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THE DAILY ILLINI
TUESDAY April 8, 2014
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
51˚ | 33˚ Vol. 143 Issue 103
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FREE
Inequality in the classroom
In Champaign-Urbana, data shows public school racial disparities persist STAFF WRITER
Black students in ChampaignUrbana are more likely than white students to be disciplined and are less likely to enroll in higher-level courses, according to public school data from the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights 2011 Data Collection report. These self-reported numbers fall in line with the report’s overall national data, which show that black students make up 18 percent of the report’s sample, yet receive 39 percent of total discipline, while their white peers make up 51 percent of the report’s sample and receive 34 percent of total discipline. Additionally, the report shows nearly half all students enrolled in local early childhood education programs are black. In both Urbana School District 116 and Champaign Unit 4 schools, these programs function as an alternative to private pre-schools for at-risk children who may come from low-income families. A correlation between race and income exists in ChampaignUrbana, as in most American communities, said Mark Aber, an associate professor of psychology who has prepared racial climate studies on Unit 4. “These are not new problems. We’re dealing with the contemporary manifestation of pretty old problems,” he said.
Discipline Although black students are
disproportionately more likely to be disciplined than their white peers in Unit 4 and District 116, Unit 4 Superintendent Judy Wiegand said disciplinary action is taken only when students display certain behaviors that require it. “Why is it that certain minorities display that type of behavior on a more frequent basis than other groups?” Wiegand said. “Is it because they may be disenfranchised with the public school system? Is it because they don’t feel they can be successful within the school? I think there is a variety of reasons students act out within the schools.” In Champaign’s 2011 report, black students make up 73 percent of all students disciplined while comprising 34.8 percent of the district’s 9,372 enrolled students. The 2011 disciplinary rate represents a decrease from a peak of 82.7 percent reported in 2006, which followed a reported 68.1 percent black students disciplined in 2000. In contrast, white students made up 13.8 percent of students disciplined in 2011 while making up 40.7 percent of district enrollment. This rate has been up and down for the past four reports on file, with a high of 28.7 percent in 2000 and a low of 14.5 percent in 2006. To address these disparities, Wiegand said Unit 4 has been trying to make more holistic approaches by looking at what is causing that behavior in the first place via the ACTIONS program — “Alternative Center for Targeted Instruction and ONgo-
Black students do not represent a majority of students enrolled in Urbana School District 116 and Champaign Unit 4 School District but receive a disproportionately larger amount of discipline. The pie charts represent the percentage of black students disciplined out of total disciplinary action taken against students in Champaign-Urbana.
ing Support.” Rather than giving a student an out-of-school suspension, the student is sent to another building where the issues that may have led to the suspension are dealt with. Similarly, Urbana School District 116 Superintendent Don Owen said the district has been seeking new approaches to address the racial disparities in discipline. When working with discipline, he said any plans need to be long-term solutions, rather than quick fixes. On the high school level, Owen said the administration has shared the disciplinary data with students, which has been very powerful. The students prepared a research study on the discipline data in which they interviewed and surveyed students, teachers and administrators, focusing on the most common offenses that were getting students suspended. “The high school administration actually used that data to incorporate into their school improvement plans when it came to addressing issues of racial disparity in the area of student discipline,” Owen said. In District 116, black students made up 58.8 percent of total students disciplined, seeing a net gain of 1.7 percentage points since 2000. In 2009, the rate had risen to 62 percent before falling to 58.8 percent in 2011. In 2011, black students made up 36.9 percent of District 116’s 4,343-student enrollment.
Black
American Indian or Alaska Native
STAFF WRITER
The Illinois Student Senate allocated around $6,800 to add world flags and commemorative plaques at the Activities and Recreation Center, Campus Recreation Center East and the Ice Arena to celebrate the University’s cultural diversity. The senate passed this resolution with a vote of 19-2 on Wednesday, April 2 and the plaques and flags are scheduled to be put on display in late April or early May. All locations will be given a world flag, as well as a commemorative plaque recognizing the tenth assembly of the student senate, who passed the resolution. In addition to the flag and plaque, the ARC will also receive a cultural heritage mural, which will be placed on the second floor. “Our hope is that students will enjoy the addition of this colorful display and be proud that they are part of a campus with such a rich opportunity to be involved with people from around the globe,” said Tracy Kleparski, assistant director of inclusive recreation at the ARC. Student senate Vice President-External Carey Ash, a joint law and doctoral student in education policy, organization and leadership, proposed a campus beautification initiative in an effort to give back to the campus tangibly. Ash sees the campus monuments and landmarks initiative as the largest and most visible celebration of the University’s diversity to date. “The inspiration to hang the ARC’s cultural heritage mural and the other venues’ cultural heritage flags came from Chicago O’Hare’s Hall of Flags in terminal three,” Ash said. “The ARC’s architectural design is nearly identical to terminal three, so I thought it fitting to celebrate our campus’ cultural
diversity in a way that is uniquely identifiable with our state and the University of Illinois.” To secure the $6,800 budget for the project, Ash had to make sure the initiative would be supported by several key members of the student senate, as well as representatives from Campus Recreation. Along with Student Body Treasurer Brian Siegel, Ash met with members of Campus Recreation where he received overwhelming support for the initiative. “Our goal from day one has been to create a warm, welcoming Illinois family,” said Siegel, senior in Media and former Illini Media employee. “With our campus growing from an international standpoint, it is important for the students’ representative government to show its unyielding support for a global community.” The resolution to establish campus monuments and landmarks was un`animously approved by the student senate’s Financial Affairs Committee, and received widespread support when it reached the senate floor. It was approved after an hour and a half of debate. Ash is optimistic that University students will appreciate the new displays of the University’s pride in its diversity. “I am confident the student body will appreciate the visible reaffirmation of our commitment to diversity,” Ash said. “The campus monuments and landmarks I’ve worked to establish will serve as reminders of our highest principles and values for generations to come.” While there are currently no plans to expand the Campus Monuments and Landmarks initiative past its initial three locations, the student senate could move to expand the project in future assemblies.
