The Daily Illini: Volume 145 Issue 66

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THE DAILY ILLINI The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

UI hopes to hold instate tuition

$4,000,000

Vol. 145 Issue 66

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FREE

PROFITABILITY BY SPORT IN 2015 REVENUE

EXPENSES

$40,000,000 $3,000,000

Aside from the $4 increase on the student transportation fee — approved in November’s student referendum — the University will also recommend the board does not increase student fees. Fees currently cost over $3,000.

The University is the second most expensive Big Ten public school to attend for the 2015-2016 school year.

Last year, enrollment of in-state freshmen increased by 10.2 percent across the University’s three campuses, the release stated.

“I’m very proud of the Urbana campus in their efforts to increase enrollment and recruitment without any sacrifice of excellence,” Killeen said. “Three years in a row of holding a line on tuition. As students, you should be proud of that.

I hope you’re proud of that.”

Last year was the first year the University decided to streamline its admissions process to one notification date.

Wilson said the University realized that by deferring “a lot of competent students” at the first notification date it was not yielding them, meaning they ultimately chose other institutions.

“The data suggests that a single date is better for us,” Wilson said. “We get more students accepting our admissions and are excited about coming to Illinois when they don’t get deferred up front and then get admitted later.”

$30,000,000 $2,000,000

SOURCE: Illinois Equity In Athletics Disclosure Act

Wrestling

Volleyball

Women's Track/XC

Men's Track/XC

Women's Tennis

Men's Tennis

Swimming & Diving

Softball

Soccer

$0

Women's Gymnastics

$0

$1,000,000

Men's Gymnastics

$10,000,000

Women's Golf

$20,000,000

Men's Golf

The University has again recommended maintaining in-state tuition for next year’s freshman class.

In a press release issued Wednesday, the University confirmed that it will propose keeping base tuition for the Urbana campus at $12,036 for Illinois residents at the Board of Trustees meeting Thursday.

Base tuition for the Chicago and Springfield campuses would remain at $10,584 and $9,405 respectively. Out-ofstate and international students tuition will increase by 1.7 percent.

According to the release, the decision “reflects the University’s commitment to student access and affordability.”

In a recent interview with The Daily Illini’s editorial board Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson and President Timothy Killeen expressed UI’s commitment to serving students.

“The financial footprint for higher ed is changing across the country as states invest in other things and divest, especially in public higher ed, the challenge for us to continue to do what we’re doing in great ways but to remain affordable,” Wilson said. “I think the whole financial model of higher ed is changing and we have to be responsive to that.

We can’t just keep increasing our tuition and expect to stay a public institution and to stay accessible to students of all backgrounds.”

$50,000,000

Women's Basketball

DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT

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Baseball

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Men's Basketball

January 21, 2016

Football

THURSDAY

JACOB SINGLETON THE DAILY ILLINI

Illinois athletics stays afloat while others sink

BY MICHAL DWOJAK STAFF WRITER

In a growing “arms race” in college athletics, where many athletic departments around the nation are in the red with continuous growing deficits, the University of Illinois barely managed to stay over the line during the 2015 fiscal year.

T he Un iversit y ’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics earned $74,469,976 in revenue during the 2015 fiscal year, resulting for the second-straight year in a $0 net profit.

Illinois’ finish to the year broke a trend of the DIA’s ability to bring in a profit while other schools struggle with increasing deficits. Interim Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk recognizes that rising costs may force Illinois to join other schools that battle deficits, but is still proud of the department’s achievements.

“I think we’re in a good

news@dailyillini.com

spot,” Kowalczyk said.

“There will be challenges… We’re not having success on the playing field that we would like, we’re not meeting all the revenue projections we’d like to meet, especially with ticket sales in football and basketball. We’re in a good spot right now, but there are always concerns around the corner.”

However, the athletic department has managed to remain profitable during at least the past five years. The department has stayed on budget while deficits grow in other schools’ departments.

The national trend Illinois’ ability to wade the financial water is something that’s become a rarity in college sports, according to B. David Ridpath, an associate professor and Kahandas Nandola professor of sports administration at Ohio University. Ridpath

has more than 20 years of experience in sports administration as a professor and former college athlete — he taught Illinois Senior Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations Mike Waddell at Ohio.

According to the Ridpath, universities become caught up in the competition against other schools to provide the best facilities and sometimes don’t know when to draw the line, ultimately resulting in great deficits.

“In general, most athletic departments do run a deficit,” Ridpath said.

“In athletics, we do a great job of generating revenue, but we do an equally bad job in managing our spending because we’re trying to be better than the next guy. We’re seeing this continual arms race that makes it very difficult for a college athletic department to get ahead. We would still watch college ath-

letics, and it would still be entertaining and competitive to all of us without the excess.”

A Washington Post article published in 2015 showed that at least 30 universities in the FBS had deficits in 2014. The report stated six teams in the Big Ten ended the fiscal year in the red.

A majority of departments have dealt with large deficits and the inability to stop spending.

University presidents and board of trustee members become worried about losing to other schools because of “outdated” facilities when competing schools improve theirs.

Leaders are also focused on success and have shorter leashes with athletic directors and head coaches — early firings lead schools to pay for two coaches of the same sport at the same time, according to Ridpath.

SEE BUDGET | 2B

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Budget impasse has not affected UI student enrollment UI hopes state will repay student MAP Grant loans

BY ABIGALE SVOBODA NEWS EDITOR

Student Body President Mitch Dickey, senior in LAS, isn’t sure how he can pay for his last year of college if he doesn’t receive his MAP Grant.

Despite Dickey’s involvement with the University he’s no less affected by the state budget impasse than the other 5,666 University students who receive a MAP, or Monetary Award Program, grant.

At the start of the new

year, the state of Illinois hit six months without a budget, meaning the University hit six months without state funding, and students are starting to feel the impact.

In November, Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson emailed MAP granteligible students, informing them they should enroll in classes for the spring semester with the understanding that they may be required to repay this semester’s MAP grants previously credited to student accounts if student aid is not allocated in the state budget.

At the start of the spring semester on Tuesday, students still had not received any reassurance that their grants will be repaid.

According to a Wall Street Journal article published Monday, Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn said 1,000 students in Illinois were unable to return to school because their colleges didn’t front the bill for MAP grants. The University, however, chose to credit students’ accounts with grants for the fall and spring semesters, hopeful that the state will reimburse them.

Robin Kaler, campus spokeswoman, said students typically don’t tell the University why they don’t return to campus but they haven’t heard that MAP was the reason behind any student’s decision not to

SEE MAP | 3A

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

OPINIONS

LIFE & CULTURE

SPORTS

Make or break justice

Squirrel Appreciation Day

Men’s gymnastics

Is it a good idea for media to fixate on popular crime documentaries?

The University celebrates its long history with campus’ furry inhabitants

Illini aim to land a win against the Hawkeyes for second time this week

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

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All Illini Media Co. and/or Daily Illini articles, photos and graphics are the property of Illini Media Co. and may not be reproduced or published without written permission from the publisher.

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Today’s night system staff Night editor: Michal Dwojak Copy editors: Caitlyn Bremner, Claire Hettinger, Faraz Mirza, Samantha Skipper Designers: Michelle Tam, Kelsie Travers, Grace Kim, Colleen Romano, JunSuh Park, Natalie Gacek, Christie Learned, Jacob Singleton Page transmission: Melanie Angarone Periodical postage paid at Champaign, IL 61821. The Daily Illini is published Mondays through Thursdays during University of Illinois fall and spring semesters, and Mondays in summer. First copy is free; each additional copy is 50 cents. Local, U.S. mail, out-of-town and out-of-state rates available upon request.

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POLICE

Champaign

ered cannabis in the vehicle.

retail value of $159.75.

• Theft was reported in the 100 block of North Walnut Street around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the report, the victim left his vehicle unattended, running and unlocked outside of a bar. When he returned the vehicle was gone.

The vehicle was recovered down the street with no damage done to it.

University

Urbana

• Theft occurred at the Activities and Recreation Center, 201 E. Peabody Drive, sometime between 6:15 and 8 p.m. Monday.

According to the report, the items, which were secured in a locker with a lock, have an estimated value of $265.

• A burglary was reported in the 1300 block of Montgomery Street around 9:45 a.m. Tuesday.

According to the report, an unknown offender forced entry into the victim’s residence and opened several drawers.

• A 29-year-old male was arrested on the charge of possession of cannabis near the intersection of Bradley Avenue and Walnut Street around 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

According to the report, the offender’s vehicle was originally stopped for disobeying a stop sign.

During the stop, the officer discov-

• A 19-year-old male was arrested on the charge of retail theft at the Illini Union Bookstore, 809 S. Wright St., around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the report, store security personnel called the police after the man attempted to leave without paying for a textbook with a

• Theft was reported in the 1900 block of Federal Drive around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the report, the victim’s bicycle was stolen at a local business.

Compiled by Lilly Mashayek and Jason Chun

Police will issue ‘stop receipts’ to pedestrians searched in public places

BY LILLY MASHAYEK STAFF WRITER

Law enforcement agencies are now required to issue “stop receipts”, also known as stop cards, as part of new statewide legislation called the Police and Community Relations Improvement Act, which took effect early this year.

