BEAT BY BRADLEY
REPUB RESURRECTION
The women’s basketball team lost to the Braves with a final score of 67-52.
The EIU College Republicans are trying to become an RSO again after disbanding three years ago because of low membership.
PAGE 8
VOODOO VIBES Big Bad Voodoo Daddy brought their swing and jazz stylings to the Doudna Fine Arts Center Tuesday.
PAGE 3
PAGE 3
THE
D aily E astern N ews
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID” Wednesday, December 6, 2017 C E L E BRATI NG A CE NT UR Y OF COVE RA GE E S T . 1 915
VOL. 102 | NO. 72 W W W . D A I L Y E A S TE R N N E W S . C O M
So many ways to pay
Christmas cheer
Students reveal how they deal with tuition By Veronica Martin Contributing Writer | @DEN_News
QIAN CHENG | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Sharrell Stanley, a TRiO alumna, high-fives Charleston resident Joey Mitts, 4, after finishing up a project in Ninth Street Hall Tuesday night. They were doing this during an event where TRiO ambassadors and student leaders in other organizations ‘adopted’ a family in need from the surrounding community for the holidays. Participating groups included TRiO Ambassadors, Student Government, National Association of Colored Women’s Club, Latin American Student Organization, Alpha Epsilon Delta, Eastern Student Parent Association, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Sigma Gamma Rho.
Faculty Senate talks dual credit concerns By Brooke Schwartz Administration Reporter | @brookesch_wartz
istrative initiatives, including an effort to streamline undergraduate student programs. Business professor Larry White, The Workgroup Review CommitEastern’s representative for the Illinois tee, which is reviewing recommendaBoard of Higher Education’s faculty tions from vitalization project Workadvisory committee, talked about groups No. 8 and 9, has been discussthe committee’s concerns about dual ing the idea of a University College, credit programs at Tuesday’s meeting. which would house all undergraduate The IBHE is an agency meant to student services. allow all Illinois universities, pubHowever, Gatrell has been looking lic or private, to work together to exless at the services’ physical proximity pand and grow all of Illinois’ higher and more at their online proximity. education. “We do not currently have a virtuOne big topic of discussion at the al “one-stop” on campus, and I would IBHE has been the positives and love to have (one,)” Gatrell said. negatives to expanding dual credit “Right now, you tell a student (to) go programs, which consist of classes a to Paws or go to this. What we really high school student can take for colneed to have is one virtual home that lege credit. serves all student populations and all Dual credit courses are becomfunctionalities.” ing more popular in high schools This idea appealed to the senate, around the nation and might be and they said more research is concausing some problems, as students tinuing to be done on the best way to may have the class credit, but might accomplish this “one-stop.” not be mentally prepared for college, The senate has also been looking at White said. how the shared governance between “Students are (possibly) coming university committees is supposed to out of high school now with essenwork, with some progress being made BROOKE SCHWARTZ | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS on more routinely keeping communitially as much as a full freshman year of credit,” White said. “The question Business professor Larry White represents Eastern on the faculty advications between the different commitis, are they really prepared to be college sory board of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. tees. sophomores when it’s their first time Stacey Ruholl, chair of the Counstepping on campus.” two years a community college then the rest of the cil on Academic Affairs, has been invited to speak Jon Oliver, a kinesiology and sports studies pro- time at a four-year institution. to the senate at its Jan. 23 meeting, where a easier fessor, brought up a concern about whether the Economics professor Teshome Abebe said he and more clear line of communication between the credits received in high school or a community col- wondered if the increasing number of online GEDs groups can be discussed. lege are actual substitutes for the university equiv- and college credits students are starting college with The senate has also updated its website so all unialent. was something that could disrupt universities in the versity committee meetings’ minutes can be ac“When we establish partnerships with junior col- future. cessed and found in one place in another effort to leges and other academic institutions like two plus “Are we ignoring something that is likely to en- increase all around communication. two’s, we relinquish some of that control of who is gulf us here soon?” Abebe asked. teaching the … courses,” Oliver said. Provost Jay Gatrell was also present at the senBrooke Schwartz can be reached at 581-2812 or at With two plus two programs, students spend ate meeting to update members on current adminbsschwartz@eiu.edu.
Using a variety of methods, students are navigating the sometimes-challenging task of how to pay their college tuition. Nicole Brown-Glenn, a junior family and consumer sciences major, said she has a hard time paying for her tuition.Brown-Glenn does not receive the Monetary Award Program grant, which is available to students in Illinois, because her parents moved to Arizona during her sophomore year of college. “My parents’ move put a huge financial burden on my shoulders,” she said. “The MAP grant I received freshman year was over $3,000.” When Brown-Glenn stopped receiving the MAP grant, she applied for a student disadvantage waiver and received $1,000. The student disadvantage waiver grants students with parents who live out of state a certain amount of money to help cover student tuition, BrownGlenn said. “I feel that the MAP grant should be extended to students who live in state instead of their parents,” she said. “It puts too much of an expense on students that cannot control where their parents choose to live.” Brown-Glenn currently lives off campus and receives the Parent PLUS loan to help her afford her tuition. Tonnesha Johnson, a junior pre-nursing major, has been teaching herself how to understand her financial loans.She said her goal is to start paying back her tuition with the refund checks she receives each semester.She lives off campus this school year and has received a fairly large refund check from the Parent PLUS loan. “I don’t think most students are aware that there is also an interest rate on refund checks that students receive,” Johnson said. “Instead of spending it, the smart thing to do is to give it back.” Parrish Amos, a junior English major, said he is worried about finding a stable income to pay his college loans after graduation. Amos’ parents do not help him financially with paying for school. Because of this, he takes out his own private loans and uses scholarships to help him pay for his tuition. Amos said the amount of interest charged on loans is overwhelming. “Students already have a large bill on their own when they graduate,” he said. “I feel that students do not receive a fair enough break with the interest changed on loans.” Most students have a six-month grace period to start paying back their school loans after graduation.According to the Office of Financial Aid’s website, the interest rate for unsubsidized and subsidized loans in the 2017/2018 academic year is a 4.45 percent. This interest rate has increased from the previous 2016/2017 year by 0.69 percent. Juncel St Cloud, a senior psychology major, is an independent student, meaning she did not use her parents’ information to fill out the FAFSA.With graduation around the corner for St Cloud, she is feeling the pressure of having to gain financial stability after leaving Eastern. “I am currently in a lot of debt with college loans, and since graduation is coming up I am under more stress,” she said. St Cloud is now trying to figure out how she is going to pay her tuition back. She said she thinks students should have a year grace period instead of six months to start paying their tuition back. “Not all students will have stable income so quickly after graduation,”St Cloud said. “It is hard to find a job in my field with just a bachelor’s degree. I am going to have to work possibly two jobs when I graduate to pay back my tuition.”
Veronica Martin can be reached at 581-2812 or vjmartin@eiu.edu.