Higher Education Lobby Day brings crowd of nearly 1000

By Jason Satek - SGA/General Assignment Reporter

The basement auditorium of the Illinois State Museum was the site of the initial rally of the Higher Education Lobby Day on Wednesday, April 13. Facilitated mainly by the Illinois Education Association, nearly 1,000 union members, teachers, administrators, and students attended, all seeking to have more state funds directed to higher education.

A number of elected officials welcomed the crowd. State Representative Kevin McCarthy, chairman of the Committees on Higher Education thanked the group for their efforts and pledged that if economic conditions improved, “restoring funds will be one of our highest priorities.”

State Senators Ed Maloney and David Luechtefeld followed, speaking of tying education to other long-term issues in the state and to the importance of economic benefits generated by higher education facilities.

The atmosphere of the gathering was changed greatly by the next speaker, the Rev. and State Senator James T. Meeks explained why Senate Bill 750, which would “generate over 1.8 billion dollars for education,” should be the top priority for anyone claiming to be for higher education and if not 750, “Where is their legislation (for higher education)?”

Citing a promise by Gov. Rod Blagojevich not to raise taxes, Meeks continued that he could admire Blagojevich for keeping his word but, “there are 177 elected officials here, the Governor ain't the only show in town,” eluding to a veto-proof majority that could override any objection by the State's chief executive to legislation.

Concluding his oratory, Sen. Meeks advised that lobbyists need ask only one question of their representatives, “Where are you on 750?” The crowd should not let legislators off the hook without an answer, as they had unknowingly done earlier letting “a couple get out of this room” that had not signed onto the bill yet.

Following this advice, the crowd so questioned the next speaker, Rep. Will Davis, who paused for effect and then replied, “I am an original co-sponsor” to loud cheering.

Two women followed Rep. Davis, speaking for the Southern Illinois Universities in Carbondale and Edwardsville. Tequia Hicks of SUIC and Cindy Holesko of SUIE put a face and personal story on the fund scarcity for students, and were followed by Rep. David Miller.

A non-tuition issue linked to higher education, that of the “chronic under-funding of the state retirement system” was subject of James Hacking, the executive director of the State Universities Retirement System. He warned that the Illinois debt was $35 billion, the “largest unfunded liability of any state system, anywhere in the nation” and proclaimed the current administration was performing “blatantly unconstitutional” actions in doing so.

The last speaker was B. Joseph White, the president of University of Illinois , who talked of his background and thanked the collation for their support of higher education.

At the time of this writing, the Illinois General Assembly website has Senate Bill 750 placed on the calendar for a third reading while the companion House Bill 750 has been re-referred to the Rules Committee.

'The Hurricane' encourages UIS to 'dare to dream'

By Heather Shaffer - Editor-in-Chief

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, the former middleweight boxing champion who spent nearly 20 years in prison after being wrongfully accused of a triple murder, visited the UIS campus for a presentation titled “The Flight for Justice” on April 13.

In honor of Carter's visit to UIS, Springfield mayor Tim Davlin signed a proclamation on behalf of the city of Springfield declaring April 13 Rubin Carter Day for the city.

Carter is currently the leader of Innocence International, the first-ever international organization devoted to helping innocent people and finding the truth that will set them free.

“Why me?” Carter chuckled, “Isn't that what we always say when something unfortunate happens to us.”

During his speech, Carter explained his fight for justice during his wrongful conviction and encouraged people to dare to dream.

“Unlike other Hurricane's this season, I bring not destruction, I bring you good news. I bring to you the message that I heard in prison, not the message of despair, but the Biblical message of hope: The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.”

When Carter was one fight away from becoming the Middleweight Champion of the world, he was arrested and accused of a triple murder in New Jersey.

According to Carter, in 1966 at the age of 29, he was earning more the $100,000 a year. He had a wife, a daughter, a yacht and even a Cadillac Deville with his name engraved on the side. He said, “I was at the peak of my career—a professional prize fighter about to fight for the championship of the world—and the next thing I knew, I was fighting for my very life.”

Carter said he did not fit the description of murder suspect, he passed a lie detector test, he had an alibi that included several witnesses, and yet he was still convicted.

Following that conviction and after nearly escaping the electric chair, Carter was sentences to three life sentences. He spent 20 years in prison, ten of those years in solitary confinement.

Carter said he spent much of the first few years in prison angry and bitter at everyone that had a hand in putting him there. He said that the anger and bitterness began to consume him.

According to Carter, that all changed one day when he looked in a mirror and did not recognize the face that was staring back at him. “At that moment I began to actively understand that if I was going to survive, I had to change,” he said.

During the 20 years of incarceration, Carter said he began to understand that if one wishes to survive prison and the hate, humiliation, degradation then one must find a way to rise above the law.

“One Nov. 8, 1985, I received the most precious gift a person could be given besides the gift of life itself. My life was given back to me. After 20 long years, I became the proud recipient of a write of habeas corpus,” Carter said.

He said that in the year he received his write of habeas corpus, 8,500 other writs were given out and only three were successful. His was one of the successful writs.

“Why me? Because I have lived a nightmare and survived—dare to dream,” he said.

Carter's life story has been chronicled in the movie “The Hurricane” starring Denzel Washington.

“Since the release of the movie ‘The Hurricane' when I walk down the street people come up to me, shake their head and say ‘You don't look like Denzel Washington' and they are actually being kind to me because what they are actually saying is ‘Thank God Denzel Washington doesn't look like you,'” Carter said.

According to John Hanlon, legal director of the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project, there are two differences between Carter and most other people: Carter had to live the experience of being wrongfully convicted and spent 20 years of his life in prison. Since his release, he has devoted the past 20 years of his life to continuing the fight for justice for others who were wrongfully convicted.

“Every time I see this man I learn something. Every time I see this man, I am inspired. And, every time I see this man I am reminded of why we must continue the fight for justice, in particular for those persons who have been wrongfully accused. This man is living proof of why this fight must continue,” said Hanlon.

Larry Golden, co-director of the Downstate Innocence Project, said that a few months ago the UIS Innocence Project Student Club was discussing bringing Denzel Washington to campus. Golden said he told the club “No we are going to do better—we are going to get the Hurricane.”

Following his presentation, Carter stayed on campus to sign autographs and pose for pictures for audience members.

The UIS Innocence Project Student Club, the Institute for Legal and Policy Studies, The Inter-Club Council Board, Springfield Dominican Sisters, the UIS Speaker's Awards Committee and the UIS Student Activities Committee, sponsored Carter's visit to UIS.

“Ladies and Gentlemen after listening to this man and learning from this man, if you are not inspired to get up and do something to help the fight for the innocent, then my might want to check your pulse because you might be dead,” Hanlon said.

According to Bill Clutter, co-director of the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project, the organization was established in spring of 2001. Their first case was to help free Keith Harris, who was serving a 50-year sentence for a crime he did not commit. The UIS Innocence Project Student Club helps the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project with cases fighting for the wrongfully convicted.

Higher Education Lobby Day brings crowd of nearly 1000

'The Hurricane' encourages UIS to 'dare to dream'