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NIU Media Coverage
In the week of September 10, 2012
National News
Clinton schools update emergency plan
By Katie DahlstromHerald Staff Writer
CLINTON — Devastating scenes from across the country reveal the importance of planning for threatening
emergency events.
Situations from Virginia Tech, Northern Illinois University, Normal High School and others have heightened
the awareness of the best process to reduce the number of victims in potentially deadly incidents.
The Clinton School District is changing its approach to dealing with these situations, including those involving
an active shooter or other massive disorder, by using a system called ALICE.
School Resource Officer Cpl. Pat Cullen said the new system will encourage students and staff to take an
approach unlike the lockdown system currently in place that could potentially leave students and staff locked in
classrooms for hours.
“You guys read the newspapers around the country, it is not enough,” Cullen said.
Using the new system students and staff will be trained to exit the building if they are not in what Cullen called
“the hot zone,” the area where the shooter is.
The first step of the system is to alert using clear and concise language to convey the type of event and location.
Students and staff will also be encouraged to use 911 in the case of emergency events.
“Years ago they didn’t want anyone to use 911. You know what, we want students and staff to use 911. We
want them to tell us exactly what’s going on in that building,” Cullen said. “That’s a huge change.”
Lockdown will still be used as a part of the system, but will not be the only line of defense staff and students are
trained to follow.
“Years past, it's been ‘hunker down and wait’ and that's too dangerous,” Cullen said.
The third step is to inform and keep accurate and constant information coming.
Students and staff will also be trained to counter whatever threat they may be facing using the resources in the
classrooms.
“We want to give the skills to our staff to use things in the classroom to distract bad guys from getting in or
breaking in to the classroom,” Cullen said. “Books, backpacks, whatever they have to distract enough to get
everyone out of that room.”
The final step is evacuation, which will also involve training staff to use their resources to keep an intruder out
of a classroom, identify items that can be used for first aid and finally, how to escape once the intruder(s) is no
longer a threat in the area they are in.
Cullen said while the previous approach was to have students wait until they are all accounted for or to have
lockdown in effect with no evacuation, now the message will be to get out and go when it’s possible.
“The biggest thing across the country that has happened is that people have gone to a classroom with a gun and
students have sat there and died in their chairs. We don’t want that to happen,” he said.
All school district staff will be trained on the ALICE system on Sept. 24.
http://clintonherald.com/local/x2056640069/Clinton-schools-update-emergency-plan
Policymic
5 Biggest Threats to Free Speech on College
Campus in Election 2012
5 Biggest Threats to Free Speech on College Campus in Election 2012
In its 13 years defending free speech on colleges campuses nationwide, the Foundation for Individual Rights in
Education (FIRE), where I have worked since 2008, has won nearly 250 public victories on behalf of students
and faculty. FIRE has been responsible for well over 100 reforms of unconstitutional and illiberal campus
speech policies, with the total number of affected students reaching into the millions.
Needless to say, in all that time FIRE has seen certain types of violations committed over and over. Now, with
the linens and seersucker put away and the new school year officially in business, I thought I would share with
PolicyMic readers 10 of the most common types of free speech violations that we see throughout the year. In
our estimation, these are the forms of rights violations that college students are most likely to see on their
campuses this fall.
A couple of notes to begin:
First, these are by no means the only types of free speech violations we see on campus. A look at FIRE’s case
history shows the true extent of threats to free speech on campus, and the many ways they manifest themselves.
Second, speech code ratings of more than 400 universities around the country will provide you with a fuller
appreciation of the many types of policies that infringe on the free speech rights of students.
Finally, most of my examples deal with cases at public universities, which are bound by the First Amendment.
We’ve seen many of these same cases, however, at private universities — many of which, though not legally
bound by the First Amendment, nonetheless make lofty promises of free speech to their students in their
policies and materials.
Private institutions are bound by these promises, which courts in many states have interpreted as enforceable
contracts. In California, private secular colleges are in fact required by law to afford students the same First
Amendment rights they would have at any public university. Much herein, therefore, is every bit as applicable
to Harvard and Yale as it is to UMass and UConn.
In no particular order, here are our first five. Be sure to come back tomorrow to read the rest!
1. Restrictions on Political Speech
Above: Students at Rice University campaign for Bush/Cheney '04.
Especially during election years such as this one, FIRE encounters universities that, in their quest to remain
politically neutral as required by their non-profit status, bulldoze their students’ and faculty members’ First
Amendment right to political expression.
This happened in 2008 at the University of Oklahoma, which prohibited students and faculty from using their
university email accounts for partisan political expression, including “forwarding of political
humor/commentary.” Faculty and staff at the University of Illinois were prohibited from even such simple
forms of political activity as wearing campaign buttons or placing bumper stickers on their vehicle.
Such abuses have prompted FIRE to issue a guiding statement on political activity on college campuses —
recently updated for the 2012 elections — in the hopes of clarifying the legal principles involved.
2. Free Speech Zones
Above: A free speech gazebo at Texas Tech University.
If your college has one, odds are it’s unconstitutional or violates promises of free speech. The reason is simple:
While colleges have a legitimate interest in making sure that the exercise of free expression doesn’t
substantially interfere with institutional operations, they frequently go far, far beyond what is acceptable in
terms of striking this balance.
Take the free speech zone at the University of Cincinnati, which limited expression to a tiny zone taking up just
0.1% of its 137-acre West Campus, and required as much as 15 business days’ notice if students wanted to use
it. On top of this, a UC student group was told its members could face arrest if they went outside the tiny zone
while collecting signatures for a statewide ballot initiative.
FIRE has successfully overturned these restrictive policies at colleges across the country. As for Cincinnati’s, it
went down the way numerous zones have before it: in court.
3. Unconstitutional “Harassment” Policies
Above: While verbal abuse is unacceptable, so are some harassment policies.
While universities that accept federal funding — that is, virtually all universities, both public and private — are
required to take action against genuine harassment on campus, countless institutions have stretched the legal
definition of harassment to functionally include any speech that someone might find offensive, or that offends
any of the politically-correct sensibilities that frequently hold sway over campus discourse.
Frequently forbidden by such policies (and thus subject to disciplinary action) are jokes, sexual references, and
even anything that might “embarrass,” “demean,” or “harm” a student in any way. In Davis v. Monroe County
Board of Education (1999), the Supreme Court set the bar for student-on-student harassment as conduct that is
"so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively bars the victim's access to an educational
opportunity or benefit." Despite this clear guidance and the fact that poorly-written policies have suffered
numerous defeats in court, overbroad harassment policies may be the most common type of speech code FIRE
encounters.
4. Viewpoint-Discriminatory Funding
Above: Colleges cannot discriminate against student organizations because of their views.
The Supreme Court has twice ruled that in distributing the mandatory student fees that typically fund student
activities, universities may not discriminate against student organizations on the basis of their viewpoint. You’d
think two rulings from the highest court would be enough, but plenty of universities (and the student
governments entrusted with doling out funds) get it wrong anyway.
Sometimes they ban entire categories of expression, as Northern Illinois University’s student government did
when it brazenly tried to deny funding to all political and religious student organizations.
Sometimes, they simply don’t like the message of a particular group. When the University of California, Santa
Barbara College Republicans brought conservative author and activist David Horowitz to campus last year,
numerous student government officers cited their dislike of his views in their decision to decrease funding for
the event.
5. Outrageous Security Fees
Above: Security costs are often inflated to prevent certain events from being held.
Charging student groups prohibitively high security fees for hosting speakers deemed to be controversial is a
sneaky method of censorship FIRE has encountered often.
The formula is simple: Administrators, worried about possible protests that a speaker might draw, compel the
student group to have numerous police or security officers present at their event, on their dime and usually at
extravagantly high cost, or else be shut down.
Fortunately, this is unconstitutional, and it’s not hard to see why. If it wasn’t, a group of students dead-set
against a speaker whom they despised being given a forum on campus could loudly announce plans to protest
the event and saddle the host organization with security fees so high they would have to cancel.
This kind of censorship knows no partisan bounds, either. With FIRE’s help, groups hosting speakers from
Dutch politician Geert Wilders on the right to Bill Ayers on the left have fought back and won against this
indirect but equally pernicious form of censorship.
http://www.policymic.com/articles/14515/5-free-speech-threats-to-watch-out-for-on-campus-this-electionseason
NIU Research
Guide Created To Promote Mental Health And
Safety On College Campuses
New Resource Offers Tips On How To Create and Maintain Effective
Campus Teams
NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In recent years, events like the
tragedies at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University spurred the creation of campus
teams that can both anticipate and respond to different types of campus problems or threats.
More recently, the tragic shootings in Colorado brought attention to the role of campus teams.
As students begin a new school year, a comprehensive guide for establishing new teams and
managing existing ones is being made available to colleges and universities across the country.
"Balancing Safety and Support on Campus: A Guide for Campus Teams" is a free online
resource and project of the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA). The initiative
is being led by The Jed Foundation, the nation's leading organization working to promote
emotional health and prevent suicide among America's college students.
"We are incredibly proud to have been able to lead such an important project on behalf of
HEMHA," says John MacPhee, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation. "College is a critical
time for mental health, and effective campus teams are essential for identifying struggling
students before problems worsen. The new guide is a comprehensive tool for schools to help
with their efforts to promote emotional health and protect the safety of all students."
The reality is that, while violent events may generate headlines, college students are far more
likely to pose a risk to themselves than to others: suicides are between 75 and 100 times more
common than homicide on college campuses. Campus teams can play a crucial role in early
identification of problems, early intervention and suicide prevention on college campuses. This
new guide covers the full range of each team's responsibilities, from worries about a struggling
student to campus safety concerns. Created with input from a group of national experts who
have served on and advised teams throughout the country, the guide helps campus professionals
understand all of the factors that should be considered, including team mission and scope,
name, membership, functions and procedures, as well as common pitfalls and obstacles they
may face.
Campus professionals can access this free, downloadable resource by visiting The Jed
Foundation website at www.jedfoundation.org/campusteams .
About The Jed Foundation
The Jed Foundation (TJF) is the nation's leading organization working to promote emotional
health and prevent suicide among college students. TJF materials and tools are available to all
colleges and universities throughout the United States. Founded in 2000 by parents who lost a
son to suicide while he was attending college, the organization has developed numerous
programs including ULifeline, an online resource that gives students access to campus-specific
resources and allows them to take an anonymous emotional health screening; the Peabody
Award-winning Half of Us campaign with mtvU, which uses online, on-air and on-campus
programming to decrease stigma around mental illness and encourage help-seeking; Love is
Louder, a movement online and in communities to build connectedness and increase resiliency;
Transition Year, an online resource center to help parents and students focus on emotional
health before, during and after the college transition; and a portfolio of nationally-recognized
tools, resources and training programs that help campuses effectively promote mental health
and protect at-risk students. Learn more by visiting www.jedfoundation.org , www.ulifeline.org
, www.halfofus.com , www.loveislouder.com and www.transitionyear.org .
About the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA)
Envisioned and formed in September 2008 under the leadership of the American College Health
Association (ACHA), the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA) is a partnership
of organizations dedicated to advancing college mental health. The Alliance affirms that the
issue of college mental health is central to student success, and therefore is the responsibility of
higher education.
SOURCE The Jed Foundation
Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/guide-created-to-promote-mental-health-and-safety-on-collegecampuses-2012-09-11
Guide Created To Promote Mental Health And
Safety On College Campuses
New Resource Offers Tips On How To Create and Maintain Effective
Campus Teams
By The Jed Foundation
Published: Tuesday, Sep. 11, 2012 - 6:09 am
NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- In recent years, events like the tragedies at Virginia Tech and
Northern Illinois University spurred the creation of campus teams that can both anticipate and respond to
different types of campus problems or threats. More recently, the tragic shootings in Colorado brought attention
to the role of campus teams. As students begin a new school year, a comprehensive guide for establishing new
teams and managing existing ones is being made available to colleges and universities across the country.
"Balancing Safety and Support on Campus: A Guide for Campus Teams" is a free online resource and project of
the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA). The initiative is being led by The Jed Foundation, the
nation's leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among America's
college students.
"We are incredibly proud to have been able to lead such an important project on behalf of HEMHA," says John
MacPhee, Executive Director of The Jed Foundation. "College is a critical time for mental health, and effective
campus teams are essential for identifying struggling students before problems worsen. The new guide is a
comprehensive tool for schools to help with their efforts to promote emotional health and protect the safety of
all students."
The reality is that, while violent events may generate headlines, college students are far more likely to pose a
risk to themselves than to others: suicides are between 75 and 100 times more common than homicide on
college campuses. Campus teams can play a crucial role in early identification of problems, early intervention
and suicide prevention on college campuses. This new guide covers the full range of each team's
responsibilities, from worries about a struggling student to campus safety concerns. Created with input from a
group of national experts who have served on and advised teams throughout the country, the guide helps
campus professionals understand all of the factors that should be considered, including team mission and scope,
name, membership, functions and procedures, as well as common pitfalls and obstacles they may face.
Campus professionals can access this free, downloadable resource by visiting The Jed Foundation website at
www.jedfoundation.org/campusteams.
About The Jed Foundation
The Jed Foundation (TJF) is the nation's leading organization working to promote emotional health and prevent
suicide among college students. TJF materials and tools are available to all colleges and universities throughout
the United States. Founded in 2000 by parents who lost a son to suicide while he was attending college, the
organization has developed numerous programs including ULifeline, an online resource that gives students
access to campus-specific resources and allows them to take an anonymous emotional health screening; the
Peabody Award-winning Half of Us campaign with mtvU, which uses online, on-air and on-campus
programming to decrease stigma around mental illness and encourage help-seeking; Love is Louder, a
movement online and in communities to build connectedness and increase resiliency; Transition Year, an online
resource center to help parents and students focus on emotional health before, during and after the college
transition; and a portfolio of nationally-recognized tools, resources and training programs that help campuses
effectively promote mental health and protect at-risk students. Learn more by visiting www.jedfoundation.org,
www.ulifeline.org, www.halfofus.com, www.loveislouder.com and www.transitionyear.org.
About the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA)
Envisioned and formed in September 2008 under the leadership of the American College Health Association
(ACHA), the Higher Education Mental Health Alliance (HEMHA) is a partnership of organizations dedicated to
advancing college mental health. The Alliance affirms that the issue of college mental health is central to
student success, and therefore is the responsibility of higher education.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/11/4808637/guide-created-to-promote-mental.html#storylink=cpy
Local news
Homeward Bound - West
Rent a dorm room at NIU or buy a home in Sycamore?
By Joe Zekas, September 7, 2012 at 6:18 pm
It's not a choice that many parents consider, but when you look at the cost of student housing at Northern
Illinois University (NIU), you have to wonder why they don't set their son or daughter up as a landlord in a
single-family home in nearby Sycamore.
A recent Tribune article on New Hall, the first new NIU dorm in 44 years, quoted a sophomore as saying that "I
just wanted to cry when I saw my room here, it's so awesome." Well, parents may want to cry when they see the
tab for one of those mini-rooms – $6,482 per semester (pdf) for a single room and the minimum "Gold" meal
plan.
NIU does provide a worksheet to compare the cost of off-campus housing, but it doesn't cover the rare situation
where a student might, with parental assistance, buy a nearby home and play landlord during his or her tenure at
the university.
We've seen the single-family homes at Shodeen Residential's Reston Ponds development in nearby Sycamore,
and you can use one of those to compare the costs of ownership less the income from renting rooms to two
other students, to the cost of living in an NIU dorm. I'll let you do the math, but my rough guesstimate is that a
student-landlord can live virtually rent and utility-cost free.
Note that Sycamore's Zoning Ordinance would prohibit more than three unrelated individuals from living
together in a residentially-zoned property.
Playing landlord for several years can be a valuable experience for a young person – as can the experience of
not living in a dorm populated with 1,000 students, most of whom are away from home for the first time.
http://www.chicagonow.com/homeward-bound-west/2012/09/rent-a-dorm-room-at-niu-or-buy-a-home-insycamore/
Man charged in off-campus shooting incident
Author: CAITLIN MULLEN
Date: September 8, 2012
Publication: Daily Chronicle, The (DeKalb, IL)
DeKALB – A Kishwaukee College student has been charged with shooting at people he was arguing
with during an early morning incident on Edgebrook Drive. About 4:20 a.m. today, a DeKalb police
patrol sergeant heard shots fired in the area of Edgebrook Drive and Normal Road. Police located no
victims but found three cars with bullet holes in their roofs and windshields, said DeKalb police Lt.
Jason Leverton. Witnesses reported shots were fired from a second-floor balcony of 820...
http://nl.newsbank.com/nlsearch/we/Archives?p_multi=DCIL&p_product=SHNP9&p_theme=shnp9&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200
&p_field_label-0=title&p_text_label-0=Man%20charged%20in%20offcampus%20shooting%20incident&s_dispstring=headline(Man%20charged%20in%20offcampus%20shooting%20incident)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweight
s=no
Suspect Held After Shots Are Fired Near Northern Illinois
University
DEKALB, Ill. (CBS) — Police in DeKalb have arrested a suspect in connection with the firing of several shots
off the campus of Northern Illinois University.
The gunfire happened early Saturday morning in the 800 block of Edgebrook Drive, on the northwest side of
DeKalb. It is not believed that anyone was hit by the bullets.
But police found several shell casings at the scene, and several parked cars appeared to be damaged.
NIU campus police say there does not appear to be any threat to the university.
Fans are in DeKalb Saturday for the Huskies’ football home opener against Tennessee-Martin, which was set to
begin at 6 p.m.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/09/08/suspect-held-after-shots-are-fired-near-northern-illinois-university/
pays
State colleges need a reality ch
John Gordon, a former NIU administrator, got about $33,000 and six months of health insurance coverage as part of his resignation
agreement. (Northern Illinois University photo / April 15, 2006)
September 10, 2012
Once again: What a relief that Illinois' public universities have funny money to throw around in tough
times.
The university leaders wouldn't tell you that. Several of them, including representatives of Northern
Illinois University, told Gov. Pat Quinn in May their schools would be devastated if they had to pick up
some of the costs of their employees' pensions. Pay the pensions? Us? We don't have money! That would
damage the quality of education and keep us from attracting top-notch teachers, they said.
And yet, as the Tribune's Jodi S. Cohen reported last week, two top administrators at Northern Illinois
University who faced misconduct investigations were handed a total of nearly $80,000 this summer to go
away.
John Gordon, who managed NIU's 10,000-seat Convocation Center, had a custodian at the center clean
Gordon's house at least four times in the last year. For her trouble? A tip of $20 to $40.
The university also accused Gordon of improperly keeping NIU property at his home, including a
snowblower and a vacuum.
Gordon received about $33,000 and six months of health insurance coverage as part of the agreement that
he resign.
Gordon's supervisor, Robert Albanese, who resigned in July over separate misconduct allegations, was
paid $45,000 to depart.
Where have we seen such nice parting gifts? That's right, down the road at the University of Illinois!
An overbearing leadership style and scandal in his office led to the ouster of U. of I. President Michael
Hogan earlier this year. But Hogan got a sweet sinecure: a professorship with a starting salary of
$285,100. The public relations efforts to ease him into a new position cost the university another
$250,000 on consultants and lawyers. The university stalled his departure date so he'd qualify for a
$37,500 retention bonus.
Hogan's chief of staff, Lisa Troyer, got $175,000 when she resigned. She was accused of posing as a faculty
leader and sending anonymous emails to faculty members to try to influence a policy debate.
The universities claim that these payouts were cheaper, and provided cleaner breaks, than protracted legal
battles would.
But golden parachutes — even nylon ones — for university employees who don't perform or, even worse,
who are caught misusing public resources, squander public money and encourage people to bend the
rules.
Illinois public universities are cranking up tuition costs and begging for more state money. They shatter
their own argument — their own credibility — when they parcel out undeserved cash to people who poorly
served the schools.
Next time, how about this: "You're fired. Hit the road."
Copyright © 2012, Chicago Tribune
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-niu-0910-bd-20120910,0,1939534.story
Spirits soar at DeKalb Kite Fest
Author: JEFF ENGELHARDT - [email protected]
Date: September 10, 2012
Publication: Daily Chronicle, The (DeKalb, IL)
DeKALB – Marsha Black-Chen was surprised to see a flying octopus.
The giant squidlike kite was one of many to dance in the wind of the DeKalb sky Sunday as hundreds of people
came to Northern Illinois University to participate in the seventh annual Kite Fest.
Black-Chen, who attended the fest with her 10-year-old son for the second time, said the event reminded her of
the annual kite festivals in her native Jamaica. She said she never gets tired of seeing the designs...
http://nl.newsbank.com/nlsearch/we/Archives?p_multi=DCIL&p_product=SHNP9&p_theme=shnp9&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_field_label0=title&p_text_label0=Spirits%20soar%20at%20DeKalb%20Kite%20Fest&s_dispstring=headline(Spirits%20soar%20at%20DeKalb%20Kite%20Fest)&xcal
_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no
Byron refueling to give economy a boost
By Alex Gary
Alex Gary crunches the numbers that make up the local economy. He covers the banking, real estate, aerospace and auto industries. The Harlem High
and NIU graduate has been here since 1997.
More than 2,200 workers will be at the Byron Nuclear Generating Station for the next several weeks, refueling the plant's
Unit 1 reactor as well maintenance and refurbishing one of the cooling tower's interior structure.
"This is our biggest outage in more than a decade and we're glad so many people will be able to come to the site and work,"
Byron Station Vice President Tim Tulon said in a news release.
Byron's refuelings routinely gives local unions and hotels a boost. Many of the 2,200 workers are local laborers laid off
from other jobs. Many also are out of town contractors who will spend the week in the Rock River Valley filling hotel
rooms on what normally would be slow days.
During this refueling, workers will replace about one-third of the reactor's fuel. Workers also will perform about 14,000
inspections and maintenance activities, most of which can't be done while the unit is in operation.
When both towers are operating the plant produces enough electricity for 2.3 million homes.
http://www.rrstar.com/blogs/alexgary/x2131921881/Byron-refueling-to-give-economy-a-boost
Teacher pay is back in the headlines as the Chicago school teachers went on strike Monday.
The average teacher salary is $71,236 in the Chicago Public School district, which includes elementary
schools and high schools, according to the Illinois Interactive Report Card of Northern Illinois University.
The average in the state is $64,978.
Jackson Potter, staff coordinator of the Chicago Teachers Union cautioned that the average salary figures
likely include a large number of veteran teachers who retired this year: 1,665 teachers, according to the
latest figures from the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund.
While negotiations in the nation's third-largest school district are focusing on a number of issues,
including job security and teacher evaluations, the complicated issue of teacher pay will always be a point
of discussion across the country, said Chris Swanson, a vice president at Education Week.
"The idea that teachers have much more generous benefits packages than other occupations is
complicated to get into," Swanson said.
ABC News: Ma'ayan Rosenzweig
Education Week's "Quality Counts" report published in January looked at teachers' pay parity, which
measured teacher pay against 16 comparable occupations in each state.
The analysis found that public school teachers make 94 cents for every dollar earned by workers in 16
comparable occupations, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey data from 2010.
Teachers in Illinois make about 91.2 cents for every dollar earned in comparable occupations, the report
stated, which ranks teacher pay in the lower half of the country, as 32nd from the top.
"It's not dramatically different," Swanson said of the teacher pay in the state.
Washington, D.C. ranked last, because, Swanson said, it has a "robust" labor market in general. In other
words, teacher salaries in the nation's capital may appear high, but compared with other salary levels,
teacher pay can be relatively low there.
On the other end of the spectrum, 13 states pay teachers at least as much as comparable workers if not
more. Wyoming teachers had the highest teacher salary relative to other comparable occupations in the
index: 131.4.
The report analyzed salary without looking at benefits, but Swanson said there is variability for nonteachers and teachers that may work nine out of 12 months of the year.
"There are teachers who work more than nine months out of the year or who have additional income
through coaching," Swanson said as examples of the wide range of teacher pay.
Lori Taylor, a professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University,
pointed out that the dispute in Chicago appears to be "a struggle over reforming a system that is perceived
as broken."
One of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's reforms is extending the school schedule, which "is apparently
very important to teachers, because they are fighting tooth and nail not to have that lengthened," Taylor
said.
"You have to think the reason why people stay in those teacher jobs when the salary is not competitive is
either the benefit package is amazing or their desire to help kids," Taylor said. "Either there is a personal
psychic benefit, which is the case for a lot of teachers, but never the case for everyone."
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/chicago-public-school-teachers-highlight-perennial-debateteacher/story?id=17202417#.UE85obJlS2U
Chicago Strike Highlights Teacher’s Pay
(NEW YORK) -- Teacher pay is back in the headlines as Chicago school teachers went on strike Monday.
The average teacher salary is $71,236 in the Chicago Public School district, which includes elementary schools
and high schools, according to the Illinois Interactive Report Card of Northern Illinois University. The average
in the state is $64,978.
Jackson Potter, staff coordinator of the Chicago Teachers Union cautioned that the average salary figures likely
include a large number of veteran teachers who retired this past spring. More than 1,000 teachers retired,
according to the latest figures from the Chicago Teachers Pension Fund.
While negotiations in the nation's third-largest school district are focusing on a number of issues, including job
security and teacher evaluations, the complicated issue of teacher pay will always be a point of discussion
across the country, said Chris Swanson, a vice president at Education Week.
"The idea that teachers have much more generous benefits packages than other occupations is complicated to
get into," Swanson said.
Education Week's "Quality Counts" report published in January looked at teachers' pay parity, which measured
teacher pay against 16 comparable occupations in each state.
The analysis found that public school teachers make 94 cents for every dollar earned by workers in 16
comparable occupations, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey data from 2010.
Teachers in Illinois make about 91.2 cents for every dollar earned in comparable occupations, the report stated,
which ranks teacher pay in the lower half of the country, as 32nd from the top.
"It's not dramatically different," Swanson said of the teacher pay in the state.
Washington, D.C., ranked last, because, Swanson said, it has a "robust" labor market in general. In other words,
teacher salaries in the nation's capital may appear high, but compared with other salary levels, teacher pay can
be relatively low there.
On the other end of the spectrum, 13 states pay teachers at least as much as comparable workers, if not more.
Wyoming teachers had the highest teacher salary relative to other comparable occupations in the index: 131.4.
The report analyzed salary without looking at benefits, but Swanson said there is variability for non-teachers
and teachers that may work nine out of 12 months of the year.
"There are teachers who work more than nine months out of the year or who have additional income through
coaching," Swanson said as examples of the wide range of teacher pay.
Lori Taylor, a professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University,
pointed out that the dispute in Chicago appears to be "a struggle over reforming a system that is perceived as
broken."
One of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's reforms is extending the school schedule, which "is apparently very
important to teachers, because they are fighting tooth and nail not to have that lengthened," Taylor said.
"You have to think the reason why people stay in those teacher jobs when the salary is not competitive is either
the benefit package is amazing or their desire to help kids," Taylor said. "Either there is a personal psychic
benefit, which is the case for a lot of teachers, but never the case for everyone."
http://www.eastidahonews.com/2012/09/chicago-strike-highlights-teachers-pay/
DeKalb documentary premieres Wednesday
DeKALB – DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen remembered the triumph of Lehan Drugs’ decision to refrain from
selling cigarettes. He remembered the heartache of Feb. 14, 2008. He even remembered his first job in DeKalb
as a waiter.
For 70 minutes, Povlsen relived some of the biggest moments that have shaped DeKalb during his viewing of
“Wired: The DeKalb Documentary” Monday at the Egyptian Theatre.
“It shows the rich...
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Chicago teachers strike may be illegal
About The Tribune-Review
The Tribune-Review can be reached via e-mail or at 412-321-6460.
By The Christian Science Monitor
Published: Wednesday, September 12, 2012, 9:32 p.m.
Updated: Thursday, September 13, 2012
As the Chicago teachers strike entered its third day, both sides are determined to settle matters behind closed doors
and not in a courtroom, even though the city has authority to take the fight there — though at significant political risk,
say legal experts.
Although untested in the courts, a provision added to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act last year could
prohibit teachers from striking on all matters — except compensation involving pay and benefits. The walkout, which
started on Monday, encompasses a broad range of issues, many of which have little to do with wages.
Chicago Teachers Union representatives have acknowledged that their gripes with the city are not necessarily
financial.
“What I would say about the economics of this thing is that that isn’t the main issue,” Chicago Teachers Union Vice
President Jesse Sharkey said late Sunday.
Indeed, Chicago teachers are paid more than any others in the state, according to a 2012 report by Northern Illinois
University in DeKalb. The average teacher’s salary in Chicago Public Schools District is $74,236, compared with a
state average of $64,978.
As of Sunday, the Chicago Public Schools offered teachers a 16 percent raise over four years. Chicago Teachers
Union President Karen Lewis said the offer is “not far apart” from what the union wants.
If not strictly about compensation, the strike might be illegal, according to state law. Even the teachers recognize
their strike may not be legitimate.
“While Illinois’ new law prohibits us from striking over the recall of laid-off teachers and compensation for a longer
school year, we do not intend to sign an agreement until these matters are addressed,” the union said in a
statement.
Representatives from the Chicago Teachers Union would not return requests for comment on Wednesday.
Another tool that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat, has at his ready is a provision in state law that says if
a teacher strike ‘’is or has become a clear and present danger to the health or safety of the public,” the mayor can
seek a court injunction to stop it.
The option, though, seems unlikely because the provision doesn’t cover public welfare, which would be more
germane for the strike, said Martin Malin, director of the Institute for Law and the Workplace at the Illinois Institute of
Chicago.
The city so far isn’t pursuing the possible illegality of the strike, but instead is taking its case to the public —
describing the union as conducting a “strike of choice.”
Sarah Hamilton, the mayor’s communications director, says Emanuel’s administration’s ‘’focus is getting kids back in
the classroom learning from their teachers, and we believe this is best resolved at the negotiating table, not in front
of a judge.”
On Tuesday, Emanuel said the two primary issues in the negotiations — teacher evaluations and teacher rehiring —
are legally “non-strikeable.”
Emanuel’s comments “may be setting things up, particularly if the strike is lengthy, for him to appeal to the
Legislature to further restrict (the union’s) right to strike, perhaps by requiring additional third-party intervention or
restricting the subject over which a union may strike,” Malin said.
Public-sector workers who defy state rules on strike actions could face the risk of prison time or large fines.
Read more: http://triblive.com/usworld/2592832-74/strike-teachers-chicago-public-union-emanuel-issues-law-stateteacher#ixzz26wa3M2UB
Spreading messages that are hopeful
MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe member Alex Oechsel looks at a photo of Dylan Wagner, a Batavia High
School student who committed suicide when he was 15-years-old, as she sings “Why” by Rascal Flatts. (Herald
Photo by Jessica Cohea)
Jacob Metoyer, 16, grew up in Dallas, Texas, but eventually moved because his father was transferred to Illinois
for his job.
Some kids may have been upset if they were told they were moving states away from the place they called
home. Metoyer, however, was thrilled.
“I was bullied growing up ... I thought, ‘This is great. I get to start over. I get a new beginning. Maybe there
won’t be a bully,’” Metoyer remembered.
He quickly found out, however, that bullies are everywhere. They are in Texas. They are in Illinois. They just
have different names and different faces.
“You just have to find a way to cope with it. I was really lucky to have a good support system,” Metoyer said.
“My friends and my family were always there, but it seemed like the bullies’ voices always outweighed their
voices.”
He learned that music, either singing, playing or writing it, helped him escape the bullies. He wrote a song
called “Sticks and Stones” to help him cope with whatever he was going through.
Metoyer performed “Sticks and Stones” at Marseilles Elementary School in Marseilles, Monday, Sept 10, as a
part of a presentation by the MWAH! Performing Arts Troupe.
During their show, MWAH! — Messages Which Are Hopeful! — spoke to the students about tragedies caused
by bullying and making poor decisions. The 11-member troupe, including Metoyer, recalled personal hardships
and told stories about other kids’ struggles.
Fifth- through eighth-grade students from the Marseilles school heard stories they may have heard previously
on the news, like those of shootings at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., at a Sikh temple in Milwaukee, Wis., at
Virginia Tech University, at Northern Illinois University and at Chardon High School and more.
But they also heard stories of more local victims, too.
Dylan Wagner, a 15-year-old student from Batavia High School in Batavia, Ill., committed suicide in April
2010. Wagner’s mother spoke at a previous MWAH! presentation and told the audience she and her husband
came home after taking a walk to find a note from their son on the kitchen table and his body in the basement,
according to published reports. Wagner hanged himself.
Following the incident, MWAH! troupe members spoke with Wagner’s sister.
“She wanted us to tell you guys that we need to understand that dark moments and sad thoughts do not last
forever,” Rachel Plasch told the students Monday. “And that asking for help is a sign of strength, not
weakness.”
Jamey Rodemeyer, a 15-year-old from Buffalo, N.Y., also took his own life in 2011. Rodemeyer had been the
victim of cyberbullying for more than a year for being gay.
“Among the people that expressed emotion after his loss was his idol Lady Gaga,” Plasch said. “She tweeted
that bullying is a hate crime and it should become illegal.”
Plasch then told the Marseilles students everyone needs to learn to respect others because of their differences.
In between the tragic stories, MWAH! members sang to pictures of the deceased and to one another when
stories were told through dramatizations or short speeches. Song’s included Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,”
John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Rascal Flatts’ “Why.”
Principal Jeff Owens spoke to his students about the dangers of distracted driving as well.
“You have a few years yet, but how many of you have been in the car when mom or dad have been texting
(while driving)?” he asked. “Now you get to be the adult. Tell them to stop.”
Owens also said the same about the students’ older siblings that may be driving. He encouraged his students to
tell the driver, “I’ll read it to you.”
Mixed in with the sobering tales and melodies, were lighthearted moments, too.
The MWAH! members sang to students in the crowd individually and collectively. Three of the male troupe
members playfully fought over student Emily Brockman through “We Belong Together” by Ritchie Valens.
Six other students were selected from the crowd by school social worker Stacy Brannan as school heroes. Once
the six students were positioned in front of the audience, troupe members sang Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” to
them.
All of the troupe members are full-time students in high school, middle school or junior high school. Because of
this, the number of their performances is limited
Their current schedule includes performances at St. Matthew Catholic School in Champaign, Galesburg High
School in Galesburg, Glenwood High School Operation Snowball in Chatham, Homewood-Flossmoor High
School Operation Snowball in Frankfort, and several other locations.
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/2012/09/12/spreading-messages-that-are-hopeful/avrvnfx/?page=3
Faculty News
Ancient Maya and their 2012 Predictions Given New Life in iPad Book
By Adam on Sep 11, 2012 at 4:40 am
Dallas, Texas – After six months of production and more than four years of scholarly study, Dallas’ Claxton
Creative, LLC and San Diego’s Dr. Mark Van Stone edition of 2012: Science & Prophecy of the Ancient Maya
now is available on the iBookstore in 32 countries worldwide – just in time to answer one of the most pressing
questions of the year: “What did the Maya predict would happen on Dec. 21, 2012?”
Joined in bit parts by 14 renowned Maya scholars from around the world and complete with four 3-D
animations of ancient Maya and Aztec works, hundreds of photographs, interactive maps and drawings, and
even an interactive puzzle of the historic right panel of Tortuguero Monument 6, Dr. Van Stone’s 32,000-word
book was designed for the iPad(R).
“If you want to know what the ancient Maya predicted about Dec. 21, 2012, we have worked with Dr. Mark
Van Stone to compile the most extensive, interactive, animated and scholarly product that’s ever been produced
on the subject, bar none,” said Donald Claxton, the book’s publisher. “We have a ‘Who’s Who of Maya
Scholars’ in more than two hours of video clips, 3-D animations, interactive maps, photos and drawings, plus
never-before-released interpretations of Maya glyphs. This is the most complete and scholarly source of
information about what the Maya did and did not predict.”
The book, printed in English, can be purchased in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, the
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“It has been a dream come true to see this body of work formatted to work so well on the iPad,” said Dr. Van
Stone. “Through the magic of technology, we have been able to revive the Maya and pay tribute to the
uniqueness and intelligence of this very special people. What did the Maya predict about Dec. 21 or 23, 2012?
“In my book we explore the most up-to-date interpretations and discoveries of the ancient Maya and explain
them in a way that will be accessible to all: to an elementary student working on a class report, a layman
searching for answers based on the hype surrounding the 2012 meme, and even the college student or scholar on
the quest for greater understanding of the Maya,” Van Stone said.
Claxton, who met Dr. Van Stone, a speaker, author, Maya expert and professor of art history at Southwestern
College in Chula Vista, California, online in March via Twitter following an appearance on Ancient Aliens, said
his company has worked closely with the professor and other Maya scholars to develop this new form of
technologically advanced book, which can only be read on an iPad.
“It’s been an amazing journey to learn the essence of this developing technology and marry it with the lunar,
planetary and solar observations of the ancient Maya who more than 1,000 years ago studied these things as a
way of explaining what was going on in their world,” Claxton said. “Dr. Van Stone now is ramping up efforts to
inform children of all ages about what the Maya knew and what they said, in particular about Dec. 21 or Dec.
23, 2012, depending on which way of counting scholars have devised.”
“From the second one opens my book on an iPad, readers are transported into the ancient past by some of the
most recognized Maya scholars,” Dr. Van Stone said. “Professor John Hoopes from the University of Kansas
traces the 2012 meme all the way back to Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the New World.
“Colgate Professor Anthony Aveni explains his ‘what works theory’ and how non-scholars ‘cherry-pick’
information they use to get their personal theories to match their personally desired outcomes while omitting
conflicting information. Independent scholar, Austin’s Dr. Barb MacLeod, presents the first-of-its-kind
interpretation and reading of one of the most important pieces associated with the 2012 meme, among others,”
Van Stone said.
In the book Dr. Van Stone also was joined in short video clips by:
* University of Calgary Professor Kathryn Reese-Taylor
* Yale Professor Oswaldo Chinchilla
* Tulane University Professor Marc Zender
* Flora S. Clancy, professor emerita of art history at the University of New Mexico
* Khristaan Villela Santa Fe University of Art and Design
* John Justeson of the University at Albany
* Maryland Senior Lecturer John B. Carlson
* Ivan Sprajc, Institute of Anthropological & Spatial Studies, Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian
Academy of Science and Arts
* Susan Milbrath, curator of Latin American Art and Archaeology, Florida Museum of Natural History
* Northern Illinois University Professor Jeff Kowalski
* Jaime Awe, Director of the Belize Institute of Archaeology
Claxton and Dr. Van Stone said they are working on a series of promotions in the coming months including an
extensive travel schedule that will mean planned public presentations in Atlanta, New York, Washington,
Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland and on the campus of Princeton University.
“We are encouraging teachers in primary and secondary schools, as well as college professors to adopt this text
for a course of study, research papers, or even a special guest video appearance from me throughout the fall,”
Dr. Van Stone said. “As we get closer to Dec. 21, 2012, and the election season winds down in America,
interest in this subject is going to increase and the non-scholars, many of whom are predicting either a ‘blow up’
or a ‘bliss out’ depending on which kind you talk to, are going to be coming out of the word work. If you’re
armed with the information in my book, you’ll be able to refute each one of them with the facts and help put the
minds of those around you to rest.”
Device Requirements:
* Viewed using iBooks 2 on an iPad
* Print Length: 179 Pages
* iOS 5 is required
Pricing and Availability:
2012: Science & Prophecy of the Ancient Maya is $14.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and
available worldwide exclusively through the iBookstore in the Astronomy category. Schedule an interview now
about this amazing technological work by calling 972-863-8784.
Claxton Creative
2012: Science & Prophecy of the Ancient Maya
Purchase and Download
YouTube Video (Trailer)
Screenshot
Screenshot
Claxton Creative is a Dallas-based full-service public relations firm focused on the development of interactive,
multi-touch publications for mobile devices worldwide. The company was founded by former Dallas ISD
communications director, Donald J. Claxton and is supported with the assistance of Fort Worth Author Ron
Rose, Dallas Author Allen Manning, Birmingham, AL editor Larisa Lovelady, Ally Stephenson of Huntsville,
AL, and others. Copyright (C) 2012 Claxton Creative, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo,
iBooks, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
App Store and iBookstore are service marks of Apple Inc.
http://ipadmodo.com/30189/ancient-maya-and-their-2012-predictions-given-new-life-in-ipad-book/
NIU professor to serve as VP of Kappa Delta Pi
Northern Illinois University professor Elizabeth A. Wilkins assumed the post of vice president of the
Kappa Delta Pi Executive Council in July.
Wilkins is a professor in the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations,
who specializes in curriculum and instruction. She came to NIU in 2003 and is a recognized
educator at the state and national levels. Her research interests include preservice education, student
teachers and induction practices.
She accepted the...
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Dead Guantánamo detainee won, then lost courtordered release
The detainee found dead in a maximum-security cell at Guantánamo was a long-despairing Yemeni captive with a history of suicide
attempts who at one time won a federal judge’s release order, only to see his case overturned on appeal and rejected by the U.S.
Supreme Court.
The detainee found dead in a maximum-security cell at Guantánamo was a long-despairing Yemeni captive
with a history of suicide attempts who at one time won a federal judge’s release order, only to see his case
overturned on appeal and rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The detention center on Tuesday identified the dead captive as Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif, in his 30s, held since
January 2002 as prisoner No. 156.
He was found unconscious in his cell at the prison’s Camp 5 Saturday afternoon, the military said. Guards and
military medical staff could not revive him. He was the ninth detainee to die in the 11 years of the detention
center.
The military withheld Latif’s identity while the Naval Criminal Intelligence Service began an investigation and
the Obama administration arranged to notify his family as well as Congress of the death.
Latif was not one of Guantánamo’s best known captives. He had never been charged with a war crime, and he
was cast at best as an al-Qaida foot soldier in the Defense Department’s own military intelligence assessments
obtained by McClatchy from WikiLeaks.
But his lawyers for years portrayed him as a pitiful prisoner — both in the media and in court documents —
who frequently tried to kill or harm himself and spent long periods confined to the prison’s psychiatric ward.
A frequent hunger striker, he would smear his excrement on himself, throw blood at his lawyers, and on at least
one occasion was brought to meet his lawyer clad only in a padded green garment called a “suicide smock” held
together by Velcro, said attorney David Remes of Washington, D.C., who defended Latif as an unpaid
volunteer.
Fellow pro-bono defender Marc Falkoff recalled Tuesday that in August 2008, “He was the guy that we tried
unsuccessfully to get medical records for, and a blanket and mattress, after we found him lying on the floor of
our interview cell, weak and emaciated.” That 2008 court effort failed. A judge found that the federal courts
could not interfere with Guantánamo captives’ conditions of confinement.
