Dreaming of space UI alumnus hopes to win competition FEATURES, 6A
Tuesday March 26, 2013
The Daily Illini
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Vol. 142 Issue 124
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SNOW CLASSES Student senator criticizes University on delayed emails BY DANIELLE BROWN AND DAN WELIN ASSISTANT DAYTIME EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER
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Leading up to the University’s decision to cancel Monday classes, administrators were met with backlash from a student senator. Around 11 p.m. on Sunday, Jim Maskeri, senator and senior in LAS, sent a mass email to the Urbana-Champaign Senate, along with the provost’s and chancellor’s offices, to voice his concerns regarding how the University was handling the snowstorm. The email was sent after Provost Ilesanmi Adesida sent out a mass email to students at around 9:30 p.m., warning them to avoid driving on Interstate 57 when returning to school. Adesida said students should contact their instructors if they would not be able to make it back to campus safely in time for Monday classes. Maskeri said he was frustrated with the University’s delay in deciding whether to cancel Monday classes, adding that he sent the email after being contacted by several of his constituents. “If classes were not canceled, faculty members had the flexibility to levy sanctions on students based on lack of attendance in class, and therefore, some students were put in the situation where they
More online: To view more coverage
about Monday’s snow day, go to
DailyIllini.com for video footage.
Total snowfall for the month March 2008: 2 in. March 2009: 0.2 in. Q March 2010: 0 in. Q March 2011: 0.2 in. Q March 2012: 0.5 in. Q March 2013, as of 8 a.m. on March 25: 16.4 in. Q Q
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had to choose between their education and their safety,” Maskeri said. “That’s never a situation we want our students to be in.” Campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler said in an email that Maskeri’s message was not a cause for canceling classes. She cited various factors that affected the University’s decision to ultimately cancel class, including a change in the forecast from 6 inches of snow reported on Friday to 9 inches reported on Sunday. She added that Adesida and Chancellor Phyllis Wise were returning to campus during the storm. “The chancellor and provost both drove to Champaign from Chicago on Interstate
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See SNOW DAY, Page 3A
ZOE GRANT THE DAILY ILLINI
Joanna Bober, sophomore in Engineering, plays in the snow Monday afternoon on the Engineering Quad.
Students face car, bus, plane troubles returning to campus BY DANIELLE BROWN AND HANNAH PROKOP ASSISTANT DAYTIME EDITOR AND DAYTIME EDITOR
Stranded at O’Hare
ZACH DALZELL THE DAILY ILLINI
Students gathered on the Quad during the snow day Monday to build a large snowman. An estimated 6 inches of snow fell over night.
Riccardo Fabbro, sophomore in Engineering, was scheduled to depart from O’Hare International Airport at around 4 p.m. on Sunday and land at Willard Airport that night, but his flight was canceled. American Airlines offered Peoria Charter Coach vouchers for buses to drive Fabbro and other students back to Champaign. But as students were boarding, the driver had to turn away those with vouchers. “He refused to take any of us,” Fabbro said. Fabbro and other students went back to American Airlines, whose employees told the students there would be another bus Monday morning. He encountered the same problem using the vouchers for Peoria Charter the next day. “I was able to board, but the bus driver ended up realizing that he had more people who had paid throughout the night, so he couldn’t
take anyone who had the vouchers,” Fabbro said. Bill Winkler, president and CEO of Peoria Charter, said drivers took e-tickets first, then cash, then the vouchers. Another bus was sent Monday afternoon for riders with vouchers who could not fit on the bus Monday morning. Fabbro and other students bought Suburban Express tickets instead of waiting for the second bus from Peoria Charter. “We just didn’t want to be deceived again,” Fabbro said.
Stuck on I-57 Adina Raizen, senior in LAS, was stuck on Interstate 57 for around five hours Sunday night while driving back to Champaign from Nashville, Tenn. She left around 12:30 p.m. and did not arrive back to Champaign until around 3 a.m., even though the drive is usually about six hours. She said traffic came to a stop around 7:45 p.m., and she was in the same place on the interstate until 1:15 a.m. In response to the mass email sent
by Provost Ilesanmi Adesida warning students to avoid I-57, Raizen said she thought “it was a late response all-around.” “There were warnings for the snowstorms way ahead of that,” she said. “(The University) could’ve been much more proactive on notifying students and canceling classes.”
