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Sarah Fiedler leads Illinois gymnastics into NCAA Nationals
The electronic rock duo is performing at the Virginia Theatre on Wednesday
The senior finished first in the balance beam at the Minneapolis Regional.
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Frerichs’ Pay It Forward bill in Senate Bill explores paying for college without upfront tuition BY ALEX SWANSON STAFF WRITER
State Sen. M ichael Frerichs, D-52, introduced a bill to the Illinois Senate on Feb. 14 which could eventually revolutionize the way that students pay for college. Under Senate Bill 3451, the Illinois Board of Higher Education will create the Pay it Forward, Pay it Back pilot program which will select one public Illinois school for a test run. The program would allow all undergraduate in-state students at the selected university to receive full funding for tuition and fees, room and board, and books and supplies. In exchange, the students will pay back the university with a percentage of their income once they become employed. The bill is co-sponsored by State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-4, who said she was attracted to the bill because it provides an opportunity for students to pay for higher education without having to pay for tuition upfront. “Senator Frerichs has done a fi ne job of identifying a creative way or option to assist more students,” she said. Frerichs said the bill is a result of a series of public hearings around the state centered on college affordability. The bill unanimously passed the Illinois Senate Committee on Higher Education last month and is now on the Senate floor. Many of the details of this bill are not yet fi nalized. Frerichs said that he and collaborators are still working out where to fi nd the funding for this project, what school would be selected for the test run and how long the test run would last. Frerichs said despite the challenges, he feels that the program, if successful,
Vol. 143 Issue 104
SHE’S BACK Alma Mater has finally come home BY CLAIRE HETTINGER | STAFF WRITER
The ‘new’ color
When the Alma Mater returns to campus, she will have returned to her original color, or as close as conservators can match it. The sculpture will now be a chocolate bronze, instead of the familiar green with white and black streaks. The beloved green color was actually an indication of harmful oxidation occurring on the statue, said Jennifer Hain Teper, chair of the preservation working group. A little oxidation is fi ne, but after a while it starts to damage the surface, which is the point the Alma Mater had reached because it had never been cleaned, she said. The white and black streaks on the statue were indicators of advanced corrosion and that the surface of the sculpture might be harmed. The initial reason the conservators brought attention to the need for conservation, she said. No record can be found of the exact color Lorado Taft, sculptor of the Alma Mater, intended the statue to be. Melvyn Skvarla, campus historical preservations officer, said there was a large fire in Taft’s studio and many of his documents were lost after the creation of Alma Mater. There are pictures from 1929 of when the statue was brought to campus. Color pictures of bronze were turned black and white in an attempt to compare difference bronzes to the original picture.
Unexpected delays
Although the original plan was to clean the statue to remove the harmful corrosion on the outside of the sculpture, it was clear that something had to be done about the inside bolts as well when Alma Mater was lifted up in 2012. “There was no question. We had to repair the inside as well,” Hain Teper said. The different sections of the sculpture are connected by bolts, all of which had to be replaced. Christa Deacy-Quinn, collections manager at the Spurlock Museum, said the conservator did an x-ray of the statue and found that every bolt in the statue was failing or had failed. Some bolts were missing completely, either turned to dust or broken off by the force of their weight. Hain Teper, said the fact that people climb on the statue has been a major factor in the conservation efforts. She added that it would have been a much simpler process if only the cosmetic issues were addressed. But, because the bolts were rusting, the statue may have broken from people climbing on it and could have been dangerous for the climbers, she said. Every bolt was replaced with a bronze bolt, which was the most expensive and time consuming part of the conservation efforts, Hain Teper said. Melvyn Skvarla, campus historical preservations officer, said the sculpture was taken apart so the bolts could be changed in all the little areas of the sculpture. For some of the replacements, a conservator had to go inside the sculpture in order to reach the small spaces, he said. Iron bolts are cheaper than bronze, so that may be why they were originally used. However, the combination of iron-on-bronze does not mix well and led to corrosion which jeopardized the quality of the sculpture, Deacy-Quinn said. But, the bronzeon-bronze combinations should last a few hundred years.
About the sculptor
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0RUH RQOLQH Watch the whole process live at http:// go.illinois.edu/almacam Find out what’s in the Alma Mater time capsule at http://illinois.edu/ lb/article/5510/83661 Follow @ClaireHettinger on twitter for updates on Alma’s return
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0RUH LQVLGH For what our editorial board finds important for the time capsule, Turn to Page 4A
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Taft graduated from the University with his bachelor’s in 1879 and his master’s in 1880. He grew up around campus because his father was a professor of geology. Taft was fond of the University, expressing his admiration and his hope of building an Alma Mater statue for campus in letters to the University architect at the time, Skvarla said. Taft’s dream was for the sculpture to “show ‘Our Mother’ as a benign and majestic woman in scholastic robes, who rises from her throne and advances with outstretched arms, a gesture of generously greeting her children,” according to “A guide to art at the University of Illinois” by Muriel Scheinman, assistant professor of art and design. “I hope (the young people in Urbana) may keep the bronze throne polished by their visits,” Taft said in a letter to a friend in the book. Taft said in a letter that the University’s motto is fortunate and enabled him to add the other figures, Learning and Labor, to the Alma Mater group. There are also other sculptures by Taft on campus. When Taft passed away, the University bought his estate and everything that was in his studio. The two women sculptures in front of the main library and the two men behind Foellinger Auditorium are all Taft’s creation.
