THE DAILY ILLINI
MONDAY February 26, 2018
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 147 Issue 44
GEO on strike
Student’s visa loss raises financial concern BY HEATHER SCHLITZ STAFF WRITER
It was the weekend before the Jan. 29 class registration deadline, and Awele Uwagwu, a sophomore in LAS, suspected his student visa was about to be terminated. Though his dad remained hopeful, by Monday, his family was still unable to clear the overdue balance on Uwagwu’s student account. With the overdue balance preventing him from registering for classes and maintaining his visa, Uwagwu flew back to Nigeria less than a week later. Two days after his flight, his visa was officially terminated. “I was really passionate about every single thing that I did on campus and I loved every single moment of every single thing that I did,” Uwagwu said. “I felt like after everything I have done, it just came down to funds.” It was his home of southern Nigeria, Uwagwu said, where the crude oil industry has caused extenSEE VISA | 3A
ETHAN SCHOLL THE DAILY ILLINI
Graduate Employees Organization co-president Augustus Wood speaks to protesters outside the Fire Service Institute on Sunday. Wood was part of the GEO negotiating team inside that spoke with the University about a finalized contract earlier that day. A contract was not reached; the GEO will strike at 8 a.m. Monday on the Main Quad.
RSO unique to UI New study researches stress, suicide In the 2015-2016 academic year, begins this spring the Counseling Center reported harm and suicide for first year students, Vuyyuru A study on the mental said. health of first-year stu“Now, in a time like this, dents and effects of school when everyone’s changing on stress, suicide and self- and going to college, probharm is being conducted by ably as a first-year stua group of University pro- dent, there’s a lot of things fessors. This is the first that can change and can time the University has affect your mental health conducted a study like this. pretty easily,” said Joseph “The data we collect Kreiling, LAR resident and from this study will lead freshman in LAS. to a better understanding Vuyyuru said the results of the self-harm and sui- of the study will be used to cide ideation among first- possibly create intervenyear students,” said study tions on campus, which research K l o n o f fa ssist a nt C o h e n Chandana “The data we collect from said is the Vuyyuru. second this study will lead to Vuy yand most uru said important a better understanding she hopes pa r t of of the self-harm and there will the study. be around suicide ideation among She said 50 to 100 the interfirst-year students.” particventions ipa nts w o u l d CHANDANA VUYYURU f r o m include RESEARCH ASSISTANT Allen Hall ways to and Linimprove coln Avethe qualnue Residence Hall in the ity of life of residents and study, with fall 2018 as introduce positive coping their projected window to strategies. publish. “National data on self“ We ex panded our harm behaviors on camrecruitment efforts to puses is seriously lacking,” Allen Hall to increase the Klonoff-Cohen said. “It is diversity and size of the important to understand recruitment pool,” said co- and intervene on self-injuprincipal investigator Hill- rious behaviors because ary Klonoff-Cohen. they can evolve into suicidThe data collected will al thoughts and attempts.” lead to a better overall Kreiling said it is imporunderstanding of self- tant to be aware of one’s BY SAMANTHA BOYLE STAFF WRITER
Group unites students of various majors to research
BY MADELYN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
This semester, students from various science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines came together to form Helix, the first student-led undergraduate research RSO with a STEM concentration. Habib Benchehida, sophomore in LAS and president of Helix, said the group will strive to develop a diverse community of students committed to working together for a
common goal. Benchehida said he was inspired by his chemistry professor, Jeffrey Moore, to create Helix. “Why not create an organization that will bring students together to conduct their own research?” Benchehida asked. “We want to publish something with the help of mentors, and it will be a great way to build connections with one another.” Benchehida said Helix is geared toward students who want to develop their own research ideas. “What distinguishes this club from research under a professor is that we’re the people who are running this, developing the SEE HELIX | 3A
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SOURCE UI COUNSELING CENTER
own mental health and other people’s as well. Kreiling said he is not currently involved with the survey but would consider it. “(Mental health) is something that’s swept under the rug a lot in society,” he said. Vuyyuru said the study will also take into account the different ways students deal with stress. “We are interested in learning more about students who deal with stress in healthy ways as well as students who have more difficulty coping with stress,” Vuyyuru said. K lonof f- Cohen sa id incoming students especially may have a hard
time adapting, due to the new environment, which could possibly lead to mental health issues. She said there are over 1,000 suicides on campuses every year. According to the National Data on Campus Suicide and Depression, 1 in 12 college students plan a suicide. The national data also said “suicide is the secondleading cause of death” for ages 20 to 24. “We intend to figure out effective ways to prevent these mental health problems and provide students with positive alternatives,” Klonoff-Cohen said.
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