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2 The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 NEWS
A health care worker handles a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in Feb. 2021.
COVID booster eligibility expands
permission
By Willie Cui News Editor
De Mejia said she emphasizes mak ing students feel welcome at the Uni versity and hopes the program will show students that they belong here.
Mitchell said she believes programs like I-MMÁS are needed to help com bat the underrepresentation of Latinos and other minority groups.
see the UI System interested in the program, but she hopes there will be more to come.
“Several faculty members, staff and students helping each other to smooth the path and to promote the retention of as many talented students as pos sible,” de Mejia said. “It’s really a net work of collaborators. We are part nering with collaborators in Mexico, with colleagues in different areas of expertise.”DeMejia said she sees the program as a team effort that has around 220 faculty and staff members actively helping. She said she wants this pro gram to enhance collaboration in all areas, including educational, cul tural, scientific, technical and social partnerships.DeMejiasaid she believes the pro gram’s most important focus is reten tion through mentoring and support ing“Throughoutstudents. the many years (stu dents) are here, we want to be a resource for them, to talk with them and to facilitate their path,” de Mejia said. “They do the job, they do the work, but it’s always nice to have a hand that understands your culture and what you mightSinceneed.”theprogram is so new, de Mejia said that no students have been recruit ed yet but that there are 15 students from universities in Mexico who are on campus as research interns at the University.BenRamirez, research associate pro fessor at University of Illinois at Chi
“What we have in mind for mentor ing, we would like to do mentoring across campus, not just focused with in departments,” Ramirez said. “We want to connect students with mentors who provide the type of mentoring they areRamirezseeking.”said he also wants to help ease the transition for new students, especially those coming from Mexico.
the classroom, and she wants I-MMÁS to help with these struggles and pro mote diversity.
By Cecilia Milmoe Features Editor
I-MMÁS, officially launched in Feb. 2021, is a University of Illinois Sys tem initiative aiming to improve the recruitment and retention of Mexi can and Mexican American students in the UI System. The program also seeks to promote collaborations between the UI System and univer sities in Mexico.
Ana Mitchell, graduate stu dent studying nutritional scienc es, served as the program director at I-MMÁS for eight months and helped get the program up and run ning. Mitchell said she is happy to
“We need to work to increase men toring and extend support to these stu dents so they feel that they belong, that this is their University as much as it is the University of the rest of the stu dents,” de Mejia said. “It’s important to know that you belong, and that this is your University.”
Collaboration connects UI, universities in Mexico
The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 3
I-MMÁS supports Mexican students, diversity
Elvira de Mejia, director of the Divi sion of Nutritional Sciences at the Uni versity and founder of I-MMÁS, said the program is a collaborative network of faculty, staff and students across the UI System and in Mexico.
“I hope that the University of Illinois system continues to heavily invest in programs like I-MMÁS but also other sort of safety net programs and pro grams that support students,” Mitch ell said. “I feel that providing access and opportunity is the first step, but ensuring that students have support once they get here is also important, if not more important.”
De Mejia said she has seen firsthand that Mexican and Mexican American students struggle more than others in
cago, serves as the leader of mentoring and support at I-MMÁS. Ramirez said he wants to focus on removing depart ment barriers around mentoring.
cecilia@dailyillini.com
While 18% of Illinois residents iden tify as Hispanic or Latino, they only make up 11.2% of the University’s stu dent body. The Mexican and Mexican American Students System Initiative, or I-MMÁS, seeks to change this.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SYSTEM I-MMÁS
An I-MMÁS program student celebrates at the 2019 Commencement ceremony, during early development of the program.
“I want to see my classroom with more diversity, with more represen tation from all groups,” de Mejia said.
Ethnic Pride” from Sept. 24 through Dec. 1. A quinceañera is a traditional 15th birthday party for Hispanic girls.
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4 The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9/15 9/20 10/2 10/16 10/27 11/11 RAGS AND FALLNIGHTRAINRICHESTHROUGHAPRIL w/HAZEN MAC HEREAUTOGRAFSATURNCOMETHE MUMMIES LISTEN TO WPGU TO FIND OUT HOW TO WIN FREE TICKETS! 2022FALL Sign up for our newsletter dailyillini.com/sportsnewsletterat ARE YOU AN SPORTSILLINIFAN?
A popular event that takes place in Mexico City, the country’s capi tal, is “El Grito,” or “The Shout.” This event happens on the night of Sept. 15 at 11 p.m. when the president recites Father Hidalgo’s independence cry
One way to enjoy and immerse your self in the culture this month on cam pus is to visit the Spurlock Museum, which will be holding an exhibit called “Quinceañeras: Celebration, Joy and
Hispanic Heritage Month begins on Sept. 15 for a reason. It is the day of independence for Costa Rica, Nicara gua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Sal vador. Similar to the Fourth of July in the U.S., these five Central American countries celebrate with parades in the streets and lively parties.
Exploring the history of Hispanic Heritage Month
For those who aren’t Hispanic, this information might just come off as trivia knowledge, but for many, it is their lives.
The next day, Sept. 16, is Mexico’s Independence Day, which is not to be confused with Cinco de Mayo.
Mexico’s celebrations are similar to celebrations in other Latin American countries, as well as in the U.S.
Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, as of fall 2020, 11.2% of the University’s stu dent body is Hispanic.
ANGIE ORDONEZ THE DAILY ILLINI
Sept. 15 marks the start of Nation al Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S., a month-long event which rec ognizes and celebrates Hispanic cul ture and traditions. While many may be familiar with parts of Hispanic culture such as the food or music, it runs much deeper. Hispanic culture can come in many forms and medi ums because no Hispanic country is the same.
