The Daily Illini: Welcome Back Edition Fall 2021

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Monday, August 23, 2021

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Reshaping The Daily Illini: A Year of Opportunity DIANA ANGHEL EDITOR IN CHIEF

Welcome back, Illini! After a tremulous year and what we hope was a rejuvenating summer, the Champaign-Urbana campus has its arms wide open, ready to take us back in. As we ponder what this year will be like, in what ways it will differ from the last, if it will outdo the next, we can only hope that it will hold less uncertainty, more direction and growth.

Here, at The Daily Illini office, we have been facilitating a strategy to make this year better not only for you, the readers, but also for us, the students. We took last year as an opportunity to craft a better Daily Illini.

We are excited to present to you The DI: a newly branded product of The Daily Illini.

THE DAILY ILLINI 1001 S. Wright Street Champaign, IL 61820 (217) 337-8300

The DIs will come out weekly on Wednesdays.

Each publication will have a theme centered around relevant, timely and local stories that help to spotlight voices of the C-U community through ranging styles of storytelling. These cover stories will appear in the center of the publication, still leaving space for the content that The Daily Illini has printed in the past: news, features, opinions, sports and buzz.

We are reshaping the way in which we tell stories, starting from the bottom of our publication to the top. The decision to switch from the traditional broadsheet newspaper to a tabloid came after one-too-many disappointing numbers in both readership and financials, leaving us reflecting on the wants of our audience and the demands of a diminishing printed world. The DI is a modernized version of the broadsheet, with its name and logo nodding to the 150 years of tradition, the Block I and our digital environment.

The Daily Illini is the independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The newspaper is published by the Illini Media Co. The Daily Illini does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students.

All Illini Media Co. and/or The Daily Illini articles, photos and graphics are the property of Illini Media and may not be reproduced or published without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free; each additional copy is 50 cents.

How to contact us

The Daily Illini is located in the basement of the University YMCA at 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820. Our office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.

Keeping tradition alive is important to the staff, as we understand it’s important for you, the readers. Our commitment to accuracy, timeliness and community educating will never diminish, no matter the ways in which we choose to present our stories. Additionally, this fall, the DIs will cover topics such as Hispanic Heritage, COVID-19 Today and new editions: Perspectives, Humans of Champaign and I on Illini. Stay tuned to learn more about each publication.

We also have exciting news for Illini sports fans. On August 30, we are launching our first-ever sports-only newsletter. The Press Box will come out weekly, allowing sports fans to get updates on all Illini sports conveniently to their emails. Sign up is on our website.

To stay informed, follow us on social media and visit us on our website, where all C-U and University recent events are posted.

Wishing you the best of luck this year, Diana

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Employment: If you would like to work for the newspaper’s editorial department, please fill out our form or email employment at dailyillini.com.

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Letters to the editor: Letters are limited to 300 words. Contributions must include the author’s name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college. The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit or reject any contributions. Email opinions@dailyillini.com with the subject “Letter to the Editor.”

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The DI

NEWS

UI students move in, look forward to upcoming term

BY MONA ALRAZZAQ ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Monday, August 23, 2021

3

Campus tours return to inperson setting for fall 2021

level classes and being able to juggle all of them in addition to the huge campus that you have to be going around where in high school it was all that one building,” Mirza said.

Saleh Akasha, junior in Engineering, had to complete all of his classes online from the United Arab Emirates since March of his freshman year. He moved into an apartment on campus a few days ago and is adjusting to life in the United States with the current COVID-19 situation.

“Honestly, back home, there were a lot more restrictions because of COVID,” Akasha said.

“The number of people not wearing masks, for example, was kind of shocking.”

Akasha is generally excited about taking time to move into his apartment and being able to see friends and attend in-person classes and office hours. He is also looking forward to returning to the campus life he is used to.

“I hope everything will be the same as it was when I first got here,” Akasha said.

Khan, Mirza and Akasha all agree that despite the rough parts of moving in, they will be able to adjust and look forward to having an in-person college experience this year.

“I think through learning and being open to adjusting ourselves and figuring out new things, things will get easier,” Khan said.

As in-person events and activities increase on campus, students moving in face both excitement and nervousness regarding the adjustment.

Zara Khan, freshman in LAS, is excited to be on campus and said her adjustment has been “pretty smooth” so far despite moving in early and being alone for some nights.

Some of Khan’s concerns with residing at FAR this year include transitioning to sharing a bathroom with other people, figuring out buses and also time management skills.

A unique struggle freshmen on campus this year have to face is adjusting from a high school senior year filled with more COVID-19 restrictions and remote learning to a college freshman year away from home.

“It’s definitely been hard because I feel like we definitely missed out on that one year that would help prepare us more for what we’re going through because we sat at home for a whole year and now we’re by ourselves,” Khan said.

Hiba Mirza, freshman in AHS residing at Illini Towers, is “very excited to be on campus and actually see the buildings” but is worried about making it in time to classes and finding her way around campus.

“The most overwhelming part would probably be the transition from higher monaa2@dailyillini.com

THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Students tour on campus near the Spurlock Museum on March 6, 2018. In-person visits will be returning to campus after previously having online tour resources due to the pandemic.

BY PAYAL RATHORE STAFF WRITER

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Freshmen talk with another group of students at the Welcome Celebration in Lot 31 after the New Student Convocation on Friday. Students are both nervous and excited for the beginning of the semester.

demic programs.”

Borst added that there are significantly expanded virtual options, including a new campus tour video, being featured on the new Amazon Prime show “The College Tour” and opportunities to engage with admissions staff virtually through information sessions, group sessions, academic meetings and oneon-one meetings.

“In order to provide social distancing for guests, we will limit capacity to approximately 200 visitors daily and also limit tour groups size,” Borst said.

Admissions guests will be required to wear masks at all times on campus, including when in buildings and outdoors when traveling in groups, such as when they are touring campus with iSTARS, the student tour guides.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions announced that in-person visits will be returning this fall.

Previously, due to the pandemic, students were referred to various online and virtual means to tour the campus. This includes the self-guided tours and driving tours which included extensive material that students could refer to while exploring campus on their own.

Other online resources such as the Quad Cam, which gives live updates from the Main Quad, were also released for those unable to visit campus.

“We are planning to restart in-person campus visits on September 7th,” said Andy Borst, director of Undergraduate Admissions, in an email. “Similar to pre-COVID, we will provide information sessions at the payalr2@dailyillini.com Alice Campbell Alumni Center, campus tours and college meetings to learn about our aca-

Monday, August 23, 2021

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The DI

Monday, August 23, 2021

5

UI System officials approve plans for liaison office in India

BY VIVIAN LA ASSISTANT DAYTIME NEWS EDITOR

Plans to open a University of Illinois system liaison office in India were approved by the system’s Board of Trustees at the end of July.

Pradeep Khanna, associate vice chancellor for corporate relations and economic development at the University, said the goal of this new office is to build international relationships. Khanna handles international engagement at the system level.

