THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY October 15, 2020
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Vol. 150 Issue 16
UI unveils plan to adjust spring semester Spring break was originally planned for March 13 to March 21. The new plan would be for the start of the spring semester to be on Jan. 25 instead of the original date Jan. 19. The plan was proposed at the Senate Executive Committee meeting on Monday. This plan would also add three noninstruction days where students would have no classes on Feb. 17, March 24 and April 13.
BY SAMANTHA BOYLE MANAGING EDITOR FOR REPORTING
Pending Senate approval, the University is planning to cancel spring break and push back the semester by one week, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The semester’s original end date and finals week would stay the same and commencement will still be scheduled for May 15.
Once the Senate votes on this proposed plan, public messages from University officials would go out to students, staff and faculty fairly quickly. “This is a change to the academic calendar, and it is the Senate that calls the shot on this so we have to wait for that vote and that approval before we do anything,” Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Andreas Cangellaris said at the
meeting on Monday. The plan will be proposed for approval at the next Senate meeting on Oct. 19. Senate Executive Committee chair Rob Kar said he does not think there will be any controversy in the idea where the University will eliminate a period of time where the students are away for a period of time and then come back in the middle of the semester.
“But I could imagine just more discussion about this issue in some way than is on the consent agenda,” Kar said. In addition, Linda Moorhouse, the Education Policy Committee chair, said the committee unanimously approved the proposed calendar changes on Monday. For the fall semester, inperson instruction will end after Thanksgiving break,
which is from Nov. 22 to Nov. 29. Canceling spring break and starting the semester later will hopefully reduce the amount of travel on and off campus and will give anyone arriving back to campus time for tests, isolation and quarantine, the News-Gazette reports. sjboyle2@dailyillini.com
Professors note problems with UI COVID-19 model BY SALEM ISAF ASSISTANT DAYTIME NEWS EDITOR
As COVID-19 cases on campus surge past the administration’s expectations, many have called into question the transmission and prediction models used by the University to set those expectations. As of Monday, the Illinois SHIELD Team reported 2,645 positive cases on campus since Aug. 15, when students began coming back to campus en masse, far higher than the 700 cases modelers projected across the entire semester. Before the fall semester began, the University’s Dr. Brent Roberts, professor in LAS and director of the Center for Social and Behavioral Science, had reservations about models predicting student behavior. “At the very least, I believe that we need to plan for the existence of the non-complying students and that they will make up a bigger chunk of our student body than we care to admit,” said Roberts in an article he published on Aug. 16, just before the beginning of the semester. “If we do, our models and prognostications will be far more realistic.” To a certain degree, modelers did factor in students not staying compliant with the University’s COVID-19 guidelines. Professor Ahmed Elbanna, one of the head modelers alongside professor Nigel Gold-
enfeld, explained they completely expected students to socialize and attend parties. “ W hat was at least assumed as a baseline scenario in the model is that if you are positive and aware that you are positive, you would isolate,” Elbanna said. “You would not host a party or go to a party.” The main issue that led to the large spike in cases seen a few weeks ago, he said, was students actively socializing after testing positive for the virus. “If a student is negative and is socializing there is no problem with that,” Elbanna said. “If a student is unknowingly positive, for example, his or her last test was negative … I cannot blame students for engaging in social activity while they think they are negative. The problem is when you are positive and knowingly positive.” Elbanna cited issues with students ignoring their test results or calls from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department, informing them that they were either positive with the virus or had come into contact with somebody who had tested positive. He further explained that the University’s testing program is only effective if infected community members isolate themselves after testing positive. “Testing doesn’t protect you from infection,” Elbanna said. “Testing just SEE PROFESSORS | 3A
ABE BAALI THE DAILY ILLINI
The interior of the G&R Hair Salon rests quietly on Monday afternoon. This business, along with other barber shops, have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Travel restrictions sting CU barbershops BY CHIEH HSU CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Months after Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order on March 20, the majority of barbershops and salons reopened at the beginning of June. Nonetheless, their operations are by no means the same. Moreover, for barber-
shops that used to provide service primarily to international students, their customers’ absence proves to be a strike on their business. “We used to have five stylists in two different salons on Green Street,” said Steven Sun, owner of Top Hair Salon on campus. “Now that the Chinese
students are gone, we had to close one of our stores down and can only afford two stylists. This makes our business 20% compared to the same time last year.” Chinese international students make up oneninth of the student population at the University, but travel regulations issued by
the White House in February prohibited many of them from entering the U.S. G & R Salon, located on campus, also used to rely on serving Chinese international students. “Our business is one-seventh compared to a year SEE TRAVEL | 3A
Student heads effort to bring dictionaries to prisoners BY ALEXANDRA GERGOVA CONTRIBUTING WRITER
CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI
Student Mark Olgun spits into a test tube while taking a University COVID-19 test at State Farm Center on Oct. 8. Dr. Brent Roberts had doubts about UI’s COVID-19 model.
INSIDE
Features: Media center voices activism
Sports: James McCourt anticipates Wisconsin game
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Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the difference between the amount of dictionaries requested by incarcerated people and the amount received has been exacerbated severely. To combat this growing issue, Kate Shanks, sophomore in LAS and volunteer with UC Books to Prisoners, organized a community-wide dictionary drive running during October where individuals can donate new or slightly used paperback dictionaries to be sent to correctional facilities in Illinois. According to Shanks, individuals in the Champaign-Urbana community can become involved in three ways: purchasing a dictionary through the Amazon wish list located in the Dictionary Drive for U-C B2P Facebook page, donating at one of the five business locations that agreed to serve as drop-off sites or sharing the Facebook event on social media platforms. The five C-U locations that agreed to serve as sites for drop-off are Insomnia Cookies, Dancing Dog Eatery and Juicery, Common Ground Food Coop, Jane Addams Book Shop and the IDEA Store. The process to select these locations was quick and based on how progressive and small the organizations were.
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ABE BAALI THE DAILY ILLINI
A person deposits a dictionary into a dictionary drive box outside of the Dancing Dog Eatery & Juicery on Sunday afternoon. The Books to Prisoners drive hopes to provide dictionaries to prisoners in Illinois.
“I just reached out to a few that I thought would be receptive and that I knew had more progressive values, so we just popped the totes in, made a couple flyers to circulate, created the Facebook page and got launched in about a week,” Shanks said. “The businesses we selected are also small, not like Walmart where you’re going to have a higher likelihood of running into people, so there is a better opportunity to maintain social distancing.” Because many inmates are s i mu lt a n e ou s l y engaged in academic pursuits, such as studying for the GED, dictionaries are
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a valuable resource that allow them to strengthen linguistic skills. Through this, they are able to better communicate with and understand fellow inmates. Shanks is working alongside UC Books to Prisoners, an organization that provides books to Illinois inmates at no cost, to organize this event and attributes its creation to the impact COVID-19 has had on the organization. “I remembered that when I was there, they constantly had a shortage of dictionaries, and I knew that they couldn’t do their usual fundraising this year because of the pandemic,” Shanks said. “So I thought
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of this.” The events UC Books to Prisoners has been unable to host include its annual fall and spring used book sales, as well as its large public volunteering sessions because of the limited capacity of the UrbanaChampaign Independent Media Center basement, according to Rachel Rasmussen, volunteer coordinator of Books to Prisoners. The organization is no longer able to accept book donations from the public at their own location because it would pose a risk to elderly workers who organize the donations. SEE DICTIONARY | 3A
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Thursday, October 15, 2020
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UI alums donate $7.5 million to College of Media BY HEATHER ROBINSON ASSISTANT DAYTIME NEWS EDITOR
The University College of Media will soon be home to the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation after donation by two alums. The $7.5 million donation from Rich and Leslie Frank is the largest monetary gift the college has ever received. The University of Illinois Foundation announced the Franks’
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nalist. Rich Frank is a former president of Disney Studios. Rich and Leslie currently live in Napa Valley where they own a highly successful winery, Frank Family Vineyards. Although, they frequently visit the University to share their vast experience and advice with students in the Gies College of Business and College of Media.
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THURSDAY October 15, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
NEWS
Yingying Zhang documentary shown at film festivals BY SAMANTHA BOYLE MANAGING EDITOR FOR REPORTING
to the United States as they sought justice for Zhang at the same time they were navigating a new country. Sheila Nevins, from MTV and former HBO executive, is named as executive producer on this film. According to Ka rtemquin Films, Shi first started this film project while she was a student at Northwestern University and continued in the Diverse Voices in Docs program, which is run by Kartemquin and Community Film Workshop of Chicago. The documentary was premiered on SXSW and was a winner of a SXSW Special Jury Recognition for Breakthrough Voice. In addition, the film has won several other awards Yingying Zhang stands in an open field. Zhang was reported missing in 2017. including Best Documentary Feature at Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival and Best Documentary Feature at Loudoun Arts Film Festival. The film is also showing at the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival (Oct. 14-18), the Chicago International Film Festival (Oct. 14-25), Milwaukee Film Festival from (Oct. 14-29), Tallgrass Film Festival (Oct. 16-25), and several other festivals. “Finding Yingying” has also been shown at Chagrin Documentary Film Festival and Miami Film Festival GEMS, which both ended on Oct. 11.
