A man was arrested by University Police after a situation involving the harassment of McDonald’s employee. – Jessie Wang and Diamond Steward-Hutton
Experts and activists address conceptions and concerns around one of the world’s oldest surgeries, covering health, religion, infant autonomy and more. – Lisa Chasanov and Michael Bales
A man was shot on campus after having an argument with the shooter. The injury was not life-threatening. – Piotr Fedczuk
A study done by the College of AHS looks at the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on women of color. – Anneliese CornejoGarcia
On Saturday, Uniting Pride of Champaign County held a rally in support of queer and transgender youth. It was originally scheduled for trans visibility day on March 31, but due to inclement weather, was rescheduled. – Lisa
ChasanovThe famous game show “The Price is Right” will be coming to the State Farm Center in October. – Jude Panlilio
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With finals rapidly approaching, the University is preparing various events for students with increased stress. Here is a comprehensive guide to the programs and events offered by the University in the upcoming two weeks.
The Writers Workshop is available for everyone during the school year and continues its work during finals season, providing extensive feedback to students who need help writing their papers.
“We know it’s important for students to feel that they’re submitting their best work when completing final papers or applying for jobs,” said Carolyn Wisniewski, director of the Writers Workshop in an email to The Daily Illini. “And many students say they leave the Writers Workshop with a much stronger sense of confidence in their own work.”
The Writers Workshop is located in the Main Library. To visit, you can schedule an appointment in person or on Zoom, and walk-in hours are available as well.
According to Wisniewski, the ser-
vice hosted “The Final Check: Proofreading and Editing Strategies” event on Sunday at 4-5 p.m., where students can learn about and apply strategies for “polishing final papers.”
For advanced writers, the Writers Workshop will host the “Publishing Your First Journal Article” event on Thursday at 1-2 p.m., where students will be able to learn more about writing academic articles.
In addition to that, the Writers Workshop will participate in the Main Library’s De-Stress Fest on Thursday.
“We’ll have a ‘Creative Brain Break’ station from 1-4 p.m. in the Main Library’s Orange Room, where students can stop by for snacks and a fun writing-related activity,” Wisniewski said in the email.
In addition to offering individual counseling appointments, the Counseling Center offers the Finish Strong program from April 25 to May 4, spreading awareness about tips for handling stress.
“We are throughout campus the last few weeks of the semester, letting people know about the importance of taking care of their mental and physical health at all times, but especially during stressful times like finals,”
said Nichole Evans, media communications coordinator at the Counseling Center. “In addition to the selfcare education component, we also want to remind students we’re here and we pass out finals care packages to remind people to reach out if they need.”
Starting on Monday, besides offering appointments during its regular schedule, McKinley Health Center will pass out stress relief packs to students in the Health Center and the Illini Union.
“Stress relief packs will be distributed starting May 1,” said Jennifer Carson, assistant director of marketing for health and wellbeing. “A limited number are available and will go quickly.”
In addition to that, McKinley will host multiple events to improve your mental health during finals. This will include “Kick the Stigma” on Monday at 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. which aims to spread awareness about mental health resources through an inflatable soccer game with the Illinois soccer team.
La Casa Cultural Latina will collaborate with McKinley Health Center to host “Relaxation of the Mind and
Body” on Monday at 6:30-7:30 p.m. The event will introduce visitors to four relaxation techniques that can be helpful for stress management. For more details and events, visit McKinley Health Center’s website.
The Office of Minority Student Affairs Academic Service Center offers drop-in tutoring for math and chemistry, working during its regular schedule.
Additionally, the Office of Inclusion & Intercultural Relations International Education will host a Finals Snacks for Success event on May 3 at 5:30-7 p.m. in the lower level of ISR where people will be able to try international snacks and relax before the exams.
OIIR is also hosting Finals Week Pop-up, an alternate finals event, at the Main Library with some international snacks and beverages on Tuesday at 1:30-4 p.m. in the Main Library Orange Room.