“I think international collaboration and partnerships have been an integral part of U of I’s culture for a very long time,” Khanna said.

“They benefit our community, by that I mean our students, our faculty, our researchers.”

Goals for the office include building an alumni network, creating relationships with Indian universities and corporations, facilitating research and supporting student recruitment, according to a press release.

The plan is to open a University liaison office in New Delhi, India and a branch office in Bengaluru, as stated in the press release.

Plans were first made in 2014, following the opening of an office in China, but were stopped due to state budget issues.

India’s fast-growing economy was one reason for the University’s motivation to make plans for the liaison office, Khanna said.

Student recruitment is one such goal of the liaison office, according to UI system officials.

At the University, there’s a large number of Indian international students, Khanna said, and a liaison office would help make student and faculty travel between countries easier.

“That office can provide local support, which will make it easier for (students and faculty) to do their work in India, or whatever objective they have in India,” he said.

According to data from the UI system, international students made up 15% of all system students in fall 2020, with India being one of the top countries of origin.

At the University, 19% of the student body in fall 2020 were of international origin, with Indian international students making up 3% of the student body.

Vidhisha Ajmera, sophomore in Business and an international student from India, said the plans for opening this office “sounds amazing” and that she’s interested in this student recruitment aspect.

“I think it’s a great resource for students,” Ajmera said.

Most students aren’t aware of all the opportunities there are when going to school internationally, she added.

Ajmera wasn’t aware of opportunities like studying abroad, all the different RSOs and

JONAH OZER THE DAILY ILLINI

the details about programs in her college until after a year on campus.

“That all happened after I came here,” Ajmera said. “When I was applying, I didn’t know much, I don’t think I had all the resources.”

Going to school internationally has disadvantages and lots of advantages, Ajmera said.

“The exposure, the independence, the way of learning – it’s completely different from what we’re used to back home,” she said.

“It’s very restrictive in India, you can explore (in the U.S.). It’s a whole new experience and you definitely step out of your comfort zone.”

Ajmera said that because the University is well-known for areas of study like engineering and computer science, other programs such as business or liberal arts are not as promoted to international students.

Aryaman Sheth, junior in Business, said the humanities can be left out and that the University doesn’t have as strong of a connection with international Indian students

when it comes to these areas.

The next step in the plans is to submit an application to the Reserve Bank of India, Khanna said, and they’re hopeful that an office will be open by fall 2022.

Khanna said there are a lot of opportunities to connect with the Indian economy and its growing higher education sector through this liaison office.

“Many Indian companies are not global companies and we feel we can work with them the way we work with them in the U.S.,” Khanna said.

India has the world’s third largest economy, according to the World Bank. Like much of the world, their economy experienced a slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having initiatives such as liaison offices in different countries is a good way to come up with new ideas to solve problems, Ajmera said.

“Colleges bring in diversity,” she said. “It’s the future of society because it helps us think beyond what we know. The uniqueness of

ideas that come from so many different people and experiences helps facilitate research and creativity.”

International outreach is important for the future of our society because everything is connected, Khanna said.

“We live in a connected world,” he said.

“We have shared problems, what happens in one part of the world impacts the entire world.”

Issues relating to human health, equity, supply chains and social justice affect everyone, Khanna said. International outreach, such as through a school liaison office, could help facilitate conversations about solutions to these issues, he said.

“Given the interconnectedness of our world, it’s important for us to be on top of understanding the world economy, world politics, world cultures and to see how partnerships will enhance our capacities to tackle these difficulties,” Khanna said. vla2@dailyillini.com

Monday, August 23, 2021

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The DI

Monday, August 23, 2021

7

LIFE & CULTURE

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH ROBINSON INSTAGRAM PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH ROBINSON INSTAGRAM

The book “The Secrets of Oakley House” is displayed.

Author Sarah Robinson holds up her new novel “The Secrets of Oakley House” for a photo.

Robinson was inspired by the Victorian homes of Champaign while writing her first book.

Champaign author publishes first novel

BY GWYN SKILES FEATURES EDITOR

Victorian homes line the streets of Champaign, each filled with stories and secrets.

Champaign native, Sarah Robinson, grew up watching these houses. She later pulled from these memories to write her first novel, “The Secrets of Oakley House,” which released on Tuesday.

“My parents actually have a Victorian House that was built in the 1800s so I think just the creepy-esque style of the houses and not knowing the history of them inspired me to write a book about them,” Robinson said.

Robinson lived around Park and University avenue where homes like the fathomed Oakley

House reside.

Drawing from memories and nightmares, the novel follows the main character, Mariah Litback, as she moves back to her hometown and rehabs an old Victorian home. As she ventures throughout the house, she digs a little too deep and unleashes a ghostly rage that is centuries old.

“Every now and then I just have a dream where I’m like ‘That was a really creepy nightmare’ and I think ‘Well you know I think I should write a book about them,’” Robinson said.

Although the book takes some creepy turns, Robinson said the book isn’t gory and that anybody can read it.

Robinson has self-published children’s books before. This is her first time working with a publishing group, Global Publishing Group LLC. “Honestly, it’s writing the book that is the easiest part,” Robinson said. “It’s writing it and pitching it to agents and publishing houses that took forever.”

Robinson started writing “The Secrets of Oakley House” in October. She finished editing the novel in January.

Robinson took to Twitter in an attempt to catch the attention of publishers. On a pitch day, she posted a summary of the novel through #PitMad. “A ton of writers come together and oneline pitch their books with the hopes that

a publishing house or literary agent will see it, like it and want to read it,” Robinson said. “I actually got three responses from that and it ended in a contract with my publishing house.”

The best advice she could give to a University student that aspires to publish a book is to be persistent.

“There’s a lot of people that will tell you that publishing is too much work and you should just either not write a book or just self-publish it,” Robinson said. “Forget them all. Do what you want to do. It’s your book.”

gskiles2@dailyillini.com

Monday, August 23, 2021

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Monday, August 23, 2021

Monday, August 23, 2021

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Bo Burnham is inside OPINIONS Dosunmu stirs passion SAMUEL RAHMAN

ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

Bo

Burnham’s latest special, “Inside,” released May 30 on Netflix to immediate acclaim. Rave reviews poured NOAH NELSON SENIOR COLUMNIST in from prestigious outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and individual audience reviews posted semianonymously online. The special is also now ’ve never been much of a basketball fan. nominated for six Emmys.

