An NIU student was killed in an apparent train accident Saturday.

Kenneth McInnis, 23, a pre-communication major, was pronounced dead by the DeKalb County Coroner's office at 2:15 a.m. Saturday.

His body was found by DeKalb police at 1:42 a.m. Saturday after police responded to a reference to a possible train accident at the 1000 block of West Lincoln Highway, according to DeKalb police reports.

According to the coroner's report, no foul play is suspected and it is being investigated by the DeKalb Police Department and the DeKalb County Coroner's Office.

An examination of the death is pending.

"The grant will be used to study the rules that govern how animals grow up, or their so-called life history," Schwartz said. "This is a fundamental aspect of an animal's biology and a very difficult thing to examine in long-dead fossils, but new tools are allowing us to accurately reconstruct the important biological parameter with unparalleled precision."

Schwartz attended New York's Stony Brook University with initial intentions of studying physics and astronomy, but he said anthropology found him.

"I have always been fascinated with natural history, at one level or another," Schwartz said.

"My earliest memories are begging my parents to drive me into the American Museum of Natural History on a Saturday, so that I could go see all the wonderful dinosaur and mammal fossils. I always knew I would end up studying the history of our planet, whether it was from the perspective of an astronomer, or that of a paleontologist."

Although Schwartz has been teaching at NIU since the beginning of August, a variety of other schools has given him experience in his field.

Schwartz was accepted to do his master's and then his Ph.D. at Washington University in St. Louis. Before finishing, however, he went to South Africa where he taught anatomy at Witwatersrand Medical School in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He then was granted a post-doctoral research position at University College London. After that, he took up a second post-doc position at the Smithsonian Institution's Natural History Museum in D.C.

"NIU has generously supported my research since my first arriving here last autumn," Schwartz said. "It has taken a year, but my lab is finally up and running enabling me to begin my research in earnest."

Schwartz feels fortunate to work at the anthropology department at NIU because of the recognized master's program.

"It is important for these students to learn the ropes insofar as getting one's hands dirty in the lab," Schwartz said. "Students learn the most by actually doing it, and this is just the kind of research that will introduce the uninitiated to the process of scientific discovery."

Schwartz believes that anthropology gives students a more physical appeal to learning.

"More than any other subject, biological anthropology is a touchy-feely science; students have to hold, fondle, palpate, examine, etc.," Schwartz said. "The direct evidence on which human evolutionary scenarios are based. It is astounding to see the light bulb turn on in students when they are able to hold in their hands the entire cast of characters in the story of human evolution."

Members of the Student Association Senate marched from an aborted senate meeting to SA President Kevin Miller's office Sunday night.

Senators angry at Miller's lack of availability for scheduling meetings walked from the Holmes Student Center's Clara Sperling Skyroom after quorum for a "special session" meeting called by Miller was not met.

Miller had called a special session of the senate to give them an opportunity to reconsider vetoes made by Miller to the Campus Activity Board's budget recommendations.

The senate had approved a recommended allocation of $508,924 at last week's senate meeting.

Miller had reduced the budget by $83,943 to a total recommended allocation of $424,981.

Meyer, Gravel and members of CAB will file a complaint to the SA Supreme Court today alleging, among other things, Miller had exceeded his constitutional powers and had injured the CAB members named on the complaint.

The complaint then asks for the court to restore the CAB allocation to the $508,924 originally recommended.

Laisha Fox, SA senator and Campus Activities Board president said she tried to meet with Miller in September.

"We got one in January, a semester later," Fox said.

Doug Reisinger, acting president pro tempore, said the executives of the SA cannot do anything at this point.

"Yelling at each other will not change a thing," Reisinger said in the Skyroom. He suggested for them to go to Miller's office.

After quorum was not met, Bertrand Simpson, associate director of University Programming and Activities stayed and discussed the veto with the senators and members of CAB.

Simpson alluded to the reason for Miller's budget veto being because of the Big Time Entertainment committee and the Convocation Center.

After the pack had arrived in the Campus Life Building, they were informed by some members of CAB that Miller had just left. Sen. R.J. Gravel and Speaker Andrew Nelms then called and left messages on Miller's voice mail.

