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THE DAILY ILLINI 5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 144 Issue 51
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Suspects revealed in Mundo case
In memory of Vicente Mundo
Bond in Mundo murder set at $2 million, Scott identified as shooter DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
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An altar celebrates the memory of Vicente Mundo, junior in statistics, at the La Casa Cultural Latina. A vigil was held Monday night where family and friends mourned, remembered and shared stories about Mundo after his body was identified Monday afternoon.
New unions to bargain with University BY ANDREW NOWAK STAFF WRITER
New unions are preparing for bargaining with the University, after their separate entities were upheld by the Fourth District Appellate Court of Illinois. The decision was filed on Jan. 20, despite University appeals filed in attempt to prevent the fragmentation of faculty representation. The Uni Faculty Organization, representing faculty at the University Laboratory High School, and Campus Faculty Association Local 6546, representing non-tenure track faculty at the University, were separately certified by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board in 2014. The board is in charge of carrying out the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, which allows for collective bargaining of public employees and their employers. One of the duties of the board is to certify bargaining units. The University argued that the Uni Faculty Organization should not have been certified by the board, because the union had not presented clear enough evidence that it met the standards. In order to get certified by the board, a union needs to clearly present that it meets conditions in the board’s laws, including that it must be warranted by “special circumstances and compelling justifications” and “will not cause undue fragmentation of bargaining units,” according to Section 1135.30 of the board’s administrative code.
Faculty from the high school argued that their day-to-day experiences and concerns were completely different from those of university-level, non-tenure track faculty. The University also contested the Board’s decision on the Campus Faculty Association Local 6546 case because they thought the union should include Uni High School faculty. The appellate court found no error with the board’s ruling on the Uni Faculty Organization case, and, therefore, no error in the CFA Local 6546 case, because the University’s appeal was conditional on the error of the first case. Campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler said in an email that the University originally hoped the court would find that the two unions were really one unit, but the court upheld that they were two separate unions. “Our concern is that this opens up the possibility that small, fragmented groups of employees might form bargaining units, instead of creating a single group to represent the entire community of employees with similar responsibilities, terms and conditions of employment,” Kaler said. Shawn Gilmore, president of CFA Local 6546 since December and English lecturer, said the University can still appeal the case to the Illinois Supreme Court. “I have been told by our legal team that they might, but that the state supreme court is very reluctant to take up things that have been twice shown to be val-
id,” Gilmore said. Kaler did not say whether the University was planning to appeal the decision again. “We are still considering our options, but we continue to bargain in good faith with both groups,” Kaler said. Susan Davis, member of the executive committee of the CFA and professor of communication, said the appellate court made the right ruling and hopes the University won’t appeal the decision to the Illinois Supreme Court. “They just keep losing on these issues,” Davis said in an email. “We hope they stop wasting everyone’s time and the taxpayers’ money.” Janet Morford, vice president of the Uni Faculty Organization and teaching associate at University Laboratory High School, wrote in an email, a response on behalf of the Uni Faculty Organization. She said the group was pleased the courts ruled in their favor and wants the Board of Trustees to accept the decision, so bargaining can continue. Morford said the union has met with the University since its certification to work toward a collective bargaining agreement, but the University has “rejected out of hand” previous proposals, because the University was still in the process of appealing the bargaining unit’s right to exist. The next collective bargaining session is set for the middle of February and the Uni Faculty Organization
A Breakdown of the Newly Formed Unions
A union can exist without being certified by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. However, a certification is required to become the bargaining unit for that group of people. The union can then collectively bargain with the University on employee contracts.
