Pending approval of the Board of Trustees, John Coleman will join the UI administration. – Aidan Sadovi, Lisa Chasanov, Michael
The Supreme Court heard a case attempting to ban mifepristone last week. The decision was made Friday that the pill would remain legal. – Marta Narag
Residents of Florida Avenue Residence were charged with counts of battery. They have a court date set for May 11. –
Shawn Sloan
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Graduation is approaching, where do University students go after receiving their bachelor’s degree? Here’s a look into the time after caps and gowns. – Michael
BalesFuture co-leads of Black Students for Revolution respond to recent hateful and racist messages and discusses RSO’s initiatives at UI. – Jessie
WangThe vice president of Theta Xi fraternity was arrested for an incident that happened during a party. – Jessie Wang and Diamond Steward-Hutton
Read the full stories online at dailyillini.com/news
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The overarching label of “Asian,” as seen in the 2020 census, fails to do justice to the scope of the Asian com munities in the United States.
Just this month, the Asian Ameri cans Advancing Justice, an advo cacy group calling for “fair and equal representation of Asian Americans in the media,” published an analysis of the 2020 census in response to the claim that Asian Americans were signif icantly overcounted by 2.6% in 2020.
Their analysis instead painted a more complex picture. The census actually undercounted — or left out — Asian Americans in Great Plains states while overcounting Asian popu lations in states on the East and West Coasts as well as the South.
This story was reported by NPR and included an interview with Paul Ong, an economist who heads the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge. Ong warned that the undercounting of any group would lead to the misal location of federal funding for pub lic services. Among these public ser vices are health care, education and transportation.
Asian Americans are relatively less likely to fill out the census, according to The New York Times.
In an interview with Time, Lak shmi Sridaran, the executive direc tor at South Asian Americans Lead ing Together, argued that “good data should always be as disaggregated as possible.” Aggregating the data ignored the nuanced needs of individual groups that compose the monolithic title of “Asian.”
There is a large amount of variation within these populations, as analyzed by The Times.
For example, those of Indian descent are consistently wealthier and work jobs in prestigious fields while residents of Bhutanese descent have the lowest income and are unlikely to own a home. The largest Bhutanese community in the United States is in Columbus,
lump every individual in these unique communities into a single category of “Asian” undervalues the vibrancy of cultural diversity of the continent of Asia and ignores their needs that are unique to their respective communities.
Many Americans fail to even register South Asians as Asian, assuming that Asian only refers to those of Chinese, Japanese or Korean descent. In reality, Indians and Filipinos make up a significant portion of Asians in the United States — the second and third largest Asian communities in the United States, respectively, according to Pew Research.
versity of Illinois.
According to the University’s International Statistics from Fall 2022, there were 4,229 international students originating from Asia pursuing a bachelor’s degree, 3,117 pursuing a master’s degree and 2,369 pursuing a doctorate.
There’s a plethora of resources available to learn more about the vast Asian cultures on campus. You could visit the Asian American Cultural Center or the Japan House and participate in cultural events hosted by them.
If there is a particular culture you find interesting, there are many RSOs
on campus that are tailored for specific cultures: Filipino, Mongolian, Taiwanese, Vietnamese as well as South Asian groups, like Hindu YUVA, which allow you to immerse yourself in that culture’s food, media and even deeper level concepts, like problems within their country and political literacy.
The Daily Illini Editorial Board invites you to challenge your worldview and recognize that there is so much more to Asia than what a single word may suggest.
The Salaam Middle East and North Africa Cultural Center, a recently opened cultural center at the University, boosts recognition of the Middle Eastern and North African community on campus, providing a home for all people interested in these diverse cultures.
The new cultural center had an unofficial opening in mid-December. Four months later, the center had a space furnished in ethnic motifs, which had visitors coming in every day to enjoy Middle Eastern and North African cultures.
According to Sinan Hashim, sophomore in LAS, the initial idea to create a center was sparked by students. Hashim participated in establishing the center.
“We were kind of deciding if we wanted to make a committee within Student Government or anything, but we had kind of slowed down just because we didn’t know who to seek help for,” Hashim said about their initial plans about creating a student body to support the Middle Eastern and North African community on campus.
According to Hashim, the community got the University’s support immediately after reaching out to them, and it took only a few months to plan and establish the center after contacting Domonic Cobb, the assistant vice chancellor for Student Success, Inclusion and Belonging last summer.
“From there it was just really a catapult,” Hashim said. “It was really surprising to me because I just didn’t understand how much support the University had in store for us, and how quickly these things could happen.”
To create something like Salaam, the University just needed to hear students’ voices and see their interest in this, said Eman Zwawi, senior in LAS. Zwawi is on the board of advisors.
