Illini football juggling defensive adjustments, injuries heading into UNC PAGE 1B
September 15, 2015
THE DAILY ILLINI 5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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App walks students to safety with alerts BY CHARLOTTE COLLINS ASSISTANT DAYTIME EDITOR
You can get a can of pepper spray, you can carry your keys between your fi ngers, you can stay on the phone with your mom or you could download the Companion app. The free app, developed by five University of Michigan students, is teaming up with a number of college campuses to garner data on where students feel unsafe. The purpose of Companion is to walk people home when they are alone. Cofounder Lexie Ernst, senior at the University of Michigan, said she and other cofounders released the app with a campus environment in mind. The fi rst version was released out of the Apple App Store in November 2014. “Crime is such a big issue on campus; crime on college campuses nationwide is way too prevalent. We just felt the need for it,” Ernst said. “Our friends
and I, we were always checking in on each other making sure each other got home safely. So it kind of made sense that we would want to make a solution for this.” Ernst said whenever users have the app enabled and want to arrive somewhere safely, all they need to do is input the address they’re headed toward and add five contacts from their contact lists. These contacts, whether they have the app or not, are able to note the progress of whoever added them and is on their walk home. If the user doesn’t make it to his or her destination on time, falls down or starts running, all selected contacts are notified. A button is available for the user to directly dial 911. Not all students on the University’s campus feel especially unsafe walking home alone at night. Milica
SEE APP | 3A
Personal safety concerns students when walking home at night aults were Sexual ass to occur ly most like ber, in Septem nd a r e Octob November.
41.5 percent of women repo rted feeling unsa fe walking hom e alone after dark.
Sexual assaults were most likely to occur on Friday or Saturday nights, between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.
KELSIE TRAVERS THE DAILY ILLINI
Insist the benefits of secondary education outweigh rising cost STAFF WRITER
Although tuition rates are more expensive than in the past, some University professors still believe the choice to attend is worth it. Undergraduate tuition, room and board at public institutions rose 39 percent between 2002 and 2012, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Walter McMahon, economics professor emeritus, was featured in a September New York Times article for his book “Higher Learning, Greater Good”
in which he discusses the economics behind a postsecondary education. According to McMahon, the major culprit of increasing college tuition is the government. “The major reason that the cost of postsecondary education is so high is that state governments have been cutting back on their support for higher education, which has forced four-year institutions to increase their tuition to survive,” he said. Despite the cost, there is still great benefit associated with attending col-
SEC discusses details of policies, chancellor search MAGGIE SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
Concerns about policy language dominated the Senate Executive Meeting on Monday, where members discussed the background check approved by the Board of Trustees Thursday and the creation of the chancellor search committee.
The University will implement a new background check policy on Oct. 5. The policy has been in the works for two years, but now that it’s offi cial, members of the Senate Executive Committee have some concerns. “I wanted to express that we’ve been working very hard to try to balance lia-
SEE POLICY | 3A
MAGGIE SULLIVAN THE DAILY ILLINI
Abbas Benmamoun, SEC member, explains the purpose of the newly approved background check policy at the Senate Executive Committee meeting Monday.
lege. Experts agree that obtaining a postsecondary degree is overwhelmingly worthwhile for an individual in the long-run, as long as it is from a reputable institution. “Students with a college education save a larger percentage of their overall income,” McMahon said. Evidence shows that students shouldn’t be deterred from attending college simply because of cost, said Elizabeth Powers, associate professor of economics. “There are a number of for-profit schools that have been taking advantage of students who don’t know better, and cases of those people who have basically been ripped off has been
very well publicized,” she said. “It’s still overwhelmingly true that on average you’re better off with a college degree in the job market.” Still, for students who are paying for the majority of their college education on their own, these numbers can be troubling. Lauren Hicks, junior, said she took out federal student loans for the first time this year in an effort to take away some of the burden from her parents, who are paying for the majority of her college tuition at the University. “I’m probably going to be paying off these loans for the rest of my life, and
SEE COST | 3A
Cost of college is skyrocketing nationwide An estimated 21 million students attend some classes in postsecondary education each year. Since 1974, the cost of attending a private, four-year college has tripled, and the cost of attending a four-year public university has nearly quadrupled. 35000 $31,000 30000 25000
1974
20000
2015
15000 $9,000
10000 5000 $2,000 0
Private, four-year college
SOURCE: The New York Times Magazine
$510 Public, four-year college KELSIE TRAVERS THE DAILY ILLINI
LIFE & CULTURE
SPORTS
Racism persists post-9/11
Students unite for racial change
Volleyball relies on depth over weekend
Racism is still present for many sub-groups and cultures
Allies for Racial Justice creates a safe space for discussion
Reserves, freshman contribute in sweeps during road trip
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Sarah Needham works with a 3D-printing program at the Business Instructional Facility on Monday as part of the MakerGirl program. The program focuses on introducing girls 7 to 10 years old to the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through interactive projects.
Experts weigh the cost of a university degree for students BY JESSIE WEBSTER
Vol. 145 Issue 15
Background checks still a concern
10.9 percent of men reported feeling unsafe walking home alone afte r dark.
SOURCE: Central Statistics Office, The Campus Sexual Assault Study: National Institute of Justice
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MakerGirls create STEM crafts
Tution cost ($)
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