Illini football gets badgered
Power of choice
Illinois endures a 56-32 home loss to Wisconsin resulting in their 2nd Big Ten loss
New RSO CUT*ES promotes inclusiveness, awareness for Trans* community
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THE DAILY ILLINI
MONDAY October 21, 2013
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Vol. 143 Issue 32
BY ELEANOR BLACK STAFF WRITER
Organizations and allies in support of Illinois marriage equality have scheduled a march in Springfield for Oct. 22 in order to coincide with the Illinois State Legislature’s opening day of the fall veto session. The March in Springfield for Marriage Equality is meant to be a push for marriage equality in the state of Illinois. Participants are hoping for the same-sex marriage bill, SB 10, to be passed by the House. “For me, it’s both about showing support for marriage equality and a chance for the movement and its allies to come together for public support,” said Tracy Baim, co-chair and co-founder of the event. “It’s really about coming together to reinspire and re-energize people for the work ahead.” The House failing to vote on the measure in May was one of the biggest motivations for Baim to organize the march. But she said she hopes for a more positive outcome after Tuesday’s event. “I realized that one of the big things missing this spring was this external pressure — you can only get so far by insider work,” she said. “I felt like maybe this was a chance to use this anger that was created in May and make something bigger and stronger. There was a lot of frustration and there still is.” Gov. Pat Quinn and Sen. Dick
KELLY HICKEY THE DAILY ILLINI
University students remain dedicated to giving back to the community during iHelp, an Illini Day of Service held on Friday and sponsored by the Student Alumni Ambassadors. The Illini “Spirit of Service” creates an opportunity for students to come together and give back to the community surrounding campus, said Steven Farag, president of Student Alumni Ambassadors. “As students, we represent Illinois and it’s important that we achieve excellence through service,” Farag said. More than 1,700 students signed up this year. Illinois students volunteered with more than 50 agencies, with some students traveling as far as Rantoul to provide service.
Urbana increases fines for code violations BY ELI MURRAY STAFF WRITER
The apartment complex at 1302 E. Silver St. stands on the corner of Fletcher and Silver streets. Florescent orange, mesh fencing surrounds the property. The former balcony is no longer attached to the building, as it was recently torn down by workers. A bright pink notice pinned up on one of the south-facing window reads “CONDEMNED” in bold font. On Feb. 28, the building, owned by Platinum Group Properties, was condemned due to structural integrity concerns stemming from the solid concrete balcony around the building. Residents were given a 24-hour notice to evacuate the building, many of whom took up residence in buildings south of 1302 E. Silver St. Eight months later, some of these residents are still living in housing that violates Urbana city code, said Esther Patt, director of the Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union. “You go into the apartments and (there are roaches) crawling,” said a resident of 2018 S. Fletcher St, which is also owned by Platinum Group Properties, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retribution. “I have like one or two roaches a month, but (other residents) have like 15 or 20 roaches.” Paul Zerrouki, property manager for Platinum Group Properties, could not be reached for comment.
Bug infestations are a Class B livability violation under Urbana law. With the new amendment passed Oct. 7, landlords face a minimum $450 fine for not addressing the violation within the 3-5 days allotted. If the fine is not paid within 7 days, the fine will increase to $600. If a landlord misses the second deadline to fix the violation, the minimum fine will be $750 and up to an additional $750 per day until the violation is corrected, regardless of whether or not the first violation fine was paid. Under the new law, landlords will have up to 30 days to fix routine maintenance issues or face a $300 fine. Violations that are an imminent safety threat to occupants must be addressed in three days and carry a minimum penalty of $600 if uncorrected, or even possible building condemnation. Under the previous ordinance, the first fine for a violation would have been $100. Urbana’s new fines probably aren’t large enough to force all landlords to fix issues, said Tanisha King, director of community life and tenant services at the University. But hopefully, she said, they will be a deterrent to many landlords. The reformed legislation aims to actively encourage landlords to address code violations in a timely manner. “It is the city’s hope that this fine structure will engender more timely compliance by the landlords,” said John Schneider, Urbana’s building safety manager.
Amended Code for Violation Fines
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Students across campus planning to take part in an internship in the near future may wish to review their rights following a recent judge’s ruling in a case about unpaid interns and sexual harassment. A New York federal district court ruled that an unpaid intern who was suing her former employer for sexual harassment could not actually bring a lawsuit since she was not considered an employee and therefore not protected by the law. Michael LeRoy, professor of employment and labor relations, said that sexual harassment is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He said there are state law equivalents for smaller employers but these
laws apply only to employees. “If the victim is not an employee, she has no recourse under Title VII,” LeRoy said. “It’s sad, but true.” LeRoy explained that courts use the defi nition of “employee” derived in the Fair Labor Standards Act — in short, someone who allows or commits to work. “The boundary gets blurred when a student, for example, interns in a summer position,” LeRoy said. “Many organizations like to have free work done for them and students like to do the free work to get a job experience, resume building and perhaps an inside track to a job.” The Fair Labor Standards Act also outlines provisions to determine whether a situation is an unpaid internship. Should confl ict arise, many
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Durbin will open the march, and other political figures like Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka will be in attendance. “There was a debate whether to have politicians at the march, because this was a more grassroots effort for and by the community,” Baim said in an email. “However, the governor and Sen. Durbin have been in support of marriage equality, and their presence would attract media as well.” She added that most of the speakers are not elected officials and will address the issue of marriage equality from diverse perspectives. One of those speakers is alumna Anurag Lahiri, who is also one of the co-chairs of the march. After attending the University of Illinois for her master’s in social work, she began working at Apna Ghar, a domestic violence agency for South Asians and other communities. She also serves on the board of Trikone Chicago, a LGBT South Asian organization, and volunteers with other various organizations related to social issues both in Chicago and on a national level. Other than the march’s main purpose of fighting for marriage equality, Lahiri hopes that it helps bring together the LGBT
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Routine Maintenance Issues
fire exits
Broken locks, missing window screens and leaking pipes
Dripping faucets, cracked windows and missing covers for electrical outlets
1-3 DAYS
1-5 DAYS
10-30 DAYS
Examples of violations Structural problems, non-functioning include but are not limited to utilites and blocked Timeframe for deadline for compliance
CLASS C
Livability Issues
DOMINIQUE CHERRY THE DAILY ILLINI
Participants run toward the finish line at the 5K walk/run event held by the Champaign County Christian Health Center. The event was held to raise awareness for those who do not have health insurance.
