JUST KEEP SWIMMING
PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
Katie VanHootegem leads her team both in and out of the pool.
New RSO promotes event planning and gives students hands-on experience for the real world.
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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, Jan. 15, 2015
VOL. 99 | NO. 77
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID”
University seeks new resident director By Cassie Buchman City Editor | @DEN_news
STEPHANIE WHITE | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS
Hillarie Henninger, a senior psychology major, works out Wednesday at the Student Recreation Center. Attendance is higher at the Rec. during the spring semester.
Rec. attendance boosts in spring By Stephanie White Entertainment Editor | @DEN_news The spring semester of almost every year at the Student Recreational Center is filled with people working out. However, the number of students working out at the Rec varies throughout the months. In spring 2014 semester, 60,231 scans were registered in the first two months, while 85,781 were registered in March and April, according to the Rec Center’s records. Records also indicate that for the spring 2015 semester, so far, 3,071 scans were registered at the gym. There was a decrease between March 7 and 16 of the spring 2014 semester; the numbers were between 86 and 407, while the numbers are normally in the thousands. Comparing those numbers to fall
2014 semester, the only time the numbers dropped was in late November before Thanksgiving break. A pattern is visible between both semesters, in which low numbers are near the end of each semester. This may be attributed to finals being close to that time, since the dates fall before and during finals week. Sarah Daughtery, the program director of Campus Recreation, said after spring break is over, barely anyone comes to the Rec. “People always have the new year’s resolutions to work out and get fit, so at the beginning of spring semester, there are more students and Eastern faculty who come and work out,” she said. Daughtery added that between the months of January and March, there are also students getting ready for spring break, which is another reason why the Rec has a lot of students working out at the begin-
ning of spring. Students are still working out after spring break; they are just not doing it at the Rec. Daughtery said when spring break is over it is nicer out than it was at the beginning of the semester, so people are choosing to exercise outside because of the weather. She said the reason why there are not as many people at the Rec this school year is because of Eastern’s low enrollment. The weather is a big component of who comes into the Rec, as she has seen in the past from her experience working there, she said. “There are still people who come to the Rec, like faculty of Eastern; we just aren’t getting as many students once the nice weather hits and spring break is over,” Daughtery said. Stephanie White can be reached at 581-2812 or at sewhite2@eiu.edu.
CUPB to give athletic budget updates By Luis Martinez Administration Editor| @DEN_News The Council on University Planning and Budget will overview the athletic department’s budget as well as the administrative and faculty ratios on Friday. The athletic department budget comes from the past years’ appropriated funding. David Emmerich, chair of the council, said discussion will be to address questions about the budget. “ There were questions raise recently about athletics funding, so we’ve asked for an update about it,” Emmerich said. The questions Emmerich was referring
to were also raised up in this week’s Faculty Senate meeting. The council will also be looking at comparing the number of faculty and administrators. “The administrative (to) faculty comparison also stem from the CUPB program analysis and a recent report regarding student (to) faculty ratio,” Emmerich said. Emmerich said the council will review a new cash-in and cash-out initiative for Eastern scholarships. “Cash in- and cash-out comes from a program analysis recommendation to review the scholarships EIU provides from appro-
priated dollars,” Emmerich said. He said another purpose of the program is to find alternatives ways to fund the scholarships through a cash in and cash out fundraising campaign. New ideas for education from the Education Advisory Board will also be presented to the council. The purpose of EAB is to allow members to learn different ideas from other universities around the country. The council will meet at 2 p.m. Friday in the 1895 Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Luis Martinez can be reached at 581-2812 or lpmartinez@eiu.edu
Housing and Dining Services is seeking a new resident director because the current resident director will be stepping down from the position. “We are looking for a student affairs professional with a good background,” said Mark Hudson, director of housing and dining services. The individual chosen for the position will need be the primary advisor to the hall council. “They need to develop a community that is caring and nurturing for residents, and that has the ability to develop a hall council,” Hudson said. “They should be interested in residents and their success, and (be) an organized person.” Hudson said most importantly, they need someone who can connect with their residents. This includes assisting them in creating and meeting their goals, connecting with faculty, embracing integrative learning concepts, and designing social and education opportunities that help meet the needs of students living in the residential community. Although the search project has just started a few weeks ago, Hudson said he expects many to apply for the position. “We hope to have about 30-40 applicants to see how that plays out,” he said. Hudson encourages (other) universities to recommend people.” Hudson said the hiring process is extensive and detailed because of all the responsibilities and benefits the position entails. “It’s a full time position. The person gets set up in an apartment, (gets) health insurance and life insurance, along with the full time responsibility,” he said. The salary for the new resident director will range anywhere from $32,000 -$33,000 a year. Other benefits include having a retirement plan and a tuition waiver for up to six credit hours per semester. The resident director is responsible for advising RHA or NRHH as the primary hall council advisor. Other duties include overseeing community development, serving on departmental committees, participating in area on-call crisis response rotation, managing housing assignments, and adjudicating student behavior hearings. The resident director also selects, trains, supervises, and evaluates one associate resident director, seven to eight resident assistants, and six to ten desk assistants for the residence buildings. Hudson said people around the country are getting a student affairs education, including a master’s degree in College Student Affairs, Higher Education Administration, or College Student Development, which are some of the degrees that are accepted to
CUPB, page 5