STATE TRACK MEETS COME TO A CLOSE News photographer Marcus Smith brings together some of the best moments from the 2013 IHSA Boys State Finals. Page 7
Dai ly Eastern News
THE
WWW.DAILYEASTERNNEWS.COM
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
VOL. 97 | ISSUE 153
“TELL THE TRUTH AND DON’T BE AFRAID” C AMPUS | BANKING
FINANCES | SUMMER AID
First Mid branch in Union closing Staff Report @den_news EIU Media Relations sent out an EIU News Alert Sunday announcing First Mid-Illinois Bank and Trust closing the branch located in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. William Weber, the vice president for business affairs, and Dan Nadler, the vice president for student affairs, sent out the news alert to let the campus community know the on-campus ATMs will remain and all accounts through the banking system will continue to be serviced at the university
and Lincoln Avenue addresses. In addition to the closing of the on-campus location, all Panther Checking accounts will be converted to First Mid Basic Checking accounts, which the alert said has almost identical features to what Panther Checking account holders currently have. According to the alert, First Mid customers will receive a letter in the mail explaining additional details. Weber and Nadler said there are currently no plans for the space, but they will keep students informed as plans develop.
LOC AL | WEATHER
Funnel clouds unfounded, severe weather continues GR APHIC BY ROBYN DEX TER
Aid cut for summer By Amanda Wilkinson @akaywilkinson The funds students rely on to pay for their classes at Eastern are not so readily available during the summer session. As of May 23, 3,591 students have enrolled in summer classes and of those, 32 percent (137 students) have been offered summer financial aid. Jerry Donna, the director of financial aid, said the financial aid office is still processing applications for summer aid, so the number of students who will receive aid will most likely increase. He said there are also many factors contributing to the low number of students who receive aid. During the regular academic school year, about 80 percent of students receive financial aid. Donna said the same aid is available in the summer as the regular school year, but it is reduced. “It’s limited because we usually try to use all the financial aid during the regular school year,” he said. “We
don’t hold back a certain portion of the funds for summer.” If students use their full eligibility for the fall and spring semesters, they will not have any left for the summer session, Donna said. “For us, summer is a trailer. It’s 12, 13 and then summer. It’s still part of that academic year,” he said. “However, if you were part-time in the fall, full-time in the spring, you would still have some dollars left for summer.” Donna said if students plan to use only a portion of their loans during the regular school year, they may still have some loans left for summer. Many students use their full eligibility of loans and grants because they are go full-time for both semesters, he said. Donna said 20 percent of the aid for summer students is the unsubsidized loan Eastern offers. Students also receive aid through private loans, a “parent” loan and the Access to Education Award. “They’ve used their loans. They’ve used their Pell Grant. There’s basically nothing left,” Donna said.
So far, he said they have awarded about $48,000 in Federal Pell Grant funds to students. Last summer, they were able to award about $236,000 in Federal Pell Grant funds to students. The difference being, Donna said, is that the federal government used to award “Year Round Pell.” “For last summer and the summer prior, we could actually award another Pell award for a student who actually used their full eligibility in the regular academic year,” he said. “The federal government said, ‘Oh, we want students to be able to go to school year round and complete earlier so we will offer them more Pell Grant during the summer.” This summer, the federal government took the Pell Grant away for the summer because it was too expensive, Donna said. “It was a wonderful thing for students but the federal government couldn’t afford it,” he said. The IL Monetary Award Program Grant funds are not available during the summer either, Donna said. AID, page 3
Staff Report @den_news Reports of two funnel clouds in Coles County were declared unfounded by the Coles County Emergency Management Agency. Dan Ensign, coordinator of the Coles County Emergency Management Agency, said two reports came in Monday of funnel clouds forming. One was reported as being seen near Route 45, just south of Mattoon. The other report came in from as being seen near Walmart in
Charleston. “With what’s been going on in the world with tornadoes, people are reporting more,” Ensign said. Ensign said last year people did not report tornado signs as frequently and even though some may not recognize whether it is or is not a tornado they see, it is good they are looking for them. The National Weather Service has Coles County under a severe thunderstorm watch, and Ensign said there should be clearer sky this coming weekend.
C AMPUS | DOUDNA FINE AR TS CENTER
Doudna construction to continue into June Staff Report @den_news Construction in the Doudna Fine Arts Center continues into the summer as workers strive to complete the glass work that has been going on for some time. Dwight Vaught, the assistant dean of Doudna, said the current construction is part of repair and update work for the glass that fell two years ago. “What they’re doing is taking every frosted glass panel off the walls
of the theater and adhering a really strong, protective film to the back side,” he said. “Then, they’re putting the glass back up.” Workers were not able to start the project sooner because of the school schedule and constant flow of traffic, so the project was started shortly after school let out for the summer. “Even if they did it during breaks, it really wasn’t going to give them enough time to get up there and take everything down,” he said. The work began on May 13. DOUDNA, page 3