Sure, I spent a few years playing in my The simple premise of the piece is that Mr. youth, but that was about the extent of Burnham wrote, composed, filmed, directed it. I never watched it in my free time, and I and edited the entire special by himself in eventually quit playing altogether. a single room of his house over upwards With attending the University, much of of a full year during this past COVID-19 my life has changed, including my love pandemic. Just attempting the herculean task affair with basketball: I owe much of it to is awe-inspiring in its own right regardless of Illinois basketball and — most importantly the outcome. But, then again, no one would — former guard Ayo Dosunmu. be talking about the special if he failed — if A few weeks ago, Dosunmu was drafted he came up short. Would we? as the number 38 pick by the Chicago Bulls In a roundabout way, “Inside” cannot in the late hours of the night. I had never be removed from the other works from watched an NBA Draft before, but when Burnham’s past, for “Inside” is but another his hometown team chose him to join their link in the unified narrative career. squad, I, like many basketball fans that Burnham’s earlier works all deal with the night, couldn’t withhold my passion. concept of performance. Performance, not Everything had led to that moment. in the sense that Burnham is physically and Since freshman year, I’ve attended nearly literally performing material in each piece, every home Illini basketball game. Decked but performance amongst ourselves. out in orange and blue, my hands gripping Bo Burnham’s short-lived 2013 MTV show the front row gate in front of me, standing followed a fictitious 18-year-old pursuing alongside my buddies, I was slowly turning his dream of being famous while paying myself into a basketball fan once again — a camera crew to film his every move. No one game at a time. real job — just being famous. His character And Dosunmu played a major role in this performs to an ever-present camera and process. desperately yearned for an audience of Like every Illini fan in the country, I adoring fans. watched him begin his college career as a Noah is a senior in Media.

“Eighth Grade” is the 2018 hit written and rookie freshman and transform himself into noahen@dailyillini.com directed by Burnham following a 13-year-old girl coping with social media landscapes and attempting to preserve an unaltered, less performative identity. The main character of this movie performs a reluctantly inauthentic self to her classmates and online profiles.

Burnham rose to stardom at the very young age of 16 due to the success of his comedy song YouTube videos in the early years of the platform. He speaks to the inherent problem with hitting fame so young in the comedy world. When the major appeal of stand-up is the relatability of finding absurdisms in everyday life, Burnham is unrelatable as all he knows is performing stand-up.

That is the paradox. All his media — specials, film, television — deal specifically with all he knows: performance.

Burnham’s success is partially due to audiences empathizing with his constant THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO performance.

Illinois guard Andre Feliz takes a photo with Journalism student Noah Nelson on March 8, 2020.

The song “Art is Dead.” from Burnham’s Columnist Noah Nelson owes much of his love for Illinois basketball to former guard Ayo Dosunmu first comedy special “Words, Words, Words” who was recently drafted by the Chicago Bulls. begins with a confession: “This next song

I

one of the best players in the program’s history. With every game-ending buzzerbeater shot, his character on and off the court and his contributions to winning the 2021 Big Ten tournament, I am proud and ecstatic to have witnessed it all.

Heading into senior year this fall, Dosunmu will sadly not be playing for Illinois anymore.

Who knows how Illini games will be without him there, but I know that when the Bulls begin their season, I will proudly change my orange and blue jersey for a red and white; I will continue to support him during his professional career.

For the past four years, the University has been my home away from home. For Dosunmu nowadays, he’s back home playing for the Bulls. Even though our paths won’t cross as much anymore, we are both safe and sound at home.

In the 1939 classic film “The Wizard of Oz,” Judy Garland, playing the innocent farm girl Dorothy, sits up in bed from her dream over the rainbow. Once she sees her family and friends gathered around her, she proudly asserts, “There’s no place like home.”

Thank you Illinois basketball, especially Dosunmu, for helping me find my love for the sport once again. I will never become obsessed with statistics or the like, but that doesn’t stop me from being a fan.

I will support you in your basketball journey, just like you have done for me.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMDB

American comedian Bo Burnham stars in his comedy special “Bo Burnham: Inside.”

Columnist Sam Rahman believes Burnham deserves all of the Emmy nominations he’s received because of the show’s strong message.

is not funny at all but it helps me sleep at night.” The 20-year-old performer uses the remainder of the song as a mea culpa: “I must be psychotic/ I must be demented to think that I’m worthy/ of all this attention ... ” “I am an artist, please God forgive me/ A self-centered artist/ Self-obsessed artist/ I am an artist ... ” Burnham has spoken before on his on-stage person being a fictionalized, more narcissistic version of himself. Unfortunately, all this performance took a physical toll on the comedian as he stopped live shows in 2015 after consistent panic attacks on stage.

All of this taken together synthesizes to be Burnham’s performance ideology: 1) we, in the internet age, are compelled to perform; 2) this type of performance breeds selfdeprecation, anxiety, general unhappiness, unfulfillment and narcissism; and 3) those who rise to the top echelons of popularity are inherently undeserving of the attention they receive.

I stayed up until 2 a.m. on May 30 for Bo Burnham’s “Inside” to release. It was immaculate. The piece hit hard at points one and two and swung for the fences, focusing primarily on the parasocial relationship between the individual compelled to perform, the performative reflection captured by a camera and the camera itself.

I have no intent to spoil the special, but I must say it is not a straightforward comedy special as some may be accustomed to. It is half comedy, half drama-documentary; Burnham deserves every last one of those Emmys. Nevertheless, “Inside” remains my one non-negotiable, absolutely necessary watch post-pandemic. Come for the comedy, stay for the message.

Sam is a senior in LAS. srahma37@dailyillini.com

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Monday, August 23, 2021

Monday, August 23, 2021

The DI

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13

Monday, August 23, 2021

Experts talk return to campus, state of COVID-19

BY AMRITA BHATTACHARYYA NEWS EDITOR

and Prevention recommended individuals who have moderate to severe immunocompromised systems receive a third dose of the vaccine.

The recommendation was based on the fact that immunocompromised people do not have as robust of an immune response to the vaccine.

The exact same vaccine as the first two doses, the point of a third dose is to improve immunity among the immunocompromised.

About 3% of the population in Champaign County is eligible for a third dose.

“The number is pretty small and so I’m not expecting a significant surge in the demand for the vaccine of a third dose,” Vaid said.

A revised model Last fall, the University made national news after an unexpected upswing in cases resulted in a lockdown. The problem? Students continued going out even after testing positive, disregarding public health guidelines and University protocol.

“Once we realized what was happening, we

instituted a number of interventions that really helped people get isolated safely and quickly and all of those will still be in place,” Smith said.

The team implemented a texting protocol called SHIELD TEAM 30. Students get a text within 30 minutes of testing positive, informing them about expectations and helping them isolate.

“We worked a lot on just the backend, the boring data and infrastructure pieces so that we can find problems sooner and respond to them faster,” Smith said. “So hopefully, especially compared to last fall, we have a better sense of what to do and how to do it on just the monitoring end and data analysis side, and that just speeds up our response.”

In-person classes The University is returning to a largely inperson format for classes this fall, attracting students back to campus.

“The CDC, the state, the federal govern-

ment have emphasized the importance of inperson learning,” Vaid said. “So, that cannot be discounted.”

Smith hopes that SHIELD can respond faster to COVID-19 cases this fall, and the spread of the virus won’t get to the point that it’s necessary to shut down in-person learning for the sake of public health.

“We’ve got a lot more targeted risk-based responses now that we have a better sense of what’s going on and how to respond,” Smith said.

The underlying message from public health experts? Get vaccinated if possible and mask up.

