The Daily Illini: Humans of CU Edition Fall 2021

THE

DI OCTOBER 13, 2021

HUMANS OF CU

2

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

A place to call home: CU Jiu Jitsu As told to George Phelan Staff Writer

How did you start with martial arts, and how did it lead you to running a gym in Champaign-Urbana?

I started doing wrestling when I was ten years old. A lot of people consider that to be the oldest martial art in the world. When I was about 19 years old, I had a couple of friends from my old high school wrestling team contact me about starting a mixed martial arts team.

In 2012, I joined an actual Brazilian jiu jitsu school, and that was my introduction to BJJ, which is primarily what we do here. In 2018, me and my co-owner, James Martin, we opened CU Jiu Jitsu, and have been operating since then.

Why do you consider BJJ an art?

As far as the art is considered, everybody has their own personal way of doing their martial art. In particular, for BJJ

THE DAILY ILLINI 1001 S. Wright Street Champaign, IL 61820 (217) 337-8300

backyard

there’s an argument across the community between what people call “American” BJJ and traditional BJJ. I don’t really get into the politics of that per se, but I would say there’s no secret sauce to it. Anything we do, whether it’s BJJ, Maui Thai or MMA, I call it art because it’s a personal thing. When people talk about art they think about music, painting, photography. There certainly is a bythe-book technique for everybody but it eventually becomes very personal, and I think that’s what makes something art.

What relationship do you think your gym has with the Champaign-Urbana community?

They’re not treated like a customer, they’re treated like a brother or a sister. I think that the community is really great.

I wish that it was more accessible sometimes. Like any other martial arts school, in the end we are a business, but we want to create that family atmosphere. It’s one The Daily Illini is the independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The newspaper is published by the Illini Media Co. The Daily Illini does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students.

All Illini Media Co. and/or The Daily Illini articles, photos and graphics are the property of Illini Media and may not be reproduced or published without written permission from the publisher. First copy is free; each additional copy is 50 cents.

mowments

How to contact us

The Daily Illini is located in the basement of the University YMCA at 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820. Our office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday.

General phone numbers Front Desk: (217) 337-8300 Advertising: (217) 337-8382 Newsroom: (217) 337-8345 Production: (217) 337-8320

Newsroom contacts

Online: If you have a question about dailyillini.com or The Daily Illini's social media outlets, please email our editor at online@dailyillini.com.

SYDNEY LAPUT THE DAILY ILLINI

Michael Stroller, a co-owner of CU Jiu Jitsu, shares how his love for Jiu Jitsu started.

of the things that I kind of hate about business. I develop such great personal friendships with all of our students and members, but there comes a time where I do have to separate into the customer side eventually, and that kind of sucks. georgep2@dailyillini.com Website dailyillini.com

Facebook The Daily Illini The Daily Illini Sports

Instagram @TheDailyIllini

Twitter @TheDailyIllini @DI_Sports

Employment: If you would like to work for the newspaper's editorial department, please fill out our online form or email employment@dailyillini.com.

Calendar: If you want to submit events for publication in print and online, visit dailyillini.com.

Letters to the editor: Letters are limited to 300 words. Contributions must include the author's name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college. The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit or reject any contributions. Email opinions@dailyillini .com with the subject "Letter to the Editor."

Advertising

Placing an ad: If you would like to place an ad, please contact our advertising department at (217) 337-8382 or e-mail advertise@illinimedia.com.

Corrections

When we make a mistake, we will correct it in this place. We strive for accuracy, so if you see an error in the paper, please contact Editor-in-Chief Diana Anghel at (217) 337-8365 or email editor@dailyillini.com.

Scan this QR code to Shop the Dads Weekend Store!

Dad’s Weekend photo contest

Does your dad /dad-figure deserve the best Dad’s Weekend?

Share a photo and your favorite memory with your father (or father figure).

Enter our contest at dailyillini.com/dadscontest for the chance to win a $100 or $50 VISA gift card!

Scan this QR code to submit for the contest!

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

3

A circus performer lives her childhood passion other people, I think it’s made me more of a social and outgoing person as well because there’s the aspect of teaching and doing workshops and trying to spread the word about it.

As told to Aliza Majid Assistant News Editor

Mearieta Clemente is a junior at the University who travels across the world, from states such as Wisconsin to countries like Switzerland and Denmark.

She performs in her circus, Chicago Wheel Jam, as a wheel gymnast.

WHO INSPIRES YOU TO CONTINUE DOING CIRCUS?

HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THIS CIRCUS WORK?

I started the summer after my sophomore year of high school. I had a friend who did it and so I always go to his shows and things like that and I really liked it. I’ve always wanted to be in the circus when I was younger and I thought it was so cool and after he left for a study abroad for a year, I decided that was the perfect time to start so I wouldn’t embarrass myself.

WHAT IS THE WHEEL? The easiest way to explain it, although it annoys a lot of wheelers, is that it looks like a hamster wheel but to the site where it fits a human. It has rungs like a ladder as well as boards to put your feet on and handles to grab onto to do tricks as it’s rolling.

ALIZA MAJID THE DAILY ILLINI

Mearieta Clemente is a Junior at the University who performs around the world as a wheel gymnast.

WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE GYM WHEEL IN PARTICULAR?

It was one of the easiest to join because the community there was really open to having new numbers. They really promote that anyone and everyone, regardless of age, status, things like that are welcome to try it and I really liked that. I used the wheel the most because that’s the one I saw my friend do and the one I had the most access to.

HOW WOULD YOU SAY CIRCUS HAS IMPACTED YOUR LIFE?

I love it, I think it really opened up my experiences and opportunities to travel and meet new people from all different backgrounds. I do get the opportunity to brag and say I’ve competed at the world level and it’s a great conversation starter. I mean, people always ask? what kind of sports do you do and it’s always a real shocker. I love sharing it with

The first kind of obvious one would be my coach. He’s an eight-time world national champion national and international champion, which is insane.

He’s from Germany, came over, started this cool company on his own and brought it from the ground up to where it is today, which is really admirable. He’s super kind social and the nicest person I’ve ever met. The second one would be one of my teammate. Her name is Athena, and we started at the same time. That was the person with who I would take classes with. She had a really bad injury partway through our time doing well, but she got up, she continued to do wheel despite injuries she went had surgery and like regardless of the psychological kind of like mental blocks of doing it. She slowly is like regaining the confidence to do real and regaining the skills that she lost and it’s amazing to see her grow as a person and I get the chance to be part of that. alizam2@dailyillini.com

The owner of quirky, `Fat' sandwich shop talks operations of 10 to 20 customers that show up in a big group coming to order either late or after some event.