Travel plans delayed Courtney Young, sophomore in LAS, was one of many students whose return to campus was delayed by Greyhound Lines. After hearing rumors that buses had been canceled, Young decided to call Greyhound in Chicago. She got no response. Young then called Greyhound in Champaign to get an explanation. “(Greyhound Champaign) told me that the weather was so bad they didn’t want to send anybody out at the time,” Young said. After she heard that, Young started to look up different routes to get back
See TROUBLES, Page 3A
Ike offers healthy options for National Nutrition Month BY BRITTANY GIBSON STAFF WRITER
The Ikenberry Dining Hall made healthy changes throughout March in honor of National Nutrition Month, such as installing a new soy milk machine, offering healthier versions of dining hall foods and educating students about nutritional eating habits. National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Their goal is “to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits,” according to the academy’s website. Robin Allen, assistant director of dining and administration dietician, said the Ike wanted to demonstrate how different foods can be modified to fit dietary needs, like gluten-free restraints, and to show students healthy twists on everyday foods. “We try different things to see how the students react, and if they react positively, we install them,” she said. “For example, for someone who wanted chicken tenders, we would offer breaded or baked versions of the chicken tenders. The goal was not to necessarily have food lower in calories, but just to have it be healthier.” While dining hall changes have been a priority during March, Allen said administrators are always trying to offer new options.
INSIDE
“We are just trying to highlight various ways to add nutritional food into students’ diets,” she said. “We are constantly making plans, we are always testing new recipes and we are trying to respond to different cultural needs.” Allen said the fi rst problem Ikenberry was looking to tackle was portion size. The Student Dietetic Association at the University collaborated with University Dining Services and demonstrated serving sizes by setting up posters in the Ike and allowing students to weigh their food. The Ike also now houses serving spoons to help students control portions. Students said they have noticed and appreciated these serving spoons. “It was really helpful for me to know what exactly the serving size was with some of the less healthy foods,” said Angela Neufeld, freshman in Business. “Before, I would just grab any amount, and I didn’t know what was really in it.” Another main event was a themed meal called “Food Democracy,” held on March 6 in dining halls. The Ike hosted the Sustainable Student Farm and other vendors. Allen said the idea behind this theme is not to force students to eat only healthy foods, but rather to allow students to easily make healthy choices. “We are continually looking to add fruits and vegetables and healthier options to the menu,” she said. “But we want to (add these) without sacrificing
See IKENBERRY, Page 3A
HEALTHY MEAL
YOUR VOICE 100 cals
Q: How do you feel about the nutritional changes made to the Ikenberry Dining Hall? COMPILED BY BRITTANY GIBSON STAFF WRITER
261 cals
150 cals Total: 511 cals
UNHEALTHY MEAL
240 cals
“I’ve noticed a lot of the stuff is ‘prohealthy,’ with the signs that they have that say the food has less calories (and) less carbs.”
“I like the changes that have been made because I don’t really like greasy foods, so I like having choices that will be a little healthier for me.”
MARK NAVA, sophomore in LAS and Illini Media employee
CAROLINE GRAHAM, freshman in ACES
430 cals 570 cals Total: 1240 cals ROCHELLE WILSON THE DAILY ILLINI
“I don’t like where the healthy food is because ... it’s kind of inconvenient (compared) to where I usually head to get food.” JOSH TIMM, freshman in Business
“Personally, I probably eat more now because I know that there’s more healthy options, so I go there more and use my meals so that they’re not wasted.” ANGELA NEUFELD, freshman in Business
Po l i ce 2 A | Co r re c t i o n s 2 A | H o ro s co p e s 2 A | O p i n i o n s 4 A | C ro sswo rd 5 A | Co m i c s 5 A | L i fe & Cu l t u re 6 A | S p o r t s 1 B | Cl a ss i f i e d s 4 B | S u d o ku 4 B