Daily Egyptian

Daily Egyptian TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016

Africana studies faces uncertainty as enrollment remains low

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Harrisburg remembers 2012 tornado disaster

TIERRA CARPENTER | @TIERRAMC_

Kia Smith said there aren't many academic programs on campus that have taught her more about black culture than the Africana studies department.

“This program is responsible for so many things that have shaped black culture at SIU. … If there was no Africana studies department, where would the black students go to learn about themselves?” said Smith, a junior from Chicago studying journalism with a minor in Africana studies. “If this department does not exist any more, then I worry about the future for black students on this campus.”

But regulations by the Illinois Board of Higher Education could eliminate the program.

The board has new standards going into effect fall 2017 that jeopardizes the future of the university's Africana studies major, interim provost Susan Ford said.

Ford said because of low enrollment in the department, Africana studies is under review by the higher education board, and could possibly cease being a field of study at SIU. Jim Allen, acting vice president for academic affairs, said in an attempt to prevent this, the department was asked in 2012 to provide the board with both strategic and assessment of student learning plans by 2014 to update the board on the status of the program and how department officials plan to increase enrollment. Other bachelor’s programs that did not meet the requirements at the time included chemistry, agricultural systems, philosophy and communication studies, according to a page on SIU's Institutional Research & Studies website.

Ford said Africana studies has not yet completed a sufficient version of these plans.

With the new requirements, departments must have at least 40 students majoring in the bachelor’s program and an average of nine students graduating each year over a three-year period. Ford said the current rule lets departments have 25 students working toward the same bachelor's degree. Double majors do not count toward those numbers.

Any major that does not meet student requirements is at risk of being cut from the university, Ford said.

Department interim chair Leonard Gadzekpo said the reason so few students major in Africana studies may be a perception issue, “where one believes Africana studies is only for African-Americans, or is only about AfricanAmericans, when in reality Africana Studies is dealing with a large number of people in several countries.”

The Rev. Joseph Brown, a professor who previously served as chairman of the department, said Africana studies is also at a disadvantage because it is so new, and has just four faculty members.

“We have never had the ability to get 40 majors, especially since we’re a department that is only six years old,” Brown said. “We have a problem because we have so few full time faculty that we can’t offer as many classes that we used to and the classroom is the best recruiting tool for majors.”

Brown said to maintain a department that has 40 students, Africana studies would need more faculty, and he doesn’t see that happening because of Illinois' budget crisis. He said he does not think the department will be able to meet the new requirements by fall 2017.

“It would take a conscious effort among all the advisers on this campus to do a better job to explain why our major is valuable,” Brown said. “Until we have cooperation from advisers and administrators we can only do so much.”

The department had two students majoring in Africana studies last year. That number has since grown to seven, four whom are double majors, according to information obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request. Africana studies has never met the board's requirement of having 25 students.

Please see AFRICANA | 2

@DAILYEGYPTIAN

Luke Nozicka | @LukeNozicka Ida Evans holds the hand of her sister Teresa Collins during the four-year memorial of the Leap Day Tornado on Monday in Harrisburg. The tornado ripped through Harrisburg on Feb. 29, 2012, killing eight, including their 70-year-old father Donald Smith. “He was only conscious long enough to ask if my mom was OK,” Evans said.

BILL LUKITSCH | @BILL_LUKITSCHDE

It was 4:56 a.m. on Feb. 29, 2012 when citizens of Harrisburg woke to the sound of a tornado siren.

Within minutes 180 mph winds ripped through the town of about 9,000 people. Six were found dead in the wreckage and more than 100 were hurt. Two more died from their injuries in the following days.

Roughly 150 people gathered Monday on the four-year anniversary of the tragedy that claimed lives, homes and local businesses.

Harrisburg Mayor Dale Fowler held back tears as he addressed the crowd from his podium near a commemorative monument encircled by eight American flags — one for each victim.

“Today is an opportunity for us to remember the lives that were lost and to show our love and support to the families affected,” said Fowler, who was appointed as the mayor in 2014.

Families and friends shared memories. Mass prayers were spoken. A 21-gun salute from the

Harrisburg American Legion signaled the end.

“It’s always been my commitment as mayor that those eight lives will never be forgotten,” Fowler said shortly after the ceremony. “You just don’t ever think this sort of thing is going to happen to you.”

The EF4 tornado touched down southeast of Harrisburg at 4:51 a.m. and laid a 26.5-mile path to four miles northeast of Ridgway. More than 200 homes and about 25 businesses were destroyed or heavily damaged, including an entire strip mall east of U.S. Route 45. More than 100 of trees were uprooted or snapped in half. Power lines were knocked down.

The total destruction of the storm was estimated at $13.1 million.

Ida Evans was at her home in nearby Creal Springs when the natural disaster struck. Her sister Teresa Collins called her that morning with horrific news: Both of their parents were missing.

“It was devastating trying to drive in town and not being able to get anywhere,” Evans said.

