THE DAILY ILLINI
MONDAY February 3, 2020
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Visit our website!
Vol. 149 Issue 36
Yingying Zhang’s family refiles lawsuit against social workers refile at the state level last week. Zhang’s family argued the social workers who saw Christensen could have done more. Months before Zhang’s death, Christensen went to the counseling center and told them about his fascination with serial killers and that he had purchased and taken steps to plan a murder. The federal lawsuit also claimed the social workers
THE DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
The estate of Yingying Zhang refiled a lawsuit Monday against two social workers at the University of Illinois Counseling Center, according to a NewsGazette article. The lawsuit was initially filed in June before the trial of Brendt Christensen, who was later convicted of kidnapping and killing Zhang in 2017. However, the federal judge dismissed the lawsuit leading the family to
MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI
People line up to purchase tickets at the AMC Champaign 13 located on Meijer Drive on Saturday evening. The release of Chinese movie, “Detective Chinatown 3, was delayed due to the coronavirus crisis that originated in the Wuhan region of China.
Coronavirus indirectly affects CU community BY HEATHER ROBINSON STAFF WRITER
The coronavirus, now an official global public health emergency, has reached its eighth confirmed case in the United States. With the announcement of two confirmed cases within a Chicago family, local health centers are increasing the precautions they are taking to maintain public safety. While there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus on campus, and no students in question of containing the virus, the effects are still present locally. According to a Massmail, at the University there are approximately 150 students from the Wuhan area, where the virus originated. However, many of them had not traveled home since the
outbreak of the virus. Runze Sha, senior in Media and president of the Chinese Student Scholars Association, said he was very shocked and worried upon first learning of the coronavirus outbreak. Sha said one of his friends visited Wuhan during winter break and is unable to return to campus due to the coronavirus outbreak. Over the past few days, students have taken to social media to discuss the national issue of racism Chinese people have faced in the wake of the virus outbreak. Sha said while he has not personally experienced any hateful comments from others due to his nationality, he would say that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect themselves well to
avoid the coronavirus. “We as CSSA take this issue very seriously. To make sure our campus be without coronavirus, it is necessary for us to do the self-protection well,” Sha said. Sha added that in order to best prevent the coronavirus from happening on campus, the CSSA has decided to cancel all events before Feb. 9. Other effects of the virus have also manifested locally, such as the cancellation of Chinese film “Detective Chinatown 3” at the Savoy 16 movie theater. The crisis of the coronavirus caused the delay of the film’s release in Chinese theaters. According to law, the film must first premiere in China before its initial showing in the U.S.
According to Melissa Garske, general manager of Savoy 16, in the twoday period of sales, 31 tickets were purchased for the anticipated film. Garske said she is unsure whether or not the movie will eventually show at Savoy 16. “We have a lot of interest, so I’m hopeful that once it is able to premiere in China that we will pick it up. It just depends on when that happens and what kind of other movies are coming out of that time in terms of availability,” Garske said. Garkse added that all purchases were fully refunded, and those who purchased tickets were notified prior to the previously anticipated showtime. hrr4@dailyillini.com
Annual scholarship lacks applicants in Illinois BY LUIS VELAZQUEZ STAFF WRITER
The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association announced an annual scholarship that is offered to all permanent residents of Illinois. However, there has been a lack of applicants over the past few years. The ISA is an organization that helps Illinois’ 102 counties throughout the state with “training, communication and the necessary resources for them to serve local communities more efficiently,” according to their website. The ISA will be awarding over $58,000 in college scholarships throughout the state of Illinois to students who are pursuing higher education. Requirements to obtain this scholarship include being a permanent Illinois resident, using the scholarship for higher institutes in Illinois and being enrolled for the 2020-2021 school year. Dustin Heuerman, sheriff for Champaign County, said he hopes this scholarship will have a positive effect on the recipient with financial need. Heuerman will be awarding one scholarship of $500. “I can’t speak for the association itself but to me, that is why it is important: to hopefully provide $500 to someone who would not otherwise be able to buy textbooks or afford that little (part) of tuition,” Heuerman said. According to Heuerman, ISA provides funds for the scholarship through the dues that are paid by the membership. Teresa Schleinz, the executive assistant to Heuerman, said there used to be 50 to 90 applicants when she first started to work at
Police
2A
Illinois Student Government facilitates Retention of Illinois Students & Equity Act on campus Eligible undocumented students and transgender students can apply for federal and/or state financial aid through the Retention of Illinois Students & Equity Act. There are an estimated 139,000 trans students out of a 19.9 million student population. 65,000 undocumented students graduate from college every year, but 3,250-6,500 undocumented students enroll in college every year.
Source: Best Colleges, Reuters, Illinois Student Assistance Comission
CASSIDY BRANDT THE DAILY ILLINI
Student government assists with financial aid information she hopes will raise awareness about new financial aid opportunities. The resolution would sponsor informational events in which parents and students who may need to apply for the RISE Act can learn about the process. In addition, the resolution would also sponsor a seminar in a computer lab during which students would be able to apply for financial aid and be guided through the process. As an Undocu/Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals mentor for La Casa Cultural Latina’s I-Cause, a program in support of undocumented and DACA students, Esparza realized that many have no idea what the RISE Act is, or that it had even been implemented. “I figured that it’s really important for U of I students, high school students and the community to be informed of what it is, what it does and who qualifies for it because a lot of people don’t pursue a higher education simply because of the fact that they can’t afford it,” Esparza said. The resolution was sent back to the Committee on Financial Affairs, where it will decide on how much, if any, money will be appropriated. On Wednesday, the resolution in its final form will be voted on by ISG members. Arnoldo Ayala, junior in
BY AMRITA BHATTACHARYYA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Illinois Student Government is considering a resolution that funds workshops to teach eligible students about new financial aid opportunities created by the Retaining Illinois Students and Equity Act. Signed into Illinois law on June 21, the RISE Act allows eligible undocumented and transgender college students who are disqualified from federal financial aid to apply for state financial aid. Without a social security number, undocumented students are ineligible to apply for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which is administered by the Department of Education to determine how much a student can afford to pay for college. The FAFSA also bars transgender students from applying if they are not registered for Selective Service. The Selective Service System is a U.S. government agency that requires all citizens assigned male at birth, including transgender women, who have turned 18 to register in case conscription becomes necessary. At an ISG meeting on Wednesday, Nataly Esparza, BRIGIDA DOCKUS THE DAILY ILLINI junior in LAS and ISG assisChampaign County Sheriff Dustin D. Heuerman explains the Illinois Sheriffs’ Association tant to the Director of Govscholarships in his office Friday. These scholarships are open and available for Illinois residents. ernmental Affairs, introduced Resolution 03.56: The RISE Act — Includthe office. “For this scholarship, I dent at Northern Illinois ing and Uplifting, which “As the years went by, I think (we’re) really look- University and Champaign don’t know if people just ing at what are ways that we County native, said she got lazy or if they have oth- can get a new group of can- was grateful for receiving er opportunities,” Schleinz didates who really want to the scholarship. According said. “Last year, I think I make a difference because to Waldrep, she said local got a total of five. We had a that’s really what this is. scholarships should be reccommittee read the five and It’s not for somebody who ognized more by students we selected a winner from wants a lot of money.” Heu- to get additional financial those five.” erman said. help. One part of the applicaMethods the Champaign “With local scholarships, tion is an essay. However, County Sheriff’s Office is they want students to go to this year, the prompt asks attempting to use include college and help with their applicants to write a short advertising this scholarship financial need for college,” Features: essay on how to increase the through news outlets, radio Waldrep said. “I feel like International number of applicants due to stations and their Facebook you’re better off getting ballet showcase the law enforcement sher- page. local scholarships than if iff’s office experiencing a Karli Waldrep, last year’s you try to go on a website PAGE 5A decline in applicants. scholarship recipient, stu- and apply for a random
SEE RISE | 3A
INSIDE
DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS
INSIDE
SEE YINGYING | 3A
@THEDAILYILLINI, @DI_OPINION, @DI_SPORTS |
Life
&
Culture
4A
|
Crossword
5A
THEDAILYILLINI |
Opinions
6A
@THEDAILYILLINI |
Letters
6A
|
Sports
Sports: Illini react to the death of Kobe Bryant PAGE 1B
THEDAILYILLINI
DAILYILLINI
1B
4B
|
Classifieds
|
Sudoku
THEDAILYILLINI 4B
|
buzz
6B
2A Monday, February 3, 2020
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
THE DAILY ILLINI 1001 S. Wright Street Champaign, IL 61820
Champaign
(217) 337-8300 Copyright © 2020 Illini Media Co.
