Issuu

THE DAILY ILLINI

THURSDAY March 11, 2021

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Visit our website!

Vol. 150 Issue 39

DI editor-in-chief says thanks to staff, readers had to make the tough decision to cancel print publication for the rest of the semester, but now I’m already on my way out. Being the editor-in-chief of The Daily Illini has taught me more about myself than almost anything could over the course of a year. From the late nights and early mornings spent at the office, I never knew how fast the time would fly before it was time to give up control. And now that I have to, I’m almost reluctant to leave. Every day that I went into the office, as corny as this sounds, it truly did not feel like work. We had such a lively and dynamic staff that made the long hours together much more bearable. Last, but most certainly not least, I want to thank you, the reader. You are the reason why we work hard to produce the best content we can because as the University’s independent student newspaper, we serve you. Thank you for supporting us through our mistakes, successes and everything in between. It has been the honor of my life to be the editor-in-chief of such a storied publication, and I’m more than confident that the next staff will do even greater things. I hope I’ll see you all soon.

JJ KIM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE STUDENT CAMPAIGNS

Left: Tyler Swanson and Vada Gregory stand in front of Alma Mater on a sunny day. Right: Enoma Egiebor and Nicole Arnold pose for a campaign photo.

ISG’s first COVID-era election begins Presidential tickets stress mental health improvement, inclusivity BY WILLIE CUI STAFF WRITER

Every spring semester, student candidates run for office in campus elections, all the while campaigning to make their platforms known. However, as with many things this year, the pandemic restrictions have made traditional campaigning for campus elections difficult. Enoma Egiebor and Nicole Arnold, both sophomores in LAS and Illinois Student Government senators, are running for Illinois Student Government student body president and vice president respectively. Also running for ISG

student body president is Tyler Swanson, sophomore in ACES and ISG senator, alongside his running mate Vada Gregory, junior in Media and ISG senator. In the face of increased mental health issues caused by the pandemic, both campaigns seek to improve the quality of student mental health services. Swanson and Gregory believe that the pandemic has “revealed a lot of the vulnerabilities” in the University’s mental health system. “We have a Counseling Center that, by no fault of its own really, is just not equipped to deal with the problems that students have,” Swanson said. “It’s just that there’s not the money to go around and the Counseling Center isn’t getting that money. That being said, despite that, the Counseling Center is doing a lot of great things.” Swanson and Gregory plan on raising awareness

of existing mental health services and increase ISG lobbying efforts in the state capital to obtain more funding through appropriations for the University’s mental health services. “That is something that I don’t think a lot of people consider as a being a student government power but it really is, especially when we work with other groups on campus and other organizations that are pursuing similar goals,” Swanson said. Egiebor and Arnold share these concerns over mental health funding. Egiebor and Arnold also note that the Counseling Center is understaffed and does not have enough counselors from diverse backgrounds. “I’m a first-generation immigrant, as is Nicole, and sometimes people like us seek mental health help, and sometimes there’s a cultural barrier,” Egiebor said. “They feel they can’t find someone that has their

experiences and relates to them.” Egiebor and A rnold believe that the burden of funding campus mental health services should be taken off of students, noting that the Counseling Center is largely funded through campus fees paid by students. “A lot of the problems when it comes to the Counseling Center and cultural centers’ funding … is because a lot of those resource centers rely on student fees that are charged every year,” Arnold said. “And with the onset of the pandemic, the University was seeking to cut some of those fees.” Egiebor and Arnold also want the University to take more action to protect students’ health during flu season, especially with regard to immunocompromised students. Additionally, both cam-

Given that this is the last newspaper edition as editor-in-chief, I want to start this column off by thanking my staff for being the most adaptable and hard working group of people I could have ever asked for. We would not have achieved what we did this past year without your consistency and diligence to The Daily Illini. They sacrificed so much of their lives to help make The Daily Illini the best it could be. I also want to thank my co-publishers Kit Donahue and Melissa Pasco for always keeping me in check and giving me their full support during such a crazy year. Thank you to the countless professors and mentors that helped me navigate through the murky waters of the pandemic. You all were a lighthouse in the middle of a vicious, unrelenting storm. Thank you to the families of my staff. I was very demanding of them this past year, and I’m sure there were days when they wanted to tear my head off, so I thank you for helping keep them from wigging out. I can’t believe it’s already been a year. I could have jjk7@dailyillini.com sworn that just yesterday I

Illinois abolishes money bail after activist push Bailout Coalition. “People want to be able to defend themselves when they’ve been accused of a crime.” Local activist groups such as the Champaign County American Civil Liberties Union and the CCBC worked to advance the passage of the act through advocacy and mobilizing support.

BY AMRITA BHATTACHARYYA STAFF WRITER

Illinois has become the first state in the nation to abolish the money bond after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation Feb. 22. The reforms came after concerted efforts from activist organizations in C-U and beyond. The Illinois Pretrial Fairness Act, one portion of the larger Illinois House Bill SEE ELECTION | 3A 3653, which passed multiple criminal justice reform measures, bans the use of money bail to hold individuals awaiting trial in jail. The money bond is utilized by states as an incentive for arrested individuals to come back to court for their court date. If the individual shows up for their court date, they receive their cash bail back. In an Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices report in 2020, the Supreme Court found that “a mere few days in jail may impose collateral consequences that attach to the loss of pretrial freedom and custodial detention.” This includes an individual losing their job due to not showing up for work, losing custody of a child or losing their home due to a lack of income. “What’s been found is that even when people don’t have a financial stake in returning to their court date, that they still go to their court date,” said Phillip Ernstmeyer, member of the Champaign County

Key parts of the Pretrial Fairness Act

UI to adopt Canvas as online learning system BY SOPHIE CASABURI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The University of Illinois announced on Feb. 23 that it will transition from Illinois Compass 2g, a Blackboard product, to Canvas, an alternate learning management system. The migration will begin in summer 2021 and be completed in June 2022, when the University’s contract with Blackboard expires. The decision follows a two-year-long pilot program in which over 3,000 students and faculty across nine University colleges used Canvas for their classes. “Based on the fact what we had a pretty positive experience with the pilot, we had positive feedback from some of the surveys we did, plus we believed that there’s some real benefits going forward with adopting Canvas, we said that this is the right thing for a campus to do and we made the decision to make the formal change,” said Kevin Pitts, vice provost for Undergraduate Education. The University is currently preparing for the first set of courses to migrate to Canvas and has created groups to aid faculty and students during the migration process. “The Provost just charged an advisory group … to oversee the overall migration,” said Michel Bellini, director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning. The group includes faculty and students across the Uni-

Police

Source: Coalition to End Money Bond

“There’s just been widespread agreement that the old system needed to be reformed … it was not fair and it was not working. And really, it criminalized poverty,” said Carol Spindel, member of the Champaign County American Civil Liberties Union. Carol Leff, Champaign County ACLU president, says that some people misunderstand what ending money bail means. For example, being released without bail does not apply SEE MONEY | 3A

INSIDE ANGELINA CHAN THE DAILY ILLINI

versity’s colleges. Working groups are also being created to manage different aspects of the migration. Specific groups include one dedicated to the migration of course content from one Learning Management System to Canvas, one dedicated to faculty and student

DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS

INSIDE

• Abolishes money bond • Limits eligibility for pretrial incarceration • Reduces penalties for violations of pretrial release conditions • Reforms the warrant process • Ensures transparency and oversight through data collection and publication

support and one dedicated to essential training throughout the summer and beyond to help faculty navigate a new learning environment, said Bellini. According to Pitts, a “decent number” of courses are expected to migrate to Canvas for the upcoming fall

@THEDAILYILLINI, @DI_OPINION, @DI_SPORTS |

Life

Culture

Crossword

semester. Still, it is up to each faculty member when they migrate, as long it is before the end of June 2022. “What I expect to see (for the fall 2021 semester) is a mix of courses still in Moodle and Compass, with new

Opinions

Sports: Illini enter weekend as tournament favorite

PAGE 6A

PAGE 1B

SEE CANVAS | 3A

THEDAILYILLINI |

Opinions: U.S. education devalues foreign language skills

@THEDAILYILLINI |

Letters

Sports

THEDAILYILLINI

DAILYILLINI

Classifieds

Sudoku

THEDAILYILLINI 4B

buzz

Thursday, March 11, 2021

THE DAILY ILLINI 1001 S. Wright Street Champaign, IL 61820

The Daily Illini is the independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. The newspaper is published by the Illini Media Co. The Daily Illini does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students. All Illini Media Co. and/or The Daily Illini articles, photos and graphics are the property of Illini Media and may not be reproduced or published without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free; each additional copy is 50 cents.

STAFF

Editor-in-Chief

Photo editor

JJ Kim editor@dailyillini.com

Ryan Ash photo@dailyillini.com

Managing editor, Reporting

Asst. photo editor Cameron Krasucki

Design editor Kaitlin Mikrut design@dailyillini.com

Asst. design editors

Samantha Roberson online@dailyillini.com

Brian Nguyen

Managing editor, Visuals

Shana Olivero video@dailyillini.com

Video editor

Cassidy Brandt visuals@dailyillini.com

Asst. video editor

News editor

Special sections editor

Ethan Simmons news@dailyillini.com

Shivali Shukla supplements@dailyillini.com

Asst. news editors

Buzz editor

Diana Anghel Luis Velazquez

Jillian Little

Tara Mobasker

Asst. buzz editors

Asst. daytime editors Carolina Garibay Heather Robinson Salem Isaf

Ava Traverso

Sports editor

Haley Follman copychief@dailyillini.com

Copy chief

Gabby Hajduk sports@dailyillini.com

Asst. sports editors Jackson Janes Carson Gourdie

Asst. sports editor of on-air Brendyn Jones

Features editor

Asst. copy chiefs Rachel King Citlaly Leanos

Social media director Jane Knight disocial@dailyillini.com

Brand Manager Samantha Roberson

Elizabeth Sayasane features@dailyillini.com

Asst. features editors

value of $179.

• Nothing to report.

Managing editor, Online

How to contact us

POLICE

Champaign

(217) 337-8300

Samantha Boyle reporting@dailyillini.com

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Co-Publishers Kit Donahue Melissa Pasco

Rohit Jammu Jared Ebanks

Opinions editor Andrew Prozorovsky opinions@dailyillini.com

Asst. opinions editor Maii Rashed

Longform editor Zainab Qureshi longform@dailyillini.com

TODAY’S NIGHT SYSTEM STAFF Night editor: Gwyn Skiles, Matt Troher, Samantha Boyle Copy editors: Zainab Qureshi, Jillian Salomon, Maggie Burnetti, Hannah Stewart, Elizabeth Wessel, Jennifer Orozco, Madalyn Velisaris Designers: Julia Eversmann, Jonah Ozer Page transmission: JJ Kim Web manager: Samantha Roberson

were reported on the 1000 block of Kerr Avenue around 9:10 p.m. on Sunday. According to the report, the victim and the offender are acquaintances who arranged an exchange of sex for money. The offender battered the victim by punching the victim in the head. The offender then disarmed the victim and struck the victim in the head with a firearm.

