INSIDE Illinois basketball returns to the NIT, will open against Alabama on Tuesday in first round Page 1B
MONDAY March 16, 2015
THE DAILY ILLINI 5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 144 Issue 93
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Student Aid Bill of Rights proposed BY JOSH WINTERS STAFF WRITER
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The Obama administration outlined steps on Tuesday to advance a new plan to make college accessible to more students. For student trustee-elect Jaylin McClinton, junior in LAS, the announcement comes as a refreshing break from the steady stream of news surrounding potential cuts to higher education in Illinois. “Our government should be supportive of making sure that students can access education and make sure it’s affordable,” McClinton said. The president’s plan, dubbed the Student Aid Bill
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of Rights, is comprised of four principles that would increase the accessibility of a degree to students, particularly those taking out student loans. In a release from the White House Communications office, the Obama administration said that “new requirements may be appropriate for private and federally guaranteed student loans so that all of the
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ZIANG XIAO THE DAILY ILLINI
Top: The Tesla Concert on March 13 featured a wireless electricity transmitter that shot lightning bolts to create music.
SEE STUDENT AID | 3A
2EDPD LQWURGXFHV QHZ 6WXGHQW $LG %LOO RI 5LJKWV On Tuesday President Barack Obama outlined his Student Aid Bill of Rights, which would put new consumer protections in place for student loan recipients. It would also make the government more responsive to the needs of borrowers.
Under this Bill of Rights, every student in America should: I.
have access to high-quality, affordable higher education
II.
be able to easily find the resources they need to pay for college
III. be able to choose an affordable payment plan for student loans
IV. receive quality customer service, reliable information, and fair treatment when repaying loans THE DAILY ILLINI
SOURCE: The White House
NAACP hosts open forum BY CAELI CLEARY STAFF WRITER
KAROLINA MARCZEWSKI THE DAILY ILLINI
Left: Parker Hannifin’s Chainless Challenge prompted students to create a bike that operates without a chain. Right: Students at the hydroelectricity booth work with a hydroelectric dam. Hydroelectric dams are an alternative form of energy.
Engineering Open House sparks interest BY LIZ JASSIN AND ELYSSA KAUFMAN STAFF WRITERS
Purple and white lightning bolts from Tesla coils fl ashed across the Bardeen Quad Friday during a musical performance. The coils produced sounds strung together to recreate popular songs, and featured submissions by students attending the 95th annual Engineering Open House. Over the weekend, the University welcomed prospective students to participate in some of the 250
Urbana plans for new college
Board approves plans for medical college BY ABIGALE SVOBODA STAFF WRITER
From exploring tattoos that could block epileptic seizures to biobots for your bloodstream, University members are excited to see what new discoveries the College of Medicine will bring to campus. On Thursday, University Board of Trustees unanimously approved a proposal to create a bio-engineering focused College of Medicine
exhibits showcased at the open house on the Bardeen and Beckman quads. Trent Calderone, freshman in Engineering, said the events serve as a good opportunity to expose younger students to a variety of engineering disciplines. “It operates as a spark rather than a textbook — it’s more fun,” he said. Jon Henricks, director of the open house, said the event gives the local community, alumni and prospective students an
transmission bicycles. The competition promotes fi nding alternatives to existing bicycle technology. Christian Dawson, senior in mechanical engineering, said the message of the challenge is to think outside the box. “This is a system that is not ideal for human power, but in using it in a humanpowered vehicle, we are trying to bring technologies together that we never thought about bringing
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SARAH PINA THE DAILY ILLINI
Champaign mayoral candidates Mayor Don Gerard, Karen Foster, Joe Petry and Deborah Feinen take part in a public forum with residents on Sunday. The event was held at the Douglass Community Center and was hosted by The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the North End Breakfast Club.
Rauner’s proposed education funding cuts could drop budget to 1950s levels BY ABIGALE SVOBODA
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed 30 percent budget cuts to higher education could bring the University back to 1950s levels of state appropriation in constant dollars, said Walter Knorr, chief fi nancial officer, during a presentation at a Board of Trustees meeting Thursday. He said the state currently owes the University $325 million in receivable funds. The University’s endowment fund growth in 2014
was the third largest in the Big Ten; the University currently has $2.3 billion in endowment funds, Knorr said. However, the funding cannot be used for administrative costs unless directed by donors. Administrative costs are currently about five percent of the University’s total operating costs, he said. Knorr said as the University copes with less state funding, there may be an increase in the use of endowment funds. However, Chancellor Phyllis Wise
clarified that the University will never ask or guide donors to designate funds to administrative costs. Although the University is struggling for state funding, it received a total of $175 million in donations in 2014. The University is ranked fi fth in the nation for research funding, and ranked third in the Big Ten by the National Science Foundation.
LIFE & CULTURE
OPINIONS
SPORTS
Exploring the American Dream
Mike Phair leaves NFL to help Illini
After the protests Alumnus reflects on Selma marches
Success dependent on opportunities not always present for lower social classes
Former NFL coach named co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach
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STAFF WRITER
SONNY AN THE DAILY ILLINI
President-elect Timothy L. Killeen listens during the board of trustees meeting at the Illini Union on Thursday. in Urbana — the first college the University has created in 60 years. “Illinois does big things, and we should be doing this,” Provost Ilesanmi Adesida said at a Senate Executive Committee meeting in January, during preliminary discussions. The University launched a website for the college displaying the college’s slogan: New College. New Medicine. “A revolutionary shift in medical education and research is happening now. The Carle-Illinois College of Medicine will be the nation’s fi rst engineeringbased medical college,” the
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opportunity to see what the University’s Engineering students are doing. “It gives us an opportunity to encourage younger generations of students from middle schools and high schools to explore STEM education fi elds,” Henricks said. The Parker Hannifin Chainless Challenge was one exhibit featured at the open house. The challenge is a competition taking place this April in California, where about a dozen schools will present hydraulic fluid
Before residents of Champaign even arrived at the Douglass Community Center for a public forum with the Champaign mayoral candidates, passionate conversations regarding the city had already begun. The open forum allowed community members to pose questions to the four mayoral candidates: incumbent Mayor Don Gerard,
Karen Foster, Joe Petry and Deborah Frank Feinen. The forum was hosted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the North End Breakfast Club. Rev. Zernial Bogan and Champaign City Council member Will Kyles, District 1, moderated the event. During the forum, candidates had one minute to
site states. “Our graduates will be uniquely equipped to transform health care.” Marty Burke, professor of chemistry, believes the college will be transformative for the health care industry. “Unleashing the tremendous power that lies at the intersection of basic science, engineering and medicine stands to have a transformative impact on society.” Carle Foundation has promised $100 million over ten years to help fund the college, and the University will enter a binding contract with Carle. Additionally,
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