MONDAY September 17, 2018
THE DAILY ILLINI
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The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Chinese student enrollment declines
Vol. 148 Issue 7
Behind the $20 million donation UI donors questioned for potential role in opioid crisis BY JESSICA BURSZTYNSKY SENIOR REPORTER
Former leaders of the pharmaceutical company H.D. Smith Co., behind the University’s latest million-dollar donation, were asked to testify in front of Congress earlier this year to discuss their company’s alleged role in flooding West Virginia with millions of opioid pills. Chris and Dale Smith, now of the H.D. Smith Foundation, were asked to testify for the company, a wholesale drug distributor, and provide an explanation as to why millions of prescription painkillers were shipped to West Virginia in the past decade. The testimony came just three months before Chris and Dale Smith announced a $20 million donation to the University of Illinois Foundation through the H.D. Smith Foundation. “From early conversations with Chris and Dale Smith about a possible transformational gift to the University, they have been very forthcoming about H.D. Smith’s involvement
BY THERESE POKORNEY ASSISTANT DAYTIME NEWS EDITOR
The population of Chinese students coming to the University has been growing exponentially for the past decade. This year, however, there has been a decline in enrollment for these international students, according to University Division Management Information. Kevin Pitts, vice provost for undergraduate education, said China is the biggest contributor to the University’s international enrollment. The direct cause of the decrease is unknown, he said, but there are several potential contributions. “Educators and schools in China could be increasing their own capacity to educate their students,” Pitts said. “Another thing we wonder about in this political climate is the availability of visas.” In April 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would ensure H-1B employment visas, which go to the most highly skilled, highly paid candidates. Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security announced a stop on foreign students who illegally stay their visas. “The potential issue is not whether or not they can get student visas,” Pitts said. “The issue is whether or not their
in a May Congressional hearing and their former company’s commitment to assisting in the identification of potential strategies to address opioid diversion, an issue of national concern,” University spokeswoman Robin Kaler said in an email. The House Energy and Commerce Committee said the company distributed 3,000 hydrocodone (commonly known as Vicodin) tablets a day to a pharmacy in Logan County a decade ago, which is 10 times more than in 2007, according to a story from the Charleston Gazette-Mail. A total of 1.1 million pills were sent to the small town in 2008. The committee also questioned H.D. Smith’s large sales to four other pharmacies. The hearing followed a year after H.D. Smith paid the state $3.5 million to settle pill-dumping allegations. “While preventing the abuse of these powerful drugs, we cannot lose sight of ensuring that suffering patients have access to the prescription medications
they need when they need them. But H.D. Smith was only one part of a complex supply chain, and we could not see all the information up and down the chain that could flag a potential problem,” said Chris Smith in his Congressional testimony. “In the last three decades, H.D. Smith was never fined nor had its license suspended by the DEA,” Kaler added. Regarding the $3.5 million paid in settlement, Kaler said it was a practical business decision. It was not a fine, she said, and added, “All of the top distributors who did business in West Virginia were included in a lawsuit, despite the fact that they do not manufacture, promote, prescribe or dispense drugs.” “Even knowing that they likely would have a successful outcome in that case, the H.D. Smith leaders say they made the business decision to settle instead of dealing with what would SEE DONATION | 3A
KENYON EDMOND THE DAILY ILLINI
The Fighting Illini Football Performance Center, which is currently under construction at Fourth Street and Peabody Drive, will be named the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center in recognition of a donation from the H.D. Smith Foundation. Out of the $20 million donation, $15 million will be dedicated to the new facility, which will be completed prior to the 2019 season.