Similarly to La Casa, the Asian American Cultural Center is hosting a self-care event “We Care!” on Thursday at 2-4 p.m. at the AACC. The event will offer arts and crafts with snacks and beverages.
laylin2@dailyillini.com
DANIEL ZHOU THE DAILY ILLINI
Students on campus continue to report apartment burglaries, with four new instances being reported over the last 10 days.
According to a statement released by the University of Illinois Division of Public Safety on April 24, three separate University students reported that an intruder had entered their apartment without their permission on April 22. All the apartments were unlocked, and nothing was reported stolen.
A University student also reported that a backpack containing electronics was stolen from her apartment located in the 300 block of East Green Street.
“Police identified a suspect, who is under 18 years old, and retrieved the stolen backpack,” the statement said. “The juvenile was later arrested for trespassing at 11:06 p.m. Saturday in the 200 block of East Green Street, Champaign.”
These incidents follow the multiple apartment intrusions committed by the same offender at the HERE apartment
complex, located on the 300 block of East Green Street, last month.
Pat Wade, senior director of strategic communication at the UIPD, said in an email that every case of apartment intrusions this semester has occurred when residents leave their apartment doors unlocked.
“The University of Illinois Police Department has made several arrests related to apartment burglaries or attempted burglaries, but the issue continues to persist, often with repeat offenders,” Wade said.
According to Wade, the UIPD has “no reason to believe that the intruders mean any physical harm to the apartment residents, but (they) understand how alarming it can be to have someone unexpectedly enter your apartment.”
Residents can prevent further incidents by locking their apartment doors when they are home, Wade said.
Connor Uphues, a front desk employee at HERE, talked about some of the security measures around the apartment complex.
“There are various doors to enter but
all require fobs to get in, and only the residents are provided these fobs for access,” Uphues said.
He said that “(HERE has) security cameras all around the building. People usually call us or email us about any safety concern and then we follow up with the security guard who is also usually present at the front desk.”
Anna Sonnenschein, sophomore in LAS, lives off of First Street and said she felt alarmed by the intrusions.
“I think it’s very concerning in terms of door security,” Sonnenschein said. “We need to really (emphasize) that everyone needs to be locking the doors to their apartments because I know a bunch of my friends just leave their doors unlocked.”
Sonnenschein said she and her roommates always make sure their door is locked when they are not home and utilize a door stopper.
UIPD asks that residents immediately report suspicious activity by calling 911 or 217-333-8911 for nonemergencies.
jessiew4@dailyillini.com
With the onslaught of finals and final projects rearing its ugly head, students are under an insurmountable amount of stress. When we look for comfort, it can often be found in a feelgood film. Here a few of my favorite comfort movies:
Based upon Shakespeare’s “Taming of The Shrew,” this film takes a ’90s perspective. It centers around the Stratford sisters, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) who desperately wants to date, and Kat (Julia Stiles) who is quick-witted and abrasive to everyone — but, you know, in a feminist way. Unfortunately for Bianca, their overbearing father won’t let her date until Kat does. Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the new kid, decides he simply must be with Bianca and so they hatch a plan to hire the similarly harsh Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to pursue Kat. It’s a cult classic equipped with Ledger’s rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” and teenage betrayal. All that warm and fuzzy ’90s screen resolution is the film equivalent of chicken noodle soup.
Jake (Jason Sudeikis) and Lainey (Alison Brie) lose their virginity to each other in a one night stand. Twelve years later, they run into each other at a Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous meeting. Lainey is obsessed with an admittedly subpar man. Jakes suggests she text her fixations to him in an attempt to help her get over her heartbreak. They quickly become best friends but are often at odds with their attraction to one another. This film is a silly mutation of the friends-to-lovers trope we all know and love. Fast and pithy dialogue, “Sleeping with Other People” gives a refreshing take on sex, love and friendship.
