Eastern News
Tuesday
“Tell th e t r u t h a n d d o n ’ t b e a fr a i d . ”
T
H
E
D
A
I
L
V O LU M E 9 6 | N o. 1 3 9
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
Panthers suffer winless weekend
Page 3
Page 8
Student found dead inside apartment An Eastern student was found dead in his apartment over the weekend. Eric Blanchette, 30, a business major, was pronounced dead at 3:53 p.m Saturday in his Youngstown Apartment. Coles County Coroner Ed Schniers said on Monday that the cause of death is currently unknown. The autopsy took place on Monday.
OC TOBER 25, 2011
Angels, divas to appear in ballroom for show
CIT Y
By Samantha Bilharz Associate News Editor
Y
Making a statement
Preliminary results should be available today, but Schniers said full results may not be available for some time. “No foul play is expected,” said Chief Deputy Coroner Michael H. Bennett. The Charleston Police Department and Youngstown Apartments denied commenting on the matter. Samantha Bilharz can be reached at 581-7942 or slbilharz@eiu.edu.
ADMINISTR ATION
New members appointed to BOT By Rachel Rodgers Administration Editor
For the first time in about eight years, each position of the Eastern Board of Trustees is filled. Gov. Pat Quinn reappointed Chairman Robert Webb, along with Board of Trustees members Roger Kratochvil and Leo Welch. Quinn also appointed four new members Monday. “It has been around seven or eight years since we have had a full board,” Webb said. “With a full board, we are able to bring different views and ideas to the table about the university’s future.” One of the new members is Joseph Dively, of Charleston, who is the former president of the Eastern Alumni Association, former chairman of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and president of the First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust. Another new member is William Dano III, of Oswego, who
has more than 20 years of sales management experience. “I think having a full board of members with varied areas of expertise will bring a level of knowledge and thinking into the mix, and out of that should come better decisions,” Webb said. Rene Hutchinson, of Chicago, a member of Eastern’s Board of Directors, and Kenneth Goetz, of Elmhurst, who has been an attorney for more than 20 years, were also appointed to the Board. “We have people who are from areas throughout the state with diverse backgrounds and each one has different interests they can represent on the board,” Webb said. Even though Quinn’s appointments filled the Board of Trustees positions, the appointments will need to be approved by the Illinois Senate, Webb said. Until then, the members are temporary trustees. BOT, page 5
HOUSING
KIMBERLY FOSTER | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Chris Wagner, a communication studies graduate student and one of the original members of the Occupy EIU movement, sits and grades papers Monday at the Occupy encampment outside the Doudna Fine Arts Center. Protestors take part during their free time, still going to class, work and other obligations, with the number of protestors rising from three to more than 20 during the week. Having heard of the tension protestors at other universities have encountered, Wagner expressed his appreciation for the cooperation Eastern has exhibited. “If we pack up tomorrow, we’re thrilled that we even got this far,” Wagner said.
ADMINISTR ATION
New recruitment strategies implemented to up enrollment By Rachel Rodgers Administration Editor
The enrollment decrease of about 450 students has caused Eastern to implement new recruiting strategies, including soliciting 60,000 students from the ACT process. President Bill Perry said they are continuing to explore different ways to compete with in-state and out-ofstate universities. “I think that we recognize that the landscape for recruiting students is
getting more and more competitive,” Perry said. When taking the ACT, students can choose to have their scores sent to different universities of their choosing. During the Council on University Planning and Budget meeting Friday, Blair Lord, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said Eastern has not had a systematic procedure to acquire names of students who have sent their scores to Eastern. “This year, we have acquired ap-
proximately 60,000 names indep e n d e n t o f t h a t p ro c e s s , w h i c h we are going to be using for direct contact and solicitation,” Lord said. The students will be contacted through the Admissions Office and other departments, he said. Lord said they have also been contacting Charleston High School juniors and seniors to come to campus on Nov. 3 for different activities, such as a flashlight tour of Eastern. RECRUITMENT, page 5
Signing leases early has benefits, risks By Nick Livers Staff Reporter
KIMBERLY FOSTER | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
An advertisement for Tri-County Management realty is displayed on a Park Place Apartments building on 7th Street. Many apartments are already available for rent for the 2012-2013 school year, and students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to have the best chance at securing a unit.
With November days away, many students are beginning to sign leases on houses and apartments for Fall 2012. Julie Roberts, property manager at Unique Properties, said there are perks for students who sign leases early. “October is definitely a busy month for signing leases,” Roberts said. “A lot of people want to get that head start for next year.” If Unique Properties tenants chose to renew their leases by Monday, they receive a free month’s rent. If Unique
Properties raises its rent prices for the following year, current tenants’ monthly rent will not increase. Mark Hudson, director of University Housing and Dining Services, said signing leases early in the school year is not always the best option, especially for freshmen. “One of the things that I try to get out to people is that it’s really unfortunate that students feel like they have to make that decision after only being on campus for a few months,” Hudson said. “I knew two freshmen students once who signed a lease in September and ended up dropping out of school but still had to pay rent for the following year.”
Hudson said moving off campus sometimes leads to students’ GPAs dropping, as they may attend class less often than if they lived on campus. Hudson also said that historically at Eastern, more than half of freshmen return to dorms or Greek housing for their sophomore year. However, Matt Ciger, a sophomore philosophy major, said he suggests securing housing as soon as possible. He said last year he waited several months to sign a lease on the house he wanted, only to learn that someone else had already signed that same lease. LEASES, page 5