The University starts 2022 Homecoming Week with Homecoming Kicko
The University branch of the Young Americans for Freedom hosted a screening of right-wing political com mentator Matt Walsh’s documentary “What is a Woman” on Thursday.
The event sparked controversy on campus, with students from the Cam pus Union for Trans Equality and Sup port and others who opposed Walsh’s visit gathering in front of Gregory Hall to protest with signs, flags and chants.
Emily Goodman, freshman in Engi neering and one of the protestors at the event, said Walsh’s documentary is “transphobic.” Goodman carried a sign that read “transitioning saves lives.”
“There’s a difference between Matt and someone who’s legitimately coming here trying to ask the question, ‘What is a woman?’ because that is an impor
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tant question to ask, where Matt Walsh is asking that to be transphobic,” Good man said.
Bailey Parks-Moore, the chairwoman for YAF at the University introduced Walsh at the event Thursday night.
“The whole point of our event is to bring about another set of ideas,”
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Parks-Moore said. “We want to talk to students on the other side because, in my personal experience, I just get shut down for saying something that people disagree with.”
Robin Kaler, University spokesper son, said the event was not University sponsored and that Walsh’s “ability to present his views is protected by the first amendment.”
Alex Rosado-Torres, assistant direc tor of the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center, said multiple RSO leadership teams came together to organize. Rosa do-Torres said the ability of several groups to come together to protest was “empowering.”
“I’ve actually been very empowered, so to say, by our students organizing and our student movements on cam pus,” Rosado-Torres said.
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JACOB SLABOSZ THE DAILY ILLINI Matt Walsh speaks at Gregory Hall on Thursday.“There will come a time. Maybe, just maybe, that time is now,” reads the final paragraph of “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” the bestselling book coauthored by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, which introduced many readers to anti-racist theory during the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.
Kendi, founder of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston Uni versity and prominent anti-rac ist scholar, served as the keynote guest for Chancellor Jones’ Call to Action to Address Racism and Social Injustice Research Symposium on Thursday.
The keynote conversation between Kendi and Sean Garrick, vice chan cellor for diversity, equity and inclu sion, took place at the Spurlock Muse um of World Cultures. The event was a preview for the poster session to present research projects on Friday morning.
According to Garrick, the Call to Action initiative, which funds research projects concerned with equity and racial justice across many diverse disciplines, was established in the summer of 2020 in order to address institutional injustice.
“As we asked ourselves what we could do to address what seemed to be structural challenges facing our society, the answer was, well, let’s empower our scholars to do that work,” Garrick said. “We don’t know the answers. But we know that we have a faculty whose breadth and depth of expertise is second to none. Let’s empower them to ask and answer those questions.”
Prior to the keynote conversation, Garrick stressed that although it was an honor to have Kendi address the University community, the projects funded by the Chancellor’s research initiative were intended to be the highlight of the symposium.
“My hope is that Dr. Kendi attracts a wide audience who are there the next day, to see the work that our community has invested in having done and to hear the outcomes of some of that work,” Garrick said.
Projects funded by the initiative fall into three categories, each meant to address a separate issue faced by people of color in the U.S.
According to the website for the initiative, the categories for the first
two years of the program were sys temic racism and social justice, law enforcement and criminal justice reform and disparities in health and health care.
According to Kendi, who influ enced his own institution to fund sim ilar projects, taking a serious and all-encompassing approach to com batting racism is a necessary step toward ending often ignored forms of injustice.
Kendi said in his address on Thurs day that part of the issue is a lack of understanding surrounding what racism actually is.
“How could a person even begin to identify their ideas as racist, pol icies that they support as racist or
even the ways in which they’ve been racist, if they don’t have a working definition of that term?” Kendi said to Garrick, eliciting a giggle from the audience.
The Chancellor’s office is hopeful that the funding will lead to insti tutional change in the ChampaignUrbana and University community and that the projects will serve as catalysts for positive dialogues in their respective disciplines.