$15 million Football performance center
$3 million
$2 million
Scholarships for former student-athletes
Carle Illinois College of Medicine
SEE ENROLLMENT | 3A
Rep. Davis protested over lack of open meetings Students prepare for BY HEATHER SCHLITZ ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Diana Dudzienski, Champaign resident, said she waited outside in the sun for nearly two hours for a chance to speak with Rep. Rodney Davis the last time the congressman held open office hours in Champaign in May 2017. She never got to speak with him. After explaining she had medical issues and was awaiting a kidney transplant, a Davis staffer took down her name, phone number and address, and promised to get back to her. Dudzienski said she never received a
response. Dudzienski, along with a group of around 40 protesters, gathered outside of Davis’s Champaign office Saturday to protest the 17-month period where Davis held no open meetings with constituents in Champaign. The rally was organized by the grassroots organization Champaign-Urbana Indivisible, which advocated unseating Davis in November. “It’s been over a year since Davis held an event open to the public in ChampaignUrbana, and it’s absolutely unacceptable for someone who receives a $174,000
taxpayer salary to willfully ignore the voices of a huge community like ChampaignUrbana,” said Cameron Raab, co-founder of CU Indivisible. Davis doesn’t hold public town hall meetings and instead opts for “Open Office Hours,” where constituents are led into Davis’s office in small groups to talk, and teletown halls, where constituents can call into a line at a set time with pre-screened questions. “Just because we don’t call it a town hall doesn’t mean it’s not serving the same purpose, and we would argue these one-on-one public
meetings allow constituents more time and opportunity to be heard by their congressman,” Ashley Phelps, spokeswoman for Davis, said in an email. Phelps said Davis has held many open office-hour sessions in the last 18 months and has met with hundreds of constituents. Phelps said, “Congressman Davis just held Open Office Hours in Tolono on August 3rd that were publicly advertised and available for anyone to come in and talk about any issue they want, and many SEE RALLY | 3A
QUENTIN SHAW THE DAILY ILLINI
Ellen Leyerle, a Champaign resident, dressed as a rubber stamp to criticize Rep. Rodney Davis’ support for President Trump’s policies while she spoke at a rally outside Davis’ Champaign office. DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS
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career fair season
for international students as well, such as a smallerCompanies who cater to size career fair,” she said students in Engineering, in an email. Business, LAS and ACES Shi suggested students will be recruiting at vari- go to Career Services to ous career fairs hosted on review their resumes and campus in the months of attend workshops, which September and October. helped students for the Amy Fruehling, direc- career fair. tor of Engineering Career “Or simply come to Peer Services, said the Engi- & Career Career Fair Prepneering Career Fair, which aration Workshop, and took place on Tuesday and sign up for resume critique Wednesday, was the larg- with us,” she said. est Engineering Career Ryan McHenry, graduFair hosted on campus yet, ate student in Business, with nearly attended the 450 compaca reer fa ir nies particiand said it is “Business pating. much bigger Fruehling than the one Career Services said they conhe attended provides us a lot at the Springtacted companies during of opportunities, field campus. the summer, is such as chances a “There and helped dif ferent to network with at mosphere, students w ith their I feel it is recruiters and skill too. resumes and more serious held work- training workshops.” and sophistishops to help cated. You can MINGCHEN SHI students tell that everyJUNIOR IN BUSINESS prepare durbody has got a ing the first goal. There is few weeks of a lot of weight school. on their shoulders, trying Even though the Engi- to get good interviews and neering Career Fair is connections,” he said. designed to cater toward McHenry said he creatEngineering students, ed a list of the companies, there are participants from and he did some research various other colleges. for potential jobs and posiMingchen Shi, junior in tions he might be qualified Business, said she attend- for before he came to the ed the Engineering Career career fair. Fair, and for the upcom“Whether you get a job ing Business Career Fair, or not, or the interview, she felt stressed because of it is great. You talking to the need for an internship. people face to face, you “Business Career Ser- networking ... it is a good vices provides us a lot of experience to ( have),” opportunities, such as McHenry said. chances to network with Meghan McDole, an recruiters and skill train- alumna who is now working workshops. I feel like ing at Shell, said she got her it would be helpful to have SEE CAREER FAIR | 3A more opportunities open BY ZIHAN WANG STAFF WRITER
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