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SIU Director of Government Affairs to serve as Senate chief of staff SARAH SCHNEIDER Daily Egyptian After seven years as the executive director of governmental and public affairs at SIU, Dave Gross is going back to the Illinois Senate. Gross will begin his role Jan. 1 as chief of staff to Senate President John Cullerton, replacing Andy Manar who Gross said will be running for an elected office.
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Gross said because he started his career in the Senate and worked there for 20 years, he looks forward to going back. “In a lot of ways it feels like going back home,� he said. As chief of staff he will work with a professional staff of about 50 people who analyze legislation and present to members who serve on various committees. “The majority of the responsibility is to make sure the staff interacts with
the leadership team and they help with setting an agenda for the Senate president,� Gross said. Gross said one thing that sticks out from his time at SIU is the success with the Capital Bill that provided the university system with almost $200 million to build major facilities on the Carbondale, Edwardsville and Springfield campuses. Please see GROSS | 3
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Public view of natives' identity not reality LAUREN DUNCAN Daily Egyptian How Americans view native people may affect how they see themselves. As a part of Native American Heritage Month, Cornel Pewewardy, director of Indigenous Nation Studies at Portland State University, spoke in the Student Center Monday on how the public perceives native people. Through educating leaders in schools, Pewewardy said false identities of indigenous people may be reduced. “Too many people have the idea that we are only in the past, and you can walk past us on campus and never know who you’re looking at,� said Nichole Boyd, president of the Native American Student Organization. “I tell people 'I didn’t show up in my buck skin and feathers today, so it’s not my fault you can’t recognize who and what I am’." Pewewardy said because the education and development of natives may be affected by the ways others identify Native Americans, people should work to break down what he describes as a “dysconscious,� or the way people’s views are not associated with reality. “When you’re in higher education, you have to dispel a lot of myths, archetypes that have been portrayed,� he said. One way the public can better understand natives, Pewewardy said, is to disprove images meant to represent indigenous peoples. Through images such as mascots for sports teams and those found in movies like Pocahontas, native people's identity has been shaped, he said. The story of Pocahontas as portrayed by Disney, he said, was not correct but was changed from the tale passed down through generations to appeal more to the audience. Pewewardy said he has worked to eliminate such images with attempts to ban Native American mascots from the NCAA. He said his interest to eliminate the mascots began when he was the principal of a school for native children who, on a field trip to a
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Sierra Dolwick, a sophomore from Woodlawn, Tenn. studying theater, stitches a beading pattern Tuesday at the Student Center during a lazy-stitching tutorial put on by the Native American Student Organization. Nichole Boyd, president Washington Red Skins' game, passed people tailgating who were dressed to look native and thus affected the students view of themselves. Because of what the students saw, Pewewardy said, their self-esteem was affected. “One of the first lessons you know that’s a generator of academic performance is high self-esteem. But if you beat up somebody’s self-esteem and make them feel less than,
of the Registered Student Organization, said the style of beading is traditional and still in use today, unlike more stereotypical crafts associated with Native Americans such as dream catchers.
make them feel bad about who they are, more than likely they’re not going to do well academically,� he said. What Pewewardy described as the Indian image of native people has not only shaped the idea some non-natives hold of Native Americans, but how indigenous people view themselves, he said. “The Indian image is burnt into the
American psyche ... the native people subscribe to these, then they have bought into power control over somebody else’s explanation, and so they haven’t gone into their own analysis to understand who they are — they’re given somebody else’s,� Pewewardy said. Please see NATIVE | 3
University College dean to tackle student retention SARAH SCHNEIDER Daily Egyptian Almost a semester after the University College was fully implemented, Mark Amos was named Associate Provost and Dean for the student support model. The model was first established with the restructuring of the division of Student Affairs in December to pull together units and services on campus to enhance student success and offer support during their first year. The model, used by other universities across the country such as Illinois State University, was approved by the SIU Board of Trustees executive board Feb. 14 and ratified by the entire board April 14. Amos, an associate professor of
English and director of Saluki First Year, said the college puts Saluki First Year, Core Curriculum, University Honors, Learning Support Services, New Student Programs, Career Services, Premajor Advisement, the Center for Academic Success, First Scholars and Student Support Services all under one organizational structure. More than 30 percent of freshmen in 2009 did not return for their sophomore year, according to Institutional Research and Studies, therefore the retention rate was 68.9 percent. Provost John Nicklow said University College will be used as a key tool for increasing the retention rate. “A key element in increasing
student success rates is retention, particularly through the first year of college,� he said. “We’ve already had some small gains in this area, and with the evolution of the University College and Dr. Amos’ appointment, I expect more.� Amos said in his new position he is responsible for planning the budget, providing leadership for the direction of the college and developing and leading research projects. Nicklow said Amos was chosen because of his knowledge regarding first and second year students and said he understands the vision of the University College. Amos said he hopes to reach the full potential of the college by launching a success course
required for all incoming students in fall 2012 and develop a peer mentorship program for first-year students. He said he will also expand the depth of student support structures and programs, and enhance the effectiveness of advisement early in students’ careers. “Dr. Amos, and others in the leadership team, are committed to improving student success and student service," Nicklow said. "We will monitor relevant metrics accordingly to make sure we are making desired educational gains.�
Sarah Schneider can be reached at sschneider@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 255.
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Mark Amos, an associate professor of English and director of Saluki First Year, has been named Associate Provost and Dean for the University College, which was designed to enhance success in students' first year at the university.
