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Vol. 150 Issue 7

UI awaits approval for on-campus micronuclear reactor funds Since the University entered the Illinois Climate Action Plan in 2008, annual carbon emissions on campus have been cut by 25%. The University’s strategic plan means achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and preferably sooner. One micro-nuclear reactor is able to supply 43,000 megawatt-hours in electricity and 15 MWh of thermal power per year, the energy equivalents of 10 utility-scale wind turbines and 175,200 tons of coal respectively. The reactor timeline would consist of four and a half years of regulatory review and environmental impact, safety, operational license review by federal and state authorities, then construction if all else goes well. Currently, the plan is to locate the reactor next to Abbott Laboratory. “It fits wonderfully (like) a glove on the hand in terms of campus needs, not only

BY HEATHER ROBINSON ASSISTANT DAYTIME NEWS EDITOR

The University may soon be home to a new micronuclear reactor, which would provide campus with clean energy, as well as opportunities in research and education on campus. The project is pending approval and funding by the U.S. Department of Energy. If awarded, work will begin in 2021, with projected completion by 2026. The DOE would give the University $44.8 million for the project, said Caleb Brooks, professor of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering. “It’s no surprise that the University of Illinois has been working at the cutting edge of future energy and technologies,” Brooks said. “And if the project is awarded, the University is in position to deliver on a critical research and education necessary for a climate-conscious energy future.”

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RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Students wait at the testing site at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications on Aug. 30. A helpful feature of the Safer Illinois app is the OSF OnCall Connect program, which puts COVID-positive people in contact with pandemic health workers.

App assists COVID-positive students BY AMRITA BHATTACHARYYA STAFF WRITER

The Safer Illinois app is mainly used by the on-campus University community to track COVID-19 test results and gain access to buildings. One overlooked feature allows COVID-positive users to get medical advice without leaving their isolation spaces. The OSF OnCall Connect program allows students, faculty and staff who test positive for COVID-19 to connect daily with pandemic health workers through phone, video or text chat for up to 16 days for free. “(These are) people who are trained to take care of people, delivering expert and trusted advice,” said John Vozenilek, OSF’s chief medical officer for innovation and

digital health. When students receive a positive test result through the Safer Illinois app, there is a care team button they can tap, which directs them to call in and begin the enrollment process. It’s always been a part of the app, but OSF is still trying to get the word out and get more students to enroll, said Colleen Reynolds, media relations coordinator for OSF HealthCare. “This was built off of what we were doing in the community almost since the start of the pandemic,” said Reynolds. OnCall Connect was developed in partnership with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to cover patients across

the Central Illinois region. The service was reworked for campus once OSF was brought into the discussion of the University’s return plan. “The whole program for campus was designed around the principle that it wasn’t just screening … it was also clinical services that were going to be needed to keep the population, and the students in particular, safe,” Vozenilek said. The OnCall Connect program has different layers of check-in, depending on how severe the symptoms of the patient are. The Acute COVID@Home program consistently monitors those with more severe COVID symptoms. Patients are delivered packages of devices to moni-

tor their blood pressure, temperature and oxygen saturation. They are also given a tablet that directly connects them to nurses from the Home Health Team. Connected through Bluetooth, the results of the devices are sent to OSF, which can then regulate the services provided “day by day or even hour by hour if necessary,” Vozenilek said. “It prevents people from needing to occupy hospital beds in a time when that resource may be precious, but still gives us the safety of being alerted to changes in vital signs,” Vozenilek said. OSF has also provided the University with patient monitoring care kits which are giv-

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ISEE

Madhu Khanna hosted a Zoom webinar on Sept. 10. The meeting proposed bringing a nuclear reactor to campus.

University investigates around 200 students for COVID-19 policy violations dent Support and Advocacy Stephen Bryan said 119 students and 11 organizations were under investigation for COVID-19-related violations. On Wednesday, Student Affairs spokesperson Chantelle Thompson said there were around 200 open investigations into student

BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

The number of students on campus under investigation for potential violations of the COVID-19 policy has SEE APP | 3A nearly doubled since the University issued a stay-athome order for undergraduate students. During the Senate Executive Committee meeting on Aug. 31, Dean of Stu-

New cases decline during third week of classes BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

After a spike in new COVID-19 cases during the second week of classes, the University of Illinois upped restrictions on student movement, discouraged travel during Labor Day weekend and required faculty, staff and graduate students to test only once a week. Last week, the University performed fewer tests, but those tests turned up far fewer cases. The week ended Sept. 4 turned up the newest positives from students, faculty and staff since the University began its saliva tests in July: 895 new cases of COVID-19 were identified from 74,000 tests, for a new case positivity rate of 1.21% across the week. The week ended Friday, Sept. 11 was substantially lighter: 340 new people tested positive for the virus after 53,000 tests, for a seven-day new case rate of 0.64%. Saturday was also encouraging, with just 10 new cases from 4,009 tests. The 0.25% new case positivity rate was the lowest of the semester so far. In all, from week two to week three, 28% fewer tests were conducted, and new cases dropped by 62%. The seven-day new case positivity rate that the Uni-

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Sophomore Jacob Harris catches a frisbee on the Main Quad on Sunday. Around 200 students are under investigation for potentially violating COVID-19 policies.

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A pair of masked students look at a laptop while sitting at a table outside of Lundgren Hall on Sunday. After a spike in positive cases during week two, the positives lessened in week three.

versity displays on its dashboard isn’t an accurate measure of how much of campus has been infected, because the University does not share how many individual students, faculty and staff are being tested every week. Most students test twice a week, and those who test positive are usually taken

out of the testing pool for a little while. Additionally, some students who are at high risk of exposure are being ordered to test three times a week. The University’s twoweek order for students to limit themselves to essential activities ends on Wednesday.

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Since Sept. 2, undergraduate students have had to avoid in-person activities besides “taking twice-weekly COVID-19 tests, attending class, purchasing groceries and food, going to work, engaging in individual outdoor activity, attend-

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buzz: Artist explores hardships of life through music

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Theft was reported at 1214 S. First St. around 4:52 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the report, a student’s bicycle was locked to a rack at the time of the theft. The value of the stolen bicycle is unknown.

Criminal damage to property was reported on the 1900 block of East Amber Lane around 6:23 p.m. on Thursday. According to the report, the victim’s vehicle was vandalized overnight. Theft $500 and under was reported on the 100 block of North Gregory Street around 2:39 p.m. on

Thursday. According to the report, the unknown offender stole the victim’s bicycle that was locked to a local apartment bicycle rack. There is currently no suspect information available. news@dailyillini.com

UI reports record enrollment at over 52,000 BY LUIS VELAZQUEZ

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ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign exceeded its record for enrollment, with 52,331 students for the 20202021 academic year. Last year’s recordsetting enrollment was 51,196 students. Across three UI System schools, overa l l en rol l ment stands at 90,000, also a record high. Although the overall count increased, there was a slight drop in undergraduate students for the University. Last year’s record of 33,850 students decreased to 33,492 students this year. Mainly due to the pandemic, there are 576 fewer undergraduate international students continuing their education at the University for the Fall 2020 semester. The freshman class enrollment met the University’s target of 7,530 students, slightly lower than last year’s record of 7,665 freshmen. Due to the pandemic, 227 students asked to delay their admission to a later term. T he Un iver sit y ’s increased enrollment also shows an increase in African American and Latinx student enrollment for both graduate and undergraduate programs. Graduate st udent enrollment also rose to 17,802, an increase from

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RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Altgeld Hall stands tall on West Green Street on Aug. 29. The University saw record enrollment, with 52,331 students for the 2020-2021 academic year, despite the global

last year’s 16,319 enrollment. This was a result of students enrolling to online graduate programs in the Gies Col-

lege of Business and their admission to a latGrainger College of er term. Engineering. However, 2,025 new graduate stu- lvelaz20@dailyillini.com dents also asked to delay

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Corrections When we make a mistake, we will correct it in this place. We strive for accuracy, so if you see an error in the paper, please contact Editor-inChief JJ Kim at (217)-337-8365.