As told to Alex Chang Staff Writer

Ayden Alwani is the owner of Fat Sandwich Company, a restaurant that has been in operation since 2008. Fat Sandwich Company is known for its sandwiches, which are filled with a variety of fried foods. The restaurant is located at 502 E. John St., Champaign.

Fat Sandwich is popular on campus due to its late night closing at 3 a.m. and its presence as a fast food staple.

WHAT'S YOUR ROLE IN THE OPERATION OF FAT SANDWICH COMPANY?

I am the owner of the restaurant, and I do pretty much everything around my store, including most of the organization and operations during the less busy hours.

We have people on weekends that come in late night when there is more business.

Usually, it gets busy on weekends when there is some sort of game going on.

WHAT DOES A USUAL BUSINESS DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

LANIE HIBEL THE DAILY ILLINI

Ayden Alwani, owner of Fat Sandwich, is the head of operations at the restaurant, serving late-night eaters since 2008.

WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE USUALLY COME TO FAT SANDWICH COMPANY?

Most of our customers come in late during the night, and most of them are involved in some fraternity or sorority.

We have a lot of Greek (life) customers, probably more than every other type of person that walks in our doors...Most of our customers come here by word of mouth, and we regularly have groups

We open at 11 a.m. in the mornings, but deliveries and opening usually takes up around an hour and a half before opening. We take in deliveries by truck and unloading and getting everything cleaned and set up takes a lot of time.

A lot of the work is getting the kitchen cleaned and setting up the seating, since it tends to get rearranged after every night.

NOW THAT YOU MENTION CLEANING, THERE'S ALWAYS A FAT SANDWICH COMPANY SMELL THAT COMES. DO YOU HAVE THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO YOU? (Laughing) Yeah, I have a separate wardrobe for my work clothes. After coming here day in and day out, I don’t notice it as much, but whenever I go

home, I shower and take off all of my work clothes and get changed. It’s all of the oil from the frying that we do so much of here that sinks into your stuff.

A lot of the regulars don’t mind and like the smell actually since it reminds them of our place.

SPEAKING OF REGULARS, WHAT SORT OF ORDERS DO PEOPLE USUALLY GET HERE?

Honestly, there is a big split between male and female customers for their orders. Men usually get the Magnum and Illini, and (with) women they order the Chief and Illini the most. Every once in a while, people will try the Big Fat Ugly Challenge, which is when you have to finish our biggest sandwich in 15 minutes.

I’ll let you read the ingredients on the menu there, but it’s a lot of food. I’ve seen plenty of people try the challenge, but the people that usually do it are athletes or generally fit people. A lot of people try it but most people fail; I’ve seen maybe 100 people do it in the years I’ve been here. alexrc2@dailyillini.com

4

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

The restaurant overseer and bread giver

By Jackie Barba Contributing Writer

When glancing into the open kitchen of Urbana’s The Bread Company, you may catch a glimpse of Derrick Aikman, eyes focused on the sizzling of the sandwiches in the pans in front of him and the little white order tickets that are added to the line every few minutes.

You might assume he’s the cook, but you may never guess he’s the owner.

“And that’s what I prefer,” Aikman said.

“I don’t want to be looked at as an owner.

I just want to be here. I just want to work.

I just want to make sure it’s running well, and I don’t care if I’m recognized or not.”

Aikman said when he was growing up, he would help wait tables with his siblings for his parents.

His mom and founder of The Bread Company, Ruth, moved to Urbana from Switzerland when she was in her twenties.

Aikman said she missed the rustic taste of bread from her home country and made loaves for her family and friends. Due to popular demand, Ruth opened the small restaurant in '83.

When Aikman lived in New York City, his father called to let him know his parents were retiring from the business. Aik-

man decided to step in and run it himself, along with the help of his wife Lindsay.

Aikman said people said he “naturally fit” into the business and he credits his mom.

“Since I had kind of watched how my mom did things, I have very much of her personality,” Aikman said.

Aikman said much of his philosophy surrounding the business is intuitive.

For example, he painted murals on the walls of the restaurant without training.

“I just didn’t overthink it,” Aikman said.

He said the pandemic allowed him to transition from being the overseer of his parents' restaurant to being the change-maker of his own restaurant.

“The pandemic allowed it to at least become, instead of me taking over and just being a kind of caregiver to the restaurant that just keeps going, it allowed me to really change things to make sure it survived,” Aikman said.

Aikman said he also has pride in his staff’s role in the restaurant’s success.

“We have relatively low turnover for restaurants,” Aikman said. "People, once they start working here, they love it. And again, that’s part of that big, long family history of it.”

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Derrick Aikman, owner of The Bread Company, wants to make sure his business runs smoothly in the nurturing working environment he created.

He said staff members have been known to stay on the team for as long as 20 years.

Aikman said The Bread Company has several regulars, who are often greeted with a smile and an inquiry as to whether they would like “their usual” at the order window.

YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE SO MANY GREAT MEMORIES FROM YOUR TIME AT COLLEGE. HOLD ON TO THEM FOREVER WITH THE OFFICIAL U OF I YEARBOOK.

Order your yearbook online at

$

“We gained a lot of that trust by just being solid, unpretentious, just hard working,” Aikman said. “People see that this place has real depth to it. We do make mistakes, we aren’t perfect.

And it’s always been that way.” barba5@dailyillini.com

105 (Price includes domestic shipping; International shipping $50 extra)

illioyearbook.com or call 217-337-8314

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

5

The employee in the midst of drunk chaos As told to Mona Alrazzaq Assistant News Editor

Kailee Crayton is a sophomore in Media and an employee at McDonald’s on Green Street. She has worked at McDonald’s since last year. A typical overnight shift for Crayton is usually from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU WORK A NIGHT SHIFT? Four days out of the week. I tried five at the beginning of the year, but that was too many hours.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT WITH YOUR STUDYING? THOMAS DEMOUY THE DAILY ILLINI

Sylvia Sullivan owns and operates Sylvia's Irish Inn which has been running since 2002 in Urbana.

The inn owner: `We dreamt about this for 14 years' As told to Thomas DeMouy Staff Writer

Sylvia Sullivan is the owner of Sylvia’s Irish Inn in Urbana. She has operated the bed-and-breakfast since 2002 and plans to retire within the next year.

