| Fall 2018 Table of Contents | |
|---|---|
| President's Message | |
| Fall Meeting | |
| Calendar | |
| EIUAA People | |
| Getting to Know You: Shirley Bell | |
| Not Exactly Retired | |
| Dream Accomplished | |
| Farewells | |
| Committee Reports | |
President's Message
I’ve become an old fogey. There! I said it, my wife and kids will attest to it, and I have to confess it’s absolutely liberating to say it out loud to my fellow annuitants. I’ve morphed into what I always found unforgivable when I was younger. I’ve become not so much my father, which was expected, but my maternal grandfather, who was a philosophy professor at NYU and who watched the 60’s and 70’s in New York City with both horror and revulsion. Having dedicated his life to reasoned thought and humanism within the long arc of human history, he feared he was seeing the end of civilization as he knew it. The world was “going to hell in a handbasket,” he’d mutter under his breath, even beginning to infect his beloved university, which had always been his cathedral of reason. He even saw the rise of something he contemptuously dismissed as “social science,” an oxymoron for him, as a real danger.
It sounds almost quaint. What an old fogey! Now we live in a world of “alternate facts,” distrust of truth in an age of social media where sources are all too frequently opaque, “fake news” for news you don’t like, real journalists as enemies of the people, science deniers who know little to nothing about how science arrives at conclusions or why they’re called theories…you get the drift, I’m sure. The list goes on and on. The handbasket has made its landing in hell.
One of the bulwarks against this contemporary mudslide threatening reason is, of course, the university. In a university culture you can’t just say stuff and assert it’s true. You’ve got to demonstrate and prove the evidence that leads necessarily to the conclusion. You’ve got to make the rigorous argument. And argument is not mere disagreement. As in the famous Monty Python skit set in The Argument Shop, where one goes for a good argument, the exasperated clerk is forced to scream, “That’s not an argument. You’re just disagreeing with me. An argument is a logical arrangement of premises which lead necessarily to a conclusion.” To which the customer replies, “No it’s not.” Believe me, it’s as funny as the dead parrot skit.
So why this rant? Our universities, especially our public universities, must remain strong in the face of increasing outside pressures from extremely partisan state legislatures. Our health care and pensions are always under the gun, but now the very nature of our universities is under review. As annuitants you can voice your support for public universities through EIUAA and SUAA. Get involved. Become a board member. Volunteer for one of our committees; it’s a very small time commitment. Recruit new members among your friends and former colleagues; the dues are strikingly modest even for university retirees. Stand up in a meaningful way for our EIU community, which has made a singular recovery in the state this year but still has a long way to go to full recovery. And finally, be sure to vote in the midterms and GET OFF MY LAWN!
Best Regards,
Jeffrey Lynch
EIU Annuitants Association President, 2018
Hello and Goodbye at Fall Meeting
John Kilgore
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New board members Wendy Long and Rich Wandling at fall meeting. |
At the October 4 meeting of EIUAA, Jeff Lynch said goodbye, retiring board members were thanked and recognized, the new officers and board were welcomed, and Katy Anselment fielded many questions regarding the current political climate for Illinois higher education.
Jeff Lynch has served as president during 2018. He completes his term at the new year, after which he will continue as Past President and board member. Jill Nilsen and Vicki Hampton have each completed six years as board members, and as chairs of Legislative and Communications Committees respectively, and will be leaving. Robert Whittenbarger will leave after three years as board member and treasurer.
Bev Cruse, Wendy Long, and Richard Wandling will join the board in January. Officers, who also serve on the board, will be John Ryan — president; Margaret Messer — treasurer; Linda Barter — president-elect; and Nancy Dole — secretary.
In his farewell remarks, Lynch thanked members and officers for their service and asked everyone to help recruit new members. EIU’s fortunes have recently taken a turn for the better, Lynch noted, with freshman enrollment up by 24.5% over last year. But the need to advocate for the university is perennial, as is the need to defend pensions and benefits from a state legislature eager to claw back funds. The work of EIUAA continues!
In her presentation, Katy Anselment, EIU’s legislative liaison, described how the budget impasse has harmed institutions and left a legacy of “bad blood.” College enrollments across the state have fallen, and Illinois loses more college students to “out migration” than any state except New Jersey. The drive to cut costs has spawned proposals that would overturn some of the basic principles of Illinois’ system of state colleges and universities. Legislators and lobbyists have proposed, for instance, that teacher education programs be compressed into three years, that universities be reduced to “centers of excellence” with sharply curtailed programs, and that community colleges begin offering “low-cost” bachelor’s degrees.
