The Daily Illini http://www.dailyillini.com/ cae026d4676148ccc06a5ca71cf8cf7b Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 2010-02-09T14:28:59-06:00 urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:36a6d08f31ff0fe03531e2b32dfcf2d5 2010-02-09T14:28:59-06:00 2010-02-09T12:45:19-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. An engineering career fair is being held Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in Illini Union rooms A, B and C. The fair, hosted by Engineering Career Services, is for students seeking full-time positions, semester and summer internships and co-ops. Companies looking to hire include Bank of America, Facebook, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Texas Instruments and State Farm Insurance. Aaron Blythe, a recruiter from healthcare information company Cerner Corporation said the company is looking for interns and full-time workers. He said Cerner Corporation is accepting students of all years to work as software engineers and delivery consultants. Hulu recruiter Nick Chang said the company is looking for juniors and seniors with web development to work as programmers. He said prior experience helps but is not necessary. Undergraduates and graduate students were present at the career fair. Thomas Schlapkohl, graduate student in aerospace engineering, said he was looking for a full-time entry-level job. Schlapkohl said that while many government-funded organizations are hiring, a lot of smaller companies are not. Some of the people are more helpful than others, he said. Claire Slupski, a freshman in mechanical engineering, said she is looking for a co-op position for fall 2010 or spring 2011. Slupski said she found the career fair helpful and though it is difficult for a freshman to find a co-op, she is hoping to gain work experience early in her college life. Slupski said most people at the career fair are looking for internships, and that most companies arent accustomed to freshman looking for co-ops. Im hoping to take some time off school to start working, she said. Champaign, IL Selma Haveric Engineering career fair provides students with job and internship opportunities The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:b32cf5537b682f533bad63896c1b7f7f Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:569b0a0aac08600d5dc78b159a20899a 2010-02-09T14:28:21-06:00 2010-02-09T11:51:14-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This article was updated Feb, 9 at 12:50 p.m. Presidents and chancellors of the Illinois public universities implored the governor and comptroller today, Feb. 9, to agree to a plan that would provide state funding committed to higher education. Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes were urged to find a solution to the increasing payment backlog that threatens universities operations. The presidents and chancellors of the 13 four-year public universities in Illinois sent a letter to Quinn and Hynes, asking the state to honor its commitments by "fully funding public university appropriations for FY2010." As of Jan. 25, taxpayer-supported public universities collectively remained more than $735 million behind in state payments for total appropriations. Slow and reduced payments by the state have resulted in reduced budgets, salary and hiring freezes, employee furloughs and reductions in days of campus operations by the universities. "We have drawn down our available resources, and we are now counting on tuition dollars to keep our doors open for students beginning the new spring semester. Still, no amount of cutting and sacrifice can make up for the absence of hundreds of millions of dollars in State Appropriation payments," the public university leaders wrote. "Without full funding of our appropriations in a timely manner, we will be forced to take even more drastic actions," they stated. Gov. Quinn signed a general revenue budget approved by the state legislature for the current fiscal year that provided a total of $1.39 billion in state funding for the universities. The money is designated to use for faculty and staff salaries, libraries, utilities, infrastructure maintenance, equipment and supplies. As of Jan. 25, the universities had only received $335 million. Hynes office is assigned to disburse state appropriation dollars. Presidents Stanley O. Ikenberry of the University of Illinois, John Peters of Northern Illinois University, and Wayne Watson of Chicago State University were among the university leaders to release the joint letter. Champaign, IL Stephanie Tussing Illinois universities jeopardized by slow state funding The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f09845b1ef57647ae29b2833540f0028 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:7ed31a059cba93f9b8160310487cc7cb 2010-02-09T14:24:09-06:00 2010-02-09T12:41:19-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For the tenth year in a row, the U of I has placed on the Peace Corps top 25 list for large universities within the United States producing Peace Corps volunteers. U of I alumni ranked No. 21 last year with 44 volunteers. The 54 alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers gave U of I the No. 19 ranking for 2010. Since Peace Corps was founded in 1961, 1,886 UIUC alumni have served, making it the No. 7 all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers. The University of Chicago and Northwestern University were the other two Illinois universities to make the list, with 30 and 27 volunteers, respectively. The University of Washington holds the top rank for large schools this year with 101 volunteer undergraduate alumni. George Washington University ranks number one for the medium school category, with 53 undergraduate alumni serving, while St. Olaf ranks number one for small schools, with 26 currently serving undergraduate alumni volunteers. The category for