Leilani (Issa Rae) and Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) are a couple on dire straits when they witness a murder. They try to solve the case, fearful that, as minorities, they may be framed. As if navigating the end of a relationship wasn’t enough. “The Lovebirds” is a crazy and cohesive combo of action and romantic comedy. The movie is placed throughout the course of the night where both characters make endless quips about
the sketchy white people that got them stuck in this mess. It’s a surefire laugh with some grounded perspective.
Nyles (Andy Samberg), boyfriend of the maid of honor, hits it off with Sarah (Cristin Milioti) and soon she is stuck in a time loop on the worst day of her life: her sister’s wedding. After drinking herself silly with Nyles, she becomes apathetic to the situation. They both begin to indulge in various hijinks and their company with each other. A production by The Lonely Island, it has everything you need from demented humor to existential dread. “Palm Springs” reminds us life could always be worse. You could live the rest of your days out at your sister’s wedding.
Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) is in an inescapable clique of girls — all named Heather — who prey on people’s insecurities. In an attempt to defy Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), their tyrannical leader, Veronica and her new boyfriend, JD (Christian Slater), inadvertently poison her with drain cleaner. In fear of what they’ve done, Veronica frames it as a suicide. JD finds too much satisfaction and begins to frame suicides of the school’s cruelest students. Veronica finds herself as a bystander yet again and tries to stop both him and the remaining Heathers from their inhumanity. “Heathers” is bright in color but dark in tone. Escape to a world of beautifully stiff clothes, big hair and indifference to the twisted.
Wil (Michelle Kruseic) navigates her budding relationship with Vivian (Lynn Chen) as a closeted lesbian in a traditionalist Chinese American community. Wil soon finds out her widowed mother, Hwei-Ian (Joan Chen), is pregnant and has been banished to Wil’s apartment. In one scene, Vivian, who is a ballerina, urges Wil out of her adorably awkward shell when she teaches her how to gracefully fall. You’re sure to forget your troubles with this coming-of-age romance. It’s just too undeniably cute.
While I’m sure you all are doing everything but absorbing your textbooks through osmosis, remember to take a break this week. Waste an hour or two. You deserve it.
aobasu2@dailyillini.com
The book “Daisy Jones & The Six” was published by Taylor Jenkins Reid in 2019 and focuses on why the band broke up decades later. The story is told through band member interviews and reveals the band’s past and each member’s side of the story.
The book, taking place in the 1970s, reveals a glamorous yet over-indulging environment surrounding drugs, fame, infidelity and money.
The story is inspired by the drama within the real band Fleetwood Mac, taking inspiration from the messy dynamic between Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham.
Recently, Amazon Prime adapted the book into a show starring Sam Clafin and Riley Keough.
Clafin plays Billy Dunne, a lead singer of The Six. He projects his domineering work ethic onto his band.
Keough plays Daisy Jones, the other lead singer. Her free-spirited outlook on life and unhinged behaviors make her prominently stand out compared to the rest of the characters.
Camila Alvarez, played by Camila Morrone, is the wife of Billy. She is put through many obstacles being the wife of a popular singer and is depicted as a complex yet loyal character.
Guitarist Eddie Roundtree, played by Josh Whitehouse, frequently bumps heads with Billy.
The show adapted the band’s songs from the book with the help of producer Blake Mills and popular artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Marcus Mumford and Jackson Browne.
A notable song is “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb),” the first song that Daisy and Billy made together. The song captures the mixed emotions between the two and how they understand each other’s pain.
Another song that stands out is “Regret Me.” It expresses Daisy’s feelings of betrayal and anger towards Billy and depicts Daisy’s unhinged personality well.
That time of the year, which practically every student dreads, is here. It’s time for finals.
Many students could have a love-hate relationship with the end of the second semester. It is so close to summer break, but each day nearing the end is another essay, another test and another deadline.
How does an individual efficiently cope with impending madness? Is it enough to have a planner and check off every assignment? There are proven methods to reduce stress and anxiety, such as exercise.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, physical activity serves as a good distraction from daily stressors and it can release “feel-good” endorphins to make someone feel better.