Falkoff, now a Northern Illinois University College of Law professor, also included Latif’s “Hunger Strike
Poem,” in a 2007 anthology, “Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak.”
“ They leave us in prison for years, uncharged,” it went. “ Because we are Muslims”
Pakistani security forces captured Latif near the Afghan-Pakistan border in late 2001, one of many men
believed to be foreign fighters who were turned over to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
Latif had maintained his innocence, consistently arguing he had suffered a head injury in a car accident as a
youth in Yemen and left his impoverished homeland in search of charitable Muslim medical treatment and
ended up in Afghanistan. U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy ordered Latif’s release on July 21, 2010, in a 32page order that ruled that the government had failed to show by a preponderance of evidence that the Yemeni
man was part of al-Qaida or an associated force at the time of his capture.
The Justice Department, however, appealed and won a 2-1 reversal that set aside Kennedy’s release order.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit gave the benefit of the doubt to government
intelligence reports and ruled that Latif probably had sought military training in an al-Qaida camp. The ruling
made it easier for the government to fend off Guantánamo habeas corpus petition by adopting a new, liberal
standard for evaluating government evidence.
“This included information obtained in chaotic battlefield settings, unless there was clear evidence to the
contrary,” says Andrea Prasow, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch, “effectively shifting
the burden to the detainee to prove that the evidence was false or unreliable.”
In June, the Supreme Court chose not to hear the case. It was among seven Guantánamo detainee appeals that
the justices rejected without comment.
Latif’s 2008 Defense Department risk assessment recommended he be transferred from Guantánamo as “a
medium risk” who “may pose a threat to the U.S. its interests and its allies.” It said he had often violated the
prison’s rules, “had been noncompliant and hostile to the guard force.” At the time of his death, the prison
camps spokesman said, Latif had been in single-cell confinement with reduced privileges for hurling a container
of his bodily fluids at a guard.
Even had the judge’s order been upheld, it was unclear whether Latif would’ve been repatriated.
Defense Department review panels as far back as 2004 recommended he be transferred, as did a Task Force set
up by the Obama administration in 2009.
But Yemen is wracked by internal violence. Neither the Obama nor Bush administration have been willing to
repatriate most Yemenis, even those cleared for release from Guantánamo, for fear they would be ripe for
recruitment by Al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of the terror group Osama bin laden founded.
Yemenis represent more than half of the 167 captives currently held at the prison camps in southeast Cuba.
Military sources said that by Tuesday Latif’s remains were airlifted from Guantánamo for repatriation to his
homeland. Even in death, the military and defense attorneys could not agree on the captive’s age. A military
release said he was 32. Remes said court records indicated Latif was 36 when he died.
Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/09/11/2292798/dead-guantanamo-detainee-wonthen.html#storylink=cpy
Experts Debate Role of Money in Elections
BY JENNA DOOLEY
Political scientists Bradley Smith, Matthew Streb, and Richard Hasen talk about the role of money in
the 2012 elections at NIU's Altgeld Hall
NIU President John Peters speaks with campaign finance experts Richard Hasen (Left) and Bradley
Smith (Right)
Crowd listens to discussion of the role of money in the 2012 elections in Altgeld Hall, NIU (9/12/12)
Richard Hasen, Matthew Streb, and Bradley Smith in NIU's Altgeld Hall
Two leading political scientists brought their expertise to Altgeld Hall Wednesday night to a full crowd of
students and members of the public. Richard Hasen, University of California, Irvine and Bradley Smith,
Capital University School of Law took the stage to discuss the impact of Citizens United.
Matthew Streb moderated the event. Streb is an Associate Professor in and Chair of the Department of
Political Science and frequent guest on WNIJ. Hasen's area of expertise is in election law and campaign
finance regulation. He runs the Election Law Blog. He says there is a great deal of hidden money funding
elections. While Hasen says it is not clear if spending will effect the outcome of elections, it does have an
impact:
Aside from that information being valuable to voters, it also helps later on if there is a skew or there is
corruption being able to trace back and see where did the money come from and what did the politician
do. - Richard Hasen, campaign finance expert, University of California-Irvine
Hasen argues the lack of disclosure adds the potential for corruption. As far as changes to the way
elections are funded and oversight, he does not expect to see a constitutional amendment within his
lifetime. He says the amount of hidden money is the most seen in a generation.
Bradley Smith specializes in campaign finance and corporate engagement in politics. He says there could
be safety concerns if all contributors are made public, especially if there money is behind a controversial
issue, such as abortion. He fears those donors could become targets of violence if there names are public.
Smith says that does not mean the current disclosure regulations are acceptable:
I think that there is a role for disclosure and I think it's an important role, but I think we need to make
sure that it frankly it doesn't get out of hand, and we need to recognize that there are limits to disclosure.
Knowing that an ad is paid for by the NAACP or Sierra Club is probably enough, I don't think we need to
know all of the members of that group. - Bradley Smith, campaign finance expert, Capital University
School of Law
The two took questions from the audience on topics including the importance of digital media in elections
and the balance of advocacy and ad spending for organizations.
Background: Citizens United
from the Supreme Court of the United States:
Holding: Political spending is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment, and the
government may not keep corporations or unions from spending money to support or denounce
individual candidates in elections. While corporations or unions may not give money directly to
campaigns, they may seek to persuade the voting public through other means, including ads, especially
where these ads were not broadcast.
Judgment: Reversed 5-4, in an opinion by Justice Anthony Kennedy on January 21, 2010. in a 5-4
decision with an opinion written by Justice Kennedy. Justice Stevens dissented, joined by Justices
Ginsburg, Breyer, and Sotomayor.
http://wnij.org/post/experts-debate-role-money-elections
Student News
DeKalb mulls sprinklers for NIU Greeks
Author: DAVID THOMAS - [email protected]
Date: September 10, 2012
Publication: Daily Chronicle, The (DeKalb, IL)
DeKALB – The DeKalb City Council is considering requiring all fraternity and sorority houses to
have fire sprinklers installed by 2019.
Both city code and state law require Greek housing structures to have sprinkler systems installed; the
question is how the city will use its home-rule authority to fully implement the Greek Housing Fire
Safety Act, which took effect in 2011.
“Given that DeKalb is a home-rule community, the city is going to be looking at...
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ghts=no
2012 Scholarship Fair set in Sugar Grove
SUGAR GROVE – The Sugar Grove Chamber of Commerce is offering its 2012 Scholarship Fair free to the
public from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Sugar Grove Township Community Center, 141 S. Main St.
Representatives from colleges, universities and organizations will offer assistance in obtaining financial
assistance to those planning to attend college or considering going back to school. New this year will be expert
speakers giving information on how to perform an Internet...
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date:D&xcal_useweights=no
Community Calendar: Week of Sept. 12-18, 2012
Fall Attractions
Amenti Haunted House – Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St., DeKalb. Ages 12 and
older. Open at 7 p.m., Oct. 19-21, 26-28, 30-31. $13. Info: 815-758-1215.
Curran’s Apple Orchard – 6385 Kilburn Ave. Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily until first weekend
in December. Info: 815-963-7848.
Edwards Apple Orchard – 7061 Centerville Road, Poplar Grove. Open daily 9 a.m.-6
p.m. from Labor Day to end of October, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in November, closing the
weekend of Thanksgiving. Info: 815-765-2234.
Edwards Apple Orchard West – 8218 Cemetery Road, Winnebago. Open daily 9 a.m.-6
p.m. from Labor Day to end of October, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in November, closing the
weekend of Thanksgiving. Info: 815-963-2261.
Fear Asylum Haunted House – Belvidere Park District (William Grady Pool), 916 W.
Lincoln Ave., Belvidere. Ages 13 and older. 7-11 p.m., Fri. Sat. and Halloween; and 7-10
p.m., Sun. Thurs., Sept. 28, Oct. 5-7, 12-14, 18-21, 24-31. $10/$15. Info: 815-965-6772.
Fright Factory – 1405 Riverside St., Janesville, Wis. Ages 13 and older. 7-10:30 p.m.,
Fri. and Sat.; 7-9:30 p.mk., Thurs., Oct. 25 and Sun., Oct. 28; Oct. 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 2528. $13 or $18 Fright Pass (go to front of line). Info: 608-754-5879.
Hopper’s Haunted House – 11576 Route 2, Rockford. 7p.m.-midnight, Fri.-Sat; and 7-10
p.m., Sun.-Thurs., Oct. 5-6, 12-13, 19-21, 24-31. $10. Info: 815-871-7334.
The Pumpkin Patch – 3178 Illinois Rt. 173, Caledonia. Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m.-6
p.m. in Sept. and 9 am-.7 p.m.in Oct. Admission to grounds, petting zoo and barn is free
Mon.-Fri.; $3 per person and free for children 2 and younger and adults 65 and older, Sat.
and Sun. Additional fee for rides & attractions. Info: 815-765-2587.
Screamatorium Haunted House – Screamatorium Haunted House, Arte Verde Garden
Center, 15630 Ill. Route 76, Poplar Grove. Ages 13 and older. 7-11 p.m., Fri., Sat. and
Halloween; 7-10 p.m., Sun.-Thurs., Sept. 28, Oct. 5-7, 12-14, 18-21, 24-31. $10/$15. Info:
815-965-6772.
Ongoing Attractions
Adventure Club – Jarrett Center, Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road,
Byron. 9-11 a.m. or 1-3 p.m. Ages 3-6. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Alcoholics Anonymous – Call for locations/times/info: 815-227-4633 or 815-968-0333.
Anderson Japanese Gardens – 318 Spring Creek Road. Open May 1-Oct. 31. Info: 815229-9390.
Angelic Organics Learning Center – 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia. Various classes &
activities throughout the year. Info: 815-389-8455.
Atwood Environmental Center – 2685 New Milford School Road, Rockford. Beginning
Sept. 15, will be open on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. with feeding time for Birds of Prey
at 1. Info: 815-874-7576.
Becca’s Closet – Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, 1829 N. Rockton Ave.
Accepting donations of gently-used formal wear. Donations accepted Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.noon at Christ Lutheran Church, 425 Riverside Road, Belvidere; Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
at Grace Lutheran Church, 343 Grand Ave., Loves Park; Harlem Roscoe Fire Station,
10544 Main St., Roscoe, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Lutheran Church of the Good
Shepherd, 1829 N. Rockton Ave., Rockford, Mon.-Thurs, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Machesney Park
Village Hall, 300 Machesney Park Road, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; The Postal Shoppe,
1643 N. Alpine Road, Rockford, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. & Sat., l8 a.m.-4 p.m.; The
Postal Shoppe, 2205 S. Perryville Road, Rockford, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m. & Sat., 9
a.m.-4 p.m. Info: 815-962-4279.
Beckman Mill Park – 11600 S. County Road H, off Highway 81. Tours 1-4 p.m. Corn
grinding demonstrations, see the blacksmith shop, creamery & visitor center. Info: 608751-1551.
Boy Scouts of America – Camping opportunities at Crystal Lake Scout Reservation. Info:
715-490-2241.
The Bridge Center of Rockford – 4861 American Road. Games & classes for beginners
through experts. Info: 815-873-9334.
Burpee Museum of Natural History – 737 N. Main St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission: $10
adults, $9 children 4-12, free for children younger than 4 and members; additional fee for
traveling exhibits. Info: 815-965-3433.
Byron Museum of History – 106 N. Union St., Byron. Tues.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., 10
a.m.-2 p.m. Info: 815-234-5031.
Edgar Cayce (ARE) Group – Meets every other Tuesday. Address: Call for info: 815234-2394.
Camp Grant – 1004 Samuelson Road. 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Tues.-Sat. Restaurant on premises.
Info: 815-395-0679.
Club Round: A Clubhouse for Round People – 7120 Windsor Lake Pkwy., Suite 202,
Loves Park. Various activities throughout the year. Info: 815-639-0312.
CoCo Key Water Resort – Best Western Clock Tower Resort & Conference Center, 7801
E. State St. Info: 815-398-6000.
John Deere Historic Site – 8334 Clinton St., Grand Detour, Dixon. Gates open Wed.Sun., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission $5 for ages 12 and older. Info: 815-652-4551.
Discovery Center Museum – 711 N. Main St. New expanded hours: Sun.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5
p.m. $7 adults, $7 children, free to members and children age 1 and younger. Info: 815963-6769.
Elite Defense Systems SelfDefense Center – 5695 Strathmoor Drive. Daily classes. Now offering special after-school
program for students’ character building using martial arts. Info: 815-885-4758.
Ethnic Heritage Museum – 1129 S. Main St. Sun., 2-4 p.m. Admission $3 individual, $5
family. Irish Gallery salutes the Mulligan Guards, thru October. Now thru November: Italian
Gallery presents “Wandering through Memory Lane” – historic glimpses of south
Rockford. Info: 815-962-7402.
FitMe Wellness – Next to Hilander, Spring Creek & Mulford roads. New program to
support our schools. For each new, recurring membership sold before Sept. 30, 2012,
FitMe Wellness will donate $10 to the Parent-Teacher Organization of the school of the
new member’s choice. For any teacher or school employee who joins, the donation to the
PTO of his or her choice will be doubled to $20. Info: 815-904-6000.
Freeport Park District – 1122 S. Burchard, Freeport. Info: 815-235-6114.
Freeport/Stephenson County Visitors Center – U.S. 20, east of Freeport. Hours: 8
a.m.-7 p.m.
Graham-Ginestra House Museum – 1115 S. Main St. Sundays, 2-4 p.m. Info: 815-9686044.
Group Hope Depression Bipolar Meetings – St. Edward Church, 3004 11th St. 6:157:45 p.m. Every Friday. Info: 815-398-9628.
Having Trouble Hearing on the Phone? – Center for Sight & Hearing, 8038 Macintosh
Lane. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri. Free amplified phone program. Must be Illinois resident
and have standard phone service. Application/info: 815-332-6800.
Healing Pathways Cancer Resource Center – 2821 Bell School Road, Rockford.
Classes in yoga, strength training, Qigong, line dancing and support group. Info: 815-3955649 or healingpathwayscrc.org.
Health Classes/Seniors Meetings/Support Groups – OSF Saint Anthony Center for
Health. Call for specific meetings/dates/info: 815-395-4505.
Heritage Farm Museum – 8059 N. River Road, Byron. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sat.,
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 217.
Historic Auto Attractions – 13825 Metric Drive, Roscoe. Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.;
Sun., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Info: 815-389-7917 or www.historicautoattractions.com.
Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off – Rock River Water Reclamation District, 3333
Kishwaukee St. Sat., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., noon-4 p.m.
Intermediate Writing/Publishing Class – Meets every Mon. Call for information. Info:
224-343-0384.
Introduction to Card-Making/Stamping – Meets every Thurs. Call for information. Info:
224-343-0384.
Jarrett Center – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road, Byron. Info: 815234-8535, ext. 200.
Junior StreetHogs Arena – Booker Washington Community Center, 524 Kent St.
Outreach street hockey program for youth. Info: 815-969-4072.
Ken-Rock Community Center – 3218 11th St. Various activities throughout the year.
Now offering Zumba Fitness classes every Mon. and Fri., 9-10 a.m. $5 per class. Info:
815-398-8864.
Kishwaukee Valley A.B.A.T.E. Meeting – V.F.W., 2018 Windsor Road, Loves Park.
Second Sunday of each month, 2 p.m. Info: 815-544-3088.
Klehm Arboretum & Botanic Garden – 2715 S. Main St. Tues.-Sat., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Admission $6 adults, $3 seniors & students, children younger than 3 and Klehm members,
free. Donation Day is first Tuesday of each month. Admission free, donations of any
amount welcome. Info: 815-965-8146.
Lazy Dog Yoga Studio – 5428 Williams Drive, Roscoe. $10 per drop-in class or 6 classes
for $50. Kundalini Yoga every Friday at 10:30 a.m. Info: 970-485-0249.
Lena Community Park District – Splashland Pool, 1-8 p.m. all summer. Splashland
Food Court, 11 a.m.-8 p.m.; Mini Golf, Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat.-Sun., 1-8 p.m. Water
Polo, Mon. & Wed., 8-9:15 p.m. Info: 815-369-5351.
Lewis Lemon Community Center – 1993 Mulberry St. Mon.-Fri., 5:30-11 p.m. Free. Info:
815-987-8800.
LifeHOUSE The Atrium – Monthly support group for individuals and families dealing with
dementia. Meets every second Tuesday of the month at noon. Info: Patti Lizer at 815-8767536.
Little Cubs Field – 1160 W. Empire St., Freeport. Website accepts reservations for
birthday parties, corporate events, reunions, family gatherings. Visit
www.littlecubsfield.com.
Logan Museum of Anthropology – 700 College St., Beloit, Wis. 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Tues.Sun. Info: 608-363-2677.
Memorial Hall – 211 N. Main St. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon-Fri., or by appointment. Info: 815969-1999.
Midway Village – 6799 Guilford Road. Mon.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Info: 815-397-9112.
Midwest Museum of Natural History – 425 W. State St., Sycamore. Admission $6,
adults, $5 kids and seniors. Safari Sprouts 4th Wednesday of each month. Info: 815-8959777.
Narcotics Anonymous – Call for locations/times/info: 815-964-5959 or 888-656-7329.
Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens – 1354 N. Second St. Open Tues.-Sat. (closed
Mon.): hours vary, check website or call. Admission: $6 resident, $8 non-resident, free for
children 4 and younger. Water features, seating areas and sculptures, all in a tropical
plant setting. Changing seasonal floral displays, special events, educational programs,
workshops, lecture series. Rentals of meeting/event room available. Gift shop. Info:
www.rockfordparkdistrict.org/ncg or 815-987-8858. Info: 815-987-8858.
Northern Illinois Hospice & Grief Center – 4215 Newburg Road. Various support
groups for children, teens and adults starting in October. Info: 815-398-0500.
Northern Illinois Medical Group – 5301 E. State St. Qigong classes offered at various
times, based on demand and class progression. Info: 815-397-8500.
Open Doors – Court Street United Methodist Church Chapel, 215 N. Court St. 12:30-1
p.m. Every Wed. Enter north end. Info: 815-962-6061.
Overeaters Anonymous H.O.W.– Every Thursday at Byron Public Library, Route 2. 12step study group – 5:30-6 p.m. Regular group meets 6-7:30 p.m. Info: 815-734-4662.
Pine Tree Pistol Club – Info about club & classes: 815-874-7399.
Poplar Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum – 5151 Orth Road, Poplar Grove.
Open weekdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Info: 815-547-3115.
Ray of Hope: Support After Suicide – Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 4700 Augustana
Drive. Meets every 2nd and 4th Thursday. 7-8:30 p.m. Free. For registration: 815-6364750.
Rock River Valley Blood Center – 419 N. Sixth St. Mon.-Thurs., 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri.,
6:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sat., 7-11 a.m. Belvidere Donor Center – 1740 S. State St. Mon.Tues., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri. 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Second Sat. of each
month, 7-11 a.m. Freeport Donor Center – 461 E. South St. Mon.-Tues., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Thurs.-Fri. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Second Sat. of each month, 7- 11 a.m. Perryville Donor Center
– 3065 N. Perryville Road. Mon.-Thurs., 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri. 8 a.m.- 1 p.m. Sat. 7 a.m.-1
p.m. Info: 815-965-8751 or 866-889-9037 or www.rrvbc.org.
ROCK Swim and Fitness – 3800 E. State St. Zumba classes, 9 a.m. Tuesdays. Age 14
and older. $5 drop-in fee for non-members. Info: 815-381-0765.
Rock Valley Ski Association – Thunder Bay Grille, 7652 Potawatomi Trail. Meets
second Tues. of each month. Info: www.SkiRockford.org.
Rockford Public Library – Main Library open Tues.-Thurs., noon-8 p.m. Fri. & Sat., 10
a.m.-6 p.m.; East Branch open Mon.-Thurs., noon-8 p.m. & Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Rock
River and Montague branches open Tues.-Thurs., noon-8 p.m. & Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.;
Rockton Centre Branch open Mon.-Thurs., noon-8 p.m. & Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Lewis
Lemon Branch open Mon.-Fri., 2-6 p.m. All library locations closed Sundays.
Rockford Public Library Used Book Shop – Rockford Public Library, 215 N. Wyman St.
Mon.-Wed., noon-8 p.m.; Thurs., noon-6 p.m.; Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat., closed. Info: 815965-7606.
Rockton Farmers’ Market – Rockton United Methodist Church, 102 Chapel St., Rockton.
Every Wednesday, thru Oct. 24, 4-7 p.m.
Rockton Township Historical Society Museum – Corner of Blackhawk Boulevard &
Green Street, Rockton. Open for tours every Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Info: 815-624-8200 or
815-629-2210.
Singles Organization Across Rockford (formerly STAR) – Volleyball/Game Nights, 710 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, 343 Grand Ave., Loves Park. Second and fourth
Saturdays of each month. Cost: $4 or $2 with a snack to share. Info: 815-563-4309, 815636-9880 or go to www.singlesinrockford.org.
Spectrum of Rockford – Harmony Center for Holistic Psychotherapy, 6625 N. Second
St., Loves Park. Various LGBTQA groups. Info: 815-639-0312.
Stephenson County Museum – 1440 S. Carroll Ave., Freeport. Admission: $4 adults, $2
children up to age 12. Info: 815-975-7631.
Stone Quarry Recreation Park – 6845 N. German Church Road, Byron. Mon.-Fri., 4-8
p.m.; Sat.-Sun., noon-8 p.m. Info: 815-234-8900.
Stretch & Belly Dance Combo Beginners’ Class – Club Round, 7120 Windsor Lake
Parkway. 7:30-9 p.m. Classes every Mon., Wed. & Fri. Registration/info: 815-639-0300.
Summerfield Zoo – 3088 Flora Road, Belvidere. Admission: $5 per person. Open
weekends and selected Wednesdays. Info: 815-547-4852.
Support Groups/Youth Drop-in Hours – Diversity of Rockford, 117 S. Third St. Free.
Weekly. Call for specific meetings/dates/info: 815-964-2639.
Support for Retired Grievers – Zion Lutheran Church, 925 Fifth Ave. 10-11:30 a.m.
Free. Every other Wed. Call for dates/info: 815-636-4750.
Tinker Swiss Cottage – 411 Kent St. Tours 1 and 3 p.m., Tues.-Sun. Info: 815-964-2424.
Toddler Time – Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 2001 N. Alpine Road. 9:15-10:15 a.m.
Every Mon. and Tues. Free. Info: 815-399-3171.
Trolley and Forest City Queen Rides – Riverview Park, 324 N. Madison St. Available
thru the summer with Rockford Park District. New this season: Rent a bike, in partnership
with Paddle & Trail. Single or tandem bikes: $10/hr., $25/half day, $50/day. Info: 815-9878824.
Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum – 5151 Orth Road, Poplar Grove. Now exhibiting:
1893 World’s Fair Exhibit. Info: 815-547-3115.
Volcano Falls Adventure Park – 7602 Rock Valley Parkway. Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 3-8
p.m., Fri., 3-9 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., noon-8 p.m. Info: 815-282-2100.
Windsor Lake Regional Activity Center – 7212 N. Alpine Road, Loves Park. Rockford
Park District and Paddle and Trail of Loves Park. Now offering: Mad Anglers Fishing Club,
Windsor Lake Fishing League, Paddlesport instruction and rental, RAC memberships
through Paddle and Trail, group and corporate outings, boat storage, special women’s and
youth programs. Info: 855-752-92688 or www.paddleandtrail.com.
Winnebago County Animal Services – 4517 N. Main St. Golden Whiskers adoption
program spotlights cats and dogs 7 years old or more. Any qualified adopter 18 years or
older can adopt a senior cat for $20 or dog for $55 – half off regular adoption fee. Info:
815-319-4100 or www.wcasrock.org.
Womanspace – 3333 Maria Linden Drive. Yoga every Thursday, 9:30-10:45 a.m.
$40/four classes or $12/class. Basic Hatha Yoga. Other activities throughout the year.
Info: 815-877-0118.
YMCA of Rock River Valley – I.D. Pennock Branch, 200 Y Blvd., 815-489-1252.
Northeast Branch, 8451 Orth Road, Loves Park. 815-489-3352.
Yoga Classes – Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 920 Third Ave., Rockford. Mondays, 6-7:15
p.m., six weeks consecutive, $45 or single classes, $10 each. Register/Info: 815-9634815.
Registration Needed
Registration for Rockford Park District Youth Indoor Volleyball – Indoor Sports
Center, 8800 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park. Sessions begin Sept. 16 and Oct. 28 for
ages 5-8. Fee: $40/person ($50 non-resident). Ages 8-11, sessions begin Sept. 21 and
Oct. 26. Ages 11-14, Sept. 21 and Oct. 26. Fee: $65/person ($75 non-resident). Sessions
also offered in January and February for ages 8-11. Info: 815-987-8800.
Registration for Rockford Park District After School Ice Skating – Riverview Ice
House, 324 N. Madison St., Rockford. Dates: Sept. 6-May 30, 2013. Fee: $3/person. Info:
815-969-4069.
Registration for Freeport Park District Programs – Youth Archery League for ages 718. Roller Skating Lessons, Tues. evenings, Oct. 2-23. Martial Arts classes beginning in
October: Shaolin Kempo, Little Ninjas, Tae Kwon Do (beg. & Inter.) and Adults. Deadline
to register: Sept. 28. Info: 815-235-6114, ext. 109.
Registration for “Nothing But Net” 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament – Cornerstone
Christian Academy, 355 N. Cross, Sycamore. Date: Sept. 22. Free-throw contest,
championship game. Cost: $4 registration fee per team payable at time of registration.
Final registration due by Sept. 18. Info: 815-895-8522 or
cornerstonechristianacademy.com.
Registration for Fund-raising Seminar: “From Donor Desire to Done Deal – Getting
Results” – Giovanni’s, 610 N. Bell School Road. Date: Sept. 14, 7:30 a.m.-noon. Hosted
by Association of Fundraising Professionals- Rockford Chapter. Cost: $50 for AFP and
NIPGC members and guests; $75 for non-members. Register online at
www.afprockford.org or call 815-490-1621.
Registration for SPAY Illinois Low-Cost Pet Vaccine Clinic – All Paws Beauty Salon,
130 N. First St., Rockford. Date: Sept. 14,11 a.m.-4 p.m. By appointment only. Various
prices; no exam fee when pets receive vaccines.Cash or credit; no personal checks. Info:
815-472-2300.
Registration for “River to Ridge Half Marathon, 10K & 5K Fun Run” – Janesville, Wis.
Date: Sept.15, start at 7 a.m. at River Park in Janesville. A portion of proceeds go to Rock
County Cancer Coalition. Register on race day or info: 608-754-2286,
www.rivertoridgehalfmarathon.com or [email protected].
Registration for Bikers for Local Pantries Poker Run – Whiskey’s Roadhouse, 3207 N.
Main St. Date: Sept. 15. Registration begins at 10 a.m. Kickstands up at 11 a.m. Last bike
out at 1 p.m. Not a race–total of 5 stops, ends at Whiskey’s. Cost: $10/biker,
$10/passenger. Non-perishable donations at the door if not riding. Benefits Gentle
Shepherd Pantry and God’s Glory Pantry. Live music, food, prizes at end of event.
Register by Sept. 14 at Whiskey’s.
Registration for Barrick Camp Out – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River
Road. Date: Sept. 15, 6 p.m. All ages. Meet at Jarrett Center. Tents provided, or bring
your own. Cost: $25 if using our tent, or $15 if using yours; at least one adult per tent.
S’mores and drinks provided. Register by Sept. 13. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Registration for Vintage Illinois Wine Festival – Matthiessen State Park (just south of
Starved Rock State Park on Rt. 178). Dates: Sept. 15-16. No outside food or beverages;
pets must be on leash. Bring blankets and lawn chairs for seating. Bring a photo ID
showing proof of age. Musical entertainment provided. Tickets: $20, includes wine glass,
wristband and seven tasting tickets. General admission for those not drinking is $5.
Tickets/info: www.vintageillinois.com.
Registration for Critter Hunt – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road.
Date: Sept. 15, 10 a.m. Meet at Jarrett Center. All ages. Free. Register by Sept. 12. Info:
815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Registration for Brownie badge: Bugs – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River
Road. Date: Sept. 15, 1-4 p.m. For all Brownies. Register by Sept. 12. Info: 815-234-8535,
ext. 200.
Registration for Barrick Camp Out – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River
Road. Date: Sept. 15, 6 p.m. Meet at Jarrett Center. All ages.Tents provided or bring your
own. Cost: $25 if using our tent or $15 if using yours. Must have at least one adult per
tent. S’mores and drinks provided. Register by Sept. 13. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Registration for Homebrewing 101 – Angelic Organics Learning Center, 1547 Rockton
Road, Caledonia. Date: Sept. 16, 1-5 p.m. Pre-register. Info: 815-389-8455 or
www.learngrowconnect.org.
Registration for Shelby Palooza – Tebala Shrine Temple, 7910 Newburg Road,
Rockford. Date: Sept. 16, 1-8 p.m. Fund-raiser for Shelby Martin, age 10, who has a rare
liver disease. Live music and magician performance. Food, 50/50/ raffle, cash bar, silent
auction. Tickets: $15 advance, $20 at the door. Info: 815-961-2437.
Registration for Fall Landscaping Class “When to Divide, Plant and Prune” – U of I
Extension Ogle County, 421 W. Pines Road, Oregon. Date: Sept. 18, 6-7 p.m. Cost: $5.
Prepare; your landscape for winter after the drought. Pre-registration required. Info: 815732-2191.
Registration for Citizens Police Academy classes – Public Safety Building, 420 W.
State St. Date: Sept. 19, 2 p.m. Eight-week sessions. Info: Sgt. Carla Redd at 815-9875041.
Registration for “I on Diabetes” U of I Workshop – University of Illinois Extension Ogle
County, 421 W. Pines Road, Oregon. Dates: Sept. 19, 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10. Cost: $40 for
series. Pre-registration by Sept. 23. Class size is limited. Info: 815-732-2191.
Registration for Brain Workshop: “Head Strong: Exercise Strategies to Enhance
Memory and Thinking” – U of I Extension-Winnebago County, 1040 N. Second St.,
Rockford. Date: Sept. 20, 1:30-3 p.m. $5/person. Register at 815-986-4357 or
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/jsw.
Registration for Life Line Stroke and Osteoporosis Screening – Riverside Assembly
of God, 4242 W. Riverside Blvd. Date: Sept. 20. Packages start at $149; five screenings
available. Pre-registration required. For appointment, call 877-237-1287 or go to
www.lifelinescreening.com.
Registration for Workshop: “Rewards or Punishment–Understanding Positive
Behavior Intervention and Supports” – Training for Parents of Students Receiving
Special Education Services, at Easter Seals Metro-politan Chicago Rockford Region, 650
N. Main St., Rockford. Date: Sept. 20, 6-9 p.m. Includes dinner. 3 CDPUs available for
educators. Register by Sept. 13. Info: 866-436-7842, ext. 107. If accommodations are
needed, call at least 2 weeks before training date.
Registration for Ninth Annual “An Evening to Remember” International Wine
Tasting – Country Club of Beloit, Wis. Date: Sept. 20, 6-10 p.m. Proceeds to benefit
Stateline Boys & Girls Clubs with locations in Beloit and South Beloit. Tickets: $75 each or
$100 per couple in advance or at the door. Info: 608-365-8874.
Registration for Seminar: Lower Your Monthly Utility Bills – KenRock Community Center, 3218 11th St. Dates: Sept. 20 and 25, both at 6:30 p.m. Sign up
by Sept. 30 and receive $50 just for sending in your first North American Power utility bill.
Learn how to save money on utilities. Info: 815-398-8864.
Registration for Home School Class: Spinners, fliers, hoppers – Byron Forest
Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road. Date: Sept. 21, 9-11:30 a.m. For ages 6-14. Cost:
$5. Meet at Jarrett Center. Register by Sept. 17. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Registration for Home School Class: Field notes – Byron Forest Preserve District,
7993 N. River Road. Date: Sept. 21, 12-12:30 p.m. For ages 6-14. Cost: $5. Meet at
Jarrett Center. Register by Sept. 17. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Registration for Crusader Community Health’s “Fall into Fitness” 5K Run/Family
Fun Walk – Fairgrounds Park Pavilion, Rockford. Date: Sept. 22, 9-11 a.m. $25
registration fee. Family Fun Walk begins at 9:30 a.m. Info: www.crusaderhealth.org.
Order Fish for Pond Stocking and Restocking – Rochelle Wildlife Conservation Club,
Pete Reiff and Logan Hollow Fish Farm will provide channel catfish, hybrid sunfish,redear
sunfish, grass-eating carp, bass, bluegill, crappie, others. Date: Sept. 22. Deadline for
ordering grass carp is Sept. 10; for all other fish, Sept. 17. Info: 815-562-6268.
Registration for Bunking with the Birds – Seth B. Atwood Park, Rockford. Sleep in the
treehouse in the Birds of Prey exhibit. Dates: Sept. 21-22, 6 p.m.-Fri.–10:30 a.m. Sat.
Fees per person: youth, $30 ($35 non-resident); adults, $15 ($20 non-resident), including
campfire meals. Each child must be accompanied by a parent/guardian age 18 or older.
Register by Sept. 14. Info: 815-987-8800 or online at www.rockfordparkdistrict.org.
Registration for Alzheimer’s Asso-ciation’s Rock River Walk to End Alzheimer’s –
YMCA Log Lodge, Rockford, Sept. 22, 9 a.m. and Hopkins Park, DeKalb, Sept. 23. 3-mile
walk. Walk Booklet/Programming Guide now available with info on Walk. Booklets at local
outlets or at Rock River Branch, 93 S. Hennepin Ave., Dixon, online or call 800-272-3900.
New this year: For each $100 a person raises, his/her name will be entered once into a
drawing for a new iPad3. Start or join a team today at alz.org/walk or call 815-484-1300.
Registration for 12th Annual DeKalb County RAMP Wheel-A-Thon – Downtown
DeKalb and NIU campus. Date: Sept. 22, starts at 10 a.m. Lunch and awards to follow.All
participants who raise a minimum of $50 will receive a T-shirt. Those who raise additional
funds will be entered into a drawing for incentives from area businesses. Info: 815-7563202 or [email protected].
Reservations for Illinois Paranormal Conference – Veterans Memorial Hall, 211 N.
Main St. Date: Sept. 22, noon-6:30 p.m. Speakers, investigation teams, other vendors.
Cost: $15 advance, $20 at the door. Info: 815-871-4239 or e-mail
www.hauntedrockford.com.
Reservations for Paranormal Tour of the Ethnic Heritage Museum – 1129 S. Main St.,
Rockford. Date: Sept. 22, 7:30-9 p.m. Tour of 1850s home displaying immigrant heritage.
Cost: $15 advance, $20 at event. Info: www.hauntedrockford.com or 815-871-4239.
Registration for Golf Hall of Fame Play Day & Induction Ceremony – Play Day at
Aldeen Golf Club, Ceremony Dinner at Radisson Hotel & Conference Center. Date: Sept.
24. Cost of Play Day: $100, includes dinner. Deadline to register: Sept. 14. Info: 815-9878800.
Reservations for Rosie’s Birthday Club Have Your Cake and Eat It Too” Fund-raiser
– Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, 200 S. Bell School Road. Date: Sept. 27, 5-8 p.m.
Tickets: $40 each or $300 for corporate table. Register ASAP. Info: 815-543-7770 or
www.rosiesbirthdayclub.org.
Registration for Pediatric CPR/AED Course – American Red Cross-Rock River
Chapter, St. John’s Church, 401 N. Main St., Belvidere. Date: Sept. 27, 6-9 p.m. Cost:
$70. Info: 1-800-RED-CROSS or redcross.org/training.
Reservations for La Voz Latina’s 41st Annual Banquet – Cliffbreaker’s Riverside
Resort, 700 W. Riverside Blvd. Date: Sept. 28, 5 p.m. social hour, 6 p.m. dinner. Tickets:
$60/person or $600 for corporate table of 8. Also accepting items for silent auction. Info:
815-965-5784.
Reservations for The Orchid Gala “Groovin’ in the Tropics” – Nicholas Conservatory
& Gardens, 1354 N. Second St., Rockford. Date: Sept. 29, 6-10 p.m. Featuring the bands
Starlite Radio and Hey Champ. Cocktail attire, cash bar, silent auction. Proceeds
benefiting the Rockford Park District Foundation and Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens.
Tickets: $75. Purchase by Sept. 19. Info: 815-987-1632.
Registration for Fossil Hunt at Vulcan Quarry – Midwest Museum of Natural History,
425 W. State St., Sycamore. Date: Sept 29, 9:30-11 a.m. Keep whatever you find. Nonmembers: $20/person or $55 for family of 3-4. Members: $8/person or $50 for family of 34. Ages 6 and up (children must have an adult present). Payment must be taken at
registration. Info: 815-895-9777.
Registration for Walking Tour of Angelic Organics – Angelic Organics Learning
Center, 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia. Date: Sept. 29, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Pre-register.
Info: 815-389-8455 or www.learngrowconnect.org.
Registration for Annual Easter Seals Walk With Me Rockford – To raise funds for
Easter Seals Autism Therapeutic School in Rockford. To sign up to walk or start a team, o
to www.walkwithme.org/Rockford or call 815-965-6745.
Registration for Pies: Sweet and Savory – Angelic Organics Learning Center, 1547
Rockton Road, Caledonia. Date: Sept. 29, 2-7 p.m. Pre-register. Info: 815-389-8455 or
www.learngrowconnect.org.
Reservations for Rockford Career College’s 150th Anniversary Banquet – Giovanni’s
Restaurant, 610 N. Bell School Road. Date: Sept. 29, 7-9 p.m. Cost: $25/person. Social
hour (cash bar), 6 p.m. Dinner (choice of Chicken Marsala or Vegetarian Lasagna, with
hors d’oeuvres and dessert), 7 p.m. Celebratory program, 8 p.m. Register by Sept. 14.
Info: 815-967-7321 or [email protected].
Registration for RVC Booster Club “Taste the Hops” Fund-raiser – Radisson Hotel &
Conference Center, 200 S. Bell School Road. Date: Oct. 5, 7-11 p.m. Dinner, dancing,
dessert. Sample unique beers. Tickets: $40, available in advance at 815-921-3801.
Tables of 10 available. Proceeds to benefit Rock Valley College Booster Club.
Registration for Third Annual Stone Bridge Trail Marathon & 5K Races – Date:
Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012, 7 a.m. Race registration closes at 200 runners. Registration for
marathon, $80 thru Oct. 5, $90 after. Registration for each 5K run is $25 thru October, $30
after. Info/Register: 815-623-5858 or www.ymcastonebridgemarathon.org.
Registration for “Master the SAT Class” by College Prep Genius – Talcott Library,
101 E. Main St., Rockton. Dates: Oct. 19 (4-9:30) and 20 (9-2:30). Tuition: $179, includes
DVD review. Early registration is $149 until Sept. 15. Space limited; reserve early. Info:
815-624-0970.
Vendors Needed for Holiday Craft & Gift Fair – Oregon United Methodist Church,
Oregon, Ill. Date: Nov. 3, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Cost: $20 per table space; 6-foot and 8-foot tables
available on limited basis for additional donation. Info: 815-732-2994.
YWCA of Rockford accepting Nominations for Leader Luncheon XXXIII Awards –
Available at 4990 E. State St., Rockford, or download forms at
www.ywca.org/rockford/leader-luncheon. Deadline: Jan. 11, 2013, 5 p.m. Info: 815-3166126.
Get Healthy, Rockton! – Rockton Chamber of Commerce, 330 E. Main St. Northern IL Fit
Club and John Sole of Sole Fitness invite Rockton to “Get Healthy” during a Team Beach
Body workout every Wednesday evening from 7-8 p.m Cardio conditioning, free samples
of Shakeology, Results and Recovery, Energy and Endurance offered. Info: 815-2001116.
Reservations for Salvation Army Civic Luncheon with Astronaut Buzz Aldrin –
Cliffbreakers Riverside Resort, 700 W. Riverside Blvd. Date: Sept. 18, 11:45 a.m.-1:30
p.m. Cost: $35/person. Info: 815-972-1133.
Registration for Computer Classes at Ken-Rock – Ken-Rock Community Center, 3218
11th St. Various classes offered Sept. 18-Dec. 20. Info: 815-398-8864 or kenrock.org.
Registration for Diabetes Education Program – University of Illinois Extension Ogle
County, 421 W. Pines Road, Oregon. Dates: Sept. 19, 26, Oct. 3, 10. 4-7 p.m. Cost: $40;
register by Sept. 12. Class size is limited. Info: 815-732-2191.
Registration for Barbara Olson Center of Hope – 3206 N. Central Ave. Date: Sept. 20,
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Appointments available, walk-ins welcome. Info: 815-964-9275.
Registration for Go Red for Women Kickoff Luncheon – Hilton Garden Inn, 340 N. 3rd
St., 7675 Walton St., Rockford. Date: Oct. 5, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. For American Heart
Association. Register by Sept. 17. Info: 815-262-1428.
Registration for Baseball Prospect Showcase – Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford
Road. Dates: Oct. 6 and 7. Cost: $50. Showcase only. Not a two-day camp; choose which
day to attend. Pro-style workout. Register/Info: 815-921-3820.
Registration for 76th Annual NAACP State Convention – Dates: Oct. 19-21. Theme:
“Your Power, Your Decision, Your Vote …” Info: 779-772-8092.
Registration for “Building Your Global Growth Strategy: Permanent Tax Savings
Locally & Overseas” – NIU Rockford campus, 8500 E. State St. Date: Oct. 31, 10 a.m.-1
p.m. For executive leadership looking to advance their global trade strategy.
Complimentary lunch included. Register at 815-969-4267or online at
[email protected].
Local Authors Needed for Charity Market V – St. Rita’s Church, 6254 Valley Knoll
Drive, Rockford. Date: Nov. 17, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Authors will join quality artists and crafters.
Sign up now! Info: 815-397-5509.
The Literacy Council Needs Volunteer Tutors – Sign up for New Tutor Workshop
Series (six classes) beginning Oct. 2, Tues. & Thurs. at 12:30 p.m., North Suburban
District Library, 6340 N. Second St., Loves Park. Info: 815-963-READ (7323).
Tickets Now Available for Blue Thunder Boosters Fourth Annual Thunderfest –
Wings and Wheels Museum, Poplar Grove. Date: Sept. 15, 5 p.m.-midnight. $25/person
or $225/table of 10. All Blue Thunder supporters, 21 years and older, invited to attend.
Tickets at BNHS Athletic office, home football games, Belvidere Central Middle School
main office, Neighborhood Cleaners and from Blue Thunder Booster members. Donations
for auction and cash donations are also accepted. Info: 815-547-7996.