The “stop receipts” are issued to pedestrians who are searched or frisked by police and include the officer’s name and badge number, as well as the reason for the stop.

They are to only be issued under specific circumstances, including when a pedestrian is stopped in a public area, and are generally issued at the end of the encounter. However, if a pedestrian is only questioned or has a conversation with an officer, or the situation is urgent — such as when a violent crime has occurred, or when talking to victims or witnesses of a crime — police may not issue a receipt.

Dan Walsh, Champaign County sheriff, said that almost every time a pedestrian is searched or frisked, they will receive a receipt.

“Unless it’s a real active serious crime, most of the time the answer is yes,” Walsh said.

In a press release sent out Wednesday, Walsh said that this is so the relationship between the community

and the police can continue to be a friendly and cooperative one.

“Most citizens who deal with the police will not receive a receipt,” Walsh said. “It is important that people still feel open and encouraged to

“It is important that people still feel open and encouraged to speak with police and report suspicious activity.”

DAN WALSH CHAMPAIGN COUNTY SHERIFF

speak with police and report suspicious activity. We rely on our community members’ active participation so we can serve them in the best way possible.”

After a stop receipt is issued, a corresponding information sheet will then be sent to the Department of Transportation, who will keep

track of all collected pedestrian stop data. The data sent to there will be more detailed — including whether any contraband was found and the location, race and gender of the person stopped.

Due to the newness of the law, the policies regarding who does and does not receive a receipt may be subject to change.

“Champaign County law enforcement agencies have been working very closely since the legislation was approved to ensure our practices are largely consistent,” Jeff Christensen, University of Illinois police chief, said in the release. “Because the Champaign-Urbana community is so closely-knit, that cooperation is important so our citizens know what to expect when they are dealing with the police, no matter what jurisdiction they might be in.”

Walsh said that it is likely the Department of Transportation may release a yearly statistics report outlining possible trends in who police search and frisk in their annual report.

The stop cards are being used by local law enforcement agencies, including the Champaign Police, Urbana Police, and the University of Illinois Police.

lmasha3@dailyillini.com

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FROM 1A

MAP enroll for the spring.

Still, she said, President Timothy Killeen is continuously working with University leaders across the state to urge lawmakers “to honor their commitment to students.”

Dickey said he hasn’t heard of students being unable to return to the University either, but he knows it’s an issue at other colleges in the state.

For example he said, he knows of five students at Richland Community College in Decatur who were unable to enroll in the spring semester because

Thursday, January 21, 2016

the college is not paying for MAP grants. Dickey said one student needed money to take the bus to class, and when she lost her MAP grant, she could no longer get to class and had to drop out.

If funding for MAP grants isn’t allocated in the state budget, Dickey said he’d probably have

to ask his parents to help him pay for his senior year.

Though, he said it would be an “immense strain” on his mom who works two jobs.

Dickey himself works 20 hours per week in addition to his other responsibilities.

He said he’s optimistic the state will reimburse universities but knows students who are “utterly ter-

rified” of losing their MAP grant. There’s discussion in Springfield of reimbursing universities, but, Dickey said, action needs to be taken before that discussion is taken seriously.

“Talk is cheap until you see something actually done,” he said.

Dickey has dedicated most of his time as student

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body president to advocate for student aid funding, from letter writing campaigns to busing students to Lobby Days in Springfield.

“It’s the thing that I do,” he said. “This is my priority — really focusing on this budget and the budget cuts.”

asvobod2@dailyillini.com

New teaching tools introduced at showcase New hightech methods to be used in the classroom

BY VIVIENNE HENNING STAFF WRITER

Gone are the days where professors simply used a blackboard to write out definitions and equations to teach their students. Blackboards and more traditional classroom teaching methods are still in use, but new technological tools are now being implemented into the classroom.

On Monday the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning, CITL, held an open house showcase in the Armory Building for faculty and teaching assistants to come by and learn about new high-tech methods they can use in their classes.

At the showcase, CITL staff presented many new teaching and learning tools, including Illinois Media Space, eText@Illinois and Digital Inking.

Digital Inking is an easyto-operate, hands-on tool that enables professors to annotate on top of slides while presenting to their classes.

“It really helps students be better engaged, and not just read off of PowerPoint slides trying to write everything,” said Richard Furr, eLearning professional with CITL. Digital Inking enables students to focus on points that professors wish to emphasize in class. Professors can then send out the

TARIZ ZEHAWI TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Isabelle Martini, junior, gets help on her assignment from her English teacher Ed Sandt, center, during class, Nov. 19, 2012, in Montvale, New Jersey.

Pascack Hills High School has been issuing students laptop computers in their classrooms for the past nine years. annotated slides to their students to use as a reference.

Another tool highlighted at the showcase, eText@ Illinois, is an expanding platform developed at the University, which allows students and faculty to access and interact with certain digital textbooks. In fall 2015, the platform was

used by 2,500 students, and those numbers are expected to jump to around 4,000 by fall 2016. Currently, there are 28 books available for first level classes in the colleges of Engineering, ACES and LAS. “eText is open to a wide spectrum of small and large classes,” said Milind

Basole, eLearning professional. “It’s a useful tool to deliver content and make it more interactive.”

Another newly developed tool is Illinois Media Space.

It’s a video uploading platform exclusively for University students, faculty and staff. Different educational departments have their own

public galleries, and anyone with a NetID can make a channel to upload videos.

Professors can also use Illinois Media Space to upload their lectures, allowing students to review information covered in class.

“We live in a world where we communicate in different modes. Not just writ-

ing, but also video tutorials,” said Drew MacGregor. manager of Digital Media Services. “You can communicate things well and be a little more creative than just turning in a paper. Students have control over the content.”

vhenni2@illinimedia.com

Big Ten student governments meet at Rutgers Illinois Student Senate joins conversation on diversity, health

BY SAMANTHA JONES TOAL STAFF WRITER

Schools in the Big Ten conference don’t only meet in the athletic world.

Over the weekend, six delegates from the Illinois Student Senate participated in a three-day Association of Big Ten Students, ABTS, conference at Rutgers University.

In attendance were representatives from all 14 universities in the Big Ten. “I love ABTS because it’s basically a huge brainstorming session,” said Sam LeRoy, sophomore and senator in ISS. Each school held breakout sessions that exemplified something unique about their university’s

student senate, campus or legislation that they’re working on. The Illinois Student Senate gave a presentation on their uniquely structured government — Illinois student senators work directly with campus administrators.

LeRoy said it’s beneficial to learn about initiatives happening at other universities and forming partnerships with other schools in the Big Ten conference.

“Sometimes it’s hard to dig at what really is the problem and it’s tough to get that engagement with students on our own campus,” LeRoy said. “Sometimes, it takes students at other campuses to show us how we can do better at our

own university.”

LeRoy is a member of the Academic Affairs committee and is seeking to pass legislation that would create a syllabi database that would be available on the course catalog — a goal that the Michigan State student senate is also working toward.

“Everybody comes back so energized and ready to work on things,” said Mitch Dickey, student body president.

At the conference, the delegates passed a resolution supporting diversity and inclusion among the Big Ten. “We took some time at the conference to discuss the issue of diversity and how do we promote diversity and inclusion on our campuses within our student governments,” said Andrianna Kurzenberger, student senate chief of staff

and Big Ten liaison.

Delegates across the Big Ten also discussed creating a task force to specifically evaluate how members of the conference can communicate together and promote diversity as a whole rather than on specific campuses.

“We want to say, ‘Hey, the Big Ten is encouraging diversity,’” Kurzenberger said.

The creation of a Big Ten Diversity Day was also discussed.

LeRoy said that while this topic is a national issue, nothing “monumental” passed at this year’s conference.

“The conference a year ago that was at Northwestern (University) was the one that really brought about the It’s On Us campaign,” he said, in reference to the White House’s sexual assault awareness

campaign. “There wasn’t anything of that degree at the conference.”

Dickey said mental health was also a huge discussion topic at the conference.

“I’m disappointed we haven’t done much with this, but we talked about it a lot,” Dickey said.

The delegates flew back to Illinois Monday, each toting bags filled with pages of notes that hold ideas for future student senate endeavors, LeRoy said.

“The Big Ten is set apart from other university conferences where they mainly revolve around sports,” Kurzenberger said. “We have that aspect in the Big Ten as well obviously, but it’s really cool that even our student governments are capable of coming together and cheering each other on.”

“Sometimes, it takes students at other campuses to show us how we can do better at our own University.”

SAM LEROY

SOPHOMORE SENATOR IN ISS, MEMBER OF THE ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

jonesto2@dailyillini.com

NEWS BRIEF

Student senator proposes tuition equality DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT

Hours after the University proposed maintaining base tuition for in-state residents Wednesday, the Illinois Student Senate discussed a resolution that challenged the University’s decision.

Senator Alex Villanueva authored a resolution on tuition equality that encourages a proportional tuition increase amongst in-state, out-of-state and international students.

