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Vol. 150 Issue 25

Illinois hits grim new COVID-19 milestones BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

In almost every possible metric, Illinois’ COVID-19 situation is taking a turn for the worse. For nine straight days, the state has topped 10,000 new cases of COVID-19, including 15,415 new cases reported on Friday, a new 24-hour high. Hospitalizations hit 5,415 on Saturday — another record for Illinois — and the sevenday statewide test positivity rate is up to 14.7%, up 3.3% in just six days, while the state conducts an average of 93,000 tests per day. The Illinois Department of Public Health announced another 166 deaths from the virus on Saturday, including 66 previously unreported deaths from Friday. The last time Illinois saw more than 100 deaths in a 24-hour period from the virus was in early June, after a peak in cases in May. A stay-at-home advisory hits the Chicago area on Monday, and increased mitigations may come to all of Illinois’ 11 regions if metrics don’t improve substantially. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker extended the eviction moratorium another 30 days, up

to Dec. 12. Region 6, which includes Champaign County, is par for the course on many of the state’s discouraging virus metrics. The region’s seven-day positivity rate was up to 13.5% as of Wednesday, excluding the University’s tests. Regional figures are updated with a three-day lag by IDPH. After months of hovering between 2-4% test positivity, Champaign County is also seeing a surge in cases. This Wednesday, it hit a seven-day positivity rate of 9.3% from its non-University tests. The University of Illinois hasn’t been spared from increasing cases either, though the gap in new cases from the county as a whole has widened in the last week, and many have been coming from the Champaign-Urbana community — not the other way around. Indeed, after increases in cases among staff and faculty, non-undergrads have been ordered to test twice weekly, after months of needing only one test a week. Chancellor Robert Jones described campus as a “quasi-bubble” in last week’s COVID-19 briefing, but the Uni-

versity is coming off its two worst weeks of new cases since mid-September, with 336 cases last week and 299 new cases in the week ended Friday. Students and faculty are gearing up for the holiday season with their families, but for those who have been exposed to COVID-19 in the last week, those plans may not come to fruition. Public health mandates a 10-day isolation period after testing positive and a 14-day quarantine after exposure to the virus. Most students in undergraduate housing cannot return after fall break without paying a $60 daily fee, and classes are going all-online anyway. Those who return will be barred from participating in non-essential activities on campus, much like the September lockdown. With temperatures dropping and indoor activity becoming all the more necessary, Illinois — and the nation — is heading for dark days this winter. The next two weeks will be critical toward slowing the spread and saving lives.

Illinois shatters daily COVID-19 case records in November New high 15,415 cases

16,000

12,000

8,000

4,000

Nov. 1

Nov. 14 Source: Chicago Tribune

@esimmsnews ecsimmon@dailyillini.com

BRIAN NGUYEN THE DAILY ILLINI

UI employee resigns after tweet backlash Islamophobic, racist tweet screenshots spread over social media BY MATT TROHER ASSISTANT LONGFORM EDITOR

A University employee has resigned after the surfacing of racist and Islamophobic tweets made from his personal Twitter account received considerable attention and criticism from the campus community. Larry Jacobsen worked as an investigator in the Office of Student Conflict Resolution. Prior to being an employee of the University, Jacobsen was employed as a detective with the Urbana Police Department. Chancellor Robert J. Jones sent a Massmail Thursday morning condemning Jacobsen’s tweets and stating that “as of yesterday afternoon (Jacobsen) is no longer employed by the University.” “These posts are hurtful and antithetical to our University values of inclusivity and respect,” the Massmail read. “They diminish all of us, lessen our sense of community and damage our connections with each other.” Although the Massmail does not clarify whether Jacobsen’s employment with the University was ended on his own regard or not, a statement posted on Wednesday to Twitter stated that Jacobsen resigned. The recent Massmail did not mention whether Jacobsen resigned voluntarily or was given the option to resign or be fired. “The continued presence of

KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI

Professors try new virtual engagement methods

you’re in a classroom,” Ott said. “Just you have a little person on a computer.” Dr. Andre Schleife, professor in Engineering, teaches MSE 404: Laboratory Studies in Materials Science and Engineering MIC/MAC, a project-based course centered around students working individually under the guidance of their instructor. In past years, the class was held in a computer lab

BY WILLIE CUI STAFF WRITER

MATT TROHER THE DAILY ILLINI

Former University of Illinois employee Larry Jacobsen tweeted Islamaphobic content on Oct. 18. Jacobsen resigned from his post as an investigator in the Office of Student Conflict Resolution.

this individual would undermine the trust and compromise our disciplinary process,” the Massmail said. Jacobsen did not respond to The Daily Illini’s requests for comment. Jacobsen received negative attention after screenshots of his tweets were posted to the “Spotted in Chambana” Facebook group. The screenshots were then shared on Twitter. A popular tweet contained screenshots of Jacobsen’s racist and Islamophobic tweets. The Tweet had been retweeted 300 times and was favorited 561 times as of Thursday. The University responded to the tweet on Monday, Nov. 9 with a photo of a PR statement. Office of Student Conflict Resolution Director Justin Brown also responded to The Daily Illini’s inter-

view request with the same statement. The statement made note that Jacobsen was a parttime employee. According to the statement, his duties consisted of only data entry, and he was not “involved in evaluation or adjudication” during the student disciplinary process. The statement also emphasized that his comments were made “on his private social media accounts outside of his University working hours, and he has the same personal freedom of speech and expression as any other individual.” Jacobsen’s Twitter profile was not “locked” or set to private. Anyone with the link could view and interact with his tweets. After the University released its statement, Jacob-

sen’s job title on the Office of Student Conflict Resolution website changed from “Investigator” to “Academic Hourly.” Following his resignation, Jacobsen’s name and position have been removed from the website. Although Jacobsen’s Twitter profile didn’t explicitly state he was an employee of the University, his bio stated that he was “working as an investigator at a big 10 U” and had his location set to Champaign, Illinois. Jacobsen deleted his Twitter account shortly after initial attention from the student community. Despite this, screenshots of the offensive tweets were shared on social media sites such as Twitter and Reddit.

Catherine Ott, senior in Engineering, sits at her desk working on her project while her professor walks around the classroom checking in with students and answering any questions they may have. However, like many other things this year, this classroom has moved online into a virtual meeting space that resembles an old 8-bit video game. “It’s pretty much like

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The University of Illinois Board of Trustees has approved a $6.74 billion budget for the fiscal year 2021, showing a $232.9 million, or 3.3%, decrease from 2020. Because of the unprecedented spendings on COVID-19, the University will draw an additional $121.3 million in reserve funds this year. The budget includes: • $2.4 billion in general operating funds, which include most education activities, tuition revenue and state funding; • $861 million for the university hospital at Chicago; • $2.1 billion in research grants, private donations, medical service revenue and auxiliary operations; • $1.4 billion in estimated payments from the state for employee health care and benefits. A 20% increase is projected for scholarships and financial aid, with $402.6 million as “a demonstration of the system’s ongoing commitment to greater affordability and accessibility.” Additionally, the University projects to spend $270 million in the fiscal

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out of the parking lot at different was reported on the 800 block times of the day. of Oakland Avenue around 1:49 • Aggravated battery and criminal a.m. on Thursday. According to damage to property were reportthe report, the offender entered ed on the 400 block of Edgemultiple unlocked vehicles withbrook Drive around 11:32 a.m. out permission and committed a on Wednesday. According to the theft. The offender has been idenreport, the suspect was trying to tified but not located at the time hit a Black male with her vehicle of this report. and drove into a dog park fence. • Aggravated discharge of a fireThe victim had followed the susarm was reported at the interpect out of the apartment before section of Elm Street and Coler the incident had occurred. Avenue around 2:49 a.m. on Friday. According to the report, an University unknown offender discharged a • Nothing to report. firearm in an unknown direction.

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A University testing site worker passes a COVID-19 test tube to a student at the State Farm Center testing site on Oct. 8.

year 2021 for COVID-19 related costs. About half will go toward testing for students and employees, quarantine and isolation for those who test positive, personal protective equipment and the continued transition to online learning, and the other half is projected lost revenues from the University’s in-person services. “The state’s investment in our universities helps drive innovation and opportunity in communities across Illinois, training the future workforce

and seeding the ideas that lead to new jobs and new companies from border to border,” said University system President Tim Killeen. “We deeply appreciate the state’s support, particularly as we work toward solutions to problems brought on by the pandemic, from pathfinding vaccine trials that help protect the population, to innovative approaches that aggressively test for and contain the virus, to the fundamental education and research that will put peo-

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• Aggravated discharge of a firearm and murder in the first degree were reported on the 600 block of East Eureka Street around 5 p.m. on Thursday. According to the report, the offender shot the victim from outside the victim’s residence. The bullet struck the victim in the chest, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. • Theft of a motor vehicle was reported on the 3400 block of High View Court around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the report, two vehicles were stolen from an apartment complex parking lot. It was reported that both vehicles were towed

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ple back to work and on a path toward progress and prosperity.” Trustees met virtually and approved a request for an 8.3% increase in state funding for the next fiscal year. More than 90,000 enrolled students for this fall in the UI System make for a record. The additional funding would be used to continue to drive the state’s economy and educational and affordability initiatives, the University stated.