By Azucena Gama Night Editor
and rings the same bell he rang to pro claim their freedom in 1810. Father Hidalgo is known as “the Father of Mexican Independence.” This event draws thousands of attendees every year.
Every year on Sept. 9, the people of Guatemala light the “Independence Torch,” a physical torch that is car ried through the five countries for the next five days; then, on Sept. 14, on the eve of Costa Rica’s Independence Day festivities, the torch arrives.
A Hispanic person is someone who is descended from a Spanish-speak ing country, including Spain as well as most of Latin America, excluding Brazil. There are 21 Spanish speak ing countries that are celebrated dur ing this Accordingmonth.tothe
Sept. 11, 1973, was the date of a nefar ious coup in Chile that replaced its dem ocratically-elected socialist president, Salvador Allende, with the vile Augus to APinochet.defining moment in the history of covert Cold War action, the coup was sponsored by the Nixon administra tion. In fact, it was in the works before Allende was even sworn in.
Hope remains for Chileans despite vote
In any case, the circumstances grant Allende’s final public pronouncement, made just before his death on Sept. 11, 1973, a chilling timbre: “The seeds we planted in the noble consciousness of thousands of Chileans can never be prevented from bearing fruit … Much sooner than later, the great avenues towards a new society will open again, and the march along that road will continue.”Allende’s defiance was prescient. Now, just shy of 50 years later, Chileans have taken another step on their march toward an equal, pluralistic democracy. It’s a struggle that ought to rouse soli darity everywhere.
Progressives and leftists can still fight to drastically improve Chile’s abysmal levels of spending on pub lic services and advocate for some or many of the originally proposed rights. They will have to find a way to narrow the charter’s scope to ensure its pas sage without compromising too willing ly — a tact required of all progressive governments facing reaction.
PHOTO COURTESY BIBLIOTECA DEL CONGRESO NACIONAL/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Chilean President Salvador Allende (center) speaks to journalist José María Navasal in 1972. The socialist leader was ousted in a 1973 military coup and replaced by Augusto Pinochet, one of the most brutal dictators in Cold War Latin America.
In 1970, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger sent teams of hired killers — “death squads” — into Chile, one of whose victims was General René Schneider. His crime was opposing the notion of a military coup; his pun ishment made clear America’s lethal aversion to socialism in the Western hemisphere.Threeyears later, one of the most brutal dictatorships in Cold War Latin America and the world took hold. The United States’ influence on the newlyreactionary Chilean police state did not cease at inception. Instead, it ran all the way to 1980 when Pinochet’s constitution was finalized through the “Chicago Boys.”
It’s worth considering that passing a comparable but narrower constitu tion could benefit the Boric adminis tration in the long run; a government that delivers something tends to beat an incompetent one with grander promises.Atthesame
That document remained in place until 2020, decades after Pinochet left office. In a historic referendum spear headed by President Gabriel Boric, over 78% of Chileans voted for a rewrite. It’s encouraging to think that this time around, Chileans can weigh the grave memory of their Sept. 11 against a mea sure of progress toward healing.
The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 5
The no-vote is certainly a disappoint ing setback for anyone who values the litany of rights — human, animal and natural — that the constitution would have assured, and the legislature will have to go back to the drawing board. If they’re lucky, progressives will have another chance to propose a replacement for the Pinochet consti
Eddie is a senior in ecryan2@dailyillini.comLAS.
EDDIE RYAN SENIOR COLUMNIST
time, the bold vision of Chilean leftists sends a message to comrades elsewhere. Namely, demand
For one, the draft is very ambitious. Leftists used their majority in Chile’s legislature to propose a vast array of progressive measures, from legal abor tion to universal health care to climate
This group of University of Chicagotrained Chilean economists who were students of Milton Friedman helped produce the harsh constitution, which gave Chile one of the weakest social safety nets in the world and under pinned the Pinochet terror regime.
more than you can plausibly expect to get. American progressives have demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach in recent years. For all the ridicule heaped on the Green New Deal, it’s hard to imagine the Democrats’ recent spending package without the leftward pressure progressives have exerted on Biden since his campaign.
tution. In the worst-case scenario, con servatives renege and insist that the old document be kept as law of the land. Nevertheless, these circumstances offer hope and a few key lessons to Chil eans seeking to revitalize their democ racy. The results of the 2020 referen dum still stand: Chileans wish to banish the ghost of Pinochet once and for all.
protection. Indigenous groups, which account for around 13% of Chile’s pop ulation, would have gained more rights and gender parity in government would have become mandatory. Overall, the charter would have enshrined more rights than any in the world if ratified. These provisions would excite left wingers in Norway or Denmark. On paper, the draft seems like a wishlist for progressive legislators worldwide. Passing it in Chile, a country condi tioned to conservatism and then meek centrism for decades, was perhaps too much to What’sexpect.more, some Chileans were evidently turned off by the conduct and demeanor of a few individual legisla tors. Such disturbances of image can tank initiatives as fragile as this one.
Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, progress travels slower than idealism.
On Sept. 4, a solid majority of Chileans voted against the newly proposed and very left-wing charter.
Even though many major outlets exaggerated the extent of this defeat, the vote wasn’t close. There seem to be several clear reasons for this result.
Michelle Patiño-Flores, gradu ate student studying anthropology, researches and collaborates with Cuban artists based in Havana and the Diaspora. She also has an inter est in food Patiño-Floresculture.said when she was an undergraduate at the University, she went through a lot emotionally dur ing her senior year. She began cook ing more for herself to cope with the anxiety that came with graduation and life after college.
