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THE DAILY ILLINI

MONDAY February 1, 2021

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Vol. 150 Issue 29

Students face more focused non-compliant consequence University implements less disciplinary approach to testing noncompliance BY VIVIAN LA STAFF WRITER

University students in non-compliance with regular COVID-19 testing and minor infractions can face short-term loss of access to University Wi-Fi, Zoom and learning management systems this semester. The new consequences aim to be “less disciplin-

ary and more focused,” said Justin Brown, associate dean of students. “It’s certainly better than potentially being immediately suspended from the University and being unable to attend your classes for months, rather than for the day or so it takes to get a test,” Brown said. Access loss focuses on run-of-the mill things, like testing and keeping student location updated, but not throwing a party, he said. “Limiting access was an additional tool to ‘nudge’ students into compliance,” Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Stephen Bryan said in an email.

Registered students without current location displayed on Self-Service

60 50

51.5%

40.5%

37%

20 10 0

All students

Undergraduates

Graduates Source: University Registrar

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MTD cuts service after student fees decrease BY WILLIE CUI STAFF WRITER

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Pharmacist Katie Lampman deposits needles filled with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine into a receptacle on Jan. 12. Any questions about the distribution of the vaccine can be directed to the CUPHD at 217-239-7877 or coronavirus@cuphd.org.

Vaccines appointments begin for University staff dent Affairs employees • In-person Technology Services employees • In-person Division of Intercollegiate Athletics employees According to Chancellor Robert Jones, the University believes that “the remaining University employees working in person not listed above will be the next group to receive vaccine appointments.” Another 857 people in Champaign County received the first dose of a vaccine on Saturday. So far, 11.2% of the Champaign County population has been administered a dose of a vaccine, with 1.85% having received two doses. Essential frontline workers are the new target of the vaccine initiative in the county. In all of Illinois, about 1.63% of the population is fully vaccinated. For questions regarding the distribution of the vaccine, contact CUPHD by phone (217-239-7877) or email (coronavirus@cuphd.org).

BY CHIEH HSU STAFF WRITER

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced that COVID-19 vaccine appointments are now available for selected in-person education employees. The first round of eligible education personnel include: • In-person employees at the Childhood Development Lab • In-person employees at University High School • In-person employees at University Primary School • In-person employees at Orchard Downs Preschool • Instructors teaching at least one in-person class for the Spring Semester 2021 • In-person researchers located at sites designated for SHIELD-related saliva collection, research development and/or COVID-19 response; sites contracted for state and local community engagement • In-person Facilities & Services employees • In-person Housing/Stu- chiehh3@dailyillini.com

INSIDE

Sports: Illini baseball prepares for season

Buzz: Survive winter with these self care tips

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As another semester begins in the midst of a global pandemic, students return to a campus with limited transportation services. The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District has reduced service for its campus-based routes to around 40% of what it normally provides as a result of the University’s funding issues. Lowa Mwilambwe, associate vice chancellor for Auxiliary, Health and Wellbeing, said that these reductions were made in response to lower bus ridership and less students on campus. “We looked at the big picture, the ridership at every level,” Mwilambwe said. “And those decisions were made based on what is best for the University.” Mwilambwe notes that students have asked the University for a reduction in fees, which the University accommodated. “A lot of times students complain about the cost of attendance,” he said. “They complain about ‘well, we are online’ or ‘we’re not using the service, can you make a reduction?’ But they don’t want to make a reduction.” University students, faculty and staff make up around 75% of MTD’s ridership, according to Amy Snyder, chief of staff for MTD. However, MTD has seen a large drop in ridership as a result of more students attending class remotely due to the pandemic. “Overall for the service year, ridership is down about 75% across the system,” Sny-

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der said. “We are running more community riders than we are student riders.” Since the start of the pandemic, the University has had difficulty paying for the campus routes that MTD is contracted to service. In March, the University approached MTD for a discount on its contract obligations for the remainder of the semester. Later in the fall, the University once again asked MTD for a discount. “Basically for spring semester 2020, we gave the University about a 25% discount,” Snyder said. “Then we cut down a couple months here and there, and basically for the fall semester, we gave the University a 10% discount.” Both of these discounts led to service reductions for MTD’s campus routes.

Since then, the University and MTD have renegotiated the price and the level of service for the campus routes covered by their service contract. For providing campus service from January to June, the University has agreed to pay MTD $831,674.23, significantly less than the $2,972,965.30 that they previously agreed on, according to an MTD board packet from December. Campus routes are funded by the University through campus fees and are dictated by a service contract between the University and MTD. While all students were required to pay the campus fee this semester — a change from last fall — the University lowered the fees as a result.

This semester, the University charged a $23 transportation fee per student, less than half of the $62 it normally charges. “This time around, we decided that we are going to charge everybody, but it’s going to be a reduced fee,” Mwilambwe said. Mwilambwe notes that these reductions are part of a larger balancing act between reducing fees and providing adequate services. As a result, the University had to make “strategic decisions” about what fees and services to cut. “There’s a cost to everything that we do, and that’s really the challenge: How do you balance the two?” Mwilambwe said. williec2@dailyillini.com

UW-Madison starts semester with UI’s COVID-19 tests test results take more than 24 hours to come back,” he said. “Even more frustrating is that the labs are backed up, and some students have to wait more than one week to get back their results.” Similar to Illinois current testing, UW-Madison students are expected to test every three days, including dormitory students and students living off-campus. Much like the Safer Illinois app, UW-Madison has its own “Safer Badger” app, which functions the same as the Illinois version. “They really are trying to push testing where even last semester, some off-campus UW-Madison students were offered $10 gift cards to get testing done,” Guppa said. “I’m really glad this new testing system was implemented and hope for a better semester.”

BY ROYAL SHRESTHA STAFF WRITER

With the start of a new semester, some colleges have started to implement COVID-19 testing similar to the University’s current method. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has launched its own saliva-based COVID-19 testing this semester with the help of Illinois researchers and students. Last semester, UW-Madison experienced major COVID-19 surges that led to the lockdown of their two largest dorms on campus, where students had to go through a two-week shift for online classes to be implemented. During their case peak in September, their weekly positive testing surpassed 10%. The saliva testing method created by researchers at Illinois was able to keep the positivity rate below 1% on the Illinois campus in the

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RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

An MTD terminal on Wright Street informs riders when the next buses are coming on Sunday morning. MTD has recently reduced their service.

Crossword

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES STEAKLEY

The Main Quad of UW-Madison rests quietly on a summer day. UW-Madison has begun to implement UI’s COVID-19 tests on their campus.

fall semester, and officials at UW-Madison are hoping to do the same. The University’s saliva-based testing is in high demand; U W-Madison paid more than a $1 million deposit to leading COVID-19 crisis team, SHIELD T3, to gain access to reserve testing equipment. In addition, UW-Madison will be required to pay $25 for each

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saliva test and it is expected that once the transition has taken place, its campus will go from 12,000 tests weekly to almost 82,000. Akansha Guppa, pursuing biochemistry in the College of Letters and Sciences at UW-Madison, said the rollout has been difficult for students so far. “Students are socially distant in the testing sites, but royals2@dailyillini.com

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Theft was reported on the 1800 block of South Orchard Place, Urbana on Jan. 11. According to the report, a University student reported that a package containing headphones had been stolen from his apartment. The head-

Battery was reported on the 600 block of West Park at Carle Hospital around 7 p.m. on Jan. 21. According to the report, the victim and offender are acquaintances that work together. The victim was battered by the offender at a staff meeting.

Forgery was reported on the 1400 block of East Washington Street around 12:14 a.m. on Thursday. According to the report, a person unknowingly used a fraudulent $100 bill to obtain services at the Silver Bullet. The bill was news@dailyillini.com confiscated.

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Residents of The Dean Campustown wait outside on Saturday night after a fire broke out inside the building. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

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Fire leads to The Dean Campustown evacuation

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At around 8 p.m. on Saturday, a fire was reported at The Dean Campustown, an apart-

ment complex located at 708 S. Sixth St., Champaign. Residents have evacuated the building onto the street, and three fire

trucks have arrived on Patrons and employees the scene. of Jimmy John’s and TarIt is not known exactly get also evacuated. what caused the fire or where inside the build- williec2@dailyillini.com ing it occurred.