“This funding program is an incu bator of sorts — our faculty can attract external funding from either corporates, (nongovernmental orga nizations), or federal agencies,” Gar rick said. “Another benefit is that we are now leveraging our expertise and
(both University and external) fund ing to affect change off campus.”
Garrick said he also hopes the symposium influences undergradu ate students who have not previously engaged in research projects to get more involved.
Undergraduate research is one of the best things in the world, especial ly with the scope of the University’s resources, Garrick said.
“You can not only have an impact in terms of the (research), but an impact in terms of how it affects your own development and own growth intel lectually. I would say in short, get as involved as possible,” Garrick said.
As leaves transformed into vibrant colors before their decay, signs of fall settled into the environment. And as students acquire more layers and length of clothing, the way they spend their time changes.
It is no longer desirable to eat a pop sicle outside or to jump into a cold pool under the scorching hot sun. However, fall brings many opportunities. With education on many students’ minds, it could be beneficial to take a break.
Students have plenty of ways to cele brate the changing season and get into the fall mood.
Haunting books are great to read during fall to submerge the mind in the Halloween mood. Whether during day or night, reading on the Main Quad can be a great way to get out and see the colorful trees and leaves.
For those looking for a spooky read this fall, there are plenty of great books to choose from. A few suggestions are:
• “A Head Full of Ghosts” by Paul Tremblay
• “Final Girl Support Group” by Grady Hendrix
• “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-GarciaFor many people, there is a shared experience of crowding around in a circle with friends to tell eerie, terri fying stories. Whether the stories are personal or pulled from the internet, exchanging tales that will give others goosebumps is a tried and true fall tra dition. Students can gather in a cozy spot on the Quad during the night with snacks and blankets for a chilling experience with friends.
Decorating a room with fake spider webs or autumn leaves will not only bring the fall aesthetic to a student’s living space, but it can help transform an environment that will spread the festive spirit with neighbors.
A decorated door is also a great con
versation starter.
Students can find freaky and fun decorations online, or at places like the Spirit Halloween in Champaign. A small hanging pendant or tiny skel eton can really spice up a living space.
No fruit screams fall more than pumpkins. Whether it’s to make a hot soup to warm up your body or to cre atively carve out a design, pumpkins are an essential part of fall.
Students can find a pumpkin patch to explore at Curtis Orchard in Cham paign. Curtis Orchard also offers alternative activity options that range from apple picking to a goat petting zoo.
To destress and take a studious mind
someplace else, creating a fall-themed playlist and going on a walk can be a great help. Make sure to bundle up and carry an umbrella just in case. One can enjoy the walk with a nice playlist and also make a pit stop at Espresso Royale or Caffe Paradiso and try the latest items on their fall menus.
Grab a cozy blanket and a cup of tea to escape into a cozy night. Students have countless options of shows and movies to watch, ranging from spooky to cozy.
Spooky movies:
• “The Conjuring”
• “Friday the 13th”
• “The VVitch”
Spooky shows:
• “American Horror Story”
• “The Haunting of Hill House”
• “Only Murders in the Building”
Cozy movies:
• “It’s the Great Pumpkin,
• “Hocus Pocus” Cozy TV shows:
• “Gilmore Girls”
• “October Road”
• “This is Us”
Students can visit the Curtis Orchard corn maze on weekends this October to explore the winding paths and get lost in the twists and turns.
Vibha Iyengar, sophomore in ACES and member of the RSO “October Lovers,” said she strongly recom mends students visit a corn maze for fall fun.
“I’m from California, so we don’t have corn mazes, so I think it’s really fun,” Iyengar said. “Especially get ting to do it for the first time with my friends.”
By Aidan Sadovi Staff Writer
Parker Johnson, sophomore in Divi sion of General Studies, said people often don’t believe him when they hear what he’s studying.
Johnson is working toward earning a Cannabis Production and Manage ment Certification offered online by the Crop Sciences Department in the Col lege of ACES.
“They’re like, ‘No way that exists — that’s not real,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah it is,’” Johnson said.
Johnson’s reasons for working toward the certification are both personal and career oriented. He said he also hopes to use the certification as a résumé builder.
