REACHING NEW HEIGHTS Rock-climbing facility to open in Urbana this spring Page 6A
TUESDAY March 10, 2015
THE DAILY ILLINI 5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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La Casa Cultural Latina holds Zamora vigil for community In wake of loss, students, faculty gather to pay their respects BY CHARLOTTE COLLINS STAFF WRITER
In a university of tens of thousands, not everyone knows one another personally; however, the recent death of Cristian Zamora brought some students and faculty together to pay respect as a community. La Casa Cultural Latina held a vigil Monday night open to anyone who wanted to attend and sign cards to be sent to Zamora’s family later this week. Berenice Sánchez, assistant director of La Casa Cultural Latina , said the center wanted to provide a space for students to grieve.
The recent graduate’s body was found Friday in Crystal Lake Park after having been missing since Dec. 31. Although she is not a student at the University, Megan Lystad attended the vigil because she believes it is important for the community to come together both to grieve and celebrate life. “It’s tragic that he was so young, but I think it’s a good thing to try and remember what he contributed, just to acknowledge that he was an important person to this community, even if I didn’t know him personally,” Lystad said. Sanchez said the center kept updated with the Mundo family during his disappearance earlier this year and was consequently able to keep in contact with Zamora’s family through Mundo’s family members. “We always want to be there for the entire student community not just because he was Latino and it was the responsibility of
La Casa, but because he was a U of I student. He was a part of our community,” Sanchez said. Gioconda Guerra Pérez, director of La Casa Cultural Latina , said she believes banding together in times of tragedy demonstrates peoples’ ability to come together and support one another. “We hope there isn’t another tragedy, but at least the students and their families know that if something happens, they have a place here where they could get the support that they need,” Guerra Pérez said. “That, for me, is community: that people back home in Chicago or New York or Argentina or wherever their home is, they know that somebody here cares about them.” A memorial for Zamora will take place on Thursday at Alvarez Funeral Home in Chicago, according to a Facebook page run by family and friends.
JASMINE DINH THE DAILY ILLINI
La Casa Cultural Latina set up a shrine dedicated to Christian Zamora, including cards to sign for the family.
cjcolli2@dailyillini.com
Rep. Franks proposes phase out of tuition waivers If bill passes, dependents of University employees will lose perk
BY ABIGALE SVOBODA STAFF WRITER
The University employs 2,548 faculty members, 3,665 administrative and academic professional staff and 4,136 support
UI on annual speech list
University listed as free speech offender due to Salaita case
BY FARAZ MIRZA STAFF WRITER
The University was recently placed on the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s 2014 list of “10 Worst Offenders of Free Speech on Campus,” due to concerns of academic freedom on campus sparked by the rejected appointment of Steven Salaita. A job offered to Salaita in the American Indian Studies program was revoked after he posted controversial tweets regarding the conflict in Israel and Palestine on his personal Twitter account. FIRE is a nonprofit educational foundation that aims to defend and sustain individual rights at U.S. colleges and universities. Since 1999, the foundation has released an annual list, naming the top 10 educational institutions across the nation with
SEE FREE SPEECH | 3A
staff at the Urbana campus alone . Sam LeRoy, freshman in Business, is just one of these employees’ dependents who is currently eligible to receive a 50 percent tuition waiver to
attend the University. However, Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, proposed to phase out tuition waivers over the next four years. An Illinois Board of Higher Education report on tuition waivers for fi scal year 2014 showed 637 children of employees were enrolled at the Urbana campus.
FIRE places 10 institutions on 'Worst Offenders of Free Speech' list
Franks proposed HB 403 in an effort to save the state an estimated $10 million per year, reversing a 1998 statute that grants tuition waivers. In his proposal, students beginning college in the fall of 2015 would not receive waivers. Students who are already in school would maintain eligibility until graduation. At this
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0RUH LQVLGH To see
Editorial Board’s opinion on HB 403, turn to Page 5A.