Urbana

University

• Theft was reported near Goodwin Avenue and St. Mary’s Road, Urbana around 6 p.m. on Sunday. According to the report, two University students left their skateboards unattended near the roadway while they were off taking photographs in the area. The two skateboards had an estimated

• Aggravated discharge of a firearm was reported on the 1700 block of Melrose Village Circle around 6 p.m. on Sunday. According to the report, an unknown offender fired a handgun near a basketball courtyard in an apartment complex while there were multiple people around. • Battery and theft under $500 news@dailyillini.com

UI financial aid options remain available BY PAYAL RATHORE STAFF WRITER

The University’s financial need-based program in response to the coronavirus continues to be implemented, along with programs such as Illinois Promise and Illinois Commitment. The COVID-19 Supplemental Stimulus Funding is a temporary program that will be brought to an end once the pandemic subsides. This program also covers graduate students. Under Illinois Commitment, eligible students receive financial aid that provides scholarships covering the entire tuition cost and campus fees. Illinois Promise, on the other hand, is inclusive of not just the tuition and fees, but room and board, textbooks and other such expenses. The COVID-19 Supplemental Stimulus Funding consists of two components: funding for students and funding for the institution. According to the website of the Office of Student Financial Aid, the Coronavirus Response and Relied Supplemental Appropriations Act “includes additional funding for an Education Stabilization Fund of which a portion of the funding will be directed toward institutions of higher education.” The website also states the University “is await-

The Daily Illini is located in the basement of the University YMCA at 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820. Our office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.

General contacts Main number: Advertising: Newsroom: Production:

(217) 337-8300 (217) 337-8382 (217) 337-8345 (217) 337-8320

Newsroom

Online: If you have a question about DailyIllini.com or The Daily Illini’s social media outlets, please email our editor at online@dailyillini.com. Employment: If you would like to work for the newspaper’s editorial department, please fill out our form or email employment at dailyillini.com. Calendar: If you want to submit events for publication in print and online, visit dailyillini.com. Letters to the editor: Letters are limited to 300 words. Contributions must include the author’s name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college. The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit or reject any contributions. Email opinions@dailyillini.com with the subject “Letter to the Editor.”

Advertising

Placing an ad: If you would like to place an ad, please contact our advertising department. (217) 337-8382 or e-mail advertise@illinimedia.com.

The Daily Illini is online everywhere you are.

Website dailyillini.com

The Daily Illini App Play Store, App Store

Facebook THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

An Illinois student enters the Student Financial Aid office on Oct. 22, 2018. Illinois continues to utilize COVID-19 Supplemental Stimulus Funding on student tuitions and funding for the institution.

ing guidance from the Department of Education regarding the regulations and requirements for the use of these funds.” “A round of the emergency grant funding by the federal government was provided in the Spring semester of 2020,” said Michelle Trame, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid. This was the first of three packages, which includes the recently passed higher education relief fund. The third

package is still underway as discussions regarding the same take place. “There is a special circumstance form which can be filled by students in case a parent loses their job or in case there is a death in the family,” Trame said, stating that the form filled will allow for re-evaluation of needbased financial aid for the concerned student. “Fundraising for emergency grant funding as well as individual sources are also contributing to

the financial aid provided,” Trame said. The Emergency Dean Fund, one such other source of funding, utilizes donations from University alumni and supporters to help students facing temporary hardship due to an unforeseen emergency. The 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA, was also made available on Oct. 1. payalr2@dailyillini.com

The Daily Illini The Daily Illini Sports

Twitter @TheDailyIllini @DI_Sports

Instagram @TheDailyIllini

Snapchat TheDailyIllini

Corrections A previous Life & Culture story misattributed a quote from Kaizha King to Ghassan Moussawi. The Daily Illini regrets this error.

Attention University of Illinois Seniors:

Last call for Class of 2021

Senior Pictures FEB. 23 - MAR. 14 Your safety is our #1 concern. See our website for more details. Portraits are from the waist up so dress accordingly. We provide the cap & gown!

Schedule your appointment at illioyearbook.com illio yearbook

O F F I C I A L Y E A R B O O K AT T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F I L L I N O I S S I N C E 1 8 9 4

THURSDAY March 11, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

NEWS Students rejoice over eased ARC restrictions BY ALEX CHANG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF ILLINOIS NEWS BUREAU/FRED ZWICKY

Dr. Rebecca Lee Smith poses for a professional headshot. Smith explained that false positive COVID-19 results are highly unlikely.

Epidemiologist debunks testing myths UI scientist elucidates COVID-19 lab process from start to finish BY MIA GINOCCHI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The University’s COVID-19 research and testing efforts are widespread, both in range and recognition. However, the process behind the University’s saliva-test might leave patients wondering what happens in the time between when the spit goes to the lab to when results are given. Confusion on testing processes can lead to misconceptions about the results, such as the common saying that someone received a ‘false positive’ COVID-19 test. Dr. Rebecca Lee Smith, epidemiologist and associate professor in Veterinary Medicine at the University, explained how unlikely false positive results are. “A lab worker will look at the results of the test,” Smith said. “If a sample comes back positive, we run the test again. Nobody gets positive results until they’ve been tested twice.”

FROM 1A

CANVAS courses being in Canvas,” Bellini said. “So, for a while, I’m afraid it’s going to be even more complicated for students, at least during the transition. Students will essentially be exposed to three main (Learning Management Systems): Canvas, Compass and Moodle, simply because I don’t think we can move all of the courses into Canvas by

FROM 1A

ELECTION paigns support the University’s sustainability efforts to reduce the campus’ energy consumption and reliance on fossil fuels. Swanson notes that the University recently released the Illinois Climate Action Plan for 2020, which aims for the campus to be carbon neutral by 2050. Swanson, who is currently an environmental economics student, believes that this plan can be sped up using ISG’s resources. “ISG has its own budget that it can use to fund projects,” Swanson said. “We can work with sustainableminded RSOs to negotiate with the University and to really just talk with them and see where it is that we as students can pursue initiatives to reduce waste and make our campus greener.” Egiebor and Arnold plan to “apply pressure” on the University administration in order to see to it that the University follows through with its promises regarding sustainability. “After years of student outcry, the University finally agreed to go fossilfree by 2024,” Egiebor said. “It’s one thing for them to

“I felt that I had no ability to create a fixed schedule for my workouts because my day had to revolve around whatever reservation I could snag, rather than what classes I was taking,” Mamik said. But such opinions are rapidly becoming a thing of the past, with the quadrupling of capacity in the lower levels and removal of reservations for most cardio levels and dumbbells rapidly alleviating capacity concerns. These increases are due to a Feb. 8 lifting of an emergency hold on non-essential activities, a rapid response to a potential COVID-19 spike that has now died down and the transitioning into Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan. Health officials have cited declining cases as a key factor for allowing non-essential activities once more. Generally, students are pleased by the changes. The increased capacity has allowed for previously closed activities such as basketball to reopen, a change widely received in a positive way. “Basketball is what helped keep me sane during quarantine,” said Gabrielle Trier, freshman in AHS. “I’ve always played basketball throughout my life, and the ARC opening up the courts finally lets me get back to playing the sport I love.”

Nearly a month after the lifting of the COVID-19 restrictions in the Activities and Recreation Center, operations are resuming some semblance of normalcy. The removal of the reservation system in most areas and the opening up of several new ones are the main changes to note. The strict regulations on campus recreation were created to comply with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and University policies detailing mandated social distancing, capacity decreases and mask use for gyms. ARC responded to this by requiring reservations for almost all areas of the facility, a marked departure from the relatively reservation-free fall semester. Closures affected almost every area of the gym, such as temporary shutdowns of the badminton and basketball courts, personal training services and the rock-climbing wall, among others. This also extended to treadmills and other cardio machines, where the reservation system effectively made it impossible for people to work out on a set schedule. Such closures left students such as Yuvraj Mamik, freshman in Engineering, alexrc2@dailyillini.com quite unhappy at the time.

Due to the retesting protocol, false positive results are very rare. SHIELD reports that the saliva test has a sensitivity of 97%, the ability to correctly identify those with COVID-19, and a specificity of 99%, or the ability to correctly identify those without COVID-19. Paired with the ease of testing, low cost and speed of results, the saliva test is praised for being an accurate alternative to nasal swab testing. However, the saliva test is more complicated than a lab worker reading the results on a singular machine. The process involves a lot of robotic precision and programming, but it begins with a bath. “When the rack that you put your tube in comes to the lab, it goes into a hot water bath,” Smith said. “It basically gets boiled for 30 minutes.” This bath deactivates the virus and makes it safe to handle, but it has other purposes as well. Boiling the samples is critical to make the virus identifiable. After this, your sample goes into a series of robots. The first takes the caps off of the tubes and moves the saliva around while adding other materials. The second passes the samples to a PCR

machine, which amplifies segments of DNA. “We look for three different genes (in the DNA),” said Smith. “At least two of those have to be amplified to get a positive result.” After a lab worker reads the results on the Polymerase Chain Reaction machine, negative test results are sent out and samples without the virus are destroyed. If the machine reads positive, the sample is put through the process again. When it comes back positive for a second time, the result is sent out and the positive sample is banked for later testing. In total, SHIELD has performed over 1.5 million COVID-19 tests with a current positivity rate of 0.1%. The University saliva-based test was also recently approved for emergency use by the FDA. However, while many know of the University’s research efforts, knowing how they help is another story. Dr. Smith said that the research being conducted in the area is unlike anything else being done internationally. “The work we’re doing operationally with the SHIELD program is really important for stopping the spread within the commu-

nity because we’re finding cases before they transmit to too many people,” Smith said. “We’re helping them to isolate quickly, and we’re identifying infections much sooner on average than anybody else.” SHIELD consists of three committees — Target, Test and Tell. Smith co-leads the Target team. “Our purpose is to figure out who to test and when,” she said. The Target team also manages public messaging. SHIELD works directly with Carle Hospital and Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to communicate about rates and prevention in the community. While the University’s saliva test is incredibly accurate and research is helping slow the spread, COVID-19 still remains a risk to everyone in the community. When asked for advice regarding the pandemic, Smith emphasized minimizing contact with others. “Don’t share air with people outside your family or household,” Smith said. “Masks, distance, limit your THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO contacts.” A student runs around the second level track at the Activities mialg2@dailyillini.com

and Recreation Center on Feb. 29, 2020. The ARC has begun to lift major COVID-19 restrictions allowing more students to access the facility.

(this) fall.” Canvas will include new features, including a 24/7 help desk, a single calendar for all assignments, mobile-friendly usage and potentially faster access to class content after registration, said Drew MacGregor, director of enterprise applications and development for Technology Services. “We think it’s little things like (these) that make it easier for the instructor, benefit the students and help students become more successful,”

MacGregor said. A common complaint from students is the use of many LMSs across campus. According to Pitts, it is estimated that over 20 different systems are in use on campus today. During his first semester of freshman year, Henry Borsuk, sophomore in Engineering and member of the Canvas Advisory Committee, used 12 websites for four classes. Using so many LMSs proved difficult to organize, and other students have

struggled as well. Borsuk said that he had heard stories of students flunking out due to coming from a background that did not use technologies heavily. However, despite complaints and stories of poor student performance, it is not required for courses using another LMS to migrate to Canvas. “It’s kind of not the culture at Illinois for us to tell everybody they have to use the same system,” Pitts said.

