Leadership, image and maintenance of downtown businesses were the top three improvements recommended at Thursday's Downtown DeKalb Planning Meeting.

About 40 merchants, property owners, city officials and customers who attended the meeting were divided into seven groups to prioritize problems identified at the last meeting. All seven groups said a full-time manager is needed to lead the downtown revitalization.

Tom Wilson, executive director of the Galesburg Downtown Council, said the job of bringing customers to downtown DeKalb would be "ten-fold" more difficult without someone to manage downtown. Wilson managed a revitalization of downtown Galesburg.

An outside manager is not necessary, Wilson said, adding a manager for DeKalb is probably "right here in this room."

oger Hopkins, director of the department of community development, said downtown DeKalb has been slipping in recent years in terms of its market share and property tax receipts. The major issues for the commission's next two meetings will be funding and leadership for a revitalization plan.

Wilson said he visited some of DeKalb's downtown merchants. He said while improvements in maintenance are needed, "you're (DeKalb downtown) not falling apart. You have a lot going for you."

NIU is an important asset for improving business downtown, Wilson said. A promotional discount for Knox College students in Galesburg was very successful, he said. Businesses need to "invite" students into their stores, but the attitude of the salespeople will determine if students return, he said.

Wilson said about 80 percent of Galesburg's downtown businesses participate in its downtown council. All of the property owners participate through a 1 percent special service property tax used to fund a full-time maintenance crew, he said.

Thursday's meeting is a step in the right direction, Wilson said. Both the public and private sector contributed to the meeting. Cooperation among both sectors is important to a revitalization, he said.

If the idea of hazing has crossed the minds of any fraternities or sororities, they should be warned that members of college campus organizations can be suspended or expelled for hazing their pledges.

The NIU Student Judicial Code defines hazing as "any act or activity by an organization or group or by a member of that organization or group in which a member(s) or prospective member(s) may be subjected to an activity which may cause or create a risk to one's physical or mental health."

Larry Bolles, director of the University Judicial Office, said, "The consequences for hazing are very stiff. We're not going to tolerate that this year." Bolles said students should be aware of the dangers and consequences involved with hazing.

"I have suspended and expelled students for hazing," he said. Bolles expelled an entire fraternity about eight years ago which violated hazing rules.

There is "nothing wrong with pledging a fraternity or sorority" or other organizations on campus, but "a student should not be subject to hazing," he said.

There have been problems from different organizations almost every year. The active members in an organization might haze the pledges by severe paddling often leaving the student unable to walk, public ridicule, verbal abuse, physical exhaustion, fear or intimidation.

The NIU Student Judicial Code states, "The University or hazing recipient may charge an individual and/or the officers of a recognized organization with responsibility for the hazing act(s) both on or off campus."

If a student witnesses hazing or is being hazed, he can report the incident to the University Judicial Office or the faculty advisor of the organization.

e also can report to the Greek adviser if the hazing is Greek-oriented, or to the ombudsman, who handles concerns dealing with any violations on campus.

NIU students are beginning the first day of voting in the Student Association Senate elections today and tomorrow to elect the 48 senators for on- and off-campus positions.

Of the 65 senate hopefuls, 24 candidates are running to represent on-campus students and 41 to represent off-campus students.

Students living in District No. 1 (on-campus) are allowed to vote for 16 of the 24 candidates. Students living in District no. 2 (off-campus) can choose 32 of the 41 candidates.

Polling places are located in Founders Memorial Library, the Holmes Student Center, Cole Hall and DuSable Hall, and are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. both today and Thursday.

Students must bring their fall schedules and NIU student IDs to the polling places to be able to vote.

Election results will be displayed at midnight Thursday on the east side of HSC.

Film buffs who wish to escape the limited offerings of DeKalb-area movie houses now can discover the alternative cinema presented this season by NIU's CineClub.

The organization, which has been in existence for 11 years, offers NIU students and faculty a chance to view films they might not ordinarily get a chance to see, said the club's faculty advisor Jeffrey Chown.

"CineClub is an alternative to the entertainment-type films shown at the (Holmes) Student Center and in the local theaters," Chown said. "We show more experimental work—European films, documentaries, political films, silent films and older American works."

CineClub President, Lisa Gosciejew, said, "We want to expose people to the type of film that they may have to think about." She said there is a problem getting people to see the films, although they would benefit from seeing them.

A nine-member committee chooses the films based on whether or not they have been shown recently on television, or are out on video cassette, Chown said. "We think that if people want to see ‘Beverly Hill's Cop,' that's fine, but we're here if they want something more daring."

One of the film "events" planned for the fall semester is "Cinema From Nicaragua," which is a series of five documentaries intended to shed light on the real situation in that troubled area.

