Want to go to fashion school? Find out how with new RSO
GREEKS & CAMPUS, 6A
Walk around the world Spurlock showcases shoes with global flair IN BUZZ
The Daily Illini
Thursday August 30, 2012
www.DailyIllini.com
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
High: 91˚ Low: 64˚
Vol. 142 Issue 5
FREE
Urbana residents could lose money this semester
Interim positions filled with permanent administrators for first time in years
Students can sign up to take advantage of electric aggregation
BY LAUREN ROHR
BY GORDON UTENDAHL
STAFF WRITER
STAFF WRITER
Interim Provost Richard Wheeler
n the wake of recent admissions scandals and frequent personnel turnovers, many top leadership positions have been left vacant, filled by interim administrators. But now, many of these temporary positions have been occupied permanently. Vice President and Chancellor Phyllis Wise said she “is optimistic that the campus will continue to move ahead with focus, speed and agility.” Among these new leaders is Provost Ilesanmi “Ade” Adesida, who was chosen to take over former interim provost Richard Wheeler’s position last spring. Although Wise spoke highly of Wheeler, saying he was an excellent leader and decision-maker during challenging times for the University, she said being in an interim position can be “exceptionally challenging.” “People assume you won’t be around to see a project through to the finish, so sometimes they stall and hope to simply outlast you,” Wise said. Wise herself played a role as the interim president of the University of Washington before joining the University of Illinois. At the time of her appointment, she commended President Robert Easter, who was then the outgoing interim chancellor — her predeccessor. “What you have done, Bob, in the last couple of years, is just short of a miracle, because I know what it means to have the word ‘interim’ attached to your title,” she said at her first public appearance on campus. She said having people in permanent leadership positions allows the campus to start envisioning the long-term future. Adesida, who began his official role as provost Aug. 16, said he has been getting more familiar with the provost office and the campus as a whole over the past few weeks. In addition to a new provost, Wise has added Peter Schiffer, vice chancellor for research, and police Chief Jeff Christensen to her leadership team. She said the campus is still searching for a new vice chancellor for institutional development. Campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler said she was unsure of how long it had been since the campus had all permanent leadership positions but that it had been “quite some time.” “We are at a very exciting point in the University’s future,” Kaler said. “(Wise) and her leadership team are eager to make sure we take advantage of this opportunity.” As a way to introduce new staff and faculty members on campus, Wise sent out a mass email to students this week that contained a “welcome back” video, featuring the leadership team. Adesida said the video was a great way for students to get to know the administrators who are leading their campus. With the new team in place, Wise said the University will continue to move forward on the “Visioning Future Excellence” effort. This will help determine areas of study where the campus can “help shape a better future.” However, Wise said the most important plans for this academic year are to continue the “world-class learning, discovery and engagement that make Illinois a special place.” “This is a time of great opportunity for the Urbana campus,” Wise said. “The qualities that make Illinois among the best on the planet — collaboration, innovation, a willingness to address society’s most vexing problems — will allow us to define what it means to be a global University.”
|
Students who returned to apartments in Urbana this month may not be signed up to save money through their local municipal electric aggregation program. Electric aggregation is a process that allows municipalities to bundle residential and small commercial electrical supply accounts and buy in bulk in order to receive a lower rate. In Urbana, officials sent an opt-out letter to permanent residents in late May, before students and other new residents moved in. The letter allowed residents to opt out of the program within a twoweek period; those who didn’t were automatically signed up to receive the lower rates. “The problem is that this university community has a transient population,” said Mike Monson, Urbana chief of staff. “So a lot of people moved into their apartments this month in August.” “If people want to start seeing the savings right away, they need to sign up,” Monson said. In order to sign up, students need to provide their name, address and an Ameren account number to Homefield Energy, an Ameren Corporation subsidiary. Homefield Energy can be reached at custcare@homefieldenergy. com or at their toll-free number, 866-694-1262. Following the two-week deadline this summer, only 4 percent of those who received letters exercised the option to decline. The Urbana rate of 4.05 cents per kilowatt hour is currently a tenth of a cent lower than the rate in Champaign. Ameren’s current electric rate is 6.06 cents per kilowatt hour. Although the city receives a tenth of a cent built into
Provost Ilesanmi “Ade” Adesida As vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost on campus, Adesida oversees the campus’s academic programs, policies and priorities and maintains an environment that encourages academic excellence. In 2005, he became the dean of the College of Engineering. He was chosen to take over for former interim Provost Richard Wheeler and began his official role Aug. 16.
