Read more: http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/03/27/run_032811_sc/#ixzz1I2EyaqNw

Bean, a history professor at SIUC, created an anonymous public blog called FreeU, freesiu.blogspot.com, in 2009 to give SIUC students a forum to talk about universal social topics and current events at the university.

“Think of (FreeU) as a big free speech zone for students, faculty, staff and others,” Bean said.

Jennifer Freitag and Aubrey Huber, Ph.D students in speech communication from Cedar Falls Iowa and Mediapolis, Iowa, allow students to express their concerns about similar issues through theater performance and dialogue sessions in and out of the classroom.

As a teacher and prevention educator in rape crisis services at the Women’s Center, Freitag said she sees students’ and community members’ eagerness to talk and engage with others. One problem is SIUC and the Carbondale community don’t create enough opportunities for social, racial and political issues to be discussed, she said.

FreeU’s posts about revisions of SIUC’s sexual harassment policy in May 2009 generated a large response from students, faculty and staff for months after the SIU Board of Trustees approved the policy, Bean said.

In a September 2009 post titled “Sexual Harassment Procedures: You Have the Right to … (mumble mumble),” an anonymous blogger discussed academic freedom, laws of higher education and the policy that was approved at the university.

The blogger quoted George Orwell, a British author and journalist who fought against social injustice, and said, “Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

“I take comfort in that I have offered not only criticism but suggested improvements to the draft,” the blogger wrote. “It often seems that the harassment establishment will engage in rituals nodding to due process while letting the substance dribble away in opaque ‘procedures.’ Those who criticize the status quo are labeled (with some accuracy) PITAs (Pains in the ass).”

An anonymous commenter wrote SIUC did not create or execute an appropriate sexual harassment policy, which creates issues of untrustworthiness concerning the university’s procedures. The commenter said future policies should be discussed by the state and be universally applied to all public colleges and universities in the state.

In a class Freitag teaches, students pick an issue and talk to members of the community. They then lead a class discussion that focuses on their findings, she said.

She said in southern Illinois, students and members of the community still experience racism, sexism and gender violence, but if society looks at people as individuals and respects who they are and what they say, attitudes can change. It’s important that people are aware of these problems and how they affect individuals, she said.

“As a citizen of this country, as people in the world, I think that we have an ethical obligation to engage with social issues of our time,” Freitag said. “That’s what is awesome about (student contribution), is finding a creative way people can express themselves, express a viewpoint, claim something and put their body on the line for it.”

Huber directed 2nd Helping, a play performed by students Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Kleinau Theater that discussed topics of interpersonal relationships, gender, race and how to build better communities. The play explored helpful and unhelpful ways that people of different backgrounds and genders can communicate, she said.

Huber said she hopes those who attended the performance would share their experience with others so the community can develop its own solutions for dynamic problems.

“That’s what I hope the show does is to kind of question, ‘how do we help and what ways are good or productive and what ways can we maybe improve our helping practices?’” she said.

Bean said important issues need to be addressed immediately. Creating a blog takes fewer than 15 minutes and is the quickest way to get information to many people, because the link to the blog can be sent through a mass e-mail, he said.

The best blogs are group blogs that cross timely issues with important perspectives from other blogs.

“The more discussion that goes on between them, the better,” he said.

Sarah Cechowski can be reached at scechowski@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 259.

Read more: http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/03/06/dialogue_030711_sc/#ixzz1I2Dbj0vc

Posted: March 21, 2011 at 8:41 pm

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The museum has brought in more than $1,000,000 in grants since 1990, and it received a $10,000 Learning in the Arts grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2010, said Bachman, director of the museum. The Learning in the Arts grant allowed the museum to bring its Pop Art Spectacular exhibit to its south hall, she said.

The grant is awarded to organizations that offer children the ability to celebrate and participate in the culture of today’s generation, according to the NEA’s website.

Bob DeHoet, education program director for the museum, said the grant allows the museum to pay for busing students and faculty from high schools and community colleges in southern Illinois to view its print collections from the 1960s pop era. DeHoet also said the grant allowed the exhibit’s Pop Art prints to be framed.

“What we’re doing is offering an opportunity for some people who are very involved in the technology and dealing with the mass media everyday an opportunity to look at the pop art, do a little bit of reflection on the impact of technology and mass media … and let those students come up with some social commentary of their own,” he said.

The high school and community college students’ work based exhibit will be displayed at the museum this summer, DeHoet said.

Bachman said the museum has been accredited since 1977, and the work of museum staff and student workers make it successful in finding grants to ensure reaccreditation.