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September 14, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

NEWS City assesses excessive force claim BY SALEM ISAF STAFF WRITER

On Sept. 15, the Champaign City Council will decide whether or not to approve a settlement of a lawsuit concerning a claim of excessive force. The incident occurred on Dec. 28, 2018 during a Champaign Police investigation of a shots fired report and the arrest of a person involved in the investigation. The following year, on March 15, 2019, Tavion J. Jones-Premo, who was a

minor at the time of the incident, filed a lawsuit against the City of Champaign and its officers, accusing them of civil rights violations. The settlement agreement includes $74,500 for the plaintiff and would result in the dismissal of the claims in the lawsuit against any police officers and the City of Champaign. “Both the City and the plaintiff saw the benefit of avoiding the additional expense of litigation and agreed on a settlement,”

said City Attorney Fred Stavins. “After reviewing all the facts in the case, and considering the legal fees and expenses on both sides of the litigation, the proposed settlement was determined to be in the best interests of both parties.” The Council Bill and Report to Council that covers the proposed settlement can be found at https://www.champaignil. gov/council. isaf2@dailyillini.com

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

A doorman checks IDs at the entrance to Joe’s Brewery on Friday evening. Joe’s Brewery closed down on Sept. 2 due to new COVID-19 policy from the University and reopened on Thursday.

Joe’s Brewery reopens after closure THE DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT

Campustown bar Joe’s Brewery reopened Thursday for happy hour at 5 p.m.. This comes after their decision to voluntarily close down beginning Sept. 2 in solidarity with the “University’s refocus on slowing

the spread” of COVID-19 in the community. According to the bar’s social media, Joe’s Brewery opened up again after the management took into consideration the current trends of positive cases. To be allowed entry to the bar, all patrons must

present their Safer Illinois app “with at least a Yellow badge and with Bluetooth and location services turned on.” Only the outdoor area will open for patrons. news@dailyillini.com

THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

The Champaign City Council members discuss and vote on proposed bills on April 18, 2018. The Champaign City Council will decide on Tuesday whether or not to approve the excessive force settlement.

FROM 1A

DECLINE

saliva tests, including 1,592 since classes began on Aug. 24. To date, the University has conducted almost 290,000 saliva tests and identified 1,967 cases of COVID-19 from them since the tests were introduced in July.

ing religious services and seeking medical attention,” Chancellor Jones wrote in a Massmail. Since students first began moving in Aug. 16, 1,874 people have tested positive for COVID-19 using on-campus ecsimmon@dailyillini.com

FROM 1A

APP

Connect program can provide reassurance for students who test positive and encourage them to quarantine and take care of themselves. “The program was set up for the ‘now what do I do?’ question,” Vozenilek said. “COVID can affect people who have unknown immune system response changes, have a history of some kind of medical problem, and it really does appear uniquely to an individual based on their background.”

en to students in isolation dorms. The care kits include health education materials, hand sanitizer, a thermometer and information on how to use OnCall Connect. In April, OSF established a 24/7 (833)-OSF-KNOW call-in hotline for anyone who wanted to enroll in the program. On a daily basis, about 4,500 calls are made to the hotline, Vozenelik said. Reynolds said the OnCall abhatt52@dailyillini.com

KENYON EDMOND THE DAILY ILLINI

Patrons of KAM’s on rooftop seating on Aug. 29.

FROM 1A

INVESTIGATES

behavior. Many of the investigations were brought about by Student Affairs’ online COVID-19 enforcement form, where campus folks can report potential coronavirus violations they see on campus. Three weeks ago, just five reports had been sent in. As of Wednesday, 226 reports had been filed. Users can fill out details about the individual they’re reporting, including UIN and email if known, and

FROM 1A

REACTOR in terms of training and research, but also in terms of the energy needs of the campus,” said George Gross, professor in Engineering. The Illinois Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment hosted a meeting over Zoom with nuclear engineering faculty and student and faculty leaders to talk about the proposed technology. According to Katy Huff, assistant professor of NPRE, the micro-reactors are small, transportable devices, that are manufactured in factories for economic efficiency and quality assurance. The reactors are designed to “self-stabilize;” if the temperature increases to an unsafe level, the reac-

describe the incident. Users can attach image and video files to back up their reports. Several students have already been issued interim suspensions for hosting parties and violating quarantine orders, while one student faced discipline for trying to show others how to circumvent the Safer Illinois app. Additionally, the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity was suspended for holding a large party. In University Housing, 118 students were isolating for COVID-19 while another 26 were quarantining for potential exposure, Uni-

versity spokesperson Robin Kaler said at Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting. That’s down from 160 students who were isolating or quarantining in University Housing on Wednesday morning. “This number is a snapshot in time,” Thompson said. “We have students who are released from quarantine and isolation daily.” Most students who are required to isolate are staying in Champaign-Urbana Public Health District rooms, while some have returned to their private residences, she said.

tors’ physic-driven feedback would drive the temperature back down to its set point. “Notably, the strongest of these feedback mechanisms respond hundreds of times faster than any human could react, stabilizing that reactor temperature without the need for human intervention,” Huff said. The micronuclear reactor can last for 20 years without needing a refuel. The lengthened fuel life is more efficient, reducing the eventual nuclear waste volume. “Very small volumes, very small challenge,” Huff said. The University’s utility system is broken down into three parts: electric, steam and chilled water. The implementation of the reactor would be able to supply energy for both the electric and steam systems.

“The fact that the reactor can provide both steam and electricity is really a very fortuitous situation of the needs of the campus, and is going to help very much with reducing the carbon footprint,” Gross said. In parallel to the University’s reactor, three units are proposed to be constructed for power delivery at the site of another consortium partner. In addition, two units are planned to be built in Canada. Creen Ahmad, senior in ACES, said there is further excitement as the University is prioritizing sustainable development. “The perspective is optimistic, constructive and insightful,” Ahmad said. “The most common belief I have heard is that we cannot decarbonize energy without having nuclear in the mix.

According to numbers provided by CUPHD’s Awais Vaid, about 95% of the campus cases have been from undergraduate students. If that holds true with current data, over 1,700 students have tested positive for the virus since move-in began on Aug. 16. He said 80% of students who’ve tested positive are asymptomatic, and most others have “very mild symptoms.” None of Champaign County’s three hospitalizations for the virus are students. ecsimmon@davilyillini.com

SCREENSHOT OF SAFER ILLINOIS APP

A screenshot of the OnCall Connect Program within the Safer Illinois App depicts the resources for those who test positive.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS ISEE

Caleb Brooks and Katy Huff of the Department of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering outline some of the first steps to be taken in the nuclear reactor proposal.

