FRIDAY
Sept em b er 12 , 2014 • $1 .0 0
GAINING CONFIDENCE
Alex Flores
Hiawatha football looks to extend a great start / B1
HIGH
LOW
58 42 Complete forecast on page A6
daily-chronicle.com
SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
Facebook.com/daily-
chronicle
@daily-
NIU enrollment decline slows Undergraduate numbers down but by smallest amount in five years By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI jduchnowski@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Northern Illinois University senior Joe Palmer thinks students seem more energized across campus since he started school there three years ago. It might be the renewed emphasis on town-gown relations or cosmetic improvements across campus, from banners emphasizing student career success to the recently revamped NIU smartphone app that includes an interactive campus map. Or it might be the football
team’s trip to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2013; Palmer himself hasn’t missed a kickoff in years, but he’s seeing more black and red in the stands. “[A good football team is] something NIU never reDouglas ally had until Baker these past couple of years,” said Palmer, who also is director of public affairs for the Student Association. “It’s really exciting.” After months of discussing ways to improve the level of
Undergraduate enrollment University
2013
2014
Percent change
NIU WIU SIU UIUC EIU
15,814 9,873 13,266 32,294 8,347
15,435 Down 2.4% 9,645 Down 2.3% 13,214 Down 0.4% 32,579 Up 0.9% 7,640 Down 8.5%
Sources: University media departments student engagement, though, NIU leaders had a first major test of their success: Enrollment figures released this week show fall enrollment
decreased by the smallest amount in five years, largely because of an increase in last year’s freshmen returning as sophomores and a jump in
international student enrollment. NIU’s undergraduate enrollment this semester is 15,435, down from 18,277 in 2009, with overall enrollment decreasing from 24,424 in 2009 to 20,611 this year, NIU data shows. The number of international students – sought after in part because they pay full tuition rates – jumped almost 30 percent, from 847 last year to 1,090 this year. The freshman retention rate increased from 66 percent in 2013 to 71 percent this year. “We had just a partial year
REMEMBERING 9/11
to really work on this issue,” said NIU President Douglas Baker, who started the job in summer 2013. “To see the retention turn five [percentage points] is really encouraging.” NIU’s 10-day enrollment data practically mirrors Western Illinois University’s. Western’s undergraduate enrollment dipped 2.3 percent, while leaders there boasted that international student enrollment jumped from 370 last year to 511 this year, a WIU news release states. WIU’s
See ENROLLMENT, page A3
Arab allies pledge to fight Islamic State group Turkey refused to join, sign agreement By LARA JAKES and ADAM SCHRECK The Associated Press
Photos by Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Talon Joynt, 7, states the Pledge of Allegiance with the employees of Decal Works during his own Sept. 11th tribute ceremony Thursday outside of the Kingston business. Joynt lined up more than 30 of his toy emergency vehicles in front of the half-mast American flag. For more photos of the ceremony, visit Daily-Chronicle.com.
Area residents gather in remembrance at ceremony By JESSI HAISH jhaish@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Talon Joynt first learned about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks when he was 4 years old, and he’s had a deep respect for firefighters ever since. Now 7 years old, Joynt, of Kingston, has displayed that respect in aspects of his every day life, visiting more than 100 fire stations with his family and reading books about the attacks. He wants to one day be a firefighter in a big city, so he can save even more lives than he would in a smaller city. “I learned about [the attacks] when I was about four,” he said. “I think my mom or grandma said, ‘Did you ever know two towers crashed?’ Then I started reading about it.”
‘‘
Thursday, Joynt held his third annual event honoring the lives that were lost during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The event was held outside of his parents’ business, DeCal Works in Kingston. Employees and friends were invited to come outside that afternoon, and Joynt displayed his large collection of toy fire trucks, read a speech and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s his own way of honoring the many lives that were lost 13 years ago, firefighters included. “Why I do it is because I wanna be a firefighter when I grow up,” he said. “I want to remember the lives that were lost that day. I just do it for respect.”
See 9/11, page A4
Talon Joynt’s firefighter action figure stands atop a latter truck Thursday with an American flag in front of Decal Works in Kingston. Joynt held his third annual September 11th tribute ceremony with the employees of the business.
Why I do it is because I wanna be a firefighter when I grow up. I want to remember the lives that were lost that day. I just do it for respect.” Talon Joynt, Kingston resident
See ALLIES, page A4
LOCAL
LOCAL
WHERE IT’S AT
Church app
Losing business
Camp Power
The Church in DeKalb launches a smart phone app / C1
Jason Akst on losing 2 local stores and the holes the businesses will leave /A2
DeKalb program builds relationships for children, police / A3
Advice ................................ C4 Classified........................D1-4 Comics ............................... C5 Local News........................ A3 Lottery................................ A2 Nation&World...................A2
FAITH
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Key Arab allies promised Thursday to “do their share” to fight Islamic State militants, but NATO member Turkey refused to join in, signaling the struggle the U.S. faces in trying to get front-line nations to put aside their regional animosities and work together to defeat a common enemy. In a joint statement, the 10 Arab states agreed to stop the flow of fighters and funding to the insurgents and possibly to join military action. Their announcement followed a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts in the Red Sea coastal city of Jiddah. Kerry’s visit, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, was aimed at pinning down the support regional allies are willing to give to U.S. plans to beat back the Islamic State group, which has seized large chunks of Iraq and Syria. In remarks to reporters after the meeting, Kerry noted the “particularly poignant day” for the discussions. “The devastating consequences of extremist hate remain fresh in the minds of all Americans, and to so many of our friends and allies around the world,” Kerry said of the terror attacks 13 years ago. “Those consequences are felt every day here in the Middle East.” Greater regional support is seen as key to combatting the spread of the Islamic State group, which has proved so ruthless that even al-Qaida severed ties with it earlier this year. Nearly 40 nations have agreed to contribute to what Kerry said would be a worldwide fight to defeat the group. On Wednesday, President Barack Obama laid out a long-term U.S. strategy that would include expanding airstrikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq, launching strikes against them in Syria for the first time and bolstering the Iraqi military and moderate Syrian rebels to allow them to reclaim territory from the militants. Thursday’s meeting ended with Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon pledging to stand against terrorism. They promised steps
Obituaries .........................A4 Opinion...............................A5 Puzzles ............................... C4 Sports..............................B1-6 State ...............................A3-4 Weather .............................A6