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Senior guard under police investigation SARAH SCHNEIDER Daily Egyptian SIU men's basketball senior guard Justin Bocot is under police investigation in connection with a sexual assault that was reported Saturday. According to a Carbondale Police report, the victim told officers she was sexually assaulted by Bocot between 2:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m.
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Bocot, the team's third-leading scorer, sat at the end of the bench and did not play in Wednesday’s loss against Western Kentucky. Head coach Chris Lowery said at the post-game press conference that he would not discuss the incident any further than what was in a press release early Wednesday. Lowery said in a press release on the athletics website the investigation is in the early stages and is being closely monitored.
"It is important to emphasize that he has not been charged with wrong-doing," he said in the release on the website. "When the facts are known, we will act accordingly." Bocot's attorney Wesley Wilkins said he is confident the result of the investigation will clear him of charges, The Southern Illinoisan reported. Please see BOCOT | 4
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Her first 556: Cheng gets mixed reviews TARA KULASH Daily Egyptian SIU President Glenn Poshard knew what he was looking for in a new chancellor — someone who could make tough decisions and wouldn’t settle for the status quo. He found her in Milwaukee, where Rita Cheng was serving as provost at the University of Wisconsin. When Cheng became SIUC’s eighth chancellor in 11 years in June 2010, she faced a daunting charge. Poshard and the SIU Board of Trustees wanted to improve enrollment and retention, solve a budget deficit, create a better marketing plan, and strengthen ties with community colleges. With so many problems to solve on a three-year contract, Cheng was almost certain to anger some people as she made decisions and implemented changes. She has been accused of micromanaging, being deaf to the effect of her words and insulting students, faculty and staff. Others say she walked into the university’s pre-existing issues and received undeserved blame for labor turmoil, budget cuts and furlough days. The four Illinois Education Association unions’ contracts ended in June, the same month she took office, and the budget for the fiscal year that began a month later was millions in the red. “I think people that are critical either don’t know me, haven’t paid attention, or don’t really want anyone in the chancellor’s office to make the final decision,� Cheng said. Cheng began to shake things up immediately after she stepped into office June 1, 2010. After less than two weeks, she removed Victoria Valle as assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management. Cheng appointed John Nicklow, associate dean in the College of Engineering, to the enrollment management position and directed his office to report to the provost. The No. 2 position on campus had been filled on an interim basis for
SARAH GARDNER | DAILY EGYPTIAN
Chancellor Rita Cheng makes an appearance at the 2011 Up ‘til Dawn event Nov. 19 at the Recreation
Center. Cheng spoke to the participants to show her support for the volunteers and event staff. 101, Residential Life, Career Services, and pre-major advisement under the control of the provost. She also ’m going to receive criticism because you can never put supplemental instruction, Living please everyone. Learning Communities, tutoring and — Rita Cheng mentoring programs, and Saluki First SIUC Chancellor Year coursework into the same group so departments could work together as a team. several years, but Cheng picked Gary came as a surprise. Cheng’s reorganization was Minish as the permanent provost in “During our discussion, I told her fall 2010. Minish resigned Jan. 19 via that I certainly didn’t question her intended to help create the University email — a month after Cheng hired authority to make the decision she College, which Minish said was done him and after only 10 active days in was making, but I wasn’t consulted without consultation from deans. office. about it,â€? he said. “There was no Tensions rose across campus Sources familiar with the opportunity to discuss it with her following Minish’s departure. The situation, who spoke only on before she made the decision.â€? Faculty Senate met with Cheng and condition of anonymity, said the two Dietz moved to a tenured- Minish separately before its executive had heated arguments days before faculty position in educational council released a statement Jan. 20. Minish resigned. He cited issues with administration and higher education “We believe Gary Minish is a Cheng over the direction she planned before he became the vice chancellor grassroots administrator, skilled to take the university, including of student affairs at Illinois State at listening to those he leads and the University College model and University six months later. bringing their perspective to bear the removal of Larry Dietz as vice Minish said he disagreed with on university decisions," the council chancellor for student affairs. Cheng Cheng’s plan to eliminate Student said. "We also believe Chancellor assigned Peter Gitau to absorb those Affairs, which she announced Cheng’s style is characterized by a responsibilities into his position as Dec. 6, 2010. She put New Student top-down, heavy-handed approach. Programs, the Center for Academic ‌ We concur with what seems to dean of students. Dietz, who had served in the Success, Student Support Services, be a widespread belief that she has position since 2000, said the move Supplemental Instruction, University isolated herself within a small inner
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circle where all decisions are made." Cheng said the statement surprised her, and she should not be blamed for Minish’s decision. She appointed Nicklow as the next provost May 12. Dave Johnson, an associate professor of foreign languages and literatures and a member of the Faculty Association, said there are some positive aspects to top-down management, but it is risky because of the amount of authority it gives one person. “We’ve not had a run of successful chancellorships, I think it’s fair to say," he said. "If you put more power in the central administration, you raise the stakes.� Cheng said she doesn’t think being called a micromanager is fair. “I think there’s been an attempt to demonize me with the people seeking some personal gain,� she said. “I’m not a micromanager. I can pay attention to detail. I’ve got committees and task forces and groups I meet with on a daily basis. Our strategic planning process has over 100 people.� Cheng said she reinstituted the planning and budget committee that meets monthly and has created task forces to look at graduation polices, awards polices and academic issues. Poshard agreed, the chancellor receives input from all across campus. “There’s always going to be contention about, ‘Where are the parameters of shared governance and academic freedom?’� he said. “But I really think she’s made a good faith effort in bringing more voices into the mix than we’ve had before.� Nicklow said Cheng takes student feedback seriously as well. “She responds to an incredible number of emails personally,� he said. “When a student, no matter how large or small the issue, submits an issue to the ‘Ask the Chancellor’ website, she reads them, she distributes them, she responds — sometimes personally — and that’s a really incredible thing to do.� Please see CHENG | 5
Loss of subsidized loans could cost grads thousands LAUREN DUNCAN Daily Egyptian As Marnie Glazier closed the door to her gray minivan, she told her 13-year-old son, "It will only be a minute." But as the SIU graduate student in speech communication stepped quickly through the market's doors to the wine section, she didn't reach for the first bottle she saw.
She paused to check prices. The checkout line wasn't Glazier's last stop Tuesday evening. She drove to her friend and fellow student Gabriela Ponce's apartment. Ponce had been watching Glazier's youngest son while she attended a meeting at school that night. Glazier took a seat, a deep breath and then smiled as her friends encouraged her to try some homemade salsa.
"We can't stay long, we've all got school in the morning," she said. Outside of watching the clock, Glazier didn't seem to be plagued with worries. However, choices such as who will watch her children or what wine to buy may come with greater consideration in the future. It is students such as she who will be affected by recent legislation that will add to graduate school costs. According to the Budget Control
Act of 2011, which was passed by Congress Aug. 1, graduate students will no longer be able to take out federal subsidized interest loans after July 1. As a result, those students will have to pay interest on all of their federal loans, which could cost some students several thousand dollars. The legislation will save $21.6 billion during the next 10 years, according to information from the Congressional Budget Office website.
That money will help fund Pell Grants, which assist undergraduate students, according to the website. According to an article published by CNN, the most a graduate student in the U.S. can borrow from the federal government is $20,500 a year, $8,500 of which can be from subsidized loans. By the time graduate students Please see LOANS | 4