siuDE.com

A capacity crowd in the Student Center erupted with applause Wednesday as a world-renowned writer and activist walked across the stage with a brown cane, smiled and started to sing. "I'm happy to be in Carbondale because I know that this school is a rainbow in the clouds," Maya Angelou said in her cool, slick voice.… 11 Comments

Yash Gupta is looking to make the biggest leap of any finalist in the bid for SIUC's top post. Gupta, who on Wednesday became the third of four chancellor finalists to visit campus, is currently the professor of operations management at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business - making him the lowest ranking finalist compared to two provosts and a dean.… Post the First Comment

Lori Stettler watched from her office as the first six people lined up outside the Student Center ballrooms at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Three hours later, more than 350 people had lined up to hear Maya Angelou's lecture that was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., said Stettler, director of the Student Center.… Post the First Comment

The mind freezes. The force is overpowering. The body is bound to the cockpit seat of the 180-horsepower red and blue Super Decathlon airplane. Any attempt to lift an arm is futile, because the pressure of six G-forces on a body creates the feeling that it is six times its normal weight.… 1 Comment

After 30 years, one colonel is saying goodbye to the blue. Col. Walter Tomczak, director of the aerospace studies department, is retiring Aug. 30 after three years with the university and 30 years with the U.S. Air Force. The 51-year-old said his retirement was protocol because Air Force personnel must retire after 30 years service if the ranking of general has not been achieved.… Post the First Comment

Aimee Elkin is going to be ready this time. With her books, notes and snacks spread out on a table in the Student Center, Elkin and her friend Amanda Fortin hunkered down Wednesday to study for finals week. Elkin, a freshman from Batavia studying business, said she didn't prepare as much as she should have for her math class before her December final, but this time she would not be caught off-guard.… 1 Comment

Illinois' gun laws could keep residents from buying weapons out of state and bringing them to SIUC. Lawson Hall was evacuated on April 25 because of a suspicious package. The bag was revealed to contain sand, but authorities saw the incident as an opportunity to gauge how the school might handle a dangerous situation.… 2 Comments