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Daily Egyptian WEDNESDAY
PHOTO COLUMN, PAGE 5: Gus Bode says this troupe is a different kind of Decadance.
OCTOBER 28, 2009
VOLUME 95, NO. 47
12 PAGES
!"#$%&'(")%"*'#+#,%-'!./.'0#11,)" Jackson County Health Department to start clinics Friday Madeleine Leroux DAILY EGYPTIAN MLEROUX@SIU.EDU
Even though students and residents will soon be able to receive the H1N1 vaccine through the Jackson County Health Department, the university is struggling to determine when its vaccine shipments will arrive. Ted Grace, director of the Student Health Center, said the center was promised shipments a couple of weeks ago, but has no idea when the vaccines will arrive. “I wish I knew the arrival date,” Grace said. “No one is communicating with us on what’s going on.” President Barack Obama declared H1N1 a national emergency Saturday as a pre-emptive measure designed to speed up treatment and slow the spread of the strain. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Centers for Disease Control and
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Jackson County Health Department
wish I knew the arrival date. No one is communicating with us on what’s going on.
— Ted Grace director of the Student Health Center
Prevention wanted to have ample supplies of the vaccine available by mid-October, but problems in production have slowed distribution. Grace said the vaccine has been under-produced because the H1N1 strain does not grow as fast as the seasonal flu does in eggs used to produce the vaccine. According to The New York Times, only about 28 million doses would be available by the end of October, which is 30 percent below the 40 million doses that had been previously projected. Angie Bailey, director of health education, said the Jackson County Health Department has received a supply of H1N1 vaccinations and has scheduled free clinics beginning Friday. Bailey said she did not know the exact amount of vaccinations received, but she anticipates there will eventually be enough for everyone who wants it. “(The amount of vaccinations) is constantly changing,” Bailey said.
e anticipate we will have enough vaccinations probably within the next couple of months. — Angie Bailey director of health education on Jackson County Health Department vaccine supplies
“They want me to do too much to get into the program.” — Shetara Sawyer, freshman on how the standards in the fashion design program could prevent her from coming back in Fall 2010
“We anticipate we will have enough vaccinations probably within the next couple of months.” Bailey said the department has scheduled clinics for Friday and Saturday to vaccinate people who are most at risk of complications, including people age 6 months to 24 years old. Though there are three scheduled clinics for November, Bailey said she would encourage people to check the Web site or call ahead to confirm the clinic time. Grace said the health department and area hospitals are first priority to obtain the vaccines and the Jackson County Health Department has received three small shipments. Bailey said the department has already ordered more. Grace said the university is second priority and he thought it would begin receiving shipments soon after the health department received its first order. “We thought we would then begin getting the shipment,” Grace said. “It looks like they’re going to fill (the Jackson County Health Department’s) full order first … before they go to the second priority.” Please see VACCINE | 6
“Tuition keeps going up, MAP grants are reinstated, but who knows how long they will be reinstated for. That’s a big issue.” — Heather Eldridge, sophomore on her chances of coming back in Fall 2010
H1N1 vaccine clinics
for those at most risk
Friday, Oct. 30
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Murdale Baptist Church 2701 W. Main St.
Saturday, Oct. 31
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Knights of Columbus Hall 606 Plum St. in Murphysboro
Britni Woodworth | DAILY EGYPTIAN Source: Jackson County Health Department
“They weren’t even attempting to go to class. If a person really wants to go to school and get their degree, then they can do it.”
“Regardless of if (the MAP grant) is back or not, I’m going to have to finish.”
— Latoya Gordon, junior on why her friends left SIUC
— Lorenzo Fitzgerald, senior on his desire to get his degree
!"#$%&'#()*#"+&%,'%'*%"&-../%"(0*&%(%"(#-"*%11-&(' Stile T. Smith DAILY EGYPTIAN STS34@SIU.EDU
SIUC’s enrollment decreased for the fifth consecutive year to 20,350 students, and the unknown status of the Monetary Award Program grant for the fall 2010 semester could force that number even lower. Victoria Valle, assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management, said efforts have been increased to both recruit students to the university and to keep them here.
“The other thing we’re doing is we’re not making the assumption that when a student leaves us, they’re gone forever,” Valle said. “We’re making some substantial efforts to get students back who may have left.” Valle said they would find out where students have gone after leaving the university, discover if they have any interests in coming back and then make efforts to bring them back. Heather Eldridge, a sophomore from Murphysboro studying accounting, said she does not know if
she could afford tuition at SIUC if the MAP grant does not continue to be funded. “Tuition keeps going up, MAP grants are reinstated, but who knows how long they will be reinstated for,” Eldridge said. “That’s a big issue.” Eldridge said she has considered going to John A. Logan College if the grant does not return. Valle said the loss of the grant would be devastating to the university, and it would be difficult to recover in its absence. “Quite frankly, the university
doesn’t have any funding to match that,” Valle said. “What we’re hoping is that the program is funded in a real and substantial way.” Shetara Sawyer, a freshman from Chicago studying pre-medicine, said she is considering going back to school in Chicago because she is not sure if she could get into the program she wants: fashion design. “They want me to do too much to get into the program,” Sawyer said. “They told me my ACT scores were too low, so they said if I get a 3.0 (GPA) this semester, then I
could possibly get in.” Sawyer said if she were able to get into the program, she would probably stay at the university; otherwise she would likely transfer to the Art Institute of Chicago. Valle said in order to better retain students, they must find out how to keep students engaged. “We find that the students who are more engaged, both in the classroom and outside the classroom, are the ones who we tend to keep,” Valle said. Please see ENROLLMENT | 6