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NEWS UI receives grants to reduce pollution BY ALEXANDRA GERGOVA STAFF WRITER

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

The Undergraduate Library rests empty on Sunday afternoon. Several University of Illinois libraries have either closed or reduced their operating hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Closed libraries hurt research BY CHIEH HSU STAFF WRITER

In a typical semester, Professor Robert Tierney prepares for lectures, grades papers and advises graduate students on their independent work. In winter and summer break, when students are away from school, Tierney puts his energy into researching. This year, COVID-19 shuttering access to libraries has trampled on his progress. Tierney works in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures; he’s writing a book about the translation of Western thinkers of democracy into the Japanese language. According to Tierney, many professors tend to focus on teaching during the semester and research in the summer, but research in the past summer “was really not possible.” “I work in East Asian Languages, and we rely on the library,” Tierney said. “This is the case with most people who work in fields like mine. We rely on the library, and the library is not functioning.”

FROM 1A

RESIGNS Jacobsen’s tweets contained Islamophobic language, allegations of election fraud regarding mail-in ballots, misinformation about COVID-19 death statistics, racist comments about the Black Lives Matter movement and derogatory comments about former President Barack Obama, comparing him to Adolf Hitler. He also claimed to have “failed diversity training three times.” Jacobsen also shared a post from the Illinois Family Institute, which has been designated as an “anti-gay hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law

FROM 1A

VIRTUAL in the basement of Digital Computer Lab. Students were taught new content and then ran simulations on their individual workstations while the professor and TA went around helping students. After he learned about gather.town from a College of Engineering Slack message board, Schleife decided to hold the lab over the virtual meeting space. Schleife said he hopes to capture the course’s computer lab-esque environment virtually. “I thought that this was a cool and kind of fun way of simulating this environment,” Schleife said. Along with having webcam, voice chat and screen sharing features, gather. town allows users to control a customizable person in a 2D, 8-bit-style virtual environment.

On the 30th anniversary of the Pollution Prevention Act, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that the University was the recipient of two Source Reduction Assistance grants, which support innovative techniques to reduce pollution and conserve energy and water. The University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign will receive $99,168 ,and the University of Illinois in Chicago will receive $95,000 from the individual SRA grants. The SRA grants, as opposed to the Pollution Prevention grants, are extended to a more broad group of entities and are discretionary, according to Ed Nam, director of the Land, Chemicals and Revitalization Division of the EPA. “(The SRA grants are more) discretionary grant funds and they’re typically smaller in amount — about 125,000 a year or so,” Nam said. “The grant work focuses on innovative sources of reduction activities and businesses, and these grants have a broader eligibility. So not only can states, tribes and state-affiliated organizations apply, but also nonprofits, municipalities and other grassroots organizations can apply for these more broad grants.” The SRA grants prioritize and seek to elevate innova-

tive efforts that identify source reduction efforts and methods. In order to become a recipient of this type of grant, EPA has identified five source reduction areas that entities should target: food and beverage manufacturing and processing, chemical manufacturing and processing and formulation, automotive manufacturing and maintenance, aerospace products and parts manufacturing and maintenance and metal manufacturing and fabrication. “A particular grant doesn’t have to hit all of those, of course, but it should hit at least one or more of those sectors, and the grant holders would have some companies that they would partner with in order to help to reduce or improve a particular process so that it uses less pollutants,” Nam said. The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center will allocate this funding toward 12 Illinois food and beverage, chemical and automotive maintenance facilities and manufacturers, according to an EPA newsletter distributed on Nov. 5. “(ISTC) will use this funding to provide on-site pollution prevention technical assistance through training, education and investigation of innovation techniques,” the newsletter stated. “The project aims to increase water conservation

and reduce energy, hazardous inputs and wastes, emissions and business costs at participating facilities.” In order to ensure that funding is allocated properly by the recipients and used according to the goals established, the EPA implements various meetings throughout the process and mandates a drafted grant report at the final stages. “We have meetings with the grant owners at the beginning and throughout the process to have progress reports, and then at the end, there is a grant report that is drafted,” Nam said. “So we will oversee the process throughout.” The newsletter additionally states that the innovative practices will be publicly identified so that other entities are able to study and recreate the efforts. “The grantees will document and share source reduction best practices that are identified and developed through these grants so that others can replicate these practices and outcomes,” the newsletter stated. The University has been a recipient of the SRA grant in previous years. “The University of Illinois has done this kind of grant before and they have been successful,” Nam said. “So we look forward to seeing what they come up with.”

Other professors in the humanities also find researching difficult in the pandemic. “Normally I would go to film festivals twice a year, both of them in Italy,” said Lilya Kaganovsky, professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. “I would go to archives in Russia. I would go to a number of conferences where I would interact with colleagues and hear presentations.” According to Kaganovsky, some of the conferences she normally attends have been moved online, but it is a completely different experience. “You’re not gonna spend three days on an online conference going to all the panels,” Kaganovsky said. According to Harriet Murav, professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, the University’s collection of electronic books does not help her research as much as its physical counterparts. “My research depends on access to the library,” Tierney said. “We actually need books.”

Researching in the sciences seems to be better off compared to their humanities counterparts. According to Peter Abbamonte, Fox Family Professor in the Department of Engineering Physics, his research has been going well after a big transition at the beginning of the semester to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. “Computational groups are better off because we gergova2@dailyillini.com can still continue doing our work even from our homes,” said Nikhil Admal, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. “The challenge is how to keep your morale up.” Regardless of the field of research, professors generally miss the in-person element of their work. “It’s more fun and more productive when you’re interacting with people in the same room,” said Mark Bernhardt, professor in the Department of Economics. “When you’re in the same room, you can go to a blackboard and figure out math THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO together. It’s fairly subtle.” The office for the Institute for Sustainability Energy and Environment is located at 1101 W. chiehh3@dailyillini.com

Peabody Drive, Suite 350 in Urbana. The University of Illinois is receiving two grants from the EPA to combat pollution.

Center, on his personal Facebook page. His Facebook page has since been deleted. Another one of Jacobsen’s tweets, in response to a thread about Obama’s calls of tolerance for Islam, said “I won’t tolerate Islam.” The UIUC Muslim Student Association released a statement on Tuesday, a day after the initial Islamophobic tweets received attention, condemning both Jacobsen’s tweets and the University’s response. The statement included a demand that the employee should be fired immediately, and for the University to issue an apology to Muslim students for “defending someone who holds such hateful and

violent views.” The statement was endorsed by seven other student groups, including the Students for Justice in Palestine, the Underrepresented Muslim and Minority Advocates and Black Students for Revolution. Yousuf Ahmad, junior in Engineering and outreach director for the Muslim Student Association, helped compose the statement. Ahmad expressed disappointment in the University for refusing to take disciplinary action against Jacobsen. “We were really disheartened with the University’s response,” Ahmad said. “The fact that the University tried to defend the person instead of holding them accountable

was just extremely disappointing for all Muslims on campus. This type of speech on his Twitter is hate speech, it’s very Islamophobic and there’s no place for that type of language in any type of administration.” Despite the University’s initial assertion that it cannot take disciplinary action against Jacobsen as his tweets were made from a personal account and outside of working hours, the University has, in the past, taken action against employees for comments made on social media. The University made headlines in 2014 after the un-hiring of American Indian Studies professor Steven Salaita for tweets critical of Israel dur-

ing the Gaza War. Salaita was offered a position at the University, scheduled to begin in August 2014. After the Gaza War broke out in July of the same year, Salita took to Twitter, tweeting anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian statements. Salaita’s tweets garnered attention from students and the media alike. Following the attention of his tweets, along with a campaign from several wealthy donors threatening to stop donating if Salaita was still hired, the University terminated his teaching position. Michael LeRoy, a professor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations and the College of Law, studies employment law. LeRoy explained that it would have

been difficult, albeit not impossible, for the University to have fired Jacobsen for his comments. “If (the comments are on) a private social media account, the University would have a difficult burden to carry in order to fire someone for those comments,” LeRoy said. “There are times when a private media post is grounds for termination. The fact that the post is on a private media account does not insulate it entirely from an employer’s punitive processes. But, it’s very difficult for that public employer to make that case that it has legal grounds to terminate employment.”

“I was talking to (a friend) about it and he was like ‘I’m so excited to make my person,’” Ott said. Schleife said that he simply picked one of the premade template spaces, modeled after an office and hosted his class there. “It’s like a nice office environment, that you can walk around,” said Sai Venkata Gayathri Ayyagari, a TA for MSE 404. After the sudden and tumultuous shift to remote instruction last spring, faculty members have been trying out and adapting new tools and techniques for teaching virtually, sharing their results with each other. Dr. Jessica Krogstad, professor of Material Science and Engineering, decided to make her asynchronous lectures more interactive last spring, knowing that her students might struggle with listening to a two-hour long recorded lecture.