A documentary called “Finding Yingying” about the international scholar Yingying Zhang who went missing in 2017 is airing at several film festivals this month. Zhang was reported missing in June 2017 and was last seen getting into a Saturn Astra on Goodwin Avenue. Brendt Christensen was arrested a few months later, and in summer 2019, he was sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and killing of Zhang. Zhang’s body was never found and is likely to have been dismembered and taken to a private landfill in Danville, Illinois. This information wasn’t released until August 2019 because Christensen told his attorneys about Zhang’s whereabouts in November 2019 under an immunity agreement, meaning none of it could be used in court. “Because the information came from an immunity agreement, no disclosure of that information was made by the prosecutors to anyone, including the Zhang family, until after the criminal trial,” Steve Beckett, Zhang’s family attorney, said in a public statement in August 2019. “Finding Yingying” is directed and produced by Jiayan “Jenny” Shi, who followed the Zhang fam- sjboyle2@dailyillini.com ily’s first trip from China
PHOTO COURTESY OF ZHANG FAMILY
QUENTIN SHAW THE DAILY ILLINI
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Dan Jackson and Yingying Zhang’s family’s attorney Zhidong Wang, surrounded by Yingying Zhang’s family, make a statement in August 2019 revealing how Brendt Christensen disposed of Zhang’s body in June of 2017.
Campus recreation facility slowly broadens operations BY ELIZABETH LEBEAU CONTRIBUTING WRITER
LANIE HIBEL THE DAILY ILLINI
Sophomore Mary Pelzer scales the rock climbing wall in the ARC on Saturday afternoon. The rocking climbing wall and racquet ball courts are reopening soon.
FROM 1A
PROFESSORS
reveals your state. Tests protect us as a whole, as a community.” However, the blame doesn’t rest entirely on students ignoring positive test results. Elbanna added delayed test results also played a factor in the spike in cases. “The delay in testing results have contributed
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DICTIONARY
However, Books to Prisoners is continuing its work by allowing groups of four individuals to volunteer. “It felt really important to continue because we know that incarcerated people would suffer most,” Rasmussen said. “They would be locked down, which means they would spend 23 out of 24 hours in their cells, whereas before they could have gone to the
made for certain spaces and other amenities in order to use them, such as the climbing wall and the indoor pool. The ARC has added an online reservation portal to allow for proper cleaning and sanitizing procedures. On-campus indiv iduals can use the cardio and strength training equipment as well as the track without needing a reservation. Even with all the openings, the ARC is still not at full capacity. The saunas, some of the gyms and the outdoor pool are still closed, and basic amenities like drinking fountains, vending machines, towel service and stretching mats are unavailable. The ARC has implemented live facility counts, reporting how many people are in each exercise area. Currently, the maximum building capacity in all wings of the ARC is at 184. Live figures can be viewed on the Campus Rec website and in displays throughout the facility.
Although the University has two recreational centers for students, CRCE and the ARC will remain closed for the rest of the fall to be used as a COVID-19 testing center. Meanwhile, the ARC is gradually regaining operations as the semester goes on, with live facility counts, a mask requirement and a reservation system to reopen safely. It starts at the check-in lane, where users not only have to swipe their i-cards but show their Safer Illinois building entry statuses to be let in. During the first stage of reopening, from Aug. 17-24, the ARC was closed on weekends with only cardio and strength equipment available. After Aug. 24, the ARC opened on weekends and added more areas, such as the Gym Four cardio space and personal trainers. In mid-September, the climbing wall opened, while the ARC indoor pool became available with reservations on Oct. 1. elebeau2@dailyillini.com Reservations must be
perhaps in the following sense: If a student has been infected and they don’t know that they are positive and they kept around their everyday life and activities, or go to a party or etc., then probably they would produce some damage in that respect,” Elbanna said. Elbanna clarified that increased social activity at the beginning of the semester, holding large parties and people not following
isolation quarantine probably had a bigger effect than test delays. Roberts also had praise for the modelers after the surge in cases occurred. “I think that the modelers are being responsive to the situation as well as they can,” Roberts said. “The two-week shutdown was well-informed and well-justified from that perspective. The modelers were, I think, more ade-
quately anticipating what would happen if we didn’t do something drastic.” Roberts added that if the University had the resources, which he didn’t think it did, it should have hired more counselors to help students deal with the stress of COVID-19 and a mostly-online semester. “But that is, of course, hindsight,” he said. Professor Rebecca Lee Smith, an epidemiologist,
co-leads the SHIELD Target team. She said the modeling team had to make broad assumptions about the actual number of students socializing and how they would be socializing. There were no hard numbers depicting variations of socialization for them to factor into their models. “That ’s the difficult thing about modeling, is that you have to be able to put numbers in,” Smith
said. “And if data doesn’t exist, we don’t like to make up numbers.” Elbanna and Smith both agreed models are never finished and must be continually updated with new data to make them more accurate. “All models are wrong, some are useful,” Smith said.
cafeteria to eat.” At this point in time, the dictionary drive has accumulated over 40 dictionaries and estimated to reach over 160 by the end of the month. These dictionaries will be distributed to correctional facilities in Illinois through Books to Prisoners based on letters and requests received. “The incarcerated will write to us and the dictionary will be sent to whoever asks for one and for whoever hasn’t had one in the
last five years,” Rasmussen said. “We get on average 180 to 200 letters a month.” Through this drive, both Shanks and Rasmussen hope to meet the prisoners’ demonstrated need for dictionaries in Illinois. “The mission of the dictionary drive is to get into their hands the tool that they ask foremost to change their lives, to better their lives,” Rasmussen said.
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the customers in my salon trust me.” Hair-cutteries were subject to a number of early state and national restrictions, which eased up a bit during the summer. Per guidelines by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunities, barbershops still need to make their service appointment-only and remove shared items in the waiting area. For Leland’s Barbershop on Green Street, this
means sacrificing a symbolic aspect of the haircut experience, according to the store’s owner Zach Farrar. “Customer interactions are a lot different,“ he said. “The hall waiting room would be filled up, we got an arcade system in here, and we offer drinks and beers. Just all that stuff you can’t do in the barbershop anymore.”
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TRAVEL
ago,” said Grace Guo, owner of G & R salon. “This isn’t even enough to pay off the rent.” Guo is also the owner of the C-U Lala Noodle restaurant on Green Street. “When it comes to restaurant dine-ins, I think it is just the same as walking into a barbershop to receive service,” she said. “I trust the restaurant staff at sanitizing the area just as
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THURSDAY October 15, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
LIFE & CULTURE
Third-culture kids find identity in diversity Students share experience searching for sense of belonging
BY SANA MADHAVAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The culture one comes from shapes many of one’s childhood experiences and sense of belonging. For some kids, it can be difficult to come to terms with the diverse puzzle pieces of identity. For third-culture kids, it’s natural to view their identity as a set of interconnected pieces. “Third-culture kids,” a term coined in 1950, represents individuals raised in a cultural environment other than with their parents while also living in a different environment for the majority of their developmental years. Katrina Rbeiz, senior in LAS, is a third-culture kid. While the cultures she interacts with are distinct, Rbeiz personally feels the influence of every one of them. Rbeiz is half American and half Lebanese. She realized she was a thirdculture kid after seeing how different her nationality was from those she saw when she lived in the Middle East. Rbeiz said she was always interested in learning more about that in-between group, focusing on what she said was the “adaptability of third-culture kids and how they made new belongingness” and “attachment to (their) home country as well as people they meet.” Initially just a psychology major, Rbeiz realized she had a connection to cultural aspects of her life and wanted to keep the global aspect after living abroad. She chose to double major in global studies, which led to studying abroad in Vienna for a semester and pursuing research at Cambridge University in the summer of her sophomore year. Her research gave her avenues to pursue her iden-
tity further, and the satisfaction of “knowing that (she’s) not alone in the struggles that (she) may have faced in third-culture kid-specific issues,” she said. Knowing those struggles didn’t only affect her helped her make significant realizations about what thirdculture kids face. “(Third-culture kids’) lives are constantly shaped by new cultures, environments and new habits, like new norms and societal rules that come from other cultures,” Rbeiz said. “I liked learning about different people’s perspectives and what they valued in their relationships, and what struggles they went through when they moved around a lot.” Zoe Tian, senior in Engineering, said she constantly discovers her cultural identity independently. Tian grew up in northeastern China. Given the close proximity to Russia and North Korea, she got to interact with those cultures, including Korean minorities in her city. She then moved to Chicago for middle school, and then to a homogeneous suburb to complete high school. Spending her childhood in China and her teenage years in the U.S. gave Tian a unique perspective on local culture. “I feel like my thoughts are more ‘Americanized’ compared to international college Chinese students, but less ‘Americanized’ than the Chinese kids who were born and raised here,” Tian said. “So that’s affecting my belongingness because I wasn’t able to find my own groups.” However, Tian said shehas recently been exploring her cultural identity on her own and read about the Chi-
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
Senior Katrina Rbeiz poses for a photo on the Main Quad on Wednesday afternoon. Rbeiz is half American and half Lebanese.
