THE DAILY ILLINI
MONDAY March 25, 2019
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The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 148 Issue 51
Young, restless: new staff takes over Over the course of the next year, we will continue to publish in print biweekEDITOR-IN-CHIEF ly and publish online every day. While producing this you’re reading this, paper, I think about the then you’re reading future I envision for The the first paper the DI. We have a younger staff. 2018-19 staff created, which We might have to do a little means my first paper as more learning as we go, but Editor-in-Chief has been we will get the job done. published. Like any staff in the past, KELLY JOHNSON
If
we will do our best to not make mistakes; however, mistakes will be made. I encourage you to call us out on them. We’re student journalists; we need to be critiqued to grow. On the other hand, having a younger staff is going to be to our advantage. This incoming group is restless. They work harder than I thought possible.
The passion they have, not just for their own byline but for the entire paper, is honorable. The younger staff is driven all by the same goal: to make a really great paper. My goal for The DI this year is to increase our digital and school presence. It’s no surprise print editions of the paper are dwindling in popularity, espe-
cially among students. My goal is to focus on getting more content to students the way students want to receive content: online. One way we were able to do that this past year is through the DI app (and if you haven’t downloaded it yet, I highly recommend). We will continue to search for ways to communicate our stories with our
readers. Overall, I see this upcoming year as one of my greatest challenges and adventures. I’m looking forward to this upcoming year of growth in my staff, myself and the paper. Thank you for continuing to support us. We look forward to serving you this year. kellymj2@dailyillini.com
Advertising restructures program Department forgoes accreditation BY SARA PIETRZAK STAFF WRITER
As the end of the spring semester approaches, so does the challenge of planning the following year’s coursework. However, the Department of Advertising’s decision to forgo accreditation may offer students a variety of new courses designed to follow industry trends. Accreditation is the process through which an external body, based on departments, conducts evaluations every five to six years and ensures industry standards are being upheld, according to the Department of Education’s website. In 2018, the University’s advertising faculty decided to no longer follow the accreditation process from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications.
The implementation will be effective this upcoming fall. During this process, the National Accreditation Council considers multiple aspects, such as requirements of admitted students, reputations and teaching abilities of faculty, services available to students and overall quality of education. Despite the department’s decision to steer away from the external evaluation method, the confidence to uphold industry standards still exists. Jason Chambers, associate professor in Media and director of undergraduate studies of advertising, said the department has always been maintaining standards internally and will continue to incorporate parts of the accreditation standards that are applicable to the department. “The second (evaluation method) is peer observations of other institutions and making sure the advertising program standards meet and exceed competing programs as well as our own,” Chambers said. “The outcome of all these areas is an exceptionally proactive
department.” The main reason for preceding accreditation was because it limited the creation and flexibility of courses. The council, for example, would decide the number of hours an advertising student should complete. “It limits the creation of courses because an accreditation body is external to the department and it establishes its own standard of what an advertising program should be like,” Chambers said. The advertising industry is always changing to meet the needs and preferences of a modern consumer. Therefore, responding to industry trends within offered courses is imperative to the advertising department. Chambers said the industry is heading toward analytics, data and programmatic advertising. To keep up with these trends, the advertising department is looking to offering new courses and track initiatives like the CS + advertising degree. The CS + advertising degree combines computer
science with new advertising courses designed to fit the growing digital advertising industry. This new academic path and creation of programmatic advertising courses have resonated well with students in the advertising department. Jenna Hilgers, sophomore in Media, said computer science courses are helpful, considering the huge trend shift toward digital marketing. “Everyone lives their lives through their phones and computers, so it is important for companies to target their consumers through these outlets,” Hilgers said. With the recently gained flexibility, the advertising department has taken its first steps. Design and implement programs are creating new courses, hiring new faculty, reworking the curriculum and deciding on whether to increase the number of credit hours a student spends in the department. The end goal of the SEE ADVERTISING | 3A
AKI AKHUARI THE DAILY ILLINI
The Women’s Resources Center is located at 616 E. Green St. in Champaign. The UI Senate has passed an act increasing funds going toward the WRC to provide more resources for students.
Senate approves minority funding chair in Gender and Women’s Studies, was part of the group of faculty that helped draft the resolution. “We recognized that the campus was focusing a great deal on revising policies on sexual harassment and sexual assault, which we thought was a great step forward,” Somerville said. “Less visible in those discussions were services for people who have been affected by sexual assault and sexual harassment.” In all cases, the WRC ensures survivors are given immediate resources related to their needs and are followed up with as soon as possible. However, this frequently means a wait time of five to seven days, according to WRC director Sarah Colome. “The WRC currently does not have the capacity to meet the needs of survivors across our campus in a timely manner,” Colome said in an email.
BY EUNICE ALPASAN STAFF WRITER
Funds to hire two fulltime confidential advisers at the Women’s Resources Center were approved by the University to meet increased workload demand. In response, the University of Illinois Academic Senate endorsed these actions by passing a resolution supporting more funding toward resources to help students and staff affected by sexual misconduct. The resolution passed the UI Senate 111-1 on March 4. It supported the immediate allocation of the ongoing funds to the WRC, which often has long wait times for those seeking help. The UI Senate also supported funding to provide more resources to underrepresented student populations, graduate students and nontenured faculty members facing sexual misconduct. Siobhan Somerville, associate professor and
SEE UI SENATE | 3A
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ALEX SARDJEV THE DAILY ILLINI
The College of Media stands as home to the Department of Advertising. The department’s decision to abstain from accreditation has led to discussion of major changes in the program, such as a possible increase in credit hours currently required to graduate with a degree in advertising. DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS
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