Golfer Thomas Detry nabs Big Ten title in final year PAGE 1B THURSDAY April 28, 2016
THE DAILY ILLINI The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Union to strike until finals week BY MEGAN JONES STAFF WRITER
Some University students might not have class during the last week of the spring semester. The Non Tenure Faculty Coalition Local 6546 voted overwhelmingly Wednesday night to hold a five-day strike beginning Thursday morning. The strike will continue until Reading Day on Thursday, May 5. The NTFC and administration will meet with a federal mediator again on Friday and all day Tuesday. The strike can be suspended at any time if the proposals makes any progress, Dorothee Schneider, communications chair of the union, said. Negotiations for the union’s first contract started at 8:30 a.m. Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson and Interim Provost Edward Feser sent a Massmail on Wednesday night alerting students of the further work action. “We made progress on several issues, ending with the delivery to the NTFC of a comprehensive proposal that was revised substantially from our initial proposals at the start of the day,” they wrote. Wilson and Feser wrote they expect classes to be held during the strike and they will try to minimize any disruptions. Classes may receive a substitute teacher, have course sections combined or be moved to a different location. Lead negotiator Kay Emmert sent an email to members, stating they are willing to accept current statutes for academic freedom. But the University’s offer for multi-year contracts doesn’t contain enforceable language. “We remain committed to working to find a pathway to creating the same protec-
tions for our members here at UIUC as our colleagues at UIC have, a fair and just contract,” Emmert said. Members became hopeful after Interim Provost Ed Feser announced he would attend the session with a federal mediator. It is unusual and unprecedented, Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson said, but they wanted to make sure they are present and listening. But, Emmert said, “The administration has made little movement on the issues that are most important to us: multi-year contracts and reappointment rights. … They merely want to codify the status quo.” After not being able to come to a negotiation, the union encouraged supporters to call Feser and Wilson’s office. “This resulted in some tensions as Interim Provost Feser and Associate Provost Katherine Galvin took issue with the phone calls coming into Feser’s office and demanded that the union’s bargaining team instruct supports to refrain from contacting his office,” the release stated. The administration presented a series of proposals with general recommendations, though they contained little contractually binding language, according to a press release from NTFC. NTFC has been in negotiations since October 2014 to create its first contract. During Monday’s Senate Executive Committee, Wilson said agreeing to a first contract always takes a long time, and they, too, feel that it’s been a long time. Wilson said they are in agreement about many things and that Feser’s presence would help ensure the Union knows “we’re listening and we’re committed to making progress.”
BRIAN BAUER THE DAILY ILLINI
Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili speaks at the Deloitte Auditorium of the Business Instructional Facility on Wednesday. Kvirikashvili is a University almunus and earned his Masters of Finance in 1998.
Prime Minister, alum visits Members became hopeful after Interim Provost Ed Feser announced he would attend the session with a federal mediator. It is unusual and unprecedented, Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson said, but they wanted to make sure they are present and listening. But, Emmert said, “The administration has made little movement on the issues that are most important to us: multi-year contracts and reappointment rights. … They merely want to codify the status quo.” After not being able to come to a negotiation, the union encouraged supporters to call Feser and Wilson’s office. “This resulted in some tensions as Interim Provost Feser and Associate Provost Katherine Galvin took issue with the phone calls coming into Feser’s office and demanded that the union’s bargaining team instruct supports to refrain from contacting his office,” the release stated. The administration presented a series of proposals with general recommendations, though they contained little contractually
BY VIVENNE HENNING ASSISTANT DAYTIME EDITOR
Some University students might not have class during the last week of the spring semester. The Non Tenure Faculty Coalition Local 6546 voted overwhelmingly Wednesday night to hold a five-day strike beginning Thursday morning. The strike will continue until Reading Day. The NTFC and administration are scheduled to speak again Friday, April 29. Negotiations for the union’s first contract started at 8:30 a.m. and University negotiators proposed a comprehensive proposal later in the afternoon. Lead negotiator Kay Emmert sent an email to members, stating they are willing to accept current statutes for academic freedom. But the University’s offer for multi-year contracts doesn’t contain enforceable language. “We remain committed to working to find a pathway to creating the same protections for our members here at UIUC as our colleagues at UIC have, a fair and just contract,” Emmert said.
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Mental health focus increases
STAFF WRITER
DEREK WU THE DAILY ILLINI
Students take notes during ISS weekly meeting in the Pine lounge in Illini Union on April 19. may not be fully aware of the support accessible to them through sources like McKinley and the Counseling Center, Scanlan said. “I created this ad hoc committee because I felt like there were not enough resources available at the University for mental health,” Chalisa said. “Students did not know enough about the resources currently available.” The subcommittee has already taken initial steps to asses what the core problems are on campus surrounding mental health and what needs to be done to address them in the future. They started by trying to understand what resources are currently available by contacting the Counseling Center and DRES. The subcommittee also looked into the limitations of these resources. “In terms of actions, we worked on mandating Kognito, which is an online suicide prevention module,” Chalisa said. The subcommittee is also interested in looking at the how well these resources are able to serve the students and meet their needs. Currently, students have
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out promotion plans and multi-year contracts based off merit. Our biggest concern is making sure our departments and colleges are fully able to make sense of their financials and needs going forward without being completely prescriptive by the contract,” she said. The union proposed twoyear contracts after five years and three-year contracts after 10 years, Union President Shawn Gilmore said. In the last two weeks, the union held a two-day strike followed by a twoday “work-in” in the Henry Administration Building and Swanlund Administration Building. “We are not cancelling classes this week, but we are just coming in and out as a group and working together,” Architecture Lecturer Jennifer Burns said. “Everybody went back to teaching today, I’ve been seeing a lot of people grading, there’s been some student meetings. We’re just doing the normal work we always do.”
