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Editorial #1
Chuck Prater -
Editor in Chief
It is
finally the end of the spring 2004 semester. It has been a
challenge academically as well as socially. The peaks and valleys
that have served as the landscape of the UIS Journal over the past
semester have been fulfilling and rewarding. It has been a period
of great growth and progress.
 The
Journal Editorial Board was implemented this semester and has done
a fabulous job. The Board was assembled to give this publication
different perspectives and to serve as a democratic utility in
regard to ensuring that journalistic ethics are adhered to through
following the Journal Code of Conduct that was drafted earlier
this semester. I should hope that the changes that were made this
semester will leave behind a new legacy that will continue to
blossom and grow through changing staff and middle management.
I have had the
fortune of being surrounded by a talented and dedicated staff of
individuals who are filled with ambition and dedicated to success
of this publication. Reporters like Tom Cronin and Jonathan Meyer
have sacrificed so much this year to bring you first class
reporting in a timely manner. Nannette Turner and Emily Chase
have given the Arts & Entertainment section of the publication
depth and excitement. The weekly column of Scott Shelby has been
ever so insightful and thought provoking. And of course, Mark
Brockett has kept the institution abreast of our sports teams’
triumphs and unfortunate defeats. Jim Marchioro has painstakingly
put in tireless hours week in and week out with no regards to the
amount of money he receives in wages. Mr. Marchioro is a world
class gentleman and reflects the premise that the new Journal was
built on. Yes, the staff at the UIS Journal is a special crew and
it has been more than an honor working with them.
Middle management
at the Journal has been ideal also. Managing Editor, Heather
Shaffer has been monumental in this newly developed position.
Christine Zeivel, the Assistant Editor, has grown and developed
into a confident and sincere leader. Sathya Gawalapally has
focused on the budget and has made sure the publication’s
advertisement revenue has been up to par. I thank my colleague
for making this publication possible. Vijay was added as our
Business Manager’s assistant and has helped solicit advertisements
and established new accounts from off campus businesses. Tyson
Roan has initiated several policies at the Journal and I wish him
luck in all his future plans. Liz Moran, the undisputed guru of
volunteerism, has taught me so much about giving. She will be
missed.
I would like to
welcome the new advisor to the Journal, Debbie Landis. I have had
the pleasure of working under Debbie as the A&E reporter her at
the Journal and she will be an excellent resource for the new
staff of reporters and editors. I would like to thank Ted Matula
who has done so much for our publication this last year and a
half. He has been a strong influence at the publication. His
advice and guidance has added another dimension to the paper. I
would like to wish him and Karin Cotterman well with their future
endeavors though it will be a tremendous lost to this institution
when they depart.
Another monumental
loss to UIS will be that of Dr. Sue Weber of the communications
department. Dr. Weber’s work with the UIS forensics team has been
simply astounding. She will be missed as a professor and a
colleague.
I finally would
like to end the semester with a comment to our Chancellor. I
would implore the Chancellor to be more active in issues of
diversity on this campus. I would ask him to be involved
personally. UIS does have the potential to be a campus that
thrives on the fact that its campus is diverse, but it must start
at the top. This task cannot be handed down to a subordinate. It
must be grasped wholeheartedly. It must begin where all genuinely
monumental and significant movements begin… at the beginning. I
wish the entire UIS student body success and achievement beyond
your greatest hopes and aspirations. I also would like to thank
you all for allowing me to be your Editor in Chief. Have a safe
and enjoyable summer.
Editorial #2
CHRISTINE ZEIVEL
- Assistant Editor
This
past school year has been a dynamic one; not only for this
university, but for its student newspaper. The editorial staff of
The Journal came into this year with new procedures, more
efficient organization, and most importantly, a fresh devotion to
making sure the students at UIS have a newspaper they could be
proud of. Although limited in their numbers, The Journal’s
writers have successfully managed provide this campus community
with unbiased, informative, and timely reporting. Without them we
would not have a paper, and I thank them all for all the hard, and
many times stressful, work they do each and every week.
A
huge thank you to Jim Marchioro, our layout editor, for his long
hours and hard work. Our publication has been dependant on his
ability to put the paper together, and he has never let us down.
Our office assistant, Paulette Krishack, has been able to make
this newsroom run smoother than I have ever seen. Paulette, you’re
a star that has brightened up our office, and that is priceless.
I would like to thank Heather Shaffer for her tireless devotion to
The Journal and its mission. More than an incredible
writer and managing editor, Heather has brought a unique and
beneficial perspective to the paper.
