The 15-year-old is spunky and a bit weird at times, but recently she has been called promiscuous. After some revealing pictures emerged of her pulling down her t-shirt to expose a green bra with an unknown male beside her on MySpace, a nearly naked photo shoot with Vanity Fair and not to mention the photos of her basically making out with her best friend Mandy, this young starlet seems to be heading towards being the biggest train wreck since Lindsey Lohan.

Editors give their goodbyes

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The last two years have been the hardest two years of my life - and definitely the best. After passing out on and demolishing a plant, dancing with a gay man dressed as Captain America, watching Joe throw-up outside a cab and singing Karaoke with Art, this staff has become my friends and my family.

Honorary degrees deserved

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The Tennessee Board of Regents finally got it right Friday when it approved a resolution permitting Tennessee State University to award honorary degrees to 14 students expelled more than four decades ago for participating in the freedom rides that helped define the nation's civil rights era.

By the numbers

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

10 out of 10 is the rating Grand Theft Auto IV received from IGN.com. 16 players is the maximum number who can join the online game at once. 9 million copies were expected to be sold in its debut Tuesday. Source: IGN.com; Rockstargames.com; Forbes.com

The good, the bad, and the weird

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The good A one-year-old girl is alive after jumping from a second-story window in Albany, N.Y., because a mailman was three hours early, timesunion.com reported April 22. The postal worker was delivering an express package, so he was walking below the window when the girl jumped down and he caught her.

Softball team finishes disappointing season

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The season came to an end for the Northern Kentucky University Softball team as it finished with a 9-17 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and failed to qualify for the GLVC tournament for the second year in a row.

"We just couldn't seem to get over that "hump," if you will.

NKU wraps up largely successful sports year

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Somehow it's the end of another school year. This is easily the fastest semester and fastest school year I've had so far.

And it's been a fast year in sports at Northern. A successful one, but it's gone by in a blur. Records set, conference titles won and a National Championship to boot.

Norse take three of four

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The Northern Kentucky University baseball team (28-20, 18-9 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference) won three of four games against Wisconsin-Parkside (4-34, 1-26 in the GLVC) over the weekend.

NKU swept Wisconsin-Parkside on April 26, winning Game 1 by a score of 7-0 and Game 2 10-4.

Roger Clemens 'gone country'

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Roger Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was a 15-year-old aspiring singer and the pitcher was a Boston Red Sox ace, the Daily News reported.

"I cannot refute anything in the story," McCready told the newspaper in a story posted on its Web site Monday night.

Obama shoots hoops

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

For all his basketball skills, Barack Obama was out of his league.

The Democratic presidential candidate played hoops with the University of North Carolina team on April 29. The Final Four squad cut the 46-year-old some slack.

"These guys move very fast," puffed Obama, as he raced up and down the court with the much younger and much bigger college players, many of whom dwarfed the 6-foot-2 Obama.

Rivers Bengals first choice

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Keith Rivers' number is already taken.

During his impressive career at Southern California, the linebacker wore No. 55 with great pride. The number has been passed from one prominent USC linebacker to another, part of an ongoing tradition.

The first-round draft pick got a Cincinnati Bengals jersey with a ceremonial No.

Politically-charged Olympics putting China in spotlight

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

With 100 days to go, the battle has been lost to keep politics out of the Beijing Olympics.

Shimmering venues and billions spent to remake Beijing into a modern city have been dulled by pro-Tibet protests, chaos on the torch relay and an anti-Western backlash by angry Chinese who sense their coming-out party is being spoiled.