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
Kelly Johnson editor@dailyillini.com
Mark Capapas photo@dailyillini.com
Managing editor, Reporting
Asst. photo editor
JJ Kim reporting@dailyillini.com
Managing editor, Online
Brian Bauer
Design editor Cassidy Brandt design@dailyillini.com
Asst. design editor
Tyler Panlilio online@dailyillini.com
Brian Nguyen
Managing editor, Visuals
Shana Olivero video@dailyillini.com
Kenyon Edmond visuals@dailyillini.com
News editor Samantha Boyle news@dailyillini.com
Asst. news editors YooJin Son Julie Kang
Video editor Asst. sports video editor Alex Aguilera
Special sections editor Ava Traverso supplements@dailyillini.com
Asst. special sections editor
Asst. daytime editors Clare Budin Clare Budin Buzz editor Paige Leden
Katie Powers
Sports editor
Asst. buzz editors
Meghan Rest sports@dailyillini.com
Jillian Little Carolina Garibay
Asst. sports editors
Copy chief
Rachel Spencer Brendyn Jones
Hannah Preston copychief@dailyillini.com
Asst. sports editor of on-air
Asst. copy chiefs
Nathan Dehaan
Haley Follman Hannah Thornton
Features editor
Social media director
Therese Pokorney features@dailyillini.com
Samantha Roberson disocial@dailyillini.com
Asst. features editors Web Developer Sidney Madden Elizabeth Sayasane
Sam Pal sspal2@dailyillini.com
Opinions editor
Brand Manager
Lucas Oswald opinions@dailyillini.com
Jamie Linton
Asst. opinions editor
Kit Donahue Melissa Pasco
Kyra Sadovi
Co-Publishers
Longform editor Sidney Madden longform@dailyillini.com
TODAY’S NIGHT SYSTEM STAFF Night editor: Brigida Dockus Copy editors: Rachelle Martinez, Kathleen Findlay, Emilie Schramer, Citlaly Leanos, Paige Leden, Dan Harty, Jackson Janes, Sydney Wood, Jennifer Orozco Designers: Brian Bauer, Alayna Nulty Page transmission: Rohit Jammu Web manager: Tyler Panlilio
How to contact us
POLICE • Criminal damage to property was reported in the 1200 block of Northwood Drive around 10 p.m. Jan. 23. According to the report, the offender shattered the victim’s rear vehicle windshield. • Retail theft was reported at Kohl’s, 109 Convenience Center Road, around 5 p.m. Jan. 18. According to the report, the offenders were seen entering the building and then concealing items on themselves. However, they were stopped before they had the chance to exit the business. • Unlicensed alcohol and liquor possession was reported at Crunch Fitness, 40 E. Anthony Drive, around 6 p.m. Jan. 5. According to the report, it was unclear at an event the business was hosting if the catering com-
pany and business itself were folment to do laundry. lowing the city ordinance of only • Animal cruelty was reported in allowing members of the club to the 900 block of Division Avenue receive alcohol. at about 1 p.m. Tuesday. According to the report, the suspect left University her bearded dragon at a house, • Retail theft was reported at the without care and did not return Illini Union Bookstore, 809 S. for it. The resident of the house Wright St., around 2 p.m. Thursrelinquished the bearded dragday. According to the report, a on to animal control and then university student was issued a was taken to Champaign County notice by the state of Illinois to Humane Society. report to court after store securi- • Burglary from a motor vehicle ty caught the offender attempting and criminal damage to properto leave the store without paying ty were reported in the 400 block for a textbook. of East Pennsylvania Avenue around noon Tuesday. AccordUrbana ing to the report, the offender • Trespassing on property was entered the victim’s unlocked reported in the 400 block of Race car and removed and damaged Street around noon Wednessome items. day. According to the report, the offender entered a vacant apartnews@dailyillini.com
VeoRide e-bikes disappear from campus for winter BY JULIE KANG ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
As students returned from winter break, some noticed many VeoRide bikes, usually seen scattered all around campus, were gone. According to Ben Thomas,regional general manager for the Midwest, the electric bikes are winterized, meaning the team does performance checks and maintenance before they are relaunched in the spring. This is also done to protect the bikes from the cold. Thomas said about 50 pedal bikes are still around campus and available for use. The e-bikes will most likely relaunch after spring break. “The bikes are fine, but (we’re) just protecting the electrical components:the controller as well as the pedal sensors that we have in those,” Thomas said. “We didn’t want those to MATTHEW MO THE DAILY ILLINI get damaged from being A VeoRide is left tipped over in a residential parking lot on Sixth and Clark streets on out in the unforgiving Oct. 24, 2018. The e-bikes will most likely relaunch after spring break. Midwest cold.” In terms of scooters, them at this point. can bring those and the if possible. Thomas said the campus However, he said he newly launched sit-down does not want to allow hopes the VeoRide team scooters to the University sekang2@dailyillini.com
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 The Daily Illini Sports
Twitter @TheDailyIllini @DI_Sports
Instagram @TheDailyIllini
Snapchat TheDailyIllini
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 Kelly Johnson at (217)-337-8365.
THE DAILY ILLINI PRESENTS
Spring 2020
SPRING
HOUSING FAIR Wednesday, February 19th • 11am-2pm Illini Union South Lounge & Rooms B, C DON’T ROLL THE DICE WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING
FEATURING:
Academy Campustown • American Campus Communities Bankier • Burnham 310 • Campus Circle – A Peak Campus Property • Campus Property Management • Capstone Quarters • City of Champaign Recycling • Midtown Lofts The Dean • First Column Student Living • Gefen Property Group, LLC • Green Street Realty HERE Champaign • Latitude • Octave • Off Campus Community Living • One-Illinois • The Pointe • The Retreat at Illinois • Seven07 • Wampler Apartments • The Weiner Companies, Ltd.
3A
MONDAY
February 3, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
NEWS
KAM’s opens doors to new location on Green Street
BEN TSCHETTER THE DAILY ILLINI
KAM’s opened its new location on the corner of First and Green streets in Champaign on Wednesday. The grand opening was widely anticipated by University stuents after the bar’s highly popular original location closed its doors in October.
FROM 1A
Brendt Christensen’s time at the Counseling Center
RISE LAS and Speaker Pro Tempore of the Senate, anticipates the resolution getting passed. “Typically ISG has been very supportive to our undocumented peers, and they understand the issues they face on a day-to-day basis. So, I don’t see any backlash from ISG at all from this. Based off of our track record on things, I see it going really well,” Ayala said. The Helping Others Personal Excellence Department within ISG is creating a scholarship specifically for students eligible for the RISE Act. The scholarship is currently “in the works,” and anticipated to come into fruition next semester, Ayala said. The RISE Act targets DACA recipients, undocumented students and transgender students, regardless of ethnic background or gender identity. “Also, the senators are all from ethnic backgrounds and just every background possible, so this isn’t just aiming towards one specific ethnicity or race,” Esparza said. RISE Act resolution workshops have already been scheduled for early March at La Casa Cultural Latina, anticipating it will pass at the next ISG meeting. “I feel like this can make a change at least in the life of one student,” Esparza said. news@dailyillini.com
March 21: Brendt Christensen visits the Counseling Center for depression and sleep issues.
2017
March 30: Christensen meets with two counselors who are named in the lawsuit. Christensen told the counselors about his homicidal thoughts, but said he had no plans of acting on them. Christensen was scheduled for another appointment in April and was referred to a substance-abuse facility in Champaign but never went.
June 9: Yingying Zhang is kidnapped and killed in Christensen’s apartment.
April 6: Christensen filled out an intake form but did not meet with his counselor.
QUENTIN SHAW THE DAILY ILLINI
Xinyang Zhang, Yingying’s brother, reads a statement in Chinese on behalf of Xiaolin Hou, Yingying’s fiance, on Aug. 7.
FROM 1A
YINGYING were negligent and Christensen violated state laws against battery. The University’s lawyers argued the social workers could not be held responsible for “random and incomprehensible actions” com-
mitted by someone more than two months after the social workers met with Christensen a single time. On March 21, 2017, Christensen visited the Counseling Center for sleep issues and depression. During his visit, Christensen told one of the interns that he had thoughts of committing a murder and
CASSIDY BRANDT THE DAILY ILLINI
that he had taken steps to carry out a murder. In response, the intern suggested he meet with someone else. On March 30, 2017, Christensen met with the two counselors who are named in the family’s lawsuit. There, he also talked about his thoughts of murder but said he had no intention of
acting on them and also said he had no target in mind. Christensen was later referred to a substanceabuse facility for further help, but he never went. In early April 2017, Christensen filled out an intake form but never met with any counselors. Judge Colin Bruce, who dismissed the federal law-
suit, also declined to take on the state lawsuit because he believes the state negligence claims are subject to a different standard, according to The News-Gazette. Christensen was sentenced to life in prison in July 2019; Zhang’s body has still never been found. news@dailyillini.com
4A
MONDAY
February 3, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
LIFE & CULTURE
CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI
The Shanghai Ballet performs at the Krannert Center for Performing arts on Jan. 29. The dance group debutes their original performance of ‘Butterfly Lovers’ on Jan. 28.
‘Butterfly Lovers’ makes CU debut BY KEN XIA
STAFF WRITER
The famous Chinese ballet performing group, Shanghai Ballet, gave their performance of “Butterfly Lovers,” a Chinese ancient love story, at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 28 and 29. Renamed in 1979 at the base of The White-Haired Girl performing team, this performing group continues to amaze the world, as they have won 39 total medals in various international dancing competitions. “The Butterfly Lovers” is one of their self-created staged ballets with a history of three decades, including
“Jane Eyre,” “Hamlet” and many others. This time they are bringing one of their best to Champaign-Urbana, leaving audiences in pure awe and amazement. This particular ballet performance isn’t a traditional one, but rather a newly organized, story combined form. It combines one of the most well-known ancient Chinese love stories, “The Butterfly Lovers,” into the traditional ballet form. It is not only a western-eastern mix but also a combination of different genres of art. In the performance, various kinds of costumes mix the styles of traditional ballet dress and ancient Chi-
nese clothes, which is new for most audiences. Director Xin Lili created a unique narrative part since the actors need to make the audience understand what is happening on the stage without saying any words. In all, this is pretty complicated but new type of performance, which attracted a lot of local audiences to watch, along with some foreign guests. Within the performance, the set design is also crucial to bring the visual experience to the next level. According to one staff member, all workers, organizers, the background, the set; everything was initial-
ly from the Shanghai Ballet group themselves. The background board, for example, is among one of them and successfully created an artistic conception to the audiences. When the boys were studying among the mountains, the background was the traditional Chinese landscape painting. When the two families met up and tried to pair their children, the background was the beautiful autumn scenery. The backgrounds, as well as other sets, blended in the ballet itself and took the audience to not only the dance but also the plot of the story.