While it may be a fun fact, not everyone can get to the gym and afford to spend hours waiting for one machine. So, what options are left?
Take a short amount of time and have
a public mental breakdown.
The University is full of locations that provide spaces to fall apart! Five locations stuck out as ideal spots to do so.
Coming in hot at number one is Bardeen Quadrangle, also known as the beloved engineering quad. Located on the north end of campus, it is full of beautiful scenery, modern facilities and hundreds of overworked STEM majors.
Laying in the grass above the running waters of Boneyard Creek is truly an enriching experience. No one will notice your crying, kicking and screaming because everyone else is doing the exact same thing.
A study from Stanford University found people experience positive mental benefits by being in nature. A good scenic view may be just what someone needs to release all the mental tension from the final weeks of classes.
Sometimes, the workload is so awful,
you just need to reconnect with nature. Go touch some expensive grass.
What many students refer to as the “Krannert steps,” the Amphitheatre is a close second for an awesome spot to be able to question the decision of going to college.
The Amphitheatre is sitting on the west terrace and facing the Main Quad. The best time to visit is when the sky darkens.
The color changing lights will provide a unique ambience as you lay flat on your back with your headphones on.
Cry into the oblivion while your sad song playlist blares into your eardrums and permanently damages your hearing.
During the day, Krannert Center’s website said it is a great spot for cloud watching, lunch and coffee. The benefits of visiting during the day or night could be interchangeable. It really depends on what kind of vibes you want.
Sadness, “emo” feelings and questioning the foundations of the ways you choose to live is great for the nighttime experience. The stars will provide a sense of comfort, strangely. Taking a breath during your busy schedule, people watching and appreciating the little things in life is great for the daylight.
The Amiphitheatre can do it all! Another multitalented facet from the Krannert Center.
Take a stroll down Gregory Drive and wait in a 30-minute line for a corn dog. Then, cry over it in the corner of the seating areas. It is a great way to end a long day of classes. If someone wants to silently sniffle and blend into a crowd of wound-up students viciously munching on pasta, this is the spot for them. Sections A-G are recommended for a little more privacy. You may get some concerned looks, but the Ikenberry Commons residents
As students brace for their final exams and projects, they employ different tactics to stay afloat and mini -
mize burnout.
For Archie Gertsman, graduate student studying industrial engineering, the end of this semester marks the movement toward another semester of working on his thesis.
are surrounded by a multitude of different characters of people, and this is probably not the strangest thing they have witnessed.
A distressed student can even get a soft serve ice cream cone on the way out of the dining hall.
The tables are exposed to natural light with giant windows surrounding the seating areas. If students go to eat during the sunset, they get a calming view of Memorial Stadium in the distance.
To reminisce on simpler times, which may be when you looked forward to overnight summer camp, go on the corner of Lincoln and Pennsylvania Avenues. The Illini Grove is there to support you.
The Illini Grove is a section of wooded area containing picnic tables and pleasing sights. It can provide a switch from the urban and busy feel on campus.
According to the Campus Recreation website, this spot is “perfect for a gettogether with friends!” However, the Grove is also great for walking around in circles and fantasizing about turning in the paper that has been hanging over your head.
The picnic tables also provide comfort while you craft an email to your professor asking for mercy toward an upcoming assignment.
Students go to unwind in various ways. It is a popular spot for inhaling relaxation and exhaling your worries. Just pick a spot and be present.
Although it is an unoriginal crying location, the Main Quad must be mentioned.
A location 203 feet wide and 940 feet long is yours to make the most of, according to the UIHistories website. It’s always a pleasant experience to shed a tear while a tour group of bright-eyed prospective students pass you by.
The Main Quad can be filled with students and community members on a day with nice weather, making your presence less known among all the chaos. All individuals mesh together to create collective laughing, screaming and passionate conversing.
