Daily Egyptian

Page 1

Daily Egyptian WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2015

Rauner keeps SIU student trustees in the dawg house

DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

SINCE 1916

VOL. 99 ISSUE 85

Skating by with flying colors

BILL LUKITSCH | @Bill_LukitschDE

Southern Illinois University students may be facing another year without voting power on the Board of Trustees. Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a measure on Aug. 25, which would restore voting privileges for the two SIU System student trustees. It has been two years since an SIU student trustee from either campus could vote. “It’s disappointing to not have that vote,” said Allen Shelton, SIUC’s student trustee. “The reason that we have a student trustee is to get that student view.” House Bill 4113 would amend the Southern Illinois University Management Act, which currently allows the governor to grant one student trustee from either campus the ability to vote on the Board of Trustees. The bill would add a tenth seat to the board, effectively bypassing the process of gubernatorial selection. Rauner’s amendatory veto spells trouble for Shelton and for SIUE’s student trustee Dillon Santoni, who are both waiting — and hoping — the governor will appoint one of them with the vote. But neither one is holding his breath. It is possible an appointment may never transpire during Shelton and Santoni’s time in office. Santoni said the need for student representation on the board is crucial and he would urge Rauner to grant at least one student trustee with voting power as soon as possible. “Whether or not he actually will, I’m not sure,” Santoni said. “I can’t speak to his agenda or what he plans on doing, but I think the necessity of it happening would be definitely important.” In a statement released Aug. 25, Rauner said having another student voting member was not “necessary or advisable” and recommended “no change be made to the composition of the Board of Trustees.” The governor also said the current system allows students to be adequately represented “without diluting the insight gained from the other trustees’ years of professional experience.” Santoni said he firmly disagrees with the governor’s decision and his reasoning, especially the ‘diluting insight.’ “I don’t think at any time does the rest of the board, or does the rest of the university, feel as though our voices on that board dilute the professionalism of the board,” he said. In light of Illinois’ current budget impasse and the ongoing discord between state legislators and Gov. Rauner, Santoni said the proper attention may have been detracted from HB 4113. He also said he believes the governor’s veto was a “political move.” Both Shelton and Santoni said they plan to voice issues from their respective constituencies to fellow board members, but admitted it would be easier to represent students if they could vote independently. And the students at SIUC seem to agree. “I feel as though the student body doesn’t have a voice,” said Brittany Kyles, a sophomore studying TV and digital media radio. “If no one is up there in leadership for us, then who do we have?” Shelton said he is especially worried that students at SIUC will be discouraged by Rauner’s decision and refrain from bringing important campus issues to his desk. “You’re not really giving the students an opportunity to vote,” Shelton said. “And at the end of the day, that matters.”

@DAILYEGYPTIAN

Jordan Duncan | @jordanduncanDE Chavez Ellis, a junior from Effingham studying information systems and technology, skateboards across campus Tuesday. Ellis, who is president of the Saluki Rainbow Network, handed out informational flyers regarding the registered student organization. He said, though not many had asked about the flag itself, it drew attention. “I’ve had a few people smile at me, a few people avert eyes, somebody gave me a ‘rock on’ sign so that was cool,” he said. The LGBTQ Community Welcome Cookout is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Wednesday on the Campus Lake Boat Dock.

Bugging out: Why head lice are resisting treatments CORY RAY | @coryray_de

People may be scratching their heads in confusion about why their head lice are not being eliminated. During the past 15 years, head lice across the country are developing a resistance to over-the-counter products used to kill them. Kyong Sup Yoon, a toxicology professor at SIU-Edwardsville who researched lice mutations, said the widespread use of those products has lead to the resistance. Yoon said he hopes future cases of lice will be treated by prescription products, similar to antibiotics, rather than overthe-counter products. “We need to talk to experts,” he said. “It’s like if you have a problem with your car, you need to go to a mechanic.” Yoon said he suggests a strategy where different patients receive alternate prescribed products in order to limit their use and maintain effectiveness. John Clark, a professor in environmental toxicology at the University of Massachusetts, said he and his colleagues noticed the presence of mutations in lice around 2000. Clark said research estimates 98 percent of lice are now resistant. Specifically, the insects resist permethrin — an insecticide used for agriculture and an active ingredient in many lice shampoos. Lice are not the only insects

Marat Tsablinov | D AILY E GYPTIAN

developing these resistances. An estimated 250 species have developed a resistance to pyrethroids used on farms. The pharmacy in the Student Health Center sells a specialized comb and cream containing permethrin that can be bought without a prescription. Dr. Paul Bennett, the medical chief of staff for the SIUC Student Health Center said other lice-eliminating medications exist, but are more expensive. Dr. Bennett said the center sees occasional cases of head lice, but has never prescribed the more expensive medications. Pyrethroids were effective at killing head lice when they were first developed in the ‘70s, but by 2005, Clark noticed a 25 percent resistance and a 75 percent in 2010. Today, lice have a near universal

resistance to the medicine. Clark said most people continue to use over-the-counter products, unaware of their ineffectiveness. Because of the high levels of resistance, the public is noticing the lack of desired effects after over-using the same product for many years. Yoon compiled lice samples from 30 states, 25 of which showed resistance. Within the last few years, developers have manufactured a variety of prescription medication to treat head lice whereas, in the past, only one prescription product was available for use. It is still sold today and continues to be effective at killing head lice. “What people want to know is what to do now,” Clark said. “What you do now is you go to the doctor, and he’ll prescribe you something that works.”


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.