Daily Eastern News: October 10, 2003 Eastern Illinois University
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Eastern Illinois University The Keep October 2003 10-10-2003 Daily Eastern News: October 10, 2003 Eastern Illinois University Follow this and additional works at: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_2003_oct Recommended Citation Eastern Illinois University, "Daily Eastern News: October 10, 2003" (2003). October. 7. http://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_2003_oct/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the 2003 at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in October by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. N “Tell the truth October 10, 2003 FRIDAY and don’t be afraid.” VOLUME 87, NUMBER 35 THEDAILYEASTERNNEWS.COM Time for wholesome fun Family Weekend is upon Eastern again, and with it, a host of activities. Page 1B VERGE Job pool for grads shrinks N Economy breeds fierce competition among alumni By Jeff Stauber STAFF WRITER The current job market for Eastern gradu- ates is smaller and more competitive than it has been in recent years, university officials said. Linda Moore, director of Career Services, said the job placement rate for Eastern gradu- ates had fallen to 88 percent last year, some- what lower than the university’s typical rate of 94 to 96 percent. She also said it took last year’s Eastern graduates an average of nine months to DAILY EASTERN NEWS PHOTO BY CARLY MULLADY find a job. Over the past 10 years, approximately 70 local homes like these on Jefferson Avenue have been revamped with money from Illinois Moore said the job market is still struggling Housing Development Authority grants. because of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the fall of corporate giants Enron and Worldcom . “September 11 itself was devastating,” Moore said. “It was an immediate bath of ice water for the job market.” Grants to improve six homes While the university’s job placement rate is still 18 percentage points better than the By Carly Mullady ger communities such as the Champaign, ment go through the homes with the own- national average of 70 percent, increased com- CITY EDITOR Bloomington and Chicago areas, but was ers, determining the necessary repairs. petition in the job market means graduates eventually expanded. “We fulfill code requirements first, then have to work harder to find a job in their The Charleston City Council Tuesday Since Charleston joined the areas sub- see what work could make the house more desired field. authorized support for continuing housing mitting applications, several homes have livable and energy efficient,” Finley said. Bobby Schwarz, a family and consumer sci- grants to assist homeowners and increase been submitted annually meaning repairs Instructions for contractors are then ence major who graduated in December 2002, local aesthetics. for approximately 70 homes. developed and another walk-through is said he spent about 20 hours a week looking for Mayor Dan Cougill said this year the city The state housing authority allows done with a regional planner, a community a job in his field while at the same time work- is submitting applications for approximate- $29,999 per home, Finley said, up $5,000 development representative and the con- ing full-time in a low-paying retail position. ly $186,000 worth of grants to repair five or from previous years. tractor, and bids are prepared. “It took me ten months to find a job in my six local homes. “The program we do is for owner-occu- “The owner has input but we actually field,” Schwarz said. “Everyone has that expec- This is the tenth year these grants, or pied, single-family homes,” Finley said. solicit contractors to issue bids,” Finley said. tation that once they graduate, they get a job “forgivable loans,” have been dedicated to Owners of single-family homes in need A successful bidder is chosen, contracts and that’s it. But that’s not the way it goes.” Charleston residences, community devel- of repair apply for grant eligibility based on are issued between the contractor and Also, companies who attend Eastern job fairs opment director Jeff Finley said. income, age, disabilities and the number of homeowner, work is done and the city pays are changing the ways in which they look for “One-one hundred and twentieth of the people in the household. the bill. people to hire. loan is forgiven per month the owner lives Coles County Regional Planning and the “From the first application to the time “The market is out there.” Moore said. there,” Finley said. community work together to select the few the work is done would be 11 months or “Students just have to understand that they Loan recipients need not pay back their who qualify. less,” Finley said. need to be proactive, because the jobs are not loans unless they sell the homes