“Folks will say there may be a disciplinary reason. LonCapa is really good for chemistry, for example. We’re hopeful that more faculty will adopt Canvas … we’ll never get to where the whole campus is using the same system, but we’re hopeful that we’ll get closer to that.” It is currently unclear how many total courses will migrate to Canvas. However, communication between faculty, student feedback, Canvas’ enhanced features,

decreased costs and life after COVID-19 are all potential factors that can influence an instructor’s decision to migrate, Pitts said. “Actually a lot of departments asked for Canvas, which is very promising … it is possible that more professors and their classes (will) switch over to Canvas,” Borsuk said.

of student groups that are oriented towards marginalized students and meet with them on a regular basis. Swanson and Gregory hope to increase student involvement in ISG and promote awareness of what Diversity and campus ISG does for students. inclusion “I think a problem that Egiebor and A rnold we have with our student also seek government to address is that a lot the issue of people “(Mental health of c a mdon’t know pus diverwhat we do,” improvement) is sit y a nd Swanson inclusion, something that I don’t said. “And if s ay i n g they do know that marthink a lot of people what we do, g i n a l i zed t hey st i l l consider as a being a don’t understudents s o m e nd a nd student government sta times “feel don’t know demonwe do power but it really is.” what ized” when for students on campus. exactly.” TYLER SWANSON “I feel To do this, ISG SENATOR like a big they plan to problem move the four with this senate-level University’s administra- ISG departments into ISG’s tion is they dangle stu- executive branch to better dents of color as a bargain- facilitate the involvement ing tool,” Egiebor said. “As of campus RSOs. Nicole said, our cultural “An example would be our centers are underfunded Student Wellness Departand we don’t have an out- ment,” Swanson said. “We let to be ourselves.” want to get Active Minds Egiebor and Arnold plan UIUC; we want to get Illini to engage more with the Fighting Hunger and simiUniversity’s cultural houses lar groups involved, so that and also create a coalition when we work together,

we’ll have a bigger impact. We can pass ISG initiatives onto these clubs. When we speak to the University administration, we know that we’ll have those clubs behind us.” Swanson and Gregory hope to “make the student experience more accessible to everyone,” noting that not everyone has the money to pay for things like sports tickets and other activities. To remedy this, they plan to negotiate with the University to provide free or discounted tickets for students on the Office of Financial Aid’s Illinois Commitment or Illinois Promise programs. Swanson and Gregory also plan on increasing the involvement of Greek life in ISG in order to better represent the interests of fraternities and sororities. “There are times when the University takes action against these fraternities and sororities, and they feel like they need someone to tell their side of the story,” Swanson said. “We’re committed to being a voice for everyone, and that includes every student.” Voting for this year’s campus elections will take place on Tuesday, March 23 and Wednesday, March 24.

FROM 1A

the act. Specifically, the coalition decided to not advocate for the passage of qualified immunity, which gives officers legal immunity against lawsuits alleging that the officer violated a plaintiff’s rights, unless a “clearly established” right was violated. “Immunity is qualified, but that qualification is very broad and usually requires a fairly large and expensive court case,” Leff said. “It was a practical decision not to try to push that because the voting majority for that general crime bill would’ve been lost. A lt houg h qua li f ied immunity can’t be changed at the local level, local activist organizations including the Champaign County ACLU have been coordinating to advocate for other changes, such as clearer definitions in Urbana’s use of force policy and prioritized de-escalation. “I think that the pretrial fairness act is a significant step forward for bail reform in Illinois,” Ernstmeyer said. “It’s a monumental moment for jail reform, for the anti-incarceration movement nationally.”

say things than to actually do them. So we’ll apply pressure to the [University] administration. We’ll follow up with them to make sure they’re getting to their goal by the year they say they will.”

williec2@dailyillini.com

MONEY

sophiec4@dailyillini.com

to violent offenses. “This is not a get-outof-jail-free card for people who might be at risk to themselves or others,” Leff said. In addition to abolishing money bail, the legislation also limits eligibility for pretrial incarceration, makes it easier to decertify officers who commit misconduct and requires officers to wear body cameras by 2025. While many portions of the legislation will go into effect July 1, money bail will be abolished in Jan. 2020. The slow phase-in of the legislation’s components gives judges and courts time to organize the best way to implement the reforms, Spindel said. In some ways, C-U is already ahead of the curve. For example, the county already requires its officers to wear body cameras and Urbana has already ended the requirement of signing an affidavit to file police complaints. According to Leff, the coalition supporting criminal justice reform had to compromise when it came abhatt52@dailyillini.com to advocating for parts of

THURSDAY March 11, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

LIFE & CULTURE

New chief Alice Cary refocuses UI Police BY GWYN SKILES STAFF WRITER

A man stood screaming as he burned to death surrounded by unrecognizable car parts on a metal bridge. A young Alice Cary, now executive director of public safety and chief of police for the University of Illinois Police Department, listened to her superiors tell her she couldn’t save him because of the danger the heat posed to her own life. She said she can still hear his screams. The number of times Cary has responded to instances of car crashes, child abuse, domestic violence and fatalities over the 35 years she has served as a cop are too many to count, she said. All of these traumas live as memories in her mind. Gesturing at her head, “it’s very traumatic, and it sits here,” Cary said. In addition to the traumas many officers have to go through, Cary said being a woman posed its own challenges. Throughout Cary’s career, she has combatted sexual harassment and discrimination. “Officers put their hands on me, back in the day, and it was very challenging as a young female dealing with that,” Cary said. While sexual harassment and discrimination are prevalent in law enforcement today, Cary said she hasn’t experienced any since coming to the University. Ed Wojcicki, executive director for the Illinois Association of Chiefs of

Police, said there haven’t been many female chiefs of police. He said the exact number throughout the history of Illinois is not known, however, he estimates there have been about 10. Cary said she credits improvements in female representation and decreases in discrimination to younger generations beginning to work in law enforcement. “I think there’s a better understanding and acceptance of females and minorities in this field,” Cary said. “I think the next generation is really going to make a difference in how law enforcement moves forward.” Working with younger individuals is something Cary enjoys. She said she learns every day from students, which is part of what attracted her to university police. Wojcicki said policing on a college campus is different. “When you’re policing a university campus, you pretty much always remember that college kids do things that college kids do,” Wojcicki said. “They test the limits of things, and I think university police recognize that and want to be supportive while still maintaining order.” Cary said she works at the University to help students have a safe environment to learn. “Seeing what we can do to help our youth flourish, get an education and be a part of the next generation is what attracted me to higher education,” Cary said.

To do this, Cary said she wants to create a 24-hour, separate entity to respond to nonviolent mental health calls. This past January, she hired Meghan Cambron, a licensed clinical social worker, to help officers with mental health crisis calls. “I read in an article that there are certain age groups where self-harm claims have gone up over 300%,” Cary said. “This is our youth. We’ve got to do something.” A. Naomi Paik, associate professor and faculty fellow in Legal Humanities, said she thinks the UIPD should be kept separate from mental health crises. “There’s peer-reviewed, academic research that shows that co-responder models do not decrease or mitigate the violence of police encounters in mental health crises,” Paik said. “What they do is make cops feel better about their work, but they don’t actually reduce violence or help.” Instead, Paik said she thinks the counseling department should get more funding. As a public figure for the University, Cary said criticism is not foreign to her. She said she welcomes criticism in an effort to better serve the community. The main criticism Cary said she hears pertains to the Black Lives Matter movement, which saw an increase in attention after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed by police in May.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR

Alice Cary University of Illinois Police Department chief of police poses for a professional headshot. Cary assumed the position on July 20 and has brought her decades of experience in policing to the table.

When Cary saw the video of the officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck, she said her heart broke, and the image burned into her brain. As an individual working in law enforcement, Cary said she acknowledges improvements need to be made so situations like Floyd’s won’t happen again. The post-traumatic stress many officers experience

motivates their actions on the streets, Cary said. In her opinion, programs for officer support and mental health are necessary. Cary said she has experienced some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder; however, due to mental health support provided at a previous job in Wyoming, she was able to overcome it. Cary

said this support hasn’t reached the Unversity of Illinois. “There’s so much work to do with law enforcement and law enforcement reform, and I want to stay here and have that opportunity to say we made it better for the next generation,” Cary said. gskiles2@dailyillini.com

Ikenberry Library provides haven for students BY AIDAN FINN STAFF WRITER

After walking through the front doors of the Ikenberry Commons, students can hit the dining hall, grab something quick from 57 North or head upstairs for a coffee from the Caffeinator. One alternative that many students miss, however, is the Ikenberry Library. The Ikenberry Library on the second floor of the Ikenberry Commons has seen better days in terms of visitor numbers, but the little library has made an effort to combat this lack of interest and provide a colorful and engaging environment for students. At the tiny desk waiting to greet any and all students is Laura Poulosky, residence hall librarian. Poulosky said her librarian status and the responsibility of managing a library comes with highs and lows. “I decided to work in libraries because I love reading so much and wanted to help other people gain access to books and other resources they need,” she said. “So after my time in

the French Department, I got my master’s from the Library and Information Sciences School here.” Some positives of working in the library, she said, include helping patrons find the perfect read or find resources for their coursework. She also said she enjoys working with colleagues who give their all to help students. On the other hand, she has faced many challenges this year to protect everyone’s health and safety while working with a reduced budget. “Nevertheless, we persist and serve our patrons the best we can,” Poulosky said. Many go about their normal business at the Ikenberry Center, from the routine COVID-19 testing to package pick up. The Ikenberry Library can provide an entertaining and enjoyable detour from the standard day-to-day behavior. “I like to think of our libraries like little bookstores where everything is free,” Poulosky said. “We feature new displays

and bulletin boards each month to highlight different parts of our collections. During non-COVID years, we hold various outreach activities.” This year, library events have moved online to include activities such as book clubs. They have also coordinated “take— and— make” projects, some in collaboration with the Undergraduate Library. Poulosky said this provides students a creative outlet when they need a study break. “We strive to welcome all patrons and to make people want to return and check out more of our great materials,” Poulosky said. In combating this lack of interest, Poulosky makes note of many incentives and services offered by the library that one wouldn’t think of initially. The Ikenberry Library can provide much more than just Xbox 360 rentals. “I’d like students to know how happy we are to give them access to our materials and also to help them learn how to access digital

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

The Ikenberry Library sits on the second floor of the Student Dining and Residential bulding on Tuesday night. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the library has moved activities like their book club online as well as their checkout process.

and print library materials from University Library and I-Share libraries,” she said. “Besides all the great books and media on display, we also have the following loanable technology available to check out,

which is very popular: iPhone and Android chargers, external disc drives, HDMI cables and over-theear headphones.” The Ikenberry Library aims to have longer hours next year and, if the pan-

demic subsides, offer inperson outreach activities again to let the Illini community know about the many great services it has to offer. aidanf3@dailyillini.com

Sponsored by:

SUPERMOM CONTEST

Is your mom the master of multi-tasking? Is she the fun Mom all your friends go to for advice? Does she deserve a

$100 VISA gift card and a $50 gift card to the Illini Union Bookstore to treat herself this Moms Weekend?

If so, enter our contest at:

dailyillini.com/SUPERMOM

All moms/mom figures are welcome!

