MONEY MAKIN’ MENTORS
OVC SHOWDOWN
Ashmore Mentoring Program doing well after its first birthday, encouraging children in the area to join in on activities.
Eastern’s women’s basketball will face off against Murray State Saturday evening in Lantz Arena.
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Dai ly Eastern News WWW.DAILYEASTERNNEWS.COM
THE
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID”
VOL. 97 | ISSUE 102
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013
Flowers flourish between florists’ fingers
Issues | SEXUAL ASSAULT
Sexual assault education campaign in early stages By Stephanie Markham Administration Editor Editor’s Note: This is the eighth installment in a series of articles addressing the state of sexual assault on campus.
Jacob Salmich | The Daily Eastern Ne ws
(LEFT) Wilma Richie, co-owner of Lawyer & Richie Florist & Gifts, unwraps a new package of red roses before she trims them in preparation for Valentine’s Day. Richie said they’ve been preparing for Valentine’s Day for about a week. Richie’s father started the florist and gift shop. Lawyer & Richie Florist & Gifts is located at 1100 Lincoln Ave. (MIDDLE) John Bell, owner of Bell’s Flower Corner, trims and cuts roses for Valentine’s Day orders on Wednesday. The back room of the shop was filled with flower orders and scraps from trimming and cutting the flowers. Bell’s Flower Corner is located at 1335 Monroe Ave. (RIGHT) Franda Newkirk, co-owner of Noble Flower Shop, prepares a bouquet in the back room of the shop on Wednesday. Newkirk and her husband Rick have been up very late the last several nights preparing for the big day. Noble Flower Shop is located at 2121 18th St.
Holiday | Perspectives
Students spend in spirit of Valentine’s Day After scouring stores in search of the perfect present for Valentine’s Day, Jalin Rose came close to emptying $100 from his wallet. Rose, a sophomore marketing major, said he wound up spending so much money because he likes to spoil his girlfriend, who he said he met this semester. “Valentine’s Day is like any other day,” he said. “Just another chance to show my appreciation.” Rose is not the only student at Eastern to spend more than $100 on a Valentine’s Day present. Bria Jennings, a sophomore kinesiology and sports studies major, said she also spent $100. She said she had been dating her boyfriend for one year and said she feels that her boyfriend is
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By Bob Galuski Entertainment Editor
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worth showing that she cares by spending money. “Valentine’s Day is better when you have someone to spend it with,” Jennings said. Linda Simpson, a family and consumer sciences professor, said one reason students might feel inclined to spend money on Valentine’s Day is good marketing. “Company’s make it sound like you don’t love someone unless you spend a lot,” she said. “It’s like guilt.” Simpson, who did research on Black Friday shoppers’ behavior in 2011, also said that the marketing goes beyond just seeing advertisements and that it surrounds people when they are in stores. “If you go to Wal-Mart, you are surrounded by red and white – it makes you want to buy something,” she said.
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Balloon artist to capture feeling of love By Kevin Hall Staff Reporter During Valentine’s Day, a balloon artist will be wandering the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union crafting inflated art to commemorate the holiday. Members of the University Board will have their next segment of the “Rush-Hour” series focus on Valentine’s Day and the theme of love with “Love is in the Air.” Danny Turano, the UB chair, said the event will be taking place
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday in the Bridge Lounge of the Union. The event will consist of a balloon artist from TAG Art Company and a table will be set up in order to decorate different Valentine’s Day cards and trinkets. Although the base of the event will be in the University Union’s Bridge Lounge, the balloon artist will be walking around the whole University Union and interacting with people throughout the whole event, said Turano. Kourtney Pygott, the special
events coordinator of the University Board said this event would be a great way to give someone you care about a small token of gratitude. When coming up with this event, the expenses of Valentine’s Day were definitely taken into consideration by the UB, Pygott said. However, this event is free of charge and opened to everyone, she added. Pygott said, “If you want to make someone a Valentine’s Day card and show them that you care,
you can come here and do it for free. So why not?” Members of the UB chose to have a balloon artist because they felt as though balloons shaped into different elements representing love would correlate heavily with the whole “Love is in the Air” theme, said Pygott. Because pink, red and white are normally the colors used to represent Valentine’s Day, the Bridge Lounge will be decorated in these colors in order to help the room fit the theme of the event. BALLOON, page 5
The Sexual Assault Taskforce is in the process of comprising a list of recommendations on how to start an educational campaign on sexual assault. Dan Nadler, the vice president for student affairs, charged the group with starting the educational campaign on Jan. 25. “The recent chalk messages about sexual assault have made it clear that the university needs to launch an intensive campaign to make the university community aware of the resources available to prevent sexual assault and the resources available to help victims of sexual assault,” Nadler wrote in the announcement of the campaign. Nadler said in an email that he asked for a comprehensive list of recommendations by March 1, and the group’s progress would be monitored on a monthly basis. Sandy Cox, director of the counseling center and chair of the Sexual Assault Taskforce, said in an email that the taskforce is in the process of coming up with the plan, and should have a more definitive idea of the plan by March 1. Nadler said he chose Cox to lead the campaign because she has been involved in related initiatives for 15 years. “This is a team-oriented process that will require the collaboration and commitment from a variety of departments at the university as well as community-based organizations,” Nadler said. The taskforce has existed since 1999 and includes staff, faculty and students of Eastern, Nadler said. He said the overall goal of the campaign is to end sexual assault and violence. “This initiative must be on-going and sustainable, one that educates and trains professionals, changes the student culture and supports survivors of sexual assault,” he said. Nadler said he developed the campaign to make the University more aware of the resources available to prevent sexual assault. He said he would continue to meet with the taskforce to discuss the administration and implementation of the campaign. He said community feedback has also been an important factor. “I have been very impressed with the excellent recommendations I have received via e-mail, in group settings and during oneon-one meetings with faculty, staff and students,” he said. Stephanie Markham can be reached at 581-2812 or samarkham@eiu.edu.