“I just like ballet,” said Mariangela Segre, who attended one of the shows. “I never saw anything from Shanghai Ballet, so I wanted to know (what it was all about).” Herschel and Harriet Cline also attended one of the shows and explained their high expectations. “We like ballet, and we want to see something from China,” the Clines said. The couple also shared their personal story involving China and Chinese art. “We had a Chinese student that we supported in Nanjing, and the gift he sent us was a CD of a Chinese opera,” the Clines said. “It’s
ATTENTION
UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS BLANK SPACE RIGHT HERE We’ve got a
and it could be yours for a
DISCOUNTED RATE! 8,000 copies of The Daily Illini are distributed to over 150 locations every Monday and Thursday.
Contact us today at (217) 337-8382! We’re ready to wheel and deal to help you reach your target audience. *Digital advertising available as well.
advertise@illinimedia.com
PUT YOUR AD HERE!
been wonderful, so I know the music is different.” Many Chinese people came to the show as well, and some came a long way from home. One Chinese woman said she saw the advertisement at the airport. The show lasted two days, and most of the seats were filled. After the successful performance, applause filled the theater and some even stood to give their best praise. If you are curious about ballet and Chinese culture but not sure what to watch, people’s reaction gives you the best answer. yuboxia2@dailyillini.com
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Monday, February 3, 2020
5A
Campus takes advantage of warm weather in winter
MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI
On Sunday afternoon, people populate the Main Quad by playing baseball, throwing footballs and basking in the sun. On Foellinger’s staircase, Kevin Kaing of the Data Waves enjoys the weather by practicing his saxophone.
NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 ___ Wednesday 4 Doing battle 9 Item in a humidor 14 Hotel amenity down the hall 15 1940s-’60s singer Frankie 16 Win by ___ 17 Butter substitute 19 Hereditary background 20 What locomotives and irons may give off 21 Critical, as a situation 23 One getting mostly A’s in school 27 Killer whale 30 King Kong, for one 31 China’s Mao ___-tung 32 Campus bigwig 33 Rainbow shapes 35 Obliterate 39 Beavers’ construction 40 Winning time after time … or where you might find 17-, 23-, 51- or 62-Across 42 Small inlet 43 Asparagus unit 45 Sharpen, as skills 46 Performs like Lil Wayne or Lil’ Kim 47 Baseball stat 49 Suffix with ball 50 “Or ___!” (end of an ultimatum) 51 Shiny kitchen wrap 56 Signifies 57 Obsolescent phone features 61 Rumble in the Jungle setting 62 Wallet alternative 66 Fragrant chemical compound
1
2
3
4
14
5
6
7
18
23
24
29
25
32
36
37
38
53
35 41
44 47
59
60
22
34
40
52
13
31
33
43
12
26
30
39
11
19 21
28
10
16
20
51
9
15
17
27
8
42
45 48
46 49
50
54
55
56
57 63
64
58
61
62
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
PUZZLE BY GARY LARSON
67 Standard Windows typeface 68 Feather stole 69 Outbuildings with garden tools 70 Gem in an oyster 71 Aardvark’s morsel
DOWN 1 Goals 2 “Shoo, kitty!” 3 On earth 4 Fort where Davy Crockett died 5 Driveway surface 6 Nintendo console 7 Newswoman Curry 8 Swamp plants 9 Merry-go-round 10 Properly arranged 11 Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. ___” 12 Actor Sean of “The Lord of the Rings”
13 Change, as a clock 18 Illustrator Wilson famous for his macabre cartoons 22 Six-time N.L. home run champ Mel 24 Indian bread 25 What the “O” of O magazine stands for 26 Place for a Ping-Pong table 27 6:1 or 7:1, e.g., at a racetrack 28 Harvest 29 Arrived 34 What “ibn” and “ben” mean, in names 36 Asia’s shrunken ___ Sea 37 Doesn’t guzzle 38 Simplicity 40 Spacecrafts circling the earth
41 Jay formerly of late-night TV 44 Like Brink’s trucks 46 Excavation find 48 Suffix with serpent 51 Woodworking tools 52 What a dog-walker holds 53 Bring together 54 Chart often with insets of Alaska and Hawaii 55 Peaceful, picturesque scene 58 Jessica of “Fantastic Four” 59 King of the jungle 60 Small quarrel 63 Metal from a mine 64 Vardalos of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” 65 Serving of corn
The crossword solution is in the Classified section.
6A
OPINIONS
MONDAY
February 3, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
Billionaires should not exist in today’s society ABRIL SALINAS COLUMNIST
W
hat would you do if you were a billionaire? Would you spend your money on lavish cars and real estate? Or maybe you would donate it to charity or invest it? Well, whatever the case, being a billionaire is only something most of us can dream of becoming. And with income inequality growing at an alarming rate within the United States, that dream seems to be getting farther and farther away. According to CNN, in the U.S., the top 1% own more of the nation’s wealth than the bottom 90% combined. This leads me to one conclusion: Billionaires should not exist. No one needs billions of dollars. At times, I think it can be hard for us to understand just how much money billionaires are sitting on. So, as you have probably already seen if you’ve been on social media within the past few months,
PHOTO COURTESY OF SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL
Jeff Bezos speaks at the Amazon Spheres Grand Opening in Seattle on Jan. 28, 2018. Columnist Abril believes billionaires like Bezos, who earns more than $1.5 billion per week according to Business Insider, shouldn’t exist in today’s poverty-filled society.
this tweet puts things into perspective: “If you worked every single day, making $5,000 a day, from the time Columbus sailed to America, to the time you are reading this, you would still have less money than Jeff Bezos makes in a week.” A bold statement, I know. But the math checks out. There have been 528 years
between the time Columbus sailed to “America” in 1492 to now in 2020. If you take those 528 years and multiple it by 365.25 to show how many days it’s been since then, you would get 192,852 days. Multiply that by the $5,000 proposed in the tweet and you would get $964.3 million. If you take those $964.3 million and subtract it from one
billion dollars, there would still be $35.7 million remaining. That is just one billion dollars, but according to Business Insider, Jeff Bezos makes “more than $1.5 billion a week,” meaning that no matter how ridiculous it sounds, the tweet is right. So why is it a big deal if someone has that much
private jets and ridiculously lavish real estate. That is what makes the notion unacceptable that it’s okay for billionaires like Jeff Bezos to exist when in 2018, there were more than 38.1 million people in poverty. I understand that it’s become a controversial and political topic to talk about billionaires. And with presidential candidates like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders talking about taxing the rich, it’s easy to see why it has taken that implication. But higher taxes on the wealthy would mean freeing up more money for everyone else. Billionaires were once considered a rare breed, but with tax cuts in the last few decades, they have flourished and doubled into the people we know now. But, again, no single person needs that much money. Think of it this way. If the economy is a pie, billionaires have taken most of it, leaving only one slice for everyone else.