"This will be the first time CineClub will be showing films from the Third World," Gosciejew said. "In the past we've been more limited to films from the European countries."

"We're also having an experimental film night this semester," Gosciejew added. "On that evening we'll be showing all non-narrative films, which tend to be more arbitrary and ambiguous than the average movie."

The films scheduled for that evening include Roman Polanski's "Two Men In a Wardrobe," Orson Welles' "Hearts of Age," Ralph Steiner's "H20" and Maya Deren's "Meshes in the Afternoon."

Other films to be shown throughout the semester are "Wild in the Streets," "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" and "Stromboli.

NIU Marketing Professor David Richard Rink, who was discovered to have worked at DePaul's marketing department under a different name, did have official transcripts for the name David Richard sent to DePaul, officials there said.

The transcripts, which Dean of Faculty Patricia Dwers received prior to hiring Rink, were correctly signed and sealed by officials of the institution from which he earned his Doctorate, Dwers said.

"DePaul never awards a contract without having transcripts that are signed by the ... director of records and carries the official seal of the institution that awarded the degree," Dwers said. "That is a universal policy."

Dwers said she could not comment on how Rink would have had official transcripts for the name of Richard. "I handle all contracts, but only professor Rink can answer (how the transcripts were obtained)," Dwers said.

Dwers said specifics of the transcripts and the salary paid to Richard was confidential information and she could not comment on that.

ink, under the name Richard, was hired full-time during the summer of 1986 to work over the following academic year under a one-year, visiting assistant professorship, Dwers said. He was notified by Dwers in Febuary 1987 that he would not be awarded a contract for the 1987-88 academic year, she said.

Dwers was notified by Elgin Police last month that David Richard had another name, David Richard Rink, and was working at NIU, she said.

onald Walker, dean of faculty at Loyola University, could not be reached to verify if a Professor David Richard, who had worked at Loyola, was David Rink.

Loraine Serwatka, director of faculty administration at Loyola, said there had been a David Richard in the marketing department at Loyola for the 1985-86 academic year. Serwatka said she could not verify over the phone if this professor was Rink.

NIU Provost Kendall Baker refused to comment.

ink, who is a tenured faculty member in NIU's marketing department, was scheduled here for two lecture periods for 12 sections in Marketing 310, Principles of Marketing. His salary at NIU for the 1986-87 academic year was $48,816 under a nine-month contract.

ink was releived of his scheduled responsibilities by Department Chairman Terrence O'Brien in an Aug. 29 letter. He was reinstituted to the department's policy committee, O'Brien said.

The letter stated Linda Zanocco will teach the Marketing 310 sections in place of Rink this seme

With some reservation, the Operating Staff Council voted Sept. 11 in favor of a possible shutdown of the university Jan. 4 through Jan. 11, which could save NIU more than $300,000.

OSC President Dianna Strink said the proposal is just "part of a package" of 10 different recommendations the university is looking at in order to deal with a 4.5 percent base budget cut.

"The administration has estimated that the shutdown, combined with the week-and-a-half off at Christmas, will generate nearly a $400,000 savings in utility dollars," Strink said.

Strink said if the proposal is implemented, the operating staff would either use vacation time or go without pay during the days of the shutdown.

Although the council voted 6-3 in support of the possible shutdown, Strink said she has received negative reactions to the recommendation.

"In general, the employees are quite opposed to the shutdown. It is a loss of another benefit," she said.

Because of the budget cuts, the operating staff did not receive raises this year, and they lost their comprehensive dental plan and their health plan was changed, Strink said.

OSC member Shey Lowman, production supervisor for university publications and printing, said, "All I can say is that it (the shutdown) will be causing hardship for people. I did not support it because it impacts those people who can least afford it, such as single parents and new employees."

Under the proposal, employees who are short of the number of vacation days needed during the shutdown will be able to "borrow" days they would be receiving in the future, Strink said. However, some staff members are concerned that the timing of the vacation would not coincide with their children's holiday break.

Strink also said some faculty members and deans have expressed concern over the possible shutdown. She said the faculty members are worried they will be behind in schedule when they return Jan. 11 and will have to work overtime.

Another OSC member Lucy Friend, business and operations secretary, said she supported the proposal with "reservation."

"I guess the thing I felt badly about was we didn't have time to survey our constituents. Many are opposed to it (the proposal) and many are for it. It was very hard to vote on behalf of others when you really do not know how they feel. I felt that under the circumstances it was the best thing to do," Friend said.

Strink said NIU President John LaTourette has not made a final decision concerning the shutdown, but the OSC expects to hear from him by Friday.