ing their negative opinions on the bill. Sam is a Champaign native and the young-
SEE TUITION | 3A
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Talking with new trustee BY CHARLOTTE COLLINS STAFF WRITER
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education listed the top 10 “Worst Offenders of Free Speech on Campus” in 2014 for concerns over first amendment violations. UI Administration's rejection of Steven Salaita's appointment to the American Indian Studies Program due to posts on his personal Twitter account Chicago State University Administration's attempt to censor the blog of professors Phillip Beverly and Robert Bionaz, and arrest of students Willie Preston and Brittany Bailey, for their criticisms of the University Brandeis University "Disinvitation" of feminist activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali from commencement due to her views on Islam; imposition of “no-contact” order on student Daniel Mael for his criticism of anti-police comments posted by a fellow student on Twitter University of Iowa Censorship of art professor Serhat Tanyolacar's statue, which was intended as an anti-racist display Modesto Junior College Restriction of student Robert Van Tuinen from distributing copies of the Constitution on "Constitution Day," as well as punishment of those who supported him (i.e. professors William Holly and Leslie Beggs)
Kansas Board of Regents Board's adoption of social media policy that allows Kansas state universities to fire employees for “improper use” of social media Marquette University Suspension of political science professor John McAdams for criticism of a graduate instructor on his private blog California State University at Fullerton Probation of Sorority Alpha Delta Pi for "Taco-Tuesday"-themed recruitment event, which involved members wearing Sombreros and other Mexican garb Georgetown University Refusal to recognize student organization "H*yas for Choice" due to its mission statement, as well as relocation of the organization's tabling to a location off-campus in 2014 U.S. Department of Education Mandating a new speech policy for all U.S. colleges and universities, which requires them to redefine sexual harassment as any "unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature," including "verbal conduct"
SOURCE: Foundation for Individual Rights in Education
SPORTS
THE DAILY ILLINI
Newly-elected student trustee Jaylin McClinton came to Champaign-Urbana from the south side of Chicago with hopes of occupying a leadership position. McClinton, junior in LAS, studies political science and AfricanAmerican studies and hopes to work closely with the students who elected him in his upcoming term. McClinton will replace current student trustee Lucas Frye in the fall. The Daily Illini: Given the short term, what is your plan of action for pushing the things you want to get done? Jaylin McClinton: In my campaign process, I talked a lot about political engagement about doing lobby days once a month whether that means pick an issue and then going with that so maybe one month it’s immigration and actively going to lobby about that issue, one month maybe it’s about college affordability. ... I know we often talked about the tuition freeze during the campaign process, but I think just examining different opportunities to make sure that students are being able to access this university, and that they’re not afraid to apply. ... One thing that I’ve said during the campaign trail, which I still think is really true, is that I didn’t need to be student trustee to do all these things. I just think that now that I have the opportunity to be in this position that it will be easier to talk to
LIFE & CULTURE
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rate, the waivers would be completely phased out by 2018. At the academic senate meeting Monday, John Kindt, professor of business administration, announced that the proposed bill has been “put on the back burner” due to employees at the University and across the state voic-
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PHOTO COURTESY OF JAYLIN MCCLINTON
the right people about doing some of these things.
DI: What are you most excited about for this job?
being able to interact with a larger body of students and moving an agenda forward that encompasses a lot of the campus. ... The chancellor has different committees with faculty, so there’s the committee on race and ethnicity, there’s the committee on LGBT concerns and things like that. My goal is to mirror those committees from the student perspective and to really come up with initiatives and ideas that we can move forward with at the campus-wide level and at the system level. ... I think another piece is working with the new president, Timothy Killeen. ... One, because there are so many major issues going on but two, because we have a new president, and I’ll be able to work with him because we both are (new) at the same time, so to have that experience I think it’ll
JM: I think it’s really just
SEE TRUSTEE | 3A
DI: To you, what’s the biggest responsibility of a student trustee on any campus? JM: I think it’s just having the voice of the students, and in those tough conversations, whether it’s doing a tuition hike or lowering tuition, making sure I’m encompassing everyone’s voice and coming up with a strategic plan to do that. So, for example with tuition, I am a fi rst generation college student in a single-parent household, so I think of things one way, but then I also factor in other opinions. One of my really good friends here is a mom, and so when I’m thinking about things it’s not just about me.
NEWS
UC Senate endorses new hiring policy
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Don’t get a Mrs. degree College is about more than finding a husband
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