Illinois football fans voice their opinions about changes around the team PAGE 1B TUESDAY September 8, 2015
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Provost Feser ready for new role Wilson encouraged by Feser’s demeanor and work ethic BY ABIGALE SVOBODA NEWS EDITOR
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JOYCE SEAY-KNOBLAUCH
Donovan Holder, RailTEC graduate research assistant (left) and Carrie Desmond, transit and rail engineer at Parsons Brinckerhoff and University alumna (right) explore the new technology at R.A.I.L.
New lab helps rail research
Center will help test rails around the nation JASON CHUN ASSISTANT DAYTIME EDITOR
The Rail Transportation and Engineering Center at the University opened a new laboratory in August that is designed to assist in the improvement of rail transit infrastructure. The new 3,500 squarefoot lab, known as the Rail and Innovation Laboratory, or R.A.I.L., is a unique space that gives researchers a place where they can test different variables that affect rail lines in a controlled environment. According to John Riley Edwards, a senior lecturer and research scientist in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department, there is no other lab like this
in the U.S. “It allows us to very precisely simulate the actual conditions out in a railway infrastructure in the field,” Edwards said. “We can tweak variables very precisely in the laboratory to answer questions that you may not even be able to answer in the field.” R.A.I.L. is equipped with a full-depth track structure underneath it, which includes a layer of dirt, the sub-ballast and the ballast, which are made of crushed stone. This gives researchers a complete and fully functional model of a rail line that they can run tests on, such as applying stresses and strains to a wheel set. Almost 20 undergraduate and graduate students currently work with the lab. Edwards said while R.A.I.L. is aimed more toward engineering students, there is no need for an engineering
background to get involved. It is open to anyone who has a “passion to learn new traits” and wants to get hands-on experience working in the field. Most of the students who work with R.A.I.L. and RailTEC are upperclassmen, because the classes offered are upper-level classes. However, Christopher Barkan, the executive director of RailTEC, said they always encourage undergraduates to get involved. “We have had numerous undergraduate research assistants over the years, including a number that who started as early as their freshman year,” Barkan said. One of RailTEC’s newest projects — in conjunction with R.A.I.L. — is the “Resilient Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Designs for Light Rail, Heavy Rail,
and Commuter Rail Transit Infrastructure.” The Federal Transit Administration is backing this $2.4 million venture along with partners such as the American Public Transportation Association, New York City Transit, Metra (Chicago) and Amtrak, among others. The R.A.I.L. lab is located at the Harry Schnabel Jr. Lab on the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory campus. It had its official grand opening on Aug. 19. “The primary focus of this project is to improve the design of all the rail transit infrastructure components in the U.S.,” Edwards said. “That’s primarily the crossties that are attached to the rail and the fastening systems used to attach the crossties to the rail.”
P r ovo s t d e si g n ate Edward — or Ed as his colleagues call him — Feser isn’t going to pretend the University didn’t have a tough year. But he’s not going to harp on it either. “One of the things we need to do is make sure everybody understands what the record is and how we got to where we are,” Feser said. “We’re going to spend some time trying to set that record straight and admit that some concerns have. We’re really at only one point, which is to move beyond it.” Feser said he plans to work very closely with Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson on moving the campus forward — her collaborative style was one of the main reasons he agreed to step up. He was surprised by Wilson’s appointment, however. The appointment was announced in a University massmail Thursday — Feser said he and Wilson only discussed the position earlier in the week. Feser’s background as dean of FAA is a sharp contrast to former provost Ilesanmi Adesida’s engineer-
ing background. However, he believes his background in FAA will help him lead the campus. “(FAA has) an unusual mix of disciplines at Illinois compared to many other arts colleges. We have architects, we have performing artists, visual artists, humanists, we have a couple engineers,” Feser said. “So when you’re in fi ne and applied arts, you get a sense for a lot of different kinds of disciplines.” Richard Laugesen, mathematics professor, said he thinks Feser’s experience with decreased enrollment in FAA could also benefit him as provost. “I think Dean Feser will be good at getting departments to think about why students should enroll,” Laugesen said, “I know he’s very aware that while engineering enrollment has been booming, other colleges have had a very different experience.” Kathleen Harleman, director of Krannert Art Museum and faculty member in the School of Art and Design, will serve as acting dean for FAA while Feser is in the provost’s office.