Just beware of the groups playing frisbee or tossing a football around. While you dwell on your emotional pain, you may have those internal unpleasant feelings manifested into a physical form as you get knocked upside the head.
Still, the Main Quad is a place worth trying. It is likely hundreds of students have cried on that very grass, and hundreds more will.
The University has unique locations that could provide a sense of tranquility or opportunities to destress for students.
During finals, get with friends, study buddies or strangers, to unite together and have public mental breakdowns during a collectively difficult time.
lmsalas2@dailyillini.com
Gertsman said he hoped to have it done by the end of the summer, which has made this semester more stressful.
To decompress, Gertsman said he visits home often during the weekends and walks around the University’s campus. He also watches the ducks and geese at a pond near County Market.
“Sometimes I just sit there, and I’m like, ‘What are they feeling right now?’” Gertsman said. “You know, do they feel like I feel? Do these ducks ever get depressed? They’re just grooming themselves constantly and just doing the same thing over and over again. For eternity.”
Gertsman’s thesis has driven him into a similar routine, he said. However, Gertsman has made a plan for when these thoughts pounce on him.
“If I feel really burnt out, I try to take a break from work (and) go on those walks,” he said. “I try to talk to my family. Give them a call or just
visit home. Just reach out to people when possible.”
When under stress, Gertsman said students should not isolate themselves.
The scenery of a student’s study spot also matters, said Avery Gardner, sophomore in LAS.
“If you go to the cubicles in Grainger and ACES Funk Library, yes, you can study,” Gardner said. “But it also becomes really depressing in the off time. Studying on the (Main) Quad is nice because you have scenery, you have people, temperature, wind and actual physical sensation.”
Gardner said she also liked studying at the Siebel Center for Design.
“Just any spot (where) I can distract myself from the realization that I’m only studying and nothing else,” Gardner said.
When her determination faltered, Gardner said her study group kept her going.
People studying for finals should also form study groups with others, Gardner said.
“Get study groups with people,” Gardner said. “Groups help because even if the collective does not want to study, the fact that you have resigned yourself to study with people will societally force you into it.”
Gardner said the other driving factors for her studying efforts were caffeine, taking breaks and “the crushing weight of expectations.”
For Jose Hernandez, senior in Engineering, the most important thing for finals season is having a plan.
“Be very intentional about your time and how much is given to each assignment,” Hernandez said. “If you go in without a plan, you may end up doing too much or too little.”
If a student wanted to study for 10 hours but only had five, they should still try to study in that time, rather than stress out about it, Hernan -
dez said.
“Time is a limited resource and, sometimes, just the realistic thing is that you may not have as much time as you want or need for a specific task,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes, it’s just minimizing the losses.”
Another important part of life students need to consider is their mental health, Hernandez said.
“I don’t just think about (mental health) toward the end of the year,” Hernandez said. “I’ve gotten more accustomed to considering it as a year-round type of thing.”
Hernandez said students need to make small habits for themselves, so they can rely on their discipline when their motivation falters.
“It’s just a very realistic thing that those days are always going to come up,” Hernandez said. “So, whatever you can do on the good days to set yourself up for the bad ones.” fedczuk2@dailyillini.com
Most clients seeking mental health services want privacy and assurance that their information will remain protected.
Confidentiality ensures that a mental health professional will not spread private information about a client around the community. However, that is different from a recognized privileged relationship acknowledged by a judge.
A privileged relationship protects the client from having their therapy records subpoenaed in court. The current legal precedent states that psychiatrists, clinical psychologists
and licensed clinical social workers are the only mental health professionals who maintain privileged relationships with their clients.
Champaign-Urbana serves a diverse population with a wide range in socioeconomic status. Many people seeking mental health services are on Medicare and Medicaid. Clients in poverty may choose to see mental health professionals who are bound by confidentiality but are not in a privileged relationship that is recognized by the court because these providers are financially more accessible.
