News
Monday, Aug. 29, 2016
NorthernStar.info H @NIUNorthernStar H 815-753-0105
3
Prep begins in June for move-in day Kristen Lookingland Staff writer
DeKALB | Community Adviser Sana Akhoon unpacked her belongings in her room in Grant Towers on Aug. 1; this wasn’t the date most students moved in because Akhoon and members of Housing and Residential Services spent the next 18 days preparing the residence halls for move-in day.
“
We spend a little more of our time on Neptune and Stevenson because they’re a little older and they might need a little more freshening up tha oher buildings. “ Jennifer Manning Associate Director of Housing and Dining
The preparation for move-in day begins as early as June for Housing and Residential Services. Prior to the start of the fall semester, residents were required to fill out paperwork stating the damages that were in the room prior to them moving in. “[In] June, we get things figured out for move-outs,” said Jennifer Manning, associate director of Housing and Dining. “We go through what the community advisers have told us or when they checked residents out, and they give us a list of anything they
Photo Illustration by Xavier Ortega | Northern Star
Lycan Libertaten, junior biomedical engineering major and business minor, finishes up some homework in his room Sunday in the Grant C Tower.
think, ‘Oh this is really bad.’ We just really access the condition of every [residence hall] and make sure that all the big ticket items at least are done and taken care of.” If damages worsen or new damages occur, residents will be charged and the conditions will be related back to Housing and Residential Services to be fixed. Although Housing and Residential Services make sure furniture
is sent to be reupholstered, beds are lofted, facilities are cleaned and damages are repaired in each residence hall, certain buildings receive more attention than others. “We treat Neptune and Stevenson a little differently than Grant, New Hall and Gilbert; those are all more renovated and new,” Manning said. “So we spend a little more of our time on Neptune
and Stevenson because they’re a little older, and they might need a little more freshening up than other buildings.” While the residence halls were in the process of being improved, advisers moved in. From Aug. 2 to 19, morning to evening, they spent time training and decorating the residence halls. “Training consisted of how to handle all different kinds of
situations and conflicts like if there’s an active shooter, a noise violation [or] an alcohol and drug violation,” Akhoon said. “As far as decorating — I’m glad I did that. You know there’s some floors that aren’t decorated or they’re just completely bare, and you just don’t get the same vibe.” Residence hall floors varied as advisers chose how to decorate their floor, if they decided to. Akhoon glued beads onto purple ukuleles with residents’ names that were taped to their respective doors. Akhoon said this was one of the most difficult and tedious parts of preparing her floor for move-in day. “I like the fact that [the advisers] decorated a little bit,” Daniel Moreno, freshman Grant Hall resident said. “They seemed welcoming; the room is pretty sweet. Everyone was inviting and the halls were clean; I never really had an issue.” Manning said all of the preparation for move-in day makes summer one of the busiest times of the year for Housing and Residential Services, but it’s worth it. “We get excited about little things here,” Manning said. “You get a lot of complaints or things that are not right or more negative in nature, so when we do hear positive things or we see positive things happen that benefit the students, then we get excited.”
Repurposing: Saving the NIU discrimination planet and student wallets lawsuit put on docket ‘Green’ student revamps decor Micaela McGinley Staff writer
DeKALB | Stepping into Jessica
McKay’s office, the space is full of mason jars full of rocks, old maps and the notion that everything can be repurposed. Her passion for the environment and ecofriendly choices is what pushed her to become the director of environmental affairs for the Student Association. However, this wasn’t always the case. McKay, senior geology and env ironmental geosciences major, spent about $700 on furnishings and living materials when Melissa Burlinshe first went game away to college; Chair of NIU Green a hefty fee but Team one that falls below the $863 national average, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual report. “My first year, I definitely went a little crazy,” McKay said. “I bought new everything. I thought that was necessary; I thought that’s what everyone was going to do.” Since her freshman year, McKay’s decorating tactics have evolved. She has found ways to donate, share and repurpose old materials in order to
do her part in saving both the planet and her wallet. Dan Phillips, owner of The Phoenix Commotion, is implementing similar ideas for his Texas building company that specializes in creating homes and structures out of reclaimed materials. As someone who works on furnishing living spaces, he has many ideas that can help college students. Taking things like plastic shopping bags and weaving them into rugs, making decorative posters out of old magazines and even using socks and other materials as decorative ceiling garnishes instead of throwing the items away is a beneficial alternative that can save a lot of money, Phillips said. “All you have to do is start dividing,” Phillips said. “And you can see that you can reclaim materials very quickly.” When products are not reclaimed and repurposed and instead thrown away, the product’s embodied energy is also thrown away. The embodied energy of a product is the amount of labor and energy it took to create said product, Phillips said. “Every time you buy something new, those materials are virgin materials,” said Melissa Burlingame, chair of the NIU Green Team. “Whenever you’re buying new, there’s more embodied energy in that new item as opposed to buying something used or repurposing
something you already have.” Burlingame practices what she says. In her office, she showed off a keychain made from old Tshirts, as well as a flower décor piece made from a water bottle and paint.
“
Whenever you’re buying new, there’s more embodied energy in that new item as opposed to buying something used or repurosing something you already have.” Melissa Burlingame Chair of NIU Green Team
Burlingame said simple things like this can help decrease the amount of materials filling landfills. Students can become inspired by websites like Etsy and Pinterest to make repurposed and durable furnishings for their residence halls and apartments. Burlingame also recommended the magazine Real Simple as a way for students to find inspiration to make new use out of old products. All it takes is to change the mindset that “used is icky,” Phillips said, to begin making a difference.
Read More Go to bit.ly/2c7f7WU to read about how NIU offices across campus are staying green.
Madison Kacer News Editor
DeKALB | Biological Sciences Professor Rangaswamy Meganathan is suing NIU on one count of race and national origin discrimination. Meganathan claims NIU officials have discriminated against him since he was hired in 1983 by “keeping [the] plaintiff ’s salary substantially lower than similarly situated non-Indian faculty members,” according to court documents submitted by Foote, Mielke, Chavez and O’Neil, LLC on Aug. 23. Meganathan, who had produced 17 publications by 1983, was hired with a starting annual salary of $19,800. The following year, Biological Sciences Professor Virginia Naples was hired as a full-time assistant professor with an annual salary of $25,200, according to court documents. Naples had one publication at the time. Naples presented a female salary inequity conflict to the Board of Trustees in July. She said female professors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are earning $8,000 less than male professors, according to a July 21 Northern Star article. Beginning in 2008, Meganathan began making requests for a salary adjustment, but the request was denied. The case is on the docket in the United States District Court for the Northern District of
Salary Comparisons
Starting salaries within the Biological Sciences Department varied despite similar positions. Rangaswamy Meganathan (1983): $19,800 Virginia Naples (1984): $25,200 Mitrick Johns (1985): $29,997 Richard Hahin (1987): $29,718 Illinois Western Division. The Board of Trustees and other administrators are also dealing with a lawsuit filed by Don Grady, former NIU police chief, on the basis of racial discrimination, according to a Jan. 20, 2015 Northern Star article. Court proceedings for the case will begin in January, according to court documents. NIU Spokesperson Joseph King said NIU does not have any comment about the case filed by Meganathan at this time. Meganathan’s Attorney Peter Currie did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read More Go to bit.ly/2bK5HkE to read more about Don Grady’s, former NIU police chief, lawsuit.