Their mother Kay Smith was found injured soon after, but it took more than two hours to locate their 70-year-old father Donald Smith.

“He was only conscious long enough to ask if my mom was OK,” Evans said.

Donald Smith died seven days later at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Ind. In the following weeks the town received momentous volunteer support from around the region. It is that sense of community that is symbolic of the region, Fowler said.

“This is what southern Illinois is all about,” he said.

When the crowd began to disperse, Collins and Evans went to the monument.

Collins ran her fingers across the chiseled name of their father and gave a teary-eyed smile to Evans.

“We’ve met so many different people over the years, but every day we still cry,” Evans said.

Bill Lukitsch can be contacted at blukitsch@ dailyegyptian.com or 618-536-3329.

Illinois colleges in cash flow ‘hell’ ELIZABETH CAMPBELL AND BRIAN CHAPATTI BLOOMBERG NEWS

Illinois' failure to pass a budget is failing its colleges.

As the impasse between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic legislature nears its ninth month, shutting off hundreds of millions of dollars for higher education, public universities are raiding reserves,

deferring projects and planning to lay off employees.

Chicago State University canceled spring break to finish the semester before cash runs out and said Friday that the entire faculty and staff may be let go. Last week, Moody's Investors Service downgraded three universities, pushing one to junk, the first time an Illinois college has fallen so low.

"What I call that is the cash flow challenge from hell," said Elaine Maimon, president of Governors State University, which received $24 million of state aid last year, or about 45 percent of its budget. "There has to be some coming together of the governor and the general assembly. You can't just disestablish your public universities."

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TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016

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Ford said when programs are not meeting requirements, its administrators are given three options: close the program, send the state a plan of action or argue that the program doesn’t cost much to keep open.

She said departments not meeting the requirements were first notified in 2012, and were recently notified again during Faculty Senate and Graduate Council meetings, where the board’s new standards were announced.

Brown said despite the approved proposal stating the department would try to recruit five students per year within its first five years, it was still placed under review after two years because of the state’s requirements.

“Since the new standards are a more difficult bar to reach than the old standards, any of the programs that were notified in 2012, if they haven’t already elevated their numbers, they’re still on notice that we’re concerned,” Ford said. “There will be some new programs that also won’t meet the new state standards.”

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The state’s higher-education system is emerging as one of the biggest victims of the record-long budget stalemate in Illinois, whose chronic fiscal strains have left it with a lower credit rating than any other state. While money has kept flowing to school districts, employee paychecks and debt payments, its spending for universities and colleges — which totaled about $1.9 billion last year — has disappeared entirely.

Rauner supports a bill introduced last week that would provide $200 million of emergency funding, according to Catherine Kelly, his spokeswoman.

The measure relies on letting the state keep money it’s borrowed from funds earmarked for other purposes.

The governor this month vetoed a $721 million bill for community colleges and scholarships for lowincome students that the schools have been covering themselves. “We can’t just send the money that we don’t have,” Rauner told reporters in Chicago on Feb. 22. “That’s not an option.”

Ford said in an email that none of the Africana studies faculty is at risk of losing their employment at SIU, and they have several options for continuing to work at the university.

“As tenured faculty, they would always have an academic home here at SIUC, although the department affiliation might change,” Ford said in an email.

If the Africana Studies department is cut, it also won’t have an impact on the education of current students, who will be allowed to complete their degrees.

“If you close a program, we are required to teach out any student that is currently enrolled in that program,” Ford said.

Despite this, students say they won’t be happy if the program ends.

Smith said it’s important for the program to continue because of what it does for students even outside of the classroom.

“Africana studies definitely sustains the quality of black life on this campus,” she said. “Without the Africana studies department you wouldn’t have your [Black Togetherness Organization].

You wouldn’t have your Black Alumni

Groups. You wouldn’t have your Black Affairs Council, your [Black Male Roundtable], your Underground Arts, all of these different types of RSOs that unknowingly or knowingly have the support of the Africana studies department.”

The major’s future is even more uncertain thanks to the budget impasse in Springfield.

The departments asked to send plans in 2012 have been at risk long before the state’s current budget crisis — an ongoing battle between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-led General Assembly — but Ford said the stalemate makes the situation more serious.

“If we get to 2017, and they apply these rules and the state has not fixed its budgetary problems by that point in time, the state may be more likely to say close rather them to say give me a plan of action, and we’ll give you another two years [to increase your numbers],” Ford said.

Without the state aid, the pressure is building. The eight public universities in the state that Moody’s rates, which have a combined $3.2 billion of debt, all have negative outlooks, indicating their rankings may be cut.

On Feb. 24, the company downgraded Eastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University and Northeastern Illinois University. Some Eastern bonds were dropped to Ba3, making it one of just four public colleges with debt rated below investment grade.

“It’s really serious,” said Diane Viacava, a Moody’s analyst who tracks Illinois universities.