money? Well, to state it again, no one needs that much money. No one. While there are billionaires like Bill Gates, who donated more than half of his wealth to charity and co-started The Giving Pledge where members who join pledge half of their wealth to philanthropic causes, most billionaires are Abril is a freshman in Media. spending their money on abrils2@dailyillini.com
It is okay to vote for disunity history. Should the northern states have tried to find SENIOR COLUMNIST common ground with slave owners? Perhaps Abraham Lincoln should he decision-making have run on a platform of process that American the gradual abolition of voters face is slavery through the use of multifaceted. Some voters economic mechanisms. look toward specific policy Obviously, the answer to stances. Others consider both questions is “No.” leadership ability or Political incrementalism charisma. This year, many seems hardly morally voters are considering acceptable in this case. candidates’ ability to beat The election of Abraham President Trump. Lincoln is a concrete If you are a Democratic example of when political voter in Illinois, you must disunity is a necessary decide which of these cost for accomplishing factors is most important a hard-line policy goal. to you and decide who you Whether the Civil War want to support in the could have been avoided primary election on March after Abraham Lincoln’s 17. election is up for debate, Policy preference, but Lincoln’s policy stance leadership and electability is an explicit rejection are all worthwhile of the concerns of slave concerns in any election. owners. The question for But one issue that does not Americans and especially receive enough attention Democratic voters today is is the unity of the country. whether achieving major Congress is more polarized policy goals today is worth than ever, and families exacerbating disunity seem to be having more between the Democrats and more difficulty getting and Republicans. along at Thanksgiving The top six policy dinner each year. Many issues for Democrats are Americans blame Trump healthcare, the economy, for supporting a toxic income inequality, political climate while climate change, gun others argue that he is policy and immigration. a symptom of a bigger None of these topics are problem. bound to set off a civil Disunity is present in war in the near future, America, but is it a bad but Democrats and thing? The United States Republicans profoundly was ripped apart once in disagree on nearly all 1860. Abraham Lincoln of them. The speed and was elected as the 16th comprehensiveness at President of the United which policy is adopted States, and people were can drive a wedge between not able to find common parties. Compromise ground on the institution between members of slavery. The United of Congress and the States went to war with President can reveal that itself, leading to the the government is making deadliest war in American a good faith effort to DAVID LEE
T CAMERON IRELAND THE DAILY ILLINI
One-free-absence policies are unfair nificant portion of their mental bandwidth on figuring out how to scrape by. COLUMNIST Studies have shown that the same group of people perform much better on ther than threats cognitive ability tests when over cheating and they’re financially stable jokes that fall flat, syl- than when they’re strapped labus week is filled with one for cash—when you’ve got other unfortunate refrain: a million things to worry no late work. about, it’s hard to focus. It’s become ubiquitous It can be difficult to have for professors to lecture empathy rather than fear about the merits of the one in these kinds of situations. free drop — whether you’re Many people are wary, sick, or your car broke sometimes even paranoid, down, or you had a panof people taking advanic attack, or your deprestage of compassionate syssion is getting worse or tems. As a result, they push you woke up with a lot of those already dealing with motivation but by the time a plate that’s overflowing to you finished brushing your simply work harder to pull teeth all you had the energy themselves up, to just keep to do was stumble back into grinding until they make it. bed, there’s one free drop, In reality, nobody wants and you don’t even have to to fail—we’re all just born send an email. with wildly different advanAs if there’s only one tages. If you suddenly start disaster that can befall suffering from migraines in a person over a 16-week your freshman year of colperiod. lege, what can you do about Stringent one-drop poli- it? Professors, especially in cies seem to be many pro100- and 200-level courses, fessors’ preferred method are unlikely to even considof ensuring “fairness.” This er a request for accommoway, there’s no need to eval- dations without documenuate a never-ending stream tation from a primary care of emails and requests, physician, but getting that and no pressure to be fully documentation in the midimpartial. One size fits all. dle of the semester could be A policy that treats impossible. everyone the same would The only option available only be fair if everyone to most students is to just were the same. And it’s grind through the rest of quite clear that just isn’t the semester, which could the case. A student whose have serious consequences tuition and expenses are on not just academic perfully taken care of is very formance, but physical and different from a student mental health. working three jobs to put The only feasible way themselves through school, to get an exception from and not just with respect strict attendance or late to the sheer amount of free work policies is either to time. have such a grave emerJuggling work schedgency that you talk to the ules and classes and runDean’s Office or to be regning cost-benefit analyistered with DRES as havses before every decision, ing a physical or mental whether it’s buying grocer- disability. ies or staying home from But college is when menwork when you’re sick, is tal illnesses, learning disimmensely exhausting. abilities and other stressFinancially vulnerable stu- related issues manifest dents have to spend a sigfor a lot of people. TrySANDHYA SIVAKUMAR
O
ing to manage school and life on your own without any structure or routine makes it easy for disorders that come with a severe decrease in motivation or executive functioning abilities, like depression or ADHD, to take over your life. Add in the stress of working to put yourself through school and pay bills, and it’s easy to see how deadlines could slip through the cracks. Being diagnosed with a learning disability or a mental illness, however, is notoriously difficult and expensive. Although you can get diagnosed through the University, the process can take over a full semester. And even after diagnosis, accessing resources like medication is still out of reach for many students, given the exorbitant costs of prescription medications. What fixing a problem like this really requires is obviously systemic change. But until we can reach that point as a country and as a society, our University and our professors need to step up. Having a counseling center isn’t enough—information about the symptoms and signs of mental illness needs to be shared with students. Professors need to be open to discussing accommodations for any student who needs it, whether their issues have expensive and time-consuming medical documentation or not. The stress of dealing with things like managing bills, invisible illnesses and mental disorders has serious ramifications on academic performance, and it’s time we stopped pretending that treating everyone the same is fair - and time to start leveling the playing field. Sandhya is a junior in LAS. ssivak3@dailyillini.com
represent all Americans. That being said, there is a very strong case to be made in favor of voting for a worse political climate. A vote for a left-wing candidate in this election cycle would elevate progressive values to new heights at the cost of harmony at Thanksgiving dinner. How should these considerations practically affect how you vote? Biden has sold himself as a candidate for the return of “the good old days,” unity and status quo. Buttigieg is a mayor who has positioned himself as an intellectual, Christian, gay, veteran, Rhodes Scholar, moderate. Yang is someone who believes that he can appeal across party lines through his proposal of a universal basic income. Sanders and Warren have unapologetically been pushing themes of revolution and strong progressive values. A vote for Sanders, Warren or Trump is a vote for disunity. They are willing to reject representing some Americans for the sake of accomplishing major policy initiatives. Biden is the most obvious unity candidate. He touts his experience in driving compromise in Congress and encourages voters to reminisce about the days of decency in the Obama White House. Whether you choose to vote for further partisan division or otherwise, vote with conviction of where you think that the country should go. Above all, vote. David is a senior in LAS. davidjl3@dailyillini.com
KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI
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.
1B
SPORTS
MONDAY
February 3, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MEN’S TENNIS
Team falls to Duke, North Carolina in east coast road trip BY JACKSON JANES STAFF WRITER
PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN BONAGURO
Freshman center Kofi Cockburn attempts a layup during the game against Minnesota on Thursday at the Statefarm Center. The Illini lost the match 59-51.
Hawkeyes snap Illini win streak BY MEGHAN REST STAFF WRITER
No. 19-ranked Illinois’ seven-game winning streak was broken on Sunday when Illinois fell to No. 18-ranked
Iowa 71-65 in Iowa City, Iowa. Based on bench points alone, Illinois had the advantage. Illinois’ bench scored 29 points while Iowa’s bench
PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN BANAGURO
Sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu looks past a defender during the game against Minnesota on Thursday.
didn’t score at all. The bench points would have made a difference, however, if Illinois’ starters contributed more than 36 points. The difference in the game was Iowa junior center, Luka Garza. Garza poured in 25 points on 9-16 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. The Illini didn’t have an answer for Garza, and their foul trouble caused unfavorable defensive matchups that furthered Garza’s performance. Senior guard Andrès Feliz led the Illini in scoring with 17 points off the bench. Sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu and freshman center Kofi Cockburn combined for only 17 points, 11 and six, respectively. This was well below Illinois’ season average of a combined 30.4 points per game. Despite the Illini struggling with foul trouble throughout the game, losing Dosunmu and Cockburn for stretches in the contest and senior forward Kipper
Nichols picking up three fouls a minute and two seconds in the second half, the score was close for most of the game. Iowa pulled away when Illinois went on a scoring drought that lasted from the 4:03 mark in the second half until scoring a garbage-time basket with four seconds left in the game. The late-game heroics the Illini have been accustomed to since they started their seven-game win streak seemed to fade against the Hawkeyes, which made the difference in the game. The team will continue what might be the most competitive part of its schedule on Friday when Illinois returns to Champaign to play No. 15-ranked Maryland. Illinois previously lost to by one point in its first meeting with Maryland back in December. @brendyn_jones brendyn2@dailyillini.com
After handily defeating Texas Tech at home on Jan. 25, the No. 19-ranked Illinois men’s tennis team traveled to the east coast to take on two Atlantic Coast Conference giants this weekend: Duke on Friday and No. 4 North Carolina on Saturday. The Illini first traveled to Durham to take on the unranked Duke Blue Devils Friday. The match saw seven players compete, with the team racking up two wins, one in singles competition and one in doubles, over the course of the day. Sophomore Siphosothando Montsi picked up the Illini’s lone singles win, defeating junior Luca Keist in three sets, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 10-7. Seniors Zeke Clark and Vuk Budic both forced their respective singles matches to the final frame, ultimately falling in three sets. Doubles competition didn’t offer the Illini any success either, as the team only managed to pick up one win, with pair Budic and redshirt freshman Lucas Horve defeating Blue Devil duo Keist and senior Spencer Furman 7-5. Head coach Brad Dancer expressed his disappointment with his team’s performance. “I give credit to Duke. They held their compo-
sure better than us in doubles and in a number of singles spots,” Dancer said, via fightingillini.com. After the tough defeat to Duke, Illinois was forced to quickly put the loss behind them, as the team traveled to Chapel Hill to face the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday. The team was completely overmatched by the talented Tar Heels, who won all singles and doubles matches. Senior Aleks Kovacevic, redshirt junior Gui Gomes and junior Fletcher Scott all fell in their respective singles matches, though Budic, Montsi and Clark were unable to finish their games. In doubles competition, the Tar Heels dominated once again, as William Blumberg and Brian Cernoch defeated Gomes and Montsi 6-4, and Mac Kiger and Simon Soendergaard triumphed over Budic and Horve 6-4. Kovacevic and Clark’s face-off with Tar Heel duo Rinky Hijikata and Benjamin Sigouin went unfinished, with the match knotted at 5-5 before being called. Dancer said he knew the weekend would be tough, though he ultimately expressed the team’s lack SEE ROAD TRIP | 3B
THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
Senior Zeke Clark returns the ball during a match against Penn State at Atkins the Tennis Center on Friday, April 12, 2019. The Illini won 4-3.
