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THE DAILY ILLINI
THURSDAY February 11, 2021
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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UI sees highest daily case count of new year 300 250
D’s now get degrees: UI adds grade options the deadline to drop a course without a grade of W to 11:59 a.m. Central Time on “the last day of instruction” for all courses. For full semester and second term courses this would be May 5, and for first term courses, the deadline would be March 19. At the Senate meeting, several faculty senators expressed concern over how the now-approved proposal might affect College of Education students. Karla Möller, faculty senator and professor in Education, noted that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) normally requires grades of at least C- for the University to recommend students for professional licensure. Meghan Hazen, the University Registrar, responded that a member of the College of Education contacted
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BY WILLIE CUI
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Source: Illinois SHIELD Team
Student return week
First week of class
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Restrictions lift as new cases rise BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
The University’s COVID-19 trend isn’t anywhere near where it was a semester ago, but it’s not encouraging either. The same day the University lifted its “essential activities only” directive for students, Monday’s COVID-19 tests brought back 78 new cases of the virus — a new daily high for 2021. Even Sunday’s case count — 42 new unique positives — is the highest daily total on Sunday since campus’s August surge in cases. Weekends always draw far lower testing totals. So why lift the restrictions in the first place? According to University officials, the cases are confined to certain identifiable clusters, while continued restrictions would be tough on community stakeholders and could have impacts on student mental health. “It is difficult to sustain
an essential services-only period for an indefinite amount of time,” Robin Kaler, spokesperson for the University, said during Monday’s UI Senate meeting. The restrictions had lasted since Jan. 20, five days before classes began for returning students. During the first week of class, only 128 new cases of COVID-19 were identified. However, even in Chancellor Robert Jones’s Massmail announcing the lifted restrictions, he urged “extreme caution” in daily interactions, and acknowledged a “small spike” in cases attributed to student noncompliance. This increase comes just as the B117 variant has been confirmed on campus, though it’s not clear how much of an effect the variant has had on new cases. Regardless, the uptick is not very small; 294 cases in the second week of class is the highest since early November, when the virus was surg-
ing across the country. According to Rebecca Lee Smith, the University’s epidemiologist and associate professor in pathobiology, the majority of the spread on campus is currently taking place in a handful of housing units on and off-campus. Smith said the University may revert to an essential activities order if there was evidence of the virus-carrying out from campus into the broader C-U community. “We have to balance these broad strong activities orders with these effects on student mental health and wellbeing,” she said. “We needed the broad approach to start the year. Now we have a little better sense and can target clusters a little more closely.” One behavior may help stymie the spread, though: regularly attending class. “We have evidence from the fall semester, people who attend in-person classes are less likely to be infected,” she said. “In-person classes are
not a risk factor.” With building access restricted to those who keep up with testing patterns, inperson class tends to encourage good COVID-19 etiquette for those on campus. Even with restrictions lifted, the next few weeks are no time for reckless abandon. “Please do not take this as an invitation to break COVID-19 safety guidance and have parties,” Jones wrote in the Massmail. “We know that if this happens, our positivity rates will spike, and those who participate could suffer health risks, face university discipline, and the university will be forced to enact another essential activities only period. I do not want this. You do not want this. Please help me in encouraging your friends and peers to continue to be vigilant.” @esimmsnews ecsimmon@dailyillini.com
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The University Senate voted to pass EP.21.062 at their meeting Monday afternoon, giving students the option to elect for a “Pass COVID/No Pass COVID” grading mode that would not factor into GPA calculation. Under the proposal, students with grades of D- or above can replace their grade with “Pass COVID,” which would show up on transcripts as “PZ” and count as course credit. Students with grades below D- can replace it with “No Pass COVID” or “NZ” on their transcript and will not receive course credit. The proposal gives students a six-day window — from May 22 to May 27 — to elect for “Pass COVID/No Pass COVID” this semester. Students in Law, MD or DVM programs will not be able to use this option. The proposal also extends
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A limited number of students attend an in-person lecture on Nov. 2, 2020. The University Senate has voted to pass a resolution giving students the option to elect for a “Pass COVID/No Pass COVID” grading mode.
