The Daily Illini Vol. 150 Issue 35 Feb. 25

THURSDAY February 25, 2021

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Vol. 150 Issue 35

Clinic vaccinates some of CU’s homeless population Community agencies partner together, plan to provide two doses

BY ALIZA MAJID STAFF WRITER

As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to roll out to eligible groups, advocates for the homeless community have created an opportunity for those individuals to receive a vaccine through an on-site clinic in Champaign. The C-U at Home agency partnered with Continuum of Care to pursue this agenda in order to aid vulnerable populations during the pandemic. “There was the understanding that everyone would want a vaccine, and we really wanted to advocate to make sure that people experiencing homelessness had the opportunity to be vaccinated because they are highly vulnerable to COVID-19,” said Thomas Bates, the Continuum of Care coordinator. Champaign County’s Continuum of Care service provides relief and support to the homeless population and attempts to end homelessness with various federal funds and intervention systems to help these individuals get back on their feet. According to Bates, there have already been two clinics that took place on Feb. 9 and Feb. 11. Around 30 people were able to receive the vaccines during these initial clinics. The clinic came together within 24 hours even though

the group has been advocating for several weeks to get these vaccines for the community. Bates sent a letter to the public health administrator for Champaign-Urbana Public Health District in early January and kept contacting them for updates in order to help coordinate the event. “I know that we will have another clinic 28 days after the initial one for the second doses because we did use a two-dose vaccine,” Bates said. “I think there will probably be other opportunities for initial vaccinations depending on the demand which was quite good for the first two. So hopefully we’ll be able to organize or advocate for more soon.” The pandemic presented many challenges for the homeless community since many emergency shelters across the country were on the rise of shutting down due to the severity of the virus. Champaign County had a year-round shelter only for families, and seasonal shelters for individuals. C-U at Home was planning to start a year-round shelter in November 2021 to provide housing relief for all community members, but COVID-19 pushed up these plans. These emergency shelters were at high risk for spreading the virus because of the large congregations that occurred

in these settings which is why many shelters were limited or shut down. The population is highly vulnerable to the virus, and as a result, the vaccine was highly requested for the community in order to prevent further risks. “Vaccinations for the homeless community are very important because homeless services are frequently given in congregate settings, which could promote the spread of COVID-19 infections,” said Robert Davies, the emergency preparedness coordinator. “Since many homeless people are older adults or have one or more underlying health conditions, they may also be at higher risk for serious illness.” As of right now, there is no definite date for future COVID-19 vaccine clinics, but it is currently being coordinated along with the follow-up sessions for those waiting on their second dose. alizam2@dailyillini.com Editor’s note: A previous version of this article said that Champaign County did not have a shelter for individual homeless people. Champaign has run seasonal shelters for individuals in the past, though they were not year-round. Additionally, C-U at Home is not presently planning a shelter for November 2021. The Daily Illini regrets these errors.

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

A Champaign County resident receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the Church of the Living God on Saturday afternoon. The C-U at Home group partnered with Continuum of Care to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations to the homeless population of Champaign-Urbana.

Contact tracers weigh privacy tradeoff CU police develop US uses alternate responses less digital for mental crises approach than other countries

STAFF WRITER

Urbana and Champaign police departments are in the early development stages of a collaborative alternate response option: a co-responder model that would allow social workers to respond to mental health crises in certain situations. Urbana Police Chief Bryant Seraphin said learning to properly respond to calls regarding mental health crises has been an important concern to law enforcement lately. Currently, each police officer is required to complete eight hours of mental health training. Certain officers complete additional crisis intervention team training which is a more advanced form

BY MATT TROHER STAFF WRITER

Contact tracing has undergone a transformation from being a relatively unknown process to becoming a household term during the pandemic. However, the way the vast majority of American public health departments conduct contact tracing has remained the same. Junghwan Kim, graduate student in LAS, recently published a research survey that offers an explanation as to why American public health departments have used the same method of contact tracing, despite growing research that suggests other methods may be more beneficial to public health. Published in the International Journal of GeoI n f or m at ion , K i m ’s resea rch investigated how willing people are to accept various COVID-19 mitigation measures that harness people’s location information. The survey measured individual’s attitudes toward digital contact tracing measures such as GPS tracking and wearing an eletronic-wristband to monitor self-quarantine. The sur vey, which recruited participants through social media and contains a sample slightly younger and highereducated than the general population, focused on two countries: South Korea and the United States. “The research indicates that people in South Korea are more willing to accept those COVID-19 mitigation measures harnessing sensitive geospatial data, and there is some kind of tradeoff relationship between privacy concerns and social benefits,” Kim said. “If a person has a lower privacy

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CHAMPAIGN-URBANA PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT

Employees work at their computers in the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s operations center. CUPHD conducts the vast majority of contact tracing in the area.

concern and higher social- efficient. benefits, then that person “The ‘traditional methis likely to accept those od,’ with the one-to-one COVID-19 inter v iews, measures.” may have The conlimita“I feel like when we call some tact tractions,” Kim ing methid. “It ’s people, it gives them sa od used in t i m e - c o s tthe Unit- the opportunity to talk ly because ed States, you need to it out with someone.” do the interwhich Kim refers to as view one by NANCY JOHNSON the “traone. In South CUPHD CASE MANAGER ditional Korea, the met ho d ,” traditionutilizes a al method is team of contact tracers also used, but if the intergetting in contact with the view is impossible or the COVID-19-positive indi- information seems a litvidual, asking questions tle bit invalid, then they about who they’ve been request those kinds of in contact with, and sub- additional information sequently notifying the through the legal way, then mentioned contacts. How- access that information to ever, in addition to the “tra- increase the validity of the ditional method,” health contact tracing.” departments in South Within the ChampaignKorea have utilized GPS Urbana community, two data, credit card transac- different methods of contions and closed-circuit tact tracing are used. The television recordings to Champaign-Urbana Pubmake contact tracing more lic Health District, which

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of mental health training. This team has “been a driving force behind what we locally named as One Door,” according to Seraphin. The major concept that the departments are still working on is the most efficient way to get police officers and mental health officials to work together and also to enhance the skills of officers who respond to these calls. The dispatcher that receives a 911 call can either send the call to the fire department or the police department, according to Seraphin. The police department receives almost every call dealing with a mental health crisis.

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conducts the vast majority of contact tracing in the area, utilizes the “traditional method.” Nancy Johnson works as an operational lead for the emergency operations center at CUPHD and oversees CUPHD’s contact tracing department. Working off the “traditional method,” CUPHD’s team of 20-35 MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI contact tracers reach out by Champaign-Urbana police respond to a call on Green street phone to notify an individ- on Dec. 10, 2018. The department is developing alternate ual they’ve tested positive responses for mental health crises. for COVID-19, ask questions about who they’ve come in contact with and notify those contacts. Johnson noted that CUPHD’s contact tracing program reaches out personally to clarify any questions community members may have. “(The main benefit of our contact tracing program is) that we reach out to people Sports: Illini Features: ReStore personally,” Johnson said. learn about Black shop helps “I know there are some History Month build homes areas that are just doing by-

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West Washington Street around • Theft under $500 was reported 11 p.m. on Sunday. According to on the 1200 block of South Lierthe report, the victim’s car winman Avenue around 2:45 p.m. on dow was smashed overnight, but Monday. According to the report, no contents were removed from an unknown offender took the the car. victim’s package, which was left on the front porch, without news@dailyillini.com permission. • Criminal damage to property was reported on the 200 block of

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• Theft over $500 was reported at the Housing Food Stores building, 1321 S. Oak St., Champaign sometime before Feb. 16. According to the report, a catalytic converter was stolen and had an estimated value of $1,100.

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CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

A health care worker pulls a disinfectant wipe from a container during vaccinations at the Church of the Living God on Saturday afternoon. This past week, 224 new cases of COVID-19 were detected on campus.

Campus, Region 6 COVID-19 trends improve BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

Though still somewhat steady, the UI’s COVID-19 situation slightly improved in week four of classes. After a couple weeks near 300 new COVID-19 cases, the week ended Sunday brought 224 new cases on campus. The weekend total of 25 new cases was the lowest since Jan. 10. COVID-19 metrics in Champaign County and the surrounding 20 counties that make up Region 6 have continued to improve. A fter bumping up

slightly, the rolling seven-day test positivity rate for Region 6, which covers east central Illinois, is back down to 3.2%, the lowest mark since July 24. Regional hospitalizations for the virus, at 65 as of Monday, are the lowest since July 27. Hospitalizations peaked in the region on Nov. 18, at 268, and have precipitously dropped in the last month. On Jan. 23, 163 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the region. The region has spent 41 days underneath the 8%

test positivity threshold which typically calls for more COVID-19-related mitigations, like minimizing indoor dining. Locally, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District confirmed another 59 cases of the virus among its residents after Tuesday’s tests. However, active cases dropped by 32, down to 472 active cases of COVID-19 in Champaign County. Eleven county residents are currently hospitalized for the virus. Among Carle’s hospitals, 33 patients are hos-

pitalized for COVID-19, including 25 of them in Urbana’s Carle Foundation Hospital and four in its intensive care unit. Since the pandemic began, 18,060 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Champaign County, while 128 of them have died. The county has processed 1,705,020 COVID-19 tests to date. @esimmsnews ecsimmon@dailyillini.com

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NEWS

UI researchers’ precautions contrast county rules Indoor dining poses significant risk with B117 variant in tow BY PAYAL RATHORE STAFF WRITER

Many researchers have suggested to double mask and avoid in-person eating, while the county has opened up in-person dining, including limited space at dining halls. The B117 variant, the variant that resulted in the UK’s third lockdown, stands as a threat to the safety of students. “There is definitely a disconnect between researchers’ concerns about more infectious variants and public policy, not just in the county but in the nation as a whole,” said Nigel Goldenfeld, professor in Grainger. “The criteria for relaxing tiered mitigation levels are heavily based on hospital occupancy and downward case trends and were developed at a time when there was no awareness of rapidly emerging more transmissible and deadly variants

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

A Carle pharmacist draws the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine solution into a needle at the Church of the Living God on Saturday afternoon. University researchers have suggested the population double mask and avoid in-person eating.

such as B117.” The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce press release updated on Jan. 21 announced that Phase 4 of the governor’s mitigations for inside dining had been implemented.