Two Parkland College students were arrested Tuesday for the murder of University student Vicente Mundo. Daniel Gonzalez, 21, of Cicero, and Reginald Scott, 21, of Champaign, were arraigned at the Champaign County Courthouse around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Public Defender Pam Burnside of Urbana will defend Gonzalez and Scott, whose bonds are set at $2 million each. “Based on the evidence that we have, it appears there was an agreement between the victim, Mr. Mundo, and Mr. Gonzalez where Mr. Mundo was going to be bringing or providing cannabis to Mr. Gonzalez,” State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said. However, Gonzalez and
Scott admitted they had previously planned to rob Mundo of a small amount of cannabis and any cash he had. Police questioned Gonzalez after uncovering online correspondence and text messages between him and Mundo from 4 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 25, the day Mundo was last seen. When initially interviewed by the University of Illinois Police Department, Gonzalez lied, stating Mundo never showed up to his apartment, Rietz said. In truth, police were later told by Gonzalez that he and Mundo met in a parking garage at 301 E. Chalmers St., where Mundo lived. Scott hid in the trunk of Gonzalez’s car, while Gon-
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Non-Tenure-Track Faculty Union (CFA Local 6546)
About 500 members Consists of University full-time non-tenure track faculty, not including faculty from the College of Law, Medicine at UIUC, College of Veterinary Medicine or adjunct faculty Q Part of the Campus Faculty Association, an organization that promotes collective bargaining on campus Q Q
Uni Faculty Organization
33 members The high school, a University educational unit, is located on campus and has around 325 students, grades 8-12, and almost 50 employees Sources: Campus Faculty Association, Janet Morford and Fourth District Appellate Court Ruling
Q Q
Daniel Gonzalez
Reginald Scott
Q Mandatory
minimum sentence: 35 years, maximum sentence: 75 years Q Charged with first degree murder, intent to kill and armed robbery Q Served as an accomplice to Reginald Scott Q 21-year-old of Cicero, Illinois Q Parkland College student Q Attended the University from August 2012 to May 2014 Q Has lived in Champaign County for last three years Q Had no prior offenses
Q Mandatory
minimum sentence: 45 years, maximum sentence: life in prison Q Charged with first degree murder, discharging a firearm and armed robbery Q Fired fatal shot to the back of the Vicente Mundo’s head Q 21-year-old of Champaign, Illinois Q Parkland College student Q Has lived in Champaign County for the last year Q Had no prior offenses
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Urbana City Council approves Tasers despite community concerns BY FATIMA FARHA STAFF WRITER
Despite concerns raised by members of the community and one city council member, the Urbana City Council approved an ordinance allowing the Urbana Police Department to purchase six Tasers at Monday’s meeting. The Urbana City Council has been discussing the purchase of Tasers since April 2014, and it has been widely debated by the community. The majority of the city council was in favor of the ordinance, with an 8-1 vote. Alderman Eric Jakobsson, Ward 2, said while the decision may seem unjust, there is a greater threat in not approving ordinance, as
the Tasers serve as an alternative option to more lethal weapons such as batons and firearms. “We were told tonight, if we voted, shame on us,” Jakobsson said. “Believing as I do, judging as I do, providing police officers with this option will reduce injury, will reduce the level of violence. It would be a shame on me if I didn’t vote for this, and I will.” During the public input portion of the meeting, 12-year-old Urbana resident Saba Manetti-Tesfaye came up to speak and burst into tears, calling out the council for their decision. “If you want people to be really terrified of the police, you are doing a wonderful
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job,” Manetti-Tesfaye said. “The first time something “I hoped that Urbana would goes wrong with the Tasbe different from all other ers, think about how you’re confirming places, but I am recher fears, how you’re ognizing confirmthat it’s ing everynot much thing that differshe just ent from said she anywhere is afraid else, and of,” Stone it’s scary — it’s scarsaid. “And ing me.” I hope you F o l think about tonight low i ng ERIC JAKOBSSON and I hope ManettiALDERMAN to God it Tesfaye’s comments, hurts.” communiDanielle ty member Benjamin Stone Chynoweth, a co-founder of stepped up to the platform the Champaign-Urbana Citito give his own input. zens for Peace and Justice,
“Providing police officers with this option will reduce the level of violence.”
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said firmly that the council needed to have the town hall meeting it promised, during which it could have understood the fears of the community members. Chynoweth, a former city council member, said the council could have moved toward improving the relationship between the community and the police but did the exact opposite. She said many community members feel they are racially profiled and monitored and now they will feel even more unsafe. “I really think the conversation is less about weapons and more about relationships,” Chynoweth said. “In taking the steps that the council did last night
they further alienated and injured their relationship with poor people and people of color in the community.” Mayor Laurel Prussing said she agrees there should be more conversation with the communities, but she did not want to delay the decision. The Urbana Police department is very well-trained, she said, and during their training they are also taught to get rid of their personal prejudice. The six officers who will be given the Tasers have all undergone crisis intervention training. “I think we are aware there is a great misunderstanding between some
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