Eastern News
Thursday
“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
Y
MARCH 29, 2012 V O LU M E 9 6 | N o. 1 2 6
EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILL. DENNE WS.COM T WIT TER.COM/DENNE WS
Panthers power past Billikens
Be prepared for Greekstock with our Greek Week guide Section B
Page 8
LECTURE
STUDENT RECREATION CENTER
GREENBACK NATION Historian to discuss power of dollar BY TIM DETERS | STAFF REPORTER
THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS | K ATIE SMITH
An Eastern student laughs at the Zumba session that took place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 28 at the campus recreational center.
Zumbathon to benefit ALS By Robyn Dexter Campus Editor
CHECK IT OUT
While raising money for Lou Gehrig’s Disease research, students can move their hips to the popular Latininspired dance phenomenon—Zumba. The Student Dietetic Association is having a Zumbathon on Saturday, March 31 to benefit research on the disease, also known as ALS. Students will be able to dance for the cause from 1-4 p.m. in Court 6 at the Recreation Center. Emily Dupuis, the vice president of the association, said Zumba is a fun way to work out. “Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance workout that uses fun music and rhythms from around the world to create an exciting routine,” she said. Dupuis said Zumba’s motto is “Ditch the workout, join the party!” “The workout is so fun, and it honestly doesn’t even feel like you’re exercising,” Dupuis said. More than 150 people have already registered for the Zumbathon, and Dupuis said she is so excited. “It’s going to be a blast, especially since the response has been so great,” she said. Seventy-five percent of the ticket proceeds go to Muscular Dystrophy Association’s program called Augie’s Quest, which aims to find a cure for ALS. “(ALS) is a devastating disease that
What: Zumbathon Where: Student Recreation Center
A
n American historian will detail the ups and downs of the U.S. dollar throughout the nation’s CHECK IT OUT history at 7 p.m. today in the What: “The Past, Present Lecture Hall of and Future of the Dollar” lecture the Doudna Fine Arts Center. Where: Lecture Hall, H.W. Brands, a Doudna Fine Arts Center history professor at the University When: Thursday at 7 p.m. of Texas at Austin, Cost: Free has written 35 books regarding both history and economics.
SEE ‘GREENBACK’ PAGE 5
When: Saturday at 1 to 4 p.m. Cost: $2 Presale, $4 at the door affects the brain and the person’s ability to move,” she said. The association chose ALS as its cause because it is a disease that does not get as much attention, unlike causes like breast cancer, which are widely recognized. Dupuis said she wanted to bring Zumbathon to Eastern after browsing the Zumba Fitness website. “Zumba Fitness picks a featured charity that it wants to raise money for and you can sign up online,” she said. She said Zumba Fitness will provide all the information needed to bring a Zumbathon to schools, so she talked to directors at the REC and they were eager to bring a Zumbathon to Eastern. The afternoon will also feature a silent auction where participants can bid on items such as Zumba-themed flip flops, water bottles and T-shirts. ZUMBATHON, page 5
GR APHIC BY SHELLEY HOLMGREN | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
LEC TURE
Investigative reporter addresses concerns about global economic crisis Neuwirth to host tell-all about journeys By Rachel Rodgers Administration Editor
Reporter Robert Neuwirth began his presentation Wednesday with one number that echoes throughout the globe: $2,138. He said this number represents about 10 percent of the cost to attend Eastern and about one-fourteen thousandth of what Angelina Jolie earned last year. However, this number also
reveals the level of economic destitution in the world. “$2,138 symbolizes global economic inequality as it is the median wealth of the world,” Neuwirth said. Neuwirth spent two years traveling to four continents to live in shantytowns in “squatter” cities like: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nairobi, Kenya; Mumbai, India; and Istanbul, Turkey. “The world is made of about 1 billion squatters, which is 1-in-6 people across the globe,” Neuwirth said. “By 2050, this will increase to one in three people.” About 1 million people live in Kibera, Kenya, and about 600,000 of those people are squatters, he said.
Neuwirth said he discovered that squatters in heavily populated areas began to find ways to build their own communities. “With the amount of squatters, 70 million homes would need to be built to accommodate them, which is 130 needing to be built every minute in cities,” Neuwirth said. “They cannot rely on developers or government to build at that pace or price so they found their own way.” He also displayed some photos from his travels, including one that showed a wooden telephone pole hugged by several straps holding at least 100 electricity wires. CRISIS, page 5