The new phase gives limited capacity depending on the restaurant to ensure a minimum of six feet of distance between tables. A 10 person party limit is also in place, while standing areas have a 25% capacity

limitation. The Housing website states that the University dining locations require masks and social distancing at all times. Hand sanitizer stations and sanitizing wipes are also available

“Eating out is a major concern as it would involve removing your mask,” said Rebecca Lee Smith, associate professor in AHS, who suggests ordering take-out instead. Smith’s recommendation is to wear a poly-propylene mask with a cloth mask for the former’s filtration and the latter’s fit in case one does not have a N-95 mask. “I have been double masking (for) the past three weeks,” said Smith. Goldenfeld added that many researchers, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, are recommending and following double masking and avoiding in-person eating due to foresight regarding the potential danger. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has predicted that B117 will be the dominant strain in the U.S. in March, and it is currently doubling every 10 days or so,” said Goldenfeld, who urges everyone to double mask when grocery shopping and to be fully compliant with University testing and local public health district requirements as B117 is already spreading on campus. “We need to continue following the existing precautions in place to ensure that we reduce cases,” said Smith.

at different locations and limited dine-in seating is available. To accommodate all these restrictions, similar menus are being served at different dining halls and service hours have payalr2@dailyillini.com been extended.

Political science professors analyze ‘remarkable’ impeachment trial Vote to convict Trump gained unprecedented bipartisan support BY CHIEH HSU STAFF WRITER

Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial quickly ended after four days, with seven Republican senators willing to convict the former president. The Daily Illini invited two political science professors at the University to analyze the meaning behind the trial and what might happen in the future. “The Trump administration, and especially Trump himself, had little regard for ethics,” said Jeff Mondak, professor in LAS and James M. Benson Chair in Public Issues and Civic Leadership. “Numerous actions taken by the administration seemed designed to amass power and wealth for Trump and many of his associates and to insulate them from legal scrutiny.” According to Mondak, “Trump’s weeks of lies about the election having been stolen were the

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HEALTH mail notification, or a robomessage by phone, and while that’s great for notifying people they’ve been exposed to, it’s not offering them all the services or answering all their questions. It’s making it harder for them, making it so they have to call and try to figure out who to call to ask

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POLICE “The idea is to get the person in crisis services that they need as opposed to simply sending police there,” Seraphin said. This program will be developed with further research of other types of the success of co-responder models in different cities as well as an evalua-

foundation for the insurrection.” In the face of an uproarious crowd, Trump encouraged them to march to the Capitol, where they broke into the building and interfered with the electoral college confirmation process. “Given the gravity of introducing articles of impeachment, it was unlikely that after the first, an unprecedented second would occur,” said Aleksander Ksiazkiewicz, assistant professor in LAS. “It was only the extraordinary events of January 6th that precipitated that second impeachment.” Impeachment is the process that Congress brings charges against any federal officer, most commonly judges at the district court level. There are two parts to an impeachment trial. The House of Representatives would first vote to impeach a president, and then the Senate would vote to convict them. This time, the President was successfully impeached in the House with a “simple majority,” but fell ten votes short in the Senate, where a twothirds “supermajority” is required. According to Ksiazkiewicz, the reason that the House insisted on

impeaching Trump in the last days of his office is that one of the potential penalties for impeachment is to bar Trump from holding federal office in the future. “It is remarkable that 10 Republican congresspeople voted to impeach and that seven Republican senators voted to convict,” said Ksiazkiewicz. “This made it the most bipartisan set of impeachment votes against a president in American history.” T r u mp ’s desper ate attempts to interfere with the election include a phone call to Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s Secretary of State, and asking him to “find 11,780 votes” in his favor. The hour-long conversation was recorded, published by various media and labeled as the TrumpRaffensperger phone call. “The call struck me as unseemly, and as an abuse of power,” Mondak said. “But going from there to actual criminality would be difficult for a prosecutor to prove.” After Biden took office, many have wondered if his administration would open an investigation of Trump’s four years in office. Mondak said that Biden does not seem inclined to investigate Trump. However, Biden has said that he

questions. I feel like when we call people, it gives them the opportunity to talk it out with someone.” According to Johnson, the approximate time it takes from when an individual tests positive for COVID-19, to when their contacts have been notified, is “less than 12 hours.” Students and faculty at the University have another option that bridges the gap between privacy and tion of calls for service according to Tom Yelich, public information officer for the Champaign Police Department. The implementation of this pilot is influenced by community input that “police are not the appropriate responders for every need,” according to a Champaign City Council report. After research, Yelich said the department will “frame what this con-

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEMETRIUS FREEMAN-POOL/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

U.S. Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland speaks during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on Monday. If confirmed, Garland could decide to investigate the events of Jan. 6.

will leave such decisions to his eventual attorney general. His current nominee, Merrick Garland, is known for his by-the-book reputation. “I suspect he will follow the facts,” Mondak said.

Ksia zk iew icz ca lled upon the quote of John Adams, one of the Framers of the Constitution and the second President, who famously described a republic as a “government of laws and not of men.”

“If we are to live up to that sentiment, prosecutors will have to follow the evidence where it leads and act upon what they find,” said Ksiazkiewicz.

public health through the Safer Illinois App. When signing up for the Safer Illinois App, users can enable exposure notifications. When enabled, the Safer Illinois app uses Bluetooth data to record how long an individual has been in proximity to another individual with the app. If an individual tests positive for COVID-19, anyone with exposure notifications on who was within

10 feet of the positive individual for two continuous hours will be notified through the app. According to the Safer Illinois app’s information page, the app does not collect location data such as GPS position, only the Bluetooth data that gets shared when two phones are in close physical proximity of each other. While Kim believes the Bluetooth contact tracing option

offered by Safer Illinois effectively balances privacy and societal benefit, he doesn’t know if enough people utilize the app to make it effective. “Since the app allows for people to freely opt out of the Bluetooth option, I think it’ll be OK in terms of the privacy aspect, because if a person feels uncomfortable, then they can easily and freely opt out of using that feature,” Kim said.

“Based on modeling epidemiologists have created, at least 50% or 60% need to use that Bluetooth feature, to reasonably control the pandemic in a given area. But I think that it’s not the case here because I do not know the data about how the percentage of University members who use that feature.”

cept will look like for future consideration by our elected officials.” Seraphin sa id that the logistics who would respond to which calls are still being sorted out. He noted that there are certain situations where someone might be clearly having a mental crisis, but the danger affiliated with the situation might still require police presence. Different dispatch cen-

ters are in charge of calls received from different areas. As this concept develops further, the expertise will most likely go to the dispatch centers on deciding who to send in certain situations, Seraphin explained. “Our hope is to begin moving forward towards t hese improved co responder models in the future because we understand that’s a community

need,” Yelich said. Yelich said that this is currently “just a concept right now that needs further research” with no specific timeline of when it will be implemented. Seraphin explained that the program will begin “sooner rather than later.” The Champaign County Mental Health Board, two different hospitals and two different police agencies are involved in this pro-

cess, so “to get all of the pieces and parts lined up is quite an undertaking,” according to Seraphin. There are still ongoing meetings and conversations regarding this pilot program. Seraphin said that the departments plan to pilot the program in a “small area” in Urbana once they finalize the details.

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The Alma Mater statue stands on the corner of Green and Wright streets on a spring day. The Graduate College is expecting an increase of applicants with credit/no credit grades in their transcripts.

Graduate applicants face uncertainty over credit/no credit Schools vary in approach to recent grade policy changes BY WILLIE CUI STAFF WRITER

As the pandemic persists into its second year, the University, like many other universities across the country, has adopted alternative academic policies to help alleviate the struggles of remote learning. However, some University officials have expressed concern over the potential impacts that these policies may have on students in the future, such as how they might affect graduate or professional school applications. The Law School Admissions Council, an organization that administers the LSAT and facilitates law

school applications, will not calculate an undergraduate GPA for applicants with more than 60 non-graded credit hours. “There’s not going to be a reportable GPA and for most students, I think that would not be a good thing,” said Rebecca Ray, assistant dean for Admissions and Financial Aid at the College of Law. This includes transfer credits such as AP or IB credits as well as grades reported as credit/no credit. “For students who have opted for CR/NC already in the COVID era and also may have a lot of AP or advanced college credit from high school, they may already be approaching that 60 credit hour threshold,” Ray said. While law schools will still have access to an applicant’s transcript, they will not be given an undergraduate GPA for that applicant. “Obviously we’re gonna dig

into the actual transcripts “For some reason, if you’re and look at what grades you going to end up with a ‘No did get, but it sort of takes Credit’ and it’s going to get away from that summa- counted as an F, you want to rization of think very your entire carefully undergraduabout that,” ate career,” “The vast majority (of Ray said. Ray said. The LSAC medical schools) are is planning “The LSAT becomes to include a being more flexible letter in the a little bit more importhan they were pre- applications tant in those of students instances.” who were COVID. But how far If an applienrolled in cant has less they are going varies.” the Spring than 60 non2020 Semesgraded credit ter that notes NORA FEW DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS hours, grades the disrupIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE reported as tions COV‘NC’ or No ID-19 caused Pass will be during that considered semester. an F grade by the LSAC For medical school applicawhen calculating an appli- tions, the American Medical cant’s undergraduate GPA, College Application Service, while grades given as ‘CR’ or has issued a guide on how they Pass will not be used in GPA will handle COVID-19-relatcalculations. ed grading policies.