“I think that’s what I prefer to call it, ‘food writing,’ where we have peo ple in our audience send in recipes and stories about their recipes — things like that,” Patiño-Flores said. “Then, we published that, we have that as another content that we can share with each other.”
have now, but I see so many kinds of food (everyone) has to offer,” he said.
“It feels great to be able to repre sent a different part of our Mexican culture through the cuisine we offer at our restaurant,” Avila said. “Mex ico is amazing, and there’s a variety of dishes from our culture that this community is not familiar with, so bringing in a little more of that here has been one of our goals from the beginning. It’s also just special that we get to not only celebrate our cul ture in this community, but also help educate others through our food.”
Hispanic Heritage Month has rolled around again, spotlighting everything from cultural traditions, organiza tions, ideas and more. Food has its own spot within Hispanic communi ties, making significant contributions in places like Champaign-Urbana.
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The dining area of La Bahía Grill, located on Church Street in Champaign, displays colorful decorations that brighten the restaurant.
Michelle Patiño-Flores, graduate student studying Anthropology
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGALY AVILA
6 The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Restaurants bring Hispanic authenticity to C-U
By Kylie Corral Assistant buzz Editor
“I didn’t really think of them as recipes, just meals that my grand ma cooked while I was growing up,” she said. “So I would call them (my mom and grandma) super frequently, and it became more than a little hobby because I became interested in how my grandma would describe certain things ... and it’s like, ‘What do you mean a little bit?’ and she’d be like, ‘You’ll just know when it’s right.’”
“There are big companies that have a lot of budget money for support, but it’s really hard for us.”
“Food is essential ... it can be a source of reconnecting with your identity or your family history.”
your own character and connecting to your loved ones. So in that sense, it’sEriccrucial.”Leonor, owner of Fernando’s food truck in C-U, said he decided to open the food truck after working in restaurants in the C-U community.
Magaly Avila and Leonel Carmo na are the owners of La Bahía Grill. Avila said she’s happy with all the support she’s received from the His panic and non-Hispanic communi ties in C-U.
She said her favorite thing about C-U is that its restaurant community is just as diverse as the people who live here, meaning there is always great food from different parts of the“Iworld.think there are a lot of people in search of different and authentic Mexican food, and I’m glad we can provide that to our community,” Avila said. “This whole process has been a learning experience since this is our first and only restaurant. So, there are many challenges that come with that, but we have found great people in the community that want to see us succeed and have guided us as we navigate through this new journey.”
For Leonor, Fernando’s is a restau rant that tries to offer authentic His panic food to people in C-U, adding that they strive to do the best for cus tomers from everywhere.
She said having Hispanic food rep resented in C-U is significant because when people value food from other cultures, those who cultivate that cul ture are valued, too. She believes His panic restaurants are doing impor tant work, helping create comfortable and welcoming communities.
“First of all, we do try to offer some thing authentic because many people
When she started studying anthro pology after getting her linguistics degree as an undergraduate, PatiñoFlores said she found it interesting how people described their world in different ways. That’s what led her to collect what she calls “food writing.”
“I think food or culture is such an interesting word,” Patiño-Flores said. “Food is essential — it’s what keeps people alive on a very basic level. So, I think that it can be a source of reconnecting with your identity or your family history, and that’s really powerful for self-esteem, for building
expect really high-quality Mexican food, and it’s not easy to find,” he said. “I can tell you my food is one of the greatest for many people. I’m try ing to do my best and offer everyone something they can enjoy with their family.”Headded that C-U is a beautiful community for him and his busi ness because of all the diversity it contains.“Allthe diversity of food, restau rants and cultures — I love any kind of food, and I’m not sure how many we
Mauricio Contreras, owner of La Mixteca, has been in C-U since mov ing from Indiana five years ago. He said La Mixteca focuses on mak ing authentic Hispanic dishes from scratch.“Wefollow my recipes from my farm and from my grandma, and we are trying to make everything from scratch,” Contreras said. “So that’s the reason our food takes more time than other Contrerasplaces.”saidthere can be a lot of competition among restaurants in Champaign-Urbana, with the Uni versity campus being so close. He urged people to support locally-owned restaurants.“Weasked the people to support more local business instead of big chains or big corporations,” he said.
Merriam-Webster defines “Hispan ic” as “relating to, or being a person of Latin American descent and espe cially of Cuban, Mexican or Puerto Rican origin living in the U.S.” What the dictionary doesn’t convey, though, is the deep-rooted internal conflict the term “Hispanic” invokes within Latin American populations that reside in the U.S.
Though it took a few years to catch on, “Hispanic” was soon popularized
by the census and the media. How ever, many still choose not to use the term. A Pew Research Center study found that 47% of Latin Americans or people of Latin American descent while living in the U.S. choose to describe themselves by their coun try of origin, 39% choose to use His panic/Latino and 14% describe them selves as American.
There’s more to the word ‘Hispanic’
that also refers to Spanish culture and tradition due to colonial roots, despite speaking Spanish, which is a result of colonization. Furthermore, assuming that every country in Latin America speaks Spanish erases the long-standing history and cultures of Latin America before its colonization.
opinions@dailyillini.com
experiences and identities under “Hispanic.”However,we are not here to tell you what terms you should and should not use — this is for informative purpos es. If you would like to learn more about Latin American cultural iden tities from qualified experts, visit La Casa Cultural Latina or refer to the Department of Latina/Latino Studies for more Celebrateinformation.thesecultural differenc es. Support Latin American-owned businesses, check out local dance group performances and attend other cultural events. We all become stron ger as a community through accep tance and understanding of each oth er. Our diversity is large and vast. If you don’t recognize the nuances of your community members, do you really know the community?