Villanueva, who hails from Florida, said the resolution would show international and out-of-state students they weren’t admitted to the University simply because they will provide the University with more funds.

“This resolution says, ‘We respect our future Illini that come here out-of-state or from a different nation,’” Villanueva said.

Following a short discussion student body president Mitch Dickey sent the resolution to Campus Affairs, as well as to Financial Affairs and Academic Affairs, but in an advisory capacity.

Earlier Wednesday, the University recommended the Board of Trustees not to raise in-state-tuition for

students starting their University career in fall 2016.

The University also suggested maintaining student fees, with the exception of an increased $4 transportation fee that was approved in a November student referendum. The board will vote on the recommendation at its meeting in Chicago on Thursday.

Golf Cart Rental Resolution Fails In December, the student senate proposed a golf cart rental resolution that suggested the use of a golf cart on campus as a public relations tool for the student senate.

The golf cart was intended to be used with social media campaigns and was pitched as a way to help connect student senate to the students.

However, student senate treasurer Rahul Kalluri announced Wednesday that the resolution was unsuccessful because the golf cart presents a liability issue.

Kalluri said senators called the resolution “irresponsible and unsafe.”

news@dailyillini.com

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Alex Villanueva opens up the ISS meeting by speaking about the importance of veterans day in the Pine Lounge at the Illini Union on Nov. 11.

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THURSDAY January 21, 2016 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

OPINIONS

The pros and cons of mass media Media exposes important societal issues

BY MOLLIE HENRY OPINIONS COLUMNIST

M

any of us have indulged in the “true crime” dramas, such as “Serial” and “Making a Murderer,” that have recently piqued the nation’s curiosity. Some believe that we have been caught up in the tide of hysteria and given the media, cleverly disguised as entertainment, too much power to sway our beliefs.

They argue that, in the end, the various scenarios created and exacerbated by media coverage amount to nothing, or much less than they have been made out to be, and that the power we have given the media results in more harm to society than good.

It is undeniable, however, that the media has acted as a divining rod for the skeletons hiding in society’s closet in many cases. And, while these documentaries may or may not be entirely factual, there is one important, unembellished fact that they do expose: corruption and incompetence in our justice system has often led to wrongful conviction.

Rather than avoiding or distancing ourselves from media, it would be wiser to embrace it as tool to keep us better informed and keep society more accountable.

“Making a Murderer” and “Serial” follow the criminal cases and trials of two separate men, Steven Avery and Adnan Syed, calling into question the guilty convictions that were handed down by the jury. In June 2007, Avery, the main subject of Making a Murder, was convicted to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the rape and murder of Teresa Halbach.

Since “Making a Murderer” debuted on Netflix on Dec. 18, a petition to free Avery reached almost 130,000 signatures. The call to pardon Avery was so extreme that the White House was obliged to respond, stating that because the trial and conviction were handled by the state of Wisconsin, the federal government does not have the power to overturn the verdict.

The overwhelming response to stories like those presented by “Making a Murderer” and “Serial” could be construed as people being too easily persuaded by the agenda of the media.

But it can also be seen, and I believe rightly so, as the response of a nation that was founded on the ideILLUSTRATIONS BY JULIANY NAKAZATO THE DAILY ILLINI

Media can interfere with legal systems by influencing public opinion

als of justice, and still holds those values dear.

The Innocence Project, created in order to seek out and overturn wrongful convictions, was started by just such people, committed to preserving and restoring justice. Since the Innocence Project was founded, there have been over 300 people exonerated of crimes they were wrongfully convicted for, through the use of DNA evidence.

And, while of course not all of those cases involved corruption or incompetence, it is important to expose the ones that did, in order to make sure that justice has been rightfully served.

While it may not be entirely clear in the cases of Avery and Syed whether injustice did occur, it has certainly occurred in the past. It is also true that we as a nation can be too easily influenced by the media, but in the fight against injustice and corruption, informed media users are better than nonmedia users.

Rather than worrying that the media may have too much power in our society, concern yourself with giving it the right power: to expose corruption and incite us to action. Action that, through things like social media, students are more efficiently able to take. Recently, at Mizzou, we saw just how powerful various media platforms can be for students who are actively trying to correct injustice.

But in order to do this we must be savvy media users. Read as much as you can, but verify sources. Don’t trust everything you read on Tumblr, or believe everything you watch on Netflix.

Be open-minded when discussing issues such as these in order to become as informed about your world as possible.

The media is powerful; but as a tool, not a gospel. As such, the truth must be gleaned from the clutter. I would encourage you, as a part of this campus and a part of this world, to try to do just that.

Mollie is a graduate student in Art and Design. opinions@dailyillini.com

BY COURTNEY BOYER OPINIONS COLUMNIST

W

e are living in a time and age where media has a substantial impact on society.

It has an incredible pull on how people perceive and view certain things. Recently, the podcast “Serial” has swept over the nation and caused a stir in the legal justice system, as millions of listeners tuned in every week to hear Adnan Syed’s compelling case for innocence.

The huge success of “Serial” and the Netflix documentary “Making a Murderer” proves that mass media, such as these programs, have control over how citizens view systems in our society that were seemingly untouchable before. This begs the question of whether or not we as citizens are giving the media too much power in this day and age, as it now seems able to direct public interest toward any issue, however small.

“Serial” tells the heartwrenching story of Syed, a high school senior living in Baltimore in 1999, who was accused and convicted of killing his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. He has been in prison for 15 years now and to this day has maintained his innocence, and has tried to reopen his case several times to no avail.

As the story unfolds after 12 weekly installments, it becomes clear to the listener that there were many holes in Syed’s case, and it leaves it up to the listener to decide whether he is guilty or innocent.

“Serial” has quickly become one of the most popular podcasts of all time, also being the fastest podcast to ever reach 5 million downloads by November 2014, and reaching 40+ million downloads by December 2014.

Ever since the substantial interest in Syed’s case, many people have gone to great lengths to prove his innocence, including students working on the Innocence Project from the University of Virginia Law who are investigating leads in Syed’s favor.

It was also

announced in November 2015 that Syed’s case has been officially reopened, and a hearing with all the new evidence will be taking place.

This podcast has drawn an incredible amount of attention to just one man in prison. It serves as a great example of how powerful and persuasive the media can be. It is not for me to say whether or not Syed deserved to have his trial reopened, but it does show that as a society, we have let the media control aspects of our lives and sway our opinions on important matters such as our evaluation of the justice system.

The power of the media must be limited, because one can never be sure if the information being distributed is the truth. Young people need to be able to have strong opinions that they themselves form without media influence.

The upcoming presidential election has given the media a stage to show just how powerful it truly is.

Many candidates use the media in order to sway voters in their favor, or at least against their opponents.

How the candidates are portrayed by the media and news outlets has a major effect on how well they do in the polls, because voters are so easily swayed by the information made available to them.

“Serial” and “Making a Murderer,” with their newfound power to reach the masses, could potentially rock the legal system even more in the upcoming years as they brings to light more cases of potentially innocent people serving time in prison. While this is likely a good thing, given that it could exonerate innocent prisoners, there is a line that must be drawn with how far the public takes information derived from the media.

Allowing the media to influence the legal system, such as with the re-opening of Syed’s case, puts us in very dangerous territory. It would be far preferable to move on whatever issues lie in the justice system after a comprehensive investigative report rather than a podcast or documentary likely embellished for entertainment value.

It is normal for the media to have some sort of control in this modern era because it is all around us.

However, now more than ever, it is important to realize the effect the media might be having on you, and try to maintain an unbiased mindset to form your own opinions.

When you are listening to a message brought to you by mass media, it is important to be aware that not everything you might be told is the truth, and be able to form your own opinions on the matter, so as not to give the media more power as the digital age continues.

Courtney is a sophomore in LAS. ceboyer3@dailyillini.com

THE DAILY ILLINI

EDITORIAL

L

ike our classmates, the staff of The Daily Illini returned to campus ready to adjust to a new schedule and determined to make the spring semester a good one.Unlike our classmates, however, our course schedule isn’t all that’s changing. Beginning this semester, The Daily Illini will publish two print issues per week, rather than the four papers per week we printed for the past two years.

The decision to reduce our print publication was made in an effort to stay ahead of changing times. As a result, more of our content will be exclusively online, but we will still publish the consistent, daily coverage our read-

Optimizing our publication for a digital world ers expect. We hope that with this change we can focus more of our efforts into producing the best product possible.

Our new online focus will allow us to publish information faster and be more available to our readers.

This semester promises to be one full of critical news stories, and we at The Daily Illini intend to be on the forefront of coverage regarding such topics as the search for new University leadership and the state budget crisis.

Though we’re looking forward to a new semester full of new challenges, opportunities and excitement, we know it’s going to take time to adjust to our new schedule. Our readers will come to

understand seeing Monday’s paper on the stands Tuesday and Wednesday and our staff will get used to working on a different schedule a few days a week, focusing more on the web.