“I think, honestly, the hardest part has just been keeping focus on getting everybody involved,” Zwawi said. “Obviously, this is the sort of thing where our university administrators don’t know what we need until we tell them, until we suggest and we make it a priority and we show our interest in this.”
The uniqueness of Salaam lies in the diversity of cultures it represents, according to Hashim.
“I would say the largest thing was just ensuring that this place was not specific
to one ethnicity or one identity because that’s just not a realistic representation of the region,” Hashim said.
It makes Salaam the first Middle East North Africa cultural center in the nation that encompasses so many different cultures and ethnicities.
“I think the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a first for many things; it was the first La Casa, for example,” said Awad Awad, inaugural director of the cultural center. “And so we are part of that tradition of the first.”
The main goal behind Salaam is to provide a safe space for everyone, including people with Middle Eastern and North African heritage, Muslims or people interested in learning more.
“We want to provide a safe space for students of any connection to the Middle East, whether they be international students, Middle Eastern American students, people who follow religious beliefs that have originated in the region or people who want to learn more,” Hashim said.
During Ramadan and fasting, Salaam provided space for Iftar and prayers for all students who needed it.
“The initial idea was to try to make the space as comfortable as possible first, to try to meet as many people on campus as possible to learn as much as possible and to explore ways that we can work together,” Awad said. “So the lowhanging fruit was providing a space for people to have iftar and then do their prayers if they wanted.”
Salaam became a safe space for members of the community where they can find support, especially during Ramadan.
“I didn’t really know how much I would use the center even just for small things like studying, but it’s nice to always meet here with friends, especially during Ramadan when you’re fasting and you just need that support,” Hashim said.
The community, which has not been commonly accepted in the U.S., found a home in Salaam, Hashim said.
“I think (Salaam) is a step forward and recognition of my identity and understanding of my experiences as a Middle Eastern American, in a country that hasn’t really supported the identities of the Middle East,” Hashim said.
Even the name of the center carries a personal and crucial meaning for members of the Middle Eastern and North
African community that they want to share with others.
“Salaam, as a word in Arabic means peace, it means acceptance,” Zwawi said. “In my everyday life, like, you walk into a room, and you say ‘Salaam,’ you say ‘Hi, how’s it going? How are you?’ And to have a space on campus where I can walk in and say ‘Salaam’ and be welcomed with that piece as a part of my identity is so valuable to me.”
The center will have a grand opening this fall and has already started preparing big collaborations with other cultural houses.
“We’ve already started networking with the other external organizations to come up with ideas on joint events, especially during like Black History Month or Asian American History Month or Hispanic Heritage Month,” Awad said.
In addition to that, the center is planning to create education programs affiliated with the University.
“We want to provide educational resources and cultural programming that is University-affiliated, we would like to provide more resources in terms of career building for Middle Eastern students that a lot of other cultural centers have fleshed out so, scholarships,” Hashim said.
He also noted that they want to work on having a recognition for a Middle
Eastern identity within the University system for a better understanding of the statistics of graduation rates.
Considering cultural programs, the center plans to attract American artists of Middle Eastern and North African heritage to perform. These performers would also promote underrepresented cultures of the Middle East on the University’s campus.
“We’re thinking for next year for the Salaam center to bring the National Arab Orchestra for a performance there,” Awad said. “But also really reach out to communities that even minority communities within the region that also have had double on recognition: the Coptic community, the Assyrian community, the Chaldean community, etc.”
Salaam is striving to become home for everyone regardless of their gender, cultural or religious identity to collaborate and “build” a safe and inclusive center.
“Anybody who wants to learn about the region is welcome here well across their religious, political, gender identity, everything spectrum,” Awad said.
“It’s a safe space for all and a transformative space where we can deconstruct national narratives that are exclusionary and divided us and reconstruct them to allow space for everyone.”
dents really advocating for it over and over again,” the center was established in 2005, providing Asian American students with their own space to gather and share their experiences.
Lee also discussed recent issues within the Asian American community, specifically the rise in anti-Asian violencefollowing the pandemic.
She said that the violence “was not a surprise” because “there have always been waves of anti-Asian violence in times of stress.” She cited the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the uptick in violence against “anyone seen as South Asian, Arab or Muslim” after 9/11 and modern-day anti-Chinese rhetoric.
“It’s this theme that … Asian Americans (are) not being seen as Americans,” Lee said. “Even if you’ve been here for generations and generations, there’s always the suspicion … that you have an allegiance somewhere else.”
However, Lee said the response to the violence has resulted in greater awareness because “there’s been a lot of multiracial support for Asian Americans to say (hate) is wrong.”