In this atmosphere, Anselment commented wryly, “My job is mainly to kill things.” But there are signs of hope. Many legislators show a genuine understanding and appreciation of higher education. Several lawmakers recently formed a bipartisan working group to discuss college and university funding. When asked to appoint a liaison, EIU’s President Glassman, notably, chose himself, and will be participating directly in the group’s discussions.
Calendar
| Date | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, 9 a.m. | Board of Directors Meeting | Neal Welcome Center |
| Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019, 9 a.m. | Board of Directors Meeting | Neal Welcome Center |
| Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 | 8:30 a.m. Social Time - 9 a.m. Meeting | Chapter Meeting | Neal Welcome Center |
| Thursday, March 7, 2019, 9 a.m. | Board of Directors Meeting | Neal Welcome Center |
| Friday, April 26, 2019 | Annual Luncheon | Time, Location TBA |
| Thursday, May 30, 2019, 9 a.m. | Board of Directors Meeting | Neal Welcome Center |
| Thursday, July 11, 2019 | 8:30 a.m. Social Time - 9 a.m. Meeting | Chapter Meeting | Neal Welcome Center |
EIUAA People
| EIUAA Officers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Lynch | jplynch@eiu.edu | President |
| John Ryan | jmryan@eiu.edu | President-Elect |
| Margaret Messer | mkmesser@eiu.edu | Past President |
| Jill Nilsen | jfnilsen52@hotmail.com | Secretary |
| Robert Whittenbarger | rwhittenbarger@gmail.com | Treasurer |
| Phone Contact: Jeffrey Lynch, 217-549-3360 | ||
| Board Members |
|---|
| Vicki Hampton, Jill Nilsen, Mary Anne Hanner, John Flynn, Margaret Messer, Jeffrey Lynch, Robert Whittenbarger, John Ryan, Gail Mason, Nancy Dole, Linda Barter, Ron Wohlstein |
| Committees | |
|---|---|
| Communications | Vicki Hampton (Chair), Audrey Edwards, John Kilgore, Roann Kopel. Ex officio: John Ryan, Robert Whittenbarger. |
| Events | Gail Mason (Chair), Jody Horn, Marita Metzke, Rosalee Noble, Ernie Secrest |
| Legislative | Jill Nilsen (Chair), Jim Bush, Henry Davis, Sue Kaufman, Jeffrey Lynch, Gail Mason |
| Membership | Mary Anne Hanner (Chair), John Best, Kathryn Bulver, John Flynn, Norma Taylor, Dale Wolf, Joan Zieren |
| Scholarship | Nancy Dole (Chair), Nancy Curran, Brad Green, Margaret Messer |
Want to serve on a committee? Wonderful! Contact Jeff Lynch at 549-3360.
Getting to Know You: A Portrait of Shirley Bell
Audrey Edwards
Shirley Bell has found a new focus in retirement, and it’s politics — specifically, making Illinois a better place through legislation. To this new task, she brings all the enthusiasm she once applied to her teaching at EIU.
Shirley grew up in Alta Loma, California, then a rural area where she could climb trees, hike, and ride horses. At Chaffey College, she earned an AA in journalism, then transferred to Cal State Fullerton where she earned a BA and MA in speech communication and another master’s degree in counseling psychology. Then it was on to UIUC for her doctorate in Speech Communication. “I drove all the way from California with my son Jason, then 13, and our cat. The mountains were scary, with their runaway truck lanes, but we made it and saw so much of our beautiful country," she said.
After completing her doctorate and teaching for three years at Doane, a small private liberal arts college in Nebraska, Shirley moved on to EIU in 1995, where she taught for 19 years. She comments, “I really like public universities, with their cultural mix of students, and Eastern is outstanding for its individualized attention from professors.”
Retiring in 2014, Shirley became deeply involved in local politics. As chair of legislative outreach for the Coles County Democrats, she researched issues and explained them on the party’s web page. In addition to presenting facts, she suggested calling or writing state legislators. For those who felt unsure of an approach, she would add, “This is what I’m going to say.” She herself called legislators so often that their aides recognized her by name and knew her ZIP code before she could tell them. When she talked to legislators, she knew what a given bill said and the evidence for it. If a legislator dismissed her concerns, she could reply, “Well, no, that’s not what it actually says . . . .” She also gave nonpartisan presentations to EIU students, urging them to vote and helping them fill out registration cards.