By interrupting asynchronous lecture videos with “periodic, low-stakes assessments” on PrairieLearn, the platform where her lectures are hosted, Krogstad hoped to “maintain the interactive experience of an iClicker-based lecture.” “It also gives students an opportunity to pause and think about what I was just lecturing on,” Krogstad said. “So, I wanted to recreate that.” Krogstad broke up her lecture into shorter videos and added intermittent questions and example problems that students would answer on PrairieLearn. However, the feedback that Krogstad received was very mixed. Some students enjoyed this format as it allowed them to stop and think, whereas others found it “super annoying.” “They just wanted to listen to it at twice the speed and this interrupted it,”

Krogstad said. Krogstad hopes to continue using this format next semester after students have spent more time with remote instruction, but also plans on using a combination of asynchronous and synchronous learning. “ We’re trying to be adaptable; we’re trying to continue to learn and make improvements,” Krogstad said. W hile experimenting with different techniques for remote instruction, faculty members are also discovering which tools and strategies are better suited for different types of classes. Although Schleife hosts the more independent project-based parts of his class on gather.town, he gives lectures over Zoom, which he believes is better suited for it. Moreover, because gather.town does not allow for her to talk to everyone at once, Ayyagari said that

she still uses Zoom for announcements and more in-depth explanations of concepts to the whole class. “If there’s something that I have to tell everyone,” Ayyagari said. “I would jump back to Zoom.” Ott believes that the project-based nature of the course makes gather.town better suited for MSE 404 than Zoom breakout rooms. However, she still prefers Zoom breakout rooms for group work or discussion, because “you kind of have to have a conversation.” Krogstad, who teaches a smaller course this semester, said that the tools she is currently using would not necessarily be appropriate next spring when she teaches larger classes. Because of her class’s smaller size, Krogstad decided to administer exams orally this semester, where she gauges her students’ understanding one-on-one. “It’s really just a conver-

sation,” said Krogstad. “But there’s also some give and take; I can provide some guidance when they’re struggling.” In the coming semester, Krogstad hopes to help with establishing relationships between students, which has been made difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote instruction. “Normally, (students) would probably make some really good relationships through study groups and things like that,” Krogstad said. “One of my challenges is finding ways to help the students establish those solid relationships.” Schleife hopes that students will stay optimistic and strong “until the stupid pandemic is over.” “I cannot wait to be back in an actual classroom as opposed to the online teaching,” he said.

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November 16, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

Data journalist breaks down electorate Public opinion challenges election forecasters BY KARENA TSE STAFF WRITER

“I know you have a book coming out in 2021, is that right?” said Emily Van Duyn, professor in LAS, to the Zoom window framing a young man wearing glasses and a distant, frazzled expression. “Yeah,” he said. “If I can ever find the time to write it.” The Zoom visitor was G. Elliott Morris. In 2018, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in government and history. He was still a senior in college when he joined The Economist as a data

journalist. Lately, he has spent most of his time not writing his book, but instead predicting the future. Morris has been responsible for many of The Economist’s election forecasting models, including the paper’s 2020 U.S. presidential election forecast. Two weeks after the election, the country has finalized the results. Despite Donald Trump’s continued denial, Joe Biden holds a decisive victory. On the Thursday after Election Day, he made a virtual visit to Van Duyn’s class to share insights from his work on the presidential

PHOTO COURTESY OF G. ELLIOTT MORRIS

G. Elliott Morris poses for a headshot. Morris is an Illinois graduate and has worked for The Economist as a data journalist since 2018.

race. “It seems like the public polling industry is having a problem talking to Trump supporters,” Morris said. “That’s the first realization I’ve had over the past couple of sleepless nights.” The students of Van Duyn’s course, CMN 396: Communication & Public Opinion, are familiar with this problem — that the modern “public” is less like a consolidated whole and more like a constellation of elusive opinion groups. Just the week before, the class read an article called “Hidden Democracy: Political Dissent in Rural America” — a piece of Van Duyn’s own research on a secret political organization of liberal women in the heart of a pro-Trump county. Clearly, it is not so easy to “read the room” in this era of political polarization. This is why people look to journalists like Morris, who pore over data to provide a window into a fragmented public. Forecasting an election is no simple math — in fact, numbers are only part of the process. At the root of this work are questions of psychology and political science about the factors voters consider when electing a president. “Here’s where my experience in political science comes in handy,” Morris said. “There’s a long tradition in political science of

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forecasting elections using data on the economy, or a president’s approval ratings or even the casualties of recent wars.” Early on in the election cycle, forecasters favor these dimensions of data over premature polling. Come November, though, forecasts lean heavily on public polls. Of course, this reliance can leave predictions vulnerable to error

and audiences set up for shock. Since 2016, pollsters and audiences have been haunted by what felt like a surprise victory for Trump. Among the blindsided was Genevieve Severini, senior in LAS. “Are there any major polling differences that you’ve noticed from this election compared to 2016?” Severini asked Morris. “I’m a little

wary of putting weight into polls this election.” According to Morris, a lack of access to and understanding of Trump supporters continues to plague pollsters. Polls overestimated votes for Biden in the Midwest by at least four points. Even within demographic categories, and even with the 2016 outcome in mind, SEE OPINION | 5A

Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton talk ‘Freaky’ New movie combines horror, comedy genres BY MATT TROHER ASSISTANT LONGFORM EDITOR

With the release of their new movie “Freaky,” on Friday, actors Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton logged on to a virtual roundtable with college newspapers from across the country on Nov. 9. A surprising blend of horror and comedy, “Freaky” follows shy, awkward high school student Millie Kessler, played by Kathyrn Newton (“Detective Pikachu,” “Big Little Lies,” “Lady Bird”) who crosses paths with the ruthless Blissfield Butcher, played by Vince Vaughn (“Hacksaw Ridge,” “Rudy,” “Wedding Crashers”), a serial killer bound to strike at any moment. W hen the Butcher attacks Millie with a stollen, cursed dagger after a

high school football game, the two wake up the next morning in each other’s bodies. Millie, now in the Butcher’s body, must use the dagger on the Butcher, now in Millie’s body, before midnight in order to reverse the curse or else be forever stuck in the wrong body. A little bit of “Freaky Friday” mixed with a hint of “Friday the Thirteenth,” “Freaky” is another addition to a new wave of comedy horror films ushered in by director Christopher Landon (“Happy Death Day”, “Paranormal Activity 2”). The two characters, each stuck in the other’s body adapting to their new normal, set up plenty of opportunities for laughs throughout the film. Vaughn, a veteran of the Hollywood comedy scene of the late ’90s and mid’00s, attested to the effort needed to pull off the delicate balance of horror and comedy. “It’s hard to do, to have that balance,” Vaughn said. “It’s hard enough to do one genre, let alone put both

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Kathryn Newton stars in the movie “Freaky.” The film was released on Friday.

under a roof. (Director) Christ Landon has done it before with ‘Happy Death Day’ and I think he felt confident that the filmmakers involved would do a good

job of balancing those two genres. The more grounded you are in the script, the more you help the audience buy the reality of the scene, and it helps you laugh. The

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kills are great too, there are some really imaginative funny kills in the movie.” With the body-switch motif taking place through the majority of the film’s

101-minute runtime, both Vaughn and Newton had to embody two vastly different characters. To help SEE FREAKY | 5A

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Monday, November 16, 2020

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In Between unites Asian American identities BY KAYLA MISH STAFF WRITER

Callie Goering, sophomore in LAS and president of In Between, was looking through RSOs on campus when she realized there wasn’t a club for Asian American students who felt in between multiple cultural identities. After failing to find an RSO that suited this desire, she decided to start a chapter of a national organization called In Between at the University. For now, students can meet up through Zoom on Monday nights at 6 p.m. to share stories and get to know each other. “It was really interesting coming from my perspective of an adoptee, where I grew up and was raised by white parents, and I looked Asian on the outside, but I didn’t really align with

FROM 4A

FREAKY

develop their characters, the two actors worked off each other with input from Landon to bring the story to life. “I had no idea how to play a serial killer and I didn’t know what Chris Landon was thinking when I was cast,” Newton said. “He said he saw a killer in me and thought I could do it, so I just have to trust that. I also didn’t know that Vince was going to have so many brilliant ideas, all three of us created these characters together starting with their backstories, which led to how they might carry themselves or walk, which led to the physical acting. With that kind of support, you feel like you could do anything. And then on the

that,” Goering said. “I felt like this mission statement of ‘uniting and supporting Asian Americans who feel in between their cultures’ could help connect so many people on campus.” In Between officially became a RSO mid-October, so the executive board is still in the process of figuring out the logistics of directing the group. Even with the RSO being brand new, around 50 people have expressed interest. Goering mentioned the mission statement really resonated with a lot of people. Guest speakers, social events, workshops and service events are just a few things In Between is hoping to do for its members. The RSO is looking into getting a Paralympian and some cast members from Crazy Rich Asians to share their stories of feeling in

between cultures. For Emily Lee, junior in Education and vice president of interna l affairs, one of her favorite moments of the first meeting was sharing “you look like me” moments. Seeing Asian American role models growing up helped her feel less alone in her identity. “Not many singers in Broadway are Asian, so I talked about one signer named Lea Salonga who is Asian and very highly regarded in Broadway” Lee said. “Seeing her and having that role model made me be proud of who I am and allow me to not think that my Asian American identity would limit me in my journey of trying to become successful in musical theater.” After seeing Goering’s Facebook post about the

new RSO, Angela Shaw, junior in Social Work and vice president of service, reached out with interest. “Finding a way to make your Asian identity bigger than you is something that drew me to the program,” Shaw said. She is currently working with the national branch to partner with Love Without Boundaries, an organization that helps children without parents around the world fund education and medical costs and reduces child trafficking. Fostering a community is one of the main goals of the RSO. Jennifer Li, sophomore in Media and vice president of design, hopes it will become a comfortable and welcoming environment to new members. “I know people can get anxious about meeting new people and I want to

emphasize that we want to create a safe space,” Li said. “The exec board is really eager to meet new people and talk to people, so we are more than willing to go that extra step and reach out to people.” Members w ill a lso have the chance to learn more about their culture through workshops. “We will be doing presentations on holidays in Korea and Taiwan and how they are celebrated,” Shaw said. “That will be the beginning of a series of workshops about culture.” They are also looking into having a language and culture class over the summer. Their first meeting was last week, and Lee said a lot of people opened up and shared their experiences with the group. Growing up, she said she didn’t real-

ly have space where she could share her feeling of being in-between cultures. “It’s weird and I know people feel the same way,” Lee said. “In this big campus, where feeling alone is really common, I see that these Asian RSOs are trying to be that space for people, but there isn’t really a space that accommodates for people in the middle.” So far, 24 people attended the first meeting and Shaw said that things are going really well. The only requirement for the club is being open to hearing others’s experiences and having a positive attitude. “If you are looking to find a community that is safe and welcoming, I highly encourage you to check us out,” Goering said.

shooting day, you just have to be ready to take a lot of risks.” In addition to embodying two distinctly different characters in terms of personality, Vaughn and Newton were also tasked with the challenge of portraying a character from a completely different generation from themselves. Throughout the movie, there are scenes where Vaughn, portraying Millie, talks to her friends about typical aspects of the high school experience: phones, boys and social pressure. Alternatively, Newton, portraying the Butcher, has to act as a brutal middleaged serial killer. Newton attempted to portray these multiple layers of persona best as possible. “There were scenes where the butcher, in my

body, was in a situation with teenagers where they were taking selfies and I did want to make sure he didn’t know what was going on, that he didn’t even know he was being photographed,” Newton said. “I wanted to show what a grownup might think a teenage girl might act like. It’s like another layer of the butcher being a man, then with everyone thinking he’s a girl, what would he do? Stuff like that goes into the acting, the dialogue, and even the outfit.” Vaughn’s experience in the “frat-pack” comedy scene of the ’90s made portraying a character younger than himself easier than he imagined. Surprisingly, Vaughn said he had a more difficult time portraying the Butcher instead of Millie.