Deadline to enter: Sunday, April 4th

THE

D A ILY ILLINI

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Student teachers swap Zoom for classroom BY KARENA TSE STAFF WRITER

Tammy Seto, senior in Education, remembers how she fell in love with teaching. Her little sister Tiffany was her first student. “My sister and I would always play house, but instead of house, we would play school,” Seto said. “I would always be the teacher.” Seto traded play-teaching for tutoring as she and her sister got older. When she got to college, her choice of major was easy — it was only a question of what she would teach. Now Seto is a student teacher for a seventh-grade science class at Urbana Middle School. Twice a week, Seto teaches full days in person. She spends the rest of the week working remotely. This split schedule allows her precious pockets of free time between classes, teaching and her part-time front desk job. “In a normal year, I would just be stressed out,” Seto said. “I wouldn’t even have time to socialize.” While Seto is grateful for this flexibility, studentteaching in the pandemic has posed new problems. She is particularly concerned about keeping her students motivated. Seto said she estimates about half of her class have failing grades. Struggling students are prioritized for in-person learning, but this system can create a difficult dynamic in the classroom. “Those are already kids that don’t even want to be there in the first place, so those interactions between teachers and students are not what you would see in a normal year,” Seto said. Seto and her cooperating teacher Ashley Dodson have made moves to help engagement. They look for online

resources that simulate the hands-on experience of a science lab. They give out “behavior points” for jobs well done, which students can redeem for fun prizes — from their candy of choice to teacher TikToks. Dodson is thankful to be navigating this transition with a dedicated and creative student teacher like Seto. “I love working with Tammy,” Dodson said. “She’s one of the best student teachers I’ve had from U of I in a really long time.” Dodson is in her seventh year teaching at Urbana Middle School. She completed her master’s degree in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University last spring. When Dodson’s graduate program went virtual, she realized the demands of online learning. She is proud of how her own students have taken on these challenges. “We’ve thrown so much at them,” Dodson said. “Having to keep a schedule, having to be cognizant of your time — being responsible for all those pieces is not something we would normally expect from a middle schooler.” Despite the tough adjustment, Dodson said she feels hopeful about online learning. Online resources make it easier to translate texts, so multilingual students can learn in their language of choice. Online platforms also allow her students to attempt assignments again and again, so they can make mistakes until things start to make sense. Dodson said this kind of experimentation and revision is an important quality of science as a discipline. She hopes her students will carry this attitude beyond her classroom.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMMY SETO

Seventh-grade student teacher Tammy Seto poses for a professional headshot. Seto works at Urbana Middle School and has had to adapt her teaching strategies to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We learn so much by trial and error,” Dodson said. “I want to help them see the benefit of messing up, and how it’s just a step in the learning process.”

KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI

IF THEY CAN DO IT,

SO CAN YOU!

WEAR a MASK THE

D A ILY ILLINI

At local high schools, students and teachers are feeling their way through a similar process. David Farrell, senior in LAS, is a student teacher for English student teacher at Centennial High School. He spent a semester studying civil engineering before changing his major to English with a Secondary Educatin minor. “I realized English was my passion,” Farrell said. “I thought teaching would be a really good way to share that.” Like Seto’s seventh-graders, Farrell’s students are feeling the frustrations of virtual learning. Attendance is a problem and the kids who do come to class

are often too drained to participate. “Getting kids to even just talk to each other over Zoom is really hard to do,” Farrell said. Farrell doesn’t see this issue of engagement as a student problem. Instead, he sees an opportunity for teachers to construct a more compelling curriculum and a more caring classroom. In his freshman classes, Farrell and his cooperating teacher are leading a unit on disability studies, and Farrell has been moved by the students’ eager and honest participation. “It’s one of the rare times that kids will actually unmute themselves,”

he said. “I’m proud to have been a part of that and to give them an opportunity to talk about their own lives and things that matter to them.” At the beginning of March, Centennial High School transitioned into a hybrid learning model. Farrell now makes the trip to the classroom four days a week. Over halfway into the school year, he has begun to put faces to the names. “It was really good to hear their voices and to see a little bit more of their personalities,” Farrell said. “They’d just been black boxes for so long.” kvtse2@dailyillini.com

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD ACROSS

1 Join together 5 Average 9 #1 choice 13 Post-human race of sci-fi 14 Kind of palm 15 Phil in the Poker Hall of Fame 16 Explorer of children’s TV 17 1993 country hit by Joe Diffie 20 Popular afternoon talk show 22 Fig. on some I.R.S. forms 23 Sticking point for a craftsperson? 24 Dances with a fastfast-slow rhythm 26 ___ Xing 27 Nintendo console 28 The slightest bit 30 Camaro competitor 32 1966 hit by the Rolling Stones 34 Egyptian symbol of life 35 Ice cream unit 37 Uneasy feeling 38 Ballet classroom fixture 42 Stock symbol? 44 Building superintendent’s apartment number, often 45 1983 hit by Billy Idol 50 Get rid (of) 54 Make more enticing 55 “Who ___?” (song from “Les Misérables”) 56 53-Down’s catchword 57 Where originally found 58 Not be serious 59 Some do it gracefully 60 ___ Ababa 61 1966 hit by the Beatles 64 Itty-bitty biter

17 20

25 29

35 40

31 34

37 43

9 15

54 57 60

PUZZLE BY DEREK ALLEN

67 Figure skater Lipinski 68 Its products often come with Allen wrenches 69 Where the Iditarod ends 70 Some cameras, in brief 71 Staying power, so to speak 72 River that comprises the fifth circle of Dante’s Inferno

DOWN

1 Join together 2 “Mr. Blue Sky” grp. 3 Singing siren 4 Calls a talk show, say 5 Regal 6 M.B.A. class 7 Spa sound 8 Prime-time time 9 Maniacs 10 Alternative to La. or Dr.

11 Big name in bridal gowns 12 Secretindicating gestures 18 “Mon ___!” 19 2017 hit by Lorde (also a 2008 hit by John Legend, and a 1968 hit by the American Breed) 21 Founder of Taoism 24 Soak up 25 Political analyst Navarro 29 Progress made in step one 31 Cousin of ocher 33 1991 hit by Michael Jackson 36 Feet in a pound 37 Portion of a sum 38 2017 hit by Cardi B 39 People who believe that all natural objects have souls 40 Leftover

41 38-Down genre 43 What it may take to solve old problems 46 Patterns 47 “Nuh-uh!” 48 Clear 49 Bearded beast 51 Former first family 52 Quite a tale 53 Chef known by his first name 60 Rare blood type, for short 62 Sound made while shaking 63 Kyle’s brother on “South Park” 65 Writer Sedaris 66 ___ Avery, Bugs Bunny creator

The crossword solution is in the Classified section.

