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Staff writer Declan spends 10 hours with Urbana firefighters What goes on during a typical day for Engine 24?
LIFE & CULTURE, 6A
THE DAILY ILLINI The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Rally demands trans-inclusive insurance plan for next year BY MEGAN JONES STAFF WRITER
A proposal to add gender confi rmation surgery to next year’s student health insurance plan was passed on to the University Board of Trustees — but not without reservations. At Monday’s Audit, Budget, Finance and Facilities committee meeting, in which the plan was passed, several committee members voiced concerns regarding the proposal. Concerns regarding medical ethics rose to the forefront of discussion as committee members discussed the permanent effects of the surgery and their uncertainty that 18-year-olds would be able to make such a decision. Additionally, members had reservations regarding the opinions of the parents of students. Committee members were also worried that 99.9 percent of the student body will not use the surgery and that some of that same percentage may be morally opposed to it. Stephanie Skora, president of Campus Union for Trans* Equality and Support (CUT*ES), and Justin Ostrowski , senior in LAS, joined the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs’ Student Insurance Advisory Committee in October in their efforts to add gender confi rmation surgery coverage to the student heath insurance plan, which has been a major goal for the CUT*ES this year. According to a presentation during the committee meeting, the cost of the plan will rise 14.6 percent if the proposal is approved — a $37 increase summing $291 for undergraduates. Graduate students will see a $48 increase for a total of $376. Student Trustee Mike Cunningham said the gender confi rmation surgery would contribute 0.9 percentage points to the rise. The surgery alone increases health insurance costs by $2.44 per student per semester and is uncapped, Ostrowski said. Skora added that hormones are covered in the current health insurance plan if the student was prescribed by a doctor. “If I went to somebody on the street and said, ‘Would you pay $3 to save a life?’ an over-
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Crowds of students gather at the Quad at 3 p.m. Monday in anticipation for Ellen Degeneres’ big surprise. Students are dressed in costumes of all types and are sitting on shoulders in an attempt to see what Ellen has in store.
Ellen Degeneres presents gifts to several UI costumed students on Quad STAFF WRITER
uperheroes and villains, princesses and gladiators, fish and gorillas all braved the below freezing weather and gusty winds to gather on the Quad and take part in a promotion hosted by Ellen DeGeneres on Monday afternoon. Ellen asked attendees via Twitter to arrive at 3 p.m. dressed as their favorite movie characters for a promotion inspired by the upcoming Oscars. A live conversation with Ellen via satellite to a television set up on the Quad began at around 4:30 p.m. A few dressed-up people, chosen by Ellen’s staff, were invited to show off their costumes and asked to recite a line from the fi lm their costume was inspired by. A video of the event will be included in Wednesday’s epi-
sode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.� Tad Logullo, sophomore in Engineering, won the competition with his rendition of Heath Ledger’s Joker. His prize: a ticket to Ellen’s studio in Burbank, Calif., for her post-Oscars show on Monday, March 3. “The makeup took me about 30 minutes (to do), so I skipped class for it,� Logullo said. Logullo wasn’t the only student who skipped class to attend the event. Zade Hameed, sophomore in Engineering, said he skipped ECE 110 to attend the promotion. “It’s pretty much, if you want to be an electrical engineer, you need to go to that class. You can’t miss any lectures,� he said. “I was going to be here for five minutes and leave, then I got stuck.� It was nearly impossible not to get stuck in the crowd, as nearly
BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI
A representative from The Ellen DeGeneres Show speaks to the participants that were picked from the crowd before leading them back towards the “stage� during a surprise event on the Quad. 4,500 people huddled together on the Quad at the peak of the event, according to the production team. Some people travelled as far as two hours to attend. While not everyone could win a trip to California, a handful of other costume-wearers won
prizes such as a laptop, a PlayStation, an Xbox, a tablet and a couple $500 American Express gift cards.
Eli can be reached at ejmurra2@dailyillini.com and @eli_mur.
