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IN BUZZ
The Daily Illini
Thursday April 5, 2012
www.DailyIllini.com
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 141 Issue 126
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Champaign in process of hiring entry-level policemen BY RAFAEL GUERRERO STAFF WRITER
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For the fi rst time in two years, the city of Champaign will hire entry-level police officers, city offi cials say. The testing process is now underway as the department looks to select the next officers. The city expects to hire three to six new officers. Along with the appointment of a new chief of police in late January, the city was able to keep the police department’s lobby open to the public 24 hours a day, despite concerns that the city was further trimming the department’s budget. Assistant to the chief for community services Rene Dunn said the hiring of entry-level officers is typically an annual event. But deputy chief Holly Nearing said budget cuts have kept the department in a hiring freeze for the past couple of years. She said the department’s budget has not increased, so the department could not hire new officers recently. According to an October 2010 police activity report, the city gathered 406 total applications, including 115 minorities and 81 female applicants — but no hires. “We haven’t been able to hire,” CHUCK KLOSTERMAN Nearing said. “However, with budgetary problems diminishing, we are now anticipating openings.” Dunn said the hirings are necessary in order to address outgoing officers. “As retirements occur, as transfers occur — this is all part of the hiring process,” Dunn said. Champaign will not be the only one benefitting from these hires. Capt. Skip Frost of University Police said the new hires will learn how to build better relationships with the University community and ensure proper collaboration between the two departments to promote safety. “Our department is in charge of a very unique community,” Frost said. “Students are our top priority but not the only priority. It’s always a good thing for us to have
MICHAEL BOJDA THE DAILY ILLINI
Vera Samycia points out the colors and patterns of an Easter egg. Samycia visited the Union on Wednesday afternoon to demonstrate Pysanky, a Ukrainian egg dyeing method. She and her husband, Jaroslaw Samycia, have many eggs featured in the Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago.
Easter eggs get Ukrainian makeover 8
GARDENS FOR RENT
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more on
Artist demonstrates intricate art form passed down for 6,000 years BY KLAUDIA DUKALA STAFF WRITER
Students and community members looking for new ways to dye Easter eggs may want to consider the Ukrainian art form of Pysanky. Vera Samycia, Chicagoan egg artist, gave two presentations Wednesday demonstrating the design process of this ancient folk art at the Illini Union and Champaign Public Library. The eggs are created by making intricate patterns on eggshells using dyes and wax. Each egg is unique and painted by hand without
the art form from her mother and READBUZZ.COM
the use of stencils, distinguishing them from American Easter eggs because of the detailed artwork. The Champaign Public Library partnered with the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center, or REEEC, to organize the event. “This is a very old folk craft, estimated to have started over 6,000 years ago,” said Katrina Chester, program coordinator of the REEEC. “It’s amazing that the craft is still being handed down from generation to generation.” Samycia, who was named a master instructor in Pysanky by the Illinois Arts Council, said she learned
has been mastering the skill for the past 30 years. “My mother tried teaching me when I was younger, but I didn’t really start doing it until I was 31 years old,” Samycia said. She said her mother brought the tradition to the United States from her home village of Stryj, Ukraine, and cherishes the custom. Samycia said it was important to her mother that she learn the craft. At the presentations, Samycia displayed several eggs at different stages in the dying and design process that varied in shape and size. These included ostrich eggs, which take about 88 hours to complete because of their large size, and chicken eggs, which only take about three hours. The brightly colored eggs are
More online: To view a video
of Vera Samycia discussing Pysanky, a Ukrainian art form used to decorate eggs, visit our website at DailyIllini.com
» » » » » » » » also said to have special meaning. According to Samycia’s website, it is believed that Psyanky eggs possess magical powers. Depending on the different colors and symbols on the eggs, the customary art form is believed to return lost love, enhance friendships and help with fertility. Kathy Ruda, freshman in DGS, said she loved seeing the intricate patterns on Samycia’s eggs. “I can’t believe [Samycia] paints these all by hand,” she said. “They are all so gorgeous and detailed; it’s hard to believe a human being can paint such small details on an egg by hand.”
