PULLING TRADITION INTO CAMPUS RSO trains and performs Chinese yo-yo at University
LIFE & CULTURE, 6A
THE DAILY ILLINI
TUESDAY March 3, 2015
5he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 144 Issue 86
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UNOFFICIAL 2015
Students find success selling Unofficial T-shirts BY LIZ JASSIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PORTRAIT BY SONNY AN THE DAILY ILLINI
University advocates for aid for undocumented students The University currently allows undocumented students under some circumstances to qualify for in-state tuition. An amendment to the 2003 bill that put this into action could give these students access to state financial aid.
ONLY
There are approximately
1.1-1.4 million
7,000 - 13,000
undocumented students in the U.S.
states offer in-state tuition to undocumented students
undocumented students enrolled in college throughout the U.S. in 2012
STAFF WRITER
$20,000
The typical difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition THE DAILY ILLINI
SOURCE: Golden Door Scholars
ulty. President Robert Easter said the University will carry forward to direct change on the issue. Currently, undocumented students can attend universities in Illinois as long as they have graduated from an Illinois high school, lived with his or her parents and lived in the state for three years. The legislation passed in 2003 allowed for undocumented students to receive in-state tuition; however, they cannot receive any fi nancial aid from the state or the University. Illinois is one of 18 states that charge in-state tuition as long as students have met the requirements to attend the University. In order to afford the cost of attendance, Valdivieso has to work and apply for private scholarships. “It was very stressful
BY CHARLOTTE COLLINS
states prohibit in-state tuition to undocumented students
The median annual income of undocumented immigrants is 30 percent less than that of U.S.-born families
UI looks to give undocumented students aid Alberto Lara Valdivieso was nine years old when he came to Illinois from Tlalnepantla de Baz, Mexico with his family. Growing up in Chicago, the junior in LAS said he could spot some of the differences between himself and his peers, but the gravity of his illegal status did not really occur to him until he began considering a college education. “Being undocumented never really hit me until high school because then it was like ‘Oh, I have to pay for college, I don’t know any of the procedures for college,’” Valdivieso said. To help students like him, University of Illinois administrators and students have been working to change legislation to provide undocumented students access to state fi nancial aid. In an October meeting of the fac-
SEE STATE AID | 3A
Chinese dating show aspires to integrate international students BY MICHELLE REDONDO CONTRIBUTING WRITER
When jumping into a new American environment, international students may have a difficult time adapting. Despite the intimidation of this new culture, organizations like the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and International Student and Scholar Services try to integrate international students to help them have a good college experience. Martin McFarlane, associate director of International Student and Scholar Servic-
es, encouraged University students to look at international students as individuals coming from different cultures, rather than as one group. “To understand international students on campus, we first have to understand that a student from Korea is going to face unique issues compared to a student from Nigeria or a student from Brazil,” said McFarlane in an email. On Sunday, Chinese Students and Scholars hosted a dating event based off the popular Chinese television
NEWS
MICHELLE REDONDO THE DAILY ILLINI
Alumna Zhilin Guo participated in "If You Are The One" on Sunday. The student-run Chinese dating show promotes friendships and relationships for international students. show “If You Are the One,” to help Chinese international students meet one another. Wenjia Ma, graduate student in LAS and general director of the event, said that as international students, the association felt they needed to create a sense
of community and encourage Chinese students to share their culture. Nearly 50 percent of international students on campus hail from China, according to records from the Division
SPORTS
Board of Trustees looks at proposed cuts UI complies with Gov. Rauner’s order to eliminate nonessential spending
PAGE 3A OPINIONS
Will Illini basketball make the NCAA tournament?
SEE DATING | 3A
LIFE & CULTURE
Female musicians find growth in C-U community
Vote in March 4, 5 referendum
Sam Sherman and Stephen Bourbon debate team’s chances
Musicians, patrons and others weigh in on gender disparities in music industry
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PAGE 6A
Amid snowy, icy conditions, CUMTD buses more important than ever
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Through online apparel sales, students and alumni have found ways to make pocket money off of the annual Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day. Kevin Alsterda, 2012 alumnus, manages Unofficial Shirts with the help of campus managers and current University students Saagar Gupta and John Vetter. Alsterda is the owner of a custom apparel company in Chicago, KRA Apparel, with one subsidy being Unofficial Shirts. Alsterda said he counts on his campus managers to “run the business” in Champaign. “They pretty much run the show,” Alsterda said. “The more shirts they sell, the more they get paid.” Alsterda said he only helps with building the website, logistics and supply chain management.
Unofficial Shirts has been up and running for the last four years and was founded by Alsterda as a senior at the University. He started out on the Quad with a pen and paper taking down orders. At first, the business was small and involved little pay, but year after year the sales have gone up, Alsterda said. He said the website made ordering shirts much easier. Gupta, senior in Business, has worked with Alsterda for the last three years and said the experience has offered him a real world opportunity in the field. “I have learned so much under him that now I have consulted over 20 local businesses and events and created two social media startups,” Gupta said. “It has been really cool working with Unofficial Shirts, and now I
SEE UNOFFICIAL | 3A
STELLA YOU THE DAILY ILLINI
T-shirt sales for Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day have become a booming business in recent years for students and alumni.
Campus housing tightens up visiting policy for Unofficial BY MAGGIE SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
Every year, hundreds of college students will visit the University to celebrate Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day. Every year, many of these students will try to circumvent the dorms’ no visitor policies. And every year, local police will arrest many visitors. But numbers from the University of Illinois Police Department show that more nonUniversity-affiliated students receive notices to appear in court on Unofficial than University students. “It’s not their property, it’s
not their home, so they might not treat it with respect,” said Kendra Bristow, business office manager at Bromley Hall. Unofficial celebrations begin Friday morning, but from Thursday at 5 p.m. until Sunday at 8 a.m., University and Private Certified Housing’s visitor policies will change. Typically for private certified housing, residents can check in a maximum of two guests per night for a maximum of three nights, Bris-
SEE VISITORS | 3A
Public safety is primary concern for Champaign police during Unofficial BY YI ZHU STAFF WRITER
The Champaign Police Department held a press conference Monday morning concerning possible safety issues surrounding Friday’s Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day. Lt. Jim Clark, south district commander for the department, said public safety is the biggest concern for the weekend. Unofficial is not sanctioned by the University, nor the cities of Champaign or Urbana, Clark said. The police department recommended that bars and clubs make parties small and know their customers, because people must at least 21 years old to be sold alcohol. Party hosts will face charges for any violations.
“More than 100 police officers will be working this weekend, the biggest day during the year, even bigger than the Super Bowl night,” Clark said. “There is going to be more road patrollers and the traffic enforcement is going to be increased.” Students may face punishment from the University for violations, said Renee Romano, vice chancellor for Student Affairs. “We want students know that if they need help, they should call the police, they should call 911,” Romano said. “Stay out of trouble and stay safe.” The Champaign Police Department will be also working on social media to publish information throughout the weekend.
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