Daily Egyptian DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2015
VOL. 99 ISSUE 78
SINCE 1916
The new looking Lentz
MAP grant funding still in question austin Miller | @AMiller_DE Students arriving to campus thinking their school funds are secure may soon be in shock. Because of the ongoing gridlock in the Illinois General Assembly, the state is still without a budget. Without a budget, the state is unable to fund the Monetary Award Program given out based on financial need. University spokeswoman Rae Goldsmith said one-third of SIUC undergraduates receive funds from the MAP grants, totaling $14 million per year. Goldsmith said roughly 4,000 student’s accounts have already been credited in anticipation of the school being reimbursed for the grants in December, which she said is standard. As common as the process is, there is a chance the state does not repay the money. “Our first, strong hope is that the funds will be there and we certainly don’t want to penalize students now for the lack of the state budget,” Goldsmith said. If the grants are not reimbursed by the legislature, students will be sought to do so. “We don’t have $14 million, so it is probable we would have to go back and ask students and families for the funds,” Goldsmith said. Goldsmith said she understands the increased stress this puts on students, who are arriving this week for the start of the fall semester Monday. But with the budget still up in the air, Goldsmith said administration thinks there is a light at the end of the tunnel. “We truly hope and believe that the state will recognize the importance of the program.”
“We’re really excited. We spent about $1.4 million renovating this dining facility over the summer.” - Crystal Bouhl Assistant Director of Marketing
Above: Staff prepare for the Grand Re-Opening of Lentz Dining Hall on Tuesday. Jon Shaffer, director of Unversity Housing, predicted the renovated facility would become a new favorite hangout for students. Left: Cody Eissien, a junior from Belleville studying electronic journalism, decorates with balloons before the Grand Re-Opening on Tuesday at Lentz Dining Hall. H oliday W agner d aily e gyptian
Rauner toughens requirements for religious exemption on vaccines Mayna pasHMan | Chicago Tribune Families with religious objections to immunizing their children soon will have an additional hurdle to clear if they want to enroll students in public or private schools. Last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner approved a measure aimed
at reducing the number of unvaccinated children in the classroom. But because Rauner did not sign the bill until after many students had received their routine checkups or started school, the new requirements will not go into effect until Oct. 16 — the day after students must receive their
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vaccines or file objections. That delays the law’s full impact by a year. “This is a bit of a difficult situation since it was just signed into law last Monday,” said Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Public Health. “A lot of kids have
already gone to get their physical and so forth. Some schools have already started. To send them back to the doctor would be costing the parents.” Families seeking a religious exemption next year, or transferring after Oct. 16, will have to complete a certificate explaining their
objection on religious grounds before kindergarten, sixth and ninth grades. That certificate also must include the signature of a doctor, attesting that he or she counseled the parents about the risks of skipping vaccines. Please see VACCINE | 3