Dozens of people gathered around Alma Mater Sunday to protest the University’s investment in fossil fuels. The Students for Environmental Concerns hosted the climate march throughout Green Street and Main Quad.
By Jessie Wang Assistant News EditorAccording to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2018, the college enrollment rate among 18-24-year-old Asian Americans was 59%, the highest when compared to other racial and ethnic groups.
Statistically and historically, because Asian Americans are “overrepresented” in higher education, they are an invisible minority, said Sharon Lee, assistant professor in Education.
Lee is a graduate of the College of Education and her book, “An Unseen Unheard Minority,” discusses the history of Asian American students at the University of Illinois.
According to Lee, colleges presume that Asian American students face no challenges because they examine “standard educational measures,” overlooking the racial and cultural needs of Asian American students.
“In the aggregate, Asian Americans do quite well, but there’s a lot of complexity because it’s so diverse,” Lee said. “There are still a lot of experiences happening on campus that were still very racialized and hostile to Asian American students.”
In the 1960s, as part of the Civil Rights Movement, many minority student service programs were developed, Lee explained.
The University of Illinois, similar to
many other universities at the time, “did a lot of specific outreach for African American and Latinx students, because when they looked at admission rates, they were much lower than the representation in the state of Illinois,” Lee said.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 saw an influx of Asian immigrants, most of whom were college educated. By the 1980s, Asian Americans were “removed from those minority protections because (of) the demographic growth of Asian American students” on campuses.
In the 1980s and 1990s at the University of Illinois, Asian American students sought each other out to form organizations such as the Asian American Association and other ethnic groups, Lee said.
“With the rise of multiculturalism, these groups started to come together to really start (engaging in) advocacy issues,” Lee said. “(They advocated) for resources outside of what currently existed.”
The students hoped to accomplish two things — the creation of Asian American studies classes and a cultural center.
The Asian Americans Studies program came first in 1997, and according to Lee, it has grown greatly since then.
The push for an Asian American Cultural Center at the University came later, and “after multiple iterations of stu-
She emphasized that such events demonstrate the necessity of Asian American studies programs in higher education. She believes education plays a key role in dispelling stereotypes and was a contributor to the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act amended to the Illinois Student Code in 2021.
According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the act aims to “ensure that students in every public elementary and high school in Illinois learn about the contributions of Asian Americans to the economic, cultural, social and political development of the United States.”
The program launched first during the 2022-23 school year and developed “resources for teachers to make sure they include accurate representations of Asian American history,” Lee said.
Today, almost 40% of students at the University are of Asian descent, including Asian American and Asian international students, according to the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations.
The Asian American Association still exists today. Lisa Kwan, AAA board member, said the RSO “seeks to foster meaningful relationships by organizing initiatives that facilitate connections.”
“Through hosting diverse events, we strive to build a welcoming community, encourage cultural exploration, unite people toward a philanthropic goal and help others find their footing in the large Asian American community on campus,” Kwan said.
jessiew4@dailyillini.com
The crowd was dressed in orange clothing, symbolizing their unity toward the cause. Different painted signs scattered the ground for protesters to hold throughout their march.
According to Gabriel Kosmacher, president of SECS, the University has a total of around $230 million invested in fossil fuels. He said the strike’s goal was to raise awareness on this topic.
“Speaking with a lot of students on campus, people aren’t aware of these investments or the negative impacts they have,” Kosmacher said. “We would like for the chancellor to bring forward an official plan to divest from petroleum and natural gas.”
The climate strike ended a week’s worth of campus activities hosted by SECS.
Rudy LaFave, the action coordinator for SECS, organized the semi-annual strike. According to him, word of mouth played a key role in gathering support for the event.
“I believe this is an opportunity for the entire sustainability side of campus to come together,” LaFave said. “This is an issue that involves us all, and (the strike) is a great way to reach that.”
The semesterly strikes serve to make longterm progress, LaFave said. By repeatedly bringing energy, he hopes that a light will be shone on this movement on campus.
“We have made progress, and it’s largely because of a consistent community show out of support in something like this,” LaFave said.
A typical Editorial Board discussion generally goes the way you’d expect it to. All of the editors sit at a table and brainstorm some topics that we could take a stance on, which generally adhere to the theme of that week’s edition of The DI. While this discussion happens, the opinions editor takes detailed notes.
They write down everything noteworthy that each person says to use as “evidence” for the editorial on a Google Doc and, once this Doc has been completely filled out, try to make sense of everything that was written. The writing process involves merging topics and organizing each and every thought and concept in a way that is coherent and adequately reflects what was said in the discussion.
We live in a world where you could give ChatGPT a list of subjective statements and ask it to come up with a coherent argument that flows in a way that is somewhat readable. Personally, once artificial intelligence starts writing opinions columns, I would think that is a cause for concern.