“It’s a big, growing industry,” John son said. “And a lot of the big jobs that I’ve seen that involve (cannabis) make over ($200,000) a year.”
Johnson said he sees a possible ven ture into the cannabis industry as a way to “help people out and get paid while doing it.”
The certification consists of classes that familiarize students with the ins and outs of the cannabis plant.
According to the program’s website,
the certification helps “students become equipped with knowledge for canna bis indoor, outdoor and large-scale field production.”
DoKyoung Lee, professor in ACES, is in charge of the certification program and teaches a few of the program’s courses. Lee said he’s “not really teach ing about the marijuana side” in classes.
“We’re talking about just how to grow the plant,” Lee said. “Once you know the basic biology and management practice, you can go either way — for marijuana or hemp.”
Lee said the important part of the certification is understanding the basic biology and the “in-principle growing of the cannabis plant.”
Due to federal rules that the Univer sity follows regarding cannabis, Lee has a license for growing nonpsychoactive hemp rather than marijuana.
“I can’t even touch the marijuana plant,” Lee said. “As soon as I know my plant is marijuana, I have to destroy it. In this campus, we follow the fed eral rule.”
Lee said understanding these rules is vital.
“A lot of times, students think rec reational use is legal in this country,
but that doesn’t mean you can grow the plant,” Lee said. “In terms of mari juana, every state has different rules, and that’s what I really emphasize in the class, because you really need to understand.”
Marijuana, the form of the canna bis plant that is reached when it is measured to have more than a certain amount of the psychoactive chemical agent THC, was legalized in Illinois in 2020.
Jeffrey Taylor, senior in Engineering and treasurer of the Hemp Club at the University, said he earned his certifica tion last year.
“As someone coming out of college I think (the certification) ... really gives you a leg up when it comes to working in the industry,” Taylor said.
Taylor said seeing his sister with epi lepsy react positively to the first FDAapproved cannabis drug drew him to cannabis research.
“I was like, ‘There’s a lot of work here that’s not done yet,’” Taylor said. “(The cannabis industry) keeps me connect ed to nature, while still being able to do technologically advanced things.”
asadovi2@dailyillini.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFFREY TAYLOR Cannabis plants are located in the University’s fruit research farm. The College of ACES has offered a new program for students to review a certificate in Cannabis Production and Management.
A University committee is working to identify new traditions that don’t rely on depictions of Native Americans, and supporters of the kingfisher mascot are hoping that their pick will be included in the discussion.
The committee is one part of Chan cellor Robert Jones’ announcement in 2020 on the University’s Implementa tion Plan on Native Imagery.
In 2020, the University Senate passed a resolution in favor of an orange and blue kingfisher designed by University alum Spencer Hulsey. The resolution called on Chancellor Jones to approve the new mascot and consider the king fisher as a possible successor to Chief Illniwek.
Since the resolution was passed, there have not been any significant updates to the status of the kingfisher as the University mascot, said Robin Kaler, spokesperson for the University.
The University retired Chief Illiniwek in 2007 and has been without a mascot for 15 years. The retirement of the Chief came after the NCAA cited the mascot as “hostile and abusive” in 2005, after
decades of controversy surrounding the mascot.
According to Dana Yun, a former Uni versity student senator who graduated this year, the Chancellor’s committee “discussed a new infrastructure” for how to vet a new mascot.
Yun is part of the Kingfisher Alum ni Organization, an organization that promotes the proposed mascot by sell ing merchandise, working with cam pus RSOs to adopt the kingfisher and collaborating with Native American communities.
“It’s really amazing to see this shift, and we’re trying to gain more formal support,” Yun said. “We’re actually in communication with the Embassy of Tribal Nations … and working closely with their mascot task force to make sure that we’re aligning our goals with members of that group.”
According to the organization’s web site, their efforts “send a strong sig nal that University of Illinois alumni are ready to see our alma mater unify school spirit and create new traditions.”
The kingfisher is also present in murals created by the Boneyard Area Mural !nitiative, or BAM!.