nese revolution in the 1960s from multiple perspectives. “It’s interesting to see how American authors view this part of history and how Chinese authors view this part of history,” Tian said. Through this diverse exploration, she noticed the differences between the two cultures. “(The Chinese authors) teach you what happened ,but they don’t teach you how ugly it was,” Tian said. “But being multicultural and multilingual, I was able to learn that history in English books through Ameri-
can authors’ point of view.” Tian said she thought American authors were more focused on “conceptual” elements, but the Chinese authors went further into day-to-day life. Based on this insight, Tian recommends reading books in free time to explore one’s identity if they choose to go further to discover it themselves. “I feel like books are the best resources to understand the history and the cultural background,” Tian said. “It’s great to see history in the past because histo-
ry reflects current life and maybe even the future.” Maha Syed, sophomore in LAS, also pursues research for the benefit of other multicultural students. “I knew I wanted to do something along the lines psychology and social justice, and culture just kind of weaved into there,” Syed said. “Then I found, like, this research lab that basically had this idea of a sense of belonging and was trying to figure out how different demographics understand or feel this idea.” Syed started working on
a project called “Belonging and Late-Life,” where she focused on a population of 65 years and above and how their sense of belonging changed over time across many demographics. In the future, Syed said she envisions her research being published and wellrounded. She likes the idea of “working alongside more grad students and just working on more different projects, just so (she) can get more of a wholesome perspective on research.” smadha8@dailyillini.com
Safer Illinois protects UI BY JACQUI NGUYEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
A University Wellness Associate checks a woman into Bevier Hall on Wednesday afternoon. Students and faculty are unable to enter University buildings without building access being granted through the Safer Illinois application.
The University’s new system for monitoring building access is centered around the Safer Illinois application. Built specifically for the students on campus in Urbana-Champaign, this app is downloaded by faculty, staff and students to keep track of COVID-19 updates and statuses around campus. The Safer Illinois app allows users to view their COVID-19 test history, find test locations, selfreport symptoms, add their own test results and view their current status. Due to the ongoing pandemic, students must test twice a week and faculty
and staff must test once a week using the University’s saliva-based testing system at tents set up around campus. The Safer Illinois app will then automatically update the student’s health history and change their current status to yellow, indicating a recent negative test result. From there, the app will grant the student building access. In order to ensure everyone who enters University buildings has been granted building access, the University has hired hundreds of students, or Wellness Associates, to sit in the entrances to these buildings and check Safer Illinois apps. The app has been an
effective tool for controlling the spread of COVID-19 for Wellness Associate Nicole Helinski, a Sophomore in AHS. “With what’s going on right now I think it’s a really good regulation put in place on campus where the status changes after three to four days,” Nicole said. “It keeps students accountable for getting tested and knowing their own schedules.” Wellness Associates like Helinski have tools to handle a variety of situations that may occur when it comes to checking building access. The campus is split into zones that cover SEE SAFER | 5A
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Thursday, October 15, 2020
Virtual series spotlights fine arts, activism Independent Media Center launches ‘Sounds Like Community’ BY KARENA TSE STAFF WRITER
In December 2014, Ja Nelle Pleasure set out on a quest for the impossible: an affordable, spacious and kidfriendly venue to host her son’s birthday party. A string of fallen prospects finally led her to a sunlit space at 202 S. Broadway Ave. — the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center. This venue hunt was Pleasure’s lucky introduction to the IMC family, of which she would grow to become a committed member over the next six years. A lover of the arts — and poetry in particular — she was drawn to the center’s mission to gather people around arts and activism. By March, the means to this mission could no longer rest on physical gatherings. In response to COVID-19’s escalation, the IMC launched “Sounds Like Community,”
a “community media experiment” held weekly over Zoom. “We wanted to diminish the physical distance that everybody was suffering from,” Pleasure said. “We wanted to have a space for everybody to care for one another.” Each Wednesday evening, SLC featured two Champaign-Urbana speakers. Presenters ranged from social justice activists to folk musicians and manga artists to elected officials. Each session gave attendees a window into different passions and platforms. “I do really appreciate this spirit that is strong in Champaign-Urbana,” said Miriam Larson, IMC Executive Director. “This willingness to try new things, ask questions, be reflective and to explore all kinds of cultural experiences.” While the presentations provided viewers with learning experiences, to performers, they offered relief from the deafening silence of closed venues. Artists who had come to rely on common spaces for connection and expression found a generous new outlet in “Sounds
SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF UCIMC
Sr. Wilson Roca and his daughter perform Brazilian & Afro-Brazilian folkloric music and popular music during the May 6 installment of “Sounds Like Community.” The Zoom series aims to foster a sense of community amidst the pandemic.
Like Community.” The weekly meetings tapped into a need for human connection during the pandemic. Amidst anxious isolation, “Sounds Like Community” reminded participants
SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF UCIMC
The front entrance to the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center on Wednesday morning is pictured above.
FROM 4A
SAFER groups of buildings and for every zone, a zone supervisor makes themselves available for the Wellness Associates to report to if they have trouble. At the beginning of each shift, associates are given iPhones that they can use
to call their supervisors in case someone does not want to cooperate. In addition to iPhones and zone supervisors, Wellness Associates are specially trained to handle more difficult situations. Wellness Associate Jerell Wilson also checks apps; however, he canceled his plans to attend the University this semester due to COV-
ID-19. When it comes to dealing with uncooperative people, Wilson, along with other wellness associates, have gone through special training. “I’ve only had one person get upset at the situation, but with all our training in de-escalation, I pretty much just handle it by saying ‘I’m sorry, you can’t enter,” Wilson said. “I need
IF THEY CAN DO IT,
SO CAN YOU!
WEAR a MASK THE
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of their capacity for collective joy. “You have good talent, and good conversation,” Pleasure said. “You’re bringing something to them that puts a little bit of light in their life and a bit more motivation to just keep going through this pandemic.” While the series saw an early spike in engagement, “Sounds Like Community” garnered less viewership in later months. Initial interest in online events faded — first during the summer, which pulled audiences outside and away from their computers, and again in the fall, which left the average schedule oversaturated with Zoom meetings. However, Larson holds faith in the IMC’s resilience. A decline in virtual participation was hardly its first challenge during the pandemic. After March brought a drop in income from venue rentals — the center’s principal funding source
— the IMC became entirely ciation for the town’s culture volunteer-run. of public engagement as a “That was an incredible lifelong resident of Urbana. Pleasure has been enchanted by C-U’s devoted, vibrant communities since she moved into town 15 years “You’re bringing ago. something to them While students and visitors may understand C-U that puts a little as a college town, Pleasure believes the Univerbit of light in their sity is only one element in the city’s colorful constellalife and a bit more tion of ideas, talents and cultures. As the “Sounds Like motivation to just Community” series grows, keep going through Pleasure and Larson hope to highlight all the shades this pandemic.” of C-U. “These people come JA NELLE PLEASURE together to express love, INDEPENDENT MEDIA to express community and CENTER MEMBER to show off their amazing talents — you learn something every time you go out the door,” Pleasure said. outpouring of labor and care “It’s really a magical expeon the part of the volunteers rience to be a part of this that got us through that peri- community.” od,” she said. Larson holds a deep appre- kvtse2@dailyillini.com
you to be tested between these days, and these days so you just need to wait for the app to update.” For the most part, the students, staff and faculty are cooperative, and Wilson said usually people are pretty understanding. As for the students who use the app, they must remember to get tested in time for their in-person
class or planned building entrance. Rebecca Omole, freshman in LAS, uses the Safer Illinois app to attend her two in-person classes and to access the ARC. “I’ve on l y b e en denied once, so I ended up not going to class that day,” Omole said.
