THURSDAY November 12, 2020
THE DAILY ILLINI
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Virus brings deadliest week
Vol. 150 Issue 24
Regional, county COVID-19 positivity rate continues to soar
BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
Another five Champaign County residents have died from COVID-19, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced on Tuesday. It’s the most fatalities in a single day for the county since the pandemic began. The virus claimed the lives of a woman in her 60s, a woman in her 70s, two men in their 80s and a man in his 90s. According to CUPHD, 37
county residents have died from COVID-19 to date. Eight of those deaths have come in the last week. On Wednesday, CUPHD reported another 305 cases of COVID-19 in the county, though some were from previous days, administrator Julie Pryde confirmed. The active case count jumped by 178 on Wednesday, while another 109 people have been ordered to quarantine after exposure to a COVID-19-positive person. Eighty-four of the newly
confirmed cases came from ZIP code 61820, which covers most of campus. The same ZIP code holds 155 of the county’s 528 active cases. In all, Champaign County has reported 7,449 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with more than 1,400 cases in the last two weeks. As of Wednesday, 901,881 tests had been conducted in the county and confirmed by CUPHD. Since July, 11,458 close contacts have been ordered
to quarantine by CUPHD. About 10.4% of them — 1,194 people — have tested positive for the virus after being ordered quarantine. Cases of the virus skew toward the younger crowd in C-U. More than 33% of people who’ve tested positive in the county — 2,521 of them — are between 10 and 20 years old. Another 2,084 cases come from people 20 to 30 years of age.
% Positivity rate
Champaign County sees eight new deaths from COVID-19
Region Six Champaign County
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
@esimmsnews ecsimmon@dailyillini.com
CASSIDY BRANDT THE DAILY ILLINI
November surge breaks Food insecurity initiative heads to UI senate national, state records BY ALIZA MAJID
BY ETHAN SIMMONS
STAFF WRITER
NEWS EDITOR
Efforts to combat food insecurity in the Champaign will be addressed on the floor of the UI Senate on Nov. 15. The “Food Insecurity in Champaign County” resolution, co-authored by student activist Drake Materre, was passed by the Illinois student government earlier this semester. “University needs to sit down with community organizations to create a plan to utilize the resources that they have and create a program that can deliver its resources to high-risk individuals,” according to Materre. According to the University, they have been aware of the food insecurity issues affecting Champaign County and have partnered with various organizations in order to address these concerns. “In addition to food packaging events there are fundraising campaigns aimed at raising support for food assistance and well-being programs are ongoing and the Department of Food Science Human Nutrition conducts regional research concerning food inequities,” said Chantelle Thompson, director of marketing and communications at Student Affairs. The primary programs the University works with to combat food insecurity in the community are known as Waste No Food and Project for Less.
Food insecure people in Champaign County:
23,020 people Food insecurity rate in Champaign County:
Additional money required to meet food needs:
11% $12,015,000 Source: Feeding America CASSIDY BRANDT THE DAILY ILLINI
Waste No Food is a digital platform that allows University Housing to post leftover meals on a virtual board and notify local groups who may opt to accept the items. Project for Less is a studentled program hosted through the Wesley Food Pantry that allows volunteers to come to the dining halls to package family portions of food for donations to the pantry. Materre is focused on constructing this diversion program in order to help high-
risk individuals but has been focusing on domestic violence victims or survivors. The rate of domestic violence crimes in Champaign County is the fourth highest in the state of Illinois, and one of the main calls police receive in the county. “The diversion program will focus on transformative justice rehabilitation programs for the perpetrator and the survivor of domestic violence. There’s a lot of a lot of things that would go into it
such as discussions on masculinity and femininity, nutrition education, food preparation and cooking,” Materre said. Materre is currently running a nutrition education course for children who have become victims of domestic violence. This class helps individuals relieve stress and deal with their trauma. “I do believe children need to be involved in this conSEE FOOD | 3A
RSOs raise money for Ale’yah Lewis following arrest BY MONA ALRAZZAQ STAFF WRITER
University RSOs are raising money in order to provide a woman who was recorded being aggressively restrained by Champaign police in April with basic necessities as well as an experienced lawyer to defend her cases in court. After a 911 call involving a shooting incident in April, police officers were dispatched to East Colorado and South Cottage Grove avenues. Ale’yah Lewis, 21, was present at the scene along with her boyfriend, Kamorian Busby. Both Lewis and Busby were taken into custody at the scene. Cellphone footage that went viral as well
as released police body camera footage recorded Lewis’s arrest. The footage shows the beginning of the confrontation with a verbal exchange between Lewis and the officers where they were dispatched. It follows with officers restraining her aggressively by pushing her to the ground and punching her when she pulled away and resisted arrest. An investigation by Champaign’s State Attorney Julia Rietz, as well as independent firm Hillard Heintze hired to investigate the incident, resulted in conclusions that the officers involved followed the Urbana Police Department’s policy. Heintze rec-
ommended changes to the department’s policy after the investigation. Charges were not dropped against Lewis following the aggressive arrest, and additional charges for an unrelated incident were filed. Lewis’s next court date is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 9 a.m. A statement made by the University’s RSO Young Democratic Socialists of America says the video clearly shows Lewis was “brutally assaulted by the police.” They are attempting to raise money for a GoFundMe page created by Lewis’s friend, Meghan McDonald in order to assist Lewis. The fundraising page has raised $3,161 as of Nov. 10. Dat
Luu, sophomore in LAS and a member of YDSA, says the money raised from the fundraising site goes directly to providing food security and home security for Lewis as well as to obtain legal help for her court case. Lewis has received a copious amount of publicity ever since the video of her encounter with the police was released online without her consent, Luu said. He said because of this, Lewis has received hateful comments online and has had difficulty finding a job. “We wanna make sure that especially a victim of police brutality will be able to get
est weekly total since the early September surge on campus of more than 800 cases. UI is up to a seven-day average of more than 50 new cases per day, up from 10 new cases per day on Oct. 25. W hen someone tests positive for the virus in C-U, they must isolate for at least 10 days before being released. Those who’ve become positive recently may not be able to immediately return to their homes for fall break, which begins Nov. 20. Any close contacts of COVID-19-positive people must quarantine for 14 days post-exposure. Since Aug. 15, when the University ramped up testing as students moved back in, 3,507 people have tested for COVID-19 on campus. Meanwhile, November has brought a tidal wave of COVID-19 cases across the country. There have been more than 1 million new cases of the virus in just the first 10 days of the month. Hospitalizations are at an all-time high nationwide, with 61,964 as of Tuesday, according to the COVID-19 Tracking Project. Deaths aren’t where they were in April — more than 2,200 a day in April compared to about 990 per day now — but they’re a lagging indicator and steadily increasing. After surges in July, average death tolls of the virus topped 1,250 a day in early August before dropping again in September.
For the fifth straight day, Illinois has topped 10,000 new cases of COVID-19, blasting spring totals out of the water. Tuesday brought another record for the state: Over 12,600 new cases in 24 hours. Prior to Oct. 28, Illinois had never seen more than 6,000 cases in a day. Illinois also surpassed 100,000 tests in a single day on Tuesday, a new record. All 11 regions in the state, as defined by Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan, have been moved back to Phase 3 as test positivity rates have surged. Champaign County is in Region 6, alongside 19 other counties in East Central Illinois. With UI tests, the region’s seven-day test positivity is 4.2%. Without them, it’s at 11.9% as of Saturday, far beyond the 8% threshold which triggers increased mitigations. In order to return to Phase 4 with indoor dining and other eased restrictions, the region would have to dip below a positivity rate of 6.5% for three consecutive days, excluding UI’s testing. Without the UI testing, Champaign County hit a seven-day positivity of 8.1% on Saturday. On Oct. 25, just two weeks ago, seven-day positivity stood at 4.7%. Back when Region 6 was ordered to return into mitigation measures two days afterward, it was at 5.2%. On campus, the virus spread isn’t great either. Last week, the University identified 360 new cases of @esimmsnews COVID-19 among students, ecsimmon@dailyillini.com faculty and staff, the high-
INSIDE
Opinions: Technology inspires Lovecraft
Sports: Andre Curbelo looks to quickly impact Illini
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Thursday, November 12, 2020
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• Aggravated robbery was reported on the 900 block of Harris Avenue around 6:55 p.m. on Sunday. According to the report, the suspect is unknown and a cellphone was stolen. • Aggravated battery was reported on the 2400 block of Southwood Drive around 11 p.m. on Saturday. According to the report, two subjects battered the victim in his home. The victim was transported to the hospital. • Aggravated battery and mob action were reported on the 400 block of East John Street around 11:30 p.m. on Friday. According to the report, the victim was battered by three unknown males next to the Sigma Chi fraternity house.