“For the sake of having a fun return to campus without having to isolate, be careful about wearing your masks and avoiding indoor gatherings,” Smith said.

As thousands of students are returning to campus this fall, one thing is clear: We can expect an increase in COVID-19 cases.

To public health officials who are already seeing an increase in cases — likely due to the Delta variant surge — this comes as no surprise.

“Generally speaking, when you are anticipating tens of thousands of new people coming into a community, there will be cases,” said Awais Vaid, deputy administrator and epidemiologist at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.

“I mean, there’s no doubt about that.”

Rebecca Smith, epidemiologist and member of the COVID-19 SHIELD team, says it’s hard to predict exactly how many cases to expect due to many unknowns.

For one thing, there’s not yet data on the vaccination status of all individuals returning abhatt52@dailyillini.com to campus. Furthermore, vaccinated individuals who contract the virus tend to have fewer symptoms and as a result are less likely to get tested.

The Delta variant A total of 2,413 cases of the Delta variant have been reported in Illinois as of Friday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“Admittedly, Delta is much more concerning, with the way it spreads,” Vaid said.

This is because B.1.617.2 is much more contagious than previous variants; it spreads quickly and to a lot more people.

The upside?

Champaign County has ample vaccines, and the majority of the campus community is vaccinated with both doses.

University’s vaccination requirement This fall, all campus members are required to be vaccinated if able to do so. For those who are unable, participation in the on-campus COVID-19 testing program is a requirement.

According to Vaid, a majority of students returning to campus are expected to be fully vaccinated by the time they arrive.

Smith stresses that although vaccination protects individuals from severe disease, it does not fully protect against infection, especially with the Delta variant.

According to Smith, other college campuses are now seeing cases of clusters among fully vaccinated people after gatherings.

“The goal was never to eliminate COVID because we know that that’s not something that is going to be possible once it has spread globally,” Vaid said.

Rather, the goal has always been to limit the spread and ensure the virus is not causing hospitalizations and deaths in infected individuals.

“And that’s exactly what the vaccine does,” Vaid said.

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI A third dose A woman fills up a syringe with a Moderna Vaccine at the I Hotel and Conference Center on Feb. 11. With a return to campuspublic health experts On Aug. 13, the Centers for Disease Control expect a rise in cases and talk about what that looks like for the University.

Monday, August 23, 2021

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University welcomes class of 2025 into Illini family Freshmen have COVID-19 concerns

BY WILLIE CUI ASSISTANT DAYTIME NEWS EDITOR

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Students pick up bus maps and free fans at the MTD booth during the Welcome Celebration after New Student Convocation in Lot 31 on Friday.

Illinois students welcome the new students with welcoming arms.

seated behind him on stage, he declared that they are among the individuals who will ensure that the University follows through with its promise.

“This is just a fraction of our faculty and they are your professors,” he said. “Among them are Nobel and Pulitzer prize winners, Grammy nominees, members of national academies and winners of top prizes and awards in nearly every field of study.”

Cangellaris emphasized that one of the “incredible” opportunities students have at the University is getting to know the University’s faculty.

“Your faculty will be a significant part of your time here — in your classrooms, in the library, in the same coffee shops you will visit,” he said. “Even riding the same buses that will take you to class.”

Speaking on behalf of the faculty, Cynthia Oliver walked the students through her personal story of becoming a professional dancer and choreographer in New York, and a professor at the University.

“I was raised in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands,” She said. “For me, an idyllic place — rich culture, year-round sunshine, beautiful beaches, so yes, swimming. But also dancing, lots and lots of dancing.”

As Oliver reminisced about her journey, she underscored the importance of seeking out new experiences, even if it is difficult to step into the unknown.

“Many of you might find these first few weeks on campus a formidable challenge,” she said. “There will likely be no screens between you and your many experiences.

Your encounters will be live and in living color.”

Arnav Jaggi and Jason Vu, freshmen in Engineering and LAS who attended the convocation, enjoyed Oliver’s personal story.

“I think it was really dope to see all those people in the admin positions,” Jaggi said.

“Especially Cynthia and how she’s doing dance and research and everything. It really gives you inspiration, you know?”

This view was echoed by Vu, who found Oliver’s journey and struggles to be motivating.

Jaggi said that he is the first in his family to experience college as an undergraduate — his parents did their master’s degree but “they never really had the undergrad experience.”

Commenting on his experience so far, Vu said that it “feels really good” to be an Illini, and that “everyone here has been incredibly nice.”

Under the harmony of “This Little Light of Mine,” performed by the University’s Black Chorus, new students from the class of 2025 filtered into the State Farm Center last Friday for the New Student Convocation.

As 10 a.m. neared, the lights dimmed and an introduction video began to play while a procession of University officials in academic regalia, with Chancellor Robert Jones at the head, made their way towards the center stage.

“Let me begin by welcoming you to Illinois and by welcoming you to our orange and blue family,” Jones said before turning the floor over to the Black Chorus and its conductor Dr. Ollie Watts Davis who performed the state anthem.

As the convocation progressed, the new students heard from various campus stakeholders including Enoma Egiebor, president of the Illinois Student Government; Andreas C. Cangellaris, vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost; and Cynthia Oliver, associate vice chancellor for research.

Highlighting the trepidation that comes when starting college, Egiebor spoke to the new students about the college experience and what it means to be a student at Illinois.

“As a new generation of students enter this great University, we all have our own ideas of what our college experience will be,” she said. “I know that entering college can be scary and life altering, but embrace the moments you have with your friends and peers.”

Egiebor said that being a student at the University is “not for the faint of heart.”

“But since you all have braved through a global pandemic, I know you all have what it takes,” she said.

Introduced by Jones as “someone whose name you’ll become greatly familiar with,” Cangellaris spoke to the new students about his role as the University’s provost.

“I’m being completely honest with you when I say that students before you have tried to guess what a provost is. And several of them guessed that it’s some type of cheese,” Cangellaris said.

Cangellaris noted that his “funny title” means he is responsible for the educational and academic mission of the campus, and preparing the University’s budget for the chancellor.

“It’s easy to describe but I can assure you that it’s much harder to deliver,” Cangellaris said. “But we are able to do that and that’s why you’re here. We have promised you a transformative experience at Illinois and williec2@dailyillini.com I want you to know that we will deliver.”

Turning toward the faculty members

BY FARRAH ANDERSON ASSISTANT INVESTIGATIVE & LONGFORM EDITOR

With rising COVID-19 cases and uncertainty about the future of life on campus, many freshmen said there was more anxiety added to the normal dose of welcome week pressure.

Many new students said they came to campus unsure about how their first year at the University would go with the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19.

Emily Leonard, freshman in LAS, said she wasn’t optimistic about staying on campus after hearing about the spread of the Delta variant.

“I was kind of worried that we were going to get shut down again because you know, delta variant is an issue,” Leonard said. “But I’m really grateful that we can be here.”