Eastern is laying off almost 200 employees and may idle others by implementing furloughs from March through June. It had expected to receive about $40 million from the state for its operations this year and as much as $9 million to cover scholarships for lowincome students, according to President David Glassman.

Not all are feeling it equally.

University of Illinois, whose three campuses serve more than 80,000 students, has “significant flexibility” to

manage through the impasse, according to Moody’s, which kept the fourthhighest rating on that school last week.

The longer the standoff goes on, though, the more serious it will become, said Timothy Killeen, University of Illinois’ president. It has put construction projects on hold, deferred maintenance and delayed filling empty positions, he said.

“We’re not crying wolf, and we’re not trying to alarm people,” Killeen said. “This is a threat to the excellence of the University of Illinois, and as time goes on, it’ll cut deeper and deeper.”

In February, Chicago State, where 70 percent of students rely on financial aid, declared financial exigency, a move allowing for emergency budget cuts. To meet March’s payroll, the administration has already slashed headcount by 15 percent, or 174 employees and is considering closing some buildings, spokesman Tom Wogan said.

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The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale 43 weeks per year, with an average daily circulation of 7,800. Fall and spring semester editions run Monday through Thursday. Summer editions run Tuesday and Wednesday. All intersession editions run on Wednesdays. Free copies are distributed in the Carbondale and Carterville communities. The Daily Egyptian online publication can be found at www.dailyegyptian.com.

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Offices are in the Communications Building, Room 1259, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Ill., 62901.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016

PAGE 3

Printing something different Rauner blames Madigan for university funding crisis KIM GEIGER | CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Yenitza Melgoza | @YenitzaM_DE Anastasia Maranto, a freshman from St. Louis studying zoology, prints photos on wood Saturday in the craft shop at the Student Center. “I heard about the workshop and it sounded really cool and I just thought it would be something different to try,” Maranto said. “Workshops help teach you new things and I had never done this before. It was just a lot of fun and I would suggest it to everybody.”

SIUE scales back athletic programs as Illinois budget impasse continues KORAN ADDO ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

SIU-Edwardsville has removed men’s tennis and women’s golf from its athletic program as part of a costcutting move tied to lawmakers’ inability to pass a state budget.

The decision came after a sevenmonth financial analysis concluded that SIUE needed to cut $200,000 from its Department of Athletics budget. The programs will be officially cut from the university on June 30.

It will affect eight women on the golf team and eight men on the tennis team.

“This is one of the most difficult decisions that we have ever made as a department, because it impacts

the lives of current studentathletes,” said Brad Hewitt, SIUE’s director of athletics.

The budget crisis, he added, made it unfeasible for the school to continue offering a full slate of athletic programs.

“All student-athletes who wish to stay at SIUE and achieve their degrees will remain on their current financial aid through their senior year,” Hewitt said.

At one point, university officials considered making across the board cuts before ultimately deciding that would “significantly and negatively impact our department culture,” Hewitt said.

“The conclusion is that the reduction of men’s tennis and women’s golf provided the necessary financial relief with the least amount of negative

impact on the department,” he said.

Illinois has gone nearly eight months without a budget as Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, have each been unable to compromise on a state spending plan. For colleges and universities, it means employees are being turned away from their healthcare providers and students can’t be certain their scholarships will be paid for going forward.

At SIUE, it means cutting its champion women’s golf program and seven-time champion men’s tennis program.

Men’s tennis coach Jason Coomer will continue as senior associate director of athletics. Director of Golf Derrick Brown will continue in his role as men’s golf headcoach.

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday tried to blame House Speaker Michael Madigan for the financial crisis facing some Illinois public universities, contending the Democratic leader is holding up a compromise to agitate voters ahead of the primary election.

A Madigan spokesman denied the claim, saying the speaker is working to collect votes to override Rauner’s recent veto of a bill that would release $721 million to fund community colleges and tuition grants for low-income students. The exchange came as the budget impasse, which has left state government operating without full spending authority since July, threatens closures and layoffs at Illinois universities, including Chicago State and Eastern Illinois.

While turning thumbs down on the Democratic plan saying Illinois can’t afford it, Rauner is pushing legislation that would spend $1.6 billion on tuition grants, community colleges and universities but also allow him to make cuts elsewhere in state government as he sees fit.

Rauner said Madigan is holding up a compromise to score points ahead of the March 15 legislative primaries. The powerful speaker is running “a dictatorship of one individual who cares about politics over people,” said the governor, who called Madigan’s veto override attempt “a sham vote.”

On Monday, Rauner came out in support of another option: a bill that would employ an accounting gimmick to send $160 million to struggling colleges and universities, including Chicago State, which has canceled spring break to make sure students can finish the semester before the school goes broke.

“There are real solutions available to us to solve the crisis in higher education funding, but those solutions are being ignored and, instead, Speaker Madigan and his folks in the legislature are trying to create a crisis and create headlines around the crisis to impact the primary voting that’s going on right now,” Rauner said. “Political games are being put ahead of students’ lives.”

Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said, “The only thing the speaker and speaker’s staff is trying to do is whip up more votes for the override” of Rauner’s veto on the tuition grant bill. “That’s all we’re trying to do.”

Brown said the speaker’s office is reviewing the bill to funnel money to colleges and universities, but raised concerns that the legislation does not spell out which universities would receive the money.

Brown also noted that the bill makes the money available only if lawmakers approve separate legislation that forgives $454 million in borrowing that Rauner’s administration already made from other state accounts. Included in that figure is $180 million for school construction projects, Brown said.

Opinion

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TUESDAY, MARCH, 1, 2016

Springfield politicians clearly do not care about Chicago State DAHLEEN GLANTON CHICAGO TRIBUNE

It is clear that politicians in Springfield don’t care about the students at Chicago State University.

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan are derailing the dreams of 4,800 young people, the majority of them African-Americans, by blocking their college education.

With no historically black colleges and universities in Illinois, Chicago State is the closest we have to an HBCU. Chicagoans can’t afford to stand by and allow it to be shut down.

Across the country, state colleges and universities with majority black enrollments are regularly under siege.

Whenever there’s a budget crisis, they are the first to land on the chopping block. The decision-makers never seem to understand the value of a school that draws mostly low-income students from an urban area.

Schools like Chicago State are labeled as wasteful, poorly run, money-drainers that offer little return on investment. They are expendable and so are their students.

If you have any doubts about Rauner and Madigan’s intentions, consider this: About 30 percent of Chicago State’s funding, roughly $36 million a year, comes from the state. There are lots of other ways the nearly bankrupt state could put that money to use.

The university has made it clear that unless the General Assembly comes up with some cash soon, the school will run out of operating funds next month. And the only alternative could be shutting its doors.

The financial crisis also has put Chicago State’s accreditation at risk.

Without accreditation, the school can’t survive. Its mostly low-income students will lose their federal financial aid. And if they want to transfer, the

credits they’ve earned likely will be worthless at another school.

Rauner and Madigan clearly don’t care about that. They won’t even sit down and talk about a possible solution.

It would benefit all of Illinois if the two most powerful politicians in Springfield could agree on a statewide budget and break the stalemate that is in its eighth month. There’s no indication that will happen any time soon.

In the meantime, it would be a great service to the students at Chicago State if the General Assembly could just release some emergency funds. So far, the powers in Springfield haven’t been interested in doing that either.

When Democrats came up with a plan to free up $721 million for community colleges and scholarships for low-income students, Rauner was quick to Illinois State Capitol veto it.

JUDY HEVRDEJS | CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Super Tuesday predictions: Trump, Clinton win ANDRE TARTAR AND BEN BRODY BLOOMBERG NEWS

On Tuesday, more delegates will be awarded than on any other day of the presidential race. About half of the delegates needed for a Republican candidate to win the nomination are at stake, plus about a third for Democrats. In roughly a dozen state races, Republican front-runner Donald Trump and Democratic leader Hillary Clinton seem poised to win in landslides that could render them nearly inevitable.

Delegates, though, will be awarded proportionally, so challengers could use the day to position themselves for an extended fight, particularly on the Republican side, where states only begin winnertake-all delegate allocation later in March. Below, six predictions that suggest Clinton and Trump might be coming up on a very good day.

PredictWise: Trump and Clinton The research project led by David Rothschild, an economist at Microsoft Research in New York City who successfully predicted the winner in 21 of the first 26 primary contests in 2012, aggregates betting market data and polling. As of Sunday, PredictWise had Trump up in 10 of 11 states — all except Texas, where home-state Sen. Ted Cruz is at 85 percent.

Otherwise Trump is dominant, with his odds of winning ranging from 67 percent in Minnesota to 96 percent in Tennessee.

As for Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, he’s second most likely to win in every state except Alaska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

On the Democratic side, Clinton is expected to win 10 of 11 states, according to the PredictWise model, up from eight before her win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday. She has a greater than 95 percent chance of winning delegate-rich Texas, Georgia, and Virginia. The odds lean toward Sen. Bernie Sanders in his home

state of Vermont and have shifted away from him in Colorado and Massachusetts.

“If Clinton carries the close states, then that could end the race on Tuesday,” Rothschild said in an email. “She is now 95 percent to win the nomination.”

RealClearPolitics: Trump and Clinton On the Republican side as of Sunday, the poll averaging and aggregating site had Trump ahead in five of the six states that have been polled regularly in February. Cruz leads in Texas — the biggest prize of the day in terms of delegates at stake — with about 36 percent of the electorate, nearly 9 points above Trump.

Among Democrats as of Sunday, Clinton led in seven of the eight states that have been polled in February, including Texas, Georgia, and Alabama. Sanders led in Vermont by a wide margin — 75 points — but his lead in neighboring Massachusetts was less than a single point.

Bing: Trump and Clinton After correctly calling seven of eight February contests, Bing Predicts expects blowouts for both Trump and Clinton in tomorrow’s primaries and caucuses.