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ing to the report, an unknown • Theft under $500 was reported at offender stole the victim’s Pennsylvania Avenue Residence license plate off of their vehiHalls, West College Court, Urbacle. The license plate was later na between Friday and Monday. discovered out of town on a stoThe bicycle was locked to a rack len vehicle. and had an estimated value of • Residential burglar y was $300. reported on the 300 block of North Lincoln Avenue around Urbana 2 a.m. on Monday. According to • Residential burglar y was the report, an unknown offendreported on the 500 block of er entered the victims’ apartEast Michigan Avenue around ment and stole items belonging 3 a.m. on Monday. According to to both residents. The offendthe report, an unknown offender was able to gain entry to the er broke the apartment window apartment without force due where the victim lives, entered to an unlocked patio door. The the apartment and stole items. offender stole multiple elec• Theft $500 and under was tronic gaming systems and one reported on the 300 block of computer. North Broadway Avenue around midnight on Sept. 30. Accord- news@dailyillini.com
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On Tuesday, the University announced graduate students, faculty and staff who are taking part in the University’s SHIELD testing program should begin taking COVID-19 tests twice per week. Citing recent increases in the seven-day positivity rate, Chancellor Robert Jones announced these changes along with other guidelines in two Massmails to graduate students, faculty and staff. “If you are currently participating in the oncampus COVID-19 testing program, please increase your testing frequency from once per week to twice per week, testing on Wednesday and Saturday or Wednesday and Sunday if possible,” Jones said. The University is up to more than 50 new cases per day for the last week after dipping to a weekly average of 10 new cases per day. Jones recommends graduate students, faculty and staff take their COVID-19 tests early in the day if possible. Other than testing twice
a week, Jones also introduced new guidelines for graduate students, faculty and staff, which he said is part of the University’s Shield Surge plan. While contact-tracing shows the increase in positive cases among graduate students, faculty and staff “is not due to classroom or on-the-job transmission,” Jones nevertheless urges these groups to take necessary precautions to curb the spread of COVID-19. These precautions include working from home whenever possible, going outside only for essential activities and limiting travel and gatherings. This announcement came mere days after Jones announced similar measures for undergraduates last week. In a Massmail last Friday, Jones reminded students to continue taking their required COVID-19 tests and that they must comply with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District when asked. He also urged students to refrain from hosting or attending parties,
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Zachary Chalmers, junior in LAS, takes a University COVID-19 test at the State Farm Center testing site on Oct. 9. A recent Massmail has instructed faculty, staff and graduate students to test twice weekly.
noting that parties spread COVID-19. “By not consistently wearing masks, minimizing social gatherings, properly washing hands and getting tested, your peers’ actions have led to a concerning and rapid increase in the number of new undergraduate COVID-19 positive cases,” Jones said. Jones urged students to begin taking precautions now in order to minimize COVID-19 transmission over the Thanksgiving holiday. “Protect your friends, family and community by
making safe decisions,” he said. “If we do not address this on-campus trend right now, we will be forced to take more extreme measures before fall break.” The seven-day positivity rate for graduate students doubled to 0.46% since the last week of October and tripled to 0.72% for faculty and staff, according to the Massmails. The seven-day positivity rate for the University overall rose from 0.12% in October to 0.62% on Tuesday. williec2@dailyillini.com
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November 12, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
NEWS
Grading software slows professors amid stacked semester BY CHIEH HSU STAFF WRITER
In online education, a majority of professors in the humanities chose to utilize the online learning platform Moodle to assign work to students. While the software aimed to improve the teaching process for instructors, it may have achieved the opposite effect. According to Jonathan Livengood, associate professor in LAS, there was little contact between the software designers and the instructors in the application’s developmental stage. Instead, the administrators cared more about utilizing the same system as the University’s rival institutions such as the University of Michigan or the University of California. “Online grading is atrociously bad,” Livengood said. “I found there is something about having to grade in an online environment that is intellectually harder to do.
I’m spending three or four times as much actual clock time than I would in a faceto-face class. If you look at the way Moodle does its grading, they add a ton of clicks that they don’t need to have. Their interfaces are quite clunky.” Jesse Fitts, teaching assistant professor in LAS, who is teaching a 220-student class this semester, said Moodle is not as user friendly as Canvas is. According to Fitts, he has to constantly extend due dates for students because of health emergencies and technical difficulties, such as those encountered by international students when accessing some software used by the philosophy department. “There is so much information to keep track of, and it has been bursting my brain this semester,” Fitts said. According to Livengood, online teaching lacks the
spontaneous element of inperson classes and requires the instructor to carefully prompt the lecture before recording a lesson. “In a normal semester, I would probably spend between six and nine hours of course prep for every hour that I teach, and then a couple of hours of grading every week,” Livengood said. “This semester it’s probably been between double and four times that.” The solution for the hazard of online grading seems to lie in the hands of the administrators. “I think it could be fixed if the attitude of the administrators was not paying attention to peer institution but what instructors actually want and need and put pressure on the developers to be responsive to the instructors,” Livengood said.
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Student loan servicer severs contract with Department of Education BY PAYAL RATHORE STAFF WRITER
Servicers of student loans are ending their contract with the Department of Education after suffering financial difficulties. Currently, there are at least nine different servicers responsible for the management of nearly $1.5 trillion in federal student loans. One such servicer, Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority, whose trade name is Cornerstone, has decided to end their contract with the Department of Education. “After careful consideration, the decision to ter-
minate the federal student loan servicing contract was made in the best interest of the State of Utah and our organization and its longterm financial sustainability,” said David S. Schwanke, Interim Executive Director of UHEA A.The Department of Education has decided to move those accounts to FedLoan Servicing, the trade name of Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. While UHEAA had previously been able to handle one million borrower accounts, news releases state that the contract terms led to the organization’s financial losses. Due
to this, there is an expected reduction in the workforce, as 146 UHEAA employees may be laid off. This process will start in January 2021 as the transfer of student loan accounts gradually winds down. “All of Cornerstone’s accounts will be transferred to FedLoan Servicing. There will be no changes to the account balances for any of those borrower’s accounts, all debt will remain,” said Megan Walter, Policy Analyst at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Some University students may be impacted by
the transfer. “Borrowers are assigned to servicers by the Department of Education when their first loan is disbursed. Cornerstone only held one million borrower accounts, out of the 40 million federal loan borrower accounts within the federal system, I can only guess that there are only a few UI students with Cornerstone as their servicer currently,” Walter said. Student loan forgiveness plans have been absent until now and have been largely dependent on the President’s administration. “There are no plans for student loan forgiveness
under the Trump administration,” Walter said. “Former Vice President Joe Biden, now president-elect, has plans for student loan forgiveness that we could possibly see implemented.” This refers to Biden’s official plan for higher education released in October, which includes changing income-driven repayment plans, redesigning the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and doubling the maximum Pell Grant award. The proposal, which would cost nearly $750 billion over a decade, would be financed by new taxes levied on the wealthy.
There may also be an adoption of part of Senator Bernie Sanders’ College for All Act of 2017 proposal, which would make public colleges and universities tuition-free, as well as private, historically Black colleges and universities and Minority Serving Institutions for all students whose family incomes are below $125,000. “If the Democratic party is unable to win the Senate,” Walter said, “These proposals may be more difficult to implement.” payalr2@dailyillini.com
Professor receives $4.5 million for research Findings focus on metastatic breast cancer BY VIVIAN LA STAFF WRITER
Professor Erik Nelson has won $4.5 million from the United States’ Department of Defense’s Era of Hope Scholar award, a prestigious award that supports individuals in their early careers who show incredible potential for the future of breast cancer research. Nelson said he is tremendously excited to “pursue some of our really big questions with the ultimate goal of reducing mortality from breast cancer, as well as improving life for patients.” Nelson is a professor in Integrative Biology and Physiology, whose research career is focused on reducing the recurrence of breast cancer. “Twenty percent of women will develop recurrent breast cancer or recurrent metastatic breast cancer … and at that stage of disease, we really don’t have good therapies available,” he said. Metastatic breast cancer is when breast cancer spreads to an area beyond where it started. Cells from the initial tumor can wander throughout the body and stay dormant. And for reasons researchers are just beginning to understand, Nelson said, these cells wake up. “We want to develop strategies to treat those dormant cells before they become a problem,” Nelson said. Nelson’s research is interdisciplinary, involving experts from various fields in order to not only address recurrence, but also give women lifestyle strategies to improve their own health, he said. His diverse team includes chemists, bioengineers, nutritionists and immunologists — all who “bring in their
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
Dr. Erik Nelson poses outside the Institute for Genomic Biology on Saturday. Nelson has secured $4.5 million in funding from the United States Department of Defense
own expertise and perspective,” Nelson said. A major part of Nelson’s research involves reeducating the immune system to find dormant cells and kill them, rather than waiting for them to wake up, he said. Nelson’s team has also found that cholesterol and diet can impact breast cancer recurrence, which requires the knowledge of a nutritionist. This is where professor of Food Science & Human Nutrition William Helferich comes in. He said he’s always believed that “what a person consumes as food has a very different influence on a cancer cell.” Helferich’s expertise in cholesterol and nutrition is one of many perspectives that Nelson has included in his research. Helferich and Nelson first met when they were on the steering committee that established the University’s Cancer Center. Helferich said they have common interests and complementary strengths. “Not all collaborations work just because you have a fit,” Helferich said. “You’ve got to have a sincere interest.” Being at the University of Illinois gave Nelson access to a wide range of experts.
what they perceive as the current shortfalls of treatment,” he said. “They help inform what research questions we ask in the first place.” Renaé Strawbridge is a cancer advocate on Nelson’s team, whose responsibility is to bring her experience and ideas in and out of the lab, as well as advocate for his research. Her personal experience with the disease as well as her family’s history with cancer led her to be involved in Nelson’s work. This research, as well as almost all research, is what drives our society to evolve, change and thrive, Strawbridge said. “I am grateful for all who have come before me ... those efforts have allowed me to survive so I can provide my perspective to make it better for my daughter and granddaughter and generations to come,” she said. Strawbridge saw a disconnect between patients and physicians and said there was no better way to close the bedside-to-bench and bench-to-bedside loop than this research. Being at a land-grant institution also gives Nelson a unique opportunity to give back to the local community, and Strawbridge’s advocacy is one example of that. “They help disseminate our research to crowds that don’t normally read scientific journals ... at the end of the day it’s very important,” Nelson said. Overall, Nelson is very excited to help change the current clinical approach to breast cancer, and ultimately contribute to eliminating cancer through collaboration. “Science is only a bunch of numbers and words unless we can start implementing change,” he said. “You can only do that through communication.”