Wednesday, Sept. 12
“Mingle for Miracles” Charity Benefit – Lone Star Steakhouse, 6690 E. State St. 11
a.m.-10 p.m. Steakhouse will donate 15 percent of all proceeds to the Children’s Miracle
Network thru the Dine and Donate Program. Includes drink specials, raffle and sale of
Miracle Bracelets to benefit local children.
Rockford College Business Luncheon and Forum Series Lecture: While America
Sleeps – 5050 E. State St. Luncheon at Regents Hall, Burpee Center, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Hosted by Dept. of Economics; guest former Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold. Includes
book signing. Cost: $50/person, $350, corporate table of 8. Register at 815-394-4334 or
[email protected]. Lecture in Maddox Theatre, Clark Arts Center, 4 p.m. Admission
free, but ticket is required. Info: 815-226-4100.
Bon-Ton Semi-annual Goodwill Sale – Runs from Sept. 12-29 at participating stores.
Bergners, CherryVale, 7200 Harrison Ave., Rockford; Bergner’s, 8790 N. Second St.,
Machesney Park. Customers will receive a discount coupon for each item of clothing or
textile donated. You can also register support online at www.millionactsofgoodwill.com
and receive a coupon for a 25 percent discount to use at any BonTon store.
Tri-Chamber Women’s Luncheon – Country Club of Beloit, Wis. 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Ribbon Cutting for Open Arms Lutheran Church, 110 N. Blackhawk Blvd., Rockton, noon1:15 p.m. Rockton Farmers Market, Rockton United Methodist Church, 4-7 p.m.
IGNITE’s Lunch Outside the Box – Cliffbreakers Riverside Resort, 700 W. Riverside
Blvd. Noon. Cost: $12 members, $15 non-members. Info: 815-316-4335.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony – Open Arms Lutheran Church, 110 N. Blackhawk Blvd.,
Rockton. Noon-1:15 p.m. Rockton Chamber of Commerce welcomes a new member.
University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist give Garden
Tours – Winnebago County Extension office, 1040 N. Second St., Rockford. Each
Wednesday, 6-8 p.m. thru mid-October. Horticulture questions answered. Group tours can
be scheduled. Info: 815-986-4357.
Preschool Fresh Food from the Farm: Totally Tomatoes!– Angelic Organics Learning
Center,1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia. 10-11:30 a.m. Pre-register at 815-389-8455 or
www.learngrowconnect.org.
Babes and Books – Rockford Public Library, Main Library Little Theatre, 215 N. Wyman
St. 11:15 a.m.-noon. For children under 2. Build baby’s literacy and social skills. Info: 815965-7606.
Beginning Computer for the Absolute Beginner – Rockford Public Library, Main
Library, second-floor computer room, 215 N. Wyman St. 2-4 p.m. Ages 13 and older. Info:
815-965-7606.
YA Anime/Manga Club – Rockford Public Library, Main Library Little Theatre, 215 N.
Wyman St. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Ages 13-19. Plan anime theme programs, watch films, discuss
books. Info: 815-965-7606.
The Impact of Citizens United: The Role of Money in the 2012 Elections – Northern
Illinois University, Altgeld Auditorium, DeKalb. 7 p.m. Debate, open to public. Project of
National Public Radio.
Sunset Storytime – Rockford Public Library, East Branch, Children’s Area, 6685 E. State
St. 6:30-7:15 p.m. Ages 3-7. Info: 815-965-7606.
Moo! – Rockford Public Library, Montague Branch, 1238 S. Winnebago St. 5-6 p.m. Ages
3-7. Info: 815-965-7606.
LOL (Library Out Loud) Club – Rockford Public Library, Montague Branch, 1238 S.
Winnebago St. 5-6 p.m. Ages 6-12. Texting with reading, learning, discovering and crafts.
Info: 815-965-7606.
Board of Trustees Human Resources Committee of Community College District 511
(Rock Valley College) – Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Support Services
Bldg., Room 1309. 5:30 p.m.
Prezi – Rockford Public Library, Main Library, second-floor computer room, 215 N.
Wyman St. 6-8 p.m. Ages 13 and up. Must be familiar with clic and drag, copy, paste and
PowerPoint. Info: 815-965-7606.
American Red Cross First Aid Course – Rock River Chapter,St. John’s Church, 401 N.
Main St., Belvidere. 6-9 p.m. $70. Register at 1-800-RED-CROSS or
www.redcross.org/training.
I Love My Farm! – Rockford Public Library, East Branch, 6685 E. State St. 6:30-7:15 p.m.
All ages. Info: 815-965-7606.
Comedy Night – Whiskey’s Roadhouse, 3207 Main St. 8 p.m. Free. Info: 815-877-8007.
Pints for Prostates – The Olympic Tavern, 2327 N. Main St. Sept. 9-16, patrons can buy
any Bell’s beer, and The Olympic will donate 25 cents to Pints for Prostates, a 501(c)(3)
charity, as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Thursday, Sept. 13
Lifescape’s Senior Expo – Indoor Sports Center, 8800 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park. 9
a.m.-3 p.m. Free event brings the latest programs, products and services for seniors.
RockStat Meeting – Rockford Metropolitan Agency For Planning (RMAP), 313 Main St.,
Rockford. Focus: Economic Development. 9 a.m. Free. Info: 815-987-5583.
Look, Listen, and Learn Storytime – Rockford Public Library, East Branch Friends of
RPL Community Room, 6685 E. State St. 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Ages 2-5. Info: 815-9657606.
Preschool Storytime – Rockford Public Library, Rockton Centre Branch, 3112 N.
Rockton Ave. 12-12:45 p.m. Ages 3-6. Info: 815-965-7606.
AARP Driver Safety Course – Lifescape Community Services and Senior Expo, Indoor
Sports Center, 8800 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park. Dates: Sept.13-14. 9:30 a.m.-1:30
p.m. both days. For drivers age 50 and older. Cost: $12, AARP members, $14 nonmembers. Info: 815-963-1609.
Katie’s Book Club Discussion: The Hunger Games – Katie’s Cup, 502 Seventh St.10
a.m. Info: 815-962-4279 or [email protected]
Senior Computer for the Absolute Beginner – Rockford Public Library, Main Library,
second-floor computer room, 215 N. Wyman St. 2-4 p.m. Ages 13 and older. Info: 815965-7606.
Lively Locker Looks – Rockford Public Library, Rockton Centre Branch, 3112 N.
Rockton Ave. 4-7 p.m. Ages 10-19. Colorful crafts for lockers. Info: 815-965-7606.
Teen’Scape – Rockford Public Library, Rockton Centre Branch, 3112 N. Rockton Ave. 4-7
p.m. Ages 10-19. Play games on Wii or Playstation, surf the Internet, play board games.
Info: 815-965-7606.
Sunset Storytime – Rockford Public Library, Main Library Little Theatre, 215 N. Wyman
St. 5-5:45 p.m. All ages. Info: 815-965-7606.
Babes and Books – Rockford Public Library, East Branch, Children’s Area, 6685 E. State
St. 6-6:45 p.m. Children under 2. Info: 815-965-7606.
Small Business Facebook Management – Rockford Public Library, East Branch, 6685
E. State St. 6-8 p.m. Ages 18 and older. Class is for established business pages. Info:
815-965-7606.
Swing Dancing – Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, 2001 N. Alpine Road. 8-10:30 p.m. Every
Thurs. Info: www.forestcityswing.org.
Stepping Forward” Cancer Support Group – OSF Saint Anthony Center for Cancer
Care, 5666 E. State St. 6:30-8 p.m. Info: 815-227-2223.
Sunset Storytime – Rockford Public Library, Main Library, Little Theatre, 215 N. Wyman
St. 5-5:45 p.m. All ages. Info: 815-965-7606.
A Ministry of Restoration Bible Study – Montague Branch Library, 1238 S. Winnebago
St. 5:30 p.m. Every Thurs. Prayer every Tues. 6:30 p.m. For prayer or info: 815-966-6322.
“Bloomin’ Bulbs” Program – University of Illinois Extension Ogle County, 421 W. Pines
Road, Oregon. 7 p.m. Registration required. With Cook County Horticulture Educator
Nancy Pollard. Info: 815-732-2191.
Overeaters Anonymous H.O.W. – Byron Public Library, on Ill. Route 2. 6-7:30 p.m. every
Thurs. Info: 815-547-5932.
Public Skating – Carlson Arctic Ice Arena & Sapora Playworld, 4150 N. Perryville Road.
Tues., Thurs. & Fridays during school year, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Info: 815-969-4069.
Bhutan: “Land of the Thunder Dragon” – Severson Dells, 8786 Montague Road. 7 p.m.
Program by native Bhutanese Chubzang Tangbi; see beautiful landscapes, wildlife,
ancient temples, explore the culture and festivals. Info: 815-335-2915.
Pints for Prostates – The Olympic Tavern, 2327 N. Main St. Sept. 9-16, patrons can buy
any Bell’s beer, and The Olympic will donate 25 cents to Pints for Prostates, a 501(c)(3)
charity, as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Bears & Packers Party – Whiskey’s Roadhouse, 3207 N. Main St. 9 p.m. Info: 815-8778007.
Friday, Sept. 14
Fund-raising Seminar: “From Donor Desire to Done Deal – Getting Results” –
Giovanni’s, 610 N. Bell School Road. 7:30 a.m.-noon. Hosted by Association of
Fundraising Professionals- Rockford Chapter. Cost: $50 for AFP and NIPGC members
and guests; $75 for non-members. Register online at www.afprockford.org or call 815490-1621.
Lifescape’s Senior Expo – Indoor Sports Center, 8800 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park. 9
a.m.-3 p.m. Free event brings the latest programs, products and services for seniors.
RAMI Golf Play Day to benefit Gary S. Wilmer Memorial Scholarship Fund – Elliott
Golf Course. $65 per golfer or $350 Gold Sponsorship or $250 Silver Sponsorship or Hole
Sponsorship for $125. Limited to first 144 golfers. Info: 815-546-3021.
Home School Class: Make a Splash – Byron Forest Preserve District. Noon-2:30 p.m.
Meet at Jarret Center. Ages 6-14. $5. Create aquatic tools. Register by Sept. 10. Info:
815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Golf Tournament to Benefit National Fallen Firefighters Foundation – Prairieview Golf
Club, Byron, Ill. Open to public; $85 per golfer, includes 18 holes with cart, lunch at the
turn, steak dinner banquet, door prizes, gift certificates, raffle. Shotgun start at 10 a.m.
Register/Info: http://golf.firehero.org/il/rockford/
SPAY Illinois Low-Cost Pet Vaccine Clinic – All Paws Beauty Salon, 130 N. First St.,
Rockford. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. By appointment only. Various prices; no exam fee when pets
receive vaccines.Cash or credit; no personal checks. Info: 815-472-2300.
AARP Driver Safety Course – Lifescape Community Services and Senior Expo, Indoor
Sports Center, 8800 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park. Dates: Sept.13-14. 9:30 a.m.-1:30
p.m. both days. For drivers age 50 and older. Cost: $12, AARP members, $14 nonmembers. Info: 815-963-1609.
Midway Village Museum Golf Outing – Aldeen Golf Club, 1902 Reid Farm Road.
Registration begins at 11 a.m., lunch until 12:30 p.m. Shotgun start at 12:30. Info: 815397-9112 or www.midwayvillage.com.
Zumba Fitness Program – Ken-Rock Community Center, 3218 11th St. 9-10 a.m. Every
Mon. and Fri. morning. $5 per session. No pre-registration. Pay as you go. First class
FREE. Info: 815-398-8864.
Drop-In Storytime – Rockford Public Library, Main Library Little Theatre, 215 N. Wyman
St. 10:30-11 a.m. Info: 815-965-7606.
Bird/Plant Hike – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road. 8-11 a.m. Meet at
Jarrett Center. Free. All ages. Register by Sept. 6. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Rockford City Market – Water Street in downtown Rockford. 3-7 p.m. through Oct. 12.
Free. Features more than 50 vendors including local growers and vendors who sell natural
products, vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat, cheeses, flowers, herbs, baked goods, wine and
healthy snacks, as well as artisans and beer garden with live music. This week: Live
music by Micky Rosenquist & the Black Squirrel Project and activities by University of
Illinois Extension Master Gardeners.
Grab ‘N Go Lunch Cruise – Trolley Station, Riverview Park, 324 N. Madison St. Every
Friday Lunch Cruise on the Forest City Queen. 11:15 a.m. 12:15 and 1 p.m. Prices: Adults
$8 ($8.50 non-resident); ages 5-17, $7.50 ($8 non-resident); ages 4 and younger, $5. No
reservations needed; walk-ups welcome. Specialty cruises or private rentals also
available. Info: 815-987-8800.
Drop-In Storytime – Rockford Public Library, Main Library Little Theatre, 215 N. Wyman
St. 10:30-11 a.m. Info: 815-965-7606.
Group Hope Depression Bipolar Meetings – St. Edward Church, 3004 11th St. 6:157:45 p.m. Every Friday. Info: 815-398-9628.
Wellness for the Mind, Body & Spirit Lecture Series: Natural Health – Siena on
Brendenwood, 4444 Brendenwood Road. 1:30 p.m. Ryan Hulsebus, D.C. Info: 815-3996167.
Public Skating – Carlson Arctic Ice Arena & Sapora Playworld, 4150 N. Perryville Road.
Tues., Thurs. & Fridays during school year, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Extra Friday session, 8-10 p.m.
Info: 815-969-4069.
Comedy Night – Franchesco’s, 7128 Spring Creek Road. 8 p.m. Info: 815-229-0800.
Pints for Prostates – The Olympic Tavern, 2327 N. Main St. Sept. 9-16, patrons can buy
any Bell’s beer, and The Olympic will donate 25 cents to Pints for Prostates, a 501(c)(3)
charity, as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Saturday, Sept. 15
“River to Ridge Half Marathon, 10K & 5K Fun Run” – Janesville, Wis. Start at 7 a.m. at
River Park in Janesville. A portion of proceeds go to Rock County Cancer Coalition.
Register on race day or info: 608-754-2286, www.rivertoridgehalfmarathon.com or
[email protected]
Guided Bird Hike – Severson Dells, 8786 Montague Road. 8 a.m. Join volunteer
naturalist Phil Schwab as he leads a hike to look for late summer and early fall migrants.
Free. Info: 815-335-2915.
CureSearch for Children’s Cancer Walk – Rock Valley College, 3301 N. Mulford Road.
Fund-raiser starts at 8:30 a.m. Music, face-painting, activities for kids. Register/ Info:
www.curesearchwalk.org/rockford.
Trip to Boerner Botanical Gardens and Milwaukee Zoo – Byron Forest Preserve
District, 7993 N. River Road. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Meet at Jarrett Center. Cost: $50/person,
includes admission and brunch. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
BioBlitz – Angelic Organics Learning Center, 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia. 9 a.m.-4
p.m. Join scientists, volunteers, artists, community members in exploring Kinnikinnick
Fields. Hike through the woods, wade in the creek, sample and identify plants and
animals. Free. Register ahead for one of the hikes if desired. Info: 815-389-8455.
Cricut Swarm, the Cricut Craft Room Edition! – Rockford Public Library, East Branch,
Friends Community Room, 6685 E. State St. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Bring your Cricut machine,
cords, 2 fairly new mats, laptop with cords, a USB A/B cord, any cartridge, at least one
font, scissors and adhesive. Info: 815-965-7606.
Autumn on the Prairie – Nachusa Grasslands Preserve, 3 miles northwest of Franklin
Grove, on Lowden Road. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Guided tours of restored native prairie and
savannas, educational exhibits, butterfly hikes, prairie plant exploration hikes and rides in
a horse-drawn wagon. Food and beverage vendors on site. Free, open to the public. Info:
www.nature.org/illinoisEvents or www.nachusagrasslands.org.
Vintage Illinois Wine Festival – Matthiessen State Park (just south of Starved Rock
State Park on Rt. 178). Sept. 15 and 16. No outside food or beverages; pets must be on
leash. Bring blankets and lawn chairs for seating. Bring a photo ID showing proof of age.
Musical entertainment provided. Tickets: $20, includes wine glass, wristband and seven
tasting tickets. General admission for those not drinking is $5. Tickets/info:
www.vintageillinois.com.
Rockford Area Spanish Conversation Meetup – Katie’s Cup, 502 Seventh St. 10 a.m.noon. Every Saturday. Info: [email protected].
Critter Hunt – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road. Meet at 10 a.m. at
Jarrett Center. Free. Register by Sept. 12. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Saturday Spectacular: Rockford Riverdawgs – Rockford Public Library, Main Library
Little Theatre, 215 N. Wyman St. 11-11:45 a.m. All ages. Info: 815-965-7606.
Brownie Badge: Bugs – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road. 1-4 p.m.
For all Brownies. Register by Sept. 12. Info: 815-2w34-8535, ext. 200.
Bikers for Local Pantries Poker Run – Whiskey’s Roadhouse, 3207 N. Main St.
Registration begins at 10 a.m. Kickstands up at 11 a.m. Last bike out at 1 p.m. Not a
race–total of 5 stops, ends at Whiskey’s. Cost: $10/biker, $10/passenger. Non-perishable
donations at the door if not riding. Benefits Gentle Shepherd Pantry and God’s Glory
Pantry. Live music, food, prizes at end of event. Register by Sept. 14 at Whiskey’s.
Handmade Pasta – Angelic Organics Learning Center, 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia.
2-5 p.m. Pre-reg ister. Info: 815-389-8455 or www.learngrowconnect.org.
Fourth Annual Thunderfest – Wings and Wheels Museum, Poplar Grove. 5 p.m.midnight. $25/person or $225/table of 10. All Blue Thunder supporters, 21 years and
older, invited to attend. Tickets at BNHS Athletic office, home football games, Belvidere
Central Middle School main office, Neighborhood Cleaners and from Blue Thunder
Booster members. Donations for auction and cash donations are also accepted. Info: 815547-7996.
Open Scrapbook Studio – Rockford Public Library, East Branch, Friends Community
Room , 6685 E. State St. 2-5 p.m. Finish your project from the Cricut Craft room or begin
something new. Info: 815-965-7606.
Barrick Camp Out – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road. 6 p.m. All ages.
Meet at Jarrett Center. Tents provided, or bring your own. Cost: $25 if using our tent, or
$15 if using yours; at least one adult per tent. S’mores and drinks provided. Register by
Sept. 13. Info: 815-234-8535, ext. 200.
Paranormal Investigation of Tinker Swiss Cottage & Museum – 411 Kent St. Session
I, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Session II, 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Guests Ghost Head Soup investigators. $25
advance, or $30 at event. Info: www.hauntedrockford.com.
Family Skate – Carlson Arctic Ice Arena & Sapora Playworld, 4150 N. Perryville Road,
Loves Park. 8 p.m. Info: 815-969-4069.
Adult Grief Support Group – Beloit Regional Hospice Office, 655 Third St., Suite 200,
Beloit, Wis. 6-7:30 p.m. Info: 608-363-7421.
Public Skating – Riverview Ice House, 324 N. Madison St. Info: 815-963-7465.
Public Skating – Carlson Arctic Ice Arena & Sapora Playworld, 4150 N. Perryville Road.
Info: 815-969-4069.
Pints for Prostates – The Olympic Tavern, 2327 N. Main St. Sept. 9-16, patrons can buy
any Bell’s beer, and The Olympic will donate 25 cents to Pints for Prostates, a 501(c)(3)
charity, as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Night of Thrills – Rockford
Speedway, 9572 Forest Hills Road, Loves Park. Ferris Wheel Jump of Destruction, feat.
the Big Dawg and TailGator Monster Trucks, Green Mamba Jet Car, Auto Soccer, Tough
Truck Tug-of-Wars, Limo Steel Wall Crash and more. Spectator gates open at 5,
destruction begins at 7:07 p.m. Reserved Grandstand seating $18 for adults (ages 12 and
older) and $9 for ages 11 and younger. Backstretch bleachers are general admission
seating with adult tickets available for $15 and kids tickets for $5. Info: 815-633-1500 or
www.rockfordspeedway.com.
Sunday, Sept. 16
Shelby Palooza – Tebala Shrine Temple, 7910 Newburg Road, Rockford. 1-8 p.m. Fundraiser for Shelby Martin, age 10, who has a rare liver disease. Live music and magician
performance. Food, 50/50/ raffle, cash bar, silent auction. Tickets: $15 advance, $20 at
the door. Info: 815-961-2437.
Fiesta Mexicana – Levings Lake Park, 1420 S. Pierpont Ave. Noon-8 p.m. With the
Consul General de Mexico to re-enact the officlal Grito de Dolores. Live music, fokloric
dance groups, queen and court. Visitors can purchase food tickets to sample traditional
fare. Hosted by Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Northern Illinois.
“Back to Church Sunday” – New Zion Baptist Church, 604 Salter Ave., Rockford.
Services at 8 and 11 a.m. Free hot breakfast served at 9:30 a.m. Part of a national
movement to invite people back to church. Info: 815-964-3114.
36th Annual Beloit Autorama – Beloit Preservation Park, 4 miles north of Beloit, Wis.,
Hwy. 51. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Many classic and antique cars, parts swap meet, flea market, arts
& crafts, vendors. Live music. Concession stands offer bratwurst, hamburgers, hot dogs,
cold beer and soft drinks. Adult spectator admission, $6; 8 to 15-year-olds, $2, 7 and
younger, free. Info: 608-290-3628.
Homebrewing 101 – Angelic Organics Learning Center, 1547 Rockton Road, Caledonia.
Date: 1-5 p.m. Pre-register. Info: 815-389-8455 or www.learngrowconnect.org.
Vintage Illinois Wine Festival – Matthiessen State Park (just south of Starved Rock
State Park on Rt. 178). Sept. 15 and 16. No outside food or beverages; pets must be on
leash. Bring blankets and lawn chairs for seating. Bring a photo ID showing proof of age.
Musical entertainment provided. Tickets: $20, includes wine glass, wristband and seven
tasting tickets. General admission for those not drinking is $5. Tickets/info:
www.vintageillinois.com.
Pints for Prostates – The Olympic Tavern, 2327 N. Main St. Sept. 9-16, patrons can buy
any Bell’s beer, and The Olympic will donate 25 cents to Pints for Prostates, a 501(c)(3)
charity, as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Monday, Sept. 17
Senior Skype No. 2 – Rockford Public Library, Rockton Centre Branch, 3112 N. Rockton
Ave. 1-3 p.m. Ages 55 and older. Bring your own laptop with a video camera. Download
Skype to your computer and set up an account. Info: 815-965-7606.
Microsoft Word 2010 (four-week class) – Rockford Public Library, Main Library, 2nd
Floor Computer Room, 215 N. Wyman St. 3-5 p.m. Ages 13 and older. Prerequisite:
Proficient familiarity with computers and Internet. Info: 815-965-7606.
Constitution Day Lecture – Rockford College, Fisher Chapel, 5050 E. State St. 4 p.m.
Speaker: Prof. Robert Evans. Free, but tickets required. Info: 815-226-4100
LOL (Library Out Loud) Club – Rockford Public Library, Lewis Lemon Branch, 1988 W.
Jefferson St. 4-5 p.m. Ages 6-12. Texting with reading, learning, discovering and crafts.
Info: 815-965-7606.
Jr. NFL Flag Football Mini Camp – Brown Park, 2010 N. Main St., Rockford. Dates:
Sept. 17-20, 6-6:45 p.m. Fee: $35/person. ($40 non-resident); includes T-shirt, award and
NFL certificate. Info: 815-987-8800.
Free Pool – Whiskey’s Roadhouse, 3207 N. Main St. 9 p.m. Info: 815-877-8007.
Tuesday, Sept. 18
Free Credit Seminar – Rockton Fire Department Training Facility. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Sponsored by Community Bank of Rockford.
Salvation Army Civic Luncheon with Astronaut Buzz Aldrin – Cliffbreakers Riverside
Resort, 700 W. Riverside Blvd. 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Cost: $35/person. Info: 815-9721133.
Computer Classes – Ken-Rock Community Center, 3218 11th St. Various classes
offered Sept. 18-Dec. 20. Info: 815-398-8864 or kenrock.org.
Lunch and Learn Seminar – Rockton Fire Department Training Facility, 201 N.
Blackhawk Blvd., Rockton. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. With Christian Solares of Community Bank
of Rockford. Begins a new program of luncheon seminars to benefit small businesses.
Free. Info: 815-624-7625.
Photo Preservation Lab – Rockford Public Library, Rockton Centre Branch, 3112 N.
Rockton Ave. 2-6 p.m. Ages 13 and older. Bring pictures you would like to digitize. Not a
beginning computer class. Registration is required. Info: 815-965-7606.
Teen’Scape – Rockford Public Library, Rock River Branch, 3128 11th St. 4-5:30 p.m.
Ages 10-19. Play games on Wii or Playstation, surf the Internet, play board games. Info:
815-965-7606.
Boy Scout Badge: Indian Lore – Byron Forest Preserve District, 7993 N. River Road. 69 p.m. For ages 10 and up. Meet at Jarrett Center. $9/scout. Register by Sept. 17. Info:
815-234-8535, ext. 200.
EKG Screens for High School Students – Heart Hospital at Swedish American, 1401 E.
State St. Free screenings provided by Young Hearts for Life Cardiac Screening Program.
Appointments are scheduled every 15 minutes and begin at 6 p.m. Register at 779-6962894.
Jr. NFL Flag Football Mini Camp – Brown Park, 2010 N. Main St., Rockford. Dates:
Sept. 17-20, 6-6:45 p.m. Fee: $35/person. ($40 non-resident); includes T-shirt, award and
NFL certificate. Info: 815-987-8800.
Family Story Hour – Rockford Public Library, Rock River Branch, 3128 11th St. 6:30-7:30
p.m. All ages. Info: 815-965-7606.
Park District Indoor Swim Lessons – Rolling Green School, 3615 West Gate Pkwy.
Register now. Eight-week sessions begin Sept. 17 and 20. Ages 5-17. Info: 815-987-8800.
Rockford Public School District 205 Board Meeting – Administration Building, 501
Seventh St., 3rd Floor. 7 p.m. Info: www.rps205.com.
How Will We Pay for College? – Rockford Public Library, East Branch, Friends of RPL
Community Room, 6685 E. State St. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Ages 16 and older. Info about costs,
scholarships, financial aid, loans, etc. Registration is required. Info: 815-965-7606.
Fall Landscaping Class “When to Divide, Plant and Prune” – U of I Extension Ogle
County, 421 W. Pines Road, Oregon. 6-7 p.m. Cost: $5. Prepare your landscape for
winter after the drought. Pre-registration required. Info: 815-732-2191.
Learn to Skate Lessons – Rockford Park District. Register online at
www.rockfordparkdistrict.org (click Register Now), by mail, fax, or at CusLithographs
Customer Service locations in downtown Rockford or Carlson Ice Arena, Riverside and
Perryville, Loves Park. Info: 815-987-8800.
Comedy Night: Claude Stuart w/Jen Shenberger – The District Bar & Grill, 205 W.
State St. 8 p.m. Info: 815-977-4524.
Pub Trivia – Hope and Anchor, 5040 N. Second St., Loves Park. 8 p.m. Info: 815-6332552.
Alumni News
Artist reception planned at MCC
Date: September 8, 2012
Publication: Northwest Herald, The (Crystal Lake, IL)
NORTHWEST HERALD CRYSTAL LAKE – Illinois artist Diana Gabriel is exhibiting paintings
and drawings at McHenry County College. The exhibit, “Time and Other Preoccupations,” runs
through Oct. 2 in Gallery One and Gallery Two in Building A, inside and at the entrance to the MCC
Library, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake. A reception for her will be from noon to 4 p.m. today. Gabriel
grew up in Bogota, Colombia, and spent hours watching her grandmother and...
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Art Exhibit at MCC Explores "Time and Other Preoccupations"
McHenry County College hosts, mixed media exhibit by artist Diana Gabriel.
Illinois artist Diana Gabriel is exhibiting paintings and mixed media site drawings at McHenry County College, 8900
U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake.
The exhibit, “Time and Other Preoccupations,” runs through October 2 in Gallery One and Gallery Two. Both
galleries are located in Building A, inside and at the entrance to the MCC Library.
"This show is about time,” Gabriel said. “The way years and memories accumulate. The way moments connect and
relate to one another. The way wounds heal or fester."
Gabriel grew up in a family of artisans in Bogota, Columbia and spent hours watching her grandmother and other
women spend countless hours making objects with focused patience and care.
"The layers in this series hint at the amount of time I spent with each piece the way sediments reveal details of eras
past…Each line is a thought or idea that waves through my mind to find a place in the clutter," she said.
Gabriel is currently a fine arts instructor at Harper College and Art Curator at Morton College in Cicero. She received
her Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from Northern Illinois University and her Master in Fine Arts degree from Illinois
State University.
For more information about the artist, visit her website. For more information on MCC art galleries, contact Sandra
Lang, MCC art gallery curator at 815-455-8785 or [email protected].
http://huntley.patch.com/articles/art-exhibit-at-mcc-explores-time-and-other-preoccupations#c
Four join Planit
Laughlin, Keiran Lenhof, Tim Smith and Mike Unruh have joined Plaint, a Baltimore-based communications,
marketing and interactive agency.
Laughlin is a UI developer most recently at The Baltimore Sun. He will be responsible for supporting the design
and development team as it relates to any and all markup, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, UI/UX code elements. After
graduating from Shepherd University with a BFA specifically concentrated in graphic design, Nevin worked at
The Cyphers Agency as an interactive and SEO strategist. At The Cyphers Agency his client list included The
National Chicken Council, Better Than Bouillon, Phillips Seafood, and Huntington Learning Center.
Lenhof is a copywriter with a background in sales, bar tending and volunteer work. After graduating from
Northern Illinois University with a double major in English and communications, Keiran expects to receive his
Certificate in Copywriting from the Creative Circus in Atlanta this month. Keiran will assist with a range of
clients by developing copy for various campaigns.
Smith joins Planit as accounting operations manager. His responsibilities include monitoring billing,
profitability and accountability with regards to clients and projects. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from
State University of New York College at Oneonta, Smith worked in the accounting department for Bassett
Healthcare, Chesapeake Utilities, Artesian Water, The State of Delaware, and The Reybold Group.
Unruh is an interactive designer most recently at Rockville-based software solutions company 3CLogic, where
he served as a web/print designer and marketing lead. He previously worked for clients such as Cyret
Technologies and Cherry Communications. As an interactive designer, he is responsible for designing
interactive elements for the web with special attention to client branding and best practices for web design and
development. Mike received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture,
Planning, and Preservation in May 2011
http://thedailyrecord.com/movers-and-shakers/2012/09/10/four-join-planit/
Athletic director announces retirement
BY: ERIC URIBE
Last Wednesday, Nevada Athletic Director Cary Groth announced to the Wolf Pack nation that she would be
retiring in June 2013. In fewer than 10 months, Groth and Nevada’s nine-year chapter will be coming to a close.
THE PIONEER
Long before entering the universe of athletic administration, Groth was an athlete herself at Northern Illinois
University, a two-sport athlete in tennis and basketball.
After earning her cap and gown from Northern Illinois University in 1978, Groth taught physical education and
health for two years at Rich South High School on the outskirts of Chicago. She then moved on to West Aurora
High School as an assistant dean of students.
A year later, her alma mater came calling: The Delak, Ill. institution was on the prowl for an assistant women’s
tennis coach. Groth took the job in a heartbeat — but little did she know the coaching gig would be a launching
pad for her storied career.
“There’s nothing better than working for your alma mater,” Groth said.
Fewer than 365 days later, Groth was at the helm of the Huskies women’s tennis squad as head coach. The
following year, Groth landed an assistant athletic director job, handling fundraising and marketing for Northern
Illinois.
From there, Groth worked her way through the athletic department food chain. Along the way, she held
positions such as associate athletic director and senior associate before reaching her pinnacle in 1994.
Groth put her dent in women’s athletics by becoming the third female athletic director in history at a National
Collegiate Athletic Association institution with a 1-A football program. Having such an honorable distinction in
the history books made Groth relish her position as a role model for women across the nation.
“Young women need to see me in this role and understand they can do this too,” she said.
Groth’s trailblazing position wasn’t met with as many obstacles as one might expect. Rather, her reputation
within the university made Groth’s transition to the zenith of Huskies athletics smooth.
“When you work at any institution for a long time, people get to know you,” Groth said. “I didn’t have to prove
myself.”
Groth remained at the helm of Northern Illinois for 10 years, winning a pair of Administrator of the Year
awards in 2003. A year later, Groth made another imprint in the history books.
THE NEVADAN
When now-football head coach Chris Ault returned to the sidelines in 2004, Nevada was left without an athletic
director. The Wolf Pack began a nationwide search to replace Ault. Being an outdoor enthusiast, the Reno area
caught Groth’s interest, leading Groth to throw her hat into the search.
Groth had spent time in Truckee, California and the fly-fishing and hiking opportunities, combined with the
weather, drew Groth to The Biggest Little City in the World.
“Northern Nevada and the west coast of the country are absolutely beautiful,” Groth said.
On the same day she interviewed for the job, Groth was notified she would be a finalist in the search. It wasn’t
long before Groth was named athletic director of the Wolf Pack. Groth traded the bluffs and valleys of DeKalb
for the glitz and glamour of Reno. With the jump, Groth became the first woman to serve as athletic director in
two separate, Division 1-A schools.
In the eight years since, Groth has left her mark on Nevada. Under her watch, Nevada athletics teams have won
16 Western Athletic Championships. She also claimed the 2006-2007 Commissioner’s Cup. The department has
raised more than $40 million in donations, received some of the highest scores in Title IX gender equality in the
nation and entered the Mountain West Conference, among others.
But Groth says her proudest accomplishment is the increased student-athlete graduation rate in each of the past
seven years, which currently sits at 78 percent. The feat was spearheaded by the creation of an academic center
for Wolf Pack athletes during Groth’s tenure.
“I have to credit coaches and staff and the culture we’ve created here in our department,” Groth said. “That’s
something President (John) Lilley challenged me with when I got here and I’m thankful for that challenge.
University of Nevada, Reno President Marc Johnson lauded Groth and her achievements.
“While Cary is quick to credit the coaches, staff and students-athletes, she set the tone and direction for this
growth,” Johnson said in a press release. “During Cary’s tenure as athletics director, Wolf Pack fans have seen
progress in both the competitive success of our teams and the academic success of our student-athletes. Through
these and other advancements, Cary has been instrumental in further establishing Wolf Pack Athletics as a
highly regarded program and putting the program in a position to join the Mountain West Conference this year.”
Unlike her time at Northern Illinois, Groth had her fair share of obstacles to overcome being a female athletic
director at Nevada.
“When you come into a place where no one knows you, you’ve got to make sure you give people every
opportunity to do just that,” Groth said. “There’s some very different attitudes about women in these positions,
but I never let those bother me.”
The changes in Nevada’s athletic department from when she landed the job in 2004 and now is apparent to
Groth.
“From an internal operations (in the athletics department), we’re more technologically savvy. We’ve become
more efficient in the business aspect of our program,” she said. “We’ve become a team and created a roadmap
for success.”
THE DECISION
“This decision was in my heart and it just felt good,” Groth said. “It felt like the right time.”
Groth mulled retirement over long before last Wednesday’s bombshell. With her contract expiring in June,
Groth kept asking herself one question.
“Do I or don’t I want an extension?” Groth pondered. “I thought I did. I thought about a couple of more years. I
thought about a one-year extension. I talked to people. But every time I left those conversations, when I was
driving, I thought, ‘I don’t think I want to do this.’”
Groth has had a 2013 retirement in her sights since 2008, when she renegotiated her contract with thenPresident Milton Glick.
“I’ll be honest with you, when I negotiated my last contract with Glick, in my mind, and I believe Glick was
thinking at the time that he might retire at that time, it was a good target to retire in 2013,” Groth said.
When she inked her contract extension with the Wolf Pack, Groth turned down an offer to become athletic
director at a Bowl Championship Series program she didn’t want to name.
Groth made the decision to call it quits during the beginning of summer. Her family was the first to know,
followed by Nevada head coaches one-by-one. During the first staff meeting of the academic year, Groth
announced her decision to her co-workers.
While giving a PowerPoint presentation focusing on the change to the MWC, Groth turned to a slide saying
new athletic director. Her peers were caught off guard, according to Groth.
“That was the hardest,” she said. “The people I work for everyday in the athletic program, we’re family.
Whether they’re new or been there a long time, those are the people you go to war for every day.”
THE FUTURE
Groth plans on sticking around in Reno once her career is all said and done. She mentioned jobs in consulting or
teaching as potential landing spots. With that said, Groth is dead set on avoiding a lame duck ten-month period.
Her to-do list is as long as ever, she said.
“I know the community will join me in thanking Cary for her many significant contributions to our university
and our region,” Johnson said in a press release. “She has been generous in her willingness to continue to
support the program and provide continuity of leadership through this transition.”
Groth hopes to continue fundraising in hopes that it will lay the groundwork for an indoor football facility
where Wolf Pack Park currently sits. Moreover, Groth wants to find another donor to put the finishing touches
on Nevada’s renovated tennis courts.
“I’m going to soak in every minute of my last year and do the very best I can, so that we’re even better off than
we were last year,” Groth said.
While Groth wraps up her athletic director career, Nevada will begin searching for her replacement. Groth has
advice for Nevada’s next athletic director.
“First priority is to find secured funding for athletic program,” Groth said. “We will not survive unless there is a
commitment to fund athletics. Where that funding comes from I can’t tell you.”
Aside from selling tickets and fundraising, Groth emphasized that Nevada must find a third source of revenue to
compete in the MWC.
As for Groth, her legacy has been all but cemented. If she has any say in her legacy, it’s crisp and clear.
“I’d like for (my legacy) to be doing the right thing for the right reasons,” she said.
Eric Uribe can be reached at [email protected]
http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2012/09/10/athletic-director-announces-retirement/
Geneva
NIU to Kick Off Lecture Series Featuring National Political Experts,
Former U.S. House Speaker
NIU’s Department of Political Science this fall is presenting a “Presidential Speaker Series” featuring national
political experts, including former U.S. Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert.
The aim of the speaker series is to provide students, faculty and community members with unique insights on
the presidential election.
“We have fascinating and well known speakers, and we’ll be talking about issues of major concern to voters,
ranging from the role of money in elections to media coverage,” said Matthew Streb, chair of the Department of
Political Science. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for all of our students to learn beyond the classroom and for the
university to share its resources with the public.”
The series will kick off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, in the Altgeld Hall Auditorium on campus, with a
presentation titled, “The Impact of Citizens United: The Role of Money in the 2012 Elections.” It will feature a
discussion between speakers Richard Hasen from the University of California-Irvine and Bradley Smith of the
Capital University School of Law.
“Both Rick Hasen and Brad Smith are among the top election law scholars in the country,” said Streb, who will
moderate the discussion.
Hasen is a nationally-recognized expert in election law and campaign finance regulation and is co-author of a
leading casebook on election law. His op-eds and commentaries have appeared in many publications, including
The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico and Slate. Hasen also writes the often-quoted Election
Law Blog, and his newest book, “The Voting Wars: From Florida 2000 to the Next Election Meltdown,” was
published this summer by Yale University Press.
Smith is a former Federal Election Commission chairman and now chairman of the Center for Competitive
Politics, a group that advocates for lighter regulation of campaign finance. His writings on campaign finance
and other election issues have appeared in the Yale Law Journal, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review
and other academic journals. As a law professor, he was a much sought-after witness in Congress on matters of
campaign finance reform, and also a contributor to popular publications such as the Wall Street Journal and
USA Today.
In the second installment of the Presidential Speaker Series, Mark Stencel, NPR’s managing editor for digital
news, will discuss “Media Coverage and Presidential Elections” beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct 9, at the
Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center. Stencel is responsible for overseeing the journalism on NPR’s website
and other platforms. Since Stencel joined NPR in 2009, the network has been recognized as one of industry’s
leading digital news services.
The third installment of the series will be led by Alan Abramowitz of Emory University, who will deliver a
presentation titled “Predicting the 2012 Presidential Election” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, in the Holmes
Student Center Sky Room.
Abramowitz is a popular expert on national politics, polling and elections. His expertise includes election
forecasting models, party realignment in the United States, congressional elections and the effects of political
campaigns on the electorate.
The final installment of the Presidential Speaker Series will feature an evening with former U.S. Speaker of the
House J. Dennis Hastert, a Republican from west suburban Yorkville, and Bill Lipinski, a Democratic member
of the U.S. House from 1983 to 2005, representing a Chicago district. Moderated by Professor Streb, the postelection talk will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, in the Event Room of NIU-Naperville, with bus rides
provided from DeKalb to NIU students who would like to attend.
“We’re thrilled and honored to host this discussion between two of Illinois’ most well-known and wellrespected political leaders,” Streb said. “It promises to be a night filled with political insights in the wake of the
presidential election.”
The Presidential Speaker Series is sponsored by the NIU Office of the President, Department of Political
Science, Division of University Relations and WNIJ. More information is available online or by calling (815)
753-1011.
http://geneva.patch.com/blog_posts/niu-to-kick-off-lecture-series-featuring-national-political-experts-formerus-house-speaker
NIU's Presidential Speaker Series kicks off today
Author: DAVID THOMAS - [email protected]
DeKALB – As the presidential election enters the home stretch, a number of political experts and
scholars will speak at Northern Illinois University this fall.
The speakers are a part of the “Presidential Speaker Series” hosted by NIU’s political science
department. Department Chair Matthew Streb described the speaker events as a learning opportunity
for not only the student body, but the rest of the community, as well.
Streb...
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SOUTHTOWNSTAR
District 135 appoints three new administrators
The Orland School District 135 Board recently appointed David Kennedy as principal of Jerling Junior High
School, Jennifer Nichols as assistant principal of Jerling, and Keri DeYoung as principal for Centennial School.
DeYoung comes from Bourbonnais, where she worked as associate principal at the Bourbonnais Upper Grade
Center. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University and a master’s in education
administration from Governors State University.
DeYoung began her career in education at Taft Primary School as a teacher and reading recovery specialist. She
then served as student services coordinator for three years at Kankakee Middle School.
“My true passion is working with the primary grades, and I’m thrilled to be here,” DeYoung said.
Nichols most recently was the dean of students at Conrady Junior High School in North Palos District 117, with
prior experience as a reading specialist at Conrady and as the district reading specialist in North Palos School.
Nichols earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Xavier University and a master’s in education administration from
Northern Illinois University.
“I am very excited ... and I am looking forward to being part of the Jerling team,” Nichols said.