Ultimately, we are making these changes to better target our audience. Fewer students go to print newspapers for their news each year, as online news sources and social media continue to increase in popularity. Up-tothe-minute coverage is more important than ever, and we are prepared to go above and beyond our readers’ expectations. Advancements in technology and how newsrooms are taking advantage of these advancements changes the way stories are told.

Journalists are not limited

to singular platforms to tell one story. Data journalism can break down numbers that tell a story in digestible ways, online video can stand alone or supplement written stories by showing the reader the heart of the story in motion and social media helps journalists, the audiences and sources communicate.

By focusing on these developing platforms, we will be able to take advantage of these new, arguably more effective, ways of storytelling.

Our audience will have more options for how they want to consume information and we can bend our coverage to what we find most effective.

The volume and quality will stay the same; only the delivery is different.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS | opinions@dailyillini.com with the subject “Letter to the Editor.” The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit for length, libel, grammar and spelling errors, and Daily Illini style or to reject any contributions. Letters must be limited to 300 words. Contributions must be typed and include the author’s name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college.

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

FROM 6A

SQUIRRELS when it’s something benign like squirrels,” Brown said.

While squirrels are a significant part of the University, it was not always this way. In fact, in the early 1900s, squirrel populations were low in the community. Former Un iversit y P resident Andrew S. Draper tried to change that with the help of University Geologist, Charles Rolfe.

Un iversit y rec ords show that Draper put together a plan to breed more squirrels specifically for the enjoyment of the University and asked for up to $250 to do so. Today, that sum is equivalent to a little over $7,000.

It was adopted by the Board of Trustees on July 6, 1901.

Heske explained that because of significant deforestation across the nor t he a ster n Un ited States in the mid 1800s and early 1900s, the squirrel population saw a dramatic decline. Because of this, many communities started to reintroduce squirrels back into their environments.

“Charles Rolfe got the idea to introduce squirrels to the U of I campus because it would teach the students who are going to classes and have their noses in their books to learn compassion and interaction with wildlife in a positive way, and it would enrich the campus experience for them as well,” Heske said.

After receiving financial approval from the Board of Trustees, the University brought squirrels onto campus and contained them in cages on the Quad until a sufficient amount of squirrels were bred to be set free. Since then, squirrels have thrived around campus and have become a large part of the campus tradition.

“We have very wooded towns, and there (are) plenty of shrubs and hedges for them to hide in. We have a lot of acorn producing trees on campus, which are good for them, and they need that over winter,” Heske said.

“They can cause us all kinds of trouble. They can get into our attics; they can raid our bird feeders when we don’t want them too. But on the other hand, watching them in the middle of January having their mating chases through the trees is a really

5A

Thursday, January 21, 2016

fun way of interacting with something else that’s not human.”

Recently, the University has adopted a new symbol for the admissions office.

Since January 2015, a costumed squirrel named Sassy, short for Sassafras, has been roaming the sidewalks of campus and g reeti ng prospective students while on campus tours.

For Brown, squirrels add something to the University experience.

“They certainly interact with the student body more, and you can see that, especially with the way that a lot of students feed them.

You can get relatively close to them compared to the other animals physically on campus,” Brown said.

For Heske, having such a strong squirrel presence on campus allows students to build connections with wildlife. “ We all have this connection with nature, no matter how much we live in an urban environment.

Interacting with wildlife and nature is something that makes most people happy as long as it’s friendly,” Heske said.

paeth2@dailyillini.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMANDA CALDWELL-JACQUES

A team pauses to take a photo break after working to clean up hiking trails in Tellico Plains, Tenn. in March 2013.

FROM 6A

ASB “You go and volunteer (in the C-U area) to get some experience and an understanding of what’s going on,” Singh said.

Kasey Umland, associate director and student programs advisor at the University YMCA, said serving locally not only prepares students for their actual ASB trip, but it also provides a platform for students to continue service when they

come back on campus.

“To the extent that it’s possible, we want the experience for the participants to not just be the trip,” Umland said. “We hope that when they come back, (we can) engage them in some sort of local service about the same issue they learned on their trip.”

For eight years, Umland has worked with ASB leaders and supports the studentrun organization in whatever they need. Umland said she has seen the trips impact students by allowing them

to branch out, learn a variety of leadership skills and meet new people.

Umland said she finds ASB’s mission to educate and involve students invaluable.

“ASB lets students branch out and learn more broadly, while making a contribution,” Umland said. “The leadership skills people learn because they’re in the situation, they’re there for a week, and (the issue) they have to focus on can be really transformational.”

features@dailyillini.com

Alumni to perform hip-hop for social unity and change

BY NATALIE STEWART STAFF WRITER

“I feel like I knew hip-hop before I knew what it actually was,” said Tierney Reed, a Champaign-area performer.

But to her fans, she’s known as T.R.U.T.H. The acronym — literally meaning “the real under the hate” — was initially a childhood nickname. Now, it has gleaned special meaning as she’s entered the world of hip-hop. She wants to embody “truth” through her music, a message that carries into her hip-hop group, Mother Nature. Shasta Knox, otherwise known as Klevah, joins T.R.U.T.H to form the rap duo.

Klevah shared the same sentiments as T.R.U.T.H when it comes to the major influence that hip-hop had on her childhood.

“My dad is a hip-hop head, so growing up with him was just very influential from the beginning, even before I knew what it really was. I didn’t know it was hip-hop; it was just kind of the background to my childhood,” she said.

T.R.U.T.H and Klevah are using their shared passion for hip-hop music to fight for social justice and make a change in the community around them, but before they recognized this avenue as their calling, they were students at the University who had a love for rhyme.

Initially, they were two separate emcees that came together through their involvement with the Registered Student Organization known as W.O.R.D, or Writers Organization Realistic Dialect, where they initially met.

“I kind of forget sometimes of how much that set me up,” Klevah said about the organization. “It was just one of those things that kind of guided me through a period of my life, and it made me a greater artist.”

In addition to it’s technical benefits, Klevah said the RSO became more like a family.

“At the time, going to U of I, I was very heavily into my academics, as I was in high school, but then with W.O.R.D, it really gave me a creative outlet I’ve never had before.

To have an organization that was also built of people that you love and that you have respect for, it was much more than an RSO. We became a family.”

A student in AHS, T.R.U.T.H said her involvement with the spoken word group inspired her to pursue music as a career path instead of just a sideline passion.

“I wouldn’t even be doing this if it wasn’t for W.O.R.D because that just really opened a door for me ... I knew it was my passion, but I wasn’t looking at it like a career move in that type of regard,” she said. “W.O.R.D really pushed me.”

Through their music, Mother Nature delivers a message of female empowerment and pride in afrocentrism, a cultural ideology dedicated to black history. It’s a direction that they say formed on its own, and it’s considered a necessity to cover.

“When we came up with the Mother Nature thing with the EP, it was just natural. We didn’t have no set.

It just flowed like that,” T.R.U.T.H said. “We just so happened to talk about black women and ‘fros and the system and different types of stuff.”

“That’s who we are,” Klevah continued. “Those are the things that we actually do really care about, so it just naturally comes through the music.”

Klevah said hip-hop’s ability to touch and relate to all types of people is a major push behind her dedication to the craft.

“The reason why I continue to be within the culture is just because it’s the best culture I can think of,

and it’s universal, and everybody can relate,” she said. “Hip-hop has changed more people’s lives than religion or anything because it’s raw, it’s real and it’s knowledgeable, and you gotta really know what you’re talking about.”

Catherine Sanchez, one of Mother Nature’s representatives, said Mother Nature’s music embodies the power of unity and grants a voice to all who are open to its message.

“I believe music like this really has the power to unite people and bring about change, but artists rarely embrace this power that their music can hold,” Sanchez said. “Klevah and T.R.U.T.H do not run from this power, but instead, they pull it right out of each other and share it with those around them. For Mother Nature to spread this energy in order to empower people of color, women and oppressed peoples in general is extraordinary. It takes extreme courage and complete vulnerability to put yourself out there like that.”

Both emcees say that they draw inspiration from within as much as they do from the world around them.

“Stress and discomfort and insecurity,” Klevah said. “Those things are what inspire me.”

Those personal insecurities and imperfect circumstances are the best catalysts for producing music that truly reflects what’s on the inside, said T.R.U.T.H. “If I were a perfect person and had the best self-esteem and all that other type of stuff, I don’t feel like I had anything to talk about,” she said. “You need the muck and the harshness of reality to be like ‘OK, I need to write about this.’”

That sense of relation is felt by all who hear Mother Nature’s music, said Brittany Darling, who is also a part of the management of Moth-

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Rap duo Mother Nature shares a message of empowerment and advocates for social change. The duo performed during Pygmalion Festival at Cowboy Monkey. er Nature.

“The experience with them is like surreal; it’s so rare to find that genuine love that you can feel when you step into the room,” she said. “Their music is powerful and thought provoking, and it’s different because you can hear the history behind their experiences by just the sound of their voice.”

In their own words, Mother Nature’s message and music is “undeniable.”

“It’s magic. It’s something that you really can’t explain. It’s Godgiven in a way,” Klevah said. “When we actually sat down and worked on this project, we didn’t know how it was going to flow. It just happened consistently.”