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NEWS

CodeRed brings menstruation equity to campus INTERNET FROM 1A

BY HEATHER ROBINSON ASSISTANT DAYTIME NEWS EDITOR

A group of students at the University recently joined together to form a new RSO, CodeRed, which aims to tackle a lesserknown but prevalent issue in today’s society: period equity. The creator of the organization — Xinyu Teng, junior in Engineering — is building a team to provide those who are not able to afford menstruation products opportunities for access both on and off campus. Teng was raised in the Philadelphia area, with her host mom who was a social worker. She cites this as the first time she was exposed to a lot of homelessness, not just in larger cities but all around. “That’s also when I came across the question: Every month when I purchase my period products, I spend 10 to 20 dollars, and I’ve been spending this money out of my parents’ pockets. If I didn’t have parents or didn’t have a job, where would I be taking the money out of?” Teng said. “It definitely wouldn’t be my priority, because it’s just period products, it’s not life saving. If I had other bills to pay for, this wouldn’t be my priority.” She added that after becoming a junior at the University, she realized she has more of a responsibility as a student in the community, along with the time and energy to help solve the issue. Teng broke dow n CodeRed’s mission into three “E’s”: Period Equity, Empowerment and Education. “I want people to be able to learn from educators, researchers and activists, and people in the industry who are conducting the research, who are going to the legislators to talk,” Teng said. “And then on the other side of the club, I want to increase the accessibility of products, which is the period equity part.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARA CONTRERAS

CodeRed aims to break the stigma around menstruation while making period products more accessible for those in the C-U community who are unable to afford them. The main goals of the RSO are period equity, education and empowerment.

Teng added that it is important to break the stigma surrounding the idea that periods are something that people shouldn’t openly discuss. She added that the empowerment portion of the club comes naturally with being more educated on the topic. “Also, helping people in the community with accessibility will just help everyone feel more empowered who are menstruators because there are nonwomen or people who don’t identify as females who menstruate,” Teng said. “I definitely want this club to

be as inclusive as possible.” CodeRed now has seven board members to work towards the club’s mission. Teng interviewed and recruited students to take on positions such as public relations with social media, which is currently filled by Mara Contreras, junior in AHS. According to Contreras, the biggest challenge the club has faced so far, was spreading the word about CodeRed during the pandemic. She said that she, along with her peers on the executive board, had to get “creative” in order to get the word out.

As for the club’s future, Contreras said what they want to do is build a community at the University, and then eventually spread out to the surrounding area. She mentioned the possibility of an upcoming tampon drive, as well as assisting local women’s shelters and homeless shelters with providing menstruation products. CodeRed’s first meeting of the semester will be held virtually on Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. Members will discuss their mission with students interested in joining plans for a bingo fundraiser and

rose drive-in order to raise money that will aid in helping menstruators in the C-U community who are in need of products. “This is not just a women’s club,” Contreras said. “This is for everyone and anyone who wants to learn about period equity and get educated and just try to make it empowering because a period shouldn’t be seen as disgusting. It is something natural that happens to all of us (menstruators) and we shouldn’t be ashamed of that.” hrr4@dailyillini.com

Grant funds campus response team for sexual misconduct Women’s Resources Center awarded $300,000 grant for reducing violence, stalking BY MONA ALRAZZAQ STAFF WRITER

A grant awarded to the Universit y ’s Women’s Resources Center will be used to create a campus response team for sexual misconduct and to focus on cyberstalking, a growing concern of the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant provides the center with $300,000 over the course of three years. It was secured with the assistance of the University’s department in filling out the application for the grant, according to Sarah Colomé, the director of the center. The funding will be used to support the center in hiring a leader for this project for the next three years. The person hired will establish the University’s first Community Coordinated Response Team against sexual misconduct, composed of a number of strategic partners both on and off campus, Colomé said. Some of these services and respondents include the Women’s Resources Center, Carle Foundation Hospital, Title IX coordinators, and law enforcement, if the victim chooses to involve them. Colomé said this will

THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

The Women’s Resources Center is located at 616 E. Green St. The center was recently awarded a grant for $300,000.

allow respondents to have an increased knowledge as to which services are available to survivors. “It better allows us to understand the breadth of services that are available so we’re not using a cookie cutter approach and instead are using a survivor-centered approach,” Colomé said. In addition to the CCRT, the funding will be used to provide more training on campus that will help improve the existing prevention education at the University, according to Colomé. A main focus in these training sessions will be the issue of stalking.

“Particularly now in terms of covid and being virtual, cyber abuse and cyberstalking is a form of harm that people are getting a bigger risk of,” Colomé said. The center will also create Illinois’ first summit on stalking. This summit will “bring together practitioners and students from across the state to come together to train, strategize and create materials that can then be disseminated” across the state, according to Colomé. A national assessment conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 and

updated in 2018 found that nearly one third of women and almost one third of men first experienced stalking between the ages of 18 and 24 years old. Though stalking is never the victim’s fault, Colomé emphasized the importance of being cautious of what personal information — such as locations and daily routines — individuals post on social media, as that information can be easily accessed and manipulated. These training sessions and summits on stalking will provide students with more knowledge regarding both virtual and in person stalking as well as more

knowledge on resources to go to if somebody is ever a victim of stalking. Anyone on campus in need of confidential advising services related to sexual misconduct, harassment and stalking still has the option to access services in the Women’s Resources Center either virtually or in-person by contacting the center at (217) 333-3137 or emailing at womenscenter@illinois.edu. monaa2@dailyillini.com Editor’s Note: In an earlier version of this article “Women’s Resources Center” was “Women’s Resource Center.” The Daily Illini regrets this error.

He also said the amount of time of testing avoidance that will result in loss of internet access is still being determined, and that “a robust educational campaign so students are aware” will be implemented soon. Concerns about variants of the coronavirus within the community led the University to promote students’ commitment to testing, Bryan said. All students in the campus community need to test in order to keep up with safety models and procedures, Brown said. “Given they don’t need building access, if they’re enrolled students and in the community, then presumably, they do need access to these other systems,” he said. A University Massmail first sent to students on Jan. 20 emphasized in bold how students out of compliance could lose access to internet use. It was repeated in a separate Massmail sent to students on Jan. 26. The possibility of limited access received mixed student responses. Yunuen Reyes Vera, senior in LAS, said she initially thought it was extreme, but at the same time understandable. Siti Fathimah, graduate student in LAS, said she doesn’t see the problem. “Following the protocols, it’s not that hard. Wearing masks is not that hard. It’s an easy thing,” Fathimah said. However, Ryan Greenwalt, a senior in Business, said it was too heavy-handed. “Keeping people from going to class seems like a pretty severe consequence,” he said. “I would certainly hope the system comes with warnings and that isn’t the first response to people caught violating COVID protocols.” Brown said for low-level, first-time infractions, students will usually receive a warning email rather than face serious disciplinary action. Additionally, consequences apply to students who live off-campus because “everything COVID affects the University’s interests,” Brown said. Not updating student location through self-service may also result in access loss this semester. According to University registrar Meghan Hazen, 40.5% of all registered students haven’t inputted a student location or have a housing contract, as of Jan. 28. Thirty-seven percent of undergraduates and 51.5% of graduate students have no location address or housing contract, Hazen said in an email. “I could charge all of them (with non-compliance) tomorrow,” Brown said. “We have to have that information.” Overall, Brown said it’s very easy to avoid these consequences and that he believes this is an effective strategy by the University. “I certainly think it’ll be more effective than pure disciplinary action and more immediate,” he said. “It’s not the same thing as being suspended or dismissed, which has longterm consequences … It’s really just until you’re back in compliance.” Reyes Vera said her stance on the consequences changed after hearing that access loss was for minor infractions such as not regularly testing. “If people are going to f lagrantly disobey the rules, then I mean, we are in a pandemic, people should be obeying them,” she said. vla2@dailyillini.com

LIFE & CULTURE

MONDAY

February 1, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

Class gifts connect old alumni to new Illini Graduating classes gifted University’s recognized landmarks BY MATT TROHER ASSISTANT LONGFORM EDITOR