“It’s everything from how well you’re supported from the university, by the other staff that you have, by the care you take of your collections, by your outreach to the public, by how well you serve your audience … all those things are standard,” she said.

Due to a 10 percent cut to the museum’s operating budget last year, four faculty members and one secretary are employed at the museum, which limits the number of grants they can manage and apply for, she said.

The museum’s budget for fiscal year 2011 is $51,700, Bachman said, leaving $34,914 after wages to pay for expenses such as collection care, exhibition design, construction, installation, educational programming, loans, insurance and membership in professional organizations.

There is not enough money to take care of the more than 70,000 artifacts the university owns or for the 19 exhibits scheduled for the 2011 school year, she said, but support from grants, university administration, the College of Liberal Arts, schools such as Art & Design and community Friends of the Museum makes what the museum does possible.

Bachman said one of the biggest concerns the museum will face in 2014 or 2015 is a reexamination for accreditation by the American Association of Museums, which recognizes professional institutions that follow the best practices.

Accreditation is given based on delegation of authority, amount of resources set aside for the museum’s mission, how much it provides for its visitor’s needs, availability of appropriate storage, careful and responsible management of artwork at the museum, the safety of its staff, its visitors and borrowed museum artifacts, according to AAM’s website.

Bachman said when the museum was last reaccredited in 2001, the AAM Accreditation Committee was critical of the museum being understaffed and the collection center not meeting standards.

David Gugerty, a graduate student in public administration from Carbondale and exhibit designer, said the registrar position, which involves caretaking and documenting artifact location, is in great need of a full-time employee to oversee the collection.

He said Laurie Huffman, museum curator, is doing the job of two staff members by filling in the roles of registrar and financial officer for the museum.

Bachman said the museum will continue to manage the resources it is given carefully, and with more than 135 years of support from the university, the southern Illinois community and the museum’s patrons, the future of great exhibits at the museum is promising.

Sarah Cechowski can be reached at scechowski@dailyegyptian.com or at 536-3311 ext. 259

Read more: http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/02/17/museum021811sc/#ixzz1I2A6GKLc

Nora O’Leary, president of the SIUC Panhellenic Association and member of Alpha Gamma Delta, said members of the eight sororities and 20 fraternities that make up Greek life are 5 percent of the university’s student population.

“We do somewhere (around) 50 percent of all community service hours on campus, so the fact that 5 percent of the population is that much (of the community service) and we don’t get recognized for it is really disappointing,” O’Leary said.

Andy Morgan, coordinator of student affairs and adviser for SIUC’s fraternities and sororities, said Greek participation and members’ GPAs continue to increase.

Each chapter has its own requirements, but most require an average of 10 to 15 community service hours a semester and a minimum 2.5 GPA, Morgan said.

The average Greek GPA in both fall 2010 and spring 2010 was 2.8, while the university average for the same semesters was 2.78, according to SIUC’s Institutional Research and Studies.

Shelli Layton, vice president of membership for Panhellenic and member of Sigma Kappa, said SIUC does not publicize Greek life the way other universities do with the same amount of enrollment.

Morgan said there are more fraternities than sororities nationwide, which makes it easier to start a chapter, but the imbalance between the eight sororities and 20 fraternity chapters can also be the result of a higher percentage of men enrolled at the university.

“Fraternities (are) more like capitalism,” Morgan said.  “It’s survival of the fittest. … You want to start a group; you can start it. There are certain policies you have to follow, but there aren’t as many as compared to the sororities.”

Several programs at the university such as engineering traditionally draw higher levels of male enrollment, but the university has taken action by creating the nursing program and recruiting more at all-women high schools in the five-state area, Chancellor Rita Cheng said.

Each chapter’s fees vary, but most are around $500 to $600 a year without new membership fees, Layton said. She said new members should be aware that costs will rise because the university will not allow students to live in Greek Row dormitories after the spring 2012 semester.

State law requires sprinklers in dormitories, and the university determined that renovation of the aging Greek Row buildings where sororities are housed was not worth the investment.

O’Leary said she fears what the transition to new housing will do to sororities if their members have to find temporary, smaller and separated living arrangements.

The Greek Housing Fire Safety Act extended the deadline to require existing dormitories to install automatic fire sprinkler systems to Jan. 1, 2019. Sprinkler systems must be included in any current fraternity and sorority housing construction, or any that began after Jan. 1. If construction began before Jan. 1, the fire sprinkler systems are required in those structures by Jan. 1, 2019, according to the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts’ website.

“Since we have a new chancellor, we’re really trying to make an effort to speak with her so that she understands Greek life, and I think that’s really going to improve living,” O’Leary said.