“Binary non-qualitative grades” such as CR/NC will not be counted towards an applicant’s AMCAS GPA, according to the guide. The AMCAS will instead count them as “Supplemental Hours” unless they are provided an “alpha grade conversion” by the applicant’s university. Despite this, “not all medical schools are taking the same approach to pass/no pass,” said Nora Few, director of admissions in the College of Medicine. “The vast majority are being more flexible than they were pre-COVID,” Few said in an email. “But how far they are going varies. Some schools will not accept pass/ no pass for pre-requisites, for example.” While students applying to medical school or law school usually do so through a centralized process, prospective graduate students general-

ly apply directly to graduate schools. The University’s Graduate College said that it will not penalize applicants who have adopted CR/NC or Pass/No Pass grading and that more focus will be given to students’ academic records prior to and potentially after the pandemic. Still, the Graduate College is expecting to see more applicants with CR/NC grades as a result of the pandemic, according to Charlotte Bauer, assistant dean for Communications and Strategic Planning at the Graduate College. “With the pandemic, we do expect to see an increased number of applications with Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit grades and have advised our graduate programs to continue to review applications holistically,” Bauer said in an email. williec2@dailyillini.com

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THURSDAY February 25, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

LIFE & CULTURE

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Habitat for Humanity ReStore worker Lloyd Addison wheels a cabinet towards the loading dock for a customer on Wednesday morning. The store has had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ReStore readjusts to pandemic landscape BY KARENA TSE STAFF WRITER

T he H a bit at for Humanity ReStore stands tall at 119 E. University Ave. in brick and cobalt blue. Its three floors hold colorful collections of used furniture, construction materials and household goods. Proceeds are used by Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County to build homes for low-income families. Si nce it s su m mer reopening after a COVID-19 shut down in March, the store has managed a modest return. Still, the blow of the initial closure stings in the ReStore staff’s memory. Sam Auterson, ReStore

manager, recalled the shock of the moment. “It didn’t seem real,” Auterson said. “No one really knew the magnitude of what was happening back then.” Auterson has been with the ReStore since 2014 — first as a cashier, then as assistant manager, and now as a store manager. She has made many important moves for the store, including launching its social media pages and growing its volunteer program. Auterson took over as store manager in February 2020. Before she had a real chance to carve out her new role, the store closed. The staff that returned months

later was only a fraction of Auterson’s original team. “We were a really tightknit staff,” she said. “It was heartbreaking.” A full-time staff of four led the reopening, with the added challenge of enforcing new safety protocols. Auterson struggled to set boundaries for her staff. While mask wearing and social distancing were non-negotiable, she feared for her team’s safety in encounters with hostile customers. Despite these challenges, Auterson found relief in a reunion with the ReStore family. She was especially thankful to see the faces of regular customers, many of whom were daily visitors

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

The front entrance of Habitat for Humanity ReStore is pictured above.

before the shutdown. “Seeing them come back for the first time was really exciting,” Auterson said. “Just to make sure that they were okay.” Along with returning staff, ReStore volunteers like College of Engineering retiree Jack Su also adjusted to new conditions. Su has been volunteering at the ReStore for almost seven yea rs, testing electronic donations and pricing them for resale. These days, he works only when the store is closed and empty — a small, though the heavy price to pay for the safety of social distancing. “I really enjoy the conversation and banter,” Su said. “I miss seeing everyone.” While Su’s professional work centered on software, he has carried a fascination with electronics since he was a teenager. At the ReStore, he indulges this passion freely. Su finds a new puzzle in every old electronic that finds its way to his testing area. He has rescued a variety of items with his careful tinkering, from big-screen TVs to vintage stereo amplifiers. “I’m proud of fixing broken electronics destined for the recycling heap,” Su said. Coupled with his love for electronics is a dedication to Habitat for Humanity’s home-building mission. Each repair is another sale for the ReStore — and each sale is more money for

Habitat homes. In the past, Su enjoyed volunteering alongside Habitat homeowners and hearing their stories. He empathizes with Habitat families’ search for security and well-being, especially as an immigrant from Taiwan. “ T he homeow ner s ’ enthusiasm and hope for a better future are infectious and inspiring,” Su said. Lauren Gramly, Resource Development Director, also said she felt a personal commitment to Habitat for Humanity’s mission. She works upstairs in the ReStore at the Habitat offices, raising funds and visibility for the organization. Gramly came to Habitat in Fall 2018. She brought with her the experiences of a divorced mother struggling to secure housing for her family. In those years, it struck her that even with a steady income, the housing market was near impossible to navigate. “There’s such a gap between what people are earning and what people have to earn to afford a nice place to live or even a decent place to live,” Gramly said. Gramly’s work at the ReStore is enlivened by a love for antiques. Over the past 20 years, she has found treasures at estate sales, flea markets and garage sales galore. She believes deeply in buying used and vintage items. A few weeks after the ReStore closed last

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spring, Gramly realized the pandemic would require quick and careful adaptation. She pondered the next move that would keep the store’s sales coming and the homebuilding funds growing. “I thought, ‘what can I do?’” Gramly said. “What can I do to help us?” Gramly put together the ReStore’s online store, building up a diverse catalog of items from scratch. This practical move became a personal pursuit for Gramly as she found joy in crafting quirky item listings. W it h t he on l i ne store, Gramly had the opportunity to feature oneof-a-kind items — the kind whose value might not be so obvious sitting unmarked on a shelf. Gramly has sold some of the ReStore’s most precious and peculiar items through the online store, from a $200 sixties Barbie doll to a fan art portrait of William Shatner. “It is so fun for me,” Gramly said. “Probably too fun.” Nearly one year after its initial closure, the ReStore team has found a strong footing in this new landscape. They stay grounded in their goal to raise funds for Habitat homes. “I’m grateful for my staff and their hard work,” Auterson said. “And I’m excited to see what the future holds.” kvtse2@dailyillini.com

THE DAILY ILLINI  |  WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Thursday, February 25, 2021

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Emotional support animals alleviate stress BY KAYLA MISH STAFF WRITER

Going into the third semester a f fected by the pandemic, students have increasingly been searching for ways to help alleviate the stressors of life and take care of their mental health. Self-ca re ca n look different based on the person. For some students, hav ing an emotiona l supp or t animal or spending time with therapy animals has helped them tremendously in taking care of themselves. An emotional support animal is an animal that helps further treatment for an emotional or mental disability and provides the owner with things such as comfort, routine and other benefits that improve their quality of life. W hen the pandemic started, Jordan Walters, senior in LAS, found it difficult to get outside and maintain a schedule. In an effort to help, she adopted an emotional support dog named Lulu. “I didn’t even leave my house most days, but now with her, I have to wake up at seven,” Walters said. “I have to get out and go outside five times a day, so she gets me out of bed and gets me moving.” In order to get an ESA, one needs to have a mental health professional diagnose them with a mental health disorder from the DSM-5 and have the provider indicate that their condition would benefit from having an ESA. Most ESAs are usually dogs or cats, but other animals can qualify.

JULIA EVERSMANN THE DAILY ILLINI*

Dr. Marcia Zumbahlen, lo c a l development a l clinical neuropsychologist and owner of A Dragonfly Mind LLC, said that she has seen some clients immensely benefit from ESAs. “There’s certain things that my dog has been able to do in therapy sessions that I could never have

achieved,” Zumbahlen said. Zumbahlen said that in some instances, children with autism spectrum disorder or children who are nonverbal can relate better to animals than humans due to the simplicity of the animals’ actions. What each emotional support animal helps with

JULIA EVERSMANN THE DAILY ILLINI

varies by the condition of the owner. From depression to anxiety to PTSD to ADHD, an ESA can help in several different ways. The support of the ESA can “improve the chemistry of that person’s mind, and that service is a very important functional purpose in treating their condition,” Zumbahlen said. Zumbahlen also said that society should consider rethinking the naming of an emotional support animal verses a service animal. “If that anima l is helping you do things that offset your depression and improves positive feedback loops you’re going to improve the neurochemistry for that person,” Zumbahlen said. “So why not call the animal a service animal as opposed to an emotional support animal?” An important thing to consider before looking into getting an ESA, Walters said, is making sure one is able to care for

the animal. “It’s a lot of work,” Walters said. “You still have to do all of the taking care of the animal, things like you have to wake up early in the morning. If you’re getting a puppy like I got, you have to do the potty training.” Another way animals have been helping improve the lives of others is by becoming therapy animals. W hile ESAs require a letter from a mental he a lt h pr ofe s sion a l , therapy animals have to be evaluated by one of the organizations who register or certify therapy animals. They can only go places if they have been asked but cannot go everywhere, like a service dog. Kathy Trammel volunteers with C-U Canine Connection. Their website stated they are “a small group of wonderful animals and their owner/ handlers who provide animalassisted activities and therapy to clients in need.” Besides bringing them to the University, Trammel and C-U Canine Connection

bring their animals to many places, such as hospitals, fire stations and schools. Some of their animals are certified as crisis response dogs. Trammel mentioned that she has seen many times how her dogs offer support to those in need. During a hospital visit, one of her dogs wouldn’t leave the side of someone who was going through the loss of a loved one. “The dogs know who’s hurting,” Trammel said. “I mean, they feel it, and they feel any hurt and sometimes they come home exhausted because they’re feeling all of that.” Trammel has brought her dogs to the University in the past during finals week, and she said that students would swarm over her dogs. She said her dogs were always surrounded by students petting them and taking lots of pictures. “If I had a dollar for every student that took a picture of one of my therapy dogs, I would be rich,” Trammel said. kmish2@dailyillini.com

