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The Daily Illini
Friday January 11, 2013
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The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
Vol. 142 Issue 77
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Fiscal cliff deal could decrease UI funding BY LAUREN ROHR STAFF WRITER
Despite a last-minute congressional agreement that allowed the nation to dodge the fiscal cliff, officials say the University faces a possible $65 million cut in federal funding next year. Just before the New Year’s Eve deadline, Congress approved a bill that avoided a drastic tax increase for most Americans. However, Jon Pyatt, director of federal relations for the University’s Office of Governmental Relations, said the fiscal cliff compromise did not resolve sequestration, or the across-the-board spending cuts to federal agencies, which could harm the University’s research enterprise, student aid and health care system. Sequestration could lead to automatic 8.4 percent spending cuts for most federal programs. The process has been put off for two months so the newly sworn-in Congress can address the issue before March. “The University understands the nation needs to spend less,” Pyatt said. “But the problem with these indiscriminate cuts is that they cut good things too much and other things not enough.” During the 2011 fiscal year, the University’s three campuses combined received over $551 million in research funding, with the Urbana campus leading the state in total research funding. But Pyatt said internal estimates predict a loss of at least $45 million to the University’s research funds in the 2013 fiscal year based on the proposed reductions. “This abrupt reduction in funding will not only halt the advancement of new breakthroughs in medicine, national security, agriculture and energy, but it will also harm the career development of young researchers who will be the next generation of scientists to keep our nation globally competitive,” Pyatt said. Richard Meisinger, associate vice president for research, said it is difficult to downsize research activities gradually. With large cuts in federal investments toward research, many researchers will be cut and projects will be significantly affected. For example, Meisinger said, Blue Waters is a supercomputing project sustained by more than $300 million in National Science Foundation funding. However, a drop in funding could delay or stop the development of this project altogether.
See FISCAL CLIFF, Page 3A
DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
After serving a two-week suspension over winter break and paying a $3,000 fine, KAM’S is expected to reopen Friday afternoon with a new city-mandated age of entry of 21 years old. The restriction comes after numerous liquor code violations to the Champaign bar and will end May 12.
City forces KAM’S to raise age of entry to 21 BY NATHANIEL LASH MANAGING EDITOR FOR REPORTING
Ticketed: An 18-year-old football player. Though he was just 18, the freshman held a clear cup with a blue liquid with his black-inked hand stamped with a large “U.” How did he get into KAM’S bar? Well, as he put it, he was “one of the boys.” Ticketed: Four out-of-towners, all 18. They told officers that a bar employee had let them in through the back entrance. Ticketed: A bartender, after police sent in two undercover minors who were served a pair of Bud Lights. When an officer went in to confront the bartender, telling her she just sold to underage
patrons, the woman responded, “Was it those two girls without wristbands?” Those patrons each faced $320 tickets from the city of Champaign, but the legal consequences didn’t end with those who were directly ticketed. These are just a few violations of Champaign’s liquor code city officials pointed to when cracking down on management at KAM’S. According to police reports and city records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, officers found other liquor code violations by KAM’S 11 out of the 18 times the bar was checked in 2012. “The pattern which has emerged
at KAM’S is alarming not only to the City of Champaign but to the State as well,” said Champaign Mayor and Liquor Commissioner Don Gerard in a letter to KAM’S owner Eric Meyer dated Dec. 13. After serving a two-week suspension over winter break and paying a $3,000 fi ne, KAM’S is expected to reopen Friday afternoon with a new city-mandated age of entry of 21 years. Meyer had the opportunity to dispute the punitive measures, but according to Deputy Liquor Commissioner Teri Legner, he did not request a hearing against the city’s judgement, which could have resulted in the full revocation of his liquor
Urbana mayoral candidate criticizes ‘failed’ renovation Stratton says hotel owner not keeping his end of bargain with city
future taxes to subsidize the redevelopment. The city promises to forgive the loan if the hotel stays open for two years. The city initially committed $650,000 to Yuan for the renovations, with an additional $200,000 for the next four years the hotel was open. But the city BY JANELLE O’DEA cited the unexpected scope of CONTRIBUTING WRITER the necessary renovations as the No matter the number of reason to give Yuan an additional rooms available at the Urbana $400,000 before the hotel’s openLandmark Hotel, it’s a safe bet ing to continue the renovations. Urbana Democratic mayoral The hotel had a soft opening on candidate Leslie Stratton will Dec. 1, with 45 of the hotel’s 128 not occupy one. rooms available for overnight Stratton held a press confer- stays. ence Wednesday at the UrbaCity council documents citna Civic Center to discuss the ed those issues with the reno“failed” renovavations of the tion plans for the 89-year-old hotel Urbana Landas slowing down Yuan’s plans. ma rk Hotel. Stratton brought These include team member and safety hazards former Urbana like cracked Mayor Tod Satwater pipes terthwaite. Other and gas leaks, LAUREL PRUSSING, Urbana mayorwhich in addiUrbana mayor tion to replacing al candidates — the roof, repavincumbent Laurel Prussing and Republican Rex ing the parking lot, and other expenses cost Yuan roughly Bradfield — were not present. Stratton said the owner of the $1 million, according to a city Urbana Landmark Hotel, Xiao Jin press release. Yuan, is not keeping up his end Stratton and Satterthwaite of the bargain in his agreement said they are confused by Yuan’s with the city. As of the November development plan because it is 2010 agreement, Yuan is borrow- what they call a “rambling naring $1.45 million total in city tax rative.” They had several other increment financing funds until issues with the Urbana Land2015 to renovate the historic hotel. mark Hotel project, as well, sayThe TIF funds use expected ing that Yuan has not invested
“Taxpayers aren’t at risk because this is TIF money.”
