MONDAY December 12, 2016
THE DAILY ILLINI
27˚ | 24˚
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Vol. 146 Issue 31
A semester of changes in University administration BY MEGAN JONES AND ANGELICA LAVITO STAFF WRITERS
The semester brought transformations in the University’s structure and administration. Here’s a timeline of the most major changes.
First dean of College of Medicine announced — Aug. 30
Dr. King Li was appointed to serve as the inaugural dean for the College of Medicine and began on Oct. 1. His main goals included starting to hire faculty for the college, ensuring accreditation applications were submitted and finishing curriculum plans. Li will earn $650,000 a year and lead the first college created by the University in 60 years. The college hopes to revolutionize the medical field by combining bioengineering with medicine.
SEMESTER
REVIEW
in
Barbara Wilson promoted to second-in-command — Sept. 13
BY JESSICA BERBEY STAFF WRITER
President Timothy Killeen promoted Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson to executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs for the UI system. She replaced former Vice President for Academic Affairs Christophe Pierre, The role was newly restructured, making Wilson chief operating officer and chief academic officer.
1. Cubs win the World Series
On Nov. 2, the Cubs made history when they won the seventh game of the 2016 World Series. They defeated the Cleveland Indians by a single run, 8-7, at the Progressive Field in Cleveland, making it their first World Series victory in 108 years. Campus bars were crowded, residency halls held watch parties and students gathered to witness a historic night. When they won, people swarmed Green Street to express their excitement and overwhelming emotions. The campus was in celebratory pandemonium, unlike anything that had ever been seen at the University before (or at least, in a very long time).
Chancellor Robert Jones starts — Sept. 27 Robert Jones took over as chancellor. On his first day, he
SEE ADMIN | 3A
2. President-elect Trump’s victory
Illinois Student Senate begins implementing constitution
On Nov. 9, campus, like the nation, awaited the results of the 2016 presidential election. After a very close race, Donald Trump proved victorious, with 306 electoral votes, as opposed to Hillary Clinton’s 232. Most of the campus community, however, did not take the news lightly. Students and teachers alike were angry and emotional at the outcome. People were genuinely scared for
LILY KATZ THE DAILY ILLINI
Students celebrate the Chicago Cubs’ victory on Nov. 3.
As the semester comes to a close, look back at key events that occurred at the University this fall
their lives, resulting in many classrooms becoming safe spaces. A protest down Green Street became a medium for voicing concerns. “A crowd of about 75 people gathered by the Alma Mater at Wright and Green streets. They began by passing a megaphone and giving messages of varying tone. Some were scared. Some were terrified. Some tried to unify the group with positive messages. But most came in solidarity with one message to share: Donald Trump is ‘not my president.’
3. Shooting on Green Street results in one death and five injuries
On Sept. 25, a fight erupted outside of an apartment party, resulting in a gun being pulled and fired, killing one, George Korchev, a non-University student, and injuring five. The suspect, Robbie Paton, an 18-year-old who was not affi liated with the University, was charged with fi rst-degree murder for Korchev’s death. There were two separate shootings that morning. The campus reacted in panic and a student, Kathryn Lawlor, witnessed the shots fired. “Our campus community is a strong one, and our thoughts are with the victims, their families and anyone else affected by this violence,” said Renee Romano, the vice chancellor for Stu-
dent Affairs.