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
Illinois dominates No. 3-ranked Nebraska at home BY BRADLEY ZIMMERMAN STAFF WRITER
The Illinois men’s gymnastics team defeated the No. 3-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers at Huff Hall Saturday. Illinois won the meet 407.05-399.85, improving to 2-1 in dual meets (1-1 in conference) this season. Illinois dominated Nebraska for the first four events of the meet, accumulating a total score of 276.20 to Nebraska’s 267.40. All four event titles were claimed by Illini: senior Sebastian Quiana on floor exercise, senior Michael Paradise on pommel horse, senior Danny Graham on still rings and junior Max Diab on vault. Graham and Diab set career highs in the events they won, and five other Illini also set careerhighs in these events. Prior to the meet, Illinois head coach Justin Spring said that accumulating an early lead was one of his keys to victory against Nebraska. “Our first three events (floor exercise, pommel horse and still rings) are some of the best in the county,” Spring said. “The problem is our last two, parallel bars and high bar.” Illinois struggled in both of these events against Nebraska and against Minnesota the week before. According to Spring, the
score Nebraska, but Illinois was outscored by less than a point on both, which was not enough for Nebraska to overtake Illinois. “We knew that we needed a pretty big buffer going into those two,” said Spring. “We had it, so it was enough.” Illinois’ parallel bars performance was bolstered by the return of junior Jordan Kovach. Kovach, one of Illinois’ best parallel bars specialists, was forced to stay off parallel bars against Minnesota due to an elbow injury, and Kovach’s absence was enough to seal Illinois’ fate in that meet. After being cleared to participate by an MRI, Kovach returned to parallel bars two days before the Nebraska meet. Spring said that Kovach “crushed” his routine in practice, and Spring immediately named Kovach to Illinois’ parallel bars team against Nebraska. “The routine I did was a little bit easier than what I would normally do. I took out a couple of skills,” Kovach said. “I was a lot more confident doing the routine because it was a little bit easier and I wasn’t MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI as tired towards the end. I Sophomore Jordan Kovach performs on the Parallel bars for the Illini Orange and Blue meet on Nov. 11 at Huff Hall. Illinois beat really think doing the rouNebraska Saturday at Huff Hall, 276.20 - 267.40. tine wasn’t too bad.” team’s struggles in these but also low starting values which make deductions even Parallel bars and high bar Despite the scaled-back events stem from not only his gymnasts have when more damaging to individu- were the only two events in inconsistencies and falls, they begin their routines, al scores. which Illinois failed to outSEE NEBRASKA | 3B
2B Monday, February 3, 2020
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
WRESTLING
MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI
Senior Travis Piotrowski takes down Michigan opponent Garrett Pepple during Illinois’ dual meet against Michigan at Huff Hall on Jan. 26. The Illini are 7-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten conference play.
Illinois takes down Michigan State at home BY ANDREW MEDINA STAFF WRITER
Illinois wrestling scored another conference victory over Michigan State on Friday, and Northwestern Sunday Senior Travis Piotrowski, redshirt junior Dylan Duncan, redshirt freshman Danny Braunagel, redshirt senior Joey Gunther, redshirt sophomore Matt Wroblewski and freshman Luke Luffman all won matches for the Illini. Piotrowski won the second match of the evening with a score of 7-3. He scrambled with his opponent for a takedown in the first period and succeeded in earning the first two points of the match. He
turned his opponent over onto his back for a fourpoint near-fall, entering into the second period with a score of 6-0. Piotrowski held his lead throughout the remainder of the match to win his bout. Duncan and his opponent, Matt Santos, were unable to take each other down in the first period of the match, both wrestlers look ing evenly matched. In the second period, Duncan brought Santos to his knees and spun behind him to earn a takedown. Duncan then went into the third period stopping all takedown attempts from Santos and bring-
ing in another victory to the Illini team. Braunagel went out racked up a series of points, scoring 9-2 against his opponent. Braunagel was fighting against his opponent at the start of the match for the first takedown and eventually scored first. He quickly let his opponent up for a follow-up takedown and ended the first period with a score of 4-1. He repeated his two takedowns in the second period and finished the match with a major decision victory. Gunther bega n his match with an unsuccessful takedown attempt that turned into a takedown
on his opponent Layne Malczewski. In the second period, Gunther secured a takedown but was soon outmaneuvered and reversed by his opponent, going into the third period needing a takedown to even the score. Gunther shot for a takedown and was met by great resistance by Malczewski but persisted in the evening the score to enter overtime. Once the round began, Gunther quickly approached his opponent, setting up his attack and scoring the takedown to immediately win the match. “He was reaching, so (I) hit that arm drag right away
at the beginning and put him down,” Gunther said. “(It) felt good, it always feels good ... ” Wroblewski also entered overtime in his match. He and his opponent wrestled in the first period without being able to take each other down and ended the third period with a score of 1-1. Wroblewski then took his opponent down in overtime to add another win for his team. Lu f f ma n won t he final match of the night against his opponent, Christian Rebottaro. The first period came and went with both wrestlers on their feet and defending all takedowns. The second
period saw Luffman starting in the bottom position and reversing his opponent to end up on top and holding him down throughout the rest of the period. In the third period, Rebottaro began in the down position and Luffman not only held him down the entire period but repeatedly brought Rebottaro up into the air and slammed him down into the mat every time he got to his feet to try and escape Luffman’s grasp. Luffman ended the night on a high note for the Illini and brought the crowd into loud and final applause. amedina8@dailyillini.com
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Illini see individual progress at Indiana Relays BY SAVAUGHN ANDERSON STAFF WRITER
peted in the pole vault. LaRocca finished the event fifth overall with 5.24 meter while Jazo finished eighth with 5.16 meter. Redshir t f reshma n Kashief King both competed in the 60-meter and
200-meter dash. King finished 21st overall in the 60-meter dash with a time of seven seconds while finishing 20th overall in the 200-meter clocking in at 22 seconds. Five Illini athletes came
in to wrap up what was left of Illinois ranking in these recent relays. All five participating in the shot-put, redshirt freshman Will Rezny and classmates Billy Matzek, Brian Keyes and Matt Bilek lead the way for
the Illini with Rezny’s total of 15.91-meter, Matzek’s 15. 55 -meter, Keyes ’s 14.73-meter and Bilek’s 14.09-meter. After this meet, the Illini will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to compete in the
The Illinois men’s track and field team traveled to Bloomington, Indiana, to partake in the Indiana University Relays, which hosted the University on Friday and Saturday. The relays took place at Indiana’s Gladstein Fieldhouse. Coming off winning seven event titles in last Saturday’s Illini Invitational at Illinois’ UI Armory, the Illini were looking to put on an outstanding performance for this upcoming meet. The Illini did not win any events at this recent relay but did place in eight of the 29 events hosted, including the 60-meter dash, shotput, pole vault, 200-meter dash, 800-meter dash, the miles and the 3000-meter run. One notable Illini athlete that placed in these recent relays was redshirt sophomore Irwin Loud, who placed fourth in the mile with a time of 4:14.84. Four Illini athletes placed in the 800-meter dash with redshirt freshman Brendan Lockerby leading the way with a time of 1:55.94. Sophomore Phillip Hall finished second for the Illini with a time of 1:58.07. Freshman Edwin Siuda came third with a close time with Hall of 1:58.96 while freshman Will O’Brien finished for the Illini with a time of 2:00 flat. Redshirt freshman Logan Hall placed 16th overall in the 3000-meter with a time of 8:52.68. Redshirt junior Cooper Jazo and redshirt senior Jacob LaRocca clears 5.11m at theBig Ten Outdoor Championships at the University of Iowa on May 10.a Jacob LaRocca both com-
Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Indoor Track. This meet will be a two-day event starting on Friday and ending on Saturday. sande20@illinois.edu
PHOTO COURTESY OF ILLINI ATHLETICS
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Monday, February 3, 2020
3B
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Illinois, Minnesota players pay tribute to Kobe Bryant
BY MILES POWERS-HUANG STAFF WRITER
Sunday, January 26 marked the tragic death of legendary basketball player Kobe Bryant. The former Los Angeles Laker, along with eight other individuals including his 13-year old daughter Gianna, were involved in a helicopter accident in Calabasas, California. Around the basketball world, teams and players at all levels have honored the late Bryant in numerous ways, including several NBA players changing their uniform numbers and teams from high school to the professional level taking eight and 24-second violations to begin games. On Thursday night during Illinois’ game against Minnesota at the State Farm Center, signs relating to Bryant’s legacy were abundant in the building. Although neither team took a violation to honor Bryant, nor did the State Farm Center air any sort of tribute on the jumbotron, there were certainly other ways in which respect was paid to the NBA legend. A large majority of players on both teams wore differing models of Bryant’s signature Nike shoes — both schools are endorsed by the company — including Minnesota sophomore center Daniel Oturu. Though low-top shoes, as most of Bryant’s Nike sneakers were, may not provide the most comfort for a 6-foot10, 240-pound player, Oturu decided nonetheless that honoring the legendary Laker was more important than foot sup-
FROM 1B
ROAD TRIP
port for one night, opting out of wearing Lebrons like he usually does. Aside from the gear, Illinois finished the first half with 24 points and, coincidentally, also won the game by eight points. At the halftime break, an impromptu fire alarm was pulled in the arena as well, a possible homage to Bryant, who was known to “catch fire” on the court quite often. Beyond Thursday’s game, Illini sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu has gone above and beyond to show admiration for Bryant. Aside from constantly wearing Kobes throughout his time at Illinois, on Sunday, Dosunmu changed his twitter profile picture to blurry picture of him and Bryant from Dosunmu’s high school days. Ironically enough, Dosunmu had this to say after his dagger shot to beat Michigan on Saturday. “The one person I could say is Kobe or Jordan because lategame, they’re doing one, two moves then they’re elevating to their spot, like Kobe when he hit that shot against the suns (in the 2006 playoffs),” Dosunmu said. “Off the tip, he got to his spot, he raised.” Moments like Saturday in Ann Arbor and Jan. 8 at Wisconsin prove that Dosunmu has a bit of his own “Mamba Mentality.” In his weekly press conference heading into the Minnesota game, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood made a moving statement expressing his respect for Bryant. “I can remember as a kid, going to watch Larry Bird
deep to find extra resources within you. We didn’t do either this weekend.” With the losses, Illinois falls to 1-3 on the season, with matchups with No. 2 Florida and Central Florida at Atkins Tennis Center looming next weekend.
of execution of their game plan. “To win on the road you have to be sharper, really clear with focus and stay intent on executing,” Dancer said, via fightingillini.com. “And then on top @jacksonjanes22 of that, you have to dig down janes6@dailyillini.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA
Mourners gather at the Kobe Bryant memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 26, 2020. Tributes to Bryant continue worldwide following the former NBA great died in a helicopter accident Sunday, Jan. 26.
play at Indiana State (against) Wichita State and those were the guys that became your idols and you watched them throughout their careers and (they) always had a special place,” Underwood said. “That’s what Kobe was for this group, and, you know, there’s a shoe named after him” “It’s tragic what happened and yet, he was so powerful, not just a great competitor;
he won five championships,” Underwood said. “But because of what he was off the court, and what he stood for, and how hard he worked. I think everybody in the world in any sport, you’ve seen it touch every sport, literally. The greats in other sports: they know how hard we worked to become great, those stories are legendary, so there’s tremendous appreciation for greatness.”
