MONDAY February 13, 2017
THE DAILY ILLINI
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The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
Vol. 146 Issue 40
Activists encouraged by fewer abortions BY ANDREA FLORES STAFF WRITER
BRIAN BAUER THE DAILY ILLINI
A group gathers to protest federal funding of Planned Parenthood on Saturday.
For the fi rst time since the Roe v. Wade decision, nationwide abortion rates are at an all-time low. Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that determined a woman’s right to have an abortion, was passed in 1973. Nearly 50 years later, this decision is still being debated, along with the reasons for the decline. Sean Cashin, senior in Engineering and vice president of Illini Collegians for Life, attributes pro-life efforts to this decline. “It makes me very happy that fewer women will have to go through that,” Cashin said. “Perhaps abortion restrictions that states have been passing are working.” An estimated 926,200 abortions were performed in 2014, which is 12 percent lower than in 2011, according to the “Abortion Incidence and Service Availability in the United States” report conducted by the Guttmacher Institute. Additionally, about 14.6 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 received abortions, representing a 14 percent decline since 2011.
However, Elisabeth Larson, senior in AHS and president of Advocates for Choice, said in an email that the efforts of the prolife groups do not contribute to the decline in abortions. “This report is proving what pro-choice advocates and patients have been saying for decades,” Larson said. “Increasing proper sexual education, making birth control accessible and affordable, and fighting any attempt to come between a patient and their health is creating an environment where abortion services are needed less.” She said that when communities are provided information about reproductive health care, more people can use effective methods of contraception so an abortion is not the only option available to them. In Illinois, the abortion rate was 16.3 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. This increased slightly from 16.2 abortions per 1,000 women in 2011. Illinois accounted for 4.6 percent of the country’s abortions,
SEE ABORTION | 3A
Retention of UI minorities still low The increased graduation rates for African-American and Hispanic students are larger than national trends. A study from The Education Trust of 255 public colleges found graduation rates increased seven percent for Hispanic students and four percent for AfricanAmerican students nationwide. Despite the improvements, fewer African-American and Hispanic students are graduating compared to their peers. Administrators say more resources have been devoted to closing the graduation gap, but more are needed. “I wish I could tell you we had a grand centrally-driven initiative to do this,” said Charles Tucker, vice provost for undergraduate education and innovation. “I think the
BY ANGELICA LAVITO STAFF WRITER
More African-American and Hispanic students are graduating from the University, but these students are still less likely to finish their degree than the rest of campus, according to records from the Division of Management Information. Eighty percent of African-American students who started school in 2010 graduated within six years. The number is up 10 percent since 2005. The number of Hispanic students is up 11 percent from 2005, with 82 percent of Hispanic students who started school in 2010 graduating within six years. Campuswide, 85 percent of students graduated within the same time period. This is an increase of about three percent since 2005.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF P. GREGG (U. ILLINOIS)
Photos and video taken from DSV Alvin using WHOI MISO Facility deep-sea camera systems and Alvin cameras.
Campus researchers map seafloor BY JESSICA BURSZTYNSKY STAFF WRITER
SEE RETENTION | 3A
The Earth’s surface is still a mystery to scientists. According to one University researcher, scientists know more about space than the earth. “Our seafloor constitutes about two-thirds of our Earth’s surface, so we know very little about two-thirds of our planet’s surface which is quite shocking,” said Patricia Gregg, an assistant professor in geology. “We know quite more about the surface of
Graduation rates of minority students Six-year graduation rates for African-American and Hispanic students have increased in the last five years, but they are still below the average. 90 percent All 2.8 percent increase
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Hispanic 11.2 percent increase
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Gregg has studied volcanoes for the past 15 years and noticed there wasn’t enough data to make scientific claims, including recreating volcanos on the ocean floor. “At the end of my thesis work, one of the glaring issues was there was not enough data from the region to really constrain our models, so we had really pushed the boundaries on what our models could tell us,” Gregg said. In hopes of filling in the gap,
SEE VOLCANO | 3A
Slice Factory falling behind on construction
AfricanAmerican 9.9 percent increase
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the moon, the surface of Mars, than we do about our own planet’s surface.” Only 10 percent of the seafloor has been mapped and only one percent of it has been mapped in detail, according to Gregg. A team of University researchers spent 30 days mapping new territory of the Atlantic Ocean during the OASIS Expedition. Gregg started the expedition based on her research. It costs over $2 million and is funded by the National Science Association.
BY ANDREA FLORES
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STAFF WRITER 2005
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The Chicago-based pizza chain Slice Factory, a project eight years in the making, is coming to the University. But an opening date has yet to be set, as the project’s construction is running about a month behind schedule. Domenic DiDiana, founder and president of Slice Factory, estimates to open Slice Factory this spring, in about five to six weeks. The construction project was delayed due to a complete remodel of the space, DiDiana said. This location has been in the works since at least 2009. DiDiana said he had always wanted the restaurant to be on Green Street within a block or two from campus. DiDiana kept an eye on the increasingly expensive real estate and missed out on several opportunities until the space at 625 E. Green St. opened up.
2010
JACOB SINGLETON THE DAILY ILLINI SOURCE DIVISION OF MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
INSIDE
Editorial: An ode to love and lion
Volleyball: Tamas begins new era
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RYAN FANG THE DAILY ILLINI
The future location of Slice Factory is on Green Street. This new restaurant will offer low prices and late weekend hours. “Champaign fits our demographic,” DiDiana said. “Students wanting quick, affordable food.” Champaign is not the only college town that DiDiana has been looking at. “We do plan on expanding,” he said. “This is our trial-and-error
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location.” Students will be able to get their pizza fi x at nearly any time of day as the restaurant plans to be open until midnight from Sunday through Wednesday. To cater
SEE SLICE FACTORY | 3A
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