Illini lose 4th straight game
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After reaching No. 23 in the rankings, Groce’s squad now finds its postseason hopes in jeopardy.
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THE DAILY ILLINI
TUESDAY January 21, 2014
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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UI opposes Israeli academic boycott AAU says academic boycott violates academic freedom BY STEFFIE DRUCKER STAFF WRITER
Members of the American Studies Association, an organization devoted to the studies of American culture and history, voted to endorse participation in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions in late December. But Chancellor Phyllis Wise, University President Robert Easter and other University officials have expressed their opposition of the academic boycott. The University is an institutional member of a different aca-
attacks on academic freedom.” Illini Hillel was quick to release a statement in support of the University’s stance. “We see ourselves as a partner of the University, and academic freedom is crucial for the University to function,” said Erez Cohen, executive director of Illini Hillel. “No one is allowed to tell academic institutions which universities they can and can’t work with.” Cohen said Hillel will defi nitely be dealing with the subject during the spring semester but that no programs had been planned yet, as the programs coordinator was still in Israel. Ahmad Hamdan, president of the University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and junior in LAS, said the campus
demic organization, the Association of American Universities, which opposes the ASA boycott. In a statement released Dec. 27, leaders of the University of Illinois said they endorse the statement released by the AAU, which states, “Any such boycott of academic institutions directly violates academic freedom ... It is a principle that should not be abridged by political considerations. American colleges and universities, as well as like institutions elsewhere, must stand as the first line of defense against
The resolution was then forwarded to the National Council and was endorsed by 66 percent of the 1,200 Association members in early December. According to a statement on its website, “The resolution is in solidarity with scholars and students deprived of their academic freedom and it aspires to enlarge that freedom for all, including Palestinians.” The American Association of University Professors, another organization of higher education, also released a statement opposing the ASA’s boycott. “The AAUP, as an organization, neither supports nor opposes Israeli government or Palestinian policies, although many
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“It’s appalling that a
group would focus on a country that is fiercely democratic, promotes religious and racial diversity within its own universities.” LONNIE NASATIR DIRECTOR OF ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
Campus celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
TO OUR READERS: the217.com has a new name and look today. It’s now The Daily Illini calendar — but it’s still your one-stop shop for the most relevant, up-to-date information on everything that’s going on in and around the Champaign-Urbana area. With the calendar under The Daily Illini family, we’re able to reach a broader audience with a wide variety of interests. Now, you’ll see listings for speakers and other news events on campus and in the community and, of course, we’re still keeping our longstanding arts and entertainment listings. It’s a work in progress. But one thing’s certain: It’s a social calendar. We invite you to contribute to the discussion by submitting events you think could draw a crowd. This is your site. This is your C-U.
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udging by the number of activities held this week on campus in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a day doesn’t seem long enough to celebrate the extensive achievements and legacy of MLK Jr.’s life. From Jan. 17 to Jan. 25, the Commemorative MLK Jr. Committee hopes to encourage students and community members to view the messages of Dr. King as a continuing movement. While time has passed and conditions have changed, co-chairs Otis Noble III and Anthony Fontana believe there is much work to be done in the Champaign-Urbana community. Through breakfast celebrations, volunteer opportunities, panel discussions, films and a first-time poverty simulation, everyone is welcome to take part in the ongoing movement for “equality and justice for all.”
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Darshan Patel, editor-in-chief
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organization has not yet taken a stance condemning or condoning the ASA boycott. “We’re more interested in what our government is doing and what our government is supporting over there,” he said. “I think it’s healthy to have opposing viewpoints on such boycotts so it can stimulate conversation ... and so people can draw their own conclusions. Our primary focus is to inform the campus of our government’s intervention in the issue, or lack thereof, and their role in spreading oppression in the middle east and Palestine.” The ASA Executive Committee was asked to consider a resolution from the Academic and Community Activism Caucus of the association about a year ago.