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ACROSS

1 Beloved, in Arabic 6 [Make it quick!] 10 Masthead listings, for short 13 Italian herbal liqueur 14 “Please, please, please?” 15 People calling the shots at the zoo? 17 Not radical 19 Drink with a domeshaped lid 20 Where to find the Egyptian Temple of Dendur, with “the” 21 Crush, as a test 22 Cry from a survivor 24 Clara in the National Women’s Hall of Fame 26 Stuffed oneself with, facetiously 27 Newswoman Roberts 28 Recipe amt. 31 Doesn’t stay natural? 32 Fell off, as laughter 33 Place 35 Investments of a sort, for short 36 “Well, which is it?!” 37 Co. with a plant 40 Choose randomly, in a way 41 Specialty 42 Like legs in the days after a marathon 44 “Get ’em!” 45 Human, ape or kangaroo 46 Many celebrity golf events 48 Like taxis and Julius Caesar, once 50 Break down chemically 52 Mo. without a federal holiday 53 Father on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

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PUZZLE BY DANIEL MAUER

55 Palindromic woman’s name 56 Automotive safety feature represented (and to be followed) eight times in this puzzle 59 Town, in Scandinavia 60 Big Apple? 61 Immunologist Anthony 62 Suffix with coward 63 “Huh-uh” 64 First capital of Alaska

DOWN

1 Soccer star on a 1999 Wheaties box 2 Bloblike 3 Ill-advised opinions 4 Fury 5 Feeling on a lo-o-ong car trip 6 Lab workers

7 Performer with the hit 2006 album “Hip Hop Is Dead” 8 Voting no 9 ___ Beach, Calif. 10 Satan, with “the” 11 Crack, as a secret message 12 Shorthand writers, for short 16 Dated 18 Cpl. or sgt. 23 Expand 25 Purge (of) 27 Atlanta-based health org. 29 Long fur scarfs 30 Outcome of a coin flip, e.g. 33 Parisian possessive 34 T or F, e.g.: Abbr. 36 “I rule!” 37 Classic figure killed off in a 2019 Super Bowl ad campaign 38 Responses

39 “Sick, dude!” 40 Like toreadors, again and again 41 Feel off 42 “That’s true about me, right?” 43 Drink served in a snifter 45 Worrisome uncertainties 46 Devices rendered obsolescent by smartphones, in brief 47 Become fixed 49 Where some things are really hopping?: Abbr. 51 Sport in a ring 54 Director Kazan 57 Music whose golden age is said to be from the mid’80s to mid-’90s 58 Moo goo ___ pan

The crossword solution is in the Classified section.

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THURSDAY February 25, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

OPINIONS THE DAILY ILLINI EDITORIAL

Ivor Chen case illustrates messy methods of discipline A dismissal case from the University of Ivor Chen, an international doctoral student entered the spotlight on campus as students petitioned against his dismissal. Chen lived in the Champaign-Urbana area with his mother and claimed to only leave his residence for essential activities. Nonetheless, upon what the University claimed was a violation of on-campus testing requirements, Chen’s visa was revoked and both he and his mother faced deportation. While the full story — which can be found in The Daily Illini’s news section — documents the complex timeline of both Chen and the University body that sought to discipline him, the petitioners and GEO — the Graduate Employees’ Organization — found the punishment to be punitive. They also objected to the manner in which the University warned students facing dismissal to the University through a Massmail — one of 25 sent in the month of September, according to the petition. Every student has a different opinion on the extent to which the University should be allowed to admonish

noncompliance but paving the path for the deportation of an isolated Ph.D. student and his mother is severe. It also begs the question of whether punishments may be uniquely harsh on international students, whose dismissals would result in an international displacement rather than a domestic flight home. Another problem with the disproportionate response is it was patently reactive. The basis for the discipline was a failure to comply with testing standards in the Fall of 2020, but Chen applied and was granted a testing exemption for the 2021 Spring Semester. Thankfully, the University has granted reduced discipline to Chen— discipline which currently by no standard is too light. Chen now faces 25 hours of community service, two reflective 1,000 word essays and dismissal from the University until his graduation (half of the initial sentence). The University maintains the change in discipline originated after receiving “new information,” though it is fairly clear that fear of national publicity drawn to a story with bad optics for the University moti-

vated the decision. Outraged petitioners succeeded in reversing the threat of deportation. Perhaps Chen’s case was meant to be an example set by the University that students must comply with testing guidelines— and they should. But instead, it highlighted the poor communication on the part of the University’s administration: an inundation of Massmails, unclear yet intense disciplinary practices (as well as the selective application of them) and a failure to properly warn students if they are disobeying campus COVID-19 guidelines. The GEO and The Daily Illini have declared support for campus-wide testing as well as discipline for students who abdicate their responsibilities to it, but Ivor Chen’s case should make students wary of the manner in which the University is choosing to discipline students. Surely, an email to the individual, rather than to the entire student body, is warranted before revoking one’s visa. Frighteningly, it almost mirrors an infamous scene from “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” where headmaster Dumb-

KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI

ledore confronts strict school administrator Dolores Umbridge, who is in the middle of disciplining a professor. To paraphrase the check in authority Dumbledore offers the overstepping Umbridge, the University has the right to dismiss students but should not have the authority “to banish them from the grounds,” so to speak. GEO representative Becca Maree perfectly underscored the prob-

lem with the University’s response by arguing “University administrators have really been pushing the narrative that we’re in this together, we want to keep everyone safe, and so when we’re facing the deportation of an international doctoral student, I think that greatly conflicts with the narrative that’s present right now from University administrators.” The University presents its testing program as a way

of mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and allowing students and the surrounding community to feel safe during the semester. But with draconian punishments like that initially handed to Chen, students feel intimidated, not safe. The case serves as a reminder to do your duty as a student and test frequently, but it also serves as a warning to the University: Let the punishment fit the crime.

Pandemic heightens racist rhetoric anti-Asian rhetoric. Everyday citizens, the media RAYNA WUH and even prominent poliCOLUMNIST ticians have called SARSCoV-2 the “Chinese Virus,” “Wuhan Virus” and even acially-motivated the “Kung Flu.” attacks against peoThese labels reinforce the ple of Asian descent misinformed notion that have spread rapidly along people of Asian descent are with the pandemic. Howto blame for the spread of ever, racial prejudice and the virus. Posts calling Chixenophobia against Asian nese people “dirty” and “disAmericans are nothing new. eased” are still circulating Recent anti-Asian hate and around social media. discrimination has roots While the pandemic has that reach much further worsened anti-Asian sentiback than the pandemic. ment, it has existed in our Stop Asian Amerihistory for much longer JONAH OZER THE DAILY ILLINI can and Pacific Islander than this past year. ComHate, a reporting database mon stereotypes attached formed amid the pandemto Asian Americans like the ic, received nearly 3,000 “model minority” and “perfirsthand accounts of antipetual foreigner” simulAsian hate from its launch taneously include Asians inflation-adjusted median government $831 billion, in March 2020 to the end of to further racism against house price has also quietly or 32.3% of federal tax rev2020. Cases are categorized other marginalized groups SHITAO LIU climbed back to the peak it enue of that fiscal year. But as physical assaults (8.7% of and exclude Asians from COLUMNIST achieved in 2005, shortly the CAREs Act passed last incidents), coughing or spit- the status of being a “true” after which there came the March together with the ting (6.4%), verbal harassAmerican. subprime crisis. Consolidated Appropriament (70.9%) and shunning Starting with “model the COVID-19 On the other hand, an tions Act and the $1.9 trilor avoidance (21.4%). minority,” this common pandemic coninterest rate on the floor lion proposal on the floor of While hate incidents span misconception that all Asian tinually hurts the and quantitative easing are our senate would cost us $5 across different age demoAmericans are smart, hardU.S. and global economy, often considered the nuclear trillion totally, or 134% of graphics, the recent tarworking and law-abiding central governments are weapon for extreme situaestimated federal tax revgeting of elders has been citizens was first constructdrafting and carrying out tions, and using it for a long enue in 2020. especially cruel. Among the ed during the 1960s Civil their relief plans one after time could eventually disAs a person with subviolent attacks was the fatal Rights Movement. This another. While many people tort the market and create stantial debt faces financial assault of 84-year-old Vich- myth is used to illustrate are splurging the free checks more severe problems. As problems, so does a public ar Ratanapakdee who was the existence of the “Amerithey receive, we need to cal- Professor Harald Uhlig from institution. And the finanknocked to the ground while can Dream” and the value culate how much irresponKenneth C. Griffin Departcial situation of the State of on a walk in his San Francis- of hard work. However, it is sible fiscal and monetary ment of Economics at the Illinois is a warning sign to co neighborhood. deeply flawed. policies could cost us more University of Chicago point- both local and the federal Other instances of unproFirst, it generalizes the in the future. ed out, no one foresaw these government. Its debt ratio voked violence include the varied experience of all peoMoney has never been as policies lasting this long at has climbed to ridiculous violent shoving that left ple of Asian descent, minicheap as it is right now. To the beginning, and all poli468.7%, according to Forbes, three Asian elders injured in mizing those of the less forsupport the U.S. economy cymakers are betting on a indicating the de facto bank- Oakland, California’s Chitunate. It fails to take into during the 2008 depression, robust economic recovery as ruptcy of the state; the ratnatown, and the assault and account the fact that income the Federal Reserve Board the way out — because they ings of its bond are slightly harassment of a 52-year-old inequality is greater in the lowered the Federal Funds are left with no choices. better than so-called junk Asian woman in Flushing, Asian population than in Rate to the floor, only slightHowever, the U.S. econbonds, pushing the borrow- Queens. any other racial group in the ly above zero. Meanwhile, omy has not been lifted as ing cost even higher; while Although I have not perUnited States. it started to expand its balmuch as they expected, and, Illinois residents face one of sonally experienced many Furthermore, the stereoance sheet, or, more colloinevitably, the effectivethe highest state tax burden explicit acts of racism, I have type purports that Asian quially, it printed dollars. ness of these methods would and the worst economic out- still felt the effects of antiAmericans are fully acceptAccording to the annugradually become incapaclook among all states. Asian sentiment related ed in American society. This al report, the balance sheet itated. If the low-interest Former UK Prime Minto the virus. In my mostly idea invalidates the real-life size of the Fed was around rate and expansionary mon- ister Margaret Thatcher white suburb, I do not feel experiences people of Asian $890 billion, or 6% of U.S. etary policies are like cafonce said, “There is no such outright unsafe, but there descent have with racism GDP, at the end of 2007; feine to keep people awake, thing as public money; there are times when I cannot and discrimination. however, it has octupled to vexatious troubles will arise is only taxpayers’ money.” shake the uneasy feeling Finally, this false nar$7.4 trillion, or 35% of U.S. when the tolerance is built. Any attempt to spend the that there are extra eyes on rative is often used to GDP, at the end of the cataBesides the macro overgovernment budget irreme and my family. make inaccurate comparistrophic 2020. view, the substantial debt sponsibly is to flagrantly bet This past summer, I felt sons between the plight of On the one hand, the low- burden also diminishes the future of our children, hurt and angry when I Asian Americans and Black interest rate and quantitathe future. Before 2007, and children’s children; and heard that a number of oldAmericans. The myth eletive easing have ignited the the ratio of federal governany flashy proposal would er boys mocked my middle vates Asian Americans as equity market. While the ment debt versus GDP had potentially cost more in the school brother using racial “deserving” based on their median hourly earnings of been controlled at around future. Improvident monslurs. He was out fishing, “hard work” to perpetuate wage raised from $12 to $15, 60%. It then skyrocketed to etary and fiscal policies are completely minding his anti-Black stereotypes of SPY, the exchange-traded over 100% in recent years, not means to bail out Ameri- own business when these “laziness.” fund tracking S&P 500, the and irresponsible fiscal cans — a balanced substantaunts were thrown at him As mentioned in a Code index covering 500 public plans could only worsen the tial plan is. unprovoked. Switch article,“‘Model companies most representa- situation. There is no doubt that Minority’ Myth Again Used tive of the U.S. economy, has The Emergency Econom- Shitao is a junior in hate against people of Asian As A Racial Wedge Between nearly tripled after adjustic Stabilisation Act passed Engineering. descent has been exacerbat- Asians And Blacks,” Asians ment. Concomitantly, the in 2008 cost the federal sl53@dailyillini.com ed by the prevalent use of never faced the system-