Kennedy, previously Jerling’s assistant principal, was appointed to principal after Pam Hodgson’s resignation.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with the excellent students at Jerling,” Kennedy said. “We
have a great staff in place and will continue doing what is best for our students and preparing them for success
beyond junior high.”
http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/neighborhoodstar/orlandpark/15058294-521/district-135-appoints-threenew-administrators.html
Jason Brown: rebuilding the arts at
Riverview
Jason Brown
.
Jason Brown: rebuilding the arts at Riverview By Sandra Jordan
Until this school year, Jason Brown was the director of Fine Arts at Riverview Gardens School District. He now works for Niles
Township School District 219 in Skokie, Illinois outside of Chicago as curriculum director of Fine Arts.
“We know that exposure is one of the biggest things that students in our community lack,” Brown said. “My goal was to expose students
to the entire fine arts – art, music, drama, dance – and we brought all of those facets of art into the district, which didn’t exist for
probably the past six years.”
His mentor, Ron Carter – former band director at East St. Louis Lincoln High School who is now the director of jazz studies at Northern
Illinois University – recommended Carter to the new district. It is a 2010 top-10 school with a more diverse and international student
population and higher academic achievement data than Riverview Gardens.
Before he left St. Louis, Brown spent six years at Riverview Gardens, the first four as a principal at Lewis and Clark Elementary School.
The new Superintendent Clive Coleman noticed Brown’s extensive background with the arts “and knew that we had a great need for
somebody to rebuild our Fine Arts Department because it had hit rock bottom,” Brown said. He was appointed as the director of Fine
Arts a few days later.
“I was faced with rebuilding the entire K-12 Fine Arts Department and was faced with many challenges, because the resources had
totally been depleted,” Brown said.
And he didn’t have a budget. The district’s budget had already been established for the school year. Brown assessed the situation and
wrote a five-year plan with targeted goals. He revitalized the program through an infusion of grants, new and rekindled collaborations
and community support.
Brown said, “I had to be creative to try to find was to solicit funds and build partnerships with external groups,” such as the Arts &
Education Council, the Holland’s Opus Music Foundation and VH1’s Save the Music Foundation – “which gave the district $30,000 to
purchase new instruments.
He reestablished the partnership with E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative in the St. Louis area and became a member
of its advisory board.
“Through that, I had a chance to connect with other arts organizations, such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Jazz St. Louis, the
Sheldon Concert Hall,” he said.
Through Jazz St. Louis, professional musicians came in to work with high school students, including Carter, his mentor.
Through the Scottish Rite Partnership and E. Desmond Lee, the district garnered a week-long artist in-residence. Working with the
Sheldon, more than a thousand students received bus transportation and tickets to attend performances.
“My goal was ultimately to expose students at Riverview Gardens to the same artistic experiences as students across the metropolitan
area are having,” he said.
There are academic benefits.
“All the research shows that students who excel in a quality fine arts program score higher on standardized tests than students who are
not involved in fine arts programs,” Brown said.
He said schools get a bad name because they are not able to pass the MAP test – especially urban schools where it is predominantly
African-American.
“Districts like Riverview Gardens are continued to be pressured by the state on student performance and that test seems to guide
everything, ” Brown said.
“We know that academic achievement is very important, but we are not really interested in dealing with some of the main problems that
contribute to children not achieving at the highest level – and it goes back to the home.”
Brown said he is proud that he had an opportunity to be raised in East St. Louis, where he received a rich fine arts experience at
Lincoln High School.
“It was because of those rich experiences that I received in District 189 that I wanted to go on and share those experiences with
students – especially students who were like me,” Brown said.
And he had a chance to do that, serving as band director at East St. Louis High School; in St. Louis Public Schools as a director of
music, choir and band; and as a leader in fine arts in RGSD.
“There is always going to be a great need to support fine arts education in those kinds of communities,” he said, “and I am grateful that I
had the opportunity to change students’ lives and expose them to some of the similar rich experiences that I’ve had.”
Brown is pursuing an educational doctorate degree at Lindenwood University. He earned his Master of Arts in Educational Leadership
at Saint Louis University and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Secondary Music Education from Eastern Illinois University.
Sports
Football fans aid ‘Castle’ effort
Author: DAVID THOMAS - [email protected]
Date: September 8, 2012
Publication: Daily Chronicle, The (DeKalb, IL)
DeKALB – They may wear different colors and root for opposing teams, but fans of the DeKalb
Barbs and Sycamore Spartans agree on the importance of supporting athletics.
“It’s great to support your kid, it’s great to support your school,” said Darby Dwyer, 45, whose son,
Kevin, is a lineman for the Spartans’ sophomore team. “But at the end of the day, it’s about raising
money...
http://nl.newsbank.com/nlsearch/we/Archives?p_multi=DCIL&p_product=SHNP9&p_theme=shnp9&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200
&p_field_label-0=title&p_text_label0=Football%20fans%20aid%20'Castle'%20effort&s_dispstring=headline(Football%20fans%20aid%20'Castle'
%20effort)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no
QB Jordan Lynch leads NIU to 35-7 win in home opener
DEKALB – Jordan Lynch completed his first four passes for 55 yards, and after the first quarter, already had
more yards than he did in last week’s season opener.
“I’ve been saying it all along, and nobody believed me,” Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren said. “The guy
can throw really, really well.”
NIU’s first-year starting quarterback went 19-of-25 for 214 yards and one touchdown Saturday to lead NIU to a
35-7 win over Tennessee Martin in the Huskies’ home opener in DeKalb.
Lynch, a junior from Chicago, proved last week that he could run when he rushed 18 times for 119 yards in
NIU’s 18-17 loss at Iowa. But he struggled in the air, completing 6-for-16 for 54 yards. Against a Skyhawk
team that played him a little looser, Lynch showcased all of his talent.
“I’m feeling good,” Lynch said. “I feel like I’m getting a pretty good grasp on the offense. I still need to do
some things better, but overall I feel I’ve got a good grasp.”
The win extended NIU’s home winning streak to 16 games. This was NIU’s first meeting with the Skyhawks
(1-1, 0-0 OVC). The Huskies (1-1) have two nonconference games remaining — Army (Sept. 15) and Kansas
(Sept. 22) — then open Mid-American Conference play Sept. 29 against Central Michigan.
“When you lose a tight game (Iowa) early, to come back and hold a team like (UT Martin) to seven points says
a lot,” Doeren said.
Lynch started early, completing a 29-yard pass to Tommylee Lewis on the Huskies’ second offensive play of
the game. Seven plays later, NIU posted its first score – a 2-yard touchdown run by Jamal Womble – and led 70 after the first quarter. Lynch recorded his first passing two touchdown five seconds into the second quarter
with a 31-yard completion to Martel Moore. Lynch’s 1-yard TD run with 5:32 remaining gave NIU a 21-0
halftime lead.“That wasn’t a whole lot of fun,” Skyhawks coach Jason Simpson said. “We had a few chances. I
like to think we could have made a game out of it, but we didn’t get it done.”
Lynch added two rushing touchdowns in the second half. The first — a 32-yard run with 2:57 left in the third —
put NIU up 28-0. Tennessee Martin finally broke through for a score with 14:09 left in the fourth on a 7-yard
pass, but Lynch’s 4-yard TD run with 9:26 remaining put the Huskies back up by four touchdowns
Lynch also rushed 11 times for 72 yards and three TDs. Leighto Settle recorded his first career 100-yard rushing
game finishing with 21 carries for 107 yards. Mathew Sims went 5-for-5 in extra point attempts for the Huskies.
Hononegah graduate Ryan Neir had three punts for 127 yards
http://www.rrstar.com/updates/x1526498577/QB-Jordan-Lynch-leads-NIU-to-35-7-win-in-home-opener
Lynch, Huskies run away with 35-7 win over UT-Martin
Author: STEVE NITZ
Date: September 9, 2012
Publication: Daily Chronicle, The (DeKalb, IL)
DeKALB – Jordan Lynch was efficient. Leighton Settle averaged 5 yards per carry. Northern Illinois' young
and inexperienced offensive line pushed around the Tennessee-Martin defense, and the defense forced three
turnovers. The Huskies might not have been perfect, but playing a Football Championship Subdivision
opponent, they didn't need to be. NIU got off to the start it needed, scoring three first-half touchdowns while the
defense held its own once again...
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_label-0=title&p_text_label-0=Lynch,%20Huskies%20run%20away%20with%2035-7%20win%20over%20UTMartin&s_dispstring=headline(Lynch,%20Huskies%20run%20away%20with%2035-7%20win%20over%20UTMartin)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no
Northern Illinois Routs Tennessee-Martin 35-7
By AP
DEKALB, IL - Jordan Lynch ran for three touchdowns and threw for another score to lift Northern Illinois to a
35-7 win over Tennessee-Martin on Saturday night.
It was the 16th consecutive home victory for the Huskies (1-1), the defending champions of the Mid-American
Conference. NIU lost to Iowa 18-17 last week at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Lynch had a 31-yard TD pass to Martel Moore and ran for scores of 1, 32 and 4 yards.
Jamal Womble scored on a 2-yard run on the Huskies' first drive and Leighton Settle ran for 106 yards for NIU,
which led 21-0 at halftime. Lynch finished with 60 yards rushing and 214 yards passing.
Tennessee-Martin scored early in the fourth quarter on Derek Carr's 7-yard pass to Corey Jordan. Quentin Sims
caught 10 passes for 152 yards for the Skyhawks (1-1), who won at Memphis last week — their first victory
over an FBS school.
http://www.westkentuckystar.com/Sports/College/Northern-Illinois-Routs-Tennessee-Martin-35-7.aspx
NIU has little trouble in 35-7 victory
DEKALB — With all of the comforts of home Saturday night, Northern Illinois dispatched Tennessee-Martin
35-7.
NIU (1-1) extended its Huskie Stadium winning streak to 16 games as quarterback Jordan Lynch passed for one
touchdown and ran for three others.
"We just threw a few bubble screens today and they went for 15 yards (approximately on average)," Lynch said.
"That helped me out a lot. When that starts happening, they leave the box empty for a quarterback run. And our
offensive line is doing a good job."
Lynch wound up completing 19 of 25 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted once and
sacked three times. Junior tailback Leighton Settle recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game, rambling for
106 yards on 21 carries.
"Our offensive line blocked great, as well as our receivers," Settle said. "So it is the running back's job to find
the right holes and make something out of it. And that's what happened."
The two teams never had met before, introducing a sense of unfamiliarity. NIU was coming off a tough 18-17
loss to Iowa at Soldier Field, while UT-Martin won its opener 20-17 against Memphis.
"I think we might have been out-matched," UT-Martin coach Jason Simpson said. "I am proud of our kids. We
had our chances."
Northern Illinois took a 7-0 lead with 8:59 left in the first period. Jamal Womble, a 5-10, 246-pound senior,
bulldozed into the end zone from 2 yards out.
"We could have made a game out of it, but we didn't get it done," Simpson said, partly in reference to a missed
field goal and another attempt foiled when the holder fumbled a high snap from center.
The Huskies went up 14-0 at the start of the second period when Lynch connected with Martel Moore on a 31yard touchdown pass. Lynch then scored from 1 yard out at the end of an impressive 15-play, 83-yard drive to
give NIU a 21-0 halftime advantage.
"I thought the offense did a heck of a job mixing it up," NIU coach Dave Doeren said. "We didn't run Jordan as
much as we did the week before. We wanted to get our tailbacks going."
The Skyhawks' only score came on a 7-yard pass from Derek Carr to Corey Jordan in the fourth quarter.
Lynch made his second career start for NIU after completing just 6 of 16 passes against Iowa. Lynch did rush
for 119 yards against the Hawkeyes, however. He completed his first five passes Saturday night against the
Skyhawks.
"I need to do some things better," Lynch said, "but overall, I think I have a good grasp of the offense."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-spt-0909-niu-football--20120909,0,3766527.story
NIU makes the most out of annual FCS home game
DeKALB – Tickets were sold, no players were hurt, the backups saw the field and Northern Illinois won going
away.
Consider it mission accomplished for the Northern Illinois coaching staff, which couldn’t have wanted much
more coming out of NIU’s 35-7 victory over Tennessee-Martin in its true home opener on Saturday.
Carrying a price tag of $325,000 according to the UT-Martin athletic department, NIU’s annual scrimmage
against a Football Championship Subdivision team was as productive as it could have been for the Huskies,
who won their 16th consecutive game at Huskie Stadium.
Yes, the offense sputtered on a couple drives and committed two turnovers. The defense gave up more yards to
UT-Martin than it did against Iowa, but that’s nitpicking in an otherwise easy victory that NIU controlled from
the start.
It’s not always easy to do what everyone expects against an FCS team that often looks at its Football Bowl
Subdivision counterpart as its biggest opponent of the season. Just ask Eastern Michigan, which lost, 31-14, to
Illinois State on Saturday at home.
Of the five MAC teams that played an FCS team Saturday, the Huskies were the only squad to hold their
opponent to single digits.
“With all the stuff we went through, dealing with a tough loss last week, to come out [Saturday] and play as
clean as we did offensively, I was really proud of the [offensive] balance we had,” Doeren said. “Any time you
lose a tight game early on, to come back and hold a team like that to seven points, I think it says a lot.”
At the top of Doeren’s check list was getting Jordan Lynch much-needed pass attempts and game experience.
The first-year starter attempted 25 passes against the Skyhawks, completing 19 of them. Coming into Saturday,
Lynch had only 42 for his career, including 16 in the season opener against Iowa.
“I feel I have a good grasp of the offense,” Lynch said. “I need to limit the turnover. ... I need to do some things
better, but overall I have a good grasp of the offense.”
It certainly helps having a stable and consistent running partner, something the Huskies seem to have found in
Leighton Settle, who got the majority of the carries Saturday.
He was the beneficiary of an offensive line that routinely opened up big running lanes, and Doeren said Settle
will be the feature back moving forward after the junior had his first career 100-yard rushing game.
Backup quarterback Matt McIntosh took a number of late snaps and Doeren said the initial injury report has
everyone ready for Saturday against Army.
“There were a lot of good things to look at and move on from,” Doeren said.
And now back to the real regular season.
• Ross Jacobson is the sports editor of the Daily Chronicle. Contact him by email at [email protected]
http://www.huskiewire.com/articles/2012/09/08/48278191/index.xml
jacksonsun.com
LOCAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Skyhawks just
have to beat NIU one time
MARTIN — UT Martin football coach Jason Simpson likely found himself caught between emotions this week.
He was no doubt pleased with the win behind him, last week’s victory at Memphis uniquely significant in the
program’s history.
He is no doubt concerned with the task ahead, today’s road game at Northern Illinois against an FBS team that
won its conference, a bowl game and 10 other games last year.
UTM visits Dekalb, Ill. at 6 p.m. today to face Northern Illinois University.
While Northern Illinois (0-1) doesn’t carry the prestige of a program like Auburn or Tennessee, which UTM (10) has faced in the past, the Huskies have had plenty of recent success.
Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner and former Chicago Bears running back Garrett Wolfe both
played for NIU in the past decade.
Simpson said his players know that, just as against Memphis, they don’t have to beat Northern Illinois in a
series of games.
“You’ve just got to try to beat ‘em once,” he said.
Northern Illinois has changed since its 11-win season last year. Departed is quarterback Chandler Harnish,
NIU’s leading passer (3,216 yards) and rusher (1,379 yards) last season. He was drafted by the Indianapolis
Colts.
However, the Huskies suggested last week they’re set for another good season. They led Big Ten member Iowa
17-9 going into the fourth quarter at a neutral site in Chicago. Iowa rallied for an 18-17 win.
Harnish’s replacement at quarterback is last year’s backup, Jordan Lynch. Lynch was 6-for-16 against Iowa.
The Huskies ran 36 times against Iowa, and the new quarterback Lynch got half of those carries. He was NIU’s
leading rusher, but most of that production came on a 73-yard touchdown run.
UTM was sloppy at times last week, despite leaving Memphis with a win. Simpson acknowledged the
Skyhawks were fortunate to win after a fumble, two interceptions and three field goal attempts that didn’t work.
“We’ve got a lot of things we can clean up,” he said.
The Skyhawks missed chances for easy points early in that game, and players responded positively.
“It gives us some confidence that we can overcome adversity,” Simpson said.
http://www.jacksonsun.com/article/20120908/SPORTS/309080025/LOCAL-COLLEGE-FOOTBALLSkyhawks-just-beat-NIU-one-time?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1
Attractive new scores from Geof Bradfield and Marquis
Hill
It was a great weekend for jazz composition, as two noteworthy Chicago musicians showed their skills with
a pen, as well as a horn.
Saxophonist Geof Bradfield already had caught listeners' attention with "African Flowers," a 2010
recording of his pictorial suite for jazz quintet.
But Bradfield dug deeper in his newest work, leading a septet in the ambitious, hour-long "Melba!" at the
Green Mill Jazz Club on Saturday night.
As its title suggested, the piece paid homage to the life and art of Melba Liston, a groundbreaking
composer-arranger unjustly overlooked in the history of jazz. Through the course of six carefully
composed movements, "Melba!" evoked the spirit of Liston's times but still carried the hallmarks of
Bradfield's musical language. The long lines, complex themes and meticulous structuring of this score
pointed to the high craft of Bradfield's writing, even as particular movements portrayed specific periods in
Liston's life.
The piece began grandly, with a quasi-orchestral introduction in which all the players produced bright
bursts of color. Before long, trombonist Joel Adams dispatched the gorgeous opening theme of the first
movement, "Kansas City Child," a musical evocation of Liston's early years and a tip of the hit to her work
as trombonist.
Bradfield conjured the spirit of Los Angeles' "Central Avenue" in the second movement, his bebopinfluenced tenor saxophone solos answered with beautifully sculpted statements from trumpeter Victor
Garcia and sinewy cadenzas from guitarist Jeff Parker. Like each section of the suite, this one built to an
inexorable conclusion, the logic of the piece apparent from first theme to last.
It would have been easy for Bradfield to draw upon Afro-Cuban clichés and conventions in the "Dizzy
Gillespie" movement, which nodded to Liston's collaborations with the brilliant trumpeter-bandleader.
Instead, Bradfield penned an intricate work cast in several musical episodes. The syncopated, Latin-tinged
motif that launched the piece soon made way for uptempo trumpet solos, three-horn choirs, radiant
passages for the entire septet and so on.
Similarly, the "Randy Weston" movement – a salute to a towering pianist-composer closely associated
with Liston – in lesser hands might have been a retread of Weston's African rhythms and heroic pianism.
Instead, Bradfield assigned pianist Ryan Cohan vast solos, then answered them with staccato blasts from
the horns and full-ensemble writing rich in dissonance. The cumulative force of Cohan's double-octave
solos and the band's hard-charging responses made this a highlight of the suite.
Finally, the "Detroit/Kingston" and "Homecoming" movements that closed the work again attested to
Bradfield's gifts at configuring a large-scale composition for maximum effect. Given the marginalization of
Liston's contributions, one might not have expected such a triumphant finale, but the surging final
minutes of the suite said a great deal about Bradfield's view of her life and accomplishments.
On Friday evening at the Green Mill, the emerging trumpeter Marquis Hill played original compositions
from his newly released CD "Sounds of the City." Though Hill wasn't working on a scale as exalted as
Bradfield's, the trumpeter showed impressible control in writing more compact tunes. The melodic
elegance of "The Token," the appealing twists and turns of "Abracadabra" and the light touch and sleek
phrase-making of "Like Lee" (a salute to trumpeter Lee Morgan) represented short-form writing of the
most succinct kind.
Better still, Hill developed these ideas effectively, bringing ample technique – but no bombast – to his
work on trumpet and fluegelhorn. Alto saxophonist Christopher McBride proved a kindred spirit, while
Hill enjoyed atmospheric support from drummer Jeremy Cunningham, bassist Charlie Kirchen and
pianist Josh Moshier.
But in the work of both Hill and Bradfield, it was the writing that stood out, a sure sign that the art of jazz
composition still flourishes in Chicago.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-ent-0910-marquis-bradfield20120910,0,6761615.column
Mac Report Online
Huskies bounce back in home opener
DeKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lunch and running back Leighton Settle powered the
Huskies (1-1) to a 35-7 win over UT Martin Saturday night at Huskie Stadium. The duo combined for 166
rushing yards on 32 carries for three touchdowns as both averaged over five yards per carry against the
Skyhawks (1-1) for NIU's first win of the 2012 campaign.
After a tough loss at Soldier Field against Iowa last weekend, Lynch and the Huskies put on an impressive
display in front of the hometown crowd as NIU won its 16th straight game at Huskie Stadium, dating back to
2009. UT Martin was coming off its first victory over a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) foe after defeating
Memphis the previous week but went just one-of-four inside the red zone against NIU.
Lynch put together his best career passing day, establishing career highs of 19 completions, 25 attempts and 214
yards. The redshirt junior threw for a TD as well, connecting on a 31-yard pass down the middle to senior wide
receiver Martel Moore to put NIU up 14-0 with 14:55 left in the second quarter after forcing the Skyhawks into
a three-and-out. The only blemish on the day was his first career interception. Lynch also added 60 yards on 11
carries on the ground, and finished with three rushing scores.
"Obviously I'm happy with the victory," said NIU Head Coach Dave Doeren. “I thought our guys played hard.
I'm proud of the balance we had on offense. Jordan Lynch played really well. He was precise with his passes.
He did what we knew he could do."
Despite three Lynch TDs, the ground attack was anchored by Settle, who rushed 21 times for 106 yards to notch
his first career 100-yard game.
"Leighton had a great week at practice," Doeren said. "I knew he would come out and play well. He ran hard
and the offensive line did a good job of opening up holes."
The Huskie defense made several key stops and plays to hold UTM to just one touchdown, which came early in
the fourth quarter. The first big stand came after a 13-play, 66-yard drive that took over five minutes of clock
time in the first quarter. The Skyhawks worked the ball to the Huskie nine-yard line, but NIU's defense stood
tall, forcing a 21-yard field goal attempt by Cody Sandlin that sailed wide right.
The second impactful play for the defense came after Lynch's interception. The Skyhawks drove to the NIU
redzone again and had first-and-goal from the NIU 10-yard line. Once again, the Huskies were up to the
challenge, only giving up one more yard to force another short field goal. This time, the UTM snap for a 27yard field was botched and Tyrone Clark recovered.
Lynch then guided the Huskies on a 15-play, 83-yard drive that lasted over 5:30 and scored on a one-yard run.
The score put NIU ahead 21-0 with 3:51 left in the first half, and the Huskies didn't look back.
In the second half, Lynch added a pair of rushing scores - breaking free on a 32-yard run up the middle and
powering for a four-yard score.
Defensively, safety Jimmie Ward led NIU with 10 tackles, two pass break-ups and an interception, the Huskies'
first of the season. Northern Illinois held UTM to 63 rushing yards on 33 attempts. UTM receiver Quentin Sims
caught 10 passes for 152 yards in the game, but was held to 46 receiving yards on five catches in the second
half.
Next up for the Huskies is their first road game of the season as they travel to West Point, N.Y. to take on Army
Sept. 17. The 11 a.m. (CT) game will air on the CBS Sports Network.
http://www.macreportonline.com/1/post/2012/09/huskies-bounce-back-in-home-opener.html
MSU Bears Sweep New Orleans, Lose in Five Sets to
Northern Illinois
Springfield, Mo. (MSM Sports Media) – Missouri State’s volleyball team completed its last competition date
before the Missouri Valley Conference season Saturday with two matches in the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational
at Hammons Student Center in Springfield.
The Bears (5-6) swept New Orleans (3-6) in the afternoon match, and dropped a heartbreaking five-setter to
Northern Illinois (7-5) in the championship match. Amber Doolittle and Kaitlin Jaeger earned all-tournament
honors for Missouri State.
The Bears open Missouri Valley Conference play Friday (Sept. 14) with a 6 p.m. match at Creighton.
New Orleans Recap (Won 25-12, 25-17, 25-8)
Missouri State hit a season-high .398, led by Jaeger’s error-free 14 kills on 18 swings, and held the Privateers to
.064 hitting in the sweep.
Jaeger had three kills and Carly Thomas added two aces in an 8-0 run to lead 8-1 in the first set as the Bears
out-hit UNO .370-.000 in the period. Missouri State opened the second set error-free through 18 attacks for a
15-9 lead and closed on a 4-0 run after New Orleans pulled within 21-17. Andrea Beaty had five of the team’s
18 kills.
MSU used an 8-0 run to blow open the third set with a 16-3 lead, hitting .583 as a team. Jaeger finished off the
match with back-to-back kills to go with a team-high five blocks. Christine McCartney had seven kills and a
match-high 11 digs, and Ashley Mason had 10 digs.
Northern Illinois Recap (Lost 16-25, 25-20, 25-17, 19-25, 13-15)
Thomas recorded her second career triple-double with 11 kills (on .435 hitting), 50 assists and 18 digs, and the
Bears held a notable lead in several statistical categories, but were doomed by 34 attack errors, including 15 that
were blocked by NIU, in dropping the final two sets in a 3-2 defeat.
McCartney had 16 kills and a career-high 24 digs, and sophomore Maddy Hogan added a career-best 19 digs, as
the Bears led 99-83 in that category and 64-57 in kills. NIU hit .179 to .153 for the Bears and served eight aces.
The Huskies jumped to a 13-5 lead in the first set and the Bears never got closer than five points from there, but
rebounded in the second period thanks to NIU hitting -.047 in the set.
Missouri State bolted to a 9-3 lead in the third with an 8-0 run capped by Hogan’s ace, and got three closing
kills from Olivia Brand for points 21, 24 and 25 to take a 2-1 set lead.
Northern Illinois equalized the match by hitting .394 in the fourth set and using a 10-0 run to lead 22-12.
After trailing 5-2 in the fifth, the Bears tied at 5-5 and the set was tied at each point to 11-all. The Huskies
scored an ace that trickled over the net and the Bears added an attack error to trail 13-11, then returned the favor
with a similar Thomas ace after a Doolittle kill for a 13-13 deadlock before NIU’s MacKenzie Roddy hit
consecutive kills to close the win for the visitors.
http://missourisportsmag.com/?p=75114
Analysis: Settle's 100-yard game clears up NIU running back situation
Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren has been waiting for a starting running back to emerge since summer
practices began.
He may have found his answer Saturday against Tennessee-Martin. Junior running back Leighton Settle ran for
the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, finishing with 107 yards.
Settle, along with Akeem Daniels, Keith Harris Jr. and Jamal Womble have all had opportunities in the
backfield in the first two games of the season and Doeren said he will continue to play toward each running
back’s strengths.
“We’re going to keep rolling with the guys who do what they do,” Doeren said.
Saturday’s home opener gave us an idea how NIU’s running game might look like for the rest of the season.
Here’s how each of the four running backs was used against UT-Martin.
LEIGHTON SETTLE
Settle, listed as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart, was the workhorse back for Doeren from the first
possession.
“He had a great week of practice and I knew by Thursday he was going to have a 100-yard game because of the
way he practiced,” Doeren said. “He played well, and that’s the key.”
Settle was on the field for 37 of 65 plays before the starters were lifted late in the fourth quarter and had 21 of
the 30 carries given to the group of four running backs. All of Settle’s carries were runs up the middle, a couple
of which he bounced outside. His longest run of the night was only 13 yards, which shows the consistency with
which he ran Saturday, routinely picking up gains of five-plus yards.
Settle said the larger workload helped him get comfortable with his offensive line and Doeren plans to make
him the feature back for now.
“Leighton’s probably our most consistent first- and second-down player back there,” Doeren said.
AKEEM DANIELS
Daniels saw the second-most action among the group of four running backs, participating in 25 offensive plays.
However, Daniels’ role in the offense was drastically different than Settle’s as the junior running back had only
one carry for one yard.
Although Daniels only had one reception for three yards, he lined up as a wide receiver or ran routes out of the
backfield on 13 plays. He was also used in pass protection on five occasions.
“He’ll block, he’s one of our best protection backs. It’s tough when you’re a defense and it’s a five-wide or a
single-back set and he can block for [QB Jordan Lynch],” Doeren said. “There’s a lot of versatility when
Akeem’s the back back there.”
Doeren likes the versatility that Daniels brings and it showed as Daniels was used on 10 of 14 third-down plays.
JAMAL WOMBLE
Womble entered Saturday as the running back typically used in short-yardage situations and it played true to
form in the first quarter. On NIU’s first drive, Womble picked up one yard on first-and-goal from the UTMartin 3-yard line and then rumbled in for a rushing touchdown on the next play.
Womble was given another goal-line opportunity in the third quarter, but lost a fumble at the UT-Martin 4-yard
line. The senior running back didn’t see the field after the fumble and only managed seven yards on five carries
for the game.
“I was disappointed in Jamal’s fumble because he’s been playing better,” Doeren said.
KEITH HARRIS JR.
Harris had a rushing touchdown in the first half against Iowa in the season opener, but didn’t get on the field
until NIU’s ninth drive of the game in the middle of the third quarter.
Like Daniels, Harris lined up as a receiver on a couple plays.
The true freshman had three carries for two yards, all of which came after the starters were pulled in the fourth
quarter.
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NIU football gets timely takeaways in victory
DeKALB – All week, Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren and his staff preached about the importance of
forcing turnovers.
In Week 1 against Iowa, the Huskies’ defense had a strong performance, holding the Hawkeyes to 268 total
yards.
After the 18-17 loss, Doeren mentioned the fact his defense didn’t force that big, momentum-changing turnover.
In Saturday’s 35-7 win over Tennessee-Martin, the NIU defense had three big takeaways, two of them fumbles
inside the red zone that cost the Skyhawks big scoring chances.
“Every day, the coaches were on us about getting a turnover and making a big play,” said Huskies safety
Jimmie Ward, who led NIU with 10 tackles and picked off UT-Martin quarterback Derek Carr.
One of the takeaways came when UT-Martin tried some trickery, with Carr catching a pass from running back
Jason McNair.
NIU cornerback Jhony Faustin was able to force a fumble near the goal line, and the ball went in and out of the
end zone for an NIU touchback.
Doeren was happy with the way his team was able to keep the Skyhawks off the board by forcing turnovers in
the red zone.
“To me, that’s what it’s all about. If you can keep touchdowns off the board. We need more takeaways, that’s
the one thing that we’ll continue to harp on, obviously,” he said. “That says a lot about your mental toughness I
think as a team, if you score touchdowns on offense, stop touchdowns on defense in the red zone. It says a lot
about your makeup.”
UT-Martin was able to move the ball against NIU’s defense at times, and Doeren thought the defensive line,
which had six sacks against Iowa, could have gotten to Carr more.
The guy who did the most damage against the Huskies was 6-2, 202-pound receiver Quentin Sims, a transfer
from Georgia Tech. He made some nice catches and had more than 100-yards receiving in the first half.
At halftime, NIU made adjustments, playing more help coverage instead of loading up to stop the run. The
defense did a better job of holding Sims in check, as he finished with 152 receiving yards after the strong first
half.
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NIU Notes: Offense smooth with new coordinator
DeKALB – Saturday was Northern Illinois’ first game under new offensive coordinator Rod Carey.
With Mike Dunbar stepping aside for the time being to fight a cancer battle, offensive line coach/run game
coordinator Rod Carey called the plays during NIU’s 35-7 win over Tennessee-Martin.
Quarterback Jordan Lynch, who threw for 214 yards and ran for 60 in the win, thought Carey’s first game
calling the Huskies’ plays went well.
“Coach Dunbar has cancer, so coach Carey took over and I thought he did a good job. Mixing it up, throwing
more bubbles, more screens,” Lynch said. “They didn’t run me a lot [Saturday] and we gave the load to
Leighton [Settle], who did a heck of a job. And ... the offensive line blocked their butts off.”
Northern Illinois head coach Dave Doeren thought his whole offensive staff did a nice job putting together a
game plan his team could execute.
Even though Dunbar has been reassigned, he’s still been around the team at times.
“Coach Dunbar’s a guy that doesn’t like not being around, either. Jordan will tell you, the guy’s unbelievable,”
Doeren said. “He just likes coming in and giving advice and then he disappears. He shows up a couple days
later. He’s a football junkie.”
Home cooking: After NIU’s win, the Huskies’ 16th straight at Huskie Stadium, UT-Martin head coach Jason
Simpson complimented the atmosphere in DeKalb.
Huskies defensive line coach/co-defensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator Ryan Nielsen, who was the
Skyhawks’ defensive line coach in 2010, had told Simpson about the Huskie Stadium experience, and Simpson
came away impressed.
“I compliment the crowd. It was a good environment. It was the first time I’ve been here, of course,” Simpson
said. “... I’m very impressed. I tip my hat to the environment here.”
McIntosh gets some experience: Last season, Lynch got some game reps, giving Chandler Harnish a break.
Saturday, redshirt freshman Matt McIntosh spelled Lynch at times. He ran six times for 20 yards and was 0-for1 passing.
“Matt’s really practiced well in our run-game stuff. Matt has a strong arm, I was hoping to get a few passes in
there for him. We didn’t there in the fourth quarter,” Doeren said. “We wanted to, like I said, take a few shots
off of Jordan, and also, Jordan for two years in his career before he was the starter, got some valuable reps
behind Chandler just coming in and running the football.”
Should Lynch go down for any reason, Doeren wants McIntosh to have some experience.
“I think for Matt, to get in the game so that if [Lynch’s] helmet comes off and we have to spell him, we’ve got a
guy that’s not freaking out about playing all the sudden,” Doeren said. “If we can get Matt four or five plays a
game, so that he’s ready when his time comes, I think that’s a great thing for Matt’s future.”
Two true freshmen see first action: Two true freshmen, wide receiver Jacob Brinlee and linebacker Mike
Cotton, got their first game experience. Brinlee didn’t show up on the stat sheet, but Cotton registered a tackle.
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Volleyball beats UConn
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Northern Illinois volleyball team improved to 3-0 at Missouri State’s Dr. Mary Jo
Wynn/DoubleTree Hotel Invitational Saturday afternoon after taking down Connecticut in four sets at
Hammons Student Center. The 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 25-23 win moved NIU to 6-5 on the year and dropped
UCONN to 6-5.
“I’m really happy about the positive play we’ve had over the past couple of matches,” said NIU Head Coach
Ray Gooden. “We keep getting a little more experience for conference play. We had to play hard against a very
solid team from the Big East.”
In a battle of the Huskies, it was Northern Illinois who reigned supreme, holding key advantages in kills (6554), hitting percentage (.298-.171), digs (89-78) and blocks (13.5-7).
“We want to continue to do a good job with serve and pass,” Gooden said. “We also want to do a really good
job with our offense. By getting a lot of digs we did that today. Amber [Walker] and our bumpers did a good
job of playing defense.”
For the second straight match, junior middle blocker Sarah Angelos was errorless as she taliled 15 kills and hit
.517, while continuing to develop a better feel for freshman setter Alexis Gonzalez.
“It’s great that Sarah and Pookie [Alexis Gonzalez] continue to work through their relationship,” Gooden said.
“Sarah has learned a lot about herself, as have all of our hitters. We are starting to get a little more rhythm,
which is a nice positive.”
Angelos was not alone in having a solid performance against UCONN as senior outside Meghan Romo, senior
middle Mary Kurisch and sophomore outside MacKenzie Roddy all turned in helpful efforts. Romo notched 13
kills, 12 digs and four blocks. Kurisch went off for a career-best 10 blocks while also hitting .323 with 15 kills.
Roddy hit .318 with 16 kills and four blocks.
Running the offense, Gonzalez served up a season-high 55 assists, adding 16 digs, two kills and two blocks.
In the back row, senior libero Amber Walker dug up 28 balls. Senior defensive speciaist Sue Hayes had 12 digs
and junior defensive specialist Justine Schepler had 11.
Tied at 14 in the first set, a UCONN attack error and Roddy-Kurisch combo block fueled NIU to a 11-3 run to
end the frame with a win. In the second set, UCONN had set point, up 24-23, but an attack error kept NIU alive
and Kurisch knotted it with a kill on the next play. However, a UCONN kill and NIU handling error gave the
set to UCONN to leave the match tied at the break.
In the important swing set, the senior duo of Romo and Kurisch took over at the end of the third. Tied at 20,
Romo notched a kill to break it and then Kurisch followed with two straight putaways. Then the two teamed up
for a block before Kurisch ended the set with another kill.
In the fourth set, NIU held a narrow, late 23-21 lead as Roddy put pressure on UCONN with a kill to give NIU
match point. After a UCONN kill and Roddy attack error, UCONN failed to take advantage as another attack
error ended the match in NIU’s favor.
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Men's golf opens season Northern Intercollegiate
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois men’s golf team opened its 2012-13 season on Saturday as it
began play in the Northern Intercollegiate at Rich Harvest Farms. Saturday’s 36-hole day of competition was
suspended due to darkness with four groups yet to finish.
As of the conclusion of play on Saturday, NIU was in 11th position with a total score of 620 (+65). Indiana
holds the overall lead with a team score of 599 (+31) through Saturday’s play.
“We had a good weather day today, with the exception of wind,” said NIU head coach Tom Porten. “We hope
to complete the 36-hole play tomorrow morning and finish the tournament on a high note. As far as the Huskies,
it wasn’t very good execution with anything from 150 yards in. We couldn’t putt the ball at all today.
“We had very few birdies and too many mental and execution mistakes that caused us to make big numbers. We
have to fix that, come out and play with purpose tomorrow morning.”
The Huskies found themselves in 10th-place following the first round of the day, posting a team score of 318.
Defending champion Central Florida led the way through the opening 18 holes with a total of 301.
Senior Griffin Bauman posted the best score of the opening round for the Huskies, carding a four-over 75 to
stand in a tie for 10th. Senior Kurtis Luedtke was just outside the top-20 as he fired an opening round 78 for
NIU.
All but one player, senior Greg Pohlmann, has finished round two for the Huskies. Of those who have
completed 36 holes, Bauman has posted the low score of 156 and is currently in a tie for 23rd. Sophomore Nick
Schiavi has the second-lowest 36-hole total for the Huskies at 161.
Play will resume on Sunday morning at 7:27 a.m., with the completion of round two as well as the beginning of
round three, using the same pairings and tee times as Saturday’s opening round.
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Injury slows Alton Marquette product Brimmage at
Illinois College
Cecil Brimmage Illinois College football (Illinois College roster)
Cecil Brimmage, an Alton Marquette product who was off to the finest start of any NCAA Division III
running back in the nation, was sidelined indefinitely Saturday after sustaining a knee injury in the first quarter
of Illinois College’s 53-32 victory over Grinnell.
A junior, Brimmage carried the ball twice for 5 yards before being forced from the game. That brief appearance
came one week after he gained 341 yards in a 51-28 win over Hanover. Brimmage broke a school record that
had stood since the early 1980s, compiling the third-highest single-game rushing total in Midwest Conference
history. He was athlete of the week by Beyond Sports College Network.
“We wanted to see if Cecil could be a feature back, and he definitely passed (the test),” Illinois College coach
Garrett Campbell said following Brimmage’s effort against Hanover.
Brimmage, who was coming off a sophomore season that saw him gain 1,101 yards and score 11 touchdowns,
has blossomed as a running back in college. He never gained more than 786 yards rushing in any season during
his preps career.
WASHINGTON GOLFERS ARE GOING LOW
Washington University’s successful women’s golf program will try to maintain its early-season momentum
when it takes part in the O’Brien National Tournament on Sunday and Monday just north of South Bend, Ind.
The Bears won their first test of the season, the Georgianni Memorial Invitational in Eau Claire, Wis., and will
take a No. 5 ranking among NCAA Division III schools into this weekend’s tournament. Washington was
ranked No. 1 late in the 2011 season before settling for a 13th-place finish at the national tournament.
Sophomore Olivia Lugar (Rockledge, Fla.), who was the coaches’ Division III player of the year and a firstteam all-American as a freshman, was the medalist in the Georgianni tournament. Junior Andrea Hibbert
(Golden, Colo.) was 10th.
“We’ve got some great team chemistry early on this year, so that will be good momentum for the rest of the
fall,” Hibbert said.
Washington has won nine of its last 14 in-season tournaments and finished no lower than sixth in any of the
other five. Lugar has won five individual titles in her young career.
MOBAP’S PITZER HEADED FOR HALL OF FAME
Former Missouri Baptist basketball coach and athletics director Lowell Pitzer will become a member of the
NAIA Hall of Fame in April. Pitzer is the commissioner of the American Midwest Conference and an assistant
professor at Missouri Baptist.
Pitzer’s 27-year career also includes a stint as president of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and service on
the NAIA men’s and women’s basketball committees.
“I am grateful the NAIA would honor me with this prestigious award,” Pitzer said. “The men and women with
whom I have had the privilege to serve embrace the NAIA’s core values of integrity, respect, responsibility,
sportsmanship and servant leadership. This organization and those with whom I have had the privilege to serve
has profoundly affected my world view.”
Pitzer served as men’s basketball coach at Missouri Baptist from 1990-97 and as women’s coach from 19972002.
He was inducted into the Missouri Baptist Hall of Fame in 2004.
A NEW ERA FOR LINDENWOOD WOMEN'S SOCCER
If the Lindenwood women’s soccer team has a chip on its collective shoulder, it’s understandable. The Lions,
picked near the bottom of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in a preseason vote of league
coaches, have gone 1-0-1 in their first two non-league games heading into their conference opener Friday
against visiting Northwest Missouri State. This is Lindenwood’s first year of athletic involvement in the NCAA
Division II conference.
“We’re the new kids on the block, and we have to prove ourselves,” coach Laurie Kaminski said. “Being picked
10th out of 12 teams gives us motivation, that extra drive.”
Lindenwood opened with a 0-0 tie against Illinois-Springfield before blanking Missouri-St. Louis 2-0. Junior
Jade Davis (Charleston, S.C.), who started her career at Division I Mississippi, has recorded both shutouts.
“We have 11 new girls this year, and we’re learning each other’s strengths,” junior forward Bailey Cody
(Jacksonville, Ill.) said.
“Our goal is the finish in the top of (of the MIAA) and qualify for the conference tournament,” senior forward
Courtney Bresnahan (Borgia) said.
Lindenwood was 8-6-3 last fall in its transitional year from NAIA to Division II.
MARTIN MAKING IMPACT AT NORTHWESTERN
Former All-Metro player of the year Charlotte Martin (John Burroughs) is quickly establishing herself as one
of the leading freshman field hockey players in the Big Ten.
The rookie midfielder helped Northwestern open the season 5-1, starting all six games. The Wildcats, who were
12-9 a year ago, including a 1-5 conference mark, open Big Ten play Sept. 21 at Ohio State.
