Daily Egyptian

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Daily Egyptian WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 VOLUME 98 ISSUE 92

Governor bans smoking at public universities

Enrollment up, revenue down Brent Meske Daily Egyptian

Enrollment has increased for the first time in a decade, but revenue is down roughly $2 million. The university’s 10-day figures show overall enrollment is up 25 people from last year, an increase of just 0.001 percent. Total enrollment is 17,989 students. International enrollment has increased nearly 25 percent, and enrollment of new international graduate and undergraduate

students is the highest since 1985. Freshman enrollment is up 2.4 percent and transfer enrollment is up 2.3 percent. “It’s relatively flat, but it’s a reason to celebrate,” Interim Chancellor Paul Sarvela said at the media announcement Tuesday. “This is the first time we haven’t had a decline in 10 years.” Sarvela said the university needs to focus on recruitment and retention. He said enrollment has improved because of strategic outreach, a growing reputation and strong academic programs.

“It is 10 times more cost effective to retain a student then it is to go out after a student,” Sarvela said. This year’s freshman class comes from 32 states and 22 countries, according to a university press release. Twenty-nine percent of the freshman class is African American, 11 percent is Hispanic or Latino and 52 percent of the freshman class is female. Please see ENROLLMENT · 02

‘I hear this music in my sleep’

Austin Miller Daily Egyptian

More than 17 percent of SIU students smoke, and as of July 1, 2015, will no longer be allowed to on campus. Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Smoke Free Campus Act on Aug. 17, which bans smoking on Illinois public university campuses. Smoking is allowed 15 feet away from entrances, exits, open windows and ventilation intakes at the university, but will only be permitted in cars beginning July 1, 2015. In February, the university announced the campus would become smoke-free in July, but the SIU Board of Trustees delayed the policy to wait for state legislation. The law states schools must create a task force by the end of 2014 to work on implementing the ban. Katie Sermersheim, dean of students, said she is recommending people for the law-mandated task force, which will be approved by interim Chancellor Paul Sarvela. She said no new punishments would be created for those found violating the law. The university will follow the regular Student Conduct Policy when dealing with violators. Dr. Ted Grace, director of Student Health Services, was appointed head of a previous 16-person task force by former-Chancellor Rita Cheng. The task force was created in January 2013 to research how many students smoke on campus. He said the task force created several mock policies and surveyed students on preferences. The group found a majority of those surveyed were in favor of increased smoking limitations. Grace said the university received complaints of excessive smoke in several areas on campus, such as the archway of Faner Hall. “Even though they were legal, they were the 15 feet away,” He said. “You had to walk through a smoke cloud to get into that building.” Grace said the effects of secondhand smoke, which can cause lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, is just as dangerous as primary smoke. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website states secondhand smoke causes more than 7,300 non-smoker deaths each year. Michele Guerra, director of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Wellness Center, said she has seen change on campus since its smoke-free policy was introduced on Jan. 1, 2014. “We are not 100 percent smoke free,” Guerra said. “But there is a lot less smoke and a lot less litter.” Please see SMOKING · 02

L uke N ozicka D aiLy e gyptiaN American Ice Cream truck driver Tim Carter, 48, of Carbondale, takes ice cream out of one of his vehicle’s freezers on Saturday. “At 4 a.m. I’lll hear the music ... I’ll go out there and there’s no truck.” Owner Brendan Tolan, 45, of Waukegan, said the company is being sued for $100,000 after an 8-yearold girl on a motorized scooter hit a truck on July 4, 2013 in Murphysboro. “It didn’t hurt her. It didn’t hurt us. Then they took her to the emergency room,” Tolan said. “We discontinued going to Murphysboro after that event … and then we just started going back probably in June or so.”

Downtown Advisory Committee to hold meeting on transportation Marissa Novel Daily Egyptian

Whether by foot, bicycle or bus, Carbondale residents need to get around, and some think the process could be easier. Downtown traffic and alternative transportation will be discussed at the second Downtown Advisory Committee meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Old Train Depot, 111 S. Illinois Ave., in Carbondale. Meghan Cole, committee member and director of Carbondale Main Street, said the meeting will begin with information on the types of transportation, traffic flow, parking and public safety. She said the committee will take public comments at the meeting. Jessica Pike, a junior from Decatur studying marketing, said she would enjoy the creation of a bike rental service in Carbondale. “I drive everywhere in Carbondale,” she said. “I don’t personally own a bike, but if I had access to one, I would use that over driving any day.

… If we had the option to have a bike rental system, it would give students an extra means of transportation that may be more reliable based off of their schedules.” Pike said purchasing a bike would be counterproductive because of her financial situation, as well as the challenge of traveling home for summers. “Bike share programs cut that issue out,” she said. “There is the issue of me shelling out money to buy a bike only to have the bike stolen.” Columbus, Ohio, home to Ohio State University, offers the bike rental program CoGo Bike Share. It has 30 stations with 300 bikes available year-round, according to its website. The program offers $6 day passes and $75 annual ones. Dominique Crespo, a junior from Quito, Ecuador studying speech communication, said she wants the bus system to become more functional. “The main issue is the sometimes unnecessary stops the bus has,” Crespo said. “I’ve seen a

pattern where people never get in or out at a certain stop.” Crespo said she would also like to see additional bike routes throughout the city, especially from where she lives, The Reserves, as well as a carpooling system for students. Cole said there were 165 business owners, city representatives and general community members at the committee’s first meeting and she encourages people to attend the second. “All we’re there to do is to listen to the public voice any transportation issues or any transportation opinions they may have,” she said. Cole said the transportation focus group consists of herself, Kris Schachel, sustainability coordinator at the university, and Nathan Colombo, the committee’s marketing consultant. Marissa Novel can be reached at mnovel@dailyegyptian.com, on Twitter @marissanovelDE or at 536-3311 ext. 268.


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