ORCHID ENSEMBLE
BASKETBALL BEGINS
The women’s basketball team released their schedule and are set to play 12 non-conference games before OVC.
The Orchid Ensemble kicked off its two-week American tour in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Monday.
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THE
D aily E astern N ews “TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID”
C E L E BRATI NG A CE NTUR Y OF COV E RA GE
2 mumps patients diagnosed on campus
VOL. 100 | NO. 17 W W W . D A I L Y E A S TE R N N E W S . C O M
19 15- 201 5
Fall 2014 vs. Fall 2015 Enrollments Source: institutional factbooks
43,603
Fall 2014
44,087
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015
Fall 2015
MUMPS, page 5
17,292
17,989
14,265
13,972
20,788
11,094
11,458
8,520
8,913
Eastern has had two confirmed cases of the mumps virus with others being evaluated as of Monday. As of Sunday, there have been 177 reported cases of mumps with 128 of them associated with the outbreak at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Sheila Baker, the medical director for Health Service at Eastern, said in an email that the two cases were diagnosed between Sept. 8 and Sept. 11. Baker said the virus is self-limited, which means it goes away on its own. “We develop symptoms; sometimes we get worse for a while, but then it goes away all by itself,” Baker said. Baker said the best way to avoid getting the virus is to get the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination. “We believe that 90 percent of people who get the recommended vaccinations are immune to the mumps virus. Baker said it is a state requirement for any student attending a state university to show proof of the two vaccinations. “If you don’t show us proof of two MMR vaccinations by the end of your first semester here, we will place a hold on your account,” Baker said. Baker said this is not the first time there has been reported cases of mumps on Eastern’s campus. “It’s the first time that we’ve seen a situation that we felt needed public attention,” Baker said. In her email, Baker said the mumps illness usually lasts 10 days and students with the illness have to self-isolate themselves for the first five days while they are contagious. Baker said the symptoms start off non-specific for the first two days such as a low-grade fever and fatigue. “Usually within a couple of days we get swelling of one or both of our parotid, or salivary glands, typically in front of our ears,” Baker said. Baker said the process of diagnosing starts with talking about medical history, a physical exam to look for evidence of mumps, and a swab of the inside of the cheek to test for the genetic make-up of the virus.
20,615
By Mackenzie Freund City Editor | @mgfreund
GR APHIC BY JASON HOWELL | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Fall 2015 enrollment numbers have decreased for Eastern as well as Western Illinois University and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Numbers have increased for The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville and Illinois State University.
Enrollment varies across state
By Roberto Hodge News Editor | @DEN_News Some four-year public universities have steadily declined statewide in student enrollment. Enrollment for Eastern, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Western Illinois University and Northern Illinois University has declined; however, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Illinois State University and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have increased. Eastern has the lowest student enrollment in the state at 8,520, which is a decrease of nearly 400 students from the previous fall semester. The University of Illinois is the largest with more than 40,000 students currently enrolled. Chris Dearth, the director of admissions at Eastern, said enrollment is down overall in many of the public state universities because of an increased competition both in and out of state. Dearth said Eastern has traditionally been one of the smallest schools of the bunch, which has often been its charm. He said one of the hallmarks of the institution is the ability of the campus to be more per-
“Eastern attracts over 50 percent of our undergraduate students north of Interstate 80; well, what’s between those students and Eastern? ” -Chris Dearth, director of admissions
sonal and intimate. “We are truly student-centered,” Dearth said. Eastern’s enrollment has typically always been around the 10,000 range, Dearth said. Dearth said Eastern and Western are usually the two smallest campuses, which can be traced to their geographical location. Western’s enrollment for the current semester is 11,094, which is 364 less than the previous fall semester.
Blair Lord, the vice president for academic affairs at Eastern, said Western and Eastern are the two universities with the most similarities not only in geographical location but also in enrollment trends, which is reflected in their decreases. However, Illinois State is the university’s biggest competitor; it had an enrollment of 20,788, which is a 173 increase from the previous year. “As an institution with sort of a second position within the state, (Illinois State has) the ability to continue to attract students while the Eastern, the Western, the Northern’s are having more trouble,” Lord said. Because students usually gravitate toward schools in larger metropolitan areas, schools in the rural parts of the state are smaller than those surrounded by bigger cities. What has been found is students are also attending universities closer to home that will allow them to commute because not every family can afford to house a student on a campus far away from home, Dearth said. Lord, who agreed with Dearth, said Illinois State is a centrally located campus with it being inside the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area, which is attracting more students.
ENROLLMENT, page 6
Glassman to address Faculty Senate meeting By Cassie Buchman Administration Editor|@cjbuchman The Faculty Senate will vote on items from its previous meeting and hear President David Glassman speak at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Booth Library conference room. Jemmie Robertson, the Faculty Senate chair, said members are voting on the previous meeting’s items because they did not have a quorum
last time. These items included are a letter from the coalition on intercollegiate athletics, a draft resolution for House Resolution 275, an email from Marita Gronnvoll concerning the need for a replacement for the Council on Academic Affairs, and an email from Andrew McNitt concerning Commitment to Excellence scholarships. Glassman will also answer various questions
from the Faculty Senate. “(President Glassman) will set his own agenda for what he would like to discuss with the Senate,” Robertson said. “However, I did update the president on a few ‘items of concern’ amongst the faculty that I thought it would be helpful if he spoke about.” John Henderson, the assistant vice president for academic affairs for technology, will also speak during the meeting.
“John Henderson will speak about CATS restructuring at 3 p.m.,” Robertson said. “There is growing concern amongst the faculty about recent layoffs in ISS and CATS and hopefully senators will have the chance to discuss those issues.” Cassie Buchman can be reached at 581-2812 or cjbuchman@eiu.edu.