THURSDAY March 11, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

OPINIONS THE DAILY ILLINI EDITORIAL

Society cannot stand for voter suppression

fling the influence the state’s multitude of Black churches SENIOR has in elections. COLUMNIST Georgia Bishop Reginald T. Jackson powerfully declares, “there is no other he right to vote is reaway you can describe this sonably considered to other than racism, and we be the most direct way just need to call it what it is.” for a citizen to affect tanThere is no room in the gible change within the gov- American governmental ernmental system under system for the suppression which they reside. The Con- of voting rights with the goal stitution emphasizes the of unjustly favoring a single importance of voting rights, party — and there’s ceras there exist three amendtainly no room for systemments — the 15th, 19th and ic racism to be perpetuated 26th — concerned with through the process. expanding voting rights to In what National Associaevery American citizen. tion for the Advancement CAMERON IRELAND THE DAILY ILLINI Given the extreme and of Colored People President necessary power the vote and CEO Derrick Johnson endows upon a citizen, it called “a huge moment” that should go without say“goes to the core question ing that voter suppresof how we define citizension should never be up for ship, and whether or not all ccording to the U.S. First, there is a utility the travel experience. The The American educadebate, yet it’s exactly the citizens actually will have Census Bureau, only to other languages despite ability to communicate in tional system fails to value present subject of Conaccess to fully engage and an abysmal 20% of English’s global popularanother language offers language curriculum as it gressional debate at this participate,” the House of moment. Representatives recentAmericans testify that ity. If one’s ambition lies in insights and new perspecshould. American schools Along with an abundance ly passed a massive votthey can speak more than business, an increasingly tives, informs on other cul- begin language courses one language. Similar data international specializatures and opens one’s brain between ages 10-14, starkly of other typically abnormal ing rights bill to combat the occurrences, the suppresGOP’s voter suppression from Europe places multi- tion, German or Chinese up to new ways of thinkin contrast to European lingual rates in Europe at is incredibly practical. If ing. Linguistic experts are schools, which often begin sion of voting rights became efforts. Divided strictly down 56%, which is much one desires to enter the discovering more all the language courses between normalized during former President Donald Trump’s party lines and entitled closer to the estimatfield of diplomacy, he or she time about how different ages 6-8. Unfortunately, tenure. Trump’s unorthodox “House Resolution 1,” or ed rate among all human should know that French is languages showcase the that difference is signifiH.R. 1, the bill would strike beings (50%). Clearly, the unofficial language of potential of the human cant. The earlier a student nature numbed the Ameridown a plethora of voting the American populadiplomacy. brain. is exposed to language, the can population to obscene obstacles recently proposed tion is disproportionately For those who never Aside from the advanmore likely his or her brain occurrences, such as the president himself patently by GOP state legislatures, monolingual. aspire to travel for work or tages of multilingualism is to absorb and adopt it. declaring he’s withholding prohibit the partisan gerOn National Foreign leisure, try Spanish. The to travel or employment, Additionally, although federal postal service funds rymandering of congresLanguage Week, it’s worth United States has no offimultilingualism improves the University of Illinois to mitigate mail-in voting. sional districts and aim to calling attention to the cial language and bears cerebral development and requires a certain threshThe Brennan Center for bring transparency to what issue: America’s educamore Spanish speakers cognitive function. Studies old of foreign language promany consider to be shady tional institutions critievery year. Domestically, show multilingual speakficiency, not all schools and Justice has found that 33 cally undervalue language Spanish is important to all ers perform better on stan- colleges mandate a similar states have introduced, pre- campaign finance privilegfiled or carried over a total of es allowed to uber-wealthy curriculum. Americans, regardless of if dardized tests and overrequirement. 165 bills aimed at restricting anonymous donors. It’s likely that foreign one’s career is in politics, all academic performance The U.S. must overhaul voter access since the beginWhile H.R. 1 marks a language education has manual labor, manufacthan those who are monoits language curriculum to ning of 2021. This egregious potential turning point in been trivialized due to the turing or owning his or her lingual. Additionally, mul- fit an increasingly diverse number is more than quathe fight for voting rights, international prevalence of own business. tilingual speakers demon- and globalized world. druple the amount of elec“potential” is the keyword. the English language. EngAnd billions of humans strate an expanded English Americans cannot contintionThe battle against lish has been designated speak non-European lanvocabulary, suggesting that ually rely on the current related bills introduced voter suppression is far from the “lingua franca,” mean- guages too. Mandarin learning another language ubiquity of English while in the first two months of over. Since history has dicing it is often the common Chinese, Hindi, Arabic or may help one better under- the world population and tated that the sitting presilanguage used between Indonesian all rank among stand his or her own. diffusion of cultures change 2020. Trump’s assault on voting rights has caused a dent’s party will almost two non-native English the most-spoken languages These benefits come rapidly. U.S. schools must ripple effect in the GOP. inevitably lose seats in both speakers whose mother in the world. If an Amerifrom enhanced prioritize language These GOP-sponsored the House and Senate when tongues differ. can was able to become memory, creativity and curriculum in a similar voting restrictions include midterm elections come English is, in fact, the proficient in just one of the problem-solving skills that manner to the rest of the shortening and limiting around, Washington Demomost widely spoken lanaforementioned languages, the language curriculum world and must expose early voting periods, enforc- crats must make efficient guage in the world. By a it would open a lot of doors cultivates. their students to the world ing even stricter photo ID and expeditious use of their larger margin, it is the for him or her. It also is imperative to of foreign language earlier requirements that would united Congress. most common second Proficiency or fluency in note that although lanin their education. render tens of millions of The Senate’s approvlanguage for non-native more than one language guage skills certainly The fight for increased eligible voters disenfranal of both H.R. 1 and the speakers. Perhaps this is certainly gives an advanbecome dulled when left investment in foreign lanchised and limit or wholly John Lewis Voting Rights the origin of America’s tage to job applicants — unused, they are guage education is a part Advancement Act — a bill ambivalence toward fornot just for jobs requirnever gone completely. of the fight to confront and terminate mail-in voting. This concentrated assault that perished in 2020’s eign language curriculum. ing international travel. Relearning a language is a diminish American ignoBut by treating it like an And it is important to note much simpler process than rance and Americentrism. on mail-in voting is unques- Republican Senate and is tionably an attempt to aimed toward restoring the elective rather than a cruthat less popular, more learning a language from If the U.S. continues to cial aspect of one’s adoleslocal languages can make scratch and the cognitive underemphasize language repress Democratic ballots. original protections of the “I don’t get why now, if it’s Voting Rights Act of 1965 — cent education, Americans a candidate stand out just benefits of learning a lanskills, it will not only miss been working,” Democratare crucial in the fight for unwittingly forgo all the as much as languages with guage stick much more out on opportunities and ensuring voting rights for all benefits that accompany broader appeal. than the individual vocab- intellectual growth, it will ic Senator Randolph Bracy said about his GOP-run American citizens. learning a language. Language also enriches ulary words themselves. fall behind. state of Florida’s efforts to Although abysmally castrate its functional mail- neglected by GOP officials, in voting system. each elected government Bracy continues to say, “it official possesses a civic looks like there’s an effort to duty to ensure the equal try to get a strategic advanapplication of voting rights Following ill-advised “political liberalization.” strategy to buttress any tage. Knowing that Demoto the citizens they serve. domino theory — if commuToday, the U.S. has Iranian intimidation, crats overwhelmingly vote The American people must nism consumes one country, engaged fervently and spoAmerica’s engagement in NATHANIEL by mail, the motivation of make their voices heard and its neighbors will capitulate radically in Iraq the last 18 the Middle East has led to LANGLEY COLUMNIST hold their leaders to this as well — Vietnam appeared years; in contrast, Amerithe present plight of Ameri- the measure is partisan.” For some, the GOP’s standard — plenty of absurto America as decisive for ca’s involvement in Vietnam ca befriending authoritarian dities have been normalpreventing communism — survived around 10 years. deceivers and manipulators sweeping effort to hamper voting rights is about more ized in D.C. over the last four he United States’ proa goal, notoriously, never The reasons for Ameri— namely Saudi Arabia. than just securing a partisan years, but this cannot be one longed Middle Eastern actualized. ca’s enduring participation In a twisted turn of advantage. of them. fixation has accomIn 2003, those within range from nurturing adoevents, the U.S.’s militarisRecently proposed legislaplished nothing. Nearly 30 President George W. Bush’s lescent democracy in Iraq, tic admission into Iraq has tion in Georgia would heav- Nick is a sophomore in LAS. years following President circle justified Iraqi intercountering an aggressive culminated in an addiction ily restrict one’s ability to nmj5@dailyillini.com H. W. Bush’s Gulf War, the vention as “democratic dom- Iran using Iraq and temper- where America relies on vote on a Sunday, a move U.S.’s continual territorial ino theory,” suggesting that ing any return of potential autocrats for their internablatantly targeted at stisettlement has boasted little if Iraq became a democracy, terrorist threats. Despite tional interests. to no increase in internaadjoined Arab states would these practical explanaRemarkably, two presitional nor American diploalso promptly be democrations for the extended stay, dents have overlooked sancmatic interests. tized. Seventeen years later, none address the fundamen- tioning Saudi Crown Prince In Iraq alone, U.S. taxany promise of liberalizatal fact: The U.S.’s presence Mohammed bin Salman payers have covered over tion has dissipated in the only escalates this ratiofor his culpability in assas$2 trillion for the extenMiddle East. nale and cannot mitigate the sinating journalist Jamal sive military operation In a 2008 op-ed for menaces. Khashoggi — all in the merely resulting in one Brookings, Ron Nessen, forIraq and Vietnam’s plots name of “continuing U.S. toppled regime and an mer press secretary to Presi- follow the mantra “second interests.” unattainable conclusion dent Gerald Ford stressed verse, same as the first.” In for all involved parties. the connection between addition, history illumiNathaniel is a sophomore in Wistfully, this uncomfort- Vietnam and Iraq assertnates that a ceaseless resiLAS. able American predicament ing, “the United States dency in the Middle East ntl3@dailyillini.com is not exotic as precedent knew very little about either will not elucidate any interreveals the U.S.’s internaVietnam or Iraq before it national welfare, rather, a Read the rest of the story by tional debacles can at first became mired in conflict.” one-and-done departure — scanning the QR code below or elicit strategic deficiencies, However, Nessen however daunting — is the visiting https://dailyillini.com/ yet gradually mature into strikingly notes that, optimal choice for both the tolerable outcomes: case in through a bitter American occupant and occupied. point, Vietnam. withdrawal and Although the premise of a Both wars in Iraq and catastrophic, inhumane clear disengagement in the Vietnam share the characmassacre under Ho Chi Middle East appears auspiteristic of America frantiMinh, modern Vietnam cious, the regional quandary cally forcing itself upon a has materialized with pro- lingers with America’s curminor, geographically para- found “economic liberalrent antagonist: Iran. mount nation. ization” followed by In soliciting a JULIA EVERSMANN THE DAILY ILLINI NICK JOHNSON

US undervalues language curriculum A

Prolonged Middle Eastern conflicts reward none

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS | opinions@dailyillini.com with the subject “Letter to the Editor.” The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit for length, libel, grammar and spelling errors, and Daily Illini style or to reject any contributions. Letters must be limited to 300 words. Contributions must be typed and include the author’s name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college.

THURSDAY March 11, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Curbelo guides Illini to consecutive ranked wins Freshman averages 18 points, four assists across two games BY BRANDON SIMBERG STAFF WRITER

Heading into Ann Arbor to take on then-No. 2 Michigan, Illinois seemed due for a loss. The Wolverines were hot, winning seven straight games leading up to the contest, and they had a perfect record at home. To make things more difficult, Illinois star guard and National Player of the Year candidate Ayo Dosunmu was out with a “facial injury.” But, in his absence, freshman guard Andre Curbelo stepped up. The Long Island native torched the Wolverines, going for an efficient 17 points on 8-14 shooting. Despite the game being an ESPN-broadcasted topfive matchup, the freshman was unfazed. In high school, he starred on that same network against national powerhouse Sierra Canyon, erupting for a triple-double. His breakout game this season came against then-No. 2 Baylor, also an ESPN game. Curbelo’s lack of fear and preparedness for the big moment is a unique trait. “He’s always ready,” head coach Brad Underwood said after the Michigan game. “He’s got FIBA experience. He’s

played against older guys. He’s got zero fear and so much confidence. He’s got so much charisma. But yeah, he was in go mode, and he went.” Dosunmu made his return in Columbus on Saturday, putting Curbelo’s role in doubt. The on-ball opportunities and usage would certainly decrease, but Curbelo came off the bench and found a way to immediately impact the game. On one of his first touches, he split a ball-screen and got Kyle Young into the air with a ball fake. From there, he placed a perfectly timed pass to a cutting Jacob Grandison for a dunk. Curbelo finished the game tied for a team-high in points (19) and team-high in assists (six), while registering just two turnovers. To Underwood, this late-season surge comes as no surprise. “He’s an alpha,” Underwood said. “He’s not afraid of that. He’s always been that guy. He’s always

been the best player and one of the best players on the court every time he steps on that.” After a surging start to Big Ten play, Curbelo hit the freshman wall a bit. After scoring 15 points at Penn State in December, Curbelo averaged just 5.5 points per game across the next 10 contests, highlighted by consecutive games without a bucket against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Teams figured out that Curbelo was a passfirst guard and tried to turn him into a scorer, something that befuddled the freshman. He also shot 0-9 from deep in that ten-game stretch. Dosunmu’s absence turned out to be a positive for Curbelo, who found his strides offensively. He’s averaging 15 points per game in his last five, including the career-high 19 on Saturday. Curbelo’s offense will be key for the Illini in March. Underwood knows what he’s getting from Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn and Trent Frazier, but that fourth piece of the puzzle is crucial. Despite his mid-season struggles, Curbelo still turned in an impressive season for the Illini. On Tuesday, he was named the Big Ten All-Freshman team, as well as eaning the Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year award. This impressive final week of the season should leave an imprint on voters and give Curbelo the confidence to sustain that level of play heading into the postseason. @BrandonSimberg simberg2@dailyillini.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Sophomore Kofi Cockburn steps toward the basket during the game against Michigan on March 2. Michigan and Illinois are both strong contenders to win the Big Ten Tournament this year.

Illinois enters tournament as contenders, second seed in competition BY BRANDON SIMBERG STAFF WRITER

On Friday, March 13, Illinois was practicing in Indianapolis, just hours before they were set to tip off in the Big Ten Tournament. But, during that practice, the team received word that the Big Ten tournament was canceled. Now, after a year of craziness and uncertainty, the Big Ten Tournament is scheduled to tip off in Indianapolis on Wednesday. Here’s what to watch for.

The contenders

Michigan enters the tournament as the Vegas favorites, and for good reason. The Wolverines won the Big Ten outright and have looked like the best team from the start of the season, but they have lost two of their last three down the stretch. Starting guard Eli Brooks injured his ankle on Sunday, and his status is available. If he’s out, however, that could spell trouble for the Wolverines, as they lack guard depth. Illinois is playing the best basketball in the Big Ten right now. Three straight wins at Wisconsin, at Michigan and

at Ohio State have taken them to another level. Those wins solidified the Illini as a number one seed in the NCAA tournament, meaning they don’t have much to play for in theory in Indianapolis. But, the team wants to prove they are the league’s best team after Michigan was awarded the Big Ten title despite winning fewer games. A Big Ten Tournament championship would only add to Illinois’ case. Iowa is another team playing better as of late, winning eight of its last nine. The Hawkeyes are pretty firmly on the two-seed line, but it’s possible an early loss by Illinois and a tournament title for Iowa could put them in the one-seed conversation. They also have an injury to monitor, as All-Big Ten wing Joe Wieskamp is “day-to-day” with an ankle injury.

