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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2024
Humane Society of Southern Illinois permanently close its doors Alli Goering agoering@dailyegyptian.com
The Humane Society of Southern Illinois served the Jackson County community for nearly 70 years. They announced that they will end all animal intake though they will be continuing their mission to support animal welfare. A press release was put out containing this information. In February, the county board had been given notice that The Humane Society of Southern Illinois would be closing because they are the animal control facility of Jackson County. HSSI announced on July 30 to the public that the shelter would be permanently closing on Aug. 1. They are no longer taking animals into the shelter and they are currently working on relocating animals. The county faces overpopulation with stray, hurt and running at large animals. The humane society was a place where those animals could go. They were also in charge of animal control for the county. “Closing the shelter was a hard decision to make. Many things contributed to this decision. Although we are closing the shelter, we are committed to finding placements for the animals that are still at the shelter,” HSSI board member Casey Parker said. The county board met on Tuesday, Aug. 20 for their monthly meeting and the closing of the Humane Society was discussed. The Public Safety Committee members of the board are working to find a new
As construction crews reshape the landscape at SIU, students find themselves navigating an unexpected challenge: the closure of Lot 11, a high-traffic commuter lot. Just as students were preparing to return to campus, they received an email on August 13 announcing the closure of Lot 11, the red decal student
SIU Leadership bonuses spark debate: Students and alumni weigh in on financial priorities Annalise Schmidt aschmidt@dailyegyptian.com
Board President of the Humane Society of Southern Illinois, Lisa Potter, checks on dogs in their kennels August 30, 2024 at Humane Society of Southern Illinois in Murphysboro, Illinois. Libby Phelps | @libbyphelpsphotography
animal control center. This group is made up of seven members and brings their decisions to the full board for voting. “I know the public wants us to act immediately, but it’s not that easy to act like that. Any animals that we do have to take, any injured bite dog, reckless dog or vicious dog, we do have arrangements for those dogs to be taken in,” District 1 Board
Member Tonya Krust said. The Public Safety Committee is currently working on finding a center for animal control for Jackson County. “We just have to, by law, take care of whatever we’re required to by a law. Now we are weighing options of purchasing something. We are weighing the options of leasing HUMANE SOCIETY | 5
Lot 11 closure disrupts student commuters
Annalise Schmidt aschmidt@dailyegyptian.com
VOL. 108, ISSUE 3
commuter lot east of the Student Center, due to the construction of the Tedrick Welcome Center. The new building on campus, named after Roger and Sally Tedrick in recognition of their $6 million donation, was proposed to the SIU Board of Trustees’ committee in April 2023. The building was approved and is now in the process of being built. In the Aug. 13 email to students,
the parking division wrote, “As you prepare to return to campus for the fall semester, it is our pleasure to share some exciting news. On Thursday, Aug. 15, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the SIU Foundation will prepare to build the Tedrick Welcome Center.” Their announcement highlighted aspects of the new project and its LOT 11 CLOSURE | 12
Recent salary increases and performance bonuses awarded to key SIU administrators have generated mixed reactions among students and alumni. On July 11, members of the SIU Board of Trustees voted unanimously to increase the salary of Associate Vice Chancellor Wendell Williams, while Chancellor Austin Lane and System President Daniel Mahony received bonuses. Williams was promoted to Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, a title change that came with a salary increase. Previously earning $165,000, his salary was raised to $185,203, a change Lane recommended due to Williams’ responsibilities in managing enrollment and strategic planning. SIU Board of Directors Chairman, Phil Gilbert, said, “Williams is a strong leader for SIU. His strategic work and leadership have led to impressive improvements in student enrollment at SIU Carbondale. SIUC experienced the largest increase in enrollment in over 20 years last year and expect to have an increase this year as well. This is all happening at a time when most other universities are struggling with enrollment…Promoting Williams to a vice chancellor role increases his scope of work and gives him more of an
opportunity to make a positive impact.” Meanwhile, Lane and Mahony received bonuses as incentives for their work. The incentive compensation is included in both administrators’ contracts with the university. While the condition allows for annual performance bonuses, it does not mandate that they be awarded. Lane and Mahony were also offered the option to comment on student and alumni opinion, but they have not yet responded to the matter. Gilbert speaks on behalf of them and the Board of Trustees. “These bonuses are outlined in their employment contracts and are tied to meeting strategic goals agreed to by the board,” Gilbert said. Gilbert explained that the board evaluates executive leader performance annually to determine if their accomplishments in the past year align with the system’s goals. “If they don’t meet the performance goals, they don’t receive a bonus,” he said. “The bonuses for these and other employees have been critical in improving retention and that has been correlated with improved performance,” Gilbert said. Lane was awarded the full $65,000 bonus allowed in his contract based on his performance during the past year, and Mahony was awarded the full $115,000 bonus. “The SIU Board of Trustees
Chart created by Annalise Schmidt in Microsoft Excel.
SIU LEADERSHIP | 3