News
Thursday, April 28, 2016
NorthernStar.info H @NIUNorthernStar H 815-753-0105
Forensics team gets second Julia Martinez Staff writer
DeKalb | NIU Forensics placed second at the National Forensics Association National Speech and Debate Tournament on April 18 at Ball State University. Close to 100 colleges and universities and about 1,500 people attended the event where students competed in literature interpretation, public address, limited preparation and debates, according to Ball State University’s website.
“
Photo courtesy of Forensics Director Lisa Roth
From left to right: NIU Forensics members Lauren Baker, Julia Boyle, Maggie Koll and Miracle Diala pose at the Maggie Koll National Forensics Association National Tournament with their second place plaque.
Maggie Koll, senior special education major, said she competed in two limited preparation events and two scripted events. She began researching her speech topics last summer and attended numerous conferences in preparation for nationals. Koll said Forensics gives her self confidence in public speaking and researching skills. “We haven’t done that well at nationals in many years,” Koll
said. “So I certainly did not expect us to place second. It was super exciting, and that was the best moment throughout the entire tournament because everyone was hugging, and it was just a great way to end the season.” Each member participated in two to four events and placed based on points they earned in the preliminary rounds. Forensics raised funds to attend the tournament by holding bake sales, among other things.
The team also receives funding from the Student Association. Christine Wang, Forensics speech and debate team member, said the team has been funded up to $24,000 in the past by the SA, but this semester funding has been lowered to around $13,000. Next semester, Wang said she expects the team to get around $16,000. “The Forensics team really needs the funding to function, and we use it for registration fees, travel and food costs because we understand
More information For more information about how to join NIU Forensics, email Roth at lroth1@niu.edu or message the NIU Forensics page on Huskie Link. our students are living from paycheck to paycheck,” Wang said. “We don’t want to put that burden on them to prevent the members from attending a competition.”
SA plans to make students more aware, interact with organization Leah Nicolini Assistant News Editor
DeKalb | The Student Association leadership elected for the 2016-17 academic year said they will work to make students more aware of the SA. The purpose of the SA is to voice student concerns to the university administration, according to its website. Fifteen students attended a meet and greet event to talk with SA President-elect Giuseppe LaGioia, Vice President-elect Rachel Jacob, Treasurer-elect Brian Robinson, student trustee-elect Matthew Holmes and SA Senate Speakerelect Christine Wang on Tuesday in the Campus Life Building, Room 100. The purpose of the event was to provide students with more ways to interact with members of SA, according to a flier.
LaGioia to hold more events As a person used to “a lot on his plate,” LaGioia said he will create more events like town halls and start more campaigns like the No Shame or Who Needs Feminism campaigns in the fall. LaGioia said he will try to make campus more inclusive and plans to promote the events thoroughly through social media. The duties of the president are to call meetings, oversee the SA and fulfill any positions as needed,
NIU plans to receive $26.4M in state funds Alexander Chettiath News Editor
So I certainly did not expect us to place second. It was super exciting, and that was the best moment throughout the entire tournament because everyone was hugging, and it was just a great way to end the season.”
Senior special education major
3
Xavier Ortega | Northern Star
Christine Wang, SA Senate Speaker-elect, makes announcements at the SA Senate meeting Sunday in the Holmes Student Center, Sky Room. The elected SA leadership said they will make students more aware of the SA.
according to the SA constitution. Jacob to increase SA affiliate communication Jacob said she will begin laying out her plans for the fall during the summer, and highest on her list of priorities is to establish a house of presidents or executive board members, which will require student organization presidents or executive staff members to attend an SA meeting once a semester. The vice president is in charge of aiding the president, according to the SA Constitution.
Holmes to educate campus of Board of Trustees The senior Operations Management and Information Systems major said he would educate more people on campus about his position because he doesn’t think people on campus are familiar with the role the student trustee plays. Holmes will attend his first Board of Trustees meeting as student trustee June 16. The student trustee’s responsibilities include deciding the conduct of administration and management to the president.
Wang to increase SA, group interaction Wang said she will encourage senators to become more engaged with student organizations by requiring senators to directly oversee five organizations each. Senators will also be required to attend five student organization events each semester. As a result, Wang said the relationship between the 40 senators could improve because most senators don’t know each other outside of SA meetings and will be encouraged to spend time with each other outside of work.
DeKalb | NIU expects to receive most of the $26.4 million in state funding by the start of May and the rest in June, said Alan Phillips, vice president for Administration and Finance. The $26.4 million is part of a bill that would provide state funding to fouryear universities, community colleges and the Monetary Alan Phillips Award Program. Vice President for NIU will receive Administration and Finance $9.7 million for MAP funding. The bill was signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday. NIU received $91 million from the state for Fiscal Year 2015 but did not receive funds for FY 2016 because of a lack of agreement between Rauner and legislators on a finalized budget. Phillips said NIU will receive the funds within the next few days and the funds will be mostly used for payroll. NIU has not discussed layoffs and leaves of absence. “Most of the state funding goes to payroll so as we accrue payroll expenses we then send a voucher to the state which is basically the same as an invoice — we’re billing the state,” Phillips said. “Obviously we’ve spent more than $26.4 million in payroll spending, so as soon as we knew what the amount was, we started sending vouchers to the state.” NIU originally credited MAP grants for about 5,700 students amounting to $20 million for fall 2015 and spring 2016. The bill will only fund one semester. NIU does not have a plan yet on how MAP students will repay NIU for the remaining balance. NIU will make a plan after the current General Assembly session ends May 31, and will depend on the FY 2017 budget, Phillips said. “The General Assembly and the governor have indicated that this is not all the funding that we are going to receive for [FY 2016] because it is only 30 percent and you still have universities that will struggle with only 30 percent of state funding,” Phillips said. The passing of this bill came two days before the disclosure of a new Executive Budget Committee that would oversee the creation, implementation and management of a multi-year budget for NIU, due to the ten-month budget impasse. The Executive Budget Committee would create a multi-year budget timeline and process that would link NIU’s mission with its budget.
Committee Provost Lisa Freeman; Gerald Blazey, interim VP for Research and Innovation Partnerships; CIO Brett Coryell; Mike Mann, associate VP for State and Government Relations and CFO Alan Phillips.