Hip-hop is getting back to its roots, according to Klevah.

“It’s getting back to the important things. It’s not so much about image.

It’s more about your hustle and your spirit and how hard you come on the mike,” she said. “I would say we definitely are in that category,

but I just kind of see it as an explosion right now.”

Their progression has made them realize that there is so much more to be uncovered.

“At each level you reach, you realize you see everything much more.

You see the picture,” Klevah said. “I feel like we haven’t seen the whole picture; we’re only looking at a little portion of it.”

Hip-hop is on the brink of creating a social revolution, and Mother Nature is a key piece, according to Sanchez.

The duo will perform Feb. 6 at 10:30 p.m. with Exmag at the Canopy Club.

“The work Mother Nature creates, the way it makes people feel, the messages that it is bringing back into modern hip-hop, it’s very real and very necessary,” she said.

“If there is anyone who could lead a revolution right now, it’s Mother Nature.”

nnstewa2@dailyillini.com

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD ACROSS

1 Like a banjo 7Annul 15 Make fast 16 Flexible 17 1813 novel made into a 2005 film 19 Successor to Churchill 20 1942 F.D.R. creation 21 Drives 22 More than half of all batteries sold 24 Moriarty, to Holmes 25 Five-time Emmy-winning actress 31 A monster may have a big one 34 Places that may have beeches and benches 35 Something to dispense with 36 Word that can be followed by any of several colors 37 Outdoor feast 38 Piece of the N.R.A.?: Abbr.

40One making a lot of turns on the road?

41 “Oh yeah … uh-huh” 42 ___-di-dah 43 Made out 45 Word repeated at the start of every “Star Wars” film 46 Racy books named after a Victorian garment 48 Biathlon need 49 Five fifths 50 Perform lousily 53 Calendar keeper, for short 55 A head

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puzzle by david kwong

59 Alcoholic drink so named because of its color, not its content 63 Boiling 64 Trouble, in Yiddish 65 Bygone royals 66 Blanche DuBois’s sister

DOWN 1 It’s about 5 mL 2 Lived 3 Biting 4 In the altogether 5 Certain foot soldier 6 House support?

7 Clause connectors 8 Conks 9 Time off, in mil. slang 10 Where Nike is headquartered

Boy toy?

Quito quaff Cleaned (up) Things going down the drain?

18 Oenophile’s concern 23 Son of David 24 Enclose 25 10-Down neighbor: Abbr.

26 Caribbean vacation destination 27 Hawk or Hornet 28 Go extinct 29 Indian-born writer of the 1981 Booker Prize 30 Miracle-___ 31 Chutzpah 32 Chicago’s ___ Planetarium 33 Bed intruders?

36 Dogpatch creator 11 12 13 14

39 Beatles title girl 44 First to break the tape 46 Beach attraction 47 Multihued horse 48 Inflame 50 Pupil of a snake’s eye, often 51 Plenty 52 Worshiper of Inti 53 Answer to a judge 54 Pops 56 In unison, in a way 57 PC key 58 Greeting with a salute 60 W-4 entry: Abbr.

61 Topics of many self-help books 62 “___ whole …”

The crossword solution is in the Classified section.

LIFE & CULTURE 6A | THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016 | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

RYAN FANG THE DAILY ILLINI

A squirrel eats a donut near the Anniversary Plaza on March 6.

Celebrating UI’s squirrely history

BY ABBY PAETH STAFF WRITER

Granola Bar Day, National Hugging Day and Rid the World of Fad Diets Day are just a few of the unusual holidays celebrated on Jan. 21.

However, one quirky holiday in particular hits pretty close to home with many University students: Squirrel Appreciation Day. Squirrels are a large part of Illinois culture because of their abundance on campus. In 2013, Huffington Post listed the University as one of the most squirrelobsessed campuses in the nation.

Many students on the

Main Quad who attempt to get close to the animals sometimes feed or pet them.

“I like that they’re all over campus. In my hometown, there’s really not that many squirrels.

It’s really crazy when you come to campus, and they’re everywhere. It’s kind of a part of our campus,” said Dana Johnson, junior in ACES. Joh nson favors a particular squirrel on campus, whom she has a ffectionately na med Mr. Jackson after former President Andrew Jackson.

She described her first encounter with Mr. Jackson.

“I really wanted to feed

a squirrel, (so) everyday I tried. I stopped for them all the time, and they would just run away from me. One day, one ran up to me and took (the food) out of my hand,” Johnson said.

Though all squirrels look similar, Johnson said she can always recognize Mr. Jackson. She tries to feed him every day and can usually find him outside of the Henry Administration Building.

“I know (that) it’s him everyday because he’s the fattest one out there, and he’s the only one who will sprint right towards you,” Johnson said. “He finds us (when) I’m walking by.

I usually have peanuts because I see him so often.”

Though squirrels like Mr. Jackson may seem out of the ordinary, Edward Heske, mammal ecologist at the Illinois Natural Resources Survey and University professor, said it’s common.

“Squirrels are really intelligent and they tame really easy. When they learn to see you as a food resource, they’ll approach you,” Heske said. “When they do, they sit on their haunches and sit up with their paws in a begging or praying posture and interact with you by looking at you.”

Some students use their interaction time with the

squirrels as a stress reliever from their hectic class load.

“I just find observing them and sometimes being able to interact with them kind of cathartic especially when you’re overwhelmed with schoolwork. It’s a nice, convenient distraction,” said Nick Brown, junior in LAS. Brown said that while squirrels are not essential to the reputation of the University, he does view them as an interesting benefit to campus life.

“Anytime that you can have a little niche above any other college campus, I think that’s pretty cool, especially

SEE SQUIRRELS | 5A

Break volunteers explore societal issues

BY MARIA RUBIN DE CELIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Netflix, hanging out with friends and spending time with family are standard events for the majority of students during academic breaks.

However, for those involved in the Alternative Seasonal Breaks (ASB) program, break takes on a new meaning.

ASB is a student-run volunteer organization on campus sponsored by the YMCA. It provides students with

the opportunity to volunteer all around the country during fall, winter, spring and summer breaks. Recently, ASB added six new trips for Spring Break 2016. On these trips, students are exposed to serious environmental and social justice issues affecting society.

“Before, environmental issues weren’t that important to me, maybe because I didn’t see them firsthand,” said Lorena Munoz, junior in LAS, who went on a trip

last spring. “But working as a team (on this trip) literally opened my eyes to what’s going on.”

Munoz went to the Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave, Kentucky. While on the trip, she and her team worked throughout the day to clean up debris surrounding and inside the cave.

“The river has become very nasty over the years and isn’t very healthy,” Munoz explained.

Munoz said the cave is sat-

urated with waste from trash that people leave behind.

Before leaving for the trip, Munoz and her group began learning about the pollution issues while still on campus.

ASB provided weekly meetings, where they discussed current environmental realities about the Hidden River Cave.

Sana Singh, senior in LAS and a co-director for ASB, said she prides the organization’s emphasis on education.

Singh said she was moti-

vated to become co-director because she felt ASB transformed her. She has gone on ASB trips that focus on alleviating people out of poverty and homelessness. She said these experiences showed her that volunteering is powerful.

Along with education, organizers also find places to volunteer around ChampaignUrbana that relate to the issues they will see on their trip over break.

SEE ASB | 5A

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THURSDAY January 21, 2016 The Daily Illini DailyIllini.com

SPORTS

Illini set for Big Ten cellar dweller

BY JOEY FIGUEROA STAFF WRITER

Editor’s note: This story does not reflect the result of Wednesday night’s Minnesota-Michigan game which concluded after The Daily Illini’s deadline.

Following Illinois’ deflating 103-69 loss to Indiana on Tuesday night, head coach John Groce faced reporters as he struggled to find answers for his team’s recent play.

When asked what he would tell his team in preparation for Saturday’s road bout with Minnesota, Groce’s answer was blunt.

“You tell them the truth,” Groce said. “That’s what I do.”

Groce pulled no punches when discussing the Illini’s depleted effort level and lack of leadership during their seventh loss away from State Farm Center on the season. The eight-year coaching veteran even called this season the most difficult of his career — more so than last year’s run, which ended with a first-round exit in the NIT. “I’m exhausted,” Groce said. “At some point guys have to understand what we’re about. It can be frustrating, for sure. They’ve got to figure it out, and it’s our job to help them.”

In a short moment of reflection, Groce emphasized that former players Nnanna Egwu and Rayvonte Rice aren’t returning. For an Illinois team that saw four key upperclassmen depart at the end of last season, Groce is still searching for leaders on and off the floor, even this deep into conference play. And he isn’t being shy about it.

“It’s (about) execution of discipline and details,” Groce said. “The guys have to care about those things as much or more than the staff does, and we need leadership echoing those things. At some point, there’s got to be some leader-

Illinois’ Malcolm Hill goes airborne while on a fast break during the Illini’s 78-68 loss to Michigan at State Farm Center on Dec. 30. ship inside those locker room walls. When those guys are out there playing, you can’t play for them.”