Interim Vice Chancellor for Research Robert Easter Vice Chancellor for Research Peter Schiffer As vice chancellor for research, Schiffer is the campus’s chief research officer and responsible for providing leadership in setting strategic directions for research. Schiffer came to the University from Penn State, where he was a physics professor and vice president for research and director of strategic initiatives.
Interim Police Chief Jeff Christensen Police Chief Jeff Christensen After attending the University as an undergraduate, Christensen was hired as a patrol officer in 1985. He was promoted to lieutenant a few years later and was then further promoted to the department’s deputy chief and assistant director. He briefly served as interim police chief in 2008 and is now continuing his career as the University’s police chief.
See ELECTRIC AGG, Page 3A
Isaac damages N. Orleans, but ‘it’s not Katrina’ BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN AND STACEY PLAISANCE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS — Hurricane Isaac began a slow, drenching slog inland from the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, pushing water over a rural Louisiana levee and stranding some people in homes and cars as the storm spun into a newly fortified New Orleans exactly seven years after Katrina. Although Isaac was much weaker than the 2005 hurricane that crippled the city, the threat of dangerous storm surges and flooding from heavy rain was expected to last all day and into the night as the immense comma-shaped storm crawled across Louisiana. Army Corps spokeswoman Rachel Rodi said the city’s bigger, stronger levees were withstanding the assault. “The system is performing as intended, as we expected,” she said. “We don’t see any issues with the hurricane system at this point.”
INSIDE
Police
2A
|
There were initial problems with pumps not working at the 17th Street Canal, the site of a breach on the day Katrina struck, but those pumps had been fi xed, Rodi said. Rescuers in boats and trucks plucked a handful of people who became stranded by floodwaters in thinly populated areas of southeast Louisiana. Authorities feared many more could need help after a night of slashing rain and fierce winds that knocked out power to more than 700,000 households and businesses. The extent of the damage was not entirely clear because offi cials did not want to send emergency crews into harm’s way. In Plaquemines Parish, a fishing community south of New Orleans, about two dozen people who stayed behind despite evacuation orders needed to be rescued. “I think a lot of people were caught with their pants down,” said Jerry Larpenter, sheriff in nearby Terrebonne Parish. “This
Calendar
2A
|
Opinions
storm was never predicted right since it entered the Gulf. It was supposed to go to Florida, Panama City, Biloxi, New Orleans. We hope it loses its punch once it comes in all the way.” As Isaac’s eye passed overhead, authorities in armored vehicles saved a family whose roof was ripped off, Larpenter said. Two police officers had to be rescued by boat after their car became stuck. Rescuers were waiting for the strong winds to die down before moving out to search for other people. Water driven by the large and powerful storm flooded over an 18-mile stretch of one levee in Plaquemines Parish. The levee, one of many across the low-lying coastal zone, is not part of the new defenses constructed in New Orleans after Katrina. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said officials may intentionally break a levee on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish to relieve
See ISAAC, Page 3A
4A
|
Crossword
5A
|
DAVID J. PHILLIP THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chuck Cropp, center, his son Piers, left, and wife Liz, right, wade through floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac Wednesday in New Orleans. As Isaac made landfall, as much as 20 inches of rain was expected in Louisiana.
Comics
5A
|
Greeks & Campus
6A
| Sports
1B
|
Classifieds
5B
|
Sudoku
5B