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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Book autographing part of promotional activities

September 20, 1987

Lucien Stryk, internationally renown poet and NIU professor, will be signing copies of his books at the Student Center Bookstore Grand Opening today from 1 to 3 p.m.

Stryk, who has been at NIU for 30 years, teaches poetry and Oriental literature. He works particularly with Zen poetry and Buddhist literature.

Stryk said more than 20 of his books have published, many of which have been widely translated. He also has 12 poetry collections and translated volumes of Japanese poetry. Some of these were collaborations with other authors, he said.

e has also published two anthologies of Midwestern poets, which he uses as texts in his poetry classes.

is most recent work, "Bells of Lombardy", will be among those which he will sign. This book is the 12th collection of his poetry.

"It is a great privilege to be asked (to autograph his work). I feel honored. I do this sort of thing from time to time, and it is particularly fine at one's own school," he said.

Stryk said the Student Center Bookstore has a large selection of his work including his poems, the anthologies of the Midwestern poets and the translations of Japanese poetry.

NIU English Professor Gerald Berkowitz said, "He (Stryk) is a very good poet. He will admit that he is influenced by the Japanese poets on matters of style, imagery and such."

Report opposes treaty reinterpretation to allow for expanded ‘Star Wars’ testing

September 20, 1987

WASHINGTON (AP)—The Reagan administration incorrectly claims it can unilaterally reinterpret the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty to allow expanded U.S. "Star Wars" testing, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Sunday. The attempt by the Republican...

Library budget reduced by $80,000

By Mark Indreika | September 20, 1987

Because of the $363 million statewide budget cut, NIU's library material fund is being reduced by $80,000 this year. Gordon Rowley, associate director of NIU libraries, said the cuts represent a 4 percent reduction in the materials' budget from last year,...

SA senators take oaths, learn of responsibilities

By Alan Marcus | September 20, 1987

Winners of last week's Student Association senate elections took their oaths of office Sunday night as the senate convened for the first time this year. SA President Jim Fischer said the senators will have to work hard in order to provide students with...

Near doubled voter turnout elects senate

By Nancy Broten and Alan Marcus | September 17, 1987

News of victory was posted early this morning for 48 candidates in the Student Association Senate election which drew nearly twice as many voters than last year's. A total of 1,264 valid ballots were cast over the two-day election period compared to the...

Local officials aid Simon’s campaign

By Paul Wagner | September 17, 1987

Three local political officials have agreed to serve as coordinators for Sen. Paul Simon's presidential campaign.

DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow, DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder Terrence Desmond and Kane County Coroner Mary Lou Kearns have all accepted positions as 14th Congressional District coordinators for Simon's campaign.

Eric Adelstein, assistant political director for Simon's campaign, said each of the three officials received letters from Simon thanking them for their willingness to help with campaign efforts. More coordinators might be selected he said, adding there is not one coordinator but "a series of them."

Desmond, who worked on Simon's 1984 senatorial campaign, said "(Simon) is the finest person I know in government at any level. His quality would bring a positive dramatic change specifically with education, human rights and fiscal management."

In the next few weeks, volunteers will be enlisted to help with Simon's campaign efforts, Desmond said. He said there will be a student organization formed to support Simon.

Sparrow said he accepted a position as a coordinator as well. He said, "My major concern is that he (Simon) get elected." He said he has supported Simon since he won the democratic nomination for senator.

Kearns said she is "happy" to coordinate campaign efforts with the other officials. She said she is a personal friend of Simon. "I'm looking forward to seeing him run this country as president."

Tim McArnarney, special assistant to Simon supporter Alan Dixon, D-Ill., said he is a friend of Simon and has been working on his campaign in some of the districts including the 14th. He said the initial efforts for Simon's campaign will be focused on Iowa and New Hampshire.

"We're just starting to move into this (DeKalb) area," McArnarney said, adding that he is "comfortable" with the three coordinators selected so far. He said the three will be working to coordinate campaign efforts in the 14th District.

Desmond said most of the efforts would be geared toward the Illinois March 15 primary election. He said local campaign efforts will have to deal with NIU's spring break, March 12-22, because students will not be on campus to vote. Students will be encouraged to vote at home or with an absentee ballot before they leave.

Anyone interested in volunteering to work on Simon's campaign should contact one of the coordinators, Desmond said.

Board reviews finance pleas equest totals $300 million

By Jim Wozniak | September 17, 1987

The Board of Regents facilities/finance committee voted Thursday to recommend approval of funds for new buildings, replacements and academic programs as part of appropriations requests for Fiscal Year 1989. The requests were broken down into operating...

