Eastern News
Wednesday
“Tell th e t r u t h a n d d o n ’ t b e a fr a i d . ”
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OC TOBER 17, 2012 V O LU M E 9 7 | N o. 4 1
EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILL. D A I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M T WIT TER.COM/DEN_NE WS
Perry comments on campus issues
Stat recap from weekend events
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ENROLLMENT
Committee to help Eastern meet needs
UNIVERSIT Y BOARD
By Robyn Dexter In-depth Editor
The Enrollment Worx Group is a committee of various Eastern departments that works to enable Eastern to meet its enrollment needs. Implemented by President Bill Perry in Spring 2012, the group has been working to develop strategies for increasing applications, yield and retention. Mary Herrington-Perry, the chairwoman of the Enrollment Worx group, said the recommendation for the birth of the group came from Noel-Levitz consultants in the spring. “They key is sharing information and making sure everybody is on the same page,” she said. “There are all sorts of opportunities to collaborate.” The committee consists of representatives from many aspects of Eastern including financial aid, integrated marketing, admissions and housing. One of the aspects the group handles is financial aid, and Director Jerry Donna is a member of the group. “They keep us apprised of what we’re doing in terms of allocating scholarship dollars,” she said. “We’re really trying to be strategic with financial aid in terms of offering just the right amount.” Herrington-Perry said in the past, Eastern has over-awarded some students and under-awarded others, so the group is trying to find a middle ground to get students to come to Eastern. “Those financial aid strategies help us to not only increase enrollment, but they also help us shape the entering class because we’re trying to target students who have a higher ACT score,” she said. Herrington-Perry said the group has addressed issues like the Early Alert System, the two new positions in Admissions and the Strategic Enrollment Planning effort. At the group’s last meeting on Oct. 10, Herrington-Perry disclosed the results of the College Choice Survey that Noel-Levitz implemented for Eastern applicants. She said 1,204 students responded to the survey and the group was able to determine that the students were most influenced by their parents on their college choice. “We know right off the bat that we need to do more communications that the parents are seeing,” she said. “One of the new things we’re doing is sending out a postcard so it doesn’t have to be opened by the student and the parents can see the information.” Herrington-Perry said this is just an example of one of the things the group does to help communicate with each other better. The group has six subcommittees: Academic Programs, Campus Visit Strategies, Communication Flow, Customer Service, GIS Map Worx and MyEIU Phase II. “For Academic Programs, we’re looking at exactly what Eastern is offering and what workforce needs really are,” she said. Herrington-Perry said Brenda Major is leading the subcommittee on Campus Visit Strategies, which focuses on open houses and campus tours to make experiences more positive for students. COMMITTEE, page 5
PHOTOS BY MIR ANDA PLOSS | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Randy Stuff, owner of Wea Ink, shows his tattoo of the translation of his Wea Indian Tribe name “Kiihkoneehsa.” He has 52 total tattoos.
Artist shares tattoo, piercing smarts By Amanda Wilkinson Staff Reporter
A local tattoo artist urged students to think before they ink. Randy Stuff, owner and tattoo artist at Wea Ink, has 52 tattoos, but said it is important to take appropriate time before getting a piercing or tattoo. The “A Living Canvas: Tattoos and Piercings” presentation was a part of the University Board’s “Cultural Arts: Teach Me Tuesdays.” Stuff said he is a self-taught tattoo artist and has been tattooing since 1990. Stuff said getting a tattoo should be a thoughtful and planned out decision. “ D o n’t g e t a t a t t o o b y a dumba-- that’s unclean,” Stuff said. He said people who get a tat-
too or piercing should always see the equipment coming out of a brand-new package or else it is probably not clean. People getting tattoos also should always ask if the equipment is sterilized, Stuff said. “When it comes to this, it is art and medical combined,” Stuff said. “You want to look for a license.” Stuff said going to a clean tattoo shop is good but it is not good enough. “Getting a tattoo is half the battle, the rest is on you,” Stuff said. Stuff said the worst reaction to a tattoo that he has seen was in the early ’90s. He e x p l a i n e d t h a t p e o p l e would die from tattoos because they would give them to themselves with a hanger and a file.
However, Stuff also explained that now piercings are more dangerous than tattoos. “There’s an entry and exit hole, it’s an internal wound,” Stuff said. Stuff said people going to get a piercing should always ask for titanium because it is less irritating to the skin and it does not show up on a MRI. Stuff said tattoos are common. The star was the most common tattoo Stuff said he has done lately and explained that it changes with the times. “I’ve learned a thousand different ways to do that star,” Stuff said. At the end of the speech, St u f f ’s b r o t h e r, Te r r y St u f f, judged a “best tattoo contest.” ARTIST, page 5
Randy Stuff, owner of Wea Ink, shows his tattoo of his parents done by his younger brother Terry, Tuesday in the 7th Street Underground of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.
ELEC TION
Students watch, discuss debate By Amy Wywialowski Assistant Daily Editor
About 150 students filled the Coleman Auditorium Tuesday to watch the second presidential debate and how the issues relate to them. Marita Gronnvoll, a communication studies professor, worked with the communication studies department to organize the event, but said it was not an original idea to hold this type of forum. “We did this type of thing in the 2000s but it was much smaller,” Gronnvoll said. “It is a national thing that many schools do; we didn’t come up with this idea on our own.” At the beginning of the event, Gronnvoll passed out a sheet with six questions for participants to think about as the debate went on. “We are not trying to pick a winner, but familiarize students
with the issues,” she said. “This debate is about a combination of foreign policy and domestic policy, so I hope students pay attention to how the candidates act as opposed to the last debate and how they interact with the audience.” Before the discussion, part i c i p a n t s w a t c h e d t h e p re s i dential debate through CNN’s website. At the halfway point through the debate, the stream of the debate was continuously slow, so Gronnvoll switched to YouTube. “ We c h o s e C N N b e c a u s e they are co-sponsoring the debate and thought they would have more bandwidth,” Gronnvoll said. “Obviously, we were wrong, as more people log on, the slower it gets, and it’s frustrating.” W h i t n e y P l e d g e r, a s o p h omore communication studies major, said she sees herself
Z ACHARY WHITE | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Tommy Zei, a senior political science major, laughs in Coleman Lecture Hall after Mitt Romney told Barack Obama that he was not finished talking yet during the screening of the Presidential Debate Tuesday.
as a liberal, but not as Democrat. “I see flaws in both parties, so I go with what I think about the issues not a particular party,” Pledger said. “I come from a conservative mother and a liberal fa-
ther, so I feel like I have insight from both sides.” Pledger said she attended the event to see what her peers think about the issues, not just the candidates. DEBATE, page 5