From Alma Mater to the Altgeld chimes, some of the University’s most emblematic landmarks were gifts from graduating classes. Despite these gifts being some of the most recognizable features of campus, the tradition of class gifts tapered off in recent years, with no set position or committee currently in charge of future gifts. Throughout the history of the University, class gifts have varied in size. The first class gift, given to the University by the class of 1872, was a bronze medallion inserted into a stone tablet. This gift cost $25 — $548 in today’s money — and was hung in University Hall, a multipurpose building that stood where the Illini Union now stands. Other class gifts include the Eternal Flame (1912) which stands nestled between Lincoln Hall and the English Building, the barbecue pits in Illini Grove (1949-1950) and the furniture that resides in the Illini Union (1934). Beginning in the late 19th century, class gifts were an annual tradition until the Great Depression. Throughout the mid-20th century, class gifts became more sporadic, with no consistent annual dedication. After a brief resurgence in the ‘70s and ‘80s, class gifts have tapered off in recent years. The last class gift on record was contributed by the class of 2004, and featured the renaming of the Engineering Quadrangle to the Bardeen Quadrangle. Ryan Ross, class of ‘08, works as assistant director of the History and Traditions Programs for the University’s Alumni Association. Part of his job includes curating exhibits at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. For Ross, class

gifts serve as a reminder for those who came before him. “I love the idea of class gifts because they ’re intended to be permanent, and they serve as reminders of alumni who are no longer with us,” Ross said. “No one from the classes of 1914-1922, which helped to fund the Altgeld Chimes, are still alive. But when we hear the chimes play or the bells toll, every time that happens, it’s like a memorial to the alumni, and each time it (rings is) a statement that they were here, and the University meant something to them.” Ross uses a website called the UI Histories Project to help recall gifts he may have forgotten about. Developed as an undergraduate thesis by Univesity alumnus Kalev Leetaru, the website serves as a comprehensive oral history of the University, with a page dedicated entirely to the history of class gifts. “I (enjoy) look ing through all the class gifts, it reminds me that some things that I walk past all the time are actually gifts,” Ross said. “Every day I take a walk on campus and I walk through the Illini Grove, and I walk past the barbecue pits. I had forgotten they were c l a s s gifts

until I looked at this resource again.” One class gift that sticks out to Ross is a boulder that rests at the northeast front of Altgeld Hall that most students walk by without a second glance. This boulder serves as a reminder of a former gift from the class of 1881 — a grove of trees. In the late 1800s, trees were a popular gift from graduating classes. These trees represented a commitment to future generations, providing a shady spot for future generations of Illini to sit and cherish. Trees were the class gift from the classes of 1876, 1877, 1881, 1897, 1918, 1978 and 1991. However, the tree planted in 1881 was more than just a symbolic gesture. Instead, it led to one of the most interesting stories in the history of class gifts. In the 19th century, the planting of class-gift trees became fuel for an interclass rivalry. The underclassmen would attempt to destroy the newly planted trees, while the seniors were tasked with protecting their trees. This rivalry became so intense that in 1881, a n u nder classman attempting

to destroy the tree was shot by a protecting senior. “That’s my favorite class gift story,” Ross said. “To our modern sensibilities, that just seems insane. And it’s such a nice idea to think of in their mind it was something t hey were doing that was permanent.” A not her alumnus w h o ’s

interested in class gifts is Bob Lumsden, class of ‘53. Lumsden worked for the UI Alumni Association until his retirement in 1993, and developed a passion for the class gift of 1878 through a personal connection. In 1878, a student association dedicated a $300 clock, worth $8,167 in today ’s money, built by a member of the graduating

class. The clock was originally placed in University Hall, but when the hall was torn down to make room for the Illini Union, the clock was left without a home. Lumsden’s friend Bruce Hannon, professor emeritus in LAS, is an amateur clock mechanic. A fter hearing about the clock, Hannon partnered with the Alumni Association to raise money to refurbish the clock and find a new home for it in the Illini Union. However, the University decided the clock would not fit in the Illini Union, leaving the clock without a home for longer. Fifteen years after Lumsden had retired, he received a call from Hannon. He received the news that Hannon had moved the money to refurbish and move the clock into a fund through the Mechanical Engineering department. Eventually, the clock found its new home in the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory building, where it sits today. While Lumsden appreciates the history of class gifts, he wishes the tradition was kept up in recent years. “The earlier class

gifts w e r e pretty constant, but there have been a lot of breaks since 1930 or so, and recently there’s been nothing,” Lumsden said. “I’m not sure who was in charge (of class gifts) in those earlier years, if there was any coordination as to what student organization or administrative body decided. You kind of think there must have been something back in those earlier days; but right now, to my knowledge, there’s nothing.” mtroher2@ dailyillini.com

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Monday, February 1, 2021

Illini Guys gives sports fans an online community Students create website where Illinois fans can engage, unplug BY ETHAN WERNER STAFF WRITER

With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been spending a great deal of their time online. This has led to an increased importance of online communities for many people. After a few months of lockdown, Mike Cagley, an Illini super fan, grew tired of the constant discussions of politics and found he couldn’t escape it. He couldn’t find the perfect community, one that was passionate and immersed in Illini sports, and he wanted to build a place to bring this community together. Sharing this goal were four other Illini super fans who would join Cagley in the building of Illini Guys, a refuge built so that Illini fans can focus solely on their sports teams. “We are Illini fans who built this for Illini fans,” stressed co-owner Larry Smith, the resident media professional who has worked with CNN and Turner Sports for upward of 25 years. Not only were the founders of the site Illini fans, but the community they built is also filled with “some of the smartest Illini fans you’ll run into,” said co-owner Cagley. People around campus might not recognize Red Grange, but they will on Illini Guys, he added. Their timing in open-

JULIA EVERSMANN THE DAILY ILLNI

ing the site was perfect as many are hopeful Illinois sports is emerging into another golden age with a nationally ranked basketball team under coach Brad Underwood and a growing football team sparked with hope under new head coach Bret Bielema. “We really feel like we’re at a point where the Illini sports fan may see (great) results on the field because

of these great coaches, but we want to have a place where not only can they enjoy the game, but everything that is going around it as well,” Cagley said. The Illini Guys are coming through with that promise, offering a myriad of content revolving around Illini sports: podcasts, bracketology, rankings, pre- and post-game analysis and an active mes-

KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI

sage board. One does not need to be a close fan of sports to enjoy some of the feature articles written for the site. It is no wonder that they had such a successful launch in January with the nearly 80 different pieces of content that they published within the first two weeks after their first day up. One of the biggest reasons that they were able to put out so much quality content right away was because they had been working on this for awhile. “When we launched, we wanted people to understand, this isn’t day one for us, we’ve been here the whole time,” Smith said. “You couldn’t see us, but we’ve been here the whole time.” Not only were they working the few months between the inception of the idea to its launch, but they’ve been Illini sports fans and professionals for most of their lives. Brad Sturdy for example, has been covering the Illini basketball team for

well over a decade, one of the integral “guys” of the Illini Guys. Cagley first described Sturdy as an “Illini Sports Encyclopedia,” knowing not only all of the facts and stats about the Illini, but also having insight on the personalities tied into Illinois sports since he has been around the scene for so long. Now, he is bringing that insight to the Illini Guys’ website. Overall, the site is a destination where fans can unplug from everything besides the Illini, and that has just as much to do with the community inhabiting the site as it does with the site itself. “When you get a lot of fans who are really passionate, who really enjoy their team and get behind it, who are really immersed in that experience, it is really fun to be a part of that group,” Cagley said. Cagley would also stress how much their fans add to their website. He said he understands that they care just as much about the site and community as

they do, so he makes sure to pay close attention to all of the feedback that the Illini Guys receive. Everyone is all working towards one goal, and that is to create the perfect destination for the Illini fan — the one place where you can go to get as much quality information about the Illinois sports as possible. One of the biggest influences for Cagley was that he always wanted to know the “why’s” like why did that player get taken out of the game, or why did this player get benched? Now, he along with the other Illini Guys have created a site where others who share that curiosity can hopefully get the answers to some of those “why’s,” and at the very least join in a community with a shared passion. “People are in this to have a good time, you know; sports are supposed to be fun, so we wanted to set up a situation where people can enjoy Illini sports,” Cagley said. ewerner2@dailyillini.com

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ACROSS

1 Wild party 5 With 5-Down, some emergency bulletins 10 Certain breakdancing move 14 Piece by Puccini 15 Lover of Giorgetta in Puccini’s “Il Tabarro” 16 Native language of 50 million citizens of India 17 Spill a shipment of bowling balls? 20 Gets down cold 21 Kind of engine 22 Person not to be trusted 23 “I knew I was going ___ when it was taking longer and longer to wash my face”: Harry Hill 24 Works during a slow day at the restaurant? 30 Hidden drawback 31 “Paradise Lost” and others 32 Certain deposit 34 “The Game of Strategic Conquest” 35 Word with rule or tackle 36 Advantage 37 Do drugs 38 Piece of curling equipment 39 Poker slang for three of a kind 40 Go on a date with a honeybun? 43 Body part that’s also a woman’s name 44 SOS response 45 A bit of resistance 48 Gets away 52 Is unable to get away, say … or a hint to 17-, 24- and 40-Across?

