THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY October 24, 2019
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Vol. 149 Issue 18
New design reignites mascot debate
BY ETHAN SIMMONS STAFF WRITER
A belted kingfisher is making the rounds as a potential mascot for the University. “These birds are orange and blue, literally, that’s perfect,” said designer Spencer Hulsey, senior in LAS. Growing up on a farm in Kinmundy, Illinois, Hulsey always loved birds, especially the kingfishers that hung around her pond. While doodling on Adobe Illustrator, her birding interest, artistic ability and Illinois pride came together in a moment of inspiration. In June, Hulsey finished designing her idea for a belted kingfisher mascot. She posted her designs to online University communities earlier this month. It was met with a strong, mostly positive response, which caught the attention of the Illinois Student Government. Hulsey’s original design post garnered nearly 800 upvotes on Reddit, and was reposted by another student to the popular Facebook page “UIUC Memes for Underfunded Teens,” where it got over 1,100 reactions from students. “The post was just a haphazard toss to see what happened,” Hulsey said. “Reddit is nicer than I expected it to be.” On Oct. 13, Hulsey brought her designs to the ISG Public Relations Committee, where she won over many representatives with her “really positive energy,” said Mariama Mwilambwe, ISG press secretary and freshman in LAS. Hulsey isn’t attached to her initial designs, which
ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY OF SPENCER HUSLEY
she said were her “having fun on Adobe.” When it comes to the kingfisher as a school symbol, Hulsey’s convictions are strong. “The bird, you can’t argue with how perfect it is. It’s native to Illinois. It’s true to the orange and blue — it is literally an orange and blue bird,” Hulsey said. “It’s completely untapped potential.” Besides its presence in Illinois and flashy school colors, Hulsey said the kingfisher has more to offer as a school symbol.
A belted kingfisher’s “cool crest” could make for hats to wear at sporting events, and kingfishers can be “made to look angry,” since they’re a predatory bird, Hulsey said. According to Mike Ward, professor in ACES and bird migration expert, Hulsey’s assessments are accurate. The kingfisher
posture of the bird. “They’re a feisty bird. They hunt by diving headlong into ponds and streams to spear fish,” Ward said. “From an ornithological point of view, the kingfisher is a good choice.” ISG officials encourage
“The bird, you can’t argue with how perfect it is. It’s native to Illinois. SPENCER HUSLEY
is found all over Illinois, and her designs reflect the correct
SENIOR IN LAS
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Class prepares hurricane relief Students create projects to aid Puerto Rico
the resurfacing of school mascot talk, and adopting a new symbol is a “top priority” for them, Mwilambwe said. “I just want something that’s very creative, that unites everybody,” said Arnoldo Ayala, junior in LAS and student senator. With a positive in-house response, ISG has discussed voting on the mascot themselves. If a vote occurs and receives a two-thirds majority in the student senate, ISG will send out a referendum to the student body, much like last year’s question to adopt Alma Otter as a school symbol, Ayala said. Last spring, the Alma Otter referendum helped produce the largest voting turnout for an election in the school’s history, where it was voted down 3,807 to 3,510. Any referendum that garners over 50% support from students warrants further action by student government, Ayala said. Before any of that happens, ISG woud like to speak to the Native American House on campus about the kingfisher, Mbilambwe said. The Facebook post received multiple dissenting pro-Chief comments, and an independent designer posted a mock-up of the kingfisher reminiscent of the Chief logo. “The consensus I’ve gotten is that people are really tired of the old mascot defining the culture on campus, every homecom-
BY EUNICE ALPASAN STAFF WRITER
Luis Rodriguez, professor in ACES, was in the process of finalizing plans in fall 2017 for a study abroad tour course to bring students to Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria hit the island. Rodriguez, who is from Puerto Rico and has family living there, didn’t hear anything from the island for two weeks following the Category 5 hurricane. Not having plans finalized for the trip, he ultimately met with his students to tell them the class was canceled. But the response he got from his students paved the way for the class to transition from a study abroad tour to a disaster relief project. “It was really those students themselves who said, ‘Professor, we need to find a way to do something; this is terrible,’” Rodriguez said. “Very quickly, it was just obvious we had to do it.” The UIUC Puerto Rico Disaster Relief Program is made up of University students and faculty who travel to Puerto Rico to help with disaster relief efforts following the natural disaster. The agricultural and biological engineering class, ABE 498, has made two trips to Puerto Rico, this past spring and in spring 2018. The class is preparing for its upcoming trip set for winter break. Students in the class work on projects related to community engagement, engineering and fundraising in preparation for their trip to
SEE MASCOT | 3A
Art exhibit highlights excessive nuclear waste
BY DIANA ANGHEL
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Krannert Art Museum opened the “Hot Spots: Radioactivity and the Landscape” exhibit on Thursday, taking on the role of bringing attention to the damage done by the nuclear industry on indigenous lands and posing questions of long-term plans for the future. First seen at the University at Buffalo, the exhibit was created for the purpose of highlighting the production, use and disposal of radioactive materials through varying artists and pieces. Having this exhibit make its way to campus is relevant in its own way. Illinois produces one-tenth of all nuclear-powered electricity in the United States and has the most nuclear plants on a national level. However, the University can stand as an outlier to these statistics, basing most of its energy on fossil fuels. Kathryn Huff, professor in Engineering, said the University uses an embedded grid, creating 82% of the campus energy from fossil fuels rather than nuclear
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Features: 87-year-old interns at Champaign courthouse
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Installation by Will Wilson in Hot Spots: Radioactivity and the Landscape at Krannert Art Museum on Tuesday. The exhibit highlights the damage imposed on indigenous lands by the nuclear power industry.
power. “The University of Illinois doesn’t rely at all on nuclear power unless we hit those peak times in the middle of July in the after-
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sons of the exhibit, the art pieces also allow for personal reflection. For example, a description of a beaded gas mask by Naomi Bebo states it is meant to be a juxtaposition of beauty and war. While being a symbol of cultural identity of native tribes, it also aims to remind people if change doesn’t come soon, gas masks will become accessories to outfits. Another piece is a project by Michael Brill, which revolved around designing
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noon between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.,” Huff said. “Then, we buy electricity off the grid, and interestingly, that’s a released carbon intensive moment.”
Jennie Lamensdorf, cocurator of the exhibition, said this show is all about how radioactive material impacts landscapes one way or another.
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“There are three things I want people to take away from this show,” Lamensdorf said. “The first is that this is a story that impacts everyone globally, but definitely all Americans, and that is because this material has found its way into all 50 states. The second is that the United States and the world has no plan for how to deal with radioactive waste. The third thing is that this story, like all stories, is all about money, who has it, who wants it and who has power.” Given the proposed les-
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