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About Us The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale 50 weeks per year, with an average daily circulation of 20,000. Fall and spring semester editions run Monday through Friday. Summer editions run Tuesday through Thursday. All intersession editions will run on Wednesdays. Spring break and Thanksgiving editions are distributed on Mondays of the pertaining weeks. Free copies are distributed in the Carbondale, Murphysboro and Carterville communities. The Daily Egyptian online publication can be found at www.dailyegyptian.com.
Mission Statement The Daily Egyptian, the student-run newspaper of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is committed to being a trusted source of news, information, commentary and public discourse, while helping readers understand the issues affecting their lives.
Copyright Information © 2011 Daily Egyptian. All rights reserved. All content is property of the Daily Egyptian and may not be reproduced or transmitted without consent. The Daily Egyptian is a member of the Illinois College Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press and College Media Advisers Inc.
Publishing Information The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Offices are in the Communications Building, Room 1259, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Ill., 62901. Bill Freivogel, fiscal officer.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
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One way natives' self-identity has been influenced by the public is how they are named. Pewewardy said his grandfather and others were labeled as “colored people” by non-natives and his father was labeled “Indian." “Every decade there’s a new term for us … that’s burned into the psyche of people telling you who you are and your ethnic identity,” he said. While Pewewardy spoke to students about Americans' false identification of native people, Boyd said more specifically, students on campus who have a better understanding of what being Native American means should share with others to enhance their education. “To leave here, after you leave this university, really diverse, you
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“Those were projects I loved working on, and I will miss that part now,” he said. Gross said he will also miss his
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need to understand what it’s like to work with all types of people,” she said. After the presentation, Adaline Tucker, a freshman studying political science, said she had recently completed a project on the life of Native Americans and discovered the quality of life statistics for natives was declining. “From living on a reservation and going on to live in a culture outside of that, there is a great disparity," she said. She said she thinks both selfhealing techniques and legislation could help clarify the public identity of native people. Tucker said Pewewardy’s lecture gave her a closer look at challenges faced by native peoples.
Lauren Duncan can be reached at lduncan@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 259. work with SIU President Glenn Poshard. “He is a wonderful person and I am going to miss working with him,” Gross said. “He has certainly taught me the value of leadership.” In his time at SIU, there were
GENNA ORD | DAILY EGYPTIAN
Sierra Dolwick pulls a needle through interfacing material as she works on her lazy-stitching project.
budget cuts from the state every year, which Gross said made his job very difficult to explain to lawmakers the value of providing adequate support to public universities. Gross said it is important to
The method of beadwork can be used for earrings, bracelets, moccasins, dresses and other materials.
him to lobby for public universities so tuition will not have to increase and education will be available to more people. He will continue to do so as chief of staff, he said. “It is a neat place to work, seeing knowledge transferred
to other people,” Gross said. “It is certainly an experience I will never forget.”
Sarah Schneider can be reached at sschneider@dailyegptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 255.
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Engineering majors cope with heavy workloads Survey finds engineers spend most time preparing for class ELI MILEUR Daily Egyptian Engineering students are trying to cope with heavy workloads as they head into finals. “A lot of people struggle through just trying to get by,” said Benjamin Arden, a senior from Arlington Heights studying mechanical engineering. A recent report by the National Survey of Student Engagement found that seniors in engineering spend more time than other majors preparing for class. They spend an average of 19 hours per week studying, while physical sciences students spend about 18, and on the lower end, business and social
sciences students spent 14 hours. The differences are even more significant when the percentage of seniors who spent more than 20 hours per week preparing for class is considered. Forty-two percent of engineering majors did, followed by physical science majors with 36 percent. The weight of the coursework is a reflection of the preparation needed for having a career in engineering, said Sanjeev Kumar, chair of the department of civil and environmental engineering. He said he’s not familiar with the workloads of other majors, so he couldn’t compare engineering to anything else, though he was surprised it ranked first in time consumption. Students should relax and keep up with work during the semester so the finals are not overwhelming, Kumar said. “It’s not as difficult as they may think or make it,” he said.
Arden said he spends six to eight hours a day studying and doing homework. It can often be overwhelming, but he copes by staying organized, he said. Arden said he’s taking 17 credit hours this semester, which is comparable to previous ones. Since he’s enrolled in labs, he only has three finals and a project, but he will still spend up to two weeks preparing for them. Arden said he wasn’t surprised by the survey results. “It’s very time-consuming,” he said. Sarah Olson, an academic adviser in the engineering department, said she wasn’t surprised by the survey results either based on what she’d heard from students. She said the typical schedule for engineering students is five, or six classes, including labs. The middle of the semester seems to be particularly hard, as tests begin to pick up and students
might fall behind, Olson said. Adam Smith, a senior from Champaign studying civil engineering, said the coursework is generally moderate to difficult, and he’s dealt with a lot of stress, though this semester has been easier. He said he’s currently taking 13 credit hours, and does one to three hours of homework every night. Jeff Dykstra, a senior from Rolling Meadows studying mechanical engineering, said he usually spends four hours a day working outside of class, and even more right now. He said he has five finals coming up, and sometimes the work can be overwhelming. “I lose focus. It’s just too much,” Dykstra said. Smith said the math and sciences classes were the hardest, so he was a little surprised that engineering, and not those other majors, were the most time-consuming. Smith said despite the difficulty
of the work, finishing in four years is definitely doable, though he knows a lot of people, including himself, who’ve taken five. He said to cope with the stress he exercises, gets work done early and seeks help with the instructors if issues arise. “The teachers are really good,” Smith said. “It’s just a matter of making yourself ask.” Helping students handle the coursework is what teachers are there for, Kumar said. Whatever the workload, students need to have an aptitude for the subject and a love for engineering. Arden said his enjoyment of the subject and the good chances of getting a job motivated him to continue with the major under the strain of difficult work, and lots of it.