21 22 24

38 40

PUZZLE BY BILLY OUSKA

55 One target of doxycycline 56 French setting for Puccini’s “Il Tabarro” 57 “This round’s ___” 58 Sad sound 59 Half of a 1960s folk/pop group 60 Run over

DOWN

1 Lip ___ 2 Concentration 3 Plops down 4 Series of goals 5 See 5-Across 6 Makes a duck face, say 7 Part of an Instagram profile 8 Part of one’s mental life 9 “Good ___!” 10 “You got that right about me!” 11 Advantages

12 Not going anywhere 13 Zero 18 Tract of low-growing vegetation 19 Separates, in a sense 23 There are more of these in the U.S. in October than any other month, surprisingly 24 Pants measure 25 Adrift 26 Cons 27 Speak out 28 “Honest!” 29 Not hold back fury 30 High-quality French vineyard 33 Start of this clue 35 Endurance of hardship without complaint 36 Polar bear, to seals 38 Font flourish

39 How often Bette Davis won Best Actress 41 Baby rabbit 42 Pageant identifiers 45 Kind of artist 46 Dish that might be seasoned with adobo sauce 47 Actress Kendrick of “Pitch Perfect” 48 It destroyed the town of Mascali in 1928 49 What benchwarmers ride, with “the” 50 1815 novel made into films in 1996 and 2020 51 Provide initial funding for 53 Org. whose vision is “a great public school for every student” 54 Barely perceptible, say

The crossword solution is in the Classified section.

MONDAY

February 1, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

OPINIONS Republicans will not change

Ezra Klein analyzes this partisanship plaguing NATHANIEL America and finds its more LANGLEY modern Republican roots in COLUMNIST President George W. Bush’s 2004 campaign. Shepherded by media epublicans have strategist Mark McKinnon, entered a political melt- the Bush ‘04 campaign vastdown: a perpetual state ly differed from the 2000 of anti-democratic roars strategy in that ‘04 was set disenfranchising American on activating Republican rationality. base identities rather than THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO On Jan. 6 — following tirelessly courting a moderA woman sitting in a chair reads a book on April 12, 2018. Columnist Samuel suggests books to weeks of unsubstantiated ate middle ground. read in 2021. claims of voter fraud most In a 2005 PBS internotably from former Presiview, McKinnon noted dent Donald Trump and this abrupt transformaSenators Ted Cruz and Josh tion — later exhibited to the Hawley — domestic terextreme by the Trump camrorists stormed the seat of paigns — and the power of American democracy: the juicing the base citing, “If over 30 years with the tribe parison. In all candidness, U.S. Capitol. you can get moving 3-D vidSAMUEL and developed incredible before my encounter with These pillagers — aggraeo (political ads) to people RAHMAN insight into how language this text, I was not very vated only more by Trump’s that they can see and hear COLUMNIST structure informs societal knowledgeable of specifdomineering language and feel, and then they in structure and fundamenics on the USSR’s downfall. moments before — represent turn send it to five of their tal interpretations of time The coup, kidnapping, tanks a new, authoritarian-tolbest friends or people that ne hundred million and space. For those of us moving toward the Russian erant tribe of a Republican they think are interested in years ago, back in Jan- who received those Barnes White House and nation party morphing evermore politics or they want to peruary 2020, I vowed & Noble gift cards from building make the nonficinto a decrepit shell of its suade — six million times to finally keep a New Year’s extended family members tion read well worth the former dignity. five, and you’re up to 30 Resolution. For 2020, I for Christmas, you cannot time. As of now, it appears that million.” would read at least one book go wrong picking up a copy Whether you hold a paseven in the immediate afterKlein notes in his book per week — 52 by the end of of “Don’t Sleep, There Are sion or visceral disdain for math of this catastrophic that this base method led the year. Snakes.” reading history, give this siege — where Democrats Bush victoriously with the Spoiler alert, I held myself book a chance. It is intense, and Republicans lawmakpopular vote, expanded to the resolution and ulti“Oryx and Crake” enthralling, informative and ers were bunkered togethmajorities in the House and mately finished 78 books. “Oryx and Crake,” “The incredibly well written. For er to protect themselves Senate and “most tellingAlthough I do not claim to Year of the Flood” and those who eagerly antici— Republicans are not ly, the share of the electorbe an authority on anything, “MaddAddam” are the three pate the next installment breaking face. ate that self-identified as much less worthwhile litera- constituent novels comfrom R.R. Martin, this piece Immediately succeeding Republican matched that of ture or written texts of any prising a trilogy penned by should assuage your appetite the Capitol siege, a wallopDemocrats for the first time genre, I am a college student renowned author Margauntil then. ing 147 Republican lawmak- in history.” who, statistically speaking, ret Atwood, whose other ers still amplified Trump’s Despite the fact that nearhas read more than the aver- notable works include “The “Fooled by Randomness: The insecure lies and unceasing- ly all politics is — in its core age individual and thusly Handmaid’s Tale.” Hidden Role of Chance in Life ly objected to the election — base-appealing, rarely have compiled a list of the This trilogy centers on a and in the Markets” results. in history has an Ameriworks I believe other stuglobal pandemic. How topiNothing I say about this Despite Trump directly can political party diverged dents may find as interestcal? In contrast, Atwood’s next book, by Nassim Nicho- inciting this insurrection, so far off the rational rails ing and fulfilling as I have in pandemic wiped out the las Taleb, will be new. This in a recent Morning Con— leading, moreover, to a 2020. majority of Earth’s popuis probably the most widely sult poll, Trump held an Republican base constitutThese books were not lation and was created by a known of the works on this 81% approval rating among ing of impassioned, impaprinted in 2020 but are sim- genius sociopath wanting to list — rightfully so. registered Republicans — a tient voters with an inkling ply the gems I stumbled start the world anew with a The heftily accomplished boost proceeding his 76% for a flare. across from recommendanovel race of perfectly bioscholar and former options standing subsequent to the Today, Republicans will tions and footnotes of other engineered humanoids with trader speaks in simple, siege. This alarming approv- not strike a moderate chord texts that crossed my path DNA spliced from a dozen or digestible and universal pro- al also appears in tandem anytime soon while their in one way or another. I can so other species. fundities. At the moment, with half of Republican incentives exist in a base only promise that if a reader While the third book in four other books join this in voters craving Trump to demanding unrelenting suppicks up one of the subsethe series drags a bit, the first a series entitled “Incerto” remain in a “major role” for port of their chief: Trump. quently listed books and two are pure gold. If you are which serves to be Taleb’s the GOP. Republicans — and Demoputs in a good-faith effort, looking for a fiction book to magnum opus on luck, probNow, as the Senate tricrats, absent the absolute the reader will enjoy the delve into this Winter, look ability, uncertainty and, of al begins shortly as an fringe qualities — undertime spent with the writing no further than “Oryx and course, randomness. Read acquittal appearing likestand their path to power and may even learn things Crake.” Atwood’s storytellthis text to inch ever closer lier by the day, and only 10 lies in various base stratalong the way. ing prowess takes center to understanding the incred- brave Republicans voted egies. However, the roadFrom finance to aerospace stage in this timely read. ible influence sheer dumb to impeach in the House, block preventing Repubengineering, communicaAlthough “Oryx and luck has on your life. the math and path are clear licans from returning to tions to architecture, theater Crake” is a great stand alone Regardless of my recfor Republicans: hold the to chemistry, this list is sure novel, after the narrative ommendations, I have one Trump line, and deliberately to interest students of any grabs hold of your imaginaabove all else. Try to read cater further frenzied politiand all majors. tion, be prepared to relinat least 30 minutes a day cal theater. quish yourself to completing — material not for class or The tragedy above all “Don’t Sleep, There Are the trilogy. work, but leisure. Thirelse here lies in that — for Snakes” ty minutes a day, even at a the foreseeable future — I start this list off with “The Last Empire: The Final slowish reading pace of 10 Republicans have no incenwhat I believe to be the sinDays of the Soviet Union” hours per book, comes out tives to reform themselves gle most thought-provoking I must state off the bat that to finishing 18 texts per year. away from their own agibook I have ever read. Origi- this work by Serhii Plokhy, As 2021 approaches, please tated makings. As 2016, and nally published in 2008, the is not just a book for politiask yourself, “Can I spare certain elements of 2020, autobiographical account cal science majors. It reads 30 minutes to complete 18 illuminated partisanship follows then-Christian mis- like something out of George books this year?” Even with has struck the core of the sionary Daniel Everett into R.R. Martin’s “Song of Ice the busiest schedules, all American political system the Amazonian rainforest and Fire” series, best known of us can spare 30 minutes to the point that candidates’ to translate the Bible into a for its adaptation into the at the end of the day and incentives lie in appealing to language spoken by no more HBO hit “Game of Thrones.” unwind with a book. an energetic ‘base,’ not the than the 300 members of a Beyond Dr. Plokhy’s writ country’s middle ground. secluded native tribe. ing ability, the subject matSamuel is a junior in LAS In his explanatory book, Everett ultimately spent ter lends itself to the comsrahma37@dailyillini.com “Why We’re Polarized,”