Some clients who are seeking to see a therapist who specializes in
substance use disorders and addiction counseling may also be going through drug court.
Is it fair to subpoena this person’s entire mental health therapy records, even those that are not related to a specific drug offense?
Other clients may be seeing a therapist at a local domestic violence agency or agency that specializes in working with sexual assault survivors to get PTSD or
trauma-informed treatment, such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, cognitive processing therapy or prolonged exposure therapy.
If a woman’s abuser tries to subpoena her therapy records for a pending order of protection hearing or custody battle involving the woman’s daughter, is this fair?
opinions@dailyillini.com
As a graduate student at the University, I was sent into a panic when I walked into one of my classes first semester and my professor told me there would be no grades.
I have stressed myself every year before then to get a good grade in each of my classes. I had been used to it since elementary school. Many other students and I have been conditioned to value a grade more than anything else. I have had sleepless nights,
missed meals, been hyped up on caffeine and gone into dissociation just to finish an assignment and get a good grade. During those times, I failed to fully engage and immerse myself in the content and be present in what I was learning.
Grades are a major source of stress for students at all levels of education and can be linked to anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. Additionally, academic pressure diminishes students’ selfesteem and self-worth.
Why should we reduce students down to a letter grade? Prioritizing grades over mental health is just not worth it.
We need to be encouraging schools to help students find value within themselves and other aspects of life instead of a letter grade. Learning, engaging and enjoying the content is much more fulfilling than seeing an A in the gradebook.
I wish more professors would be like the one I had, because I will never forget the opportunity they gave me to be fully present in learning — something that I felt I never got.
College is more than money. It’s the time and sweat poured into late library nights, the hungry stares down Green Street questioning what’s for dinner, the impromptu walks across campus due to crowded buses on rainy days.
But feet can’t stomp on the University’s soil without spending: Money occupies the center of collegiate life. It feeds a transactional relationship central to our time here. Without tuition payments or loans awaiting graduation, we shatter “our end” of the bargain.
We pay to stay in Champaign-Urbana. Considering each semester’s first day features an “I’m from Chicago” chorus, it can be assumed most students depend on local housing.
These leases, subsequently, recenter money in our transactional relationship with college: Paid tuition gets us in the academic door; paid leases ensure an eviction notice doesn’t kick us out the front door.
Yet, rent and tuition rise.
Although the pandemic offered brief relief, Clever Real Estate reports that from 1985 to 2020, “rent prices increased 149%, while income grew just 35%.” For college students, this consistent rent increase joins soaring tuition.
In 1985, the University’s tuition for underclassmen sat at around $1,250. Today, in-state residents can expect tuition to start at $17,000. Not an Illinois resident? Prepare for $36,000 and beyond. Notably, neither prices include the thousands more needed for housing.
As a public university, there’s a compelling obligation awaiting: Recognize housing as a right for students and remove students’ shelter from this twisted, transactional relationship.
Although private property companies own the apartment sector, the University controls its housing: residence halls. Unlike these businesses squeezing us through climbing rents, the University is designed to operate in students’ interests.
In its mission statement, the University declares that it is “charged by our state to enhance the lives of citizens in Illinois, across the nation and around the world through our leadership in learning, discovery, engagement and economic development.”
If the intention is to “enhance” lives, there is no better “enhancement” than guaranteeing student shelter. Rather than leave us bruised with already overpriced tuition, the University returns
with pricey punches — striking us with an additional $11,000, if not more, for essential housing.
Especially since the University requires first-year students to live in residence halls, why charge these exorbitant prices for a necessity? Why pinch us more when we aspire for a straightforward, higher education?
Charging for residence halls defies the University’s “enhancement” mission. Although apartments exist in the messy private market, residence halls preside under the University’s public possession. Accordingly, the University holds direct power in easing us, evident in several scholarship and grant programs.