Trump is forecast to win every state except Texas, according to the “machine-learned predictive model” that the Microsoft search engine created. It parses data from polls, prediction markets, search engine queries and social media posts.

Clinton, meanwhile, is expected to win more than 60 percent of the vote in all seven Super Tuesday southern states, and to carry Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota, where Bing Predicts had showed narrow Sanders wins until Clinton took South Carolina resoundingly. As of Sunday, Sanders’ only victory was expected to be in his home state of Vermont.

According to the most recent data available from Bing’s main competitor, Google, Trump and Sanders accounted for an average of 69 percent and 56 percent of

search interest, respectively, in the past 24 hours across the states holding delegateallocating primaries or caucuses on March 1.

FiveThirtyEight: Trump and Clinton On Sunday, FiveThirtyEight, which is run by former New York Times stats guru Nate Silver, gave Trump odds of winning five of the six Republican contests it has modeled, including Virginia, Georgia and Alabama. Rubio is forecasted to come in second in the same races. Cruz has an 85 percent chance of winning Texas, with Trump coming in second.

For the Democrats, Clinton is projected to win seven of eight states modeled, including Arkansas (where she spent more than a decade as first lady) at chances above 95 percent, as well as Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. As usual, Sanders is almost certain to win Vermont.

(For each state, FiveThirtyEight uses two models, one that averages polls and one that attempts to combine the effect of endorsements with the polls. Odds sometimes vary between the projections, but for all states, the candidate who has the highest chances of winning in one model has the highest chances in the other.)

Political Insider: Rubio and Clinton Trump’s endorsement by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, himself a candidate until recently, shocked many political observers who had witnessed Christie’s criticisms of the mogul. Yet Trump is still weak when measured by the number of endorsements from institutional political figures in Super Tuesday states, even after Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions threw his support to him.

By Bloomberg Politics’ latest count, Cruz has pretty much locked up Texas with at least 62 state lawmakers, eight members of Congress, and Gov. Greg Abbott.

Rubio just barely edges him out in overall numbers, not to mention two governors to Cruz’s one – from Arkansas and Tennessee

– plus the senior senator from Oklahoma, Jim Inhofe. On Sunday, Rubio also received the endorsement of Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander.

The Democratic endorsement ledgers are far more lopsided. According to a tally updated by FiveThirtyEight, Clinton is supported by 33 U.S. representatives, seven U.S. senators, and four governors from Super Tuesday states. This includes almost the entire Massachusetts congressional delegation and the governor and senior U.S. senator from Vermont. Sanders, meanwhile, has just two Super Tuesday endorsements.

Ballotcraft: Trump and Clinton This fantasy politics game co-founded by two Stanford grads has thousands of players who, using fake money, buy “shares” in candidates. As of Sunday, Trump was expected to win 10 of 11 states, with Cruz’s home state of Texas the unsurprising outlier. Cruz is otherwise most competitive in Arkansas and Oklahoma, where the site’s users give him at least a 1-in-4 chance of winning. For Rubio, he’s second mostlikely to win (with at least 25 percent odds) in Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Virginia.

“What we hear from our users is that Donald Trump’s polling leads are just too large in many of these states,” said Ballotcraft CEO Dennis Jiang. “He demonstrated in Nevada and South Carolina that he is able to turn out his supporters, so there’s no longer confidence that the superior organizations of Cruz or Rubio will be able to overcome such polling deficits.”

On the Democratic side, Clinton is likely to win the Southern states, where she’s expected to perform strongly with AfricanAmerican voters like she did in South Carolina. Sanders is projected to do better in states such as Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont that are home to a lot of white liberals.

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016

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Saluki basketball: the tale of two halves EVAN JONES | @EvanJones_DE

Much like the opening sentence of Charles Dickens’ historic novel, Saluki basketball’s season has seen the best of times and the worst of times.

SIU men’s basketball alternated winning and losing streaks for its last 14 games of the regular season, before ending it Saturday with a win. The inconsistencies must shape up as the Dawgs prepare for Arch Madness, which begins Thursday.

The Salukis’ 22-9 record is the best since the 2006-07 season, and they are the No. 5 seed in the tournament — the highest since 2009. The 14-2 start to this season was the best since the 2003-04 campaign.

SIU begins the tournament playing Northern Iowa (19-12, 11-7 MVC). The Dawgs beat the Panthers 75-73 in the their first meeting Jan. 2. The second matchup, however, did not go the Salukis’ way.

Northern Iowa won 67-58 in Cedar Falls, the second loss during the Dawgs’ four-game losing streak to end January and begin February.

Coach Barry Hinson’s team had started 7-1 in conference play before the string of losses.

UNI enters the tournament playing some of its best basketball of the year. The Panthers are 9-1

Thursday, March 3

Friday, March 4

Saturday, March 5

Sunday, March 6

# 1 Wichita State (23-7, 16-2) #8 Loyola (14-16, 7-11)

Game 1 - 6:00 p.m.