“When I was a young girl, there was a bus strike in Ireland, and we’d have to walk to school five miles and walk home five miles. I used to see these Victorian and Edwardian houses that had bed-and-breakfast signs in the window, and I said, ‘Oh, I want to own a bed and breakfast someday.’ There’s not much more about it, but that was one of my dreams as a kid.

So, when I met my husband, he was in the military and went out to sea for six months, and we didn’t have a honeymoon after we got married because he had to go out to sea. When he came back, he said ‘Oh I can’t wait to get home and get into a regular bed,’ and I said, ‘Honey, we’re not going home, we’re going to North Carolina to a B&B.’ He said ‘what the hell is a B&B?!’ We spent the weekend there, and he said, ‘You know, Honey, you’d be good at this.’

So, we dreamt about this for 14 years before we bought this house. We finally saw this one online while we were living in London and started collecting furniture. We brought back 18 crates of furniture from Europe that we bought online in 2002. So that’s my story. It’s been a good 19 years and I’m lucky that all my guests were very nice.

We became friends with people from all over the world. They’re our best friends now, and we talk on Facebook, WhatsApp and stuff like that. We had a

young man who stayed with us for a week … he was from Bahrain and played his instrument in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts for the week. He asked me for a piece of wood. So I gave him a piece of wood and said, ‘What do you want to do with this?’

He said he was gonna chisel it down because his pick was broken and he wanted to make one. So, on the last day, he stood at the door with his hand over his head and said, ‘I’ve traveled all over the world, and this is the first place I ever stayed in where everybody was treated the same.’

We had different nationalities (that week) with Africans, people from Jerusalem, people from Germany and America … they had breakfast and everything, and they didn’t leave until 2 p.m.. They all brought the chairs in (the dining room) and sat around, and talked about their countries and what they want in their countries and what’s going on in their countries.

Everybody was silent because everybody around the table listened to each person speaking. So, it turned out that everybody wants peace and love, right? So, the American couple we had, the wife stood up and said, ‘I came in here with a closed mind, now I’m leaving with my mind open.’ And I thought, ‘wow, President Bush should be here!’ It’s surprising how everybody was quiet. There was no interruption when they were speaking while they were talking about their countries. It was just letting people understand what was going on besides listening to the news or hearing things that weren’t true.”

tdemouy2@dailyillini.com

I actually found that in terms of attending classes and doing homework, the night shift is easier because ... I did mid-days last year, but I kinda feel like it took up my whole day and I’d go straight from class to work, and I hated that. At least this way, I just push all my schoolwork and classes in the beginning of the day, and then at night I just work.

WHAT'S THE CRAZIEST STORY YOU'VE EVER WITNESSED DURING A NIGHT SHIFT? There’s a lot of drunk students, so a lot of drunken fights break out — or I’ll say arguments. So I’ve seen a couple of instances where my manager has literally had to kick people out of the store just for like trying to fight someone for being too close to them or something.

My manager has also gotten in like yelling matches (almost) with students who fight back and forth with them. The other day, someone walked in and ... stuck their hand in the fryer behind the counter. I don’t know, it was insane.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THESE ENCOUNTERS?

MONA ALRAZZAQ

THE DAILY ILLINI

Kailee Crayton, sophomore in Media, works the night shifts at McDonald's.

For most overnights, our screens are so overwhelmed with orders that I really don’t have time to interact with a customer unless they are super persistent about getting my attention. So, at best, I just kinda have to tune out the background noise. And if it gets super disruptive, then maybe my manager would do something, but we’re just kind of expected to go about our day.

IS THAT DIFFICULT?

Yeah, sometimes. It’s more hard, not even out of interest, out of annoyance a little bit. It’s just like, oh my gosh, I already have so much stuff to do and I really don’t wanna be bothered with it. You can get a little distracted and (it can be) a little bit annoying. You have to have a lot of focus I guess, but when you have a task in front of you at hand that you need to get done, it’s easier to kinda direct your attention at something else.

6

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

The woman with her nose in a book shop

By Nandika Chatterjee Staff Writer

Susan Elmore didn’t know she was going to end up buying an entire bookstore one fine evening, 11 years ago, when she went out for drinks with her husband.

They were seated opposite a bookstore and at what is now Watson’s Shack & Rail when the thought occurred to her.

She was originally a costume design major at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and then became a nurse at Carle Foundation Hospital. Now she is also the co-owner of Jane Addam’s Book Shop, located in downtown Champaign.

The bookstore has been in Champaign for about 36 years now, the previous owner was Flora Faraci.

“She had had it for 25 years,” Elmore said. “She had started it even before that, with a friend up in Chicago, which was a feminist bookstore, which is why the name is Jane Addam’s Book Shop.”

Faraci opened the Jane Addam’s bookstore when her husband moved to Champaign to start his restaurant, Great Pasta. At the time, the bookstore was a craft store with the top floors serving as apartments. Since

then, the space has also been a photography studio.

When the Elmore’s spoke to Faraci’s son about buying the 100-year old building, it wasn’t originally for sale. A couple years later, it was put on the market and the Elmore’s were offered the building under one condition — that it remain a bookstore.

Elmore’s whole family helps run the bookstore.

Linda Percil has been an employee at the bookstore for over 11 years. She described her love for the job, recommending books to customers and sorting through books as some of her favorite things to do.

“I’m very lucky,” Percil said. “I love the whole family.”

That being said, Susan Elmore didn’t have what can be considered the ‘expected’ career path of your regular bookstore connoisseur. Initially, her husband and she had come to Champaign-Urbana to attend the University.

Although she initially started out interested in medicine, she changed her mind to costume design. After graduation, she picked up a job at Dallas & Co., a local costume and magic shop in town.

MOHUL VARMA THE DAILY ILLINI

S​ usan Elmore, co-owner of Jane Addam's Book Shop, runs the store with her family after buying the building 11 years ago.

“Back then they made their own costumes, and the owners were husband and wife,” Elmore said. “He was a magician, so Andy Dallas was kind of a famous magician around here.

So, I would make costumes for ‘em.”

During the same time, her husband was spending an extra semester during

the summer at the University. He also worked at Dallas & Co. to help organize their catalogues.

“I was making gorilla costumes, and he’s a big guy,” Elmore said. “Dead summer, really hot. I ask him, I’m like, you know, batted my blue eyes and had blonde hair, ‘could you try on this gorilla costume in the dead heat?’ He did and that is how we met!”

Elmore said her husband has not only been her partner in life, but also her partner in owning the bookstore. Both working part time, they have really been able to work as a team over the years and, with the help of their family, kept the bookstore alive.

Lily Dawson, recent graduate with a masters in library science, used to shelve books at the store as well as curate the in-store window displays. She fondly described Elmore as a wonderful multitasker.

