The Daily Illini: Volume 144 Issue 29

Page 1

VOLLEYBALL UPSETS PENN ST

MCFADDEN TAKES 1ST AT CHICAGO MARATHON

The knowledge of a full century

Illinois defeated defending national champions Penn State with strong aggressive play.

The victory marked the 4th consecutive Chicago Marathon win for the Paralympian.

A former Illinois professor celebrated his 102nd birthday this weekend.

SPORTS, 1B

SPORTS, 1B

MONDAY October 13, 2014

LIFE & CULTURE, 6A

THE DAILY ILLINI 5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

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BSWs address quality drop Housing staff points to policy change in letter to students BY FARAZ MIRZA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Editor’s note: A source’s name has been changed to Diana Waller to protect her identity.

Building Service Workers no longer believe students are getting what they paid for in University Housing fees. BSWs informed student residents with a letter circulated through housing buildings in September that residence halls have been less clean due to administrators prioritizing “other concerns�, cutting workers’ hours and refusing to fi ll jobs as BSWs retire or leave. The letter was written in collaboration with the Service Employees International Union, Local 73, a labor union representing

28,000 workers in Illinois and northwest Indiana. Ricky Baldwin, assistant director of the SEIU Local 73 downstate division, said he wrote the initial draft in consultation with the BSWs in response to complaints he began receiving from workers in May. “In the summer of this year, management began combining a lot of jobs, so what might have been an 8-hour job for years is now being asked to be done in 4 hours,� Baldwin said. In the letter, BSWs said they take great pride in their work and are concerned about its quality, the cleaning that is going undone due to the drastically shortened time frame and the potential for workers to injure themselves while rushing to

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get the job done. Baldwin emphasized the concerns are unique to this semester. However, he said relatively low-level complaints concerning the empty spaces left unfi lled by BSWs began approximately five years ago. He said the largest number of BSWs retired as a result of changes in the pension law. As a result, the BSWs became concerned last year when they realized that a large amount of work was going undone. Diana Waller, a building service worker for 19 years, said she believes the students deserve more. “What really upsets me is that they charge you all so much, but they’ve lowered the standards of cleaning, and they have so many open positions that they’re not fi lling,� Waller said. “If you paid for a clean dorm, then that’s what you should be getting.� Waller said that almost

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all BSWs support the fight against reduced service because of how it dynamically affects both the workers and the students. “They enjoy their work, because they enjoy providing a service for the students,� Baldwin said. “They get to know some of the students, and they feel bad if there are roaches, or trash is not taken out on a regular basis.� Robin Kaler, campus spokeswoman, said in an email that University Housing continues to provide the same level of service for cleaning and maintenance throughout the school year.

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Quinn speaks at ECE building dedication BY JANE LEE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

SONNY AN THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn speaks of the College of Engineering’s potential on Friday in the Grainger Auditorium. The dedication ceremony for the new ECE building focused on the opportunities that are now made available for students through its use.

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Champaign-Urbana is no exception to the nationwide problem of homelessness. According to the Urbana-Champaign Continuum of Care’s homelessness surveys, homelessness among children in Champaign County increased from 423 to 543 over the last year. Community Elements, Inc., a resource center specializing in behavioral treatment and prevention, recently received a $181,993 grant in support of its Roundhouse Youth Shelter, which aims to address the needs of runaway and homeless youths and their families. The grant is part of a $13.8 million investment in Illinois health care programs given by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Lisa Benson, director of Residential Services at Community Elements, said the grant supports immediate emergency shelter for minors, as well as funding for facilities and staff, who provide supervision and support to youth both during their stay and after they find housing.