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atic dehumanization and enslavement that Black Americans did. These prejudices are not only far from reality, but they also effectively pit Asian and Black Americans against one another when they could be showing solidarity instead. While the “model minority” stereotype creates divisions between Asian Americans and other minority groups, the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype creates a distinction between Asian Americans and “real” Americans. The best way to illustrate the “perpetual foreigner” stereotype is with questions most Asian Americans have encountered at one time or another. We are frequently asked “Where are you from?” and if the response is somewhere in the United States, “No, where are you actually from?” The intentions behind asking these questions are not necessarily malicious, but that does not make them any less harmful. Implicit in those questions is a sense of othering people of Asian descent and a refusal to accept their identity as Americans. It is important to appreciate people’s cultural and ethnic backgrounds. However, understanding a person’s background is not the same as automatically assuming they are “foreign” or “un-American” because of their appearance. The recent attacks against the Asian American community are unacceptable and should not be tolerated. At the same time, they cannot be viewed in isolation. It is essential to examine the increase in anti-Asian hate in a larger historical context and understand its roots. In order to dismantle systemic racism, Asian Americans need to find unity with members of other marginalized groups and allies. The divisive nature of “us” versus “them” stereotypes is harmful to everyone involved, and helps perpetuate discrimination. Any hope of racial justice and equality hinges on actions taken by the collective population to address racism in its many forms. Rayna is a freshman in LAS. rwuh2@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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THURSDAY February 25, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

SPORTS

MEN’S GOLF

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Senior Michael Feagles watches his ball after a swing during competition. Feagles has been named the Illini of the Week following his first-place finish at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.

Feagles dominates in Mobile after returning for fifth season BY CHRISTIAN JONES STAFF WRITER

In a perfect world, Michael Feagles does not win the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. In a perfect world, the COVID-19 pandemic does not change everything. If all things went as he planned, Feagles would be an Illinois alum on the professional golf circuit. Last year, plans changed for everyone; the world changed. When the World Health Organization announced that the COVID-19 outbreak had reached pandemic status last March, the Illinois men’s golf team had just started its season, a season which was supposed to be Feagles’ last. “I had my senior season ripped away last year,” Feagles said. “I drove back to

Arizona thinking I might never be able to represent the orange and blue again.” Of course, it wasn’t just the NCAA making cancellations. The PGA canceled its Korn Ferry Tour, which is an avenue for collegiate golfers to transition to the PGA Tour. For Feagles, this meant turning pro would have to wait. Fortunately, the NCAA gave athletes an additional year of eligibility to make up for the lost season, but things did not go back to normal. The team continued to train amidst a summer of uncertainty and political unrest, knowing there would not be a fall season either. Still, they returned to campus in August. “Coming back this year and getting that opportuni-

ty one last time, it places an importance on you,” Feagles said. “You can’t take this time for granted. This is a very important time in your life, and one day it’s not going to be here any longer.” With his performance at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate last week, Feagles validated all the hard work the men’s golf team has put in over the last 11 months. Feagles gave an inspiring performance, leading from start to finish. He posted a personal-best 54-hole score of 200, which is also good enough for the second-best score in Illinois history. He scored a par or better on 52 of the 54 holes and led the tournament with 18 birdies. The win was almost never in doubt

for Feagles. After posting a tournament-best 67 in two consecutive rounds, he bested himself and posted a 66 in the final round. Feagles’ ability to stay focused while in the lead speaks to the maturity that head coach Mike Small said he brings to the team. It is a skill that Feagles was missing when he first came to Illinois in 2016, and one that cost him several wins early in his career. “When I was younger as a freshman or sophomore, a lot of times in the lead going into the final round, I would kind of freeze up and play a bit more scared, a little more tentative,” Feagles said. “I’d end up finishing top five and not winning.” He credits his improvement in this area to the help from Small and the team’s

mental coach, though Small has been especially important in Feagles’ career. “I could say pretty confidently that without Coach Small, I don’t know if I would have won as much as I have in college or if I would have won at all,” said Feagles. “He’s helped me a great deal, and I’ll continue to look to him for guidance along the way.” For a prestigious golf program like Illinois, winning is expected. According to Feagles, “learning to win” is one of the main reasons he came to Illinois. While attending high school at Brophy College Prep in Pheonix, Arizona, Feagles finished second in the state championship his senior year and left high school without achieving his biggest goal.

This failure has played a part in motivating Feagles to push himself at Illinois. “He’s worked as hard as anybody I’ve had,” Small said. “He’s been improving every year since he was a freshman, and he’s come a long way.” A long season lies ahead for Feagles and the Illini, as one win is not enough to predict a sixth straight Big Ten championship. Regardless, it is a good sign that team is capable of weathering change and enduring challenges. Though plans have changed, Feagles’ focus has not. “This team has got eyes on winning the biggest of them all: A national championship,” Feagles said. @JonesChristianT ctjones3@dailyillini.com

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Illini celebrate Black History Month, connect through personal experience BY CLAIRE O’BRIEN STAFF WRITER

Before every Illinois women’s basketball home game, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” echoes around State Farm Center; this is one way the Illini are celebrating Black History Month. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is known as the Black national anthem, and James Weldon Johnson wrote it in 1899. The NAACP made it the “Negro National Anthem” in 1919, according to CNN. That came over a decade before Herbert Hoover declared the “Star-Spangled Banner” as the United States’ national anthem. More recently, Alicia Keys sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before a Kansas City Chiefs game in September, and that was the first time many Americans heard the song. As many people across the United States have taken the time to educate themselves on Black history over the past year, as well as during the month of February, the Illinois women’s basketball team has as well, taking time during each practice to learn about Black history. Head coach Nancy Fahey is educating herself on Black history, and she frequently speaks out in support of Black Lives Matter and against systemic racism on social media. She attended a Black Lives Matter rally alongside men’s basketball head coach Brad Underwood and athletics director Josh Whitman in June, and she tweeted out a statement in August to reiterate her commitment to work for racial justice. The team starts off practice each day with a “positive circle,” where players

can share what’s going on in their lives away from the basketball court with their teammates and coaches. Fahey began the activity when she began coaching, and the idea was for her players to share good things that happened to them away from basketball. “I started (it) when I first started coaching,” Fahey said. “What I noticed is that when you get to a gym, most of the time you only hear coaches talk, and they have the circle then give what they feel. What I’ve discovered is there’s a lot going on in our players lives also, and sometimes when you’re in the midst of going to school, going to practice and repeating, we forget what in life is happening well ... it really just started with people sharing if something happened good to them.” Sometimes, players discuss Black history during “Positive Circle,” and Fahey said the team tries to keep the conversation going beyond just the times when the public discourse focuses on it. “We do that throughout the year,” Fahey said. “We start every practice with that, and sometimes there may not be (any) players on that, and we don’t force it. So no, it’s a year-round and cultural thing we’ve done since I’ve been here.” Fahey’s players appreciate her commitment to racial justice. “I’m really proud to play for a coach that invests time in those kinds of things and that cares about Black history, and learning about Black culture and things like that,” said redshirt junior center Eva Rubin. “I know that there’s been a recent surge of wanting to