Murals of the kingfisher can be spot
Boneyard Area Mural !nitiative unveiled a Kingfisher mural earlier this year, located on Third Street.
ted at South Third Street and in the top right corner of the new mural on the side of Skyline Tower on Green Street.
Jacqueline Carrillo, a graduate stu dent studying public health, said she remembered seeing the Chief on mer chandise worn by students and talks about “bringing back the chief” when she began as an undergraduate at the University in 2018.
“When I did my own research about what the Chief was … I deemed (that) to be disrespectful,” she said.
Carrillo said she is happy the Univer sity no longer uses the Chief as a mas cot, but is unsure about the kingfisher because of the University’s reputation as the Fighting Illini.
“When it comes to bringing in the new mascot, I think that (the University) is fine without a mascot,” she said. “I don’t think it would be a great idea to bring in a new mascot when we are already known as the Fighting Illini.”
However, the 2020 senate resolu tion stated that this mascot proposal is not intended to serve as a team name change but rather create new and inclu sive traditions for the entire campus community.
Yun notes that although many people have strong ties to the old mascot, the creation of new symbols can bring a larger sense of unity and community.
“A mascot brings together a commu nity more than any other marketing technique, so we’re just trying to give students a bigger sense of community,” Yun said.
By Matt Troher Assistant Features Editor
Gene Honda is a busy guy. One of his main responsibilities, serving as the public address announcer for the Chicago White Sox, just culminated with a stretch of five home games in five days to end the season. After the baseball season finishes, Honda announces for the Chicago Black hawks, where he’ll be calling the team’s home opener on Oct. 21.
Amid his busy schedule, Hon da has penciled in a quick break to stop back at his alma mater, where he will receive the University of Illi nois Alumni Association’s Lou Liay Spirit Award.
The University Alumni Associa tion established the award in 1997 to honor alumni who have “demonstrat ed extraordinary spirit and pride in support of the University.” Named after a former executive director of the University’s Alumni Association, the award has gone to 24 different Illini since its inception. Honda will be the award’s 25th recipient.
Honda found out he was awarded in July, and said he was completely caught off guard by the honor.
“My jaw dropped a lot,” Honda said. “I would hope that there are more people more deserving than I am to receive any kind of award. It was a very, very surprising hon or. You never expect it, but I was thrilled.”
Honda said the award has an extra element of sentimentality for him, as he is an acquaintance of the award’s namesake.
“This is extra special because I know Lou Liay,” Honda said. “I know what he’s meant to both the University and the Alumni Associa tion. Receiving an honor is always very special, but receiving one with Lou Liay’s name on it is even more special.”
Honda’s Homecoming Week will be far from restful. In addition to being honored with the award, Honda will serve as the Grand Marshall of this year’s Homecoming Parade on Friday. He will also be hard at work announcing the Homecoming game
Gene Honda, WPGU
against Minnesota.
and
announcer,
Lou Liay
Honda has continued to announce home football games at his alma mater, saying he’s grateful to the White Sox and the Blackhawks orga nizations for allowing him to work University games into his schedule.
“For college football, there’s only seven or so home games, versus an 81-game home season for baseball
be receiving
is given
Lou Liay
who represent
— it’s a little different that way,” Honda said. “The Blackhawks have always been very gracious about that; they’ve known about my fond ness for Homecoming Weekend.”
Honda graduated from the Univer sity in 1978 having studied general engineering and real estate finance. He quickly learned he didn’t have as much of an aptitude for math as he
Brett Ballantini, editor in chief of South Side Sox
thought, although a career in public address announcing didn’t come to him until after graduation.
Honda joined WPGU, Illini Media’s radio station, in 1975, looking to expand his public speaking skills. Before graduating, he served as WPGU’s sports director, assistant news director and production direc tor. In 2008, Honda was inducted into Illini Media Hall of Fame.
Honda began periodically announc ing for the Chicago White Sox in 1985 and became their full-time announc er six years later in 1991. He joined the announcing staff for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2001 and has devel oped an impressive résumé since then — announcing for the DePaul Blue Demons, the Big Ten tourna ment, the NCAA final four and Illi ni football.