“All I had to do was pick up my phone and call them,” he said. “I didn’t have to search.” Nelson was interested in breast cancer research because of his personal history. He learned as a teen about his great-aunt who was previously diagnosed with breast cancer and refused future treatment if re-diagnosed. “As a young naive teenager, I really didn’t understand that. If we have the tools available, why wouldn’t you go for treatment?” he said. Seeing his great-aunt, who ultimately had a nowrare radical mastectomy to remove both breasts and surrounding tissue, was a starting point for his interest. “What I took out of it was that we have to do better than our current standard of care,” Nelson said. “If patients are refusing treatment, then our therapies are not good enough.” This personal perspective is another key part of Nelson’s research. Along with scientific experts, breast cancer research advocates have a role in the process. They can be cancer survivors or caregivers who provide a unique perspective, Nelson said. “They have had to deal with this firsthand, they bring their experiences and vla2@dailyillini.com
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
Demonstrators converge at the intersection of Green and First streets to listen to speakers during the CCARC protest on Aug. 28. CCARC is one of the local organizations raising money for Ale’yah Lewis.
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LEWIS
willingly give up their space and all willingly listen to the story of Ale’yah Lewis.” In addition to YDSA, Champaign County Anti-Racist Coalition and Black Students for Revolution are other organizations at the University advocating for Lewis. Members of these organizations as well as individual advocates have contributed to representation at city council meetings to specifically mention Lewis by name and try to advocate for police reform according to Luu. McDonald emphasized the importance of ensuring basic needs for Lewis at a time where she needs it the most. They also saw this as an opportunity to “put mutual aid to work.” “I want to see that the community takes care of her and doesn’t just use her as a name at protests and city council meetings as an example of police brutality,” McDonald said.
back on her feet throughout winter and feel herself and prepare for the coming of her child,” Luu said. McDonald created the fundraiser in September and hopes to “gain enough money to sustain Ale’yah’s health and life during a pandemic.” They say that months after the arrest and “being publicly brutalized by the police,” Ale’yah lost her lease, her car and her job. “I want to let her know we care about her and are willing to be there for her in every sense and step of the way,” McDonald said. YDSA has actively raised money for Lewis’s fundraising page on campus by going to public places such as small businesses in order to put up fliers and also informing faculty and students about the donation process. Luu claimed that the places they have asked so far “all monaa2@dailyillini.com
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FOOD
has been talking with social workers and police officers in the past few months in order to address the concerns and properly address the systemic issues in the community. “The point of the diversion program is to create a foundation so when this is solidified, we can all work together to depower police and battle food security and domestic violence on a community level,” Materre said.
versation because they have become victims and survivors of domestic violence. I believe that would be beneficial for them as a healing process,” Materre said. Removing the responsibility of police officers and including social workers into this program is another factor that Materre hopes to adapt to the process to provide adequate help to the community. He alizam2@dailyillini.com
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THURSDAY
November 12, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
LIFE & CULTURE
Professors, students face virtual challenges BY ETHAN WERNER STAFF WRITER
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of classes offered here at the University are online this semester. Students have been understandably stressed, with many complaining that they seem overworked, and since this semester has been so difficult for students, many may have not considered how the semester is going for their professors. Instructors are not immune to the circumstances of the world, which has been the origin of much of the stress that both students and professors have been under. The classes themselves are not what is causing all of the stress, but the ongoing pandemic and prominent social issues of the country. Geoffrey Challen, professor e in Enginerring, touched on this point. “I think a lot of the stress that’s happening is exogenous, it’s external to the class,” Challen said. “Instructors are affected by all of that as well.” Peter Abbamonte, professor in Engineering, expanded on this fact and said “A lot of students said it wasn’t just the class, but not being able to see their friends or do their normal stuff.” Elise McCarren, profes-
sor in LAS, mentioned that not being able to see her students has added stress to her life that she was not sure how to control. “To me, it’s sad,” McCarren said. “I don’t know if it’s sad to other people, but to me it is. I miss seeing students and interacting with them ... It’s just hard to not see anybody and be emailing people all day.” You would think offering the option to attend a class in person would amend this issue, but Abbamonte has used his own resources — money, time and energy — to create the option for his students to either attend his class through Zoom or in person, yet he is still struggling to get his students engaged. He explains that out of his 90 students, only around five ever attend his class in person, and only 20-25 students participate through Zoom. “I’m not sure what else to do,” Abbamonte said. “The computer part kind of lulls you into complacency.” He mentioned something he had heard from a student, that “Zoom gives you the illusion of engagement” rather than actually keeping you engaged. “I care about these kids,” Abbamonte said. “You know, I’m not just doing this for a paycheck, and the lack of engagement from my
students has added stress to my life.” Mitch Fisher, professor in Business, praised his students. “I give a lot of credit to my students for making ... the course successful, that they’re participating, they’re doing the work, they’re working hard.” He gave a lot of credit to the teaching academies that were offered through the University over the summer, one through the College of Business and another through UI itself. Many other professors offered credit to the University’s teaching academy over the summer. It helped provide instructors with guidance and resources on how to conduct their courses online this semester, as well as information on the guidelines for online work such as copyright infringement laws. “I think it was a big help,” said Jeffrey Frame, professor in LAS. He stressed how his biggest concern this semester was to make his class a complete and proper online class, and that the teaching academy helped him accomplish this but not without a bit of extra work. Frame has been teaching ATMS 100: Introduction to Meteorology for multiple semesters and thus is generally prepared with all of the materials he needs for
ANGELINA CHAN THE DAILY ILLINI
the class, but he has had to go through the process of putting it online for this semester. “It’s been a lot more work,” Frame said. “It’s been more like teaching something for the first time.” Professors have definitely not been exempt from being overworked and increasingly stressed this semester, but added resources and extra help has lessened the influence of the terrifying
circumstances of the world. Of course, these resources helped each instructor to varying degrees. Each course is unique, and thus its problems and their solutions are also unique. Each professor has different problems they face, but each said they hope they can use this semester as a tool to improve their classes for the next semester. The next semester will be similar. Classes will be held online, and the prob-
lems that are caused by this will still be present. Many people will be overworked and stressed out. “At the end of the day, this enterprise of education is something that we really are all trying to do together,” Challen said. “On some level, a semester like this is a good time to remember that we are all in this together, that we all want the same thing.” ewerner2@dailyillini.com
Businesses combat illegal downloading Cafes, restaurants struggle keeping Wi-Fi secure BY FARRAH ANDERSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
MADELINE PIERCE THE DAILY ILLINI
Students study in the College of Law Library on Sept. 20, 2019. Those studying library science at UI have the opportunity to impact the future of information accessibility, particularly in an increasingly technological world.
Library science students impact CU BY JENNI KALLENBACK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Although the study of library science may be traditionally associated with librarianship, the field intersects with many other disciplines and affects many areas of daily life. Students studying for an advanced degree in library and information science at the University are at the forefront of digitizationrelated changes in the field and exploring its role
in advocating for marginalized communities. Maria Bonn, director of the MS/LIS program at the University, says the essence of library science is the skills and expertise that are used to organize and provide access to information. “That’s everything from putting books on shelves with labels on them, and those labels might mean SEE LIBRARY | 5A
For 51-year-old William Tam, the owner of Sushi Ichiban in Champaign, letters from Comcast alerting him that customers had been using the Wi-Fi to download illegal movies were unacceptable. After using the time the downloads were happening and checking his security cameras, Tam confronted the suspect. After posting signs warning against illegal downloads, Tam says he hopes customers will comply. “Nowadays, you only pay a few dollars and you can watch any kind of movie, so it’s not necessary to do that,” Tam said. “The responsibility is still mine.” For many local businesses like Sushi Ichiban, Wi-Fi is an essential way to draw in customers. But for many businesses in ChampaignUrbana, it’s become increasingly difficult to prevent customers from using the wifi to download illegal content.
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“We get these letters saying, ‘there’s illegal downloading activity detected,’ and that’s about it,” said Doug McCarver, the managing partner of Espresso Royale in Champaign-Urbana. After getting letters from Wi-Fi providers, McCarver said there’s not much to do once they come since they usually arrive days or weeks later. “I don’t really know how we would find out who was doing it either because the letter comes much later than it’s happening,” McCarver said. “Nothing’s ever come of it.” McCarver suspects some of the illegal downloading comes from people in the parking lot and apartments around the shops. But even when the downloading is coming from inside the stores, McCarver said he doesn’t know how to stop it. “It’s hard to tell when you look in a cafe and just see people sitting there with headphones on and their laptops,” he said. “If they’re doing something quietly, they look like anybody else.” Like so many business owners, McCarver said he just wants to make sure that Wi-Fi is available for everyone, especially once dine-in is available again. “We just want to have
free wifi for everybody that comes in and we hope that people would not be selfish and use it for some sort of illegal activity,” McCarver said. For the University, illegal downloading is a problem that has to be handled like any other. Joe Barnes, the Chief Privacy and Security Officer at Illinois said they have seen a downward trend in illegal downloading over the last decade. But when illegal downloading is detected, the University approaches the student and helps them learn about copyright laws and infringement. “Historically, most individuals who infringe are unaware of U.S. Copyright laws and University policy,” Barnes wrote over email. “Once they are educated individuals tend to learn from the mistake and do not infringe again. This is the outcome the University hopes for.” If the student continues to download copyrighted material over three times, a disciplinary officer under the Dean will agree upon disciplinary action. But for Andrew Yun, the owner of Caffe Paradiso in Urbana, he was able to work with Comcast to put filters on sites assumed to be used for illegal downloading.