Sexual assaults underreported
BY CLAIRE TEXTOR
The Illinois Student Senate is increasing focus on mental health issues on campus through the creation of the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Mental Health. This resolution was authored by Farah Chalisa, senior in LAS, whose interest in mental health on campus stemmed from a personal connection. “As a sophomore, one of my friends told me that she was severely depressed, and the first question I asked her was whether she had gone to the counseling center,” said Chalisa. “She told me she had tried making an appointment, but was told she could not get one unless it was an emergency.” According to the resolution, one in four college students in the United States has a diagnosable mental disorder. Depression is the number one reason students drop out of college. Madi Scanlan, senior in ACES, noted the unique impact ISS can have on campus issues. “The ISS is a bridge between administration and students,” Scanlan said. “We are representatives so it’s our job to represent students in a way that any student off the street can’t do.” A common problem on campus surrounding mental health is that students
binding language, according to a press release from NTFC. NTFC has been in negotiations since October 2014 to create its first contract. “We remain committed to working together through mediation to reach a fair agreement,” Campus Spokesperson Robin Kaler said. During Monday’s Senate Executive Committee, Wilson said the administration is continuing to work hard on reaching an agreement and believes it is a good thing they are using a federal mediator. She said agreeing to a first contract always takes a long time, and they, too, feel that it’s been a long time. Wilson said they are in agreement about many things and that Feser’s presence would help ensure the Union knows “we’re listening and we’re committed to making progress.” She said one of the stickier points is multi-year contracts, as most non tenure faculty receive annual nine-month contracts. Wilson helped develop Provost Communications No. 25 and 26, which lay
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reported discontent with the way the system works. “I hear complaints like ‘I can’t have counseling after a certain amount of sessions,’ ‘I still need counseling’ and ‘It’s really hard to schedule an appointment,’” Scanlan said. Beyond the logistical issues surrounding mental health at the University, the subcommittee is working to raise awareness and attempting to destigmatize the matter. Chalisa believes it is important to be aware of how words and actions impact people. Most people don’t explicitly stigmatize mental illness, but microaggressions like saying someone’s ‘crazy’ or telling them to get over it can be detrimental, Chalisa said. The subcommittee has already produced tangible efforts to raise awareness about mental health and move in a positive direction. Notably, this May is Mental Health Awareness Month. “We will be using Faces of CU to post the stories of students suffering from mental illness on campus in the attempt to humanize the illnesses and reduce the
stigma behind them,” Chalisa said. Raising student awareness is only one part of the equation; the subcommittee also wants to make their goals known to the administration. “I absolutely think there’s a disconnect between the students and administration,” Scanlan said. “I think that communication and understanding can solve these problems, as well as expanding resources.” Currently, the subcommittee is working with administration to get the Crisis Hotline phone number on the back of i-Cards, so students may be more likely to use it during emergencies, Chalisa said. The hope for this subcommittee is to not only take action on campus and help students, but also to increase understanding about mental health. “Students need to understand that mental illness is a serious and salient issue on campus,” Chalisa said. “It is important to be sensitive so that students feel comfortable using resources and asking for help.”
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Illinois marathon weekend causes bus rerouting and road closures
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Students discuss balancing motherhood while pursuing an education
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With Sexual Assault Awareness Month coming to a close, it is evident that there was an added emphasis on sexual assault issues. These happened through programs held by the University, activists and the three notices students received reporting sexual assaults. The three sexual assaults cases are still under investigation and occurred within a short time frame in April. The first two happened on April 9, during Mom’s weekend, both at fraternity houses that were not identified. The most recent case occurred Sunday, April 17, near Burrill Hall. Pat Wade, spokesman for the University of Illinois Police Department, said that not everyone reports sexual assaults to the police. Wade said there have only been 12 to 13 reported sexual assaults on campus this year. Sexual assault is a vastly underreported crime, Wade said, and statistics show that one in five women and one in 16 men experience an actual or attempted sexual
assault during their college career. “We know that it (Sexual Assault) is happening more than it is being reported and we really don't have a good grasp as to how prevalent it is on campus,” he said. “We do hope that the people that have experienced sexual assault seek out resources.” There are different ways for people to report to the police. The first way is by reporting the incident to the Champaign Police Department. Another way is through campus security employees, similar to mandated reporters who have to tell the police when an incident occurs. “When we get a report from the campus security authority, a third party person who somehow heard something, we use that for notification and data tracking purposes,” Wade said. The three sexual assault instances are not an indication of an increase in sexual assault, but rather an indication of an increase in people reporting the assaults, he said. This past month, the
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