OPINIONS
The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 7
EDITORIAL
By The Daily Illini Editorial Board
Labeling all Spanish speakers under “Hispanic” ignores the separate cultural identities that unify these countries and erases the dif ferences that make every culture unique.This brings into question why umbrella-like labels are thought of as necessary to categorize a wide range of people that don’t even want to be labeled as such in the first place. Latin American populations are incredibly diverse and all have com plex roots that are entwined in each other, so it’s understandable that not everyone would want to label their
SEBASTIAN HOLT THE DAILY ILLINI
Before 1980, anyone of Latin Amer ican origin was considered either Spanish-speaking, of Spanish origin or white on the census. “Hispanic” was first used on census forms in 1980 after years of lobbying by Lat in American activist groups to use a more-inclusive term in order to group Latin American populations under one label for political unity.
So why do so many individuals choose not to be labeled as Hispanic? The answer lies in the roots of Span ish colonialism in Latin America.
“Hispanic” only includes Spanishspeaking countries in Latin Ameri ca and Spain, so the label excludes non-Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America such as Brazil. The term also excludes communities with in these countries that speak indig enousManylanguages.populations choose to not be connected to or labeled by a term
“Right now, we’re working on seeing if we can negotiate a little more money for that because the student govern ment had allo cated a bunch of money, but then when the new student govern ment came in that old allocation expired.”Students who are interested in uti lizing the Immigration Law Clinic’s service can call the clinic at 217-2449494 or send a message to the clin ic’s email: turalwithoutsaid.throughmuchtiessustained,portorativeDACApastedu/apply/undocumentededuDACAandDACAersity,associateGiocondalaw-clinics@illinois.edu.GuerraPérez,executivevicechancellorforDiversharedthatstudentsandothindividualscanlearnmoreaboutdevelopments,resourcesUniversityinitiativesrelatedtobycheckingtheopen.illinois.website,theadmissions.illinois.websiteandMassmailsaswellasattendingbriefingsoncampus.Pérezalsohighlightedthecollabeffortittakestoensuresupforundocumentedstudentsisreferencingdifferententioncampuswhohavecontributedoftheirtimeandenergy.“Thesupportforstudentsisaholisticapproach,”Pérez“WewillnotbeabletodothisthesupportofLaCasaCulLatina,withoutthesupportof
To qualify for DACA, individu als must have entered the country before June 15, 2007 and before they turned 16, have five years of contin uous presence since arrival, have graduated high school or been hon orably dismissed from the military, been under 31 years of age when applying and have a relatively clean criminal record that is free of a DUI.
8 The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022
When Lauren Aronson, professor in Law, first joined the University in the fall of 2019, she helped start the Immigration Law Clinic on campus, which is an initiative geared toward providing law students the oppor tunity to gain real-life experience through engaging in different cases.
“I think that there are probably more changes that we want to see,” Pérez said. “We want to continue to see what else we can do in the state of Illinois to be very welcoming and to see how our institution can con tinue to be very welcoming.”
“I would certainly hope that on an issue like this — it’s something that could sort of bust through the party lines.”
By JP Legarte Investigative News & Longform Editor
tion spectrum might be.
When reflecting on the future of DACA, Aronson again highlighted the uncertainty with DACA within the political realm due to the rela tionship between both parties.
Aronson emphasized that DACA should not be used as a bargaining chip within party negotiations or prerogatives and instead should be seen as a separate issue away from party lines.
more than that — of dollars to our social security system and to our tax system and are really getting zero benefit from that currently, which is, I’m sure for them, very frustrat ing,” Aronson said.
As she looked to the future, Pérez expressed the desire for more prog ress and change on both the institu tional and state level.
immigration opinion and without the support of the other cultural cen ters … You will see that it’s several units working together to provide theInresources.”addition,the open.illinois.edu website details a fall 2022 Ally Training session that will take place Friday from 1 – 4 p.m. in the iSchool Multipurpose Rooms on the fourth floor of 614 E. Daniel St. Reg istration is through go.illinois.edu/ UndocuAlly.Whenconsidering the makeup of undocumented students, Pérez warned of the danger of stereotyp ing certain groups as undocumented.
jlegar4@dailyillini.com
“At that time, lots of people obvi ously signed on for it,” Aronson said. “All that DACA gives you is deferred action, which is not a sta tus, so you’re not in legal status when you have DACA. All you have is sort of a pseudo guarantee — which I say pseudo because everything is a little nebulous — that the government will not remove you from the country.”
Future of DACA prompts uncertainty
litigation in the Fifth Circuit that will likely move up to the Supreme Court, which basical ly is trying to eliminate DACA com pletely,” Aronson said. “It’s expect ed to create a circuit split, which is why the Supreme Court will need to make a decision about it.”
Aronson clarified that the gov ernment will not deport DACA indi viduals for two years so that dur ing this deferred action, they would have opportunities to apply for work authorization. Authorization can lead to legal work, the ability to support family and an official social secu rity“So,number.thesepeople who have DACA are contributing millions — probably
Lauren Aronson, professor in Law
The Immigration Law Clinic and other entities on campus provide services to undocumented students and community members and par ticipants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) as the program faces uncertainty in the politicalAronsonrealm.provided an overview of how DACA policy has shifted ever since its inception in 2012 by the Obama Administration — a history that started with the desire to pro vide more opportunities to undocu mented individuals.
