Eastern Illinois University The Keep January 1992 1-10-1992 Daily Eastern News: January 10, 1992 Eastern Illinois University Follow this and additional works at: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_1992_jan Recommended Citation Eastern Illinois University, "Daily Eastern News: January 10, 1992" (1992). January. 4. http://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_1992_jan/4 This is brought to you for free and open access by the 1992 at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in January by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Unplugged Westcott, Epperson and Davis accostic acoustics. Section B Spending freeze hits Eastern By STUART TART leges received phone calls Editor in chief Wednesday evening from acting State budget Vice President for Academic A complete spending freeze Affairs Barbara Hill and acting cut may not went into effect for the universi­ Associate Vice President for ty Thursday as administrators Academic. Affairs Terry Weidner hurt education continued to assess how a 3 per­ informing them of the freeze. By BOB MCKEE cent across-the-board budget Deans in turn spent Thursday Senior reporter callback proposed by Gov. Jim morning spreading the word to Edgar will affect Eastern. department chairs and other fis­ As it looks now. some slate Vice President for Business cal agents within their areas. programs might not feel the total wrath of the $350 million Affairs Charles Colbert said As of Thursday morning, across-the-board budget cut Thursday the spending freeze. however, several deans said they proposed by Gov. Jim Edgar - which he said may end Monday, did not know what the budget educaticm could be one of is designed to allow the business freeze meant. them. office to determine how much Charles Joley. dean of the State Rep. Mike Wea\·cr. R­ money are in university ac­ College of Education, received a Ashmore. suited Thursday that counts so a plan can be formu­ call from Weidner Wednesday ~ the imposed cuts before the lated to deal wi Lh a callback. night. General Assembly could pQSsi­ .. Essentially. what we have "He said. 'there is a budget bly be made in a flexible man­ done is not processing anything freeze. There wi II be no spend­ ner. not imposing cuts where they will be hard felt. in the business office until after ing on anything,"' Joley said. There will not be a distinct the weekend," he said. "We 're all pretty concerned cut across-the-board if the pro­ "The only reason we're doing here ... l've never experienced posal is passed, Weaver said. that is so we can see where we anything like this." he added. simply because some programs are." he added, explaining the Joley said he had no idea such as senior programs cannot university needs to know what Thursday morning how the receive any more losses and DAN KOONCE /Photo editor the balances of individual line freeze would affect his college, still serve the public that items are. "We need to know and he was trying to find out depend on them. what the line items are; we need how it will affect individual Edgar proposed the budget lesion Street Department employee Todd Sawyer tightens the cuts and a $500 million loan to know all of the balances." budget items, such as telephone 'r;/raln on a chainsaw before removing excess foliage across the street plan before a joint session of Deans of the academic col- Kiwanis Park Thursday afternoon. t Continued on page 2A the state legislature Wednesday in an attempt to combat a recessionary revenue gap stem­ eace Meal program under investigation ming from the national reces­ sion. The recession spurred IfJAMIE RILEY ly upset with it and was really kind of distressed," Paci no said. state revenues to plummet in ldministration editor "T he feeling I got from the November and December after ''~~~-------~ exceeding estimates in Sep­ The Peace Meal program is employee was that there was a pressure applied ; that if you tember and October. currently under investigation by I have asked an internal auditor to look at "We have got some rather Eastern 's human resources didn't do this, if you didn't go along, you were implicated," he large biUs that we are trying to department at President Stan the f inancial concerns expressed in the letter. catcb up on," Weaver said said. Rives' request because of referring to $596 million the llleged "financial concerns" and Pacino said that although the President Stan Rives practice of fingerpr inting state owes for Medicaid ex­ -employment of relatives" with- penses and an additional $434 111 lbe program. employees is "unusual," it is not illegal if done with the permis­ in other unpaid bills. An anonymous letter was sent The S tate Appropriations IO several