“It’s very said and it does impact our guys,” Underwood said. “Sometimes our young people today don’t understand, he woke up that morning and expected to see his daughter play an AAU game and life was great, and next morning didn’t come, and our guys don’t understand that sometimes, they think their bigger than life itself, lot of lessons in that. Alan had
been around him, because of his father, and my son idolized him. They all had their moments and their day on Sunday in disbelief.” It’s unlikely tributes to Bryant will end anytime soon, and it will be interesting to see if Illinois has anything specific planned in the coming games.
FROM 1B
wants to work on both parallel bars and high bar in practice, but after seeing a few mistakes on still rings against Nebraska, he wants to work on rings as well. “It’s the event that you shouldn’t miss,” Spring said. “We need guys to control their exertion on their strength.” Spring said that by exerting their strength too much,
gymnasts on still rings get worn out and might fail to stick the landing on the dismount, resulting in deductions. “It’s an event that we need to be beating other teams by multiple points before we go into our lower-scoring events. We really got to fix that,” Spring said. “We’ve been talking a lot lately about getting onto the
guys in practice a lot more about missing routines,” Kovach said. “Instead of just shaking it off and saying it’s a fluke, we’re going to start really cranking down on them and expecting more from everyone on every event and not accepting missed routines anymore.”
NEBRASKA routine, Kovach scored a season-high 13.65 on parallel bars, good enough for third place behind Nebraska’s Evan Hymnason and Illinois’ Sebastain Quiana, who tied for the event title with a score of 13.85. Going forward, Spring
@MilesP_H milesp2@dailyillini.com
bez2@dailyillini.com
LAST CHANCE! Get your SENIOR PICTURE taken for the 2020 YEARBOOK!
ILLIO SENIOR PORTRAITS R YOU O T PHO R HE E
February 17-29, 2020 Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Schedule your appointment at
illioyearbook.com/senior-pictures/
illio yearbook
OFFICIAL YEARBOOK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SINCE 1894
4B Monday, February 3, 2020
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Bailey Apartments
FU RN / LA UNF U UN DR RN YI A/ C NU NIT PA RK I UT NG O ILI NS TIE S I ITE NC L.
# BDROOMS
FU RN / LA UNF U UN DR RN YI A/ C NU NIT PA RK ING UT ON ILI S TIE S I ITE NC L.
Rental Quicklist # BDROOMS
MISC.
217-344-3008
www.baileyapartments.com
1010 W. Springfield, U.
2,3,4
F
4 4
2.5 blocks to the Quad, Remodeled units available
111 S. Lincoln, U.
2,4
F
4 4
Near Lincoln and Green
911 W. Springfield, U.
1
F
4 4
Quiet building, office location
Burnham 310
Green Street Realty 502 E. Springfield, C.
217-356-8750
www.greenstrealty.com 3
F
4 4 4 4 Close to Engineering, Internet, Sewer & Trash included
208 E. Clark, C.
1,2,3
F
4 4 4 4 Brand New for Fall 2020, All-Inclusive
505 E. Stoughton, C.
3
217-239-2310
www.burnham310.com
MISC.
4 4 Close to Engineering, Internet, Sewer & Trash included
4
1011 E. Stoughton, U.
4
F
4 4 4 4 4
Completely Remodeled Units
310 E. Springfield Ave.
1B/1B
F
4 4 4 4 Newly renovated, very spacious, pet friendly
103 E. John, C.
2,4
F
310 E. Springfield Ave.
2B/2B
F
4 4 4 4 Close to campus, renovated amenities, open floor plan
208 E. White, C.
3,4
F
4 4
310 E. Springfield Ave.
3B/3B
F
4 4 4 4 Near Engineering campus, 10ft ceilings, individual leases
711 W. Elm, U.
4
F
4 4 4 Great Urbana Campus Location, All-Inclusive
310 E. Springfield Ave.
Studio
F
44 4 4
Next door to local grocery store, secure access, new flooring and appliances
811 W. Oregon, U.
4
F
4 4 4
217-356-8750
807 W. Oregon, U.
2,3
F
4 4
305 E. White, C.
3
F
4 4 4 Remodeled Units, Great Location
Green Street Realty
www.greenstrealty.com
809 W. Nevada, U.
3,4
F
55 E. Green, C.
1,2,3,4 F
44
4 Brand new, Fitness Center, 3&4 bds
104 E. John, C
1,2,4
4 4
4 Brand new, 4 bd
209 E. University, C.
Studio,1,2,4 F
4 4 4 4 Brand new, Fitness Center, Study Room
308 1/2 E. Clark, C.
4
F
4 4 4 4 Duplex with Rooftop Lounge
901 S. Fourth, C.
2,3
F 4 4
108 E. Daniel, C.
2,3,4
F
4 4 4 4 Near the Quad, Full size Washer/Dryer!
106 E. Armory, C.
2,3,4
F
4 4 4 4 Near the Quad, Balconies
505 S. First, C.
2,3,4
F
4 4 4 4 Balconies, Great Location
201 W. Green, C.
1,2
F
4 4 4 4 Includes water & internet
213 W. Green, C.
1,2
F
4 4 4 4 Includes water & internet
6 First,3C. 903 S.
501 E. University, C.
2,3
F
4 4 4 4 Close to Engineering
Houses
204 S. Fifth, C.
2,3
F
4 4 4 4 Close to Engineering and bus lines
314 E. White, C.
2,3
F
4 4 4 4 Walking distance to County Market
509 S. Elm, C.
2
32 E. Green, Champaign
F
4 4 4 4 Brand New for Fall 2020
103 E. Healy, Champaign
F
4 4 4 4 Brand New for Fall 2020
4 4 4 4 Brand New
F
312 E. White,11. C. Jun 20083
17
5
4 Midway - Home of the Illini Inn; Prime Location
8
1
1601 N Lincoln Ave., U
3
7
3506 E. White, 5 Champ. 101 W. Park, Urbana
7
18
4 4 4 4 Starting at $349! $200 Gift Card, July FREE!!! Free 50in. TV!
2,3,4
4 4 4 4 Starting at $389! Get July FREE! Group Specials!
F
2,3
F
2,3,4
F
1,2
U
4 44
2,3
2
4
5
4-10
F
4 4 4
F
44 4 4
3
6
2
9
2
8
5
5
8
9
1
4 2
7
3
5
4
9
7
4
2
1
6
5
9
1
8
2
4
3
5
8
1
3
6
7
9
8
1
3
7
8
2
9
6
5
8
2
9
5
6
1
4
3 6
9
3
1
8
9
4
6
3
7
5
9
7
8
2
4
4
9
2
7
4
1
5
1
2
4
2
6
1
3
8
3
6
22 1
4
1
9
2
6
9
7
8
4
3
1
5
9
7
3
2
2
8
7
6
8
3
7
1
8
3
5
4
6
8
4
9
7
1
6
5
4
7
3
2
9
2
9
6
5
4
1
7
2
5
3
8
2
5
3
7
9
1
4
4
5
3
1
2
6
7
2
4
8
3
Part A
7
2
4
5
6
8
13
8
4
8
6
5
9
3
1
7
2
5
7
6
8
4
9
4
6
5
9
2
6
8
1
7
1
4
3
8
8
1
8
7
4
5
1
8
3
4
7
5
7
6
3
1
9
2
2
3
8
6
9
1
5
9
1
4
5
7
6
2
3
5
6
6
5
3
1
9
2
7
8
4
4
7
5
7
6
2
4
9
8
3
1
8
3
1
2
8
6
3
5
4
7
9
6
6
9
9
8
18
9
2
3
6
1
4
8
9
8
3
3
7
1
4
1
5
7
2
5
5
6
6
8
1
9
2
7
14
3
2
7
5
4
7
4
5
2
6
8
9
3
1
4
3
6
7
6
2
4
3
5
1
5
3
8
9
2
7
1
4
6
9
5
7
8
2
5
7
1
8
2
9
3
1
8
5
2
9
7
4
7
1
5
6
8
9
2
3
3
1
4
6
1
2
8
6
9
4
3
5
7
11. Jun 2008
9
6
6
3
4
6
1
3
8
4
6
3
Share your thoughts! 9
4
8
2
1
7 8
OPINIONS@ 7 DAILYILLINI.COM 6 2
1
8
4
SEND A LETTER 3 TO : 3THE 4 1EDITOR
7
3
7
5
7
3
4 4
9
2
5
8
8 2
1
9 5
7
9
3
1 8
6
4
1
7
5
2
5 5
1
6 3 4
3
1
6 4
9
2
4
5
3
6
2
2
9
9
4
8
1
Skill:
3
1 8
5
2
9
9
2
6
4
4
17
5
1
3
8
4
9
5
5
1
6
11. Jun 2008
7
5
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).