“Susan is involved,” Dawson said. “She works at Carle Hospital, she works at the bookstore, she is a mother and grandmother. I would say she’s involved in the community.” features@dailyillini.com

Housing Find your next home with

The Daily Illini Start and end your housing hunt today!

housing.dailyillini.com

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

7

Father creates safe haven for his angel

By Farrah Anderson Assistant Investigative News and Longform Edtior

Trigger warning: This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

Sebastian Klein doesn’t look like the typical dad.

His hands are covered in dark tattoos while he reclines in a velvet armchair in a room coated in black paint.

The walls of the room are adorned with quotes from movies like “Alice and Wonderland” and “Harry Potter” — some of his daughter’s favorites.

Klein is also a dad who lost his daughter to suicide. Her name was Angel and she was just 13-years-old when she died.

However, suicide and depression isn’t anything new to Klein.

“I’m a suicide attempt survivor,” he said. “And to lose my own child to something that I’ve suffered with my whole life was beyond profound.”

Klein said he struggled to come to terms with Angel’s death. He said he felt guilty — like he missed the signs that she was struggling and could have done something to stop her. But he said he didn’t want Angel’s death to become another statistic.

So, he founded the Angel Forever Foundation.

The Angel Forever Foundation is a nonprofit organization in C-U Klein founded in 2017 after she died.

His mission: to tell Angel’s story to help in advocating mental health awareness and suicide prevention with a focus on parents and teenagers.

“I’m focused on teenagers and parents of teenagers because I can’t save the world,” Klein said. “I had to really hone in and just get people to realize how important it is to not overlook the things that get overlooked every single day.”

But when she first died, Klein struggled to come to terms with what had happened. He ordered dozens of books about suicide on Amazon and learned as much as he could.

Angel was a writer, a straight A student and loved to write and sing. But although he saw her everyday, she was silent about the pain she was going through.

Klein said Angel was being bullied

FARRAH ANDERSON THE DAILY ILLINI

​​ Sebastian Klein, the founder of the Angel Forever Foundation, sits inside the Foundation Room at the nonprofit's headquarters. Klein lost his daughter to suicide in 2017 and started the foundation to provide suicide prevention resources to parents and teenagers in Champaign-Urbana. at school and on social media.

“The Angel that I saw every day and that I ate with every day and drove to school every day was this completely different person,” Klein said.

“It’s like she was grieving at the top of her lungs and asking for help, but no words were coming out of her mouth.”

In C-U, Klein said he wants local schools to embrace suicide prevention and having conversations about suicide.

Instead of having a guest speaker in a suit and tie come in once a school year during National Suicide Prevention Month, Klein said having someone come in that has personal experience with suicide would help start a conversation.

“If you allow someone like me to come in and speak to a whole group of students on personal experience and

tell Angel’s story, they can actually identify with it,” Klein said. “That’s what gets people to express how it is that they’re feeling.”

Now, Klein holds trainings and workshops to train people on how to spot the warning signs of suicide and talk about mental health with people in their own lives.

But to him, there is still a huge stigma around speaking out about suicide and mental health in C-U. Klein said he’ll hold events where only a couple of people will show up.

“Just within this community alone, let alone the whole country or the whole world, it’s like pulling teeth trying to get anything done,” Klein said.

Although the Angel Forever Foundation’s dark theme may not attract as many people in the local community, Klein said the theme is mainly

influenced by the movies and colors Angel liked.

“The irony of it is, the people who are attracted to this darker theme, are the ones who are most silent,” Klein said.

Although he said he blamed himself for a long time, the foundation’s efforts have become a way to continue to tell Angel’s story. Instead of just being a statistic, Angel’s death has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others in C-U. Now, Klein said he’s committed to helping local parents of teenagers not miss the signs that he did with Angel.

“Getting over the guilt took a long time, but I know it’s not my fault and I accept that it’s not my fault,” Klein said. “But, I will never accept the things that I’ve missed.”

farrah2@dailyillini.com

8

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

9

What's your reaction to new protest policies? How does CU feel about trick-or-treating?

By Samuel Rahman and Caroline Tadla

By Nick Johnson and Axel Almanza

Assistant Opinions Editor and staff reporter

Assistant Opinions Editor and staff reporter

Synonymous with the month of October is the crisp autumn breeze, the crunch of fallen leaves underneath the feet of passersby and — perhaps most importantly — Halloween. With this long-awaited holiday looming around the corner, The Daily Illini took to the streets to poll members of the Champaign-Urbana community to gather their opinions on two questions of paramount importance: At what age does it stop being acceptable to go trick-or-treating?

Is it socially acceptable for college students to dress up in costumes for Halloween?

After careful thought and delibe ation, the C-U community delivered the following answers:

This semester brought along changes to the Expressive Activities on Campus Policy governing behavior on University grounds that many are now taking notice of: This includes “speech, assembly, demonstrations and any other expression protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution or Article I of the Constitution of the State of Illinois.” The corresponding answers follow several students’ reactions to the policy that will govern campus behavior:

SHREYA JEYAKUMAR, JUNIOR IN LAS

“I feel like it makes sense for them to put up regulations if it’s disrupting classes but — in terms of just taking away students’ ability to voice their opinions or protest something they are very passionate about — it’s just quite unfair. It kind of takes away students’ ability to voice their opinions on campus which I think is important for administrators to take in mind — the wellbeing of the students.”

BRIANNA DIAZ, FIFTH YEAR IN LAS

“You should stop trick-or-treating probably by at least the age of 13 — 14’s pushing it a little. And is it socially acceptable to dress up as college students? I think it is! We grew up with the tradition, why not just keep it as we grow older?”

JILL GAO, SOPHOMORE IN EDUCATION

EMILY GOTTSCHALK, FRESHMAN IN ENGINEERING

“Well, admittedly, I haven’t been on campus very long so it’s hard to say how many protests I’ve seen.

I’ve only seen one. But I imagine that if you have an issue that you want to bring up; it will be harder to get the attention of people with these restrictions in place.”

MARISSA BERLIN, FRESHMAN IN LAS

“I guess, having read through most of the policy, some of the things in there do make sense to include like saying ‘no property destruction,’ ‘no large fires.’ But other things I feel like it definitely does restrict students ability to protest and express what they believe.”

JIMMY GOO, JUNIOR IN FAA

“My opinion is that if you are using a loud speaker at night, it may be annoying. But if you want to do some protest about your rights — in the morning with lots of people around you — that’s OK. The college should not restrict students’ ways of (expressing themselves) for their

Miranda Stillwell, sophomore in LAS, shares her opinion on protesting policies the University has put in place. justice.