Before moving into a dorm in Ikenberry Commons, Leonard said she and her family were trying to avoid close contact with others. She said the possibility of testing positive for COVID-19 while starting her freshman year was a big concern for her.

“They were kind of nervous,” Leonard said.

“We were definitely distancing ourselves before moving in.”

University move-in instructions dictated that students with symptoms should not come to campus.

“If you, or one of the individuals helping you move, begins to experience symptoms consistent with COVID-19, please do not come to campus,” University Housing wrote.

Adriana Fernandez, freshman in Education, said the Delta variant was a concern for her too.

Fernandez said she was worried about going into lockdown again and how that would affect the school year.

“I was nervous about it because I heard about the Delta variant and I was just like, oh my God, if we go in like that again, I’m literally going to kill myself,” Fernandez said.

However, Fernandez said she was relieved when her dad broke the news that vaccines would be required for those on campus.

“I was just nervous there weren’t going to be any more in-person classes, but then my dad told me everyone here has to be vaccinated,” Fernandez said. “So, that made me feel better about it.”

Despite the vaccine mandate, Fernandez said she’s still worried that many students won’t follow the rules and ruin the safety of the upcoming school year for everyone.

Fernandez said Greek life compliance is a big worry.

She said she’s worried that many students involved in Greek life won’t follow COVID-19 procedures — especially because many fraternities were fined for noncompliance with COVID-19 procedures last year.

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

​​ Zihao Xu and Nathan Vuong, freshmen in Engineering, and Peiyao Wang, freshman in LAS, sit around a table eating lunch at Ikenberry Commons on Friday. Many freshmen are optimistic for this school year.

“It just makes you feel better that people here are cautious about it,” Fernandez said.

“But then, I’m like, kind of scared about, like, frat parties (because) I just feel like they’re gonna do some stupid stuff.”

As reported by CU-Citizen Access, public records show that four fraternities, one sorority and over 1,500 students were disciplined for noncompliance with COVID-19 procedures.

According to Illinois Newsroom, about a third of COVID-19 cases contracted during the fall 2020 semester were among undergraduate students living in private certified housing.

“Campus officials acknowledge that the incidence of coronavirus infection among students living in Greek and other private certified housing this semester was much higher than students in other living situations,” Lee Gaines and Christine Herman, both reporters for Illinois Newsroom, wrote.

While moving into a dorm in ISR, Achintya Mohan, freshman in Engineering, said his move-in process wasn’t any different than it would have been with COVID-19.

Mohan said his family is used to sanitizing everything and taking hygiene precautions — with or without COVID-19.

“I’m not really nervous because I’ve been

brought up in a household where from my birth, pretty much everything was sanitized in my home,” Mohan said. “So nothing really changed in my house.”

When Mohan heard about the vaccine mandate this summer, he said he felt much better about coming to campus.

By continuing to wear masks in public spaces and getting tested regularly, he said he hopes that those who aren’t able to get the vaccine can still protect themselves and others on campus.

“I think it’s great that we’re including the people who aren’t able to get vaccinated, and we’re still keeping them and everybody else safe — even when some people aren’t vaccinated,” Mohan said.

With both a vaccine and mask mandate in place, Mohan said he’s not sure what else the University can do to lessen the spread of COVID-19.

For him, he said following the guidelines is the best way to stay on campus and protect the community.

“I think it’s better to be safe than sorry,” Mohan said. “I’m not really sure what more the institution could do. At some point, it’s up to the individual to follow instructions and do their bit in helping out the community.” farrah2@dailyillini.com

Monday, August 23, 2021

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Persevere this semester

BY THE DAILY ILLINI EDITORIAL BOARD

School years — akin to the Morrow Plots — crop up and gather yearly. However, with the 2021-2022 academic year’s planting, campus’ present sowing is unparalleled.

Dissimilar to last year’s beginning, marked with sudden lockdowns and certain behavior deemed “illegal,” this fall is engaging with the University relaxing conditions as well as an abrupt surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant.

Nevertheless, life is sprouting once more: Faces now visible outdoors greet fellow Illini faces; Quad Day awaits countless eager Illini who have not yet experienced this sensational tradition; in-person sporting events soon will provide a necessary roar to Campustown.

Fresh opportunities for campus life to revive itself provide the necessary fertilizer for student life to marvelously grow. Although for a majority of Illini, this semester is not exactly a start from scratch, with a multitude of sights and sounds rebounding, students can begin their campus journey anew.

A “new normal” greets Illini as they welcome themselves back to the University. Still foreign from the COVID-less reality of pre-2020, yet not as rigid as last fall’s opening, Fall 2021 is the moment for campus expansion.

Whether this is students attending athletic events and relishing Memorial Stadium’s melodies or socializing with fresh or familiar faces, this fall is a civil workshop.

Likewise, challenges and critical questions prevail across the University. Will delta’s rise incentivize the administration to impose recognizable restrictions? What will the return to

primarily in-person classes indeed look like? Is there a risk of returning to online instruction?

For now, these questions endure backstage while the elation of Welcome Week rightly reigns and assumes center stage.

As this is an inventive time for students, this also is an innovative period for The Daily Illini.

With a strategy of once-a-week printing reflecting the DI’s contemporary shift to online content, the DI is more than ever focused on providing quality content to our readers.

This year, as with recent semesters, the DI is immensely reinvigorated in its drive for the truth.

As a staff, we aspire to provide our readers with familiar pleasures in addition to developing phenomenally original approaches. A year like no other warrants an unparalleled team dedicated to exquisite content, therefore we anticipate our readers to join us as the DI — analogous to the student body — navigates these compelling times.

Moreover, with the DI’s focus on online, expect content to bolster as it has with the debut of the Press Box — the DI’s sports newsletter — alongside the continuation of DI Voices — the DI’s space for prolific perspectives.

Await a cruise control within this “new normal,” Illini. Despite delta climbing across the nation, Illini will live with resumed freedom and tests this fall — both academic and societal.

As such, we must savor how much we have accomplished and reflect on what lies ahead.

Welcome back, Illini. Now, let the ambitious endeavors commence with the DI by your side. opinions@dailyillini.com

JULIA EVERSMANN THE DAILY ILLINI

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Three Illini win gold, Dosunmu gets drafted SPORTS

BY CLAIRE O’BRIEN SPORTS DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR

Though Illinois’ intercollegiate athletic teams haven’t competed between early June and now, Illinois sports has been very busy over the summer. Here are some of the highlights: NBA Draft Former Illinois men’s basketball player Ayo Dosunmu was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft. His hometown Chicago Bulls drafted him in the second round, and he was the 38th overall pick.

The last Illinois player to be drafted in the NBA was Meyers Leonard, who was drafted in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Dosunmu played for Chicago in the NBA Summer League, scoring a summer-high 26 points in the Summer League against the Memphis Grizzlies. He recently signed a two-year contract with the Bulls.

Former Illini men’s basketball player Giorgi Bezhanishvili has been playing for the Denver Nuggets in the Summer League after going undrafted. Kofi Cockburn also declared for the NBA Draft before ultimately deciding to return to Illinois.

