Tornado sweeps through Springfield

By Emily Martin - Public Affairs Reporter

Graduate assistants could be seen trickling in and out of Conference Room E last Wednesday as they voted “yes” or “no” for union representation at UIS. It may have been a silent ballot, but the victory party to follow surely was not.
In a 40-1 vote, grad assistants decided to organize under the University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100 and to finally have a voice of solidarity on campus.
UPI currently represents 3,000 employees at seven Illinois universities – from clerical, technical and service workers to graduate and teacher’s assistants – and is already representing 150 staff members at UIS. But before last week, our university’s GAs had no potential bargaining power.
There are nine members of the Organizing Committee for the Association of Graduate Employees/UPI on campus: Melanie England, Alissa Manzoeillo, Ryan Morrison, Leslie Rossman, Vera Leopold, Liz Moran, Renee Redfield, Alanna Sablotny and Evan Wilson. These are the graduates who encouraged other GAs to cast their ballot at the March 1 election and who put union talks into action.
The AGE/UPI brochure, distributed by the Organizing Committee, explained why grad assistants should commit to unionizing. The information sheet set out three main objectives for would-be union members to consider: Higher wages, better health care and a united voice.
Evan Wilson, graduate assistant for the Innocence Project, said these objectives are just the essentials. “We have very basic health care that isn’t adequate for most grad assistants,” Wilson said, “and we are making less than the other U of I campuses.”
As the commitment brochure pointed out, graduate employees at UIUC receive $4,000 more a year than UIS grads, and are doing the same work. Organizing under a union, said the Springfield GAs, would allow bargaining for similar compensation.
Perhaps more fundamental is the aspect of health care. As the Illinois Federation of Teachers field representative Dave Kamper explained, the average age of a graduate assistant is 32. Presently, GAs at our university are covered only by the basic student health insurance, which does not include provisions for families or special medical conditions, prescriptions etc. Grad employees want to bargain for a new health care plan that goes beyond typical undergrad coverage, to fit the needs of their dynamic group.
Before IFT representative Kamper heard of the grads’ dilemma, he said the group had already began organizing possible union options. “They did all of this themselves; they did all of the work. I’m just here to answer questions if they have any.” And their camaraderie seems to have paid off as, the GA for International Studies Liz Moran said, they hope to begin bargaining this spring.
  Before the final votes were tallied Moran said, “I expect that we are going to win by a majority and we certainly hope that within the next month or so we will start negotiating.” As her prediction unfolded, the majority was indeed achieved at the election last week and GAs are eager to begin negotiation.
“We are excited that all of our organizing paid off and that we have the chance to improve our campus,” said Vera Leopold, representing the Center for State Policy and Leadership. Leopold said the Organizing Committee had been busy for about eight weeks spreading the union word and bringing awareness to other GAs. But, as Liz Moran made clear, students in the grad assistantship program have been attempting unification for over year. This group of organized grads made it happen.
The world of union acronyms, affiliations and chapters can get confusing; but here is a short breakdown.  UPI is a chapter of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. The UPI, hence the name, focuses on the union representation of higher education in Illinois. Both of these sub-chapters are supported by the larger scoped union of the AMERICAN Federation of Teachers, which has 1.3 million members nation-wide.
In upcoming negotiations, the UPI representatives, graduate employees and administration will also decide who will be considered a union member. Teacher Assistants and Resident Assistants who carry the same workload as GAs may be eligible to negotiate as well. At the election, an RA or TA could fill out a “challenge ballot” saying they deserved union representation as well.
The university’s graduate employees will be able to address the administration with concerns they may have, to ensure competitive wages and fair benefits, in proceeding negotiations. This group of students is separate from the existing seven staff unions at UIS, and has their work cut out for them as the first unionized GAs on campus.

