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The Daily Illini
Thursday February 21, 2013
www.DailyIllini.com
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
Proposed bill opposes toxins above aquifer Landfill to store PCBs, which are transported from companies in The possibility of toxic Chicago and other surrounding substances being stored above regions to the landfill. the Mahomet Aquifer still looms Angela Adams, recycling as officials take steps to ensure coordinator for Champaign, said the aquifer’s protection. there were other options for nonState Sen. Chapin Rose, aquifer-based landfills to dispose R-Mahomet, and State Rep. of PCBs, but they were farther Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, filed away, so companies opted with a bill Thursday that opposes the less expensive option. She said Clinton Landfill polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB, storage in the landfill above representatives first presented the aquifer. the PCB storage in a landfill in If the bill passes in the state Peoria in 2002. House, which Mitchell said In the permit application could happen by the summer, submitted in 2007, Clinton the county boards located in the Landfill Inc. said Mahomet areas the aquifer serves will Aquifer groundwater was have to approve the bill. protected from PCBs because DeWitt County is the only one it is 170 feet below where the of the 14 counties affected by chemicals would be traveling, the aquifer that approves PCB with a hypothetical 20-25 liners storage. Mitchell said members and the element of time to of Champaign, shield possible D e c a t u r , contamination as well. Bloomi ng tonNormal and Pike Gerard is county boards endorsing a potential lawsuit opposed PCB against Clinton storage over landfill to have the aquifer at a their permit hearing in fall 2012. removed. In DON GERARD, “The bill is December, the Champaign mayor attorney general pretty simple,” of Illinois joined Mitchell said. “It says any areas that would in supporting the lawsuit. be affected and get their water “They’re (Clinton Landfill) from the aquifer would have to trying to sell it like downstate approve of the contaminants doesn’t want us to be being stored at Clinton.” environmentally conscious,” Clinton Landfill Inc. owns the Gerard said. “But it’s that land above the aquifer, a major downstate doesn’t want underground water source for individuals to profit and pass the east-central Illinois region. their mess off on us.” After receiving a permit from Gerard said it was a retelling the Environmental Protection of the story when Chicago would Agency, the company had send its garbage down the permission to store PCBs. Mississippi River and it ended “This is our sole source of up in St. Louis. “We’d love for them to clean up drinking water, so without it, there’s nothing here,” their rivers and lakes,” Gerard Champaign Mayor Don Gerard said. “But with the private said. “We need to protect it, and interest involved, you’re going it’s disturbing to think that they to have to sacrifice some of your (Clinton) got a permit in the state profit, spend a bit more money of Illinois.” and do it right.” EPA data suggests that toxic PCBs cause cancer. However, Claire can be reached at everett5@ the EPA has allowed the Clinton dailyillini.com.
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Champaign-Urbana’s community magazine
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Vol. 142 Issue 106
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Quad does the ‘Harlem Shake’
BY CLAIRE EVERETT STAFF WRITER
“This is our sole source of drinking water, so without it, there’s nothing here.”
KELLY HICKEY THE DAILY ILLINI
Students perform the University of Illinois rendition of the “Harlem Shake” on the Quad on Wednesday. More than 1,000 people signed up to attend the event on its Facebook group.
Engineering proposes new degree Master’s program would prepare students for industry-related fields BY LAUREN ROHR STAFF WRITER
With the possibility of a master’s degree in Engineering, students could further develop their technical and professional skills to become more competitive in their fields. The proposed Master of Engineering degree is a non-thesis, professionally oriented program that will seek to develop curriculum among different industryrelated departments, said Victoria Coverstone, associate dean for graduate and professional programs in Engineering. More importantly, she said, the new degree will combine indepth technical expertise with
more professional development. This training is beyond what a student could receive from a traditional bachelor’s degree, without the commitment to a Ph.D. “Increasingly, in the breadth and depth of the engineering profession today, we need additional preparation in professional skills,” Coverstone said. “Industries are looking for engineers who have a broad mix of hard science and math tools, and a big picture understanding of project management and business.” The proposal for the Master of Engineering degree was passed through the college and
graduate college levels before it was approved by the Urbana-Champaign Senate on Feb. 4. Proposals for programs within the master’s degree were also approved, including a major in materials engineering and a concentration in energy systems. These proposals will be brought to the University board of trustees and the Illinois Board of Higher Education for approval. Although the college is already well known for its rigorous science curriculum, Coverstone said many engineering students have come forth inquiring about a program that will better prepare them for jobs in industry-related fields of engineering. “There is a real need for these types of programs, as a
For Unofficial, community prepares to ‘Walk as One’ BY EMMA WEISSMANN STAFF WRITER
More than 200 volunteers distributed alcohol safety information to students in preparation for Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day during the Champaign Community Coalition’s “Walk as One” event Wednesday. Information about alco hol poisoning, amendments to state laws regarding social hosting and information about city fines were among the items delivered to an estimated 2,900 campus residences, said Lt. Jim Clark of the Champaign Police Department. The event was a preemptive measure led by members of the University, the three local police departments and the Champaign Community Coalition. Champaign Mayor Don Gerard said the informal campus holiday is a communitywide issue and said it is the job of both the cities of Champaign and Urbana, along with the University, to take on the role of keeping people safe. “We want people to respect our community, and we want them to respect the rights of others,” Gerard said. “So what we need to do is manage it to make people safe. Taking what was an event started in the spirit of civil disobedience and taking that aspect out.”
