DE Since 1916
Daily Egyptian TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 VOLUME 98 ISSUE 90
Qualifying residents may apply for medical marijuana Branda Mitchell Daily Egyptian
Illinois patients and caregivers with last names “A” through “L” will be able to apply for the Medical Cannabis Pilot Program through the Illinois Department of Public Health on Tuesday. The annual fee for patients is $100, but a reduced fee of $50 is available for or qualifying veterans or individuals who are enrolled in federal disability programs.
Applications can be submitted online or by mail. Applicants must present proof of Illinois residency, age, a photograph of the qualifying patient, physician documentation, fingerprint consent form, selection of dispensary and an excluded offense waiver, if applicable. In addition to the basic requirements, an individual must have a debilitating medical condition, such as HIV, cancer or glaucoma, according to the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act.
The act lists 42 qualifying conditions. A citizen may petition to the Department of Public Health to add a condition or treatment to the list, which is then subject to approval from the department for judicial review. Beginning Sept. 8, potential dispensary owners will be able to submit applications to establish a business. Zoning restrictions regulate the potential locations for dispensaries and cultivation centers. Please see MARIJUANA · 02
The drag show must go on
J amie e ader d aily e gyptian Holly Haliwell, of Carbondale, performs Sunday during ‘Glam, The Ultimate Drag Show” at The Wedding Garden in Carbondale. Haliwell has performed for 3 years in the area, and also works with various
Marissa Novel Daily Egyptian
A spotlight follows a drag queen covered in iridescent sequins as she graces the stage. Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” plays, as people form a line to slip dollar bills between her breasts. Carbondale’s most famous drag queen, Blanche Du Bois, hosted her 30th birthday party and drag show Sunday night at The Wedding Garden.
Seven drag queens and kings performed at the show, the first of its kind since the official closing of Carbondale’s only gay bar, Club Traz, also known as Club 213 in May. She said the closing of Traz impacted many people, including herself, because she originally wanted to host her birthday party there. Du Bois, who has been involved in drag for 37 years, said the
Internet and online dating have affected the popularity of gay bars in the area. “You can get on the Internet and get a date; you don’t have to go to the gay bar to pick up a man,” she said. Du Bois said she has also seen a difference in clients at gay bars and drag shows in recent years. “I think that doing a drag show is more intriguing to the straight
community than the gay community because the gay community is expecting it,” she said. Dirk Borgsmiller, owner of The Wedding Garden, said Carbondale had a consistent gay bar scene since the late 1970s. He said gay bars are less popular now since gay people experience less stigma in social settings. “Nowadays gays can go anywhere, do anything and
hangout anywhere they like,” Borgsmiller said. He said now it is easier for gay people to be employed and accepted in workplaces that are not primarily gay, such as his own. “I hire the best people. That’s it,” Borgsmiller said. “I don’t care who you are, gay or not. And I have the best crew there is.” Please see DRAG · 02
Student creates social networking site Kia Smith
Daily Egyptian
Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and even Tom from Myspace and laid the foundation for social media sites. Now SIU student Jordan Jones is following in their footsteps. Jones, a sophomore from Joliet studying computer science and business management, said he created UniverCity360.com to help college students connect. “Being a freshman last year, I noticed how hard it was to meet people and find out what was going on,” he said. “I wanted to create something that had not been invented yet.”
UniverCity specializes in promoting on-campus events. About 200 SIU students use the website, Jones said. “On the site we publish a series of articles that gives a range of advice, specifically targeted to incoming freshman,” he said. “Later on down the line we want to pair the students signed up with this site with employment and internship opportunity as well.” The site’s first and only post is “How to save money in college.” Jones said his site is strictly for college students and does not allow people to sign up unless they have an .edu email address.
“Through word of mouth and people on Twitter seeing me and my team use the hashtag #DiscoverYourUniverCity, people were curious and signed up,” Jones said. Marshon Tucker, a sophomore from Chicago studying civil engineering and the chief financial officer of the company, said he expects more than 100,000 users to have accounts in the next five years. He said he wants to host several events for people to network and learn more about the site by fall 2015. Kendall Crayton, a senior from Peoria studying mining and
resource engineering, account manager and chief visionary officer for the site, said it’s simple to get the word out about a site, because it’s human nature to want to explore. “Say for example, it’s a Saturday night and you and your friends are bored,” Crayton said. “You may hear about events going on, but don’t know where they’re located. The site provides a central location for all the information you need to get the most out of your college experience.” Jones said there have been some glitches in launching the site,
which is still in its early stages. “Last spring semester, I participated in an app competition because UniverCity was originally going to be created as an app first,” he said. “However, I backtracked because I knew how to build a website better than an app. The app will still get created, but I’m using the website to figure out what features should be included or taken out of the app.” Jones said there is about $1,000 worth of work left to complete on the app version, which is set to be released next spring. Please see UNIVERCITY · 02