de M ARCH 22, 2017
sInce 1916
DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
Vol.101 Issue 9
@daIlyegyptIan
SIU president prepares for more cuts
LUKE NOZICKA | @LukeNozicka
SIU President Randy Dunn will soon outline a range of severe cuts the Carbondale campus could be forced to adopt if the state allocates no funding in the foreseeable future. Dunn said he plans to use the System Connection, the column he emails to faculty and staff, on March 29 to provide the university’s largest campus with a dollar amount it will need to cut if Illinois has no budget by July 1. His announcement will not say what needs to be cut, which is up to campus administration, but rather will lay out a plan for how SIUC can continue to operate without deficit spending. While he did not know what that amount will be, Dunn said the cuts will be “well into the millions of dollars.” Dunn said the Carbondale campus would bear the brunt of the next round of cuts, which would be based on a review of the university’s academic and non-instructional units. The School of Medicine and Edwardsville campus would also likely experience more reductions. Since the state’s budget impasse began in July 2015, the Carbondale campus has reduced $20 million of its approximately $450 million operating budget, Dunn said. That money was saved by making small adjustments, such as reducing positions, not undertaking projects, Please see CUTS | 6
Morgan Timms | @Morgna_Timms Michael Thornton, a freshman from Naperville studying digital media arts and animation, carries an LGBTQ flag while crossing the pedestrian bridge Monday en route to an astronomy class in Carbondale. Since President Donald Trump's inauguration, Thornton described receiving both positive and negative responses. "I was in the library one day and this complete stranger came up to me and he's like, 'Hey I've seen you around with the pride flag. I really love what you're doing and it's really made a difference for me,' and he gave me a cookie. Moments like that happen often enough for me to feel like I'm making a difference for other people."
'I am a person' Student carries flag to advocate for LGBTQ rights OLIVIA SPIERS | @_spierso
A rainbow flag and bright-blue hair are Michael Thornton’s trademarks as “the flag kid” at SIU. The Naperville native is often seen bringing the colorful banner into classes, around the Student Center and into Morris Library. At first, Thornton began carrying the 8-foot-tall LGBTQ pride flag everywhere “purely for the thrill of it,” but said the need for awareness on campus
began to sink in after President Donald Trump took office. “On Inauguration Day, we all knew things were about to change dramatically,” Thornton said. Recent policy proposals from the new presidential administration prompted alarm among some LGBTQ leaders about workplace protections installed under President Barack Obama and federal expansions of religious freedom by new executive order. The White House has promised to keep Obama’s orders intact and to continue to protect LGBTQ rights. However, the appointment of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the legislative track record of Vice President Mike Pence has not reassured those skeptical of the new administration. Please see FLAG | 7