across campus to control the spread of COVID-19. Thankfully, students, faculty and staff understand they must keep track of their testing status, and this app has helped them do so. jnguye7s@dailyillini.com
The Safer Illinois app is utilized by those all
NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD
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1 Mind-set 5 Shells you can eat 10 Spoiled 13 With 70-Across, dramatic opening of 62-Across’s Fifth 14 A computer hacker usually uses this 15 It’s next to nada 16 Like boardinghouse rooms, again and again 18 Like all of the 62-Across works in this puzzle 20 Some garden machinery 22 It’s a laugh 23 Jewish month of 30 days 27 ___ limits (political issue) 30 Ricky Martin, e.g. [Third] 35 Big seller of camping gear 36 About 37 Pivot 38 Abbr. after Brooklyn or Cleveland 39 Exercise before a trip to Latin America, say [Sixth] 44 “___ So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” (hymn) 45 Quaking cause 46 Pelvic bones 47 When sung three times, a soccer anthem 48 Event before a college football game [Ninth] 52 ___ ball 54 Walk stylishly 55 Is down with 57 Like many retired academics 62 Composer whose works are hidden in 30-, 39- and 48-Across
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67 Only part of Egypt located in Asia 68 Potential starts of new generations 69 Broadcasting 70 See 13-Across 71 Marked incorrect 72 Trifle 73 Schlep DOWN 1 Supervisors: Abbr. 2 Curved molding 3 Randy look 4 Released air from, as a balloon 5 Quarterback, often 6 Prince ___ Khan 7 Kind of card 8 Choose 9 Pale-faced 10 Historic Boston locale
11 What every infinitive in Esperanto ends with 12 Grumpy co-worker 17 Class struggle? 19 Not at home … or caught at home 21 Part of the Greek spelling of “Aristotle” 24 Paris hangouts 25 Vocal opponent of 2001’s Patriot Act, for short 26 Like violin strings 28 The price you pay 29 Lose 30 Detroit pro player 31 Disentangle, in a way 32 David Lynch’s first feature-length film 33 Last name in “Star Wars” 34 Prefix with cortex 40 Possibilities
41 Brief moments 42 It’s a laugh 43 Coastal feature 49 Literary master of irony 50 Skedaddle 51 Stock at a saloon 53 Trimmable part 56 Get the goods 58 It may precede a breakup 59 Lowdown 60 Loser to Wilson in 1912 61 Person carrying a briefcase, maybe 62 Pricey seating area 63 December 24, e.g. 64 It’s next to nothing 65 Part of 62-Across’s name 66 64-Down, to 62-Across
The crossword solution is in the Classified section.
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THURSDAY October 15, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
OPINIONS THE DAILY ILLINI EDITORIAL
Virtual proctors worsen overall academic environment As workplaces, services, academic environments and social settings adapt to a world persistently affected by the coronavirus, the solutions to certain obstacles have gotten creative. Yet, the University administration has attempted to solve the pressing question of how to test students by forcing incredibly invasive virtual proctoring services on students. As a result, students have responded by petitioning to ban the most offensive service, Proctorio, from use by professors. Students have targeted Proctorio over what they see as egregious violations of privacy, as using Proctorio gives the service access to capture content on one’s screen and to manage settings, apps and downloads. Proctorio even uses the computer camera to track a student’s eye and head movements. In an era where data breaches are somewhat common, the amount of agency given to Proctorio rightfully sparks outrage among the student body. Furthermore, Proctorio is biased against students with certain disabilities. A student recorded to have a higher than average number of eye or head movements isn’t necessarily cheating. Some students may have a DRES accommodation that can prove they are more
prone to erratic eye and head movements, but other students without diagnoses simply struggle to sit still for an extended period of time. Students have never before had to justify their every eye and head movement, so why is the onus on them to do so now? Also, Proctorio assumes a great deal about a student’s resources. It assumes a student has a laptop with a strong enough ability to run Proctorio and the exam without lag or crashing. Other virtual proctoring services, while not as invasive, can be equally frustrating for students. Students have reported problems with ProctorU, such as constant distraction, as the
proctor nitpicks the testing environment and forces students to change it — even in the middle of an exam. Additionally, unlike Proctorio, students must pay for other proctoring programs. “Too bad” seems to be the general attitude when students struggle with the testing experience, despite different time zones and home environments. There is nothing standardized about the circumstances in which these standardized tests are conducted. Expecting students to test under disparate conditions begs for student frustration. It is the responsibility of the administration and faculty to rework their syllabi to ensure students
Orwellian proctor service. Besides, open-book or take-home exams don’t breach the integrity of the exam, particularly as everyone is exposed to the same experience. It eliminates the possibility of cheating. If a test is truly about capturing a student’s comprehension rather than the brute strength of their memory, then a take-home exam should still assess that all the same. Students have already spent the majority of this year stressed out and anxious about the state of the world. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether they are doing enough to KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI convince the robot proctor that cheating is not learn the material but aren’t virtuous students may feel occurring. forced to grapple with a more incentivized to cheat These programs clearly bad online testing environ- this year. cause more problems than ment. Trying to fix testWithout proctoring serthey solve. If the adminising using online proctors vices, some professors have tration were prudent about feels like trying to fit a circle put restrictions on tests, academics during a panblock into a triangle hole like the inability to return demic, they would accept — this solution does not fit to questions or randomizing the petition to ban Procthe needs of the anomalous the order of questions, as if torio and would encouryear. these methods will mitiage other means of gauging No matter how advanced gate cheating in a way more students’ knowledge rather the proctoring service, test- valuable than the incredible than spending time working in a COVID-19 world inconvenience they place on shopping professors with encourages cheating. Each students. Proctorio, with whom the student is locked in a prisSome departments have University has a contract. oner’s dilemma of whether made tests take-home or If the administration had to cheat on assessments or open-note, and some have even a fraction of the will or have integrity and comscrapped tests entirely in imagination it believes stupete against students who favor of essays, projects and dents have to cheat, online will most certainly try to other assignments that can proctors would be prohibcheat. It’s the game theory be done over time. These ited and students would be of cheating — in most casare the types of accomable to prove competency in es, academic dishonesty is modations necessary durtheir subject through other easier this year, so typically ing a pandemic — not an mediums.
Current debate format, limitations hinder candidate discourse MATTHEW KRAUTER SENIOR COLUMNIST
W
ith less than a month until election day, incumbent President Donald Trump is strapped in the hot seat. Trump trails Joe Biden by an average of 10% in the popular vote according to FiveThirtyEight. The debates could have been an opportunity for Trump to close that gap, but their ineffectual formatting limits electoral consequences. After listening to the first debate, nails on a chalkboard entered the same echelon of sound as Johann Sebastian Bach or Sergei Rachmaninoff. The 57 million viewers were left with no better understanding of either candidate’s agenda amidst the mudslinging. Chris Wallace’s moderation was overly involved and rigid, reeling in either candidate when they entered any natural back-and-forth in favor of his prepared questions.
If the candidates are not allowed to duke it out, why call it a debate? The twominute response intervals are never sufficient for a substantive answer. Candidates fight for every precious second beyond their allotted window, forcing moderators to interject and relinquish their appearance of impartiality to the audience. As David Harsanyi argued in National Review, such a format may foster “two cerebral combatants, but it doesn’t work in a wide-ranging conversation between two partisans.” More freeflowing debates would enable better dialogue by eliminating the true opponent onstage: the clock. Some propose the far simpler solution of muting candidates when the other is speaking. While at surface-level, muting may seem pragmatic, it further involves the moderator in the debate and martyrs the muted interrupters analogous to Ronald Reagan’s famous “I am paying for this microphone” moment. The failure on display of
the traditional debate format has a part to play in its minuscule electoral impact. A poll by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News found 70% of Americans say the debate doesn’t matter much to them, with 44% not considering it when voting at all. Most Americans seemingly cheer for their candidate like their favorite sports team. Perhaps amending the debates could be impactful for future election cycles, but the reputation the President has earned curbs their benefit to him. In 2016, Trump’s brash style appealed to many as a refreshing defiance to the political establishment. Though appealing to his base, this persona translated into steady unpopularity throughout his term. It’s unlikely his performance on stage will change anyone’s opinion of him more than him shooting someone on Fifth Avenue. The real importance of the debates lies in whether Biden can prove himself a competent alternative for voters. The questionable
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAWERENCE JACKSON/BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT
Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence debate at the 2020 United States Vice Presidential Debate on Oct. 7. Columnist Matthew argues the inefficiency of the current debate format.
