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Tuesday January 29, 2013
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The Daily Illini www.DailyIllini.com
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 142 Issue 87
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Grants used for increased computer access BY EMMA WEISSMANN STAFF WRITER
Sonya Darter, executive director of the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum in Champaign, believes it is important for children to be exposed to technology early and often. She hopes her visitors will learn to view computers as more than just big “boxes.” “Once you start seeing the inside, the technology starts making sense instead of being invisible,” she said. With the grant of nearly $3,000
from the city of Champaign, the museum, along with five other non-profit organizations, will now have the funds necessary to help improve computer literacy in the community and bridge what they call the digital divide. Darter said the museum is currently purchasing materials to create a station that will feature two new desktop computers with large, child-friendly keyboards, a station where visitors can learn about computer hardware and a station where children can take apart and view the internal parts
of a computer. The stations are set to open in late February. Jeff Hamilton, Champaign telecommunications/AV technician, said a committee made up of community volunteers and digital divide experts chose to fund the museum because it was an opportunity “to reach an audience that changes every day.” “There’s a different school group or a different family that is going to bring their family in there, rather than ... the same group or same congregation using it over and over,” Hamil-
ton said. “So we thought that was a unique thing.” The other five recipients were the Tap in Leadership Academy, A&O Development Corporation, New Hope Academy, Center of Hope Church and St. Luke CME Church. Awards ranged from about $1,700 to $3,000. The city received the more than $16,000 for these grants from Comcast as a part of its cable franchise renewal in 2011. Hamilton said he thinks limited access to computer and internet access is a problem that is not
unique to Champaign but rather a deficit that affects many communities. According to 2010 census data, about a quarter of Illinois residents above age 3 live in a household without internet access. The data also shows 40.4 percent of those individuals depend on a computer outside the home for using the internet. Martin Wolske, senior research scientist with the Center for Digital Inclusion at the University,
“Giving individuals computer access is helpful, but it’s not the only way we use computers.” MARTIN WOLSKE, senior research scientist
See GRANTS, Page 3A
CUMTD premiers 4 new hybrids on route
Picture-perfect weather
BY CORINNE RUFF STAFF WRITER
Champaign-Urbana MTD will premier four more hybrid buses on its regular route this week, completing their newly-purchased fl eet of 10 . Last Tuesday, six of the new Flyer Xcelsior XDE40 buses began running for the fi rst time. “It’s got that new bus smell,” said Jan Kijowski , marketing director of CUMTD. More than half of CUMTD’s 102 buses are now hybrids, including other versions purchased in 2009 and 2011. The six hybrids that premiered last week bring the company’s total to 55 hybrid buses. Kijowski said the hybrids cost $600,000 each, about
See CUMTD, Page 3A DARYL QUITALIG THE DAILY ILLINI
Daniel Almquist, freshman in Engineering, composes a photograph of the Union on Monday’s foggy evening. “The fog is so surreal. I just love how cool this looks,” Almquist said. He said he usually doesn’t get to photograph in January because of the cold, and Monday evening’s temperature of 51 degrees allowed him to do some nature photography, which he likes to do.
URBANA CITY COUNCIL
Urbana debates residents’ payment process for sewer fix BY CORINNE RUFF STAFF WRITER
Urbana City Council members are finding that a sewage problem in a low-income neighborhood is less related to infrastructure and more related to a need for financial assistance for residents having difficulties paying for repairs.
BRIEFS University president discusses state’s financial situation with SEC BY LAUREN ROHR STAFF WRITER
Despite his satisfaction with the recent tuition increase, President Robert Easter is not as confident about state funding next year. University officials received word from the gov-
INSIDE
After city staff gave a presentation on the city’s sewer system at the meeting Monday, council members shifted conversation to fi nding ways to provide more fi nancial aid. Alderman Dennis Roberts, Ward 5, said the only difference he saw with the situation in Ellis
Subdivision seemed to be a difference in resident income levels. “This neighborhood is dealing with infrastructure aging, and we need to look for a program to give assistance,” he said. Many residents of the west Urbana neighborhood are retired senior citizens and have
expressed concerns about paying unexpected costs for road removal to access the sewer lines. Many also think the sewer lines are supposed to run down the middle of the street. But Brad Bennett, senior civil engineer of Urbana public works, who gave the presentation, said
ernor’s office last week that they could see a 4.6 percent reduction in aid from the state, Easter said at his meeting with the Senate Executive Committee on Monday. But he said he is concerned that the reduction may be even larger than predicted. Easter said the state has to come up with about $900 million to finance the pension plan for fiscal year 2013, which will
come from cuttings funds in other areas. “Our challenge is to make the case that higher ed should be a priority; we should not be so negatively impacted,” Easter said. In addition, sequestration is pending in the University’s future, Easter said. Within the next few months, the University could see an impact of than $60 million on its research enter-
prise and financial aid. Easter also told SEC members about the 1.7 percent tuition increase for the 2013-14 academic year, citing the lowest percentage increase in more than a decade. Despite the difficult state financial situation, he said the University is in a “good position.”
Lauren can be reached at rohr2@ dailyillini.com.
even new subdivisions have sewer lines on one side of the road. “They have just as many backups and root problems as areas built during the same time period,” Bennett said. “Everything has a finite life. It is no different
See UCC, Page 3A
Grainger Foundation donates $100 million to College of Engineering DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
The Grainger Foundation donated $100 million to the College of Engineering on Monday to support research in bioengineering and other areas as well as new chairs and professorships. The Grainger Engineering Breakthroughs Initiative is be-
“We use a lot of resources that have the potential to have a negative impact on the environment, but we are very careful to ensure they don’t.” JANE SULLIVAN, sustainability and transportation planner for CUMTD
ing established with this gift, according to a press release. Using $40 million of the donation, 26 new chairs and professor positions will be created with concentrations in bioengineering and what is referred to as “big data,” meaning the use of computers and supercomputers to obtain large amounts of information. Overall, 35 chairs and pro-
See ENGINEERING, Page 3A
Po l i c e 2 A | H o r o s c o p e s 2 A | O p i n i o n s 4 A | C r o s s w o r d 5 A | C o m i c s 5 A | B u s i n e s s & Te c h n o l o g y 6 A | S p o r t s 1 B | C l a s s i f i e d s 4 B | S u d o k u 4 B