Daily Egyptian WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
‘Molly’s Law’ approved by Illinois House Committee
SINCE 1916
VOL. 100 ISSUE 73
Man hit by vehicle
DAILY EGYPTIAN CAMPUS DESK
A bill aimed at heightening transparency in state government and changing the timeframe during which wrongful death claims can be filed unanimously passed the Illinois House Committee on Tuesday. The bill — drafted by Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, on Feb. 20 in response to the controversial death of Molly Young — would amend the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and toll the statute of limitations for wrongful death claims. The bill is named “Molly’s Law” for its ties to the Young case, which has sparked criticisms of the Carbondale Police Department and Illinois State Police by the community. “Today is an important day for [Molly’s father, Larry] Young, and for the entire Justice for Molly movement,” Bryant said in a news release Tuesday. Under the proposed law, public bodies that fail to disclose information deemed accessible by a circuit court would face a maximum fine of $10,000. The statute of limitations for wrongful death claims would be changed to two years after a claimant’s discovery of evidence.
Luke Nozicka | @LukeNozicka An unidentified man was hit by a vehicle Tuesday afternoon near the Shell gas station on the corner of South Illinois Avenue and East Pleasant Hill Road. The man was hit at roughly 4:50 p.m. and was treated and loaded onto a stretcher before medical services left the scene about 5:10 p.m. Carbondale police Sgt. Guy Draper would not comment on the situation.
Two students report sexual assault on campus DAILY EGYPTIAN CAMPUS DESK
Two SIU students report they were victims of sexual assault in separate incidents within the last two months, according to SIU police’s crime log. A 19-year-old SIU student told police she was sexually assaulted
Thursday in Steagall Hall at Thompson Point by a 22-year-old SIU student. They are acquaintances, police say. The case has been referred to the state’s attorney’s office. Another SIU student, who is unidentified in the crime log, reported to a Campus Security Authority on Thursday that she was
sexually assaulted by an unidentified SIU student on Feb. 20 in Neely Hall. The case is being reviewed by SIU’s Office of Diversity and Equity, police report. This is the third incident of sexual assault reported to police this semester. An SIU student reported to a CSA on Feb. 4 that she was
sexually assaulted Jan. 30 by an unidentified SIU student in Mae Smith Hall, according to SIU police’s daily crime log. Last semester, an 18-year-old SIU student reported Dec. 5 that she was assaulted in Schneider Hall by an acquaintance, a 19-year-old SIU student.
SIU police’s daily crime log can be viewed here. The Department of Public Safety’s non-emergency number is 618-453-3771. The Daily Egyptian’s campus desk can be reached at 618-536-3325 or lnozicka@dailyegyptian.com.
Students not on target with idea of concealed carry on campus ANNA SPOERRE | @AnnaSpoerre
SIU students are split on if concealed carry of a firearm should be allowed on campus, according to the results of a poll conducted this month by the Daily Egyptian. The poll, conducted April 1 through April 4, thanks to funding from the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, was posted on SIU online after three shootings — one fatal — in Carbondale last week.
Of the 1,240 students who responded, 37.58 percent said they own a gun. Of those 466 gun owners, 387 said they keep it in their place of residence. Twenty of those students said they live on campus. According to the university’s firearm policies, possession, storage and carrying of firearms in or on university property is prohibited. Exceptions include on-duty police officers. One-hundred fifteen students said they store their weapons
in their cars, which is not against university policy if the weapon is concealed and the vehicle is locked. “Carbondale’s gun policy is too strict,” one polled student wrote. “Safety should be the main priority, but owning a gun as a SIUC student is almost impossible. I am an avid hunter and I am constantly jumping through hoops in order to comply with SIUC policy.” This isn’t the case at every school. Beginning in August, public universities in Texas must allow
concealed carry on their campuses, according to the Huffington Post. More than 35 percent of students surveyed said students should be allowed to carry firearms on campus compared to about 64 percent who opposed. Doug Meadows, range safety officer for SIU’s shooting team, said because he advocates safety as a top priority, he thinks the university should allow concealed carry as well. “Every person should have the right
to defend themselves,” said Meadows, who is a junior from Anna studying criminology and criminal justice. Meadows, a local police officer and Army veteran, said he understands why people would be wary of guns on campus. Accordingly, he said safety measures such as use and safety training, testing and in-depth background checks should be required to carry them. Please see GUNS | 4
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