State still owes university millions

The state still owes the university $52 million for the current fiscal year, SIU President Glenn Poshard said Tuesday.

Poshard told the SIU Board of Trustees Wednesday the state had paid the final $22 million appropriations for fiscal year 2011, but six months into fiscal year 2012, both the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses are already owed $67 million of the $219 million in yearly appropriations.

He said getting the money for…

University College dean to tackle student retention

Almost a semester after the University College was fully implemented, Mark Amos was named Associate Provost and Dean for the student support model.

The model was first established with the restructuring of the division of Student Affairs in December to pull together units and services on campus to enhance student success and offer support during their first year. The model, used by other universities across the country such as Illinois…

Unions work together to prevent regional union-busting trend

After a year of contract negotiations and a weeklong strike, campus unions have learned the same thing as national unions: Unions are stronger when together in solidarity.

When the Faculty Association went on strike Nov. 3 as contract negotiations with the administration continued, the group’s three sister unions, which had reached contract agreements, supported the FA by picketing when they weren’t working.

The four unions — the Association of Civil Service…

Black Friday breaks shopping records despite slow economy

As many stores opened just after midnight Friday to begin the holiday shopping season, eager customers waited in even longer lines than previous years, when stores opened at 3 and 4 a.m.

According to a press release from ShopperTrak — the world’s largest counting service of retail and mall foot-traffic — Black Friday sales increased 6.6 percent compared to the same day last…

Two administrative positions filled

The positions for the university’s chief academic officer and dean of a new college that addresses student retention have been filled.

Mark Amos, associate professor in English and director of Saluki First Year, was appointed the dean of the University College Friday. The SIU Board of Trustees will have to ratify the hire, which officially started Nov. 15

Chancellor Rita Cheng began implementing the University College in December with the restructuring…

Shotgun season brings family together

For many in southern Illinois, the first shotgun season of the year means time to spend with family and friends.

Taylor Green, of Unity, was out and ready to hunt at 6 a.m. Saturday with her grandfather, Jim Richards, of Mounds City.

Green, 14, said her grandfather has been teaching her to hunt for two years.

“I enjoy it, but I like spending time with him more than anything,” she said.

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Occupy Carbondale makes plans inside

As part of their non-violent action, almost 40 supporters associated with Occupy Carbondale held a demonstration Thursday outside of the Senator Paul Simon Federal Building in Carbondale.

To mark the two-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street — a movement to end the corruption of democracy — groups across the country held demonstrations, many of which shut down rush-hour traffic in major cities. People of the Occupy Wall Street movement have…

Union to vote on agreement in two weeks

The Faculty Association and the administration signed a tentative agreement five days after the union called off a week-long strike.

Dave Johnson, FA spokesman, said the agreement was reached Monday afternoon. He said the union’s Departmental Representatives Council — the governing body — will vote Thursday on the contract and the full membership will vote Nov. 28.

The three Illinois Education Association unions that did not go on strike — the…

Mounds, Cairo veterans practice daily patriotism

After he shuffled out of his house and made sure his cap — decorated with war medals — was fit to his head, Bob Hogan walked down the street to meet a small group of friends to watch the Veterans Day memorial service.

Hogan, a Cairo resident, said as the years pass, people have become less patriotic.

More than 50 people were in attendance at the Cairo ceremony but Hogan, who…

Board of Trustees addresses strike issues

Students expressed their concern with issues that came from the strike at both the executive session and regular meeting of the SIU Board of Trustees.

At the executive session Wednesday at the Stone Center – which is the office place of SIU President Glenn Poshard – almost 200 students, faculty, staff and community members with picket signs circled where the meeting was taking place. Those who participated voiced their opinions…

Union, association continue negotiations

The Faculty Association and the administration progressed into their third day of bargaining Tuesday.

Negotiations ended late Tuesday and in an email from Chancellor Rita Cheng, she said they will resume today.

Both sides sent messages Monday night expressing where they stood on issues that separated them in negotiations. The two teams began discussions at 3 p.m. Sunday and continued for 27 hours before deciding to take a break.

In an email…

Students in solidarity with union

While the Faculty Association and administration were in its second day of non-stop bargaining, more than 400 students, faculty and community members marched through campus and around Anthony Hall in support of the Faculty Association.

Chants of “We want contracts now,” from faculty members were heard alongside “We want our teachers back,” from students.

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Three unions to have members vote on tentative agreement

Contracts for three unions must be approved by dues-paying members before they can be signed.

Early Thursday morning as the Faculty Association went on strike the unions representing civil service employees, non-tenure track faculty and graduate assistants reached tentative agreements.

Chancellor Rita Cheng said the union and administration bargaining teams have met frequently in the last few weeks and negotiated from early morning Wednesday to early morning Thursday in order to…

Unions say strike not about money, Cheng begs to differ

Editor’s Note: The following story discusses issues affecting two unions negotiating its contracts, the Faculty Association and the Association of Civil Service Employees. Tuesday’s edition of the Daily Egyptian discussed two other unions, the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Association and Graduate Assistants United.

While administrators say a majority of the items being negotiated in the unions’ contracts concern money, union leaders insist the issues do not.

Four unions representing students, faculty and…

Unions’ leaders say negotiations continue without progress

Editors Note: The following story covers bargaining issues for two of the four unions in contract negotiations, Graduate Assistants United and the Non-Tenure Track Faculty Association. A story focused on the remaining unions, the Faculty Association and the Association of Civil Service Employees, will appear in Wednesday’s edition of the Daily Egypitan.

With an impending strike date set for Thursday, details of union contract negotiations…

University community prepares as strike date approaches

In the past several months, four unions representing students, faculty and staff at the university have taken many steps toward the strike date set for Thursday.

While members of the unions say they want to avoid a strike, they have also said they will walk out if settlements are not reached by 12:01 a.m Thursday.

The Illinois Education Association unions — the Association of Civil Service Employees, the Faculty Association, Graduate…

State owes universities millions

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is one of the nine public universities in Illinois owed more than half a billion dollars in state appropriations. The state is almost $54 million behind in payments for fiscal year 2011 and almost $23 million for fiscal year 2012 to the Carbondale campus. These payments are usually due in August but legislators extended the deadline last spring to Dec. 31.

In the 2010-11 academic year,…

Sub-committee discusses funding requirements

Three unions set strike date

Three of the four unions in contract negotiations have set a strike date for Nov. 3.

Leadership of the Faculty Association, Non-Tenure Track Faculty Association and the Association of Civil Service Employees said the unions will strike if a settlement has not been reached by then.

The Departmental Representative Council for the FA voted Thursday 29-1 to strike, and both the Executive Council of the ACSE and the House of Delegates…

Faculty Association sets strike date

Tenure and tenure-track faculty members represented by the Faculty Association will go on strike in two weeks if a settlement is not reached.

The Departmental Representatives Council — the governing body for the Faculty Association — voted Thursday,  29 to one, in favor of a strike Nov. 3.

“Strike is always a means of getting an agreement,” said Dave Johnson, DRC chair, after the vote count was tallied. “If we can…