Journalistic etiquette can sometimes come across as robotic. Although the intention of journalism
Like any other minority group in the United States, Asian Americans are victims of hate. They were subjected to over a 70% increase in hate crimes from 2019 to 2020, which some may attribute to the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in China.
In addition to the increase in hate crimes, there are common stereotypes
is to tell human stories, good journalists are those who are impartial and objective. The focus should be on the stories they tell, while the storyteller has the stoic responsibility of staying out of it. I have the privilege of being both partial and subjective in my writing, but this is a luxury I do not share with my fellow editors.
Part of the reason why we write editorials at all, at least in my opinion, is to remind readers that there are humans behind the articles that they read. Careers in journalism give you the opportunity to learn about all kinds of people — living in circumstances different from your own — and the struggles they have endured.
Editorials are a way of taking off that mask of impartial journalistic integrity and saying, “We hear you. We empathize.” Every editor becomes an opinions columnist at the editorial discussion.
Acknowledging personal identities is so important to opinion writing. It is my personal identity as a minority — being a Filipino Asian American at a predominantly white university — that enables me to empathize with the marginalized groups that we have supported with our editorials. This is something that my predecessor stressed, who is South Asian herself.
It’s this solidarity that allows me
Asian people are grouped into such as having small eyes, eating dogs or being geniuses.
While these are more glaring examples of unfair treatment to those who are Asian, there are intersections between race and gender that are more covert.
One specific hate crime in 2021 in which eight women were killed, six of whom were Asian, was supposedly done because the perpetrator had a “sex addiction” and wanted to eliminate his “temptations.” While some people tried to write it off as a coincidence, it is apparent that Asian women were a target of this crime.
While this may appear to be a standalone occurrence, American culture fetishizes Asian women and paints them as “exotic,” which is a harmful description with underlying tones of racism.
Asian women have been portrayed in a sexual light for decades. It was seen in old-timey movies where they were often portrayed as sex workers, and this myth of sensuality or docility
to elevate the quality of my writing and, hopefully, prevents the tone of our editorials from feeling corporate and disingenuous, which can be a slippery slope.
Our Editorial Board this year is diverse and comes from a variety of different backgrounds, from the Philippines to Mexico to Georgia, the country. The quality of an editorial is only as good as the quality of the dis -
in Asian women is prevalent in Japanese animation, otherwise known as anime.
Anime can be a symbol of diversity in American pop culture, but with that comes the harmful side of the cartoons that both infantilize and sexualize the young characters.
The issues with this do not just stop at finding Asian culture attractive or sexy. A whole culture of pedophilia has emerged — sometimes thinly veiled under the guise of a character being hundreds of years old, and sometimes blatant — depicting Asian women to be childlike and docile that was born from these seemingly harmless shows.
The sexual stereotypes about Asian women that circulate around American media ultimately make these women more likely to be victims of stereotypes and crimes.
If cartoons portray women in a certain way, it becomes normalized for viewers to take a nonexistent character and apply it to the people they know in real life. Women in general are victims to being objectified by
cussion that precedes it, and thankfully, we have a diversity of voices in the newsroom, allowing for some productive conversation. That’s something that ChatGPT could never mimic: The underlying level of humanity that is required of an editorial.
Raphael is a freshman in LAS. rrano2@dailyillini.com
men in the media, but Asian women are especially targeted.
Unfortunately, these stereotypes are not easy to correct. They have been present in the media for such a long time, that people do not even realize the extent to which women are sexualized. Admittedly, even I did not realize anime was harmful until I read more about it.
And it does not end with anime either. At this point, the harm stemming from the portrayal of Asian women in anime has been done, and that harm has been done for over a century, way before anime was popularized in the U.S.
The harm done by unfair depictions of women can be mitigated by sensibility and media literacy. Americans need to examine the way current and past pop culture has created these stereotypes and recognize this phenomenon for what it is: a form of prejudice against entire ethnicities.
Megan is a freshman in Media.
mhard6@dailyillini.com
LORELEI STREB THE DAILY ILLINIThe Japan House provides an opportunity to embrace Japanese culture and educate the community, according to their website.
One of the most popular aspects of the Japan House is its cherry blossoms; however, the sakura, or cherry blossoms, are not the only piece of nature visitors can appreciate.
According to their Instagram, the weather has greatly affected the blooms of the trees this season. Yet, the lack of sakura blooms did not dim people’s drive to visit the Japan House.
Linna Niu, freshman in LAS, came to the Japan House several weeks ago to appreciate the scenery.
“I didn’t see many cherry blossoms,” Niu said. “But I saw many blooming magnolias, and I still had a great time there with its beautiful plant landscape and cute ducks.”