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license. That two-week suspension ran from Dec. 21 to Jan. 4. The over-21 age limit, running contrary to the city ordinance that allows 19- and 20-year-olds into Champaign bars, will end May 12. Under the liquor violation fi ne schedule the mayor adopted upon taking office, a liquor license can be revoked after five violations in a fiscal year. But Legner said the mayor was interested in looking for alternatives to forcing KAM’S to shut down. “There’s a balance between holding a licensee accountable for com-
See KAM’S, Page 3A
University task force looks to curb cheating by updating student code BY TYLER DAVIS STAFF WRITER
A revised version of the University’s academic integrity policy will be submitted to both the academic senate and council on conduct governance this semester by the task force that reviewed the academic integrity policies in the student code. The changes are aimed at clearing up ambiguities in the current code and lowering the standard of proof in holding a student guilty of cheating. The new policies could be added to the student code for the 2013-14 school year if it passes through the senate and the chancellor signs off on it by the end of spring semester, said Charles Tucker, task force member and associate dean for undergraduate programs for Engineering. “One of the major goals was to have a policy that was clear and understandable for students, for faculty (and) for staff so that we could actually use it and so that it could be used across campus,” Tucker said. The task force set a more explicit basis for an instructor to decide whether a student has cheated: looking at whether it’s more likely than not that the student cheated, according to Section 1-403 of the revised policy. The current code says that the faculty member “should feel certain” that the student cheated before imposing a penalty. Michael LeRoy, chair of the task force and a professor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations and College of Law, said that if the standard
JANELLE O’DEA THE DAILY ILLINI
In this video still, Urbana mayoral candidate Leslie Stratton held a press conference at the Urbana Civic Center to discuss the “failed” renovation plans for the Urbana Landmark Hotel on Wednesday. He brought team member and former Urbana mayor Tod Satterthwaite, though Satterthwaite only spoke in interviews after the conference. enough of his own resources into the project. Republican candidate Bradfield said he doesn’t expect the hotel — fi nished or not — to generate sufficient revenue for the city. “The original idea of improving that hotel in order to generate business for downtown Urbana is not a sound premise because hotels do not bring business into the area,” Bradfield said. “The only way they bring in business is if there is a conference center. The conference center in the Urbana Landmark Hotel is not signifi cant enough to bring the kind of business we need.” But Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing said the Urbana Landmark Hotel is still a worthwhile project. “Taxpayers aren’t at risk because this is TIF money,” Prussing said.
“The original idea of improving that hotel in order to generate business for downtown Urbana is not a sound premise because hotels do not bring business into the area. The only way they bring in business is if there is a conference center.” REX BRADFIELD, Republican mayoral candidate
Janelle can be reached at jnodea2@ dailyillini.com.
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of proof were too high, the policy would be impossible to enforce. If it were too low, students would be at risk. After the original draft of the new policy was written, it was posted online for comment by the campus community. He also said the basic structure of how the University handles academic integrity has not changed, but the task force did make some changes to parts of the appeals process to make it more explicit, such as adding a standard for department hearings that previously was up to departments themselves to create. “The revised code has a single unified description of both the college and department level appeal hearing processes and in both cases there is at least one student on the hearing panel for the appeal,” Tucker said. LeRoy said he wanted the task force to create a new policy that covers a more comprehensive scope than the current policy. “The current policy is out of date and essentially predates many of the technology extensions that student commonly use — social media, iPads, iPhones,” he said. “Things that are normal and can be put to good use but things that can also be used to cheat.” LeRoy said the task force gave thought to not only changing the policy but to changing the student culture, emphasizing being proactive rather than
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See CHEATING, Page 3A
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