GREEK WEEKEND
ROMO A NO-SHOW
Greek Week kicked off with a weekend full of musical activities. See photos of Greek Sing and Air Band.
Eastern’s baseball team beat Murray State’s Thoroughbreds 16-6 on Saturday. Alumnus Tony Romo’s rumored appearance at the game was false.
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Dai ly Eastern News WWW.DAILYEASTERNNEWS.COM
THE
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID”
VOL. 97 | ISSUE 133
Monday, April 8, 2013
CAMPUS | Greek court
Check out page 10 for a story on the state of pension reform in the General Assembly.
Administr ation
Fire sprinklers activated University leaders after system hit with shoe send Gov. Quinn Department pension proposal responds to alarm at Kappa Alpha Psi
By Rachel Rodgers Editor-in-Chief
Staff Report The Charleston Fire Department responded to an active sprinkler head in Greek Court around 7 p.m. Sunday. A sprinkler head in the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. campus house was activated when one of the members hit the sprinkler system with a sandal. Officer Michael Southworth of the University Police Department said the occupant was swatting at a wasp when he hit the sprinkle head on accident. CFD Capt. James Calvert said the other sprinkler heads did not go off, which confined the water damage to four rooms. Calvert said when they arrived, the firefighters shut off the sprinkler system valve and shut off the system. “There was moderate water damage in two rooms and minimal damage in two rooms,” Calvert said. He said there were electricians, plumbers and building service workers who would clean up the water, fix any electrical problems and reactivate the sprinkler system. “The building can’t be occupied without an active sprinkler system,” Calvert said. He said after the water and electric systems were taken care of, the plumber will replace the sprinkler head and recharge the system. The system was expected to be recharged Sunday night.
Dominic Baima | The Daily Eastern Ne ws
Firefighter/Paramedic Tom Chaney with the Charleston Fire Department turns off the sprinkler in the Kappa Alpha Psi house in Greek Court Sunday evening. The sprinkler and fire alarm were activated when residents were trying to kill a wasp by swatting at it with a sandal.
President Bill Perry and the heads of the 13 other universities in Illinois sent a letter to Gov. Pat Quinn Friday pleading for consideration on a sixstep plan to reform the State Universities Retirement System. The six-step plan drafted by individuals involved in the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois calls for shifting costs to universities and employees, tying cost of living adjustment increases to the inflation rate, and revising the Tier I and Tier II systems. The purpose of the plan is to create a balanced and constitutional strategy to reform the State Universities Retirement System while repairing the $20 billion unfunded pension liability attached to it. The deficit of all five Illinois pension systems is estimated at more than $100 billion, generated by the state’s borrowing from the systems and failure to fully fund them from year to year. The shift of normal costs, which are determined by a formula that calculates benefits earned from the employee’s performed service each year, would call for universities and colleges to contribute up to 6.2 percent of the employees’ eligible pension payroll. “Over time, the direct employers — the 65 universities and colleges who are part of SURS — and their employees will accept the bulk of the funding burden, as institutions around the
country already do,” the plan states. An integral part of the shift, since normal cost contributions have historically been tied to the state and the employees, would be “feasible only if phased in slowly,” the letter stated. The plan requests the state to transition the cost shift at a rate of 0.5 percent of pensionable pay for the first 11 years and to increase to 0.7 percent for the 12th year. “We realize that this cost shift will pose an additional financial burden on our institutions and add to the challenges we already face,” the letter stated. “Nevertheless, motivated by our desire to protect employee benefits and cognizant of our responsibility to contribute to a solution, we agree to accept this cost shift.” Those enrolled in the Tier I system, employees hired before Jan. 1, 2011, would face a contribution increase of 2 percent with an added rate of 0.5 percent of pay a year for the next four years. This increase does not factor in to the benefit calculation under the Money Purchase Plan, according to the six-step report. The letter and the six-step plan can be viewed online at dailyeasternnews. com. President Bill Perry and Ann Fritz, the president of the University Professionals of Illinois Local 4100, could not be reached for comment in time of publication. Rachel Rodgers can be reached at 581-2812 or deneic@gmail.com.
CAMPUS | greek week results
Delta Delta Delta wins Greek Sing for 5th year By Amanda Wilkinson City Editor Decked out in jean dresses, red lipstick and bandanas in their hair, about 60 members of the Delta Delta Delta sorority won Greek Sing for the fifth consecutive year. Harnessing the look of Rosie the Riveter, a cultural icon of working women during World War II, TriDelta members sang songs about change and revolution. Singing Taylor Swift hits, Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity won Greek Sing for the first time, sporting red suspenders and orange ties. T.J. Bogar, a junior communications studies major and Greek Sing captain for SAE, said they got third place last year. “We wanted to do something fun,” he said. “Last year, we stuck with ‘sweet and sensitive’ but I
Eastern Revolution,” she said. Ryan McCain, a senior theatre arts major and member of SAE, said they have practiced since the beginning of February about three to five times per week. Bogar said before their performance, they were all trying to calm their nerves. “We don’t want people going out there, "We want to help; we want shouting and going crazy,” he said. “I think to change. Revolution. It’s we controlled ourselves an Eastern Revolution." pretty well.” Bogar said watchMarissa Muskievicz, Greek Sing captain ing the other fraternities go on stage led to increased anticipation for SAE. Muskievicz said go“It was something good that we ing for Tri-Delta’s fifth win was a lot should do that. We want to help; we of pressure. want to change. Revolution. It’s an GREEK SING, page 6 think this year, we wanted to have fun with it and do songs everybody knew.” Marissa Muskievicz, a freshman undecided major and Greek Sing captain for Tri-Delta, said she chose the theme because of all the crime that has been happening around campus.
Jacob Salmich | The Daily Eastern Ne ws
The Delta Delta Delta sorority performs during the annual Greek Sing competition in Lantz Arena on Sunday. Delta Delta Delta came in first place in the competition, and this victory is the sorority’s fifth in a row. The sorority’s theme was “Revolution.”