Martin was the 2010 All-Metro player of the year, leading Burroughs to a 23-1 record and its 11th Midwest
Field Hockey championship -- its first since 2000. She had an area-best 38 of her 92 career prep goals that
season.
MORE OF THE SAME FOR FOOTBALL LIONS
Lindenwood is liking that NCAA Division II football affiliation more and more each week. The Lions won their
second straight MIAA game, toppling Southwest Baptist 35-14. And just like the week before in a victory over
Lincoln University, the heroes were plentiful.
Senior running back Denodus O’Bryant (Washington) scored his school-record 29th career rushing touchdown
and now has 50 overall in his career. Senior wide receiver Andrew Helmick (Kansas City) caught a touchdown
pass in his eighth straight game, and junior quarterback Ben Gomez (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) threw for two
touchdowns and 233 yards. Gomez has thrown for 640 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two starts at
Lindenwood.
“Having so many weapons makes by job easier,” Gomez said.
FORMER ALTHOFF STAR GOING STRONG
A year ago, Missouri State setter Carly Thomas (Althoff) was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Conference
volleyball selection as a sophomore, ranking 25th nationally with 11.23 assists per set.
A couple of weeks into her junior season, Thomas’ star remains on the rise. She was recently named MVC
player of the week for the fourth time in her career and is averaging 11.28 assists per set.
Thomas earned her most recent player of the week honor for establishing career highs for assists in three
straight matches, including 61 in a five-set victory against Oral Roberts. Missouri State was 3-5 through its first
eight matches of the season, including a 3-0 loss last week to No. 22-ranked Kansas State.
BEARCATS ARE FOILED AGAIN
McKendree’s hoped-for fast start in its first season of football at the NCAA Division II level has not quite
worked out. The Bearcats dropped to 0-2 when Henderson (Ark.) State spoiled McKendree’s home opener 4724 Saturday.
“The big thing is that we have been able to get off to strong starts in our first two games,” McKendree coach
Carl Poelker said. “Then we get into a little bit of a funk where we start feeling our way and the other team
takes advantage of that. We just need to get back to playing 60 minutes of McKendree football.”
Freshman running back Cameron James (Edwardsville) had 139 all-purpose yards against Henderson State.
Up next is McKendree’s inaugural Great Lakes Valley Conference game when Missouri S&T (2-0) visits
Leemon Field for a 6 p.m. Saturday start.
EDWARDSVILLE PRODUCTS ARE MAKING THEIR MARK
Three former Edwardsville volleyball standouts -- Megan Sharpe, Lexi Gober and Sam Epenesa -- are
excelling at the collegiate level.
A 5-foot-11 middle blocker who has earned Division II all-America honors in each of her first three seasons at
Truman State, Sharpe was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association hitter of the week for
her performance in the recent invitational hosted by Truman. In four tournament games, Sharpe averaged 4.21
kills and 1.21 blocks per set while hitting .427 with just nine errors in 117 swings. Her career hitting percentage
of .343 is No. 1 on Truman’s all-time list. She also is among the career top 10 in kills and blocks.
Gober is a setter for Division I South Carolina Upstate, a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. She is third
on the team in assists and among the leaders in digs. At Edwardsville, Gober ranks fourth all-time in assists
(2,860).
Epenesa, a 6-foot outside hitter, has seen limited action in her freshman season at Purdue (5-1), but is averaging
1.5 kills per set. The 2011 Post-Dispatch All-Metro player of the year after leading Edwardsville to four
Southwestern Conference titles and a third-place finish in the 2010 state tournament, Epenesa holds the
Edwardsville record for career kills (1,250).
LOCAL ATHLETES POWERING MCKENDREE RUNNERS
McKendree women’s cross country coach Neal West says his team is building toward the Oct. 20 Great Lakes
Valley Conference meet in Springfield, Mo.
“We have a lot of returnees, which is a good thing,” West said. "This group has been together a couple of years,
and it will be interesting to see them develop as the year progresses ... there’s room and time for growth.”
Juniors Megan Doty (Collinsville) and Hannah Inyart (Belleville East) are the leading veterans. Doty was the
top finisher in all five of McKendree’s meets a year ago. Big things also are expected from junior Lauren Ewart
(Triad), who transferred from Samford.
AROUND THE AREA
• Freshman midfielder Tyler Collico (O’Fallon) scored three goals for Missouri-St. Louis in the Tritons’ recent
4-1 soccer victory over Lake Erie (Ohio). Collico scored 34 goals as a senior at O’Fallon, including 14 gamewinners.
• Freshman middle blocker Kristen Torre (Highland) continues to excel for the SIU Edwardsville volleyball
team. Torre leads the Cougars in hitting (.347) and holds the team high for kills (20) in a match. “She has
stepped out into her own,” coach Leah Johnson said. “Offensively, she is terminal.”
• Freshman midfielder Jordyn Reiniger (Collinsville) scored her first two collegiate goals Sunday to lead the
McKendree women’s soccer team to a 4-1 win over Missouri-St. Louis. The victory was the first for
McKendree as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference and the 198th of Tim Strange career as
women’s soccer coach at the school.
• Senior Aaron Werths (Granite City) has emerged as the No. 1 runner for the SIUE men's cross country team,
which opened its season last weekend at the 12-school Walt Crawford Open at Eastern Illinois. Werths finished
14th out of 131 runners. “Aaron has trained hard for four years and capped it with a very solid summer of
training,” coach Eileen McAllister said.
• Lewis and Clark Community College men’s basketball coach Deon Thomas has been named to the advisory
board of the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame Museum in Danville. Thomas is a former all-Big Ten player at the
University of Illinois.
• The Lewis and Clark women’s soccer team is off to a 4-1-1 start. The Trailblazers host Kaskaska at 4 p.m.
today.
• Northern Illinois continues to use the St. Louis area as one of its principal football recruiting regions. The
Mid-American Conference power is starting three area players -- redshirt freshmen Andrew Ness (CBC) and
Matt Killian (Francis Howell) on the offensive line and senior Tyrone Clark (Mehlville) at linebacker. Jason
Meehan (Webster Groves) is a second-unit defensive end.
NIU, which has eight local players in its program, is 1-1 after losing its opener to Iowa 18-17 and beating
Tennessee-Martin 35-7. The Huskies are coming off back-to-back 11-3 seasons and have gone to four straight
bowl games.
• Marilyn Dick (Lafayette) says she chose Florida Tech for its science program, location, and athletics,
specifically volleyball. The choice looks like a good one. A freshman who led Lafayette to the 2011 Missouri
Class 4 title, Dick has worked her way into Florida Tech’s starting lineup. A 6-foot-1 outside hitter, she leads
the team in kills with 3.42 per set and is second in blocks. Dick’s play has helped Florida Tech, a member of the
NCAA Division II Sunshine Conference, win three of its first four matches for its best start since 2008.
• Carly Ochs (St. Joseph’s) has been a major contributor in the Charlotte 49ers’ 4-2 volleyball start. A 6-1
freshman outside hitter who was part of a St. Joseph’s program that won two Missouri Class 4 titles in four
years, Ochs is third in kills for Charlotte, a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Her top single-match outing
is a 13-kill performance in a 3-0 victory over Campbell.
• Sophomore running back Malcolm Agnew (De Smet) of Oregon State was the Beavers’ leading rusher with
45 yards Saturday in their 10-7 upset of No. 13 Wisconsin. Senior Montee Ball (Timberland) led Wisconsin
running backs with 61 yards but saw his string of games with a touchdown end at 21.
• Washington University’s football team is 0-2 for the first time since 1989. The Bears, who are coming off a
20-17 overtime loss at Rhodes (Tenn.), will try for their first win Saturday when they play Coe (Iowa) in a 1
p.m. game at Francis Field.
• Oklahoma State true freshman wide receiver Brandon Shepard (Parkway Central) caught a 1-yard
touchdown pass in the Cowboys’ 84-0 season-opening win against Savannah State. He did not have any
receptions Saturday in OSU’s 59-38 loss to Arizona.
• Another true freshman wide receiver, Durron Neal (De Smet), is seeing regular playing time at Oklahoma but
did not catch a pass in the first two games against UTEP and Florida A&M. Oklahoma is idle until opening Big
12 play Sept. 22 against Kansas State.
• Washington’s No. 1-ranked Division III volleyball team will risk its 10-0 record Friday and Saturday in
Springfield, Ohio, when it faces No. 5 Wittenberg (Ohio) and No. 3 Calvin (Mich.).
• Missouri Baptist (6-0) has climbed to No. 9 in the NAIA women’s volleyball rankings.
• Sophomore forward Molly Huber (Ursuline) is proving to be a key performer for a second straight season for
the Kentucky soccer team. She’s part of the regular rotation for the Wildcats, who won their first four matches
and open Southeastern Conference play Friday against Florida. Huber scored two goals as a freshman, helping
Kentucky to a 13-7-1 record and 6-5 SEC finish
Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/high-school/area-colleges-injury-slows-am-product-brimmage-atill-college/article_ae3df3e2-fb59-11e1-a6a1-001a4bcf6878.html#ixzz26vTHxLAE
KUsports.com
KU-Northern Illinois kickoff set for 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 22
Game to be shown on ESPN3
By J-W Staff Reports
Advertisement
Kickoff for the Kansas University football program's Week 4 game at Northern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 22,
has been set for 2:30 p.m.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
KU's final non-conference game of the season will mark the third-straight national broadcast for the Jayhawks,
who lost to Rice last weekend on Fox Sports Net and will welcome Big 12 foe TCU to Memorial Stadium
Saturday for a game that will be shown on FX.
KU and NIU have met on two previous occasions, most recently in 2011 with Kansas claiming a 45-42 win in
Lawrence.
Future game times will be announced at a later date.
http://www2.kusports.com/news/2012/sep/10/ku-northern-illinois-kickoff-set-230-pm-sept-22/?football
Mid-American Conference News and Notes
Sports Network
10:03 a.m. CDT, September 10, 2012
Philadelphia, PA —
AKRON: Terry Bowden's second game as Akron's head coach ended with disappointment as the Zips
suffered a 41-38 loss in an overtime thriller versus FIU in Miami after Jack Griffin's 29-yard field goal
sailed through the uprights to give the Panthers the edge. The Zips ran 88 plays for 411 yards of total
offense, compared to the Panther's 80 plays for 441 yards. Stephen F. Austin transfer Dalton Williams led
the way offensively for Akron, completing 27-of-54 attempts for 313 yards and a school-record tying five
touchdowns. Kurt Mangum led the Zips' defense with 11 tackles, while J.D. Griggs had eight tackles to go
with a pair of sacks. Defensive coordinator Chuck Amato has some work to do going into this Saturday's
home game against Morgan State after allowing 232 rushing yards to FIU.
BALL STATE: The Cardinals won the second half, but the damage was done in the second quarter as the 11th
ranked Clemson Tigers hung on for a 52-27 victory. Coach Pete Lembo's team is now 1-1 overall, but still they
are atop the MAC standings having defeated Eastern Michigan in the season opener. Freshman running back
Horactio Banks carried the ball seven times for a career-high 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the
Cardinals versus Clemson, while Keith Wenning threw for 128 yards and two interceptions on 16-of-29
passing. Wenning had a streak of 60 passing attempts without an interception end when he was picked off in the
second frame. BSU was outscored by 29 points in the second quarter and allowed the Tigers to rack up 526
yards of total offense in the contest. The Cardinals will play their second road game in a row on Saturday night
when they take on the Big Ten's Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington.
BOWLING GREEN: Head Coach Dave Clawson had his team prepared after a spirited effort in the season
opening loss at Florida, and the Falcons held on for a 21-13 triumph over the Idaho Vandals in week two at
Doyt Perry Stadium. The 2011 MAC Freshman of the Year Anthon Samuel provided a spark for the offense
with 67 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Matt Schilz completed 24-of-35 passes for 283 yards and a
touchdown with an interception, while Shaun Joplin reeled in seven of those passes for 117 yards. BGSU's
defense held Idaho to just six rushing yards and sacked Idaho's Dominique Blackman four times. Clawson
improved to 4-0 in home openers as the Falcons' head coach. Bowling Green will hope to continue its strong
defensive play as it opens up league play this weekend at Toledo.
BUFFALO: The Bulls returned home to UB Stadium after a 22-point loss to Georgia in Athens in their season
opener. Buffalo was much more successful its second time out, as it set a new program record in its FBS history
for points in its 56-34 win over Morgan State. Despite holding a 40:10-to-19:50 disadvantage in time of
possession, the Bulls compiled 571 yards of total offense. Alex Zordich had a career game under center with
237 yards and four touchdowns on 16-of-21 passing efficiency. Alex Neutz roped in eight passes, including four
touchdowns, for a career-high 154 yards, while Branden Oliver set a new career-high with 238 yards and two
touchdowns on 25 carries. The Bulls, who sacked Morgan State's quarterbacks six time, will have a bye this
weekend before their Wednesday night league game against Kent State on Sept. 19.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN: CMU sold out a home game before game day for the first time in school history prior
to its clash with the 10th-ranked Michigan State Spartans, however the roaring crowd was not enough and the
Chippewas fell, 41-7, to their instate rival. Ryan Radcliff completed 17-of-38 through the air for 173 yards, but
also had two interceptions. Zurlon Tipton led the Central Michigan rushing attack with 62 yards on 11 carries as
it dropped to 1-1 overall for the season. Jason Wilson accounted for the lone score with a 55-yard interception
return. Coach Dan Enos has to be happy with his squad's discipline, as his team is the last in the FBS to have
not been called for a penalty in 2012. The Chippewas have a bye week this upcoming weekend, and are next in
action Saturday, Sept. 22 at Iowa.
EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles had their home opener spoiled by costly turnovers as they suffered a 31-14
setback to the Illinois State Redbirds of the FCS. EMU committed five turnovers (three INTs, two lost fumbles)
and nine penalties in the defeat. Alex Gillett completed 11-of-25 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown and also
led the team with 49 rushing yards. EMU overcame a 10-0 deficit and led by four at halftime, but it was held
scoreless while ISU tallied 21 points in the second half. The EMU rushing attack, which was ranked 14th in the
nation in 2011, was held to just 103 yards, while the Redbirds racked up 216 yards on the ground. The Eagles
will search for their first win of the season this weekend against Purdue in West Lafayette.
KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes held a seven-point lead after the first 15 minutes, but Maxwell Smith
erupted to lead Kentucky to a 47-14 victory over KSU. Quarterback Spencer Keith completed 28-of-43 passes
for 227 yards, but was sacked three times in the loss. With 539 yards of total offense, UK became the first team
to eclipse the 500-yard mark against the Golden Flashes since Bowling Green in 2009. Head coach Darrell
Hazel will try to improve his squad's 1-1 record on Sept. 19 when they begin their MAC season on the road
against the Buffalo Bulls.
MASSACHUSETTS: The transition from the FCS to the FBS has been rough so far for UMass, as the
Minutemen's 45-6 loss to Indiana dropped them to 0-2 this season. The program has not started a season with
two losses since 2001, when it went six games before a win. UMass allowed IU QB Tre Roberson to rack up
203 total yards in just over a quarter which helped the Hoosiers take a commanding 21-6 lead in the opening
period of the program's first home game as an FBS program. Mike Wegzyn paced the Minutemen by
completing 18-of-26 passes for 151 yards. Michael Cox was limited to 36 yards on 15 carries, while Marken
Michel caught five passes for a team-high 68 yards. Head coach Charley Molnar's team, which produced just
2.2 yards per carry versus IU, will square off with its second straight Big Ten opponent on Saturday when the
Minutemen head to the Big House to face Denard Robinson and the Michigan Wolverines.
MIAMI-OHIO: The RedHawks' record is now at the .500 mark (1-1) after they bested the Southern Illinois
Salukis, 30-14, in their home opener. Despite being outgained by the FCS opponent, 349-336, in total yards,
Miami controlled the game and achieved 23 first downs. Zac Dystert completed 28-of-36 passes for 226 yards
and a touchdown while the head coach's son, Spencer Treadwell, rushed for a career-high 73 yards and a
touchdown on 16 attempts. Freshman running back Jamire Westbrook scored his first career touchdown with a
12-yard run into the end zone in the third quarter. Linebacker Chris Wade recorded a career-high 11 tackles to
lead the defensive unit. Miami, now 7-0-1 against FCS opponents, has a much tougher non-conference bout this
week as it goes on the road to face the Boise State Broncos.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies knew not to take UT Martin of the FCS lightly after the Skyhawks
defeated Memphis in week one. Quarterback Jordan Lynch produced 274 total yards and four total scores to
lead Northern Illinois to a 35-7 triumph over UT Martin. NIU produced 427 total yards and shut out UT Martin
for three quarters. Leighton Settle produced a career-high 106 yards on 21 carries as NIU won its 16th straight
game at home. Lynch completed a pass to nine different receivers. Jimmie Ward led the team for the second
straight week with 10 tackles and also recorded the second interception of his career. The Huskies will try to
improve their 1-1 overall record on Saturday when they take on the Army Black Knights.
OHIO UNIVERSITY: The Bobcats stayed perfect as Beau Blankenship ran for 168 yards and two touchdowns
to help Ohio pull away from the New Mexico State Aggies in the second half to convincing, 51-24, win in a
non-conference bout at Peden Stadium. The Bobcats had not reached the 50-point mark since 2008. Tyler
Tettleton completed 15-of-23 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the contest while Donte Foster was
the leading receiver with five receptions for 57 yards and a score. The Bobcats are now 2-0 for the fourth time
in the Frank Solich era. Senior kicker Matt Weller scored 11 points on the night to become the Bobcats' all-time
leading scorer with 308 career points, surpassing Kareem Wilson (1995-98). OU recorded six total sacks as a
team in the triumph. The Bobcats will try to remain perfect as they head to Huntington to battle Marshall, which
was formerly a MAC rival of Ohio.
TOLEDO: Matt Campbell picked up his first win as the full-time head coach of the program as the Rockets
outlasted Wyoming for a 34-31 victory at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie. Toledo compiled 504 yards of
total offense as junior QB Terrance Owens completed 25-of-41 attempts for 300 yards and four scores. Bernard
Reedy caught six passes for 111 yards and two scores and David Fluellen rushed for 109 yards on 22 carries for
Toledo as it recovered from its week one overtime loss to Arizona. The Rockets' defense was exceptional on
third downs, limiting the Cowboys to a 3-of-12 conversion rate. Dan Molls registered 13 stops and now leads
the team with 22 tackles after two games. Jermaine Robinson recorded his second interception of the season.
Campbell will be looking for his first MAC and home win as Toledo's head coach on Saturday when the
Rockets welcome Bowling Green for the first game at the Glass Bowl of the season.
WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos blew the game open in the second quarter and cruised to a 52-21 victory
over Eastern Illinois in their home opener to improve to 1-1 overall. Paul Hazel and Deauntay Legreir each
recorded two sacks each to anchor WMU's defense, while quarterback Alex Carder guided the offense by
completing 29-of-40 passes for 364 yards and five touchdowns. Freshman wideout Jaime Wilson had a breakout
performance with 154 receiving yards and two TDs on 11 catches. Tight end Blake Hammond was also highly
productive with 94 yards and two scores on six catches. WMU compiled 239 rushing yards as four different
backs saw considerable action. Lewis Toler showed he is capable of game-breaking plays defensively by
recording two interceptions. Redshirt freshman kicker Andrew Haldeman booted his first collegiate field goal in
the third quarter. Coach Bill Cubit and his squad will seek their first win over an FBS opponent of the season
when they take on the Golden Gophers in Minnesota on Sept. 15.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/sns-tsn-afn-mac-release-20120910,0,6404155.story
NIU's Ward Honored by MAC
DEKALB (WREX) Northern Illinois junior Jimmie Ward (Mobile, Ala./Davidson HS) has been named the Mid-American
Conference West Division Player of the Week after leading a stellar Huskie defensive effort Saturday in NIU ‘s
35-7 win over UT Martin at Huskie Stadium.
Ward made a team-leading 10 tackles, five solo, from his safety position and broke up two passes. In the fourth
quarter, he hauled in the first NIU interception of the season, which he returned 18 yards to the UTM 20-yard
line. On the season, Ward leads the Huskies in tackles with 22 and has broken up four passes.
Northern Illinois allowed just one touchdown as UT Martin went one-of-three in the red zone Saturday. The
Skyhawks were held to 63 rushing yards on 33 carries for an average of 1.9 yards per carry and the Huskies
forced three turnovers.
Ward, a second team All-MAC choice a year ago, picks up his third career MAC West Player of the Week
honor. As a freshman in 2010, he was twice named the MAC West Specialist of the Week after blocking punts
versus Minnesota (Sept. 25) and Buffalo (Oct. 16).
A Northern Illinois player has won the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honor in three consecutive
weeks, dating back to the final regular season game of 2011. Huskie senior defensive end Sean Progar earned
the award for that performance versus Eastern Michigan and for his play in the 2012 season opener against Iowa
at Soldier Field.
NIU (1-1) travels to West Point, N.Y. to take on Army (0-1) Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT). The game will be
televised on the CBS Sports Network. The Huskies return home on Sept. 22 to take on Kansas. Kickoff for that
game is at 2:30 p.m. (CT) at Huskie Stadium.
http://www.wrex.com/story/19506737/nius-ward-honored-by-mac
NIU football notebook: Doeren explains scheduling ideology
Author: STEVE NITZ – [email protected]
Date: September 11, 2012
Publication: Daily Chronicle,
The (DeKalb, IL)
This year it’s Army.
Next season Northern Illinois goes on the road against Idaho with the Vandals making coming to
DeKalb in 2014.
In 2015, Wyoming visits Huskie Stadium and NIU makes a trip to Laramie in 2016.
When it comes to NIU’s nonconference schedule, Huskies head coach Dave Doeren and NIU
athletic director have the philosophy of playing two teams from BCS conferences, one Football
Championship Subdivision team and a mid-major school, such...
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&p_field_label-0=title&p_text_label0=NIU%20football%20notebook:%20Doeren%20explains%20scheduling%20ideology&s_dispstring=headline(
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erpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no
The Courier-News
Elgin Sports Hall of Fame announces class of 2012
Larkin High School graduate Ryan Sienko (left) is one of five Elgin Sports Hall of Fame inductees for 2012. |
File ~ Sun-Times Media
Athletes from five different sports comprise the 2012 Elgin Sports Hall of Fame induction class.
Beth Fitchie graduated from Larkin in 1999 after competing in varsity gymnastics for four years where she was
a part of 17 schools records. Fitchie was all-conference three times and qualified for state competition all four
years. She was named Female Athlete of the Year at Larkin in 1999.
Paul Hudgens, a 1955 graduate of Elgin, was the playmaking guard and co-captain of the 1955 Elgin Maroons
team that finished second in the state tournament, compiling a 26-4 record. During his senior year, Paul led the
team in assists, averaged 11.3 points per game, and set the record of 33 points in a game for a guard (since
broken). Hudgens played three years at Beloit College where he served as captain his senior year.
James Kossakowski, a three-sport varsity athlete and 1988 Larkin graduate, will be inducted as a wrestler. He
compiled 91 wins in four years with a second- and sixth-place finish at state.
He was named Larkin High Male Athlete of the Year for 1987-1988. Kossakowski attended Northern Illinois
University, where he was a four-year letter winner in wrestling. He qualified for the Olympic trials in RomanGreco style wrestling in 1992.
Ryan Sienko, a 1993 Larkin graduate, was a member of four consecutive conference championships for the
Royals baseball program.
http://couriernews.suntimes.com/sports/15087118-419/elgin-sports-hall-of-fame-announces-2012-class.html
Discipline key vs. Army
DeKALB – Northern Illinois’ theme of the week heading into Saturday’s game at Army is discipline. Huskies
football coach Dave Doeren said it’s a word players will see around the Yordon Center all week.
Going up against the Black Knights’ triple option, defensive players have to show discipline when watching out
for the fullback dive, quarterback keeper or option pitch. There’s also the rare chance Black...
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Cheating Probe Hits Harvard's Sports Teams
Harvard University has been abuzz since the Ivy League university announced recently that it's investigating
whether 125 students cheated on an undergraduate take-home final exam last spring—an alleged scandal that
Harvard said would be the biggest of its kind.
Now, there are reports that the inquiry is jolting Harvard's basketball team, which in March reached the NCAA
tournament for the first time since 1946.
Harvard Crimson forward Kyle Casey during a game in March.
Harvard senior and basketball team co-captain Kyle Casey, a 6-foot-7-inch forward and the Crimson's leading
scorer last season, is set to withdraw from school and miss the upcoming season after being probed in the
scandal, Sports Illustrated reported Tuesday.
Harvard basketball coach Tommy Amaker didn't return a phone call requesting comment, and Casey couldn't be
reached Tuesday. Kurt Svoboda, Harvard's assistant director of athletics, declined to comment, citing privacy
laws governing student academic records.
The university announced on Aug. 30 that the Harvard College Administrative Board is delving into whether
some 125 students in a "Government 1310: Introduction to Congress" class inappropriately collaborated or
copied classmates' responses on a take-home exam turned in last spring. The allegations emerged after the
teacher noticed strangely similar answers on multiple exams.
Harvard is giving students under investigation a chance to respond. Possible punishment includes being forced
to withdraw for a year if found guilty of cheating.
By withdrawing from school, Casey retains the possibility of returning to play basketball at Harvard in 2013-14
once his case is resolved, SI.com said.
The publication said another co-captain, Brandyn Curry, is also involved in the scandal, but hasn't decided on
whether to withdraw. Curry could not be reached for comment.
The Harvard Crimson newspaper reported that Harvard's football team is also grappling with the possibility that
it will be down players because of the cheating probe. The team kicks off its season Saturday against the
University of San Diego.
Tim Murphy, Harvard's football coach, declined to say whether the scandal has ensnared any of his players. But
he said "to the best of my knowledge, all 24 of our projected starters coming out of spring football are in good
academic standing, healthy, and ready to play versus San Diego."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444017504577645921288174402.html?mod=ITP_personaljou
rnal_4
MAC REPORT
A Peek at the Week - Week No. 3
By EVAN MEYER
This week in the Mid-American Conference, Bowling Green and Toledo renew their I-75 rivalry at the Glass
Bowl. The Ohio Bobcats look to go 3-0 on the season as they travel to Marshall to face an old rival. Of the
seven road games this week, four will come against Big Ten Conference opposition while Akron,
Massachusetts, and Eastern Michigan look for their first win of 2012.
Last week, Ohio showed no letdown after its big win at Penn State as the Bobcats routed New Mexico State at
home. Miami, Toledo, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois bounced back from tough losses with victories.
There was some heartbreak, as well, as Akron lost in overtime, while UMass is finding out playing in the
Football Bowl Subdivision is quite a challenge.
Here is an individual look at the thirteen MAC teams as we begin week three.
EASTERN DIVISION
AKRON (0-2): The Zips came oh so close to picking up that first road win since 2008 last Saturday down in
South Florida. Florida International’s Golden Panthers, however, kicked a field goal at the end of regulation to
tie the game and then added a three-pointer in overtime for a 41-38 win. QB Dalton Williams tied a school
record with five touchdown passes, along with 324 yards through the air, He was named MAC East Offensive
Player of the Week. WR Marquelo Suel had seven receptions for 99 yards and a score while RB Jawon
Chisholm had two scores on an evening that saw UA gain 411 total yards offensively. The Zips return to
InfoCision Stadium this Saturday to face the Morgan State Bears (FCS-MEAC), who are 1-1 and gave Buffalo
all sorts of fits last Saturday before losing
BOWLING GREEN (1-1): The Falcons rebounded after their opening week loss at Florida, defeating the
Idaho Vandals (WAC) in the home opener at Perry Stadium. Bowling Green posted 14 third quarter points to
break open a 7-6 game in favor of the home team at halftime. QB Matt Schilz completed 24-of-35 passes for
283 yards and a touchdown with WR Shaun Joplin catching eleven for 117 yards. LB Chris Jones had five
tackles, including 1.5 sacks and was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week. BGSU makes the short
trek north on I-75 this Saturday to renew its rivalry with the Toledo Rockets. Last year in BG, The Falcons
dropped a 28-21 decision. UT is 1-1 after losing the opener in overtime at Arizona but winning last week at
Wyoming.
BUFFALO (1-1): The Bulls’ offense broke out at UB Stadium for the first time this season and UB survived a
shootout with the Morgan State Bears, winning 56-34. RB Branden Oliver backed up his 100-yard rushing
game in the loss at Georgia with 238 yards on the ground and two touchdowns as he leads the MAC in rushing
with 349 yards. QB Alex Zordich completed 16-of-21 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns. WR Alex
Neutz had eight receptions for 154 yards on an afternoon when UB amassed 571 total offensive yards. The
Bulls have this Saturday off before opening MAC play on Wednesday night September 19 against Kent State in
Amherst before a national television audience.
KENT STATE (1-1): The Golden Flashes had reality smack them in the face last Saturday as they faced an
avalanche of points in the second half at Kentucky (a 47-17 loss). QB Spencer Keith passed for 227 yards while
RB Dri Archer opening the scoring with a 47-yard touchdown run. Teammate RB Trayion Durham had 82
yards with a score. WR Josh Boyle registered six receptions for 64 yards. KSU is 1-1 as they take this Saturday
off before heading into MAC play on Wednesday September 19, making the trip to Buffalo to face the Bulls
before a national television audience
MASSACHUSETTS (0-2): The Minutemen played their first home game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro last
Saturday, but the result was the same as the Big Ten’s Indiana Hoosiers built a 35-6 halftime lead and never
looked back, dropping UMass’ record to 0-2 with a 45-6 rout. QB Mike Wegrzyn completed 18-of-26 passes
for 151 yards and a touchdown and also ran 16 yards for the Minutemen’s first FBS touchdown UMass heads to
Michigan Stadium this Saturday to face the Wolverines, who are 1-1 after losing to Alabama in their opener and
rebounding with a victory at home against Air Force. The two teams met in 2010 at ‘The Big House’ and the U
of M had a struggle before winning 42-37.
MIAMI (1-1): The RedHawks licked their wounds from their opening week loss at Ohio State and came back
in their home opener at Yager Stadium to defeat the Southern Illinois Salukis (FCS-Missouri Valley), 30-14.
QB Zac Dysert completed 28-of-36 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown. The score was caught by WR Andy
Cruse, who had 12 receptions on the day for 60 yards, He leads the MAC in total receptions with 20. WR Nick
Harwell was held to just three catches on the day for 21 yards LB Pat Hinkel had two interceptions returning
one for a touchdown. MU makes the long trek to Boise, Idaho this Saturday to face the Broncos (Mountain
West). BSU had last Saturday off after opening its season with a 17-13 loss at Michigan State on August 31.
OHIO (1-1): The Bobcats showed no emotional let down after their big win at Penn State as they returned to
Athens to open their 2012 home schedule with a 51-24 rout of the New Mexico State Aggies (WAC) before
25,893 fans at Peden Stadium. Ohio had 584 yards of total offense, led by QB Tyler Tettleton who completed
15-of-23 passes for 257 yards and two touchdown. He also had a rushing score in the contest. RB Beau
Blankenship had 168 yards on the ground and two scores PK Matt Weller was named MAC East Special Teams
Player of the week and with his 15 points against NMSU, he became the all-time leading scorer in school
history. With their 2-0 start, the ‘Cats gained votes in this weeks Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.
They travel to Huntington, W Va. Saturday to face an old rival, the Marshall Thundering Herd. MU is 1-1 after
losing its opener at West Virginia. The Herd defeated Western Carolina last week at home. Last year Ohio
routed the Herd 44-7, However in 2010, the last time these two met at Edwards Stadium, it resulted in a 24-23
Marshall victory.
WESTERN DIVISION
BALL STATE (1-1, 1-0 MAC): The Cardinals traveled to ‘Death Valley’ last Saturday and gave a good
account of themselves against the Clemson Tigers even though they fell to the nationally-ranked ACC team, 5227. Clemson scored 32 of those points in the third quarter. QB Keith Wenning completed just 16-of-29 passes
for 128 yards and RB Jahwon Edwards was held to just 54 yards rushing. P Scott Kovanda leads the MAC,
averaging 47.5 yards per punt. BSU stays on the road this week, heading into Bloomington to face the 2-0
Indiana Hoosiers, who have beaten Indiana State and Massachusettts. Their meeting last year was in
Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Cards came out with a victory
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (1-1): The Chippewas had the Big Ten and nationally -ranked Michigan State
Spartans at Kelly Shorts Stadium and a record crowd of 35,127 saw the Green and White dominated the Chips
in every facet of the game in a 41-7 rout. RB Zurlon Tipton rushed for 62 yards on 11 carries. QB Ryan
Radcliffe completed just 17-of-38 passes for 173 yards with WR Cody Wilson collecting six of those passes for
84 yards. CMU has the week off before returning to action on September 22 at Iowa the first of three road
games.
EASTERN MICHIGAN (0-2, 0-1 MAC): The Eagles saw their record drop to 0-2 last Saturday after losing to
the FCS nationally ranked Illinois State Redbirds, 31-14, at Rynearson Stadium. QB Alex Gillett was again the
EMU offense as he completed 11-of-25 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, He added 49 rushing yards and a
score as the Eagles had 248 yards of total offense. EMU travels to West Lafayette this Saturday to face the
Purdue, The Boilermakers are 1-1 with a win at home over Eastern Kentucky before falling last Saturday at
Notre Dame
NORTHERN ILLINOIS (1-1): The Huskies rebounded from their heartbreaking loss to Iowa in Chicago,
returning to DeKalb and extended their winning streak at Huskie field to nine games as they defeated the
Skyhawks of Tennessee-Martin (FCS-Ohio Valley), 35-7. QB Jordan Lynch, after a shaky game against the
Hawkeyes, came back and was strong. He completed 19-of-25 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown as nine
difference receivers caught at least one pass. RB Leyton Settle rushed for 106 yards. Defensively LB Jimme
Ward had ten tackles in the contest (five solo) and was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week. NIU
travels to West Point, N. Y. this Saturday to face the Black Knights of Army who are 0-1 after losing their
opener last Saturday at San Diego State. NIU won last year’s meeting at home, 49-26.
TOLEDO (1-1): For the second consecutive week, the Rockets headed out into western time zones. However,
they came back last Saturday from Laramie, Wyoming with a 34-31 win over the Wyoming Cowboys
(Mountain West). QB Terrance Owens passed for 300 yards (completing 25-of-41 through the air) and four
touchdowns and was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week as UT had 504 total yards offensively.
Supporting Owens was RB David Fluellen who rushed for 109 yards. The Rockets open MAC play this
Saturday as they renew their I-75 rivalry with the Bowling Green Falcons, who are also at 1-1 after losing their
season opener at Florida before winning last week at home against Idaho. Last year in Perry Stadium, the
Rockets came away with a 28-21 victory.
WESTERN MICHIGAN (1-1): The Broncos returned home to Waldo Stadium after their season opening loss at
Illinois, Western Michigan totally routed the Panthers of Eastern Illinois (FCS-Missouri Valley), 52-21,
breaking the game open with a 28-point second quarter. QB Alex Carder completed 29-of-40 passes for 364
yards and five touchdown as the Broncos amassed 637 yards of total offense. WR Jamie Walker had 11 catches
on the afternoon for 153 yards and two scores. Ten different receivers had at least one reception. PK Andrew
Haldeman was named MAC West Special Teams player of the week, making seven PAT’s against EIU and
adding his first field goal as a collegian. WMU heads to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul this Saturday
to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers who are 2-0 after wins at Nevada-Las Vegas in overtime and over New
Hampshire.
There you have it…a sneak peek at the MAC week. Let the games begin
http://www.macreportonline.com/1/post/2012/09/a-peek-at-the-week-week-no-3.html
Gridiron: NIU defense tougher, better than it's been in years
DEKALB — Northern Illinois returned 10 starters on defense.
Sounds good.
Except there was no guarantee those returning starters would be good. They often weren’t last year. Twice, NIU
scored more than 40 points and still lost, part of a stretch when coach Dave Doeren said the Huskies missed 100
tackles in their first four games. And then it got worse, with the Huskies giving up 60 points at Toledo in a
game they somehow still won, 63-60.
But, in the end, the Huskies won their first Mid-American Conference title in 28 years with defense, allowing
an average of 17.3 points in their last three games. That includes a GoDaddy.com Bowl win and shutting out
Ohio in the second half to rally from 20 points down to win 23-20 in the MAC title game.
NIU has now bumped that to five good defensive games in a row with an even more impressive start to 2012.
The Huskies (1-1) held Big Ten power Iowa without a touchdown until the final three minutes and blitzed
Tennessee Martin 35-7 last week. NIU is showing signs of having its best defense in 20 years as it heads to
Army (0-1) on Saturday.
“I like where we are,” Doeren said. “Last year, I don’t think we could stop anybody early in the season.”
Army offers an unusual defensive test because the Cadets use a triple-option offense that led the nation in
rushing last year but has long been at or near the bottom in passing.
“It’s a grind when they’re cutting you and bear crawling your defensive line and it’s old school football every
single snap,” Doeren said. “There are dangerous blocks taking place. Guys have got to be really aggressive and
intelligent about how they play those blocks with their hands. There’s a lot of fundamental football that goes
into defending the triple option.”
And a lot of physical football. NIU likes that.
“We set the standard for ourselves playing tough against Iowa,” safety Dechane Durante said. “The second
game was the same. This year, we’re trying to take a physical outlook on everything.”
“Bringing physicality to the game on the defensive side of the ball is one of the most important things,”
linebacker Michael Santacaterina said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the game and it sets the standard for where
we want to be as a defense. We want to be as physical as possible for every game.”
DEKALB — Northern Illinois returned 10 starters on defense.
Sounds good.
Except there was no guarantee those returning starters would be good. They often weren’t last year. Twice, NIU
scored more than 40 points and still lost, part of a stretch when coach Dave Doeren said the Huskies missed 100
tackles in their first four games. And then it got worse, with the Huskies giving up 60 points at Toledo in a
game they somehow still won, 63-60.
But, in the end, the Huskies won their first Mid-American Conference title in 28 years with defense, allowing
an average of 17.3 points in their last three games. That includes a GoDaddy.com Bowl win and shutting out
Ohio in the second half to rally from 20 points down to win 23-20 in the MAC title game.
NIU has now bumped that to five good defensive games in a row with an even more impressive start to 2012.
The Huskies (1-1) held Big Ten power Iowa without a touchdown until the final three minutes and blitzed
Tennessee Martin 35-7 last week. NIU is showing signs of having its best defense in 20 years as it heads to
Army (0-1) on Saturday.
“I like where we are,” Doeren said. “Last year, I don’t think we could stop anybody early in the season.”
Army offers an unusual defensive test because the Cadets use a triple-option offense that led the nation in
rushing last year but has long been at or near the bottom in passing.
“It’s a grind when they’re cutting you and bear crawling your defensive line and it’s old school football every
single snap,” Doeren said. “There are dangerous blocks taking place. Guys have got to be really aggressive and
intelligent about how they play those blocks with their hands. There’s a lot of fundamental football that goes
into defending the triple option.”
And a lot of physical football. NIU likes that.
“We set the standard for ourselves playing tough against Iowa,” safety Dechane Durante said. “The second
game was the same. This year, we’re trying to take a physical outlook on everything.”
“Bringing physicality to the game on the defensive side of the ball is one of the most important things,”
linebacker Michael Santacaterina said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the game and it sets the standard for where
we want to be as a defense. We want to be as physical as possible for every game.”
Defensive end Sean Progar was the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week in the opening game of the
season and safety Jimmy Ward got the honor last week with 10 tackles, two passes defensed and an
interception.
“Jimmy really likes being around the football,” Doeren said. “He wants to lead our team in tackles. A lot of
people say your safety shouldn’t do that, but Jimmy plays in our nickel spot a lot where he is playing linebacker
as well. A lot of his plays that he makes aren’t just from the safety position. He plays with a high motor and he
knows what he is doing. I hope he keeps doing it because it helps to have a ball hawk back there like that.
“He’s pretty special. He wants to be great.”
All the Huskie defenders do. They want to leave their mark in a conference long known for offense, not
defense.
“If we can keep bringing the physicality we’ve had the last couple of games, I think it will be a difference
maker in the MAC,” Santacaterina said.
“Last year, we had a couple of teams put up a lot of points on us,” Durante said. “This year, the first two games,
after playing this solid on defense, you want to come every game. You want to let them know having shootouts
isn’t the only option in the MAC. We have a lot of good quarterbacks, good receivers and a lot of weapons in
the MAC, but our defense wants to set the standard.”
http://www.rrstar.com/carousel/x887145634/Gridiron-NIU-defense-tougher-better-than-its-been-in-years
Three weeks into the college football season, a service academy finally will play a home game against a
Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. Here’s what Army fans need to know:
Who, where, when: Northern Illinois (1-1) at Army (0-1), Saturday, noon Eastern. Army fell 49-26 at NIU last
year.
TV: CBS Sports Network (Ben Holden and Randy Cross have the call).
Gambling is illegal in most states: Northern Illinois is a three-point favorite.
Headline only a Navy fan can appreciate: Courtesy of NIU Today.
At least he’s gone: Last year, NIU quarterback Chandler Harnish accounted for six of NIU’s seven touchdowns
— five TD passes, one 1-yard TD run. He’s now on the sidelines with the Indianapolis Colts after becoming
2012′s “Mr. Irrelevant” — the final player taken in the NFL draft. His NFL.com draft profile compares him to
Tim Tebow — a good threat for an opponent to be without. Replacing him under center will be junior Jordan
Lynch, who ran for three scores in NIU’s 35-7 destruction of Tennessee-Martin last weekend.
Will Steelman be back?: Yes, Army senior signal-caller Trent Steelman was on the field for Saturday’s loss at
San Diego State, but his play wasn’t what Army fans or coaches expected from a fourth-year starter — eight
pass attempts, three completions, two interceptions, plus three botched center-QB exchanges. Army head coach
Rich Ellerson had a simple explanation for Steelman’s struggles: He’s trying too hard. “When he tries to have
an out-of-body experience and do something heroic, it doesn’t work in his favor,” Ellerson said at his Tuesday
news conference. “Everything we do requires a real level of precision, and when somebody starts doing
something just a little bit different to try to make something happen, all of the sudden you see something like
what you saw on Saturday.”
About those snaps …: Army football guru Sal Interdonato blogged that sophomore Ryan Powis worked out
with the first team during Tuesday’s practice after missing Saturday’s opener with a hand injury, but Powis isn’t
listed on Army’s official depth chart.
Sharing the load: Part of Steelman’s progression from failed superhero to stellar option quarterback will
require his running backs to break through an NIU defense that allowed 63 rushing yards to Tennessee-Martin.