“With the career we do, I’m always playing makebelieve and throwing things and having fun,” Vaughn said. “What’s fun about Millie is that she’s got a lot of great qualities, but she’s not giving herself all the permission to follow what she’s wanting to do. She’s strategizing not trying to disappoint a parent or navigating high school life.” “That part was easier for me. The butcher was much more challenging in some ways of shutting out any empathy. But it was fun to play that, it’s always exciting to play different sides of human nature.” “Freaky” was released on Friday, Nov. 13, a fitting release day, and is showing in select theaters.

FROM 4A

theories are to fix this,” Morris said. “But I imagine if there was an easy solution, they would’ve done it already.” The question of how and why people choose to express or to hide their opinions is a complicated one — and it is a question that has captivated Van Duyn since she was a young student, puzzled by her own habit of withholding her convictions. “(I wasn’t) the person to post random things, or speak up in class and ask a question,” Van Duyn said. “So I was intrigued by that idea — Why am I like that? Why am I not expressing my opinions?”

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pollsters weren’t reaching enough Trump supporters. Morris turned to a theory conceived by data analyst David Shor to help explain this discrepancy. In Shor’s view, there are a group of people with ‘low social trust’ who don’t trust other people, institutions or pollsters to receive their opinions accurately and without judgment. This lack of trust is correlated with both education and Trump’s support. Without a method for predicting social detachment, pollsters remain unable to weigh their samples to identify the share of Trump supporters. Read the full story on our “I only consume other website. people’s polling numbers, so I don’t know what the kvtse2@dailyillini.com

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD ACROSS

1 Winning a blue ribbon 5 San ___ (California city, informally) 9 Trite 14 State as fact 15 Toy that hurts when you step on it barefoot 16 Defendant’s excuse 17 Some deep voices 19 Kind of snack chip 20 Letter container: Abbr. 21 Have debts 22 When a plane is due to leave, for short 24 Sweetie 25 Her: Fr. 27 Parts of gas stoves 29 Like movies with considerable sex or violence 31 “___ a stinker?” (Bugs Bunny catchphrase) 32 Friendship 33 Kind of cherry 34 Electrical adapter letters 38 “Dee-lish!” 39 Mash-up 42 Paris street 43 One who’s well-versed in the arts? 45 Stout and porter 46 Protein builder, informally 48 Sharp or sour in taste 50 Fireplace log holders 51 Where touchdowns are scored 54 Prefix with business or culture 55 Seoul-based automaker 56 Pretty ___ picture 57 “Dude” 58 College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

14 18

21 25

31 33

44 48

35 42

55 61

56 62

57 63

PUZZLE BY JOE HANSEN

61 They were released from Pandora’s box 63 “That was fortunate” 66 Special Forces headgear 67 One of several on a superhighway 68 Analogy phrase 69 “Get Yer ___ Out!” (Rolling Stones live album) 70 School founded by Henry VI 71 Auto license issuers, for short

DOWN

1 Sweetie 2 Actress ___ Rachel Wood 3 Be in jail 4 Prefix with cycle 5 With 50-Down, place that this puzzle grid represents

6 Descartes who said “I think, therefore I am” 7 Grow older 8 Some facial jewelry 9 One holding people up 10 Pie ___ mode 11 Limited kind of market 12 Despise 13 Detroit pro team 18 “See? What’d I say!” 23 Polynesian kingdom 26 Tennis do-over 27 Brand of Irish cream liqueur 28 ___ Fáil (ancient crowning stone) 29 Skatepark feature 30 Bullets and such 33 United States symbol 35 “You did it all wrong!,” e.g. 36 Hill on a beach

37 Corp. V.I.P.s 40 Important pipes 41 Actress Robbie of “I, Tonya” 44 Cartoon “devil,” informally 47 Damage in appearance 49 The U.S. has East and West ones 50 See 5-Down 51 Barely make it 52 Skin care brand since 1911 53 Milk and cheese products, collectively 57 Lead singer for U2 59 Airing 60 Self-identities 62 Meadow 64 Feedbag tidbit 65 Placed so as not to be found

The crossword solution is in the Classified section.

MONDAY

November 16, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

OPINIONS Take festive solace in Midwestern food of course), sugar, mayonnaise or sour cream, sugary canned pineapple, mandarin oranges or maraschino cherries. Heaven on a plate.

ELLEN BARCZAK ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

Find comfort in party dishes from Midwest this holiday season

’ve been known to be a cheerleader for the Midwest as a region. One aspect of Midwestern culture that I feel deserves more credit, though, is our KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI party food. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has changed life so completely and will continue to disrupt our usual patterns and rhythms of life for the mandate. foreseeable future. The Should the Supreme holiday season, I’m afraid, Court rule in favor of will be similarly changed. upholding the ACA, it We likely won’t see all would mean more access of our extended family to quality and affordable (whether that’s a posihealth care for millions of tive thing or not, I’ll leave Americans, and it would up to interpretation). We safeguard the protections might not be able to host of those with pre-existing or attend any parties for conditions. Thanksgiving, Christmas, The history of AmerHanukkah or otherwise. ica’s health care sysHowever, we should tem has been complex focus on what we can conand convoluted, prompttrol, not on what we caning Trump to infamousnot. One thing we can conly remark that “nobody trol, my dear Illinoisans knew health care could be and fellow Midwesterners, so complicated” back in is our party food. 2017 when he was hoping Oh, the vast array of to repeal and replace the lettuce-less salads! Hark, ACA. the unabashed usage of Fast forward to three nitrates and other terriyears later, and the stakes ble-for-you additives that have only gotten higher. make those little-hotAt this precipice where dog-things or saucy-meatthe future of an affordball-things so joyfully able health care system is decadent! once again questioned, the Last fall break, I went Supreme Court must stand shopping with my mom to beside the ACA and reinour friendly neighborhood force the notion that health Jewel-Osco. In the deli care rights are fundamen- section, they had an entire tal human rights. open refrigerated case full of one single, essenAlice is a junior in LAS. tial holiday item: cream alicewl2@dailyillini.com cheese. Glorious, full-fat cream cheese. The ingredients that define the gluttonous special occasion foods we know and love are cream cheese, mayonnaise, chedfaster and achieve finandar cheese, sugar and all cial stability even after things salty, lactose-abuncollege. dant and filled with satuCountless financial rated fats. Let’s journey experts such as Senator through some of my favorElizabeth Warren have ites together. recommended the 50-3020 budget system. This Marshmallow salad plan allocates 50% of postSome call this ambrotax income to necessities, sia. As a kid, it was the 30% on wants and 20% to only dish with the word savings. “salad” in its title in This budget system has which I cared to imbibe. proven popular because The main ingredients? of its simplicity. A student Fruit-flavored Jet Puffed who works 10 hours a week marshmallows (artificialat an hourly wage of $10 ly flavored and colored, post-tax, earning $400 a month, has $200 for necessities, $120 for wants and $80 for savings. Easy. Simply seeing where exactly a student’s earnings go provides an easy method for students to tangibly understand how much money they can spend on what they want. In the aforementioned example, for instance, the student could spend $30 a week on wants such as gifts from the new Target, eating at Mia Za’s with friends and so much more while still paying rent and paying off loans. As jobs become harder to find and as businesses close down due to COVID-19, financial planning becomes even more imperative. Therefore, taking a class on personal finance is the perfect way to set yourself up for financial success, now and for the years to come.