The
commitment and drive of our Editor in Chief, Chuck Prater, has
lead to the implementation of The Journal Editorial Board,
which has, in turn, developed its by-laws and procedures, a code
of conduct, and a new mission statement for the paper. Chuck has
spent more hours than I care to think about in the newsroom,
ensuring UIS has a newspaper to pick up every Wednesday. His hard
work has not only benefited this year’s publications, but will
continue to benefit The Journal for many years to come.
A
strong advocate of free speech and your right to know, Chuck has
gone to bat for this newspaper and everyone who works for it on
regular basis. He has been a huge asset to this publication and
will be thoroughly and undoubtedly missed when he leaves UIS after
this semester to enhance the lives of those in Atlanta. Chuck,
you’re one of the most intelligent, motivated, and good-hearted
people I know and I am such a better person for having known you.
All of us at The Journal wish you good luck and success on
all the many endeavors you are and will be involved in.
Editorial #3
Heather
Shaffer - Managing Editor
This semester I have had the
pleasure of serving as the Managing Editor of The Journal.
It has been one of the most exciting experiences of my college
career.
During my two years working with this newspaper, I have seen it
grow leaps and bounds. This is greatly due to the hard work of
everyone on our staff: including the Editorial Board, editorial
staff, writers, and support staff. Thanks to everyone for all of
your hard work.
I
would like to personally thank the others members of the Editorial
Board, especially Tyson Roan, for their hard work creating the
Editorial Bylaws and Procedures as well as The Journal Code of
Conduct. These are important contributions to our publication and
I hope to see their use continue for years to come.
I
would also like to thank Christine Zeivel. Thanks so much for all
of your hard word and dedication to this newspaper. Thanks for
giving me the opportunity to work alongside you.
Of
course our job is nothing compared to the hard work of the staff
writers. I think that the reporters are by far the most important
part of any newspaper. This year, our reporters have worked
through hard times, including short staff and budgetary issues.
Tom, Emily, Scott, Jonathan, Mark, and Nanette have worked through
all of these problems to produce incredible stories all year long,
making our paper better with each issue. Their contributions to
this publication are invaluable.
At
the end of this semester, we will be loosing a few people that
have been incredibly valuable to the entire staff. Chuck Prater
has served the campus community as Editor-in-Chief for three
semesters. During that time, the quality of our student newspaper
has increased greatly. I know I speak for the entire staff when I
say that he will be greatly missed. Thank you so much for
everything Chuck!
We
will also be losing our Business Manager Sathya Gawalapally and
Advisor Ted Matula. On behalf of the staff, I would like to thank
both of them for their work with The Journal and wish them
luck in their future endeavors.
Throughout this year, I think we have covered a wide variety of
events and issues important to the student body on campus:
including the building of University Hall, UPI, Stukel’s
retirement, missing townhouse furniture, and many others. I think
through the hard work of everyone at The Journal, we have
covered a fair balance of stories since we could not cover
everything that happened on campus. We have also provided a forum
of discussion between our staff, the administration, and the
campus community. Thanks to everyone that submitted letters to
the editor or guest commentaries. You have helped to increase
this forum of discussion.
I
cannot stress enough how much improvement I have seen throughout
this year. No one person has solely contributed to this
improvement. It has come from the hard work of everyone on the
staff as well as the support of the campus community. Thanks to
everyone. Have a great summer and see all of you next year!
Editorial #4
Tyson
Roan - Editorial Board Director
After two great years with
The Journal, I have decided that its time to go.
For four semesters, I’ve
given the campus publication all that I have to offer, starting
out in SGA, expanding my duties to all of student life, and being
appointed Director of the Editorial Board this year.
My post on the editorial
board helped to bring about the paper’s first ever bylaws and
procedures, in addition to a code of conduct for all staff to
abide. This year, we went through a massive restructuring plan
which opened up the editor-in-chief position to all students of
this university, undergraduate and graduate.
I have full faith in the
future of The Journal. With Heather and Christine, I leave
the publication in trustworthy hands that I know will continue on
the road to progress we have traveled during the past two years.
For me, it’s time to move
on. The editorial board has done more than anyone expected this
year, and I feel that I owe it to The Journal to open the
position up to another student, bringing new and vibrant faces,
with new and vibrant ideas, to the paper.
Our staff has done a
tremendous job this year. We’ve been on a hiring freeze for most
of this semester, and we’ve had severe budget problems for most of
the past year. The Journal staff has picked up the slack,
ever-fulfilling their duties to you, the campus community, by
picking up an extra story, writing more stories for less hours,
going way above and beyond the call of duty to assure a quality
publication each and every week.