2
6
8
6
2
9
8
3
7
5
6
6
3
6
4
3
5
4
2
21
7
5
5
9
1
9
1
7
7
2
1
8
1
9
5
3
1
3
1
1
9
4
8
5
6
2
8
3
2
1
7
1
2
8
3
4
5
7
6
9
1
4
3
8
7
2
9
6
8
5
2
7
1
1
3
6
9
5
4
4
5
3
8
2
6
7
1
9
2
6
7
5
8
23 5
3
7
9
1
4
2
4
5
4
8
9
3
6
3
8
9
6
2
7
1
2
8
7
6
9
1
3
1
7
9
1
5
3
7
4
8
4
6
6
3
4
2
8
5
2
5
9
4
9
2
6
7
1
5
3
8
3
6
2
4
2
6
9
1
7
8
3
9
3
5
4
8
5
4
2
2
9
7
5
6
1
3
7
and get headline news sent straight to your email! 5
7
8
4
1
9
5
6
7
1
7
19
5
6
8
2
6
9
3
1
4
8
4
9
2
8
1
3
9
8
4
5
6
2
1
7
3
8
9
4
5
7
3
6
1
2
5
7
1
9
3
6
2
4
3
5
6
1
4
7
1
8
2
8
9
6
6
4
5
2
7
3
2
5
9
1
8
3
5
9
7
4
dailyillini.com
6
7
NEWSLETTER DAILY ILLINI
6
Wide variety of awesome houses! Hot tubs, speaker sys. & large open spaces for afties.
9
4
7
7
6
8
SIGN UP FOR OUR
3
9
2
8
5
1
4
6
7
7
2
5
3
8
1
6
9
4
1
4
8
7
6
3
5
2
9
1
6
3
7
4
9
8
2
5
THE
2
3
8
6
2
6
4
8
3
8
1
7
9
5
2
4
9
7
8
15
Part B
5
9
6
3
2
7
3
5
4
1
8
7
3
1
9
Skill:
9
1
8
6
4
4
6
2
5
7
3
8
1
2
6
1
2
4
9
6
5
7
8
3
8
6
3
7
1
2
4
9
5
3
5
8
4
1
6
5
2
7
6
4
9
24 4
9
3
2
1
7
6
5
8
20 4
2
8
9
5
7
3
6
1
7
7
9
2
1
1
5
9
3
6
2
7
5
8
3
4
2
4
7
5
8
9
6
3
4
2
1
8
16
9
8
1
3
2
7
8
1
6
5
4
2
9
3
3
9
6
1
4
8
2
5
7
4
3
6
7
4
2
8
1
3
6
9
5
1
6
9
2
9
7
8
3
5
8
5
2
6
5
3
8
9
1
7
4
7
1
5
3
2
6
9
8
4
6
8
1
3
4
8
9
2
7
6
5
8
5
1
2
6
9
7
4
3
9
4
9
2
7
4
6
5
3
8
1
2
6
3
4
7
1
8
9
5
1
7
6
5
8
7
3
1
4
2
9
9
4
7
8
3
2
3
8
7
9
1
4
6
5
3
2
5
7
4
6
8
5
4
1
3
4
2
5
7
8
9
1
6
6
3
9
5
1
7
6
5
1
6
9
2
3
8
4
7
1
8
2
7
5
6
1
2
3
1
2
9
2
9
4
7
8
4
5
3
6
Email calendar@readbuzz.com
5
Want to submit an event?
7
buzz calendar
5
S P A T
6
L I O N
8
E A S E
7
S I P S
4
3
A R R A E L L I A C L B A
5
1
R E S E T
8
4
A S T I N
5
2
G O O D E
4
9
5
7
L E A S H
L E N O I D E Y A L R L
I N O R D E R
1
6
6
9
A D Z E S
O T T
C A R O U S E L
9
housing.dailyillini.com
6
R E A P
T W A R A I N E R I N E D N O R S A P E A R C S N A R O H O N I O O N U M F E S M O N A R I P E A
2
9
3
8
O D D S
H A E L R G A E A M H O C A A N M O E A R R B U M I N O T I R E T E R E D S
7
9
S C A T
4
5 Illini The2Daily 4
6
Affordable units near Gies. Perfect for athletes. Util. pkg. & renovated units avail.
Find your next home with
Start and end your housing hunt today!
2
217-351-8900
Sudoku Skill: 20
5
4
A I M S
8
4
2
Deadline: 11:00 a.m. one business day prior to publication
Appalachia Travel. www.BahamaSun.com 800-867-5018
9
3
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.
1
$189 for 5-Days. All prices include: • Round-trip luxury party cruise. • Accommodations on the island at your choice of seven resorts.
7
8 Contact us at: advertise@illinimedia.com 4 1 6 4 or call 217-337-8382 9 6 4
Housing 2
5
Next to Crystal Lake Park. 750 sq. ft. Free fiber optics!
2 1 3 WANT2TO LIST YOUR PROPERTY?
1
www.dailyillini.com/classifieds 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.
CARIBBEAN SPRING BREAK
4
217-369-3315
Cozy fireplace. 650-1,300 sq. ft. Free fiber optics!
4 4
5
Classified advertisers can now place print and online classified ads directly at:
19
Services
3
7 sq. ft. Free fiber optics!8Start $450pp 4 4 4 Eng Campus. 850-1,000
Help to make well known of sudoku-topical.com! You like this website? Then recommend it to your friends. If you own yourself a website, place a link to sudoku-topical.com If you print out the sudokus then print them twice and give one to one of your friends. Tell your acquaintances, friends and teammates about sudoku-topical.com. Just help to make this site well known.!
CLASSIFIEDS THE DAILY ILLINI
1
www.roland-realty.com
9
217-337-7500
1,2,3,4 F
Roland Realty
9
Great Urbana Campus Location
www.robsapartments.com
7707 W. Elm St., Urbana
3
Some units have been remodeled
www.one-illinois.com
Rob's Apartments
6
1
U/F 4 4 4 4 Quiet Location, Steps away from Campus 6
2
Great Campus Location, Internet, Sewer and Trash incl.
F B 4 4 4 Remodeled Units, Great Location Part Skill:
One- Illinois
1321 N Lincoln Ave., U
4 Brand New for Fall 2020, All-Inclusive
2
3
5
2
8 8
6
8 1
6
5
7
1
2
4
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Monday, February 3, 2020
Andy Shauf tells story with new album BY NATE SUN STAFF WRITER
buzz factor: This one is for those who have reminisced about broken relationships and dreamt of scenarios where things could have turned out alright. This one is for those who are surrounded by people, yet can’t help but feel alone. This one is for the lost and the heartbroken poets. Released on Jan. 24, Andy Shauf invites listeners to join him on a melancholic, indie-folk odyssey in his sixth album “The Neon Skyline.” In a similar vein to Shauf’s 2016 record, “The Party,” this record is set up as a concept album, chronicling the night of a narrator as he tells his friends, “Come to the Skyline, I’ll be washing my sins away.” What follows for the next 35 minutes throughout 11 songs is a litany of odes that exposes listeners to a world of anguish, all underlined by a bright acoustic guitar and Shauf’s reverb-adorned vocals. Perhaps what Shauf displays best with “The Neon Skyline” is his ability to dance a fine line between poetry, storytelling and songwriting. In the opening track, “Neon Skyline,” Shauf introduces characters Charlie, Rose and Judy, who all reappear throughout the album. These people pull listeners into the atmosphere Shauf has crafted as The Narrator aloofly bides time with Charlie and Rose and serves them drinks. In the following track, “Where Are You Judy,” The Narrator strays away from the physical realm of Skyline and delves into his personal memoirs regarding his ex, Judy. This relationship shows its cracks by the fourth track “Thirteen Hours,” where a car accident puts the two partners in a hospital. They affront one another by saying, “If you weren’t
5B
buzz calendar BY LIAM DWYER 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, FEB.3
Kevin Reader at Allen Hall
PHOTO COURTESY OF CÉDRIC JOVER
Artist Andy Shauf performs in Namur, Belgium in October 2018. Shauf’s 2020 tour is set to begin Friday.
such a cheap bastard, I’d be at home.” The overarching narrative climaxes when Judy enters Skyline in track eight, “The Moon.” Shauf brings a palpable sense of anxiety as the strumming acoustic guitar becomes slower and softer, resulting in a noticeable vulnerability as he sings, “That old feeling pours over me / Reaches to the pit of my stomach, so I reach for her hand.” Musically, “The Neon Skyline” is relatively thin. Besides the almost omnipresent acoustic guitar, drum set, electric piano and vocal combo, tracks such as “Where Are You Judy” and “Things I Do” are embellished with ethereal clarinets and rhythmic electric bass. The simplicity of the instrumentation creates an intimacy highlighting Shauf’s vocals. In some tracks, such as the opener, the master seems to just put every instrument at “loud”, making it easy to develop a headache trying to make sense of everything that is going on. The tone of the lyrics and music are also at a bit of
a mismatch for most of the songs, which does not help. The overall mood of the tunes is upbeat, despite the story being so sentimental throughout. Additionally, each melodic cadence doesn’t resolve in the way one would expect it to, which, though it could accentuate the confusion the narrator feels throughout, also runs the risk of making these strains sound awkward. The melodies become more satisfying by the eighth track “The Moon,” though, and thankfully Shauf makes a smooth transition between the dodgy, oddly brightsounding first seven tracks to this one. “The Neon Skyline” is a lyrically driven album. Although it offers nothing too exciting sonically, Andy Shauf’s aptitude for composing a story one can become engaged in and empathize with, similar to the style of Elliott Smith or Wilco, is exceptional. As such, this record is for rainy days and emotional nights. buzz@readbuzz.com
7-10 p.m. Unit One/Allen Hall 1005 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana Free KEVIN READER is an improv comedy performer, game designer and podcast producer. He produces and performs shows, podcasts, events and games in Chicago. Reader serves as the Artistic Director for Cards Against Humanity and is the founder of the comedy troupe The Nerdologues. Reader earned his Master of Arts in Theatre from the University where he also performed with Inner Voices Social Issues Theater and the comedy troupes Spicy Clamato and Potted Meat. He writes, directs and produces for The Public House Theater. He has performed improv and sketch comedy with Second City, iO, UCB, San Fran Sketchfest, Chicago Sketchfest, PAX, the Annoyance Theater and GenCon. All events are free and open to the public and take place at Allen Hall.