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jpchun2@dailyillini.com
Law grants alcohol immunity New statewide law increases efforts to save lives
Gov. Bruce Rauner recently passed a new law that could be potentially life saving for some underage drinkers in Illinois, but it may sound pretty familiar to University students. The new law, which mirrors a policy already in practice at the University, states if a person is intoxicated and underage but calls 911 for medical help, neither the caller nor the person they are helping will be issued any citations. Rauner approved it on Aug. 24. Skip Frost, deputy chief of police of the University of Illinois Police Department, who has been with the department since 1988, said the level of intoxication he and his offi cers encounter in underage drinkers is signifi cantly higher than it has been in previous years. “It used to be extremely rare that you came across someone so intoxicated they were unconscious, and now we see it all the time,” Frost said. “There are so many times we have someone who was victim-
ized on this campus, and they can’t even provide us a description of their attacker because of their level of intoxication.” UIPD Chief of Police Jeff Christensen said alcohol consumption is one of the key factors that leads to sexual assault. “The number one daterape drug isn’t roofies, it’s alcohol,” Christensen said. “So for students to understand that there’s no penalty for calling for help for somebody, anything we can do to facilitate the reporting of these incidents is very critical.” However, contrary to popular belief, Frost said, the University’s police department doesn’t try to combat underage drinking with increased tickets. “It just drives me mad that’s what everyone thinks our focus is – because it’s not. We are very focused on the harm reduction model,” he said. “You’re much more likely to get a referral to the Alcohol and Other Drug Office than you are to get cited.” Yet, the idea that underage students believe the police department’s sole purpose is to crack down on illegal consumption of alcohol still remains. “The only time I ever hear about police activity on campus is when it involves drinking tickets,” said Sophia Dearborn, a junior. “It feels like every weekend there’s some news
on social media about University police assisting in a bar raid or breaking up a party and writing a lot of tickets.” “If someone needs medical attention we’re not going to fight somebody for that,” Frost said. The Illinois Student Senate has been advocating for a 911 immunity law since 2012. Former student senate president, Brock Gebhardt helped create House Bill 2341, the Alcohol Poisoning Immunity Bill. The bill, which Gebhardt helped State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, D-103, create sought to protect underage drinkers who call 911 for intoxicated people who need
OPINIONS
LIFE & CULTURE
SPORTS
BY JESSIE WEBSTER STAFF WRITER
Costs of Underage Drinking in Illinois, 2013 Problem
Total cost (millions)
Youth violence $1,879.60 Youth traffic crashes $283.10 High-risk sex, Ages 14–20 years $199.40 Property and public order crime $9.40 Youth injury $120.10 Poisonings and psychoses $32.9 Fetal alcohol syndrome among mothers aged 15–20 years $69.8 Youth alcohol treatment $43.8 Total $2,824.8 (e.g. $2.8 billion) SOURCE: Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center
THE DAILY ILLINI
medical assistance for treatment of alcohol poisoning or other emergencies. Mitch Dickey, senior in LAS and Illinois Student Senate president, said the 911 immunity law is significant because it will encourage people to focus on their safety and that of their peers, rather than the legal ramifications. “Students are going to drink anyway,” he said. “When it comes down to their safety it makes complete sense to want to push your student — or just anyone underage — to do the right thing and call 911 to get help.”
jmwebst2@dailyillini.
More than one to Error Records flips A talk with Illini’s find your friends to new opportunity newest soccer legend Whether joining Greek life or not, friendship opportunities abound
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New CD and vinyl store to open in place of classic music store
All-time leading scorer Jannelle Flaws opens up about soccer career
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Provost designate Edward Feser discusses his plans for the upcoming school year.
Website offers ‘Red Zone’ help BY MARIJO ENDERLE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
The University unveiled a new website intended to provide sexual assault and domestic violence survivors with information about University reporting and support resources. According to Amy Thomson, assistant dean of students, the “At Illinois We Care” website was made public on July 1 in time for the “Red Zone,” named after the first six weeks of the new school year in which women and freshmen in particular are at an increased risk for sexual assault. “Our goal in the creation of the website was to create a single, mobile-friendly, user-friendly, accessible, comprehensive resource for support, response and prevention resources,” Thomson said. Featuring an emergency exit or “privacy” button on the top of the website that redirects the user to Illinois. edu, the website was the product of three months of work by a team chaired by Thomson and consisting of representatives from the Office of the Dean of Students, the Women’s Resources Center, the Office of the University Counsel, the University of Illinois Police Department and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Access. “If people need reporting options, if they are seeking
emotional or medical support, if they are supporting a friend or want to get involved with these issue on campus, or if they aren’t even quite sure what to do next,” Thomson said, “We hope this site will be a bridge to the information that will be most helpful to them depending on their individual circumstances.” State legislators have additionally attempted to address the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. Illinois Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-56, and state Senator Toi Hutchinson, D-40, co-sponsored the Preventing Sexual Assault in Higher Education Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner on Aug. 21. According to the Illinois General Assembly’s website, the bill directs Illinois colleges and universities to create a comprehensive policy “to address student allegations of sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.” Additionally, the act mandates that universities provide confidential advisors to survivors, provide annual reports to the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Illinois Attorney General concerning discrimination and sexual violence cases and charges universities with creating or participating in a campus or regional task
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