"We'll be here for a while," said Sen. Jeff Meyer.

While the group waited outside of the SA office, Brooke Robinson, SA director of public affairs, returned briefly to the SA office.

"How about you stand up for something you believe in when you don't have a microphone in your face?" Robinson said to Meyer. "You are such a media whore."

Eleven senators showed up for the meeting, which required 17 in order to be held.

"We stood at ease for four minutes," Reisinger said.

Nelms said that to his knowledge he had never heard of a meeting not meeting quorum. He said the finals schedules probably contributed to the lack of senators present.

Despite the meeting problem, the veto's budgets will go ahead as changed, Nelms said.

"The senate did not reconsider the bill because we did not meet quorum," Nelms said.

Many of the senators and members of CAB still present after the meeting complained that Miller had left quickly from the meeting, before answering questions.

Shortly after the meeting, Meyer said the changes to CAB's budget went beyond the normal line item veto power the president has. He said Miller gave amended numbers instead of vetoing specific lines in the budget.

"How was what he did a veto?" Meyer asked shortly after the meeting. "It was an amendment."

Robinson refuted Meyer's claim. She said Miller had gone through the bill and vetoed the increases only and not the proposed budgets lines.

"I think your propagating lies," Robinson said to Meyer at the Skyroom.

While using your old textbooks as the fuel for an end-of-the-semester bonfire may be popular, a much more profitable way of disposing of these much-hated objects is to sell them back to the store you bought them from.

At the University Bookstore, book buyback is May 5 through May 8 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Center Cafe West Corridor (CCW) of the Holmes Student Center and 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the bookstore service desk. Also on May 9 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the buyback will be in the CCW. Buyback also is on May 10 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the service desk.

Students must show their NIU OneCards to the University Bookstore to sell their books back.

At the Village Commons Bookstore, special book buyback hours are May 5 through May 8 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., May 9 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and May 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The VCB also will buy students' books back at any other time during the year.

Mitch Kielb, acting director of the Holmes Student Center, said 50 percent of the books sold by the University Bookstore are used.

Kielb said the bookstore has two different ways of determining how much money to give students for these books.

If NIU will be using a book again, the University Bookstore will pay half of the new price no matter if the student bought the book new or used.

If NIU will not be using the book or if the University Bookstore does not need it, the bookstore will pay based on the price the book can be sold to a wholeseller for.

The state budget cuts to NIU won't affect how much money the University Bookstore pays students for books, Kielb said.

Lee Blankenship, owner and general manager of the VCB, said the VCB will pay at least half of the new price of a book if it was bought used and if NIU will be using it again, and if NIU will not be using the book or the VCB does not need it, the VCB determines how much a book is worth based on its national wholesale value.

Kielb and Blankenship both said a book may not be sold back if it is a new edition that NIU will not use again and a wholeseller can't sell it either or if it originally had a CD-ROM and no longer does.

"Anything you bought, bring it all back. If it's a set, bring the whole set back, not just a part," Kielb said. "If we need it all, and you don't have it, we won't buy any of it back."

Kielb and Blankenship both said general studies-type books are returned the most because these books are not typically students' major books that they feel they'll need in the future, and Kielb warned that students should think before they sell back all of their books.

"Sometimes people are too quick to sell," Kielb said. "You might need a book again to look back at in the future if you're taking other classes in the subject."

Usually, students will get a better price for their books if they sell them at the beginning of buyback week before the University Bookstore and the VCB fill up on books and have to pay the lower wholesale price, Kielb and Blankenship both said.

However, Kielb also said that sometimes the bookstores don't have the information from certain professors at the beginning of buyback week about which books they'll be using and that students might then get a better price later in the week after the information has come in.

Students can ask if their professors' information has come in before they sell their books.

Blankenship said that sometimes the VCB and the University Bookstore differ on the amount of money they give students for books when one store reaches its limit for certain books before the other does and then drops the price of the books to the wholesale value.

For information on book buyback, call either the University Bookstore at 753-1081 or the VCB at 758-0613.

