Eastern News
Wednesday
“Tell th e t r u t h a n d d o n ’ t b e a fr a i d . ”
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OC TOBER 12, 2011 V O LU M E 9 6 | N o. 1 3 1
EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILL. D A I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M T WIT TER.COM/DENNE WS
Golf used to raise money for research
Men’s soccer team heading to Windy City
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PRESIDENT
THOMAS
Perry ‘escapes Old Main’ Thomas Hall to be co-ed in Fall 2012 President Bill Perry will “Escape from Old Main” today for three hours to make himself available to interact with students. “I was thinking about how so much of our communication nowadays is by email, texting, Facebook and things like that, and I know how much we value personal relationships here at Eastern,” Perry said. “What I thought was that I could take the opportunity to be in one place for a period of time in places where students are likely to be, like residence hall lounges and the (Martin Luther King Jr. University) Union.” Students can approach Perry with anything they want to talk about such as an idea for implementing a program that Eastern should have or different ways to recruit students, Perry said. “If you are a student and you have an idea about Eastern or a way to improve Eastern, you can sit down with me and tell me what is on your mind,” Perry said. “If you would like to let me know about something you think we are doing particularly well, then that’s good information for me too.”
Perry said he likes being able to generate more personal interactions with students and he usually converses with them at fine arts events, athletic events and at the University Food Court. “I also interact with students by just walking around or meeting with students involved in service, tailgating and groups like the Panther Marching Band and the student government,” Perry said. “I meet students in a lot of different ways and a lot of it is organized and some of it is not.” He said he thought “Escape from Old Main” would open a door to meet more students who aren’t involved in those groups and who haven’t crossed paths with him yet. “If I am sitting in one place and they know that I am going to be there it gives them the opportunity to come by,” Perry said. Six dates for “Escape from Old Main” have been scheduled during this semester. “If the first two or three start well, then we will hopefully start scheduling another six or eight times for the spring because we schedule things fairly far
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
COMING OUT DAY
By Rachel Rodgers Administration Editor
‘Senate on the Road’ is today By Kathryn Richter Staff Reporter
Pemberton Hall will sponsor the first “Senate on the Road” meeting at 7 p.m. today. Student Senate Speaker Zach Samples, a history major, said the program fulfills the student government’s commitment to students by bringing the meetings to them. “I think this is going to be a great way to reach out to students,” Samples said. Samples said the program will allow students more access to the meetings in a more informal environment. Freshman history major John Bays said that Pemberton is excited to sponsor the first “Senate on the Road” event. “It’s kind of nice for us to come to them for a change and have them see what we do,” Bays said. Bays also said that he was hoping for feedback from students and to learn how to better serve them. “I was hoping to get to meet people,” Bays said. Also at today’s meeting, a proposal will be made on behalf of the Student Action Team. The Student Action Team, which is the lobbying team for student government, is planning on sending a group of non-senate and senate members to Springfield to lobby support of Eastern. SENATE, page 5
in advance because some things have long timelines like conferences and things like that,” Perry said. Students who speak with Perry at the event will be given a sticker that says “I helped President Perry Escape from Old Main,” and it will have the program logo on it. The first “Escape from Old Main” event is from noon to 3 p.m. today in the Taylor Hall Lobby. “The No. 1 goal is to sit and talk with the students, and if I can fill up the whole three hours talking to students then I will be very happy,” Perry said. Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or rjrodgers@eiu.edu.
By Nike Ogunbodede Campus Editor
The pungent, stale stench of sweaty socks and overbearing smell of Old Spice body wash will soon mingle with the floweryand-fruity scents of Bath & Body Works in Thomas Hall, one of only two all-male residence halls. Thomas Hall, founded in 1964, once boasted as Eastern’s residence hall that housed the most residents, will be the first residence hall changed to co-ed in almost 30 years. Mark Hudson, the director of University Housing and Dining Services, said he thinks switching Thomas Hall to both a female and male student residence hall is necessary to meet the next incoming classes. The change was not just sudden decision but had been discussed for some time, Hudson said. “Over the last couple of years we have been seeing a trend where the larger single, gender male environment had less people requesting it as a first choice,” Hudson said. “What we are trying to figure out is ‘what do we need to do to respond to that change’ in people’s interest.” Students may be responsive to all-male
halls but the responses Eastern receives might is not filling the capacity it once did, Hudson said. “At the same time, we also noticed that our environments that are co-ed by floor like in Taylor—those requests have gone up,” Hudson said. Eastern currently has six co-ed, two allmale and four all-female residence halls, not including Greek Court, University Court or University Apartments. The conversion discussion was first brought to Thomas Hall Council then the Residence Hall Association because of the steadily increasing number of female students while the male population is decreasing. Hudson said the disproportionate way of Eastern divides its living quarters needed to be reevaluated because of its enrollment numbers changing. “Our design right not is about 60 percent female space and 40 percent male space but this incoming freshman class was 62 percent female and 38 percent male,” Hudson said. “It’s enough of a shift that you have to pay attention to the way in which your spacing is available.” THOMAS, page 5
Students share coming out stories By Emily Pellegrine Staff Reporter
Shaken and visibly nervous Cory Law passed the microphone that he had previously been clutching in his hand to another Eastern student after just declaring his sexuality to the entire campus on Tuesday. Law reluctantly took a seat on the steps of Booth Library, he said his anxiety was gone and relief took its place. Law, a senior health studies major, was one of many students to come out but said he was unsure if he was bisexual or gay. “Now that I came out I don’t always have to have my guard up. I can be open with my friends and eventually my family will accept who I am as well,” Law said. Law said he planned on coming out on Tuesday but he has accepted his feelings long before. His family was the first to know— long before he verbally said it, but because of traditional religious beliefs and its disapproval he kept his secret, Law said. Law said his family was afraid of what their small, southern town would say if he were to come out while at home. They were afraid of what people in town would say, Law said. “I’m the last person to carry out my last name, my parents don’t accept who I am they’re anti-LGBT community,” Law said. Law said he just started attending the EIU Pride, who put the National Coming Out Day event, meetings this year because he was not open about
KIMBERLY FOSTER | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Senior sociology major Kirstin Bowns takes the microphone Tuesday to "come out" with a secret as part of Pride's celebration of National Coming Out Day by the steps of Booth Library. Students were encouraged to share a secret about anything, with topics including sexuality, odd quirks and embarrassing experiences being revealed.
his sexuality until recently. “I’m a paragon of heterosexual virility,” Law said. Amanda Pennell, a junior family consumer science major, came out and said expressing her sexuality as a lesbian had been a long-time coming. “I came out to the Pride group first, then my mom and brother,” Pennell said. Pennel said she thinks it is wrong
that people made her committing a crime for being attracted to girls. Adam Westendorf, a junior psychology major, said he was asked to leave his church for accepting that homosexuality is OK. It is events like these that allow people to be who they are and give them voices, Pennel said. “I think this event is a good opportunity for people to come out and ex-
press themselves, especially with the support of EIU Pride here,” Westendorf said. “It’s hard when society thinks one thing, and you feel another,” Pennell said. Pennell said she is glad it is getting easier for individuals in society to express their sexuality. SHARE, page 5