Sakura Watch is not the only event taking place through the Japan House. There are also tea ceremonies and garden tours taking place regularly to inform the community about traditional Japanese practices.
In a tea ceremony, visitors kneel on the tatami and learn Chado or the Way of Tea, which is one of the most ancient and revered arts of Japan. Visitors can also taste matcha and Japanese sweets, according to the Japan House website.
Skylar Mu, senior in LAS, once attended the tea ceremony with her Illini Kendo Club members.
“I learned a lot of many interesting things in Japanese culture,” she said. “For example, the tea has to be served in order. And when I got my bowl of tea, I had to move it between me and the next guest, and then saluted while saying, ‘Please excuse me for drinking first.’”
Even the bowls of tea have many intriguing details, according to Mu.
“In spring, the first guest’s bowl usually has sakura patterns because it is the season of sakura blooming,” Mu said. “When drinking (matcha), the host told us that the bowl’s side with the pattern should face outward, towards others, so that other guests can also appreciate the pattern on the tea bowl.”
Barrett Li, senior in LAS, did not only participated in the tea ceremony, but also in the garden tour.
“I’ve long found Japanese culture fascinating,” Li said. “Watching how the host gracefully prepared tea for us, I felt as if the world had slowed down, allowing me to find a moment of tranquility from the fast-paced academic life. It really helped me relax.”
The garden tour was led by a gardener who explained the designs of the Japan House along the way.
“The garden itself is not huge,” Li said. “But it tells me a lot about Japenese culture. For example, there is a small jar placed in front of the house. The gardener told us that, in ancient Japan, tea houses often served samurai. Generally, samurai wait outside. If a pair of large bamboo chopsticks is placed on the jar, it means that the tea house is ready to entertain guests.”
Li was also impressed by many exquisite designs of the Japan House. The design of a small lantern in front of the house holds Buddhist significance.
“The lantern has five layers, each representing earth, water, fire, air and spirit,” Li recalled. “They are the five elements of Buddhist cosmology.”
Besides these regularly scheduled activities, the Japan House also holds special programming.
Japan House had its annual Spring Open House April 15. This year, they invited Kevin Faris, a bonsai prac -
titioner and landscaper. He gave a presentation to introduce bonsai art and did a potting demonstration for the visitors.
Diana Liao, Japan House’s education and engagment specialist, said she appreciates the positivity the house brings.
“It’s just nice to see everyone going out and enjoying the garden with their family and friends,” Liao said.
Japan House’s Matsuri Festival, a celebration of Japanese dieties, will be held May 6.
The festival will also coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Japan House.
On that day, there will be many Japanese cultural performances, such as Ho Etsu Taiko drum group, martial arts demonstrations and hula.
Traditional Asian cuisine and desserts will also be availible for the visitors.
The visitors can also experience art such as origami and ikebana, which is flower arranging.
Visitors can also get a chance to create a piece of art with Japanese artist Zenkyu Niwa or large-scale calligraphy artist Seiran Chiba.
At night, this day of celebration will end with dazzling fireworks.
“We hope everyone comes and has a great time,” Liao said.
not yet visited the Japan House, but is aware of the blossoms’ popularity.
“It’s a little sad because I feel like there was a lot of hype around (the blossoms) and it’s beautiful to do picnics there, but because of the blossoms not really being prominent, it’s hard to get those really aesthetic pictures that you want,” Prakash said.
Prakash is still planning to go see the sakura and experience the gardens the Japan House has to offer. Despite the lack of blooms, Japan House’s sensei Kimiko Gunji said the trees were experiencing hazakura, or 葉桜 in Japanese. Hazakura refers to the cherry tree leaves. It is a sign that summer is on its way as small leaves appear after the flower blossom has fallen.
The last Sakura watch update addressed the trees’ small number of blooms and brought attention to a more positive light. Japan House officials are still happy to see leaves on the tree.
Others seem to share the positive outlook about the unusual cherry blossom season.
Angus Lanker, a visitor at the University of Illinois Arboretum, frequents the gardens and said he enjoyed exploring the area.
Cherry blossoms are not the only specialty located in the gardens. There are two different gardens, the Tea Garden and the Dry Garden. Each garden has individual characteristics to make them unique.
Both gardens can be used to meditate and provide a calming atmosphere for all visitors, making them a popular destination, according to the Japan House website.
Gecheng Zheng, freshman in LAS, appreciates the gardens in their entirety.
“I just went around the gardens and they were beautiful,” Zheng said. “I think it was one of the nicest parts on campus.”
fedczuk2@dailyillni.com
lmsalas2@dailyillini.com
By Piotr Fedczuk and Lillie Salas Managing Editor for Reporting and Features EditorSkies filled with pinks, reds and
may not have been met by the beloved blossoms.
