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SPORTS, 1B WEDNESDAY October 8, 2014
THE DAILY ILLINI 5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Vol. 144 Issue 027
OUT OF THE PANIC
UI battles mental illness Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series on one writer’s battle with panic disorder. BY CLAIRE HETTINGER STAFF WRITER
I
am an example of waiting too long to get help. I needed it, and I suffered drastically because I didn’t reach out and get it. Yes, one panic attack was frightening enough to send me to the doctor, and since then, I thought that my prescription of Xanax was all the help I could get. I had no idea how many options were in place to help me on my own campus. Seventy-five percent of lifetime mental illnesses appear before age 24, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. So for students on campus who will develop a mental illness, most cases will appear before or while they are attending college. Because of this, it is important for students to be aware of what is available to them in case they find themselves in the midst of a mental crisis. The most common mental condition has changed in the last 10 years from depression to anxiety disorders, said Patricia Ricketts, a clinical counselor for the University Counseling Center. The increased pressure on students to get a career that will make them money, instead of perhaps something that they are passionate about, could be an influence on the increase of anxiety disorders, Ricketts said. Students and fami-
SEE PANIC | 3A
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Student leaders from five Illinois universities held a summit on campus Tuesday to discuss statewide issues, as well as individual campus problems. This was the first meeting of its kind to gather leaders from so many student governments across the state. The summit was put together by Student Trustee Lucas Frye and Student Body President Mitch Dickey, who invited all Illinois public universities to attend. Universities in attendance included: UIUC, The University of Illinois at Springfield, Eastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Northern Illinois University. State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-51 and alumnus, opened discussion by speaking about funding for higher education and the state of the economy. During his time at the University, Rose was heavily involved in student government, serving as a student trustee twice. He declined to stand behind the podium, in an effort to “keep things casual”, reminding his audience that he didn’t want the gathering to be a lecture. Rose primarily focused his discussion on Monetary
Award Program grants, a monetary award program that provides grants that do not need to be repaid. Each year, student leaders lobby in Springfield for increased MAP grant funding; however, Rose said “Don’t lobby for more MAP funding; I would encourage you to lobby for smarter MAP funding.” Rose explained that currently $19 million in MAP Grants fund for-profit schools. Rose said the grant money should be redirected to benefit the schools that need it more — public schools. Additionally, he believes that schools should receive funding to pursue their strengths. Rose also discussed the rising rates of university tuition. Inflation is currently at about 1.7 percent, but tuition is inflated much more and unnecessarily, he said. Rose attributed this to the recent increase in the college dropout rate as well as the decline in the number of accepted offers of admission. Instead, Rose noted that community colleges are growing in popularity. “People just aren’t willing to pay $100,000 for four years of school,” Rose said. Rose emphasized to the student leaders that it’s stu-
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Crime victims’ rights may increase STAFF WRITER
If this statistic is true for our university, 10,901 students of the 43,603 on campus have a diagnosable mental illness. 344 University students were registered with Disabilities Resource and Educational Services during the 2013-14 academic year for psychological reasons.