Cheng said she has heard the students’ concerns and has spoken with Peter Gitau, vice chancellor of student affairs, about the issue. She said the university is in the beginning stages of establishing sorority housing on or near Greek Row, but she recommended members also speak with Gitau to discuss concerns regarding future plans and construction.

Reserving money for repairs to the buildings will help start the construction, but most will come from borrowing and will be paid back by student fees throughout the life of the building, she said.

Although the Greeks would like to add two new sorority chapters, the existing sororities need more members first, O’ Leary said. She said sororities need 70 members to expand, and the three chapters now average around 60 members each.

Alpha Gamma Delta, Delta Zeta and Sigma Kappa held their formal spring semester Panhellenic sorority recruitment at the Student Center during the weekend.

O’Leary said the sororities begin informal recruitment in the fall by helping freshmen move into university housing, chalking, posting fliers and setting up tables. They recruit around 100 members in the fall and around 30 in the spring for the Panhellenic association, she said.

Sarah Cechowski can be reached at scechowski@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 255.

Read more: http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/02/08/greek-020911-sc/#ixzz1HaEcG4ec

Marcus Odom, director for school of accountancy, introduced faculty, staff and student organizations at Tuesday night’s welcome back event in Lawson hall.

The purpose of the event is for students to learn about the student organizations they offer and get them back into the swing of things after break, Odom said.

Matthew Purdy, associate director of career services and placement and extern coordinator for the college of business said they recommend students come see them in the placement center as soon as they come to SIUC.

They has a freshman student apply for an internship with Deloitte, a major international accounting and consulting firm, in the fall and received her news of acceptance over winter break.

According to the placement centers records accounting majors had a 70 percent employment placement and continued education rate for undergraduates in the fall 2010 and a 62 percent in spring 2010, the highest in the college of business.

“We sometimes refer to ourselves as match makers,” Purdy said.  “We connect our students to employers and we do it in multiple ways.”

The placement center in the college of business do interview coaching by creating a bank of questions when students bring in their resumes, requiring them to dress in business attire and video tape them so they can both go through the interview and discuss what was done well and what can be approved upon, he said.

Rusin, President of BAP and a graduate student in accountancy from Palos Heights said the school of accountancy is a bridge for networking opportunities with recruiters.

There is a career fair held in the beginning of fall, exclusively for accounting majors, where professionals come to network and share their experiences with students, Rusin said.  She said The annual Golf Scramble, hosted by the Accounting Society is held the next day, where students can group up with professionals to golf, while building informal relationships with them.

“I see what these organizations do and I get to see students grow into young professionals,” Purdy said. “I know there’s got to be a correlation between getting involved and going above and beyond with personal and professional success outside of the classroom.”

Rusin said BAP takes part in volunteer income tax assistance, beginning in January and continuing through the last Saturday before tax day.  Each member that participates must go through training and pass a test before they can start, she said.

VITA is free, but only available for simple 1040 tax returns without schedules, Odom said.

The 1040 is a basic tax form that helps taxpayers add up all their sources of income, so they can determine how much a person owes or will be refunded.  A tax schedule is a rate sheet that determines a taxpayers estimated taxes due.

The BAP, AS and National Association for Black Accountants meet together and take turns recruiting speakers during each semester, Rusin said.  75 to 80 students attend the meetings where professionals give them insight into today’s industry, discussing resumes, interview tips and what they are look for when hiring, she said.

Rusin said she sees accounting recruiters more often on campus than anyone else.

“We don’t have many recruiters in (Carbondale), it’s a very precious opportunity to meet (accounting) recruiters on campus,” said Wanning Li, a graduate student in accounting from China and new member of NABA.

KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers are the Big Four auditors that you want to network with, Rusin said.

“They’re a stepping stone to every other career job you can have in accounting,” Rusin said.  “If you started in the big four and you worked your way up to manager and go back and work in the industry, odds are your going to be making more in the industry because you’ll have more experience and they want you.”

Li said every faculty member strives for a high level of future development for students by doing everything they can to help students find the right career path for them.

The placement center offers online resources like Experience, Internships.com, Vault.com and WetFeet where students can post their resume and  search for internship and job opportunities, Purdy said.

Purdy said that 20 percents of student’s time should be spent online and 80 percent should be spent networking when searching for jobs.

“You cannot replace the personal connections you get knowing a recruiter,” Purdy said.

Sarah Cechowski can be reached at scechowski@dailyegyptian.com or at 536-3311 ext. 259.

Read more: http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/01/27/job-numbers-soar-for-accounting-students/#ixzz1HaDkiWJK

James Abbot, a senior from Lincoln studying history education and customer service manager at University Bookstore, said Carbondale Computer Repairs, located at 317 E. Main St., is now an authorized service provider of Apple Inc.

