Northern Star Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Volume 115, Issue 38
The Northern Star is the daily campus newspaper serving Northern Illinois University and the surrounding community. 2 2 2
Opinion Sports Scene
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News NIU says the Oderkirk House must be relocated if it’s going to have more renovations. Page 3. News Faculty Senate will look at possible reforms to gen. eds. Page 3. Scene You don’t need to head to an orchard if you’re craving fall apples. Check out what Ellington’s is offering on Page 4. Perspective Ethics training isn’t useful when people rush through it, Columnist Marilou Terrones writes. Page 6. Sports Men’s basketball has high expectations heading into the season. Read more on the Back Page.
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Military Services to be merged
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SA senator plans to fight battle, cites vets’ need for space Jackie Nevarez Campus Editor H @NevarezJackie
DeKalb | The merger of Military Student Services and Off-Campus and Non-Traditional Student Services will happen despite concerns voiced in the departments, said Katrina Caldwell, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. The decision to merge the two departments came after Jarvis Purnell, former director of both, left in June. Dwayne Malone is serving as interim director. “We’re merging them because we think that bringing the two departments together will strengthen the services that we offer these two populations of students,” Caldwell said. “These are two relatively smaller departments.” Military Student Services is responsible for 710 veterans and 219 dependents of veterans; in total, 929 people have their benefits processed by the office. Off Campus and Non-Traditional Student Services serves more than 2,000 students with resources like childcare, events and a lounge. That population includes students older than 24, commuters and students
Alexandra Meyers | Northern Star
Wardell Rosemon Jr., sophomore liberal arts and sciences major, studies in the office for Off-Campus and Non-Traditional Student Services Tuesday in the Holmes Student Center. The office will be merged with Military Student Services.
with dependents and veterans. In order to allow student input into the merger, Caldwell said the departments plan to meet with students, faculty and staff to discuss how the merger may be done
effectively. Although there are no set dates, Caldwell said students can expect to see a survey this fall and focus groups in the spring.
Read Merger | Page 3
Read more To learn more about Military Student Services, go to bit. ly/1xCTP3N.
City delays vote on business inspections If you go
Jessica Christofersen Staff Writer
What: Town hall-style meeting about the inspections ordinance. The meeting will be led by DeKalb business owners, but it is open to everyone. When: 6-8 p.m. today Where: Red Roof Inn, 1212 W. Lincoln Highway
DeKalb | Business owners balked
at an ordinance that would require businesses to pay for a yearly inspection, leading to the postponement of a vote on the ordinance. The postponement of voting on the Commercial/Industrial Building Responsibility Code ordinance, which was proposed at a Sept. 8 City Council meeting, was announced at Monday’s meeting. The City Council directed City Manager Anne Marie Gaura to meet with members of the business community and get their input as stakeholders. Voting on the ordinance has been postponed until Jan. 26. Timeline The new timeline for the Commercial/Industrial Building Responsibility Code was decided between the City Council and Gaura at Monday’s City Council meeting. The ordinance will come back to City Council as a summary memo, not a complete ordinance, to be considered and reviewed on Dec. 8. A hearing where members of the public may comment on the ordinance will be held Jan. 12. “The general public should have just as much chance to give input before the first reading,” 3rd ward Alderwoman Kristen Lash said at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Brandon Semel | Northern Star
Dan Watkins, owner of Herbal Embers, 161. E Lincoln Highway, looks on Tuesday at his shop. Watkins said a proposed ordinance that asked business owners to pay for yearly inspections could hurt entrepreneurs. “I hope we can open up lines of communication between the city and businesses,” Watkins said. “I believe in this community, but small businesses walk a thin line, and I have to do what’s best for my business.”
Members of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, DeKalb Area Rental Association and the Public Policy Committee of the Chamber of Commerce have already had meetings with Gaura to discuss their concerns. Gaura said this week there will be continued meetings with downtown merchants and the DeKalb County Building and Development Association to address concerns with the ordinance. Brad Rubeck, DeKalb Area Rental Association president, said the meetings have had good dialog and are a good starting point to receive input from people who would be
directly affected by the ordinance. “... We realized after meeting with all these stakeholder groups we are going to circle back and have one group meeting with everyone, sharing what we heard and then go back to the City Council,” Gaura said. Concerns The business community has voiced its concerns with the proposed ordinance for months. The main concerns of the business community are scope, structure and cost, Gaura said. An original ordinance proposal that did not have an estimation of how much
the inspections would cost has been taken “off the table” since Gaura met with associations that represent businesses, she said. “We will not be recommending moving forward in an ordinance that is as extensive as it was originally proposed,” Gaura said. How the inspections would be completed was also a concern to the business community. DeKalb Fire Chief Eric Hicks said the city is looking at having members of the DeKalb Fire Department conduct the inspections. The city has also considered contracting out the inspections to SAFEBuilt, which offers “customized full-service building department programs and supplemental services in short- and long-term engagements,” according to its website. Gaura said she will continue to meet with stakeholders to look at how she can address the public safety concerns there are with the buildings, but that will be done in a practical way for the business community.