Eli Mileur can be reached at emileur@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 266.
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(GLWRULDO %RDUG Leah Stover Editor-in-Chief
Sarah Schneider Campus Editor
Kathleen Hector Managing Editor
Cory Downer Sports Editor
Lauren Leone Design Chief
Brendan Smith Grind Editor A&E Editor Tara Kulash City Editor
Steve Matzker Photo Editor
Editorial Policy Our Word is the consensus of the Daily Egyptian Editorial Board on local, national and global issues affecting the Southern Illinois University community. Viewpoints expressed in columns and letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian.
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GUEST COLUMN
Similarities between SIU strike and Occupy movement JAMES ANDERSON
graduate student in mass communication and media arts Police raided the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York’s Zuccotti Park Nov. 15, destroying a 5,000-volume library, blocking media coverage, busting demonstrators with batons, firing tear gas into the crowd and forcibly arresting around 70 people, with credentialed journalists included. This was only one day before Occupy Oakland in California was raided, resulting in the arrest of 30 protesters and the resignation of two city officials. Occupy Oakland had previously been ransacked by authorities who fired flash grenades at demonstrators. Following the egregious use of force by police, the people of Oakland organized a one-day general strike that shut down one of the country’s busiest ports. Drastically different in undeniable ways, there are important parallels between recent events here at SIUC and the aforementioned Occupy movement. They speak to some of the same broader societal issues and competing trajectories. When reports came in that police had destroyed the library of books at the flagship Occupy Wall Street camp in New York, blocking and jailing journalists in the process, those in power managed a temporary triumvirate of the First Amendment with squelching seldom achieved, given the other obvious impingement on peaceable assembly. At SIUC, some might recall the oddly timed decision to remove books with information on employees’ salaries from Morris Library during the period leading up to the Faculty Association strike. Others might recall the
university’s decision to begin selectively removing posts from the SIUC Facebook page — a move that incensed plenty of screenshot-savvy students prepared to repeatedly document the censorship of their censures. In response to this and other questionable uses of mass communication by the administration, professors and students set up the online Free Speech Zone at occupysiuc. wordpress.com. Alternative online media have become increasingly important for countering dominant narratives, locally and otherwise. Regarding Occupy Wall Street, there was no dominant narrative to speak of early on, as mainstream corporate media were simply too busy during the limited 24 hours a day, seven days a week news cycle to cover it. Since then, establishment media coverage has still generally reflected the interests and views of the establishment (go figure). Protesters have been portrayed in unfavorable or confounding light, and the major media just cannot understand what it is these people want. Yes, the slogan for Occupy Wall Street might be a rather straightforward, “We are the 99%,� and yes, the other 1 percent might take in almost a quarter of the income and control about 40 percent of the country’s wealth, as Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz pointed out in a Vanity Fair column last May. Sure, that highly concentrated wealth might consistently translate into concentrated political power, perpetuating a vicious cycle with devastating effects, but let’s put that aside and try to figure out why people could possibly be protesting. Whether the dominant position bespeaks a class-conscious corporate campaign or is more accurately described as a Marie Antoinette
ideology of indifference and befuddlement among elites and an elite media incapable of comprehending the struggles faced by the greater public is hard to say. In an Oct. 11 op-ed from The New York Times titled “The Milquetoast Radicals,â€? columnist David Brooks argued proposals “floating around the Occupy Wall Street movementâ€? such as “forgiveness for student loan debtâ€? are merely “marginal.â€? During the strike at SIUC, the editorial page of the Southern Illinoisan echoed similar out-of-touch sentiments. The first was a piece titled, “Voice of the Southern: Go to work, or get out!â€? The follow-up to that was “Voice of the Southern: We repeat: Get back to work!â€? In the former, they lambasted striking professors for taking a principled stand against accepting pay raises tied to student tuition increases. Because intolerably high unemployment rates are not a sufficient reminder, The Southern took pains to inform us “Jobs are not easily attained and quickly lost in a faltering economy.â€? In the latter they reiterated that no matter what the terms imposed, the faculty must acquiesce to any and all demands because, “There are no other alternatives, readers.â€? Margaret Thatcher, eat your heart out. Further they instructed readers, “Forget about the presence of 700 students who rallied in support of the faculty ‌ anyone with a bullhorn could mobilize a similar force for any reason on a warm autumn afternoon,â€? adding, “Throw in the word ‘pizza’ and you might attract a few thousand.â€? First, forgiveness of student loan debt might be “marginalâ€? for The New York Times editorialists, but probably not for the recent graduates among the 99% who cannot find a job in the
“faltering economy� — an economy that happens to be “faltering� because the financial elite almost brought it crashing down. Wall Street was bailed out, but the fiscal turmoil that resulted has provided an opportune pretext for further defunding of public services such as education, which in turn has spurred greater privatization of universities, not to mention persistent tuition and fee increases. Saddling students with debt has functioned as a fantastic disciplinary mechanism in the past, effectively trapping students, keeping them narrowly focused on work (and feverishly looking for work) while in school and after graduation, ensuring a steady flow of workers into the corporate sector where wages have stagnated for decades now, with no small thanks to sustained attacks on unions. During the strike at SIUC, we were told things were going along swimmingly; it was just “business as usual� in all of the classrooms without any professors to speak of or with professors who should not have been there. The spurious “business as usual� trope was further belied by the massive student marches on campus. But the idea of “business as usual� is problematic for other reasons. For one, the university is not simply a business. It is a site where meaningful dialogue and intelligent deliberation can take place. Thanks to the job security tenure affords professors — something else the faculty went on strike to protect — dissent can be not only tolerated but also encouraged. Moreover, students are not mere consumers. They are active participants in formative democratic culture, capable of critical thought, analysis and questioning of prevailing norms and values.