Sakura on campus have been affected by the turbulent Midwest weather and will not have as abundant blooms as previous years, according to the Japan House’s Instagram.
The Japan House is a space for anyone to learn about Japanese culture and arts, according to the Japan House’s website.
The House is home to various gardens and has opportunities for traditional Japanese tea ceremonies and educational events.
The Sakura Watch is a series of updates and announcements by the Japan House about the state of sakura blossoms. The 2023 Sakura Watch wrapped up April 14 with an update about the rest of the blooming season.
Rhea Prakash, freshman in LAS, has
“It’s a nice bonus to see the cherry blossoms, but I come either way,” Lanker said. “So, that’s icing on the cake. It would be nice if (the cherry blossoms) were blooming, but I guess the flip side is it’s a little less crowded.”
The Arboretum is a living laboratory, according to the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences’ website, and hosts a variety of gardens. It is well known for its immense biodiversity and impressive aesthetic that draws in students, community members and visitors of Champaign-Urbana alike.
The gardens are accessible and free of charge for any interested individuals.
On Sunday, Sean Kingston took to the stage on the Main Quad to perform for the annual Spring Jam concert. The concert was free to all University students and took place at 2 p.m.
Though it was a cloudy and chilly afternoon, hundreds of students filed into the sectioned-off half of the Main Quad near the Illini Union. Friend groups stood near the stage, many excited for the performance.
The event was coordinated by the Illini Union, State Farm Center, the Illini Union Board and Star Course.
Dany Farray, junior in Engineering, said this was his first Spring Jam and he was excited to experi -
ence the concert environment.
Oscar Benavides, sophomore in Media, said he was looking forward to Sean Kingston’s performance despite only knowing some songs.
The set began with a 45-minute opening act by DJ Ømkar. The crowd started to tighten up while Ømkar played party classics like “Call Me Maybe,” “Trap Queen” and “Replay.”
Many in the crowd danced with their hands in the air as they moved their bodies to the music.
A second DJ took the stage for a while ahead of Kingston’s appearance.
Jessica Vargas, junior in LAS, said she came to Spring Jam for the first time because she didn’t know who the previous artists were. She
said she did know Sean Kingston.
Vargas was most excited to hear Kingston perform “Letting Go (Dutty Love),” her favorite song by him. Kingston did play this song.
Vargas said many should go to Spring Jam.
“It’s a free event, why not,” Vargas said.
After a short delay, two event organizers came on stage to introduce Kingston. He walked on stage to cheers from the crowd.
Kingston opened his set with “Me Love.” Soon after, he called out his home country of Jamaica and said he was going to take the crowd to the country.
Kingston acknowledged his audience, saying that he knew they were college students who worked hard and that they deserved to party.
Kingston performed a cover of “Replay” by Iyaz, which was a pleasant surprise for some. Kingston is credited as a co-writer on the song.
Many fans enjoyed it when Kingston led the crowd in a chant of his name. Kingston yelled “Sean!” and
ANGEL SALDIVAR THE DAILY ILLINI During his performance of “Fire Burning,” Sean Kingston brings students on the stage.“That was pretty cool. He was really good with getting the fans involved and the crowd.”
Christopher Laporte, freshman in Business
the crowd replied with “Kingston!”
Kingston waited until later in his set to play well-known tracks like “Beautiful Girls” and “Eenie Meenie.”
Kingston then invited many fans on stage to join for a high-energy finale with “Fire Burning.”
Christopher Laporte, freshman in Business, said this was his favorite part of Kingston’s performance.
“That was pretty cool. He was really good with getting the fans involved and the crowd,” Laporte said.
Farray agreed.
“Getting the crowd involved is always great,” Farray said. “I really enjoy when artists interact with their fans.”
Benavides said this action made Kingston stand out from other artists.
Throughout the concert, Kingston held the microphone to the crowd, signifying for them to sing along with him. He also regularly told fans to put their hands in the air.
Jerolds was looking forward to Kingston’s performance of “Fire Burning.” He said it was his favorite song and he liked Kingston’s performance of it.
Kingston gave a high-energy performance for his final song and a lot
of the crowd sang the lyrics to “Fire Burning” right back to Kingston. As “Fire Burning” ended, Kings -
New York Times bestselling author Lynn Painter released a romantic comedy novel, “The Love Wager,” last month.
Several of Painter’s books, such as “Better than the Movies,” have been popular on “Booktok,” a popular Tiktok community that shares reading recommendations and serves as a platform for many to discuss books.
“The Love Wager” draws the reader in straight from the beginning as it submerses them into the story with its dialogue and detailed storytelling.