before a 10- They then submit a more extensive “IHDA is good about it. If you qualify you there in the quantity they used to be. The ones year period. Should they sell their homes application which is sent to development get the money, the other part is the commu- who are the hungriest and most prepared are before the 10 years are up, they are respon- authority for approval. nity’s success in completing previous proj- the ones getting the jobs.” sible for 1/120 of the loan for each month “This year we’re applying for money for ects,” Cougill said. “The work Jeff and Normally students submit their resumes to left. six,” Finley said. “That is what we have got- regional planning does puts us in a good posi- employers at the fairs, and then employers fol- “The money is federal HUD (Housing ten the past couple of years.” tion with IHDA and gives us a good record. low-up with students they want to interview. and Urban Development) money passed to “If people qualify for the grant, they try “What we ask for is what we get; reputa- “They’re not doing that anymore,” said the state of Illinois Housing Development to give them some money.” tion is an important part.” Moore. “They’re waiting to see who comes to Authority,” Finley said. “We kind of stum- When the grant money is received for them, who asks them for the interview. It’s a bled on the program.” selected homes, representatives from City editor Carly Mullady can be reached at big switch this year.” Money had previously been going to big- regional planning and community develop- [email protected]. SEE JOBS N Page 7 Faculty Senate to debate BOT confidence vote By Tim Martin action.” tial applicants qualified to BOT: equal employment opportuni- ADMINISTRATION EDITOR Allison proposed the motion, and have a doctoral serve the uni- ty; competitive hiring; and “mean- biology professor Barbara or terminal versity, as a ingful” shared governance. The Faculty Senate will debate Lawrence seconded it. Allison said degree, and group, they are He hopes a vote of no confidence whether to begin the process to take he did so in part because the late experience in not. would attract the notice of members a vote of confidence against the Luis Clay-Mendez had told him last academics full- Faculty of the Illinois Board of Higher Board of Trustees at its Tuesday week he had planned to do so. time. Hencken, Senate Chair Education, the middleman between meeting. Mr. Clay-Mendez, the senate’s who was first David higher education institutions with Some senate members expressed recorder, died Friday. Lawrence, the appointed inter- Carpenter said the State General Assembly and the frustration toward last week’s board senate’s vice chair, also said she sec- im president discussion of State Government. decision to end the presidential onded the motion in Mr. Clay- July 1, 1999, has Roger Dettro the motion came Nate Anderson “It’s a serious step,” Allison said search and offer interim President Mendez’s honor. neither of those as an “expres- of the potential vote. “I think it is an Lou Hencken a two-year contract That stance, however, is one that requirements. sion of a lack of important accomplishment for the extension. numerous senate members hold. The senate is only set to discuss confidence” by faculty to the BOT. faculty to take a strong stand for The senate members previously “The board after all has taken its the possibility of a vote of confi- BOT Chair Nate Anderson, along important values. Making a state- said shared governance, or equal action,” Allison said. “The Faculty dence. Allison said if the senate with student representative Bill ment, sometimes, in itself is input from all campus entities, was Senate, in representing the faculty, decides such a vote is needed, he Davidson and vice president Betsy extremely valuable.” not enforced because the BOT deci- should respond in some way.” then would hope the senate provides Mitchell, attended the Sept. 31 sen- And it’s that statement that does sion came soon after the BOT Secretary Roger Dettro a faculty-wide referendum “just to ate meeting and listened to their not worry Anderson. Presidential Search Committee had believes an “overwhelming” majori- assure that the faculty is being accu- concerns. “I can say proudly, we are one of met for the first time. ty of faculty back Hencken’s leader- rately represented.” “If they are going to have a vote the most dedicated boards in the If the faculty were to vote no con- ship skills, and that despite the Various senate members have on one issue, well, I would assume state,” he said. “We’re all alumni fidence against the BOT, no legisla- process, a vote of confidence would said numerous times the issue is not there’s nothing we can do,” and we’re making the best deci- tive action would result, but rather not pass if voted on as a campus- Hencken, but the process by which Anderson said.