In October 2017, Shirley announced her candidacy for state representative,110th District. She sees the role of legislator as calling for many of the same skills as her work at Eastern: researching issues, speaking in public, getting to know people from all walks of life, listening to their points of view. “Some don’t think they can have a political impact,” she says, “but people need to know that our government is the people's government — it is our right and responsibility to be actively involved.”
Shirley’s tomboy skills from her California girlhood have come in handy too. At the Martinsville ag fair, one of many events she took part in this past summer, a mechanical bull vendor called to her, “Hey, Red! Come on, you can do it! I can make it go slow or fast!”
She thought that might be kind of fun. “I replied, ‘Okay, if I make a thumbs down sign, slow it down.’ But he didn’t! Even so, I stayed on for one minute, 36 seconds — they say that’s really good. I slid off, then hopped up and said, ‘Courtesy of your next state rep for the 110th!’”
Clearly, Shirley Bell is keeping busy in retirement and having lots of fun doing it. If you haven’t met her, look for a short, energetic redhead. She’d enjoy talking with you and hearing your views. “Taking on a campaign is definitely a learning experience,” she says. “I like to think we continue to learn all our lives.”
Not Exactly Retired: My Part-Time Consulting Business
Mary Anne Hanner
A couple of years before I retired, I joined with two colleagues in my field of Communication Disorders and Sciences to form a consulting company, Academy Solutions, LLC. My partners were from other universities than EIU. All three of us worked as program directors of graduate programs in CDS. We all sat on the accreditation board, the Council of Academic Accreditation of Audiology (CAA) and served as site visitors on accreditation teams.
All graduate programs in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology are accredited by CAA. As program directors, we had experienced the stress of preparing self-studies and accreditation applications. We understood the challenges of organizing the documentation to support the application. And we had prepared faculty and staff for on-campus visits by CAA.
In an informal discussion over glasses of wine, we began to think about forming a consulting group that would support and guide program directors in the candidacy, initial accreditation, and re-accreditation processes. The more we talked about it, the more real it became.
Our first task was to inform the CDS community of our services. We developed a website and a logo. We were exhibitors at a conference for program directors. Referring to a published list, we learned when programs were due for re-accreditation and sent letters (yes, by snail mail; now we email!) to the directors. And we were delighted when we were hired by our first program!
When a program retains our services, we assign two consultants to the case. The program director prepares the accreditation application, and as each section is completed, the consultants review, edit, and suggest revisions. With the availability of electronic communication, much of our work is done at home. We frequently communicate with our clients by email or phone. We use file-sharing software so that we don’t have to exchange any paper or attach documents to email.
After the application is submitted to the accreditors, the program will wait about six months for the site visit. During that six months, we work with our clients to help prepare an electronic document library for the site visitors. Also during that time, we visit the campus and conduct a one-day preparatory site visit. We meet with administrators, faculty, students, and staff, helping them understand what to expect from the CAA site visit. We also tour facilities and provide feedback concerning the program’s readiness for the visit.
After the site visit, we continue consulting with the program until CAA makes the accreditation decision. We are very pleased to report that we have a 100% success rate so far, with more than 50 programs approved for candidacy, initial accreditation, or re-accreditation, most without any citations.
When we travel to a program, all of our expenses are paid by the university. We have traveled from New York to California, from Florida to North Dakota. There are always interesting experiences along the way!
Dream Accomplished: All the Lower 48 Visited in Gus the Bus
Roann Kopel
Years ago, before I retired in 2010, a couple I knew in Charleston sold their house and their stuff and left town in an RV. I thought that was nuts. Now, I am also a “full-timer.” (I didn’t know that term back then.) My husband, Bob Dean, and I have been traveling in our RV since May 2012. We have been full-timers since June, 2017, when we sold our house, sold some stuff, gave a lot away, and put some things in storage. “One of life's little accomplishments,” as Bob told our friends on Facebook.
Now we have achieved another dream. As of August 17, 2018, we have covered all the lower 48 states in our RV, Gus the Bus, over the last six and a half years. The last three states for Gus were Virginia and North and South Carolina. I thought that was ironic, since I lived in NC for 14 years and went to two schools there.