MVC TV Network

Game 3 - 12:00 p.m.

MVC TV Network

Winner, Game 3

Winner, Game 1 2:30 p.m.

Winner, Game 7

CBS Sports Network

#9 Bradley (5-26, 3-15) #4 UNI (19-12, 11-7)

Game 4 - 2:30 p.m.

MVC TV Network

Winner, Game 4

#5 Southern Illinois (22-9, 11-7)

1:00 p.m.

MVC Champion

CBS Sports

#2 Evansville (23-8, 12-6) #7 Missouri State (12-18, 8-10)

Game 2 - 8:30 p.m

Game 5- 6:00 p.m.

MVC TV Network

Winner, Game 5

MVC TV Network

Winner, Game 2 5:00 p.m.

CBS Sports Network

#10 Drake (7-23, 2-16)

Winner, Game 8 #3 Illinois State (18-13, 12-6)

Game 6 - 8:30 p.m.

MVC TV Network

Winner, Game 6

#6 Indiana State (14-16, 8-10)

A BBEY L A T OUR | @A BBEY L A T OUR DE

in their last 10 games, including at 14-point win at Wichita State, which is the No. 1 seed in the tournament for the fourth time in

five years. In those 10 games, UNI has an average winning margin of 9.3 points per game.

SIU finished the season 8-7, and even

though it’s not a bad record relative to past seasons, that rough patch dropped the Salukis from the No. 2 spot in the conference to the No. 5 spot.

Contrary to when the team was rolling earlier in the season, it has been slow out of the gate the past two games.

The Salukis scored 15 points in first half against Illinois State Feb. 24, and 30 points Saturday against Missouri State. In the two contests, they shot 20 percent and 25 percent from the field respectively — the two lowest field-goal percentages in a half all season.

Moreover, SIU is 4-6 in the past 10 games, scoring 3.5 less points than the opposition per game.

It’s difficult to beat a hot opponent when your team can’t find a groove offensively.

The 48 points scored in the second half of the Missouri State game was the most points the Salukis scored in a half since Dec. 18 when they put up 52. SIU has scored more than 50 points in a half three times this season — all of which came in nonconference play.

Luckily, SIU is coming off an impressive second half against Missouri State and a six-day break from game play. The Dawgs could spring into the semi-finals if they can find the scoring touch they had the first time they played the Panthers — if not, it could be short tourney for Southern.

Evan Jones can be reached at EJones@dailyegyptian.com or at (618)536-3304.

O’Briens make SIU men’s hoops a family affair SEAN CARLEY | @SCarleyDE

Even though Saturday wasn’t his best game on the floor, junior forward Sean O’Brien’s parents were still proud to see their son, just like they are after every game.

Bill and Judy O’Brien have attended nearly every game of Sean’s three-year Saluki career, and have gone to great lengths to do so. Hailing from Mundelein, Bill and Judy drive about 370 miles to Carbondale for all of Sean’s home games.

The couple typically leaves home seven hours before tipoff so they’re able to check into their hotel room and recover from the journey before the game.

“This is a hard commute,” Bill said. “But at this point, we’re just used to it.”

Judy said they have put 17,200 miles on their 2003 Chevrolet Suburban this season traveling to SIU games, bringing the vehicle’s total mileage to 275,000.

Financing these trips was difficult at first because of gas prices during Sean’s freshman year. Bill said a single trip to Carbondale usually consisted of a couple hundred dollars worth of gas and $70 to $80 for a hotel room.

Sean said having his parents make the trip to the games means everything to him.

“I feel more comfortable out there on the court knowing they’re always there to support the team and I throughout the good and bad games,” he said.

The O’Briens felt there was no better opportunity to see their son play — especially because since Sean left for college, the parents have no more kids at home.

“If we had high school kids there’s no way we’d be doing this,” Bill said. “We couldn’t be going to Carbondale for the night and leave a high schooler at home. You know what’s going to happen that night.”

After the game, the family typically goes out to eat together and the parents said they don’t get to bed until 1 a.m.

Late nights are worth it, however, as Bill said they’ve connected to the Carbondale community during their travels.

“We’ve gotten to meet a lot of the local fans over the years,” he said. “Got to know them by first name, gone out to dinner with a few of them. So that’s been fun for us in getting to know the local fans and hear their story too about how they follow the team.”

Sean’s parents also travel to Saluki road games, even if it means taking to the skies.

During Sean’s freshman season, they flew to Naples, Fla., more than 1,300 miles from home, to see the Dawgs compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase.

This year, they flew to Corpus Christi, Texas, to watch Sean get two straight double-doubles in the Corpus Christi Coastal Challenge. He also scored a career-high 25 points in the first game of the tournament and was named to the all-tournament team.

The farthest the family has driven is to Missouri State in Springfield, Mo., which is more than 1,000 miles round trip from their home in the Chicago suburbs.