Due to Honda’s impressive work ethic and the strength of Illinois’ sports teams, he is the only person who has announced the World Series, the Stanley Cup, the final four, the MLB All-Star Game and the NCAA hockey championship’s Frozen Four.
Brett Ballantini is the editor-inchief of the South Side Sox — an online sports publication centered on the White Sox. Ballantini has been a lifelong White Sox fan and has a long history of attending White Sox home games, including the 2005 playoffs.
Ballantini cites Honda’s voice as a fundamental aspect of attending a White Sox game.
“Hearing Gene call a game is like seeing the green grass in the out field; it’s like the scoreboard,” Bal lantini said. “It’s the type of stuff you take for granted with the White Sox. Hearing Gene has been an important part of being a fan, with the White Sox you’re used to hearing him and his (voice) is a call of familiarity for fans.”
“Hearing Gene call a game is like seeing the green grass in the outfield; it’s like the scoreboard.”
The University’s Dads Association, the oldest-known parents’ association in the country, is celebrating its 100year anniversary. With a century of helping students under its belt, the organization has much in store for its centennial anniversary.
The Dads Association is a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide stu dents with “opportunities to succeed and to build relationships within the Illini family.” This goal is achieved through scholarships for students and events such as Dads Weekend.
Larry Mason, president of the Dads Association and University alum, said he is “honored” to be a part of the organization.
“I’m just incredibly proud to be part of an organization that has a 100-year track record of being a success sto ry,” Mason said. “There aren’t many organizations of any type, whether it’s a nonprofit organization, like the Dads Association, or a business, or even an educational institution that can say they’ve actually had 100 years of success.”
Mason said that the organization has
a long history of providing scholar ships to students.
“In the over 100-year history, we have raised and gifted over a million dollars to University students, and those are through scholarships and grants,” Mason said. “This generally is, on average, $25,000 a year to dif ferent students and student registered student organizations.”
Mason also said that there have been times when the Dads Association has provided funding to “other worthy organizations that support the Uni versity community,” including the Uni versity of Illinois Police Department, which received funding that was used for bicycles and Segways.
Mason said that he wants students to be aware of the opportunities the Dads Association provides to them, saying that they shouldn’t be overlooked.
“We’re very happy to help in any way we can to ensure that students are supported, comforted and provided with what they need to achieve their goals at the University and beyond,”
Mason said.
A major part of the organization’s centennial anniversary is the Illini Dads Centennial Plaza, which has already begun construction at the
corner of Lincoln and Illinois Street. The plaza is expected to be completed by 2023, and Mason said he believes it will become an important spot on campus.
“It will be a place that will honor the role and impact of dads and father figures and the importance that they have in the lives of their Illini stu dents,” Mason said. “It will be a place of love of support, a place that will always be uplifting and it will be a sanctuary where people will hopeful ly always find a location on campus to evoke positive memories and find new ones.”
Mason said one cornerstone feature of the plaza will be a seven-foot tall, 70-foot-wide curved wall, which will be the location of an “evolving public art space.” Mason said the first cura tion on the wall will be completed by two faculty members, but over time, students will see the art on the wall change.
“Future generations of the board of directors for the Dads Association will oversee the ever-changing art display, so that students throughout some por tion of their four-year undergradu ate education experience should see a changeover of the art,” Mason said.
He added that the foundational ele ments of the plaza began with a course through the Siebel Center for Design.
Students were tasked with helping to design several areas of the plaza, including the public art space.
In addition to the plaza, Mason said that this year’s Dads Weekend, which lasts from Nov. 4 to Nov. 6, will have plenty of exciting events. Mason said that there will be many sporting events in addition to the Illini Dads 5K.
To commemorate the centennial anniversary, Dads Weekend will also have plenty of special merchandise which celebrates the 100 years of the Dads Association.
Mason said he finds satisfaction in being a part of “decades of great peo ple” who have worked with students and helped with their journeys at the University.