Along the way, we continued to visit friends and family throughout the country (including all 13 grandchildren). We have traveled across the northern tier of the country, across the southern tier, and are now going across the middle on our way back to our winter home, Mesa, Arizona. We have traveled down the West Coast and down the East Coast. When asked what is our favorite place, we respond that this country is so beautiful, we cannot pick a favorite. I will say that seeing all five national parks in Utah in a three-week period was awesome. Four of six national parks in California in a couple weeks also amazed us. (We saw the other two a few months earlier on our way home to move out of our house.) The diversity of the parks in both states, given their proximity to each other, is just unbelievable. Two side notes: we bought our national park senior passes when they were only $10 for a lifetime, and Jeopardy recently had a category on national parks and I got all the answers right!
Traveling the country is also very educational. We have learned so much history and geography of the U.S. Maybe we learned it all in junior high, but that was a few years ago. I think we appreciate all that we have learned much more now. In Gettysburg we learned a great deal about the Civil War. And did you know that Amarillo, Texas, is the “Helium Capital of the World”?
After exploring Florida and the east coast of Texas the first two years of our travels, we found our winter home in Mesa. We are on our way there for the fifth time. The first year we spent one month, the second three months, then six. Last year we stayed for eight months, until mid-June ( at 110 degrees), due to health issues. This year we plan to be there for seven months. We have found awesome friends there and continue to find more. There is much to do, many places to see, and lots of great places to eat. We invite our Illinois friends to visit us and enjoy the great weather and atmosphere with us.
I conclude with a comment, “You meet the nicest people in an RV park,” and with a question: “Is Alaska in our future?”
Farewells
Following are brief notices only. To read a full obituary or leave condolences, visit www.jg-tc.com and click on "Obituaries".
Robert Zabka (Special Education), 96, of Leesburg, Florida, passed away December 25, 2017. Survivors include his wife, Shirley W. Zabka of Leesburg; two sons, Robert K. Zabka (Debra) and Britton Zabka (Lesley); and two daughters, Katheryn Harryman (John) and Janine Zabka.
Virginia Turner Tate (EIU Lab School), 103, of Charleston, passed away January 11, 2018 at her Charleston Rehab and Health Care Center home. Survivors include her nephew Howard Tate (Arlene) of Potomac, Maryland; and niece Virginia Smythe (Robert) of Owings, Maryland.
Michael Strader (Peace Meal), 80, of Charleston, passed away March 24, 2018. Survivors include his wife, Gayle Strader; two children, Jill Strader McCue (Mark) of Bartlett, Illinois, and Tobin Strader (Anthonie Lardiere) of Fishers, Indiana; and five grandchildren.
Rebecca L. White-Morris (Residence Halls), 42, passed away April 7, 2018 at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center. Survivors include her husband, David E. White-Morris, Jr.
Glenn Hild (Chair, Art), 66, passed away April 8, 2018 at his home in Charleston. Survivors include his wife, Susan; daughters Kjersten and Marlene; brother Lyle; and mother, Mary Hilda.
John Rose Faust (Political Science), 87, passed away April 21, 2018 at his Columbia, Missouri, residence. Survivors include his children, Mary (Mark) Jensen of Missouri City, Texas; Linda (Dirk) Gatzen of Columbia; Bill Faust (Eva) of Fayetteville, North Carolina; and David Faust of Falls Church, Virginia.
Walter Elmore (Physical Education), 99, passed away April 23, 2018 at his Brookstone of Charleston residence. Survivors include sons W. Ronald Elmore (Elizabeth Paxson) of Traverse City, Michigan and Dr. Steven Elmore (Marsha) of Salt Lake City, Utah; and four grandchildren.
Steven Clark Vickroy (Building Services), 56, of Hazel Dell, Illinois, passed away August 2, 2018. Survivors include his aunt, Deloris Reynolds of Bisbee, Arizona; his church family; many cousins and friends; and his military comrades.
Joseph Williams (Psychology), 67, passed away August 7, 2018. Survivors include his wife, Dr. Mary Pat Williams, and sons Logan M.E. Williams and Tristan C.J. Williams, all of Charleston; his brother John M. Garcia Sr. (Alethea) of Bar Harbor, Maine; his sister-in-law Madelyn Garcia and niece Carrie E. Garcia, both of Greenville, Rhode Island; his nephews J. Michael Garcia, Jr., of California; and his niece Lauren E. Garcia of Rhode Island. He was preceded in death by his brother William R. Garcia.