The presumed incumbents of such leadership roles were juniors Malcolm Hill and Kendrick Nunn. Hill had another solid outing Tuesday with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting, but Groce hasn’t been as vocal about Hill’s leadership qualities of late.

The Illini may also need more out of Nunn, who had a poor 3-of-11 shooting night before fouling out against the Hoosiers. Nunn has yet to put together a sustained stretch of quality outings, and the Illini’s success sometimes hinges on the prolific guard’s play. Illinois is 2-5 on

the season when Nunn misses at least five triples — he shot 2-of-7 from deep against Indiana.

Some of the leadership duties could fall to senior center Mike Thorne, Jr., who’s return to action was the lone silver lining in Tuesday’s loss. In his first game since November, Big Mike grabbed nine rebounds and earned 11 looks from the charity stripe in just 16 minutes.

Groce said Thorne Jr. — who noticeably trudged from one end of the floor to the other Tuesday — obviously has some rust to shake off, but was happy with his performance — especially the way he communicated on the defensive end.

“Hopefully we’ll get some progress there,” Groce said.

“All in all, I thought (he played) above average, for sure. I was pleased, and hopefully it’ll be a step in the right direction moving forward for him and for us.”

Now with some semblance of a full roster, Illinois sets its sights on Minnesota, another Big Ten team in need of a win.

Minnesota has dropped seven consecutive games and is one of two remaining teams in the Big Ten without a conference win under its belt. Similar to the Illini, the Gophers are slightly undersized, so they don’t do well on the glass and at times rely on shots from beyond the arc.

Illinois at Minnesota

When/Where: Jan. 23. at 7:30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota TV/Radio: Big Ten Network Quick Notes: Minnesota is one of two Big Ten teams The Gophers rank No. 12 in the conference on the boards, and nine of their 10 worst rebounding outputs have ended in losses. Minnesota is 5-2 on the year when it drains at least seven deep balls, so Illinois may need to tighten up its 3-point defense — the Illini have already allowed nine double-digit 3-point

AUSTIN YATTONI THE DAILY ILLINI

without a conference win this season. The Illini's only win of the season against a Big Ten opponent came against Purdue.

Hidden Stat: Illinois is 4-11 when shooting under 40 percent from 3-point land. performances.

With just three days in between games for Groce to get his message across, a conference win over a similarly desperate team could provide a small sign that the players are listening.

jfiguer2@dailyillni.com @joeyfigueroa3

Gymnastics face Iowa, defend 1st place finish Illini travel to compete with rival Iowa once more this week

BY JAMES BOYD STAFF WRITER

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Illinois’ Brandon Ngai performs a routine on the pommel horse during the meet against Stanford on March 6. Nhai hopes to repeat a strong performance.

The Illinois men’s gymnastics team (7- 0) will face a conference foe for the second time this week when it travels to Iowa City, Iowa, to face the Hawkeyes Saturday.

The two faced off Sunday in the Windy City Invitational at the UIC Pavilion, where Illinois finished first in a field of six for a second straight year — Iowa finished fourth.

Head coach Justin Spring is not sold on his team’s performance thus far. He noted that two gymnastic powerhouses — Oklahoma and Stanford — are looking like they’re already in midseason from.

But, the Illini are not executing their routines to their full potential.

“At the end of the day, we were just slightly ahead of everyone else,” Spring said of the Windy City Invite.

“It really wasn’t a good indicator of where everyone sits in the Big Ten.” Spring noted that the team’s health and execution were two notable concerns.

Sophomore Chandler Eggleston has performed well in his first bit of action since sitting out last season due to a knee inju-

“At the end of the day, we were just slightly ahead of everyone else.”

JUSTIN SPRING

MEN’S GYMNASTICS HEAD COACH

ry, contributing multiple high scores in the team’s competition.

Freshman Alex Diab and sophomore Bobby Baker also continue to impress.

While sophomore Brandon Ngai looks to follow up his strong performance on pommel horse with another

Illinois vs Iowa

When/where: Saturday, 1 p.m., Iowa City, Iowa Quick note: Illinois has an undefeated record of 6-0.

Hidden stat: Iowa finished fourth in a field of six at the Windy City Invitational on Sunday — Illinois finished first. high-scoring routine at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Ngai’s score of 15.550 is the highest pommel horse score by an Illini in the past five years and was Illinois’ only individual first place finish at the Windy City Invite.

Spring believes Saturday’s contest will be close despite topping Iowa at the Windy City Invite.

“The conference title is going to be given to the team that steps up and hits routines when the title is on the line,” Spring said.

“There’s not going to be a runaway at this conference meet.”

jeboyd2@dailyillini.com @RomeovilleKid

Tennis prepares for ITA Kickoff

BY TIM GRIFFIN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Fighting Illini women’s tennis team departs for Lubbock, Texas, this weekend to participate in the ITA Kickoff Weekend where the Illini will play their third overall match of the season against Virginia Tech.

The Illini returned to campus Jan. 7 in preparation for the Kick Off, as well as competing in a dual match, defeating both Eastern Illinois and IUPUI. “We’ve been training hard for this. We’ve had two a day practices and done lots of conditioning and lots of weights. We are in really good shape and I think we are ready to go,” interim head coach Evan Clark said. Clark will be serving

as head coach for the 20152016 season as former head coach Michelle Dasso’s contract was not renewed.

The Illini have high expectations not only for this weekend, but for the rest of the season. After finishing 14-10 last year and missing the NCAA tournament, doing well in this weekend’s tournament could turn things around.

“We are just taking one match at a time, but I expect us to compete with everybody down there and win the Kick Off and hopefully qualify for national indoors,” Clark said.

For returning players, such as juniors Alexis Casati and Louisa Kwong, while the Kick Off Weekend tournament is new to them, they still feel confident they can

ITA Kickoff Weekend

When: 2 p.m., Jan. 23, Lubbock, Texas TV/Radio: None Quick notes: The Illini start the ITA Kickoff Weekend facing off against No. 30 ranked Virginia Tech Hokies. The Illini come into this matchup 2-0 be successful.

“This is the first year I’ve ever played in this tournament, but everybody’s playing well so I think we are definitely looking to win at least our first round and hopefully qualify,” Casati said.

“We’ve been playing a lot of points and doing a lot of

and ranked No. 58 in the country.

Hidden stat: If the Illini win their two guaranteed matches this weekend, they will be invited to play in the 2016 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship, which takes place at Wisconsin.

repetition to prepare for this. Hopefully, we can go 2-0,” Kwong said.

The Illini face off against Virginia Tech at 2pm Saturday. Following, they will either play Texas Tech or Oregon Sunday.

sports@dailyillini.com @TimGriffy6

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Illinois’ Alexis Casati attempts to return the ball during the match against Iowa at Atkins Tennis Center on April 19.

2B

Thursday, January 21, 2016

FROM 1A

DIA BUDGET All of these examples of excess spending are what led to Ridpath’s thoughts on needless expenditures.

He admits there are facilities that need upgrades, but draws the line when schools fill facilities with things that were once unimaginable, such as Clemson University, which is building a $55 million complex that will have a miniature golf course, laser tag, movie theater and other things that can only be used by football players.

Statistics show bumps in applications when a school’s football and men’s basketball team competes in national championships and Final Fours, but Ridpath noted that schools wouldn’t be lost without their athletic departments.

“If I waved the magic wand and eliminated athletics at the University of Illinois, the University would continue to survive; it would likely thrive because it’s a great academic institution,” Ridpath said. “The University is the most important thing here. We just want to watch the games.”

The Illinois trend Last year’s break even ended years of profit for the department since at least 2011. Through a Freedom of Information Act request, The Daily Illini obtained the University’s annual Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act since 2011, which it is required to submit each year.

The EADA is given to the NCAA to report spending, revenues and other financial-related topics per sport.

Football led all sports in revenue in 2015, earning $30,819,615, while men’s basketball finished second with $17,823,570. Volleyball finished fourth and led wom-

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

en’s sports with $809,830 and men’s golf and baseball rounded out the top five, finishing third and fifth, respectively.

The past year also marked another year when football and men’s basketball were the only profitable sports for the program, a common trend among programs around the nation. Football ended the year with a $12,482,706 profit and men’s basketball had a $9,409,479 profit. Without football and men’s basketball, men’s sports would have finished with a $4,350,892 deficit while women’s sports finished with a $9,122,463 deficit.

Women’s basketball continued to be the department’s least-profitable sport.

The team finished with a $2,571,875 deficit, earning $584,398 and having to spend $3,156,273. Since 2011, the program finished each year with over-a-milliondollar deficit, totaling up to $10,466,572 during the fiveyear span.

The burden of football and men’s basketball carrying the load, revenue-wise, is not an uncommon national trend. Although women’s basketball has seen great progress during the past few decades and programs like Tennessee have seen greater support than the men’s team, many programs still struggle to gain any profit, according to Ridpath.

With the ticket revenue, television deals and other financial deals associated with football and men’s basketball, it’s not unexpected to see the two carry programs across the nation.