An honest rejoinder might be that students are consumers insofar as they pay so much for an education. The point is a fair one and worth dissecting. It is precisely why students everywhere have inveighed against austerity measures. There were protracted student protests against massive fee hikes at the University of Puerto Rico throughout much of last year that brought brutal repression from local police who were later chastised by Amnesty International for excessive use of force. In Chile, free public education is being seriously discussed because of the burgeoning student movement opposing the grossly unequal privatized system of education first put in place after Augusto Pinochet assumed dictatorial power following a U.S.-backed coup on Sept. 11, 1973, to overthrow the democratically elected government of then President Salvador Allende. At SIUC, the strike has thankfully come to an end, but a seeming unintended consequence is that it brought together disparate parts of the university and local community who joined in solidarity to support faculty, students, the future of the school, higher education and democracy. That solidarity and spirit of resistance need not end. In the same vein, the broader Occupy movement has maintained a spirit of resistance and resilience. Occupy Wall Street in New York is already regrouping. Oakland has reorganized and peacefully resisted repression multiple times already. In direct, participatory, radicaldemocratic fashion, the movement is getting back to work, except their work involves large scale re-envisioning of society in a way that thankfully cannot be described as “business as usual.� That need not and will not end either.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
University needs to live up to self-proclaimed sustainability standard Dear Editor: When I chose to attend Southern Illinois University, I did so on the assumption that SIU would maintain a respectable commitment to sustainability. The university brags about sustainable efforts initiatives on the website and through events such as the Green Fair. In the year and a half since my enrollment, I have been sorely disappointed in the university’s commitment to certain issues, one of
which with real and dangerous health effects as well as environmental effects. There are currently four university coal-fired physical plants in the state of Illinois, and the only one without a set retirement date is owned by Southern Illinois University. The Physical Plant currently releases lead, arsenic, sulfur dioxides and other pollutants that the American Lung Association has directly linked with lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and asthma. The coal plant only produces 14
percent of the university’s energy. The loss of this percentage could be easily compensated by implementing simple energy conservation techniques, which would also decrease the cost of energy for the university. The Physical Plant uses stoker boilers, which are an outdated, environmentally dirty and dangerous technology. These two boilers are generally only used by companies to run tests. This means that most of the emissions that students and community members are forced to
be exposed to are not even benefiting the university in any way. This kind of negligence for environmental and human health is not the sustainable effort that I am willing to settle for in this university. I urge Southern Illinois University to set a retirement date for the coal-fired power plant and make a commitment to non-toxic energy. Let’s focus on projects like installing geothermal heating in the Stone Center, and make them more of a serious priority to the university.
It is time to live up to the level of sustainability that I expected to see in this university. Every other university in Illinois has set a retirement date and even community colleges in the area are researching renewable energy. It’s time that SIU plays catchup and demonstrates our ability to be leaders in environmental stewardship and stop poisoning its students. Cheyenne Adams sophomore from Normal studying zoology
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Letters and guest columns must be submitted with author’s contact information, preferably via email. Phone numbers are required to verify authorship, but will not be published. Letters are limited to 400 words and columns to 500 words. Students must include year and major. Faculty must include rank and department. Others include hometown. Submissions should be sent to Opinion@dailyegyptian.com.
The Daily Egyptian is a “designated public forum.� Student editors have the authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. We reserve the right to not publish any letter or guest column.
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Google’s maps go indoors with new mobile feature MICHAEL LIEDTKE Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Google's next frontier in digital mapping will span the world's shopping malls and airports. An upgrade of Google's mobile mapping service released Tuesday includes directions within stores, malls, airports and transit centers in the U.S. and Japan. The initial index only covers a small fraction of the great indoors, but Google Inc. is hoping that will change as more owners and operators of shopping and transportation hubs submit their indoor floor plans so they can be mapped.