Courts must restore Obamacare al mandate” clause, made it compulsory for everyone SENIOR living in the U.S. to obtain COLUMNIST health insurance or pay a penalty. With the pandemic the wake of an elec- worsening and cases likely tion that rendered increasing throughout the President Donald winter, abolishing the entire Trump a one-term presilaw would be to strip away dent, the Supreme Court health insurance from over heard oral arguments on 20 million people during a Tuesday concerning a long- time when everyone’s health held goal of Trump and the and safety is paramount. Republican party: repealIf the Supreme Court ing the Affordable Care were to overturn the law, Act, colloquially referred the United States health to as Obamacare. system would be upended The consequences of in ways that affect nearly the health care system every American — millions at this time could not be would lose health insurgreater. The ACA — what ance, protections against many believe to be Barack being denied care for preObama’s landmark domes- existing conditions would tic policy — expanded Med- disappear, preventative icaid eligibility, guarancare would no longer be teed health care subsidies free and most health plans for low-income households could charge patients more and stipulated protections while covering less care. for individuals with preIn the 10 years since existing conditions. the passage of the law, the The ACA was signed case before the Supreme into law in 2010 and was Court right now, California designed to reduce the cost v. Texas, marks the third of health insurance for time the Act is being chalpeople who qualify. The lenged before the Supreme Act, through its “individu- Court. ALICE LEE

The Supreme Court upheld the law eight years ago, ruling the individual mandate was constitutional because it amounted to a tax. But in 2017, the Supreme Court instead nullified the penalty by reducing it to zero. Now, in 2020, a group of GOP-dominated states, including Texas, are arguing for the entire law to be struck down because the zeroed penalty is no longer a meaningful tax and thus, is unconstitutional. A group of liberal states, led by California, argue that striking down the individual mandate did not require the rest of the law to be struck down as well — it can be “severed” while leaving the rest in place. Based on the preliminary arguments heard on Tuesday, it seems at least five justices, including two members of the conservative majority — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh — are unlikely to support striking down the law, indicating that the Act should stand, even without the

Plan your finances, budget to minimize debt CHIARA AWATRAMANI COLUMNIST

college students taking different classes and completing different majors in different years with different professors, student debt binds us together in a shared experience of financial planning. College, aside from being a time to grow, learn and experience a preview of adulthood, is a constant, tiresome battle with money. From buying textbooks to paying for tuition, money often seems to fly out of our pockets. Many students are left wondering how they can gain some of that money back, or at least reduce the rate of their capital’s mass exodus from their bank accounts. The University offers multiple classes on the subject of financial literacy personal financial planning, such as ACE 240: Personal Financial Planning. In this class, students learn financial tactics used individually and for households — useful information for a student in any major. Through acquiring this knowledge, students can stand to benefit in many financial areas, namely student loans and budgeting. Many students take out loans to pay for school, but few know the ins and outs of exactly where their

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money goes. Thoroughly understanding the benefits of different payment plans and interest rates in student loans can guide students to pick the right loan for them, saving tons of money in the process. For example, a student who has the money to pay off college loans during the school year due to working, saved up money or family help might not have to worry as much about high interest rates compared to a student who knows they will be paying off their student loans for many years post-graduation. Knowing this financial strategy will allow the student to pick a loan despite having a lower credit score or needing a different payment plan, such as paying

an upfront sum compared to monthly installments. Our financial situations are unique; knowing how to select loans that fit our individual finances can prove beneficial in the long run. A second advantage of taking a financial planning course is learning how to budget. It’s easy to be tantalized by countless restaurants on Green Street. We frequent malls, shops or the bookstore, buying little gifts here and there for friends, family or ourselves. Budgeting prevents us from overspending. Applying this tactic to our spending habits as one of life’s largest expenditures, education, falls upon us can help us pay off debt

Pretzel-Jell-O salad

Chiara is a freshman in LAS. cawatr2@dailyillini.com

The thing that makes this particular “salad” unique is the combination of crushed pretzels and straight up melted butter that compose its crust. Top that salty, fatty base with a layer of sugared-up cream cheese and the JellO flavor of your choice (my favorite is strawberry), and you’ve got a casserole dish that would’ve been gobbled up at that church potluck in no time.

Buffalo chicken dip

Chicken. Ranch. Cream cheese. Cheddar cheese. Frank’s red hot. That’s all, folks. This dip is the bane of the lactose intolerant’s existence.

Mini hot dogs or meatballs in … sauce?

A personal favorite. Take mini meatballs or mini hot dogs and plop them into a simple, twoingredient concoction: grape jelly and chili sauce. Yum!

Ham, but it’s encrusted in sugar Enough said.

Life is tough lately. But this holiday season, I invite you to join me on a culinary journey through the kitchen of the old ladies in your church’s choir. Sure, they might be carrying a few extra pounds, but how else can one keep warm through the Midwestern winter? In all seriousness, as uncertainty seems to only worsen as time marches on. Let’s focus on what we can control, let’s focus on the simple pleasures and indulgences of life that remind us why it’s a great day to be alive. So pile on the cream cheese and add a sprinkle of sugar for good measure. Rejoice in knowing you don’t have to politely nod and smile as your uncle makes some off-color comments and you don’t have to witness your little cousins ripping the heads off of your favorite old Barbies. There are plenty of comforts still available to you right now, and there are even more silver linings if you just keep your eyes (and mouth) open. Happy holidays, Illini. Ellen is the Assistant Opinions Editor and a senior in LAS. ellenmb2@dailyillini.com

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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.

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November 16, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

SPORTS ILLINOIS VS. RUTGERS

BY BRENDYN JONES ASSISTANT ON-AIR EDITOR

With seven seconds left in the Illinois game against Rutgers on Saturday, senior kicker James McCourt hit a 47-yard field goal to give Illinois a 23-20 lead. This lead was the team’s first of the season and secured their first win since their November 2019 comeback against Michigan State. The team relied heavily on their rushing attack as redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams and sophomore running back Chase Brown combined for 326 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The defense also came together as they played better coverage and got three interceptions in the game. The 1-3 record doesn’t raise Illinois above anyone in the Big Ten West standings, but it does offer them a chance to create momentum in a season which they have not had a lot going for them.

Fourth week, fourth quarterback

Week four against Rutgers saw Illinois start its fourth different quarterback in four weeks. Second-string quarterback Isaiah Williams got his first start after seeing a few plays in Illinois first game of the season against Wisconsin. Williams, who had been out with COVID-19 contact tracing protocols, was the leading rusher on the field with 192 yards and a touchdown. This might have been Williams’ only chance to get the start this

season as first-string senior quarterback Brandon Peters will be eligible to return next week as long as he passes all other COVID-19 protocols.

Penalties … again

Last week against Minnesota, penalties killed Illinois on defense and offense. Against Rutgers, Illinois saw similar things early in the game. A pair of penalties on 4th and goal caused a would-be touchdown to turn into a field goal for Illinois. The penalties cleared up as the game went on, but Illinois has to put together a clean game as it looks to face more tough competition over the next few weeks.

3rd Down efficiency

Illinois has struggled with 3rd down throughout the season on both sides of the ball. But, that was different today against Rutgers. Illinois went 8-for-17 on 3rd down, which is just under 50%, but it is much better than Illinois has done through the first three games. On the other side, Illinois forced Rutgers to only 4-14 on 3rd down. The impact of this can be seen in the difference in time of possession, especially in the second half when Illinois held the ball for just over 20 minutes and Rutgers only had it for nine minutes and 45 seconds. Head coach Lovie Smith likened the 3rd down stops to forcing turnovers in his postgame press conference. If Illinois can continue to force punts or risky 4th down conversion attempts, the Illinois offense should continue to see the field more.

OFFENSE With Williams at quarterback, the Illinois offense had to rely on the rushing attack. In the first half, rushing was a struggle. But, as the second half started, runs broke through, as Brown glided through the defense to get a 39-yard rush. The two-headed rushing attack of Brown and Williams put up over 300 yards.

While Williams is most dangerous on the run, he still made plays in the air to keep Illinois in the game. The play that put Illinois in field goal range to win came when Williams connected with sophomore wide receiver Casey Washington on a comeback route for a 16-yard gain. The offensive line had its struggles. Protection was spotty at times; they committed penalties at bad moments and Doug Kramer had some low snaps. But, the team opened up run lanes as the game went on, and it seemed like they outlasted the Rutgers defensive line, which was dominant early.

ISAIAH WILLIAMS Williams is now the fourth starting quarterback for It’s improbable, assuming Peters stays healthy for the remainder of the Illini, but he is the only one to end a game with the season, we see Williams start at quarterback again. But, we a win. He had to sit out of team activities during have already seen Williams be used in designed quarterback runs weeks two and three because of COVID-19 contact and even playing stints as a receiver in some games, so we can tracing, but he said he focused on his mentality to be look forward to more Williams this season in some capacity. ready for this moment during that time. If this is Peters’ last year though, Illinois might morph into While he had mistakes with some fumbles and bad the offense we saw today if Williams is the program’s quarthrows, he showed up when the Illini needed it. Williams terback next season. carried the load for the Illini, accounting for over half of the Williams would have rushing attempts and rushing yards and, of course, all of their earned an “A” if he could passing yards. The offense didn’t just go through Williams; the have done more in the air and offense was Williams. didn’t fumble the ball.

DEFENSE I have been one of the defense’s biggest critics this season. But make no mistake, on Saturday the defense won the game, and three interceptions put the offense in great situations to score. The defense struggled a little out of the gates. On the first drive, Illinois forced Rutgers into a fourth-and-three on Illinois’ 29-yard line. But, possibly in an effort to limit the short play that would convert the fourth down, the defense let up a fade route on the outside for a touchdown. Like every week, the defense gave up big plays. But, what set this week apart was when stops were needed, Illinois got them. All three of Rutgers’ turnovers came in the second half. A tip-drill interception to senior linebacker Jake Hansen, a 50/50 ball that sophomore defensive back Devon Witherspoon went up to get and an opportunistic pick that kept Illi-

nois in the game from senior defensive back Nate Hobbs were all essential to keeping Illinois in the game. Illinois’ defense might have a long way to go before they can compete on a weekly basis with Big Ten teams, but this was the performance they needed to start to gather momentum. @brendyn_jones brendynjones@dailyillini.com

FOOTBALL

Is Isaiah Williams a viable option for Illinois’ future? GABBY HAJDUK SPORTS EDITOR

T PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Senior linebacker Jake Hansen stands ready on the line of scrimmage during the game against Rutgers on Saturday. Hansen forced a turnover and intercepted the ball to help the Illini get their first win.

