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THE DAILY ILLINI

MONDAY March 2, 2020

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

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Vol. 149 Issue 44

Coronavirus forces return for students abroad in Italy BY SAMANTHA BOYLE NEWS EDITOR

All University students studying abroad in Italy are required to depart the country as soon as possible for the remainder of the spring semester. They may return to the U.S., their home country or travel somewhere else. The students were sent an email Sunday morning stating these conditions since the U.S. Department

of State raised the travel advisory for Italy to Travel 4, Avoid Travel. The University will work to provide “reasonable reimbursement” for airline tickets or change fees with a copy of the itinerary and receipt. The University is also providing financial assistance for airline tickets if students need it. Once returned to campus, students will have to selfisolate for 14 days. After, the

University will work with students to find housing and “other essentials as needed.” The University is also working with the study abroad partner programs to implement alternative ways for the students to continue making academic progress for the semester. As of now, it’s expected that students continue their programs remotely. sjboyle2@dailyillini.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

A man wears a protective mask as he walk by a carousel in an empty Sempione Park on Friday in Milan, Italy. The U.S. Department of State raised the travel advisory to avoid travel to Italy.

Historic Latina mural restored, reinstalled BY LASZLO RICHARD TOTH

But Martinez had an idea to save the cultural house. He thought that if he painted a mural on the walls of La Casa, it might prevent the University from tearing it down. Martinez said he drew most of the inspiration for “La Victoria” from his own experience. Still, he also spoke to students to get an understanding of their identities to be represented in the piece. “Latinos and other people, minority peoples, when they go to the Art Institute, or other famous museums, they don’t see themselves there,” Martinez said. “One of the core of doing murals is to do something meaningful to the community and where people can see themselves.” Martinez, occasionally assisted by other students, painted with watered down acrylics since he couldn’t always afford proper supplies. He left the door unlocked in case he had to run out, for fear of being arrested for defacing campus property. He worked tirelessly, at one point balancing painting the mural and taking 26 credit hours. His hard work paid off; 45 years later, La Casa is still in operation. “I think generations after we left felt that the mural was a very important part of

STAFF WRITER

MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI

Spencer Hulsey, senior in LAS, shows a Reddit post promoting the kingfisher mascot design at the Illinois Student Government complex on Friday. Students can vote on the new mascot proposal on Wednesday and Thursday.

Students to vote on kingfisher mascot BY ETHAN SIMMONS SENIOR REPORTER

Spencer Hulsey, senior in LAS, is serious about her kingfisher. Starting Wednesday, students at the University can determine if her mascot idea has any air beneath its wings. On Wednesday and Thursday, students will vote their preference on the belted kingfisher as a school mascot through the Illinois Student Government online ballot. The referendum results are non-binding, they are just something for the student government to present to the administration if the kingfisher flies with student voters. Hu lsey ’s pitch is multipronged. For starters, the belted kingfisher sports school colors. It’s “naturally true to the orange and blue,” as her official flier reads. The “naturally” is important here: the kingfisher is native to Illinois and most of the

Historic campus mural “La Victoria” created by alumnus Oscar Martinez r e c ent ly c omplet e d a restor at ion a nd reinstallation project, which began in 2016. “Some people say murals, some people say mural, it’s actually mural, no ‘s’, because it’s actually all one piece,” said Mariana Ortega, director of La Casa Cultural Latina. The reason for this confusion stems from the fact that the mural was divided into a variety of smaller paintings years ago. Many of these paintings are now hanging on the walls of the Illini Union and the Spurlock Art Museum, although some of them are still in storage. The story of the mural began in 1974 when students were protesting for the creation of what would eventually become La Casa Cultural Latina. “We felt that we needed a place where we could come together and share each other’s cultures and celebrate who we are,” Martinez said. “Basically a place where we felt like it was home.” Eventually, the University allowed for 501 E. Chalmers St. to become La Casa. However, that wasn’t the end of the struggle; it was soon discovered that that location was set to be demolished.

SEE MURAL | 3A

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF SPENCER HULSEY

continental United States. If adopted, the belted kingfisher would be the only female mascot in the Big Ten. Male kingfishers don’t have the fieryfeathered breast of their

female counterparts. However, there’s one big misconception f loating online that Hulsey wants to clear up. “This proposal is not a proposal to change the

name ‘Fighting Illini.’ It’s just to get a mascot,” Hulsey said.

Student government SEE KINGFISHER | 3A

University offers free tax assistance program BY ALIZA MAJID STAFF WRITER

The University is providing a free tax assistance program for low income, elderly, disabled and limited Englishspeaking taxpayers from Feb. 18 to April 9. “The VITA program provides free tax assistance to individuals (who) have gross income less than $56,000 and if you look at Champaign County, you know, a big portion of the population falls into that category … I think having trained volunteers that are supervised by faculty members that have designations to practice for the IRS is just comforting,” said Matthew Hutchens, professor in Business. This is the second year the VITA program is taking place at the University, and there have been a few changes implemented in order to improve the overall experience for both the clients and the volunteers. Last year, Hutchens and Amanda Alt, professor in Business, co-led the pilot program to get a grasp on its potential. The professors

decided to implement a course in the University, ACCY 199: Tax in Action - VITA, based on skills students may acquire in the program. “We just spent four weeks (in the class) talking about the technical issues of getting very specific in terms of what we see for our specific taxpayers … then we talked a lot about soft skills and client service and communication, and so then once taxpayers start coming, then they get to practice all those skills,” Alt said. Even though 64 students were admitted to the course, a total of 150 students applied, according to Alt. The course allows students to gain a background in various communication and technical skills needed to interact with future clients. VITA gives students handson experience concerning their major and allows them to improve their skills and observe whether or not they want to go into this field in the future. “First of all, for students, it’s actually really hard to decide whether you want an

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Student volunteers help Champaign locals file their taxes at Wohlers Hall, 1206 S. Sixth St., on Thursday.

audit or tax because you can talk to recruiters, and you can ask them about their everyday lives and what they do but they can’t really tell you a lot,” said Jeannett Yan, senior in Business. “So I think this program is a great way to tell whether you want to go into these fields or not.” The main obstacle the program has encountered is the limited space available for the event because they have to restrict the amount of volunteers and taxpayers who can come in due to increasing interest. “Space is always very limited here on campus, and so having enough space to house

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many taxpayers that have an “La Victoria” by Oscar Martinez rests in the southwestern interest — it has been an issue. stairway of the Illini Union on Saturday. The mural’s restoration We can’t necessarily do mul- project just concluded after over three years of work. tiple rooms because there’s only one of me and so then that doesn’t work very well,” Alt said. While the VITA program allows students to immerse themselves into a professional atmosphere, it also helps many taxpayers who need the support. “I think it’s been going really well this year, and I’m buzz: really excited about the proOpinions: Rose Bowl Tavern gram,” Alt said. “We’re lookTransgender youths shifts to new ing to hopefully expand it for need our protection next year.” ownership

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