Politicians take note: Higher loan rates are hard on students
Illini enter NFL
OPINIONS, 4A
Jenkins, Mercilus get picked in 1st round SPORTS, 1B
The Daily Illini
Friday April 27, 2012
www.DailyIllini.com
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
GEO protests local factory owned by billionaire Shahid Khan Complaints about health, safety conditions at factory vocalized BY MICHAEL KOZUCHOWSKI DAYTIME ASSISTANT EDITOR
A number of local activist groups, including the Undergraduate-Graduate Alliance, and the Graduate Employees Organization, held a rally outside Huff Hall on Thursday afternoon to protest working conditions at the nearby FlexN-Gate factory, a producer of automobile parts. Owned by local billionaire Shahid Khan — a University alumnus, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars and major donor to the University — the Flex-NGate facility, located at 1306 E. University Ave., as well as other locations, has failed to provide proper health and safety conditions for their workers, protestors say. One of the organizers of Thursday’s rally, Veer Kothari, member of the UGA and senior in Business, said that the rally’s main goal was to spread awareness. “Awareness is the key,” Kothari said. “If he (Khan) sees people ramping up the pressure ... he will take action.” Beginning in December of 2011, local Flex-N-Gate employees started to fi le complaints with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administra-
tion, according to members of the GEO. Since then, employees have made accusations of more than 30 violations, members say. Kothari said one main concern is the carcinogenic compound used to coat bumpers, the chemical hexavalent chromium, which comes from chromium. She said Flex-N-Gate workers have objected to the lack of training and protective equipment provided to them as they come into contact with these harmful chemicals on a daily basis. The United Auto Workers has already unionized other FlexN-Gate plants and has been trying to organize a union at the local factory for almost a year. In an effort to facilitate unionization, the UAW called out to the local community Thursday for support. “We found that the only way for our organization to really have a voice is through collective bargaining,” said Peter Campbell, speaker at Thursday’s rally and GEO communications officer. He also stressed the importance of various groups on campus “showing solidarity to each other.” Part of the difficulty stems from the fact that Khan’s “philanthropy and rewards hide the faults of Flex-N-Gate,” said Josh Schwenk, member of the UGA and senior in LAS. In addition to donations made to the Champaign Public
See RALLY, Page 3A
Sexual Health Peers works to extend STD awareness, education BY CLAIRE EVERETT STAFF WRITER
Since 2005, there have been 198 new cases of HIV and AIDS in Champaign County, according to the Greater Community AIDS Project of East Central Illinois. Mike Benner, executive director of the organization, or GCAP, said the rise in the amount of cases over the years could be due to increased testing. Benner, who has been HIVpositive for nine years, said his life has been altered since his diagnosis. He said he has seen the face of HIV/AIDS change throughout the years. When he was in college, he attended one funeral every few weeks because a friend had passed away from AIDS. He said even though medications have been developed to keep the disease under control, there is still no cure. “I think there needs to be awareness that HIV/AIDS is even out there,” Benner said. “It still is something to be reckoned with.” He said many young people associate people with AIDS as having a “gaunt” look, but since the average person with AIDS doesn’t look like that anymore, the disease has “gone under the table” and people have begun to view it as a “manageable illness” instead of a threat.
More on-air: Tune into the 5 p.m. entertainment-cast on WPGU 107.1-FM for more information on the Artists Against AIDS annual art exhibit and sale in Champaign.
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Esther Bier, sophomore in LAS, practices different moves during her self-defense class Thursday at Wardall Residence Hall. Each strike involves a different shape of the hand and strikes a different part of the body.
University Police self-defense program empowers potential victims on campus BY STEVEN VAZQUEZ STAFF WRITER
A self defense class run by the University Police Department was deemed Program of the Year at the second annual women’s graduation and awards ceremony hosted by the Women’s Resources Center on Thursday night. The classes, which use a pro-
gram called the Rape Aggression Defense, or RAD, systems as its curriculum, was recognized for this honor. The ceremony was held on the fourth floor of the Illini Media Center, and about 50 students, faculty and staff members attended. The RAD program, which is offered at many colleges across
the nation, has been in existence since 1989 and first came to the University in 1996. For the past 16 years, RAD has offered female students a comprehensive course of self-defense techniques, which begins with awareness and prevention tactics and then progress to teaching hands-on defense. Sgt. Joan Fiesta of the Universi-
ty Police Department said teaching the course has been one of the more rewarding experiences she has had on campus. She said the course looks to teach women how to strategize and utilize their strengths should they encounter some type of attack.
See SELF DEFENSE, Page 3A
» » » » » » Expect » »delays “You are bound to taking medication every day,” Benner said. “The perception that it’s manageable — people don’t think about the consequences or the stigma involved.” Sexual Health Peers is a registered student organization that works with promoting education about sexually transmitted diseases, or STDS, as well as prevention methods. The group leads five different workshops about different aspects of sex and relationships throughout the year. While the group often works together with GCAP, Benner said they are hoping to develop a separate registered student organization that specifically focuses on AIDS awareness, prevention, and education. “That’s the only way we’re going to be able to get some influence on campus,” Benner said. “We can put up as many posters as we want, but without someone out there really fighting for us, it’s very difficult.” Sara Salmon, Sexual Health Peers vice president and junior
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INSIDE
See AIDS, Page 3A
from influx of people because of Ill. Marathon BY RAFAEL GUERRERO
» »
STAFF WRITER
Come Friday and Saturday, thousands of runners will be ready for the fourth annual Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon. And so will the local police departments, officers say. Police department officials say they are prepared to handle the influx of people and any problems that may arise during the races, particularly with traffic. About 20,000 people had registered to participate in the races by Thursday evening, said Joe Seeley of the Illinois Marathon. Lt. Roy Acree of the Uni-
See MARATHON, Page 3A
THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
Runners go down Green Street on the first mile of the marathon during last year’s Illinois Marathon on April 30.
Po l i c e 2 A | C o r r e c t i o n s 2 A | C a l e n d a r 2 A | O p i n i o n s 4 A | L e t t e r s 4 A | C r o s s w o r d 5 A | C o m i c s 5 A | S p o r t s 1 B | C l a s s i f i e d s 3 B - 5 B | S u d o k u 4