As expected, many con- already learned, the system cerns were raised regard- is ensured to be safe and ing safety. But as we have foolproof.” hrr4@dailyillini.com

MONDAY

September 14, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

LIFE & CULTURE

Ikebana teaches decision-making skills BY ROHIT JAMMU ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR

Ikebana is the Japanese art form of arranging flowers, but it directly translates to “making flowers alive.” A large variety of blossoms, leaves, stems and branches are used as materials for the art-making, as opposed to western practices of selectively arranging only flowers in a vase. ARTD 299: Ikebana is a class offered to students of all majors at the University taught by Professor Kimiko Gunji. Professor Gunji first started taking Ikebana lessons when she was in high school in Japan. After coming to the U.S., she had an opportunity to teach Ikebana first through an extension class at the University, which later transitioned to her being able to teach through the Art & Design college at the University. Ikebana arrangements are often comparable to sculpture. Carefully deliberated choices of color, line and form guide the assembly of a piece. The resulting pieces are unique, distinctive and unexpected. Ikebana arrangements can vary drastically in terms of size and composition, ranging from a piece made with a single flower to one that incorporates several different flowers, stems and other natural objects. Gunji said she thinks it’s the arranger’s responsibility to make flowers more beautiful and exciting. “Flowers are beautiful without doing anything,” Gunji said. “So, if you are not making them more beautiful by arranging them, why arrange them at all?” Gunji said she found teaching Ikebana in the U.S. challenging at first, since people in the U.S. are used to putting several flowers in a vase, whereas Ikebana only needs a few. Ikebana brings out each flower’s beauty to the maximum. Even the empty space is an integral part of the arrangement. “One of the headmasters of Ikebana said that with a spray of flowers, a bit of water, one evokes the vastness of rivers and mountains,” Gunji said. Diana Liao, a graduate of the School of Information Science from the University, started off as a Japan House Assistant as a graduate student. Her familiarity with courses at the Japan House, which required meticulous setup and clean up, led to her being hired as Professor Gunji’s technical assistant. While ARTD 299 was not offered when she was an undergraduate, Liao got to take lessons with Gunji for ARTD 299: Japanese Aesthetics, where Professor Gunji guest-taught a class on Ikebana.

Liao works to facilitate the class’ online needs such as Zoom teaching, filming and scheduling. If they’re doing a virtual tea ceremony, which includes live streaming and a Q&A session, Liao makes sure everything is set up beforehand and ensures that everything runs smoothly so that the professor can teach without any interruptions. “There’s a saying we often use in tea ceremony, which is ‘Ichi-go, ichi-e’ or ‘one lifetime, one opportunity’,” she said. “While in filming, there are often many takes and edits but with the traditional arts, we try to do everything in one take because it’s hard to ‘start and stop’ with something as singular as selecting and cutting the flower.” Liao is still very new to Ikebana and she knows she still has a lot to learn. According to her, once you cut a flower, it’s bound to die soon, so being sure what you want to use is of paramount importance. Liao related this idea of careful, preordained decision making to life in general. “If you choose to make a decision, you need to carry it through with pure intent, respect others and nature, and only take what you need, subsequently helping everyone and everything flourish, rather than hindering or destroying,” Liao said. While this might sound easy, Liao said many people don’t realize how careless they can be until they take the Ikebana class. She said that she has witnessed Professor Gunji tell students they can’t swarm the table of plant materials and grab whatever they want, emphasizing on the need to sit down and deliberate their choices in selection. “Even with the physical process of selection, how often do you think about how you grab things?” she said. “Flowers are delicate, and you can crush them in your fist if you aren’t gentle,” Liao said. “Professor Gunji can tell when students are upset or stressed outside of class because these details are evident in their arrangements, which she doesn’t hesitate from pointing out, which I deeply admire.” While the class is currently being taught in an online capacity due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is quite the change of pace for Professor Gunji. There’s a saying in Japanese that teaching must be done “kokoro to kokoro,” or “heart to heart,” so she is also learning how these living arts can change as many Japanese teachers typically do not do virtual lessons. “One of my strongest ide-

KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILINI

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAPAN HOUSE

Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji teaches do-it-yourself Ikebana to viewers in a Youtube video posted on Aug. 23. Gunji has been teaching Ikebana for over 50 years.

als is to make the best from online teaching, if you would will be able to learn as much both Ganbaru (or persevere).” whatever you have, or you are put your whole heart into as they can if both teacher and given,” she said. “Even though it, students can sense it and students try their best if they rjammu2@dailyillini.com

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Monday, September 14, 2020

KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILINI

Student moderates coronavirus subreddit BY SAMANTHA BOYLE MANAGING EDITOR FOR REPORTING

W hen the COVID-19 pandemic first started earlier this year, many people found different ways to get their information or to cope with the idea that a virus was taking over their lives. People took on new hobbies, such as baking bread or watching “Tiger King. For one University doctoral student, that new interest became moderating r/coronavirus on Reddit. Richard Barber is a computer science doctoral candidate who is interested in the interactions between humans and computers or online platforms. He became a moderator of the subreddit r/coronavirus earlier this year when he was looking for a more reliable source of information on COVID-19. Barber said there were videos and posts circulat-

ing on sites such as Twitter that were unverifiable and therefore unreliable. In particular, in the early days of the virus, videos would surface of people collapsing on the streets of what users claimed to be China. “But the problem is with stuff like that I mean, you never know,” Barber said. “These could’ve been old videos. These could’ve just as easily been a video of someone collapsing from the summer heat in Singapore two years ago, you know, it’s very hard to tell.” Barber then turned to the subreddit in search for higher quality and more reliable information. As the coronavirus began to intensify and spread even faster, Barber decided he would volunteer to help moderate the subreddit, which now has about 2.2 million subscribers. The amount of posts was increasing, and more ques-

tionable information was also popping up, Barber said. “I just wanted to continue to see it be like a high-quality place of information and I could see that it was growing really fast and that they really needed help with that,” he added. After becoming a moderator, Barber started to become more of a leader in the “mod team” and soon thereafter became one of the admin moderators. As an admin moderator, Barber said his job included a combination of moderating and discussing policies with other moderators. Moderators were also part of the process for setting up “Ask Me Anything” sessions, where users could ask the guest anything over Reddit. Guests on the r/ coronavirus Ask Me Anything included Bill Gates and other notable academics and public health

officials. During the spring semester, Barber was spending up to 12 hours every day moderating the subreddit. “It wasn’t really until May or April that I stopped doing it nonstop while I was awake,” he said. Moderators are also in charge of checking post submissions. If someone wants to post in the subreddit, a moderator will check the post and the source to make sure it is reliable and informative to other users. Since the start of the pandemic, the subreddit grew in popularity. In the week of March 12, the subreddit had about 15 million unique visitors. Since then, viewership has gone down; however, last week, the page still had about one to two million visitors. At one point, the subreddit had about 70 moderators, and on any given day about seven to 10 modera-

tors are active and checking post submissions. The moderators are a group of diverse people, some who are biologists and experts and nonexperts as well. “It’s been nice early on to have access to actual experts so when I had the kind of human questions that everybody had, you know of like ‘My grandma says she’s got a cough how worried should I be,’ you know, I could ask that and get a personal response; that was always kind of nice,” Barber said. As someone who is also studying human-computer interaction, becoming a moderator of a social media site has given Barber a lot of hands-on experience. “It certainly made it clear that trolling and misinformation and things like that are really, really tough problems, I knew that academically or intellectually, but now like I know it from

firsthand experience,” he said. Now, reading papers about online content moderation speaks to Barber in different ways than it did before. Barber is back near campus for the semester and even went on lockdown earlier in the year before there were ever any government mandated rules. “I feel really lucky to live in a state that has had such an aggressive response and always was, early on I was convinced that Illinois was among the best states in terms of response,” he said. “The University in particular, taking this mass testing approach is very commendable as well because it’s probably the only way to open safely at all so I’m glad it’s kind of playing out.” sjboyle2@dailyillini.com

