Wiretapping woes give black eye to Medill
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The official news source of Columbia College Chicago
December 13, 2010
www.ColumbiaChronicle.com
Volume 46, Issue 15
Monstrous staff cuts at Field Museum Institution’s financial woes to affect research programs Brock Brake THE CHRONICLE
The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, possesses various iconoic pieces, like Sue the T-Rex that cost $8.36 million, or the mummies lying inside the Ancient Egypt exhibit. Pieces like these are inteneded to draw visitors, but admission revenues continue to decline regardless.
by Spencer Roush Editor-in-Chief FOR MORE than 30 years Dave Willard has
spearheaded an arguably morbid research project: Collecting birds that fall to their untimely death after flying full force into McCormick Place’s clear glass structure. At first glance this seemed like strange behavior or an odd collection to keep, but that wasn’t the case. Collecting these birds has allowed Willard and fellow Field Museum of Natural History researcher Doug Stotz to discover volumes of information concerning birds’ migratory patterns in the region. Their discoveries have made headlines and aided researchers in various
scientific endeavors. However, Willard’s work with this ongoing project is coming to a close. He is being quietly moved out of the Field, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, after years of research. The museum has offered him early retirement to help balance the economic woes facing the institution. Willard isn’t the only one leaving unexpectedly. The Field’s finances continue to languish in the hole the recession put it in. It’s putting a strain on top administrators to make significant cuts to departments and slash program components, among others. In total, 46 staff members have been offered buy-out incentives and early retirement. Much of the staff who were
offered buyouts have already left the museum, but others who were offered early retirement, like Willard, are counting down until Dec. 23—their final day. This isn’t the first staff trimming in recent times. It was reported that the Field let 88 employees go in 2007. One staff member, who asked to remain anonymous because of possible repercussions, said in 25 years he experienced four financial dips in the institution and each time it recovered, but this is “far and away the most extensive belt tightening” he’s witnessed. “The first 10 years I worked here you would’ve had to shoot someone to get laid off,” he said. The Field’s President and CEO John W.
McCarter Jr. announced the changes in September marking the museum’s second year of its five-year financial recovery process, including eliminating the 46 staff positions and closing the museum’s 100-year-old Harris Educational Loan Center, which acts as a lending library of museum materials for teachers and home school classrooms, until fall 2012. These are only two of the other cost saving initiatives. “Sadly, charities are having to make some tough choices, particularly in the arts,” said Sandra Miniutti, vice president for Charity Navigator, an online service that evaluates charities and their xx SEE MUSEUM, PG. 38
Student adorns White House Joins volunteers in readying presidential mansion for Christmas by Sam Charles Assistant Campus Editor CHRISTMAS AT the White House has a rich
tradition, dating back to 1856 when President Franklin Pierce decorated the first Christmas tree in the presidential home. This year, one Columbia student was able to make his mark by helping decorate. Alexander Schneider, 23, senior theater major, was one of 97 volunteers selected to help put up Christmas decorations for the White House’s annual holiday celebration. Schneider and thousands of other
Health & Fitness » PG. 13
Americans mailed in letters applying to help prepare the White House for Christmas. “In October 2009, I started sending in letters [describing] why I wanted to decorate and why it was my dream,” Schneider said. He sent one letter every month to President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, the White House’s Chief Floral Designer Nancy Clarke and both senators from his native state, Minnesota, Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar. He said the idea came to him after watching the “Christmas at the White House” television specials for more than a decade. Schneider said his professors also helped him get to the White House.
Arts & Culture
Dance your way to fitness
» PG. 28
Jacqueline Penrod, an associate professor in the Theater Department, is Schneider’s Set Design professor. “[Penrod is] an inspiration with the amount of detail and time commitment she puts in,” Schneider said. “She always pushes you to the next level.” To take advantage of this opportunity, Schneider took a week off from classes. The decorating process began immediately after Thanksgiving, on Nov. 26. “He’s so organized,” Penrod said. “He’s someone who plans his time and thinks all of his work through.” The 97 volunteers were managed by a designer from an outside company. The theme this year, as decided by the xx SEE WHITE HOUSE, PG. 7
Metro Breaking the prison cycle
» PG. 35
Courtesy ALEXANDER SCHNEIDER
INDEX Campus 2 H&F 13 A&C 19
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