Meet the candidates for the primaries

By Ashley Rook - General Assignment Reporter

With the early voting period already in progress and the primary election coming up March 21, the time has come to look at the potential candidates for state political offices in the Illinois primary.
The much-contested gubernatorial race consists of incumbent governor Rod Blagojevich, who will be a tough contender given the impressive amount of money he received for his campaign, and the seven candidates challenging his position.  Current State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, Ron Gidwitz, Jim Oberweis, Bill Brady and Andy Martin are the Republican candidates, with Randy Stufflebeam and Rich Whitney representing the Constitution and Green parties, respectively.  A recent Chicago Tribune poll shows Topinka is leading the pack with a 38 percent approval rating, followed by Oberweis with 17 percent and Gidwitz with 11 percent.
A study by Rasmussen Reports has also shown that Topinka has also edged out Blagojevich in the opinion polls, 48 to 37 percent.  If Topinka is elected, the fate of one of the state’s most debated issues, the moratorium on the death penalty, could be determined.  Former Governor George Ryan placed the moratorium six years ago, and while Blagojevich has refused to lift it, pressure from Republicans could lead Topinka to resume executions.       
Current Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn is also running for re-election, under the campaign promise of continuing to implement pro-consumer and pro-family policies, such as the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund.  He is challenged by Julie Samuels, representing the Green party, and six Republican candidates: Lawrence Bruckner, Chirinjeev Kathuria, Raymond Poe, Joe Birkett, Steve Rauschenberger and Sandy Wegman.  Due in part to his endorsement by Topinka, Birkett is currently the frontrunner among the candidates, promising to “make Illinois great again.”
In the Treasurer race, incumbent treasurer Topinka opted out of running for re-election to run for governor, leaving the position to candidates Christine Radogno (R), Alexi Giannoulias (D), Tony Lopez Cisernos (D), Paul Mangieri (D) and the Rev. Dan Rodriguez-Schlorff (Green). 
Radogno, a state senator, may have the most recognizable name among the candidates, but Giannoulias’s financial experience and Mangieri’s and Rodriguez-Schlorff’s political expertise could easily give them the edge.
Lisa Madigan (D), Illinois’ first female attorney general, will be running for re-election this year against Stewart Umholtz (R) and David Black (Green).  Her work in passing legislation to crack down on methamphetamines and improving the state’s Sex Offender Registry may give her the edge over Umholtz and Black, although both have distinguished law careers. 
Also running for re-election are Secretary of State Jesse White (D) against Karen Young (Green) and Dan Rutherford (R) and Comptroller Dan Hynes (D) against Carol Pankua (R) and Alicia Snyder (Green).

Not sure what to do this summer?

By Laura Camper - General Assignment Reporter

Podcasting is a deceptive term, according to Burks Oakley, who teaches online class Internet and American Life. Oakley said in a seminar on podcasting, you don’t need an iPod to listen to a podcast, just a computer. He prefers the term, POD-casting, personal on-demand broadcasting.
Podcasting is a relatively new development in broadcasting that allows people to subscribe to certain programs and receive them automatically via the Internet in mp3 format. Oakley says it allows the subscriber to listen to the program at their convenience either at home on the computer or out and about on the iPod.
Podcasting makes more resources available to teachers and students in the classroom. Guest speakers who can’t visit the classroom can podcast a lecture or interview for all the students to download. Field trips like a trip to a museum can be podcast to the students without travel expenses. And certain subjects can be taught online thanks to podcasting.
Teachers at UIS are already using podcasting in the classroom.  Oakley uses podcasting in his online class. He says that the most common complaint he hears from on-line students is that “online classes are cold.”  He says podcasting can make a class much more personal, so he asks his students to make a podcast introducing themselves. “Just hearing the students’ voice, how they pronounce their names,” makes a big difference Oakley says.
Podcasting is being used for more than just educational purposes, though.  Audioblogging adds a new dimension to the traditional blogs found on the Internet. Radio programs from National Public Radio to British Broadcasting Corporation to amateur radio networks are popping up all over the Internet, creating new ways to enjoy talk radio, music, sports and educational programming at a time that fits the subscriber’s schedule.
UIS has the capability of broadcasting this kind of programming, according to Albert Whittenberg, associate director of educational technology.  “We have the hardware, certainly,” he says.  “From a technical standpoint, we are set up to do this.”  He says that Bill Wheelhouse, the general manager of WUIS, also would be willing to lend his expertise to train interested students.
However, he says, the educational technology department isn’t interested in running a radio station. “Our job is to support,” says Whittenberg.  “If a student group came forward we would be willing to help.”
Whittenberg goes on to say that podcasts are not subject to FCC rules and therefore don’t require 24-hour broadcasting, like an on-air radio station. That can make the project more attractive to amateurs who can’t put in the time commitment an on-air program requires.

Podcasting connects students

By Laura Camper - General Assignment Reporter

It’s almost midterms and while most students are dreaming about spring break, some UIS students are already making their summer plans. Students attending one of the Global Experience Programs offered by UIS are registering now for their study abroad trips.
Graduate student Nicole Overcash has attended three Global Experience Programs and definitely recommends them.  “I think college is the best time to travel,” she says. “You have the time to take off and explore your interests. That is not always an option after graduation.”
The trips Overcash took, one to Springfield’s sister city, Ashikaga, Japan; one to study literature in Poland and one to study literature in Scotland and Ireland, were all credit courses and counted toward her degree. However, she says they taught her about more than the literature she was studying. In learning about the cultures she was studying, she says she learned about herself.
“People can’t really know themselves unless they are exposed to ideas other than their own,” she said. They give you a new perspective, she added, a new way of looking at yourself and your culture. Besides, she says, “They’re addictive.”  Once you experience another culture, you want to experience more and more.
Jonathan GoldbergBelle, director of the Office of International Affairs, says the trips are set up as learning experiences and short-term cultural immersion. “You’re off the tourist trail, not isolated in a tourist compound,” he says.  You see how people really live in the country you visit, he said.  Four of the trips also offer the opportunity to live with local families, so students can experience the way of life firsthand.
The trips to Botswana and Jamaica are set up as mini-Peace Corps experiences, allowing the student to work alongside residents on community projects. Liberal Studies Professor Jan Droegkamp, who arranged the trips, was a Peace Corps volunteer and wanted to share the experience with students. The structure of the trips allows the student to recognize the community’s problems and become part of the solution.
The focus of each trip is different, from finance in Nicaragua to language and culture in Japan to literature in England and Ireland, and they allow some flexibility for the student to explore some of their own interests. Overcash suggests talking to the organizer of the trip when registering to express particular interests.  It may be too late to make arrangements after arriving in the country.
This summer, five trips are being offered to Nicaragua, Botswana, Jamaica and two different trips to Japan. Before registering for a trip, visit the Office of International Affairs to discuss what trip is best for you and how it will fit into your education goals. The registration deadlines are fast approaching – today is the deadline for the Botswana and Jamaican Society trips, Friday for Ceramic Arts of Japan and March 27 for Japanese Language and Culture – so move fast. Call for an appointment at 206-6678 or e-mail intaff@uis.edu for more information.

Meet the candidates for the primaries

Podcasting connects students

Not sure what to do this summer?