Daily Archives: July 9, 2009

iPhone App by VU Students a Hit

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A team of three Valparaiso University students hit the iPhone app jackpot over the holiday weekend, releasing Battery Go!, an iPhone application that gives users an easy way to see how much battery power their device has and the amount of time they can talk on their phone, watch videos, browse the Web or listen to music before running the battery dry.

Since the July 5 launch of Battery Go!, the application has reached No. 74 on the iTunes App Store list of most downloaded paid iPhone applications, fueled in part by positive reviews from PC Magazine and Christian Science Monitor, among many others.

Cameron Banga, a senior economics major from Hobart who helped develop the application, said that the Battery Go! application solves a need that every user has, particularly since iPhones use more battery power than traditional cell phones.
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Area Colleges Seek Tuition Hikes

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Tuition and fees at Purdue University Calumet stand to increase 5% to 6% during the upcoming 2009-10 academic year, according to a proposal by Purdue officials.

The projected fee hike is in response to a 5.2 percent cut in state appropriation dollars to Purdue Calumet’s 2009-10 and 2010-11 fiscal years operating budget. Although Purdue Calumet and other Purdue campuses are receiving one-time “stimulus” funding to help offset the reduction, these dollars may not be used for recurring budgetary commitments.

“The proposed increase in Purdue Calumet tuition and fees is consistent with increases at other Purdue campuses,” Purdue Calumet Chancellor Howard Cohen said. “It will assure that a Purdue education on our campus is not compromised during a time when the state, despite its best efforts, is unable to support higher education at a level that will preserve quality for our students.”

Purdue isn’t the only university looking to increase tuition. Ball State University is expected to seek an increase of about 4%, though that would be slightly less than the 4.9% increases it has imposed in each of the past two years.

LRHS Cancer Program Granted Accreditation

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The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) recently granted three-year accreditation with commendation to the cancer program of LaPorte Regional Health System (LRHS).

The program received the three-year accreditation with commendation following an on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor. Further, the program demonstrated a commendation level of compliance with one or more standards representing the full scope of cancer care (cancer committee leadership, cancer data management, clinical services, research, community outreach and quality improvement).
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News & Notes: Customer Loyalty, Retention Top List of Indiana CEO Concerns

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A survey of 350 CEOs of Indiana businesses reveals that customer loyalty and retention is the No. 1 issue facing chief executives. “Corporate reputation” also scored highly, while employee retention, top-line growth and securing funding all took a back seat.

Local municipalities will save a bundle thanks to the Indiana Department of Administration’s decision to aggregate road salt purchasing into a single, statewide bid.

The recession is eating into local casino revenues.

The tax bill circus in Porter County rolls on.

A new 64-acre industrial park in Valparaiso has been given the green light.

The current recession will likely “match or surpass those of the 1970s and 1980s in depth and severity,” Charles Evans, of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, told St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce luncheon attendees yesterday.

South Bend Mayor Stephen Luecke said the city would be forced to cut 200 employees, close parks and possibly the zoo if a proposed income tax increase isn’t passed by the end of the month.