WOMEN’S GYMNASTICS HEADS TO NATIONALS
HARDSHIP CALLS COACH AWAY FROM BASEBALL
BLACK GREEK COUNCIL’S ANNUAL STEPDOWN SHOW
With ‘limitless’ as their season mantra, Illini look to climb to top of the NCAA Page 1B
When his father fell ill, Dan Hartleb had to split his time between family and the team. Page 1B
Groups vie for money, prestige in step competition at Foellinger Auditorium on Saturday. Page 6A
THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY April 17, 2014
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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REBRA NDED Illinois student-athletes line up on stage during the Nike Brand Identity Launch at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, showcasing the new Fighting Illini brand and uniforms.
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Illinois athletics receives makeover with Nike’s design of new ‘Victory Badge’ crest, jerseys for all sports BY DARSHAN PATEL STAFF WRITER
Throughout the laborious 18-month rebranding process, both Illinois athletics and Nike officials wanted to capture Illinois’ blue-collar mentality — the “fighting” in “Fighting Illini.” After new uniforms were leaked Tuesday night, fans on social media feared “Fighting Illini” wouldn’t be in the new identity upon seeing the “Illinois” mark on basketball
and volleyball jerseys. But Wednesday’s launch event at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts presented a surprise: Variations of the new look will indeed incorporate “Fighting Illini” as the mark. But the long-standing nickname is more emphasized in a new logo, which was unveiled Wednesday night. The new “Victory Badge” crest — which will serve as the secondary logo to the iconic block “I” — is
encased by two inward-facing F’s (and thus forming the block “I”) and is in reference to Illinois’ fight in competition. The bottom of the badge is grounded by vertical stripes, which represent the 200 Memorial Stadium columns that pay tribute to Illinois men and women who died in World War I. The “Victory Badge” ends with the “V” shape to represent victory. “As a Fighting Illini, you never
go to battle alone. You’re always together,” Nike creative director for football and baseball Todd Van Horne said, adding that it’s one of his favorite elements of the new design. Van Horne said that during Nike’s interviews with student-athletes, officials and alumni, “Fighting Illini” was emphasized and his company wanted to capture that spirit. For the Illini, the new logo will
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be incorporated into all 19 varsity sports’ uniforms in some way. For example, the shield will be the prominent mark on the on the front of the white- and orange-colored soccer jerseys. For football, the badge will rest on the collar of the jerseys. For basketball, it will appear on the waistband of the basketball shorts, as Illinois and Nike wanted to bring a superhero look to the athletes. Athletic director Mike Thomas
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0RUH LQVLGH Read
continued coverage of the Illini’s Nike rebrand on Page 1B
said Nike’s designs evolved over time, but the athletic apparel company wasn’t too far off in the beginning. He said one of the components of the new design that was
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» » »new» jersey » All Illini sports to receive new uniforms; women’s basketball 1st in country with revolutionary It’s something we heard over and over again.” Van Horne said Nike has received feedback from female athletes at Illinois and other programs, and that the new design is a change that could potentially impact all of women’s basketball.
BY STEPHEN BOURBON STAFF WRITER
BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI
Illinois football players Simon Cvijanovic, Donovonn Young and Matt LaCosse model their new uniforms during the Nike Brand Identity Launch at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday night.
Debuting next season, the Illinois women’s basketball team will be the only women’s team in the country to have a jersey specifically fitted to the shape of the athlete. Unveiled at Illinois’ identity rebrand with Nike, the team will don uniforms that have a different cut of jersey. The jersey has a silhouette more sculpted for the female frame to increase the range of motion for the athletes. The shoulder straps are thinner and closer to the neck on the shoulders. They slant down at an angle toward the armpit, rather than a straight line like previous models. Sophomores Jacqui Grant and Sarah Livingston, as well as junior Kyley Simmons, modeled the outfits at the rebrand event Wednesday at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Illinois and Connecticut were allowed to practice with the new uniforms in January, but the Illini will be the only team wearing them during games in the upcoming season. “It’s pretty exciting,” said Todd Van Horne, Creative Director for Nike Football and Baseball. “When you see a lot of women’s athletes, they’re pulling the jerseys up over their shoulders (during games) to get a wider range of motion for their backs and shoulder areas.