Tuition increase sent to Regents

By Louise Koryta | September 17, 1987

The dark clouds over the Holmes Student Center set the mood yesterday as the Joint Facility/Finance Committee reluctantly approved to formally recommend a $150 tuition increase to the Board of Regents.

egents Chancellor Roderick Groves recommended to the committee that "tuition be increased by $150 at Northern Illinois University and Illinois State University commencing in January and $100 at Sangamon State commencing at the same time."

NIU President John LaTourette said tuition for non-Illinois residents would be boosted by $450.

The board will vote on the recommendation today. Regent Clara Fitzpatrick said she does not expect there to be any dissenting votes, but both the Regents and student Regents are opposed to hiking the rates.

"Talk about being between a rock and a hard place—we're there," Fitzpatrick said.

Committee Chairman Milton McClure said the chancellor's office was instructed to consider all possible alternatives, such as cutting costs at the Regency schools.

Groves said the tuition increase was the only realistic answer, especially when the state cannot be counted on for support. He told the committee, "Don't think we'd come to you with this recommendation if we thought there was prospective state funding."

Committee members agreed that the increase is the only way to combat the $9.1 million reduction in the Regency system's base budget, which resulted from Gov. James Thompson's failed June tax increase proposal. NIU's share of that decrease was $3.3 million.

"The result (of the budget cut) is we find ourselves with added burdens and significantly less money," Groves said.

e said one of the burdens facing the Regency system is unavoidable cost increases, which already is evident at all three Regency universities.

iring is the primary source of unavoidable cost increases because it is conducted in the spring and implemented in the fall, Groves said. This means hiring agreements are made before the level of appropriation is known, he said.

LaTourette said it was necessary to put the university in a high risk position by staffing as much as possible because enrollment increased by 880 over last year.

An enrollment freeze also will be necessary in order to bear the brunt of the budget cut. He said, "we'll not be able to admit as much as normal even with a tuition increase."

Fitzpatrick said enrollment will decrease because of the freeze but also because students will no longer be able to afford the tuition rate.

This means the projected amount of funds from the tuition increase might be too high because there will be fewer students paying the additional money, she said.

NIU Student Regent Nick Valadez said if relief from the state is found when the general assembly reconvenes in October, tuition should be decreased.

owever, Groves said the budget cut is a permanent one and not a condition that will go away next year. He said "the question of tuition would come back to this table" if state relief was given. "We'd factor that in to the whole tuition equation."

Students are "paying for things that are inherent in the original tuition cost," and they assume when they originally paid tuition "the state would provide the professors ... they (the students) think they've already paid their burden," Valadez said.

As part of his efforts to keep a situation like this from recurring, Valadez said a resolution should be drawn up so "the board fully comprehends the impact" of the increase.

Committee members and Regents suggested lobbying in Springfield in October in order secure some type of state relief.

LaTourette said he will be lobbying at the capitol when the general assembly reconvenes Oct. 20-21 and Nov. 4-5. He said he had been there half of June trying to garner support for Thompson's tax increase.

egent Harry Wellbank said, "If everyone affected by this wrote a letter to their congressman, we'd get the money (from the state)."

A letter-writing campaign already was attempted at NIU, but Valadez said there will be another attempt. This type of lobbying is the only realistic method, he said.

ISU Student Regent Chuck Sutton said, "The bottom line is more pressure needs to be put on the general assembly. We need action and we need it in October."

Tuition increases at other public universities in Illinois have been speculated, but action has been taken only by the University of Illinois. Students there will be paying an additional $150.

WKDI’s channel switch might require $180,000

By Matt James | September 17, 1987

If WKDI's new frequency application is approved by the Federal Communications Commission, as much as $180,000 might be needed to complete the switch from cable to over-the-air broadcasting, said Mike Lazar, WKDI faculty adviser. Lazar, also general manager...

Christian heavy-metal band performs at NIU

By Lynn Hammarstrom | September 17, 1987

Damascus, a group described as "long-haired, progressive Christian-art metal," will perform this Sunday night in the Duke Ellington Ballroom. The four-member band, which originally was formed in 1975 under the name "Haze," hails from Mt. Prospect, Ill....

City manager announces creation of assistant role

By Susie Snyder | September 17, 1987

To give him the compensation he deserves, DeKalb City Manager Mark Stevens said he advanced Gary Boden's position to assistant city manager. Boden, who has been serving Stevens as assistant to the city manager, received the change in title because the...

Fund cuts hurt many campuses

By Sheri Forsell | September 17, 1987

While NIU has been hit hard by a $3.3 million budget cut, other state universities also are feeling the effects of Gov. James Thompson's failed tax increase. The amount each school's budget was cut varies from the $16 million at University of Illinois...