Since Sean is a scholarship athlete, the family views the money it spends travelling as money it would have spent sending him to school.

Sean had scholarship offers from other

schools such as Santa Clara in Santa Clara, Calif., Belmont in Nashville, Tenn., and Bradley in Peoria. He eventually chose between SIU and Santa Clara.

“I wanted him to go to Santa Clara,” Judy said. “I told him ‘Don’t even visit Southern’ because I hadn’t heard much other than it’s a party school. But we came down here, and he decided to commit. I’m so glad he did because in reality, we wouldn’t have been able to see many of his games in Santa Clara, and we love the atmosphere here.”

Regardless of how much they enjoy their travels, issues still occasionally arise.

On a trip to Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 2014, the Suburban’s alternator broke down in Rockford, about an hour away from home. This did not stop the family from getting to the game.

“We were already getting a late start, and we were so bent on getting to that game,” Judy said. “Bill wanted to go back home.

We arranged for getting a rental car, but in the meantime our car started back up again, so we drove to a shop and got the alternator fixed within 50 minutes. We drove in whiteout [snow] conditions and we got to the game with eight minutes left in the second half.”

Their efforts weren’t for naught, as the Dawgs won the game 74-58 amid 4.7 inches of snowfall, according to Weather Underground.

The family went to the University Library Cafe restaurant to relax after the game and made a tradition to go there every time they’re in Des Moines.

Not all road games are this challenging for the family as most other Missouri Valley

Conference schools are closer to home than Carbondale.

Sean said knowing his family would be nearby was a big part in his decision.

“I knew they wanted to watch me play in college,” he said. “At the time, I didn’t know how many games they were going to come to.

Now, after having them at almost every game, I couldn’t imagine being far away and not having them at my games.”

Bill and Judy are not always alone on their trips. They said Sean’s brothers and sisters come along as often as they can.

In addition to Sean, one former teammate in particular loved having Bill and Judy around.

Former Saluki guard Mike Balogun became close with the family in his one year with the program, the parents said. Sean and Mike became so close that the O’Briens let Balogun live with family during spring break because he couldn’t go back to his hometown of Staten Island, N.Y. Flexibility in their jobs has been crucial to making the commitment.

Bill is a loan officer for Provident Mortgage in Libertyville while Judy works at a catering company.

“The way we view it is life’s too short, let’s enjoy it,” Bill said. “We’re basically going to blink our eyes and this will be over.”

The O’Briens will get one more year of traveling to see Sean compete as a Saluki before he graduates with a degree in sport administration in May 2017.

Sean Carley can be reached at scar@dailyegyptian.com or at 618-536-3307.

PAGE 6

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016

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TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016

Brought to you by:

FOR RELEASE MARCH 1, 2016

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

207 West Main Street Carbondale, IL Ph. 1-800-297-2160

<< Answers for Monday Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk

ACROSS 1 Human rights advocate Jagger 7 Leaves in a big hurry 15 Seductive quality 16 Having the capacity for learning 17 *Whom Charlotte saved, in an E.B. White classic 18 *“Animal Farm” tyrant 19 Reason-based faith 20 Self-regard 21 One-__ jack 22 QB’s gains 23 *GEICO spokescritter who squeals, “Wee wee wee!”

27 Variety 28 More pert 33 Mets’ old stadium 36 Singer Yoko 38 “Ninotchka” star Greta 39 *“Toy Story” toy bank 40 *Stutterer in Looney Tunes sign-offs 43 *Unlikely title shepherd in a 1995 film 44 Reputed UFO pilot 46 “Golly!”

47 “Great Taste...__ Filling”: Miller Lite slogan 48 Carter’s vice president 51 Suffix with novel 53 *40-Across’ gal 55 __ Grande 58 Burn slightly 62 Latin art 63 Doggie 65 With 67-Across, annual March 1 event celebrated in the answers to starred clues 67 See 65-Across 68 Biological order including eightarmed creatures 69 Waiting one’s turn 70 Catching-up query 71 FBI operatives

By Jeffrey Wechsler

DOWN 1 Ribald 2 Perjurer’s confession 3 “Silent Night” words before calm and bright 4 Used-up pencils 5 Really bad 6 __ Lingus 7 Take more Time?

8 Maxims 9 Domelike building top 10 Earth-friendly prefix 11 Mall event 12 Do as told 13 Arctic chunk 14 Provide (for oneself) 24 Per unit 25 Strange: Pref.

26 Tote 27 Domesticated 29 Pay television 30 “Dies __”: Latin hymn 31 Flows back 32 Some reddish deer 33 Bedding accessory 34 Saintly glow 35 Key with one sharp: Abbr.

03/01/16 3/1/16

Monday’s Answers Monday’s Puzzle Solved

©2016 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

37 Nonprofit URL ending 41 Really eager 42 Bigfoot kin 45 Rest of the afternoon 49 Use as support 50 Online investment service 52 Music studio activity 54 Amer. attorney’s study

03/01/16 3/1/16

55 “The Thinker” sculptor 56 Words of refusal 57 “I remember now!”