NIU’s Board of Trustees approved a differentiating tuition rate increase averaging 11 percent and a $100 surcharge during a special session on May 5 in the Skyroom of the Holmes Student Center.

Chairman Manny Sanchez, who chaired in the meeting via telephone, also instructed President Peters to form a team that will find a way to create some financial reward for faculty and staff.

The board approved a tuition rate increase of nine percent for freshman and sophomores and an 12 percent increase for juniors, seniors and graduate students. "It’s an idea that’s time has come for NIU," Peters said about the differentiating tuition rates.

Peters said the need to charge upper division undergraduate and graduate students more for tuition is because they have more needs than lower division students. He said their schedule consists of smaller classes, more lab resources and other needs that come with upper level classes, therefore, they should carry more financial responsibility.

The program allowing students to receive a lower tuition charge when taking more hours will remain in effect, said Eddie Williams. Based on a 12 credit hour schedule, undergraduate lower-division students will pay $140 more a semester and $186 more a semester for upper-division undergraduate students.

The tuition rate increase will also affect the summer session tuition.

Trustees Barbara Giorgi Vella, Catherine Adduci, Robert Boey and student trustee Jesse Perez joined Sanchez in approving the motion. Trustee Myron Siegel voted "present", therefore abstaining from the vote. Trustees George Moser and Gary Skoien were not available to participate in the vote.

Siegel declined to explain why he didn’t vote for or against the tuition rate increase, only saying that he had explained his views with other board members via e-mail and in face to face conversations.

The board also approved surcharge of $100 per semester per student will begin for the Fall 2003 semester. The surcharge will increase to $250 for fiscal years 2005 through 2008.

Peters said the surcharge will be used to support teaching and learning technology.

Adduci said she supported the surcharge in order to stay competitive and attract the best students. However she asked Peters to "be prudent" when spending the money to upgrade NIU’s technology services.

Perez said he hoped the money for technology improvements will bring about a replacement to the social security number identification system currently in place.

All present trustees approved the surcharge motion.

During the chairman’s comments, Sanchez expressed concern about the morale of the faculty and staff who have had freezes placed on their salaries before instructing Peters to evaluate ways to reward them.

"They shouldn’t have to go through two years without a pay raise," Sanchez said.

What's worse than completely bombing your most important final exam this week?

Forgetting to set your alarm clock to the right time to wake up for that final exam.

Students should beware that if you sleep in or accidentally mix up the time of your exam, your professor most likely will not cut you any slack. Professors are in agreement that if you miss the exam you probably cannot make up the exam.

"If someone misses the exam, they will get a zero," accountancy professor Juilietta Gilbert said.

Emergency situations are the only way that you are going to get to take the exam at another time.

"If it's for legitimate reasons, I have a make-up exam for them," said Eliot Kang, an associate political science professor. "As long as they can provide documentation why they missed, say if their car broke down, I always make a point of giving a make-up."

Using the excuse that your car was having trouble is not always the best excuse to give a professor when you miss your final exam. But, as long as you have documentation that proves you had car troubles, some professors will give a make-up exam. Not all professors will do this though.

Students who have emergency situations also can be excused from an exam, as long as they have proof.

"What happens is, if there is an emergency situation in the family, I'll allow them to make up the exam later in the week," Gilbert said.

Professors are lenient if the student has a family crisis, such as a death in the family.

Students who have a crisis like this can make the exam up later, as long as they show proof, Kang said.

Students also must notify the professor and have documentation if they are too sick to take the exam.

"If someone gets some sickness like mono, I tend to give them an incomplete until they make up the exam, assuming they cannot do it during finals week," Kang said.

It's the night before a final exam, you haven't studied at all and you are panicking.

Several students procrastinate on studying for final exams and find themselves wondering how to handle the situation.

Walter Atkinson, assistant professor of communication, said he recognizes when students procrastinate.

"People study at the last minute and cram and stuff, which I myself was guilty of in school," he said.

He suggests forming a study group and reading over notes to prepare for a final.

Bethia King, associate professor of biology, said she also knows that her students wait until the last minute to study, and this may not affect the grade a student receives, but long-term retention of information is better when a student doesn't cram.