Read these books in 2021 O

a levelheaded middle are a base fed complete fictitious outrage repeatedly by their own leaders in order to obtain and maintain political power. The path ahead for the GOP to return to some level of grandness lies primarily in dissuading the intense base strategy. Consequently, this assuredly will translate to a temporary sacrifice of power while the GOP scrambles its intentions, but the democratic rewards are too plentiful and the shortcomings are too grave for the GOP to remain idle away from a greater good. While Donald Trump Jr. declares the Republican party “Donald Trump’s Republican party,” others such as 2024-prospect Governor Larry Hogan agonize over whether there will be a future for the Republican party; the Republican party appears at its most divided since its more dramatic 19th century fissure with the Whigs. There will be no single hero for the Republicans, nor will there be any outside miracle that spares them the troubles of liquidating their emboldened base. While the 10 Republicans who voted for impeachment is a promising start, already these congressional representatives have received targets for their “betrayal” by their resentful base driven by Trump. Time will only tell if the Republican’s divided house will stand any longer. Nonetheless, the fate of a productive democracy lies in the hands of the party which has thrived on appealing to an aggravated base of their own making. Promptly, it will be current Republican leaders who are — for the first time ever — charged with legitimately leading their party to a reasonable restoration away from the woeful debris sitting in America’s Capitol. Nathaniel is a sophomore in LAS. ntl3@dailyillini.com

KAITLIN MIKRUT THE DAILY ILLINI

George Harrison ignited American concept of Beatlemania in Illinois Beatlemania in America began with George HarriSENIOR COLUMNIST son when he visited a small town in Illinois, long before his three other bandmates arrived. hether you frequent In September 1963, The their music or not, Beatles had just completed everyone knows a tour in the UK and Scotwho The Beatles are. If you land and their two albums don’t, you must be living “Please Please Me” and under a very large rock. The “With the Beatles,” and Fab Four, composed of John were ready to take a vacaLennon, Paul McCartney, tion. McCartney and Starr George Harrison and Ringo visited Greece. Lennon and Starr, were only a band for his wife went to Paris. Hara decade (1960-1970), but rison, who was 20 at the during that time, they made time, decided to visit his their mark on the music sister Louise in her small world. The British quartet town of Benton, a mining have since influenced gencommunity in Southern erations of musicians and Illinois. music fans, especially those At the time, Louise had in America. lived there for a few years As most fans know, The with her children and husBeatles first performed live band Gordan, who was a in America on the Ed Sulmining engineer in the livan show in New York on area. For a while, she had Feb. 9, 1964. But that wasn’t been trying to promote her the first time a Beatle had brother’s band by persuadplayed music in the states. ing local radio stations to NOAH NELSON

play Beatles 45s that her mother would send her from Liverpool. She would play them at her house, the first time anyone would hear their music in the states. No one knew who The Beatles were yet; they hadn’t quite made it across the pond. Nevertheless, when Harrison visited Louise with his brother Peter, The Beatle took America by storm — or at least the citizens of Benton. During his two-week vacation in the small town of about 7,000 people, he experienced many aspects of American life: watching a Shriners parade in Harrisburg, buying meat at the local Kroger grocery store, camping in the Shawnee National Forest and watching “Wonderful to Be Young” at the drivein movies in Marion. Most everyone in town talked about Louise’s bashful lit-

tle brother wearing sandals and a bad haircut (the same one that made The Beatles so iconic). Of course music was involved during his stay. At some point, Harrison played music in Louise’s living room with local musician Gabe McCarty, but the tunes didn’t stop there. McCarty, along with fellow local musician Vern Mandrell, took Harrison one day to Fenton Music Store in nearby Mt. Vernon where the Beatle purchased a black 425 Rickebacher guitar, one in which he used in later music videos and performances. The music store is now an auto mechanics shop and the guitar currently sits in a glass case at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. On one of the last nights of his stay, Harrison did perform live in front of an American audience.

McCarty and Mandrell, who at the time were part of a local band called The Four Vests, played a show one night at the VFW Hall in nearby Eldorado. The two men thought it would be great to hear the young Brit play for the crowd of a few hundred people. During the performance, Harrison played current hits like “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” by Hank Williams, “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry and “Matchbox,” by Carl Perkins. Americans that night were listening to a Beatle perform live before the craze would begin. Having visited Benton over Christmas break to see Louise’s house on 113 McCann Street, the store where Harrison bought vinyls, and the large mural of him on I-57 southbound, the small town serves as a great location for anyone looking for a day trip

or wanting to learn more about Illinois history. It’s a must-see for any Beatles or music fan. There’s no doubt about the impact the Beatles had on American music and pop culture. Did Beatlemania begin with their famous performance on the Ed Sullivan show or did it begin with just Harrison playing at a tiny venue in a small town in Illinois? Beatlemania in America began with Harrison. It’s a little nugget of history not many people know, but the story of his visit should be more well-known. His first time in America is not only about the beginning of The Beatles in the states, but rather another interesting tale about one of the greatest bands who has ever lived. Noah is a junior in the College of Media. noahen2@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.

MONDAY

February 1, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

BASEBALL

Illini begin team practice, prepare for spring season BY GABBY HAJDUK SPORTS EDITOR

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Senior Trent Frazier passes to his left during the game against Ohio State on Jan. 16. Frazier had a very successful game against Iowa on Friday, scoring a season-high 24 points in the 80-75 win.

Frazier turns frustration into production BY BRANDON SIMBERG STAFF WRITER

One day before Illinois was set to face off with No. 7 Iowa, Trent Frazier received some disheartening news. Fifteen players were named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list, and for the second straight season, the senior point guard did not make the list. He publicly showed his frustration, quote-tweeting the list, saying, “Hahaha what a joke.” “Whoever my matchup is, whoever my assignment is, I just go out there and try to do my job for 40 minutes,” Frazier said. “My teammates believe in me to guard the other team’s best player. That’s frustrating to me because I know what I can do on that side of the basketball. But it’s a bigger goal, right now I just want

to help my team win.” Given the raw numbers, it’s not a total surprise that Frazier didn’t make the list. He’s averaging just 1.4 stocks (steals + blocks) per game and his defensive box/ plus-minus (+3.2) is lower than the players who made the list. But head coach Brad Underwood believes his senior makes an impact beyond those metrics and deserves to be on the list. “I don’t know what they look for,” Underwood said. “I know so many of those deals get based on a steals number or get based on a blocked shots number. I think anybody who’s faced Trent Frazier, coaches will know if he’s not the best, (then he is) one of the best defenders and has taken a lot of guys out of a lot of things.” A day later, Frazier used that as motivation. He

hounded redshirt Iowa senior point guard Jordan Bohannon, limiting him to just six points on 2-6 shooting. Besides his stellar defense, Frazier also had his best game of the season offensively. He hit timely shots in both halves, going for a season-high 24 points. With Kofi Cockburn being held to just nine points, his lowest total in conference play, and Adam Miller going scoreless, Frazier’s offense was sorely needed. To some, this breakout game may have come as a surprise, but not to Underwood. Underwood noticed Frazier shooting lights out in the practices between the Penn State and Iowa games. One day, Underwood split the teams up evenly for a scrimmage. It didn’t matter who was guarding him that day, Frazier was scor-

ing at will. Underwood lost track of how many consecutive buckets the Florida native made. “It wasn’t just the days we scrimmaged, it was the days up in preparation,” Underwood said. “He didn’t miss shots against the zone, and that’s awesome to see. It’s fun.” With a win in Frazier’s 24-point outing, Illinois is now 7-1 when their senior lefty scores in double figures. His offensive production has been a bit of a wild card this season, oftentimes merely providing an extra layer to the Ayo Dosunmu/ Kofi Cockburn duo. But on an off-night for the center, Frazier showed he can be a second option on offense, all while guarding the opposing team’s best guard. @BrandonSimberg simberg2@dailyillini.com