For now, Google's indoor maps can only be viewed on smartphones and tablet computers that run on the company's Android software. That's still a potentially huge audience because more than 550,000 Androidpowered devices are activated each day and the mobile maps will work on versions of Android released as far back as 2009. The free indoor mapping tool represents Google's latest attempt to deepen people's attachment to their Android phones so the company has more opportunities to sell ads pitching products and services to people on the go. Helping people navigate their way around malls and stores also complements Google's
effort to turn the Android phones into digital wallets that replace cash and conventional credit cards. Google wouldn't say why the feature would work only on Android devices. The company also wouldn't say whether it eventually plans to offer the indoor maps on other products, such as Apple Inc.'s popular iPhone and iPad, or whether the feature will eventually be available on desktop and laptop computers, too. The company's online maps already provide detailed driving, walking and even biking directions on city streets and highways throughout the world. In some instances, Google has supplemented its digital maps with photographs of the charted area
— a feature that has triggered privacy complaints and, in some countries, regulatory crackdowns. The indoor maps are designed to reduce the disorientation that frequently occurs in sprawling stores and other large complexes. If the floor plan is included in Google's index, the software pinpoints a user's location with a blue dot. The user can then figure out where the nearest bathroom is in a mall or find an airport's gate for a departing flight. The software is programmed to automatically change to a different floor in a building when the user does. "It's like we have taken the map that you see on a kiosk at a store or
mall and put it on your phone," said Steve Lee, a product management director for Google. The tracking technology plots a user's location based on cell towers, GPS and publicly broadcast Wi-Fi signals. That's similar to what Google already does to identify where users are when they're viewing street maps. Google's engineers refined the system for the indoor maps so users can be shadowed with even more precision. The indoor directions include two retailers known for their labyrinth stores — Home Depot and Ikea. Macy's and Bloomingdales also have shared the floor plans of a few of their biggest stores.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
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Authors write final words in month-long challenge National Novel Writing Month proves to be difficult for some SARAH MITCHELL Daily Egyptian Mariah Timms has given herself 30 days to finish a 50,000-word novel. Down to the last 48 hours of her month-long literary journey, Timms sits in her dorm room and looks over what she has already written and wonders where her story is going. “If I knew what my novel was about, I would tell you,” she said. Timms, a sophomore from Bensenville studying anthropology and journalism, has spent the past two Novembers challenging herself to complete a story in 30 days. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, takes place every November and encourages writers to complete a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. NaNoWriMo was launched in 1999 and has outgrown its name, gaining hundreds of regions that participate all over the world. Timms, who said she has been writing stories since she learned how to form letters, learned about the project from a video blogger a year ago. She said she and her mother attempted the challenge for the first
time in November 2010 as a fun project, but she was only able to write nine pages. Those nine pages ended up helping with the challenge this year. “I really liked what I wrote last year,” she said. “I have no idea where it’s going, but I decided to start from there this year.” Timms said the challenge helped her focus on trying something new because she had never attempted to write a novel before. “I had written quite a few short stories,” she said. “I had only thought up characters that had enough behind them for a novel, but had never really tried something on the scale of a 50,000-word story.” Sean Jordan, the municipal liaison for the southern Illinois chapter of National Novel Writing Month, said he has written five novels as a result of participating in the challenge. “I failed miserably that first year,” he said. “But every year since, I’ve managed to finish.” Jordan said a benefit of NaNoWriMo is that it teaches writers to be creative without evaluating their work in the process. “Many people get stalled when
they’re writing a work of fiction because they start to worry if what they’re doing is actually worth reading,” he said. “That kills creativity. But when you write with a focus on quantity instead of quality, you give yourself permission to try some new and crazy things — some of which might help you to learn more about your story, your characters or yourself.” Timms said she also agrees that creativity is the real purpose of NaNoWriMo. “When you’re writing it, the whole point is to keep going,” she said. “Then when you go back and read it, you can edit it and turn it into more of a real story rather than a writing exercise.” The southern Illinois chapter of NaNoWriMo includes all of Illinois from I-70 to the bottom of the state, as well as St. Louis and as far north as Alton. “With such a large region, we tend to split events between the Metro East and Carbondale,” Jordan said. “Our Carbondale group has been growing every year.” Jordan said the chapter hosts several write-ins during the month where writers can share their progress and write together. The group also does writing exercises such as 15-minute writing sprints where writers try to get as many words
written as possible in a short amount of time. On the NaNoWriMo website, writers can log their novel’s development. Through charts and graphs, novelists can keep track of how many words they have written and how many they still need. They can also choose to share their work and comment on other writers’ stories. Timms said the community aspect of the challenge is helpful in completing one’s novel. “It becomes like a group effort,” she said. “Instead of just pushing yourself to write alone in your room, because you’re doing it with other people, you’re more likely to finish. If you tell everybody you’re doing it, you feel bad if you don’t finish it.” John Stanford Owen, a teaching assistant in creative writing, said he views the challenge as a good exercise. “I think it forces people to write every day and to flex that muscle,” he said. “It’s like taking a vitamin — if you want to write, you’ve got to do it every day.” Even for people who have not written before, NaNoWriMo can offer a lot, Timms said. “So many people are always like, ‘Oh, I could write the next great American novel,’ or they have some idea for a novel,” she said. “This is
a great way to actually do it. Even if you look back and it’s horrible, it gets you to try something you’ve always dreamed about. It gets you to accomplish something.” Timms promotes NaNoWriMo on her blog and said she supports the challenge because writing is an important skill to have. “No matter what you’re doing with your life, just knowing how to get your thoughts on paper is really, really good,” she said. “It changes the way you think about your thoughts.” NaNoWriMo established the Young Writers Program, a website that helps kids work on their own novels with professional advice and the ability to share their work through forums. The program also gives educators the necessary resources to facilitate NaNoWriMo activities in the classroom. Timms said she is not confident she will complete her novel this year, but she will continue to work on it and hopes to participate in the challenge next year. “Writing is fun, and there are so many stories in the world and they should be shared,” she said. “This is a cool way to do it.”
Sarah Mitchell can be reached at smitchell@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 259.