MLB Draft Two former Illini were drafted in this year’s MLB draft. Andrew Hoffman was drafted in

the 12th round by the Atlanta Braves with the 367th overall pick, and Nathan Lavender was drafted by the New York Mets in the 14th round and the 412th pick.

TBT No, not the Instagram trend from several years ago, but The Basketball Tournament.

Several former Illinois men’s basketball players — including Andres Feliz, Nnanna Egwu and Brandon Paul — competed for House of ‘Paign. Unfortunately, No. 2 House of ‘Paign lost in the first round of the tournament to 15-seed Jackson TN Underdawgs.

NIL After many years of criticism, the NCAA finally allowed athletes to get paid — kind of. After California passed a bill allowing athletes to receive compensation for name, image and likeness (with the law taking effect Jan. 1, 2023), other states such as Florida passed similar laws that would take effect July 1. Illinois passed a law in May, at the end of the legislative session.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill on June 29 at the State Farm Center, and it took effect two days later.

Bobby Roundtree Illinois football player Bobby Roundtree was injured in an accident in 2019. He used a wheelchair and shared his rehab journey

online and hoped to return to the field. Bobby tragically passed away in July.

Tokyo Olympics The most prominent sporting event that took place this summer was the Olympic Games. Nine former Illini went to Tokyo.

Former Illinois golfers Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters competed for Belgium at the Olympics. Pieters finished tied for 16th place, while Detry finished T-22.

Former Illini Tyson Bull competed in gymnastics for Australia, finishing in fifth place in the horizontal bar finals.

Alex Diab was an alternate for the USA in gymnastics. He did not compete in Tokyo and was not listed on the Olympics website.

David Kendziera competed in track for the USA, advancing to the semifinals in the 400-meter hurdles. He narrowly missed the cut for the finals.

Rajeev Ram competed in tennis for the USA. He was eliminated in the second round of the men’s doubles tournament, and he was eliminated from the mixed doubles tournament in the opening round.

Jordyn Poulter and Michelle BartschHackley competed in volleyball for the USA, which won the gold medal. Poulter was named Best Setter and Bartsch-Hackley was named Best Outside Hitter. Former

Illinois volleyball player Erin Virtue was an assistant coach on the winning team.

@obrien_clairee claireo3@dailyillini.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF JORDYN POULTER INSTAGRAM

Team USA women’s volleyball wins gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Former Illini Jordyn Poulter, Michelle Bartsch-Hackley and assistant coach Erin Virtue were part of the winning team at this year’s Olympics.

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Dosunmu makes Bulls debut at Summer League

BY BRANDON SIMBERG STAFF WRITER

Ayo Dosunmu got his first taste of NBA (Summer League) action last week in Las Vegas. I was in attendance for three of his first five games and took notes on his games. Here are my thoughts on Dosunmu’s first Summer League:

Transition offense

One of Dosunmu’s biggest strengths in college translated to the Summer League: his ability to score on the break. Twentytwo of Dosunmu’s 59 shot attempts came in transition, leading to 31 of his 63 points through the five games. Dosunmu was second in the entire summer league in transition points.

Half-court offense

While Dosunmu excelled in transition, it took him some time to adjust to his new role in the halfcourt. Dosunmu has been the lead ball-handler on whatever team he’s played for since his freshman year of high school. With the Bulls, they utilized Dosunmu off the ball in the first three games, letting Devon Dotson and Patrick Williams run the offense. Dosunmu needs to improve as a cutter and be more active when lead ball-handlers have the ball. In the three games Dotson and Williams played,

Dosunmu averaged just six points on 7-24 (29%) shooting.

Another reason for the lackluster outings was Dosunmu’s struggles from deep. He went 1-12 from three in five games, having a tough time adjusting to the NBA three-point line, frequently missing short. Dosunmu was up to 38% from deep last season, but that was on a limited volume. It remains to be seen if this was a one-week aberration, or if Dosunmu will take time to adjust to the longer three-point line.

In the two games without Dotson and Williams playing, Dosunmu resumed primary creator responsibilities and looked much more like his college self. He averaged 22.5 points on 51% shooting. Dosunmu operated more out of the pick-and-roll and was assertive getting to the rim or pulling up from mid-range. He’s clearly more comfortable playing on the ball right now, so the question becomes how both parties can find a mix when Dosunmu shares the court with ball-dominant players like Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan.

Playmaking

Given the lower usage, it’s not a total surprise Dosunmu tallied just eight assists in five games. Two of his better passes came on the fast break. In the pick-androll, Dosunmu had to adjust playing next to a stretch center in Marko Simonovic.

Dosunmu missed Simonovic on some pop opportunities that Kofi Cockburn would not take. He also has a tendency of picking up his dribble before getting into the paint off pick-and-rolls. At Illinois, this allowed time for Cockburn to get into the paint and seal off his defender. But at the next level, Dosunmu will need to pressure the paint more and look for his centers on the perimeter.

Defense

This end of the court also featured some ups and downs. As an on-ball defender, Dosunmu was engaged and used his length to disrupt actions and pressure ball-handlers. He nabbed four steals in a game against the Spurs and was a key part of the Bulls second-half comeback.

But Dosunmu needs to be more attentive off the ball. He got caught ball-watching and missed some rotations and boxouts. He has a unique physical profile that should allow him to be impactful on that end; he just needs to up his engagement.

In general, putting too much stock into five Summer League games is frivolous. But it was a useful snapshot of how the Bulls view Dosunmu in their offense, areas he should excel in from the jump and areas of his game he needs to improve upon.

@BrandonSimberg simberg2@dailyillini.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL GLASGOW/ FIGHTING ILLINI ATHLETICS

Former Illini basketball player Ayo Dosunmu celebrates against Michigan State Feb. 19, 2020, in Champaign, Illinois. Ayo Dosunmu will be playing for the Chicago Bulls this season.

Experienced defense adapts to position, coaching changes

BY WILL PAYNE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

A fresh Illinois football season is right around the corner, and new head coach Bret Bielema is already laying the groundwork to turn the program around.

Illinois struggled massively during the 2020

RYAN ASH THE DAILY ILLINI

Senior Owen Carney puts pressure on Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras during the game on Dec. 5. The team is prepping for the season ahead with new coach Bret Bielema.

campaign, amassing a measly two wins in a COVID-19 shortened season. Many issues with Lovie Smith’s Illini started with defending their conference opponents. They ranked dead last in the Big Ten against the run and eighth in pass defense.

Bielema has brought in several new staff members for the Illini on both sides of the ball.

Ryan Walters has arrived from Mizzou as the new defensive coordinator after spending the last six seasons in Columbia.

He spent three of those years as their defensive coordinator, as the Tigers boasted one of the strongest defenses in the country, ranking third in the SEC and 14th in the NCAA. With Walters arriving in Champaign, so is a 3-4 defensive scheme, which will be a change from the previous regime. For many of the experienced players on the team, such as Isaiah Gay and Owen Carney, this switch is coming late in their careers with the Illini.