Ten months after an abrupt ending to its shortlived season, the Illinois baseball team started full team practice on Friday in preparation for the 2021 season. As of now, the Illini are limited to conferenceonly games and are hopeful to begin competition in early March. While the Illini don’t have a schedule yet — and probably won’t for a few more weeks — head coach Dan Hartleb understands the conference is dealing with more pressing matters in terms of scheduling and COVID-19 outbreaks. Right now Hartleb is just excited to have some human interaction with his team. “It’s been really nice,” Hartleb said. “This group has been through so much. You look at spring sports where you lose a season last year then going through everything with COVID in the fall. One day we’re practicing, one day we’re not. Then you’re in small groups, then with the whole team. It’s been a whirlwind.” The Illini were 13 games into their season (8-5)

before the pandemic hit and had won three of their last four games, finally hitting their stride before Big Ten play. Their resume was looking strong as they notched two wins over ranked teams — Texas A&M and Oklahoma State — early on in the year. Junior shortstop Branden Comia was on a tear of his own to begin the season, hitting .426 with three doubles, two triples, two home runs and 10 RBIs. Comia’s short success as a sophomore, combined with a consistent freshman year, earned him a spot on the preseason All-Big Ten team by Perfect Game. Sophomore catcher Ryan Hampe was also selected for the honor. Comia isn’t focused on his individual success or honors but on getting back to work with his teammates and preparing for an unpredictable and difficult season. “One word to describe what we’ve been doing since we’ve been back is really a ‘grind,’” Comia said. “Before we were able to start practice, we were in SEE SPRING | 2B

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID CRAAN

Infielder Branden Comia runs back for a catch during practice on Jan. 14 at the Fighting Illini indoor training facility.

SWIM & DIVE

Assistant swim coach Elliott McGill guides team during unusual season BY RENATO ARTEAGA STAFF WRITER

This abbreviated 2021 season is certainly the first of its kind for many Division I sports. There have been adjustments to the way sports compete this season to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic has forced the women’s swim & dive team to only compete against Big Ten opposition across just four weeks of competition. The Illini’s record on the season currently stands at .500, with their first win coming against Nebraska on Jan. 23, 164-136. Assistant coach Elliott McGill is entering his fourth season as a member of the coaching staff and understands many athletes are going through extremely difficult times, stressing how important it is to listen to your athletes. “If they’re having rough stretches you have to be willing to adjust your training, or you have to be willing to maybe explain what you’re trying to do for the short-term and long-term goals,” McGill said. “The more you’re willing to listen, work and collaborate with them and give them that ownership and feeling that they’re a part of the process, I think it gives them something to control when (their) lives are out of their control.” On top of listening,

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

The Illini swim & dive team finishes a huddle during the 2020 Big Ten Championships on Feb. 26. Assistant coach Elliott McGill has helped the team keep morale up during this shortened season.

McGill also mentioned how important it is to be flexible with athletes’ training and breaks during the season. He also points out how the coaching staff decided to cut back significantly on the team’s double practices since classes resumed and no competitions were scheduled for the team this week. “We’ve balanced giving

them some flexibility and some space to be around family or adjust their trainings based off of their needs. We’ve ebbed and flowed as we’ve had to deal with things,” McGill said. As a former student-athlete swimmer at Eastern Illinois, McGill acknowledged this season’s situation and struggles is something he really can’t relate

to with the swimmers on the team, but his experience with trying to be the best student and best athlete possible has helped him connect with the team. “I’ve strived as a coach to understand that our student-athletes are students and people first,” McGill said. “It’s more important that I provide them an opportunity to

from competition this week, with the next meet scheduled on Feb. 6 in Madison, Wisconsin, where they will face off against Wisconsin and Northwestern before competing in the upcoming Big Ten Championships. This week is extremely important for the health of a lot of swimmers on the team, as it does more than relaxing and recovering, according to McGill. “It’s also really helpful for your mind to be able to take a deep breath, enjoy being a student and being home for a weekend inside your apartment or inside your dorm with your friends versus isolating on the bus and hotel rooms as we travel,” McGill said. “There is a physical recovery and a brief mental recovery before a competition that is beneficial for anybody.” Freshman diver Taylor Michael acknowledged that being locked away in rooms to quarantine has been a rough adjustment, but she points to the comradeship with her teammates as a major boost to help her get through the isolation. “They’ve been telling me to stay positive because these are really hard times and not to be too hard on yourself because we aren’t getting as much training as we would’ve gotten in a regular season,” Michael said. “It has helped me a lot.”

grow through college and grow in life just as much as I work with them in the pool. As a coach, I’ve tried to bring in a lot of balance to their life and helping direct them through college. I think when you have that balance it allows you to work really hard in the pool, and when you work hard you improve.” Illinois had a week off renatoa2@dailyillini.com

2B Monday, February 1, 2021

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

VOLLEYBALL

Illinois loses first two home matches to No. 1 Wisconsin

FROM 1B

SPRING the weight room five days a week. We were hitting that pretty hard, it’s been a grind. “It’s a little weird because we’d be pretty deep into practice now in a normal year. But it’s good because the practices pushed back will just help guys not lose their drive or lose that fire or passion to come to practice every day and give it their all.” Adding to the grind of everyday practice or lifts is the uncertainty of the season. During a normal season, Hartleb lays out a plan for the entire fall or spring and follows it pretty strictly with the team. Now, Hartleb is operating on a dayto-day basis as his plans depend on test results and conference rules. Because only 13 Big Ten schools have baseball programs, the schedule will look a lot different this season, as they can’t go head-to-head with teams as someone would always do on a bye. Hartleb said there might be weekends where three or four teams are competing at one site in a round-robin style or mid-week games with opponents of driveable distances. But no matter when or where the Illini end up playing this season, Hartleb is confident in his guys to adapt and find success, hopeful to pick up right where they left off about a year ago. “Everybody ’s hungry to play,” Hartleb said. “As we’ve had opportunities to scrimmage a little bit you can see the guys are hungry to play and compete. Guys are excited about this season … Our guys will jump into the season, they’ll get on the field, put everything behind them COVID-wise, compete at a high level and it’ll bring a smile to their faces.” @gabby_h11 ghajduk2@dailyillini.com

BY WES HOLLENBERG STAFF WRITER

Illinois lost its first two home matches of the season on Friday and Saturday to No. 1 Wisconsin by 3-0 and 3-1 margins, respectively. Huff Hall was virtually empty, with just the players, coaching staff and referees on the court and some cardboard cutout fans in the crowd. On Friday, Wisconsin led throughout most of the match, winning the first set 25-20. The second set was the biggest fight Illinois put up, narrowly losing 30-28. Illinois played its best volleyball in this set, and it seemed to serve as a bit of a blueprint for their play on Saturday. “I feel like we were really scrappy,” said sophomore Rylee Hinton regarding the second set. “I feel like we didn’t let many balls hit the floor, especially at the end of the game when rallies were getting long. We minimized our errors. We were kind of swinging away. We blocked well. We hung really well on the rallies and that was good.” In a close set like that, having a home crowd at Huff Hall might have had the potential to make a difference. Players across the roster have said they’re focusing the same as usual without fans, but it’s easy to wonder if a home crowd would have made it harder for Wisconsin to pull ahead. After that second set, Illinois seemed to unravel, losing the third set 25-9. This was Illinois’ worst loss so far this season. The loss, however, seemed to inspire the Illini to come back better on Saturday. “We’ve already said off the bat that this cannot carry into tomorrow (Saturday),” Hinton said. “Tomorrow is an entirely new day. We hung with them really well the first two sets, and we showed that we can compete with this team. We