mental prowess of 77-yearold “Sleepy Joe” is fair game, but the President’s barrage of attacks prior to the debate counterintuitively set the expectations for Biden rather low. The president thrives off his ability to attack opponents in front of a crowd, and his best strategy is to prove Biden deserving of his monikers. When Biden dodged the question of if
he’d support the court-packing plan proposed by his own party, Trump pressed him on the issue. A flustered Biden told him to “shut up, man” before Wallace decided it was his job as moderator to bailout Biden and move on to another segment without an answer. Fortunately for Biden, the moderator agreed with him that the American people “don’t deserve” to know his
stance on the issue. Though we should demand better formatting, it’s probable political wonks and the media lay too much emphasis on the purported importance of debates. For all of their symbolic grandeur, what matters most in an election lies beyond a single stage. Matthew is a junior in LAS. krauter3@dailyillini.com
Republicans remain apathetic toward Americans, fiscally irresponsible the country fear they will be unable to pay rent, and as SENIOR many as 35 million people COLUMNIST could face eviction. Furthermore, while many temporary layoffs have ended, milcourse, now the lions are at risk of becoming economy is a permanently unemployed. complete disasThe economy is a comter … ” said Senator Kamala plete disaster. Harris of the Trump adminPresident Donald Trump istration’s handling of the seems to have just realized economy during the recent how unlikely he is to win vice presidential debate, and the election given the curshe could not have been any rent state of the economy, so more correct. he has turned his attention The unemployment rate is back to negotiations with still at a relatively high 7.9% congressional Democrats according to the Bureau of over an economic stimulus Labor, which translates to package. about 12.6 million peoIt is unclear whether ple being out of work. The Trump would actually like number of jobs added on a to pass such legislation, and monthly basis — after peak- his statements about how ing in June — continues to large the package ought to decline. behave ranged from some Millions of people across version of, “there should be CLINT DOZIER
“Of
no stimulus bill at all” to “I want a bigger package than even the Democrats.” To be clear, Trump’s treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, recently offered up a $1.8 trillion package, whereas Democrats had initially passed a $3 trillion one back in May. Trump either doesn’t want as large of a package as he says, or he genuinely has no idea what his own administration has negotiated. Neither scenario is even remotely surprising. Regardless of Trump’s motivations for suddenly appearing to care about passing any further economic recovery legislation, any bill where the White House and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi negotiate is likely to go absolutely nowhere in the Senate. Mitch McConnell said pass-
ing another stimulus bill is “unlikely in the next three weeks.” The story as to why this is the case is an old one, and it’s just as ridiculous as ever. Republicans in the Senate are apparently too concerned with the national debt to go along with President Trump on further economic stimulus. Here’s the part about that excuse that is truly maddening: Republicans don’t actually care about the national debt, and they never have. Republicans didn’t care about the national debt in the 1980s under President Ronald Reagan, who doubled the national debt while in office. Republicans didn’t care about the national debt under President George W. Bush when he waged two wars in the Middle East
and added nearly $6 trillion to the national debt in the process. And, most recently, Republicans didn’t even seem to remember that the national debt was a concept when they approved the Trump tax bill in 2017, which is estimated to add an additional $1.6 trillion to the national debt over 10 years. However, Republicans do sometimes pretend to care about the debt. They pretend to care any time there is a Democrat in the White House. And they’re pretending to care about the national debt right now because they’d rather shoehorn Judge Amy Coney Barret onto the Supreme Court before they no longer control the Senate or White House — both prospects that look as likely as ever — than
pass legislation that would improve the lives of millions headed toward financial ruin. Republicans in Congress are more concerned about securing future power for an ever-shrinking minority of the American electorate than they are about helping anyone. They apparently no longer care about doing what would be politically advantageous for President Trump. They don’t care about the debt. And they most certainly don’t care about the American people. Republicans in Congress only care about expanding and retaining their own political power — in this case, through the Supreme Court. Clint is a senior in LAS. cdozie2@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.
1B
THURSDAY October 15, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
FOOTBALL
SPORTS
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Washington aims for consistency Underwood, Illini
staff continue to pursue top recruit
Wide receiver hopes for breakout sophomore season
BY BRANDON SIMBERG STAFF WRITER
BY GABBY HAJDUK SPORTS EDITOR
The story of how an unranked Illinois football team upset No. 6 Wisconsin last October has been written and retold countless times since then-junior James McCourt nailed the game-winning field goal as time expired. McCourt’s kick, defensive back Tony Adams’ interception and wide receivier Josh Imatorbhebhe’s touchdown, all which happened in the fourth quarter, were the center of attention. One underrated, yet crucial, play of the game was then-freshman wide receivier Casey Washington’s diving 18-yard catch, which extended the fourth-quarter drive and set up Imatorbhebhe’s 29-yard touchdown, bringing the game within two points. But, Washington’s catch was almost called back. “I knew it was a catch,” said Washington when recalling the catch last Wednesday. “I had turf in my eyes. I deserved that catch. If they would have turned that around, I would have been a little hot. Good thing they called it a catch.” Before the Wisconsin game, Washington had only caught one pass at the collegiate level, coming the week before against Michigan. Now, with a full season under his belt, Washington’s confidence has grown past his physical abilities and into his understanding of the game. “Coming from high school, you’re just kind of out there playing football,” Washington said. “You get the schemes, the coverages (in college), everything that hits you all at once. For me, it was a lot to take in. It was a great learning experience. I’m grateful I got to get on the field.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID CRAAN/FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS
Sophomore wide receiver Casey Washington runs a drill during practice on Oct. 7. After making an important catch against Wisconsin last fall, Washington hopes to come back strong.
Head coach Lovie Smith knows every freshman will experience mental and physical growing pains when they arrive at college. Smith said that statement holds true with Washington. But the receiver had a special edge about him that was noticeable at their recruitment visit. “We’re inside eating — had a barbecue going — and he’s outside catching the ball,” Smith said. “He’s a football junkie, so it didn’t surprise me he was able to get time as a freshman. Now, it’s taking that game to the next level. He knows more about what is required of him to be a real good Big Ten football receiver.” Washington finished his freshman campaign with 11 catches for 132 yards with a season-high four catches against Northwestern. He played in 10 of Illinois’ 13 games and registered a catch in six of those. While those are better statistics than most freshmen record, it wasn’t enough for Washington. “I don’t feel like I’ve done
anything yet,” Washington said. To Washington, his sophomore season could be his time to break out, as he’s been able to spend less time on the mental aspect of the game and more time fine-tuning his skills. Over the summer, Illinois wide receivers coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker said Washington “better break out” this season. However, playing time at the wide receiver position won’t be easy to come by this season. Stoker’s group includes returners Washington, Imatorbhebhe, senior Trevon Sidney, junior Donny Navarro and transfers Brian Hightower and Khmari Thompson. Other targets for senior quarterback Brandon Peters include tight ends, senior Daniel Imatorbhebhe and juniors Luke Ford and Daniel Barker. It’s no secret Washington will have to compete even harder this season to earn snaps. Almost all of Peters’ other options are older and more experienced than Washington. But Washington has
embraced the added competition at practice, as depth at the position has pushed each player to work harder. The Texas native said the wide receiver room is different this season and for the better. Part of his personal growth since the beginning of the 2019 season has been identifying his weaknesses. Spending a lot of time in the film room last season, Washington has improved on coverage recognition, learning defenders’ tendencies and slowing down the game to its simplest forms. Now, consistency in applying what he has learned is Washington’s most notable goal. “This year, consistency is a huge thing for me,” Washington said. “I just think, everyday, as long as I’m constantly getting better, that’s one of my bigger goals. You’ve got to prove yourself everyday and that’s part of consistency. So every play, every game, every snap, that I should be out there and just compete.” @gabby_h11 ghajduk2@dailyillini.com
After striking out on 2021 wing targets Brandon Weston, David Jones and Jordan Nesbitt, all eyes turn to Illinois basketball getting Bryce Hopkins. Hopkins, who attends Fenwick High School just outside of Chicago, is set to commit in the coming weeks according to Jake Weingarten of stockrisers.com. Hopkins released his final nine schools on Aug. 30. The list consisted of Kentucky, Iowa State, Texas, Michigan, Providence, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon and California. John Calipari and Kentucky have been the projected favorites in Hopkins’ recruitment, and the Wildcats currently possess 100% of the crystal ball predictions on 247Sports. Hopkins also visited Lexington over the summer. Though Kentucky is the favorite, Illinois, Indiana and Providence remain involved, per his father. Hopkins has some family ties to the Providence area, as his mom graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Providence. Hopkins was initially com-
mitted to Louisville but decommitted on Aug. 9. The Illini staff didn’t do a superb job recruiting him the first time, but his father said they have done a much better job this time. “This second-time around, I must give them credit,” Hopkins’ father told Jeff Rabjohns of Peegs.com. “They’ve done a great job the second time around. With the phone calls from coach (Brad) Underwood and the assistant coaches, the marketing part with all the pictures and everything, they’ve done a really good job.” While Illinois appears to have a better chance than some of the other teams on the list, it is admittedly a long shot that they land Hopkins. It would be a surprise if when Hopkins commits, it’s not to John Calipari’s Wildcats. In the front court, 2021 target Frank Kepnang committed to Oregon over the weekend, but the Illini were never seen as the favorites. However, the 2021 prospect they are coveting the most is center Mac Etienne. AccordSEE RECRUIT | 2B
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRYCE HOPKINS’ TWITTER
Potential Illinois commit Bryce Hopkins poses with a basketball. Hopkins is set to commit to a university in the near future.
FOOTBALL
Alumni continue to see playing time in NFL after five weeks BY JACKSON JANES ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
On Oct. 23, Lovie Smith is expected to field his most talented team since he took over the head coaching position in 2016. While Illinois did not see any players taken in the 2020 NFL draft, 10 former players are currently on professional rosters, though this list is expected to increase next year. Let’s take a look at how these former Illini have fared over the last few weeks.