Although she said students should avoid procrastinating, she suggests putting information into a self-questioning format to make best use of time when cramming.

Terrence Bishop, associate professor of management, said the number one ideal way to study is to plan a schedule to budget time in advance and not procrastinate.

He said that just reading notes makes students feel that they are familiar with the test information and they have a false sense of security.

He also suggests self testing to make the best use of time, and he recommends note cards for this.

He added that although stress can be a good motivator, it can also become a problem when taken to extremes.

He suggests taking study breaks to eat something, preferably an energy food like fruit, or taking a short walk to alleviate stress.

He also said students stress when they realize they should have studied earlier.

"A lot of what we stress about is regret," he said. "There is no sense stressing over something we can't change."

Atkinson said stress can cause students to not perform as well on an exam.

"I think that people become so uptight that they over-think stuff," he said. "They need to take a deep breath and relax."

Bishop said students aren't the only ones who are guilty of procrastination.

"I don't know a single soul in the world who jumps on something they have to do the minute they find out they have to do it," he said.

The Board of Trustees is expected to vote on a tuition rate increase of 9 to 18 percent and a technology surcharge during a special meeting today, said Eddie Williams, executive vice president of Finance and Facilities.

NIU also has frozen admissions as of May 1.

Williams said the tuition increase and technology surcharge are necessary to deal with a reduction in funds to NIU in the wake of budget cuts for Illinois public universities.

Western Illinois and Southern Illinois universities increased their tuition 13 and 16 percent, respectively, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a $1,000 surcharge, according to press information from Melanie Magara, assistant vice president of public affairs at NIU.

Williams anticipates the board deciding on the lowest rate possible for tuition increases and surcharge.

"Traditionally, they have kept [it] at the lower end of rate increases," he said.

He pointed to NIU having one of the lowest tuition increases in the state last year as an example of the board's history of low tuition rate increases. He also noted that the board did not increase tuition at mid-year like many other state universities.

The surcharge will be used to upgrade NIU's computer labs, purchase a new student information system and increase access and bandwidth.

Williams said the board will choose a surcharge below $1,000.

"That's a pretty safe bet," he said.

Williams added that the tuition increase and surcharge are part of a larger plan NIU has developed to provide a quality education to students.

To deal with budget cuts, NIU has eliminated 136 jobs and frozen salary increases, stopped all but essential safety-related building repairs, stopped purchasing of new equipment, eliminated all but essential travel and reduced student jobs and graduate assistantships. NIU also has made adjustments to its summer schedule by closing certain buildings and creating a four-day work week.

"It's part of a combined balancing act," Williams said. "And we've still got a lot of work to do."

A waiting list has been created to deal with applications to attend in the fall yet received after the May 1 deadline.

"We've received almost as many applications in March as we normal receive in June and July," Magara said about the need for the waiting list.

The board will meet at 11:15 a.m. in the Skyroom of the Holmes Student Center.

The community is losing one its best University Police officers to retirement soon.

Sgt. David Wickstrom is retiring after 25 years as a UP officer, just before his 50th birthday. He began his career here at NIU in 1978 as a patrol officer and now is a shift supervisor. He originally was a sociology student here at NIU but had planned on being a police officer since he was 12 years old, Wickstrom said.

Wickstrom has had many positions throughout the years.

"In my time here, I spent seven years as a detective doing major case follow-ups, interviews and interrogations," Wickstrom said.

He currently is a shift supervisor for the patrol division at UP and is responsible for the supervision of the patrol officers' actions and the reports that they write. Throughout his 25 years patrolling on a college campus, Wickstrom has seen just about everything that there is to offer.

"I wish that I'd kept a journal with me from day one," Wickstrom said. "I've seen lots of things in my day."

The camaraderie between the police officers is something he'll miss the most, Wickstrom said. Since 1978, he has been a part of family of officers that have always been a part of his life.

"One thing that I won't miss is missing events with my family and not being with them on holidays," Wickstrom said. "I plan on spending more time with them, and also trying to watch every single Cubs game possible."