If the violation is not corrected within timeframe, the landlord will be fined this, and the deadline for compliance is extended
$600
$450
$300
If the landlord fails to pay the fine within seven days, even if the problem is fixed, the fine will increase to this
$700
$600
$450
If the violation is not corrected within the extended deadline for compliance, the landlord will be fined this
$750 + UP TO $750/DAY
$750 + UP TO $750/DAY
$500 + UP TO $750/DAY
SOURCE: Urbana City Code, Chapter 5, Article IX
5K walk/run event raises awareness for uninsured residents
EUNIE KIM THE DAILY ILLINI
BY BRITTNEY NADLER STAFF WRITER
Formerly, the law gave city code officials the option to fine landlords who did not meet deadlines for fixing code violations, though it was often not enforced, Patt said. Under the new law, city code officials are required to issue tickets when deadlines are not met. “Up until now, in almost every case, there has been no consequence for a landlord who does not
The Champaign County Christian Health Center held a 5K walk/ run fundraiser on Saturday at the University’s Arboretum to raise awareness for the 20,157 Champaign County residents who do not have health insurance. The race was a fall fundraiser to raise awareness among University students and faculty about health care, said Jinny Cho, Champaign County Christian Health Center administrative coordinator. Community members paid a $25 registration fee and students paid $15 that went toward funding for the clinic, which provides free health care to citizens without insurance or an Illinois state medical card. Charles Kim, junior in AHS, had never participated in a race before entering Saturday’s 5K. “I know, especially in the Champaign-Urbana area, there’s a lot of people in need of health care. I know these are some of the people that can actually provide free health care, so that was a major motivation.” Kim said. “We’re all paying money into this, so hopefully it should benefit people and word will get out.” In Champaign County alone, 16 percent of residents are uninsured, according to a 201011 report from Illinois Health Matters. The numbers are even higher for the entire state of Illinois, where 1.5 million residents, or
correct violations after the violations are cited, until the situation blows up into crisis proportions,” Patt said. But she said the problem of enforcing building code laws is not unique to Urbana-Champaign. “Nationwide, code officials focus on buildings, not people.
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employers establish clear policies to address interns’ concerns. Mark Niemeyer, an engineering supervisor for Caterpillar’s Research Park location, outlined the chain of communication for his company’s interns. “We invite them fi rst to talk to their supervisor. If they don’t feel comfortable talking to their supervisor, we suggest they talk to their supervisor’s manager,” he said. “If they’re still not comfortable with that, there are bulletin boards all over the office with numbers they can call.” Although Research Park companies offer paid internships, whose rules differ from unpaid, these companies are careful to address situations in a timely manner and to the best of their
ability, said Laura Bleill, assistant director of external relations at Research Park. “Being on our campus and having relationships with our students is such a big part of why they’re here,” she said. Students should inform themselves of the conditions of an unpaid internship and follow all company procedures to address concerns in order to ensure they’re receiving fair and proper treatment. “Know your sponsor. Do your homework. Ask others who interned about the quality of their experience,” LeRoy advises. “If the sponsor is unwilling to share those contacts, think about moving on.”
Steffie can be reached at sdrucke2@dailyillini.com.
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20 percent, do not have health insurance. With the opening of enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace on Oct. 1, Americans’ coverage through the marketplace will start Jan. 1, 2014. Following this date, many uninsured Americans will have access to guaranteed private health insurance or Medicaid. For those who enroll by Dec. 15, coverage, which can include lower costs and plans that cover essential benefits, pre-existing conditions and more, begins Jan. 1. Enrollment is open between now and March 31, according to the White House website. The insurance marketplace is a new way for Americans to find and compare different coverage plans, seeing if they qualify for lower monthly premiums for private insurance plans and enroll in a plan, all in one application. Users will also learn if they qualify for Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or lower out-of-pocket costs, according to the government’s health care website. “I know people personally who have been in need or are uninsured, and how challenging it is and how scary it is to be in a major health situation,” Cho said when asked for her reasons for attending the race. “But even more than that is really seeing how the body of Christ and the community
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The new Urbana City Code imposes larger now-mandatory fines on landlords who fail to address code violations. Previously, there had been a $100 base fine for violations, and the fine would increase to $200 if still unpaid after seven days. However, the former fine was not mandatory to be issued for violations.
Unpaid internships deny interns employee benefits under 1964 Civil Rights Act BY STEFFIE DRUCKER
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March in Springfield supports marriage equality in Illinois
Getting in the ‘Spirit of Service’
Landlords hit by reformed ordinance
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