OVER THE LINE Illini basketball coach says he went too far with his jacket throw during loss to Spartans
RESTAURANT WEEK Short on cash? Tons of restaurants are offering deals for students Jan, 26 - Feb. 1
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LIFE & CULTURE, 6A
SPORTS, 1B
THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY January 23, 2014
7Ëš | -2Ëš
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Ill. retirees challenge legality of recent pension reform
Vol. 143 Issue 65
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FREE
Extreme Dorm Makeover: Round II
BY ELEANOR BLACK STAFF WRITER
Various Illinois retiree associations have filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the state’s recent changes to the pension system. These include the Illinois Retired Teachers Association, the Retired State Employees Association of Illinois, Illinois State Employees Association Retirees and the Illinois Association of School Administrators. The opposition of the pension bill cite specific language in the Illinois Constitution, which states that pension benefits “shall not be diminished or impaired.� The pension reform of 2013 directly affects retirees — or those soon to be retiring — by reducing their cost-of-living adjustments and increasing the retirement age. During discussion of the bill, University administration announced its opposition to the proposed changes, which were eventually signed into law on Dec. 5. The University’s Board of Trustees will meet Thursday at the
SADIE TEPER THE DAILY ILLINI
Students browse posters at the poster sale at the Illini Union on Wednesday afternoon. The sale is hosted by the Illini Union Board at the start of each semester.
SEE PENSIONS | 3A
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Police
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Horoscopes
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STAFF WRITER
The City of Urbana is now accepting applications for members to join the Traffic Stop Data Task Force that will examine racial disparities in local traffic stop data. According to the resolution, the task force will be composed of 11 members selected by Mayor Laurel Prussing. Two of the members are to have expertise in statistics, one member may be from the city council and one member will be a representative of the Urbana Police Department. The other seven members will be selected based on their expertise in law enforcement, sociology, or other relevant experiences but do not have to live in Urbana. The task force is to have a monthly meeting which will be video recorded and uploaded on Urbana’s website. The members of the task force will submit preliminary findings and policy recommendations by April 30, 2015, after which they will hold a public presentation and answer questions from the public. Area resident Martel Miller spoke before the council to ask that they carefully consider applications and select the right people to join the task force. “I think we can set examples (with this task force) ... and we can not only be a model for this city and this state, we could be a model for the country,� he said.
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SOURCE: JENNY BALDWIN, ILLINOIS STUDENT VICE PRESIDENT-INTERNAL, AND STUDENT SENATE TREASURERS FROM BIG TEN SCHOOLS
EUNIE KIM THE DAILY ILLINI
Looking back on the costliest Illinois Student Senate projects of Fall 2013
The senate began with a starting budget of $67,408.78 as $28,408.78 remained from the previous year. After a semester of resolutions passed, $36,333.94 remains available. 1. iRent Expansion — $7,998 Provided i>clickers for the iRent program, which provides free i>Clickers to rent to students on campus. 2. Facilities and Services Bike Lane Improvements — $6,000 The subsidy will be used to repaint 1.2 miles of bicycle lanes. This has been allocated, but has for executive members, while the Illinois Student Senate does not. “Having a smaller budget really does put us behind with larger projects because we’re not able to do things like that,� Baldwin said. “Just on a larger scale, it puts the University of Illinois programming below other Big Ten schools.� Seymour solicited project ideas for the surplus from the senate’s listserv and received 10 to
not yet been spent. 3. Quad Day — $2,839.79 Used funds to promote ISS on Quad Day by giving away free items such as cups, drawstring bags and sunglasses. 4. Student Debt Awareness Week — $2,514.32 The week-long event raised awareness towards the student debt crisis through panels, a rally and a movie viewing. 5. Hunger Games (Illini Union Board) — $2,500 The senate co-sponsored an archery battle with the Illini Union Board for a “Hunger Games� themed Illinites.
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Opinions
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Putting the Traffic Stop Data Task Force in context
15 feasible ideas, he said. Within the next two months, project resolutions will be presented. Project ideas include adding more lighting on the Quad and working with the Stress Management Relief RSO at McKinley to help students during midterms and finals. “With the spring semester, we have more
Q 2004: Urbana began collecting data on traffic stops Q 2009: Urbana paid for a statistical analysis of the data Q 2013: Local social justice groups petitioned city council to establish a task force Q 2014: Task force established Q 2015: Task force will report preliminary findings SOURCE: URBANA CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 201401-002R
SEE ISS | 3A
@THEDAILYILLINI
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SEE TASK FORCE | 3A
SOURCE: ILLLINOIS STUDENT SENATE FALL BIANNUAL BUDGET REPORT, JAN. 2, 2014
@THEDAILYILLINI, @DI_OPINION, @DI_SPORTS |
BY ELI MURRAY
DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS
INSIDE
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STAFF WRITER
BY MEGAN JONES
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Terms settled, decided for Traffic Stop Data Task Force
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Larger-than-usual budget provides extra flexibility The Illinois Student Senate currently faces a financial identity crisis, said Treasurer Kevin Seymour, as senators continue to submit resolutions toward hosting events and funding registered student organizations. The senate’s quarterly financial report began with opening remarks from Seymour questioning: “Why are there only a few allocation resolutions which are in line with our goals while a majority are not?� “They start writing resolutions for easier things, which is not necessarily what we should be spending our money on,� Seymour said. While other student governments within the Big Ten are centralized under one umbrella, the University is decentralized into the Illinois Student Senate, the Student Organization Resource Fee board and other programming boards. “You have to let people know what we’re supposed to be spending our money on, which is a challenge to convey or to get senators to agree,� Seymour said. “You tell them you’re not a programming board and yet we still have resolutions that come up that ask for money for student organizations or they want to promote an event that we’re not supposed to be doing.� During financial years 2009 through 2013, the senate has spent an average of $33,834 each year. However, the senate has allocated $38,886.36 during the Fall 2013 semester. A surplus of $28,408.78 from previous years has given the senate a much larger budget to work with. He added that senators know ISS is not a programming board, but senators are still not submitting resolutions that align with the senate’s goals. He attributes this to lack of motivation, support or administrative backing. “We do have a set process, and it puts the burden off student government from having to focus on distributing money to Registered Student Organizations, but this also has its disadvantages as it’s something we don’t get to do,� said Jenny Baldwin, vice president-internal. Illinois Student Senate has one of the smallest budgets in comparison to other schools in the Big Ten, Baldwin said. She added that all other schools’ student governments except Northwestern and Rutgers also receive stipends
Urbana opens applications for new task force
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ISS treasurer: Senate budget not in line with mission of ISS
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