THURSDAY September 3, 2020
THE DAILY ILLINI
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Vol. 150 Issue 4
Monday sees new high of 230 new cases count broke 200. The University revamped its data on the COVID-19 dashboard on Monday and refreshed the data twice on Wednesday. Previously, the University only reported positive tests, instead of new cases. Positive tests include retests for those who’ve already tested positive. Cases are the number of individuals who’ve ever tested positive from the oncampus saliva tests. Prior to Sunday, the University saw its highest numbers of new cases on Aug. 24-25. On Aug. 24, 79 new cases were recorded out of the 17,656 total tests performed. Then, on Aug. 25,
BY HEATHER ROBINSON ASSISTANT DAYTIME NEWS EDITOR
Since students began moving in on Aug. 16, the University’s on-campus testing program has confirmed 1,013 COVID-19 cases from over 147,000 saliva tests in the same time period. This Monday was a record high for new on-campus cases, with 230. Sunday marked the highest new case positivity rate, at 2.86%. The University began oncampus testing on July 6. Since then, a total of 182,060 tests have been administered to students, faculty and staff. Sunday marked the first time tests identified over 100 new cases in a single day, then Monday’s new case
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CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI
Illini football players junior Jamal Woods, junior Kendrick Green and senior Kendall Smith lead the way of the Black Lives Matter protest on Monday. The athlete-led protest included multiple on campus representatives from different Illini sports teams, including the football team.
Illini athletes lead protest, call for unity Teams raise awareness for police brutality, systemic racism BY BRENDYN JONES ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR FOR ON AIR
When Illinois senior defensive back Nate Hobbs stepped up on a stone bench to address a crowd of hundreds of protestors in front of the Champaign Police Department, his message was clear. Unity. Noting there were people of every race represented in the athlete-led protest in Champaign on Monday evening, he declared that unity could stop systemic racism. Hobbs was surrounded by not only the Illini football team, who spurred the protest, but representatives from multiple different sports teams on campus, students from the University and Champaign community members. “I don’t care what anybody says,” Hobbs said. “Love will always be stronger than hatred. And this right here
is love, on my momma.” Hobbs’ address outside of the CPD was only a small part of the day’s events that started just before 4 p.m. at Grange Grove with the backdrop of Memorial Stadium. The protest left from Grange Grove and went northbound on First Street to the CPD building where there was a prayer, a kneeling moment of silence for Black people who have died due to police brutality and speeches from protesters. After that, the demonstration headed east on Park Street, turned south on Fourth Street and continued until reaching the northeast parking lot of State Farm Center. Illini junior offensive lineman Kendrick Green was the first person to post the protest flyer on Twitter and was the vocal leader of the protest, contacting both head coach Lovie Smith and the CPD to work out the demonstration ahead of time. It wasn’t long after Green posted the photo that the entire Illinois Athletic community showed up to support him on social media. Retweets and likes came from all areas of Illini athletics, making it clear that
while the protest was student-athlete led, there was support on all levels. “Social media is a powerful thing,” Green said about the outpour of support. At around 3:30 p.m., when the protest was about to begin, Green addressed the media. “My teammates and I, we kind of talked in the group chat about it,” Green said. “We saw other schools doing it like the University of Nebraska and the University of Tennessee, the football players there do it. We thought it’d be a great idea. We’d be getting ready for meetings and practice right now, so today we’re going to step out here and give the community the opportunity to come together.” Green saw the day as an opportunity to raise awareness for the team’s cause and to support the Black Lives Matter Movement. He wants to use his platform to do something important and meaningful, which is what stemmed the protest. Green also talked about what was next after the protest, and the things coach Smith said to the team about further action. Smith told
his team protesting is one thing they could do, but voting is something that is also very important as the 2020 election nears. The plan is to do something with the entire team about voting. Whether that is a team registration like some teams in the NBA have done or if it is just raising awareness about voting is unclear right now. One thing is clear, though: The 21-yearold Green will be using his right to vote for the first time this year. “I never realized the importance of being able to vote in our country until coach Smith really sat down and broke it down to us,” Green said. “All this protesting is cool, but if you’re out here, are you voting? That’ll make a real difference … I’m making sure me and all my teammates will do it. We need to get out and vote.” After addressing the media, Green and his teammates led the protest down First Street to the CPD building. The protest alternated from popular protest music to chants that this country has heard all year.
KENYON EDMOND THE DAILY ILLINI
Students stand in line to be tested at the Stanley Illini Grove COVID-19 testing tent on Wednesday. 182,060 saliva tests have been administered since the beginning of on campus testing.
University confirms 259 students isolating for virus The University has 448 total beds — 179 for isolation and 275 for quarantine — reserved for students with Housing contracts who test positive for COVID-19 or come into close contact with a COVID-positive person. Scott, Snyder, Hopkins, Weston and Bousfield in Champaign, and Babcock, Blaisdell, Carr, Saunders, Oglesby and Trelease halls in Urbana are the primary locations for these rooms. Barton, Lundgren, Leonard and Shelden halls are “secondary locations” for quarantine and isolation, University Housing spokesperson Chelsea Hamilton said. All rooms dedicated to quarantine and isolation are on “self-contained floors, wings and suites” within the dorms, she said, and isolating students are held in separate zones from the quarantining students. At Monday’s meeting, Provost Andreas Cangellaris emphasized that human behavior was the most important element of success. He said the “majority” of students are obeying COVID-19
BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
There are now 259 UI students isolating on and off campus after testing positive for COVID-19, University officials confirmed Monday. Meanwhile, Another 270 students are quarantining after potential exposure to a COVID-positive person. Of the students who’ve tested positive for COVID-19, 80 are isolating in University Housing beds and 179 are isolating in off-campus properties like apartments, houses or private certified housing. Of the students who are quarantining, 47 are staying in residence hall beds and 223 are on off-campus properties. University officials first mentioned these figures at the Senate Executive ComSEE UNITY | 1B mittee meeting on Monday. So far, two students staying in the dorms have completed their isolation, and 26 have completed their quarantine. Students who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for at least 10 days before getting tested again, said Awais Vaid, deputy administrator for the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
University delays program for campus ‘disturbances’ BY ALIZA MAJID STAFF WRITER
Students returning to campus for the semester have been raising their voices about the current political climate by protesting racial injustice in the country, including a well-attended protest Friday night at Alma Mater. If a University program had gone through, it’s possible these protests would’ve been overseen by a staff made up of Student Affairs professionals. On July 31, Student Affairs sent out an email about a new volunteer program they had created to help “monitor disturbances on campus.” The volunteer staff would be trained to deescalate potential conflict on campus with potential support from the University of Illinois Police Department if anything illegal were to happen. Staff on the “‘I’ Team” could attend things like “protests/demonstrations at the Alma Mater, controversial speakers, candlelight vigils, the Homecoming parade or large-scale campus events,” wrote Stephen Bryan, associate
RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI
The entrance to the northeast section of Weston Hall remains locked on Aug. 26. Some of the students in quarantine are currently residing in the first floor of this section of Weston Hall.
INSIDE PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
A mock-up for the I Team depicts a possible design for a rain jacket and lanyard. The volunteer staff and program to monitor potential campus ‘disturbances’ is currently postponed.
vice chancellor and dean of students, in an email. “The University of Illinois ‘I’ Team will be a cadre of staff
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volunteers who will attend rupted or lead to conflict student events on campus between parties.” that have the potential for being disruptive, interSEE DELAYS | 3A
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