Aronson acknowledges that the heavy conservative lean of the Supreme Court may be an obsta cle regarding the future of DACA, but the bipartisan support might still be an important factor for consideration.“However,again, DACA is very well supported by the public and does go across party lines,” Aronson said. “Even maybe this very conserva tive Supreme Court could come out in favor of DACA. It’s theoretically possible.”Whenit comes to the services that the Immigration Law Clinic pro vides, Aronson said while not every thing connects to DACA, students are able to gain a broad view of what the immigration process looks like and what work across the immigra
“I would certainly hope that on an issue like this — it’s something that could sort of bust through the par ty lines or the conservative versus liberal or whatever, so that’s what I would hope for as the future of DACA,” Aronson said. “It’s gray. It’s not black and white.”
Immigration Law Clinic director discusses policy status, provides University resources
“It’s also part of the reason that we have seen more bipartisan sup port for DACA,” Aronson said. “Even people who may not be the most proimmigration recognize the contri bution that these young people are making.”However, Aronson said that despite bipartisan support, DACA still fac es challenges as people continue to fight for DACA and what it has accomplished.Accordingto the latest develop ment listed AppealsCircuitJulycationstialcessingisgrationshipStatesedu,open.illinois.intheUnitedCitizenandImmiServicesstillnotproanyiniDACAappliduetothe2021FifthCourtofdecision.“There’ssome
Beyond the immigration process, the Immigration Law Clinic also offers the service of renewing for DACA without requiring any fees to be paid other than ones already required by the government, such as the required $495 to renew the actual“Historically,DACA. there have been funding sources for (University) students who are applying to renew their DACA so that they don’t have to pay that $495 fee,” Aronson said.
“I think that DACA is viewed as kind of a bargaining chip,” Aronson said. “Perhaps neither (party) wants to say, ‘OK, yeah. Let’s just do DACA — flat out do it.’ I think it’s like, ‘Well, let’s do DACA, but let’s also increase border security,’ or ‘Let’s do DACA, but let’s also make it easier for other immigrants to stay in the country.’”
Aronson also mentioned that this level of contribution from people who have DACA has affected the entire American political spectrum.
“We always have several clients who are completely without autho rization,” Aronson said. “We have clients who are in the middle of applying to change their lawful immigration status, and then we often have clients who are lawful permanent residents applying to be naturalized citizens.”
“It’s important that we recognize that it’s not just Hispanics or Lati nos who are undocumented or DACA mented,” Pérez said. “(There are) students from all over the world that we are excited and happy to welcome because they are so brilliant.”
SEBASTIAN HOLT THE DAILY ILLINI The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9
Now that COVID-19 party restric tions have been lifted, Guidorizzi has noticed Kappa Sigma and other Greek organizations’ parties are returning to how they were before the pandemic. Guidorizzi credits the rise in partying to students making up for lost time.
to normal, Hannah Lonergan, soph omore in Media, said she is weary.
Lipkin said that last year, her friends mainly hung out in the dorms due to the high numbers of COV ID-19 cases and strict regulations. This year, however, Lipkin said things are more lenient.
“It’s almost like breaking free,” Lipkin said.
Party scene re-emerges despite COVID surge
“We were allowed back on campus but with very strict restrictions and pretty much fully virtual classes,” Guidorizzi said. “We had to do a lot of readjusting and replanning our strategy.”Guidorizzi
Kubik said she hopes others will follow similar protocols when they fall ill or have been exposed, as they accept the possibility of contracting COVID-19 when they go out.
the number of posi tive cases might increase, but she expects the parties will still con tinue as more people wish to go out and to have fun.
“As soon as I’m exposed, if I feel sick, I isolate myself and get test ed,” Kubik said. “I feel like that’s just what people just seem to do, youLipkinknow?”said
Corinne Lipkin, sophomore in LAS, said she also noticed the dras tic change in the party atmosphere compared to the previous year.
Lonergan said while some peo ple may refrain from going out due to the recent increase in cases, she expects the party scene will increase due to some people simply not caring and wanting to have a good time.
“I think people are still going out,” Lonergan said. “I feel like they don’t really care too much about COV ID-19, especially the upperclass men who have already experienced the virtual year, so they’re kind of overDespiteit.” the increase in cases, Kubik said she does not notice many people wearing masks.
“You have this backlog of people that feel like they’ve missed out on that college opportunity, and they’re trying to make up for it,” Guidorizzi said.Although parties are going back
By Ashleigh Kendrick Staff Writer
“We’ve felt like it’s been more OK to go out,” Lipkin said.
also said that due to the restrictions surrounding not only parties, but also small social gath erings, Kappa Sigma did not host any social events that would violate restrictions and instead opted to welcome new members virtually.
akend2@dalyillini.com
“You have this backlog of people that feel like they’ve missed out on the college opportunity.”
As many begin their third full school year marred by COVID-19, students flock to parties to make up for lost time caused by the pandemic.
Riccelo Guidorizzi, senior in Engineering
With mask mandates and par ty restrictions nearly gone, Emily Kubik, sophomore in LAS and selfdescribed frequent partygoer, said she noticed an increase in parties.
Riccelo Guidorizzi, senior in Engi neering and a member of Kappa Sig ma fraternity, said his fraternity refrained from throwing parties his sophomore year due to COVID-19. Guidorizzi recalls going back home at the beginning of the pandemic only to return to strict rules sur rounding social gatherings.
Kubik and Lipkin both recently tested positive for COVID-19 and were in quarantine. Kubik explained how she began to feel sick and stayed in until her results came back. Once she knew she was positive, she alert ed all her friends and the people she had recently had contact with.
SEBASTIAN HOLT THE DAILY ILLINI
“I feel like there wasn’t that much open because of the pandemic the year before,” Kubik said. “This year, I feel like so many more people are going out because, you know, there are no mask mandates.”