For American, a blemish on a distinguished history SCOTT MAYEROWITZ Associated Press American Airlines used to bill itself as "something special in the air," and it was. It was the first airline to offer curbside check-in. The first with computerized reservations. It invented the frequent-flier program and came up with the deeply discounted Super Saver fare to fill empty seats on its planes. But it was disastrously behind on one thing — recognizing that its finances were unsustainable. In the past decade, other airlines cut expenses in bankruptcy reorganizations. American plodded along with high labor costs and
aging, gas-guzzling jets. Other airlines found merger partners. American was the awkward kid at the middle school dance. American was left with little spare cash to make improvements or take risks. The money ran out, and on Tuesday, the time did, too. American filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. "They were the most innovative airline for years. Nobody could touch them," said George Hobica, who runs Airfare Watchdog, a site that alerts fliers to discount fares. "They're a shadow of their former self." Some of American's 78,000 workers will almost certainly lose their jobs or have their pay or
pensions cut. Its creditors will lose money. And its stockholders will be wiped out. The stock, which traded more than $40 in 2007, closed Tuesday at 33 cents. The bankruptcy filing is a black mark for American, which traces its routes to carrying mail for the government in the 1920s and was, in the decades between, a pioneer in the nation's skies. "American Airlines is a link to the way travel used to be," said Edward Pizzarello, 37, an executive with a private equity firm who has more than 500,000 lifetime miles with the airline. "It reminds me of a time when people got dressed up in their Sunday best to hop on a plane and fly around the world."
In 1936, American was the first airline to fly the Douglas DC-3, the first plane designed to carry enough passengers — it seated 21 — to be profitable without making money from mail or cargo. Mail was no longer the priority. Passengers were. In 1942, American started a catering business, Sky Chefs, to provide meals to its customers. After World War II, Pan Am and TWA dominated international routes, while American and United focused on the domestic skies. In 1948, American rolled out coach seats and family fare plans to make flying economical. Nine years later came the American Airlines Stewardess
College, the world's first facility dedicated to flight attendant training. Two years later, American became the first airline to offer nonstop, coast-to-coast jet service with the Boeing 707. Flying time: Five hours, about the same as today. But it wasn't until the 1970s that American — and its iconic silver jets — really started to shine. American introduced routes to the Caribbean and expanded its sophisticated computer reservation system to travel agents. The system, known as Sabre, later became the guts for Travelocity and remains in wide use. Today, 300 million passengers a year use it to browse itineraries and make air, hotel and car reservations.
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Daily Egyptian
Classifieds
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Comics
Daily Egyptian
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THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Nearly all 5 Carnival attractions 10 Shapeless mass 14 Early Peruvian tribal member 15 Overdramatize 16 Currency used in many nations 17 Word to a pest 18 Wearing glasses 20 Lugar or Leahy: abbr. 21 Feels sick 22 __-walsy; very friendly 23 Collie or chow, to a little child 25 Pork product 26 Place of utmost happiness 28 Large covered soup container 31 Wheel rods 32 __ Ste. Marie 34 Hair covering 36 Roaring beast 37 Slither away in shame or fear 38 German wife 39 Common viral ailment 40 Pack animal 41 Get educated 42 Respect highly 44 Autopsy subject 45 Hee-__; bray 46 To the __; apt 47 Diver’s danger 50 Actor __ Penn 51 Ms. Thurman 54 Leader; pioneer 57 Bric-a-__ 58 Tavern drinks 59 Malicious looks 60 Siesta 61 Have a snack 62 Backslide 63 Inquires DOWN 1 Title for a young lady 2 A single time
by Jacqueline E. Mathews
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7XHVGD\ÂśV $QVZHUV Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved 3 Morally shocking 4 Tit for __ 5 Quit, as a job 6 Suggest 7 __ away with; abolishes 8 And so forth: abbr. 9 “Ready, __, go!â€? 10 Developed into 11 Slow period 12 Gold and silver 13 “Over my dead __!â€? 19 Not together 21 Grows old 24 Microwave, e.g. 25 Wrestler Hogan 26 Two quarters 27 Banish 28 Canned fish 29 Fills with joy 30 Approaches 32 Close noisily 33 Goal 35 Melody
Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.
DWHYO Š2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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(c) 2011 Tribune Media Services, Inc. (c) Tribune Media Services, Inc. All2011 Rights Reserved.
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37 Murdered 38 Plant with fronds 40 __ out; oozes 41 Cut of pork 43 Separate grain from straw 44 Not smooth 46 Social equals
47 48 49 50 52 53 55 56 57
Reach across Ring of light Top cards Ladder rung Facial disguise Performs Building wing Actress Leoni Two-cup item
Answer here: (Answers tomorrow)
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Jumbles: NOTCH KAYAK LOTION CONVEX Answer: Chevy Chase worked hard on his movie career, even during his 1983 — “VACATION�
Aries — Today is an 8 — Review the logical steps; define how you’d like it to play out; and prepare for that (in private). Roll out the promotional campaign to a receptive audience.
Cancer — Today is a 7 — Let a partner choose the color or location. Reaffirm the passions that you share. Write down your inspirations. Create together.
Libra — Today is an 8 — Poetry, anyone? If not with words, then with actions, as in a slow walk under a gray sky, or friends and candlelight. Mix to your own measure.
Capricorn — Today is a 9 — Let another person represent you. An accomplice helps you reach the next level. Use your imagination, and epic dreams result. Don’t let your mind wander far.
Taurus — Today is a 7 — Others are saying nice things about you. Keep on providing great service. Put your package together, and sell it now. Accept a generous offer.