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ACROSS

1 Bay of Pigs locale 5 Constricting snakes 9 Actor who’s the opposite of subtle 12 “Moby-Dick” captain 13 Large group on the move 14 Drink such as Pepsi 15 Justice’s garb 16 Designation on many a driver’s license 18 Bashful 19 Holder for coffee or beer 20 Attics 21 Farm building with a loft 23 Giant … with four of the five letters of “giant” 24 Bright, sunny area of a house 27 Setting at the prime meridian, for short 30 Pealed 31 “No more seats,” in brief 32 Uncritically enthusiastic, colloquially 34 Confess (to) 36 Fruit in Newton cookies 38 Leather for fine gloves 39 Disdainful looks 41 Seoul automaker 43 Kind of ball that’s supersoft 44 President after F.D.R. 45 Launch vehicle for many NASA missions 48 Miley who played Hannah Montana 49 ___ scale (rater of mineral hardness) 50 Insects that may emerge after 17 years 53 Play-___ (toy clay) 54 Boat that sailed while it rained for 40 days and nights 57 Ringlet on a salon floor 59 Bit of evidence for Sherlock

31 35

32 36

40 45

37 41

33 38

43 47

48 51

23 26

8 14

19 21

PUZZLE BY LYNN LEMPEL

60 Author Rice who created the vampire Lestat 61 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame QB John 62 Like pie, it’s said 63 “Gangnam Style” musician 64 Salon colorings 65 Dedicated poems

DOWN

1 Autos 2 “This doesn’t look good …” 3 Wee one’s sun protection 4 “Honest” president 5 Tennis champ Bjorn 6 Dot follower in a nonprofit’s web address 7 In slow tempo 8 One of 100 on the Hill 9 Sharpen 10 Oodles

11 Destination of the rover Perseverance 13 Hunting dogs 14 ___ on the cob 17 Serious stage plays 19 Hosp. scan 22 Bicker 23 Groups of three 24 Next year’s soph 25 Things to be mowed 26 Doggie’s sound 27 Colorful dish with olives and feta cheese 28 Mother: Sp. 29 Larceny 33 Intuitive feeling 35 “Yes, proceed!,” quaintly 37 Graduates of basic training, informally 40 Machine-gunned from the air 42 Weapons storehouse 46 In profusion, as plant growth

47 “This is so-o-o amazing!” 48 What you can’t have and eat, too, it’s said 50 Applaud 51 Charged particles 52 Big Apple school inits. 53 “Buenos ___” 55 Sly stratagem 56 Typically lost items that are “found” in the starts of 16-, 24-, 45- and 57-Across 58 Wonderment 59 Corporate biggie59 Neighbor of Turkey 60 Popular streaming device 61 If-then-___ (kind of logic statement) 64 Part of the body between la bouche and les yeux

The crossword solution is in the Classified section.

MONDAY

September 14, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

OPINIONS

Cats remain underappreciated in society of dog lovers in Rama,” penned by Pope Gregory IX, kickstarted this association between cats OPINIONS EDITOR and satanism. European folk traditions arose where cats were thrown from egarding the stereoroofs, beaten to death or set typical personalities on fire. of a “dog-person” or Some historians attribute a “cat-person,” I certainly this culling of cats to the align with the extrovertseverity of the Black Death, ed, energized caricature although there is admittedof a “dog-person.” And I ly little evidence supportadore our K-9 companions. ing this theory. But today, But I am not special in that cats — in particular black regard; most people love cats — are still inexorably dogs. Cats, however, deserve linked to bad luck and evil to be held in a higher regard superstitions. by society. If nothing else, one This isn’t simply specushould respect the indelation that society prefers pendence of cats. They are dogs to cats. Adoption rates less needy than dogs. They of cats at any age is much bathe themselves by groomlower than dogs at that age. ing, require no potty-trainWhen polled, 15% of people ing as they automatically said they “disliked cats a will use the litter box and lot,” while only 2% said the can (mostly) roam freely off same of dogs. Similarly, 74% leash outdoors, returning said they “like dogs a lot,” home due to their territorial while 41% contended they nature. like cats a lot. The data is But that is not to say clear: Society likes dogs and they are indifferent to their hates cats more. human owners. Cats recogDogs are great, but let’s nize their owner’s voice and appreciate cats. studies have found cats are While it is hypothesized just as affectionate as dogs, that dogs domesticated with a minority displaying themselves, the prevailing antisocial behavior around sentiment is that humans their owners. intentionally domesticated A cat’s purr is a healing wolves into dogs. However, mechanism. The low frethere is considerable eviquency of a cat purr is a pain dence that cats intentionreliever and builds muscle, ally adapted to living with repairs tendons and heals humans and self-domestiinjuries. But the cat purr cated. Point one for cats. doesn’t just heal itself, it Cats were revered by helps you too. Studies indiancient civilizations like the cate lower blood pressure Egyptians and the Romans and risk of heart attacks and used to catch vermin, after being around a purrprevent the spread of dising cat, as well as providing ease and protect crops. other health benefits. Your However, the societal cat literally has a built-in view of cats took a dark turn mechanism to heal you by by the Middle Ages. Euroassociation. pean Catholics condemned While cats can be lovcats, attributing cats to ing companions, they are witchcraft and paganism. also ferocious predators. A decretal, known as “Vox Stealthy, light and graceful, ANDREW PROZOROVSKY

but cautious hunters. They climb trees, jump fences and always land on their two feet. It goes without saying, but cats are incredibly intelligent animals. I certainly wouldn’t wish to be a Jerry hunted by a Tom! Cats, therefore, like dogs, have function. Dogs can be used for hunting and tracking, herding and hauling, but cats are good for pest control, if nothing else. Our cats have kept vermin out of my father’s garden all my life. The moment we had no indoor-outdoor cat regularly out in the grass, the animals quickly returned to wreak havoc on my father’s tomatoes — they would take one bite out of a large tomato and then just leave it! How wasteful!