Instituted in 2005, Illinois Promise, the University’s financial aid program for Illinois residents below the poverty line, assists with free tuition and housing for a student’s journey through college. The relatively recent Illinois Commitment, for in-state students with family incomes below $67,100, ensures free tuition yet excludes housing.
Besides these generous programs allowing numerous students to reach higher education, neither solve the cost of living crisis affecting campus. Still, they serve as models for the potential to guarantee student housing as a right.
Illinois Commitment asserts “We’ll cover tuition and fees … That’s our mission as a land-grant institution” — though the “mission” awaits the subsequent, supportive step. Just as these programs recognize free tuition as a right to certain students, free residence halls are a reasonable relief for all.
We assume there is no university without paid tuition and fees — without unquestioned, ever-increasing payments. Yet, Illinois Promise and Illinois Commitment prove sweeping aid continues the University’s “mission,” notably without a bankrupt conclusion.
With these latest inflated rates and successful aid programs, we’d expect offers like free residence halls to be well in place by now. However, University priorities lie obscure.
Tim Killeen, the University of Illinois System president, issues these newest prices blaming “inflationary pressures” and wishing “to maintain the excellence that students and their families expect.” Alongside the Illinois Board of Trustees, Killeen stresses a “commitment to providing financial aid that makes a real difference in students’ lives.”
Considering the system’s operating budget this year is $7.65 billion, the chance for that “real difference” couldn’t be closer. Ensuring residence
halls as a right grants students extensive economic freedom elsewhere. Real financial aid is sent to students. Instead of it cushioning statements announcing price-hike punches, genuine financial support appears in guaranteeing free residence halls.
As students, we aren’t the University’s accountants left to crunch numbers. We aren’t consultants left to figure out how free residence halls will alter local living — other than to press landlords to lower their prices in competition.
We expect the right to local housing while away from home. Sending our checks, we anticipate the affordable “excellence” Killeen and others suggest will arrive. We study today reaching for tomorrow’s success — with the hope of a consistent roof over our heads.
Atop growing tuition, common sense wanders while the University drives us to pay for its housing requirement. Our first “home away from home” can’t be a money trap set by our state’s premier public institution.
Shelter is a human necessity. For students paying every which way across Campustown, free residence halls must be a rational right to ensure prosperity.
Nathaniel is a senior in LAS. ntl3@dailyillini.com
JACK LARSON THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois women’s golf achieved two historic firsts at the Big Ten championships in Pittsburgh. After battling against 13 conference teams from April 21-23, the Illini came in first place.
However, as special as it is to win a Big Ten title in any sport, head coach Renee Slone and her talented squad truly etched their names into the record books with this achievement. For the first time in Illinois women’s golf history, the Big Ten trophy is coming to Champaign.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Slone said after the victory. “Honestly, I’m still soaking it all in. The team played hard start to finish and it was a total team effort. Everybody contributed and I’m just very proud of their energy, effort and resilience throughout the year.”
With the triumph, Illinois women’s golf now carries the prestige and status of being a championship-winning program, but leading up to this season the Illini have endured trophyless campaigns year after year. Since the 197374 season, the program has appeared
at the NCAA tournament 10 times and earned top three finishes at the Big Ten championships seven times.
Despite coming close in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Illinois could only tie for second place for its highest-ever finish at the Big Ten championships, up until now. After nearly 50 years of waiting, the Illini have reached the top of the mountain to capture their first-
ever piece of conference silverware.
In spite of the mixed season leading into the tournament, the Illini were able to lock in during their title triumph, recording an overall score of 865. This historic score is the sixthlowest by a winning team in a 54-hole championship, an achievement earned through strong performances across the board.
Graduate student Crystal Wang was a force and led the way for Illinois, with her record-breaking score of 201 earning her individual Big Ten champion honors. Wang is the first Illini to win the Big Ten since Sloan won the crown in 1993.