Junior Raymond Maples and sophomore Terry Baggett each had more than 100 yards on the ground against San
Diego State, but much of that yardage came with the Aztecs up big and willing to allow the Army ground game
to chew up clock. A big, early, breakout day for either Army rusher could set the offensive tone at Michie
Stadium.
http://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2012/09/14/week-3-football-preview-northern-illinois-at-army/
Chicago Teachers Strike Carries Risks For Young
Athletes, Threatens College Scholarships
CHICAGO — Deandre Welch understands how a teachers strike might cause him to miss a few high school
football practices and even a scheduled game. But the senior wide receiver certainly didn't think the walkout
would threaten his plans to pay for college.
"Football is basically my way to get into college," Welch said. "I'm applying to schools, and some are asking
for film of my senior games. If the strike continues, I won't be able to send in that film."
The strike in the nation's third-largest school district could have unintended consequences for Chicago students
whose college dreams are tied to their actions on the playing field.
As a captain of the team at Foreman High School on the city's West Side, Johnny Daniels didn't wait for a strike
resolution to get back on the field. He knew his teammates needed to practice.
So he called them. Or he tweeted. He sent text messages and left Facebook posts. He did whatever he could to
get athletes to come out for unofficial practices, which have been going on daily, without any coaches, since the
strike began.
"We always have to be ready," said Daniels, a senior who's ranked as a top player in his division. "We practice
the same as if the coaches were here. A lot of these kids look up to me. I still want to be there for them."
Daniels said the strike, which has so far canceled nearly a week of classes for more than 350,000 students, has
frustrated high hopes for the season.
"It's delaying our opportunities," he said.
For now, the strike means canceled practices and games for the 11,000 students enrolled in fall varsity sports,
which also include golf, soccer, softball and volleyball.
But the effects will widen if classes don't resume soon, said officials with Chicago Public Schools. Late last
month, the district requested a waiver from the Illinois High School Association to allow sports activity despite
a possible strike. The waiver was denied on Monday, the first day of the strike.
The association reiterated a longstanding rule that schools cannot participate in sports during a teachers strike.
Executive Director Marty Hickman said the bylaw has been in place for years during strikes in other districts.
"It's really that simple, to be honest with you," he said. "This is fairly well-known around our state. Sometimes
people who are on strike for the first time are surprised."
Welch, a senior from Westinghouse College Prep on the city's West Side, said he was excited about the strike
until it canceled his team's game on Saturday.
"I thought it might be a nice break from school," he said. "One or two days, fine. But three or four days? A
week? It's too much. Forget the strike, let's go back to school."
In a letter to Hickman, Chicago schools Chief of Staff Robert Boik said the strike could force game forfeits that
may jeopardize playoff and championship opportunities and even the academic success of students whose
college education may depend on athletic scholarships.
In their world, sports are part of a bigger plan for improving their lives and livelihood.
"It's the way I'm going to help my family in the future," Daniels said. "Football is a part of my life. I really can't
live without it."
A prolonged strike could have the greatest impact on football. High schools are required to play nine games to
be considered for state playoffs. District officials said there are plans to make up missed games, but that gets
more complicated by IHSA rules that specify the number of practices before games resume.
The longer the strike drags on, the longer the hold on resumed play.
"I'm trying to take football as far as I can take it," said Antonio Posey, a junior playing for Foreman. "I really
want my shine to be now, and for it to follow me through senior year. This strike is messing up a lot that I had
planned for the season."
Though the IHSA denied the school district's request for a waiver, there is a rule that would allow the Chicago
school board to approve sports practices with credentialed staff. But that might be difficult, since 90 percent of
coaches are union members.
Hickman isn't surprised to hear that some students are running their own practices.
"They've been working hard for months to get ready for the contests. They don't want to let that go," he said.
"It's one of the difficult parts for kids to accept when it comes down to a strike. They have no control of this
situation."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/teachers-strike-carriesr_0_n_1882897.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College
Local University News
Enrollment drops at NIU
By NICOLE WESKERNA
DeKALB – Northern Illinois University’s total enrollment this fall is down about 1,120 students from a year
ago, but university officials say they are encouraged by a large freshman class and high-quality incoming
students.
Enrollment on Friday – the 10th day of classes – totaled 21,869 students, compared with 22,990 in fall 2011,
which represents a 4.9 percent decrease.
President John Peters said Wednesday that the figures weren’t that surprising, and that a few key factors caused
the decline. One of those factors was last year’s large number of graduates. Of the 5,700 degrees awarded last
year, Peters said about 4,000 of them were bachelor’s degrees that were given mainly to students from a large
2008 freshman class.
Following the large 2008 class of incoming freshmen were several smaller freshman classes, and partly for that
reason, Peters said a drop in enrollment was expected this year.
But this year’s freshman class grew by 74 students compared with last year’s freshman class.
Another reason for the decline was a 10 percent drop in transfer student admissions. This year, NIU recruited
1,913 transfer students, compared with the 2,134 transfer students who attended in fall 2011.
“It gives us cause for concern,” Peters said. “I’m pleased about the freshman enrollment, but not pleased about
the transfer enrollment. This in no way causes me great concern. … We have a goal that we set in Vision 2020
that’s ambitious. That’s a long way off.”
The Vision 2020 initiative launched in 2010 aims to make the school the premier student-centered public
research university in the Midwest. It also aims for a total enrollment of 30,000 students, more than doubling
the number of incoming freshmen in the top 10 percent of their class by that year and providing more meritbased scholarships.
Kelly Wesener-Michael, acting vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, said she was not
only pleased with this year’s freshman enrollment, but also with the quality of the class in terms of average
grade-point average and class rank.
The University Honors Program captured 226 new freshman this year – the largest incoming class since 1987.
Additionally, the number of NIU freshmen who ranked in the top 10 percent of their class rose from 8.9 percent
last year to 11 percent this year.
NIU freshmen who graduated in the top 25 percent of their high-school class also grew from 29.4 percent to
32.7 percent. The mean GPA of the incoming freshman class also increased compared to last year’s class, going
from a mean 3.06 GPA to a mean 3.11 GPA.
“Certainly we always strive to make sure we retain them,” Wesener-Michael said.
Peters said NIU has a good product to sell with a great faculty, improved campus, new residence hall and many
opportunities for engaged learning. Wesener-Michael said NIU also has a lot of programs in place to help with
retention rates, such as tutoring and making sure they’re engaged with the university.
“We have to keep more of the students that are here,” he said. “… There’s still much to be done, but I’m really
happy about the quality [of students]. I like our students an awful lot and I like our plans. I knew this wasn’t
going to be easy, but I’m really optimistic about it.”
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2012/09/12/enrollment-drops-at-niu/a7lz20q/?page=2
NIU: Enrollment down, freshman class grows
DEKALB — Northern Illinois University says fall enrollment is down by almost 5 percent but its incoming
freshman class is larger than last year’s.
The university said Wednesday that overall enrollment is down 4.9 percent to 21,869 students. New freshman
enrollment is up 2.9 percent to 2,664.
Northern Illinois President John Peters says the decline in overall enrollment follows several years of smaller
incoming classes. Peters said that trend may hold overall enrollment down for the short term even as freshman
enrollment increases.
The biggest freshman enrollment growth is in NIU’s engineering, education and business schools.
Several other public universities in the state have announced enrollment declines this fall. The University of
Illinois said Wednesday that its freshman enrollment is off slightly but overall enrollment hit a record of just
42,800
http://www.pantagraph.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/niu-enrollment-down-freshman-classgrows/article_6230cdbe-fd3c-11e1-84d5-0019bb2963f4.html
STLtoday.com
NIU: ENROLLMENT DOWN, FRESHMAN CLASS
GROWS
Northern Illinois University says fall enrollment is down by almost 5 percent but its incoming freshman class is
larger than last year's.
The university said Wednesday that overall enrollment is down 4.9 percent to 21,869 students. New freshman
enrollment is up 2.9 percent to 2,664.
Northern Illinois President John Peters says the decline in overall enrollment follows several years of smaller
incoming classes. Peters said that trend may hold overall enrollment down for the short term even as freshman
enrollment increases.
The biggest freshman enrollment growth is in NIU's engineering, education and business schools.
Several other public universities in the state have announced enrollment declines this fall. The University of
Illinois said Wednesday that its freshman enrollment is off slightly but overall enrollment hit a record of just
42,800
http://www.stltoday.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/niu-enrollment-down-freshman-classgrows/article_89860a56-b8f6-5ab3-b589-d46dbf85bb4c.html
Girl Scouts and NIU team up to offer engineering workshops
By Samantha Jeffreys
Girls with an interest in engineering will get a chance to explore the field with workshops thanks to Girl Scouts
of Northern Illinois and the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology at Northern Illinois
University.
The two organizations will offer 12 Saturday engineering workshops and summer camp for all girls in sixth to
eighth grades. The workshops will have girls working in small groups with female NIU faculty, engineering
undergraduates, and high school mentors. During the sessions girls can explore projects like building simple
electrical circuits, bridge building, chemical engineering, and lean simulation.
To apply, girls need to fill out a form and submit a copy of their last quarter's report card with a sealed letter of
recommendation from a science, math, or technology teacher. To receive a form, visit
www.girlscoutsni.org/stem.html. Applications have to be received by September 24 and NIU will inform
accepted applicants during the week of October 15.
The program will cost $150 for each registered Girl Scout or $162 for non-registered girls. The non-registered
fee includes the $12 GSUSA registration fee. The fees include all workshops, summer camp, and optional bus
transportation from an undetermined location to the NIU Naperville Campus. More information can be found at
www.girlscoutsni.org.
http://www.wrex.com/story/19524240/girl-scouts-and-niu-team-up-to-offer-engineering-workshops
DeKalb council looks to define Greek housing
By DAVID THOMAS
DeKALB – The DeKalb City Council is considering whether to require all existing Greek housing to install fire
sprinklers by Jan. 1, 2019.
But first, they’ll have to define “Greek housing.”
The definition of Greek housing under state law that underpins the ordinance leaves itself open to interpretation,
said City Attorney Dean Frieders.
The Greek Housing Fire Safety Act defines it as “a structure that provides housing for members of a social
fraternity or sorority ... at a public or private institution of higher education.”
The definition is vague to the point where a single unit in an apartment complex housing a fraternity or sorority
member could be defined as Greek housing, and thus might require fire sprinklers to be installed.
“If you put letters on the outside of your house, is that Greek housing?” Fire Chief Eric Hicks said. “That’s what
the council needs to decide.”
Northern Illinois University has 44 Greek organizations, with 28 of them occupying some kind of house or
apartment building. Six of these houses already have fire sprinkler systems; a seventh house has a partial
system.
Only the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has more Greek organizations and Greek houses than
NIU. All 63 houses have had sprinklers since at least 2009.
The other public universities that DeKalb looked at – Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University,
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and Western Illinois University – are moving at different rates to
require sprinkler systems.
Fire sprinklers also were installed at the 29 Greek housing structures at Northwestern University. But
Northwestern is a private university, and as a result, it falls under the code requirements of the city of Evanston.
As of 2009, all Greek houses at NU had to have fire sprinklers installed.
NIU is unique in that there are a number of fraternities and sororities that have been moving into apartment
complexes, with each member signing individual leases as opposed to one master lease governing all of them.
At the City Council meeting Monday, city staff asked for direction from the council on the issue. Frieders said
the council needs to decide this issue, as trying to enforce the law as it is written would be incredibly difficult.
“It is setting us up for conflicts with property owners,” Frieders said.
Mayor Kris Povlsen said in an interview that he thinks only houses that are owned and/or managed by Greek
organizations should be considered Greek housing. He added that he does not consider apartment complexes
being rented out by Greeks as being Greek housing.
One potential hurdle might be the cost of installing the sprinkler system. While it would cost nothing for the
city, property owners might have to pay $1.50 to $2 per square foot for a sprinkler system. But the water system
at a particular house might not be enough, and installing a new one could be another $10,000 to $20,000.
Hicks said the Public Works Department is examining the water service at each of the rooming houses NIU
Greeks occupy in order to determine if they would need another system.
First Ward Alderman David Jacobson expressed concern at the meeting that installing sprinkler systems at some
of these houses could cost between $85,000 and $100,000. Hicks said adding a sprinkler system at $2.50 a
square foot in a 8,000 square-foot house would only be $20,000.
“We are very cognizant of the cost of this,” Hicks said. “But we also have to look at what is safe for our
students and residents.”
Fourth Ward Alderman Brendon Gallagher suggested having a subsidy for property owners to help pay for the
sprinkler system. Povlsen said he was also concerned by the costs, but he added that he would not vote against
the ordinance simply because of that.
The City Council is scheduled to discuss the issue at their Monday meeting
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2012/09/10/dekalb-council-looks-to-define-greek-housing/akdbv6l/?page=2
Enrollment down at most public Ill. universities
By DAVID MERCER - The Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN – Enrollment is down this fall at most of Illinois' public universities, and administrators and
experts say the sluggish economy, rising tuition and dwindling financial aid are likely to blame.
At least eight of Illinois' 12 public universities saw their enrollments drop this fall, while just two – one of them
the University of Illinois flagship campus – have reported increases. Northeastern Illinois University won't have
fall figures until later this month, while Chicago State University didn't provide figures.
The sharpest drops were at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston – 6.8 percent – and at Southern Illinois'
campus in Carbondale and Northern Illinois, both off by almost 5 percent.
Even after EIU trustees agreed to the school's smallest tuition increase in 11 years for this fall's incoming class,
tuition still rose by 3.7 percent to $8,370 a year, which doesn't include housing or living expenses. And the
available state aid fell by 4 percent as lawmakers looked for ways to ease a multibillion-dollar government
budget deficit.
"The costs are up and aid is down and family income is languishing," Blair Lord, Eastern's provost and vice
president for academic affairs, said. "Getting to college is getting to be a challenge for students."
A few schools noted increases in the sizes of their freshmen classes, a positive sign but not one they're ready to
point to as evidence that the economy or road to college are getting smoother.
Northern Illinois' freshman class grew 2.9 percent to 2,664, but that number could fall by next year through
attrition, NIU spokesman Paul Palian said. The school saw a traditional source of student growth – transfers –
drop for reasons that are not yet clear, he said.
Enrollment also fell at Western Illinois, Illinois State University and the University of Illinois campuses in
Chicago and Springfield, although the Chicago drop was less than a tenth of a percent.
Southern Illinois-Edwardsville saw a decrease in students for the first time in eight years.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was joined by Governor's State University in seeing an
enrollment increase. Enrollment at Governor's State rose 2 percent.
Illinois public universities have on average the fifth-highest tuition rates in the country, just under $12,000 a
year, according to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Only New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont and
New Hampshire – No. 1 at $13,507 – are higher.
Illinois tuitions have increased almost 10 percent over the past decade, compared to about 6 percent for the
country as a whole, the commission's John Samuels said.
While Illinois once supplied abundant financial aid, he said its financial crisis has led lawmakers to cut money
for the Monetary Award Program – the state's primary financial aid instrument – from about $387 million to
$371 million this year.
That means the program has enough money to cover about half of what the 140,000 students in the program are
eligible for. About 100,000 students have been turned away for lack of money each of the past three years.
"If you go back 10 years ago for the MAP program, we were able to provide 100 percent of those eligible 100
percent of the awards they were eligible for," Samuels said.
Many schools have tried to close that gap, either through efforts to increase tuition as little as possible or by
adding their own money, when they can, to the pool.
The University of Illinois, for instance, started a fundraising drive last year to raise an extra $100 million for
scholarships by 2014 through private donations. And the university system has more money to offer than the
other public universities in the state.
"We're fortunate that we have a large pool, and we certainly are aware that affordability is a factor," said Stacey
Kostell, the assistant provost for enrollment management at the Urbana-Champaign campus. "We did add more
money to need-based financial aid."
The campus has its largest-ever enrollment this fall, at 42,883. Freshmen enrollment, however, is down 4
percent to about 6,900 students.
Governor's State added to its enrollment by looking on community college campuses. The school has only
upper-level students, and found that many community colleges don't have large staffs dedicated to helping
students move beyond two-year schools, said Rhonda Brown, assistant vice president of marketing
communications.
So now, Governor's State offers that kind of counseling.
"We have a very specific, targeted program for students who are navigating that community college
environment," Brown said.
http://www.nwherald.com/2012/09/14/enrollment-down-at-most-public-ill-universities/ajf7y8g/?page=3
Majority of Morris High graduates go to college,
stay there
Between 2004 and 2011, two-thirds started college within year of graduation
On average, 66 percent of Morris Community High School District 101 students who graduated from 2004 to
2011 went to college right after high school.
In recent years, it has been a little higher than 66 percent, said Superintendent Dr. Pat Halloran at Monday's
regular board meeting.
At the meeting, he shared with the board statistics from the National Student Clearinghouse, which looks at how
students are doing after high school.
Of those same years, an average 68 percent enrolled in college within the first year out of high school. In the
first two years, an average of 73 percent went to college. In 2008, the average was 78 percent.
Halloran was very pleased to share the average percent of students from 2004-2011 who went back to college
their second year was 87 percent. For private institutions, it is in the 90s that students return, he added.
About 38 percent, on average, complete school with a degree within six years.
Halloran also shared the top schools Morris students have gone to. The top five have been Joliet Junior College,
the University of Illinois, Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University and Northern Illinois University.
"There has been an influx of out of state (universities) as well," said Halloran.
From 2004 to 2011, Morris has had 19 students go to the University of Iowa, seven to Purdue University in
Indiana, and five to Arizona State University.
In other news, Halloran shared in his district report the school's ACT results.
The class of 2012's composite score is 21.4, slightly lower than the previous year's 21.9, but still higher than the
national average of 21.1 and the state's composite of 20.9. The national average includes states that only test
their college-bound students and states that test all their juniors.
Illinois is one of nine states that requires students in their junior year to take the ACT as a way to measure
students’ college readiness. It tests more than 90 percent of students. For the class of 2012, 94.4 percent of
students were tested.
Of the nine states requiring testing, Illinois has the highest composite. The ACT results also include the scores
of students who retook the ACTs.
After an executive session the board approved several personnel items. A 2.5 percent raise for Halloran was
approved unanimously by the board for Fiscal Year 2013.
The resignation of the principal’s secretary, Chris Thetard, was accepted. Thetard has served the district for
more than 16 years. Because of this, the board also approved the transfer of part-time district office secretary
Corri Trotter to the main office as principal’s secretary.
In addition, the board approved seeking part-time custodial housekeepers for $10 an hour.
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/2012/09/13/majority-of-morris-high-graduates-go-to-college-staythere/aookaiz/?page=2
National University News/News
Pertaining to Education
Education Week
Districts Require E-Courses for Graduation
Schools seek to prepare students for e-courses in college and online training in jobs
By Michelle R. Davis
This school year, incoming freshmen in the Kenosha Unified School District have another requirement to fulfill
as they look ahead to graduation: online learning.
"We had very little resistance to it," said Daniel M. Tenuta, the assistant superintendent for secondary schools
for the 23,000-student Wisconsin district. "I think people realize that almost every single college student will
take an online course. It makes sense to get kids up to speed."
While some states, such as Alabama, Florida, Idaho, and Michigan, have laws requiring that students take at
least one online course before graduation, Kenosha is one of a small number of districts adopting the mandate
on their own, without state pressure.
"It's a slowly building trend," said Butch Gemin, a senior consultant with the Durango, Colo.-based Evergreen
Education Group, a consulting company that tracks virtual education trends. In some parts of the country, states
have indicated they may move to encourage or require online learning sometime in the future, but "the districts
are running ahead," Mr. Gemin said.
Officials in districts that have independently adopted such a requirement say their aim is to prepare students for
higher education and the workplace by introducing online learning in a supportive, less high-stakes
environment. A 2011 study from the Newburyport, Mass.-based Sloan Consortium, which works to integrate
online education into higher education, found that 6.1 million college students took an online class in fall 2010,
a 10 percent increase over the previous year.
Other school districts are banking on saving money through online learning, Mr. Gemin said.
In addition, as more districts establish their own virtual schools and online offerings, they must make sure they
have a steady flow of customers. The 2011 "Keeping Pace With K-12 Online Learning" report from the
International Association for K-12 Online Learning, or INACOL, found that single-district online programs
were the fastest-growing model for online learning.
District online learning requirements "may be a creative way of increasing demand and even legitimizing a
district's decision to create their own program," said Matthew Wicks, the chief operating officer for the Vienna,
Va.-based INACOL.
In Kenosha, for instance, the district plans to identify courses that qualify under the new requirement through
the district-created virtual charter school. The district will also identify face-to-face courses with a significant
online component that could qualify as well.
College, Career Readiness
Elizabeth Loftis, 16, said she was nervous the first time she took an online class through her 10,500-student
Putnam County, Tenn. district. But the personal-finance course was a graduation requirement and it was only
offered online.
Distance Education
SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics
At first, she didn't know how to access what she needed in the virtual course, but with support from an in-school
computer-lab facilitator, along with an online instructor, Ms. Loftis quickly mastered the system and found she
excelled at online learning.
She eventually used the district's other online courses to skip a grade; she'll be a senior this school year and will
take six credit hours online at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.
"I probably wouldn't have done the classes at Tech if I hadn't taken online classes in high school," she said. "In
college, they're not going to give you an extra day to do something or be as understanding if you have computer
problems."
Putnam County's decision to turn a Tennessee graduation requirement that students take a personal-finance
course into an online requirement was a deliberate one, said district Director Jerry S. Boyd, the system's schools
chief. The district began buying online courses in 2008 and is now developing its own courses, too.
At first, the district faced challenges, such as providing enough computer-lab space and Internet connections.
Once those problems were solved, Mr. Boyd said, district officials felt it was important to require all students,
starting with the 2013 graduating class, to take an online course.
"It's a good gateway to online learning," he said. "All of our students are going to need that opportunity once
they leave high school and go on to college or into the business world."
Mr. Boyd said he's hoping to introduce such an experience at an even earlier level, with a six- to nine-week
mandatory online course about the use of technology for middle school students.
Creating Mobile Options
In the 105,000-student Memphis city school system in Tennessee, officials were also concerned about making
sure every student had the access needed when the district decided two years ago to require students to take an
online course before graduation.
The district got creative, said Cleon L. Franklin, the director of instructional technology. It provided computerlab time before and after school and coordinated with community organizations, such as libraries, to make sure
students could use computers there.
Even so, Mr. Franklin said, "we're in an urban environment, and not everyone has a computer with a high-speed
connection."
School officials noted, however, that nearly every parent had a cellphone with a data plan. So this school year,
the district added Blackboard mobile, a platform from Washington-based educational technology company
Blackboard Inc. that allows students to access online courses through mobile phones.
Shonda M. Keys, an online teacher for the Memphis district who currently is instructing seniors in language
arts, said students are intimidated at first by online learning and don't always realize there's a live teacher on the
other side. High school virtual learning is a way to allow students to experience online courses in a way that's
not so high-stakes, she pointed out.
"The first day you open your inbox, you'll have 150 assignments and only three are done right," she said. "But
the kids are not afraid to ask for help, and this gets them more comfortable."
The 8,300-student Marietta, Ga., city schools, a charter school district, had similar motivations for adopting an
online learning requirement this year, despite the fact that there was no mandate from the state to do so.
The district had already pushed the boundaries in use of technology: students were permitted to bring their own
digital devices to school, officials had upgraded wireless access in school buildings, and the district was already
using online courses to help struggling students catch up and graduate on time.
While the district did have to add computer labs and facilitators to provide support, Superintendent Emily
Lembeck believes the move could ultimately cut costs.
"It has the potential to help us be really conservative with our funds and possibly save funds in the future," she
said.
Right now, the Marietta district will require only that students take an online health course as a graduation
requirement, but it will start adding additional online courses for students to take electives and regular courses.
Students could enroll in multiple online classes at a time, giving them the option of graduating earlier, which
could also help the district save money.
Ms. Lembeck said the approach is something other districts should consider. "Any system can do this if they
plan and have the ability to provide the resources," she said.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/08/29/02elrequirement.h32.html?tkn=PXSFZ3p1pkytI6%2BVUpeSKeReedAujztv0GAh&cmp=clpedweek&intc=EW-EL0812-EWH
Live Professors are Great, but the Colleges
Need
Regarding Adam Falk's "In Defense of the Living, Breathing Professor" (op-ed, Aug. 29): In a perfect world, it
would be grand if all postsecondary students could have access to institutions with the resources of Williams
College and could afford its reported $43,190 annual undergraduate tuition and academic fees, not counting
room and board.
Here in Florida we have a postsecondary enrollment of more than one million students. How many seats, how
many buildings and how many faculty members can the state (either by itself or in tandem with private
institutions, both not-for-profit and for-profit) afford to meet the ideals suggested by Dr. Falk? Online
instruction and other forms of mass-distributed instruction are one (and only one) means of addressing these
real-world challenges.
Face-to-face student-faculty interaction in small classrooms located on well-manicured campuses with a view of
the nearby quad may be desirable, but as a physicist and by extension someone who must surely embrace
empiricism, I would ask Dr. Falk if he can reference any long-term and large-scale study that suggests a
statistically significant difference in measured student-learning outcomes between well-designed online
instruction and equally well-designed face-to-face instruction. I have used online media to teach postsecondary
students since 1988.
Thomas W. MacFarland, Ed.D.
Boca Raton, Fla.
Mr. Falk correctly describes the value of personal professor-student contact. Anyone who experienced higher
education will support his personalization conclusion and name at least one professor who had an immense
influence on his or her life.
Yet Mr. Falk doesn't capture the larger issue of "learning productivity" in American universities. Universities
need a sea change in productivity. Learning productivity can be achieved by increasing the faculty's
opportunities to teach by sustaining student and faculty interactions outside the classroom using mobile
technology, by metric-based faculty evaluations and by using modern management methods.
Donald Miklas
Marlboro, N.J.
My youngest son is a senior at a large U.S. university where he majors in physics and engineering and the
attendant complex math. My son's answer to the question, "how can we improve the quality of student
performance?" was to just teach him the courses in his major—not make him repeat his high-school curriculum.
Access to professors has been easy. Trying to learn in-depth physics and engineering is considerably more
difficult when valuable study and research time is diluted by required courses in language (Spanish), English
composition and philosophy. There is considerably more material to master in science than when I was in
undergraduate or graduate school, and time on campus shouldn't be diluted by extraneous disciplines however
well-intentioned.
John Stewart, M.D.
Lakeway, Texas
Dr. Falk states that human interaction between student and professor can't be replaced by any "magical
application of technology." Of course it can. The amount of personal academic contact is not the point. What
really matters is developing the ability "to write effectively, argue persuasively, solve problems creatively,
adapt and learn independently."
So brick-and-mortar colleges that merely transmit information do not serve the fundamental purpose of
education any more than online courses. But what if a student were guided by a Web-based mentor to build a
portfolio including blogs, essays, opinions, analyses and so forth? Would not such productive output better
represent a student's potential for success in the real world?
How many employers would rather look at such a portfolio than school transcripts of job applicants?
Technology may have enough magic after all to crowd source "a critical tool through which we engage the
higher faculties of the mind."
Jonathan Fox M.D., M.B.A.
Northfield, N.J.
Mr. Falk equates the importance of educating elementary-school teachers and bankers. While both professions
are worthwhile, he neglects to mention that college presidents are the worst offenders in pandering to the net
worth of donors. College presidents are reduced to mendicant friars in their begging for alms, perceived
necessary for their schools' excellence.
Andrew Carnegie, when told that the love of money was the root of all evil, is said to have replied that money
was also the root of all colleges and churches.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444914904577621773532840202.html?KEYWORDS=hig
her+education
America Now Has a ‘College Economy,’ Needs
to Focus on Higher Education
Building a strong middle class and rejuvenating the economy begins with increasing the number of Americans
with some form of higher education, experts on a Lumina Foundation panel in Charlotte this week agreed.
The panel, called “The College Advantage” and attended by a handful of delegates to the Democratic National
Convention, focused on Lumina’s goal of increasing the number of degree-holding Americans to 60 percent by
2025. President Obama’s administration has set a similar goal, but with hopes of reaching it by 2020.
Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, said
reaching such a goal would have significant economic impacts for the country. His estimates indicate that such
an accomplishment could increase annual GDP by as much as $500 billion.
But panelists were quick to note that increasing degrees is a result of an evolved economy.
“The economy we knew before the recession is not coming back,” Carnevale said, noting that a high school
degree was, relatively recently, enough for many Americans to have access to the middle class. “In the extent
that we keep looking for those jobs, we’re looking in the rear view mirror.”
Today, more jobs are requiring some form of degree or other credential beyond a high school diploma. While a
majority of the middle class in the 1980s had only completed college, today that figure is around 40 percent.
Therefore, “higher education means everything,” when working toward economic recovery, said Charlie Helms,
former chancellor of North Carolina Central University. Helms also stressed, during a discussion about rising
and burdensome loan debt, that higher education can be a smart investment for many.
“I reject the notion that loans are all bad,” he said. “Some are really good … when you invest in yourself and
have a high return.”
Fellow panelist Aaron Smith, the executive director of Young Invincibles, said information is key to dealing
with the more than $1 trillion in student loan debt. That includes ensuring Americans know about income-based
repayment and loan forgiveness.
Mick Fleming, president of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, said intentional communication
between the business and higher education worlds can help Americans know what is—and what isn’t—a smart
investment.
“The business community has to be the demanding customer but should also give clarity on what they want
[students to learn],” he said.
Lumina Foundation President Jamie Merisotis said they’re engaging with people at the political conventions
this year to advance the discussion.
“We need to use the energy at these conventions to help build awareness about the goal and that the president
will need to deal with higher education,” Merisotis said. “It’s an American agenda and it’s an agenda that needs
to be fulfilled by the president, the Congress, and the other leaders of our country.”
http://campusprogress.org/articles/america_now_has_a_college_economy_needs_to_focus_on_higher_ed
ucation2/
Step Forward For New Higher Education Model
Education innovator Sebastian Thrun: Colorado State will offer credits for his online class.
An intriguing story in The New York Times today underlines the way free “massive open online courses,”
known as MOOCs, are beginning to change the model of higher education in the U.S. Yesterday Colorado State
University’s Global Campus, an online university aimed at working adults, announced that it would give three
transfer credits to students who complete Introduction to Computer Science: Building a Search Engine, a free
course offered by Udacity, the online education startup founded by Sebastian Thrun, the German-born Google
vice president and part-time computer science professor at Stanford. (My colleague George Anders wrote a
fascinating cover story on Thrun back in June).
The computer science introduction course teaches basic skills by having students build a Google-like search
engine, using the programming language Python. It is taught by an engaging professor, David Evans, who is on
leave from the University of Virginia. Thrun, a lively presence, also makes appearances in the online course.
Some 94,000 students around the world took the course last year and 98,000 signed up for the second class,
which started in April.
The big question about MOOCs is whether the free courses will someday replace costly college degrees. Now
that Colorado State is going to offer credit for those who complete a MOOC course, the question has the
glimmering of an answer: It’s looking more possible. Colorado State is the first U.S. institution to offer credit
for a Udacity MOOC, though several universities in Germany and Austria have already done so. An earlier
Times story noted that the University of Washington is planning to offer credit for courses from another MOOC
provider, Coursera, though students will likely have to pay a fee, and do extra work with a University of
Washington instructor.
Colorado State’s Global Campus, which opened in 2008, offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees to working
adults. It operates independently of the school’s other two campuses.
The tide seems to be starting to turn for MOOCs. In another announcement yesterday, edX, a collaboration
between Harvard and M.I.T. that offers MOOCs, said that students would be able to take final exams at Pearson
VUE’s international testing centers. “This will take online learning to the next level,” edX president Anant
Agarwal told the Times. One of the issues with MOOCs is cheating, and a proctored exam administered by an
established company like Pearson is a way to verify that students are staying honest.
At this point, EdX and other MOOC providers hand out certificates of mastery to those who finish courses. But
that is a far cry from a college degree, especially from an employer’s point of view. If students can get college
credit for completing MOOCs, that changes the equation dramatically and poses new cost competition to forprofit online schools.
I wrote earlier that I find it tough to imagine that MOOCs will replace the experience of attending a four-year
college, where young people live and learn together in a collaborative environment, and establish lasting bonds
that can bolster their careers in the years after graduation. There is also the personal branding that happens when
a young person attends a school with a strong reputation and alumni network.
But as my colleague George Anders pointed out in comments on my story, the traditional long-lecture college
course format is beginning to collapse. As George writes, “Students’ attention spans keep shrinking. The arrival
of smartphones and tablets in the lecture hall creates an environment of ‘continuous partial attention,’ in which
students are texting, Facebooking, doing Google searches on lecture terms that intrigue them — and devoting
maybe 30% of their attention to whatever words are coming out of the prof’s mouth.” As George points out,
MOOCs can move at a fast pace and offer a multi-media experience with lots of quizzes.
Online schools like Colorado State’s Global Campus and the burgeoning for-profit education sector, led by
University of Phoenix, are already changing the way college students learn. But if high-quality free courses
suddenly become available across the board, that changes the business model for the for-profit sector and makes
schools that accept MOOC credits more affordable.
I am old-fashioned enough to think that value remains in face-to-face interactions between students. I don’t see
how online instruction can replace the camaraderie and meaning that comes from learning in a classroom and
living on a campus together with peers and professors. But the price of doing that for four years is approaching
a forbidding $250,000. At the same time, for-profit schools that largely offer online courses are growing and
making loads of money. Given all that, I think that the step Colorado State took with Udacity yesterday is a
victory for U.S. students and families. Expect more such steps in the near future.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/09/07/step-forward-for-new-higher-education-model/
Higher-Education Group Raises Doubts About the Viability of 3Year Degrees
By Alina Mogilyanskaya
Three-year undergraduate degree programs should not be among top-tier policy considerations in states' highereducation reform efforts, argues a policy brief released today by the American Association of State Colleges
and Universities.
The report, "The Three-Year Bachelor's Degree: Reform Measure or Red Herring?," suggests that shortened
degree programs, while carrying potential benefits for both students and institutions, to date have neither
attracted sufficient student participation nor proved to be compatible with many students' needs.
According to Daniel J. Hurley and Thomas L. Harnisch, authors of the brief and the association's director and
assistant director of state relations and policy analysis, respectively, as few as 2 percent of undergraduates
complete their degrees in three years or less, whether with or without the three-year program format.
"That demand is just not there," said Mr. Hurley. A few institutions "have put forth three-year degrees," he said,
"but the participation and ultimately graduation from those degrees has been very minimal."
Three-year degrees are among the possible solutions that state policy makers and higher-education officials
have considered in recent years as they have come under growing pressure to increase educational attainment,
campus productivity, and college access and affordability. The idea has been embraced in some state
legislatures and on some campuses, leading to a number of new three-year degree initiatives, laws, and
programs nationwide.
While three-year degrees offer potentially significant benefits for students, such as lower tuition costs and an
accelerated path toward the work force or graduate school, the programs also tend to attract and serve a very
specific kind of student, the authors argue.
"When you look at the demographic that aligns with the three-year degree, it's not going to do anything in
moving the dial on boosting educational attainment rates," Mr. Hurley said. "It's primarily Caucasian, fiscally
and academically well prepared to enter and succeed in college for 36 months straight. And that's not the
demographic that is the future of this country, primarily."
Older adults and lower-income, immigrant, and minority students make up the populations that most need to
benefit from educational-attainment interventions, the authors write, but such students face significant
challenges to success in three-year programs. Those challenges may include work, family, and financial
obligations, as well as college-preparedness issues. For other students, not being able to meet the demands of an
intensive three-year academic schedule, a decision to switch majors, or the desire to take their time may make a
three-year program ill suited.
"There's just so many barriers that students have to get through in order to finish in three years," Mr. Harnisch
said. "So for a large share of the student population, it's unrealistic."
The authors see three-year degree programs as potentially useful for institutions, as a recruitment tool or to
expand the options given to students. But they raise doubts about whether such programs will increase campus
productivity, especially in the short term. Without high student demand for three-year programs, the costs
associated with reorganizing campus operations and establishing new courses and advising services to
accommodate such programs may outweigh the benefits.
The authors also express the need to realize higher degree-completion rates within the four-year model. With
only 38 percent of first-time, full-time students finishing their undergraduate degree in four years, according to
Department of Education data, "we need to focus on where the greatest positive outcomes can be made," Mr.
Hurley said, "and it should be focusing on the four-, five-, six-year graduation rates, let alone the three-year."
http://chronicle.com/article/Higher-Education-Group-Raises/134288/
Degrees of Debt
At a protest last year at New York University, students called attention to their mounting debt by wearing Tshirts with the amount they owed scribbled across the front — $90,000, $75,000, $20,000.
On the sidelines was a business consultant for the debt collection industry with a different take.
“I couldn’t believe the accumulated wealth they represent — for our industry,” the consultant, Jerry Ashton,
wrote in a column for a trade publication, InsideARM.com. “It was lip-smacking.”
Though Mr. Ashton says his column was meant to be ironic, it nonetheless highlighted undeniable truths: many
borrowers are struggling to pay off their student loans, and the debt collection industry is cashing in.
As the number of people taking out government-backed student loans has exploded, so has the number who
have fallen at least 12 months behind in making payments — about 5.9 million people nationwide, up about a
third in the last five years.
In all, nearly one in every six borrowers with a loan balance is in default. The amount of defaulted loans — $76
billion — is greater than the yearly tuition bill for all students at public two- and four-year colleges and
universities, according to a survey of state education officials.
In an attempt to recover money on the defaulted loans, the Education Department paid more than $1.4 billion
last fiscal year to collection agencies and other groups to hunt down defaulters.
Hiding from the government is not easy.
“I keep changing my phone number,” said Amanda Cordeiro, 29, from Clermont, Fla., who dropped out of
college in 2010 and has fielded as many as seven calls a day from debt collectors trying to recover her $55,000
in overdue loans. “In a year, this is probably my fourth phone number.”
Unlike private lenders, the federal government has extraordinary tools for collection that it has extended to the
collection firms. Ms. Cordeiro has already had two tax refunds seized, and other debtors have had their
paychecks or Social Security payments garnisheed. Over all, the government recoups about 80 cents for every
dollar that goes into default — an astounding rate, considering most lenders are lucky to recover 20 cents on the
dollar on defaulted credit cards.
While the recovery rate is impressive, critics say it has left the government with little incentive to try to prevent
defaults in the first place.
Though there are programs in place to help struggling borrowers, the companies hired to administer federal
student loans are not paid enough for lengthy conversations to walk borrowers through the payment options,
critics say. One consequence is that a government program called income-based repayment has fallen short of
expectations. Under the program, borrowers pay 15 percent of their discretionary income for up to 25 years,
after which the rest of their loan is forgiven. But participation has lagged because borrowers are either not
aware of the program or are turned off by its complexity.
“If people were well informed, how many defaults could be averted?” asked Paul C. Combe, president of
American Student Assistance, a loan guarantee agency based in Boston. “We are hurting people here.”
For borrowers, the decision to default can be disastrous, ruining their credit and increasing the amount they
owe, with penalties up to 25 percent of the balance.
Ms. Cordeiro, a single mother, dropped out of Everest College, a profit-making school, 16 credits shy of a
bachelor’s degree. She said she could not get any more loans to finish. “I get these letters about defaulting, and I
get them and throw them in the bin,” she said.
Jake Brock, who graduated in 2008 from Keuka College, a private liberal arts school in upstate New York,
defaulted in May on a federally guaranteed loan of $8,000. With penalties and accumulated interest, the loan
balance is now $13,000, he said. “I just fell behind and couldn’t dig myself out,” said Mr. Brock, who is 29 and
owes a total of $100,000 in student loans.
There is no statute of limitations on collecting federally guaranteed student loans, unlike credit cards and
mortgages, and Congress has made it difficult for borrowers to wipe out the debt through bankruptcy. Only a
small fraction of defaulters even tries.
“You are going to pay it, or you are going to die with it,” said John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education
at SmartCredit.com, a credit monitoring service.
The New Oil Well?
Business is booming at ConServe, a debt collection agency in suburban Rochester. The company recently
expanded into a neighboring building. The payroll of 420 is expected to double in three years.
“There is great opportunity,” said Mark E. Davitt, the company’s president and founder.
Where some debt collection firms have made their fortunes collecting on delinquent credit cards or hospital
bills, ConServe is thriving because of overdue student loans, a large majority of its business.
With an outstanding balance of more than $1 trillion, student loans have become a silver lining for the debt
collection industry at a time when its once-thriving business of credit card collection has diminished and the
unemployment rate has made collection a challenge. To recoup unpaid loans, the federal government, private
lenders and others have turned to collection agencies like ConServe.
Mark Russell, a mergers and acquisition specialist, writing in the same trade publication as Mr. Ashton, the
consultant at the N.Y.U. protest, suggested student loans might be a “new oil well” for the accounts receivable
management industry, or ARM, as the industry is known.
“While the Department of Education debt collection contract has been one of the most highly sought-after
contracts within the ARM industry for years, I believe it is now THE most sought-after contract within this
industry, centered within the most sought-after market — student loans,” Mr. Russell wrote last October.
Multimedia
Graphic
Bad Student Debt Stubbornly High as Collection Efforts Surge
In 2010, Congress revamped the student loan program so that federal loans were made directly by the
government. Before that, most loans were made by private lenders and guaranteed by the government through
so-called guarantee agencies.
Of the $1.4 billion paid out last year by the federal government to collect on defaulted student loans, about $355
million went to 23 private debt collectors. The remaining $1.06 billion was paid to the guarantee agencies to
collect on defaulted loans made under the old loan system. That job is often outsourced to private collectors as
well.
The average default amount was $17,005 in the 2011 fiscal year. Borrowers who attended profit-making
colleges — about 11 percent of all students — account for nearly half of defaults, while dropouts were four
times as likely as graduates to default. A loan is declared in default by the Department of Education when it is
delinquent for 360 days.
Borrowers are most often declared in default when they cannot be found. That is when the collection agencies
take over. While some in the industry, like Mr. Ashton, worry about public revolt over aggressive collection
tactics, there is no holding back at this point.
At ConServe, in a room of cubicles with college pennants lining the walls, collectors comb through databases
and public records hunting for contact information for borrowers. If ConServe reaches a borrower who refuses
to cooperate, the company considers garnisheeing wages or withholding a government check, which requires
approval from the Department of Education.
Dwight Vigna, director of the department’s default division, says the government does not give up easily. If a
vendor like ConServe has not found a borrower in six months, the department turns the case over to another
collection agency.
In fiscal 2011, the department wrote off less than 1 percent of its loan balance, for such things as death or
disability of a borrower.
“We never throw anything away,” Mr. Vigna said.
Lying in Wait
Arthur Chaskin, a disabled carpenter, can attest to the government’s long memory.