10 The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 LIFE & CULTURE
From there, the two decided to start the Illinois Flamenco-Jazz Collec tive in the spring of 2020, with Tei jeiro-Ficht as the dance director and Stark as the music director. The group aimed to combine flamenco dance and music with the hope of performing in venues across campus and the C-U community. Soon afterward, the duo applied for a global intersections grant through the University’s Center for Global Studies.
out from like 12 people to maybe four or five at the tops ever since then, so COVID-19 really put a stop to a lot of momentum that we had.”
“One thing that I think is really cool about the way that dance integrates into the music is that it’s almost like a percussion instrument,” he said. “It’s cool to see the way the footwork really punctuates the music and brings out that percussive element that isn’t just there with the guitar and the vocals.”
Teijeiro-Ficht elaborated on her family’s Spanish heritage, saying her grandfather was born in Spain, which is where she was trained in the style of flamenco. She said her work with the collective is a reflection of her love for flamenco and her desire to spread her family’s culture “in a place where it’s not very well known or even heard of or
Due to its 2020 start-up, COVID-19 was a major challenge for the collec tive, especially since quarantine hit early on in the group’s development, leading to multiple canceled perfor mances and a decrease in the number of“Weparticipants.weredoing workshops every week that the community was invit ed to join and either participate in the music or the dance ensemble,” Stark said. “That whole thing kind of fizzled
“Flamencocelebrated.”is something that is very, very passionate,” Teijeiro-Ficht said. “I think having that and having peo ple see something from Spain is super important so that people who identify with that culture feel represented in thisThecommunity.”IllinoisFlamenco-Jazz Collec tive is scheduled to perform at Cham paign-Urbana’s Folk and Roots festival in October. For the show, the group will have about five musicians and three dancers, which the duo said they’re looking forward to.
“I’m from Chicago, so I will be going back home or going somewhere else after I graduate,” she said. “But I do plan on trying to recruit other under classmen who could keep it going, so I’m not necessarily letting the dance aspect of it die after I leave, and (I’m) trying to get other people involved for sure.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAROL INSKEEP
“Last year,” Stark said, “We only had a 30-minute set just because the music is so hard to learn that by the time the Folk and Roots came around, we had like seven songs ready, but it was only about 30 minutes of music. But this year, we’re actually planning on tak ing up a whole hour, which I’m look ing forward to.”
Flamenco is folk music that origi nates from southern Spain. It incor porates cante (song), baile (dance) and toque (the art of guitar playing) to cre ate a vigorous, rhythmic style of music.
As Teijeiro-Ficht prepares to graduate in the spring, she said she’s hoping to recruit other students to carry on the collective’s dance aspect.
Dancers participate at the 2021 Urbana Flamenco-Jazz Reunion featuring the Illinois Flamenco-Jazz Collective and students from the University’s Jazz Performance program.
Stark said the collective infuses the traditional flamenco style of music with jazz inspirations, taking a step back from the traditional guitar-heavy melo dies in favor of nontraditional elements like saxophones, flutes and violins.
The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 11
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“Having the flamenco group ... is a good thing for people that hear the word ‘Spanish’ and think ‘Mexico,’ because obviously, those are two very different things.”
Alyssa Teijeiro-Ficht, dance director of Illinois Flamenco-Jazz Collective
Despite these challenges, TeijeiroFicht said the collective has been suc cessful in its effort to spread cultural awareness and representation in Cham paign-Urbana. She further explained the significance of sharing the art of flamenco with the local community.
“Having the flamenco group — which represents Spain and all of everything that Spain has to offer — is a good les son for people that hear the word ‘Span ish’ and think ‘Mexico,’ because obvi ously, those are two very different things,” Teijeiro-Ficht said.
“The idea of the intersection was we were going to specifically explore Spanish music with American jazz mixed together,” Stark said.
Teijeiro-Ficht is a senior in Edu cation at the University, while Stark teaches at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Using their different back grounds to their advantage, the duo said they look to both the local com munity and University students to fill the collective’s ranks of dancers and musicians.“Oneofmy favorite parts about our collective is that it’s a really good mix — Brian’s mainly drawing from the community, and I’m mainly drawing from students,” Teijeiro-Ficht said. “So when we perform as a collective, there’s a pretty good balance of mem bers and where they’re coming from.”
By Sydney Wood buzz Editor
C-U collective fuses flamenco with jazz
For Alyssa Teijeiro-Ficht and Brian Stark of the Illinois Flamenco-Jazz Col lective, flamenco is an underappreciat ed art form, especially in a community likeTheChampaign-Urbana.duometin2019at a flamenco concert through a mutual friend. While Teijeiro-Ficht was trained in the style of flamenco dance, Stark was interest ed in learning more about the musical aspect of the art form.
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Los Angeles Sunday Crossword Sudoku
128 River in Tuscany 129 Before, in ballads Changed into 131 Battery terminal 132 “Oh, shoot” 133 Leb. neighbor 134 “... if you know what’s good for you!” Repairs Hudson Riv. crossing tunaSushi-grade Official flower of two Southern states __ grease Rules gameSchoolyard river Margaret Atwood’s “__ Grace” Nightly show with admissionfree Beats by a whisker “Catch my drift?” Really bug Golfer Ochoa Winning steadily Some lawyersgovt. Dolly the sheep, sitting all by herself? Climb aboard Nasty anagram Yule tune “Road to Perdition” role Lets loose marker Almost unique clown“Pagliacci” Audre Lorde and Lord Byron, e.g. NHL Bobbygreat Ink mishap Like most of the world’s people Make full Colorful timber tree Places
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12 The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 PUZZLES
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9/11/22 ©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ANSWERTOTODAY’SPUZZLE 9/11/22 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org/uk Answers to this week’s puzzles
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Wrestling: Maximo Renteria, sophomore
NCAA research shows that only 6% of college athletes are Hispanic and Latinx, despite making up 21.7% of U.S. undergraduates in 2019 and 19% of the U.S. population. With such few His panic student-athletes seeing this level of competition, it’s important to recog nize their impact and dedication to Illi nois Athletics, providing fans with role models in a competitive environment. Here are just a few Hispanic studentathletes to watch for in their respec tive seasons.
