THURSDAY February 16, 2017
THE DAILY ILLINI The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Rauner switches position, supports MAP Grants
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Vol. 146 Issue 41
LONGFORM
BY ANGELICA LAVITO STAFF WRITER
Governor Bruce Rauner proposed a significant increase in Monetary Award Program, MAP, Grant funding during his budget address to state lawmakers Wednesday. This comes after previous action by Rauner to veto bills supporting MAP grant funding. “When it comes to higher education, we understand the hardship being felt by students who rely on state assistance to go to college,” Rauner said. “That’s why we’re proposing a 10 percent increase to MAP grant funding — so those students can focus on learning and not their next tuition bill.” MAP grants are state funded, need-based scholarships. The program is an approximately $30 million venture at the University of Illinois system, according to University spokesman Tom Hardy. The program has been affected by the two-year state budget impasse, with the state not providing funding for it this school year. The University has paid advances to support the program for now in anticipation of lawmakers passing a state budget with MAP Grant money included. If Rauner’s proposal is included in the state budget, it would cover current MAP grants and pay for additional awards. Besides the proposed grant increase, Rauner did not further address higher education funding. The budget impasse has hit colleges across the state, including the University of Illinois. The budget also had a call for $7.686 billion for further K-12 education funding, a $213 million increase to this year’s number. Programs for English language learners would get $38 million more and funding for transportation would receive an additional $107 million increase compared to last year. Rauner’s speech showed that he is open to increasing income and sales tax, and that there is a budget plan in the Illinois Senate that could possibly give the state its fi rst full spending plan since July 2015. Rauner said the income tax increase will only be approved if there is a permanent freeze on local property taxes, and that the proposed increase will not affect food and medicine taxes. He also said that he is opposed to collecting retirement income taxes.
Wounds heal,
GUN VIOLENCE LINGERS PORTRAIT OF ROBBIE SHEPARD BY HANNAH AUTEN THE DAILY ILLINI
In recovery, victim embraces new normal BY ELYSSA KAUFMAN STAFF WRITER
Robbie Shepard was calm. On a windy Thursday afternoon, he stood in an infamous spot. He retraced his steps, remembering what happened in this place four months before. It’s a spot students remember from an Illini-Alert, sent early Sunday morning on Sept. 25. It’s a spot that now seems forgotten, where people walk past without a second thought. It’s a spot where, on that day, one was killed and four were shot. The memories of that night all came back to him. But not in the way that you would expect. On that early morning, an apartment fight broke out, which led to a deadly shooting involving bystanders walking on Green Street in Champaign. Shepard, a recent University graduate, was shot in the right arm. The incident led to months of physical therapy and the inability to use his dominant hand.
But when students remember that night, they don’t know Shepard’s name or his interests. They just remember a statistic. Four shot. One dead. Four months since that day, Shepard is still one of the names in those numbers. “It all happened so quickly that there was really no moment for me to do anything other than realize, ‘OK, I’ve been shot,’ and then get someone to help me,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about what had happened beforehand, I didn’t know what was happening after. “I just got shot, had to get an ambulance, and that was it.” He remembers the details. Shepard was walking with friends along Boneyard Creek just past Evergreen Tobacco, when he saw a large group of people leaving an apartment building. “We were almost past the parking lot, and that’s when the gunshots went off, and that’s when we got hit,” Shepard said. “When we got hit, I immediately
lost where everyone else was.” After getting shot, Shepard walked toward Second Street and found a couple, who then called 911. The couple sat Shepard down on Green by a bus stop, where the police and an ambulance reached him. For Shepard, one of the hardest parts of dealing with this incident is understanding that it happened for no reason at all. “This didn’t give me any enlightenment. I don’t have any wisdom for this. It was so random. I went to the hospital, now I’m healing,” Shepard said. “I don’t have any wisdom for students. I don’t have any kind of sage advice. “There is nothing I can tell them that can prevent this for them. There is nothing I can tell them to make them feel better about this. There is nothing I can tell them to even make them change this.” But when it comes to his stance on gun laws, his pessimism has only been reaffi rmed.
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Second interim provost to brings campus budget reform BY MEGAN JONES STAFF WRITER
BRIAN BAUER THE DAILY ILLINI
Alpha Delta Pi's sorority house serves lunch on Wednesday. This sorority is one of many addressing food waste.
Greeks struggle to reduce food waste in houses BY KAREN LIU STAFF WRITER
When students in Greek houses pass over the sloppy joes or green beans at lunch, this untouched food often ends up in the trash. Chefs and other caterers are forced to dispose of the leftovers due to strict regulations contributing to food waste. “It’s the liability that comes with the food product, especially leftovers.” said Arnaldo Posadas, chef for the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. “We have a policy of 24 hours. After 24 hours, we will have to throw it away.” This often comes with a large amount of leftovers generated each day. However, the food is not allowed to be donated, even if it is
unused or untouched. Food that was never served on the buffet line can be frozen since there is no risk of contamination. The sorority has a twoweek rotating menu, so the ingredients can be kept in the freezer for two weeks until the next time they can be used. Alpha Delta Pi uses a food service company exclusively for fraternities and sororities called College Chefs. They’re not alone. Many greek houses on campus chose to sign a contract with a caterer or a campus chef. One popular one is Hendrick House. Hendrick House currently contracts with 19 fraternities and sororities on campus. Adam
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Malone, Greek accounts manager for Hendrick house, said most contracts are with sororities. Greek houses can choose to work with Hendrick House in two different ways. Malone said larger houses with kitchens usually choose to sign a contract with a chef. The chef then communicates with the house and produces a personalized menu according to respective specificities. As for the smaller houses, Malone said Hendrick House offers drop-off services. Roughly 14 fraternities do not have adequate kitchen space or equipment, so they use Hendrick House’s drop-off service.
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Another name was added to the list of interim administration positions Monday, as the University tapped Dean of Libraries John Wilkin to serve as the next interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. Wilkin joined the University in 2013. Previously, Wilkin served in various library-related roles at the University of Michigan for two decades. At the University, he has served as the executive director of associate univrsity librarian for publishing and technology and of HathiTrust, a large scale digital collection of research titles from around the world. When Chancellor Robert Jones notified Wilkin on Feb. 6, he said a lot of things weighed in on his decision to accept the position. “I have an 11-year-old son and a nice life outside of work, and I was reluctant,” Wilkin said. “But Jones told me that a number of people had recommended me and I talked to Nick, my son, and Maria, my wife, and everyone was supportive — that was what nailed it for me.” Wilkin is set to begin Feb. 18,
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replacing Interim Provost Edward Feser, who will start as the provost of Oregon State University Feb. 28. “Ed has been a tremendous leader who is very inclusive in his processes and very frank about issues and that flows over into his transition,” Wilkin said. “If it wasn’t for Ed, I think transitioning would be a much harder job.” The provost works closely with the chancellor, serves as the top academic officer and is in charge of the campus budget. Wilkin is set to earn $320,000 a year, an increase from the $249,000 a year he makes as the library dean. But Wilkin already has experience with the campus budget. He currently serves as the chair of Feser’s Budgeting Reform Steering Committee, which aims to help decrease the University’s reliance on state funding. “For me, what is most exciting is our ability to move forward with the budget reform process — not because of wonky budget reasons, there is always that, but it is going to give our institution the tools to be nimbler and more strategic,”
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