After posting a sign near the checkout counter, Yun says he believes the filters are working. “We must be doing something from the filters we put in, but there are some other sites that maybe move around that we might not be able to catch,” Yun said. After getting multiple letters and notifications per month alerting the Yun family to illegal downloading going on within the cafe, often in the middle of the night, Yun said now they’ll maybe get one notification per month. “I think we’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining the quality of service but still, there are people who get past those filters and remedies that we made,” Yun said. Although they seemed to have cracked the code to stop the downloading, Yun said they still never figured out who was the source. But for him, the quality of the Wi-Fi for other customers was a top priority. “We have no way of knowing who that person is,” Yun said. “If somebody was downloading and it wasn’t something that got caught, they’ll dominate (the server), and a lot of other customers were feeling their pain.” farrah2@dailyillini.com
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Krannert Art Museum hosts exhibit BY SANA MADHAVAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
With museums and exhibits closing due to the evolving pandemic, it can be difficult for curators to create spaces that can easily reach and inspire a wide audience. However, the “Homemade with Love: More Living Room” exhibit in Krannert Art Museum still holds a far-reaching impact on its audience. Blair Ebony Smith, curator and scholar in Art & Design, coped with the challenges these times bring to develop an exhibit from start to finish that envisions spaces where Black girls can be heard and centered. “It really questions how we can make space for Black girls’ creativity and what that looks like,” Smith said, referring to her finished space. “And so that’s kind of what I started with, that’s the question I wanted to ask, and to think about curating the space that really leans in on Black girls, women and femmes’ interior lives and creativity and how we imagine our worlds.” Smith was inspired by literary influences as the individual elements of her exhibit came together. “Texts that I really leaned
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something, to archiving Twitter streams and providing access to them, to taking care of museum collections,” Bonn said. Within the field of library science, there has been an increase in careers related to data analytics and curation. Librarians have always cataloged or described things, but now there is a high demand for people with skills in creating and managing metadata, or data that describes other data. Library and information science has also been reshaped by digital technology and networked communication, and there is a new emphasis on collaborative skills and project management. “I think there’s a stereotype of the librarian working quietly away in the backroom, cataloging his or her books, but now it’s a much more connected profession,” Bonn said.
on were Homemade Love by J. California Cooper,” Smith said. “She writes a lot of texts and short fiction essays that think a lot about the everyday lives of Black people and Black women. Homemade Love in particular is thinking about how we as Black people imagine, create and make home what it takes to do that.” In partnering with Saving Our Lives Hear Our Truths, an organization driven to celebrate Black girlhood to add to the exhibit, Smith also took influence from poet and writer June Jordan. “June Jordan is someone that we bring in SOLHOT a lot in thinking about how to celebrate Black people, Black youth, Black girls, and she has children’s books that are also exhibited in the space and one in particular is called New Life, New Room,” Smith said. “These particular texts really stretch my imagination on how young Black youth with the many living conditions they have created space.” Focusing on how Black women create this sense of home and how they go about doing that motivated Smith to curate the space into a living space with homemade pieces as an intimate
glimpse into their daily lives. However, Smith hopes that the exhibition will reach beyond domestic space and into the public sector as well. “I think that’s usually what people think when they see the exhibition or they they read about it, they usually are thinking about like home or domestic space like family is definitely a part of that,” Smith said. “But it’s also for me a space to imagine even beyond that like so how do we imagine our neighborhoods, how do we imagine community, how do we imagine a world that that believes in, in Black girls creative knowledge and genius.” This message has certainly resonated with viewers. Since its release in late August, a virtual opening, a movie screening and candid conversations with the artists behind the scenes took place, in which the virtual climate was used to make an impact. “As students were coming to campus, (the gallery) was really talked about,” Kelly said. “The only difficulty is that even when campus was open, students have had so few in-person experiences that this semester we haven’t had as many stu-
dents actually coming by to see the show.” Usually they have a large opening called KAM Fest with thousands of students in galleries at the launch of new exhibits, but Kelly thinks that the smaller scale will establish intimacy and personal connection to the show.
“Students are coming into the space and discovering Homemade with Love very quietly,” said Kelly. “There will be one or two people actually sitting on the furniture and making themselves at home, which is really different than what students and other types of visitors would normally
experience.” Krannert Communications Director Julia Nucci Kelly has high hopes for the months ahead, as the exhibit continues to draw a wide variety of audiences and further spread its inclusive and impactful message.
Jaihyun Park, doctoral candidate in LIS, says the use of computational tools in library science can make it easier for people to process information on digital platforms. “It takes a lot of time and a lot of human effort to consume and digest the information inside a book,” Park said. Using computational tools like text mining can help pull the most important information from resources and improve results when searching through online databases. “Understanding the language of people is really crucial in terms of diminishing the gaps between what users need and how the database or search eng ine understa nds,” Park said. “That’s the place where computational tools and library science overlap.” Park sees the role of libraries as distributing credible information and fighting back against misinformation.
The quality of being interdisciplinary also characterizes library and information science. Park has a background in political science, and he studies the language of politicians and people involved in the conflict to see if that language overlaps and to reduce cognitive dissonance. “Library and information science only seems like talking about libraries, archives and data centers, but it can be applied to every field,” Park said. “Depending on what you’re interested in and how you want to organize that information, I think that’s a possibility where I see library and information science can be expanded.” Institute of Museum and Library Services, which provides grant funding, has recently focused on indigenous communities and funding tribal libraries. These libraries can serve as both places to preserve a community’s history as well as places that provide access to technology and
training on how to use that technology. Jean Kanengoni, doctoral candidate in LIS, studies library and information services provision in marginalized communities and how best to serve those communities. In communities where people may lack electricity in their homes, for example, public libraries provide access to computers and training on how to use them. Kanengoni says librarians need to talk to the community and identify community leaders to determine what information they want or need. “When we have those conversations, we can provide not only the right information but in the mode that is required,” Kanengoni said. Some communities with oral traditions may need information in an audio/ visual format rather than in a book. Kanengoni says libraries can improve by assess-
ing the impact they have on communities. For example, in a community without running water, libraries can provide information on how to have clean water. Clair Irwin, doctoral candidate in LIS, studies how libraries can promote representation and equity for people with disabilities. Irwin says there is an assumption that people with disabilities are only the patrons of libraries, which creates a power imbalance between people working in the library and people using the library, and librarianship struggles with disability representation. Having someone with diabetes working in a library would improve the key words used in library catalogs, which would improve information access. “People with diabetes, especially Type 1, have to do so much self-advocacy and so much information behavior on our own while also being treated like we don’t know anything about
medicine,” Irwin said. People with disabilities have to have many different types of information literacy. They have to understand how to navigate the health care system and apply for patient assistance programs, among other things. Irwin says the best way to change a field is from within. “While it may be a little counterintuitive at first blush, why somebody interested in researching disability and diabetes would do so in an information science program, I think it’s quite a natural fit.” Irwin is also a health care activist and wants to see libraries advocating for marginalized and vulnerable people. “That’s what I see the purpose of libraries in the 21st-century being, is an equitable force to bring about positive change,” Irwin said.
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Thursday, November 19th Recap your semester on your ride home.
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RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
Part of the Homemade With Love: More Living Room exhibit rests on the wall at the Krannert Art Museum on Wednesday morning. The exhibit opened on Aug. 27.
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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD ACROSS
1 Relief from the desert? 5 Judging partner of Simon, Heidi and Sofia on “America’s Got Talent” 10 Member of the fam 13 “The gallant pig” of children’s literature 14 Certain noble’s domain 15 Cinemax competitor 16 *When many people solve crosswords 18 Word that sounds like its second letter 19 Sully 20 Introduces to the mix 22 Player ___ 23 Much-litigated 2010 law, for short 26 Bar order specification 27 Rocinante, to Don Quixote 28 *Rough patch 30 Puckered 32 Big name in A.T.M.s 33 *Occupied oneself 39 Mauna ___ 40 Becomingnew,ina way 42 *Cheat on, say 47 One of three in a double magnum bottle 48 Group of fish 49 Big mouth, informally 50 Common cause of tonsillitis 51 “It” factor? 53 How Lennon wrote the opening lines of “I Am the Walrus” 55 See 48-Down
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PUZZLE BY FRANCESCA GOLDSTON AND JEFF CHEN
56 Benjamin Franklin adage … or a hint to interpreting the answers to the four starred clues 60 [Groan] 61 Hullabaloo 62 Avocado pit, e.g. 63 Quaker’s possessive 64 Annual parade V.I.P. 65 Recipe amts.
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1 Core components, for short 2 Loves every second of something 3 44 years? 4 Atmosphere on “The Twilight Zone” 5 “Everybody’s a comedian” 6 British pop star Rita 7 Came out on top
8 “Young Frankenstein” role 9 Provider of specs 10 Equilibrium 11 “Jackpot!” 12 Play part 14 Secretly include, maybe 17 Loses ground slowly but surely 21 Family inheritance? 22 Sony console of the 2000s, for short 24 One of more than 200 Bach works 25 Playful and teasing 29 Doodled, e.g. 31 Hockey fake-out 34 Turn down 35 Christmas scent 36 Price per piece 37 Gemstones resembling topaz
38 Mired (in) 41 Org. 42 “Having said that …” 43 “We’re not ___!” (classic line from “Wayne’s World”) 44 Rowboat mover 45 Fabrics 46 Gone bad, to Brits 48 With 55-Across, public thanks 52 Thigh-slapper 54 Org.? What org.? 57 Swab’s swab 58 Fuel economy authority, for short 59 N.F.L. divisions: Abbr.
The crossword solution is in the Classified section.