each school is determined by the size of the student body. Small schools have less than 5,000 undergraduates, medium-sized schools have between 5,000 and 15,000 undergraduates, and large schools have more than 15,000 undergraduates. There are currently 7,671 Peace Corps volunteers serving in 76 host countries around the world. While roughly 89 percent of the volunteers have earned at least an undergraduate degree, a college degree is not required. Peace Corps programs require skills and experience in education, English teaching (ESL), youth and community development, public health and HIV/AIDS work, environment, agriculture and forestry, and business development and IT. Over 15,000 applications were received in 2009, an 18 percent increase over 2008, and the largest number of applications since the agency began electronically recording applications in 1998. On-campus recruiters provide information about Peace Corps and share personal experience as a Peace Corps volunteer. Ashlee McLaughlin is an on-campus recruiter and U of I graduate student who served in El Salvador. She can be reached at 217-333-0203 or peacecorps@illinois.edu, and anyone interested in learning more can attend one of her public Peace Corps Information Sessions this semester. The sessions will take place at the Career Center Multipurpose Conference Room on the first floor at 6 p.m. Feb. 17, March 4, and April 8. Approximately 378 Illinois residents are serving in the Peace Corps, the third highest number among all states. Peace Corps Volunteers must be U.S. citizens and at least 18 years of age, but there is no upper age limit to serve for the 27-month commitment. Champaign, IL The Daily Illini Staff U of I alumni volunteers increase for Peace Corps The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:550b20428c9b32ac84a7a0c575960ce5 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:b789568c3d494b9c7b3d9207c889b757 2010-02-09T14:11:43-06:00 2010-02-09T11:14:17-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. There will be no school diversions for Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit services February 9 as all Champaign and Urbana schools have been closed. Passengers are encouraged to use the STOPwatch real-time messaging service to check for departure information. The STOPwatch phone service is accessible by sending your stop ID code to 35890. Champaign, IL Stephanie Tussing Weather alters MTD schedule The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:5d7e1a561176e424a6a1ae6c0525c017 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:871a5de352138b7b5cc54b75530fb42f 2010-02-09T13:23:51-06:00 2010-02-08T23:47:54-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Illinois football team has filled its coaching staff with the hiring of Ron West, head coach Ron Zook announced on Monday. West, whose official position has not been announced, has 30 years of collegiate coaching experience under his belt and has previously worked with new Illini defensive coordinator Vic Koenning when the two were at Clemson University, where Koenning was the defensive coordinator and West was the outside linebackers coach. West is the final addition to the Illini staff, which has undergone a lot of changes since the 2009 season ended with a 3-9 record. I am excited to complete this staff with the hiring of Ron West, Zook said in a press release. He and Vic (Koenning) have a great working relationship and that will add a needed cohesiveness as we move forward on the defensive side of the ball. Ron shares our passion for getting this program back on track and will be a great teacher and leader for our young men. Last season, West was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Tulsa. Before moving to Tulsa, he was part of the Clemson staff for 10 seasons, from 1999 to 2008, coaching the offensive line for five seasons and then the outside linebackers for five years. I am very excited about being a part of this staff and working in the Big Ten, West said in a press release. This is a program that has been established and is just two years removed from the Rose Bowl, so I felt like it was a great opportunity to compete for a championship, especially with coach Zook working hard to get back to that level. I am excited about being reunited with Vic (Koenning). The last time we were together, the defense was in the top 10 in the country. Well expect to create that passion on defense that puts us in national rankings. Zook also announced the naming of tight ends coach Greg Nord as recruiting coordinator and adding the title of assistant head coach to offensive line coach Joe Gilbert. From Daily Illini staff reports Champaign, IL Daily Illini staff reports Illinois football hires West to fill out coaching staff The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:5cfa02f9154d8220d0a911d6ca82ddb5 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:15b99eab677444af03d2aac5afcc5ba6 2010-02-09T12:14:14-06:00 2010-02-09T12:14:14-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The new Master of Science in Financial Engineering Program (MSFE) at the University of Illinois has appointed Dr. Morton N. Lane as Director. MSFE is a joint program of the Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering and the Department of Finance in the College of Business at the U of I. Lane has run his own consulting practice for the past fifteen years, partnering with agencies such as Sedgwick Insurance Brokers and Gerling Global Reinsurance, to offer advice in the securitization of (re)insurance risk and risk management techniques. He also maintains an SEC (securities and exchange commission) broker-dealer designation. Lane received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Economics and Statistics from Birmingham University in the UK and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas in Business