Updates to faculty layoff plan and other stuff

General Campus News, Updates, Discussion
wiu712
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I have bought a lot of stuff over the years at both the Macomb Radio Shack and J.C. Penney.

Sad to see them both gone.
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sealhall74
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ST, there is a replacement for them. It is called Amazon. ;)
Embrace the pace of the race.
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ST_Lawson
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sealhall74 wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:21 pm ST, there is a replacement for them. It is called Amazon. ;)
Oh trust me, I know. I get a ton of stuff off Amazon. Radio Shack's downfall (for me anyway), was when they went away from having every adapter and connector and wire in drawers and went to just selling phones and phone accessories. I used to go in there with an idea of what I needed, but I needed to talk it over with someone who knew a bit more than me about electronics and take a look at the stuff and get my hands on it before I knew exactly what I needed.

I think in this town, Walmart kinda killed off any chance that K-Mart or JCPenney had. I don't really buy clothes online outside of the very occasional and specific running clothes that I know exactly what I need and buy maybe once a year.
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rocki
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sealhall74 wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:21 pm ST, there is a replacement for them. It is called Amazon. ;)
True, but Amazon doesn't help the employment/economic system in Macomb. And the Macomb square used to be packed with different stores before WalMart. Yeah, I'm an old fart. 8-)
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ST_Lawson
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rocki wrote:
sealhall74 wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:21 pm ST, there is a replacement for them. It is called Amazon. ;)
True, but Amazon doesn't help the employment/economic system in Macomb. And the Macomb square used to be packed with different stores before WalMart. Yeah, I'm an old fart. 8-)
Yup. I used to manage one of those (and my dad used to own a different one). Actually, I've technically worked at 4 different stores that were on the square and are no longer there....oh crap, it's me isn't it?


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wiu712
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rocki wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:08 pmAmazon doesn't help the employment/economic system in Macomb.
Store closings in Macomb (especially Penneys) might cause people to go to Quincy, Galesburg, or Burlington to shop. That also does not help the local economy.
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Tere North
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ST_Lawson wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2017 9:12 pm Actually, I've technically worked at 4 different stores that were on the square and are no longer there....oh crap, it's me isn't it?
Oh, no :D . Don't let the word out!
wiu712
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Ralph Martire: Illinois needs to make higher education a priority.

Ralph Martire is executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a bipartisan fiscal policy think tank.

Much consternation has recently been expressed over declining student enrollment in Illinois’ public universities, and for good reason. According to the Illinois Board of Higher Education, total enrollment dropped by more than 4,400 students from the 2016 to 2017 spring terms. This net loss is particularly troubling, since the state’s flagship institution — the University of Illinois in Champaign — saw its student body grow over this sequence.

That means other mainstays of higher learning in the state — like Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Western Illinois University in Macomb, and Chicago State and Governors State Universities in the Chicago metro region — have been particularly hard hit, realizing year-to-year enrollment declines ranging from 9 to 11.5 percent.

Much of the blame for this slide in enrollment has been placed squarely on Illinois’ failure to pass a state budget for either of the last two fiscal years. Which is accurate as far as it goes. After all, state funding of higher education in each of fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2017 was at least 64 percent, or $1.2 billion, lower than 2015. But hey, this summer a bipartisan group of legislators worked together and did the right thing: They overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto and passed a full budget into law for fiscal year 2018. Better yet, that final budget increased higher education funding by some $1.1 billion over 2017, so problem solved, right?

Well, no actually. Although 2018 funding of higher education is a significant improvement over the past couple of years, it really represents more of a “stop-the-bleeding” moment, than a “woo-hoo, problem solved” moment. The reason for this is simple: Fiscal year 2018 funding levels don’t constitute a material departure from Illinois’ long-term disinvestment in higher education. Here’s why.

The IBHE is legally required to submit an annual budget recommendation for higher education to decision makers. For fiscal year 2018, that recommendation totaled $2.125 billion, or some $287 million more than the final budgeted amount. Which is nothing new: Over the last decade, actual state funding for higher education was fully $3.9 billion less, in the aggregate, than what IBHE recommended.

For a real eye-opener look back to fiscal year 2000, when the appropriation for higher education was $2.15 billion — or about $314 million more, in nominal, non-inflation adjusted dollars, than fiscal year 2018. Of course, inflation matters: Over time it drives up the cost of everything, from running a business to educating college kids. After adjusting for inflation, state funding for higher education in 2018 is fully 51.6 percent less than in fiscal year 2000.

This consistent disinvestment has had consequences, none of them good. For instance, many Illinois public universities — like Western, for instance — have had to cut core academic offerings like philosophy, due to underfunding. Meanwhile, crucial student financial supports like the Monetary Assistance Program — which provides low-income kids financial aid in the form of grants they don’t have to repay — aren’t funded anywhere near what’s necessary to meet demographically driven need. In response, potential college students have been voting with their feet: During the last 10 years, enrollment declined at Illinois’ public universities by more than 14,000 students.

Meanwhile, all the evidence indicates Illinois should reverse course, and invest in building a world-class higher education system. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for high school grads is more than twice as high as it is for college grads. Moreover, the wage gap between high school and college grads has doubled since 1979, growing from 23.5 to 47 percent. Want more evidence? From 1979-2012, states with the greatest increases in productivity and highest per capita incomes also had the largest share of adults with a college degree. Not to mention that higher education plays a crucial role in facilitating upward economic mobility for individuals who come from low-income backgrounds.

Despite all that, Illinois continues to lag the nation in making higher education investment a priority — and kids heading off to college have noticed.
wiu712
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University seeks mediation in contract negotiations.

From today's McDonough County Voice:
http://www.mcdonoughvoice.com/news/2017 ... gotiations
wiu712
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From Rich Miller's Capitol Fax:

Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) and Rep. Dan Brady (R-Normal) are filing a bill called the Higher Education Strategic Centers of Excellence Plan,to overhaul the higher education system. Dot points…

• Creates a uniform admission application to be accepted at all public universities in Illinois.

• Any high school student with a grade of B or better average will qualify for automatic admission to an academically appropriate public university if they maintain their B average through graduation. This will extend an opportunity to all students in Illinois; while respecting individual institutions rights to admit students that are the best fit for their existing programs.

• Any student who is not offered admission to a public university must automatically be referred to the community college district where they live and provided with enrollment information.

• If a public institution of higher education accepts a student, they will receive an acceptance letter from that institution setting forth any grants or scholarship offers extended by the institution at that time.
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