A huge thanks to everyone
on the editorial board for all that you have done this year.
Chuck, Christine, Liz, Heather, and Eric are some of the funnest
people that I have ever had the opportunity to work with, and
together, we made a real change on the way things are run at this
university (or at least its paper). We’ve tackled the tough
issues, ranging from The SGA’s PATRIOT Act resolution to internal
restructuring and the documents our board has produced. I believe
that we can all honestly say that we’re leaving the paper at the
end of this year in much better shape than it was when we found
it.
And that’s something that
the entire staff should be proud of. I know that I am.
Still, it’s a bittersweet
moment for me, knowing that I’m leaving the people, office, and
paper I love for a shot at serving on SGA. But it’s time for me
to move on, to try something different, to grow as a person.
After all, that’s what college is all about.
Thank you all for a wonderful
two years.
Earth Week
Ashleen Woods
Dear Journal,
I was extremely upset to walk
through Brookens late in the evening of April 21, 2004 to find
several tables covered with "Earth Week" information. I wasn't mad
that it was there-I was very glad that some effort had been put
into a day that should be held everyday and not just once a year.
What I was mad about, was not hearing one word about any "Earth
Week" or even receiving an e-mail about it. I receive all sorts of
junk in my box everyday. If it's not a hundred reminders on how to
move out, it's Cabin Fever (which, don't get me wrong was fun) or
Game night. I heard second-hand after I was talking to my friends
that there were a few flyers up around the cafeteria and that the
event had been mentioned in the "Student Life this week" e-mail
that we receive, but other than that there was absolutely no
advertising. I for one would have liked to have attended some of
the events held for Earth Day, but do to poor advertising, I ,
along with several of my fellow classmates, didn't even know about
them. I'm not sure who was in charge of their advertising, but an
e-mail specifically about Earth Week events would have been nice.
I'm more than a little irritated that games and sports seem to be
more important than the environment. It's not that I'm trying to
down the sports, but it's pretty pathetic that a liberal arts
school doesn't know how to advertise for a mostly liberal subject
(as to my understanding our current government isn't doing much to
help the environment.) This isn't a complaint to the UIS Journal,
but a complaint to who ever was in charge of Earth Week's
advertising. I'm extremely disappointed, but I'm sure that
department doesn't really care about my opinion. Thanks to anyone
who read this.
In search of
diversity
Chuck Prater -
Editor in Chief
If
one were to take a walk through the campus of the University of
Illinois at Springfield, it would appear to be a mainstream
collegiate community. Students casually walk to class and
exchange laughs. There is the ever-present conversation of
mid-terms and paper deadlines. Though relatively conservative,
there have been a handful of somewhat radical events in the past
couple of years that attest to the fact that the university is
aware of pertinent social issues and possibly willing to change
for the better in some areas.
One
area that seems to remain absolutely stagnant is that of
diversity. The topic is worrisome yet ambiguous on this campus.
The “minority” population at UIS is a very miniscule one that
seems to be dwindling away each semester. African-Americans and
Hispanics are underrepresented, along with Asians, African and
Caribbean students. There seems to be a missing cultural link in
the social chain here at UIS. The gay, lesbian, bisexual and
trans-gendered population is virtually unseen on this campus, with
the exception of an event here or there that reaches the awareness
of the general population.
The
lack of diversity in the student population is one that concerns
me, indeed. Yet, what really causes one to stand up and take
notice is the fact that there has not been an African American
professor hired at this university in over a decade. As of right
now, October 22, 2003, there are less than 6 African American
instructors employed by this institution.
In
2001, there were 162 African Americans enrolled in
graduate/professional degree programs out of a total 1,966
students. The total African American degree enrollment in 2001
was 8.3%; that is a staggering 355 out of 4,288. The number of
African Americans who were enrolled in a Bachelor Degree program
at UIS was 187 out of a total 2,300. These numbers do not seem to
reflect the ideology of diversity on this campus. As a matter of
fact, the numbers seem to reflect a systematic lack of diversity.
Yet, the saga continues.
As
of September 15, 2003, there are 74 students who have government
and public service internships (GPSI). Of these positions, one is
Asian and 5 are African American. The total number of graduate
assistant (GA) positions at UIS is 76. These 76 positions are
held by 3 Asians and 4 African Americans with the remaining 69
positions held by International and white students. In January of
this same year, there were only 2 African American graduate
assistants. I imagine this to be considered progress.