‘Lovieball’ provides Illini’s first victory BY CARSON GOURDIE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

He missed. Wide right. For the second time in four minutes, senior kicker James McCourt failed to convert a field goal attempt, setting up Rutgers to steal Illinois’ first victory away from them. Once again, Illinois was on course to find another way to squander a victory. The possibility of a winless season became more real. With the clock ticking, the rejuvenated Scarlet Knights just needed a few more yards to set up their own gamewinning attempt. Then, senior defensive back Nate Hobbs came to the rescue. Behind Hobbs’ last-minute interception, leading to McCourt’s game-winning field goal, the Illini improved to 1-3 while showing the blueprint for success: Lovieball. Redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams played fantastically and gave Illini fans the hope they so

desperately craved. Securing the school record for rushing yards by a quarterback in your first start is a good start. But even with his 192 rushing yards, Rutgers was in the driver’s seat to keep Illinois winless and boil head coach Lovie Smith’s seat. Illinois will never have the most talented or fastest team. It can’t rely on a toptier pocket passing quarterback who can outscore teams like Ohio State or Wisconsin. But what it does have is a system where somehow they can routinely force turnovers, the greatest equalizer in football. “Usually when you take the ball away three times, you have a chance, and it took that today,” Lovie said. Illinois played its most complete defensive game yet, holding Rutgers to its lowest point total of the season. Rutgers, led by Nebraska transfer Noah Vedral, hung 38 on Michigan State and even scored 27 against

Ohio State. And though the defense played its best so far, they still bent plenty of times. Rutgers totaled 422 yards of offense on the day, including 166 rushing yards. Vedral gashed Illinois twice on long touchdown passes, including a 29-yarder on fourth and third. But Illinois tightened up in the first half before forcing three interceptions in the second half. “It’s game changing,” Hobbs said about the turnovers. “As a team, we thrive off turnovers. So when we get those turnovers, we bring energy, juice, momentum. I want to say that’s why we got the dub.” It can’t be overstated how big the turnovers were. Two of the picks occurred inside Illini territory. Senior linebacker Jake Hansen, who’s famous for forcing fumbles, got it started with an interception late in the third quarter, which led to a game-tying field goal.

“Jake is an outstanding player, no matter where he plays,” Lovie said. “We needed all of those big plays he made today, and we had a few.” The Illini came into the game as the worst scoring defense in the conference, surrendering nearly 40 points a game. Wisconsin made the secondary look junior varsity. Purdue sliced the Illini early. Minnesota ran through Illinois for over 300 yards on the ground. While the offense was also ineffective, Rod Smith’s offense was never given a chance, as opponents would get up double digits almost immediately. It looked like Rutgers was going to continue the trend. Within the first two minutes, the Scarlet Knights hung seven points on the board and added a field goal later in the quarter. Down SEE LOVIEBALL | 2B

hrough three weeks, the Illinois offense struggled to find an identity. Against Wisconsin, all aspects of the offense were shut down, with the exception of senior quarterback Brandon Peters’ run game, which can’t solely win games. In week two, with Peters out due to COVID-19, Matt Robinson, who has a solid but inconsistent arm, stepped in. But an injury after one drive forced fourth-string sophomore Coran Taylor into a near-starter role. And while he showed flashes of a dynamic offense, turnovers led to another loss. Then in week three, junior running back Mike Epstein’s run game was the only facet to find success under a Taylor-led offense. That takes us to week four. Because of the Big Ten’s 21-day rule when a player tests positive for COVID-19, Peters was held out one more week despite traveling to Rutgers. However, after missing two weeks due to contact tracing, redshirt freshman Isaiah Williams was back. Earlier in the week, head coach Lovie Smith said he was pretty confident he knew whether Williams or Taylor would start against the Scarlet Knights. Lovie officially gave Williams the nod Friday. “Coach Lovie told me (I was starting),” Williams said. “He called me up and was like, ‘you’re gonna get your shot. You had a great camp and now it’s time to show the world.’

And that’s what I showed today.” Williams isn’t wrong. In his first start as an Illini, the quarterback didn’t shy away from his big moment. Illinois came into Rutgers 0-3. Many, including myself, saw this as a must-win game not only to salvage the shortened season, but for Lovie to salvage his job. The Illini have been underwhelming to begin the season despite claims this was the best team in recent years. That energy shifted Saturday when Williams led the Illini to a 23-20 victory over the Scarlet Knights. And how did he do it? By establishing an identity: the run game. Williams rushed for 192 yards on 31 carries, breaking the previous program record held by A.J. Bush for the most single-game rushing yards by a quarterback. While completing just seven passes, Williams kept the Rutgers secondary honest, throwing for 104 yards and making big passes in crucial moments. At the end of the first quarter, Williams connected with junior tight end Daniel Barker for 22 yards to thrust the Illini into red zone territory, later leading to Williams’ sole rushing touchdown and the team’s first score. In the third quarter after a 22-yard run from Williams, he hit sophomore wide receiver Casey Washington for a 20-yard pass, bringing Illinois down to the Rutgers 3-yard line. Three plays later and Epstein carried the ball into the endzone for Illinois’ SEE WILLIAMS | 2B

Monday, November 16, 2020

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MEN’S BASKETBALL FROM 1B

WILLIAMS

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Freshman guard Adam Miller shoots the ball during practice on Nov. 4. Miller has acclimated well to the Illinois basketball team.

Adam Miller has smooth transition BY BRANDON SIMBERG STAFF WRITER

For most freshman college basketball players, joining a new team can lead to many uncertainties. Add in the questions surrounding COVID-19, and the freshman experience can be anything but normal. Illinois freshman guard Adam Miller, however, has quickly felt at home in Champaign. Miller already has a connection with current Illini guards senior Da’Monte Williams and junior Ayo Dosunmu. Miller and Williams grew up in Peoria together and were workout partners in middle school before briefly sharing the court for Peoria Manual. Miller then transferred to Morgan Park, where he got the chance to play with Dosunmu for a year. Miller, Dosunmu and Williams also all overlapped on the Mac Irvin Fire, an AAU team. When Miller signed with Illinois, it was expected that Dosunmu would keep his name in the NBA Draft, allowing Miller to take the reigns as the scoring guard. “I feel like playing with them, I’m getting a bonus,” Miller said. “I’m gonna find

my niche wherever I’m at. Whoever’s the main option, whoever’s the second option, I’m gonna have my niche, playing defense and finding my role.” While Miller won’t be the featured offensive guard, he will still have to play a massive role for this team. Head coach Brad Underwood has historically run a lot of threeguard sets that create shots and opportunities for each player. Miller’s off-the-dribble game could be a nice feature next to Dosunmu and returning senior guard Trent Frazier. It took Miller some time to learn the three-guard offense, but now he feels like he has it down. “Learning the system, it took me a minute because I’m smart, but I always ask ‘why,’” Miller said. “It took me a second ... but for me I really wanted to learn this to a tee so if I get in any situation, I’m gonna be prepared.” The biggest impact Miller should have, though, is his shooting. Miller is billed as one of the better shooters in the 2020 recruiting class, which should help an Illinois team that finished dead last in three-point shooting last season at 30.3%.

Miller has been on Illinois fans’ radar for a while now. He’s been one of the topranked prospects in the state since middle school. His first college offer was from former Illini head coach John Groce in October of Miller’s freshman season. Groce was fired at the end of that year, but Underwood and his staff quickly resumed recruiting him. When Miller committed here, the Illini were not the projected top-10 team they are this season. Miller had offers from top programs like Kansas, UCLA, Arizona and Texas Tech. When Dosunmu returned, there were rumors he would not sign with Illinois and commit elsewhere. But through it all, Miller stayed loyal to Illinois and is prepared to help take this program to the next level. “The culture we’re building here is a winning culture,” Miller said. “We’re building something here. We’ve got pieces. We’ve got everything we need ... All we gotta do is work hard and out-tough everybody every night.” @BrandonSimberg simberg2@dailyillini.com

know there’s more to Peters than week one showed. I’m talking about next year, the year after that and maybe even the year after that. Following this season, Williams will have three seasons of eligibility left. But I’m not sure if I can answer my own question yet. While many running quarterbacks have found success at the high collegiate level, not all Big Ten defenses will let you run all over them. There needs to be some fluidity in the passing game throughout the full four quarters. If Williams can find that consistency, strengthen up his arm and minimize rookie mistakes like turnovers, he could be a viable option for this Illini program moving forward. Both Lovie and Williams himself have confidence he can continue to succeed. Lovie has been raving about

the young quarterback’s improvement since late summer, saying “he’s had as good a training camp as anyone around.” For the time being, the decision comes down to Peters versus Williams. While Peters won the quarterback battle easily the past two years, it’s hard to dismiss how well Williams fit into Rod Smith’s offense. Even if Williams starts on the bench next Saturday, I would be shocked if we don’t see him in designed run plays at some point. “With Isaiah playing like he did, it does give us a lot of options as much as anything and that’s what we’ll do,” Lovie said. “The goal of every coaching staff is to try to put the guys and the team in the best place to be successful and we’ll do that this week.”