“When I finished, I was kind of nervous on my last hole,” Wang said after the victory. “Once I made the putt for par, I could just hear my teammates cheering, then I knew we won. Once I heard confirmation that we won, I just felt like everything we’ve worked on this past year, all the ups and downs, it was worth it.”
Wang was named Big Ten Golfer of the Year on April 26 and earned All-Big First Team honors following her dominant performance during the Illini’s historic championship run.
Illinois’ tournament win earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals in San Antonio from May 8-10. With 12 teams competing, the Illini will arrive as the No. 9 seed heading into the competition.
@james_kim15
jamessk4@dailyillini.com
The 2023 NFL draft in Kansas City, Missouri has concluded with nine former Illini players heading to various cities across the nation to begin their professional football careers. This year’s draft featured the highestdrafted Illini since 1996, along with the highest number of total draftees since 2013’s total of four.
Leading the pack for Illinois was former defensive back Devon Witherspoon, who was one of just 17 top prospects invited to the green room in Kansas City’s Union Station. But before Witherspoon joined his peers to wait for the special moment of selection, he was introduced on the red carpet sporting an eye-grabbing “Spoon Island” chain and pendant.
Once settled in the green room, Witherspoon did not have to wait long before the unranked high school prospect received a call from Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll, and officially became the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
Also present in Kansas City was Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, who got to witness Witherspoon become his highest-drafted player since 2007, when Joe Thomas was selected third overall.
Following the selection, Witherspoon preached his excitement for the opportunity to play for a franchise with such a legendary history in the secondary.
“I’m very excited to get to work with those guys and get to perform out on the field,” Witherspoon said. “Go out there and compete to be the best. I (want to) set the tone, have some swag and have some fun but be about our business.”
Presently, Witherspoon will be playing alongside another young, talented defensive back in Tariq Woolen and has the opportunity to hone his skills against a very talented receiving group.
“I am excited to compete with everybody, but I get the chance to go against DK Metcalf every day in practice, you don’t get better than that,” Witherspoon said. “If you want to be the best you have to go against the best.”
Although the spectacle of the first round concluded on Thursday night, Illinois’ inclusion in the event was far from over.
A day later, two of Witherspoon’s fellow members of the Illinois secondary found themselves headed to professional locker rooms of their own. Former defensive backs Jartavius “Quan” Martin and Sydney Brown were selected by two NFC East rivals, the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively.
Martin was the first of the two off the board, being selected 47th overall before Brown was taken early into the third round at 66th overall.
Watching the draft from home, Martin’s draft party was attended by the likes of defensive coordinator Aaron Henry and former teammate Kerby Joseph while Brown was in his hometown of London, Ontario having a draft party of his own with family and friends.
With those selections, the Illini have seen their entire secondary from 2019 make it to the NFL. Former players Nate Hobbs, Tony Adams and Kerby Joseph were all on active rosters last year, with Hobbs and Joseph being drafted in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Despite going undrafted in 2022, Adams signed with the New York Jets as a free agent and played in 11 games last season.
Entering the final day of the draft, Illinois still had one glaring former player still on the board for some lucky organization.
Rounding out the Illinois representation in Kansas City was Chase Brown, former running back and twin brother of Sydney Brown. The redshirt junior spent four seasons with the Illini after a freshman season at Western Michigan and was the heart of Illinois’ offense during the 2022 season.
Finishing fourth in total rushing
yards in the nation — with a total of 1,643 rushing yards — and bringing in 10 rushing touchdowns during his 2022 season caught the eye of the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected Chase Brown in the fifth round with the 163rd overall pick.
There were some Illini who declared for the draft, but ended up unselected and now sit as undrafted free agents. That group includes fifth-year quarterback Tommy DeVito, sixth-year lineman Alex Palczewski, fifth-year tight end Luke Ford, fifth-year linemen Calvin Avery and sixth-year lineman Jamal Woods. While they missed out on the thrill of hearing their name called on the television, each of these young athletes will still have the opportunity to fulfill their dream of playing professionally by signing contracts in the offseason.
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