Nick Allegretti (Guard, Kansas City Chiefs)
After seeing only one offensive snap across the first two weeks of the season, Allegretti saw three more snaps on offense over the last three weeks, all of which came in the Chiefs’ Week 3 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Allegretti didn’t get any snaps on the offensive side of the ball in Weeks 4 or 5, though he did see snaps on special teams. The defending Super Bowl champions are 4-1 through five weeks of play and sit atop the AFC West. Kansas City will take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.
Clayton Fejedelem (Safety, Miami Dolphins)
Sitting out the first three weeks of the season, Fejedelem made his Dolphins debut in a 31-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, making a solo tackle on special teams
in his first game of the year. The fifth-year veteran also had his third career carry in the team’s unexpected Week 5 win over the San Francisco 49ers, picking up one yard after receiving a direct snap on a successful fake punt. Fejedelem has yet to see a snap on defense this season.
Justin Hardee (Defensive back, New Orleans Saints)
Through five weeks of action, Hardee has only seen time with the special teams unit. Hardee made two tackles in the Saints’ Week 3 loss against the Green Bay Packers, though he came out injured against the Lions in the fourth week of play. Hardee sat out injured for the team’s Week 5 overtime win over the Los Angeles Chargers, and it is unclear how severe his injury is.
Ted Karras (Center, Miami Dolphins)
Karras is the Dolphins’ starting center, and he has been on the field for all 336 of the team’s offensive snaps in 2020. He also sees a bit of time with special teams, but he features primarily on the offensive side of the ball. The Dolphins have improved over the past three weeks, going 2-1 over that period, highlighted by a dominant 43-17 victory over the 49ers in Week 5.
Whitney Mercilus (Linebacker, Houston Texans)
After getting off to a slow start, at least to his standards, Mercilus has significantly improved over the last three weeks. His most productive game came in the Texans’ Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he racked up five total tackles, including one for a loss. Mercilus accumulated four tackles in Week 4 before recovering a fumble in the team’s first win of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. The Texans currently sit tied for last place in the AFC South.
Del’Shawn Phillips (Linebacker, Buffalo Bills)
After being named to a 53-man roster for the first time in his career for the team’s Week 1 win over the New York Jets, Phillips has yet to see any playing time since opening weekend. It is unclear what Phillips’ role with the team will be going forward, though the Bills are 4-1 through five weeks of competition.
Dawuane Smoot (Defensive end, Jacksonville Jaguars)
The last two weeks of competition have been rather productive for Smoot, as he made three total tackles in the Jaguars’ Week 4 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and two total tackles in Week
PHOTO COURTESY OF KARL MERTON FERRON/BALTIMORE SUN STAFF
Baltimore Ravens defensive end Jihad Ward walks behind defensive tackle Justin Madubuike on Aug. 19. Ward is an Illinois alum who started playing for the Ravens in 2019.
5 against the Texans. Smoot also picked up his first sack against Houston, a game in which he racked up three quarterback hits.
Malik Turner (Wide receiver, Dallas Cowboys)
Turner earned his first two snaps on offense in the team’s 49-38 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, though he sees much more time with the special teams unit. After the Cowboys beat the New York Giants in Week 5, the team faces the Ari-
zona Cardinals in Week 6, back hit in Week 5. though it is unclear what Turner’s role on offense Tavon Wilson (Safety, will be going forward. Indianapolis Colts) Wilson sees time on both Jihad Ward (Defensive defense and special teams, end, Baltimore Ravens) as he has only seen defenWard has seen relatively sive snaps in three games consistent playing time on this year. After making defense, playing between four tackles in the team’s 40% and 55% of the team’s Week 3 victory over the defensive snaps each game. Jets, including two for a Though his most produc- loss of yardage, Wilson was tive game came in the only on the field for 12% of team’s opening weekend defensive snaps in Week 5. victory against the Browns, Ward made two tackles in @JacksonJanes3 Week 3 and one quarter- janes6@dailyillini.com
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Thursday, October 15, 2020
THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
FOOTBALL
McCourt uses Wisconsin game as motivation for improvement BY JOSH PIETSCH STAFF WRITER
On Oct. 19, then-junior James McCourt ran onto the field, about to attempt the biggest kick of his college career. The Illini, down 23-21 against the No. 6 team in the country, had three seconds left on the clock to pull ahead and win the game. McCourt lined up for a 39-yard field goal to try and lift his team over Wisconsin and complete the upset of the year. He kicked the ball straight through the uprights and was immediately swarmed by his teammates in celebration. That kick was a seasonchanging moment for the Illini and a moment McCourt will never forget. Amongst the celebration, though, McCourt laid on the field unconscious for a few moments before getting hauled up by his teammates and lifted for everyone to cheer for. “I turned to Griff (teammate Griffin Palmer) and he hit me in the head super hard I guess, and our face masks got stuck (together),” McCourt said, describing the moment after the kick went in. “Griff kinda got hit and I got hit, we went down together, it was pretty romantic I guess. “I remember completely blacking out and seeing stars. The video of me getting lifted up I’m pretty pale, I don’t know where I am. I didn’t know where I was for a good two seconds.” Despite briefly losing consciousness after making the kick that turned Illinois’ season around, McCourt says he still remembers the events following his kick. Some parts of him thought it wasn’t real, but as time went on, he realized he was living a dream. “Right when I hit it I knew I made it,” McCourt said. “But
THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
Illinois senior kicker James McCourt kicks the game winning field goal during the game against Wisconsin on Oct. 19 at Memorial Stadium. Since then, McCourt has been practicing to ensure he has the consistency he wants as a Big Ten kicker.
decision. McCourt was given the No. 11 kickoff grade in the nation by Pro Football Focus and has proven he can make kicks from long distance. If his consistency does improve, McCourt could enter discussions for an NFL spot. On the other hand, the Illini are scheduled to begin their 2021 season in Ireland, McCourt’s home country. Although he isn’t ready to make a decision yet, McCourt acknowledges his excitement to potentially play in Ireland and what the opportunity means to him. “Its obviously something I haven’t put too much focus on since we’re super locked in on this season, but you know if I get the opportunity to, you know, go back to my homeland and play it’s definitely gonna be something that I heavily consider,” McCourt said. “To have that opportunity to go back home and play in front of my family, it’s unbelievable. It would definitely be something surreal and would be amazing.” Until a decision has to be made, McCourt and his team have a nine-game schedule to play with what’s expected to be the best Illini roster in the Lovie Smith-era so far. Illinois opens up the Big Ten season on Oct. 23 under the lights at Wisconsin, a rematch of last year’s biggest upset in college football and the game of McCourt’s famous kick. “It’s awesome,” said McCourt on starting the season at Wisconsin. “The whole team is super bought in right now. I’m super excited to get up there and kick in that stadium … and everyone’s ready to get (going).”
I guess after the pile and after I got up, I kinda forgot the kick even happened. The first smile was, ‘this is a really cool dream,’ then I came back down and then was like, ‘Okay, this really happened,’ and kind of enjoyed it from there.” McCourt’s game-winner to beat Wisconsin was a moment that both he and Illini fans will long cherish, but the kick has even more meaning for the senior almost a year after he first made it. Over the offseason, a big part of the game he worked on was the mental side of making kicks. Kickers face some of the most pressure out of anyone on a team, and McCourt thinks back to the moment from last October to give him confidence when he’s about to kick again. “Now looking back on it, trying to keep positive thoughts, positive affirma-
tions and stuff like that is just super important for a specialist, and it’s just a moment in time that I felt my best,” McCourt said. “I felt super confident out there and try and replicate that feeling with every kick.” The main aspect of his game he worked on over the offseason, however, was his consistency. Along with the kick against Wisconsin, McCourt had other impressive kicks, including a 57-yard field goal against Eastern Michigan, which tied the school record. But his kicks didn’t always end in celebration. McCourt attempted 19 field goals in 2019 and only made 13 of them. He was solid inside 40 yards, making six of eight attempts, as well as above 50 yards, making four of five. But between 40 and 50, he was only able to make three of his six attempts.