Furthermore, cats are great judges of character. They understand the invisible intricacies of mood, disposition and intention. A cat will be there for you when you are sad but far away from you when you are likely to lash out. Cats have a lot of respect for themselves. Many abused animals have no choice but to stand by the abuser, but cats will never forget someone who has wronged them. Cats may be easier in terms of pet care compared to dogs, but it is much harder to win their affection. Perhaps this is where the human disdain for cats begins. If someone dislikes cats, it’s a preference. But to hate cats? That’s a red flag.

declawed or hunted by medieval mobs. Cats have been associated with femininity and dogs with masculinity, so deep down somewhere the fact that it’s more socially permissible to hate cats but not dogs reflects society’s persistent disdain for women and femininity. Obviously, I am not arguing it’s misogynistic to not like cats, but stating that there is some amount of societal conditioning that can explain why cats are more hated. I encourage any of you who are financially able and living in a comfortable and open environment to consider helping raise those cat adoption rates. But if you are thinking about adopting a cat, consider two things: two cats are always preferable to one, as cats can suffer from boredom or become depressed from loneliness without a reliable companion, and declawing, once the standard procedure before KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI cat adoption, is firmly discouraged these days! It means the person doesn’t Declawing a cat can cause like what it can’t directly pain in your cat and even control. Many people don’t alter its personality. A quick like cats because they simGoogle search will provide ply lack the necessary skills one with multifarious drawto care for one. Cats require backs to declawing. patience and a gentle hand. No one will say cats are Unfortunately, it’s more easy. They are not. Or — at acceptable to hate cats than least — they shouldn’t be. dogs. If one starts a conBut cats are undeserving of versation about cats, occathe negatively-skewed repusionally someone will contation they hold today. They tribute a story about this are the product of millions wicked Devil cat they once of years of evolution to proknew. This would not be duce a self-cleaning, selfan acceptable way to conhealing, agile predator. But verse about dogs, especialalso, to my prospective cat ly because people would owners, know that they love immediately argue the dog’s a good feather toy and lasernature was a result of poor pointer every now and then. handling on the part of its owner. Andrew is a junior in LAS and It’s no wonder there are the Opinions Editor for the anxious cats when much of Daily Illini. their history involves being atp4@dailyillini.com

Resist consuming unoriginal art ELLEN BARCZAK SENIOR COLUMNIST

We PHOTO COURTESY OF DAMON HIGGINS

Best-selling author James Patterson signs a book for a fan inside Classic Bookshop during 2018 in Palm Beach, Florida. Columnist Noah argues Patterson has earned the title of a literary hero.

James Patterson deserves recognition ago with former President Bill Clinton. SENIOR What makes him so popuCOLUMNIST lar among thriller and mystery fans? Maybe it’s the fast pace of his writing, a roller hen you think of the coaster ride that won’t let most prolific writyou off until the last page. ers in history, names Maybe it’s his short chaplike William Shakespeare, ters. Or maybe because PatErnest Hemingway, Emily terson is just plain talented. Dickinson, Mark Twain and In recent years, PatterJ.K. Rowling should always son has also dipped his toes come to mind. As those in the waters of many other wordsmiths have made their book genres. Most notably, mark on the world, so has his children’s and young mystery novelist James Pat- adult books are a hit with terson, who shows no signs the younger audience with of slowing down any time series like “Witch and Wizsoon. ard,” “Maximum Ride” and The man is a literary hero. “Middle School.” He even And he has the career to founded Read Kiddo Read prove it. several years ago, his own Patterson’s name is website helping parents almost synonymous with turn their children into the thriller genre. With over readers inspired by his own 300 million copies of his son Jack who refused to read books in print, fans of all at a young age. genres cannot get enough Other than kids books, of the 73-year-old writer. Patterson also writes nonWhile many of his stories fiction works including ones are stand-alone novels, he already published about the is most known for writing Kennedy family, Aaron Hervarious crime series, includ- nandez and Jeffrey Epstein. ing the likes of Washington, These historical and curD.C. based Alex Cross, the rent events books are just as Women’s Murder Club in great, if not better, than his San Francisco and Michael novels. Bennett in New York. He Patterson is also an innoeven wrote one two years vative genius. A couple NOAH NELSON

years ago, he created Bookshots, small books no more than 150 pages apiece that are based on either existing characters or news ones altogether. Like his thriller novels, Bookshots are just as hard to put down. How does he keep writing so many books? Over the years, Patterson has teamed up with a slew of co-authors, mostly lesser-known writers. He works with them one-on-one on each project, overseeing everything until the book is published. It’s great because he lets these up-and-coming writers shine with the work they do alongside him. Over the years, Patterson has also donated to countless school libraries and independent bookstores across the country. It’s hard not to tip your hat to a man who wants to give back to literacy any time he can. Who knows when Patterson will ever put down his pen, but hopefully, it won’t be any time in the near future. The man is a writing machine and should be appreciated in that regard. Noah is a junior in the College of Media. noahen2@dailyillini.com

are surrounded by art at all times. The clothes we wear, the music we hear, the shows we view, the works hanging on our walls. Not all art is created equal, though. I have long considered “word art,” or as some call it “sign art,” the least of all the art forms. One might encounter this specific brand of art on the wall of a white lady’s kitchen: combinations of fonts, alternating between block letters and cursive, painted onto fake reclaimed barn wood backgrounds, saying things like, “Family gathers here,” “Live, Laugh, Love” or some other nauseating cliche. Oftentimes I’ve walked into homes which find it necessary to label each portion of the house with said word art, detailing the appropriate activity for each room such as “Eat,” “Gather” or “Wash your hands.” Other sign art tends to tout the glories of the basic white person’s two favorite beverages: wine and coffee. Or every WASP’s favorite bible verse, John 3:16. I would say there is no such thing as bad art. But, seeing as this unimaginative and often factoryproduced art exists, that would be a lie. The vibe screams, “An influencer on Instagram said this is cute, so it must be!” There are real, live, human, starving artists near you. They don’t all live in Soho, New York or Portland, Oregon. Being an artist is a wonderful, albeit tragically difficult career choice in terms of making

KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI

a living for oneself. So every time you have a hankering for some fresh wall hangings or household decor and you, instead of finding a local artist and commissioning some original, oneof-a-kind, tailored to you art, bounce on over to Bed, Bath and Beyond or some other godforsaken Mecca of consumerism, you’re taking bread out of the mouth of that artist and his or her family. Art produced in factories is cheap. It’s easy. It’s convenient. It’s also incredibly tacky and, I’d venture to say, buff (“buff” is a portmanteau of “brutal” and “rough,” and more people should use it.) It’s not fair to the thousands of people in your community who love creating and are good at it. A quick internet search of “local artists” provides one a myriad of options as to how to contact a local artist and purchase their work. Etsy, even, is a proven platform for the small business person wishing to sell their wares to a broader demographic.

In the days of COVID-19, festivals and other outlets these creative people might use to gain exposure for their work can’t happen. The starving artists are likely hungrier than ever, and they could use your help. This art doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive, either, and when you consider the durability and possible timelessness of a work of art created specifically for you, it’s worth it to spend a little more to buy less often. If you’re someone who hasn’t been laid off due to the pandemic, now is the time to stimulate the economy with all you saved during quarantine. Now is especially a great time to redecorate, considering the impending cold and dark days spent exclusively indoors. Resist the urge to purchase bland, unoriginal, tacky art made in a factory. Instead, buy art from a human person who just wants people to enjoy what they create. Ellen is a senior in LAS. ellenmb2@dailyillini.com

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.