1%
Since 2000, the number of students on campus who use DRES resources for psychological reasons has increased by 90 percent. 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
SOURCE: National Alliance on Mental Illness and Disability Resources and Educational Services
This November, voters in Illinois could pass an amendment to the state’s constitution that expands the legal rights of victims of violent crime and provide them with additional legal protections. The Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights aims to provide victims with additional safety and peace of mind. The reforms within the amendment would give victims of violent crime twelve new or modified rights, such as: to be notified when the accused is released from prison, to be notified of relevant court proceedings, to a timely disposition of their case and to appeal legal decisions that affect their capacity to exercise those rights. “Victims of crime and their surviving families are entitled to a range of rights under clearly established law, but rights such as those to be notified of court proceedings and to deliver an impact statement at sentencing are too often ignored,” said Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins, director of Marsy’s Law for Illinois, in a press release. “Amending our constitution will enhance the safety of crime victims and provide an appropriate opportunity for them to participate in the judicial process.” The amendment is modeled after Marsy’s Law, an amendment added to California’s constitution in November 2008. I l l i noi s leg i sl at u re approved the amendment to appear on November’s ballot earlier this year with a sizable majority; roughly
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Biofuel found in human gut
Student leaders debut summit BY ABIGALE SVOBODA
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Staff writer
lies are also under financial pressure due to the increasing cost of higher education. These factors cause more stress for students than in the past, she said. The Counseling Center does not routinely diagnose students, but it helps them work through short-term issues or passes them on to another source of help. “Not everyone who walks into the (Counseling) Center is going to be diagnosed with something,” Ricketts said. “It is just (helpful to have) a professional outside your normal circle who can help you work through things.” The Counseling Center works frequently with students with diagnosable illnesses, and Ricketts said panic attacks are a common complaint. She said “bright, highfunctioning students who put a lot of pressure on themselves” are likely to suffer from panic attacks and anxiety disorders. “Students have come to the center, (and) they don’t have what we would consider a mental illness,” Ricketts said. They may just be “struggling with adjustment to college, with a certain test anxiety, with family pressure (or with) sadness over a breakup.” The Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services is a department dedicated to leveling the playing field for all students, said Dr. Kim Collins, assistant director with DRES. The department defines a disability as something that impacts aspects of daily living, such as learning and academics, Collins said. “Sometimes students with mental health issues
Nationally, 1 in 4 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 has a diagnosable mental illness.
20
CLAIRE HETTINGER
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Number of students who use DRES
Disability program aids students who need help
68˚ | 52˚
BY TEA LOJANICA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
should be providing.” After listening to the speakers, students mingled with fellow leaders from other schools to discuss some of the issues brought up and to think about how they can benefit their schools and the state in the future. Each group came back from their individual conferences with a variety of suggestions. Some of the students determined that future student leaders would benefit from hosting a similar summit semi-yearly, possibly at a different campus each time. In order to keep in touch and up to date when the students are on their own campuses, one group suggested each school send a newsletter to the other public Illinois
University researchers have found that microbes inside the human gut may be the foundation behind a new generation of energy production at an industrial level. This provided a new approach to previous studies of digestion enzymes found in cow intestines, one of the best environments where enzymes that release sugars from plants are found, according to the researchers. These bacterial microbes were found in the human large intestines, which break down cell wall fibers and convert them into simple sugars at a more efficient rate than cow microbes, said Isaac Cann, professor in Microbiology and lead researcher of the study. Cann was the first to use a biochemical approach to support the hypothesis, and the group’s findings were published in the scientific journal, “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.” “Our investigations point to the human gut as a rich source of the enzymes required to break down the
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ABIGALE SVOBODA THE DAILY ILLINI
UIUC student government leaders speak in the Illini Union as part of an organized summit that brought together student leaders from five other Illinois public universities to hear from state legislators and discuss higher education issues. dent voices that help drive legislation and “99 percent of legislators are very approachable people.” Rose closed by stating that the biggest issue for Illinois is government stability. He reminded students that businesses don’t want to come or stay in Illinois, and that is hurting the state more than anything else. He said if the statewide budget problems were addressed, the state would already be in a better position. Illinois State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-103, also spoke at the summit, sharing concern about MAP grants and higher education funding. When asked about her biggest priorities for the state, Jakobsson said, “To make sure we can pay our bills and provide the services that we
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Funding bioenergy research provided by University of Illinois’ Partnership with the Energy Biosciences Institute
• Partners: University of California at Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs and British Petroleum • Funded by a 10-year contribution from British Petroleum at an annual amount of $50 million for the use in biology, chemistry and engineering to help provide solutions to challenges in the field of energy. • Focus: converting cellulosic materials, such as grasses, into biofuels The institute established a 320-acre farm on the UIUC campus to study the cultivation of grasses such as Switchgrass and Miscanthus SOURCE: ENERGY BIOSCIENCES INSTITUTE
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