Eastern Illinois University The Keep March 1998 3-12-1998 Daily Eastern News: March 12, 1998 Eastern Illinois University Follow this and additional works at: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_1998_mar Recommended Citation Eastern Illinois University, "Daily Eastern News: March 12, 1998" (1998). March. 9. http://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_1998_mar/9 This is brought to you for free and open access by the 1998 at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in March by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SUNNY Spring a high of 35º The INSIDE Daily break Eastern Panther softball team Primary travel south for spring THURSDAY Eastern Illinois University Charleston, Ill. 61920 break March 12, 1998 decision Vol. 83, No. 118 tournament A full round-up of who’s 12 pages running in this year’s PAGE political races News PAGE 9 “Tell the truth and don’t be afraid” 12 Subpar pipes soak Carman Charleston water, pipes’ age factors in latest bust By HEATHER CYGAN “It sucks,” Angellotti said. “I Campus editor didn’t even know (hot water) was out until I tried to brush my Carman Hall flooded teeth.” Wednesday morning after water Bill Schnackel, the director of pipes broke and left residents university housing/dining ser- without hot water. vices, said “there is a project on Ted Weidner, the director of board” to fix the hot water facilities planning and piping. management, said the pipes Charleston water as well as broke because they were installed the age of the pipes also are 30 years ago. He said the major factors as to why the pipes university saved money when corrode, Schnackel said. Carman they installed the piping in Hall was constructed in 1969 and Carman Hall and has led to “a is now almost 30 years old. great deal of trouble with hot Carman Hall also has been water in Carman Hall.” experiencing a boiler problem as The piping easily corrodes, well, which explains the “great which springs leaks and clogs up, deal of trouble with hot water in Weidner said. The university is Carman,” Schnackel said. looking into replacing the system John Fleming, a resident but that takes funds and time, he assistant of Carman Hall and noted. senior social science major, said Carman Hall has experienced “there’s a leak in a pipe in the problems in the past and the second floor of the north tower problems continue to worsen, on the second floor and it’s Weidner said. affecting the whole tower.” ANNA BETZELBERGER/Associate photo editor Kristy Angellotti, a freshman “It’s always been something undecided major and resident of (wrong with Carman Hall),” A stretch the south tower, said Carman Fleming said. Eric Davidson, a peer educator, demonstrates the strength of a condom Wednesday night as part of Hall has no hot water. See SOAK page 2 “Project Safe Spring Break” in the University Ballroom of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Departments put academic grading to the test By TAMMIE SLOUP “Grade inflation is on an increase and Yale grade distribution is a point of “It is very difficult to compare these Staff writer nationwide,” said Richard Wandling, chair discussion. statistics without knowing the of the political science department. “There “There is a philosophical difference characteristics of each course within the Sixty-two percent of grades distributed is a higher percentage of people going to here; the student is gaged against an departments,” said Terry Weidner, vice during the fall semester 1997 were A’s and college and there is a higher amount of A’s absolute standard and faculty all grade president for academic affairs. B’s, which is a 6 percent decrease from the and B’s across the nation. differently,” Evans said. “It is a good thing The statistics show that the number of spring semester, according to statistics “EIU is reflective of what is happening that (the Council on Academic Affairs) is A’s and B’s distributed from the compiled by Eastern’s records office. nationwide,” Wandling said. “It is good trying to come to a consensus.” departments that have courses with large Documents listing the amount of A’s, that EIU initiated this discussion of Eastern faculty members and numbers of students were also high. B’s, C’s, D’s and F’s for each department grading practices.” administrators are in the process of During the spring 1997, 71 percent of the were compiled by the records office and Evans said grade inflation is an issue at discussing grading practices, but most of 3,432 grades given out by the English distributed to administrators and faculty Eastern. the concern is not about the high department were A’s and B’s. The members by Charles Evans, assistant vice “There is a substantial inflation,” Evans percentage of A’s and B’s, but the factors president for academic affairs. said. “Even at prestige schools like Duke that were not figured in with the statistics. See GRADES page 2 Retirement payouts ‘over the hill’; alternative sought By TAMMIE SLOUP “Whenever someone leaves, either by workers will be paid for half of their unused “We are trying to be frugal with dollars Staff writer resigning or retiring, they must be paid for sick days, but any sick days after that date from everywhere,” Weidner said. “We are half of their unused sick days,” said Terry will not be accumulated. hopeful to save some money.” The office of the vice president for Weidner, vice president for academic affairs. “Every year, (the vice president for He said it is difficult to make predictions academic affairs is looking for alternative “By law, we have to pay (the retirees) and academic affairs’ office) prepares a budget because additional people may retire and means of payment for faculty, administration we will find a way to cover it.” reflecting how many administrators, faculty resign. Those employees are allowed up and maintenance workers who retire or Every month, faculty, administration and and maintenance workers they think are until one day before they retire or resign to resign because the expected cost will exceed maintenance workers are allowed a certain going to retire or resign,” Weidner said. “The announce their plans to do so. the budgeted amount by $300,000. number of sick days and the amount varies amount of money to be paid out is appearing “We never know the exact amount that it Academic Affairs budgeted $700,000 for for each group, Weidner said. to be more than the office budgeted.” is going to be, so we have to make the best retirement payouts, but expects the cost to be He said the law was changed effective Weidner said he wanted to stress that the guess,” Weidner said. “Certainly no one will about $1 million. This money will have to Jan. 1. Any sick days that were accumulated money will be generated somehow and the leave without getting their mandated come from the internal budget of the before Jan. 1 will be accumulated and people who are retiring or resigning will be payoff.” university. faculty, administration and maintenance paid. 2 Thursday, March 12, 1998 The Daily Eastern News AB to vote on five board budgets SOAK from page one By RYAN HILLIGOSS Last week, the AB made final “The interest-based negotiation Jenny Houghtaling, a freshman computer management Staff writer cuts in the boards’ submitted bud- process gives the boards flexibility major and resident of the second floor of the north tower, said get requests, which totaled $316, in where the cuts come from,” there was water all over the floor by the lounge and the north The Apportionment Board 316. AB Chair Steve Zielinski said Zielinski said. “Both the AB and hallway. tonight will finalize and vote on the he would like to approve the bud- the boards will benefit by partic- Two “huge” puddles also surrounded the stove and closet budgets of five student activity fee- gets tonight and forward them to ipating.” area, Houghtaling said. funded boards. the Student Senate ahead of the The Student Senate must “At first I thought they were never going to find where it was The AB will meet at 6 p.m. in April 1 deadline so that the senate approve the budgets before they are leaking,” said Joscyln Tillery, the resident assistant of the north the Arcola Tuscola Room in the will have extra time to look them forwarded to administration offi- tower second floor of Carman Hall. The problem was caught in Martin Luther King Jr. University over. cials. time, but “could have been a disaster easily.” Union. Zielinski said the UB will be Zielinski said he would ask AB The north hallway and bathroom entrance, as well as the The AB is responsible for allo- called in tonight to participate in members to attend the April 1 sen- lounge, were invaded by the leaking waters. cating $310,000 from the student “interest-based negotiations” ate meeting in order to answer any Schnackel said the plumbers were at Carman Hall and have activity fee fund to five campus wherein the members can modify questions senate members might fixed the problem. He could not assess the damages at this time. boards: Student Senate, Dramatic line-item cuts. The other boards’ have regarding the budgets. Tillery said she was notified of the problem around 7:45 Performances, Division of Sports members reported to Zielinski that Zielinski said he has been pleased a.m. and she noticed the problem was fixed at least by 3 p.m. and Recreation, University Board they are pleased with the budgets as with the entire budgeting process Wednesday.