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November 12, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
OPINIONS THE DAILY ILLINI EDITORIAL
Trump won’t vanish after election loss
unlikely. In reality, there seems to be no open path SENIOR anymore for him winCOLUMNIST ning a second term. All of his life, during his 2016 campaign and throughhe 2016 presidential out his presidency, Trump election left millions has always been a staunch of Americans shocked supporter of winning. But and uncertain of the it doesn’t look like he’ll future as businessman win this time. Donald Trump was sworn In post-presidential in as the 45th president history, presidents have of the United States and done numerous things CASSIDY BRANDT THE DAILY ILLINI spent four years in the to keep themselves busy White House. Last week, and sometimes out of the former Vice President Joe political spotlight. JimBiden defeated Trump in my Carter has spent his another nail-biting presi- post-White House years dential race. Knowing writing a great number how outspoken and vocal of books and serving as vote counting must conTrump is, through the a humanitarian through tinue while it must stop in means of Twitter, interhis Carter Center. George other states, they admit that views and speeches, he W. Bush took up painting representatives from their will never go away. as a side hobby. Bill Clincampaign were present in With the election held ton even wrote a politirooms where vote counton Nov. 3, most states in cal thriller with author ing occurred where they the country declared a James Patterson. These contend publicly observwinner, but in the earpresidents and many others were denied access to ly hours of Wednesday ers in the past have been and they allege that fraud morning, the country still vocal about their predeis occurring in these rooms didn’t have a president. In cessors, but not to the while arguing that they also key states like Arizona, extent of how Trump is had no one inside present to Michigan, Nevada, North probably going to be. witness it. Carolina, Pennsylvania, As many Trump supWhen the Trump camGeorgia and Wisconsin, porters and voters are paign tells the judges one millions of mail-in votes upset, angry or confused thing and then turns around were still being counted. about his loss, I’m takand tells the public someOn Nov. 7, Biden won in ing it all in with a grain of thing different, expecting Pennsylvania, thus secur- salt. Yes, as I’m zero for the public to believe it, one ing him enough electoral one in presidential voting, should note that it’s because votes to win the presiden- Trump’s loss bothers me, the campaign believes votcy. But Trump wasn’t left but as a civil and mature ers aren’t smart enough to speechless. person, it’s all going to be know better. He took to Twitter and okay. However unlikely, Trump even gave a post-election I’m welcoming Biden must concede graciously, speech about voter fraud and his Vice President — cooperate with a transiand sent in his own legal the first female elected to tion team (rather than order to investigate. In the days the office — Kamala Haragencies not to comply with ahead, who knows what’s ris’s win with open arms. Biden’s team) and facilito come, but in many It’s all part of democracy. tate a smooth continuaways, this election will Even though their ticket tion of governance between leave a lasting impression. came out on top, there administrations. OtherAs for Trump, he’ll still be are still more elections wise, he harms the country talking. in the future to change that he still currently leads. In the last four years the course of the political Surely, a transition of power during his presidency, world. is more important than 18 Trump has dominated the As for Trump, who holes. news cycle in some way knows if or when it’ll hit Congratulations to Presor another. Almost every him that he won’t be president-elect Joe Biden and day of his term, he used ident anymore or when Vice President-elect Kama- his Twitter account in he’ll accept his loss, but la Harris. Unseating a firstoutspoken rants against there’s one thing for sure: term incumbent president Democrats, the media and Americans haven’t heard is no small feat — it has only so much more. He was a the last of Trump. happened three times in the president who enjoyed last hundred years before being in the spotlight. Noah is a junior in the this election. Trump’s diviAs of late, Trump has College of Media. sion may persist through the not conceded the elecnoahen2@dailyillini.com transition, but beyond that, tion. In many ways, he good luck to Joe Biden in his probably believes he can quest to unify the country. still win, which is highly NOAH NELSON
T
Election incenses bittersweetness A fter a dramatic and stressful week awaiting election results, the final outcome was bittersweet to many liberals. As CNN contributor Van Jones stated, “The Democratic political victory might still come. But I believe people wanted a moral victory tonight.” The election result wasn’t the overwhelming rejection of Trump and his GOP enablers that polls had indicated might come. It wasn’t a blue wave, as Rachel Maddow put it, there wasn’t even a ripple. The election result was a nail biter down to the last votes counted in swing states like Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and Pennsylvania. And in the end, although the electoral vote margin is as wide as Trump’s was in 2016, it was still a narrower loss than most Democrats hoped. Similarly, Democrats retained control of the House but may have a slimmer majority than they commanded for the last two years as the GOP has flipped districts. Control of the Senate, which Democrats were poised to win, will be determined by two runoff Senate elections in Georgia. Although Georgia scarcely favored Joe Biden, the GOP are expected to win at least one of the runoffs, crushing any hopes Democrats had of commanding both chambers of Congress. President-elect Joe Biden would be the first president in recent memory to begin
his administration without the “trifecta,” or both houses of Congress backing him. This would make accomplishing reform all the more difficult. Despite the election leaving a bad taste in most voters’ mouths, there are silver linings to the absence of the blue wave. First, a blue wave would have satiated a lot of voters. Many voters would have returned to their apolitical lives due to a false sense of security that America had been saved from the brink of authoritarianism. But the “blue wave” never came to fruition. Hopefully, Trump’s relatively narrow loss shocks voters and helps many realize that his ousting was the first baby step to correcting America’s corrosive institutions. Additionally, there is little doubt that the election was a direct repudiation of Trump’s brand of politics. He cannot blame the loss on an inevitable “blue wave,” “the Deep State” or Republicans-in-name-only, often referred to as RINOs. Republicans outperformed the polls, but the president did not enjoy the same luck. It was clearer than ever that the problem in this election to the majority of voters was him. Although progressive voters hoped a “Democratic trifecta” would allow a Biden-Harris administration to enact large, institutional reforms, the Democratic underperformance may encourage the adminis-
tration to stick to its original promise: Foster bipartisan support and unify the country. A bitter Megyn Kelly has already asserted that unity will be a tall order. Or maybe, the prospect of a Republican-controlled Senate with Senator Mitch McConnell in charge will truly inspire heightened turnout by Democrats in the Georgia runoffs. Since votes are still being counted — as is standard procedure and not illegal — it is not wise to draw any large conclusions about the electorate or how party platforms need to change in the future. Ultimately, despite a divided government, the election result marks progress. As president, Joe Biden would respect traditional norms, offer a return to normalcy and attempt to mitigate damage done by the previous administration, likely through a string of executive orders. Since the election result was called by the Associated Press and other major media outlets, President Trump has reminded voters exactly why they chose to discharge him from office. His refusal to concede the election, as well as unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud ,is destructive to the faith and legitimacy American democracy rests upon. The litigation by the Trump campaign is completely nonsensical to those who have analyzed it. They argue in certain states the
Weapon advancement inspires horror authors like HP Lovecraft done just as much to further the genre as any SENIOR director. COLUMNIST One such author who is generally considered the father of modern horror is the ever-controversial H.P. Lovecraft. While Lovecraft was far from a role model or good person and was largely unsuccessful throughout his life, his work went on to be seminal to the cosmic and existential horror genres and laid the foundation for the way we conceptualize ith Halloween in horror today. the past, many But sometimes horpeople will be ror is unintentional. shelving the horror genre One famous novel from until next year. This is Lovecraft’s time is Erich understandable as it is Remarque’s “All Quiet on commonly associated with the Western Front.” This terrible, campy, poorstory is based heavily on ly-acted garbage which Remarque’s own account serves as little more than a of the front lines on the backdrop for other activiWestern front in World ties, or at best something War I fighting for the Gerto gawk at. man Empire. Of course, horror is like It is generally considany other genre and has ered the most important produced quality media of work of fiction regarding many varieties throughout World War I and is conits history. From authors sistently ranked among such as H.G. Wells and the best novels of the 20th Stephen King to directors century. It was banned like John Carpenter and in Nazi Germany for its George A. Romero, it has anti-war sentiment and much to offer. has gone on to be taught in While horror cinema is schools around the world. often the face of the genre, While at first glance it is not the boundary. The these works are only conaforementioned authors, nected superficially by among many others, have their time period, a greatDYLAN GRAY
Classic horror genre is driven by technological progress
W
er respect for the material conditions of the era reveals a connection that potentially runs much deeper. While it is often teleological to ascribe connections to various historical media artifacts in hindsight, the connections between the writings of Lovecraft and Remarque are too significant to ignore. It is important to understand that both Remarque and Lovecraft were trailblazers in their time. For Remarque, it was previously quite uncommon in the Western literary canon to not only refuse to romanticize war, but plainly state how petrifying it truly is. This blunt method of delivery inspired the works of authors like Ernest Hemingway and Joseph Heller, among others. For Lovecraft, the kind of horror he attempted to describe was essentially without precedent. While he had been inspired by science fiction and some very early surreal horror writers (such as Robert W. Chambers), Lovecraft was forging a new path for the genre that could not be likened to anything before it. The world that both Remarque and Lovecraft were reacting to was one of rapid change and prog-
ress. But their writing makes the reader question at what cost that progress has come. The rapid technological advancements of the industrial revolution were turned against each other for the first time in a large scale during World War I, and the men like Remarque on both sides were forced to see that progress is not always beautiful. One could see how Lovecraft was reinterpreting the experiences and writings of people like Remarque and turning them into horror stories, which is what they truly are. Lovecraft describes monsters that are not just far more powerful than mankind, but far beyond our comprehension. Beings like Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth could and likely will destroy humanity not, according to Lovecraft, out of contempt or any internal nefarious plot, but simply because they are barely aware of our existence. Much of science fiction exalts mankind as a uniquely important species, but Lovecraft rejects this, reminding us of the massive and uncaring universe we occupy. When one is forced to reconcile the destructive power of airplanes,
KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI
machine guns, chemical weapons and tanks, among many other powerful new armaments, it is easy to see how Lovecraft’s writing came to be. An artillery shell, a cloud of mustard gas or a Maxim gun are not evil. They have no will of their own, they have no motives, but they can wipe out hundreds of people in minutes with relative ease. These weapons were Lovecraftian horrors of their own that mankind brought on itself. H.P. Lovecraft died in 1937, less than a year after the start of the Spanish Civil War and over two years before the start of World War II. His writing only truly found critical and commercial success
in the latter part of the 1950s, two decades after his death. It seems fitting that his writing truly found a place in popular culture after the invention of the atomic bomb, the most Lovecraftian weapon of all. Technology can do many things. It can bring people together, heal them, teach them, save resources, environments and simply entertain. But it can also destroy, and sometimes the technologies we think are milestones of human achievement are actually an existential monster that only we could create. Dylan is a senior in the College of Media. kdg2@dailyillini.com
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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THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
Redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Williams scans the field during the game against Michigan on Oct. 12, 2019, which Illinois lost 42-25. Williams may start as quarterback against Rutgers on Saturday.
