News
Monday, November 2, 2015
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In Brief
Students dance during Sanskruti
Art show to honor ‘Timi’ Okedina Northern Star staff
Dilip Kumar Sripuram | Northern Star
Students dance during Sanskruti 2015, an annual festival celebrating Indian music and dance, Friday in the Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom. The event was held by the Indian Students Association.
Cannabis legislation paused Alexander Chettiath Assistant News Editor T @achett2
DeKalb | Decriminalization of marijuana possession in Illinois may be losing steam as the two bills hoping to do so have lost traction. Both bills looked to decriminalize possession of up to 30 grams for people over the age of 21 and reclassify the possession amounts for a felony. SB0753, filed by Sen. Michael Noland (DElgin), classifies possession of more than 30 grams as a felony, while HB0218, sponsored by Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago), classifies possession of more than 100 grams as a felony. “It has been no secret that we incarcerate far too many people, particularly for non-violent drug crimes including marijuana possession,” Cassidy said. “Having passed medical marijuana, the time is ripe to go after the destructive and unfair legal structure we currently have.” SB0753 was placed in assignments on Oct. 10 and for the
time being “is not going anywhere,” Noland said. The second bill had passed both houses four months after its filing on Jan. 16, but was vetoed by Gov. Bruce Rauner on Sept. 9. HB0218 would result in a decrease of 115 inmates with $29 million in potential cost savings over the first 10 years after enactment, according to the bill. Noland and Cassidy were active in the creation of both bills and hope to come up with a similar one during the next session after resolving what was objectionable for the governor and members of the General Assembly, Noland said. “The bills should be looked at not so much as individual bills but an issue, and issues in Springfield never die, they never go away,” Noland said. Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley) said he is against any bill that encourages marijuana use because it impairs brain function and slows reaction times. “A similar legislation was not passed last year,” Pritchard said.
“I just do not understand why you would need to take something to cloud your mind and cloud your experiences. There are plenty of things to do here.” Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act A third bill, HB4276, filed by representative Ken Dunkin (DChicago) on Aug. 25, would establish the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act, which would legalize the sale, possession and consumption of cannabis and cannabis accessories. If passed, an excise tax would be imposed on the sale or transfer of cannabis at a 10 percent rate. “What this bill is doing is allowing an individual to grow or to possess way more amounts recreationally, not medically,” Pritchard said. “I think we have to be very cautious about making it easy and turning our state into a state like Colorado.” Colorado was ranked third of best economies in the United States, and Illinois was tied for
fifteenth, according to a 2015 Business Insider study. Colorado also saw marijuana tax revenue of $40.9 million nine months after legalization — not including medical marijuana licenses and fees — of which the state allocated $8 million for youth prevention and education, mental health and community-based developmental programs, according to DrugPolicy.org. “If you got an addictive drug that you are pricing high, you’re going to have a growing economy, but how is that productive?” Pritchard said. “To me, a growing economy is creating wealth, make something, make a product that you can sell. That to me is economic growth. That is where you are adding value to the economy and the society.” Colorado also saw a 32 percent increase in marijuana related traffic deaths from 2013 to 2014, accounting for 20 percent of all traffic deaths in 2014, according to a study done by Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
DeKalb | An art show will be held in honor of Oluwarotimi “Timi” Okedina on Wednesday. The show will be held 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Stevenson Smart Classroom, and will display Okedina’s art and poetry, said Student Association Senator Jessica McKay at an SA Senate meeting Sunday. Okedina fell from the 11th floor of a tower at Stevenson Hall on Sept. 26. He later died from his injuries at Kishwaukee Hospital. “There’s just so much to say about Timi,” said Abraham Murguia, sophomore physical therapy major, according to an Oct. 1 Northern Star article. “He was artistically talented, loved to paint. He did spoken poetry and freestyle rapping.”
SA to revise game club’s constitution Northern Star staff
DeKalb | The Student Association Senate motioned for the Rules and Procedures Committee to revise the NIU Game Design Club’s constitution before it could be approved Sunday. The NIU Game Design Club is a club dedicated to designing games, including online and board games, said representatives from the club. Club representatives said they would use free programs and not charge fees of their members, but they will seek funding from the SA in the future. Robert Kreml, SA Deputy Senate Speaker, motioned to move the group’s constitution to the Rules and Procedures Committee after concerns with the group’s constitution not being specific enough. “While they may have all the parts in there, their details are very vague in a way that a governing document shouldn’t be,” Kreml said. SA Senate Speaker Dillon Domke said the Rules and Procedures Committee will review the group’s constitution at its 5 p.m. meeting Thursday.
Students demonstrate for end to budget stall Maxwell Bisaillon & Nick Bosshart Staff writers
DeKalb | Dillon Domke, Student Association Senate Speaker, said he will meet with Bethany Vanover, SA Senate Legislative Director, this week to see what the SA’s next steps will be after Thursday’s rally. Approximately 200 students and community members filled the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons for an SA-led rally Thursday in an effort influence the General Assembly and Gov. Bruce Rauner to pass a state budget and fully fund Monetary Award Program grants for students. The event was planned in conjunction with Rauner’s visit to NIU to speak at the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation’s Annual Dinner and State of the County event in the Holmes Student Center, Duke Ellington Ballroom. NIU credited MAP grant
recipients this semester without state funding, but may not be able to do so in the spring 2016 semester because of the budget impasse. More than a quarter of NIU students and more than 130,000 students across the state receive funding from the MAP grant program, Domke said. “The MAP grant was my saving grace because if I did not receive that, I would not be here on campus today,” said sophomore Bianca Alcantar, a MAP grant recipient who spoke at Thursday’s rally. Speakers at the rally included NIU MAP grant recipients, faculty, state legislators and community leaders. Faculty Senate President Greg Long said he has a son and brother with disabilities, and he fears them not being able to get resources with budget cuts. “The long term economic costs of limiting student potential is staggering,” Long said. “Both sides
need to put forward realistic budget proposals and hammer out the differences, show leadership and make logic work.” Additional speakers included student government officials from Illinois schools such as Elmhurst College, College of DuPage and Chicago State University. Henry Garcia, student body vice president of VOICE, Concordia University Chicago’s student government, said he started the hashtag #KEEPTHEGRANT2015 for people at the rally to use on Twitter. The final speaker of the rally was Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley), who said 348,000 students who qualified for MAP Grants did not receive them this year. In 2000, every person that qualified for the grant received it, Pritchard said. “Last year’s college graduates added $2.8 billion dollars to the state economy,” Pritchard said.
Armani Thomas | Northern Star
Students demonstrate Thursday in the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons for an end to the Illinois budget impasse.
“Education beyond high school significantly increases an individual’s earning ability over their career.” Domke and the SA Senate unanimously passed a resolution Sunday to thank those who attended the rally, and said the SA is already looking to see “what’s next,” as
he continues to reach out and set meetings with Rauner and legislative officials. “We wanted to educate students and community members and empower them to take action,” Domke said. ”I think we did that here today.”