58 Skiing surface 59 Per unit 60 “__ girl!”

61 Real hoot 64 Gawk at 66 Photo __: media events 67 Actress Zadora

7

Sports

PAGE 8

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2016

Sophomore key in early season success TED WARD | @TedWard_DE

In a sport where some of the greatest athletes succeed 30 percent of the time, one SIU baseball player is far surpassing that number thanks to a new approach in the batters box.

Sophomore infielder Logan Blackfan is second on the team hitting .357 with a team-leading .400 on-base percentage. He is tied for third with five RBI while Blackfan’s four doubles put him in the top 10 of the nation. He led the team last year with 19 doubles, which tied him for 63rd in the nation.

“Hit for power and average will come, hit for average and power will come so I’m just focused on driving in runs and helping the team win games.”

- Logan Blackfan

“Most situations I’m looking for a fastball — obviously with two strikes I’m looking for other pitches,” Blackfan said. “The fastball is the one that’s going to be in the zone most often and I’m trying to take advantage.”

The Cordova, Tenn., native finished last season batting .244 and led the team with 51 strikeouts in 52 games. Through seven games this season he’s struck out three times.

Hitting coach Ryan Strain said Blackfan appears to be more comfortable at the plate this season compared to his freshman campaign.

“The big thing is he’s been swinging at strikes and not trying to expand the zone like he did last season,” he said. “He’s

been driving the ball.”

Blackfan said his change in approach has been the key to his early season success.

“I’m trying to get my foot down sooner and be more aggressive at the plate in order to not fall behind in the count,” he said. “Hit for power and average will come, hit for average and power will come so I’m just focused on driving in runs and helping the team win games.”

Hitters always try to maintain a smooth, level swing to make better contact, Strain said.

And of course, swinging at strikes can help.

“I’m working on not swinging long and keeping my hands closer to my body,” he said. “I had a tendency to swing at pitches outside the zone and not make as good of contact so I’m trying to sit back and wait on something better to hit.”

In the series last weekend against Western Illinois, Blackfan was 3-for12 with two RBIs, one home run and three runs scored.

Strain said Blackfan will continue to have success if he can make these changes permanent.

“Pitchers last year tried to expand the zone on him, and we talked about if he sat back and waited he was going to see better pitchers to swing at,” Strain said. “He’s a good hitter and his swing and discipline has gotten better. A lot of that has to do with maturity, and he’ll continue to grow and get better throughout the season.”

The Dawgs play Southeastern Missouri State at 3 p.m. Wednesday before beginning a three-game series against Iowa on Friday.

Ted Ward can be reached at tward@dailyegyptian.com or 618-534-3303.

BRENT MESKE | @brentmeskeDE Sophomore first baseman Logan Blackfan, right, celebrates a home run with junior center fielder Dyllin Mucha, center and sophomore left fielder Greg Lambert, left, during Saturday’s 9-0 win against Western Illinois at Richard “Itchy” Jones Stadium.

Jones named MVC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Week SEAN CARLEY | @SCarleyDE

Saluki softball freshman pitcher Brianna Jones was honored for the second time this season by the Missouri Valley Conference.

Jones was named the MVC’s Pitcher of the Week and Newcomer of the Week on Monday after throwing shutouts in both of her starts at the Stetson Invitational in DeLand, Fla. It is her second time this season winning Pitcher of the Week and the first time winning Newcomer of the Week.

She struck out four while giving up two hits in a five-inning outing against Providence and struck out nine the next day

against Colgate for her nation-leading fifth shutout. No other MVC pitcher has more than two shutouts this season.

Over the entire weekend, Jones had 16 strikeouts in 15 innings giving up just one earned run in three appearances.

Her record stands at 5-2 with a MVCbest 1.26 ERA and 40 strikeouts in nine appearances this season.

Jones is the first player to win both awards since Drake sophomore Nicole Newman did it in May 2015.

Sean Carley can be reached at scar@dailyegyptian.com or at 618-536-3307.

Freshman earns MAC swimmer of the week EVAN JONES | @EvanJones_DE

Freshman swimmer Nolan Fahey was awarded the Mid-American Conference Swimmer of the Week for his performance at the University of Georgia Bulldog Invitational this past weekend.

Fahey set three personal-best times in the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle and the 50-yard backstroke.

His fifth-place finish in the 500yard freestyle was the highest finish by a Saluki in the meet. Fahey’s time of 4:35.93 in the preliminary round

beat his personal best by :23.3.

This was the third time this season a Saluki was named MAC swimmer of the week; the previous two were junior Andre Brilhante and junior Lucas de Aquino.

The Bulldog Invitational was Fahey’s last meet of the season, but most of his teammates will compete in the MAC Championships starting on Wednesday in Ypsilante, Mich.

Evan Jones can be reached at EJones@dailyegyptian.com or at (618)536-3304.