Isaiah Williams may showcase his ability igan State 38-27 in Week 1. And in its two setbacks — While senior quarter- undefeated Indiana and back Brandon Peters has one Ohio State — Rutgers played more week until he’s cleared competitively, so if Williams to play, the Illini will have to does get the start, it won’t be rely on one of their backups easy. to spark the offense again, The problem with Wiland head coach Lovie Smith liams is he’s never been given seems to have his mind set a full game to show what he’s on who it’ll be. got. In the Badgers game ear“I have an idea, (and) it’s lier this season, the offensive pretty clear,” Lovie said. staff gave him few opportu“But you still go through nities to show his throwing practice and find things out.” ability. Instead, they elected Peters is obviously out. to run a wildcat-like offense, The Illini have yet to com- where the St. Louis native ment on the status of soph- was limited to handing off omore Matt Robinson, who the ball. suffered an ankle injury The biggest question mark against the Boilermakers. with Williams is his arm. Sophomore Coran Taylor, Williams has only completwho showed flashes of talent ed three passes for 38 yards against Pura nd t wo due, is still intercepthe fourthtions in an string quar- “He was understanding Illini uniterback. form. But It appears the reads, how defenses that’s durredshirt limited were trying to play you. ing freshman action, and Isaiah Wilsaid He’ll be good to go Rod liams will the redget a chance this week, hopefully.” shirt freshto start his man has ROD SMITH first game. improved. OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR The St. “He was Louis native starting to get came to Chammore comfortpaign last season with a lot able and understanding (of) of hype; the four-star recruit what we were trying to do,” received offers from Ala- Rod said. “He was underbama, Clemson and Ohio standing the reads, how State. defenses were trying to play Regardless of the offers you. He’ll be good to go this from college football’s pre- week, hopefully.” mier programs, he chose Williams has the potenIllinois because he would tial to be a good fit for Rod’s be given the chance to play offense. The offensive coorquarterback, despite his dinator has a long history of size. He didn’t want to move coaching scrambling quarto defensive back or wide terbacks from West Virginia, receiver. His action so far, Michigan and Arizona. Playhowever, has been limited. ers like Pat White, Denard Despite playing four Robinson and Khalil Tate all games — where he finished thrived under Rod’s system with just four pass attempts and were regular 1,000 yard— Williams was able to red- plus rushers. Williams, too, shirt the season and remain has the mobility to replicate a freshman this year. And similar results. this season, Williams’ only But this year may not be action came throughout the the year for Williams. Once Wisconsin game before he Peters is cleared to return, was sidelined due to COV- he will most likely retain ID-19 exposure. his position, but Peters is a While Williams was out senior this season and will of practice for a couple of likely leave Champaign weeks, the staff doesn’t after the season. Being 0-3 sound alarmed if he jumps already, Peters isn’t the right back into the offense. future. One of his backups is. “He’s with us every time While Taylor made some we have meetings,” said plays against Purdue, he offensive coordinator Rod doesn’t come near Williams’ Smith. “He’s getting all of natural talent, and Robinthe coaching in the film son doesn’t fit as well into room that Coran and every- Rod’s offense. For the 2021 one else is getting. He’s had season, Williams will probenough (physical) reps to ably have the chance to play know what we are doing.” a full season, and for this This week’s opponent, weekend, Williams might Rutgers, is one of the most have the chance to give Illiimproved teams in the Big ni fans a sneak peek of what’s Ten. After not winning a to come. conference game for two seasons, the Scarlet Knights @gourdiereport are 1-2 after upsetting Mich- gourdie2@dailyillini.com BY CARSON GOURDIE
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
In the first half of a nationally televised game against powerhouse Sierra Canyon, freshman guard Andre Curbelo faced a double team in the backcourt. Rather than panic, Curbelo retreated, took one dribble backward and threw the ball through the legs of the opposing defender. Curbelo sprinted past the defender, continued dribbling down the court and finished a one-legged floater that got the crowd on its feet. This type of poise and basketball brilliance on the national stage is just some of what the Puerto Rico native will bring to Illinois this season. While Curbelo was the star at Long Island Lutheran, he enters a crowded backcourt in Champaign this season. Returning players include starting guards junior Ayo Dosunmu and senior Trent Frazier, along with four-star guard freshman Adam Miller and Division III transfer Austin Hutcherson. Competing against that talent has been an adjustment, but Curbelo is enjoying the competition. “I’m literally exhausted after every practice just having to guard pros,” Curbelo said. “I think it’s always a good test to guard Adam, Da’Monte, Ayo or Trent, whoever it is.” Being a point guard, Curbelo prides himself in being observant. He said he likes to study his teammates’ tendencies so he can do things like pass them the ball in the spots they want it. For an Illinois team that was in the bottom half of the Big Ten in threepoint shooting, this could help improve that facet of its offense. While Curbelo succeeded in high school, he knew he needed to bulk up to play
PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS
Freshman guard Andre Curbelo poses for a promotional image. Curbelo gears up for basketball season by bringing his best to practice and the weight room.
at the next level. Curbelo described himself as “lazy” in the weight room when he was in Puerto Rico, but when he came to the U.S., that changed. Working with strength coach Adam Fletcher, Curbelo has already put on 21 pounds. This added weight has only helped him on the court. “I think it’s helped me a lot during practices because being a freshman and less strong than the older guys, I can now bump into them with my chest,” Curbelo said. “I can play faster without getting as tired. Fletch is probably one of the best in the country.” Curbelo’s commitment to getting better and improving
has already made a positive impact on his teammates. graduate student guard Tyler Underwood has been blown away with Curbelo’s maturity. “One thing that has impressed me about ‘Belo is his level of maturity that he’s come in here with,” Underwood said. “I was not that mature at 18. The way he carries himself, he acts like a professional, he works really hard and he asks questions and wants to be coached. He wants to learn.” It remains to be seen if Curbelo will be in the starting lineup on night one. With Dosunmu and Frazier back, that leaves just one spot for Curbelo or Miller. Miller’s
shooting may make him a better fit next to Dosunmu. Curbelo could have success as the offensive creator when Dosunmu sits, which is a luxury for the Illini. Regardless, Curbelo is excited for the opportunity to play with multiple ball-handlers and isn’t worried about what guard spot he fills. “We’re so diverse,” Curbelo said. “ We have so many different guys that can do different things. When they’re doing that, I can be more on the wing and be a shooter, just produce in different ways. I don’t need the ball in my hands to do that.” @BrandonSimberg simberg2@dailyillini.com
MEN’S GYMNASTICS
Graduate transfer becomes first French UI gymnast BY BRADLEY ZIMMERMAN STAFF WRITER
decided to move to the University program, given the position I was in in the (Great Britain) squad,” Carter said. “He wanted to know why I came here, what were the benefits, what was the program like. It’s not very often international athletes who are a part of the national team move to the University program. That’s why it sparked his interest. Seeing me move here and being good friends with him, he decided to reach out.” Having piqued Valentin’s interest, Carter then directed him to Spring to start the process of bringing Valentin to the Illini. “(Valentin) started emailing us, and one thing led to another,” Spring said. “The opportunity (to have him on the team) was right, and here he is.” Valentin and Spring finalized the process in
January, allowing Valentin to compete for the Illini while receiving his master’s degree in finance from the University. Two months later, however, COVID-19 burst onto the world stage. France went into a complete lockdown, with citizens prohibited from leaving their homes unless purchasing essential goods. The U.S. embassy in Paris was closed during the lockdown, casting serious doubt on the likelihood of Valentin obtaining a visa to live in the U.S. for the fall semester. “We were worried and wondering if he was going to be able to get into the country,” Spring said. “It was amidst a pretty solid lockdown, so we were panicking.” But the embassy opened in late July, and Valentin was granted a visa at what he
described as “the last minute.” He arrived in Champaign on Aug. 10, marking the first time he actually visited the place he would call home for the next two years. He did, however, have to quarantine for 14 days in an apartment he had yet to make into his Champaign home. “It was a very long two weeks,” Valentin said. “I was excited about starting a new life but at the same time, it wasn’t possible yet.” Valentin has since joined his new teammates in Kenney Gym, building rapport with them and getting ready for the 2021 season. “I’m feeling good,” Valentin said. “I’m making progress on skills. We’re starting to work on routines, which is really great. Still a lot of work to do, but I really enjoy
In the 10 years Justin Spring has been the head coach of the Illinois men’s gymnastics team, he has coached five gymnasts who were born outside the United States, including three currently on the team. All five of them are from either Australia or the United Kingdom — to Spring’s knowledge, there has never been an Illini gymnast from France. The addition of Léo Valentin to the team this season changes that. Hailing from Paris, Valentin joins the Illini as a graduate transfer with two years of NCAA eligibility. He completed his bachelor’s degree in banking and finance in France in the summer of 2019, but he would not have been able to continue his gymnastics career while SEE VALENTIN | 2B pursuing a master’s degree in the French educational system. “There’s no partnership between any graduate school and gymnastics in France,” Valentin said. “There is a club team on one side and there is the school on the other side; there is no connection between them. Here it’s completely different. There is a team, and it’s easy to train. That was the goal: being able to train every day and follow my studies.” Looking elsewhere to continue his education and gymnastics career, Valentin was interested in the NCAA and Illinois because he watched junior Hamish Carter make the same journey from Great Britain. Carter and Valentin have known each other for years after competing in Europe for their respective countries. Last December, Valentin reached out to Carter via Instagram and asked him about the Illinois program, the NCAA and why PHOTO COURTESY OF LÉO VALENTIN’S INSTAGRAM Carter chose to compete in Graduate student Léo Valentin poses on a pommel horse. Valentin came to Illinois for this system. gymnastics in pursuit of continuing his studies while competing, which he was unable to do in “He wondered why I his home country of France.
