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Thursday, February 5, 2015
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Perspective
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Chelsea Ortiz | Northern Star
Huskie Pups a waste of money Northern Star Editorial Board
Nov. 21 for weather-related safety issues after making their debut on Oct. 3. The original $40,000 Pup was around for about 36 days, while the $18,500 Pups had even less time to ride around campus as they arrived weeks after the original Pup. Though the Pups are expected to return after spring Break, they will still only be useful to students in warm temperatures from March to early May and cool temperatures from late August to November since they can’t handle DeKalb’s cold. Although the Student Association provided no funding for the Pups, SA President Joe Frascello said it serves to promote the use
of the Pups to students. If more research was done into the kind of vehicle being purchased, Frascello said, NIU would’ve been able to have a Pup that would last longer in the cold. “I think a little more research would have gone a long way in terms of realizing that the Pups don’t last very long in the cold,” Frascello said. They “were purchased from a company in Florida, where the cold isn’t so much of a problem and it doesn’t seem that it was followed through with the temperature considerations.” Frascello said he has not heard complaints about the Pups being
Costs
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After the $95,500 purchase of four Huskie Pups that couldn’t make it through the winter, NIU should be more wary while making purchases for its Master Plan Thesis. Bought to provide transportation via shuttle from one end of the campus to the other, the Pups took students from the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons to as far as the Recreation Center. Along the way, Pup riders may have caught a glimpse of the 2,018 trees across campus and an empty Douglas Hall ready for deconstruction — all a part of the Master Plan Thesis. The Pups were decommissioned
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WIU VP should take blame for EIC suspension
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The $95,000 spent on Huskie Pups could have paid for one year of tuition for about 19 students taking 12 credit hours in the spring 2015 semester. inactive in the cold, but he has heard students say they want to see different routes, such as to Barsema Hall from the residence halls. Since this is just the beginning of the Master Plan Thesis, NIU should do more research before spending money on things that may not be useful to students or staff.
Garry Biller, Western Illinois University’s vice president of Student Services, needs to admit he was in the wrong instead of pointing fingers for suspending the Western Courier’s editor in chief. The Western Courier is WIU’s unofficial student-run newspaper. Nicholas Stewart, editor in chief of the Western Courier, was suspended Jan. 22 by Biller for selling footage of an on-campus riot to national news media outlets in December. Biller lifted Stewart’s suspension Monday.
said in a statement provided to her by Biller. “As a matter of fairness to Mr. Stewart, vice president for Student Services Gary Biller determined that judicial proceedings should not continue as the current Courier operations policy is unclear, particularly in regards to freelancing by staff. As a result of the review, the operations policy will be revised by the publications board with input from the Western Courier editorial staff and the adviser to insure a comprehensive policy and procedures exists for current and future staff.”
Suspension Stewart was thrust into the national spotlight in January when he was suspended from the Western Courier for the freelance work he did Dec. 22. According to a letter from Biller to Stewart announcing the student’s suspension, revenue from a video depicting an oncampus riot that Stewart sold to news media outlets belonged to the newspaper or WIU. Because the footage allegedly contained the Western Courier’s watermark and because Stewart kept the money he made from selling the video, his actions “posed a threat to the normal operations of the university,” Biller said in the letter. Biller requested that Stewart meet with the Western Courier’s publications board and internal auditor to determine if he committed a professional, ethical or legal violation,
Stewart’s return not good enough Not admitting Biller was in the wrong places the blame on the Western Courier, which has an established policy that allows student reporters to freelance at other organizations, according to the Western Courier operations manual. Freelancing is a common practice for journalism students, said Frank LoMonte, director of the Student Press Law Center. Most importantly, the Western Courier is an independently run — although not independently funded — student newspaper and therefore is protected from university interference, LoMonte said. Biller’s trying to amend the situation by lifting Stewart’s suspension means little if he does not understand his actions were and will continue to be dangerous to the freedom of press.
Northern Star Editorial Board
Vincent Dhan | Northern Star
according to the letter.
your work as a freelance journalist,” Biller said in the letter. No wrongdoing found Although Stewart has since After an investigation, Biller could returned to his position and faces no not find any wrongdoing, but instead further disciplinary action, Biller’s of admitting he made a decision actions were as unjustifiable as his without first educating himself he current stance. shifted the blame to the newspaper A request for an interview in a separate letter to Stewart on lift- with Biller was referred to Darcie ing his suspension. Shinberger, WIU director of Uni“No complete policy exists versity Relations. within the Western Courier to “During the review process, it was guide us in determining a finding revealed that the Western Courier regarding your [Stewart] associaoperations policy is vague and lacks tion with the Western Courier and detailed information,” Shinberger