RIYA GYANMOTE, JUNIOR IN ENGINEERING

“I feel like if it’s something definitely well-organized — which I’ve seen a couple well-organized protests that happened before, that doesn’t necessarily restrict classes as much. It’s a pretty big area.

That’s just a little — I wouldn’t say upsetting — but it’s concerning because it is our campus as well. We are paying tuition here too.”

JULIE ROSER, SENIOR IN LAS

“They are completely restricting our freedom of speech as students at the University and our right to assemble. That is super wack. To be honest, I don’t know a better way to put it. There is a lot of stuff that is

going on in the world right now that is creating a lot of political unrest and for them to put so many restrictions on how people can and cannot voice their dissatisfaction — either at this (University) or the country at large — is ridiculous.”

“This is a college campus. We should be able to speak our voices the most because that is what a University is about. It’s about growth and university and spreading information and ideas freely.”

MIRANDA STILLWELL, SOPHOMORE IN LAS

“I actually filled out the feedback form and I got some messages about it. They were like, ‘This is not a policy that is oppressing anybody, it’s just to make sure the protesting is quiet.’”

SYDNEY LAPUT THE DAILY ILLINI

“So, I was kind of ticked off because of that. And when I saw they were making that policy in the first place, I was like, this goes against our generation because we are very outspoken and we like to protest.”

“I did not really appreciate it and it is a bad look for the University to be taking those kinds of actions against people who want to use the First Amendment. I’m really glad there is a cohort of people trying to revoke the policy because it shows they want to support our right to speak out.”

Samuel is a senior in LAS srahma37@dailyillini.com Caroline is a freshman in Media. ctadla2@dailyillini.com

“I think you should just do whatever you want. You do you, if you want to trick-or-treat, whatever — go trickor-treat. As for dressing up as college kids, again, screw it. If you want to do it, go for it.”

LUA LOVE, JUNIOR IN AHS

“I do think it’s socially acceptable for people to trick-or-treat or wear a costume — I don’t think anyone should care about what you do or wear.”

JAMES HOECK THE DAILY ILLINI

From left to right, Valerie Villanueva (junior in FAA), Mona Tang (senior in LAS), Jane Pham and Kristina Nguyen (juniors in LAS) share their opinions on trick-or-treating.

VALERIE VILLANUEVA, JUNIOR HILLARY PRADA, JUNIOR IN LAS IN FAA “I think it’s socially acceptable for everyone to trick-or-treat — and for college students? There shouldn’t be an age limit for dressing up for Halloween.

Do what you want, whatever makes you happy.”

ARSENIY TITOV, FRESHMAN IN ENGINEERING

“Me, personally, I’ve never trickor-treated before — but I am definitely trick-or-treating this year.

Overall, I think it’s acceptable for college students to dress up and trickor-treat, because, I mean, we’re still kids.”

“I think that when you hit sophomore year of high school, that’s when you kind of need to cut it. Because that’s when you get all of those high schoolers grouped up in neighborhoods, and sometimes that can be a little intimidating. But I think it’s totally OK if college students dress up, because I think it’s fun to pretend to be someone that you’re not and just dress up kind of cute!”

MONA TANG, SENIOR IN LAS

“In society, I think up to high school is when (trick-or-treating) is acceptable, but I definitely think that if you want to go out and do it, no matter your age — I

mean, you might get some looks — you should definitely do it. Same goes for dressing up as college students. You’re not hurting anyone, so if you have a good time doing it, go create some memories.”

JANE PHAM, JUNIOR IN LAS

“I think it’s acceptable up to eighteen to trick-or-treat — until you move out of your parents’ house for college… and yes, most definitely you have to dress up in college because I feel like that’s the best time to do it. Everyone else is dressing up, and then after (college) it’s just kind of weird if you do.”

KRISTINA NGUYEN, JUNIOR IN LAS

“I don’t think there’s an age limit, honestly… I could see myself trick-or-treating for as long as I feel like dressing up.

I mean, when I trick-or-treated as a kid my parents would dress up and get candy too. I also don’t think it’s weird for college students to dress up, because it’s fun. I’m trying to go as Chewbacca this year… maybe Yoda. We’ll see what happens!”

Nick is a junior in LAS. nmj5@dailyillini.com Axel is a sophomore in LAS. aalman21@dailyillini.com

10

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

What responsibility do we have for CU's homeless?

By Nathaniel Langley Opinions Editor

One stroll down Green Street is enough to register C-U’s silent yet present homeless plight.

Subsequently, as members of the community, we must reflect and consider what duty we possess in mitigating this predicament and protecting these fellow persons. The corresponding answers follow what several community members believe is our responsibility for the C-U homeless:

NATALYA MIRALAEFF, SECOND-YEAR LAW STUDENT

“We have a lot.

“There’s a lot of food insecurity in this community, unfortunately. The University community owes a lot to those people just because the school has brought in so much to this town that we kind of forget the surrounding community when it isn’t just college students or alumni.”

“So I think that with the money we’re given, instead of making big apartment buildings, it would be great to be able to give it back to the community.”

JONATHAN BROWN, ALUMNI

“To make sure they feel like people.”

When asked about possible policies or solutions, Brown elaborated, “Greet and speak — that simple.”

COURTNEY RICHARDSON, GRADUATE STUDENT

“Responsibility to at least see the homeless or those home insecure. See how we can help within our own ability whereas just connecting with other community or existing community efforts that’s going on. Reading the signage we see when people ask for help.

The first step would be to just see other people and go from there.”

ABDALLAH MARZOUI, SOPHOMORE IN ENGINEERING

“It is out of our control — but we could … hold an event or spread more awareness about the homeless. Because if you walk down Green Street, especially late at night, you’ll see a good amount of homeless people set up in front of McDonald’s or set up in front of those stores.

“My personal opinion, there’s not much that we can do, but if we could spread awareness, try to raise money, go out of our way to set up charity or funds, it would definitely be better.”

JAMES HOECK THE DAILY ILLINI

Ismail Ahmed, sophomore in ACES (left), and Abdallah Marzoui, sophomore in Engineering (right) share their thoughts on homelessness.

“The first step would be to just see other people and go from there.”

Courtney Richardson ISMAIL AHMED, SOPHOMORE IN ACES “I agree,” Ismail, who sat beside Abdallah, remarked. “Especially at night when I see a lot of people on Green not even acknowledging homeless people, sometimes that makes me upset. I try to at least smile at them and

at least make them feel like they’re acknowledged.”