Instead of being in the trenches, both players will spend time this season at outside linebacker in this new defense. For senior Isaiah Gay, he is excited for his final season

with Illinois, as he wants to help the team get back on track after a underwhelming year for the Illini.

“I’ve enjoyed every season with the Illini,” Gay said. “I just want to keep working hard and stacking the things I learned from the other years. I came back to show what I’ve learned from the other years.”

In the seven games Gay featured in during the 2020 season, he started three of them at defensive end. In total, he put up 19 tackles, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

Throughout summer camp, new members of the Illini and veterans alike have had to adjust to Bielema and his new staff. So far, Walters has left a great impression on the defensive players, as Gay is sensing a culture change for the better in Champaign.

“Walters is a great guy,” Gay said. “He really gets close to his players, and the team connects with that.”

Another member of the Illini defense looking to build on strong performances is Owen Carney Jr. Carney enters this season as a selection to the Phil Steele Preseason All-Big

Ten First Team after a solid 2020 campaign.

He tallied 28 tackles, five sacks and a fumble recovery last year. After spending time in the transfer portal over the summer, Carney opted to stay with the Illini for his fifth year, despite having interest from Texas, Penn State and Florida State.

“It took countless nights,” Carney said.

“Talking to the coaches, weighing the pros and cons and how I can develop as a player.”

Along with Gay, Carney is pleased with Bielema’s first few months in Champaign. The change for the better around the locker room has helped players such as Carney continue to perform at the highest level.

“It definitely has been a breath of fresh air, and then some,” Carney said. “Since Bielema has come in, everything has changed, and the morale of the team has gone up.”

Illinois opens up its season at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 28 against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. @WillPayne33 wpayne2@dailyillini.com

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Epstein returns after standout season

BY WILL PAYNE

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

When Bret Bielema arrived in Champaign, the Illinois faithful knew there would be a renewed focus on running the football. In the early 2000s when Bielema was head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, he completely transformed their rushing offense, as they consistently topped the Big Ten in rushing yards and touchdowns.

Bielema will have no shortage of options with the Illini, but there is not one standout option as of yet. Chase Brown, Reggie Love III and Chase Hayden will most likely take most of the workload for Illinois’ rushing game.

Farther down the depth chart lies Mike Epstein. Epstein is returning for his fifth season with the Illini and when healthy he’s been fantastic for Illinois.

However, he has spent most of his career on the injured reserve. A stress fracture in his foot during his freshman and sophomore years followed by a torn ACL as a junior have not given Epstein the opportunity to shine for long in Champaign.

During the 2020 season, Epstein looked like he had turned the corner from his injuryriddled first three years. He had 69 carries for 367 yards and a team-high four touchdowns during the year and with those num-

bers he received an All-Big Ten honorable mention.

After a solid season with Illinois, Epstein is excited to be back with the team for his fifth year and he hopes to build on the great numbers from his senior season.

“Feels really good to be back,” Epstein said. “Been here in Champaign for a good amount of time and there’s really no place like your second home.”

A player of Epstein’s talent may be frustrated this season if they’re not getting enough carries. However it is clear that the fifth-year senior is putting the rest of the team ahead of his personal statistics and just wants Illinois in the win column.

“Genuinely just want to do whatever I can to help this team,” Epstein said. “If that is taking the carries 10 times a game, 20 times a game, it doesn’t matter to me. I want to see wins.”

Illinois has one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football, with returning players tallying 123 starts for the team.

Even with a great offensive line, every running back will have to manage their workload and get hit throughout the 12 game season.

With Epstein’s injury history, there are worries that he could struggle to stay healthy this season, but he seems to be embrac-

ing football throughout summer camp and doesn’t turn away from contact.

“It really felt good to hit again,” Epstein said. “I haven’t been hit since Penn State. So it sounds kind of weird but it felt really good to take some hits.”

Running backs coach Cory Patterson will have several tough decisions to make throughout the 2021 season regarding playing time. Even with these circumstances, Patterson is happy to have a player and leader like Epstein back in the locker room.

“He’s back and all the guys love him being back,” Patterson said. “Mike doesn’t have quit in him, he’s not a guy that’s going to say it’s over. He could have hung it up, but Mike worked his tail off to be back playing for the University of Illinois.

“Mike wants to be out there every day.

He’s hungry to get back out there. The other day I managed his reps and although he said he had some more in him, I told him to relax a little bit.”

You’ll be able to see Epstein and the rest of the Illini in action at Memorial Stadium for the first time this year when they face PHOTO COURTESY OF BRAD LEEB/FIGHTING ILLINI off against Nebraska on Aug. 28.

ATHLETICS

Running back Mike Epstein dives for the end wpayne2@dailyillini.com @WillPayne33

zone in a game against Minnesota. Epstein is returning for his fifth season with the Illini.

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‘What’s the buzz?’ radio show returns

BY CAROLINA GARIBAY, CASEY DALY, & BECCA BERTRAM “WHAT’S THE BUZZ?” STAFF

radio can be. Growing up, my mom would listen to the radio when she drove me to school, and over the years, the radio hosts’ voices became engrained in my mind. They always made me think, even when I had no idea what they were talking about.

Now, I get to be that voice for other people who are maybe also being forced to listen to a radio talk show by their parents. Knowing that we maybe made someone laugh one time or offered solace to someone going through a rough time because we, too, shared our experiences with mental health struggles is really special and not something you get to experience anywhere else.

This radio show has become more than an afterschool activity or an experience on my resume. It’s become a safe space for me to talk about everything that makes us human with some amazing writers and people who, though have so many different experiences and lives than I do, are also similar to me in a lot of ways. Rarely are you able to do something you love while gaining professional and academic experience from it, while also being able to do it with your best friends, and that’s really the best part of this show.

When buzz staff writers decided to start a radio show in 2019, they had no idea it would still be going strong years later and end up being one of the buzz staff’s favorite parts of being a buzz writer. “What’s the buzz?” is an entertainment radio talk show hosted by buzz writers that takes place on WPGU 107.1 every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Topics range from pop culture, local happenings and music, and each show features a playlist carefully crafted by the “What’s the buzz?” team.

Since the show’s inception, it has welcomed and said goodbye to past buzz editors and writers and was even turned into a podcast during quarantine.

“What’s the buzz” is back for its third year, and the buzz writers are more than ready to get back in the studio. Some of the “What’s the buzz” staff shared their experiences being on the show and the importance of college radio.

Carolina Garibay, buzz Editor When we started “What’s the buzz?” I was a freshman who barely knew how to use the studio equipment, but as one does in college, I learned and became more comfortable in my radio producing and hosting skills. garibay5@readbuzz.com, caseyd2@readbuzz.com, Now in my last year of college, and therefore my rlb4@readbuzz.com last year on the show, I have learned how special

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Monday, August 23, 2021

25

Fleece talks third album, queer representation

BY CAROLINA GARIBAY BUZZ EDITOR

Since he was a kid, Matt Rogers had wanted to be a musician, he said.