Grand Opening
3-9 p.m. The Blue Room Percussion Studio, 313 Wheaton Ave., Champaign Free Blue Room Percussion Studios is opening up a new teaching studio here in Champaign starting next month. It’s beautiful and they’re proud of what they have to offer. Drum set and marching percussion lessons offered for all levels in a great place with great equipment at a great price. Contact them at Iankshepherd@gmail.com or call or text at 217-417-0298 to schedule a lesson time.
TUESDAY, FEB.4
Women In Tech: Lightning Talks 3:30-5 p.m. Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, 306 N. Wright St., Urbana Free Join us for our lightning talks where several incredible industry professionals
Eat Breakfast, lunch, cake, coffee at Intermezzo cafe
shop Lovely gifts, funny cards, tasty snacks at Promenade showcase + gift shop
play Stunning spaces, amazing artistry, down-to-earth vibe and U of I students never pay more than $10 a ticket
at Krannert Center
KrannertCenter.com 217.333.6280
and researchers will be sharing their stories and their work. Bring your curiosity and an open mind to see their perspective and look forward to our distinguished speakers.
February Social at Hamilton Walker’s
5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Hamilton Walker’s, 201 N. Neil St., Champaign Free Tired of the cold weather? Come warm up with some of the coolest people in town while enjoying drinks and appetizers this Feb. 4 at Hamilton Walker’s! There will be half-priced appetizers, house wines, draft beers and select cocktails until 6 p.m., plus a discount on a specialty cocktail and a free artisan cheese plate just for us. Grab some food, grab a drink, meet new people, network and socialize at one of the most iconic places in town!
TUESDAY, FEB. 5
Book Launch: Best of Uncanny
6:30 p.m. Illini Union Bookstore, Author’s Corner, 809 S. Wright St., Champaign Free “The Best of Uncanny” features 44 original stories and poetry from Uncanny Magazine, the Hugo Award-winning science fiction magazine. Meet the editors Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas. Lynne is the head of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Illinois.
Trivia Bingo at Collective Pour
7-9 p.m. Collective Pour, 340 N. Neil St. Suite 101, Champaign Prices Vary Starting on Wednesday, Feb. 5, come join us at Collective Pour every Wednesday night for Whaddayaknow? Free Pub Trivia’s new TRIVIA BINGO game! Trivia bingo is a fun twist on normal bingo and our classic trivia game, featuring trivia clues from all kinds of categories.
buzz
6B
MONDAY
February 3, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
Student group plans first outdoor music festival BY SYDNEY WOOD STAFF WRITER
From printing out advertisement folders written in Mandarin to scheduling food trucks and vendors, Punch line Productions is busy setting the stage for the University’s first-ever outdoor music festival, complete with a multi-artist line-up and vendors for students to enjoy. Senior Josh HoffmanPeterson, president and founder of The Punch Line, has been wanting to organize a music festival at the University since he was a freshman. This year, he is eager to present the University’s first outdoor music festival coordinated by Punch Line Productions. “We wanted to establish a new tradition for the University that everyone can look forward to basically every year,� Hoffman-Peterson said. Punch Line Productions is a student-led event management group “dedicated to putting on the best live music shows and festivals in Urbana-Champaign,� according to the Punch Line Productions Facebook account. Punch Line Productions is currently in its second year of functioning and has eight committees dedicated to the organization of the festival. Some committees involved in the organization include artist booking, corporate relations and safety
planning. “We kind of have areas for every aspect of planning,� Hoffman-Peterson said. Punch Line Productions consists of 60 actively enrolled students who are responsible for the management and planning of the festival, as well as keeping a mailing list of students interested in helping out with production. The festival will take place on April 18 in Lot 31 and will feature local bands, Chicago-area rap acts and more well-known headliners. Hoffman-Peterson was
artists, paired with some smaller local artists and student acts.� According to HoffmanPeterson, tickets will cost between $15 and $25, and the festival will be one day long. Artist selection will be determined by a campuswide survey Punch Line Productions sent out earlier in the year. “The idea is for us to find things that will appeal to the wider demographics at the University,� HoffmanPeterson said. Punch Line Productions is planning to hire
“The goal has been to try to create something that’s more diverse with something for everybody.� JOSH HOFFMAN-PETERSON PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF THE PUNCH LINE
unable to specify who those headliners would be. “The goal has been to try to create something that’s more diverse with something for everybody,� Hoffman-Peterson said. “We’re looking at incorporating different genres, having a couple of larger headlining
to provide a “comprehensive festival environment.� Hoffman-Peterson said this year’s event will be the starting point for an improved music festival and believes the event will only grow in popularity in the coming years. He said he wants Punchline’s festival to emulate the experience of an authentic music event, similar to the spirit of Lollapalooza. This year’s festival is merely a prototype for a better, larger festival in the future, according to Hoffman-Peterson. His plan is to establish this year’s event first to attract attendees and then use the momentum from this year to build an even bigger event next year. According to HoffmanPeterson, “the difference between this and other events that have happened in the past is we want there to be a line up that has something for everybody.� Punch Line Productions is still recruiting members to aid in the festival’s organization process. “The more people we have involved, the more people we can represent, and the bigger we can make the event essentially,� Hoffman-Peterson said. “If anyone wants to join they can email plinepros@ gmail.com or look us up on social media at Punch Line Productions.�
food trucks and vendors to heighten the festival experience and is interested in creating a student showcase for students to participate in. Hoffman-Peterson is also considering renting inflatables, sports equipment and even including possible art installations in the future smwood2@dailyillini.com
CASSIDY BRANDT THE DAILY ILLINI
WPGU 107.1 FM
INTERNS WANTED
 �
PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB
Taylor Swift plays the piano in “Taylor Swift: Miss Americana,� her new Netflix documentary. Swift speaks about political and social issues in the film.
Taylor Swift finds new vision in Miss Americana BY KATIE POWERS BUZZ EDITOR
buzz factor:
outlook is refreshing. The keep sweet era of Swift’s life and career culminates in a well-earned catharsis when Swift performs a sold-out stadium show in Tampa during her Reputation World Tour on the one year anniversary of her victory in her sexual assault trial. Before performing her song “Clean,� she acknowledges the date and the how dehumanizing that experience was for her. She tells her audience that if they’ve ever felt similar, she sees them and how sorry she is if no one believed them. For years, Swift’s public persona has been carefully curated, even in the way she chooses to express vulnerability. But in Tampa, as her voice shakes and her eyes well, it feels like she is inviting her audience to actually see the woman behind the act. From here, Swift goes onto make an Instagram post speaking out against current Tennesee Senator Marsha Blackburn, whom she describes as “Trump in a wig.� Later, she works with the LGBT community to create the video for “You Need to Calm Down.� Her dedication to the causes and the ways in which her previous trauma has formed her comes from a true place rather than an attempt at performance. But the elephant in the room — how the privilege of being a massively wealthy white celebrity might have also impacted her worldview and allowed her to stay unaffected and on the sidelines for so many years — remains unacknowledged by Swift or her camp. Still, it’s clear, Swift is ready to listen and ready to grow.
Since she made her big break on country radio over a decade ago, Taylor Swift heeded the warnings from within the industry: “Don’t be like the Dixie Chicks.� Sharing her political opinions, she believed, would not go over well with her fan base and would strip her of her “good girl� reputation, something she admits to being deeply obsessed with maintaining. In “Miss Americana� Swift is the most candid she’s been in years as she moves into finding her voice and polishing her political conscience. Director Lana Wilson has crafted a story of a woman finding her voice and realigning her moral code after years of navigating the misogyny of the music industry by keeping sweet and holding her opinions close to her chest. Swift is ready to become a political figure and publicly fight for causes that are meaningful to her following events including the Kim and Kanye saga, her mother’s cancer and her high profile sexual assault trial against a Radio DJ who groped her at an event in 2013. Wilson moves back the curtain on where Swift was during these events, which she dealt with mostly away from the media spotlight. “Miss Americana� isn’t likely to turn any viewers who have already formed an opinion about Swift. But throughout the documentary, Swift comes off as articulate, intelligent and genuinely aware that her life isn’t the least bit normal. For a celebrity with as much clout as Swift, her kmp2@readbuzz.com
SPRIN 2020 G
2/5 2/7
SUBTRONICS SUMMER CAMP: ON THE ROAD
2/16
LIL TJAY
2/17
NGHTMRE
3/8
THE FLOOZIES W/ SUNSQUABI
3/12
BOOGIE T & BOOGIE T.RIO LIVE BAND
4/12
MINNESOTA
GO TO WPGU.COM FOR MORE INFO!