The novel has two lovable main characters who entice the reader and incite them to keep reading.
ton thanked the crowd for coming and continued to stay on stage with fans even as the crowd began to leave.
Andrea Garcia, sophomore in LAS, is a member of Star Course.
Garcia said Sean Kingston was chosen as the performer for this year’s Spring Jam because he was one of the top three contenders from a poll list that was sent to students earlier in the year. The poll asked individuals to choose artists from the long list of artists who could possibly come to Spring Jam.
Laporte is a committee member of the Illini Union Board. He said his favorite part of helping with the event was working with other members of the board.
“It’s just working with each other and trying to figure out how to make Spring Jam bigger and better,” Laporte said.
Laporte said his favorite part of the event was seeing the success of an event he helped with flourish.
“It’s fun to see it all come together,” Laporte said.
Jerolds believes Kingston’s uniqueness is what makes him stand out from other artists.
“I think he’s got a pretty unique sound, and definitely, there’s a lot of nostalgia with it too,” Jerolds said.
sbond21@dailyillini.com
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The book’s main characters are Hallie Piper — a woman in her 20s working as an accountant looking to fix her life — and Jack Marshall, a man in his 20s who works as a landscape designer and wants to feel less lonely.
The two initially meet and see each other multiple times in one day, ending the night with a one-night stand.
The chemistry between the two main characters is natural and gradually increases with time, though the characters continue to date others while developing feelings for each other.
When an opportunity arises when they are both single, Jack decides to make a move on Hallie.
While the book uses various popular tropes like “friends to lovers” and “fake dating,” it does so in a way that does not seem like every other book that follows those tropes.
“Friends to lovers” is a common fictional trope where two people start out as friends but develop romantic feelings for each other, and “fake dating” is when two individuals fake being in a relationship, mostly to get someone else jealous or to fool people around them for their benefit.
Though some drama ensues, the couple’s story wraps up well. “The Love Wager” is a unique and charming romantic comedy book that leaves many readers wanting more of Marshall and Piper’s life.
By Sarah Bond buzz Editor
On April 19, American rock band Foo Fighters released “Rescued,” their first single since drummer Taylor Hawkins died in 2022. The band also announced that their eleventh album, “But Here We Are,” will be released on June 2.
Foo Fighters have many mainstream hits like “Everlong,” “The Pretender” and “Best of You,” each of which has over 500 million streams on Spotify.
Foo Fighters began in 1994 as a solo project of lead singer and guitarist Dave Grohl. Grohl played drums for Nirvana, but Nirvana disbanded in 1994 after the death of frontman Kurt Cobain.
Grohl found a long-term Foo Fighters lineup of guitarist Chris Shifflett, bassist Nate Mendel and drummer Taylor Hawkins. Guitarist Pat Smear — who was also in Nirvana — was in Foo Fighters from 1995-97, then returned in 2005.
Foo Fighters first achieved mainstream success with the track “Learn
To Fly.” It peaked at No. 19 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The band has won 15 Grammys total, making it one of the most accomplished rock bands in recent history.
“Rescued” starts out as many Foo Fighters songs do: with guitar. Gentle strumming of an electric guitar leads into Grohl’s vocals. Drums and a second heavier guitar track enter and the energy of the track begins to build.
The opening lyrics — “It came in a flash/ it came outta nowhere/ it happened so fast/ and then it was over” — most likely refer to the sudden death of Hawkins.
The song’s pre-chorus continues to build energy, until the sound pulls back for a moment and Grohl’s vocals become prominent: “We’re all free to some degree to dance under the lights.”
The song picks up again with quick guitar strums, and the other instruments return as Grohl launches into the catchy refrain. A guitar doubles some of Grohl’s notes, creating a full and rich melody.
The song continues for another verse and refrain, then introduces a post-cho -
rus with louder guitars and quick percussion. The sound pulls back again for the quiet first line of the refrain, and it hits hard because of the wall of sound that came right before it.
After four minutes of energy and a spectacular final refrain and instrumental, a guitar powerfully strums the final chord. The chord resonates while another guitar quietly plucks strings. Feedback grows louder, then quieter, as the song fades into silence.
“Rescued” is a pleasant mix between guitar-led instrumentals and Grohl’s gruff vocals. The drums perfectly pace the song, cutting out at quieter moments and building and driving the song in energetic moments. The song is a strong and powerful first release since the death of Hawkins and shows that Foo Fighters are far from ending their musical career.
sbond21@dailyillini.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF GENIUS
By Jack Larson
Contributing Writer
Illini men’s golf has a comfortable lead of 18 strokes after the first two rounds of the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate at Atkins Golf Club last Saturday.