Leo — Today is an 8 — Keep all channels open, and good news comes rolling in. Take advantage of ease today to push your agenda forward faster. An older person offers a partnership.
Scorpio — Today is an 8 — Go over finances with an advisor, and get clear on the big picture. This provides power and freedom. Celebrate with a delicious meal, for your efforts.
Aquarius — Today is a 9 — Listen to different perspectives for a wider view. Do the math to see the bottom line. When you have that, you have power to create. Put what you want in writing.
Gemini — Today is an 8 — Talk leads to opportunities. You’re a natural communicator, and you’re interacting like a champ today. You’ve got powerful words to generate what you want. Use them.
Virgo — Today is a 9 — You can dive into a project now and be extremely productive, but don’t forget about your health. Pace yourself so you don’t lose sleep. It’s a good time to sell.
Sagittarius — Today is an 8 — Get in touch with family, and focus on the positive. There’s so much to learn from one another. Your wits are especially appreciated (even if you don’t think so).
Pisces — Today is an 8 — You can accomplish what you set your mind to with persistence. Expand your territory, a little at a time. Practicality is your guide.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
SHANNON CONTINUED FROM
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“I love my best friends,” Shannon said. “We do everything together. When I go home, we always meet up and go downtown in Chicago and shop, eat (at) Navy Pier and the
lakefront.” Although Shannon is referred to as a tall tower, she isn’t fearless. “I know a lot of shorter people than me that I’m comfortable being around, but not midgets,” Shannon said. “I don’t know exactly why I’m afraid of them, but it’s something about them
Sports that just gets under my skin.” She said she never enjoyed when her mother would take her to the UniverSoul Circus in Chicago every year because she feared the ringmaster’s midget sidekick. “He would always come in the audience and mess with the people,”
Daily Egyptian Shannon said. “I always thought he would come by us and touch me, and I would cry. But he never did.” She also said people often stereotype athletes, but athletes are also normal people who enjoy fun, too. “People say a lot of things about
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college athletes, but they have to take the time to understand we’re humans too,” Shannon said. “We deserve leisure, too.”
Brandon Willingham can be reached at bwillingham@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 269.
Sophomore guard Jordyn Courier struggles to gain possession of the ball during the Salukis’ 66-44 loss against Loyola University Chicago Nov. 17 at the SIU Arena. The team’s 53-50 loss to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb Tuesday brings their record to 2-3 For the full story, please see www. dailyegyptian. com. GENNA ORD DAILY EGYPTIAN
Banned players settle with gay softball group GENE JOHNSON Associated Press SE AT T LE — A gay softball organization has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to three players who were disqualified from its 2008 Gay Softball World Series because of their perceived heterosexuality. And as part of the settlement announced Monday, their team will be awarded the second-place trophy it was denied in ‘08. The men — Stephen Apilado, Laron Charles and John Russ — filed the federal lawsuit against the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance last year, claiming they had been discriminated against because they were bisexual, not gay. They had played for years on a San Francisco-based team called D2. Rumors had persisted that the team was stacked with straight ringers, and when they made it all
the way to the finals of the 2008 tournament in the Seattle area, others filed a protest, accusing D2 of exceeding the limit of two heterosexual players per team. Tournament officials convened a protest committee and brought in five D2 members for questioning. In a conference room filled with about 25 people, many of them strangers, the players were asked questions about their sexuality and private lives. The protest committee then voted on whether the men were gay. Two were determined to be gay, but the committee found Apilado, Charles and Russ to be straight. The organization said that at the time, the men never identified themselves as bisexual, and were evasive or refused to answer questions about their sexuality. Minutes of the hearing say that Charles claimed to be gay, but acknowledged being married to a woman, and Apilado initially said
he was both gay and straight but then acknowledged being more attracted to women. The men said they weren’t given the option of stating outright that they were bisexual, even though the organization considered bisexual players to be gay for roster purposes. The players and their team were disqualified. One observer at the hearing commented, “This is not a bisexual World Series. This is a gay World Series.” NAGAA said the settlement came after the organization won a series of motions limiting what claims the players could present at trial. The players initially asked the court to throw out the roster limit on straight players as discriminatory, but U.S. District Judge John Coughenour ruled that the organization had a constitutional right to limit the number of straight players as a
means of promoting their message that openly gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals can thrive in competitive sports. The judge said the case could proceed to trial because questions remained about the way the softball association applied its rule, including whether the questions asked at the hearing were unnecessarily intrusive. The trial was set for next month. “We have been vindicated by the judge’s First Amendment rulings,” said Roy Melani, NAGAAA’s commissioner. "This lawsuit threatened not only the purpose of our organization, but also its future. We fought hard to protect ourselves and our core identity and I am relieved this issue is finally behind us.” Since the lawsuit was filed, NAGAAA has added language to its rules clarifying that bisexual and transgender players are fully welcomed participants in its
events. As part of the settlement, the organization said disqualifying D2 was not consistent with its goal of welcoming bisexual players. “NAGAAA regrets the impacts the 2008 protest hearing had on plaintiffs and their team,” the settlement reads. The National Center for Lesbian Rights, which represented the men, welcomed the changes but said they should go even further. The group still wants NAGAAA to delete its roster limits on straight players, on the grounds that it encompasses gay players who are in the closet or who choose not to put a label on their sexuality. Charles said he’s looking forward to playing more softball. “It means a lot to me that NAGAAA is going to recognize our second place finish in 2008,” Charles said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to play ball with my friends, teammates and community in NAGAAA’s tournaments.”