Unions legally empower faculty BY MARYCATE MOST STAFF WRITER
After spending six years as a member of the University of Florida Faculty Senate, Oscar Crisalle didn’t feel his voice was being heard by the administration. “The Senate is advisory,� said Crisalle. “The union has the force of the law behind it.� Crisalle, University of Florida Engineering professor and United Faculty of Florida vice president, visited the Grainger Engineering Library on Monday to discuss unionization with College of Engineering faculty and staff. Crisalle emphasized the legal power that
unionization has provided faculty at University of Florida and described this leverage as key to maintaining the quality of higher education. “We have access (to administrators),� Crisalle said. “You don’t have access. You will be out there in the lobby, waiting until they can talk to you.� The Campus Faculty Association invited Crisalle to speak to inform Engineering professors about the potential outcomes of unionization. Recently, the CFA has gathered support for unionization by going door-to-door around campus, speaking with faculty
and staff about the benefits of unionization. The next step toward unionizing would be for the CFA to ask faculty to sign union cards, said CFA Vice President Rick Laugesen. If more than 50 percent of faculty sign the cards, the campus would unionize. During his presentation, Crisalle cited scenarios in which the union has been helpful to certain faculty at the University of Florida, referencing professors who have published research or books while working at the university. “At the University of Florida, the university gets 50 percent of the royalties and the rest is dis-
tributed among faculty and graduate researchers,� he said. “That (percentage) is all negotiated in an agreement, and I have the right to negotiate that agreement.� However, not all University of Illinois faculty members believe that faculty unionization is a possibility. “The University owes me half a million dollars in unclaimed teaching money, and I don’t expect to get any of it because we don’t have a union here, so I think I have been screwed over for 28 years,� said Engineering lecturer Richard
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University to educate students on smoking ban BY JESSICA RAMOS STAFF WRITER
Change is still underway after the University became a smokefree campus on Jan. 1, as the University’s Wellness Center will train the first round of smoke-free student ambassadors on Friday. The student ambassadors will learn about the details regarding the ban including available resources and how to enforce the policy in a diplomatic manner, said Michele Guerra, director of the Wellness Center. Students interested in becoming ambassadors must go through a hiring process for the unpaid volunteer position. If chosen, they will be responsible for promoting the policy; however, Guerra said everyone should participate. “Everybody should feel empow-
ered to let (smokers) know that this is a smoke-free campus,� she said. There are nicotine replacement therapy stations provided by the Illinois Tobacco Quitline throughout the campus to help those who want to quit. “There are a lot of support mechanisms provided for students,� Guerra said. Additionally, the smoke-free campus website includes a campus map that shows smoke-free boundaries and the location of eight different nicotine replacement stations that have been set up since Jan. 1. University administration is not the only party that has adopted this policy in the Urbana-Champaign community, either.
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Student ambassadors contacted Michele Guerra, director of the University’s Wellness Center Q Students were required to send in their resumes and cover letters Q They were later contacted for an interview with Guerra and Sarah Sommer, Smokefree assistant Q Closed training will take place Feb. 28 for volunteer student ambassadors who have been hired Q The next round of smokeQ
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STAFF WRITER
At a rally outside of the Audit, Budget, Finance and Facilities meeting, Carol Ammons, candidate for the 103rd state representative race and Urbana City Council member, spoke in support of adding gender confirmation surgery to the student health insurance plan. Ammons had already planned to attend the event before Justin Ostrowski, senior in LAS and proponent of the addition, invited her to speak. “I was part of the civil union organizing, I was also a part of the county board when we passed the resolution for civil unions,� she said. “But I’ve been supportive of our community — all of our
Members of the community are encouraged to complete a Smoke-Free Campus noncompliance form on their website Q The option is provided for an individual or for a general location Q
Feedback
The Wellness Center welcomes feedback on how to better promote the smoke-free campus policy Q
SOURCE: MICHELE GUERRA, UI WELLNESS CENTER AND CAMPUS RECREATION
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Life
Q Listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-5) Q Arises when a person feels uncomfortable in the gender they were assigned at birth Q The only treatment is transition through hormone therapy or related surgery, which includes counseling Q For many, hormones are the first step as it changes voice, alters body hair, changes fat distribution and stops menstrual cycle for men Q If untreated, gender dysphoria causes severe mental health issues and is linked to suicide rates of 41 percent Source: American Psychiatric Association
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community — for a long time.� In her speech, Ammons highlighted the importance of equal coverage for everyone. “I don’t believe it is my responsibility to tell you what your medical needs are, nor is it your responsibility to tell me what mine are. But we know that we have specific needs as different genders, different people, different cultures and different ethnicities,� she said. “And all of those should be able to be covered by our health insurance. That’s the responsibility of our officials.� Ammons is running against Sam Rosenberg in the primary scheduled for March 18.
Eleanor can be reached at eablack2@dailyillini.com.
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Gender dysphoria’s only treatment: transition
Ammons speaks in support of rally BY ELEANOR BLACK
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SADIE TEPER THE DAILY ILLINI
BY ELI MURRAY
0RUH RQOLQH To hear the chants and see the signs of the demonstration, watch the video at www.DailyIllini.com.
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