individuals on campus sion of the employee. Crouse said any employee Committee antic-ipates that a ad to The News in November. general 3 percenr budget ceived harassing phone calls and harassing communication. who wanted to be interviewed After receiving the letter in decrease should be adequate to November, Rives told Tiie letters. according to Jim Pacino. " It was at their request to was taken behind closed doors at the University Police station sustain the state financially News. "I have asked an internal assistant vice president for'' make sure they knew what their until fiscal year 1992 expires auditor to look at the financial human resources. recourse was," Crouse said. and fingerprinted there. She also said that the police on June 30, Weaver said. He concerns expressed in the let­ Crouse said the gist of the According to Pacino, the added that even though exact &er." second two letters was "we issue of fingerprinting came up officer who attended the meet­ ing told employees at least three figures are not known as of yet. He added he has also asked know who you are, what you're during the course of the Jan. 2 education programs should Eastern's human reso urces doing, and you're going to go meeting. times that any fingerprinting would be done on a voluntary receive minimal cuts. department to look into charges down." Crouse said she did not "Apparen tly what happened The trimming in education in the letter concerning employ­ know what was meant by the was a me mber of the police basis. "They were told at least three Weaver suggests is in the ment of relatives within the pro- letter or who was targeted by the department joined in (the meet­ administration - a sect which letter. ing), and this police officer was times that any fingerprinting and ~ · has grown 15 percent over the The program is sponsored by Peace Meal supervisors, in­ giving information about phone phone tapping would be done at taps," Pacino said. "Well, some­ the individual's request," Crouse Jast decade. je home economics depanment cluding Crouse and Peace Meal Weaver suggests more how the subject of fingerprint­ said. ,and is funded by the Older Director Mike Strader, said the emphasis should be placed on Americans Act. Peace Meal also fingerprinting was done volun­ ing came up and in this context, "The employee's perspective and ... according to Dr. Crouse, (who called Pacino) was that "where the road meets the rutr includes funds from local and tari I y in order to he lp the ber" regarding financial sup­ people were given the option of (the fi ngerprinting) was a pres­ state sources to provide congre­ employees feel better protected port of education. gate and home-delivered meals against further harassment, such fingerprinting at their own dis­ sure on her. There was not an attempt to put any pressure on," "We have to put our money for the elderly, according to as the Jetter or phone calls. The cretion." in the classroom," Weaver said. Pacino said that after the fi n­ said Pacino, who added that in home economics Chair Joyce fin gerprinting was n ot, the there gerprinting had been done, he his investigation he learned the "I have to believe is some Crouse , who also oversees supervisors said, an attempt to administrative curs that could Peace Meal. discover who was leaking infor­ received a telephone call from a meeting and eventual finger­ Peace Meal employee who was printing were attempts by the be made.'' Employees at Peace Meal mation about Peace Meal hir­ In conjuction with the bud­ upset with the fingerprinting. Peace Meal supervisors to pro­ were interviewed and finger­ ings to outsiders. get c•1ts, the proposaJ calls for a "I got a telephone call from vide a support mechanism. printed by the University Police Crouse said Peace Meal plan to borrow $500 million. Depariment last week. employees requested a meeting someone at Peace Meal who " It was in the context of After the anonymous letter in which they could discuss any wouldn't identify herself and explaining what people could do • Cominued on page 2A Wl.s sent, two employees re- course of protection against basically indicated she was real- legally," he said. We Deliver Spending 11 am - 11 p t From page one from $50,000 to $600 in a year, and Jaenilce said he expects the uni­ the coDege only received the $600 versities• budget problems to CHICKEN SANDWICH, FRIES t!t 20 OZ. DRI and 1ravel, the student 1e8Ching ~ gram - which has already begun because a printer broke down early increase during the next several this semester - and purchases that in the fiscal year, he said years. .. I think for the next several have abeady been requested. Ted lvmie, dean of the Lumpkin $319 '1'he order was for a complete College of Business.