A political forum was held Tuesday night for local candidates to address issues and answer questions from students, faculty and members of the community.

The event, co-sponsored by the Campus Faculty Association and the Daily Illini, featured Steve Cox, opponent to incumbent Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill., who was not present at the debate. Naomi Jakobsson, D-103, and senior in LAS Frank Calabrese were in attendance.

The majority of the questions posed to the candidates were related to higher education. Many of the questions were also directed towards issues facing college students because of the economy.

One question proposed to the candidates focused on their stance on providing health care to recent college graduates unable to stay on their parents’ plans and unable to find employment with benefits.

“That’s one of the big problems in the state of Illinios,” Jakobsson said, “We still need to provide affordable, accessible health care for everyone.”

Calabrese said several of his friends who recently graduated were struggling to find jobs due to the weakened economy.

“Some people are going to have trouble finding jobs,” Calabrese said. “I believe that as a society we have to make sure that health care is provided for those who need it.”

The local representatives were asked about outsourcing amenities, a question that was specifically directed to the University’s Global Campus. Both candidates responded that they did not agree with this program.

“Higher education is not like making T-shirts,” Calabrese said. “Quality is involved here. This higher education is something the state needs to invest resources in.”

Candidates were also asked about the difficulty of securing student loans.

“Those who have the academic potential to succeed in school should not be denied access to higher education funding,” Cox said. “We cannot watch people with potential waste away.”

Both Calabrese and Jakobsson expressed the need for more state funding at the University.

“We were able to increase state funding by 2.7 percent in the budget,” Jakobsson said. “Do I think this is enough? No.”

Candidates were asked about a bill that was that would raise funding for higher education through gambling revenue. Jakobsson voted against this approach.

“If you looked at the bill, you would have seen about 73 percent of the funds were not earmarked,” Jakobsson said. “That would mean the governor would have had that much money to do whatever with.”

Calabrese said he considered the bill a good idea.

“I would support (the bill) if the money went toward education,” Calabrese said. “We would have to put it in writing.”

Jakobsson also criticized the University’s interpretation of the ethics policy which provoked controversy on campus. She contacted President B. Joseph White urging him to redefine acceptable expression on campus.

In the Wednesday, Oct. 15, edition of The Daily Illini, in an article titled “Debate centers on education,” U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson was identified as a Democrat.

Johnson is actually the incumbent Republican candidate for the 15th Congressional District.

The Daily Illini regrets the error.

The previous story was the corrected version.