Joshua can be reached at jjwinte2@dailyillini.com.
DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS
INSIDE
Police
2A
(Champaign)
Horoscopes
2A
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Percentage of disciplinary action taken against black students out of total discipline
57%
68%
62%
16%
84%
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
2,588 2,500
Total international undergraduates:
4,990
1,500
864 457
500
127
0
A NA ORE CHI K TH SOU
IA
IND
83
A N ESI WA N O TAI IND
SOURCE: UI DIVISION OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION AUSTIN BAIRD THE DAILY ILLINI
Crossword
5A
SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
UI budget chair: SURS ‘seriously underfunded’
The University of Illinois’ financial condition is about average, relative to its peer institutions, according to a budget update presentation given at the Senate Executive Committee’s meeting by senate budget committee chair Michael Sandretto. He said the University system has significant cash, little debt, strong state funding and a small endowment when compared with its peers. As of June 30, the University had $1.8 billion of unrestricted cash. Sandretto said this does not mean the University has $1.8 billion of unneeded cash to spend, as he estimates that about $700 million of that amount is available for one-time costs. Additionally, the University has a net income of $300 million, but allocation requests against that amount exceed $300 million. The University has accrued $1.5 to $1.8 billion in deferred maintenance cost — about double the amount of available cash. In reducing these deferred maintenance costs, the University could reduce its operating expenses in the future. These costs grew as the University increased its cash by beginning to postpone deferred maintenance in 2009. In 2012, the University continued to defer maintenance, although its cash was adequate, because of the possibility it may need to assume responsibility for its portion of the State Universities Retirement System, SURS. Now, Sandretto noted that the
Comics
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Life
&
state’s pension funds are “seriously underfunded.” From fiscal year 2004 to 2013, Sandretto said SURS has decreased from being 66 percent funded — underfunded by $6,492.30 — to being 41.5 percent funded — underfunded by $20,110.50. He noted that these estimates were calculated using some “pretty charitable assumptions.” In summary, Sandretto said even if the courts reject the revised pension rules, it is unlikely that Illinois will be able to fund the current plan and that SURS will still be significantly underfunded under the new pension rules. The state’s ability to provide catch-up funding will largely depend on the economy. To offset the underfunded nature of SURS, an Ad Hoc Compensation Review Committee has been formed to review possible alternatives for retirement. The SEC voted to endorse the committee’s senate resolution on Supplemental Retirement System, which calls for the Board of Trustees to establish a supplemental retirement system for all SURS-eligible University system employees. This system must be designed to be flexible enough to allow the University to make adjustments as needed to achieve a competitive position, as conditions and legal environments change. While finance professor Jeff Brown said the committee was not prepared to make final recommendations, he did give a sta-
SEE SEC | 3A
@THEDAILYILLINI
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74%
SCOTT DURAND THE DAILY ILLINI
STAFF WRITER
3,000
|
58%
BY TYLER DAVIS
LOCAL STUDENTS
This breakdown shows the 16% of undergraduate students who come from outside of the US by home country including the top five countries that international students call home.
4A
82%
SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION’S CIVIL RIGHTS DATA COLLECTION
Here is a by-the-numbers look at the diverse international student population at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Opinions
2011
2009
2000
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4,343
4,040
Variety of international students count for 16% of undergraduates
1,000
White
9,372
4,460
(Urbana)
SEE INEQUALITIES | 3A
2,000
Hispanic
9,260
ISS passes Campus Monuments and Landmarks initiative BY JOSHUA WINTERS
Asian or Pacific Islander
9,080
Number of Students
BY TYLER DAVIS
Total district enrollment by race for public schools in Urbana and Champaign
Culture
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Sports
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Sudoku
THEDAILYILLINI 3B
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Classifieds
4B