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Members of the Illinois women’s basketball team kneel during the national anthem before the game against Valparaiso on Dec. 2. The team is celebrating Black History Month in multiple ways.

learn more and wanting to embrace Black culture even more in the recent months, so to have my coach really step up to the plate and be a leader in that area has been really great.” The team takes turns sharing with each other, and a different player shares something each day. Sometimes, the people or events they discuss are ones they knew about before the discussion, but they still enjoy hearing from their teammates and seeing other teammates who might not have known about the person or event learn about it. “My teammate, Aaliyah Nye, when it was her turn to go she talked about Madam C.J. Walker, who was the first Black woman million-

aire, so that was really cool to have her bring that up,” Rubin said. “I was familiar with her, but to see my teammates be interested in hearing that story was really cool.” The Illinois women’s basketball program has also recognized Black History Month in other ways, including a tweet that featured a video of the team sharing what Black History Month means to them. They also wear warm-ups before games with, “I am — ” and the players fill it in with names of Black people who have been murdered, including Emmett Till and Sandra Bland, among others. Before games, most of the team kneels during the U.S. national anthem. Nation-

al Football League quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first professional athlete to kneel during the national anthem in 2016, and he has not played in the NFL since. The NCAA has allowed kneeling during the national anthem at championships since at least 2017, when it sent a memo to schools, reminding them athletes are allowed to kneel, per The New York Times. Conferences have jurisdiction over kneeling during regular-season conference games. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren stated in June that Big Ten athletes would be permitted to kneel during the national anthem before sporting events when they

returned. The Illini take a knee before the game, and the coaching staff, including Fahey, kneels during the national anthem. “I think it makes a statement to a lot of people and for us ourselves, just knowing that something that we all personally care about is being expressed in a sport that we love, and that there’s other people around us that are backing us as well, like with our coaches, staff and people around us,” said sophomore forward Kennedi Myles. “They just care a lot about stuff outside of basketball that really affects us as athletes.” @obrien_clairee claireo3@dailyillini.com

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Thursday, February 25, 2021

2B

SOFTBALL

Illinois needs aggressive hitting to start 2021 season strong BY CARSON GOURDIE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

With chilly weather and the Big Ten’s concerns over the coronavirus, the Illinois softball team is kicking off the 2021 season with a road trip in Leesburg, Florida, bubbled off from the public. The Illini finished 11-11 last season, though they didn’t play a single game against any Big Ten foes. Illinois was incredibly young last season, and it was given a huge boost by the performance of Youngstown State transfer and pitcher Addy Jarvis. While every Big Ten team is down in the Sunshine State with head coach Tyra Perry’s club, Illinois will not face every team, with the first six games this week coming against Rutgers, Maryland and Michigan, respectively. While other programs across the nation have already begun play, the Illini have anxiously waited for the opportunity to return to the diamond. But despite the feelings, Perry noticed her team acted mature during the process. “When we came back in January, it was a dream,” Perry said. “Everyone was super focused, just a lot of fun. You could just tell everyone had perspective of what we missed last season.” While pitching carried

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Junior Avrey Steiner hits the ball during the Orange & Blue World Series on Oct. 25. The Illini will begin their 2021 season playing against multiple opponents in Florida this weekend.

the team last season, the act of Jarvis and Sidney Sickels is unsustainable. After opening the season 4-0 in 2020, the Illini went on a losing streak once the pitching dropped a little in

production. Last season, the Illini batted only .226 as a team, despite having some notable performers. Junior Avrey Steiner was incredibly consistent last season

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Senior Katie Wingerter throws the ball during the Orange & Blue World Series on Oct. 25.

and finished with a batting average of .338. Including four successful stolen bases, Steiner was a tough out for opponents. The Illini, while not having great amounts of power, will utilize softball IQ to keep pitching staffs off-balance. “ We’re really evolving every day as far as our offensive strategy and approach,” Perry said. “We empathize execution, making sure you’re a tough out, you’re aggressive, you’re putting bunts down.” While no conference games were played in 2020, each Big Ten team has a non-conference track record from last season, even if it was shortened. As for the first three opponents for the Illini, they should expect to face a team from each tier. Rutgers stumbled out of the gate last season, finishing with an overall record of 10-14. Though they had some nice moments —

including an early twogame sweep of Syracuse — a lack of pitching consistently took Rutgers out of games. With a team ERA of over 5.00, the Scarlet Knights could only rely so much on pitcher Ashley Hitchcock, who finished with a teambest ERA of 3.52. As for the hitting, it wasn’t much better, with a team batting average just over .245. Maryland had similar issues, though they flirted closer to .500 in the nonconference portion of the season. Maryland didn’t produce a lot of power last season, finishing with only two home runs. Still, Maryland managed to get on base often, with a team batting average of .272. The pitching, however, held back Maryland a lot. Pitchers allowed 21 home runs in 23 games, with the ERA skyrocketing to over five runs a game. The Illini wrap up against

the Michigan Wolverines, the best team Illinois faces this week. The Ann Arbor school finished the season ranked in the top 25 after peaking at sixth in the rankings. The Wolverines had decent hitting, but the pitching staff was what helped Michigan thrive in non-conference play last season. Led by Meghan Beaubien, who finished the season with a 1.52 ERA and six complete games, the Wolverines held teams to a .182 batting average, allowing for the offense to take nights off. Against the Wolverines, the Illini will need to play small ball and take advantage of little mistakes against a stout pitching staff. “We’re going to be everything but the kitchen sink,” Perry said. @gourdiereport gourdie2@dailyillini.com

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Thursday, February 25, 2021

3B

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FRAZIER BRINGS LIFE TO STRUGGLING OFFENSE BY GABBY HAJDUK SPORTS EDITOR

Heading into East Lansing Tuesday night, No. 5 Illinois was riding a seven-game win streak that most recently saw a dominant performance at Minnesota over the weekend. The Illini looked like an entirely different team against the Spartans, coming out flat on both ends of the ball and failing to capitalize on easy opportunities like layups and free throws. Unusual poor outings from junior Ayo Dosunmu and sophomore Kofi Cock-

burn limited the Illini’s offense abilities, as Tim Izzo crafted ways to control Illinois’ inside presence. While head coach Brad Underwood was unphased in the postgame press conference, calling the performance just “one of those nights,” the early turnover issues and lack of energy is a concern. While these were the least fun grades to write this season, let’s take a look at the performances of eight Illini against the Spartans.

TRENT FRAZIER Frazier was hands down the best Illini player on the court Tuesday. While the rest of his team struggled to consistently create offense, Frazier was hot from all around the court, scoring a game-high 22 points. Frazier shot 53% from the field, knocked down four treys, and most importantly, hit four out of his five free-throw attempts. He was also aggressive off the ball, grabbing three rebounds (two offensive) and dishing out two assists. While his defense wasn’t as strong as usual, Frazier was able to somewhat contain Rocket Watts, who scored 15 points on 45% shooting.

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Frazier has stepped up for the Illini recently, as he’s averaging 15 points and 41% 3-point shooting in the last eight games. Consistency from Frazier, combined with normal nights from Dosunmu and Cockburn, will prove a challenge to any team in the nation.

ANDRE CURBELO Curbelo’s start to the game in East Lansing was pretty brutal as he had two turnovers and a missed shot in just six minutes of first-half play. Through those few possessions, Curbelo also looked out of sync on defense, giving up a couple of quick shots. The Illini freshman turned

C-

things around in the second half, scoring 12 points on 5-6 shooting while committing just one turnover. Curbelo helped spark some energy in a lifeless Illini offense while maintaining control of the ball, something he often struggles to do.

DA’MONTE WILLIAMS While the Illini senior didn’t even attempt a shot, hesitating to started the season on take a couple of 3-pointers. fire from the 3-point Williams did, however, step up line, Williams has on defense, as he grabbed seven struggled to create rebounds and had one of Illinois’ anything on offense four steals against the Spartans. It through the back half seems like at this point, Williams’ main contribution will stay of the season. That conon the defensive end, as he remains out of the starting lineup in tinued on Tuesday, as Williams favor of Grandison.

D+

AYO DOSUNMU Coming off his second triple-douWhile the Chicago native picked up the offensive intensity a little in the ble of the season, Dosunmu, second half, scoring 10 points on 4-9 shooting, Dosunmu never found like the rest of the Illini, a rhythm worthy of a heroic comeback. The opportunity did present looked sluggish to start itself, however, as Dosunmu had four free throws, almost back to the game. In the first back, near the end of the second half, but he missed three of them. half, Dosunmu was Making all four would’ve put the Illini within six points with four just 2-9 from the field, minutes to play. including two missed While no one knows if those shots would’ve made a difference, it’s 3-pointers and had three still unusual for Dosunmu to miss any chance of doing the unthinkturnovers. His aggressiveable. Dosunmu finished with a solid 17 points and led the team with ness on the glass, however, helped nine rebounds, raising his grade a little bit, but the junior guard was still 1-6 the Illini outrebound the Spartans from 3-point range and 4-8 from the free-throw line. in the first half, as Dosunmu had a team-high six rebounds.