“Not only that, I’ve heard the food pantry is a great place to donate food for the homeless as well. Honestly, spreading more awareness and, I guess, having more events like (Abdallah) said would provide for the homeless.”

YURITZY TELLO, JUNIOR IN AHS

“There should be more resources for people that might need it — maybe like a shelter. Places that they can go to and places where they can go and get resources.

“I don’t know if there’s a resource place on campus where they can go and ask for the different resources this Uni-

versity provides or that there’s available in the community. That might be helpful. And maybe getting the word out and spreading information about where those resources are located and how they can get access to them.”

A common thread of basic charity and recognition ties these widespread opinions together.

Still, community members understand that those home insecure are our fellow residents. Additionally, as most of us have the option to enter and exit C-U as we please, those that remain on Green Street continually await sincere help.

Nathaniel is a junior in LAS. ntl3@dailyillini.com

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

11

The man with a tail to tell

By Gwyn Skiles Features Editor

Sitting in a blue armchair at Caffe Paradiso is a man with purple and yellow hair sipping a latte. He rises, and his gray tank top sways as he walks toward the counter.

Other customers turn their heads and quickly try to snap pictures as he orders a tiramisu, laughing and marveling over a long, spotted tail swinging between his legs.

The man, 54-year-old Hyena, attaches the tail onto his pants every morning to express a vital part of his identity and to change local prejudices.

Hyena is a furry.

“Even saying the word ‘furry’ people will go ‘What?’ and then look it up and go ‘Oh,’” Hyena said.

A furry is a person that wears costumes of certain characters — mainly animals. However, Hyena said all furries are different, and he feels as if it’s his responsibility to share all the different layers to clear misconceptions.

“About the only thing that all furries have in common is the word ‘furry,’” Hyena said.

“It’s my sense of responsibility toward the community that makes me want to make sure that there aren’t any misunderstandings.”

Most furries have a persona, or fursona, they use to interact with each other and express themselves. Hyena said fursonas aren’t just for roleplay — they become a part of the person.

“People will think of fursona as playing a character, but it’s not,” Hyena said.

“Fursona is bringing back things that have been shamed out of you, and as a result, you’ll be more outgoing, more conscientious, more agreeable and more emotionally stable,” Hyena said.

For Hyena, wearing a tale and sporting pictures of hyenas on necklaces and stickers on his laptop is a way for him to make himself whole again.

When Hyena was young, he lived with his adopted parents in Washington. He said he began to suspect he might be gay but worked hard to hide the fact from his friends and family.

“I thought I was the only gay person in the universe,” Hyena said.

Hyena said being gay wasn’t something celebrated or even talked about when he was younger. He was anxious about others laughing about him if they knew he liked other men.

“At one point, after I decided I could be open to (my parents) about every-

GWYN SKILES THE DAILY ILLINI

Hyena, a 54-year-old furry, wears a tail in public to express himself and change local prejudices against people who appear to be different.

thing, I said ‘You out the opinions of know my childhood others. was really miserable, Hyena said many “Fursona is bringing Dad’ and he said, ‘I budding furries are had no idea,’” Hyena back things that have anxious at first. said. “Eighteen years “There’s that analI lived in (his) pres- been shamed out of you, ogy with coming out ence and (he) had no the closet,” Hyeand as a result, you’ll of idea that I was that na said. “People are miserable.” about ‘What be more outgoing, more worried “We’re pretty recwill people say? What onciled and he’s an conscientious, more will people do? MayOK guy, I like him be there will be vionow.” agreeable and more lence.’ That’s what I Hyena now has a grew up with. emotionally stable.” partner who is also a “Actually, everyfurry and they have body doesn’t give Hyena been together for 14 a shit really for the years. most part.”

However, Hyena didn’t come out to It was the confidence and easygoing people until later on in his life when he nature that attracted Hyena to the furry began to meet furries. community. But when he started attendIn 2006, Hyena first met furries in ing conferences, he needed a fursona.

Federal Way, Washington. Right off the At first, Hyena was a yellow dog who bat he knew furries were people that was friendly, charismatic and liked a litcould be anyone they wanted to be with- tle bit of mischief. Later on, he became

an aloof snow leopard.

But one day, during a guided meditation at a conference, Hyena got a vision of a sun with the face of the hyena in the center.

“The moment (the symbol) appeared, instantly I think it even said ‘You’re a hyena,’” Hyena said.

Hyena said it felt as if he had been born again. He bought a necklace with a picture of a hyena and a tank top to commemorate his awakening.

Artists are an important part of the furry community because Hyena said it helps solidify the connection between person and fursona.

“Once it’s out of your body and on a piece of paper or something, then you can literally handle it,” Hyena said.

“When I became a hyena, I felt like I had to come up with an image for it,” Hyena said.

That image became tank tops, green hair and of course — the tail.

Hyena referenced African folklore to create his image and personality.

“In African folklore, Hyena is the figure that can never do anything right in the eyes of other people,” Hyena said.

“So when Hyena dances everybody says, ‘That’s stupid — you should be off doing something productive.’ So then we might ask ourselves, well why does Hyena dance?”

Hyena said if he can’t do anything right, then he’s not going to try. Like hyenas, he’s going to freely do what he wants to do.

However, Hyena said he’s privileged to be able to do this.

“I can be out as a gay person, I can wander around and wear a tail, but not everybody can,” Hyena said. “I’m a bigger white guy and people will leave me alone. But smaller people, women, people of color — they can’t necessarily get away with that.”

To address this and make a positive impact on his community, Hyena said he supports those that aren’t as privileged through his purchases.

“One of the things that I started doing was spending my food money on businesses of color first, local businesses second and anybody else third,” Hyena said.

Hyena has been editing dissertations for students at the University since 2009 where he also tries to help others with less privilege.

“I like supporting women and people of color’s original research into the world,” Hyena said. gskiles2@dailyillini.com

12

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

The local activist and her long fight for social equality

By Faith Angel Allendorf Contributing Writer

The early morning sun illuminated the wooden desks of an Urbana high school classroom when suddenly, commotion resonated through the hallways.

“Come on, we're leaving!” shouted several voices.

Despite teacher protests, the students left their rooms. They exited Urbana high school and walked quietly to the Wesley United Methodist Church and back.

It was April 5, 1968 — the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

The Urbana MLK march was the first of a long resume of protests and acts of service that social activist Cloydia Hill Larimore participated in.