MONDAY

September 14, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Hutcherson prepares for lofty expectations at Illinois BY BRANDON SIMBERG STAFF WRITER

Shooting the threepointer was anything but easy for Illinois in the 2019-2020 season. As a team, they shot 30.3% from behind the arc, finishing dead last in the Big Ten and 311th in the country. Improving on shooting is a must for Illinois this season. Enter redshirt junior Austin Hutcherson. Hutcherson sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, but he was a sniper in his two seasons at Wesleyan University. He shot 44% from deep as a freshman and 39% from deep as a sophomore. Hutcherson will be desperately needed to shoot at that rate again, and he has a grasp of what is needed for him this upcoming season. “My role, I’d say being that guy that can stretch the court,” Hutcherson said. “Whether it’s deep in the three, from the corner or that NBA spot on the wing. Giving that spacing so guys like Ayo (Dosunmu) and Trent (Frazier) can get into the lane and do what they do and give Kofi (Cockburn) some room down there.” Sitting out for a season was not easy for Hutcherson, but he now has a bet-

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Reshirt junior Austin Hutcherson poses for a promotional image for University of Illinois Basketball. Hutcherson spent two years at Wesleyan University and now, after sitting out for a year, is eligible to play for Illinois.

ter understanding of the offense. He said there were some bad days, but overall the year helped him grow. “I’m a completely different person after one year,” Hutcherson said. “I think I have more of that killer instinct of attacking. I learned that from going

against our guards every day. I think physically my vertical increased a bunch, my strength is up 10 to 15 pounds.” The hype has been building around Hutcherson during his year off. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein has compared Hutcherson’s

VOLLEYBALL

story to that of former Michigan star Duncan Robinson. Robinson, who now starts for the Miami Heat, played one year at the Division III level before transferring to Ann Arbor. He scored 9.3 points per game on 41% shooting from three, numbers Hutcher-

Fall practices start in Kenney Gym STAFF WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELLIE HOLZMAN’S TWITTER

Redshirt freshman Ellie Holzman officially commits to the University of Illinois on Nov. 29, 2018. Holzman is expected to fill some of the gaps left by the prior seniors.

Newcomers bring fresh look to Illini STAFF WRITER

When Illinois volleyball returns, there will be some big shoes to fill due to the loss of four seniors who graduated last year. With the exit of Jacqueline Quade, Caroline Welsh, Beth Prince and Ashlyn Fleming, the team is now beginning to look substantially different from Illinois’ 2018 Final Four roster. To help bridge the gap, however, the Illini have pulled an impressive 2020 freshmen recruitment class, along with the addition of talented redshirt freshman Ellie Holzman. The 2020 recruitment class was ranked 20th nationally by PrepVolleyball.com and is headlined by three new freshmen: Maddie Whittington, Raina Terry and Sophie Gregus. Whittington was a highly accomplished middle blocker in high school, including being named to the 2019 Under Armor Second-Team All-America and Suburban East All-Conference in 2018. Despite her experience as middle blocker, head coach Chris Tamas plans to move her to either outside or opposite hitter. Standing at a teamhighest 6-foot-4-inches, Whittington will likely be an asset to the Illini for years to come. “When we recruited (Maddie), her coach was like, ‘look, she can do lots of things. She’s good with her ball control, she’s a good blocker, she’s a good attacker,’” said Tamas about the potential position change. “When you’re looking at those things, you want to utilize them as best as possible.”

son is certainly capable of. Hutcherson is aware of the outside noise, but he uses that to motivate him. “I see it as appreciation. I hope to have people expect stuff of me,” Hutcherson said. “That expectation is what drives me besides @BrandonSimberg my own goals. Having that simberg2@dailyillini.com

MEN’S GYMNASTICS

BY BRADLEY ZIMMERMAN

BY WES HOLLENBERG

expectation every day gives me a reason to come to work and get better.” A f ter losing w ings Andrès Feliz and Alan Griffin in the offseason, head coach Brad Underwood will need Hutcherson to be effective immediately. The backcourt is crowded with junior Ayo Dosunmu, and seniors Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams back, along with incoming freshmen Andre Curbelo and Adam Miller, but Hutcherson is the best theoretical shooter. That shooting ability could lead to him getting plenty of minutes on the wing. As a sophomore, Hutcherson led Wesleyan to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, and Hutcherson has watched the NCAA Division I Tournament since he was a kid. Illinois expects to get there in 2021, and Hutcherson’s performance could play a huge part in their success. “It’s really weird going on ESPN now and seeing talk about the Big Ten and it actually pertaining to me,” Hutcherson said. “So I think going to the tournament and making a big run would mean everything. It’d be a dream come true.”

According to Tamas, Whittington came to Illinois early in the spring, which gave her time to get in roughly six weeks of practice prior to the pandemic. With the extra practice, Whittington may be able to play a larger role than a freshman normally would. While Whittington may be the most highly-touted Illinois recruit, Terry is potentially the most experienced. Terry, a 6-foot-1-inch outside hitter, helped lead Highland High School to three KMAC championships, along with district and regional championships, during her high school career. “She’s had a lot of responsibility back in her club days (and) high school days,”

“(We’re) very pleased with what we’re getting with them, on and off the court.” CHRIS TAMAS HEAD COACH

Tamas said. “We look for her to continue in the same regard. She plays at a high level and we look to continue to develop that. I talk a lot about developing six rotation players, and she’s definitely one of them that we’re looking at to do that.” According to Tamas, Terry has been a bit streaky so far in practice. With flashes of high talent, working on consistency and reducing errors will likely be some of the first steps in an Illini jersey. The final new freshman on Illinois’ roster, Sophie Gregus, will likely also be looking to transition posi-

tions. Gregus played outside hitter in high school, but according to Tamas, she is a bit undersized at 6-foot-1inch to play the position for Illinois. The Illini will look to move her to defensive specialist and libero. So far in practice, all three freshmen have been highly competitive. “We scrimmage every Friday, and they hold their own in all the scrimmages (and) any competitions that we hold,” Tamas said. “(We’re) very pleased with what we’re getting with them, on and off the court.” The most impactful addition to the roster will likely be redshirt freshman Ellie Holzman. She has an incredibly long list of high school accomplishments, as she is a four-time Division I Louisiana state champion with Mount Carmel Academy, a three-time Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year and was named the 2018-2019 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year. Holzman, slotted to play outside hitter and middle blocker, redshirted during her first year at Illinois due to a preseason injury. According to Tamas, she has completely recovered from her injury and with a strong arm, she may have an immediate impact on the Illini. “Players don’t always bounce back as great as Ellie has,” Tamas said. “She fits right in with what we’re recruiting. I think she’ll carry a heavy load for us heading into future years. She’s competitive as you would want to see, and she’s a really great teammate on top of that.”

The Illinois men’s gymnastics team restarted team practices in Kenney Gym on Aug. 31. This marks the first time since March the gymnasts not only practiced together but even used their Urbana training and practice facility. Under normal circumstances, the team would have remained on campus throughout the summer to practice and improve their routines for the next competitive season. At the same time, the incoming freshmen would’ve moved to Champaign-Urbana to join the team and start their collegiate careers. Instead, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the gymnasts spent the summer spread out across the country. Most, if not all of them, practiced and trained out of the gymnastics clubs they competed at prior to college. Even though there are over three-and-a-half months until competitions are expected to begin, the loss of summer practices is a setback the team faces approaching its third week of practice. “If you’re trying to be ready with an upgraded routine, you need to be learning those upgraded skills all year round,” said head coach Justin Spring. “Our guys are in (the gym) the week after NCAA championships working on upgraded skills. Starting practice when we did, we

missed the entire phase of upgrades. Now we’re frantically trying to get our routine construction back all the while hoping for an opportunity to create a skill here or there so we can be a little more competitive.” In addition, the team also has to take time away from its routines in order to get back into shape. For nearly two weeks after returning to