Administration, Mathematics and Computer Science. The MSFE program began accepting applications Dec 15, 2009 and will enroll its first class for the fall semester of 2010. Application information can be found at http://msfe.illinois.edu and all materials must be received by April 15, 2010. The MSFE degree is a three-semester program (fall, spring, summer internship, fall), entwining stochastic modeling optimization, computing and computational methods, finance, and an applied practicum experience. An information session will be held Feb. 24 at 4:30 p.m. in Illini Union room 215 to learn more about the MSFE program and speak with the new director. Champaign, IL Stephanie Tussing Director appointed for new Master of Science in Financial Engineering Program The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:e9814d39a4c12b62c35bcf855b94bab4 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:1b816067ea6610d19e346ca00e80933c 2010-02-09T11:25:45-06:00 2010-01-28T00:20:10-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Former President B. Joseph White said he has planned to begin instruction for the 2011 academic school year at the Urbana campus. Although his resignation as president was effective Dec. 31, 2009, White is preparing to teach undergraduate honors courses and a graduate-level corporate governance class in the College of Business, said University Spokesman Tom Hardy. Hardy said White is not taking interviews at this time because he is preparing for his faculty involvement next fall. Tracy McCabe, assistant dean of external and alumni affairs in the College of Business, said that the college is excited to have him (White) continue his involvement in our college. He is a recognized expert on leadership issues, and we expect him to teach and write in that field, McCabe said. Don Kojich, associate vice president of marketing and communications for the University of Illinois Foundation, said that White will also continue as part of the Brilliant Futures campaign. Started in July of 2003, Brilliant Futures raises money for scholarships, fellowships, endowed professorships and academic programs for all three campuses. As of Dec. 31, 2009, the campaign had raised $1.79 billion of its $2.25 billion goal. President White developed very strong relationships within donors, and we want to continue that as we close out the final two years of the campaign, Kojich said. He made significant contributions to the University and Brilliant Futures. Since White has resigned from his position as president, the presidential search committee is looking to find his replacement. The committee, which is chaired by Trustee Pamela Strobel, reviews candidates for the position submitted by the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. The 19-member committee consists of three board members, eight faculty members, three student representatives from each of the Universitys three campuses and representatives from the alumni association and University of Illinois Foundation. Michael Baer, vice president and director of Isaacson, Miller, said that the firm is continuing to network to find candidates to present to the search committee. The Presidential Search Committee is meeting today, Feb. 9, on the Chicago campus despite concerns over hazardous weather conditions. The committee is currently in closed executive session discussing appointment matters in an effort to narrow down the group of prospects for the presidential spot. After candidates have been narrowed down, interviews will be conducted first with the firm and then with the committee. The committee will present a group of finalists for the boards approval before summmer 2010. Champaign, IL Rosie Powers Presidential search continues, White involved with faculty and fundraising The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a376ac5ee112e4c8553fc20504bdbc3c Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:89d734b5b8e99400875ea020af4d360a 2010-02-09T00:44:55-06:00 2010-02-08T22:26:03-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Jay Bilas On the Orange Krush ... In the years Ive been coming to the Assembly Hall, theres not been a fan base thats impressed me more than the Orange Krush. The charitable work they do, and then what they do away from here, too. What those kids did at Iowa (on a road trip) last week, and what they did at Michigan a couple of years ago, when they find a way to get tickets at an opposing arena, thats the good-natured stuff that makes college basketball great. There wasnt anything wrong with what they did, it was just good, clean fun, and it was intelligent and inventive. Im still laughing about that last week at Iowa. On junior guard Demetri McCamey ... Hes their engine. If he doesnt play well, then theyre not going to beat any good teams. I think Illinois is a good basketball team and an NCAA-caliber team, and they can beat a lot of people. But if he doesnt play well, if hes not scoring, assisting, leading, theyre not as good of a team. Thats true of a lot of teams. Its not like Illinois is in their own boat, theres a whole bunch of people in that boat. On whether Illinois will make the NCAA Tournament ... Its too early for the in or out stuff because theres so much thats going to happen, but I think theyre an NCAA Tournament team. Theyve got three wins against the Top 25 already. I dont think there are 34 other (potential at-large bid) teams that can necessarily say that. I think the problem they have is that theres some time left and theyve got a tough slate. Theyve got opportunities to win, but with that theyve got opportunities to get beat. On Big Ten basketball this season... I was hyping it early. I thought it would be better, but it hasnt been. On talk of expanding the NCAA Tournament field ... I think it would be better if they made it 32 (instead of the current 64). Remember, its the