When you have a chance, please take a look at the following two articles from the latest edition of the Illinois Library Association’s newsletter.
“For Illinois Senators, An Odd Public Friendship”
This article discusses the unusual bipartisanship between Illinois’s U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk. (Such bipartisanship is uncommon in “split delegations”, or sets of senators from the same state who are not members of the same political party.) The level of cooperation between the two is especially encouraging at such a time as this, given that budgets are tight and divisive partisanship could lead to many constituents not receiving an equitable share of funding.
“The 10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech: 2013”
Although there is just one Illinois school (DePaul University) on the latest list, many of the freedom-of-speech issues concern the expression of political viewpoints, something that is clearly relevant to many college campuses, especially given that the current economic and political climate is conducive to debate and outright protest. In addition, a look at the previous list (no Illinois schools are on it) reveals the ongoing controversies surrounding free expression via social media, another item relevant to college campuses everywhere, due to the extensive use of social media by students and other members of the campus community.
Thank you, and happy holidays.