Benson said the grant is awarded in three-year intervals and after each cycle, the center must reapply. Sheila Ferguson, CEO of Community Elements, said the agency is dedicated to providing resources and support for homeless families. Ferguson added that this grant is highly competitive, and there has to be a need in the community. Ferguson said she believes there is a significant number of homeless families in Champaign County. “Underemployment is probably one of the biggest concerning features of our community,� said Ferguson. “There aren’t enough fulltime benefit positions to sustain housing.� Benson said she believes the biggest problem in the community is not ultimately homelessness, but rather the inability to find affordable housing. “It’s probably much more diverse a problem than what people assume,� Benson said. “Oftentimes people automatically think that a homeless situation is because of a family dysfunction. And it’s not always, it’s sometimes

DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS

INSIDE

SEE ECE | 3A

Fraternity under investigation to remain active

Champaign youth shelter earns grant to aid the homeless BY ANIKE OWOYE

The new Electrical and Computer Engineering Building held its dedication ceremony Friday in Grainger Auditorium to showcase the fi nalized project to University members. Those in attendance included Gov. Pat Quinn, University President Robert Easter, Chancellor Phyllis Wise and Provost Ilesanmi Adesida. Members of the ECE department, such as Sanders and College of Engineering Dean Andreas Cangellaris, donors and building designers also attended the event. “This building is a true home for our department

and reflects upon the values from its emphasis on hands-on learning and collaboration to its global netzero energy of who we are and will allow us to offer our students and faculty unparalleled opportunities for the future,� said William Sanders, department head. The dedication ceremony began with an introductory video that displayed graphics showcasing the history, foundation and layout of the ECE department and its new building. During his speech, Quinn discussed the innovation of the new building and its potential effect on

DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT

SONNY AN THE DAILY ILLINI

Community Elements’ Youth Center in Champaign-Urbana works to address the needs of homeless youth and families. situational.� Benson said minors can end up homeless in Champaign-Urbana more easily than most people think. Benson gave an example of a 16 or 17-year-old minor she has dealt with in the past that lived with his mother or grandmother who needed to move into an assisted living community. When that happened, Benson said the minor was no longer able to continue living with the family member, and therefore ended up without a home. Benson said that the University has also had an impact on the housing market in Champaign because living in a university town automatically increases the rent market. As a result, local families are forced to pay higher rent prices. Despite the increasing number of homeless indi-

viduals and families, Bryant Seraphin, lieutenant of the Criminal Investigation Unit at the Urbana Police Department, said the police don’t have much interaction with homeless youths. Seraphin said besides minor shoplifting incidents, the homeless don’t present a problem. Benson said the center will continue using its resources and networks in the community to work toward solving homelessness, but she said there are still gaps in services. “A family unit doesn’t have to be separated in order to be sheltered, you know; to be able to stay together and stay a family and stay in one place, that’s still a need that needs to be met,� she said.

Anike can be reached at news@dailyillini.com

@THEDAILYILLINI, @DI_OPINION, @DI_SPORTS

THEDAILYILLINI

The Gamma Zeta chapter of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity will continue to operate on campus, despite no longer being recognized by the University, according to a press release from Wynn Smiley, the Chief Executive Officer of the fraternity. The fraternity has been under investigation since an incident occurred last spring, which involved 30 to 50 members of the fraternity. On May 6, members broke windows at Bromley Hall, caused a disturbance at KAM’S and jumped on several cars in Champaign. After the incident, the chapter was suspended due to an ongoing investigation. Smiley acknowledges the incident in the release and said the chapter’s alumni Board of Trustees “took punitive action against everyone involved in the incident including six men who were expelled from the fraternity.� The chapter also paid for the damages caused

and apologized to KAM’s, Smiley said. “It is highly unusual that the National Fraternity keeps a chapter open that has lost host institution

“There is no excuse for the May 6 incident ... but in this case [we] believe the University made a mistake.� WYNN SMILEY

ALPHA TAU OMEGA CEO

recognition,� Smiley said. “There is no excuse for the May 6 incident and we respect the University’s judicial process, but in this case believe the University made a mistake.� The Interfraternity Council could not be reached for comment at this time.

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