ter, a comeback for an inexperienced Williams would have been unmanageable. He simply doesn’t have the arm yet. However, by only trailing by three or tied late, the offense had the luxury of continuing to run the ball down the field. It can be scary relying on turnovers for success — look at the past three weeks. But Lovie-led teams have a track record of consistently forcing them; it’s what he preaches. While a victory over Rutgers doesn’t translate to Big Ten championships, the game showed the Illini

aren’t the Big Ten bottomdwellers pundits predicted. Lovie’s program showed it has a young quarterback that can wreak havoc with his legs. The program showed it hasn’t given up after a disappointing 0-3 start. But if Smith wants to have a regular bowl contender, forcing turnovers is a must. Without them today, the Illini would be 0-4, and the conversation this week would have been very different.

second touchdown of the day. In the final drive of the game, nearing overtime territory with a 20-20 score, Williams let his arm carry the Illini into field goal territory. Williams made two 16-yard passes to Washington in the drive, the second one stopping the clock with seven seconds to go and setting senior kicker James McCourt up for the game-winning kick. “I think I showed heart ... 30 carries, that’s a lot of carries,” Williams said. “I just kept playing. And then the last play, the back shoulder, I showed that progress is being made, and that’s all that matters. Because I keep getting better.” Needless to say, Williams has the skill to be a solid Big @gabby_h11 Ten quarterback. Obviousghajduk2@dailyillini.com ly, the 39% completion percentage could use some work and Williams isn’t afraid to admit it. “I’ve got to have the coaches more confident in me throwing the football,” Williams said. “So, it’s back to the lab and gotta get better at that to become complete.” So here lies the big question following the game: Can Williams be the future? I’m not talking immediate future, like next week or any point this season. I think it’s a safe bet that Peters will get the start at Nebraska as PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS he returns to practice this Redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams throws a pass week. While he struggled during the game against Rutgers on Saturday. Illinois won the against Wisconsin, we all game 23-20.

FROM 1B

LOVIEBALL 10-0, the Illini didn’t give up; they played hungry and delivered their finest performance since Iowa last season. The Illini started a quarterback who only had 13 pass attempts in his career. Even with a full game now under his belt, Williams only finished with 104 yards while completing 39% of passes. It’s likely if the Illini were trailing multiple scores in the fourth quar-

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November 16, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

COVID-19 Diwali celebrates light amidst darkness Students take part in virtual festivities, spread positivity BY ELIZABETH SAYASANE FEATURES EDITOR

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

A student takes a University COVID-19 test at State Farm Center on Oct. 8. The C-U Public Health District has recently recommended all K-12 schools to switch to online learning.

CU health district advises all-online for K-12 schools BY CHIEH HSU STAFF WRITER

ing formal gatherings, such as parties, weddings, receptions, funerals, dinner parties, birthday parties, meetings and informal gatherings such as just friends and family getting together.” CUPHD suggests attendees of a gathering assume that everyone is infectious, including themselves, and treat it as such. In a conversation with The Daily Illini, Mayor Diane Marlin of Urbana expressed concerns over the inefficiency of the testing system used in Urbana. “We do have an issue with testing, and the test results in the Marketplace are taking much longer to get back to people,” Marlin said. According to Marlin, the current testing system in Urbana can take up to 48 hours to report the result, which has already passed the critical interval to notify an individual who is contagious from the virus. On Sunday, Champaign County confirmed another 196 cases of the coronavirus, bringing the county up to 818 active cases. Ten county residents are currently hospitalized for the virus.

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District has recommended all schools K-12 to switch to online learning until at least Jan. 5 because of worsening virus spread in the county. The recommendation came Thursday after more than 700 new cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Champaign County over the course of the week. “That ’s ex ponentia l growth, and we are seeing an explosion of cases,” said CUPHD Administrator Julie Pryde. Shor t ly a f ter w a rd , Superintendent Susan Zola of Champaign Unit 4 School District announced a district-wide switch to online learning, effective on Monday. Pryde’s message is still just a strong recommendation, not an official order for county schools. The weekly positivity rate of COVID-19 tests in Champaign County has jumped above 9% as of Wednesday, Nov. 11, and 10 county residents have died from virus-related complications in just 10 days. “We see most of the COVID spread right now is being caused by gatherings,” Pryde said. “Includ- chiehh3@dailyillini.com

Every autumn, thousands of students across campus celebrate Diwali, commemorating the triumph of light over dark. Around the world, families and friends come together to partake in grand celebrations. Traditionally, people will light oil lamps in their homes, set off firework displays and decorate their homes with flowers. Extended families gather to exchange gifts and share a large meal together. The campus has its own special way of celebrating the holiday. Foellinger Auditorium lights up with thousands of bulbs strung across its roof. Candles are lit around the quad and decorate Alma Mater. Organizations on campus have dances and dinners. This year, celebrants had to adapt their Diwali festivities to comply with the precautions put in place to protect against COVID-19. This has dramatically changed the way many celebrate the holiday. One student who adapted his celebrations is Sathwik Reddy, senior in Engineering. Reddy has decided to keep things casual this year, while still trying to maintain some of the spirit. “This year I’m actually just getting some Indian food, just take out, and meeting a small group of friends for dinner,” Reddy said. As an international student, Reddy is typically unable to be at home for the festivities as it falls during the school year. He said normally he would FaceTime family members on that day to attend the celebrations virtually while also celebrating with friends on

PHOTO COURTESY OF SATHWIK REDDY

Sathwik Reddy, Anvi Sarbhai and Saumay Kinra pose for a photo during Diwali on Saturday. Diwali celebrants had to adapt this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

campus. “There’s usually a celebration by the Indian Grad Student Association on the quad that we all attend,” he said. “There is some good Indian food, some music,

pile these clips of the community celebrating together while staying apart, virtually spreading the light. Reddy said at home the celebrations will not gather as many people togeth-

“In these dark times, we always need something to look forward to and something to keep spirits up and keep us hopeful.” SATHWIK REDDY SENIOR IN ENGINEERING

everybody’s dancing, dressing up, you just get to greet everybody.” This year, IGSA canceled its traditional Diwali on the quad celebration because of the crowds it attracts. Instead, they asked individuals to film a 10-second video of themselves passing a light from their left to their right. They will com-

days remains an important part of life. “In these dark times, we always need something to look forward to and something to keep spirits up and keep us hopeful,” Reddy said. By continuing to celebrate the holiday, sharing this time with family and friends either virtually or in small groups, many are able to find some positivity to keep them going. “I think it ’s important that we celebrate the spirit of the holidays,” he said. “Do it safely but celebrate the spirit of the holidays so that we’re all staying healthy mentally and keeping our spirits up and just coming together. Even though we’re separated by distance, still coming together to celebrate the spirit of the holidays is just staying hopeful for the future.”

er and most will celebrate within their own home. He said these large celebrations, spending time with so many friends and family, will be missed during this holiday. Despite the tumultuous nature of COVID-19 and the troubled times many are struggling through, Reddy said celebrating these holi- eis3@dailyillini.com

Chancellor Jones addresses concerns of burnout, recent COVID-19 spike 1. Does the University expect a spike in positive COVID-19 cases when students arrive on campus for the spring semester?

2. What is the University’s response to a growing concern amongst students about academic burnout and a call for improved counseling To maximize safety for the services?

entire community, the University is requiring all students to test as soon as they return to campus for the Spring 2021 semester and then again at least three days later. Students should participate only in essential activities, such as buying groceries, until they receive two negative on-campus test results. Students will not be allowed in university facilities until they receive the two negative test results.

vices are provided safely and confidentially. The Outreach and Prevention Services were modified so that students could engage in skill-building and psychoeducation via an online platform as well. Provost Cangellaris and I are also forming a group that includes faculty, staff and students to discuss the mental health issues members of our campus community are experiencing and to identify, build and implement enhanced efforts to support the emotional and psychological wellbeing of our community.

This is a challenging time for all of us. When it became apparent that the Counseling Center would not be able to offer traditional in-person services, resources were invested to ensure that Illinois students would continue to be served. All staff clinicians were trained in telehealth. Policies and procedures were revised and rewritten accordingly. A HIPAA-compliant video plat- 3. What happens to the saliva form, PHI Zoom, was added vials after a test has been to ensure that telehealth ser- conducted? Are they recycled

or are they thrown out? How much extra waste has University COVID-19 testing added to the University’s overall waste production?

The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s) interim biosafety guidelines say that clinical samples such as these are to be treated as biohazardous waste. So, these inactivated specimens are disposed of through a vendor that specializes in regulated medical waste. We are currently in the process of moving to implement smaller test tubes that will reduce MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI the amount of biohazardous Chancellor Robert Jones prepares to give the State of the waste generated. University Address at the Illini Ballroom on Jan. 24. Jones news@dailyillini.com

Stay

attempts to quell the fears of University students by discussing plans for the spring semester.

covered so you can stay here. covid19.illinois.edu

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Monday, November 16, 2020

buzz calendar BY RUKAYAH HUSSEIN 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, NOV. 16

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18

Virtual Open Mic Night via Zoom!

PHOTO COURTESY OF BEACH VACATION’S FACEBOOK

The members of Beach Vacation pose for a band photo on Oct. 7. The duo released their latest album “I Fell Apart” on Friday.