“Our guys are in (the gym) the week after NCAA championships working on upgraded skills. Starting practice when we did, we missed the entire phase of upgrades.” JUSTIN SPRING HEAD COACH

campus, the team had to wait for permission to use Kenney Gym, during which the team was unable to practice or train. This subsequently took a toll on the gymnasts’ bodies. According to redshirt junior Jordan Kovach, the current goal is to get the team back into shape. “In the three years I’ve been here, we’ve never had to take time away from practices to get back in the swing

of things. Usually, everyone’s already in shape,” Kovach said. “We’re going to take as much time as possible to get everybody back into shape and then, hopefully by the end of this month, everybody will be back on schedule.” Since returning to campus, the gymnasts have been under a series of strict protocols to ensure they remain healthy and able to continue practicing. They are being tested for COVID-19 every other day and according to Spring, the goal is to transition to daily testing in the future. They are under strict supervision by Spring, his assistant coaches and the DIA to ensure they are complying with guidelines and mandates set by the CDC, the IDPH and University Chancellor Robert Jones. Upon arrival to practice, the gymnasts have their temperatures and pulses checked. During practice, the gymnasts have to maintain social distance and wear a mask up to the point they are about to perform on an apparatus. After they are done performing, they have to wipe down the equipment that gets used. In addition, the full team roster is broken into five or six groups based on which gymnasts are living together, and each group is assigned a 45-minute session for each event. They are not allowed to leave the event any earlier or later than the allotted 45 SEE KENNEY | 2B

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Redshirt junior Jordan Kovach competes at the Men’s Gymnastics Big Ten Championships on SEE NEWCOMERS | 2B April 6, 2019. Kovach and the Illini have recently resumed practice for the winter season.

2B Monday, September 14, 2020

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

FOOTBALL FROM 1B

NEWCOMERS

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Senior offensive lineman Alex Palczewski defends the quarterback during the game against Nebraska on Nov. 10, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Illini lost 54-35.

Illini hopeful for rise in NFL Draft prospects BY JOSH PIETSCH STAFF WRITER

After having no one taken in the 2020 NFL draft, the Illini would love to get some names on the board next year. Luckily for them, there are a couple of guys on the team that are expected to get drafted already and a handful of others that can raise their stock to sneak into the 2021 NFL Draft. The safest bet for any Illini to get drafted right now is Alex Palczewski. The senior right tackle has great length, strength and is the lead lineman on an offensive line that is expected to be one of the best in the conference. Palczewski has time to raise his draft stock more when the season comes and could potentially find his way into a pick as early as day two. The offensive line produces two more draft hopefuls that seem more likely than not. Senior center Doug Kramer is one of the top returning centers in all of college football, and a productive sea-

son could land Kramer with an NFL team despite being undersized. His teammate that lines up next to him, left guard Kendrick Green, could very likely forego his senior season to enter the draft a year early. Green is one of the strongest guys on the team and has been productive as a starter for two years. It would leave no one surprised if he left early for the NFL. Quarterback Brandon Peters, wide receiver Josh Imatorbhebhe and left tackle Vederian Lowe are among those that would need an impressive senior season to sneak into the draft. If Peters improves the way some are expecting him to and is a top-five or six quarterback in the league, there is a chance he could sneak in as a late-round pick. Imatorbhebhe has received national attention since high school and has great hands, size and leaping ability. If he improves his route-running and stays more consistent, he too could be a third-day draft selection.

Lowe has also struggled with consistency over the years with Ilinois but the senior showed a lot of promise last season. Consistent productivity and more pressure on the quarterback could lead Lowe into the draft as well. Transfer junior tight end Luke Ford will likely be drafted one day, but saying it will be in 2021 may be a stretch. Ford has one of the best skill sets of any Illini and has great size and strength. Due to transfer rules, he would be eligible to enter the draft after his sophomore season, but unless it is an allAmerican performance, Illinois will probably get Ford back for a senior season. Seniors linebacker Milo Eifler and cornerback Nate Hobbs seem to be the two safest bets on the defensive side of the ball to hear their name called in the 2021 draft. Both had impressive junior seasons and came up big in key moments for the Illini, raising their stock and making them legit contenders for

a draft spot. Both are athletic with nice size and quickness and any improvement during their senior season should land them in the draft. Senior linebacker Jake Hansen has a chance to get drafted in 2021 due to his ability to make big plays and show up in key moments. He doesn’t have any elite physical traits, which hurts his draft stock, but the senior is a leader on the team and led the nation in forced fumbles last year despite missing four games due to injury. A very impressive senior season and more forced turnovers might just get Hansen into the draft, and he’ll almost surely get into an NFL camp. Arguably the best at his position on the whole roster, senior punter Blake Hayes has a serious shot at getting drafted in 2021. The Australian-born senior is the reigning Big Ten Punter of the Year and would be a lock for the draft if his position wasn’t valued so little. Only two punters were drafted in

2020, but if the trend continues, Hayes’ name has to be considered for a day-three draft selection. Other players that are hopeful for the draft but seem less likely include senior defensive back Tony Adams, junior running back Mike Epstein, senior wide receiver Trevon Sidney, senior kicker James McCourt and senior defensive end Isaiah Gay. All these players have some draft potential but would need to improve tremendously and stand out this season in order to have a shot at landing a spot in the draft. Although the 2020 draft didn’t feature any Illini, there is optimism the next draft will be very different. Illinois didn’t have any draft selections in 2015, 2016 or 2018 either, but with plenty of guys with increasing draft stock, we should expect a number of Illini to be a part of the 2021 NFL Draft. @JPietsch14 pietsch3@dailyillini.com

With so many assets from Illinois’ Final Four team gone, Tamas is now faced with the new and difficult challenge of remaining competitive after first breaking through. The combination of the current talent on the roster and Tamas’ ability to develop his younger players will determine if Illinois can retain their status as an elite volleyball program. For now, the Illini have time on their side to prepare due to the postponement of the volleyball season. “(I’m) really excited about who we have,” Tamas said. “We’ll be young this year. We replaced five starters from the previous run of NCAA tournament appearances. We’re going to look brand new to a lot of people. Very excited that we have some great people in the program — really hungry, really competitive and just excited for the future.” @WesHollenberg wih2@dailyillini.com

FROM 1B

KENNEY minutes. “That’s been a little tough. Personally, I like to bounce around the events pretty quickly,” Kovach said. “But I really like how we’ve been working out with the guys that we’re living with. In the gym, I think there’s a little more comfort level with the guys that you’re in rotation with.” For Spring and his gymnasts, they’re willing to follow whatever protocols are necessary in order to continue practicing in preparation for the 2021 men’s gymnastics season. “It’s been a challenge trying to develop new habits, but it’s what we have to do,” Spring said. “And if that’s what we have to do to get back in and do what we love, we’ll do it.” @B_RadZimm bez2@dailyillini.com

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September 14, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

Champaign County reports 136 new cases on Sunday BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

After 9,227 new tests, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District confirmed another 136 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing Champaign County to 323 active cases. ZIP code 61820 is Champaign’s biggest contributor to the pandemic: 203 of the active cases reside there, and there have been 1,558 confirmed cases there. The same ZIP code leads Champaign County in total tests with 151,400. As of Sunday, 3,594 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Champaign County. Of them, 3,251 have recovered, one is currently hospitalized and 20 have died. The county has conducted 369,232 tests for the coronavirus since the pandemic began. Over 62% of all tests have been for people between the ages of 10 and 30 years old. In total, 1,422 cases have

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Three students sit at a table outside of Lundgren Hall on Sunday. Champaign County reported 136 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of active cases in the county to 323.

been from people between the ages of 10 and 20, while another 921 cases have been between 20 and 30 years old.