“Truly, I believe that there are very few things in life that are more impor tant than making a positive difference in the lives of a young or person,” he said. “And certainly, making a posi tive difference in the lives of a young Illini is one of my great joys in life.”
By Ben Fader Staff Writer
It’s officially Homecoming Week, and with it comes another Illini football game with a new Big Ten opponent. Minnesota will be on the opposing side line on Saturday at 11 a.m., but instead of just getting to know Minnesota, let’s get to know the Illinois’s true opponent: the Golden Gopher.
The Golden Gophers are a familiar foe for the Illini, with both teams play ing each other every season in a Big Ten West showdown. Although Min nesota has a solid roster this year, its mascot remains questionable … what even is a golden gopher?
Minnesota became the “gopher state” in 1857 after a political cartoonist drew striped gophers dragging a train sym bolizing Minnesota’s fight for statehood toward the “Slough of Despond.” The cartoon depicted state legislators build ing new railroads, and it stuck with the state so much that it adopted the gopher as its mascot.
Moving forward to the 1930s, when the gophers sported their full gold uni forms, legendary radio commentator
Halsey Hall coined the term “Golden Gopher,” and the nickname took off.
Minnesota has thrived as the Golden Gophers ever since, with the mascot Goldy the Gopher originating in 1952.
The image of Goldy and the Golden Gophers prevails to this day and will
visit Champaign once more.
The Golden Gophers lead the series all-time against the Illini with a record of 40-31-3. Despite the positive record for Minnesota, Illinois took down then No. 20 Minnesota in Minneapolis dur ing the 2021 season. This time around,
Illinois is ranked No. 24, setting a high er expectation for team performance.
This is a position that Illinois has not found itself in some time, but head coach Bret Bielema was hired to bring the program to this very spot and wants the Illini to succeed. The Illini are com ing off back-to-back statement wins and are seeking another big crowd for Homecoming.
Minnesota will be the fourth rematch of the season for an Illinois team that is 3-0 in such games this year. The 2021 matchup was a lowscoring affair, with Illinois marching into Minneapolis for its second road victory against a ranked opponent that season. While the Golden Gophers totaled more yards, two interceptions cost them the game and allowed the Illini to emerge victorious.
While no real Golden Gophers will be facing any Illini this weekend, both teams will send tough, physical football teams ready to face off for an oppor tunity to remain among the Big Ten West’s top teams.
The official attendance was 44,910 at the Illinois’ 9-6 win over Iowa on Satur day. This attendance marked the larg est since the Illini hosted 47,144 against the Michigan State Spartans in 2016.
For every single player and coach on the field, Saturday night was the best crowd they have seen at Memo rial Stadium.
Sixth-year senior offensive lineman Alex Palczewski said it was the most electric crowd he had seen during his long career at Illinois.
The crowd came as the result of a long effort by athletic director Josh Whitman and his staff to fill up Memo rial Stadium following Illinois’ beat down of Wisconsin at Camp Randall last Saturday. Illinois offered ticket deals, gave away free student tickets and promoted free Illinois football mer chandise for attendees.
“I know Josh did a lot of things to try to make this game the best environment that we’ve had since I’ve been here, and I thought that was accomplished,”
Senior tight end Luke Ford and other Illinois football players sing “Hail to the Orange” with fans as they celebrate their win against Iowa on Saturday.
head coach Bret Bielema said after the game. “It’s kind of a day that hopeful ly is an indication of what we can do even more.”
Ever since the start of Illinois’ upward trend, both Whitman and Bielema spoke of the importance of fans showing up for their team. Whitman, in particu lar, has set a desire to create a sense of “FOMO” at games.
“We are very intentional and active in
thinking about what (game) day looks like,” Whitman said in late August. “The energy that infuses into our fanbase is going to be a successful football team.”
While Homecoming tends to bring large crowds of Illinois alumni and fans, Memorial Stadium has not sold out for the annual event since 2009.
“The energy was amazing. You can feel it. I think it was a big part of us just keeping those moments alive,” junior
linebacker Tarique Barnes said. “This is our home ... having our crowd here cheering for us ... it gave us a little bit more of a boost than we already had.”