Since he left college in the late 1970s, Mr. Chaskin has largely ignored his student loans — until June, when a
federal judge ordered him to turn over $8,200.
Mr. Chaskin had borrowed $3,500 in federally guaranteed student loans to attend Northwestern Michigan
College, a community college. He did not graduate. The federal government sued him in 1997, but over the next
15 years he made only five payments.
Last January, a lawyer in Michigan working on contract for the government was alerted to a credit check for
Mr. Chaskin. The lawyer filed a garnishment order and discovered a brokerage account with nearly $20,000 that
Mr. Chaskin said he had opened with disability checks.
By the time the government caught up with him, Mr. Chaskin owed more than $19,000 in accumulated interest
and penalties, but the judge reduced the amount to $8,200 after Mr. Chaskin pleaded for a break.
“If you wait long enough, you catch people when their guard’s down,” said the lawyer, Charles J. Holzman,
who was rewarded with more than 25 percent of Mr. Chaskin’s payment.
Government officials estimate they will collect 76 to 82 cents on every dollar of loans made in fiscal 2013 that
end up in default. That does not include collection costs that are billed to the borrowers and paid to the
collection agencies.
While the government’s estimates take into account the uncertainty of collecting money over long periods,
some critics say they don’t go far enough.
A 2007 academic study, for instance, estimated that the recovery rate was closer to 50 cents on the dollar
“The reporting standards that the government imposes on themselves are far weaker than what they require of
private institutions,” said Deborah J. Lucas, a finance professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and an author of the study.
Over all, collections on federally backed student loans were $12 billion in the last fiscal year, 18 percent higher
than the previous year. Of that, $1.65 billion came from seizures of government checks like tax returns and
$1.01 billion was collected by garnisheeing borrowers’ wages. More than $8 billion of defaulted loans,
however, were consolidated or rehabilitated.
Some borrowers say they do not see a path out of default, because they are sick, unemployed or facing so much
debt they cannot imagine any way to pay it off. Some have defaulted on private student loans, too.
Patrick Writer of Redding, Calif., received a certificate in computer programming in 2008 from Shasta College,
a community college. But he graduated in the midst of the financial crisis and has not been able to find a job as
a programmer. He defaulted on $12,000 in federally backed loans in 2009.
“If you can’t make your utilities and your rent, your student loan payments are almost goofy, inconsequential,”
said Mr. Writer, who is 57.
But Mr. Writer said he had come to realize what it meant to have a student loan that was guaranteed by the
federal government. “It’s the closest thing to debtor prison that there is on this earth,” he said.
A Bias Toward Default
Jill Shockley, 36, of Rockford, Ill., owes more than $50,000 in federally guaranteed and private student loans,
some of which are in default. A nursing school dropout, she said her loan servicer, Sallie Mae, asked her to
come up with $600 a month to keep three of her federal loans from going into default. But she said she did not
have enough money.
“I barely clear $30,000 a year,” she said. “I have rent, a car payment, insurance. They say maybe I should
borrow from relatives.”
On paper, there are few good reasons struggling borrowers should go into default, or stay there, since there are
many programs to help them keep up with payments. In addition to income-based repayment, there is
forbearance for temporary financial woes and different types of deferment for issues like unemployment,
military service and economic hardship. But the challenge of creating the right incentives — and getting
collectors and debtors to embrace them — has bedeviled Congress and the Department of Education.
Critics say the result has often been contradictory incentives that provide little help to struggling borrowers. For
instance, loan servicers are paid $2.11 a month for each borrower in good standing, but only 50 cents a month
for borrowers who are seriously delinquent, too little to devote much time to them.
Guarantee agencies are paid a default aversion fee, equal to 1 percent of the loan balance, if they prevent a
borrower from going into default. But the same agencies get paid much higher fees for collecting or
rehabilitating a defaulted loan.
And debt collectors are rewarded primarily for collecting as much as possible, not for making sure a borrower
can afford the payments, critics say.
Introduced in 2009, income-based repayment was supposed to help change that by allowing borrowers with
high levels of debt but modest incomes to make relatively small payments over a long term. But many
borrowers were never told about the income-based option, and many others have been frustrated by the onerous
requirements. So far, 1.6 million borrowers have applied for income-based repayment; 920,000 are active
participants and another 412,000 applications are pending.
In a June memo, President Obama wrote that “too few borrowers are aware of the options available to them to
help manage their student loan debt.”
Education officials say there are changes in the works that could help struggling borrowers and perhaps reduce
the default rate, which they attribute to the sluggish economy and dismal results among profit-making colleges.
Under proposed regulations, debt collectors would be required to offer borrowers an affordable payment plan.
And, the department vows to do a better job of publicizing income-based repayment, including telling
borrowers about the plan before they leave college.
In addition, borrowers will be able to apply for income-based repayment online rather than going through their
loan servicer. Monthly payments will be reduced to 10 percent of discretionary income, down from 15 percent.
But efforts to change the incentive structure for guarantee agencies have stalled. And the Obama
administration’s efforts to impose new regulations on profit-making colleges were initially watered down and
then significantly weakened by a federal court judge.
“We’re trying to balance two priorities, working with students who have fallen on hard times while trying to be
good stewards of the taxpayers’ dollar,” said Justin Hamilton, a Department of Education spokesman. “We’re
always going to be in a process of continuous improvement.”
Lindsay Franke, of Naugatuck, Conn., is among the borrowers taking advantage of income-based repayment.
While her monthly payment is now lower, Ms. Franke, who is 28 and has a master’s degree in business
administration from Albertus Magnus College, said the program had not changed a crushing reality: she still
owes too much money and makes too little to pay it off. A marketing coordinator for a law firm, she filed for
bankruptcy last year because she could not afford her mortgage, car payment and student loans. She lost the
house, but still owes $115,000 in student loans, both private and federal. Under income-based repayment, she
pays $325 a month on her federal loans; she also pays $250 a month on her private loans.
“I will never have my head above water,” Ms. Franke said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/business/once-a-student-now-dogged-by-collectionagencies.html?pagewanted=4&_r=3
How Not to Blow It With Financial Aid
Common mistakes parents and students make when
seeking help with college costs
By RACHEL LOUISE ENSI GN
What do last year's bonus, your kids' straight As and the money grandma socked away for their education have
in common?
They can all hurt your chances of landing financial aid.
After handing out lots of free money to families at the height of the recession, colleges are tightening their
criteria for aid. They're looking much more closely at the financials parents lay on the table—and it's all too
easy to make a misstep that costs your family thousands of dollars a year in assistance. More than ever, you
need to know what colleges want to see and how to make yourself look as deserving as possible.
Live Chat Recap
Rachel Louise Ensign and finaid.org's Mark Kantrowitz answered reader questions on Sept. 10. Replay the event.
It takes a lot of work to cover all the bases of financial aid. But putting in the effort can save you a heap of
money up front—and keep your child from becoming yet another heavily indebted college graduate.
Here's a look at the some of the biggest mistakes families make in the aid process, and the best ways to steer
clear of them.
Earning too much at the wrong time.
Many parents wait until late junior year or early senior year to start thinking seriously about college. But by
then, you may have blown your best chance to position yourself for the most aid.
Why? Your "base income year" is already well under way.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which determines your eligibility for federal help and aid from
many schools, is based on your family's tax return for the year before the child enrolls in college. In other
words, if your child plans to start college in fall 2013, schools will look at your return for 2012—the base
income year.
Many people don't realize this, and don't take any steps to adjust their income, the biggest factor in determining
aid. Experts urge families to get an early start and keep their earnings as low as possible during that year.
For instance, take any big windfalls, such as capital gains or the sale of a property, before the Jan. 1 when your
child is a high-school junior, says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of financial-aid website finaid.org. If you own a
business, you may want to defer compensation or take a lower annual salary.
"Every $10,000 reduction in income is going to improve your aid eligibility by [about] $3,000" if you have one
child in college, says Mr. Kantrowitz. In other words, if you're the sole breadwinner with one kid in college and
cut your pay to $100,000 from $150,000, your child will be eligible for about $15,000 more aid annually. (This
is a simplified rule of thumb that doesn't apply in all cases, he says.)
Still, you don't want to overdo it. The Internal Revenue Service may come after you for not paying yourself a
fair wage, and "the colleges don't like it when someone is rich but appears poor," says Mr. Kantrowitz. They
may pull back on their institutional aid if they decide your family doesn't actually need the help.
About 250 mostly private colleges also ask parents to fill out a supplemental form called the CSS/Financial Aid
PROFILE for awarding institutional funds.
Letting the wrong family members hold college money.
Not all family members' assets are considered equal by colleges in the standard federal aid formula.
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For one thing, a child's income and assets count heavily against their potential aid. Every dollar a child has in
assets—that includes bank accounts or trust funds—cuts their possible award by 20 cents. Every dollar a child
makes in income above $6,130 (the limit for 2013-14 aid) cuts their possible award by 50 cents.
Before the base income year starts, parents should transfer the child's assets—that includes any money in
checking and savings accounts—into a 529 plan, a tax-advantaged savings account for college, says Mr.
Kantrowitz.
Money held in a 529 belonging to a student or custodial parent reduces the student's eligibility for financial aid
only up to 5.64%—meaning an account with $10,000 could knock off a maximum of $564 in aid.
But families should be careful about letting relatives other than custodial parents—like grandparents, aunts and
uncles—set up 529s for kids. Every dollar a student gets from a 529 plan owned by other relatives is considered
income to the student and reduces potential financial aid by 50 cents if the student is above the income
threshold, says Mr. Kantrowitz. A $10,000 withdrawal would reduce aid eligibility by up to $5,000.
Making assumptions about what schools will offer.
When figuring out where your child will apply, don't just guess what schools might offer in aid. Colleges make
it easy to figure out how much they're likely to give, with net-price calculators on their websites.
You input financial data like your income, assets and family size, and the calculator spits out an estimate of
what you'll pay for tuition, fees and room and board, minus any estimated grants or scholarships. They
generally don't factor in things like loans or work study.
By using these calculators, some families will find that generous private colleges may cost them less than their
in-state public university, says Robert Weinerman, senior director of college finance at consulting firm College
Coach and a former financial-aid officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That's because the
Harvards and Yales of the world give many low-income students a nearly full ride, and many midtier schools
give desirable students a lot of money off the sticker price to get them to attend.
Still, there are a number of questions about the accuracy of these estimates; for one thing, some use two-yearold data to make their calculations. That's why it's crucial that your child applies to a "financial-aid safety
school," such as a state university, that you'll be able to afford with no aid at all, says Mr. Kantrowitz of
finaid.org.
Associated Press
A Duke freshman organized her things last month as she prepared to move into a residence hall on campus.
Thinking merit money is all about grades and SATs.
If you assume your child's good grades guarantee a merit scholarship at a safety school, you may be in for an
unpleasant surprise.
Colleges can figure out when top-flight students are using them as safety schools; these kids' grades and SAT
scores will be significantly better than those of the average student who enrolls. With less scholarship aid
available at most places, some midtier schools are less willing to offer high-performing students merit money if
they think it's unlikely they'll enroll, says Alex Bickford, senior manager of college finance at College Coach
and a former financial-aid officer at Southern New Hampshire University.
So, if students want the college to try to lure them with merit money, they should visit the campus and show a
genuine interest by contacting professors and alumni, he says.
Not applying for all the aid you're eligible for.
In the heat of the application process, some affluent families don't apply for aid because they assume they're not
eligible. Nearly 30% of high-income families didn't fill out the FAFSA last academic year, according to a recent
Sallie Mae survey.
That's usually a big mistake, says Mr. Bickford, since affluent families may qualify for at least some aid. The
typical family earning more than $100,000 received $5,451 in grants and scholarships last academic year, Sallie
Mae says. Not filling out the FAFSA can disqualify you from merit-based aid at some schools, says Mr.
Kantrowitz.
Upper-income families shouldn't count themselves out for outside scholarships either, says Mr. Kantrowitz.
Roughly the same percentage of students with family incomes over $100,000 or more received scholarships
from sources outside of the college as did students with family incomes under $50,000: about 10%, he says.
Figuring the "expected family contribution" is all you're paying.
When you actually get your child's acceptance letters in hand, there are plenty more pitfalls to watch out for,
such as missing the nuances of the financial-aid offers.
Most schools have their own format for these offers, but one constant is the expected family contribution—a
gauge of how much your family can expect to pay each year out of pocket. The catch, which often isn't
immediately obvious, is that the expected contribution often isn't all you're paying.
To fill any gap between the expected family contribution and the total cost of attendance, a college may offer
your family some "free money" in the form of grants and scholarships. But they may also expect you to take out
loans, and have your child contribute money from work-study and summer jobs to meet your need. They may
also leave some need unmet.
It's also important to bear this in mind when using net-price calculators on school websites. By law, the
calculators must show the net price of the school—what you'll pay after grants and scholarships—but some
calculators add another estimate that includes loans and makes it look like you'll pay less than you really will,
says Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access and Success, a nonprofit group that monitors
student debt.
Going for the loan with the lowest interest rate.
If you do plan to take out loans, be wary of ones from private lenders that boast good-looking interest rates.
For instance, Sallie Mae, the largest private student lender, is offering loans with a variable rate as low as 2.25%
and ones with a fixed rate as low as 5.75%. In comparison, new federally subsidized loans taken out by
undergraduates currently carry a fixed 3.4% rate, and federal parent Plus loans currently have a fixed 7.9% rate.
"Are these low rates appealing to parents? Absolutely," says Mr. Bickford, the former financial-aid officer. But
it's hardly ever a good idea to go with one of these private loans instead of a federal one, no matter the
difference in rates, he says.
With the variable-rate options, the rate may rise above the fixed federal rate in the years that you or your child
are paying it back. Private loans are also less flexible than federally backed ones if you're in a tough financial
situation later on.
Thinking an aid offer is set in stone.
In many cases, colleges will increase your aid package if you appeal it. But you'll have to know what
information to put forward to convince them.
If your family has financial constraints that don't show up on the FAFSA—the form doesn't ask about things
like high medical bills or support for a special-needs child—you should send financial documents that attest to
this. Send similar documents if you've had a big financial change since your base income year.
Colleges may also boost your aid package if you tactfully show them that directly competing colleges are
offering you a better aid package. At many schools, "they're figuring out the minimum amount of aid they need
to give you to get you to come," says Kalman A. Chany, a New York City-based consultant who helps families
maximize their financial-aid packages.
Send the aid office the award letters from the other colleges and reiterate your child's interest in their school.
Even at need-only institutions, you may land a better package, says Mr. Weinerman. "There's a lot of art in
need-based financial aid," he says.
Figuring aid will be about the same all four years.
Once your child's freshman aid package is set, remember that you'll have to go through the process again with a
new FAFSA each subsequent year, and that the results may well be different, even if your financial picture
doesn't change in your new base income year.
Many colleges these days practice "frontloading," where they offer students more money freshman year than in
later years to get them in the door. The typical student at a four-year public or private nonprofit college will get
around $1,400 less in grants and scholarships their sophomore year, according to an analysis of aid data done by
Mr. Kantrowitz.
If their financial situation stays the same, there's little families can do to prevent this drop-off in grant aid, says
Mr. Kantrowitz.
Still, a college's financial-aid office may be forthright about frontloading if you ask, he says. Once you know
you'll likely get less aid, you can start saving to cover the shortfall.
One more thing to bear in mind: Even if your child didn't receive any aid in the first year of college, keep
applying in subsequent years. If you have a change in your family situation—say, another child goes off to
college or your family income goes down—you could become eligible for aid.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444246904577572661270917258.html?mod=ITP_thejournalre
port_0
Cambridge Admissions Head Dr Geoff Parks
Warns Over Widening Access To Universities For
Poorer Students
The man responsible for admitting students to Cambridge has claimed allowing poorer students with lower
grades into the university would be a "cruel experiment" with the potential to "ruin lives."
Outgoing Cambridge admissions office head Dr Geoff Parks said allowing "social engineering" would harm
students as they would not not be able to keep up with their peers.
"Our bottom line would be that it actually would be a really, really cruel experiment to take a bunch of students
and hypothesise that they have what it takes to thrive at Cambridge and then see them fail because they don't,"
Parks told the Telegraph.
The elite Cambridge university: Its outgoing admissions tutor said it would be 'cruel' to take poorer
students with lower grades
"We have very high standards within the university and we do fail students in exams."
Parks said Cambridge, which was criticised after it was revealed 42% of its students were educated privately,
would not pander to "political imperative."
"None of us in good conscience want to be ruining people's lives on some gut feel or political imperative based
around getting votes or pandering to some particular bit of the populace."
Last week the government's new university access chief Les Ebdon said Oxford and Cambridge should broaden
their entry standards.
The Office for Fair Access chief told the Guardian: "If the top universities are to retain their positions, they
need to access the full range of our society. Otherwise, they are losing a major source of potential."
Universities minister David Willetts has also called for widened access, saying in a speech earlier this year
admission chiefs should look at "more than just A-level results, by looking at all the information that indicates
the potential of an individual to succeed."
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/10/universities-admissions-dr-geoff-parks-widen-access-poorerstudents_n_1869772.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College
The Minuses of Parental Plus Loans
For parents struggling to afford college, Plus loans may seem like an attractive option. But beware the risks and
look into the alternatives.
These federal loans let parents borrow as much money as they need to cover the full cost of school, minus any
financial aid the student receives. In one fell swoop, you solve your funding gap with a loan that's easy to get as
long as your credit is good.
Parents can deduct up to $2,500 of student-loan interest paid (this phases out for taxpayers with modified
adjusted gross income of more than $60,000, or $120,000 if married and filing jointly). They also may be able
to defer loan payments in the event of financial difficulty.
That all sounds great until you consider this: Plus loans come with a 7.9% interest rate. Even a 401(k) loan—
anathema to most financial planners—might be a better source to tap for college funds, says Christine Benz,
director of personal finance at investment researcher Morningstar Inc. MORN +0.23%
"It's hard to see the numbers adding up in favor of the parent Plus loan," she says. Ms. Benz favors the 401(k)
loan because the interest, which you pay to yourself, is lower—typically one or two percentage points above the
prime rate—but also because your investments "are going to be hard-pressed to outearn that 7.9% interest rate."
That said, 401(k) loans should be "way down in the queue" of possible college-payment sources, she says,
because they also come with big risks. For one, if you lose your job you'll have to pay back the 401(k) loan,
often within 60 days, or take a big tax hit. There is no deducting the interest paid, and you face double taxation
because you'll be repaying the loan with after-tax money and paying tax again when you withdraw the money in
retirement.
A better choice, experts say, is to let students maximize federal student loans. At a current fixed rate of 6.8%,
even unsubsidized student loans are cheaper than Plus loans, and parents can help children repay them once
they come due.
After that, a home equity line of credit may be a smart choice if you can get one. Interest rates for top-notch
borrowers are 4% or 5%, and borrowers can deduct interest paid on up to $100,000 of a home equity line.
"As borrowing options go, it's a great one if you have sufficient equity," says Greg McBride, senior financial
analyst at Bankrate.com. (A lender likely will require a minimum of 20% of home equity above any mortgage
debt.) The downsides? The interest rate is variable, and you're putting your home at risk if you can't repay the
loan.
Ms. Coombes is a writer in San Francisco. She can be reached at [email protected].
Corrections & Amplifications
Borrowers can deduct interest paid on up to $100,000 of a home equity line of credit. An earlier version of this
article incorrectly said borrowers could deduct up to $100,000 in interest payments.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444508504577593361562110028.html?mod=ITP_thejournalre
port_1
Beware College Students Carrying Credit Cards
Now here's a dangerous combination: College students who don't know much about personal finance and have a
credit card.
According to recently published research, the least knowledgeable students are about twice as likely as students
with midlevel knowledge to carry a maxed-out credit card. They also are more likely to take cash advances and
be delinquent in making credit-card payments—behaviors associated with long-term financial problems.
What's more, students with midlevel knowledge are more likely to engage in risky behavior—use up all of their
available credit, take cash advances and miss payments—than peers with the highest amount of knowledge, the
study found.
"What we are seeing across the board is generally better behavior associated with higher knowledge," says Cliff
Robb, a newly appointed associate professor of personal-financial planning at Kansas State University who
wrote the paper, which was published last year in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues.
Prof. Robb conducted the research while working at the University of Alabama, and his results are based on
responses from more than 1,300 graduate and undergraduate students there. To determine the financial savvy of
the respondents, students were asked introductory-level questions on topics such as costs associated with
making minimum credit-card payments. They also were asked whether they use credit cards in a way that might
result in late fees, higher borrowing costs and other negative outcomes.
Enlarge Image
Robert Neubecker
While the research showed a strong association between knowledge and behavior, it didn't prove that a lack of
knowledge causes credit-card misuse or vice versa, Prof. Robb says. What is clear, he says, is that when many
students arrive at college, they are "all of a sudden thrust into the position of having to manage student loans
and lifestyle expenditures," and they may be unprepared for it.
"You see healthy campus initiatives about eating right and alcohol abuse," Prof. Robb says. "We talk about
grade stress and social stress. But there's rarely a component of financial health and stress. What about the
financial stress students are facing right now? What about the stress of coming out of school with $60,000 in
debt?"
Many financial professionals say the best way to teach students about financial responsibility is to give them
hands-on experience before they head off to college.
"Young people who have been made responsible for some of their own expenses learn early about the value of
earning, as well as the decision to spend money," says Kevin Meehan, a certified financial planner in Itasca, Ill.
"Education helps, but more often it's experience in the marketplace or with families that will drive how
responsibly students use credit through their lifetimes."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304388004577531061776709008.html?mod=ITP_thejournalre
port_1
Colleges try new tactics in battle against binge
drinking
CHICAGO — Catherine Sedun remembers binge drinking among students when she attended college about a
decade ago. Despite an influx of programs to combat the problem in recent years, she says it remains a top
concern on many campuses.
“These students work so hard to get into these universities, and once they get here, a lot of them spiral out of
control with their freedom,” she said. “It’s time to party.”
In an attempt to save students from themselves, Sedun, a high school teacher and a graduate student at
Northwestern University, headed the Red Watch Band program at the Evanston campus last year. The program
teaches students to recognize the warning signs of alcohol poisoning — vomiting; cold, clammy skin; the
inability to wake up — and to call for medical help.
It’s part of a wave of college initiatives meant to quell the chronic problem. The percentage of college students
who binge drink — defined as five drinks for men and four drinks for women in two hours — has held steady at
about 40 percent for most of the past decade, consistently more than non-college students, federal surveys show.
Combining alcohol with energy drinks has fueled students’ ability to drink more and longer.
One estimate, from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, blames binge drinking for more
than 1,800 college student deaths a year, mostly from drunken driving. Research shows that frequent binge
drinkers are more likely to miss classes, get hurt, engage in risky sex and have problems in class.
They’re also happier than nonbinge drinkers, according to a recent study at one school, but researchers say that
seems to be because of their social status. Most often they’re white males involved in athletics and fraternities.
Acknowledging that some students are going to drink no matter what, many schools are practicing “harm
reduction” — trying to save students from their own worst behaviors.
At Northwestern, the issue has particular resonance. Nineteen-year-old freshman Matthew Sunshine died of
alcohol poisoning in 2008 after a party in his dorm hall. As part of a settlement with his family, the school
agreed to review its alcohol policy. The next year, Northwestern started the Red Watch Band program,
developed at Stony Brook University in New York, where Sunshine’s mother worked.
NU also has joined the Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking, in which 32 schools across the country
are trying short-term changes to alcohol policy and monitoring the results. As part of its efforts, Northwestern
employs BASICS, an assessment of students who get involved in alcohol-related medical or police incidents,
and lowered the time for treatment from 30 to 20 days, according to Lisa Currie, director of health promotion
and wellness.
“There is no magic bullet,” she said. “It’s small improvements ... that work together.”
Some freshman are subject to the new procedures even before they get to school. At DePaul University in
Chicago, for example, students are required to take an online self-assessment to analyze their alcohol use before
they get to campus.
Loyola University Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago also use the online program, called eCHUG, or electronic Check-Up to Go.
Meanwhile, schools are working to offer alcohol-free events, like the Beer Free Zone at UIC, and NU Nights at
Northwestern, which offered a showing of the movie “Chicago” with related dance lessons, or bingo with prizes
such as iPods.
Harper College in Palatine offers a new class about drug and alcohol abuse in college, taught by a teacher who
admits drinking once affected her own performance in school. Some schools even offer alcohol-free spring
breaks.
At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, binge drinking has been notorious on dates such as
Halloween and Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day, a daylong drunkfest sponsored by bars that were losing money
when March 17 fell within spring break. In response, the school and city have tried to crack down on such
events, including steps to limit alcohol availability and installing surveillance cameras.
All these efforts are a response to a study by the National Institute on Alcohol and Alcoholism that identified
binge drinking as a top problem on campuses across the country a decade ago.
Since then, a survey of 747 college presidents reported by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found
that nearly all colleges had implemented some form of alcohol education, with efforts targeting high-risk
populations such as first-year students, sorority and fraternity members, and athletes. Thirty-four percent of
colleges banned alcohol for all students, and 4 in 5 colleges offered an option for alcohol-free residences.
Still, success has varied. At some colleges, nearly 70 percent of the students were identified as binge drinkers;
at others there were none.
It will take much harder work to make a dent in the problem, according to researchers such as Toben Nelson at
the University of Minnesota, especially at big schools with an emphasis on sporting events, which had the most
problems. Harm reduction and screening help, he said, but research shows that telling students why they
shouldn’t drink does little to change their behaviors.
He says colleges could do much more to limit the availability of alcohol, which saturates college culture. He
points to a success story at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, which lowered its percentage of binge
drinkers from the 60s to the 40s by limiting alcohol and requiring registration for parties so police could make
sure they weren’t getting out of hand.
Research by the Harvard School for Public Health found that underage students in states with extensive laws
restricting underage and high-volume drinking — such as keg registration, 0.08 driving laws and restrictions on
happy hours, pitchers and advertising — were less likely to binge drink.
Schools may always have binge drinkers, Nelson said, but it’s defeatist to say nothing can be done to cut down
on the severity and bad effects.
“You’re not going to stop it,” Nelson said. “The idea is to reduce it and keep a lid on it.”
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/09/antidepressants_anxiety_drugs.html
Augustana Sets New Enrollment Record
While some public universities have been reporting a drop in enrollment this fall, Augustana College in Rock
Island is reporting a new record high. The private liberal-arts college says it has 2,551 students enrolled this fall.
That's the highest enrollment in the history of the 152-year-old college.
Last week, Southern Illinois University reported a declining enrollment for the 8th straight year with 18,847
students, down 970 from a year ago. Administrators attribute the decline to smaller junior and senior classes,
along with cuts to financial aid and a smaller pool of potential students.
Western Illinois University also saw a decline at its Macomb campus with 10,003 students, down from 10,423
in the fall of 2011. Enrollment was up slightly at its campuses in Moline with a headcount of 1,377 compared to
1,372 last year
http://www.kwqc.com/story/19504843/augustana-set-new-enrollment-record
New Player in Rankings Game Mines Alumni Opinions
September 10, 2012, 5:00 am
By Eric Hoover
If you had it to do all over again, would you choose to attend your alma mater? Do you think the education you
received there was a good value? How much money do you make? Oh, and are you happy?
The newest player in the college-rankings game has asked such questions of more than 42,000 college
graduates. Called the Alumni Factor, the new venture has released a college guide based largely on the opinions
of those who’ve earned bachelor’s degrees from one of 177 institutions.
“We want to pierce the bubble of reputation,” says the introduction to the Alumni Factor’s guide, “to
understand how graduates actually perform post-graduation—and hear what they have to say about the job their
college did to prepare them.”
Although the nation’s shelves are already full—perhaps too full—of college guides, the Alumni Factor’s timing,
at least, seems impeccable. Today’s students and parents are asking more questions about outcomes, about the
success and salaries of an institution’s graduates.
Kicking the tires on a college means inquiring about the long-term benefits, tangible or otherwise, that come
with a diploma. And now consumers can buy the results of a vast opinion survey of graduates that allows them
to compare colleges in various categories. (You may now cheer—or jeer—this development accordingly.)
To create the Alumni Factor rankings, researchers measured 15 different attributes for each college, including
the average income and average net worth of its graduates. Respondents—between 100 to 500 from each
college—were asked about their intellectual and social development, as well as their “overall happiness.” In
case you’re wondering, only 49.6 percent of all the graduates surveyed agreed strongly with this statement: “My
college developed me intellectually.”
Respondents were also asked to rate how well their alma mater prepared them for their first job. Would they
recommend their alma mater to a student who was considering it? That answer was factored in, too. The only
measures that are not based on surveys: six-year graduation rates and alumni giving rates.
Monica McGurk, the guide’s executive editor, says the findings will help colleges, not just students and parents.
She has discussed the results with officials from several of the institutions that appear in the rankings. Some
were disappointed by the results, she says, but all of them were fascinated to see how their college compared
with others. “This is a way to re-engage them in their purpose and their mission,” Ms. McGurk says, “and to get
out of the brand-building and reputation cycle that focuses them on selectivity.”
The guide, which sells for $29.95, includes a composite ranking of all the colleges. On that list, Washington &
Lee University, in Virginia, is tops, followed by Yale, Princeton, and Rice Universities. Each institution is also
ranked within each of the 15 categories. The Alumni Factor’s Web site will allow subscribers to create
personalized rankings, based on the weights they assign to different attributes.
As with any rankings system, there are limits to how much this one can tell you. Although the Alumni Factor
touts that it’s all about outcomes, a graduate’s opinion of his alma mater—not to mention his level of
contentment and net worth—surely have much to do with factors beyond the influence of the college. Those
factors may well relate strongly to “input” variables, like where he grew up, how much money his parents
made, and what his academic interests were.
Or they may relate to postcollege choices, like going to graduate or professional school. And opinions, like the
wind, are subject to change over time. How reliable are they at a given point in time?
Whatever the limitations, Jeffrey Durso-Finley, director of college counseling at the Lawrenceville School, in
New Jersey, welcomes the new guide. “I don’t think it’s going to revolutionize college rankings,” he says, “but
it’s going to add a really interesting twist to the conversation.”
When the Alumni Factor sent him its preliminary findings a while back, he was so intrigued that he agreed to
serve on the company’s advisory board. “It may be somewhat heretical to say, but I like that there are more
rankings out there because it dilutes the pool a little bit,” he says.
That the Alumni Factor’s rankings put a lot of stock in subjective evaluations might just remind students that, in
the end, choosing a college is not a science.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/headcount/new-player-in-college-rankings-game-mines-alumni-opinions/31558
Time to Upend College Rankings?
By Melissa Korn
Getty Images
Update: The Alumni Factor says its hosting provider, Go Daddy, was attacked “in a coordinated campaign” by
the hacking group Anonymous, taking it mostly offline for much of the day Monday. Some people are still able
to access the site, but many around the world – including the company’s own staff – cannot see the page.
Further Update: Go Daddy released a statement earlier Tuesday saying the outage was due to “a series of
internal network events that corrupted router data tables.” The Alumni Factor website, and others hosted by Go
Daddy, are back in service.
***
Student-faculty ratios, graduation rates and cost of attendance all are valid measures of a school’s quality – and
are central criteria used in many popular college rankings.
But as families grow more concerned about high tuition costs and low job-placement rates, a new ranking
system is betting they’ll be more interested in alumni outcomes. That is, the school’s success in graduating men
and women who are prepared to meet the demands of today’s job market and workplace.
Alumni Factor, launching Monday, weighs data including graduates’ household income, net worth, whether
alums would return or recommend the school to others, immediate job placement and more to rank 177 U.S.
colleges. (See update above.)
Parents and prospective students increasingly want to be sure that they’ll “get the best return on their
investment”, says Monica McGurk, executive editor and CEO of Alumni Factor. Alumni outcomes offers a new
way to calculate that ROI.
The new ranking, based on data from 42,000 alumni, has some surprising winners and losers. Washington &
Lee University comes out on top, with Yale University, Princeton University, Rice University and College of
the Holy Cross rounding out the top five. There’s great disparity among schools that are traditionally considered
comparable. Harvard University, a perennial top pick on other lists, lands the 37 spot here and two other Ivies –
University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University – don’t even make the top 50.
“They are not cookie-cutter [schools] delivering the same outcomes and experiences,” McGurk says.
Though the results may raise some eyebrows, Alumni Factor faces a tough slog breaking into the alreadycrowded market for college rankings. U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, Princeton Review, Kiplinger
and more have been in on the action for many years. Moreover, many of those publications have launched evermore-niche lists devoted to the most diverse campuses, best bets for individual majors or best value.
(The Wall Street Journal has also conducted rankings in the past. Its most recent installment assessing
undergraduate programs was published in 2010.)
The calendar is crowded, too. Princeton Review’s latest list, published about two weeks ago and the 2013
edition of the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges ranking will be published Wednesday.
And then there’s the issue of quality control. The rankings process has been tarnished in recent years as schools
scramble to present themselves in the best light possible to the publishers of these oh-so-important lists. For
example, in recent years administrators at Claremont McKenna College and Emory University were found to
have fudged admissions data, such as SAT scores, GPAs and the like, which resulted in higher rankings for
those schools.
To avoid such misdeeds, McGurk says, Alumni Factor doesn’t involve the schools in the process. The group
found its alumni survey pool without help from schools in order to “eliminate the opportunity for schools to bias
their responses.” (However, Alumni Factor does check donation levels and graduation rates against school
records.)
Readers, do rankings matter? What criteria are most important? Did rankings factor into your decision of which
college to attend?
Amplification
An earlier version of this item stated that Claremont McKenna College fudged admissions data to boost its
rankings. The school says that boosting rankings was not the intent of the official who falsified SAT scores.
http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2012/09/10/time-to-up-end-college-rankings/
Bubu Palo, Iowa State Basketball Player, Facing Sex
Abuse Charges
Yempabou "Bubu" Palo, left, and Spencer Cruise, both 21-years-old, are accused of sexually assaulting a
woman in May 2012 (Photos via Story County Inmate Roster).
Yempabou "Bubu" Palo has been suspended from the Iowa State University basketball team as he faces sexual
assault charges.
According to a police report, Palo offered a woman ride home in the early morning hours on May 18, 2012 in
Ames, Iowa. Instead of taking her home, he drove her to the house of his friend Spencer Cruise, and he asked
the woman to come inside.
After the woman entered the house, she said she was sexually assaulted. Palo and Cruise "committed a sex act
by force and against the will of the victim," the police report stated.
Patch reports:
Ames Police Sgt. Rory Echer said that the woman reported the assault that same morning. Search warrants were
obtained to collect DNA evidence. The Division of Criminal Investigations lab returned DNA results last week,
Echer said.
DNA from both men was present on evidence collected during the investigation, the Des Moines Register
reports.
"That's why the length of period, from May to now. We just recently got the test result of that," Echer told the
AP.
The two men turned themselves in to authorities Friday morning.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/bubu-palo-isu-basketball-sex-abuse_n_1870351.html?ref=topbar
Faith Danielle Hedgepeth, UNC Student, Found
Dead In Apartment, Police Investigating Possible
Murder
A 19-year-old student was found dead in her Chapel Hill apartment Friday, and police believe it was a
homicide.
Faith Danielle Hedgepeth, a student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, was discovered by friends
in her apartment at the
Hawthorne at the View complex on Sept. 7 around 11 a.m. Police are treating it as a homicide and say they
doubt it could be a random act. However, they have not named any suspects, made any arrests or released the
cause of death.
Hedgepeth was a biology major and a member of the Haliwa-Saponi Native AmericanTribe of Hollister. The
AP reports she was active in her church and tribe. The Daily Tar Heel reports she was interested in joining a
sorority as well.
Unfortunately, the North Carolina campus is no stranger to homicides. Eve Carson, a former UNC-Chapel Hill
student body president, was shot and killed in 2008.
Students and community members plan to hold a candlelight vigil for Hedgepeth on Monday evening.
Police have established a tip-line: Anyone with information may call police at 919-614-6363.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/faith-danielle-hedgepeth-homicideunc_n_1871459.html?utm_hp_ref=college
Impostor removed from campus after two weeks
posing as student
The woman gave the name Rhea Sen and attended orientation events and class. Students became suspicious
when she gave a fake UNI and was inconsistent about where she lived.
By Finn Vigeland
Spectator Senior Staff Writer
Published September 10, 2012
Update, 2:20 p.m.: According to a police spokesperson, the impostor's real name is Briva Patel. The
26-year-old woman, who used the name Rhea Sen while posing as a Columbia student, was charged
with criminal trespass. Check back later for more updates.
Rhea Sen started off her August at Columbia as any new student would: going on bus tours around the
city, taking photos with new acquaintances, discussing the perks and quirks of each residence hall.
The only problem? Rhea Sen doesn’t go to Columbia.
Her nearly two-week stay on campus, during which she posed as a student, attended orientation
events, and harassed first-years, came to an abrupt end on Thursday night as the young woman—
about 20 years old and 5-foot-4—was escorted out of Low Library by officers from the 26th Precinct
for trespassing.
Rebecca Smith, CC ’13 and an International Student Orientation Program leader, first noticed the
woman on Aug. 24. She was eating cereal alone in John Jay Dining Hall and gave the name Rhea Sen.
She told Smith that she was registered for the Columbia Outdoor Orientation Program but had missed
the program’s departure. Although she lived in Philadelphia, she said, she was born in India, so Smith
offered to try to register her for ISOP if she wanted.
“That’s really nice, but I don’t want to cause any trouble,” Smith recalled Sen saying. The quiet girl
gave Smith her phone number anyway, and Smith was given administrative approval to register her if
she could get her UNI. Smith called the number, but Sen never answered.
Smith said she didn’t see her again for three days, but in the meantime, Sen went on a city tour and
attended an Afropunk festival in Brooklyn, said ISOP leaders Louis Lin, SEAS ’15, and Bruno
Rigonatti Mendes, CC ’14 and a Spectator finance and strategy deputy. These events were informal,
Mendes said, so OLs did not check for the required ISOP badge—which Sen did not have, as she had
never registered for ISOP nor even enrolled at Columbia.
She tried to befriend new students, including Cami Quarta, CC ’16, who believes she was the first firstyear Sen met. “We thought she was just socially awkward,” Quarta said. “She said to me, ‘Are you a
freshman? I’m kind of lost, do you want to hang out with me?’”
On her way to the party at the Bronx Zoo that capped off orientation week, Quarta and a friend wound
up on the subway with Sen. Even though Quarta had been told to take the train to 180th Street, Sen
showed her a text message she claimed to be from her OL instructing her to get off at an earlier stop
and take a bus. The two heeded Sen’s advice, winding up far from their intended destination. A
helpful police officer steered the three of them back on the subway.
“If I was alone, I don’t know where I would’ve wound up,” Quarta said. “That was probably the first
sign that showed she might have been a risk.”
Soon, OLs started to get suspicious. Sen told Quarta that she lived on the sixth floor of Hartley Hall,
and the next day that she lived in Carman 6B, which is not the way rooms in Carman Hall are
numbered. Students said they were still unsure where she slept across the 14-day period she spent on
campus. “People saw her running around, hiding in bushes, but as far as I know, nobody actually saw
her in the residence halls,” Quarta said.
“Eventually, she tried to make friends with our first-year students, and it just got to the point where
her lies were too obvious,” Lin said.
Katherine Cutler, a Student Affairs spokesperson, said administrators first became aware of Sen’s
presence “after several odd interactions with OLs and ISOP participants.” Student Affairs notified
Public Safety and instructed students to keep an eye out for Sen after realizing she was not a student.
“I was so freaked out when I found out she didn’t go here,” Smith said. “I always saw her on campus.
She had different sets of clothes. She even had a big backpack during the school week.”
Lin and other ISOP leaders ran into Sen early last week and asked her what her story was. “She gave
us a fake UNI and claimed she did not have her ID with her because she left it with a friend,” he said.
“We persisted and she said she needed to go,” and then ran off.
Quarta said Sen went with a friend to a Literature Humanities class last week, but when the preceptor
arrived, Sen left the room and waited in the hallway for two hours. On Sept. 5, she sent Quarta two
Facebook messages littered with misspellings and dozens of English and Hindi curses. (See sidebar
above right.)
Students again came across Sen on Thursday and alerted Public Safety, who took her into custody.
Shortly before 9 p.m., the police removed her from Low. She did not respond to a reporter’s questions,
but looked scared as officers led her into a waiting police car on College Walk and drove off to the
precinct.
A police spokesperson said that no person with the last name Sen was arrested this month, but Cutler
said on Friday, “The woman was taken into custody yesterday evening after yet another sighting on
campus.”
Despite Sen’s behavior, Quarta said, “I never felt in danger. I feel better now [that she’s been removed
from campus], but I’m more concerned about her ... she’s more of a risk to herself than she is to me.”
http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2012/09/10/student-impostor-removed-campus
FAMU Says It's Not Responsible For Hazing Death
Of Robert Champion
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida A&M University, which has been rocked by a hazing scandal for nearly a
year, insists in legal papers filed Monday that it is not to blame for the tragic death last year of drum major
Robert Champion.
The university maintained that it was Champion, not the school, who bears the ultimate responsibility for his
death. Champion died last November after he was beaten by fellow members of the famed Marching 100 band
aboard a charter bus parked outside an Orlando hotel.
The university asserts that the 26-year-old Champion was a top leader in the band and he should have refused to
take part in the hazing ritual.
"No public university or college has a legal duty to protect an adult student from the result of their own decision
to participate in a dangerous activity while off-campus and after retiring from university-sponsored events,"
states the lengthy filing by Richard Mitchell, an attorney with the GrayRobinson law firm hired by FAMU.
Instead, the university maintains that Champion – who it says witnessed others being hazed that night on the
bus – consented to the hazing ritual in order to gain respect among fellow band members.
Because of that, FAMU wants a judge to throw out the lawsuit filed against the university by Champion's
family or at least delay action on it until criminal charges against Marching 100 band members are resolved.
The family also sued the owner and driver of the charter bus where the ritual took place.
"Under these circumstances, Florida's taxpayers should not be held financially liable to Mr. Champion's estate
for the ultimate result of his own imprudent, avoidable and tragic decision and death," states the motion filed by
the university.
The legal filing represents the first formal response that the university has made in the wake of Champion's
death, which led to arrests of band members, the suspension of the famed band for this football season and the
resignation of the school's president. Twelve former members have pleaded not guilty to charges of felony
hazing.
The suit was brought by Champion's parents, Robert and Pamela Champion of Decatur, Ga. University trustees
had discussed trying to mediate the lawsuit, but FAMU's response may have doomed that effort.
Chris Chestnut, the attorney representing the Champion family, said the lawsuit needs to go forward so that the
university is held accountable for tolerating a culture of hazing that went unchecked for years.