D+

JACOB GRANDISON Tuesday night marked Grandison’s first loss as a starter, as the Illini won seven straight once the junior entered the starting lineup. While Grandison was effective off the ball — recording six rebounds (three offensive) and two assists — he couldn’t get much to fall in the basket, scoring just four points. Grandison’s defensive intensity, however, was a highlight

D+

from the rough night, as he was constantly diving on the floor for the ball and making the hustle plays, something Underwood constantly raves about.

KOFI COCKBURN Like Dosunmu, Cockburn had a rare off night, scoring 13 points on 45% shooting while making just three of his 11 free-throw attempts, a pretty inexcusable number. Michigan State’s size proved a challenge for Cockburn from the jump, as he struggled to make layups and dominate the glass. This was also Cockburn’s second straight game where he didn’t record a double-double, finishing with just six rebounds. The Illini sophomore is typically a walking double-double, as he leads the conference with 15 of them, averaging 17.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

Underwood attributed Cockburn’s low-scoring night to the center’s issues at the free-throw line, which Underwood isn’t too concerned about. However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cockburn bounce back quickly, as he usually excels after a rough night.

D

ADAM MILLER While the Illini freshman has been inconsistent all season, Miller struggled to contribute in a positive way on Tuesday night. Playing just 16 minutes, Miller scored only two points on a pair of free throws but went 0-3 from the field. His only other stat was one assist. Miller struggled everywhere on the court, recording the team’s second-worst plus-minus, as the Illini were -11 when the freshman was in the game. Miller also couldn’t keep up with his defensive assignment — Joshua Langford — who scored 13 points on 55%

shooting from field goal range. While the Illini aren’t relying on Miller to make big plays or put up 20 points, they do need him to be disciplined on defense and develop more consistency in his shot.

F

GIORGI BEZHANISHVILI While Cockburn didn’t do much in the paint against the Spartans, Bezhanishvili did even less, failing to score on three shot attempts and grabbing just four rebounds. Another rarity Illini fans saw on Tuesday night was a lack of energy from Bezhanishvili, particularly early in the first half. The junior got more fired up as the night progressed, but it wasn’t enough to impact the game. With Cockburn in some early foul trouble, Underwood needed

F

Bezhanishvili to step up as he did against Northwestern. Instead, the Georgia native struggled to get past Michigan State’s strong and big interior of Aaron Henry, Gabe Brown and Joey Hauser. @gabby_h11 ghajduk2@dailyillini.com

4B Thursday, February 25, 2021

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

Three big questions loom after No. 5 Illini upset by Spartans percentage in the Big Ten. On Tuesday, the Illini shot 19-34 at the line, while the Spartans went 13-20. Cockburn gets the freethrow line the most frequently for Illinois, yet he shoots a dismal 56.2%, and he went 3-11 on Tuesday. The Illini need to be able to rely on their big man when he’s at the line, especially during high-pressure situations in March.

BY JACKSON JANES ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

On Saturday, Illinois traveled to “The Barn” and put together its most complete game of the season, dominating in every facet of the game to take down a Minnesota squad that had only lost one home game heading into the contest. Ayo Dosunmu picked up his second triple-double of the season, Jacob Grandison scored a career-high 12 points and Trent Frazier played lights-out defense in the blowout win. Tuesday night was a different story, as Illinois looked sluggish and tired for all 40 minutes. Missed layups and free throws plagued the Illini all game, and the Spartans came away with the hard-fought 81-72 upset win. Though these last two games have demonstrated how unpredictable the Big Ten is, they’ve also shown how important it is for the Illini to bring energy and pace every game, regardless of their opponent. Let’s take a look at some big questions following Tuesday’s loss.

Where will production come from if Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn have off nights?

Dosunmu is this team’s backbone; when he has an off night, the team also seems to have an off night. The Chicago native has made big shots during each of his three seasons in Champaign, so fans can’t be mad at him for having a rough game every once in a while. Like Dosunmu, Cockburn often takes over for the Illini offensively any time the team is stuck in first gear. His size and strength in the paint are hard to contain, so it comes as no surprise that he finishes with a double-double almost every game. But what happens if the

How high is Illinois’ ceiling in the NCAA tournament?

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood speaks to freshman Andre Curbelo during the game against Wisconsin on Feb. 6. Questions surrounding the team’s consistency remain after a loss to unranked Michigan State on Sunday Tuesday night.

Illini’s top two scorers have off nights? Trent Frazier is certainly one of the lead candidates to fill that gap, and he finished with a game-high 22 points on Tuesday night after shooting 7-13 from the field, including 4-8 from beyond the arc. The Florida native has found his groove offensively over recent weeks, as he averaged 14 points per game across the Illini’s seven-game win streak. His scoring and defensive dominance were two of the biggest reasons why Illinois pulled out close wins over inferior opponents, and he’ll need to step up if Dosunmu and Cockburn aren’t able to get their shots to fall. Freshmens Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo will also need to take it up a notch. Curbelo played his part on Tuesday, going for 12 points, while Mill-

er wasn’t able to make an impact, as he finished with just two points in the loss. Miller has grown more confident in his 3-point shooting of the last few weeks, and he’ll need to get into a rhythm from deep going forward if his teammates aren’t getting good looks. Curbelo, meanwhile, found success in the lane on Tuesday, though that hasn’t always been the case over the last few weeks. His sloppy turnovers and lapses in judgment have caused Illinois’ offense to stall. Though the Illini have been able to overcome these turnovers against weaker Big Ten foes, higher quality teams in the Big Ten and NCA A tournaments will punish you. Though he went 5-7 on Tuesday, Curbelo will need to step up even more if Dosunmu and Cockburn struggle to get going.

Giorgi Bezhanishv ili is the final candidate in terms of filling in for Cockburn’s production. We saw that potential against Northwestern on Feb. 16, as he scored 10 points in the first half while Cockburn sat on the bench after picking up two quick fouls in the first half. The Georgia native didn’t score on Tuesday, and that needs to change if the Illini’s other big man struggles to score or needs to sit due to foul trouble.

Can Brad Underwood fix the team’s turnover and free throw issues?

Last season, Underwood’s squad averaged 12.1 turnovers per game, though they were still able to finish with a 21-10, good enough for fourth place in the Big Ten. This year, the Illini are a much more complete and

If one were to assess the Illini’s chances of making deep runs in the Big Ten and NCA A tournaments based solely on their performance against the Golden Gophers, a Final Four run — or further — would be a realistic assessment. After a lackluster, slowpaced 40 minutes against the Spartans, the Illini look like second-round upset candidates. This lack of consistency and energy is shocking, and it’s something you can’t be worrying about this far into the season. Free throws, turnovers, sloppy transition defense and a slowpaced offense are all huge causes for concern. Tyler Underwood is the only current Illini who has played on a team that made an NCAA tournament appearance, though he didn’t get any playing time. It’s interesting to think about whether Dosunmu, Cockburn and the rest of this Illinois squad can continue to grind out results and make big shots without any tournament experience. This team has the talent to make a deep run in March Madness. But if these issues aren’t addressed, the Illini could risk losing Dosunmu to the NBA without anything to show for his historic resume in Champaign.

well-rounded team, and the expectations for this squad are similar to those of the 2005 team. Though they have been able to grind out wins despite having a tough Big Ten schedule, the Illini are averaging 13.3 turnovers per game this season through 22 games. Once March approaches, this turnover issue could come back to haunt the Illini; in their six losses this season, the Illini are averaging over 11 turnovers per game. Though this number is below the team’s average this season, games in the NCAA tournament could come down to one or two possessions. Free throws were a major issue for the Illini on Tuesday, something that has been an problem for the team all season. As a team, Illinois is shooting 69.2% in Big Ten games this season, @JacksonJanes3 which is the fourth-worst janes6@dailyillini.com

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Thursday, February 25, 2021

buzz calendar

‘Run On’ is a must-watch K-drama buzz factor: BY AMANDA LEONARTO

BY RUKAYAH HUSSEIN

STAFF WRITER

BUZZ CALENDAR EDITOR

If you are looking for something light to watch that doesn’t require emotional drain or critical thinking, “Run On” is a good choice, especially for those who enjoy an excellent romantic comedy. “Run On” revolves around four main characters’ lives. Ki Seon Gyeom, played by Im Si Wan, is a national track and field star. Oh Mi Joo, played by Shin Se Kyung, is an English translator. Seo Dan Ah, played by Choi Soo Young from girlgroup Girls Generation, is an executive director agency. Lee Yong Hwa, played by Kang Tae-Oh, is a university student majoring in art. The series may seem to be a cliché romantic comedy story about a rich man and a poor woman fall in love. However, this series proof that the story is more than your typical romantic comedy story. The beginning of the series might feel slightly slow, and the main characters’ personalities are not shown fully. For example, Ki Seon Gyeom appears to be aloof and passive; it seems like his life is just a straight line. As the series proceeds, Ki Seon Gyeom shows development in his character with his charming attitude. He proves his version of justice by sacrificing his career to let the world see that an athlete’s life is not just about practice and competition. It also involves hierarchy and politics within the workplace. Meanwhile, the female lead, Oh Mi Joo, shows a unique personality as she can be tough and delicate at the same time. Not to forget to mention her comedic act to reenact situations in which bothers her mind. The two proceed with their love chemistry slowly and do not feel rushing. The series itself serves justice for the supporting

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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, FEB. 25

SATURDAY, FEB. 27

Purim Drag Show

 8-9:15 p.m.  A virtual event hosted by Illini Hillel  Free Registration required. Join students from across the nation for a celebratory Purim unlike any other! Tune in to Illini Hillel’s 4th Annual Purim Drag Show and hear the story of Purim like you never have before — told by Jinkx Monsoon and other drag performers!