Rob Walls, Apple technician for CCR, said in the past CCR was only allowed to do repairs to Apple hardware if the warranty was expired, but since the store became authorized users early this year, he expects more business from the university and community.

“Anything from SIU that’s still under warranty that’s hardware-related will be heading this way,” Walls said.

According to Apple’s website, there is a one-year limited warranty from the date of the retail purchase on all hardware.  The Apple Care Protection Plan is a three-year extended warranty for service and support that can be purchased separately, according to the website.

St. Louis and Paducah, Ky., were the closest authorized service providers for Apple hardware before CCR became authorized, Walls said.

Eric Osborne, a junior from McHenry studying industrial design, said because of spillage damage, the trackpad and keyboard lights on his MacBook Pro don’t work properly.  As a design student, Osborne said he is required to use his laptop five days a week for assignments. The distance between Carbondale and St. Louis or Paducah was too far for him, he said.

With CCR now handling repair issues for customers, Abbot said the University Bookstore, which has been an Apple-authorized campus provider since May 2008, could now concentrate on educational sales of its Apple products for students, faculty and staff.

“We’re not sure if the staff realizes that they’re eligible for the education discount along with the faculty and students,” Abbot said.

Osborne said he purchased his 15-inch MacBook Pro from the university for about $1,300 with his education discount. The same laptop would have cost between $1,500 and $1,600 at Best Buy or an Apple store, he said.

There will be an open house for Apple Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the University Bookstore, where faculty, staff and students can ask questions and get assistance from bookstore staff, said Abbot.

There will be a drawing for a 16 GB iPad and a $20 discount on all iPads at the open house, he said.

Sarah Cechowski can be reached at scechowski@dailyegyptian.com or at 536-3311 ext. 259.

Read more: http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/01/26/new-repair-center-fixes-rotten-apples/#ixzz1HaD0MnrO

Hannan, a senior studying elementary education at SIU’s off-site education facility at University Center of Lake County, said he is the only non-traditional student to receive his textbooks for free since the SIU Alumni Association began its $25,000 textbook award last spring.

“Possibly the greatest impact that SIU has had on my life is my ability to attend classes at the university’s off-site campuses,” he said.

The association awarded the textbooks to the 49 winners in a ceremony Tuesday in the Student Center. Ricket McCurry, vice chancellor for institutional advancement and one of the speakers at the ceremony, said something as simple as helping students with the cost of textbooks is often overlooked.

“I think the reality is that sometimes we don’t realize what just a little boost will do for some students,” McCurry said. “Sometimes it’s the difference between being in school and not being in school, and that little boost can be a life changer.”

The association sent out e-mails to all SIU students in fall 2010 describing the requirements for the award: a 3.0 GPA and their expected family contribution.

Tim Marlo, controller for the scholarship committee, said in order to receive the award, students had to respond to the e-mail and write an essay telling the association what the award meant to them. The $25,ooo fund was enough to cover the first 49 students who completed the application process.

In April 2008, the association’s National Board of Directors Scholarship Committee joined with financial aid to discuss how to help students succeed. Kathy Dillard, the association’s director of alumni public relations, said the committee saw supplies and textbooks as essential for success, and set aside money to help current and future SIU students with their financial needs.

Alino Liwo, a senior from Dubai studying fashion design merchandising and a recipient of the award, wrote in her essay that SIU was the first school to accept her when she wanted to change schools and majors.

“SIU was a gateway to hope when it felt like there was no other … I am proud to be a Saluki and hope there will be many more after me,” Liwo wrote.

Hannan said he and his wife have a large amount of out-of-pocket payments that insurance doesn’t cover. Both of them work to make ends meet, and the extra money can be put toward his tuition payments, he said.

Five of the 49 students were nominated by Carla Coppi, interm director of international programs. Those students still had to meet the 3.0 GPA requirement, but since they did not file for financial aid, Coppi said it was her idea to nominate students whose parents or siblings were international alumni who graduated from SIU.

Mike Imbayan, a junior from Malaysia studying mechanical engineering, said he is one of six members of his family to graduate from SIU. He said some of his books cost up to $200 and winning the scholarship would relieve his worries, making it easier for him to save money for bills and car repairs.

“(SIU) changed me. When you put your school first and you stick to it, you can achieve your goals,” Imbayan said. “Never give up. That’s what I’ve learned.”

Sarah Cechowski can be reached at scechowski@dailyegyptian.com or at 536-3311 ext. 259.

Read more: http://dailyegyptian.com/2011/01/23/textbook_12411_sc/#ixzz1HaCANmwH