On Saturday, the Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed 2,121 new cases of COVID-19 statewide and 22 addi-

tional deaths. As of Saturday, 259,909 people in Illinois have tested positive for COVID-19, while 8,295 people have died

from it since the start of including 56,594 tests on the pandemic. Saturday. Illinois has conducted over 4.68 million tests ecsimmon@dailyillini.com since the pandemic began,

Chancellor Jones talks two-week restrictions, collaboration THE DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT

The University of Wisconsin at Madison had a similar two-week restriction and subsequent email that was also similar to Chancellor Jones’ email. How much collaboration happens between Illinois and its surrounding schools? Several University of Wisconsin officials reached out to their counterparts at Illinois to learn how and why we implemented our twoweek effort to crush the curve. We shared our process, approach and messaging with them, and they used quite a bit of it.

We are always working in collaboration with other universities. We are a member of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, the Association of American Universities and I am the current chairman of the board of directors of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities. And, of course, we work with other universities in the state of Illinois through the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Throughout the pandemic, we have been in close consultation with our peer institutions to share and identify best practices and innovative solutions. For example, several universities have

asked us for assistance and guidance in using our saliva test and Safer Illinois app. We are delighted to help our fellow institutions find a path to move forward. We are over a week into the two-week restriction period, how effective has this been in curbing the spread of COVID-19 on campus? So far, we are seeing fewer positive test results as well as fewer gathering violations, and we are identifying and suspending the people who are refusing to comply with quarantine and isolation guidance. We still need everyone to continue being diligent about follow-

THE DAILY ILLINI Needs Your Help!

ing the public health protocols we’ve had in place all semester and the additional precautions through Sept. 16. We know that quarantine and isolation are not fun, but when everyone follows the guidelines, we will be able to move forward together. If the two-week restriction proves to be successful, what is the next step that you will take to continue to ensure the spread of the virus is limited? The improvements we’ve made in increased enforcement and connecting more quickly with students who test positive or are exposed to someone who tested positive will continue. We’ve

MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI

Chancellor Robert Jones prepares to give the State of the University address on Jan. 24. Jones answers the Daily Illini’s questions concerning UI’s COVID-19 response in this Staff Report.

also used the data we’ve collected so far to fine tune our testing schedules, with the goal of ensuring that every-

one can get their results — and any support they need to isolate or quarantine — more quickly.

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Monday, September 14, 2020

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.

MONDAY, SEPT. 14

Autumn Social

Virtual Peaceful Monday Hikes PHOTO COURTESY OF KINKORA

Artist Kinkora performs at Chapel Off Chapel in Prahran, Australia on Jan. 17, 2018. Kinkora is a rebrand of 2017 project Elsie and the Vibe, and she has grown as an artist since rebranding.

Kinkora’s music video fits current times BY CASEY DALY STAFF WRITER

A star is reborn in Melbourne, Australia. Kinkora has released her debut “Set Me Free” in the rough of a pandemic with an appropriate music video to match. However, Kinkora isn’t brand new at all, like her handful of monthly Spotify listeners want people to believe. Instead, she’s a rebrand of project Elsie and The Vibe, who released EP “Elsie and The Vibe” in 2017. She toured the East Coast of the United States the next year. Elsie and The Vibe was a Motown-fueled project, underscored by Elsie’s strong, sweltering vocals and retro beats. This sweet, soulful cafe music won multiple awards in its prime, placing it in award ceremonies like the International Acoustic Music Awards and the U.K. Songwriting Contest. Though the reason for her rebrand isn’t completely evident, Elsie writes about Kinkora on her Instagram page. “I’ve been quiet for a really long time, but throughout, I’ve been writing and learning and working and growing,” Kinkora said. “During this time, I’ve

learned so much not only about music, but about myself and life — the road definitely hasn’t been easy, but I have gained an entirely new perspective, and I’m so ready to put my little moments of creation out into the universe.” Kinkora and her past project have attempted to preserve her past music styles, but this might change as artists often go through music phases. Listeners might even hear a shift in Kinkora’s artistry with the release of a music video for single “Set Me Free” on Aug. 28. It will undoubtedly serve as an artifact as a sign of the world’s current times. The video’s concept is a Zoom flash mob, in which Kinkora and her team of dancers crash Zoom meetings with choreography to the song. Fortunately, the dancers are met warmly with smiles and laughter, especially among a meeting with senior citizens. Positive experiences like these are something the world lacks right now. When someone adds the encouragement of social distancing on top of it, that’s how one knows an experience like this is

extraordinary. Much like human lives across the globe have adapted to isolated living and online gatherings, Kinkora’s sound has changed since her self-reflection period. In many ways, growth is for the better. “Set Me Free” still maintains the soul elements of Elsie and the Vibe, but it lays off the horn-heavy instrumentals of the past and runs at a higher tempo. However, it’s inarguable that Kinkora’s vocals still demand the same attention. Since bedroom pop has crept more into the spotlight over the past few years, Kinkora’s sound has moved along with it in the manner of luscious synth. Elsie does record from her bedroom and occasionally teams up with a roster of producers. On Spotify, Kinkora attributes her art to “personal reflections, passion for truth and social justice.” Perhaps Kinkora is not only a rebirth of self but also of ideology and subject matter. “Set Me Free” is a first-glance at Kinkora, and in many ways, it’s safe to say there is more than what meets the eye.

 9-11 a.m.  Virtual Event hosted by Allerton Park & Retreat Center  Free, but donations are accepted Start your week with a serene hike through Allerton’s natural areas, all from the comfort of your home! Sit back, relax and enjoy as Natural Areas Manager, Alex, takes you along for a peaceful, naturefilled, virtual tour. Each tour, Alex will cover various subjects like wildflowers in bloom, tree identification, river views, birds and the sights and sounds of Allerton.

Virtual Open Mic Night via Zoom!

 7:30-11:30 p.m.  Virtual Event hosted by The Canopy Club  Free Join the Canopy Club & ChampaignUrbana Open Mic Nights crew, including Mike Ingram for Champaign County, Anika Emily, Moe Pesci da Goodfella, Jake Fava Music, Lola Honey and more for weekly COVID-19 induced Zoom open mics. Until we can all be back at The Canopy Club, this is the best we’ve got.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 15

Champaign Farmers’ Market

 3-6 p.m.  The Land Connection Champaign Farmers’ Market, corner of Neil and Washington streets, Champaign  Free The Champaign Farmers Market returns for another season of fresh local food and fun! This year looks a little different to start the season, but you can still shop from local vendors to get fresh produce from farmers in our area.

 4-6 p.m.  Champaign Farmers’ Market, corner of Neil and Washington streets, Champaign  Free for members The Champaign Center Partnership invites the Champaign Center business community to join us for our Autumn Social! Come to Champaign Farmers Market to enjoy the season’s bounty. Grab a friend and head over to Punch Bar Champaign for a complimentary cocktail and mixology demonstration. This is a free event for the Champaign Center Partnership community, including complimentary market bucks and one drink voucher for members & Champaign Center supporters. RSVP on Facebook.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16

Trivia! Outdoor, Distanced, Masked and Cold Drinks

 7 p.m.  Rose Bowl Tavern, 106 N. Race St., Urbana  Free Join us for a night of outdoor and socially distanced trivia! Groups will text answers to the host, which will encourage social distancing. There will be a $20 gift certificate for 1st place and a $10 gift certificate for 2nd place.

Lou DiBello Debut Show For One T’s!

 7-9 p.m.  One-T’s Cornerpocket, 123 S. Mattis Ave., Champaign  Free This will be Lou DiBello’s first performance on One T’s patio! Join him on Wednesday for a great time!

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