THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY April 8, 2021
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 150 Issue 47
All Illinois students receive eligibility for coronavirus vaccine ChampaignUrbana Public Health District permits people 16 and older to obtain vaccine
CUPHD press release said. The Massmail urges all members of the community to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated if they are in a position to do so. However, the University said they recognize that there are individuals with certain health conditions or reasons that prevent them from being vaccinated. Since there are select appointments available to the community, Chancellor Robert Jones requests patience from the community until further vaccines and appointments are made accessible to the public. CUPHD leads the vaccination distribution for the Champaign-Urbana area, and the University will distribute more information to the public when it becomes available, Jones said in the Massmail. Despite the increase in COVID-19 vaccine availability, individuals – regardless of vaccination status – must continue to remain in compliance with mandatory testing schedules and safety precautions. These include “regular COVID-19 testing, wearing face coverings, social distancing, hand washing and avoiding large gatherings,” according to the Massmail.
BY ALEXANDRA GERGOVA STAFF WRITER
MARK CAPAPAS THE DAILY ILLINI
Students study for finals on the second floor of Grainger Library on May 6, 2019. The Champaign-Urbana community celebrates National Library Week with increased activities and events.
CU celebrates National Library Week BY AMRITA BHATTACHARYYA NEWS EDITOR
Local libraries in Champaign-Urbana are celebrating National Library Week through special events and increased activities. First sponsored by the American Library Association in 1958, National Library Week occurs annually in April, with libraries across the country promoting library use and support. To celebrate, the Urbana Free Library has had multiple events throughout this week, including virtual storytimes and a raffle for a Roku Express giveaway. The Urbana Free Library is also hosting a virtual escape
room titled “The Library Case of Characters” on their Facebook page, which had close to 700 hits as of Tuesday. “We’ve done those digital escape rooms before, and they’ve been really popular,” said Amanda Standerfer, director of development and promotion at the Urbana Free Library. For the Urbana Free Library, the activities don’t look too different than they would have in years past. “We’re doing quite a bit that we would normally do ... I would say just the difference is that we can’t be together to celebrate with people,” Standerfer said.
The Champaign Public Library also has an array of events throughout the week, including virtual storytimes which are archived on their Facebook page. On Wednesday, local poet Jim O’Brien hosted a writers workshop and taught a course called “Poems from Prompts.” “You never know the impact of one event, one author visit,” said Evelyn Shapiro, promotions manager for the Champaign Public Library. “That just has repercussions and impact for years to come.” On Thursday, the Champaign Public Library has an interactive business roundtable webinar titled
“Increase Your Reach.” Current and aspiring business owners can brainstorm ideas and talk about marketing strategies. According to Shapiro, events for this week look very different compared to years past due to COVID-19. “In a normal year, we’ll have 40 events going on in one week,” Shapiro said. “Live music in the lobby, we’ll have workshops every afternoon, we’ll have 300 kids come over from Edison, middle schoolers in the library every day.” However, Shapiro says community members have
The University released a Massmail announcing that all faculty, staff and students are considered eligible to schedule and receive the COVID-19 vaccine via select appointments. This a nnouncement comes in response to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s official notice that vaccine appointments have been extended to “individuals 16 years of age or older who live or work in Champaign County.” W hile C U P H D ’s announcement extends eligibility to individuals 16 years or older, vaccination opportunities for those younger than 18 will differ depending on the site and the authorized vaccine being distributed. “Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are currently available for individuals age 18 and older while Pfizer is available for those age 16 and older,” the gergova2@dailyillini.com
SEE LIBRARY | 3A
University reinstates standard fee assessment BY GEORGE PHELAN STAFF WRITER
Of all of the elements of normality that have been shattered by the pandemic, at least one is guaranteed to return by the fall semester — student fees. According to a Massmail sent out on March 26, the University will reinstate the standard fee assessment, which had previously been lowered. Over the past t wo semesters, student fees had been lowered during the pandemic, with every category lowered by at least $50 for students. Alongside lowering fees for University services and facilities, seven of the 12 student-initiated fees were eliminated entirely, i nclud i ng i n it i at ives such as Bicycle Programs & Infrastructure a nd the Clea ner Energies Technology. Brian Farber, executive assistant to the associate vice chancellor for Student Affairs, provided feedback about the decision to change fee assessment and described how the decision to move back to a standard fee assessment came out of anticipation for pre-
pandemic conditions and as a way to fund programs wh ich had i ncu r red higher expenses due to the pandemic. “ W henever we make reductions, similar to what we did in the fall and the spring, of 20% to 30%, it has a significant impact on continuing expenses that we experience during the pandemic,” Farber said. Farber cited specific expenses such as debt ser vice and mortgage payments as some of the continuing expenses are usually covered by the student fees, alongside the salaries for the employees in these units. Utility costs also increased during the pandemic due to increased concerns over filtration in University facilities. Despite these increased costs, the University ’s decision to return to standard, higher fees for students is not an attempt to recover from the expenses the University encountered last year, but rather to return to the normal operations of the units normally paid for by student fees, according to Farber.
“We’re grateful for the federa l gover n ment ’s assistance with relation to the CARES funding that has come, both the first and second round of funding and the American
Rescue Plan that has been approved and hope to have some funding from that as well,” Farber said. The structure by which SEE FEES | 3A
CAMERON KRASUCKI ITHE DAILY ILLINI
A pharmacist from Carle Foundation Hospital extracts the Moderna vaccine into a syringe at the Church of the Living God on Feb. 20. The University just announced that all faculty, students and staff are now eligible to receive the vaccine through select appointments.
INSIDE
Opinions: University lacks transparency for next academic year
Sports: Wells wins two titles in Florida meet
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