After a taste of what could be the future of Illinois football, Palczewski and the team want more.
“I want a sold-out stadium.”
@JonathanAlday7 jalday2@dailyillini.com
Notifcation of Bid Process: The Champaign County Developmental Disabilities Board and the Champaign County Mental Health Board are seeking bid proposals from academic research teams to continue or expand the “Evaluation Capacity Building” project. For details, see RFP2022-010 at www.co.champaign.il.us/bids.
The proposal should identify researchers’ qualifcations and experience, the plan to support agencies funded by the Boards in the measurement and reporting of outcomes, and annual costs and timeline associated with implementing the project. The Boards will select the proposal which offers the best value and will negotiate a twoyear contract with renewal option. The Boards reserve the right to reject any and all proposals. Proposals are due to the CCDDB/CCMHB Executive Director by no later than Noon on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.
Email stephanie@ccmhb.org and lynn@ccmhb.org
SYDNEY LAPUT THE DAILY ILLINIThe rules for attending sporting events can be inconvenient: No water bottles unless they’re clear and less than 20 ounces, and bags must be clear and no bigger than the size of a hand.
For someone with a chronic illness, these rules could even be dangerous.
Accessible medical necessities, water fountains and restrooms are critical for going out. Moreover, essential med ical supplies may not fit in a small bag.
Some of these rules make sense despite the struggles that comes with them. It’s difficult to determine if one person in a crowd of thousands is con cealing a weapon or illegal substance.
Essentially, it’s necessary to have some of these rules to keep everyone safe.
However, the line between safety and performative security is blurred when no more than a 20-ounce water bottle is allowed in the stadium.
High temperatures are not uncom mon in Illinois, especially at the begin ning of the semester. For those with chronic illnesses, heat may exacerbate medical problems.
Leaving the crowded bleachers is
not always easy. After arriving at the water fountains — or, 100 feet away from them — there can be a 15-min ute line just to refill 20 ounces of water that will last for maybe 20 minutes before the process repeats.
Or, if one prefers to buy bottled water, there is often another like just as long to purchase some.
The reasoning behind the clear, 20-ounce water bottle rule can be attributed to preventing alcohol from being smuggled in. But if somebody is that determined, the same plastic bottle can easily smuggle clear alco hol. However, plenty of alcoholic bev erages are also sold at concessions — so the reasoning for the rule may be
to make a profit.
Accessing the restroom at sporting events is also a difficult task. Illness es are unpredictable and stressful, especially when the nearest restroom requires stepping over rows of people and waiting in a long line.
If navigating through these obstacles was not already difficult, those with chronic illness are likely to experience beratement from staff for breaking the rules, even if they disclose their medi cal condition.
To help make sporting events more accessible for those with chronic ill nesses, sporting venues could create more water bottle filling stations near the stands, more accessible bathroom locations and modified rules that main tain safety while giving people easier access to their belongings — especially if it’s medical supplies.
When the safety of some is ignored, it raises concerns about the grounds the rules are made on. These rules are put in place to keep people safe, but they are putting those with chronic illnesses in harm’s way.
Megan is a freshman in Media. mhard6@dailyillini.com
With the start of the college basket ball season rapidly approaching, Illi nois hosted an on-campus media day, giving insight into the team’s prepara tions heading into the 2022–2023 season. The event began with a press confer ence with head coach Brad Underwood.
“It’s always a fun time of year to coach,” Underwood said. “This group has been unbelievable in terms of their work ethic, the new guys’ ability to grasp what we’re doing and then to back that up with really good questions and a lot of film work.”
Illinois will have multiple fresh fac es taking the court this season, but the lack of college experience among freshmen on the team, particularly at the point guard position, doesn’t scare the coaching staff.
“I think you’re always a little bit leery of young guys in the backcourt,” Underwood said. “But they’re really talented. We’ve been playing Terrence Shannon a lot on the ball. (Coleman Hawkins) shifts over and plays on the
ball based on matchups. We’re not as dominant a ball handling team as may be we’ve been in the past, but those guys are really, really good.”