Larimore, a resident of Urbana for 58 years, witnessed first-hand ChampaignUrbana’s social, physical and cultural evolution.

Larimore’s first experiences with activism started when she was president of her junior class at Urbana high school.

“We started getting an after-school group together to talk about racial and community issues,” Larimore said.

“Urbana in the late ’60s was very much

still segregated. There was no cultural or ethnic diversity.”

In addition to speaking out against segregation, Larimore was, and still is, involved with women's rights.

Larimore said that when she was a student at the University, women could not play sports and didn't occupy any executive positions.

“Women would joke about how they were just here to get their Mrs. degree,” Larimore said while frowning.

Speaking out against discrimination and pushing for change is something Larimore is just as passionate about today as she was back then.

Although Larimore said women’s rights have substantially shifted in the right direction since the ’70s, she continues to march and did so at the C-U Women’s March on Oct. 3.

“We have to keep constantly remembering what we’re here for and to make sure that we don’t fall asleep or lose touch with what we’ve achieved,” Larimore said.

Over the years, Larimore has marched for several movements, including women’s rights, Black Lives Matter and March for Our Lives.

WE HAVE

BRIGIDA DOCKUS THE DAILY ILLINI

Cloydia Hill Larimore is a local activist who attended this year's C-U Women's March and has been protesting for women's rights in the community since she was a teenager.

However, Larimore said the biggest impact she’s had on her community has been with the Cunningham Children’s Home.

Larimore served as their vice president of Advancement for 25 years. She saw the home morph into a foster care program, an educational resources and counseling center.

“I know some kids who are now adults that have children of their own that wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for

OFFICIAL RCH ME

NOW!!

Get your official WPGU 107.1 FM merch at

redbubble.com/people/wpgu/shop · T-shirts · Stickers

· Hoodies · Tote Bags

· Phone Cases · And More!

Cunningham,” Larimore said. “They’ve told me that. That place saves kids’ lives.

It's huge knowing that you had a positive impact on people’s lives.”

Larimore said she values the thriving cultural scene in C-U. “I love being able to go to a coffee shop and sit there and not hear English,” Larimore said. “Even though you’re in a small community, you get to see that the world is bigger than just what you see here.”

Larimore said that her fascination for different cultures has blossomed while the diversity of Champaign-Urbana has grown.

Larimore said she hopes the city continues to grow and keep its tight-knit community feel even when she’s gone.

“I’m 70 years old – I’m in the last third of my life," Larimore said. “I’m starting to lose friends and family.

At this point in my life, what is important is realizing how lucky we all are that we woke up this morning and to take every moment and do what we can with it. Continue taking care of each other and make the world and where we are better for all of us.” faithaa2@dailyillini.com

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

13

`Saxo-biking' and mathematics collide

By Julia Youman

“If your goal is to never make an error, you’re never gonna learn and you’re never going to have fun with it.”

Staff Writer

On a sunny Friday afternoon, Ian Copple whisks around the corner of the Main Quad playing saxophone while riding his bike. After doing a couple laps, he sits down, places his instrument on the sidewalk and reveals a recent tattoo of a math equation on his ribs.

“This ‘c’ is actually supposed to be an ‘e,’ but no one would even know that unless I pointed it out,” he said.

As with most things he does, Copple said he’s his own biggest critic. He’s been playing saxophone since fourth grade, but he said he’s only recently learned to play without caring about little mistakes.

“My main musical goal was just to not mess up, which is a terrible goal,” he said. “Because as a student, if your goal is to never make an error, you’re never gonna learn and you’re never going to have fun with it.”

After clarifying that he’s getting the tattoo updated in a week, Copple goes into detail about what a fourier series means and even pulls out his phone to show an animation he made of it on Desmos, an advanced graphing calculator.

At its core, Copple says it’s a fusion of his love for music and math.

Copple, senior in LAS and Education at the University, has made friends all over campus while doing what he refers to as “saxo-biking,” which combines two things he’s good at: biking without hands and playing the saxophone.

Within five minutes of meeting him, two different people come up to Copple on the quad and strike up a conversation.

One of them recognized him from saxobiking in front of Taco Bell on Green Street a few weekends ago. He said this happens all the time.

“When I add people on Snapchat in those settings, I make sure to put the day that I met them and a saxophone emoji by their name,” he said.

Riding in front of Taco Bell and playing George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” in front of a long KAM’s line on a Saturday night are just a few fun memories he’s made while saxo-biking.

While he does bike around during the day, Copple said he prefers to do it at night when fewer people and cars are around.

While nighttime offers better safety precautions, he also said he likes that it’s a lot less attention-grabbing.

“A global disaster is what it took for me to get over my performance anxiety because during the pandemic there was no audience at all,” Copple said.

Ian Copple

SYDNEY LAPUT THE DAILY ILLINI

​​ Copple, senior in LAS, rides his bike and plays and saxophone on the Main Quad, an activity Ian which he refers to as "saxo-biking."

After the pandemic hit, Copple spent the summer in Champaign, which he described as a “ghost-town.” With barely anyone around, he said he became more comfortable with playing in public.

The pandemic is also what led him to pick up the saxophone again in the first place. While he’s not taking any formal classes and mainly focusing on student teaching, he said he likes doing it for fun around campus.

Most of what he plays is by ear which is why he always bikes around with an earbud in. With perfect pitch, Copple can listen to a song, hear how the instrument sounds and play it on the saxophone.

“I don’t thrive with sheet music,” he said. “Most of what I do is just listen to my Spotify playlists on shuffle and play along to that.”

In high school, Copple was one of three saxophonists in his band, which he admits made it really hard to mess up. Most of what he played was sheet music and he said he didn’t start to have fun with it until joining the pep band.

“You didn’t have to be good, you just had to be loud and I just thought, ‘Wow. This is an opportunity to not care at all about notes I missed,’” Copple said.

He carries the same mantra into his teaching today.

After three semesters of actuarial science, Copple made a switch to math and added a secondary education minor.

“I was the kid in high school who did math competitions not even to win but just to be challenged,” he said. “When I started tutoring other people, I was like this is something that is really rejuvenating and gives me life.”

When he’s not saxo-biking around campus or learning how to play another instrument, Copple said he likes to learn more about math and find ways to help others like it as well.

“I don’t want students to just be good at math, I want them to see the beauty in it because in math and music, there’s patterns and you can enjoy it,” he said. jyouman2@readbuzz.com

14

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

A call to laughter

Student comedian finds his footing in CU community

By Kylie Corral Contributing Writer

The demands of college sometimes call for hobbies that let students escape the stressful world of studying, exams and nonstop classes. For some students this may be through sports or music.

