CLOSE CALL
FOOD BONDING
The Eastern men’s basketball team fell to Western after failing to secure a lead after halftime.
Potluck to be held for students and staff connect with one another during finals week.
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Monday, December 14, 2015 “TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID” C E L E BRATI NG A CE NTUR Y OF COV E RA GE 19 15- 201 5
VOL. 100 | NO. 75 W W W . D A I L YE A S TE R N N E W S . C O M
Final Countdown
Sorority to bring cheer to campus By T’Nerra Butler Multicultural Editor | @DEN_News As a way to bring more events to students on campus, the ladies of the Elogeme Adolphi Christian Sorority have been doing a reindeer candy cane fundraiser for the last three weeks. The fundraiser was a way for the sorority to bring in money for future events to host on campus. Camille Williams, historian of the sorority, said the events to give students an alternative to many of the activities happening on and off campus. She said they have a funfest for children in the fall, a winter ball and talent show throughout the semester and the fundraiser money goes toward them. “We are here to provide a Christian outlet for women on campus,” Camille Williams said. “We want to be able to edify them in their walk with Christ.” Camille Williams said since she was little she would make the reindeer candy canes with her mother and gave the idea of doing it as a fundraiser. “When I was little we would do it for class and every year we would make them for Christmas parties,” Camille Williams said. “For this it was a way to be a blessing for other people through the funds that we raise.” For those who bought the candy canes, Camille Williams said it gave them something to donate and feel good about. The reindeer making process took the sorority about two hours if they were making 36 candy canes and they made four boxes at a time. She said before Sunday they made over $100. Camille Williams said she wanted to sell as many canes as possible, but did not have a set goal to make. Candace Williams, the secretary for the sorority, said Sunday was the last day the sorority would be selling the candy canes. They were selling in Coleman Hall, different residence halls and after ACTS Ministry services. Candace Williams said the sorority is a non-for profit organization and the fundraiser helps them to pour money back into campus. “We do community service and just anything where we’re able to share God’s love and share Christ with everyone on campus,” Candace Williams said. T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or tabutler@eiu.edu.
CHYNNA MILLER | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Chloe St. Pierre, a sophomore psychology major, studies for her College Algebra final on Sunday in Booth Library. St. Pierre said that she studies in the library because her roommates are too loud and that she’s most excited about seeing her dog over break. St. Pierre encourages students to not procrastinate when it comes to studying for finals.
CUPB discusses budget, cost, efficiency By Cassie Buchman Administration Editor | @cjbuchman The Council on University Planning and Budgeting talked about Eastern’s budget and a Cost and Efficiencies Initiative update was given at its meeting Friday. The committee met on Dec. 2 and a letter was developed and sent out to the vice presidents asking for ideas they had implemented in their areas for cost savings and efficiencies. President David Glassman said a lot of people were talking about the possibility of getting a budget passed for higher education in January as he mentioned at the last CUPB meeting. “That certainly is still a possibility, but we’ve had a lot of legislators talking about it being later than January,” Glassman said. He said they will still monitor what is happening in Springfield, and the presidents of the public universities will be back lobbying for higher education funding to be
passed in Springfield on Jan. 13. Paul McCann, the interim vice president for business affairs, said Eastern is currently $12 million under budget. “That is good from a standpoint of where we want to be,” McCann said. “We have tried very hard to this point to save money, and what this is saying is we are.” McCann said when it comes to utilities, they’re going to pay them when they use them. “We can turn off lights, keep the heat lower, but when it gets cold or hot we have to adjust to those temperatures,” McCann said. “It is a big expense as you can imagine for the campus.” McCann went over a question he was asked by faculty senate regarding what is in unrestricted funds. “The bottom line is $26 million is what we use from day to day to operate the university,” McCann said. “When we get money from tuition, when we get money from the state, that goes to put that money back
into that account, but that’s what we have in reserves.” McCann said the number was down about $7 million to $8 million from a year ago. “We had in the budget a deficit projected for ‘15. We said at that time either we need to cut expenses or we need to use our reserves,” McCann said. “We ended up using some of our reserves, because we ended up not cutting expenses to the extent that we had talked about.” Kathlene Shank, the department chair of special education, asked about the Monetary Award Program grants. McCann said the state owes the university about $3.8 million in for the MAP grants. “Our students have been given $9 million, but not all the students use what has been given,” McCann said. “There is always a little bit of a difference between what is rewarded and what we give out.”
CUPB, page 5
Fall graduates to walk at commencement Saturday By Cassie Buchman Administration Editor | @DEN_News Students will celebrate years of work at Eastern’s fall commencement ceremonies, which will take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday in Lantz Field House. Ceremonies for the Lumpkin College of Businesses and Applied Sciences and the Graduate School, College of Arts and Humanities and the Graduate School are at 10 a.m. Ceremonies for the College of Education and Professional Studies and the Graduate School, the College of Sciences and the Graduate School, the School of Continuing Education will be at 1 p.m. Graduates can pick up their cap and gown at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday in the Charleston-Mattoon Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. If a graduate is not able to be on campus until
the day of the ceremony, he or she can pick up their cap and gown in the Field House of Lantz Arena on commencement day. They can then return their cap and gown to the Student Recreation Center. Joshua Reinhart, the director of the annual fund and commencement, said preparing commencement is a collaborative effort. “It brings all areas of the university together to celebrate our students’ many achievements,” Reinhart said. Since less students participate in fall commencement ceremonies, the colleges separate into two ceremonies instead of the four that happen in the spring. “That approach allows our fall graduates to enjoy the same comprehensive commencement experience as students who participate in EIU’s spring ceremonies, which generally see a larger graduate turnout,” Reinhart said. Charles LeGrand, the candidate for the master’s
in gerontology degree, will be the graduate school student commencement speaker for the 10 a.m. ceremony. Angela Pearson, the candidate for the bachelor’s in general studies degree, will be the School of Continuing Education student commencement speaker for the 1 p.m. ceremony. The commencement marshal for the 10 a.m. ceremony who carries the ceremonial mace is Lisa Moyer, a professor of family and consumer sciences, will be representing the Lumpkin College of Business and Applied Sciences. The marshal for the 1 p.m. ceremony is Jeffrey Stowell, a professor of psychology, who will be representing the College of Sciences. Because of the traffic on campus that can be around on commencement day, Reinhart said they encourage everyone to plan accordingly. “(We) ask that graduates remember to arrive an hour prior to their ceremony,” Reinhart said. “That
helps us deliver the best experience possible for everyone involved.” More than 1,300 students are eligible to graduate this fall, but not all students who are eligible to graduate participate in the ceremonies. Reinhart said commencement at Eastern is the culmination of Eastern students’ hard work. “We want to congratulate our graduates on their academic achievements and wish them every possible success in the future,” he said. After they graduate, the new alumni can join the Alumni Association. “Doing so (joining alumni association) helps us share important updates about EIU and gives our alums a chance to reconnect with their classmates, friends, professors and mentors at various programs and events,” Reinhart said. Cassie Buchman can be reached at 581-2812 or cjbuchman@eiu.edu