The Aug. 13 editorial “The crisis at Western Illinois University and beyond” underscores the importance of passing SB 3965, which would create a groundbreaking new model for funding the state’s public universities.
Proposed by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford and state Rep. Carol Ammons, the bill envisions an innovative model built from 2 1/2 years of work by the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, which brought together dozens of experts and higher education stakeholders from around Illinois to dive into the research and data on what students need to succeed. The bill would bring our state from having no model for appropriating money to public universities to having a funding formula based on student needs.
As the editorial states, universities such as Western Illinois, Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois are critical to Illinois’ current and long-term economic vitality. None of them currently has the level of funding needed to adequately serve students, particularly after two decades of disinvestment. SB 3965 would create an innovative path toward addressing financial strains and reversing enrollment declines at universities. It would also help make Illinois’ public universities more affordable and ensure each institution can support students from their arrival on campus through graduation day. The bill would help those universities get to “adequacy,” or appropriate levels of funding, with significant and stable reinvestment from the state over the next 10 to 15 years.
While there is no shortcut to reversing decades of disinvestment, new funding can be targeted and distributed in a way that will be best for students across Illinois. This bill would do just that, reinvigorating our universities while holding them accountable in a way that has never been done. Every year, data shows that Illinoisans decide to attend college out of state or, worse yet, forgo the dream of a college education altogether. We estimate that passing and funding SB 3965 would help tens of thousands more Illinoisans earn life-changing degrees in our state by the time we reach full funding. Those graduates would then, in turn, contribute billions of dollars back to our state’s economy in their lifetime.
When our higher education system succeeds, the impact reverberates throughout our state, especially in areas where higher education institutions are such a vital lifeblood of the economy. SB 3965 is an essential step forward to a better future for every student and every institution in our state.
— Lisa Castillo Richmond, executive director, Partnership for College Completion, Chicago
Librarians are essential
The op-ed by Sherry C.M. Lindquist about the firing of the librarians at Western Illinois University (“This is why it matters that Western Illinois University fired all its librarians,” Aug. 20) is accurate and urgent, yet it misses one of the most important points in today’s world.
Librarians are more than just book locators. Information today is not all digital, it’s not all free and it’s not all verifiably good. Librarians are the ones educating students about how to locate and critically evaluate information wherever it may be. Whether it is from a printed book or a digital database or from telephoning a local expert — how does one know it is not just old-style partisan propaganda or fake news or, nowadays, text generated by artificial intelligence?
Librarians understand how to develop information literacy — how to assess sources and the quality and relevancy of what one is reading. It’s a well-honed skill, and it’s from the human intellect, not an algorithmic search engine.
Western Illinois is seriously deteriorating the entire educational process if its leaders think they don’t need librarians.
— Sarah Pritchard, retired academic librarian, Evanston
It’s clear who the ‘loser’ is
My dad was a disabled veteran who died at age 52 of a service-connected disability, leaving behind my mom and five children. How dare Donald Trump ridicule veterans, calling them “suckers” and “losers.” How dare Trump denigrate the service and sacrifice that veterans and their families have made to give us freedom, liberty and democracy. How dare Trump say John McCain wasn’t a war hero, when McCain was a prisoner of war for five years. Trump said he likes people who weren’t captured, and he referred to the years that veterans serve as not being a “real job.” Who in their right mind says that?
It’s especially disturbing that Trump criticizes our veterans considering he dodged the draft through deferments, claiming “bones spurs,” and was able to avoid serving because his rich dad called in a favor.
Trump is the biggest threat to our democracy since World War II. We need to make sure he does not return to the White House. I am proud to support Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Thank you to Walz for his 24 years of service to our country in the National Guard and for his years of service as a public school teacher. Thanks also to Harris for being a public servant for most of her career. Shame on Trump for having the audacity to demean the people who serve our country and invest years of their lives to protect our freedoms and strengthen our civil society.
Simply put, veterans deserve our respect, and Trump disrespects veterans. It’s clear who the loser is.
— Catherine O’Malley, Palos Park
US hasn’t had a real leader
I know why the United States is in such a mess. We didn’t have a president in the White House. We have a resident in the White House.
— Roberto L. Garcia, Chicago
RFK Jr.’s sham campaign
Let’s be clear. Robert Kennedy Jr.’s so-called presidential campaign was always simply a cynical effort to use his family name to siphon a few votes from the Democratic nominee in battleground states. Of course, he couldn’t come out and say that.
RFK Jr. shut down his campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, and I can only say one thing — I didn’t think the Trump campaign could get any weirder, but I was wrong!
— Guy Rosenthal, Wheaton
Remembering Donahue
Phil Donahue’s recent death touched me personally, although I never really knew him. In the summer of 1979 or thereabouts, my friend Linda and I snagged two tickets to “The Phil Donahue Show” in Chicago. Those and Bozo tickets were the hottest items in town, and we were thrilled to be going. We were mothers of young children, and this was about as exciting as an afternoon out could get.
In those days, the newspapers printed the list of each week’s guests, and I read that the Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr, was appearing on our scheduled date. With that in mind, the day before the show, I happened to be shopping at the State Street Marshall Field’s. As I did each time I visited the store, I moseyed through the third floor book section. There I spied Kerr’s newest cookbook. I picked it up. As an audience participant, I felt committed to his success.
When I looked at the title of the book, “The Love Feast,” I read the subheadline above the Kerr’s name: “In Search of a Christian Approach to Good Food for Family and Friends.” A cookbook directed to Christians? Aren’t recipes for everyone? Puzzled, I put the book down.
Still in a quandary, I arrived at WGN-TV studios the next day, and my friend and I took our seats. With a multicolored scarf pulling my shoulder length brown hair into a ponytail and my white knit pantsuit from Loehmann’s, I was prepared for anything. As was his routine, Donahue circled the room after he interviewed the author, microphone in hand, encouraging audience members to ask questions.
My arm, independent of me, shot up into the air. Donahue rushed over and angled the microphone toward me. I described my experience at Field’s and asked, “Why write a cookbook especially for Christians?” Donahue, who held the book, stopped and studied the cover. “Wow,” he said, “I never noticed that,” and he turned to his guest, seeking a response.
I no longer remember Kerr’s answer, but I do remember what Donahue did when the program was over. As the audience filed out, he stopped me. Looking directly at me with his beautiful blue eyes, he thanked me for asking my question. I’ve never forgotten that and the kindness, humility and honesty with which he addressed me.
Rest in peace, Phil. I’ll never forget you.
— Marlene Bressler, Wilmette
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