INSIDE If Britney Spears can make it through 2007, you can make it through finals week. OPINIONS, 4A
FINALS EDITION
FREAKING OUT ABOUT FINALS WEEK?
Outfielder Will Krug balances his time
Best of luck on your finals. Thanks for reading, and see you next year!
The Illini junior learned to manage his time after injury
Here’s your guide to getting through the week.
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THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY May 8, 2014
5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Durbin warns price of for-profit schools too high
84˚ | 66˚ Vol. 143 Issue 119
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Six for-profit institutions being investigated BY ALEX SWANSON STAFF WRITER
Sen. Dick Durbin sent out an open letter to high school principals across the state on April 29, warning them to ensure that their students have accurate information about for-profit colleges. For-profit colleges are primarily owned by private organizations or corporations and often offer flexible scheduling and class options. For-profit colleges often serve nontraditional students and offer unique services, said Nicole Elam, vice president for ITT Educational Services, a for-profit institute with 130 campuses nationwide. “Our students tend to be older and independent. The average enrollee is 29 years old. Many are adults juggling work, family and school,” Elam said in an email. “They’re seeking to better their lives through career changes or advancing in their current field. More than 50% are minorities; many are single parents and are the first in their generation to go to college.” However, for-profit colleges also have critics like Durbin, who argued that many of the
businesses distribute degrees that may not be recognized by employers and credits that often don’t transfer into more traditional higher education institutions. Furthermore, Durbin said for-profit colleges often misrepresent the success of their graduates in terms of employment. “It’s simple: For-profit colleges charge too much for a poor product,” Durbin said in an email. “Students go deep into debt and either can’t finish school, or end up with a worthless diploma when they graduate.” Durbin’s letter mentions six for-profit companies with campuses or programs in Illinois that are facing active investigations or lawsuits by the Illinois Attorney General or federal agencies. Earlier this year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a complaint against ITT Educational Services with allegations that the company was targeting low-income students with loans they had little hope of repaying. ITT moved for a dismissal of the complaint on April 30. George Gollin, professor of physics at the University, has
BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI
Aishat Oyolola, senior in AHS, and Stella Laker, senior in ACES, hold up a sign during an event held by the African Student Association at Anniversary Plaza on Wednesday. The event was held concerning the recent kidnappings of Nigerian girls.
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At end of semester, UI Police sees increase of distress calls BY JESSICA RAMOS STAFF WRITER
The University of Illinois Police Department sees an increase in calls from students dealing with mental distress, including suicidal thoughts and attempts, at the end of the semester. University of Illinois Police Captain Roy Acree said calls regarding suicide on campus seem to go in spurts, as police might not get a call for six months, and then there are three or four calls around the same time. He said the department picks up calls from people who are threatening suicide to any degree. The department consists of a set of Crisis Intervention Training, or CIT officers, that intervene in situations involving the risk of death or danger to a person. Officers respond and determine whether a person is in danger of hurting him or herself or threatening to hurt others. Officer Brian Tison, coordinator of the CIT program, said that after examination, the CIT team can make the decision to submit an involuntary petition that requires the person to go to the hospital for evaluation. “People have this thought that if they call the police, something bad’s going to happen — somebody is going to go to jail, somebody is going to get in trou-
ble,” he said. “And that’s just not the case. Of all the CIT calls that we have, we’ve never taken anyone to jail. We get them the help that they need.” Acree said the CIT officers, in a sense, serve as the first response to the situation. A report is later sent to the Counseling Center. “The reason we do that is so that we’re not sitting on an island,” said University Police Sgt. Joan Fiesta. “Let’s say we deal with someone two or three times, we’re not going to sit on an island and hold our responsibility to this person who needed help.” According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, homicide and suicide are the second and third leading causes of death, respectively, for young adults ages 18 to 24. R.J. McNicholl, co-chair of the Suicide Prevention Team at the University, said late adolescence and early adulthood can be a time when certain psychiatric disorders first emerge. Some of the disorders are depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. However, he mentioned that the increase in calls to the Counseling Center is not directly correlated with suicide attempt calls. “If we look at the big picture and see that there is an
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increased need for services, an increased request for counseling (and) crisis stabilization, some of those may include thoughts of suicide or suicide behavior, but that’s not a direct correlation,” said McNicholl, who also serves as a clinical counselor. According to the Counseling Center’s website, statements describing feelings of depression, helplessness, extreme loneliness and hopelessness may suggest suicidal thoughts. Deputy Chief Skip Frost said that there are varying degrees of attempts of suicide. “We get a call from resident advisors, parents or friends of someone. We get there, we find them in psychological distress,” he said. “There are just a myriad of ways we come across people. Sometimes its people calling us directly and letting us know.” Fiesta added that the first thing officers do when responding to distressed students is give them medical attention. If the student is threatening to commit suicide or has thoughts, they will be taken to the hospital to get evaluated. “We’ll try to get them to voluntarily go to the hospital and to seek medical attention on their own,” Fiesta said.
Helping someone who is considering suicide can be a difficult thing. These tips from the University Counseling Center can help you support them.
Stay Calm: Listen to what the person is saying. Give the person understanding emotional support. Deal directly with the topic of suicide: Don’t be afraid to directly talk about suicide. Most people have mixed feelings about death and dying are open to help. Encourage problem solving and positive actions: Encourage the person in psychological distress to refrain from making serious, irreversible decisions. Talk about positive actions. Get assistance: Do not take full responsibility by tryng to be the sole counsel. Look for resources that can help even if it means breaking confidence. Let the person know you are concerned and seeking help for him or her.
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY COUNSELING CENTER
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The worry that consumes most students’ lives during their senior year is whether they are going to get a job. Once the job has been locked down and students have a diploma in hand, they must shift their focus to making the transition between the school world and work world. A new study released by Chegg, a company which offers academic services, found that students overestimate their proficiency in regards to basic professional skills such as prioritizing work, managing a meeting and communicating with an authority figure. “It’s a huge transition in one’s life to go from school into a job. The expectations are completely different,” said Jennifer Neef, associate director of career and professional connections at The Career Center. “The job of a student ... for the previous 15 or so years has been ‘how to be a student’ — and they know how to be a
AUSTIN BAIRD THE DAILY ILLINI
SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS POLICE DEPARTMENT LT. TONY BROWN
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