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FOOTBALL
Devon Witherspoon brings toughness to Illini secondary BY GABBY HAJDUK SPORTS EDITOR
Sophomore defensive back Devon Witherspoon didn’t play football seriously until his junior year of high school when his mom pushed him to pursue the sport. Sure, he played when he was young, like most boys, but he also had hoop dreams, which deterred him from football. But then his mother pushed him to join the Pine Forest High School football team in his hometown of Pensacola, Florida. Shortly after, Witherspoon realized a football career past high school could be plausible as he earned his first offer from Troy University in his first high school season. “Once the opportunity presented itself, I just took it and ran with it,” Witherspoon said. Witherspoon’s hig h school success continued, as he earned 2018 Pensacola News Journal Defensive Player of the Year and 2018 Pensacola News Journal All-Area first team. He got offers from Georgia State, Appalachian State and South Alabama, among others. But Witherspoon decided to attend Hutchinson Community College instead and arrived on July 9, 2019. He wasn’t there for long. After Witherspoon got his SAT scores on July 10, he was contacted by Illinois. Things moved quickly, and he committed on July 29, 2019, just days after visiting. He then arrived on campus Aug. 10, 2019, four days before training camp. Because he came to
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it, and I feel like I can really push hard and achieve something here.” “I’m super excited to have him,” Carter said. “It’s cool knowing someone for many years and our paths cross-
Champaign so late, Witherspoon wasn’t able to practice right away. That didn’t stop him from learning head coach Lovie Smith’s defense on his own. “Just paying attention and getting mental reps, learning it from the older guys,” Witherspoon said. “Marquez Beason, he really helped me through a lot when I first got here, and he was the only freshman when I got here, too. I just took what they gave me and just getting those reps, trying to learn quickly so I could get into the system.” Flash forward 15 months and Witherspoon has earned a starting cornerback spot as a sophomore. After missing Illinois’ first game of the season at Wisconsin, Witherspoon played almost every defensive snap in weeks two and three, totaling more than any other player in the secondary at 145. Witherspoon picked off the first pass of his career in Saturday’s loss to Minnesota, something that didn’t surprise Smith. “He’s one of the toughest guys on our team,” Smith said. “Probably the toughest guy on our team, pound for pound. No one competes harder than him. He’s still a younger player, but he’ll have more and more success. Getting his first interception, of course, is big. “We expect bigger things in the future from him. A guy that you just love as a football coach.” Witherspoon’s tr ue potential began to show early in his freshman season as he embraced his spe-
cial teams role, leading the team in special teams tackles with 13. He played in all 13 games in 2019, eventually starting in three at cornerback. Witherspoon was the only defensive true freshman to start in 2019. Thrown into the mix pretty quickly, Witherspoon admitted he was nervous early in his freshman season. But during the Iowa game, when Witherspoon had to step in for a depleted secondary, he finally felt
settled into his role. “I was really nervous that game,” Witherspoon said. “After the game, it gave me confidence. Like you’re here now. There’s no going back to where we came from.” While the Illini secondary this season has been a weak point, Witherspoon believes the group’s chemistry is still coming together but that success will come soon. Now that trust has been estab-
lished between players, it comes down to executing the game plan better. One thing Witherspoon knows they have to improve on is eye discipline. He said while the wide receiver is running his route, the defensive backs must focus on the man and only look when their man looks. While the secondary must improve for the team to find success in 2020, Witherspoon believes the talent is there. And for now,
Witherspoon will continue to bet on himself, something he’s done his entire life. “It’s just from the heart,” Witherspoon said. “I think I was born with it. I never let my size get me down. Even though I wasn’t the biggest, I always played with the biggest heart. I never let that stop me from doing what I have to do.”
ing a few times and eventually, we end up on the same team. We’re both from different countries, yet here we are in the U.S. competing for Illinois.” In the gym, Valentin is an all-around gymnast but cites floor exercise, high bar and vault as his favor-
ite apparatuses. He also has national and international experience — he was a member of the French junior national team for three years and was a substitute for France at the European Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Though he has plenty of junior experi-
ence, his senior experience is limited; a torn ACL in January of 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in him losing almost two years of competition experience. Nonetheless, his allaround skill is something Spring believes will be valuable to the team for the next
two years. “At the age he’s coming in, he’s at the prime of his gymnastics career,” Spring said. “It’s pretty incredible where he’s at. He’s going to be a great all-arounder for us for his two years here. We’re very excited about that.” Valentin hopes to use his
experience with Illinois to join the French senior national team before competing in front of a home crowd at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will take place in Paris.
THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
Illinois tries to tackle an Iowa player during the game against Iowa on Nov. 23. Sophomore defensive back Devon Witherspoon has been a key contributor for the Illini so far this season, accumulating 15 tackles in two games in 2020.
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COVID-19
Pandemic affects RACES volunteers, callers BY ROHIT JAMMU ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR
RACES, Rape Advocacy, Counseling, & Education Services, is an organization based out of the C-U area working to provide compassionate and comprehensive support to those affected by sexual trauma. They promote consent and support by providing prevention education programs, counseling, legal advocacy, a 24-hour crisis line and medical advocacy to those in need. While COVID-19 continues to severely affect business, organizations and people from all walks of life, RACES was no stranger to the toll taken. Roli Sharma, a junior in LAS and a volunteer at the RACES 24 hour crisis line, first started working in late February after completing her 40-hour course from DFCS and online training that all the volunteers are required to complete in January. “The way the crisis line works is that someone dials in the number, which connects them to a third party organization where people take down the person’s information and hangs up,” she said. “After that, they call me and give me the caller’s information, and I call them back, while my number remains anonymous.” The process helps streamline callers, helping with redirection of their resources and balancing their offered help through the hotline, while simultaneously filtering through any of the spam or prank callers and ensuring volunteer confidentiality. While the general requirement for all volunteers is two shifts a month at a minimum, one of the shifts is required to be overnight,
PHOTO COURTESY OF RACES’ FACEBOOK
RACES representatives wait at a table at the C-U Pride Fest on Sept. 28, 2019. The organization has started receiving more calls since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
lasting about 14 hours, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sharma said the hotline has the most activity on weekends. She said although she had received a considerable amount of calls before the pandemic hit, the amount of calls she gets during the weekend shifts she has picked up post-COVID-19 has been significantly higher. “I know there’s been a huge monetary loss because of this pandemic, but something that is grossly overlooked as an impact of the pandemic is that people are trapped in their homes with their perpetrators now,” she said.
Whether that be an abusive husband, boyfriend, or even relative, the limitation on commute and mobility outside of their own residence has deprived an enormous amount of people of the resources that would usually be available to them, like friends, extended family, other support systems and even Courage Connection, a domestic violence shelter which is unable to help because of lack of funds. “For some people, even if they aren’t in imminent danger, they are completely deprived of their normal support systems,” she said. Sharma said procedure
states that if a person’s life is in danger, they, as volunteers, are required to call the cops. If the person is suicidal, they have a 5 step process they have to go through followed by which they also call the cops. More often than not, though, she said the calls that she would receive would be where the person on the other end is crying, generally anxious, having a mental breakdown. In these cases, they are instructed to simply be supportive, listen to them, validate their feelings and provide them with the resources that they offer. “Sometimes, there’s, it’s
just another person on the other end, reacting to something that had already happened and nowhere else to go to. All we can do is listen and be empathetic, which I think is the most important thing,” she said. She also said that they were struggling too, due to the pandemic. While RACES did provide in-person counseling, everything had to be moved online, including counseling. And with many volunteers being students of the University, they faced a lot of struggles with moving everything online because volunteers, like Sharma herself, left the state or country
or just wanted a break due to the pandemic once again. Sharma said, in one interaction with her supervisor, she said she was swamped with her usual managerial work and always taking calls because there was a reduced number of volunteers so she had to step in. “Talking to people through the hotline is quite taxing as it is,” she said. “Some calls can go on for hours, and we are required to be supportive through it all, which given everything that is happening right now, is hard for us too.” rjammu2@dailyillini.com
Urbana businesses receive COVID-19 relief funds BY SAMANTHA BOYLE MANAGING EDITOR FOR REPORTING
Several businesses in Urbana have received COVID-19 relief funding over the past several months. The funding totaled to $1.1 million. The funding was granted in order to help businesses “defray costs of operating a business during the pandemic,” according to a City of Urbana press release. “We’re grateful to be able to distribute over $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds to local businesses. Our community has rallied around these businesses to help maintain their operations and help retain jobs. We continue to ask everyone to wear a mask and respect public health guidelines to help them stay open,” said Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin in the press release.
The funding is split up into three grants. The first grant is the Hospitality Emergency Grant Program, which helps hospitality businesses during the pandemic. The only recipient of this grant is the Rose Bowl Tavern. The next grant is split up into two rounds. The State of Illinois Business Interruption Grant is used to fund small businesses hit hardest by the pandemic. Round one of this fund is directed toward restaurants, personal care services and gyms. Round one recipients include Amara Yoga & Arts, Baldarotta’s, Broadway Food Group, BBQ Premium Chicken, Merry-Ann’s Diner, Bab Plus Korean Restaurant, Cafeteria & Co/Sipyard, Basil Thai, Urbana Gardens Restaurant, Wood
N Hog and H2o Salon. Round two provides relief for all small businesses, with a focus on downstate businesses including Bunny’s Tavern, Blackbird (NOLAS), Rose Bowl Tavern, Masijta Grill, Memory Lane Photography, Ricks Bakery, Crane Alley, Dancing Dog, The Scotsman’s Kitchen, Allied Mechanical Services and Michelle’s Bridal. The last grant is the Community Development Block Grant, which helps businesses recover during the pandemic. A total of 28 businesses were granted money through this grant including Econo Lodge, Brittany’s Sweet Spot, Soul Care, Rose Bowl Tavern, Po Boys, Ms. Angis Hair and Ashar African Market. sjboyle2@dailyillini.com
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
A local artist performs at the Rose Bowl Tavern on Feb. 29. The Rose Bowl Tavern is one of the Urbana business that has received a COVID-19 grant.