“It’s one of the only things that comes really naturally to me and makes me feel really good, and I like making other people feel good by playing,” Rogers said.

For Megan Ennenberg, music was a staple of her childhood. She said her mom brought music into the house all the time.

“I always knew that I was going to be a musician in some capacity just because it was always an inescapable thing,” Ennenberg said.

And for Ethan Soil, there weren’t many other options, he said.

“I always knew,” Soil said. “There was no other choice. I wasn’t good at anything else, and I’m definitely a throw all your eggs in one basket kind of person.”

A lot of people have big goals when they’re kids, but Rogers, Ennenberg and Soil now get to live out their dreams of being musicians. Rogers, Ennenberg, Soil and their bandmate Jameson Daniel make up the band Fleece. They’re all from Canada, Ennenberg from East Bend, Daniel from Victoria and Soil and Rogers from the same neighborhood in Toronto.

Fleece used to be a band of five guys in 2015, including Rogers and Soil, but when two of the

members left, Ennenberg and Daniel came in.

Rogers said the addition of new members also came with a new type of vibe.

“It became much more of a community family kind of thing, the band, and we’re like this support network for each other,” Rogers said.

He said they started to collaborate more on writing music, which led them to who they are today, though they’re all in agreement that that identity isn’t really defined. Ennenberg says they don’t really have a fixed genre and focus more on making music they want to make.

“We’re not trying to emulate any other genre,” she said. “We’re borrowing from everything that we like and just playing sounds that we enjoy.”

Soil added that Fleece’s sound could be considered rock, but not what most people would consider to be rock by this year’s definition.

“We’re not rock by 2021 standard, even though when I think of rock music, it’s definitely what we’re doing,” Soil said.

Rogers said he’d describe their music as songs you can blast in the car, which was inspired by the band’s own experiences playing music when they were on the road touring. He said that influence is especially present on the band’s third album, “Stunning and Atrocious,” which came out Friday.

Rogers said that this album is more collaborative than the last and helped Fleece nail down

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their music making process and foster chemistry between the group as well as solidify the band’s sound.

“We want people to listen to the album and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is Fleece,’” Rogers said.

“And I think we really nailed that on this record.”

This album, like the past ones, touches on the idea of self-betterment and honesty, said Rogers and Ennenberg. These themes naturally make their way into Fleece’s music and shows who the band was at the times they wrote each song, Ennenberg said.

“We’ll be talking about something that’s going on in our lives or exploring different ideas, and then somehow, those ideas will maybe speak into the music,” Ennenberg said.

Something else that always comes up lyrically in Fleece’s music is queerness, said Rogers. He said telling stories of queerness is really important to him and the band.

“We’re kind of on the gender spectrum somewhere else, and just our vibe, I feel like is queer.

And I think queer in the sense of, you know, we have the intersectionality of sexuality and gender, but I also think we’re just queer in that we’re weird and we’re authentic,” Rogers said.

Ennenberg added it was important to the band to be welcoming and inclusive of everyone.

“We just are excited for everybody to feel like they can be involved in our project and to find

something of themselves and what we make and just to feel like they’re welcome, no matter who you are, or how you identify in any range,” Ennenberg said.

Besides the new album, the band also said they’re excited about their North American tour this fall. Since they weren’t able to perform live for almost two years, they said they’re more than ready to be back on stage this fall.

“The feeling of being on stage with each other is unlike any other honestly,” Ennenberg said. “We think about this all the time and finally, we’re doing it and to be able to do that every night is pretty exhilarating.”

garibay5@readbuzz.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLEECE YOUTUBE

The band “Fleece” poses for a selfie. The band talks about their newly released third album.

Monday, August 23, 2021

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Monday, August 23, 2021

27

‘Crossing Souls’ channels ’80s aesthetic

BY AIDAN FINN STAFF WRITER

The end of summer is a beautiful yet bittersweet sensation of emotions – a time to bang out those last-minute summer adventures with friends and family while the sun is still out. It’s a time where the incoming stressors of life and school can be ignored for just a blissful few days more, and you can frolic in the setting sun with the people you love in pure, wholesome fun.

Then you grow up and have to work all year round, summer and all, really deflating the whole fun factor. Nonetheless, in my final days of vacation, I took the smart and conscious decision to stay in my room and play a game about friends enjoying their summer vacation – that being the whimsical and nostalgia-fueled brawler, “Crossing Souls.”

“Crossing Souls” is an action-adventure video game developed by Spain-based indie development studio Fourattic and published

by Devolver Digital (the publisher of all good games). It follows a charming tale of friends in small town 1986 America being witness to a strange paranormal anomaly, setting them on a grand adventure to save the world.

Now, a description like that immediately reeks of unoriginality. “Crossing Souls” is aware of such and runs with it. From the

opening shot to the final boss, the game is drenched in ‘80s aesthetic. Ripped straight from kid-adventure films the likes of “Goonies” and “Explorers,” with a pinch of “Stand By Me,” it captures a warm, entering tone that has unfortunately been haphazardly labeled just “Stranger Things” like. It hits all the checkmarks, from the treehouse fort plastered with Star Wars posters to the neon-soaked arcade illuminating the desolate street corner, amplified by the already set sun painting the sky dark blue and orange. But “Crossing Souls” is not style over substance.

It packs a compelling narrative that takes the player on a fulfilling 10-12 hour story.

Normal teen Chris is enjoying his summer with his younger brother Kevin in suburbia, when a storm shakes the town one night, leading Chris, with his posse of teenage friends Matt, Charlie and Big Joe, to venture out of town after hearing reports of a dead body near their treehouse. They, in ‘80s movie fashion, head out to find the body first for bragging rights, only to find a corpse holding a purple floating stone. They confiscate such and discover it possesses the ability to let the holder see the ghosts of the underworld walking among them. Not exactly “Hellraiser” levels of creepy, rather “Ghostbusters” amusement.

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Soon after that, the typical ‘80s kids movie antagonist shows up to town, the Soviet Union, who siege the town in search of the mysterious stone, a key component of their rumored super weapon. The gang then flees to the woods in “Red Dawn” fashion, later finding their town completely occupied. In order to save their captured families, they embark on a quest to stop the Soviets and discover the truth behind the magic McGuffin stone.

It’s a comfort food plot, aided by an incredibly well composed score reminiscent of the ‘80s works of John Williams and Danny Elfman, filled with triumphant horns and emotional swells of strings. It’s a very unique era of music not often complimented with establishing the era of film it accompanied, overshadowed by the cinematic synth wave of other action-oriented films like “Die Hard” and “Predator.”

All in all, “Crossing Souls” is a fun romp that achieves nearly everything it sets out to be, a nostalgic adventure starring kids meant for adults. If you’re in the mood, you can’t go wrong with a game like this.

Crossing Souls is available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

aidanf3@readbuzz.com

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The game “Crossing Souls’’ gives an ‘80s vibe when playing. The game was released Feb. 13, 2018.

Monday, August 23, 2021

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