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Thursday, March 31, 2016
815-753-0105 H @NIUNorthernStar H NorthernStar.info
SA optimistic on low turnout for newly combined elections Elections | From Page 1 This year’s presidential election had 843 voters compared to the 2015 presidential race that had 2,315 voters. This was the first SA election to combine executive and Senate elections in hopes of increasing voter turnout. The Senate approved this bill with a 35-2 vote April 26 after researching 17 schools to find voter turnout increased with one election. “I believe it worked, the only thing is that remember that we had two elections this year already, because we had the Senate
elections in the fall and obviously we’re having them again in the spring,” said Senate Deputy Speaker Robert Kreml. “So that may have confused some people. So starting next year it might Alex Forgue be a bigger Losing Presidential thing as it be- Candidate comes an an- Votes: 226 nual, reoccurring thing.” Kreml said the decrease could also be attributed to the lack of advertising on campus and the
students’ lack of familiarity with Huskielink. Election Commissioner Kevin Gordon said the decrease in voter turnout could be due to the amount of candidates that ran for SA. “I think considering the amount of people we had run and the campaigns that we had it went very well, as far as the voter turnout as well as the candidates and their campaigns,” Gordon said. Gordon said the SA could improve voter turnout by getting election information out earlier and increase election participation within the SA.
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Today Thunderstorms High: 62º Low: 35º
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Student demand for counseling increases; counselors pressured Chicago State University Counseling | From Page 1
“We are impacted just like the rest of the university when it comes to budget cuts being difficult and anxiety provoking,” Ruxton said. “We really have been able to continue providing the same service and quality of service we have always provided [to students].” While staff have maintained similar wage rates over the past
couple years, Counseling and Consultation Services had to get creative when bringing awareness to the community by teaming up with other organizations on campus. “When [counseling does] programs, like the depression and screening event that we do in the fall, instead of doing that completely on our own, this fall we collaborated with Health Services, Campus [Recreation], Wellness Promotion and some
service providers in DeKalb so that we could have a good, strong event,” Ruxton said. Counseling and Consultation Services is located in the Campus Life Building, Room 200, and can be contacted at 815753-1206. If it is a student’s first time going into Counseling and Consultation Services they must come during walk-in hours. For more information go to bit.ly/1RLvnsM.
SUMMER SESSIONS 2016 Enjoy all that Chicago has to offer this summer while taking a class to lighten your load for the fall. Chicago • Online • Study Abroad Cuneo Mansion and Gardens (Vernon Hills, IL) Retreat and Ecology Campus (Woodstock, IL)
to get key catalog by April
The Associated Press
Chicago | Chicago State University backtracked Wednesday from a plan to collect keys from faculty and staff members, instead announcing that it would take an inventory of keys that might have to be collected should layoffs be necessary amid the state's financial crisis. Administrator Aleshia Renee Terry had asked deans Monday to begin collecting keys "as soon as possible," the Chicago Tribune reported. The school said the move was necessary to protect state property. "Every key must be collected including master keys and special lock keys," she wrote. "We are attempting to complete the key collecting process by April 4." However, university spokesman Tom Wogan said the key matter was "clarified" in a meeting that university President Thomas Calhoun held Wednesday with administrators to discuss the key request. Department heads were asked to take an inventory of keys held by employees. "There was some confusion over what the directives were," said Wogan, who previously acknowledged the university may need to "execute a significant number of layoffs at the end of April." The university on Chicago's South Side has been at risk of running out of money as Illinois' public colleges and universities have waited since July for state funding held up by the budget standoff in Springfield. The campus in February sent notices of potential layoffs to all
900 employees and declared a financial emergency. Calhoun eliminated spring break and announced the semester will end April 28 instead of May 13 for its roughly 4,500 students.
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“I am very upset that Chicago State University may have to close their doors. [It’s] an outrage.”
Bruce Rauner Illinois Governor
Gov. Bruce Rauner said there's no excuse for what's happening at Chicago State. He noted a bipartisan bill in the Illinois Legislature that would help higher education institutions by freeing up more than $160 million of excess special purpose funds. Rauner said it should be called for a vote and passed. "I am very upset that Chicago State University may have to close their doors," he said Wednesday, adding it's "an outrage." Wogan said the school has enough cash to make payroll through April 30. The school receives about a third of its budget, or about $36 million, from the state. History professor Bob Bionaz said he and other faculty members were "going to continue doing what we have to do so our students can finish the semester." "It's unconscionable that the state is not supporting public higher education, not just Chicago State but the whole system," Bionaz said.
APPLY NOW • For a list of courses and to enroll, visit LUC.edu/summer.
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