Wanda Jean Hughes (Executive Secretary), 94, passed away August 13, 2018. Survivors include sons James (Brenda) of Elgin, Michael (Patricia) of Charleston, and Randolph of Champaign; and daughter Sandra J. Kazarian (Brian) of Sun Valley, California.
Victoria Sue Ashworth (Special Education), 72, of Mattoon, Illinois, passed away August 17, 2018. Survivors include her husband, Larry Ashworth of Mattoon; son Todd Ashworth (Amber) of Mattoon; daughter Angi Ashworth of Mattoon; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Russell Waltrip (Building Services), 90, passed away August 20, 2018. Survivors include his children Rick Waltrip (Sharron) of Westfield, Illinois; Terry Waltrip (Marlene) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Paula Parker (Tim) of Charleston.
Kenneth S. Warren (Buildings and Grounds), 73, of Charleston, passed away Thursday, August 23, 2018 at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana. Survivors include his wife, Brenda Sue Franklin; two daughters, Melissa Renee Warren of Terre Haute, Indiana and Kendra Sue Warren of Charleston; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Carl Eugene Wilen, Jr. passed away September 11, 2018. Survivors include wife Jacquelin (Luce) Wilen; son Paul (Belerie) G. Wilen, Houston, Texas; daughter Winifred (Marc) Hutchcraft; and seven grandchildren.
Committee Reports
Legislative Committee
There is little to report in Springfield, as legislators are in their districts preparing for the upcoming election. However, the bipartisan group of legislators who have joined together to work on higher education have continued to meet since the legislative recess in May. This group is particularly interested in stopping the out-migration of college students to other states. The University of Illinois and the bipartisan group of Illinois lawmakers have announced a free tuition and fee program called the Illinois Commitment. This program at the University of Illinois provides financial support for admitted Illinoisans whose family income meets or falls below the state median. Many questions have been raised regarding the Illinois Commitment program and its possible impact on other Illinois schools. Josh Norman, EIU’s Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, does not feel that there is a lot to be concerned about. The program will pay the balance of tuition for only 250 students who are eligible for Pell and Map grants. The prospective students must meet UI’s admission criteria, which are different from EIU’s. The cost of room and board is not included. UI’s room and board is around $12,000 a year while EIU’s is closer to $9000. Eastern also serves a different student body than the University of Illinois.
During the upcoming veto and spring sessions of the Illinois General Assembly, the Legislative Committee will continue to monitor higher education bills, as well as any legislation that can positively or negatively impact your pensions or benefits. It has been a pleasure serving as the Legislative Committee Chair for the past six years. As I leave the board at the end of this year, Jeff Lynch will be assuming that role in January. However, I hope to continue to be involved with EIUAA and legislative issues!
— Jill Nilsen
Membership Committee
Notes on Renewing Your EIUAA/SUAA Membership: Every month some EIUAA/SUAA members switch to dues deduction from their SURS annuity. Let's hear a round of applause for them! The SURS dues deduction significantly reduces the tasks of tracking membership for us, the volunteers of EIUAA.
When a membership lapses, SUAA sends two dues notices. EIUAA sends at least one by email or in a letter. Like many "bills" that are not immediately due, that dues notice might just get lost in the drawer or on the desk. But dues NEVER lapse for the members who select a monthly dues deduction of $3.17 from their SURS annuity! If you pay your dues annually by check, please consider switching to the monthly deduction from your SURS annuity.
And if you change your email or mailing address, please let SUAA or EIUAA know. You can send an email to annuitants@eiu.edu to update your information.
— Mary Anne Hanner
Scholarship Committee
 Margaret Messer, Sarah Bryden, and Nancy Dole |
 Margaret Messer, Emma Walker, and Nancy Dole |
The 2018-19 Annuitant Scholarship recipients were announced at the Annual Luncheon. They are Sarah Bryden and Emma Walker. Each student will receive a $500 scholarship.
Sarah, a double major in Health Administration and Finance, is the granddaughter of "Lefty" and Mary Ellen Bryden. Emma is the daughter of Barb Walker. She is majoring in Theatre Arts with a minor in Video Production.
We congratulate our recipients and their families. These two students have bright and exciting futures. We are happy and grateful to have raised an endowment that currently supports new $1000 scholarships each year, but are always eager for additional support and can make good use of it. Particularly welcome are memorial contributions given to honor past annuitants.
— Nancy Dole