“It’s still tough,” Ridpath said. “Overall, sadly, women’s basketball programs do lose a lot of money and so do other programs and those bills need to be paid.”

Senior Associate Director of Athletics Susan Young is responsible for the annual

reports. She said it’s a priority for her to be responsible with the budget the department put in place. Surplus money is saved for the next year or used to cover costs elsewhere, such as bonds to quickly payoff the State Farm Center renovations.

Illinois has covered the deficits while also increasing the amount it has spent on student aid and recruiting. In 2015, the department offered $6,682,901 to male athletes while $4,514,751 was offered to women athletes.

Student aid for athletes has continually risen since 2011, when the University offered a total $9,847,571.

The University also saw an increase in how much it spent in recruiting. Men’s sports spent $1,421,590 in recruiting while women’s sports spent $439,709.

This is in comparison to the $1,344,243 total spent for both sports in 2011.

Despite the large expenses, the department evened the total with the $53,679,677 that was earned from sports revenues and $20,790,299 that was not allocated to a particular sport.

Young mentioned that it’s important to remember that the department is a not-forprofit and its responsibility is to serve the student-athletes’ best interests.

“We’re really here to create an experience for students that may or may not have had an opportunity,” Young said. “I think the student piece is as important as the sport-by-sport revenue and expense.”

Looking toward the future While Illinois has stayed above the red during 2015, it will need to find a way to continue the trend. The University will likely name an athletic director in the coming days who needs to find a way to energize fans, especially donors, during years when

PETER BAILEY-WELLS THE DAILY ILLINI

Interim Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk speaks at the Memorial Stadium press box. the school’s revenue sports will experience down years.

Expenses will also continue to increase. The department has faced higher prices in travel, NCAA deregulations, higher cost in attendance and the new NCAA food regulations for student-athletes. The addition of Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers to the Big Ten conference has also increased the costs through travel.

Although 2014 was a high year in the annual fund donation, ticket sales are dropping with the poor play by both men’s basketball and

football, forcing Illinois’ department to be weary of the future.

“You want to achieve as much as you can and have as much success as you can,” Kowalczyk said. “We’re not where we want to be, but we’ve done a good job of managing the money that we have.”

The new head of the department will have those issues to deal with while also trying to avoid joining a national trend that has hurt many schools. They, like many administrators, coaches, donors and fans, will need

to reflect on the state of college sports and the direction athletic spending is heading toward.

“I think we’ve really lost our way,” Ridpath said. “We can really work on the deficit like women’s basketball, baseball and others will never turn a great profit, but we can manage more for our athletes and make their experience a lot better academically if we wouldn’t spend on things that are needless.”

dwojak2@dailyillini.com @mdwojak94

Home ice gives hope to Illini Hockey looks to bring itself out of New Year slump

BY ETHAN SWANSON STAFF WRITER

Winter break seemed to come at an opportune time for the Illini, as they literally and figuratively limped into December with a number of nagging injuries and a dismal 2-4 finish to 2015. Their start was characterized by inconsistent play and a plummet in the CSCHL standings.

The ACHA’s near-month break from competition gave No. 17 Illinois time to regroup, refocus and finally get healthy for the final stretch of the season with the postseason lurking just two months away in mid-March.

So far, however, 2016 has not been the Illini’s year.

Since reopening the season Jan. 10, the Illini are 1-3, getting swept on the road

by No. 6 Adrian College and splitting a series with conference foe No.9 Iowa State in Ames, Iowa.

“Any ACHA opponent, no matter the size of the school, is going to give you a fight,” sophomore forward Eric Cruickshank said. “We’re a young team, but we know what it takes to win in this league, and we just haven’t done it.”

This weekend, Illinois (13-

10-3) will be on its home ice for the first time this New Year in a two-game series with Rochester College (1111-1), looking to put together back-to-back wins and gain momentum entering the end of the conference schedule.

If the Illini want to get a win Friday and have success for the remainder of the season, they have to get their high-powered offense back up to speed.

In the last four games, Illinois has averaged fewer than two goals per game and were held to just one goal in the first two games of the New Year — the Illini had only scored one goal in a game twice the first fourth months of the season.

Part of the issue could possibly be attributed to changes in head coach Nick Fabbrini’s first and second offensive lines.

After breaking his ankle in the first month of the season, senior captain and last season’s point leader John Olen returned to the Illini roster in late November and was originally placed on the second line with Josh Belmont and Shannuk Pal as he eased his way back to full game strength.

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Head coach Nick Fabrini shouts instructions to his players during the game against Ohio University at the Ice Arena on Oct. 23.

After a month off to fully heal, Olen replaced Grant Stueve on the first line with Illinois’ sophomore scoring duo Cruickshank and James Mcging, who are tied for the team lead in points with 29 apiece.

Mcging and Cruickshank have not seen the same production as they did with Stueve during Olen’s absence. Cruickshank, the team leader in goals, has only scored on a penalty shot in the last four games.

Mcging, the team assist leader, has only two assists and an unassisted goal over the same time frame.

“In the beginning of the season, I had to play guys at certain spots and roles were more defined because of our short bench,” Fabbrini said.

“Now that everyone is 100 percent, I have to figure out how to make all our pieces fit offensively.”

“The ankle feels good,” Olen added. “I just want to do whatever I can to help this team, whether its scoring, deferring or defense, I just want to help us win.”

Rochester has not been great on the road this season, holding a 5-5 away record.

Although, the Warriors average over three goals a game outside their home arena.

Having a goalie like Joe Olen with a .938 save percentage and over 602 saves is a major luxury for Illinois, but Joe can only stop goals, not score them. The Illini’s offensive will have to show up this weekend if they want to bring themselves out of this New Year slump and make any noise in the CSCHL tournament come March.

“Our goals never change,” junior defenseman Austin Zima said. “We know what this team is capable of.”

erswans2@dailyillini.com @EthanSwanson88

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Illinois’ Aleks Vukic lines up for the return during the second round of NCAA Men’s Tennis Regionals vs. Drake at Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex on May 9.

Illini to start spring strong

BY MIKE GASICK STAFF WRITER

The Illinois men’s tennis team competed at the Three Oaks Shootout tournament — Jan. 15-17 — and will begin its spring season Friday.

The Illini competed against Mississippi State, South Florida and TCU. The tournament consisted of individual players competing to be named the Most Outstanding Player award instead of picking up a team win.

Illinois went up against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on the first day of the tournament, garnering wins in five singles matches and two doubles matches.

Leading the way for the Illini in the singles matches were senior Jared Hiltzik and sophomore Aron Hiltzik.

Jared won in a three set matinee (6-3, 2-6, 7-6), using a tiebreaker to finish off his opponent in the last set. Aron completed his match in straight sets (6-2, 6-4).

Senior Brian Page teamed up with junior Julian Childers on the doubles side to defeat the team of Nuno Borges and Mate Cutura, 6-3.

The final day of the tournament included a matchup with the TCU Horned Frogs. The Illini mustered out six total wins, four from the singles draw and two from the doubles.

Jared partnered with junior Alex Jesse to defeat the combination of Reese Stalder and Alex Rybakov with little difficulty, 6-2. TCU collected six wins in total as well.

On the singles side, redshirt freshman Pablo Landa turned in a successful match against Gianni Mancini, defeating him 6-4, 6-4.

The tournament concluded with multiple Illini having an above .500 record for the three matches they played over the weekend. Childers turned in a perfect 3-0 performance in singles and 2-1 in doubles and was named the tournament’s Co-Most Outstanding Player — South Florida’s Dominic Cotrone was the other.

Sophomore Aleks Vukic, freshman Asher Hirsch and both of the Hiltzik brothers went 2-1.

Jesse and Landa competed in two matches apiece and came away with 1-1 and 2-0 records, respectively.

The Illini enter the season as the No. 7 team in the country, according to the ITA rankings.

The team will open up against Notre Dame at the Atkins Tennis Center on Friday for its first match of the spring season.

gasick2@dailyillini.com @mike_mgasick

Women’s basketball team receives donation for locker room renovations, equipment THE DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT

AUSTIN YATTONI THE DAILY ILLINI

Head coach Matt Bollant shouts instructions to his team from the sideline during the game against Southern Illinois at the State Farm Center on Dec. 8.

The Illini Courtsiders Organization, the official support group of Illinois women’s basketball, announced a $73,000 donation to the women’s basketball program Wednesday.

A ceremonial check will be presented to the team at the women’s basketball game Saturday.

The donation will be spent on new video equipment, an Omegawave performance technology system and to remodel the Ubben Practice Facility locker room, according to the press release.

Illini Courtsiders’ goal is to better the program by providing fan and financial support for

needs not included in the budget, according to the release.

“These young women deserve our support and the community’s attention,” said Jen Shelby, Illini Courtsiders’ president, in the press release.

Shelby said the women in the basketball program our receiving a “top-notch” education that the organization wants to be matched by their student-athlete experience.

“The support we receive from Courtsiders is valuable in many ways,” Illinois head coach Matt Bollant said in the release.

sports@dailyillini.com

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Thursday, January 21, 2016

3B

Illini prepare to take on Penn State

BY ALEX WALLNER STAFF WRITER

Illinois wrestling’s Saturday matchup will feature the teams fourth top-10 Big Ten opponent of the season.