Not being around for family parties and missing holidays has been the hardest part of the job for him.

"I'm also going to miss the everyday challenges that come with the job. Every day there's something different and some new challenges," Wickstrom said.

Change is something that Wickstrom is going to have to get used to, seeing that today is the first day of his retirement. This new change is something that Wickstrom is welcoming with open arms.

"It's going to be a big adjustment not being here, I've spent half my life here," Wickstrom said. "I have no regrets though; I'd do it all over again if I could."

The last day of April concluded the last University Council meeting of the academic year.

The meeting was brief, with the entire council anxious to visit NIU President John Peter’s home for dinner and cocktails.

"Watch out for the rabbits when you pull up," Peters said. "If we’re lucky, we’ll even see the two fawns that have come up to the back door every night this week."

Before dinner, however, Peters mentioned a brief update on the budget.

"This is the end of the year update," Peters said. "Summer plans are in place regarding the four-day work week. I think [Human Resources] has done a good job implementing that."

Peters also said the 2003 budget is "finally put to bed, although we still have some hurdles to go through."

Peters informed the council that he had just prepared and sent a rather bottom-line, stern letter to the "Four Tops" of the state legislature about the impact of the cuts and what it means to NIU.

"I am very happy with its accuracy and its warning," Peters said.

The letter will go public after Peters believes it has made its impact on the legislature.

Usually, the Board of Trustees meets at the end of June each year to discuss the next year’s tuition. Peters said this year that won’t be the case.

However, a tuition meeting is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. on May 5 at the Holmes Student Center’s Clara Sperling Sky Room, Peters said. The board wanted to hold the meeting as soon as it could, he said.

Peters also brought attention to another letter he wrote to high school guidance counselors, informing them that NIU would process and admit all admittable students with the right documents if their applications were received by today. All other students would be put on a waiting list, being informed in July if there was room for them in the fall. If not, the students would have to wait until January.

NIU was awarded the Chancellor’s Cup on April 16 at the Governor’s Mansion for the university’s exceptional giving and participation in the 2002 SECA. Peters presented the plaque and cup saying, "Look, I’m Tiger Woods!"

Vice Provost Robert Wheeler was recognized at the end of the meeting for his hard-work and dedication at both NIU and on University Council.

According to a recent poll administered by The Associated Press, four out five Americans believe that it is important for colleges to have a racially diverse student population. Half of those found that affirmative action was unnecessary to help blacks, Hispanics and other minorities.

The University of Michigan affirmative action case went before the Supreme Court on April 1 to decide whether colleges and universities should consider race when admitting students, mainly into public educational institutions. Protesters were marching in Washington in an effort to support affirmative action. The Supreme Court's final decision is expected to come in July. If it decides to end affirmative action, any state-funded affirmative action will be ended.

According to FOX News, 89 percent of blacks polled said affirmative action is necessary, while 57 percent of whites believe affirmative action is unnecessary.

Andres Ortiz, president of the Organization of Latin American Students, said NIU is not as diverse as it claims to be.

"Even though NIU claims to be a diverse place, it really isn't," Ortiz said. "Minorities on campus are still underrepresented, overlooked and under-funded."

Ortiz also said that historically, minorities have been denied access to universities among other things and affirmative action helps to "level the playing field." He said the U.S. government and society has limited the opportunity for minorities to prosper.

"I don't blame some non-minorities for being against affirmative action, but I would love for them to live one day as a minority and experience some kind of racism or discrimination," Ortiz stated in an e-mail.

Steve Duroseau, president of the Black Student Union, also believes in affirmative action, especially in the education system.

Duroseau suggested an alternative to affirmative action.

"Minorities need to start owning their own business and becoming professionals," he said. He said that minorities should not trust the U.S. government structure; instead they should look toward God.

Kay Forest, an associate professor and chairwoman of sociology, said she is in favor of affirmative action when it is done correctly. Forest said that when it is done incorrectly, it creates distrust among minorities and whites.

"It is done wrong when it gives the appearance of promoting unqualified minorities and women over qualified applicants," Forest said. She also said that affirmative action still is necessary because discrimination still exists in America.