“I think it’s pretty obvious where I need to improve, it’s the consistency that you need from a Big Ten kicker,” McCourt said. “Those ‘chip shots’ that I missed definitely are kicks that I want back and I think now, something this offseason that I’ve really focused on (is) inside 45 yards is the place I want to see my most improvement. “I’ve seen the results in practice and I really can’t wait to get out to the game and prove to myself, prove to other people that my consistency is there.” One part of the game that will be different for everybody this year is playing with no fans. Although everybody will experience it, kickers come out in some of the highestpressure times in the game where fans are the loudest. McCourt, however, expects to adjust quickly. He said he
has talked to professional kickers about playing with no fans, and he compares the situation to how he kicks in practice. “I’ve heard from a lot of NFL guys that the no fans can be bizarre for some people, some people don’t really notice it that much,” McCourt said. “I think if you kind of go with the mindset of we’ve been practicing every day, when we kick there’s no fans there and you’re kicking to blank stands, so I mean it shouldn’t be too different. Maybe just a little bit of adjusting but I don’t really expect it to alter too many things.” Following his senior season, McCourt will be one of the many Illini faced with a tough decision to make. The NCAA granted fall athletes an extra year of eligibility, leav- @JPietsch14 ing the kicker with a difficult pietsch3@dailyillini.com
Cockburn likely out of Champaign after this season, Etienne would be able to come in ing to Weingarten, the Illini right away and have instant are in a good position for his impact minutes as a true services. freshman,” said Weingarten “With (sophomore) Kofi in a story two weeks ago. “The
Illini are competing with programs like Miami and Marquette, who I believe are the two programs heavily competing with UI for Etienne’s talent. Brad Underwood, (Miami head coach) Jim Lar-
rañaga and Marquette’s staff all recently completed Zoom calls with him, and he told me that he doesn’t have any others scheduled.” More wing depth would be a nice addition, but the Illini
already have 2021 wing Luke Goode committed. Conversely, a center would be a necessity, especially if Cockburn leaves. Junior Giorgi Bezhanishvili could slide to the five for a season, but ultimately a
FROM 1B
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long term answer would be needed. There is no timeline for when Etienne will commit. @BrandonSimberg simberg2@dailyillini.com
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THURSDAY October 15, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
COVID-19
CU epidemiologist explains quarantine stats BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
Last week, the local health district began displaying the number of close contacts in Champaign County who’ve been ordered to quarantine, along with how many have been released and how many have tested positive while in quarantine. According to C-U Public Health District epidemiologist Awais Vaid, the district has been tracking this data since July. However, there are several quirks with the data, and other details on the district’s robust COVID-19 dashboard, to keep in mind. Since July, the state has been asking for quarantine numbers from the county. CUPHD is looking for a way to process and add the data from the first three months of the pandemic. “The majority of our cases have been in the last three months, July through September,” Vaid said. “So the numbers will definitely go up a little bit, probably 20% more.” To date, 853 people in the county have tested positive for COVID-19 after being quarantined. Once quarantined, Champaign County residents are told to test on day five or six, earlier if they start showing symptoms. “On day five or six after exposure, people have a very high chance of becoming positive if they were truly exposed and have become infected,” Vaid said. Once someone tests positive during his or her quarantine, the standard isola-
tion period of 10 days will begin. CUPHD doesn’t distinguish between campus and non-campus cases, since many University students and staff are connected to the community. “A lot of these individuals, whether they’re grad students with their families or faculty and staff, they have been part of our community, and they live all across town,” Vaid said. “They’re not specifically living on campus, and that’s probably half the population of the campus community. And so we don’t distinguish between them as just campus, because they live here 12 months of the year.” There are plenty of other quirks with CUPHD’s data. According to Vaid, campus cases are still 95% undergraduate, and early on, a significant portion were freshmen. However, its contact tracers only have the birthdates of students who’ve tested positive, not their actual class designations, so it’s still technically unknown how many freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors have individually tested positive. Also, CUPHD has a slightly fuller picture of how COVID has infected the campus population. According to Vaid, a “small portion” of students, faculty and staff who live on or near campus are testing, but they just aren’t using the oncampus saliva-based tests. “A lot of students who go home on the weekends to Chicago or surround-
CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI
Student Zachary Chalmers takes a University COVID-19 test at State Farm Center on Oct. 8. Champaign County residents are told to take a COVID-19 test on day five or six of their quarantine.
ing communities, they get tested over there,” he said. “There are some, for whatever reason, who are going to the Marketplace Mall testing. There are some others who were also going to private clinics such as Campustown Urgent Care.” The University doesn’t have access to these testing records. If a student, faculty or staff member tests positive somewhere else, that person’s case isn’t counted in CUPHD’s database, to avoid double-counting. Vaid said the SHIELD
team is skeptical of delays in test results contributing to the early on-campus spread. “We looked at that data as well with the modeling team and with the SHIELD team as well,” Vaid said. “But there was no correlation that was found between that one or two day delay that we had during that one week with with any spike in the number of cases.” Early issues of students breaking isolation and quarantine have been a lot less frequent, Vaid said, as well as students not picking
up calls from CUPHD. Early on, a significant portion of students wouldn’t communicate with the health district. “If we had, like, 40, 50 or 60 or 100 cases coming in a day, I would say about 10% of them, maybe 15% were not responding to us within 24 hours,” Vaid said. “After maybe one or two calls, we would not hear back from them.” Nowadays, the main short-term concern with the campus community is handling Halloween. CUPHD already issued
guidance on how to trickor-treat safely, and the team hopes the holidays won’t lead to major spikes in new cases. Vaid encourages families to find new ways to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas that are public health conscious. “Even if you want to do things, you can make new traditions. You can do things much smarter and safer again. Not just for yourself or for your family as well,” Vaid said. ecsimmon@dailyillini.com
Student engagement balances out college experience BY ELIZABETH SAYASANE FEATURES EDITOR
As the director of student engagement, Gina Lee-Olukoya tackled the complications that arose with engaging a student body spread across the country. When the University announced everything would be moving online for the rest of the semester, Lee-Olukoya and her team got to work restructuring their approach to connecting the school community. They have had to be creative in changing student programming, asking themselves how to have conversations with students to help them be successful and how to help their organizations be successful. Lee-Olukoya said that Student Affairs continues to work this semester to keep students engaged whether they live in ChampaignUrbana or have moved back home. They have been trying to find the correct balance between in-person opportunities and virtual experiences. In the past several
months, they have had to stay on their toes, ready to change plans as regulations and guidelines shift. “I think that we are ever hopeful that our new normal won’t last that long,” LeeOlukoya said. “But I think that we’re also ever hopeful that we’ll be able to continue to be nimble in addressing the guidelines like social distancing.” They planned events such as the free movie and concert nights at Memorial Stadium where they could remain socially distanced while still being together. They also coordinated a new virtual Quad Day for this year to support the RSOs on campus. One of the difficulties in Lee-Olukoya’s task of engaging students has been balance. She said she wants to ensure those students on campus have more to do than just walking up and down Green Street, while also attempting to bring a sense of the campus community to those in different cities, states and countries.
“All of us within the division are doing our best to work with students to ensure that the students who are here with us still have an experience that connects them to their peers and connects them to the brilliance of this institution,” she said. “For those students who are remote learners, we also try to make sure that we’re engaging them as well.” While students attend college to obtain their degrees, many also choose large state schools like the University of Illinois for the experiences they can have on campus. COVID-19 has inhibited many of these opportunities. Lee-Olukoya acknowledges that attending college for many students entails more than just going to class and doing homework. They want more than just to learn technical skills. A significant benefit of attending a larger school is the opportunity to learn and reflect amidst one’s peers outside of the formal classroom setting. Students can grow and develop leadership
opportunities from RSOs or involvement in social organizations. She said the research backs this idea up and that engagement and involvement lead to better outcomes after graduation. This trick of the semester has been transitioning these same opportunities and benefits to virtual settings. Freshmen in particular have been looking for chances where they can meet their peers and gain these extracurricular experiences. “Those experiences matter, and they matter for the first-year student just like they matter for the senior,” she said. “There’s a whole body of knowledge about the first-year experience so we know a lot about what it takes for our first-year student to be successful.” Responses from students as well as their parents have been mixed. While students, in general, are excited the University is offering experiences in person, many are asking for more. Some have been unhappy with
Stay
PHOTO COURTESY OF GINA LEE-OLUKOYA
Gina Lee-Olukoya poses for a professional headshot. LeeOlukoya, working as director of Student Engagement, has had to create new methods of engaging students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
the methods to move these experiences online, such as Virtual Quad Day. Lee-Olukoya and her team have been working to address the needs and wants of the student community while keeping everyone safe. “We want to give them an
experience that aligns with our values as an institution,” she said. “We also want to give them an experience that aligns to help them be successful in the spaces out there.” eis3@dailyillini.com
covered so you can stay here. covid19.illinois.edu
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Thursday, October 15, 2020
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buzz calendar BY RUKAYAH HUSSEIN BUZZ CALENDAR EDITOR
The buzz calendar is a compilation of events happening in the Champaign-Urbana area. Follow our top picks in Monday’s and Thursday’s papers for ideas on what to do on any night of the week, from where to eat to what to watch. Want to submit an event? Email calendar@readbuzz.com.
THURSDAY, OCT. 15
Thursday Night Trivia
PHOTO COURTESY OF OGINALII
The “Pendulum” album cover is pictured above. Oginalii’s album will be released on Oct. 23.