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Thursday, November 12, 2020
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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.
THURSDAY, NOV. 12
Virtual Manga Workshop PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB
Sacha Baron Cohen and Jeremy Strong star in “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” The film was released on Netflix on Oct. 16.
Consider these fresh Netflix titles during colder months Replicate movie-going experience this fall season in your own home BY RAINA KUTLIROFF BUZZ STAFF WRITER
With the colder weather and the sun setting earlier, it is tempting to cuddle up and watch a movie or show. Considering most movie theaters are still closed, streaming services will debut dozens of new titles people can watch from the comfort of their home. Maybe Netflix titles will finally get the recognition they deserve from the Academy Awards. However, while some are phenomenal, others fall short. Here are some new Netflix releases that may or may not be worth watching.
“Holidate”: Skip
Starring Emma Roberts and Australian actor Luke
Bracey, “Holidate” is about the shame of showing up to a family holiday party without a date. Emma Roberts plays the always-single sister Sloane. Sloane’s crazy Aunt Susan, played by Broadway actress Kristen Chenoweth, teaches Sloane the secret of getting through the holidays: a “holidate,” or bringing a random date to spend the holidays with family. Though an adorable and sweet movie filled with famous cameos, “Holidate” is an overly predictable and cheesy film almost identical to every other romantic comedy holiday movie. “Holidate” is nothing special nor unique and may not be worth the watch.
the sex scene in “Titanic,” which she watches repeatedly. Her whole life, Alice is taught pre-marital sex is a sin, but she is suspicious and recognizes she might be different for having this sexual desire. Yearning for new experiences, Alice decides to attend her school’s retreat, where retreat leaders preach ways for the high schoolers to get closer to Jesus. While everyone is getting closer to Jesus, Alice longs to get closer to a senior boy, Chris, played by actor Wolfgang Novogratz. While learning a lot about herself, Alice accidentally uncovers her classmates’ secrets. She realizes she may not be the only Catholic with a desire for sex. “Yes, God, Yes”: Watch Filled with plot twists and Hilariously awkward even a little second-hand yet quirky and intrigu- embarrassment, “Yes, God, ing, Natalia Dyer stars as a Yes” will not disappoint. high schooler experiencing a sexual awakening while “Emily in Paris”: Watch attending her Catholic priStarring actress Lily Colvate school’s retreat. lins, “Emily in Paris” is a Dyer plays confused adolescent Alice enthralled by SEE NETFLIX | 6B
! 5-7 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by University of Illinois Small Press Fest # Free Manga is the Japanese comic art form. Kofi Bazzell-Smith, a Champaign native, is an artist and has studied manga in Japan twice. This workshop covers the Japanese four-arc storytelling structure, Kishotenketsu. This event is a part of the University of Illinois Small Press Fest.
Thursday Night Trivia
! 7-9 p.m. " Pour Bros. Craft Taproom Champaign, 40 E. University Ave., Champaign # Free Join us for weekly trivia with gift card prizes for top teams, swag giveaways and draft specials. Pour Bros. is a food-friendly establishment, so bring in the grub. Seating will be available on the patio as long as weather permits. Seating will also be available inside.
FRIDAY, NOV. 13
YOGA at Krannert Art Museum: Virtual Edition
! Noon-1 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by Krannert Art Museum # Free Enjoy a free weekly yoga practice presented online by Krannert Art Museum and taught by Jodi Adams, certified yoga instructor and Ayurveda specialist. During the Fall 2020 season, KAM will publish a hatha yoga video to its Facebook event each week at the regular yoga time. You can follow along from wherever you are. Yoga at KAM gives you time each week to breathe and reflect and connect, even during a time when we need to be distant.
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
Champaign-Urbana Winter Farmers Market
! 8-11 a.m. " Lincoln Square Mall, 201 Lincoln Square, Urbana # Free Shop from all of your favorite local farm vendors indoors at Lincoln Square Mall. Patrons must wear masks and social distance in the space. There will also be limits on how many people can enter at a time.
Hike with Midwest Explorer!
! 10-11 a.m. " Anita Purves Nature Center, 1505 N. Broadway Ave., Urbana # Free, but registration required Enjoy a fall hike with Sara Johnson, botanist and editor of the Midwest Explorer zine. Get some fresh air and discover the late fall landscape! Masks and social distancing are required. The limit is 15 people, so please register!
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
Cooking Comfort Foods for Fall: Butternut Squash Soup!
! 4:30-5 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by the Urbana Free Library # Free There’s nothing more delicious on a cold fall day than a tasty bowl of butternut squash soup. Sarah Buckman of Common Ground Food Co-op walks us through this surprisingly easy recipe with advice on selecting ingredients and modifying the recipe as needed for dietary concerns. She’ll also recommend other cold-weather comfort foods that lift the spirits and add some yummy variety to your table. We hope you’ll tune in on Facebook with your questions and, of course, your ideas of what we should be cooking this November!
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THURSDAY
November 12, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
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‘The Reckless One’ showcases human experience BY SYDNEY WOOD BUZZ STAFF WRITER
Releasing on Nov. 20, Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar’s newest album, “The Reckless One,” is 44 minutes full of powerhouse vocals and incredible instrumentals. Throughout the album, singer-songwriter Samantha Martin explores the themes of love and the human experience. “It’s supposed to be about the human condition, human emotions and how certain common things make you feel,” Martin said. Signed to Gypsy Soul Records, Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar have released two albums and three singles. “The Reckless One” showcases Martin’s expressive voice and introspective lyrics that define her as the band’s focal point. The album features songs such as “Who Do You,” “So I’ll Always Know” and a funk-inspired cover of Bob Dylan’s “Meet Me in the Morning.” With inspirations gained from Ike and Tina Turner,
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMANTHA MARTIN
Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar pose for a full band photo. The band’s new album, “The Reckless One,” will be released on Nov. 20.
Mavis Staples and Alabama fully blend soul, gospel and Shakes, Samantha Martin funk music with a big band and Delta Sugar success- style sound in an impressive display of musician craftsmanship. The album’s first track, “Love Is All Around,” features Martin’s dynamic voice complemented by vibrant instrumentals, forming an incredibly cohesive song with a pleasing balance between its enthusiastic instrumentals and vocals. The bass-line is the tune’s driving force, and it relies heavily on syncopated rhythms that enrich the song’s funky groove. Martin said “Love Is All Around” was inspired by the people in her life who supported her when she was in low spirits. The song catches listeners’ attention through PHOTO COURTESY OF SAMANTHA MARTIN its upbeat, optimistic vibes The cover for Samantha Martin and Delta Sugar’s new album and playful instrumen“The Reckless One” is pictured above. tal bridge before the final chorus.
FROM 5B
NETFLIX one-season Netflix show featuring Chicagoan Emily Cooper. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime: to live in Paris, working for a famous fashion company. Obsessed with marketing and clothing, Emily is challenged with working in a foreign country with plenty of attractive men. “Emily in Paris” is a wonderful escape from the reality of cold Illinois winters and takes viewers into a dream of love and romance in the beautiful city of Paris. Plus, Collins is a pleasure to watch.
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”: Watch
“I wrote a song called ‘Love Is All Around,’ and that’s about friends who kind of picked me up when I was feeling a little bit down and made me realize, ‘Hey, I’m here for you,’” Martin said. “I’ve Got a Feeling” is a slow, soulful ballad that showcases Martin’s impressive vocal range and her capacity for emotional depth in her songwriting. The descending vocal harmonies in the tune’s chorus complement Martin’s drawn-out, steady vocals, creating a lovely darker tone that adds depth to the song. The tune hovers on the edge of being a waltz. The fluid nature of its 12/8 time signature immerses listeners within Martin’s captivating vocals, accompanied by instrumentals that highlight her vocals without being overbearing.
“I want people to listen to ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’ and be like, ‘Yeah, I’m in that right now, and I remember when I felt like that about my partner,’” Martin said. “I just want the fans to connect with the music and to see themselves in the songs.” “Better to Have Never” is another gospel-inspired ballad that highlights Martin’s soulful, evocative vocals and heart-wrenching lyrics. Her voice is accompanied by harmonizing vocals and instrumentals that display a unique side of her musical composition. This tune showcases Martin’s poignant lyrics that are enhanced by the band’s resonant sound. Martin said she wants listeners who recently experienced a breakup to listen to “Better to Have Never” because the song is indicative of people’s feelings
after a fresh breakup when they begin regretting the time they wasted on the relationship. “I just want people to find comfort in the fact that they’re not alone when it happens, and it’s a shared human experience,” Martin said. “The Reckless One” is a journey through the human condition. Once listeners begin, they’ll be captivated by Martin’s stunning vocals and full-hearted lyrics that will guide them through the highs-and-lows of the human experience. This album is the musical embodiment of an emotional rollercoaster. No matter where this rollercoaster takes listeners, listeners cannot help but stay as Martin gives them the ride of a lifetime. smwood2@readbuzz.com
1968. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” features an all-star cast including Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph GordonLevitt, Eddie Redmayne and Jeremy Strong, among others. Gordon-Levitt plays Illinois prosecutor Richard Schultz, determined to prove these seven men guilty. Constantly switching from the protests in Chicago to the courtroom, this film follows each of the men’s stories and how they came to Chicago. This film makes several necessary political statements about anti-war as well as equality and anti-racism ideas. Though this film has a slow start, it is worthwhile to watch until the end. Full of intense action and drama, as well as Cohen’s famous comedy, this film keeps one on the edge of their seat.
This powerful film tells the story of the seven men put on trial in 1969 after protesting the Democratic National Convention in rkutli2@readbuzz.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB
Natalia Dyer stars in “Yes, God, Yes.” The movie was released on Netflix on July 24.
Best of CU 2020
You Voted! Winners will be announced in our Best of CU edition and online at readbuzz.com
Watch for results on Friday, Nov 13