The No. 3 Illini are three strokes over par as a team after the first two rounds of the tournament. Fifth-year Adrien Dumont de Chassart leads the field with a 138 after turning in a 66 in the second round.
Dumont de Chassart was one stroke over par after round one, delivering one birdie and two bogies in the round. His second-round 66, formed by five birdies and an eagle, is the tourna-
ment’s best score thus far. Nebraska’s Gentry Scheve was the only other player to break 70, with a first-round 69.
Junior Piercen Hunt is not far behind Dumont de Chassart and is tied for fourth place with a score of 144 (+2). Hunt got better as the day progressed, following up his firstround 74 with a 70 in the second round.
Behind Illinois in the standings is Loyola Marymount with +21. Tony Hendricks led the way for the Lions with a 144, tied with Piercen Hunt for fourth place.
Fifth-year Tommy Kuhl was three under par after making the turn in the first round but struggled on the back nine to finish at one over on the
round. In the second round, Kuhl flipped things around, turning in a scorecard of three strokes over par on the front nine and one under on the back.
Sophomore Jackson Buchanan struggled in the first round after going seven strokes over par on the back nine for a first-round 78. The second round went smoothly for Buchanan, as the sophomore turned in a score of even par. He is currently tied for 18th place with 149 strokes (+7).
Fifth-year Matthis Besard scored a 73 in both the first and second rounds. With a score of 146 (+4), Besard is tied for ninth place.
Senior Jerry Ji is tied in 26th place, fourth place out of the individuals.
With a 75 in the first round followed by a 76, Ji finished with 151 on the day.
Freshman Ryan Voois had the best first-round score for the Illini, turning in a 70. Despite that, went +7 in the second round, with two double bogeys in the first three holes.
Senior Nico Lang had Illinois’ highest score at 159, which is tied for 51st place. Lang’s second-round score of 83 took him back 22 places in the standings.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday, which is scheduled to start at 8:24 a.m. Illinois will be paired with Ball State and Northwestern.
As the 2022–2023 school year comes to an end, many seniors are getting ready to graduate. For many, it feels like it was just yesterday when they moved into their freshman-year dorm away from home for the very first time. All-around senior gymnast Mia Takekawa is preparing for graduation and has been reflecting on her time with the Illini these past four years.
Before even committing to Illinois, Takekawa wasn’t considering any Midwest schools, coming from California. It wasn’t until she visited Illinois’ campus and fell in love with the atmosphere of the school, the educational opportunities and the gymnastics program that she decided to make Champaign her home away from home.
When asked about her proudest moment from the past four years, Takekawa highlights the two tens she’s gotten on beam.
“The first one really took me by surprise because that was my second meet ever in college,” Takekawa said. “I really didn’t have any expectations for myself coming into that.”
Despite being a talented gymnast, Takekawa didn’t realize how good she actually was until that moment, which she found very validating. This helped her to build confidence during her freshman year and establish her place on the team.
able to adopt a healthier mindset on what validation really meant. This helped her to improve her self confidence and performance.
“Validation and your own self-worth doesn’t come from your scores or how you do,” Takekawa said. “It’s innate in you.”
wa said. “I think that the connection I’ve made with these girls is going to last me my whole life.”
and a student.
The strong start to her Illini gymnastics career came with an inevitable burden, as Takekawa felt the weight of new expectations she had to meet. However, with the support from her team and the program, Takekawa was
One thing Takekawa is never going to forget about her experience with the Illini is the relationships and connections she has made with her team and the coaches from the gymnastics program. Although the scores and meets make up some of her proudest moments, the memories with the people she has gotten close to are going to stick with her in the long run.
“With my team as a whole,” Takeka-
When asked what Takekawa would tell her freshman year self, she said she would tell herself to slow down and enjoy the moment. Time flies, and Takekawa can’t fathom how the past four years went by so fast.
“I wish I can go back and relive some of those meets and enjoy the moment a little bit more,” Takekawa said.
Overall, Takekawa describes her experience at Illinois as balanced. She felt that the gymnastics program really cared about her as a whole, including her life outside of gymnastics. Takekawa got the best of both worlds, to be able to grow as both a gymnast
“I feel like I’ve really grown as a person,” Takekawa said. “Gymnastics has been my whole life and after I graduate, gymnastics won’t stay with me. But what I’ve taken from my experience here I think will help me throughout my whole life.”
After graduation, Takekawa is planning to stay another year at Illinois for a master’s program before eventually heading back over to the West Coast. With help from the gymnastics program, Takekawa was able to balance pursuing her passion and being a student with memories that she’ll forever cherish.
“Validation and your own self-worth doesn’t come from your scores or how you do. It’s innate in you.”
Mia Takekawa, senior all-around
