MUST WIN
SLAMMED!
The 1-5 Eastern football team approaches a must-win game at Southeast Missouri Saturday.
People brought up violence and race issues and the “Rythm and Words Poetry Slam” Wednesday at 7th Street Underground.
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Dai ly Eastern News
THE
W W W .D A I L YE A S TE R N N E W S. C O M
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014
VOL. 99 | NO. 38
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID”
Bright Lights, Blue City takes over Eastern By Samantha Middendorf Entertainment Editor | @Samantha_EE Homecoming 2014 will feature a wide variety of events for students and alumni of all ages when “Bright Lights, Blue City” takes over Charleston to get Eastern in the panther spirit. Events for Homecoming begin Monday with a kick-off Homecoming Coronation. Lori Knoechel, University Board homecoming coordinator, said voting for coronation, which took place Oct. 6 and 7, went well. “We did have some mishaps in the beginning, but it was all figured out rather quickly by the Homecoming team, and fortunately votes ran smoothly after that,” she said. C o r o n a t i o n w i l l b e g i n a t 7 p. m . a t McAfee Gym, where the winners for king and queen will be crowned. “Turn Up the Blue” sidewalk parties will also be taking place all day Monday. The parties will include spirit table displays, activities and giveaways on the Quad. “ T h e s e s m a l l p a r t i e s a re j u s t s e t - u p games and activities for students to engage in while walking around campus or going to class,” Knoechel said. “We wanted students to know it was Homecoming week, and what a great way to tell them by giving them fun things to do.” FILE PHOTO | CHYNNA MILLER
BRIGHT LIGHTS, page 5
Last year's homecoming court makes an apperance during the Homecoming football game on October 19, 2014. This year the parade takes place at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 25.
U.S. House candidate holds forum
Budget cuts affect UB, Rec Center
By Stephanie Markham News Editor | @stephm202
Luis Martinez Staff Reporter| @DEN_News
In campaigning for the Nov. 14 midterm elections, Eric Thorsland, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative for Illinois’ 15th congressional district, provided a Qand-A session for Eastern’s faculty Wednesday. Despite only three faculty members attending the forum, Thorsland shared his plans to deal with legislative issues. The Faculty Senate invited both Thorsland and John Shimkus, the 18-year incumbent Republican candidate for the position, to speak. However, Shimkus’ campaign did not respond to the request, said Todd Bruns, a Faculty Senate member. Thorsland, a research technician at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, asked the faculty members what they thought about the Common Core curriculum, adding that he was reluctant to support it. “I worry it’s trying to address a problem that’s not a ‘how to teach’ problem, it’s a ‘where you learn’ problem,” Thorsland said. “What I really want to push for is to bring resource to the area, but not dictate the entirety of how it’s used.” Crystal Duncan Lane, a family and consumer sciences professor, said Common Core is frustrating a lot of teachers in Illinois, many of whom are looking for other careers
The three boards funded by student fees all suffered 8 percent budget cuts this year because of low enrollment. These boards include University Board, student government and the Student Recreation Center. Student government took out $4,000 from its annual budget, cutting costs from things such as its T-shirts for First Night and Panther Service Day. The University Board had to cut its costs by getting rid of Panther Stock, a spring event, and they also had to take some of the funds for the cultural arts. The Student Recreation Center Board originally had a budget of $211,000, with most of the budget aimed toward the equipment and student payroll; the cuts also may lead to a decrease in hours. On Tuesday, Eastern’s apportionment board discussed the university’s current budget situation. Yazmin Rodriguez, student vice-president for student affairs, then brought the issue to the Senate meeting Wednesday.
JASON HOWELL | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Eric Thorsland, the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 15th congressional district, holds a question and answer session with university employees on Wednesday in the Sullivan Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Thorsland, currently a research technician at the University of Illinois, supports unions and creating vocational programs in community colleges.
to avoid dealing with it. “They’re actually very bitter about the Common Core,” she said. “They don’t feel that they are as well educated about it as they should be, and that it’s just being kind of thrown at them.” Duncan Lane said one of her student was injured in Afghanistan, and she asked what Thorsland would do about getting veterans the services they need. Thorsland said he wants to eventually serve on the Veterans Affairs Committee. “We need to streamline it; we need to direct resource at it,” he said. “Rather than send
more into conflict, we need to take care of the people coming back.” Bruns asked what Thorsland would do to address student loan debt. Thorsland replied that congress should spend more money on grants such as the Pell Grant rather than on the military, as well as lower the interest rate. “We are dropping billion dollar bombs on Iraq right now,” he said. “We can do with a little less guns and a little more butter.”
HOUSE CANDIDATE, page 5
BUDGET CUTS, page 5