But for Vignesh Suresh, comedy is his calling.

Suresh is a student at the University of Illinois, majoring in math and computer science. He performs Wednesdays and Thursdays for C-U Comedy, a local comedy group that hosts frequent open mic nights in the community.

Suresh said when he was young, he’d been a comedy fan himself before ever wanting to walk onto the stage.

“I was a fan first and then I wanted to give it a shot,” Suresh said. “So I went to an open mic and I talked about something – I can’t remember. It did OK, so I was like ‘Alright, I’ll stay with this.’”

As a student originally from San Francisco, Suresh did some of his first comedy scenes in the city right before COVID-19 struck. In a city like San Francisco, comedy is tougher and it’s even harder to find crowds to resonate with, Suresh said. As a comedian for C-U comedy in the present, Suresh said he’s learned to love the crowds at the University of Illinois.

While performing, Suresh said he has found himself surrounded by genuine audiences that come in and truly care about comedy. Although the comedic scene here at the University is smaller, Suresh said it’s a place where one can find themselves face-to-face with a realistic scene.

“It’s just a great group of people here, which is pretty nice and you see all the same people every week and you get to know them,” Suresh said. “So that’s a lot of fun.”

For many college students, it can become increasingly difficult to juggle school work, extracurricular activities and hobbies. Suresh performs a few nights during the week for C-U Comedy while simultaneously balancing work for his major.

“I find it easier to balance if you just don’t go to class,” Suresh said. “No I’m kidding! I mean everyone has hobbies

Senior Vignesh Suresh performs stand-up comedy a couple nights a week for C-U Comedy. and things they do, right?”

Suresh explained that being a student comedian at the University of Illinois is like being involved with any other activity the University offers. Most people learn to balance their work alongside their hobbies very similar to his own life, he said. As a comedian involved in academic responsibilities, Suresh said he finds having a schedule for his comedy skits very helpful, especially when combining comedy and academics.

“I try to spend maybe two hours a day just coming up with jokes and stuff like that,” Suresh said. “And then, you know, a few nights a week, I do shows, but it’s just a normal college student’s life.”

As a comedian in both the larger C-U community and the smaller community, Suresh said comedy represents a lot for many people. As something that may mean many different things, for

some, comedy is universal communication and entertainment. For comedians, this can mean a specific and personalized way of viewing their profession and what they personally get from their field of performance. For Suresh, it’s purely comedic interest.

“I think a lot of people talk about the importance of us socially and about telling your stories and all that,” Suresh said. “For me, I think there’s so many different types of comedians and so many forms of comedy; one thing that they have to have in common is that they’re funny. So that’s always what I try to focus on.”

With Suresh’s comedic interest and participation in the C-U scene, he said that comedy is a definite goal for him in the future, as it is also something he has enjoyed more than anything else he has done.

ESTHER PARK THE DAILY ILLINI

As Suresh finishes his last semester at the University, he said he plans to begin the process of getting into the professional world of comedy. Once he has graduated from the University, he said he’ll secure a job in relation to his major and then focus on building up his comedic talent up to the point of a career.

In addressing the audience of young and aspiring comedians here at the University of Illinois and elsewhere, Suresh advised, “The only advice I could give is just try to write as much as you can and just try to get on stage at any opportunity. And that’s it, that’s the only way you can really get better.”

“It’s a lot of fun,” Suresh said. “I think anyone out there that’s reading this, if this is something that interests you at all, just give it a try!” kyliemc2@readbuzz.com

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021

15

The many passions of an artist, parent

By Carolina Garibay buzz Editor

When Shaersti Anderson was in high school, she started tie-dying. But not the way most might picture, at a block party as a kid haphazardly dipping crumpled shirts in buckets of dye.

Anderson methodically dyed her shirt, creating intricate designs that were different from your typical tiedyed shirt. Eventually, Anderson said she fell in love with tie-dying and invested in expensive, professional dyes. She was even selling them at one point, until life got busy.

“What put it to a halt was school and just trying to stay up until like two or three at night and studying chemistry and biology,” Anderson said.

Originally, Anderson was studying nursing at Parkland College, but when she realized she was prioritizing nursing when what she really enjoyed was art, she decided it was time for a change.

“The change kind of occurred pretty recently with all like the (COVID-19) stuff,” Anderson said. “And honestly, it was just like a lot of work for me to do like with my lifestyle and everything.”

By her lifestyle, Anderson means the extra responsibilities she has that many 20-year-old college students might not.

Besides being a full-time Parkland student in her third semester and holding a part-time job at college, Anderson is also the mother of her 2-yearold daughter, Raelynn. She goes to day care at the Parkland Child Development Center when Anderson is at school or working.

Anderson admits that her lifestyle isn’t easy.

“I feel like I’m not managing it because I’m not doing the art I want to do because I’m putting it on hold because I was in school full time for a two whole years,” Anderson said.

“And now it’s just a bunch of burnout.”

As a way to balance the stress of Anderson’s life, she’s also taken up ceramics, which she said she originally started as an elective for the nurs-

CAMERON KRASUCKI THE DAILY ILLINI

Twenty-year-old Shaersti Anderson sits with her daughter Raelynn amongst an assortment of ceramics wearing a tie-dye shirt she made.

Anderson's tie-dye business is on hold, but she hopes to start it back up next year. ing program and stuck with because she loved it so much.

“It’s like therapy, and it’s a way to get out your aggression,” Anderson said with a laugh.

She also said ceramics allows her to participate in something hands on where she’s also able to create something that she can use and be proud of.

“When you finally see the final

product and the glaze on it, it’s just like, it’s official,” Anderson said. “It just feels so good, like, it’s very humbling to be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I made this’ or ‘I made all of these plates that we’re eating dinner off of.’”

Anderson clarified that she’s only made one plate, but she hopes to keep working on her skills and eventually make more and even sell her pieces on Etsy.

She said she also hopes to get back into tie-dying next year and open up a shop, which she said she already has a space, certificate and business account for.

But until then, Anderson is focusing on school and taking care of Raelynn, as well as herself, which Anderson said she sometimes forgets needs to be a priority too, even if it means cutting

“It just feels so good, like, it’s very humbling to be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I made this.’”

Shaersti Anderson back some time on work some days.

“I’m just gonna drop her off at day care; I might skip ceramics lab today and just go home and do laundry,” Anderson said. “Some days it’s just like I gotta take care of me.” garibay5@readbuzz.com

16

The DI · Wednesday, October 13, 2021