Hispanic student-athletes lead Illini in 2022
Graduate of Joliet Catholic, Vera was one of the most sought-after recruits out of Illinois. After a short ened freshman season, he exploded out of the bullpen in year two. He appeared in 12 games in the 2021 season, earning a 3.94 ERA (16.0 IP, 7 ER), 7 BB and 12 SO.
So ball: Gabi Robles, senior
By Jonathan Alday Assistant Sports Editor
Basketball: RJ Meléndez, sophomore
@JonathanAlday7
Baseball: Alex Vera, junior
what could potentially be her final season in Champaign.
THE DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO
Native of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Meléndez made an important impact, helping Illinois become Big Ten cochamps and make a second round appearance in the NCAA tourna ment. He played in 22 games on the season, averaging 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds. With a completely differ ent team this upcoming season, head coach Brad Underwood has already made it clear Meléndez remains in his plans for the season.
A former three-time California State Champion, Renteria has the potential to shine. Although not com peting in any dual meets during his freshman season, he competed in vari ous tournaments for Illinois and held his own. Although he’s currently com peting with redshirt junior Justin Car dani, who was an NCAA qualifier, for the 125 start, head coach Mike Poeta told FloWrestling that Reteria has the potential to become a star at Illinois.
So ball: Gallardo,Mirandasenior
Sophomore guard RJ Melendez played in 22 games last season, averaging 3.8 points and 1.7 rebounds.
Illinois’ running go-to, Gallardo appeared in 25 games during her junior season, stealing two bases and scoring six runs in crucial moments for the Illini. Throughout her career, Gallardo has held a 0.939 fielding per centage, granting head coach Tyra Perry another viable option during long Illinois softball seasons.
The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 13 STREAMINGANYTIME.ANYWHERE,ILLINOISONNOWTHEAPP! APPEARING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 AT THE CANOPY CLUB WITH MODERN DRUGS + WORRY MISTERWIVESCLUB THISISPYGMALION.COM/TICKETS
Heading into her fourth year with Illinois, Robles has been instrumen tal for her team. Appearing in over 40 games in her last two seasons, she tallied 11 runs, eight hits and five stolen bases in her junior campaign in 2022. She also held a .938 fielding percentage with 28 putouts and two assists. An increased role is to be expected of the Minooka native in
“We’ve had a very close relation ship with the Morrill Engineering Pro gram in the College of Engineering, and through them, they’ve been a real ly great vessel to the larger college of engineering,” Marquez said. “They really have been kind of champions for us and kind of speaking out for us, putting us in those positions where we can vote for ourselves.”
The NAHJ helps support aspir ing Hispanic journalists, Murillo explained.“Alotof the time, we try to pro vide them with internship opportuni ties and mentorship opportunities,” Murillo said. “We’re just trying to equip Latin and Hispanic journalists within the department and help them feel empowered and equip them with knowledge on workshops.”
“Forheard.example, I’m a Latina studying journalism, and I definitely want to go into Spanish-speaking journalism,” Murillo said. “A lot of times, that can be kind of hard … sometimes, there’ve been students who have expressed that they don’t feel supported within the department.”Marquezsaid that SHPE helps in
Nathalie Murillo, senior in Media and president of the National Asso ciation of Hispanic Journalists at the University, said being a part of the RSO has helped grow her profession al “I’vecareer.gotten into contact with a lot of alumni who are within the journalism department,” Murillo said. “Through that I, got a scholarship through the College of Media ... I also got another scholarship through the National Asso ciation of Journalists. I went to their conference … and that really helped me establish networking connections.”
Marquez said that Hispanic com munity is what attracted her to the University.“It’sreally like a family that you get here on campus,” Marquez said. “And for a lot of people, the Hispanic community on campus is their main source of support, and for many it’s the reason that they’re doing well in college or that they even stayed in college.”Murillo is also a staff member at La Casa Cultural Latina where she continues to work in helping students feel
lillakb2@dailyillini.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIELA MARQUEZ
“There’sheard. so much power in feeling understood,” Murillo said. “When I see students come in, a lot of the time I see their faces brighten up. So when they come in and we’re talking in Spanish, it’s like you feel a sense of community
“It’s kind of just making our pres ence heard, not only to the commu nity but also to the administration,” Marquez said.
and a sense of belonging.”
Marquez said that it would be appre ciated if the University recognized them because it’s a lot of effort.
14 The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022
The University’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers chapter attend the SHPE National Convention in Orlando in November 2021.
Daniela Marquez, senior in Engi neering and president of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, said the RSO helps with academic, per sonal, social and professional devel opment that college students might be looking “Overall,for.it’s just a community that really does kind of provide all those areas of development that you would need to become successful coming out of college,” Marquez said.
Murillo said that the College of Media has helped in giving her a schol arship and La Casa has helped with networking and building connections withAccordingalumni.to Murillo, there are not a lot of women in the journalism depart ment, so it can be difficult to have your voice
The University has a variety of RSOs on campus that help Hispanic students in their respective fields.
providing Hispanic students a “step ping stone that (they) don’t normally have in (their) communities.”
