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Nicklow to take over enrollment management RYAN VOYLES Daily Egyptian John Nicklow, the associate dean of the College of Engineering, will take over as the interim assistant provost for enrollment management, SIUC Chancellor Rita Cheng said Tuesday. Nicklow will fill the vacancy left after Victoria Valle, the previous vice chancel-
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lor of enrollment management, was reassigned last week. Nicklow said he would begin the position immediately. Nicklow has a record of helping students that should serve him well in the position, Cheng said. “John has a lot of experience and passion for student success at SIU,� Cheng said. “He’s seen enrollment and retention
increases in the college of engineering, and we’re hoping his experience there will help us at the college level.� Nicklow has been a faculty member of the College of Engineering for 12 years, serving the last three as Associate Dean.
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Ryan Voyles can be reached at rvoyles@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 254.
Cheng gets in groove RYAN VOYLES Daily Egyptian
DIANA SOLIWON | DAILY EGYPTIAN
WORLD CUP UNITES FANS Walkiria Adams, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, throws her hands up with other fans while watching the Brazil vs. North Korea FIFA World Cup match Tuesday at the bowling alley in the Student Center. Brazil won 2-1 and is No. 1 in the world, while North Korea is No. 105. The top two teams of each of the eight groups in the World Cup will advance to the knockout round after all teams in their respective groups have played once. In front of Adams is a vuvuzela, a small
plastic South African trumpet responsible for the relentless hum viewers might notice as background noise during the matches. Several broadcast stations requested that the horn be banned, but BBC reported FIFA president Sepp Blatter said it “is what African and South Africa football is all about — noise, excitement, dancing, shouting and enjoyment.� The next U.S. game is at 9:30 a.m. Friday against Slovenia and airs on ESPN.
When Rita Cheng took over as chancellor June 1, she said she would work to make the necessary changes needed to improve SIUC. Two weeks later, Cheng has already reassigned Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Victoria Valle and will continue to meet with the heads of other colleges and administrative to see what steps need to be made to improve the university. During a sit-down with the Daily Egyptian, Cheng discussed her term so far, as well as what challenges she still expects to face in the coming weeks and months. Daily Egyptian: What are some of the challenges you are facing in the coming weeks and months? Please see CHENG | 2
SIU looks into interest rates for borrowing Rates to be decided in coming weeks RYAN VOYLES Daily Egyptian It will be at least a month before the university sees the money to cover the lack of state appropriations. However, SIU administrators have started the process of borrowing funds and the university will look at interest rates as it plans to put itself on the market through public financing, said university spokesman Dave Gross.
“It will be the university issuing debt under its name, so there will be investors in there and pension funds and other types of investors who buy the debt in exchange for the interest rate that will be set,� Gross said. The interest rate will be set within the next several weeks based on conversations between the SIU finance department and agencies who rate debts, Gross said. He said the interest rate would dictate how much the university will have to pay back to investors. Gross said he is optimistic the interest rate will end up in the mid 1 percent. “We hope it will be somewhere between 1.5 percent and 1.75 per-
cent, but we will not know for sure until the debt is rated,� he said. Illinois’ credit rating dropped twice this month, by Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service, but Gross said that should not reflect on the university’s rating. The SIU Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting Thursday where the board unanimously approved the university to begin to look into borrowing the money owed to it by the state. The bill allows all state universities to borrow up to 75 percent of what is owed to them in state appropriations. According to administrators, SIU is still owed about $106 million for fiscal year 2010, which ends June 30. The resolution states the uni-
versity may borrow money from time to time in anticipation of receiving tuition, payments from the State of Illinois or other revenues as long as the money is repaid within one year with interest. Although the resolution states the university can borrow up to $85 million, Gross said the number will likely go down around $70 to $75 million. SIU President Glenn Poshard said the bill was especially important after the appropriation deadline for FY10 was extended from August to January. He said the delay and the ending of the federal stimulus funds are the major challenges facing the university now. Gross said SIU has shown in its past that it is a university which
can be trusted to pay back its loans, but Illinois’ economy complicates the issue. “We’ve had an outstanding relationship in the past in terms of issuing debts,� Gross said. “This university is well known in that we’ve borrowed funds to pay for buildings. It’s likely, and we hope, this debt can be raised at the higher level. “But don’t question anything coming out of the State of Illinois right now. Everything has to be viewed through a different set of lenses — it’s a terrible budget situation right now.�
Ryan Voyles can be reached at rvoyles@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 254.
Businesses benefit through non-profit beautification CHRIS MCGREGOR Daily Egyptian One program in Carbondale is looking to bring Curb Appeal home. Carbondale Main Street is a nonprofit program that offers grants, in-
centives and other services designed to benefit local businesses as well as the community. One of the program’s projects, Curb Appeal, seeks to bring together community members, students and businesses to better the community, said Meghan
Cole, the executive director of Carbondale Main Street. The program is made up of volunteers who help serve local businesses. Curb Appeal’s first project will be Harbaugh’s CafĂŠ, she said. “This brings attention to the
community, Main Street and attention to Harbaugh’s,� she said. “It really works to bring community members together.� Randy Johnson, president of Carbondale Main Street board, said the program is a great opportunity
for people to get involved in doing something that helps everyone. The program is important because it parlays words into actions, he said. Please see STREETS | 6