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DAILY EGYPTIAN MARCH 20, 2013
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VOLUME 98, ISSUE 111
Student Center to lose eateries MATT DARAY Daily Egyptian
struggling with their current fees, so to increase that even more would not be doing a good thing for our students.” While tuition may rise, several university funding sources will soon end. Cheng said the U.S. military sent the university notices that they would not provide tuition assistance to area active military members, which is something the university depends on for financial aid. She also said some research grants will receive less money and cause fewer grants to be available and make them more competitive. Despite the potential increase and shrinking grant opportunities, Cheng and Nicklow said Fall 2013 enrollment is looking up. Cheng said the university has the potential to enroll high-valued students.
Students and faculty may soon lose some favorite Student Center food chains. Chartwells, a school and university dining service, ended its SIU contract, so every first-floor food shop besides McDonald’s will cease operations by June 1, Student Center director Tena Bennett said. The change has led to student speculation as to which restaurants may replace stores such as Blimpie, Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks. Bennett said Chartwells didn’t give a reason why it canceled the contract. “The way the contract’s written, they could request to be released within 180 days of the start date of the contract,” she said. Although all vendors other than McDonald’s will leave, she said officials are already in the replacement process. The university has released a dining request proposal, she said, which allows companies to bid on Student Center spots. She said the university will receive them by the end of the month. Kristine Andrews, Chartwell communications and media relations director, said the company is pleased to work with colleges and universities interested in outsourcing dining programs, but the contract’s end is a business decision. Although the business is leaving, the university will have to decide how to deal with Chartwells’ vendor, employees she said. “Chartwells is proud to provide associates with opportunities to help shape their careers and lives in a positive, productive work environment,” Andrews said. “Associates belong to a union. It will be up to the university and the new dining services provider to retain or not retain associates.” While the change may upset some, Bennett said it has opened up opportunities for the university. “There’s a possibility that some people will be upset if they really like these (restaurants), but we’re hoping to bring in some new and exciting concepts that will offer a new flavor,” she said. With Chartwells’ departure, Chancellor Rita Cheng said new opportunities will be researched regarding how vendors are attained. “We are planning now for a different approach to all of the food vending on campus,” she said. “We have a request for proposals out for individual businesses to bring in their restaurants or their franchises to the campus.” Cheng said preferred caterers, concession and banquet personnel will do business over the next few months to deal with restaurants’ absence. Although Starbucks is operated by Chartwells, Cheng said the university is working to retain it. Finding shops to replace Chartwells-contracted restaurants may be more difficult because of the fine print listed in contracts the Daily Egyptian obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request. According to the Student Center restaurant contract, new restaurants cannot compete with businesses already in place.
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LYNNETTE OOSTMEYER | DAILY EGYPTIAN
Alysha Bankester, of Carbondale, dries a puppy she washed Monday at St. Francis Care shelter in Murphysboro. Bankester has volunteered at the shelter for seven months and comes in to work once a week. She said she adores animals but couldn’t have anymore herself, so she decided to volunteer at St. Francis Care. “They take in animals from everywhere and any situation,” Bankester said. “Even if they don’t have room they will do the best they can to take in the animal and find it a home.”
Faculty Senate addresses possible tuition increase MATT DARAY Daily Egyptian SIU’s Board of Trustees will soon review potential tuition increases for the 20132014 school year, but some Faculty Senate members said these increases could be detrimental during Tuesday’s meeting. Members debated whether to support the higher tuition — which Chancellor Rita Cheng said would amount to a 5 percent increase — and whether the increase was in the university’s best interest, along with as the impact it could have on enrollment. In other Faculty Senate agenda items, Cheng and Provost John Nicklow addressed the university’s signs of success as well as areas that still need work. Geology professor Ken Anderson said the tuition increase could be viewed differently by outsiders. “On the surface of it, I think that sounds like a good idea because we all understand the fiscal situation at the university,” he said. “Think how that might be perceived outside of the university. Faculty voting to raise tuition might look a lot like being very self-serving.” Cinema and photography professor Jyotsna Kapur said she could not support the tuition raise because it would prevent more students from remaining enrolled.
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ome faculty felt that yes, we should (support it) because that would make it more likely that the Board of Trustees would support it. But then there’s some faculty who felt that we already know many of our students are struggling with their current fees, so to increase that even more would not be doing a good thing for our students. — Meera Komarraju Faculty Senate president and an associate professor of psychology
“I’m opposed to faculty making an argument for raising tuition on, not just bad publicity but on principle,” she said. “(It is) one of the reasons why we are losing students, at least in my college. Our academic adviser called up about 25 students who dropped out, and they basically dropped out because they couldn’t afford to pay what we are already charging.” Meera Komarraju, Faculty Senate president and an associate professor of psychology, said the Senate still seemed divided about tuition increases and needs to discuss it further. “Some faculty felt that yes, we should (support it) because that would make it more likely that the Board of Trustees would support it,” she said. “But then there’s some faculty who felt that we already know many of our students are