THE
Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2026
WOMEN’S GOLF BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD | Page 4
A MONTH OF MEDIEVAL COMBAT | Pages 6-7
VOL. 109, ISSUE 30
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FULLER FUTURES FESTIVAL PREVIEW
‘Profit is their goal’: SIU faculty question university’s partnership with Risepoint KRISTIN BORCHERS kborchers@dailyegyptian.com
Southern Illinois University faculty and staff are sounding the alarm about the school’s contract with a for-profit company that recruits students for online academic programming, citing concerns over a profit sharing agreement that funnels tuition dollars from those programs to the private firm. Faculty and staff at SIU also allege that, beyond questions concerning profit methods, the company uses predatory recruitment tactics. In 2023, SIU entered a contract with Risepoint, an online program manager, or OPM, to recruit students to master’s programs. Half of the tuition revenue from Risepointrecruited programs is channeled straight back to the company, which is owned by a private equity firm. By Spring of 2027, SIU administration plans to expand the partnership with Risepoint from eight master’s programs to 18 additional programs, raising further concerns among faculty about professor workload and enrollment
strategy at a school that has struggled to claw its way back from dramatic enrollment declines. According to the contract, obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, SIU’s agreement with Risepoint — formerly known as Academic Partnerships — is set to go until 2030. Risepoint, now the largest OPM in the country, was purchased in 2019 by Vistria, a Chicago-based private investment firm. The forprofit company is responsible for recruiting online students to SIU’s degree programs that partner with Risepoint. “Because their profit is their goal, they tend to try to extract as much tuition as they can from students, to pay instructors as little as they can get away with, and the quality of the educational experiences suffers, as do retention rates and graduation rates,” David M. Johnson, the chair to the Faculty Senate budget committee, said in an interview with the Daily Egyptian. Johnson is part of a handful of Faculty Senate members who have
Risepoint protesters hold physical and digital signs at the SIU Board of Trustees meeting April 16, 2026 at SIU’s Student Center ballrooms in Carbondale, Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
been raising questions regarding Risepoint at the faculty governing body’s meetings for the past few months. Although Risepoint brought in 170 online students in the 20242025 school year and 350 students
this year, 50% of tuition revenue goes to Risepoint, according to the contract. As stated in the SIU Board of Trustees minutes from its September 2024 meeting, tuition revenue paid to Risepoint for their services will accumulate to an
estimate of $5,000,000 over the seven-year period. Board meeting minutes state the goal of the contract is to grow programs that have fewer than 100 students to 1,000 students over its lifetime. RISEPOINT | 9
HOMELESSNESS IN CARBONDALE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
SIUC students to see Duckworth: City to get $2M in 2% tuition increase federal funding for new shelter ANNALISE SCHMIDT aschmidt@dailyegyptian.com
SIU’s Board of Trustees voted to increase tuition rates for Carbondale students for the upcoming academic year, marking the first adjustment in nearly a decade. University leadership framed the increase as a necessary step to maintain operations while keeping costs relatively low compared to peer institutions. “Carbondale is requesting a 2% increase in tuition rates for undergraduate and graduate students for the academic year, 2026-2027,” Chancellor Austin Lane said during the board’s April 16 meeting at SIUC. “This would mark the first tuition adjustment for undergraduate and graduate students after eight consecutive years at the current per-credit-hour rate.” The Board of Trustees approved
the tuition increase with a unanimous vote. Under the new rates, incoming freshmen will pay $4,916.25 per semester, compared to the previous $4,818.75 rate. This amounts to an increase of $195 annually. The current rate will remain in place for students currently enrolled in the university. Lane said the increase is intended to balance affordability with the university’s financial needs. “SIU Carbondale holds its longstanding tradition of accessible education for students across the state, the nation and the world, while continuing efforts to minimize barriers to degree completion,” Lane said. The proposed adjustment is meant to help offset increasing operational expenses while maintaining student support services and academic quality, he said. TUITION | 3
ORION WOLF owolf@dailyegyptian.com
The City of Carbondale is expected to receive $2 million in federal funding for a new homeless shelter, according to a March email City Manager Stan Reno sent to City Council, which the Daily Egyptian obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. According to Reno, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s office gave the city “unofficial notice” that it would receive the money, which it had applied for two years ago to demolish the Warming Center and build a new shelter. If the proper requirements are met and the funds are confirmed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD) and granted to the City of Carbondale, the goal is to renovate an already existing property
to meet the needs of the homeless community. 306 W. Mill St. is currently owned by a company called NeuroRestorative, which Reno has been working with to potentially donate the building to the city for this possible homeless shelter. “The property at 306 W. Mill St. is potentially suitable because it was originally designed and continues to function as a multi-occupant residential facility,” Reno wrote in an email to the DE. “That means much of the essential infrastructure, such as sleeping quarters, shared living spaces, accessibility features, and safety systems, is already in place. “This significantly reduces the level of renovation or retrofitting that would typically be required to convert a building into a shelter or supportive
housing facility,” Reno wrote. Reno said the process is dependent on federal procedures through HUD and that the city must meet the department’s requirements before any funds can be released. “At this point, we have not been given a definitive timeline for when funds might be available or when the partnership will fully materialize,” Reno said. The Carbondale Warming Center and Good Samaritan have been discussing consolidation alongside the potential for this new homeless shelter, according to the email from Reno to City Council. Neither of the organizations responded to emails regarding the subject. Nathan Colombo, a Carbondale City Council member, said in an
SHELTER | 10