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Sophomore Rylee Hinton winds up to spike the ball during the match against Wisconsin on Friday. The Illini lost the matches 3-0 and 3-1 on Friday and Saturday, respectively, against No. 1-ranked Wisconsin.

just need to fix a few things here and there.” Between Friday and Saturday, it seemed as though the Illini changed a lot. For one, Bruna Vrankovic drew the start on Saturday and was impactful throughout the match, ending up with 10 kills on the day. Although the end result was still another loss, Illinois had more energy and consistency throughout the first three sets, not giving away a blowout loss until the fourth set this time. “I feel like we played great,” said sophomore Kennedy Collins. “We had fight. Going into today’s match, I didn’t have real doubt that we were going to lose to Wisconsin. I just know that our team has that fight mentality. I know that we fought hard today.” In their first set, the Illi-

ni fought back and forth and ultimately lost a close one 27-25. On Friday, Illinois seemed to cave in after losing a tight second set. When a similar situation appeared on Saturday, the team buckled in and remained competitive. The Illini lost the second set 25-20, but the biggest loss came in the form of an injury to redshirt freshman Ellie Holzman. She had been having a breakout season so far this year and was poised to make a major impact today, but went down early in the second set with a right leg injury. Fortunately, this is the opposite leg from the injury that kept her out last season, but the severity of the injury is currently unclear. If she is out for an extended period, things could bode

poorly for the Illini. After being impacted a bit by the injury to Holzman in the second set, Illinois came out quickly in the third set. The team seemed to coalesce, with contributions coming from everywhere. From Vrankovic having a dominant string of kills to Kylie Bruder sneaking in a fake set for a kill to Megan Cooney coming up with big kills at the end, it seemed that the whole team was playing together in a way they haven’t yet this season. The Illini came away with a 25-21 win to cap off possibly their best string of play so far this season. Unfortunately, the momentum wouldn’t last as they came out lethargic in the final set, losing 25-12. Going forward, keeping energy late into matches will likely be

a point of emphasis, as the Illini seemed to slow down as Friday’s and Saturday’s matches wore on. “We just played the number one team in the country,” said head coach Chris Tamas. “They’re every bit of it. We talked a lot about after last night’s game that we just have to have confidence in what we can do. We’re capable of playing good volleyball. We just gotta keep grinding away. Keep learning how to play in big moments. I like a lot of the big things that we did. We’re able to frustrate from the service line and we’re able to stay in a lot of good rallies. Good to see on a lot of fronts, but we’ve got to learn to play a whole match.” @WesHollenberg wih2@dailyillini.com

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COVID-19

MONDAY

February 1, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

University grants education personnel eligibility for vaccine BY ELIZABETH SAYASANE FEATURES EDITOR

Friday afternoon, Chancellor Robert Jones sent a Massmail to all faculty, staff and students with updates from the Champa ig n-Urba na P ubl ic Health District that select members of the University community are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. This expanded category of eligible vaccine recipients is still within Phase 1B of the vaccine rollout. It includes those working w it h younger children from preschool and daycare to high school students. The rollout for this round of vaccines begins Feb. 1. Multiple locations will be set up around the county, several located in schools so teachers and employees may receive their shot on-site. Other locations for clinics include the Rantoul Youth Center and the former location of the Dress Barn on Market Street in Champaign. Each location has a specific registration protocol in place. University members now eligible for the vaccine include employees at the preschool, primary school, high school, childhood development lab or instructors of at least one in-person class for the semester. Those working in-person for the University’s COVID-19 response can also receive the vaccine as well

as those working in-person for Facilities & Services, Housing/Student Affairs, Technology Services and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Massmail also noted that they believe the next group of vaccine-eligible individuals will include all remaining University employees. Those looking for updated information regarding future clinic dates can regularly check the CUPHD website as well as their social media accounts. How long those receiving this next round of vacc i ne s t he week of Feb. 1 will have to wait before receiving their second dose depends on what vaccine their receive. Those who get the Pfizer Vaccine must wait 21 days and those who get the Moderna Vaccine must wait 28 days. Both doses are necessary for full vaccination. The end of the Massmail encouraged all members of the campus community to continue following all safety procedures including regular testing, wearing face coverings, social distancing, hand washing and avoiding large gatherings. The CUPHD will continue working towards vaccinating as many members of the community as quickly as possible.

The rollout for this round of vaccines begins Feb. 1.

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CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois student Shaina Lohman sanitizes her hands after completing a University COVID-19 test at State Farm Center on Oct. 9. 81 people in Champaign County have now died of COVID-19.

Test positivity stabilizes in Region 6

County, region sees lower percentage of positive tests BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR

A woman in her 80s became the 109th resident of Champaign County to die from COVID-19 on Saturday. She was the 19th county resident to die from the virus in January. In the last three months alone, the virus has claimed the lives of 81 people countywide. Another 34 positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed by the Champaign-Urbana

Public Health District on Sunday after 10,228 more tests, though the number of cases considered active dropped by 55, to 615. As was the case on Saturday, 27 county residents are hospitalized for the virus. Fifty five COVID-19 patients are receiving medical attention at Urbana’s Carle Foundation Hospital, including 11 in intensive care. Across all Carle system hospitals, there are 65 COVID-19 patients with 14 of them in the ICU. Meanwhile, 878 close contacts are currently ordered to quarantine by the public health district. Another 76 people were ordered to quarantine on

Sunday after potential exposure to a COVID-19 positive person. In all, 16,369 residents have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began, and 15,645 are considered recovered. The county has conducted 1,467,219 tests for the virus, while 21,412 people have been ordered to quarantine after exposure to a COVID-19 positive person. About 11.8% of residents who’ve quarantined later tested positive for the virus.

days. About 5% of testers in the area have tested positive for the virus recently. The region has stayed under the 8% positivity threshold for 17 consecutive days, while ICU bed capacity has hovered around 30%, well above the 20% threshold. If test positivity or ICU capacity breach those metrics, Region 6 would be subject to more mitigations. Like five of Illinois’ other 10 regions, Region 6 is under Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan, the penultimate stage of mitigations. Phase Regional metrics 5 is when widespread vacciThe seven-day average nations allow for a return to test positivity in Cham- normal activities. paign County and surrounding Region 6 has @esimmsnews stayed flat for the last few ecsimmon@dailyillini.com

UI COVID-19 protocols praised, precautions increase for spring BY PAYAL RATHORE STAFF WRITER

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

A group of students eat lunch outside of the SDRP on Sept. 13. The University has taken measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the spring semester.

The University’s COVID-19 protocols were widely praised and have been continued for the new semester after the campus saw no hospitalizations or deaths in the fall. Various other universities have implemented similar testing processes, including UW-Madison. The University has taken many measures to curb the number of positive cases this semester including the cancellation of spring break. “Travel outside of Champaign-Urbana is a big risk factor,” said Rebecca Lee Smith, associate professor of epidemiology. “Maintaining social distancing while traveling is not always possible and is often difficult.

The same testing facilities and frequencies are also not available everywhere.” The start of the spring semester had a much smaller spike in the number of positive cases compared to the fall. As per the SHIELD team testing data, the highest percentage of case positivity has been 0.83% on Jan. 5, 2021, compared to 2.86% on Aug. 30, 2020. “We didn’t know what to expect in the fall,” said Smith with regard to the difference in the number of cases and positivity rates. “Lots of procedures are in place now which weren’t there earlier. Many students were also unclear about the COVID-19 protocols and disregarded wearing masks and social distancing.” The effective handling of COVID cases can be cred-

Stay

ited to the two negative oncampus test results which were required between Jan. 15-24. The first test was used to indicate whether anything happened in the previous week, and the second test was used to check for any recent exposure that may have occurred while traveling. Increased precautions have come into light with the recent Massmail sent by Chancellor Robert Jones on Jan. 20. The new precautions include participation in essential activities only until Feb. 8. “This is an onboarding process which is a highrisk period because of which essential activities only are allowed,” Smith said. “Being more transparent about the consequences is also required as many peo-

ple who were non-compliant with testing were also non-compliant with other precautionary measures such as social distancing and wearing masks.” The Massmail specifically addresses the penalties for not complying with the protocols in place which includes losing access to University Wi-Fi, Zoom, Compass and other such resources. As usual, everyone will have to continue practicing social distancing on campus and wearing face coverings in university spaces and facilities unless alone in a private space. Students are also required to follow the quarantine and isolation rules issued by the University. payalr2@dailyillini.com

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Monday, February 1, 2021

buzz calendar BY RUKAYAH HUSSEIN BUZZ CALENDAR EDITOR

The buzz calendar is a compilation of events happening in the Champaign-Urbana area. Follow our top picks in Monday’s and Thursday’s papers for ideas on what to do on any night of the week, from where to eat to what to watch. Want to submit an event? Email calendar@readbuzz.com.