INSIDE
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289 tickets issued 107 tickets issued to University students 182 tickets issued to nonUniversity students 191 tickets issued to minors for drinking 80 tickets issued for public possession of alcohol
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328 tickets issued 123 tickets issued to University students 215 tickets issued to nonUniversity students 216 tickets issued to minors for drinking 74 tickets issued for public possession of alcohol
Ashley Dye, assistant dean of students and director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, said the student volunteers delivered the information with team leaders from the community, including police officers, firefighters, city council members and members of the Champaign Community Coalition. “We really value our relationship and partnership with both the cities,” Dye said. “The hope really is that people are think-
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Professional-oriented Non-thesis Less research-oriented More interdisciplinary
Master of Science: Q Q Q
Research-oriented Thesis or non-thesis More departmental within the College of Engineering
bachelor’s degree is not always enough to obtain or keep a good position, and one cannot usually afford to return to school for more than a year to do the advanced training employers want,” said Randy McCarthy, professor of mathematics.
See ENGINEERING, Page 3A
DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
28 people were transported to the hospital. “This is a community problem,” Clark said. “This isn’t something law enforcement is going to solve. It’s going to take law enforcement, the communi-
Champaign Mayor Don Gerard released his emergency order Wednesday morning for the informal campus holiday, which is expected to take place March 1 through March 2, although the order notes the holiday may extend into March 3. As in past years, the entry age for bars and licenses that sell alcohol will be 21 years or older from 10 a.m. March 1 to 2:30 a.m. March 2 and from 9 p.m. March 2 to 2:30 a.m. March 2. Establishments are also required to have one of-age employee checking IDs during business hours on March 1-3. The order forbids all Cha mpa ig n ba rs a nd restaurants with liquor licenses from serving or permitting consumption of alcoholic beverages between 6 to 10 a.m. on March 1-2. Other restrictions, in effect from 10 a.m. March 1 to 2:30 a.m. March 3, include: Q Hosting any private parties with drink specials
See WALK AS ONE, Page 3A
See UNOFFICIAL, Page 3A
2011 Q
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Mayor issues orders for bars, stores for Unofficial
2012 Q
Master of Engineering:
ZACH DALZELL THE DAILY ILLINI
A group of students waits for the group leader to receive bags to distribute during the Walk As One event on Wednesday. The event’s goal was to remind students to be safe during Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day. ing about having a plan for the way that they are engaging with alcohol in general and to think ahead about those things so that they can make smart choices.” Pauline Chitambo, freshman in LAS, was one of 30 student volunteers who helped stuff 2,900 bags Monday in preparation for Wednesday’s event. She said she thinks it is a good idea to distribute safety information in advance, as it may prevent some students from engaging in dangerous behavior.
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“People are going to pay a little bit more attention to the information that is coming toward them,” she said. “Maybe they’ll look over everything, maybe they won’t. But they’ll at least see one thing.” Clark wrote in an email that in 2012, Unofficial resulted in seven state criminal arrests, 22 medical calls and 14 trips to the hospital. That number was down from 2011, where 10 criminal arrests were made, 36 medical calls were placed and
More inside: To read a story
about Penn State’s State Patty’s Day celebration, a campuswide event similar to Unofficial, turn to Page 3A.
Police 2 A | Horoscopes 2 A | Opinions 4 A | Crossword 5 A | Comics 5 A | Greeks & Campus 6 A | Spor ts 1 B |
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