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Salukis to take on vengeful Redhawks AKEEM GLASPIE Daily Egyptian The Saluki swimmers enter enemy waters as they again face the Redhawks and a field of competition. The Salukis will face a mix of small and larger sized school including the University of Cincinnati, Denison University, Emory University, and Wright State at the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center for the Miami of Ohio Invitational. The three-day event starts Thursday and will be the second time this season the Saluki men face the Redhawks. The men’s team defeated the Redhawks Oct. 8 at the Edward J. Shea Natatorium. Heading into the Salukis’ previous meet, coach Rick Walker said it was important to compare SIU’s performance to similar schools it faced during
the season. The Salukis are coming off the Tennessee Invitational, where the men placed fifth and the women seventh of eight teams. Senior Justin Wolfe led the Saluki men as he had SIU’s only first-place win of the meet with a time of 47.92 in the 100-meter butterfly. Assistant coach Scott Olson said he was pleased with the team’s performance against the tough Southeastern Conference opponents. “Justin (Wolfe) winning the 100 butterfly against (an) SEC school has him ranked seventh in the nation, and our relays are top 40 in the nation. I would say we had a pretty successful meet,� Olson said. “Any time we are racing against SEC schools, there are no slouches.� The Redhawks are coming off a win against Kenyon College, where both men and women’s
NATHAN HOEFERT| DAILY EGYPTIAN
The Saluki swim team concluded its practice Tuesday at the Edward J. Shea Natatorium in preparation for the Miami Invitational Thursday, teams dominated the individual and relay events with a combined score of 330-254 for the victory. The Emory swim team, despite being a Division II school, has also faced top universities in the nation. Its opponents include the University of Georgia No.1 women’s team, and the University of Alabama which is ranked just outside of the top 25. Senior Kristin Geppert said the Invitational will be a good chance for the team to prepare for its upcoming conference meet. “It’s a three-day meet, so it’s
Friday and Saturday at Miami of Ohio University. “We want to get in there and compete well,� said coach Rick Walker.
like the conference meet is going to be. It’s good to go through that routine and practice line-ups so you can swim the events that you are going to swim at conference,� Geppert said. Olson said it’s the point in the season when invitationals show how the swimmers’ mind and body will respond to competition. “What we are looking for right now is to evaluate everything, as far as what our physical attributes are and what our mental attributes are, and how tough are we when it comes
to racing at a invitational,� Olson said. He also said this meet will help the team prepare for conference as they can iron out any flaws in their swimming, and provide a valuable look at every swimmer. “We have an idea of what the people who went to Tennessee are capable of doing,� Olson said. “Now we have the other part of the squad that we are taking to Miami to see how they adapt.�
Akeem Glaspie can be reached at aglaspie@dailyegyptian.com or 536-331 ext. 269.
Sophomore seeks life beyond the court BRANDON WILLINGHAM Daily Egyptian Genetics assisted the childhood dreams of pursuing a basketball career, but maturity allowed Cici Shannon to realize that there is a life outside of the 94 feet of hardwood. “I was always the taller kid growing up, and both my parents are tall too,� said SIU center Shannon with a laugh. “When I moved to the suburbs, all of the kids in the neighborhood played basketball for the park district, and from there my parents signed me up for it.� Shannon, born Sept. 21, 1992 in Chicago, is a sophomore majoring in fashion design and merchandising. She said early in her basketball career, she was
known as the new big kid on the block in her neighborhood and played for the Country Club Hills Park District, and now she’s the new kid with all of the blocks. As Shannon matured, she began to take basketball seriously and decided it was something she would like to make a career of, she said. She played basketball in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for the Illinois Wolverines and high school basketball for HomewoodFlossmoor, where she averaged averaged nine points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per game her junior year, and 12 points, 13 rebound and five blocks as a senior. According to Saluki Athletics’ website, Shannon recorded for 82 blocked shots — nearly doubling school history in the 2010-11
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eople say a lot of things about college athletes, but they have to take the time to understand we’re humans
season, placing fifth in Missouri Valley Conference history during one season, along with ranking second in the MVC and 13th nationally with an average of 2.7 blocks per game. In the jumpstart of the 201112 season, Shannon’s five blocks against Tennessee State tied the eighth-highest single-game block total in school history. She now holds seven of the top 16 singlegame block totals in school history and moved up to 97 career blocks, seven blocks shy of former Saluki Kathy Kampwerth’s (1985-89)
— Cici Shannon SIU center women’s basketball career blocks record. Though Shannon is passionate for the game, she said she also enjoys doing other things besides basketball. Outside of the court, her time is dedicated to fashion design or leisure time with her 10 best friends from high school, she said. “Because I love fashion, after college I want to open up a wedding dress line,� Shannon said. “That’s one of my dreams.� Shannon’s roommate and starting point guard Brooke LeMar said Shannon isn’t only a great
teammate but a great friend with a good sense of fashion. With the development of enhanced team chemistry, LeMar said the summer was when Shannon and her relationship improved and they became close. Teammate Teri Oliver said Shannon is a tall tower with a kind heart and a nice personality, and is a good friend. “Cici has the type of sense of humor that can turn around someone’s day,� Oliver said. “She keeps us laughing and always has a smile on her face. It’s good to have people in your life like her.� Besides spending time with her teammates, Shannon said there isn’t a better time than that with the people she loves. Please see SHANNON | 11