Looking forward
Every two to three years Alma Mater will be washed, and a hot wax will be applied to protect the surface and prevent the sculpture from oxidizing to a harmful level, Hain Teper said. This process will keep the sculpture from oxidizing to a level that hurts the surface, she said. “We are hoping the Alma Mater has raised awareness with people,” she said, “At least to get people thinking about it and to get some small amount of money to use for simple repairs and upkeep to keep things from ever getting that bad again.”
Claire can be reached at hettngr2@dailyillini.com and @ClaireHettinger.
Timeline of Alma Mater sculpture’s history 1879
Lorado Taft, the Alma Mater sculptor, graduated from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign.
1883
Taft expresses interest in making the statue in personal letters.
1916 Alma Mater’s journey to campus
Taft began seeking support for the creation of the statue.
Schedule of events • 6 a.m. Alma Mater leaves Chicago and heads to Champaign • 8:30 the time capsule is placed in the base • 9:30-10:30 Alma Mater arrives on campus • 2-4 hours following the statue’s arrival, it will be secured in the base.
1962
Alma Mater is moved to its current location on the corner of Green and Wright Streets.
1981
Major repair work is done to the statue.
2012
Alma Mater is removed for restoration.
2014
Alma Mater returns to campus. SOURCE: ILLINOIS ALUMNI MAGAZINE MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010, INSIDE ILLINOIS, FEB. 16, 2012,
PHOTO COURTESY OF MELVYN SKVARLA
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‘Walk with Xochitl’ protests Chief Native American student writes letter to administration in effort to change ways BY MEGAN JONES ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
As depicted in a letter sent to University administration last week, Xochitl Sandoval, a Native American student, struggles everyday with the remnants of the University’s former mascot: Chief Illiniwek. While administrators stopped supporting the Chief in 2007, students and the local community have continued to keep the mascot alive with apparel, accessories and unofficial appearances of the Chief at sporting events. Additionally, the Chief’s performance music, such as the “Three in One,” still plays at sporting events. “I don’t go to sports events because I know that that is where pro-Chief people will be congre-
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gating at and where they will be playing the music,” Sandoval, a senior in LAS, said. “I see Chief T-shirts and even though the official symbol has been removed, there are still people who are able to get their hands on the official logo, and every year Unofficial always has some kind of spin on the Chief.” Sandoval struggles with the lingering mascot, specifically in regard to the “disrespect and racism” the mascot represents to her. The Native American and Indigenous Student Organization joined forces with Sandoval to host a “Walk with Xochitl” on Tuesday night on the Quad. “We are walking in support of all people who have to go through any struggle,” said Chris Castle,
an officer of the Native American and Indigenous Student Organization. “We are walking in solidarity of Xochitl, and we are walking for each other and the betterment of the University.” Sandoval’s letter was sent to Chancellor Phyllis Wise, the Board of Trustees, the Office of the Dean of Students, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Access and other administrators. Sandoval said the University has not yet reached out to her. “This is a time when we have a strong administration,” Stephanie Skora, junior in LAS, said. “We have a strong chancellor now. We can make the final push to get rid of the Chief once and for all. I’m proud to be a student at the University ... and I don’t want this dishonor to be played out any further.” Sandoval recommended the chancellor prohibit students from wearing apparel or accessories
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associated with Chief Illiniwek, and went on to say that she will leave disappointed by the University and will not recommend the school to any of her indigenous peers. Last year, the Board of Trustees made an agreement with Honor the Chief Society, Inc., an organization that wanted to register the Chief Illiniwek trademark to use for dance and educational services. As a result, the Honor the Chief Society abandoned its application and agreed to not file any other trademark applications; however, the University cannot object to the organization’s events that honor the Chief or its desire to reinstate the Chief. The society’s website lists that the University does not support its efforts, and they can no longer refer to “Chief Illiniwek.” Holley Nast, a Native American sophomore from Parkland College
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Stephen Kaufman, MCB professor emeritus, speaks to a crowd during the “Walk with Xochitl” on the Quad on Tuesday. who planned to attend the University, said she is transferring to Oklahoma State University in the fall. “While I was touring, I felt more of a connection there than I have in the few years I’ve lived in Champaign,” Nast said. “I think that really says something ... I feel that a lot of alumni have been hurt
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