Dark-horse teams

Purdue quietly snuck up on everyone this season, finishing fourth in the league. The team’s young talent quickly developed, and the Boilermakers are in the three-five seed range for the tourna-

ment. Wins against Ohio State and Michigan in the top half of the bracket could solidify Purdue’s case. Ohio State dropped its last four games of the season but doubting Chris Holtmann seems silly. The Buckeyes still have the talent to make a run, especially if Eli Brooks is unavailable. They are hanging by a thread on the twoseed line so making it to Saturday will be crucial for them. Michigan State has salvaged its season and has played its way into the NCAA tournament picture. With wins over Illinois, Michigan and Ohio State in the last two weeks of the season, the Spartans have shown they can beat the league’s top teams. As the saying goes, “January, February, Izzo, April,” and Tom Izzo has the Spartans playing their best ball right now.

NCAA Tournament bubble watch

The Big Ten really doesn’t have that many teams on the bubble right now. The top eight teams in the league are in pretty safely. Michigan State is listed as a “last four byes” team on ESPN’s brack-

etology, but even if it lost on Friday to Maryland, then the Spartans’ recent wins should be enough to get them a bid. Maryland seemed like a lock just a week ago, but if faltered down the stretch, losing to Northwestern and Penn State — at home. The Terrapins still don’t seem like a bubble team, but a loss to Michigan State on Friday will have them sweating. Regardless, I still think they’ll get in. Indiana seemed like a tournament lock in the middle of the season, but five straight losses down the stretch have the team at 12-14, and it seems it’ll need a miracle to get in. If favorites prevail, Indiana will have to run through a gauntlet of Rutgers, Illinois and Michigan to secure a berth.

Illinois’ path

The Illini’s path to a title isn’t easy, but nothing is in this league. They’ll play the winner of Rutgers and Indiana on Friday afternoon. They are 0-1 against Rutgers, but that loss came months ago. They did beat Indiana twice, but both games were competitive. From there, they’ll play the winner of Iowa and, pre-

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Senior Da’Monte Williams passes the ball during the game against Michigan on March 2.

sumably, Wisconsin on Saturday. Illinois beat Iowa in their lone matchup, but the Hawkeyes were without starting guard C.J. Fredrick, while Illinois beat Wisconsin twice. If the Illini make it to Sunday, they’d likely face either Purdue, Ohio State or Michigan.

Purdue seems like the best matchup, but it feels like the Illini want to beat the Wolverines one more time heading into the tournament. @BrandonSimberg simberg2@dailyillini.com

2B Thursday, March 11, 2021 MEN’S BASKETBALL

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Four Illini earn All-Big Ten honors before tournament Dosunmu, Cockburn, achieve first team honors for their 2021 performance BY GABBY HAJDUK SPORTS EDITOR

Illinois basketball racked up several awards Tuesday morning as the conference announced its All-Big Ten teams and individual honors voted on by coaches and select media. Senior Trent Frazier, junior Ayo Dosunmu, sophomore Kofi Cockburn and freshman Andre Curbelo were all given awards. Dosunmu was one of two unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selections, joining Iowa’s Luka Garza who won Big Ten Player of the Year. The junior guard

made the list two years in a row, joining former Illini guard Dee Brown. Dosunmu finished the regular season averaging a team-high 20.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists. While not a unanimous selection, Kofi Cockburn was also named to the AllBig Ten First Team by both coaches and media. Averaging 17.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, Cockburn has solidified himself as one of the tops bigs in the country, let alone the Big Ten. Illinois was the only team to feature two players on the first team. Cockburn and Dosunmu’s honors also mark the first time two Illini have been selected to the conference first team since Dee Brown and James Augustine in 2005. Frazier earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team for the first time in his career, an honor the senior has been working towards since he first wore

an Illini uniform. He was also an All-Big Ten honorable mention for the third time in his career. Frazier is constantly tasked with guarding the opponent’s best guard and consistently shuts down some of the Big Ten’s best players. The Illini had one of their players selected to the AllBig Ten Freshman Team for the fourth season in a row as Curbelo earned the honor. He follows Cockburn, Dosunmu and Frazier, who were all named to the team their freshman years. Curbelo also was selected as the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. The freshman guard, who came off the bench, averages 8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Curbelo has stepped up for Illinois down the stretch of the regular season, averaging 15 points over the last five games. @gabby_h11 ghajduk2@dailyillini.com

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Senior Trent Frazier goes for a layup during the game against Wisconsin on Feb. 6. Frazier earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention.

DI sports editor reflects on unpredictable, monumental year GABBY HAJDUK SPORTS EDITOR

When I envisioned my time as sports editor at The Daily Illini, I pictured flying to a bowl game for the football team, hosting big Super Bowl watch parties with my staff and traveling to Indianapolis for an Illinois basketball national championship run. COVID-19 had other plans for me. Instead of having an interactive year with Illinois sports and my DI family, I held Zoom meetings, struggled to come up with content while sports were halted and even questioned if this industry was right for me. Needless to say, this year was unpredictable.

It’s so easy to reflect on the hard parts of this job because it’s not easy managing a full staff while trying to cover football and basketball and keep up with 19 collegiate sports all while being a full-time student. And it was hard not to focus on the struggles this entire year, but this week, I’ve done a ton of reflecting on the good. To start, I covered my first protest in August when Illinois athletes led a march in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Watching some of the Illini football players put together this march and how passionate they were about it was very eye-opening to me. I’m so grateful to have had the chance to amplify their voices.

Then, I traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, back in October to cover the first Illinois sporting event the University had competed in since March 2020. While Illini football didn’t shock the world again, it was the first away football game I covered. Madison is beautiful, and seeing the empty stands at Camp Randall was a surreal experience. I spent multiple Saturdays at Memorial Stadium with our on-air editor, Brendyn Jones, and our football beat writer, Josh Pietsch, who also happen to be my best friends. We watched some brutal Illinois football together but put out some really great stories. I’m so proud of how we covered this ever-changing football season. And, most importantly, the Memorial Stadium cold brew never disappointed.

100

(Includes domestic shipping; International shipping $50 extra)

One of my favorite experiences came next: meeting Illinois’ new football coach, Bret Bielema. After he was hired, Bielema invited a few media members down to Memorial Stadium to do individual interviews with him and athletic director Josh Whitman. Being able to represent The Daily Illini and be the only undergraduate student journalist there was a proud moment for me. Then, I finally stepped back in State Farm Center and had the most memorable season ever. I watched Ayo Dosunmu practically hang his own jersey in the rafters, saw Andre Curbelo blossom into a phenomenal college player and learned Brad Underwood is an incredible coach. But, more importantly, I spent countless long nights at the

center and on the phone with our beat writer and another best friend, Brandon Simberg. Brandon put out some of the best content The Daily Illini has ever seen, and while I was his editor, he pushed me to be a better writer and reporter. I owe Brandon a lot. And, of course, I got to work with the best staff ever. JJ Kim, our editor-in-chief and my roommate, led an entire newspaper through a pandemic and never had a misstep. He allowed me to run the sports section freely, try new things and, most of all, supported me endlessly. He and Brendyn, my other roommate, did so much to help me feel confident in the work I was doing and push me to new heights, always believing in me. Jackson Janes and Car-

son Gourdie were the best assistants I could ask for. They thrived despite the unpredictable year and never failed to grind out stories in the middle of the night or spend hours brainstorming content with me. Above all, I learned a lot about myself. I learned I am built for this industry and will have success in it after college. I learned being a woman in sports journalism means you’re stronger than anyone else around you. I learned I want to succeed so I can help young girls in the future feel confident when stepping into a press conference full of men. I learned that I’m really, really proud of myself. @gabby_h11 ghajduk2@dailyillini.com

YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE SO MANY GREAT MEMORIES FROM YOUR TIME AT COLLEGE. HOLD ON TO THEM FOREVER WITH THE OFFICIAL U OF I YEARBOOK.

illioyearbook.com or call 217-337-8314

Order your yearbook online at

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Thursday, March 11, 2021

FOOTBALL

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Redshirt senior Josh Imatorbhebhe jumps to catch a pass during the game against University of Connecticut on Sept. 7, 2019. Imatorbhebhe is now training for the NFL draft.

Imatorbhebhe prepares for potential NFL career BY CARSON GOURDIE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

He was a talented Georgia product who had his sights set out west. A four-star recruit, Josh Imatorbhebhe signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Southern California, a place that produces National Football League talent annually. But deciding to play for the 26-time Rose Bowl-winning program doesn’t grant an automatic path to the next level. Kicking off his career at the University of Southern California — where wide receivers such as JuJu SmithSchuster and Robert Wood also played — Imatorbhebhe entered into a winning program. But like many four and five-star recruits soon realize, programs like USC hoard talented athletes, such as himself, which can create difficult situations for players trying to break into the starting lineup. Being on the 2017 Rose Bowl-winning team, Ima-

torbhebhe struggled to find playing time under Clay Helton’s watch, and his confidence of being able to succeed in college and parlaying the success into an NFL career plummeted. It didn’t matter that USC had the nice weather, the nice jerseys or the nice tradition that has spanned over eight decades. Imatorbhebhe wanted out, and the middle of Illinois was the perfect destination for him to develop his craft for the NFL. But his path — transferring, COVID-19 and subpar quarterback play — created challenges along the way. “Starting at the bottom and working your way up, and that’s how confidence is built,” Imatorbhebhe said. “I feel like I’m in a spot where I have a lot of people to prove wrong.” While head coach Bret Bielema persuaded a long list of impactful seniors to return for another season, the former Wisconsin coach didn’t even bother to contact

wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe, who appeared to be on track for the NFL. “I felt at peace about it,” Imatorbhebhe said about declaring for the NFL draft. “I feel like I did everything I could’ve done. . . (When Bielema was hired) I was already going in another direction.” Imatorbhebhe never put up the most ridiculous stats, as he had to deal with Peters’ inconsistencies and the quarterback carousel COVID-19 created in 2020. Imatorbhebhe never broke the 1,000yard or 10-touchdown mark in a season, but the wide receiver showed flashes of dominance in 2019, which helped carry Illinois to its first bowl game since 2014. One attribute Imatorbhebhe likes to throw around is dominance — when given the opportunity to shine. His 2019 season was very unique in the sense that he didn’t consistently put up 100 yards a game. Despite that, Imatorbhebhe led the

team with nine touchdown receptions, becoming Peters’ favorite target during crunch time. “It wasn’t like the red carpet was laid out for me,” Imatorbhebhe said about his time at Illinois. “I had to earn my respect and establish my role as a playmaker. It taught me how to trust the process, and climb and build.” While Imatorbhebhe likely won’t hear his name called in the first two days of the draft, scouts do appreciate his raw talent and believe he can make a living competing against NFL secondaries. Labeled as an “enticing investment” by The Draft Network, Imatorbhebhe has a 6-foot-2 frame, good hands and explosiveness on the perimeter, and he thinks he could thrive in a system based around the vertical passing game. Still, they question whether he has the top-end speed to blow by defenders. Imatorbhebhe, though, doesn’t care about the stats or

the speed, as he believes he’s an athlete that can be dominant when put in the right situation. He believes he’s an athlete who has gifted hands and takes advantage of his opportunities, while showcasing similarities to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. “We have similar college storylines, as our production wasn’t as high as it could have been,” Imatorbhebhe said. “But, we are both extremely athletic, we both have a lot of untapped potential, and he took off in the NFL. It’s definitely an inspiration for me to do the same.” Imatorbhebhe has the skills, the confidence and the focus to have a career on Sundays. Since leaving Illinois’ program following the loss to Northwestern, the USC transfer has packed his bags and moved to Arizona to train under some of the best trainers in the profession within the EXOS program. With a track record of developing 915 NFL draft

picks, EXOS prepares athletes for the 40-yard dash to even the Wonderlic test, and Imatorbhebhe is glad he listened to his NFL friends when selecting which route to take before draft day. His NFL investment from a Los Angeles boy to a Champaign townee is almost complete, with faith and letting the past fade away playing huge roles since his time at USC. While Illinois doesn’t have the glitz and glamour the Trojans could provide, playing under Lovie Smith allowed the Georgia native to gain a fresh start and prove his worth against strong Big Ten defenses. “I don’t like to play whatif games, but I know God does everything for a reason,” Imatorbhebhe said. “I just felt like it was time to leave (USC), and I couldn’t tell you what would happen if I stayed there.” @gourdiereport gourdie2@dailyillini.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Dosunmu, Cockburn deserve place among Big Ten’s elite JACKSON JANES ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