To find the latest events on campus and in the community, head to DailyIllini.com/ calendar.
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0RUH LQVLGH To learn
more about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s accomplishments, visit Page 6A.
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BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI
Otis Noble III, from the office of Diversity, Equity and Access, talks to a group of volunteers for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service event that started out at the ARC on Monday.
Alumni closing technical literacy online program » gap » » »with » start-up » » » » » » »
BY DANIELLE BANKS STAFF WRITER
After two years of projects and couch surfing, University alumna Dave Paola, a 2010 graduate from the College of Engineering, founded a start-up named Bloc with fellow alumna Roshan Choxi. Bloc is a 12-week online apprenticeship that takes a one-on-one virtual approach to teaching students to write code. “I took a road trip in the summer after I graduated, and I landed in San Francisco,” Paola said. “While I was couch surfing, I was working on various websites. I got a job as a software engineer in March of 2011, I spent almost a year there, and then roughly around January of 2012 is when we started Bloc.” The inspiration, Paola said, arose from an education gap he noticed between those who are technically literate and those who aren’t.
“If you look at it through the lens of literacy, it’s a little bit like actual literacy,” he said. “Before everyone could read and write, there were these specialized people called scribes. If you wanted something written down or read to you, you went to the scribe because the scribe was literate. When everyone could read and write, information exploded. When you think about what a programmer is, it’s kind of like a scribe.” Paola said expanding technical literacy will close the gap. “When everyone is able to build things themselves and interact with software in a really meaningful way, clearly that will benefit society,” he said. Jarod Reid, a Bloc mentor who instructs students via webcam, said the flexibility the company provides sets it apart from the traditional classroom setting. “Being able to have that one-
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on-one time to study, as opposed to being in the classroom, say a student says, ‘There is something happening at my job, I just can’t show up tonight, can we do something tomorrow?’ That allows me to be very flexible and say, ‘Yeah, we can do it tomorrow. Let’s set up a time,’” Reid said. In addition to flexibility, Reid finds that stronger mentor-student relationships promote better student growth. “It also allows you to build a bond with the people you’re instructing because every instructor, every session, is a one-on-one thing,” Reid said. “You can actually address their needs specifically. Opposed to a generalized curriculum, you can actually tailor the curriculum that Bloc is giving the students, to focus on the needs of the students because every single student has different concerns, different needs.”
Brittany Martin, a Bloc student, can testify to the effectiveness of the one-on-one approach. “As someone who just completed their MBA last summer, I can tell you that Bloc brings out the best things about the classroom,” she said. “Having a mentor that shares your screen and genuinely cares about how you are progressing is amazing. (This approach is) absolutely beneficial. In a typical classroom, you need to make a big effort to get that kind of individual attention. With Bloc, it is a given.” A self-taught coder, Reid said Bloc’s dedication to student progress is what impressed him. “For two years I studied on my own, trying to break into what I wanted to be my career, and I made very little money, so I didn’t have many resources to go to school,” Reid said. “I kind of went through this long period of strug-
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gling, and I’ve seen a lot of people do the same, so when I found Bloc, the real drive for me was that they are taking people in similar situations to mine and giving them more of a fighting chance than I felt like I had early on.” This focus on student success over monetary gain is what sets Bloc apart from other companies, Paola said. “We measure our success by the successful outcomes of our students,” he said. “There are a lot of companies that sell access to content, but that’s not what we’re all about, what we’re about is mak-
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ing sure our alumni are successful. That’s our number one value. If we were to hang a banner, that’s what it would say.” For Martin, this literacy has proved to be life-altering. “It has opened up a whole new world to me,” she said. “I now love to scan through Hacker News, star projects on Github and attend code meetups to discuss best practices. I’ve had an inner coder inside me the whole time. I just needed a way to bring her out.”
Danielle can be reached at dmbanks2@dailyillini.com.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVE PAOLA
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