The third time was the charm as Eastern passed an air-quality test on its coal-fired boilers. The Title V permit Eastern operates under required the university to release no more than 0.352 pounds per million British Thermal Units of particulate matter, or soot, based on a three-hour average.…

The cost of attending Eastern and other universities across the nation continues to rise with tuition increasing each year. Some Eastern students have had an extra financial burden added to that since 2002, when the university adopted policy making it mandatory for all students with less than 30 credit hours to purchase a meal plan, went into effect.…

The Faculty Senate voted down a proposed motion to give merit bonuses to faculty members on a nonrecurring basis in a special meeting called last week. The money, allotted in the university budget for academic affairs, will now go to faculty's base pay every fiscal year.…

Construction on a new chemical weapons disposal plant at the Blue Grass Army Depot could begin as soon as April, officials said. Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass, the contractor chosen by the Department of Defense to build the proposed Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, announced last week the company is seeking bids on an "earthwork subcontract" for the plant.…

Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced the state's proposed 2006-08 budget last Wednesday, leaving Eastern to ponder how they would fare with the newly recommended executive funding for postsecondary higher education. Fletcher's recommendation for $36.8 million in additional base funding over the next biennium fell short of the $150.…

Ruth Dawkins rented a trailer from Eastern in 1968, becoming the first single woman to do so. Her husband had died in the war. She and her two children lived on the lot while she completed a registered nurse degree. Her son, Tom Adams, said she was furious when Eastern at first denied her application because she was a single woman, and the lots were meant for married couples.…

SGA has planned several new activities for this semester while keeping old activities alive. "We've got a lot of things planned. This could be one of the most explosive years in recent history," Mario Anderson, director of Public Relations for SGA, said. New activities planned for this year include trying to improve campus involvement.…

Thefts at Eastern are noticeably rising each year. Statistics collected from 2002 to 2004 show that criminal activity is becoming more and more of an issue on campus. In 2002, 180 thefts and burglaries occurred at Eastern. But in 2003, the number increased to 183 and then, in 2004, jumped to 195.…

Women do better in college than men. Right? They do according to a recent study by Student Monitor. Commissioned by the Association of American Publishers, the study said women study more, get higher grades and graduate sooner. Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Research and Operations Richard Kroc said women begin to excel at a younger age than men.…

Kentucky protection for sexual assault and rape victims has been ruled insufficient, according to attorney general Greg Stumbo's opinion released last month. Now sexual assault victims needing treatment, beyond what the Sexual Assault Victim Assistance Fund's allotted $550 can provide, cannot be forced to pay the additional expenses, according to the statement.…