We made it. The crazy, unpredictable and unprecedented 2020-2021 Big Ten regular season is over, and the Illini currently sit third in the nation and have earned the 2-seed — and a double-bye — in the Big Ten tournament. The end of the season means it’s time to distribute conference awards, and I’ve made my picks for the AllBig Ten teams, along with Sixth Man of the Year and Big Ten Player of the Year. Let’s go through all of my predictions and preferences for each award category.

Big Ten Player of the Year:

• Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois) I opted to go with Ayo over Luka for the Big Ten Player of the Year award. After an incredible sophomore season, Dosunmu somehow got even better in 2021, as he averaged 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in conference play across 17 games this season. Yes, I know Ayo sat out three games due to a facial injury, but I still think he did enough to prove he is the best player in the league. He is also the first player in the NCAA to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists per game since Ohio State’s Evan Turner accomplished the feat during the 2009-2010 season. I can see this award going either way, as both players definitely deserve to win the award, but I think Ayo’s two triple-doubles and overall historic season give him the edge this year.

Sixth Man of the Year:

• Andre Curbelo (Illinois) After dealing with inconsistency during the beginning of the season, Curbelo really stepped up for

the Illini over the last few weeks, especially in Dosunmu’s absence, as he averaged nearly 15 points per game during that span. The Puerto Rico native stepped up for Brad Underwood’s squad countless times when the offense struggled to get going, as he provided a spark off the bench with his creativity and slick passing. Though he never started a game this season, Curbelo saw lots of minutes — averaging nearly 20 per game — and brought the intensity and energy on both ends of the floor.

players made the Big Ten honorable mention list last year, and the two big men both made huge progress this season. I think Cockburn just slightly edges Williams this season, as the Illini big man had 12 double-doubles in conference play, while Williams had seven. Kofi also has been an absolute monster in the paint all year, and his defense as of late has significantly improved. Though you could make the same argument with Williams, Cockburn’s offensive presence — he shot 66.4% from the field, the highest All-Big Ten First Team: percentage in the Big Ten — • Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois) has been unstoppable this • Luka Garza (Iowa) season, and the Illini likely • Franz Wagner (Michigan) wouldn’t have fared as well • E.J. Liddell (Ohio State) in conference play without • Kofi Cockburn (Illinois) him. Ayo had one of the most dominant and historic sea- All-Big Ten Second Team: sons in college basketball • T r e v ion Williams history, and Luka is Luka, so (Purdue) those were both locks for me. • Trayce Jackson-Davis Franz Wagner put together (Indiana) one of the most complete • Hu nt er D ic k i n s on seasons of any player in the (Michigan) Big Ten, as his defensive • Aaron Henry (Michigan dominance and consistent State) contributions on offense • M a r c u s Carr made him a no-brainer pick (Minnesota) for me. Williams was a gimme E.J. Liddell was one of the in the second team after biggest reasons why Ohio barely missing out on a first State exceeded all expecta- team spot to Cockburn, tions this season. He led the while Jackson-Davis likeBuckeyes with 16.5 points ly would’ve earned a spot and 6.5 rebounds per game, in the first team if his team, and it comes as no surprise Indiana, had done a little that Brad Underwood and bit better in Big Ten play. the Illini were so eager to Dickinson also deserves bring him to Champaign to be recognized for his during the recruitment immediate dominance in process. After missing out conference play, as he was on the All-Freshman Team the leading scorer on the last season, Liddell brought Big Ten’s regular-season a whole different level to this champions — as stated by Buckeye team this season, the conference; I’m just helping them finish in the reporting the facts — with top-10 in the final Associ- 14.1 points per game. He ated Press poll of the regu- also averaged 7.8 rebounds lar season. and 1.4 blocks; he was an The last spot was a bit easy inclusion in the sectougher for me, as I strug- ond team. gled to decide between Kofi The final two spots were and Purdue’s Trevion Wil- a bit trickier, but I ended liams for this last spot. Both up settling for Aaron Hen-

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Iowa senior center Luke Garza attempts to defend as junior guard Ayo Dosunmu drives through the lane during the game between Illinois and Iowa on Jan. 29 at State Farm Center. Garza won the Big Ten Player of the Year award over Dosunmu.

ry and Marcus Carr. Henry was the best player on the underachieving Spartans, as he was the team’s leading scorer with 16.5 points per game in conference play, while he averaged nearly 19 points in his team’s three top-5 wins over Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan in the final two weeks of the regular season. Without these wins, the Spartans would likely be on the wrong side of the bubble for the NCAA tournament. Carr has also been the standout performer for Minnesota. The redshirt junior finished fifth in points and assists in the Big Ten, averaging 17.7 points and 4.4 assists across 20 conference games. Carr has been a commanding force on an otherwise lackluster squad in Minneapolis, despite the fact that the Golden Gophers have lost seven straight and have fallen all the way down to the 13-seed in the Big Ten tournament.

All-Big Ten Third Team: • • • • •

Joe Wieskamp (Iowa) D’Mitrik Trice (Wisconsin) Aaron Wiggins (Maryland) Ron Harper Jr. (Rutgers) Trent Frazier (Illinois) Wieskamp barely missed out on my second team, though he certainly deserves to be recognized for his standout season. He was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team last year, too, but I think that’s a fair assessment for his performances during this crazy season. My last few spots were a bit trickier. Though Wisconsin didn’t live up to its preseason hype, Trice had an impressive season, as he averaged 14.5 points per game in conference play and held together an otherwise boring Wisconsin offense. Plus, that late-game burst against the Illini was quite something, and the Badgers would’ve fared far worse in Big Ten play without him. The last three spots were a bit more of a toss-up for

me, but I ultimately opted to go with Harper Jr., Wiggins and Frazier. Harper Jr. led the Scarlet Knights in scoring with 13.8 points per game, while he also grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game. Wiggins was also his team’s leading scorer, as he averaged 14.6 points per game for the Terrapins. He also grabbed 6.3 rebounds per game, while he shot 43.4% from the field. Rejoice, Illini fans. I opted to go with Frazier for the last spot in my third team, as he is one of the best defenders and most reliable shooters in all of the Big Ten. Frazier stepped up in Dosunmu’s absence, especially after going for 22 in the team’s shocking 23-point win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. His all-around success made this a tough but fair choice for the final spot in my All-Big ten third team. @JacksonJanes3 janes6@dailyillini.com

Thursday, March 11, 2021

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

CLASSIFIEDS THE DAILY ILLINI

Announcements

6 8 9 5 4 7 2 3 1 3 7 2 8 1 6 4 9 5

A T M E Y X

5 5

5 1

dailyillini.com

Apple and the Apple logo and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

THE D A ILY ILLINI Look to The Daily Illini for Big 10 and NCAA tournament coverage. Online and in print

Enter the numbers 1-9 in the blank spaces so that each row, column and 3x3 square contains only one of each number. There is only one solution. (solution in Classifieds and online at www.dailyillini.com).

ALL NEW! Exclusive offers only available in the App

D A ILY ILLINI

• Stay up-to-date on all things Illini • Get breaking news immediately • News, sports, features, opinions

THE

5 4 1 2 3 9 8 6 7

N G E N T U

8 2 4 1 6 3 7 5 9

I T I S N O T

1 9 5 7 2 8 6 4 3

D E S I G N S

NEWS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

7 3 6 4 9 5 1 8 2

S A G A

2 1 8 3 5 4 9 7 6

R E S I D U A L

A V E V E Y E R E GREEN A W L W I I T A N G A N K H N G S T

4 6 3 9 7 2 5 1 8

A N I M I YELLOW S T S

E A N F C A I I O H N D E N E I N P E D A M U S T BLACK O O P A B R A N D WHITE W E D E S W E M I N E A D D R I N E I K E A L E G S

9 5 7 6 8 1 3 2 4

B O D A K

L A O T S R E A P O B A B M R A R S

M A J E S T I C

DAILY ILLINI APP

6 9

Deadline: 11:00 a.m. one business day prior to publication

W E L D E L O I D O R A E L S A L S O N E I P A I N

ALL NEW

www.dailyillini.com/classifieds

In addition to PAID ads for commercial businesses, we offer FREE ONLINE ads to UIUC students who sign into their accounts with “Illinois.edu” addresses.

SKILL:

Classified advertisers can now place print and online classified ads directly at:

Sign in to set up an account with us. Pricing is available on the site upon login. You can place ads in The Daily Illini print publications on Mondays and Thursdays, or on our dailyillini.com website, or both.

Sudoku 3

READ ONLINE AT

dailyillini.com FOLLOW US

ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Thanks for working hard to keep our campus safe.

We can do this. covid19.illinois.edu

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Thursday, March 11, 2021

buzz calendar BY RUKAYAH HUSSEIN BUZZ CALENDAR EDITOR

The buzz calendar is a compilation of events happening in the Champaign-Urbana area. Follow our top picks in Monday’s and Thursday’s papers for ideas on what to do on any night of the week, from where to eat to what to watch. Want to submit an event? Email calendar@readbuzz.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 11

A + D Visitors Series | Ricardo Basbaum

AKI AKHAURI THE DAILY ILLINI

Students explore the Busey Woods on Nov. 16, 2019. The Busey Woods are one of several great local nature areas to visit as the weather warms.

Enjoy spring weather, safely discover spots surrounding CU BY RAINA KUTLIROFF STAFF WRITER

their website for events if your desire to spread out a blanket on the grass takes over. With mask requirements and a plethora of outdoor space, Harvest Moon’s Drive-In Movie Theater makes for the perfect safe nighttime activity.