By Lilli Bresnahan Assistant News Editor
“Speaking personally, I had a really hard time transitioning in engineering because I was a first-generation Amer ican college student, so I had real ly no idea what I was getting myself into,” Marquez said. “And obviously, (the University) is a good engineering school, so I felt kind of a huge sense of imposter syndrome … SHPE helped me find my place in Engineering and made me feel valued as an engineer, and I think that does that for a lot of people.”Aspresident, Marquez has been try ing to “bridge the gap” between the RSO and Grainger.
‘Like a family’: Hispanic RSOs build community
“Bringingdestination.theseamazing public art pieces together ... will be very impact ful for years to come,” Skotnes said.
“With public art, we make an invest ment and sit back and watch it take on a life of its own,” Garrison said. “Campustown is a creative cluster of energy, youth and potential. We want to celebrate this and hopefully help it continue to flourish for the next generation.”
“It emphasizes the underlying move ment,” Sarfati said. “The DNA spiral is one way that you can keep the view ers engaged all the way to the top, and then they’ll want to view it all the way backHoarddown.”said the mural signals the soul of the Campustown community, just as the word Alma does, meaning “soul” in Latin.
Boneyard Area Mural
By Yuzhu Liu Assistant Features Editor
Hoard introduced the two mural ists who completed the painting: Ryan “Yanoe” Sarfati and Eric “Zoueh” Skotnes. Hoard said when people take a closer look, they will marvel at the incredible details which were all done bySarfatihand. and Skotnes said the 160-foot mural was their tallest piece of work. To fit the elongated wall, the artists designed the mural on a DNA strand. The helix wraps in the drapery at the bottom, travels through the florals and Alma’s shoulders and waves into the violet cloudscape.
“We have high rises and parking podiums that are commercially suc cessful, but they need to have a soul,” Garrison said. “Imagine Green Street and the Boneyard with dozens of high-
Garrison added that the public art will show the University to visitors as a dynamic community and change their first impression of the campus and attract more potential students.
!nitiative plans more artwork within the year
When first visiting the University a year ago, Hoard said it wasn’t long before he recognized the institute’s superior academic accomplishments. However, he said he couldn’t find the same innovation and energy in the mostly brown streets on campus.
Hoard, BAM! features three other murals along the Boneyard and plans to have another four com ing up this year, including one of the world’s largest optical illusion murals. Another highlight is a two-year mural project at Park Place Tower, where art and design will completely change the postmodern architecture.
“Thislighting.isaUniversity that produced a student that created the world’s first visible light LED, but when you go on the Boneyard, you have 1970s yellow sodium lamps,” Hoard said. “That’s a disconnect for us, so we would like to see high-quality LED lights on the boneyard to reflect Nick Holonyak Jr., who created the world’s first visible light LED.”
ed the makeover of the Green Street frontage. As an alumnus, Garrison said he witnessed the dramatic change in the streetscape since he graduated in 1998. Garrison said he understood that Green Street was the center of college life and felt an obligation to improve the district when returning to campus as an investor.
Levar Hoard, Chicago artist
The DI · Wednesday, September 14, 2022 15LIFE & CULTURE
impact murals. It’s the same street, but it’s better as well.”
“When you go into a community and the art looks amazing, that’s probably a signal that that’s an amazing community.”
Matt Garrison is the CEO of R2 Com panies. The real estate firm acquired the Bankier Apartments and initiat
Garrison believed well-executed public art could create a network effect. He expected that the icon ic Alma Mater mural would attract attention and foot traffic, boost retail, inspire other property owners to bring more art and eventually breathe life intoAccordingcampus.to
As the creator of the first mural of BAM!, Skotnes said he felt honored to be involved in the initiative that he believes will transform Campustown into an art
The new Alma Mater mural on the east side of Skyline Tower was done during summer. Chicago artist Levar Hoard was inspired to do the mural a er passing the empty building.
Campustown murals revitalize Green Street
yuzhul2@dailyillini.com
examples of art, it may be a sign that this is not an intellectually progres siveThatcommunity.”waswhenHoard came up with the Boneyard Area Mural !nitiative or BAM!, a multi-year project focused on revitalizing Campustown with public art. He noticed the juxtaposition of dated and modern buildings on cam pus and considered art a link between the University’s past and present.
As the sun went down, the entire street sunk into shadows, but Hoard looked up and saw the smooth surface of that wall struck by the orange glow.
Over the summer, Hoard created a mural featuring the Alma Mater stat ue on that same wall, the east side of Skyline Tower. He said he wanted to create a new landmark for the Univer sity at this prominent location.
When Chicago mural artist Levar Hoard walked down Green Street a year ago, he saw there were 25 spac es of blank wall dominating the block between Fourth and Fifth streets.
“This is a very advanced concept,” Hoard said. “Everything we’ve done in Champaign has been one of a kind. You can only see it in Champaign, and no other examples exist anywhere else in the Hoardworld.”saidthis project represents a world-class artist team who will draw global eyes to Campustown. Besides murals, he said BAM! will also reno vate the Boneyard Greenway and trail, including redesigned bike lanes and better
“When you go into a community and the art looks amazing, that’s probably a signal that that’s an amazing com munity,” Hoard said. “When you go into a community with no art or poor
IRENE MARIA BOGUSZ THE DAILY ILLINI
“It was just a no-brainer to try to develop a classic mural, a mural that was contemporary but would age and last forever,” Hoard said.
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