In
2001, there were 104 tenured faculty personnel at UIS. Of these,
only 9 were African American. Out of a total 167 faculty at UIS,
only 10 were African American. In this same year, there were 50
tenure-track faculty members at UIS, yet not a single one was
African American or Hispanic. Non-tenure-track faculty in that
same year totaled 114. Again, not one single African American,
Asian or Hispanic personnel filled one of these positions… not
one.
So
what does these numbers say about diversity at UIS? I’m afraid it
doesn’t say very much. It becomes exceedingly difficult and
virtually uninspirational for minority students who arrive at UIS
to see relatively no representation in faculty and
administration. It makes the discussion of diversity on this
campus moot and ineffective. There must first be a change that
moves this university in the direction of welcoming diversity and
not just paying it lip service.
Discussing diversity is fine but it is a far more rewarding to
commit to social change. Until that day comes, there will always
be feelings of inequality and distrust. A certain sense of not
totally belonging to this institution remains an everyday reality
for a number of minority students. There needs to be an immediate
change.
Patriot Act not so
patriotic
Liz Moran
After September 11, 2001, it seemed
that the gravest threat facing the United States was al-Qaida’s
terrorism. Two years later, what seems more troubling is the
United States government’s attack on civil liberties in the
PATRIOT Act and in the upcoming PATRIOT Act II.
Riding the wave of terror that
seized the nation after the
 World
Trade Center attacks, Congress hastily passed the “Uniting and
Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to
Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism” (USA PATRIOT ACT). This
sweeping legislation opened the door for federal, state and local
law enforcement officials to detain or spy on people the
government deems suspicious and to expand the federal government’s
authority to conduct executions.
The success of the PATRIOT Act
relies on a general
“I have nothing to hide so why
should I worry” response from Americans, especially college
students. Yet it is college students who may be most at risk.
According to the National
Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA),
educational institutions are permitted to disclose – without the
consent or knowledge of the student or parent – personally
identifiable information from the student’s education records to
any employee of the Department of Justice, including the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, in connection with “terrorist”
investigations.
Sound extreme? According to the
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions
Officers, about 200 colleges and universities have turned over
student information to the FBI, INS, and other law enforcement
agencies.
Specifically, The PATRIOT Act
forces librarians at universities to provide, upon request, any
student records they possess and other documents such as internet
sign-in logs. It also authorizes the expansion of the government’s
ability to wiretap telephones, monitor e-mail; communications,
survey medical, financial and student records, and secretly enter
homes and offices without customary administrative oversight or
without showing of probable cause.
Most at risk are the 200,000
international students studying in the U.S., 200 of those at UIS.
The FBI is asking U.S. colleges and universities to release
private information on foreign students and faculty members to
determine whether they are linked to terrorists. All of this
information is collected and stored in a federal database, the
Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
Educational institutions are required to participate in SEVIS or
face loss of their ability to host international students.
The provisions of the PATRIOT Act
have been, and will continue to be, used to legitimize racial
profiling practices and to violate Americans’ and our foreign
visitor’s civil liberties. The Act severely weakens student’s
confidentiality protection guaranteed in Family Education Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA), which prohibits the disclosure of student
records (coursework and grades, financial information) without
consent.
However, students and universities
can combat the PATRIOT Act.
The December 25, 2002 Washington
Post reported that according to FBI spokesman Bill Carter, there
is no requirement on the part of the colleges to provide this
information.
“We can request it, and they can
provide the information,” Carter said. “They don’t have to
comply.”
Many universities are taking that
advice. Some are refusing to voluntarily submit student’s
information and others have been persuaded by student government
resolutions passed by the student body.
University of
Illinois at Springfield students deserve
the same kind of protection. UIS should join the University of
Illinois Champaign-Urbana,
University of Oregon, California
(Berkley), Georgetown University,
nearly 200 cities and countless civic organizations in passing a
resolution opposing the PATRIOT Act.
Action is necessary now as Congress
is considering
the Domestic Security Enhancement
Act of 2003, known as the PATRIOT Act II, with more than 100 new
provisions that “fill in the holes of PATRIOT I,” according to
Justice Department spokesperson Mark Corallo.
As Attorney
General John Ashcroft tours the nation this week promoting the
PATRIOT Act and pushing for PA II, we call on UIS officials to
reject the PATRIOT Act and refuse to comply with the FBI’s
invasion of student’s privacy. We urge the Student Government
Association to pass an Anti-PATRIOT Act resolution calling on the
university to value and protect the Constitutional rights of its
students.
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