With the weather getting warmer and greenery returning, now is a perfect time to leave the dorms and apartments, hang out with some friends and enjoy the outdoors, safely, of course. Here are some suggestions for places to visit, on and off- Meadowbrook Park, 2808 S. campus, that will have you Race St., Urbana, Illinois feeling fresh and full of natAccessible by car or CUMural vitamin D. TD bus route, Meadowbrook Park is a beautiful and graceHarvest Moon Drive-In ful get away from campus. Movie Theater, 1175 S. The park features walking Sangamon Ave., Gibson City, trails, yards of wildflowers, Illinois pavilions with picnic tables, Located in Gibson City, a sensory garden, sculptures about a 20-minute drive and more. If you’re lucky, you from the University of Illi- could even spot a deer. This nois campus, Harvest Moon’s park is a great place to meet Drive-In Movie Theater up with friends or even take features an authentic and a study break and some in unique drive-in movie expe- some sunlight. rience. The drive-in has two giant screens, both showing University of Illinois Golf different movies on a giv- Course, 800 Hartwell Drive, en night. Their “now show- Savoy, Illinois ing” list constantly changes Located in Savoy, the Unifrom movies like “Grease” versity of Illinois Golf Course to “Jaws” to “The Night- is accessible to the general mare Before Christmas.” The public and offers golfing disdrive-in even features con- counts for students seven cert experiences, so check days a week. The orange and

blue golf courses were built in the 1950s and 60s, and many consider them historical relics. Visitors can book a reservation in advance to golf nine or 18 holes. Golfing is a fun and socially-distant way to practice a new hobby or meet up with a friend with the upcoming spring weather.

Busey Woods, 1505 N. Broadway Ave., Urbana, Illinois

Approximately 59 acres, Busey Woods is a charming walking and running path located right off campus in Urbana, accessible through a long walk or a short ride on the CUMTD. Gorgeous views of tall trees with the sunlight peeking through, as well as deer, can be seen on the trail. During a warmer season, sunflower can also be seen by visitors. Though you can’t bring bikes or dogs so as not to disturb the peace, nature and wildlife that belongs to Busey Woods, a trip is worthwhile on a sunny day. SEE DISCOVER | 6B

! 4 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by Krannert Art Museum # Free, but registration required. Ricardo Basbaum has been developing collaborative projects since the mid-1990s, intending to involve participants around the proposition of experiences, performative projects and collaborative authorship.

FRIDAY, MARCH 12

Yoga at KAM: Virtual Edition

! Noon " A virtual event hosted by Krannert Art Museum # Free Enjoy a free weekly yoga practice presented online by Krannert Art Museum and taught by Jodi Adams, certified yoga instructor and Ayurveda specialist.

A Shamrockin’ Light Walk

! 5-9 p.m. " Allerton Park & Retreat Center, 515 Old Time Road, Monticello, Illinois, 61856 # Free, but donations are suggested We’re painting the Light Walk green for St. Patrick’s Day! Shimmy your way through the Park after dark while listening to Irish tunes. Keep an eye out for fun, festive shenanigans, including Shamrock Irish dancers performing along the walk! Enjoy this magical evening outdoors, and don’t forget to bring your gold to purchase drinks from the bar located in the Meadow.

90’s Daughter at Boomerangs

! 7 p.m. " Boomerangs Bar & Grill, 1309 E. Washington St., Urbana # $20/person The social distancing event of the Spring! 90’s Daughter’s first C-U appearance in 2021 will be a show designed with your safety in mind. Advance tickets are available online through our website, and tickets at the door (if available) are $25. We apologize for the

restrictions; we have a Phase 4 capacity of 50 people and need to maximize every seat.

SATURDAY, MARCH 13

Champaign-Urbana Winter Farmers Market

! 8-11 a.m. " Lincoln Square, 201 Lincoln Square, Urbana # Free Shop from all of your favorite local craft, food and farm vendors indoors at Lincoln Square Mall. Masks and social distancing will be required in the space, and limits on the number of shoppers that can be in the market area at the same time will be in effect.

Saint Paddy’s Open Skate

! 1-3 p.m. " Bloomington Ice Center, 201 S. Roosevelt St., Bloomington # Free A leprechaun has sprinkled the rink in green! Come skate to Irish tunes, enjoy special treats and enroll in their best-dressed leprechaun contest! All customers must wear a facecovering in the facility and pre-register online one hour before a scheduled session. For Public Skate, Children ages 12 & under must be accompanied by an adult in the building. Everyone in the building during Public Skating Sessions must pay the fee.

SUNDAY, MARCH 14

Hershey Felder, Puccini

! 7 p.m. " Krannert Center, 500 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana # $55/household “Hershey Felder, Puccini” is the story of a young musician in love with the world of opera, and in particular Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème,” “Tosca” and “Madama Butterfly.” When the young musician meets the musical master himself through a series of unusual circumstances, secrets are revealed that send the young man soaring. Krannert Center is pleased to partner with Hershey Felder Presents to offer this unique fundraising event.

Housing Find your next home with

The Daily Illini Start and end your housing hunt today!

housing.dailyillini.com

THURSDAY March 11, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

buzz Buzz editor bids goodbye, states keep calm, buzz on antine, others viewed it as a chance to reconnect with themselves and find happiness in other forms. Regardless of the journey and the current phase you’re in, be proud of your progress. We’re living in a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. SZA expertly summarizes this mentality in her single, “Good Days.” I shamelessly stream this track every day, but it perfectly captures what we have thought during this experience. In the chorus, she sings, “All the while, I’ll await my armored fate with a smile.” The future is fastapproaching and mysterious, and there’s nothing we can do but be happy in the present. In a way, it makes me look forward to the future generation of children approaching us with a homework assignment about how we spent our time during and after the pandemic. So as the weather warms up and, hopefully, restrictions get lifted soon, immerse yourself in all that C-U offers. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hipster in Urbana or a frat-boy in Champaign. There are so many ways to appreciate your surroundings, and the community will never cease to amaze you. Also, give yourself credit for the person you’ve become. A lot has changed in a year. Despite the direction you take in life, the universe has a plan for you.

JILLIAN LITTLE BUZZ EDITOR

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Maia DeGuzman, freshman in Engineering, tops an avocado slush with cheese foam at Tenko Tea on Tuesday night. The shop has created many unique flavors to stay ahead of their competitors in the Champaign-Urbana area.

Tenko Tea offers unique boba drinks New shop debuts on Gregory Street, serves many flavors BY CAILEIGH ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER

I chose to add golden boba for just 75 cents. They also ask you how much ice you want in your drink. I wanted to try at least one drink from all their categories of tea. I am not a huge fan of milk tea, but I tried the oolong milk tea and was surprisingly delighted. Unfortunately, they were out of oat milk before my visit, but even with regular milk, the drink was enjoyable. If you are a matcha lover, this is the place for you. Tenko Tea has four matcha tea options that all look delicious. I tried an iced Uji Matcha with 75% sweetness, which I can guarantee any matcha fan will enjoy. If you have never tried matcha before, I highly recommend getting your first matcha drink at Tenko Tea. My favorite menu option, however, has to be their fresh fruit slushes. These

were so good that I had to try two. I first tried the orange slush and fell in love with the refreshing, sweet flavors. I then wanted to challenge myself and order a drink I would never try on my own. Even though I love avocado, drinking it in a slush was a little scary to me. However, this was by far my favorite drink I ordered. The Avocado Slush with Cheese is rich, sweet and delicious. I got mine with 50% sweetness, but if you really like sweet drinks, you can get it up to 125% sweetness. If you want to try something out of your comfort zone or if you already love avocado slushes, I highly recommend this drink. The only downside to Tenko Tea was the decor. If you love going to coffee or tea shops for the aesthetic, this may not be the best place for you. The inside of the store is small and has

little place for studying. There are also few decorations hanging on the walls or anywhere else. Despite being incredibly minimalistic, the store has a great quiet and peaceful study atmosphere. The best part about Tenko Tea is the fast pickup time. When you order from the website, you can choose to pick up your order at a specific time or in 5-10 minutes. When I ordered, it only took about three minutes for the staff to finish my drink and notify me that it was ready for pick up. If you want to try a new tea place in the Urbana area, I highly recommend Tenko Tea. Whether you’re already a tea lover or you’re new to tea, this place has something to satisfy everyone.

“Life is too short to drink bad tea.” This is the motto for Champaign-Urbana’s new boba tea shop Tenko Tea. As more and more tea shops open in C-U, deciding which one to visit can be hard. Located at 700 S. Gregory St., Tenko Tea eases the long walk or bus ride to Champaign that many C-U residents might have had to take to satisfy their tea and boba cravings. With midterms coming up, many of us will be late cda8@readbuzz.com studying into the night. Being trapped in your dorm or apartment to write an essay or prepare for a test can be challenging. Luckily, Tenko Tea is open until 11 p.m. This shop is a great place to go, whether you need a late-night tea to keep your energy up or you need a place to study at night. If you are not a huge fan of sweetened tea, Tenko Tea has a plethora of options if you love the taste of tea. I ordered the Jasmine Green Tea with no milk and was delighted by the all-natural tea flavors. They ask if you want your tea hot or cold, how sweet you want it (I chose 25% sweetness) and if you want any toppings. CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI Being a fan of boba myself, Tenko Tea resides at 700 S. Gregory St. on a quiet Tuesday night.

THE BEST WAY TO KEEP UP WITH THE NEWS

It is truly a surreal experience for anyone looking back on past interests and things that defined them as a person years ago. I joined buzz Magazine in 2018 without much exposure to C-U’s life and culture despite being a sophomore. The first article I wrote was a column about local Bandcamp music. Since then, many experiences have opened my eyes to this magical place we call Champaign-Urbana. The perseverance of the community this year is incredibly awe-inspiring. Many have supported businesses through the ups and downs as they continue to offer services for the public. Local concert venues host socially-distanced performances and online concert series. Farmers’ markets allow patrons to shop from vendors with everyone’s safety in mind. You can even do inperson yoga classes at some studios. Whatever obstacles approach, C-U finds a way around them. It’s also good to reflect how much you changed this year as we approach the pandemic anniversary. It seemed like yesterday when whipped coffee and “Tiger King” were all the buzz. But, while people distracted themselves from jel3@readbuzz.com the harsh realities of a quar-

CAMERON IRELAND THE DAILY ILLINI

FROM 5B

EXPLORE

Sipyard, 204 W. Main St., Urbana, Illinois

For 21+, Sipyard is the “only beer garden in central Illinois that operates out of a shipping container.” Opening back for the season in April and located right in downtown Urbana, Sipyard allows drinkers to sip refreshing beer from 5 p.m. to midnight ThursdaySundays. Drinkers can listen to live music from local artists while sitting at the unique graffiti wall and outdoor seating area.

Allerton Park & Retreat Center, 515 Old Timber Road,

Monticello, Illinois

Known to very many, the University of Illinois-owned park is a 57-acre piece of a historic property with plenty to do in a day. Visitors can visit Robert Allerton’s landmark mansion, picnic on the grass or tables, hike the 14-mile trail, the sculpture gardens and more. Guests can even choose to stay at a lodge or conference center for an overnight trip. Needless to say that there are many hidden treasures across the C-U area. This spring, explore the area with a friend or even on your own. Enjoy the warmth and sunlight, and don’t forget a mask! rkutli2@readbuzz.com

ALL NEW

Use the QR code to sign up for our newsletter and get headline news sent to your email!

DOWNLOAD FREE. LISTEN NOW.

dailyillini.com