“It was just that magic time to put the innovation and inspiration together.” TODD VAN HORNE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR NIKE FOOTBALL AND BASEBALL
“It was just that magic time to put the innovation and inspiration together,” Van Horne said. Positive feedback from Illinois players and coaches led to the implementation of the new design in the rebranded jerseys. “Any time you’re in the boat
with Connecticut, that’s pretty neat,” head coach Matt Bollant said. “For Nike to say, ‘We want Illinois to wear this,’ along with Connecticut, that’s pretty cool. Our program hasn’t been in that league (with Connecticut) as much lately.” Bollant said the three iterations of jerseys — white, orange and blue — will be available for the Illini to wear no later than January next season. Bollant said the coaching staff picked the design out of a lineup and worked with Nike to mold together the final product. “They’re cutting edge,” Bollant said. Bollant already said the new jerseys would help in recruiting players. The new-look gear with the “Fighting Illini bold” font — a new typography designed by Nike — across the chest and the brand-new “Victory Badge Logo” on the belt goes along with the new design to provide an entirely different look to the program. “I’m already taking pictures and texting recruits tonight about it,” Bollant said. “You don’t always get texts back from the top kids in the country, but we’re getting texts back from the top kids in the country tonight.”
Stephen can be reached at sbourbo2@dailyillini.com and @steve_bourbon.
Bill proposes change to marijuana legislation
New penalty for possessing fewer than 30 grams would become $100 fine BY ALEX SWANSON STAFF WRITER
State penalties for possessing marijuana could be significantly reduced, according to a bill that is currently on the floor of the Illinois House of Representatives. If passed, House Bill 5708, introduced by State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-14, would change the penalty for first offense possession of small amounts of cannabis under 30 grams to receiving a Uniform Cannabis Ticket for $100, which would be a petty offense. Under current state law, the penalty for a first offense is a Class A, B or C misdemeanor, depending on the amount of cannabis.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-8, cosponsor of the bill, said that under the current law, many people are followed by a record of cannabis possession for the rest of their lives. This bill, if passed, could help to reduce the number of people negatively involved in the criminal justice system. Skip Frost, deputy chief of police for the University of Illinois Police Department, said he feels UIPD has already moved toward less severe penalties for marijuana possession. “I think that we realize that someone who has a personal amount of cannabis, while it’s perfectly justified to arrest them for a Class C or Class B misde-
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meanor and incarcerate them, that’s really not the way we have done things for some time now,” he said. “A lot of these possession cases are already handled as city ordinance violations as opposed to criminal prosecutions.” The cities of Urbana and Champaign operate under their own city ordinances. In Urbana, the minimum fine for possession of cannabis is $300, while the minimum fine for possession of cannabis in Champaign is $330. Chris Lindsey, legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project, said that even if the bill is passed, the University’s disciplinary policies for possession of marijuana most likely would
not change. Currently, the penalty for a first offense of possessing marijuana at the University is conduct probation. A second offense for possession of marijuana or the sale or delivery of drugs will result in dismissal from the University. “It’s going to be under an enormous amount of pressure from the federal government to keep its policies,” Lindsey said, referring to the University. Frost commented that he wasn’t sure whether decriminalization of marijuana would result in more student use, because use is hard to measure.
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Current state law:
Less than 30 grams: Uniform Cannabis Ticket ($100 fine)* 30 grams to 500 grams: Class A misdemeanor* Subsequent offenses of possession above 10 grams: Felony
2.5 grams or less: Class C misdemeanor* 2.5 grams to 10 grams: Class B misdemeanor* 10 grams to 30 grams: Class A misdemeanor* 30 or more grams and subsequent offenses of possession above 10 grams: Felony
*First offense SOURCE: ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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