4. Illini Republicans' president resigns
On Oct. 11, President of the Illini Republicans Chris Piper sent out an email to the members of the political club entitled “You Decide if I Step Down.” After reviewing the emails he received, Piper resigned on Oct. 12. “My ego is not big enough to hold a leadership position in an organization whose membership no longer wants me to be a part of it,” he sent out in the mass email. The controversy broke out when it was revealed that Piper had been holding club funds in a private bank account, meaning the treasurer could not access it. Matters grew worse when Piper made an official statement on the Illini Republicans’ Facebook page rebuking then-Republican presidential nominee Trump’s offensive statements, to which fellow student Republicans responded negatively. “The fact that a self-proclaimed Republican would say anything negative about the Republican nomination in an election as critical as this one is mind boggling,” Charles Dochoff, a member
SEE TOP 10 | 3A
BY GILLIAN DUNLOP STAFF WRITER
Police administrations meet to combat crime
From approving Indigenous People’s Day to the advocating for sexual assault awareness, the Illinois Student Senate made some big changes this semester. Perhaps one of the biggest changes the senate will enact next semester is the implementation of its new constitution. “The (new) constitution is pretty exciting,” said Vice President External Alex Villanueva. “We’ve worked on it for quite some time. We’ve had problems with our (current) constitution for over a decade.” The constitution, however, almost did not make it on the ballot. The senate needed about 2,500 student signatures and it came down to the last couple of days to accomplish that goal. “We banded together; we were a team,” said Vice President Inter
BY MEGAN JONES AND LILLY MASHAYEK STAFF WRITERS
Chancellor Robert Jones settled into his first official week at the University after a shooting on Green Street. A month later, there was another shooting on Green Street. Two months later, he watched his peers handle a shooting at Ohio State University. Safety is a big issue for any administrator. Jones said interviewers have stopped asking university presidents what keeps them up at night, because everyone would respond that they worry about on-campus shootings. University of Illinois Police Department Chief Jeff Christensen said he holds regular meetings about safety issues with either Jones or Associate Chancellor Mike DeLorenzo. Jones said student safety was a growing concern voiced by student groups, faculty and staff during a Senate Executive Committee meeting on Nov. 7. He said the shootings in Champaign do not raise concern with on-campus safety, but remain a concern because of their proximity to areas where many students live and spend their time. “We do have to start to thinking more intentionally and strategically about these kinds of issues when they occur near campus,”
SEE ISS | 3A
LIFE & CULTURE
The Mug Club Future of the Illini Inn remains uncertain past 2016-2017 school year PAGE 6A SPORTS
Tough Love Smith finishes first season at 3-9 PAGE 1B
DAILYILLINI, DAILYILLINISPORTS
INSIDE
Police
2A
Months after shooting: Suspect in custody, but campus still shaken DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
Opinions
4A
|
SEE CRIME | 3A
SEE SHOOTING | 3A
AUSTIN YATTONI THE DAILY ILLINI
Police cars are parked at the intersection of Green and Fourth streets after a shooting that took place in the early morning of Sept. 25. he said. “We have to remember that with a campus community of this size, we are a microcosm of the broader society and stuff happens, regardless of our best efforts.” Recently, a focus of the safety meetings has been on gun violence, Christensen said, adding that they hope to host a meet and greet with other police chiefs, the county sheriff and Jones. “The University is involved with the community coalition … a community group that was established some time ago to address community issues,” he said. “A lot of different people attend, (including) reps from the
@THEDAILYILLINI, @DI_OPINION, @DI_SPORTS |
University.” Christensen made it clear that the issues facing Champaign County are not separate from those facing the University. “The campus district isn’t immune. We have seen that from what happened at Third and Green (streets), this can spill over,” he said. “So that’s how everybody works together for the better good of the entire community.” Another effort made recently is establishing a gun task force, which represents Champaign police, Urbana police, the
When shots rang out on Green Street on Sept. 25, campus reacted quickly and the effects were long-lasting. One student walking home, Camille Baer, an Illini Media Company employee, turned around to see what looked like 70 people running and screaming. Then, the sound of six or seven gunshots filled the early Sunday morning air. “I just ducked, I just crouched into a ball,” Baer said. “Then I saw people running and I was like, ‘What am I doing? I should be running.’” The suspect in the shooting, 18-year-old Robbie Patton, turned himself in for the shooting after the police issued a warrant for his arrest. Patton’s pretrial is set for Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. Champaign Police Department Detective David Allen was called to testify about the events of the shooting, and explained what happened outside of the apartment party. “The fight started in the south side of the parking lot and ended
Crossword
5A
|
THEDAILYILLINI Life
&
Culture
6A
@THEDAILYILLINI |
Sports
1B
|
Classifieds
THEDAILYILLINI 5B
|
Sudoku
5B