Budget cuts could eliminate programs at SIU, Tyler Davis, Daily Egyptian

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget cuts could diminish programs that give students professional experience and Carbondale residents affordable mental healthcare. Officials at SIU’s Clinical Center were asked to prepare a budget for the organization if it were to lose 50 percent of its state funding. The exercise was prompted by the university after Rauner proposed a 31.5 percent cut of state appropriations to public universities. The center is a training facility for students in clinical psychology, communication disorders and speech, education psychology and social work, and also serves community members. A 50 percent cut of the center’s state money would mean $206,705 would be lost out of its roughly $406,000 budget. Holly Cormier, director of the center, said state money and the fees it collects for the services it provides make up all funding. http://www.dailyegyptian.com/news/article_9524369a-e7cf-11e4-aada-9b53acdd53b8.html