FRIDAY, FEB. 26

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASIANWIKI

characters. The supporting characters steal your attention with their interesting background story. Seo Dan Ah, a sports agency CEO, has a unique life story as her existence as the firstborn child is undermined due to her gender. Lee Yong Hwa, an art student whom Seo Dan Ah is interested in, also shows good chemistry with all the main leads with his quick-witted and funny attitude. Lee Yong Hwa and Seo Dan Ah’s chemistry also entrance the viewer with their heartwarming scenes. Besides, the story moves slow-paced and able to unfold conflicts graciously. The conflict itself revolves around Ki Seon Gyeom’s father, an assemblyman. He is quite obsessive with his image as a perfect figure to the public, which controls his family members’ lives. Nonetheless, the story itself relates

to our real life, making it seem more genuine for us. Although it may seem like a simple love story, it is also deep and complex. The cinematography is aesthetically pleasing due to the color coordination of the set. Rather than a closeup scene, the series shows many scenes where they sit and talk, which adds a heartwarming ambiance. The actors also dress in fantastic color schemes that express their personalities and chemistry with one another. Although there are many positive reviews about this TV show, viewers might feel confused with the story’s overall plot. However, I will highly recommend “Run On” for anyone who wants to start watching Korean dramas.

 8-11 a.m.  Lincoln Square Mall, 201 Lincoln Square, Urbana  Free Shop from all of your favorite local craft, food and farm vendors indoors at Lincoln Square Mall. Masks and social distancing will be required in the space, and limits on the number of shoppers that can be in the market area at the same time will be in effect.

38th Annual Insect Fear Film Festival, featuring Fleas!

Jupiter String Quartet — Reflection and Renewal

A promotional poster for “Run On” is pictured above. The series

Champaign-Urbana Winter Farmers Market

 Noon-12:30 p.m.  A virtual event hosted by the University of Illinois School of Music  Free For this new Krannert Center Reflection and Renewal series, the quartet explores diverse composers and themes. They have chosen programs with contrasting styles and music genres, each moving from a quartet masterpiece in a minor key to a more hopeful, major-key contemporary work. The quartet hopes that each short concert and the personal reflections the members will share will provide a musical meditation for audiences.

Winter Prarie Skies

 7-8 p.m.  A virtual event hosted by Staerkel Planetarium  Free A virtual, live-narrated tour of the wonders of tonight’s sky, accompanied by some of the legendary stories of the ancient sky. Find out what constellations and planets are visible tonight and how to find them. This show is updated seasonally and is intended for all ages.

 5 p.m.  A virtual event hosted by the Entomology Graduate Students Association  Free, but registration is required This year’s festival will feature a virtual insect petting zoo, flea circus, flea Bugscope, flea crafts, a virtual tour of the INHS insect collection and a virtual gallery of the annual IFFF art contest featuring insect-themed artwork by local K-12 students. We will also be showing 100 years of flea films, shorts and documentaries.

SUNDAY, FEB. 28

Eastern European International Women’s Day

 2 p.m.  A virtual event hosted by Spurlock Museum  Free, but registration is required The Spurlock Museum of World Cultures and the Russian, East European and Eurasian Center (REEEC) at the University of Illinois (external link) hosts a family-friendly Zoom program to celebrate Eastern European International Women’s Day. There will be crafts and short lessons on the Russian language, along with highlights from the Museum’s collection and a Russian story told by our resident storyteller and assistant director of education, Kim Sheahan Sanford.

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THURSDAY February 25, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

buzz

Producer Mixx reflects on working in music industry BY NATE SUN STAFF WRITER

A career influenced by church music and club DJing has led Californiabased music engineer and producer Mixx to create some of the recent biggest hits, working with artists such as French Montana, Kehlani and Teyana Taylor. To say the least, Mixx’s work has made the rounds in the world of R&B and hip-hop. All of this boils down to Mixx’s simple elucidation: “I’m just trying to make a smash,” he said. “Every beat I make, I try to make it the best beat.” Typical beats take Mixx anywhere from five minutes to an hour to create, yet many don’t even see a wide release. The artists he works with often have input on what sounds they want on their songs. “Sometimes I would be working with an artist, they tell me what vibe they’re going for,” Mixx says. He creates samples for his clients to pick out, at times surprising him with what beats they opt for. “Sometimes, the artist picks the least beat I expected. I always expected them to pick something else,” Mixx explains. When it comes to the music itself, Mixx is always looking to experiment with new ideas. “That’s my main focus, every time I produce, is try-

ing to find a new sound,” he notes. And to Mixx, a lot of his finding new inspiration comes from the people he works with. “What makes me great are the people I’ve met and learned from. I learn something new every day,” he says. This is especially true for his recent work with Teyana Taylor on her 2020 record, “The Album.” Mixx describes working with Taylor as being very compelling. “I love working with Teyana Taylor. Every time I’m in the studio with her, it feels like family,” he says. Mixx recounts how Taylor would always offer valuable feedback and a defined direction of how she wanted her music to sound. Because of this, Mixx was able to ascertain new perceptions of his music. Notably, artist input is a crucial part of how Mixx goes about his music-making process. He also recounts a sample that French Montana gave to him that contained soft acoustic guitars and serene synths. Mixx described this as his “most intriguing sample” and worked the melody into the trap banger “Salam Alaykum.” Perhaps the best piece of knowledge Mixx has gotten comes from none other than Pharrell Williams. “One of my main advice that I give to everyone is one that Pharell gave to me when I first started

PHOTO COURTESY OF MIXX

Mixx poses for a promotional photo in front of a graffitied wall. Mixx has worked with many well-known hip hop and R&B artists.

out: keep going, don’t stop and never give up,” Mixx explains. And even more than this, Mixx also advocates for diligent work when creating music. “When I first started out, I purposely timed myself, rushed through it,” he described. Now, he advises that aspiring producers “really spend time

on a beat. That could be the song that changes (an artist’s) life.” W hen talking about influential parts of his career, Mixx puts a big emphasis on his family. “I was around them, and they used to do a lot of music,” he says. “I have family in the church doing a lot of music; I had family that started a

record label.” He also looked back on his time being a DJ when he was 16 and how LeBron James being in Miami made the local club scene exciting. When LeBron went to Los Angeles, so did Mixx. In the future, Mixx sees himself stepping into more executive roles. “I’m starting a new label, so I want

to start a lot of new acts,” he affirms. Still, Mixx doesn’t plan to stop producing. “I want to start producing full projects for up-and-coming artists.” With that, Mixx still has a lot in the tank to surprise us with. nssun2@readbuzz.com

Acknowledge Black authors to appreciate cultural perspectives BY RUKAYAH HUSSEIN BUZZ CALENDAR EDITOR

Reading can be an outlet to a whole world of perspectives. Therefore, it is crucial to expand your horizons and read from a diverse range of authors and genres. In honor of Black History Month, I’ve created a reading list full of stories about Black characters by Black authors. We should celebrate Black stories all year round, and this list can help inspire you to add more diversity and representation to your 2021 bookshelves. Angie Thomas has released a prequel to her best-selling novel “The Hate U Give,” titled “Concrete Rose.” This story follows Starr’s father from “The Hate U Give,” Maverick Carter, when he was 17 years old. His dad is in prison, and he and his mom are struggling to make ends meet. He turns to dealings with the King Lords gang to make some money, but his life turns upside down when he finds out he will be a father. Angie Thomas is a renowned contemporary author added to school curriculums across the country, and her books are an excellent way to read more Black stories this month and beyond. The debut novel by Naima

Coster is a great read for anyone who enjoys stories about sacrifice and self-discovery. “Halsey Street” is about a young woman named Penelope Grand who struggles with the brave new world of adulthood. This story deals with familial conflicts, neighborhood gentrification and a struggle with identity. When Penelope has a moment of contentment, her mother reaches out in an attempt of reconciliation. Read “Halsey Street” to find out about the relationship between these two women and where their perspectives meet. For fans of true crime and mystery, anything by Eleanor Taylor Bland will be a hit. Start from the beginning of her Marti MacAllister series with “Dead Time.” Detective Marti MacAllister has relocated from Chicago, but even a small town isn’t free of murder and mayhem. A killer is one the loose, with only two children as witnesses to a horrific crime. Follow Marti MacAllister as she uses her wits to solve the crime, and who knows, maybe you’ll find yourself reading the whole series. Everybody wants to escape to a fantasy world every once in a while, and

“The Gilded Ones” is a newly released debut fantasy novel by Namina Forna perfect for our fantasy dreams. “The Gilded Ones” follows a young sixteenyear-old named Deka who is fearfully anticipating her village’s blood ceremony. On the day of the ceremony, her blood is deemed impure and Deka’s life changes forever. She goes on a journey towards acceptance, full of battle and fantastical elements. Do you like “The Wolf of Wall Street?” Or “Sorry to Bother You?” Then you will probably enjoy “Black Buck” by Mateo Askaripour is the novel for you. It follows a Black salesman named Darren, who reluctantly joins a sales team in New York City. Met with a cut-throat environment, Darren makes it his mission to help young people of color join America’s sales force after a tragedy in his life. The novel is a quick read to add to your list if you’d like to learn more about identity, family and the American Dream from a different perspective. This list wouldn’t be complete without a memoir. Read “Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil” by Lezley McSpad-

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAZON

The cover for the book “The Hate U Give” is pictured above. The book was released Feb. 28, 2017.

den. Lezley McSpadden is the mother of Michael Brown, an African-American teenager who was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. This harrowing story follows

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Lezley McSpadden’s journey of motherhood and seeking justice for her son. There are innumerable books out there from different voices and walks of

life across the globe. Pick up something new and learn more about the others around you. rukayah2@readbuzz.com