"Someone has got to hold FAMU accountable," Chestnut said Monday. "We are now more committed than ever
to litigate this case to clear Robert's name and eradicate the culture of hazing for the safety of future students."
The Champions claim university officials did not take action to stop hazing even though a school dean proposed
suspending the band because of hazing three days before their son died. In its response the university denied
that any specific proposal or recommendation was made regarding suspending the band prior to Champion's
death.
The Champion lawsuit also noted that school officials allowed nonstudents to play in the band and asserts that
school officials fell short in enforcing anti-hazing policies and did not keep a close eye on band members to
prevent hazing.
The university in the last several months has instituted a long list of new policies, including limiting the
Marching 100 to just FAMU students and putting in new academic policies. Beginning in spring 2013, students
will be required to sign an anti-hazing pledge before they're allowed to register for classes.
The State University System of Florida still has a pending probe into whether university officials had ignored
past warnings about problems with hazing at FAMU.
Hundreds of pages of records reviewed earlier this year by the Associated Press showed years of repeated
warnings about brutal hazing passed without any serious response from the school's leadership until Champion
died.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/11/famu-says-its-not-respons_n_1873545.html?utm_hp_ref=college
Competition and the Rising Cost of Higher
Education
The legal office at Rochester Institute of Technology, where I serve as president, recently received a call from
the legal office at another institution asking RIT to cease and desist from using the term "Innovation University"
in any public forum because they had applied for a trademark as "The Innovation University" in 2009 and
intended to enforce their claim to exclusive use of the term. My initial response was to be incredulous, as I had
used the term in my 2007 presidential inaugural address and, furthermore, I was confident that I was not the
first to use it. The more I thought about the issue, however, I began to wonder how many student tuition dollars
were being used to support such legal actions, and I began to realize that this was just one more example of how
competition among colleges and universities for national eminence and high rankings continues to be the "dirty
little secret" that is an increasingly important factor in our inability to keep tuition and fee increases at our
institutions in line with inflation.
Now competition can be a good thing when it forces greater efficiencies and drives costs down, but in academia
exactly the reverse seems to be happening. Not only is there little competition between colleges and universities
to offer the best education at the lowest price, but what competition there is seems to inevitably drive up costs.
Let me provide a few examples from my experience in both public and private institutions:
Since better students produce better rankings and improved institutional reputations, more and more student
financial aid has moved from the need-based category to the merit-based category to offer the best prospective
students an incentive to enroll at a particular college or university. This merit-based financial aid, of course,
could be used to lower tuition and fees for all students, but there is no incentive for taking that approach under
the current circumstances.
The competition for national eminence and high rankings is also increasing the cost of hiring faculty while
reducing their teaching loads at the same time. Administrators at many of our colleges and universities are
finding that they have to offer both large startup packages and reduced teaching loads to even the youngest
faculty candidates, and senior faculty candidates with national reputations are often recruited to institutions with
a promise of million-dollar plus research support and no teaching responsibilities for a year or two so that they
can "get a running start" in their new surroundings. Interestingly, these packages are frequently signed off on by
senior administrators who themselves received little more than a desk and telephone when they started their
academic careers. Almost all of these senior administrators proved to be effective teachers and scholars, but
despite that fact, faculty today cost considerably more to hire and teach considerably less on average than did
those hired two or three decades previously.
Even candidates for campus administrative positions such as deans and department heads are frequently offered
significant resources as an incentive for them to accept the positions. These resources can include additional
faculty and staff positions for their administrative units, facility improvements or new construction, and reduced
or zero teaching loads for the candidate.
And then there are the student amenities provided to keep pace with the competition. Prospective students
touring our campuses are now taken through food courts offering everything from pizza to Mongolian barbecue
to sushi, through recreation centers better than most private athletic clubs, and through student apartments more
luxurious than those they are likely to occupy after graduation.
Intercollegiate athletic programs, especially those in football and basketball, are now often significantly
subsidized by many colleges and universities because of the demands of alumni and friends for better teams and
the resulting national exposure they produce. And sadly, in all too many cases, the student-athletes involved are
admitted under much lower standards than other students and then either take soft majors or end up remaining
students only until they have used up their athletic eligibility.
Finally, the increasing personnel time required to respond to ranking surveys of all kinds is itself a financial cost
that most colleges and universities can cover only through increased tuition and fees, and the costs many
colleges and universities are incurring in trying to "reverse-engineer" the various ranking formulas can be
significant as well.
There are, of course, many other reasons why tuition and fees are increasing faster than inflation, including ever
higher expenditures for energy and for employee health benefits, as well as declining state support of our public
colleges and universities. But to simply say, as many academic leaders do, that the market basket for higher
education is different than the one that determines the consumer price index inflation rate is being less than
honest. To paraphrase Pogo, we have seen the enemy, and he is (at least in part) us.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-destler/college-competition-_b_1867165.html?utm_hp_ref=college
For-Profit College Claims Are 'Nonsense,' Obama
Administration Says
President Barack Obama appears alongside Education Secretary Arne Duncan during an event in the East Room
of the White House in June. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
For-profit college representatives say they shouldn't have to tell prospective students whether they are likely to
afford their debts after attending school, arguing the disclosures wouldn't be helpful.
But the Department of Education says this is "nonsense," according to a filing last week, the latest round in a
federal court battle between the Obama administration and a key for-profit college trade group.
At issue are rules that would require for-profit colleges to disclose statistics on how students cope with their
debts after graduating or dropping out of school. The data would indicate how many students are repaying
loans, and how their loan debts will compare to earnings after graduation.
For nearly three years, the administration has attempted to rein in abuses at for-profit institutions that leave
students with huge debts and few job prospects. Because the industry gets most of its revenue from the federal
government, in the form of Pell grants and student loans, the Department of Education has tried to gauge
whether such schools are preparing students for careers that will allow them to repay debts.
In a federal court filing last month, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU)
argued that the student debt disclosures would not provide "any meaningful information to prospective
students."
Last week, the Department of Education replied: "Plaintiff's assertion that… information on a program's
repayment rate and debt-to-income ratios will not be meaningful to students, is nonsense."
The department went on to say the measurements provide "valuable information that many – if not all –
prospective students considering whether to enroll in a program would like to have."
The disclosures could cast many for-profit colleges in a negative light. According to preliminary data released
by the Department of Education this summer, many for-profit colleges fared poorly on the student debt
measurements. Nearly two-thirds of all programs failed to meet expectations in at least one of three tests.
The tests measured whether: 1) at least 35 percent of students are repaying a minimal amount of their student
loans; 2) graduates have loan debts that comprise less than 30 percent of their discretionary income; or 3)
graduates' student debts are less than 12 percent of total earnings.
The APSCU did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
The tiff over student debt disclosures is the latest in a string of legal challenges the for-profit college association
has mounted against the Department of Education in the last two years. Originally, the student debt disclosures
were part of a broader package of so-called "gainful employment" regulations that could have punished certain
schools for not meeting student debt thresholds.
Under the original regulations released last summer, for-profit programs could eventually be cut off from
federal student aid dollars if programs failed the department's guidelines three times in four years. The for-profit
college association sued last year, and U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras struck down much of the
regulation in June, ruling that the Department of Education didn't have the research to back up part of the rule.
One month after the judge's decision, in July, the department asked Contreras to reinstate parts of the rule that
would require schools to at least report data showing how many students are repaying loans and how their loan
debts will compare to earnings after graduation. The department argued that the disclosures would "provide
valuable information to schools and students – a purpose that is consistent with the Department's acknowledged
authority to 'better inform prospective students.'"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/for-profit-colleges-nonsense-obamaadministration_n_1872305.html?utm_hp_ref=college&ir=College
Innocence Project gets $590,000 grant
Illinois will receive more than $1 million in federal grants for two criminal justice programs, including the
Illinois Innocence Project at the University of Illinois Springfield.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority will administer nearly $590,000 for the Illinois Innocence
Project. It has focused on wrongful-conviction cases in downstate Illinois, but the grant will allow it to expand
to the northern part of the state.
The money will help it identify and investigate the strength of DNA evidence where available.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago will get $500,000 from the Justice Department for its
Immigrant Survivor's Project. It offers legal representation and support services to battered immigrant women.
The grant money will go toward legal help in 1,500 cases involving immigrant issues, child support and
custody, and orders of protection.
Illinois will receive more than $1 million in federal grants for two criminal justice programs, including the
Illinois Innocence Project at the University of Illinois Springfield.
The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority will administer nearly $590,000 for the Illinois Innocence
Project. It has focused on wrongful-conviction cases in downstate Illinois, but the grant will allow it to expand
to the northern part of the state.
The money will help it identify and investigate the strength of DNA evidence where available.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago will get $500,000 from the Justice Department for its
Immigrant Survivor's Project. It offers legal representation and support services to battered immigrant women.
The grant money will go toward legal help in 1,500 cases involving immigrant issues, child support and
custody, and orders of protection.
http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1547505991/Innocence-Project-gets-590-000-grant
Cab driver who killed U. of C. student held on
$200,000 bail
BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Criminal Courts Reporter
Cabdriver John A. Kesse, of Chicago, who's charged with reckless homicide, was ordered held in lieu of
$200,000 bail Tuesday for a crash in which University of Chicago graduate student. Eric Kerestes was killed on
Aug. 14. | Chicago Police Photo
A veteran cabdriver described by friends as an upstanding citizen and frequent churchgoer was ordered held in
lieu of $200,000 bail Tuesday for a deadly crash that claimed the life of a University of Chicago graduate
student.
John A. Kesse was tested right after he hit Eric Kerestes with a taxi that was not his usual work vehicle on the
morning of Aug. 14, and the results indicated he had no drugs or alcohol in his system, his attorney Bruce
Rafalson said.
“It was a tragic accident,” said Rafalson, asking Cook County Judge Donald Panarese Jr. to place the cab under
protective order so it can be examined at a future date.
Rafalson would not elaborate on what he thinks took place the morning of the accident, but he maintained that
his client was not impaired or in a car he was familiar with.
But prosecutors said Kesse’s erratic driving led to Kerestes’ death and serious injuries to his 28-year-old
passenger, who had flagged Kesse at Milwaukee and Division to go to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Kesse, 60, drove off at a high rate of speed and ran several red lights, weaved in and out of traffic and drove
into oncoming traffic to pass cars in front of him, assistant state’s attorney Sylvie Manaster said.
As he approached Milwaukee and Ogden, Kesse allegedly swerved into oncoming traffic, jumped the curb at
the entrance to the CTA Blue Line stop and struck two light poles.
Kesse proceeded through the intersection of Milwaukee and Ogden and hit a bus stop bench, where Kerestes
was sitting, a CVS sign and another light pole before coming to a stop in the bushes outside the CVS,
authorities said. Kerestes, 30, was thrown more than 200 feet, Manaster said.
Kesse, of the 4500 block of North Clarendon, is facing reckless homicide charges.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/crime/15085410-418/cab-driver-who-killed-u-of-c-student-held-on-200000bail.html
ROTC Returns to Harvard
Armed Services Training Is Back After Exiting Some Schools Over Vietnam War
ROTC Returns to Harvard
Armed Services Training Is Back After Exiting Some Schools Over Vietnam War
BY JENNIFER LEVITZ
BOSTON—At colleges and universities across the country, Reserve Officers' Training Corps battalions often
are seen doing drills on campus. But there was nothing routine about the Army ROTC cadets reporting to duty
before sunrise Monday at Harvard University.
After decades of chilly relations between the elite school and the military, dating back to the Vietnam War and
persisting because of past military policies on gay soldiers, Harvard has welcomed back ROTC—the rigorous
college program that trains students to be officers in the armed forces. This week, Harvard held its first ROTC
campus exercise in 40 years.
"I'm really ecstatic," said ...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443779404577643991304309880.html?mod=ITP_pageone_1
Education Dept. Catalogs Ideas for Improving Students' Success
in College
By Goldie Blumenstyk
Washington
Apparently there is no shortage of "promising and practical" ideas to help students get into, get through, and
graduate from college.
The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday published descriptions of the several dozen examples it has
received from colleges and other organizations describing the counseling, curricular, and administrative
programs they offer to help students succeed in college. The ideas include programs for early outreach to highschool students, new approaches to remedial education, and strategies for ensuring that students with enough
credits for a degree don't linger too long by taking additional classes.
And the department says: Keep 'em coming.
The department plans to publish those new examples, alongside the ones it has already received, on the
postsecondary-completion Web site. In an announcement to appear in the Federal Register on Wednesday, the
department said it was looking for "strategies that could be replicated or scaled up," to help meet the Obama
administration's goal of raising the nation's college-education rate
http://chronicle.com/article/Education-Dept-Catalogs-Ideas/134302/
College Dream Dashed for Children of the LessSchooled
The U.S. has long touted its record of sending disadvantaged children to college. That pride is now
misplaced, a study found.
The odds that a young person in the U.S. will go to college if their parents haven’t -- 29 percent -- are
among the lowest of developed countries. That’s according to a report released today by the Paris-based
Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development.
Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, former
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce president Javier Palomarez,
and former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings discuss U.S. education policy. Bloomberg
Businessweek editor Josh Tyrangiel moderates at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida,
as part of the Bloomberg/2012 Tampa Host Committee Economic Development Series. (Source:
Bloomberg)
The results indicated the challenge of one of PresidentBarack Obama’s economic and educational goals:
increasing college attainment in the U.S. relative to other countries. The U.S. ranks 14th among 37
countries in the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds with higher education. A generation ago, the U.S.
ranked among the top in the world.
“The odds that a young person will be in higher education if his or her family has a low level of education
are particularly small in the U.S.,” the report said.
Declining economic mobility in the U.S. has been the subject of social science research that challenges one
of the mainstays of the American dream -- children bettering their parents. The issue, particularly for the
middle class, lies at the heart of this year’s presidential campaign between Obama and Republican
challenger Mitt Romney.
In the study, the U.S. ranked below all countries except Canada and New Zealand in sending the children
of less educated parents to four-year colleges.
Education Inequity
The evidence suggests a culprit: inequity among elementary and high school students, such as the
concentration of immigrants and other disadvantaged citizens in lower-quality schools, according to
Andreas Schleicher, the international organization’s deputy director for education.
Rising college tuition doesn’t seem to account for the difference, though U.S. student-loan levels could,
Schleicher said in a briefing with reporters. Higher education debt has reached $1 trillion, raising alarm
among families.
The U.S. still has a leg up in higher education because of its older population. In the U.S., 42 percent of 25to 64-year-olds have a college degree, a percentage lagging only Canada,Israel, Japan and Russia.
With other countries making gains and less advantaged families left behind, the U.S. faces a risk that could
damage its international competitiveness, Schleicher said.
In the U.S., “there are real challenges in terms of social and economic mobility,” he said
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-11/college-dream-dashed-for-children-of-the-lessschooled.html
theAtlantic
Why College Isn't a Bubble
By Jordan Weissmann
... and why we should still think of new ways to educate young adults
(Reuters)
College skeptics are whipping out the B-word. Many students are bulking up on loans and coming up empty on
the job market while schools keep hiking tuition. Pretty soon, critics say, the bubble has to burst.
My former colleague Megan McArdle lays out a thoughtful version of that argument in the most recent issue of
Newsweek. She's correct that there are a lot of people right now who aren't benefiting much from their
education. But in spite of the country's growing load of education debt and the rough job market for recent
grads, most students who make it through with a diploma are getting their money's worth. The problem isn't that
higher ed has turned into a bubble that's ready to deflate as the market sours on its prospects; it's that the system
might be working just well enough to continue business as usual without some much needed changes.
Tuition isn't soaring like you've heard
It's conventional wisdom by now that college tuition costs are rising and taking a greater and greater bite out of
stagnant middle class incomes. How bad is it? Here's McArdle:
The price of a McDonald's hamburger has risen from 85 cents in 1995 to about a dollar today. The average price
of all goods and services has risen about 50 percent. But the price of a college education has nearly doubled in
that time.
Talking about "the price of a college education" is like talking about "the price of a car." Just as it's not so useful
to discuss the cost of a BMW Z4 and a Ford Focus in the same breath, it's hard to put Harvard and Iowa State in
the same discussion about tuition, because they operate on very different economic rules. Beyond that, your
average undergrad probably won't pay the full sticker price for a degree. Need-based grants and scholarships
play a big role in determining the final "net price" each student has to lay out for a year of school.
So what's a fair way to judge the cost of college? Consider an upper-middle-income student at a typically-priced
public college. In 1995, that student would have paid an average of $12,618 in 2007 dollars, including room and
board, according to the College Board. By the 2007-2008 academic year, the cost would have been $15,489.* A
23 percent increase over 12 years is a big deal for struggling families. But it's not a doubling, and for lowerincome students, the cost has risen less.
When it comes to figuring out whether we're in a bubble, however, we shouldn't just look at whether prices are
increasing. We should also look at why. McArdle argues that student loan money has essentially given colleges
carte blanche to keep raising their prices to pay for an arms race of amenities, which might be a perfectly apt
description of some private colleges. But consider the barrage of budget cuts that have hit state institutions over
the years. According to the State Higher Education Officers, legislatures across the country have snipped an
average of $1,084 per student from public higher education funding since 1995. Tuition revenue -- the money,
measured in current dollars, each full-time equivalent student is really paying, whether on their own, or with the
help of the feds and family -- has risen $1,435 on average during that time period.
So if you set aside the increases meant to make up for money cut by politicians, schools are only charging 13
percent in real terms more since the days when Toy Story and Batman Forever were at the top of the box office.
Colleges certainly haven't kept prices down like McDonald's. But how many businesses really can?
College grads aren't doing that poorly on the job market
Bachelor's degree holders have about half the unemployment rate of the overall workforce, and they earn twice
as much overall as high school grads. But, as some experts are quick to note, not all of them are earning a
paycheck that justifies eight semesters on campus. This is the Barrista Principle -- the argument that millions of
college-educated young people are wasting their expensive educations serving coffee, bartending, waitressing,
and otherwise toiling in low-pay work just to make their loan payments.
The Barrista Principle is at the core of McArdle's argument that a large portion of young folks aren't getting a
return on their educational investments. She references the findings of Northeastern University economist
Andrew Sum,** who concluded that 53 percent of young graduates are either unemployed or working in jobs
that don't require a bachelor's degree, and of Ohio University's Richard Vedder, who found that, in 2008, 35
percent of all working college graduates were in jobs that didn't need a BA.
Those numbers aren't factually wrong, but they do require some context. First, recent college grads almost
always have high levels of under-employment. At the peak of the dotcom bubble, 41 percent of new grads were
still without work, or in a gig that supposedly didn't require their education, according to Sum.
Second, as Stephen Rose of Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce explained to me,
the over-qualification problem is easily exaggerated. The BLS collects reams of data on different occupations
and categorizes them by how much education you need to do the job. Both Vedder and Sum use those
definitions to determine which jobs are college-grad appropriate, and which ones fall into the "barrista"
category. But Rose argues that the BLS numbers are out of date, and don't give a realistic picture of which jobs
really require higher education.
Take insurance agents, he argues. According to the government, that job only requires a high school degree.
And in 1960, that was true. Back then, only 20 percent of insurance agents had a BA, and those that did only
took home 10 percent more pay compared to their colleagues. Today it's a different story. Half of all insurance
agents now have a BA, and they make 40 percent more than their high school-educated peers. For men, that
means a median salary of $78,000.
You see similar patterns with professions like police work and nursing, jobs that traditionally didn't take a fouryear degree, but where having one can now mean higher pay and a better career path. Rose is working on his
own estimates of college graduate underemployment, but says his preliminary estimate is that 15 percent of
bachelor's holders are working in jobs that don't require their skills. Still not an ideal situation, but not
disastrous, especially when you consider that many of those people may be moonlighting as they pursue other
careers.
Students are learning (probably)
In an ideal world, the purpose of college isn't just to get a degree and get hired. It's to learn, whether that means
improving your writing skills or figuring out the basics of accounting. And on this measure, McArdle argues
that many students also may not be getting their money's worth. She refers to the findings of Academically
Adrift, a much discussed study by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa that found 45 percent of undergraduates
don't acquire any measurable writing or reasoning skills during college.
If this were true, it would be an overwhelming indictment of our education system and a sign that college
diplomas had truly joined mcmansions, junk bonds, and tulips among the ranks of disastrous investment fads.
After all, as McArdle notes, we're handing out more college degrees than ever. And it they're nothing but
credentials used by employers to sort job candidates at a glance, then the more diplomas we give out, the less
valuable they become.
Thankfully, there are reasons to be skeptical of Academically Adrift's bleak assessment. The University of
California's Alexander Astin has torn into the study's methodology, arguing that its statistical findings don't
back up the authors' conclusions. But others locate more fundamental fault in the fact that the analysis is based
on a single standardized test, the Collegiate Learning Assessment. As Oklahoma State University Provost
Robert Sternberg has noted, a student's performance on the exam correlates very closely with how they do on
the SAT and ACT. A young person's score on those old warhorses, meanwhile, tends to correlate with regular
old IQ tests. So what CLA performance may actually reveal is that colleges aren't any good at increasing IQ -or training 22-year-olds for the tests that measure it.
For a counterpoint to Academically Adrift, McArdle quotes Noble Prize-winner James Heckman, who has also
researched the returns to college graduates. She writes:
Heckman thinks the credentialism argument--what economists call "signaling" -- is "way overstated." His work
does show that a lot depends on outside factors like cognitive ability and early childhood health. But he says
flatly that "no one thinks that schooling has no effect on ability."
That seems like a more reasonable conclusion. We may be giving out more degrees than ever, but they're not
quite empty pieces of paper yet.
We're not in a bubble, but there are still problems
Prices aren't really doubling by the decade. Half of all graduates aren't really working at Starbucks or Kinkos.
Most of the kids on campus are probably learning a thing or two, even if they're sandwiching in reading
assignments between football games and keggers. Unemployment among college grads might be higher than
usual, but in comparison with their high school-educated peers, bachelor's holders felt the recession as more of
an unpleasant thunderstorm, instead of a hurricane.
The more you look at the data, the more dubious the proposition that higher education is really a bubble on the
verge of popping begins to seem. There are still too many real rewards available to young people who are
willing and able to pay for four years of school.
And then there's this: Young people don't really have a better option, nor will they any time soon. Since the
1970s, nearly all of America's job growth has happened in occupations that require at least some college.
Meanwhile, earnings for high school graduates have barely budged in more than 20 years. We simply don't have
another reliable path to the middle class. The great experiments in mass education coming out Silicon Valley -massively open online courses that can teach thousands of students for free, new tests that certify business skills
-- are still in such early stages that we don't know how well they serve as teaching or credentialing tools. In her
piece, McArdle, pointed to the recent fall-off in law school applications, which has occurred after years of
warnings from journalists about the deteriorating legal market, as proof that the market can wise up about the
value of a degree. But there's a key difference between a JD and a BA: The former used to be one way of many
that a student could try and climb into the 1 percent; the latter is just about the only safe way to assure you don't
get stuck in the bottom 50.
And that is why I actually agree with the final thrust of McArdle's piece, where she suggests it may be time to
consider new ways of training young people for jobs, such as apprenticeship systems that would introduce them
directly into the workplace. If you think higher education is in for a reckoning, this might seem like a happy
inevitability. If you don't, then it's an urgent imperative.
While colleges offer a good deal for those who can finish a degree, the system is riddled with problems like
high debt and poor graduation rates. It shouldn't be the only sure route our country offers to a decent, stable,
middle-class life.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/09/why-college-isnt-a-bubble/262173/
U.S. News releases 2013 ‘best colleges’ ranking
U.S. News and World Report released its 2013 college ranking list, featuring the top-ranked colleges in four
categories: national universities, national liberal arts colleges, regional universities and regional colleges.
The University of New Mexico tied for the 179th spot among national universities, ranking alongside Azusa
Pacific University, Edgewood College, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and the University of
Missouri in Kansas City. New Mexico State University tied for the 189th spot with Andrews University,
Ashland University, Montana State University, Northern Illinois University, University of Colorado in Denver
and others.
Universities in the national university ranking offer a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s and Ph.D.
programs and focus on faculty research. There were 331 national universities in the category. Several were
unranked or unpublished.
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology tied for the 20th spot in the regional universities West
category. New Mexico Highlands University, Western New Mexico University and Eastern New Mexico
University were either unpublished or unranked. There were 139 schools in the regional universities West
category.
Institutions are divided based on their mission. The institutions are ranked on up to 16 indicators of academic
excellence. Some of the indicators are assessment by administrators at peer institutions, student retention,
faculty resources, student selectivity, alumni donations and financial resources, retention rates and class size.
Each factor was assigned a weight, and the colleges and universities in each category are ranked against peers,
based on their composite weighted scores.
http://bit.ly/UOiLmm
U. of C. moves up to No. 4 on list of top colleges
The University of Chicago ranked as the fourth best national university in U.S. News & World Report’s annual
list, tying with Columbia University and moving up from fifth place last year.
Northwestern University ranked 12th and was the only other Illinois-based university ranked in the top 25
among national universities on the list.
Here’s how other Illinois universities ranked on the list:
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, No. 46
Loyola University Chicago, No. 106
Illinois Institute of Technology, No. 113
DePaul University, No. 134
University of Illinois Chicago, No. 147
Illinois State University, No. 156
Southern Illinois University, No. 179
Northern Illinois University, No. 189
Tying for No. 1 on the list were Harvard University and Princeton University.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/15099679-418/u-of-c-moves-up-to-no-4-on-list-of-top-colleges.html
LakeCounty News-Sun
Talk of the County
Teacher strikes
You know it’s the fall, when the news is filled with teacher strikes. First, Chicago teachers go out, where the
average salary according to the Illinois State School Board is $71,000. Now, Lake Forest teachers go out, and
according to The News-Sun, they have jeopardized the sports program where senior players rely on college
scouts and scholarships. But according to the teachers “it’s all for the children.” No, it’s all for them, selfishly,
not caring about families losing their homes, parents who’ve lost their jobs, their income. We want our “rights”
according to Lewis the union boss in Chicago. Since when did holding up a community for more money
become a “right.”
Wallet is empty
Zion-Benton High School teachers went on strike last year; now Chicago and Lake Forest. As a taxpayer, let me
be the first to tell you the wallet is empty, there is no more money unless I and my neighbors start eating cat
food. But I guess that’s what the teachers want.
Parents suffer
When workers go on strike, they are willing to lose income for hoped-for gains. When teachers go on strike,
they do not lose any income since missed days are added at the end of the school year. For the same reason,
students do not miss any class time. So who are the teachers striking against? Not the school system.The
parents! The parents are the ones who lose income and perhaps their jobs as they try to take care of their
children. The teachers could stay at the table and not lose one thing in job gains. They would rather
inconvenience the parents and endanger the children who may be left unsupervised.
Union puppets
The Chicago teachers go on strike because their Union President and union board negotiators did not reach an
agreement for a contract. The teachers will be on the picket line without pay, but the union leaders will still get
paid. Sounds like the teachers are the dumb puppets of the union leaders.
Retro squads
I do love Waukegan’s new black-and-white police cars. They are so retro. Car 54, where are you?
NIU dorm
Northern Illinois University, a state-supported school, has a new residence hall. It is a five-story high dorm that
cost $80 million, which works out to be $80,000 a bed or $16 million a story. That is enough reason to not let
the government build these things because it costs more taxpayer money than it should.
http://newssun.suntimes.com/news/15100026-418/talk-of-the-county.html
Pension News
Statehouse Insider: Another pension meeting
It’s getting closer to the next big meeting between Quinn and the four legislative leaders to discuss pension
reform. This is the one Quinn said he will call in early September in the wake of Standard & Poor’s
downgrading the state’s credit rating, in part because lawmakers haven’t done anything to further rein in
pension costs.
Right after Quinn made the announcement, few people thought the meeting would amount to anything. Now
you can add this.
According to reports from the Democratic National Convention, House Speaker MICHAEL MADIGAN, DChicago, was asked about pension reform. He said he has no plans to return to Springfield until after the
election. So much for any idea that lawmakers might change pensions before the election.
Of course, Quinn could always do another grandstand and call another special session. Given Madigan’s
comments, that should be another rousing success.
*At the same time, Madigan hinted the Democrats might go it alone on pension reform.
Remember, up until now Madigan has insisted that Republicans must put a significant number of votes on
pension reform. But both sides have dug in on what should constitute pension reform, so there’s been no
reform.
Right now, a reform bill that would take effect immediately needs at least a few Republican votes to pass. Even
the majority Democrats can’t do it on their own.
But a bill that takes effect next July could be passed (the emphasis on could) with just Democratic votes. So
could a bill that takes effect immediately if it passed after Jan. 1.
If the Democrats decide to go it alone, think of what they might try. Not just shifting downstate teacher pension
costs to local school districts, but also maybe eliminating some business tax breaks (or "closing loopholes," if
that’s your bent) and then devoting the money to paying down pension debt. By doing that, they could throw a
bone to the unions that want loophole closures and simultaneously take a jab at the GOP and their business
friends.
*Madigan also showed he has a sense of humor. When he said he had no plans to be in Springfield before the
election, he conditioned that by adding that he’s only one person in the legislature.
That’s a good one.
http://www.sj-r.com/thedome/x1547505566/Statehouse-Insider-Another-pension-meeting
Quinn to use social media to rally on pensions
September 9, 2012 (DECATUR, Ill.) -- Gov. Pat Quinn is hinting that his so-called grassroots campaign to rally
support for an overhaul of Illinois' pension system will involve social media and the Internet.
Lawmakers have failed to come up with a plan to deal with the roughly $85 billion pension funding gap.
Legislators couldn't agree on an approach a special session last month.
Quinn says he'll push forward with a grass-roots campaign to win public support. He's said details would come
later this week but has declined to say what the campaign will entail.
Quinn said Saturday in Decatur that having the power of the Internet is a good way to get the message out.
That's according to The (Bloomington) Pantagraph.
Lawmakers won't meet again until after the November election.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local/illinois&id=8803933
The Southern
Keep pension crisis on radar
Fall, the November elections and the General Assembly’s veto session are looming. But here’s a word of
caution to Springfield and to taxpayers and voters: Don’t let Illinois’ pension crisis slip off your radar.
It’s a nasty, expensive problem, and there’s a cost to be paid. What remains to be determined are by whom and
at what sacrifice.
The state retirement systems are underfunded by at least $83 billion. Conservatives say even that’s a rosy
estimate. Further delays in payment and potential downgrades by rating services — read: higher interest rates
— could drive that number as high as $140 billion. Debt service is hammering the state and will, if left
unchecked, account for nearly a third of annual spending.
And despite an income tax increase of 67 percent last year, very little progress has been made. Illinois continues
to slide into the financial abyss.
The August one-day emergency session of the General Assembly was a joke. With no Republican support,
House Democrats threw up a show-pony vote that came up six votes short. Even had it passed, it would have
addressed the smallest of the state’s five systems, which accounts for about three-tenths of 1 percent of the
unfunded pension liability.
So we head into the November session with nothing certain. In fact, some would argue the odds for a solution
are still long. Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, told the newspaper’s editorial board last
week that Republicans fear Democrats might try a lame-duck session stunt in January.
Essentially, those Democrats about to depart after either retiring or failing to win re-election would be free to
cast any unpopular vote the majority needs while people in hotly contested districts get a pass. The GOP fears a
one-party decision it says will simply transfer costs to local taxpayers. And Republican leaders say that’s a tax
increase.
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, make a persuasive argument for a phased-in plan that would shift
the cost of teacher retirements from the state to local school districts.
Well played, but slow down, says Radogno. She says the first thing the state must do is bring into alignment
who determines the benefits and who pays them. Having the state determine the benefits only to have locals pay
them is irresponsible and wrong, she says.
Further, she argues, “If you do this without doing anything else … that’s a transfer downstate. That’s a tax
increase.”
At first glance, we’d have to agree. Given the state’s recent tax increases, shuffling more cost to local school
districts without lessening a corresponding burden on their constituents is, in essence, a deeper grab into the
local wallet.
Lawmakers and the governor also have a legal problem to get around, unionized state works point out. Article
13, Section 5 of the state constitution says, “Membership in any pension or retirement system of the State, any
unit of local government or school district, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, shall be an enforceable
contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.”
Teachers and other state employees have an argument when they point to a contract, a constitution and check
stubs showing they’ve met their contracted share of the burden. The argument may land in court.
The state has been kicking this can down the road for decades, borrowing from tomorrow to pay for today. But,
financially, the state is running out of tomorrows.
The one thing we don’t want to see is a one-party imposition of will during the lame-duck session. That party is
controlled by Chicago, and the results of a power play are not likely to be kind to those of us who don’t live
there.
If Democrats do ram a solution through, the large question may well become how long will voters continue to
reward a party that has dominated the Legislature for the majority of three decades and led us to this point?
http://thesouthern.com/news/opinions/voice_southern/keep-pension-crisis-on-radar/article_9fcb1690-fa3811e1-86ed-001a4bcf887a.html
Quinn Agonistes
BY ALLYSIA FINLEY
It's a hard-knock life for Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. I spoke with him in passing last week at the Democratic
convention, and he expressed frustration that his good-faith efforts to fix the state's pension mess weren't being
appreciated.
In the spring Mr. Quinn proposed a reform plan that would raise the retirement age and reduce cost-of-living
increases for current workers. Employees could opt out of the new plan, but they'd then have to forego
retirement health benefits. The governor also wanted to "spread the pain" by requiring downstate school
districts to begin paying their own ...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443686004577634092393897110.html
State worker health insurance contracts extended
SPRINGFIELD — The state of Illinois has extended emergency contracts with three health insurance providers, ensuring that
thousands of state workers, dependents and retirees continue to have access to health care plans for the next year.
The move is the latest step in a year-long dust-up over the state’s attempt to save money by rebidding state health insurance contracts.
State employees and retirees were outraged when the state did not renew its contracts with Health Alliance and Humana, which
dominate downstate health insurance offerings.
While the state said granting the contracts to Blue Cross and Blue Shield would save $1 billion over the next decade, state lawmakers
worked to block the switch because Blue Cross did not have contracts established with health care providers in many counties south of
Interstate 80.
An audit later showed the savings estimates touted by Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration could not be verified.
The state has since been attempting to rebid the contracts and, after a procedural hearing last week, extended temporary, emergency
state health insurance contracts with Health Alliance HMO, Health Alliance Illinois and Coventry HMO. The contracts are extended
until June 31, 2013, or until the new bidding process is completed.
The move, which affects university workers and retirees, as well as prison guards and other state employees, pleased lawmakers
whose offices were flooded with calls when the switch was first announced.
“This extension will provide continuity of care for thousands of area families while CMS works on long-term health insurance
contracts,” Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said
http://qctimes.com/news/state-and-regional/illinois/state-worker-health-insurance-contractsextended/article_8b4f74e8-fbca-11e1-8015-0019bb2963f4.html
Brady, Rutherford see pension bill in late '12 or early '13
URBANA — Two top Republican officials in Illinois predicted Wednesday that the Legislature would approve
a pension-revision bill either late this year, after the Nov. 6 election, or in early 2013."The fact of the matter is
it's got to happen. The stability and strength of the pension systems is diminishing everyday. Millions of dollars
lost," said state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, his party's candidate for governor in 2010.
Brady said he believes Democrats, who control the Legislature, will attempt to pass the controversial reforms
during the so-called lame duck session between the election and the seating of a new Legislature in early
January.
"That isn't fair to the people of Illinois. The Legislature should have to stand up in front of the people and
support programs like solidifying and strengthening the pension system with minor reforms, frankly, that would
move our state forward," said Brady, who is a member of a pension system task force appointed by Gov. Pat
Quinn last spring.
Brady said he favored a negotiated change that would allow state retirees to continue to receive health
insurance in exchange for smaller cost-of-living increases.
"If we were to achieve 100 percent acceptance of those reforms we could strengthen and solidify, and fully
fund the system in 30 years and provide savings of over $100 billion," Brady said.
He said a Democratic plan to pass retirement system costs onto local school districts is "a poison pill" that is "a
liability shift to our local property taxpayers."
"They knew that we would not stand for them passing on their past sins, when it comes to funding the system,
to the property taxpayers, university and college students and so forth. We told them it was a killer," said Brady.
State Treasurer Dan Rutherford, also predicted a pension change would be enacted this winter.
"My sense is that's probably a good political opportunity to get it done during that time," said Rutherford, who
was in Champaign-Urbana to support local GOP candidates. "I've come out in support of changing the state
public pension systems a long time ago. It's not been popular. I have people who have been upset. I get it. They
don't want a change. But we've got to respond to it." He said he would support offering state retirees a choice
between a defined-benefit package with a higher premium and a defined-contribution package.
He also said he would be open to shifting pension costs to local school districts and universities — if it was part
of a broader agreement.
"I would not remove that from the table for discussion because I'm not so sure that it isn't a fair situation where
the local district does pick up a part of it," he said. "That could be on the table, but it should be part of a
complete discussion of issues on the table. You don't negotiate one piece of the contract and hope that the rest
comes along. If that is put on the table, then you also discuss unfunded state mandates, distribution of
categorical grants to schools and transportation issues."
Brady was in Champaign-Urbana, along with Adam Adrzejewski, the chairman of the For the Good of Illinois
political action committee, to endorse John Bambenek of Champaign for the state Senate. Bambenek is the
Republican challenger to Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign.
Brady called the 67 percent income tax increase approved in January 2011 with support from Frerichs and
other Democrats "probably the single biggest nail in the coffin to supporting jobs in Illinois." "We have to do
everything we can to repeal that tax, to free up the capital to be reinvested in Illinois' private sector," said Brady.
Bambenek, too, called for repeal of the income tax increase. "That would be the second vote. The first would
be on a state budget that allows that repeal to happen and still have a balanced budget," he said.
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/politics-and-government/2012-09-12/brady-rutherford-see-pension-bill-late-12-orearly-13.html
GOP officials: Pension plan could cost millions for
school districts, taxpayers
Rep. Dwight Kay and others preside over a press conference about an Illinois pension-shift proposal
Wednesday at the Edwardsville Public Library.
By ELIZABETH DONALD — News-Democrat
EDWARDSVILLE — Republican leaders oppose a Democratic plan to shift pension bills to local school
districts, but acknowledged they may not have the votes to stop it.
State Reps. Dwight Kay, R-Glen Carbon, and Ed Sullivan, R-Mundelein, spoke in Edwardsville Wednesday of
their opposition to a proposal to shift pension debt from the state government to school districts, which Kay
estimated would add $2.45 million to the budget in Edwardsville District 7 alone.
For all the districts in Kay's area, including Triad, Edwardsville, Collinsville and Granite City, the cost would
be about $6.5 million, he said.
Schools would have no choice but to raise property taxes, which are already disproportionately high for
downstate districts, Kay said.
"This is Springfield's problem to address and we must solve it, not at the expense of the taxpayer," Kay said.
"We're taking problems created in Springfield and downloading them to school districts to solve."
Kay said 2005 legislation allowed the state to use pension funds for other purposes, contributing to the massive
shortfall.
The proposed pension shift could be 6 percent to 9 percent of total payroll for a school district, and was a
significant point in several teacher contract negotiations as school districts and teachers tried to anticipate how
the state will order them to make up the pension shortfalls. Teachers and other state employees do not pay into
or receive Social Security, receiving their retirement benefits through the Teachers' Retirement System pension
plan instead.
"It doesn't solve the problem, just shifts the responsibility of who is paying for it," Sullivan said.
Kay said if a responsibility shift must take place, it should be gradually set over a number of years, not dumped
on the school districts all at once.
When asked about Republican proposals to address the issue, Kay and Sullivan said they were focused first on
stopping the pension shift, and then enacting pension reform.
Last week, Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno said she believes reducing or eliminating the automatic
cost-of-living increase in pensions will be far more effective in reforming the pension program than increasing
the age of retirement or increasing the amount paid by workers.
Speaking to a women's business group in O'Fallon, Radogno said Republicans and Democrats must find a
consensus to resolve the pension issue without passing the cost onto local taxing bodies.
Kay and Sullivan were joined by Madison County Treasurer Kurt Prenzler and County Board members Lisa
Ciampoli and Chris Slusser.
Slusser is challenging County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan in the November election.
Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/09/12/2320287/gop-officials-to-hold-news-conference.html#storylink=cpy
Quinn already has a website devoted to pension
overhaul
SPRINGFIELD | Anyone wondering what Gov. Pat Quinn might do to rally support for an overhaul of the
state’s pension systems need look no further than the governor’s own website.
Quinn, who says he is planning to launch an Internet-based grassroots pension lobbying effort in the coming
weeks, already has a web page dedicated to the cause.
The site — www.saveourstate.illinois.gov — urges Illinoisans to call their representatives in the General
Assembly to lobby for Quinn’s pension changes, which would require workers to pay more of their pay toward
their retirements and slash the annual cost of living adjustments for retirees.
“We must be able to provide funding for core government services — things like educating our children,
ensuring public safety and access to basic human services,” the site notes. “Every dollar we spend on pensions
and Medicaid is a dollar we don’t spend on grants, community programs and initiatives that many of us depend
upon.”
It remains unclear what new strategy Quinn plans to employ in the wake of a failed special legislative session
on pension reform last month. In the aftermath of the one-day debacle, Quinn said he wanted to get Illinoisans
involved in pressing their lawmakers to take action.
During a stop in Decatur on Saturday, he said the pension push would be focused on the Internet and social
media.
“We want to harness the power of the Internet,” Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said Monday.
The current site includes a link to help people in find contact information for their legislators.
“Please add your support by telling your elected legislators that we must have true pension reform as soon as
possible to restore fiscal stability to Illinois, strengthen our economy and make sure our state is in good shape
for the next generation,” the website notes.
Quinn and the General Assembly have been squabbling over how to address the more than $83 billion in
unfunded liability in the retirement systems affecting state workers, teachers, university workers, legislators and
judges.
In addition to adding costs for current workers and reducing annual adjustments for retirees, Quinn and
Democratic leaders have suggested making downstate school districts pay a bigger share of their employee
pension costs.
Republicans say that will force school districts to raise property taxes.
The website says lawmakers need to take action.
“Delaying, deferring, or denying this challenge is not an option. This isn’t about politics — no matter where
you stand, Illinois must address this problem. Today,” the site notes.
Legislative leaders gave the current website mixed reviews.
“The Senate president is encouraged by any efforts to achieve a bipartisan, comprehensive pension solution,”
said Ronald Holmes, spokesman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.
“This does not move the needle at all,” said Patty Schuh, spokeswoman for Senate Minority Leader Christine
Radogno, R-Lemont.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/quinn-already-has-a-website-devoted-to-pensionoverhaul/article_ae74da69-d596-5d7f-ae50-c64673cc4bb6.html