Underwood placed heavy emphasis on the work ethic this group of players possesses collectively and individually.
“I loved the way Terrence Shannon has come here,” Underwood said. “He’s on a 30,000 shot (makes per) month. So, he gets up at 4:45 every morning and makes a thousand shots before we work out, it’s pretty cool.”
Building culture has been a focus of Underwood’s during his time coach ing the Illini. He has succeeded so far, managing to instill a tough, resilient mentality into the program at Illinois. The ability and willingness of his cur rent players to get on each other to work harder during practices was an area Underwood feels is beginning to grow each day.
“We’re starting to see these guys assert themselves,” Underwood said. “That’s why we win, and we’re start ing to see that.”
Underwood also discussed the recruitment side of college basketball,
Illinois men’s basketball head coach Brad Underwood watches from the sidelines of a Big Ten tournament game on March 11.
how the process has changed and what Illinois is able to offer potential players.
“I loved what (recruiting) was 20 years ago,” Underwood said, “When you could go recruit two guys in the fall and be done. You knew what your team was gonna be, and you had that class bal ance. I get it — that’s not gonna happen anymore. What I do hope is that reten tion and an understanding that we’re at a world-class, top-15 public institution for education, that means something.”
The importance of recruiting and keeping players to develop has never been more relevant with the NCAA’s addition of the transfer portal. In addi tion to bringing in top players, the pro gram aims to add players who will stick around and build chemistry with in order to win championships.
“The retention becomes a big part of what we’re doing,” Underwood said, “Because we have great fans. Because we have a tremendous practice facility. Because we have the best sprint coach in the country; because our assistant coaches are the best; because we play in the best league in the country. If you can find a greener pasture than that, good luck.”
With many new players added in the offseason, the starting lineup heading into the 2022–2023 season is still far from decided.
“I enjoy trying to figure out the next way to help us win,” Underwood said.
“It’s kind of reinventing yourself a lit tle bit in some areas. I enjoy that.”
Just over a year ago, the Literary opened its doors to anyone with an affin ity for any level of literature. Alongside books, the “bookbar” serves coffee, cocktails and wine, paired with a long list of pastries on the menu. There’s even brunch and lunch throughout the day.
A year later and The Literary is still on Neil St. in Champaign, thriving and celebrating its first birthday with the Champaign-Urbana community.
On Thursday, the combination book store, cafe and bar was buzzing with commotion as people trickled in for the celebration.
For its first year anniversary, the store set the tone with local food and themed drinks. Live jazz music from The Ben Goldman Trio complemented the fresh food, cake and coffee served by Hopscotch Bakery + Market.
Remington Rock, general manag er of The Literary, mentioned how Hopscotch Bakery was something that drew her to work at the book store. She also talked about the cel ebration for the bookbar’s one year anniversary.
“I heard about Hopscotch, and I was really excited about that collaboration,” Rock said.
The Literary stands out from other bookstores with the variety of events it offers, including book clubs, author visits, children’s story times and more. The store draws a big crowd with the events, and also offers non-literary events like movie nights.
“It just kind of seemed like a dream come true: independent local business, women owned, books, brunch and a bar,” Rock said. “It’s been everything I’ve hoped for and more.”
The Literary is set apart from other bookstores by not only the fact that it serves brunch and has a bar, but with the people who work there. Rock said she is “really proud” of The Literary’s employees.
“I’m always really proud of the staff and how knowledgeable and supportive and just so wise and smart they are,” Rock said. “They’re honestly really great at recommending and talking about books.”
Frequent visitor, Alyson Bell, talked about her own personal experience in the bookstore.
“I love the ambience of it, and I think it’s lovely that you can get a glass of wine and wander around and look at
all the amazing books that are avail able,” Bell said.“I think it’s a special place where you can have a meal, a cup of coffee or glass of wine, and sort of just wander around.”
“It just kind of seemed like a dream come true: independent local business, women owned, books (and) brunch bar.”
Remington Rock, general manager of The Literary