Seattle duo evokes dating emotions Beach Vacation tracks stages of relationships through dreamy melodies with debut album release BY SYDNEY WOOD BUZZ STAFF WRITER

buzz factor: Seattle-based Beach Vacation’s debut album, “I Fell Apart,” combines profound lyrics and clever instrumentals that the duo recorded, mixed and mastered, making this dream-pop album a notable product of this year. Influenced by Swedish pop bands, Beach Vacation’s sound possesses dreamlike qualities due to its echoing

vocals and instrumentals that give the music a laidback and pleasant aura. The album was released on Friday, Nov. 13. Produced by Slovakian label Z Tapes, “I Fell Apart” represents a person’s initial feelings of butterflies and excitement in a budding relationship. It also perfectly encapsulates the feelings of emptiness and heartbreak once the relationship has run its course. “Break The Ice,” the album’s first track, features echoing instrumentals that complement the vocalist’s soft voice. This tune is one of the album’s better songs, as its catchy chorus sets the tone for the rest of the album. As the rhythmic drumbeat maintains the song’s tempo, the vocals float over the guitar, bass and drumbeat, creating a nice blend of vocals and instrumentals without one element overpowering

another. “Break The Ice” emits a laid-back vibe that carries listeners through the tune and the feelings of bliss experienced in the first stages of a relationship. The instrumentals remain unhurried throughout the song, and the band’s dreampop nature makes this tune an intimate auditory experience. The transition between the bridge and the last repetition of the chorus is the song’s highlight. The vocal harmonies within the bridge merge with the guitar melodies, creating a fluid shift from the bridge to the final chorus. Another album favorite, “Cure My Boredom,” relies on the constant driving force of its drumbeat to keep tempo. While the instrumentals in this tune are more pronounced than in “Break The Ice,” the vocals remain soft, muffled and echo-like, causSEE DATING | 6B

! 7:30-11:30 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by The Canopy Club # Free Join the Canopy Club & ChampaignUrbana Open Mic Nights crew, including Mike Ingram, Anika Emily, Moe Pesci da Goodfella, Jake Fava Music, Lola Honey and more for weekly COVID-19 induced Zoom open mics. Until we can all be back at The Canopy Club, this is the best we’ve got.

TUESDAY, NOV. 17

National Take A Hike Day

! 10 a.m.-5 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by Homer Lake Interpretive Center # Free Nov. 17 is National Take a Hike Day, and if you can’t celebrate by taking a hike or walk of your own, head over to our Facebook page and take a virtual hike along some of the trails at Homer Lake Forest Preserve! Be on the lookout during November for a new geocache and check our Facebook page for updates.

Livestream: Mindful Meditation with Mary Wolters

! 12:30-2 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by Spurlock Museum # Free During each 30–minute session, Mary will help participants focus on their breathing and share tips for engaging mindfully. Present moment awareness can be elusive, and we often find ourselves distracted or lost in thought. Through the training and practice of mindful meditation, we can discover a calm amidst our to-do lists and more fully appreciate the gift of each day.

Mid-October Wednesday Nights at Clark Bar

! 6-8 p.m. " Clark Bar, 207 W. Clark St., Champaign # Free Great dinner, great drink specials and a great staff paired with great music. You can’t ask for more. The long-dated musical atmosphere of Clark Bar is hoping to see you this Wednesday!

Wednesday Night Trivia at Barrelhouse 34

! 7-9 p.m. " Barrelhouse 34, 34 E. Main St., Champaign # Free We’re back! Grab your friends and join us for the best weekly trivia around! Each week, we will have seven rounds of trivia designed to challenge you and ensure it’s the best night of your week. See you there!

Intro to Online Shopping: Tech Workshop

! 2-3 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by the Champaign Library # Free Want to know more about technology? Are you interested in learning about tablets, online shopping or streaming? Join us on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. for our free Tech Workshops, where we’ll explore these topics and many others.

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November 16, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

buzz

Local adoption center promotes animal welfare BY BRIDGET BASTEIN BUZZ STAFF WRITER

During COVID-19, people are facing undesirable circumstances they did not have to before. But one thing that is not as commonly discussed is the consequences regarding animal adoption and the relinquishing of pets to shelters. The Champaign Area Trap Spay Neuter and Adoption Program, also known as CATsNAP, is a local organization that still carries out its mission despite the pandemic’s impact. Vice President and Adoption Coordinator of CATsNAP Mercena Johnson has answered questions regarding the program and its accomplishments. CATsNAP opened its doors in 2005, and its mission is “to reduce pet overpopulation and improve the welfare of animals in the greater Champaign County Illinois area,” Johnson said. The prima r y way CATsNAP goes about achieving this is by advocating that all cats, dogs and other domestic animals are spayed and neutered regardless of age, breed, sex and tameness. This measure reduces the number of animals born into unsafe, neglectful and abusive circumstances. Spaying and neutering also help decrease the number of unwanted animals relinquished to shelters, where many are euthanized for lack of space. CATsNAP also disapproves of buying animals from large-scale commercial breeders or any outlets that these breeders supply. For the sake of the ani-

PHOTO COURTESY OF CATSNAP

Cats that are part of the CATsNAP organization sit together. CATsNAP works to spay and neuter various domestic animals to reduce rates of young animals born into neglectful circumstances.

mals in their care, CATsNAP makes sure to effectively and strictly vet potential pet adoption candidates to ensure that their animals are going to their forever homes. “We check vets, landlords and even Google addresses at times,” Johnson said. “We often run a check through the Circuit Clerk. We also look at Facebook pages, and then we meet them in-person.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CATSNAP

The logo for CATsNAP is pictured above.

FROM 5B

DATING ing the lyrics to blur together. “Cure My Boredom” possesses dreamlike qualities that contribute to a melodic sound. The tune boasts a lo-fi quality highlighted by the subtle vocal harmonies and interactions between the vocals and instrumentals. All of the tune’s elements, including instrumental and vocal elements, blend nicely to create a smooth, dreamy melody that allows the vocals to rest lightly on top of the instrumentals. “Cure My Boredom” showcases the duo’s ability to blend multiple instrumental and vocal melodies into one

cohesive sound. Beach Vacation excels in layering melodies and creating a singular sound, and “Cure My Boredom” indicates the duo’s talent in recording and mixing all of the various melodies within the album’s songs. “Unfazed” features the duo’s resonant, echoing vocals that shine through in the tune’s chorus. This song is the album’s focal point because its instrumentals interact and play off each other, creating a constant undercurrent of moving melodies that heighten an overall dream-pop vibe. The lyrics contrast from “Break The Ice” and show a bleaker side of dating. In “Unfazed,” the vocalist shares the perspec-

CATsNAP does not adopt out to people that will let their cats go outside or those who declaw pets. For candidates who have other pets, the animals must be in good health and fixed, as shown on their vet records. Through these high standards of their adoption process, one can see that CATsNAP cares deeply about the safety, wellbeing and happy future of their cats. Those wishing to adopt from CATsNAP must apply on their website and be preapproved. Then approved candidates will come to the CATsNAP facility to meet with the cats, where they are welcome to take home a cat the same day, provided they bring a carrier with a blanket and food the animal is accustomed to eating. While CATsNAP offers affordable spaying and neutering treatments, volunteers also catch and social-

ize wild kittens. They do this by spaying and neutering the kittens and relocating them to safer barns after tagging. “Nothing leaves us that is not fixed,” Johnson said. CATsNAP also pulls cats out of kill shelters. The program has a group of their cats that are FIV positive that would likely go unadopted at other shelters. Despite the pandemic, CATsNAP is doing quite well. “Like anyone else, it is much harder to operate, but we are placing animals at the rate of about 50 a month,” Johnson said. “We social distance, wear masks, set up limited adoption meet-andgreets and ask people not to come sick. If someone shows signs of sickness, like coughing, we postpone the event.” Johnson touches upon how CATsNAP is still able to carry out its mission despite the circumstances. “We are small but well-

tive of a slowly sinking relationship where the couple changes and drifts apart from one another. The tune’s somber yet hopeful lyrics reflect through the instrumentals, especially in the guitar outro, where the bass guitar accompanies the higher and lower guitar melodies. The outro is an accurate representation of leaving things unsaid as the repetitive instrumental melodies replace the vocals and carry the tune to its end. Like many songs on this album, the tune ends on a final resonate note that almost resembles a minuscule fadeout. “Unfazed” showcases Beach Vacation’s talent in writing introspective lyrics that are relatable to a wide range of

audiences. This album is a roadmap that guides listeners through the phases of a relationship through its introspective lyrics and its instrumentals representing each tune’s emotion. The duo’s dreamy sound quality elevates the message within the album’s profound lyrics. “I Fell Apart” is an impressive feat for being the duo’s debut album. Despite layering multiple instrumental and vocal melodies in creating this album, Beach Vacation made a surprisingly cohesive sound with heartfelt PHOTO COURTESY OF BANDCAMP lyrics that accurately embody The cover for Beach Vacation’s newest album “I Fell Apart” is dating and hardship.

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known,” Johnson said. “Our cats are rescued and come with a story, most of them with a history of pain and neglect and betrayal. People are touched by the stories and understand they have it rough now. These poor animals have, in many cases, had a lifetime of suffering and struggle.” The rehabilitation and transformation of these animals are what Johnson says is the best part of working or volunteering for CATsNAP. “The most rewarding times are when you look into the animals’ eyes, and instead of fear, you see trust,” Johnson said. “That is what makes our volunteers so faithful. We could not do without volunteers. They are our lifeline. We need more of them, and we need more foster homes.” As the pandemic rages on, Johnson encourages community members to volunteer at CATsNAP,

as the experience could life-changing. “For those who have a strong love for animals and would like to become one of these volunteers or foster homes, the application pages are on the CATsNAP website under ‘How to Help,’” Johnson said. For anyone who is currently unable to adopt or volunteer but would still like to help out the organization, CATsNAP has their Holiday Auction coming up Nov. 27 through Dec. 6 from noon to 5 p.m. People will be able to bid on auction items and baskets. These items were donated by local businesses and by CATsNAP volunteers, including masks, blankets, toys and treats. Bidding is available on CATsNAP’s Facebook page, where they will be posting updates on the auction and links to bidding items. bastein3@readbuzz.com

pictured above.

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