Chancellor announces five-year plan

By Emily Martin - Public Affairs Reporter

  There’s no doubt about it, Chancellor Richard Ringeisen said in five years, UIS will be one of the top five small public liberal arts universities in the country.    
  Ringeisen called this vision “audacious” and “bold,” but he said last week that dreaming big is the only way to achieve greatness. In five years, the chancellor said the university’s strategic plan will help make UIS a more innovative and renowned institution.
Six goals, outlined in the university’s plan, drive this initiative: Academic Excellence, Enriching Individual Lives, Making a Difference in the World, Strengthening Campus Culture, Enrollment and Retention and Resources and Infrastructure.
The Strategic Planning Committee - comprised of faculty members, administrators, staff and students - developed the first strategic outline in the history of UIS this year. The school last outlined its future in 1992 when it was known as Sangamon State University, and Ringeisen said it was about time for UIS to have its own plan.
The importance of such a draft, said Ringeisen, is to provide a roadmap that allows an institution to target its progress and goals. “Setting these goals allows us to determine who we want to be, and how exactly we will get there,” he said. “When making a decision we must ask, ‘How does this fit with our vision?’ And what we decide for our future should go right along with that vision.”
So, how will UIS be different in five years? As we have seen in the past five years, with the construction of the techno-rich University Hall Building, the new residence areas and the ‘colonnade’ in the center of campus, Ringeisen said our physical appearance will change. But our campus will not only change visually, as the new recreation center is to break ground this spring, Ringeisen said we will transform academically and socially as well.
“Something we will be doing fairly soon is this idea of a yearly theme,” he said. Ringeisen said each year he will introduce a topic, in collaboration with faculty and students, which will initiate discussion and debate on campus.
Corresponding with the columns of the campus-centered colonnade, these topics will provide an intellectual center reminiscent of ancient Greece. Subjects of debate will vary from year to year, said Ringeisen, and will provide an outlet for mingling multiple perspectives. He said these topics – ranging from community concerns to worldly issues – will allow students and faculty interact both inside and outside of the classroom.
Another initiative to encourage the first four goals – Academic Excellence, Enriching Individual Lives, Making a Difference in the World, Strengthening Campus Culture – is increasing opportunities to study abroad.
Ringeisen said UIS already has an excellent Applied Study Term program and many overseas possibilities, with a sister school in Ashikaga, Japan, but he said he realizes that not all students can afford to take these opportunities.
"Maybe we can take a week over the holiday break in the winter to go on an officially sponsored university trip," he said, offering an alternative to longer studies. The chancellor said UIS director of International Director Jonathan Goldberg Belle is looking at many possibilities for students who want more global experiences.
In the classroom, he said new Capital Scholars will be globally immersed with the Engaged Common Citizen Experience curriculum. These classes will focus on communities and cultures around the world, providing students with a more worldly background and preparing them for opportunities to study abroad.
Ringeisen said UIS has many advantages that set the school apart from other institutions, and that those aspects should be accentuated by the strategic plan. “There are lots of mid-sized public institutions in the state of Illinois. There are some ‘mega-universities’ like Urbana and UIC, but there is no alternative for someone who wants to go to a small public university. That’s is one of our niches.” Ringeisen said UIS will always stay small, keeping no more than about 6,000 students per semester.
Ringeisen said class sizes and student/faculty closeness are relative to the atmosphere of a small private college, but tuition costs are nowhere near that of a private institution. He said full-time students at UIS are getting the same quality education for about $24,000 less a year.
Another aspect, which Ringeisen said is worthy of keeping up, is the university’s online program. He said enrollment in online classes increases as quickly as courses are developed, and the program is ranked highly in the nation. As of last year, the university’s online computer science program was ranked fourth in the country.
“As far as I know, nobody in the country is doing a good job at studying how effective (online teaching) is,” Ringeisen said another proposal of the strategic plan is to develop a center for online teaching which would research the effectiveness of Internet education.
The above-mentioned motives are only a few of the strategic plan’s thrusts; there are about 30 in total. UIS is growing and changing; that’s what it says near the university’s logo. In five years, even if only half of the initiatives were completed (although the Chancellor would surely not accept that projection), our campus would indeed be different.
As far as setbacks to achieving these goals, Ringeisen said money is the main challenge. For the next five years, the plan requires $1.77 million and a total capital investment of $89 million. “We hope to get some state support, but we understand that that money is not always available,” said Ringeisen. He said the Campus Budget Planning Committee (a part of the Student Senate) will help give financial advice and decide what funds should be reallocated to meet the needs of each goal.
In short, as if one could shorten this huge undertaking, Ringeisen said this initiative is for the students. “When it comes right down to it, all of these things (in the strategic plan) are to help us do our fundamental job better, which is to teach. It is important that we set our aspirations high, even if it takes a little muscle and stretch to get there.”
The complete plan can be viewed at www.uis.edu/strategicplan/.

Tornado sweeps through Springfield

Chancellor announce five-year plan