Oginalii embraces heavy rock buzz factor: BY JILLIAN LITTLE BUZZ EDITOR
Sludge-rock band Oginalii will give listeners a unique auditory experience with the release of “Pendulum” on Oct. 23. The band, hailing from Nashville, specializes in blending elements of obscure hard rock and psychedelia in an atmospheric fashion. They also complement some of their music with videos that amplify the listening experience. Interestingly enough, Oginalii credits Led Zeppelin as one of their influences, which sounds nothing like most of the album’s musical components, excluding Emma Hoeflinger’s Robert Plantesque vocals. “Pendulum” thrives on heaviness in both subject matter and instrumentation, and Oginalii gets this point across to the fullest. Listeners can expect dark lyrics and blaring instru-
mentation while giving attention to this six-track EP. The album could be an expression of how individuals view themselves in a bad place currently. However, there’s an invisible pendulum that swings everything back into positivity at some point. The album’s second song, “Scapegoat,” is where listeners can first hear the fusion of psychedelic rock and metal. The song has an abrupt beginning as each musician makes a deafening auditory appearance. Then, it strips down to individual instruments that build upon one another several times throughout the song. Simon Knudtson’s drumming is stellar and complements each part of the song’s structure while guitarist Ryan Quarles adds a repeated beach rock guitar riff, which surprisingly works well with the song’s vibe. There’s also a distorted flange on Emma Hoeflinger’s voice, which
can remind listeners of ‘90s grunge acts like Soundgarden or Alice in Chains. It is a curse in the music industry that the bassist is often forgotten about. With that in mind, it would’ve been nice to hear Emma Lambiase’s bass playing through the drowning of the guitar, drums and vocals. “Pendulum,” the album’s namesake, is third on the EP. The song starts with a blaring guitar that alternates between two minor notes, giving the song an ominous feel. Hoeflinger then contributes to the song’s vibe when she sings, “Are you losing control? I found a crack in my sun / And you’re losing control, lost all your control.” Listeners can appreciate the song’s fluidity until the tom drum, hi-hat and bass drum add structure and pick up the song’s tempo. There are also numerous time signature changes before the SEE OGINALII | 6B
! 7-9 p.m. " Pour Bros. Craft Taproom, 40 E. University Ave., Champaign # Free Participate in weekly trivia with gift card prizes for top teams, swag giveaways and draft specials. Pour Bros. Craft Taproom is a food-friendly establishment, so bring some grub. Seating will be available on the patio as long as weather permits.
FRIDAY, OCT. 16
Big Creek Guitar Band
! 6-9 p.m. " Huber’s West End Store, 1312 W. Church St., Champaign # Free Big Creek Guitar Band brings its mix of haunting acoustics and fun covers to the Huber’s patio! Please wear masks when not eating or drinking and maintain social distancing.
SATURDAY, OCT. 17
Market at the Square
! 7 a.m.-noon " Corner of Illinois and Vine streets in Downtown Urbana # Free Urbana’s Market at the Square returns for another season. This year’s setup looks slightly different, but you can still shop local vendors to get fresh produce from farmers in our area.
Virtual Harvest Fest
! 10 a.m.-5 p.m. " A virtual event hosted by the Champaign County Forest Preserve District # Free Spooky stories and autumn activities await you during a virtual version of this popular
fall event! Enjoy the fun traditions of the season virtually, including corn-shelling and apple-peeling demonstrations, a Q&A with local pumpkin farmers, a hayrack ride and spooky stories told by a professional storyteller! Tune in throughout the day on the Museum of the Grand Prairie Facebook and YouTube pages to enjoy these virtual activities as they premiere.
Pumpkin Patch Drive-Through
! 2-5 p.m. " Savoy United Methodist Church, 3002 W. Old Church Rd., Champaign # Free, but donations are encouraged Get out of the house and go to drive through the parking lot at Savoy United Methodist Church to see funny, beautiful and creatively decorated pumpkins and scarecrows! By going, you’re supporting the church’s Thanksgiving food drive that will feed families in Champaign-Urbana and Habitat for Humanity’s build projects! Cash or check donations will be accepted as you drive in.
SUNDAY, OCT. 18
Pups ‘N Pints: Barktoberfest
! 1-5:30 p.m. " Pour Bros. Craft Taproom, 40 E. University Ave., Champaign # Contact for pricing Pups ‘N Pints is back for another go with the return of Barktoberfest! This year, the event supports Hospice Hearts and features a costume contest for canines. Due to capacity restrictions and high demand, Pun ‘N Pints will be split into two sessions, both with prizes. Spots can be reserved by emailing Pour Bros. Craft Taproom. There are two time slots to pick from, 1-3 p.m. or 3:30-5:30 p.m., so please indicate your preference along with the number of people and dogs in your group.
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THURSDAY October 15, 2020 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com
buzz
Partake in fall traditions at Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch Mark season change with visit to orchard BY RUKAYAH HUSSEIN BUZZ CALENDAR EDITOR
October is the time for spooky vibes, crisp weather and the taste of apple cider. While midterms may be in full swing for some, or just around the corner for others, it is crucial to take a break and get outside for a bit — especially while the weather is still lovely. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it seem like having fun is impossible, but with the right health and safety precautions, community members and students can still enjoy the staples of fall. One of the best fall activities to do right now is to visit Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch. The Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch website has outlined several measures to ensure patrons’ health and safety. Visitors can still enjoy the fall season while following these guidelines
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
A family of five wearing masks poses at the big chair at Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch on Wednesday afternoon. The Orchard has had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.
and social distancing. “In response to COVID-19, we are taking extra steps to frequently clean and sanitize our store and
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
A couple wearing masks enter the Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch on Wednesday afternoon.
high-touch surfaces like door handles, shopping carts and baskets. We have installed Plexiglas shields at registers and distancing marks on the floor,” says Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch’s website. “Our employees will wear personal protective equipment as necessary to protect your health and theirs. You will also find sanitizer available for your use in many locations around the store and grounds.” I had the pleasure of visiting the orchard recently, and it was just as fun as last year, if not better. Patrons wore masks in crowded areas and only removed them for picture opportunities when far away from others. Curtis heavily enforces this rule, so make sure to wear one when not socially
distanced from others, even in an outdoor setting. There are many places around Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch to take fall pictures for social media posts. Of course, the orchard provides a lovely backdrop with many varieties of apples. There is also the pumpkin patch and other areas with flowers and greenery to have an autumn-themed photoshoot with friends and family. Other activities at Curtis include feeding friendly critters at their petting zoo, getting lost in their corn maze and riding in a horse-drawn carriage around the orchard during the weekends. Overall, there are plenty of fun things to do while visiting, making the orchard a great spot in Champaign to check out this
time of year. A highlight of Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch is their delicious bakery and country store selections. Their signature apple donuts, both cinnamon-sugar and glazed, and apple fritters are available now until the end of December. They offer a variety of pies for anyone to enjoy and have several fall-themed beverages. A personal favorite is the cider slush, which is a must-drink for those who like chilled versions of classic drinks. In addition to the bakery and store, there is a full menu available at the Flying Monkey Café. After an afternoon of walking around the orchard, there is always a food or beverage item waiting based on any patron’s needs. Curtis limits capacity inside their
store and café. Patrons can still get all the delicious fall goodies they know and love, but there might be a bit of a wait. For those who still want some of the orchard’s outstanding treats while forgoing the outdoor activities for the season, Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch now offers curbside pickup from Mondays to Thursdays. For more information, visit their website to get all the details to not miss out on the season’s offerings. Take a break from work and visit the orchard this autumn season. Don’t forget to be safe and smart, and remember the Curtis way, “Kindness and caring for your fellow visitors is required.”
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you hold? / You’re not mine, I am yours / Great expectations were wrong.” The song’s music video is also phenomenal, and accurately visualizes the confusion of the song’s lyrics. Though listeners only have access to three songs until Oct. 23, “Pendulum” will most likely continue to live up to Oginalii’s legacy. It’s always refreshing when musicians add a visual aspect to creatively showcase their musicianship, which Oginalii does, so far, with both “Scapegoat” and “Pillars.” “Pendulum” falls short when some music elements don’t synchronize well with others. At times, the guitar was overbearing and took precedence over other components, which is why the bass is inaudible throughout the three songs’ entirety. With this in mind, this album will most likely not be for those who loathe ear-splitting music and blaring guitar riffs.
OGINALII
PHOTO COURTESY OF OGINALII
The four members of Oginalii pose in front of the camera.
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song’s completion, which show off Oginalii’s impressive musicianship and their ability to keep a solid beat through musical insanity. “Pillars” is also where Oginalli’s psychedelic influences shine. However, it might not be for the best. The song begins with the guitar, drums and presumably the bass, and Hoeflinger’s vocals soon follow. The song’s downside is its vocals, which don’t fit well with the rest of the instrumentation. At some points, they even seem out-of-pitch with the guitar. It’s a shame, as the song had the potential to be great. Instead, listeners are greeted with soft vocals on top of an intense backing track, making for an underwhelming listening experience. To give it some credit, “Pillars” has interesting lyrics that can confuse any music critic as Hoeflinger sings, “What can jel3@readbuzz.com
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