The No. 13 Illini (103, 1-3) are coming off a 32-10 victory over Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, Sunday, while their opponent — the No. 1 Nittany Lions (10-0, 5-0) — are coming off a 46-4 win against Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois.

“If he tries to match my pace, it’s going to be an ugly, ugly match.”

ISAIAH MARTINEZ

NO.1 ILLINOIS WRESTLER

Penn State enters Saturday’s matchup with six individuals ranked in the top five in their respective weight classes, including three ranked No. 1.

Under the tutelage of one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers of all-time, Head Coach Cael Sanderson, Penn State has been one of the premier wrestling schools in the country during his time in Happy Valley.

In five years at Penn State, Sanderson has a record of 71-10-1 and won four out of the last five NCAA championships.

Saturday will be a test for the Illini, who have not faced Penn State in the regular season since the 20132014 campaign, which the Nittany Lions won 31-3.

The Illini have not defeated the Nittany Lions since the 2007-2008 season.

One key matchup on Saturday comes at 157-pounds, where No. 1-ranked Isaiah Martinez (19-0) will face No. 3 Jason Nolf (23-0).

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Illinois’ Isaiah Martinez attempts to press Kent State’s Ian Miller to the ground during a match on Feb. 15. Martinez hopes to continue his winning streak.

Nolf is a freshman who scores a lot of points. But Martinez isn’t thinking what he can do to slow Nolf down. Instead, Martinez wants to know what Nolf can do to slow him down.

“If he tries to match my pace, it’s going to be an ugly, ugly match,” Martinez said. “I think he knows that because as it’s been shown in the past, if you try to match my pace, or try to match my intensity, I think that I’m better at picking people apart.”

The Illini — especially Martinez — appreciated the return of No. 5 Zac

Brunson at 174-pounds last Sunday against Michigan State.

“It’s not good when we have injuries,” Martinez said. “For the Ohio State dual or the Iowa dual where it was real competitive, we really could have used his points, but I’m glad he’s healthy and I’m glad he’s going to be back for this dual because it’s going to be a good one.”

Redshirt sophomore Kyle Langenderfer has a tough test on Saturday as well.

At 149-pounds, Langenderfer will take on No. 1 Zain Retherford.

Retherford comes into Saturday with a 21-0 record and last beat No. 4 Jason Tsirtsis of Northwestern by major decision, 15-5.

Langenderfer (6-7) has a 1-4 record in his last five matches. He added that he’s not thinking about what his opponent is doing.

“I don’t think I need to so much worry about what he’s doing,” Langenderfer said. “As what I’m doing for my athleticism and things like that, just kind of get to my game plan more than let him to get to his, just worry about what I’m doing and get to my shots, try to put

some points on the board to make it a good match and get myself in a comfortable position where I can wrestle hard the whole match.”

The Illini are coming into Saturday with not much success against the Nittany Lions in recent years, but No. 2-ranked Zane Richards said that sticking to their style of wrestling will prove to be beneficial for the Illini.

“Let us dictate where the matches take place,” Richards said. “We want to wrestle, we can’t let these guys get in the positions they want to be in.”

Illinois vs. Penn State When/Where: Saturday, Jan. 23, Huff Hall TV/Radio: None Quick Note: Isaiah Martinez will face one of his biggest challenges of the season in No. 3 Jason Nolf.

Hidden Stat: Penn State has a 71-10-1 record under Cael Sampson. awallne2@dailyillini. com @AWallner93

SPORTS BRIEFS THE DAILY ILLINI SPORTS STAFF

Women’s soccer associate coach named Big Brother of the Year

Illinois Athletics partners with mortgage lender Quicken Loans The University of Illinois announced Wednesday that it has formed a partnership with Quicken Loans.

Quicken Loans, the nation’s second largest retail mortgage lender, is not wasting any time making its presence known on campus, either. The company will fund a sweepstakes for students to have a chance to win basket-

ball tickets for the 2016-17 season.

Jay Farner, president and chief marketing officer for the now ”proud mortgage partner of Illinois Athletics,” said the new agreement “is all about offering new and engaging opportunities for supporters to rally around the Fighting Illini community and build on its impressive legacy.”

Illinois women’s soccer associate coach Jeff Freeman was named Big Brother of the Year by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Champaign County organization.

Freeman was chosen from a pool of over 550 matches in the Champaign County. Freeman has volunteered with the organization over the past three years.

Freeman and his match have now also been nominated for the Big Brother of the Year for the state of Illinois. The association will chose a winner for the state by mid-February, and the winner will then be nominated for Big Brother of the Year at the national level.

DAILY ILLINI FILE PHOTO

Illinois' Adam Walton attempts to tag out Indiana's Brad Hartong during the baseball game against Indiana at Illinois Field on April 17. Illinois was a top-eight seed last year.

Illinois baseball ranked no. 38 in the nation The first national rankings from Perfect Game, an amateur scouting source, were announced Wednesday and Illinois Baseball sits at No. 38.

Illinois is coming off a top eight seed in the College

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AUSTIN YATTONI THE DAILY ILLINI

Head coach John Groce watches his team from the sidelines during a game against Western Carolina on Dec. 5. Quicken Loans will fund a basketball ticket giveaway.

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and Pat McInerney from last years team that posted the best record in program history (50-10-1).

Perfect Game ranked six Big Ten teams in their top 40, with Michigan (No. 23) ranked the highest.

26. Jan 2009

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World Series, and a loss to eventual national champion Vanderbilt knocked the Illini out in the Super Regional stage.

The Illini are returning shortstop Adam Walton, catcher Jason Goldstein,

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

Iowa’s Big Ten emergence not a fluke DAN ESCALONA College hoops columnist

F

ootball season may still be seven months away, but Iowa is making its best attempt at revenge for the Big Ten Championship game on the basketball court — not the gridiron.

In case you haven’t fully caught up to college basketball yet, the No. 9 Hawkeyes have beaten Michigan State twice — once when Spartans were No.1 — and compiled a 6-0 record against top 50 RPI opponents. These developments have played a major role in leading the team to an undefeated start in Big Ten play and a possible No.2 seed in the tournament, according to Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketlogy projections.

Iowa’s only losses this season have come against perennial tournament teams — Dayton, Notre Dame and Iowa State. Its three losses were all by an average of four points, including a one-point loss to the Cyclones.

This start has made the Hawkeyes a bona fide conference and national contender, and the best team in head coach Fran McCaffrey’s tenure. Heck, this may be one of the best Iowa squads since the Lute Olson years of the early 1980s.

What, you ask, exactly has led to a relative Big Ten basketball afterthought becoming one of the hottest teams in the country?

An imposing paint presence and effective guard play have come together to mold Iowa into a surprising conference contender.

The irreplaceable cog in Iowa’s engine is senior forward Jarrod Uthoff — a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate.

Uthoff leads the conference in both points and blocks per game, making the Hawkeyes one of the

more formidable teams in the post on both ends of the floor. He may not be as widely known as Frank Kaminsky was, but Uthoff is besting the former Wisconsin great in a number of categories.

At this point in the season, Uthoff has better numbers in blocks per game, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage than Kaminsky did in his banner 2014-15 season. Even in points per game Uthoff is averaging just a sliver less — 0.2 to be exact — than Kaminsky a year ago.

The strong backcourt play of Peter Jok and Mike Geselle has complemented Uthoff’s inside strength.

Both players average about 10 points per game, yet the most important aspect this backcourt duo brings every game are the ability to take care of the rock and get other players involved.

Giselle is second in the conference in assists per game, while Jok is tied for third in steals. This has played a big role in the Hawkeyes leading the Big Ten in turnover margin and assist to turnover ratio, and they rank second in steals.

Iowa’s backcourt not only frustrates opponents by forcing them into turnovers, but it also complements its inside scoring prowess with one of the conference’s best threepoint shooting attacks.

The Hawkeyes rank at the top in three-point fieldgoal percentage and, just as importantly, in threepoint defense.

The combo of the inside scoring and defense provided by Uthoff and the assisting, stealing and shooting provided by the backcourt are lethal amalgamation of factors that make Iowa a viable candidate to win the Big Ten and make a deep run in March.

The Hawkeyes’ emergence is, above all, a positive indictment of the Big Ten’s overall strength. It says a lot about the con-

KIRTHMON F. DOZIER TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Michigan State’s Eron Harris, left, is defended by Iowa’s Dom Uhi during the first half at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Michigan Thursday. Iowa won, 76-59. ference’s strength that a non-traditional basketball power such as Iowa can compete with — and even out-compete — traditional powers such as Michigan State, Indiana, Maryland,

Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Furthermore, the rise of the Hawkeyes serves to break up some of the monotony of having the same teams — Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio

State, Indiana — dominate the conference year after year.

Best of all, Iowa’s hot start to the season can — at least temporarily — allow its fans to forget the

debacle that was the Rose Bowl.

Dan is a senior in Media.descalo2@ dailyillini.com @danescalona77

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