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See POLICE, Page 3A
Q&A: PLAYBOY PHOTOGRAPHER ZACHARY JOHNSTON
Storied director Sato gives Shakespeare a Japanese spin BY MAGGIE O’CONNOR STAFF WRITER
“I’m sorry, I’m rambling aren’t I?” laughed Katherine Norman as she praised the director she had worked with since December. Norman, senior in FAA and one of the witches in “Lady Macbeth: A Kabuki Play,” has worked with her fair share of directors but insists that professor emeritus Shozo Sato is one of the most extraordinary. “I’ve never had a director so present,” Norman explained. “He’s not only directing the entire show, but he does the makeup, designs and makes costumes, stands backstage with us, and sometimes he even holds the curtain for us going on stage. ... He’s just so giving and humble that we sometimes will forget that he is who he is.” Sato — or Sato-Sensei, as many students call him — is currently directing a kabuki adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” which has its final performance Saturday at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. An ancient form of Japanese drama, kabuki combines music and song (ka), dancing (bu) and acting (ki) and is known for its rich, beautiful costumes. In this production, many of the cos-
INSIDE
tumes are original from the debut of the one-woman show “Lady Macbeth” in 1983. Not only has Sato-Sensei made his mark in kabuki theater, but he has also accomplished mastery of each aspect of Japanese Zen ar t. He has achieved the highest ranking in Zen: ikebana (flower arrangements), chanoyu (tea ceremony), landscape design, and sumi-e (ink painting or caligraphy). He is, as his longtime friend and colleague A. Doyle Moore considers, “the ultimate.” “It’s unusual that a person can exceed in any of those crafts, (and) he doesn’t slight any of them,” said Moore, art professor emeritus. Moore has known Sato since they shared their office space when Sato fi rst arrived at the University. “He works steadfast and hard on all of them. (He’s) multi-skilled, but only toward the excellent.” Despite the overwhelming amount of admiration from friends and colleagues, Moore said Sato-Sensei remains grounded because of his art’s philosophy. “He does not argue about right and wrong or good and bad,” Moore continued. “It just simply is, and he tries to make that
Playboy holds open casting call for UI Auditions for upcoming college spread
How to get a casting call with Playboy: ! ! !
BY JOE WARD STAFF WRITER PHOTO COURTESY OF VALERIE OLIVEIRO
Professor emeritus Shozo Sato, not pictured, is directing an adaptation of the one-woman show “Lady Macbeth” in the style of Japanese kabuki. The above photo demonstrates Japanese kabuki. “Macbeth” will have its final performance Sunday at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. as excellent a presentation as Sato chuckled, and with the possible.” fondness of the memory bringThose who witness his strong ing boyish mischief to his voice, energy are surprised to learn he added, “My father was very he is fast-approaching his 80th upset.” birthday. While sharing memoEventually, Sato’s father ries of his childhood, however, he accepted his son’s artistic potenremembered details of the 1930s tial, and, at the age of 4, he was as if they were yesterday. enrolled in art school. From then Sato grew up in Japan where on, Sato’s education consisted of his father was a respected doctor, art and only art — no long divibut his mother’s involvement in sion, no science labs, no literathe arts captivated young Shozo. ture analyses. She would take him to the theIt was what he learned through ater, and when they would return the horrific experience of war, home, he would put on her kimoSee SATO, Page 3A no and dance around the house.
If sporting your orange and blue at Illinois football games and slapping a University bumper sticker on your car doesn’t fully illustrate your school spirit, then Playboy would urge you to come out to its casting for its 2012 college girl edition. Representatives for the infamous magazine are looking for Illinois’ sexiest to grace the pages of their “Girls of the Big Ten” spread to be published September and are holding open casting calls Thursday at the Hampton Inn, 1200 W. University Ave., Urbana. The last time Playboy highlighted the Big Ten in a spread was in October 2008. The Daily Illini spoke with Playboy photographer Zachary Johnston on the benefits of working with amateurs and why wom-
!
Bring two forms of identification, preferably a student ID Fill out a biography Go online to playboy.com/ BigTen2012 to register for the casting Show up at the Hampton Inn, 1200 W. University Ave., and ask an employee to show you where to go
Questions or concerns regarding casting can be directed to Playboy at 312593-4847. en might be bigger Playboy fans than men.
The Daily Illini: Why is the college girls spread so popular? Playboy: Everybody looks for-
ward to the college edition. It’s one of those things Hef (Playboy founder Hugh Hefner) got started a few years ago. Col-
See PLAYBOY, Page 3A
Po l i ce 2 A | C a l e n d a r 2 A | O p i n i o n s 4 A | Le t te rs 4 A | C ro sswo rd 5 A | Co m i c s 5 A | G re e ks & C a m p u s 6 A | S p o r t s 1 B | Cl a ss i f i e d s 3 B - 4 B | S u d o ku 4 B