MONDAY, FEB. 1

Champaign County Forest Preserve District Snowflake Search

 All Day  Champaign County Forest Preserves, 109 S. Lake of the Woods Road, Mahomet,. Illinois  Free This event is ongoing throughout February. Get out and explore your local winter wonderland in search of snowflakes! The CCFPD and the Museum of the Grand Prairie and Homer Lake Interpretive center have hidden 30 creative snowflakes and winter fun facts throughout Champaign County Forest Preserves. Can you find them all? Bundle up and find as many as you can! Please take a picture of your finds and share them on Facebook and Instagram pages using the hashtag #CCFPDSnowflakeSearch. SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF STEAM

A promotional image for “Cyberpunk 2077” advertises the game on an online marketplace. This game was released on Dec. 9.

‘Cyberpunk 2077’ disappoints Long-awaited action-RPG game defines ‘so bad, it’s good’ sentiment buzz factor: BY AIDAN FINN STAFF WRITER

A lot of bad things happened in 2020. But just as December was wrapping up, “Cyberpunk 2077,”

the long-awaited actionRPG from “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” developers CD Projekt Red, released and assured to audiences … yeah, a lot of bad things did indeed happen in 2020. The cold truth is that “Cyberpunk 2077” is the most inconsistent game a person can play. I played around with the title when it launched on Dec. 10, only to be met with horrible frame rates and texture pop-in. However sometimes, bad games can be fun to play. “Deadly Pre-

monition” (2010) is a fundamentally broken game but has enjoyable characters and humor. Games can be terrible, but good. That’s why “The Room,” the famous “so good, it’s bad” movie directed by Tommy Wiseau, became a hit. “Cyberpunk 2077”tries to be the greatest, and it has the foundation of a genre-defining title. But it’s a clear example of being crushed under its ambition. The plot follows V, a cus-

Do-It-Yourself Brand Photography

 7-8 p.m.  A virtual event hosted by Champaign Public Library  Free Join Alisa Nicolle and learn how to take better images of your products or services and enhance your social media presence. Are you looking to level up your visual content? Do you struggle to create a cohesive social media presence for your business? Learn how to curate a specific brand for your social media channels to generate interest and take photographs to best showcase your brand, products or service.

TUESDAY, FEB. 2

Looking for Lincoln in Champaign County

 All Day  Champaign County  No cover This event is ongoing throughout February. Are you looking for some outdoor fun in the winter months? Want to remember Lincoln’s birthday? Why not look for Lincoln here in our home county? There are eight Looking for Lincoln signs in Champaign County marking his 20-year career as a circuit lawyer traveling through the area. The Museum of the Grand Prairie is doing a Facebook series that will feature these signs, other sightings of Lincoln, fun extra facts about Honest Abe and give coordinates for a trip or two to see local and historical sites.

Your Career Path: Get that Job!

 7-8 p.m.  A virtual event hosted by Champaign Public Library  Free Join us for this live webinar, a part of our Get that Job! webinar series. Discover how to align your career with your interests and goals, develop a career action plan and connect with resources to reach your full career potential.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3

Lunchtime Live Storytelling

 1:15-1:45 p.m.  A virtual event hosted by Spurlock Museum  Free Take a relaxing lunch break and join Kim Sheahan Sanford, our assistant director of education and resident storyteller, for family-friendly stories from around the world.

SEE CYBERPUNK | 6B

Attention University of Illinois Seniors:

Last call for Class of 2021

Senior Pictures FEB. 23 - MAR. 14 Your safety is our #1 concern. See our website for more details. Portraits are from the waist up so dress accordingly. We provide the cap & gown!

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MONDAY

February 1, 2021 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

buzz

Keep warm this winter with these self-care ideas BY RAINA KUTLIROFF STAFF WRITER

Perhaps more than ever, it is essential to take care of yourself before others this winter. Due to worldwide uncertainty and the news, it can be very grounding and stress-relieving to take a moment to do the things that bring joy. Society can sometimes make it seem like we must care for others before ourselves, but it can be challenging to do so if we forget to care for ourselves in the process. Whether a self-care moment or an entire self-care day, below are several ideas to help plan the perfect self-care getaway.

Light a scented candle and listen to a favorite playlist or show

Scented candles are all the rage now and available for purchase in practically every store for affordable prices. Choose a favorite scent that will calm the mind and body, whether it’s the scent of a fresh ocean, forest-eucalyptus or warm vanilla sugar. Never underestimate the power of a pleasant scent filling a room to clear the mind.

Take a warm bath or shower

Engaging in touch can be an excellent distraction from life’s challenges. Taking a break from a stressful homework assignment to take a steamy shower and put on some cozy clothes can reset the mind and wake up the senses. Bonus points will be awarded for those who light a scented candle while taking a bath because a scented candle can fix any situation.

ter, practicing breathing techniques can be an effective way to relax stress and anxiety levels. Try breathing in a “square.” Breathe in for four counts, hold the breath for four counts, breathe out for four counts, wait for four more counts and repeat. When feeling overwhelmed and anxious, many different mindfulness techniques can help clear the mind. One Practice breathing popular method is called the techniques and mindfulness “Five Senses.” Name five A common way to recen- things you can see in the

REBECCA ORIZA THE DAILY ILLINI

current space, four things you can feel, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. “Five Senses” will help to engage all the senses and to recenter yourself to your space.

way to minimize stress levels is through light exercises, such as relaxing yoga. Yoga is an excellent source of activity, stretches your body and calms the mind. Using apps or videos for guided yoga sessions can also help connect each yoga pose to a breath, Do Intense or light exercise thus further connecting the If identifying as a runner mind and body and lessening or a gym-shark, then going outside distractions. on a run outside or practicing some cardio is one way to get Meditate rid of those nerves and break a You can achieve a medisweat in the process. Another tative state in several differ-

ent ways, such as listening to guided meditations via podcasts or videos or simply closing the eyes and repeating a mantra. By tricking the brain into imagining a warm sunny beach instead of the bedroom desk chair you are sitting in, meditation distracts the mind from outside struggles and anxiety. Meditation brings awareness back to the body and is useful whether engaging in a 30-second meditation or a 30-minute meditation. Starting the day and

ending the day with a quick meditation can have lasting effects on the mind and body. There are many benefits to self-care, such as lower stress and anxiety levels, increased happiness and other overall health improvements. This semester and new year, let’s try and make a promise to take care of ourselves and be kind to our bodies and don’t forget to take part in the activities that bring joy and peace. rkutli2@readbuzz.com

FROM 5B

CYBERPUNK

SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF STEAM

A group of criminals sits around a table during a cutscene in “Cyberpunk 2077” gameplay.

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ings, it pans out more barren than “Fallout 4,” which says something considering “Fallout 4” is a literal barren wasteland. Locked doors, non-interactable storefronts and shockingly lousy NPC AI reminiscent of a 2002 GTA bootleg. The world is hard to get immersed in. The glitches got so bad that, Sony Interactive Entertainment pulled “Cyberpunk 2077” from Playstation stores and began offering full refunds to all those who requested one. Xbox owner Microsoft gave complete reimbursements to all who asked. An unprecedented move that exemplifies how bad the situation was. I recommend this title if you are okay with lousy gameplay but want good characters and art design. It’s so far one of the weakest games, but still worth the discussion at most. “Cyberpunk 2077” is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Stadia.

tomizable everyman who has three origins the player can choose: a corporate rat, a badlands cyber-cowboy or a street thug. But other than a unique introduction mission for each path, the plot forgets all that and merges into the same storyline of V fighting a megacorporation (that is most definitely not Sony) in a distant future version of LA called Night City. His sidekick, Jonny Silverhand, voiced by the legendary Keanu Reeves, is a cyborg rebel rockstar that died in a nuclear blaze of glory. Jonny is the embodiment of every Keanu Reeves role from the ’90s rolled into one, so fantastic casting on that part. Night City is magnificent and vast, but unfortunately, it is as deep as a puddle. Advertised as the next generation of open-world games, emphasizing vertical design and explorable build- aidanf3@readbuzz.com

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