University shrinks list of Smell, taste challenge helps detect virus vaccine-eligible groups Online survey BY ETHAN SIMMONS NEWS EDITOR
A fter several weeks where UI students and staff in facilities and services, housing, tech service, athletics and other in-person workers were getting vaccinated, a dwindled stockpile is leading the University to limit vaccine eligibility for the time being. “Some groups that had an opportunity to register for a vaccine recently are not on the upcoming list because the number of available vaccines in this round is smaller than the number that were available then,” said Robin Kaler, UI spokesperson. “Champaign-Urbana Public Health District determines which groups can be offered the vaccine in any specific round, and we follow their guidance.” Champaign County is still in Phase 1B of the vaccine rollout, focusing on residents 65 and older along with essential front-
line workers in education, shelters and adult daycare, transit, postal service, grocery stores, manufacturing and more. From Feb. 10-12, CUPHD will be administering second doses to those 75 and older who’ve received the first dose of the vaccine. “I just ask everyone to continue to be patient as we advocate for moving everyone as quickly as possible to get vaccinated,” Chancellor Robert Jones said. At Monday ’s Senate meeting, Chancellor Jones mentioned that an announcement about expanding UI’s saliva tests to the community is coming soon, probably within the next couple of weeks. “We still have a few critical points to, from a financial perspective, to figure out,” Jones said. “We’re having a follow-up meeting about this week. The rollout is going to be some-
monitors early COVID-19 symptoms, aids sensory awareness BY ALEXANDRA GERGOVA STAFF WRITER
In an effort to assist with COVID-19 detection, the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research recently released a digital taste and smell challenge that allows participants from all over the globe to monitor variations in sensory abilities related to olfaction and gustation. While a sudden loss of taste or smell currently serves as the best indicator of a COVID-19 infection, the purpose of the website is not limited solely to detecting the early stages of COVID-19, according to SEE VACCINE | 3A M. Yanina Pepino, professor in ACES and one of 11 members serving on the GCCR leadership committee. Although it is primarily used to assist with early detection, the website also acts as a tool to heighten general awareness of the importance of the two most neglected senses: Taste and smell. “In this brief taste and Sports: Pat Embleton smell (challenge), we are targeting everybody,” Pepfinds calling with ino said. “So you could be recruiting in the healthy population. It can be people with disorPAGE 1B ders that were before COVID or people that are under-
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Professor M. Yanina Pepino poses for a headshot. Pepino is a member serving on the Global Consortium for Chemosensory Research leadership committee whose website has a taste and smell challenge to help detect COVID-19.
going a cold or flu — anybody can participate, not just people who are undergoing a respiratory illness or COVID in particular. And this survey, a very brief survey, was designed also to increase the awareness of our sense of taste and smell and create a habit of paying attention to these senses.” When accessing the website for the first time, individuals will be provided with brief background information and instructions before being prompted to indicate whether they have received a positive COVID-19 diagnosis or experienced symp-
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toms from an attached list. Pa r t icipa nt s, a f ter selecting a beverage, will be asked to rate its sweetness, sourness and bitterness. After successful completion of the brief questionnaire, participants will receive a visual graph that monitors and depicts fluctuations each day the survey is completed. “The idea is that by doing these repetitively and with the same beverage, you can self-monitor,” Pepino said. “But also you get into this habit of paying attention because we always take it for granted. We are busy when
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we are drinking something or eating. Many times, we don’t pay attention to what we are doing. We are just reading a book, watching TV or listening to some music. Now we really want you to take the time to pay attention because we are asking you to rate something.” Because the University has a successful and effective COVID-19 testing program, Pepino hopes that this challenge can complement the already existing program. “I feel that we as a comSEE SMELL | 3A
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