national championship. Were not talking about Little League where everybody gets to play three innings and everybody gets a trophy. Every time weve expanded the tournament in the past, its been to allow in the best teams. When we expanded it in the 70s its because only the best team in each conference went, and we were leaving out the best teams ... Its not like Major League Baseball adding the wild card to get a couple more really good teams in there. This is like college football adding the Poulan Weed Eater Bowl. Who cares? Rece Davis On bringing GameDay back to the Assembly Hall in the future ... (The students) certainly didnt hurt themselves in their effort to have us come back next year as they were chanting at the end. We would love to come back here any time. His take on this seasons Illini ... I think theyre talented. They dont have as much room for error, maybe, as some other teams do. But I think in (Demetri) McCamey, theyve got a terrific leader and a versatile guy, one of the more versatile guys in the country. I think that Richardson and Paul are, you know, dynamic young players. I think (Mike) Tisdale is a very effective scorer, so I think theyre a tournament team. On Illinois chances of making it into the NCAA Tournament ... Now do they have the rsum at this point in time where theyre a tournament lock? I dont think so, not right now. But a win over Michigan State would help that. And I think that certainly from an ability standpoint, coaching standpoint, and all the things you look for in what makes a good basketball team and a good program, they have all of those things and I think that they have a great shot of making the tournament this year. On what he thought about the Orange Krush and student section ... In a week when you have, you know, not an entire student section, but youve had a couple of incidents where people within the student section did some things that were less than exemplary, well put it that way, you take a group like this and theyre not only loud and boisterous and intimidating and all of that, but they also do a lot of good things in the community. And theyve raised over 1.5 million bucks since 1998 for charity. Its college students. Look, you wont find two more generous guys than coach Izzo and coach Weber, but these guys (Krush) arent rolling with that kind of bank. So theyre coming in and theyre sacrificing and doing things for the community. And I think it really sets them apart and makes them special. Hubert Davis Thoughts on the live taping Saturday morning ... Its my first time here in Champaign, so its just a great opportunity to see the fans, the campus. Its great to have GameDay here, great matchup in the Big Ten, Michigan State and Illinois. And (Saturday) morning was fantastic. The kids were terrific, brought so much energy. This is why we like to come here. Its about watching the game, but just interaction with the kids, the University, and just seeing different types of traditions it doesnt get any better than this. On the student turnout for the morning show ... I am surprised that these kids would wake this early, in the cold, to come to a show. I mean its very humbling to see all of these fans coming here, support their team, support GameDay, college basketball. Its just a lot of fun to be able to celebrate with them college basketball, being here in a great college atmosphere. On seeing Illinois junior guard Jeff Jordan again ... I played with Michael (Jordan) with Washington Wizards, and I used to see Jeffrey as a little kid running around the locker room. And now hes in college, so I am old. I drive a minivan, I got three kids, Im over the hill. But it makes me feel young to still be on a college campus and watch these kids go up and down the floor. About dancing with the students ... It was fun. I was telling Rece (Davis), you know, I love where I am at in my life beautiful wife, three kids. But it would be nice to be a kid for an afternoon no worries, no responsibility just jumping around. It was fun to see them (Saturday) morning. On the Orange Krush ... The last time I saw a lot of Illinois fans was the 2005 championship. My wife and I were at that game. There was a little sprinkle of Carolina fans there and all the orange, and you could see the passion they have for basketball. And its my first time here in Champaign, and this place is a lot bigger than it looks on television ... It was terrific to hang out with the students for the show. On the atmosphere at the live taping ... Its great. I mean, its terrific. I am amazed and surprised every time we do GameDay, these kids are out here early in the morning to be here just to cheer. Theres no game, theyre just here to listen to us talk. For them, the passion for their school, for their basketball team, amazes me every week. Its fantastic. Champaign, IL Kate Munson College GameDay crews thoughts on visit to Champaign The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4117014623a94f010c460af8102e4788 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:7eb0edaf3c487a042e31cbb6e5d7e690 2010-02-09T00:38:59-06:00 2010-02-08T23:54:39-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Illinois Student Senate hosted a Campus Safety and Crime Prevention Town Hall Forum in conjunction with the Illinois House of Representatives on Monday evening. Representatives from University, Champaign and Urbana police departments presented information on self-defense, burglary protection and reporting crimes. University Police Lt. Skip Frost addressed the issue of police patrols on campus. We cant be around every corner; the fiscal reality is we cant afford to be around every corner, Frost said. Frost also spoke out against the growing sense of fear among students. Were just doing a better job of getting these alerts out, Frost said. Yes, there has been an increase in crime; were not white washing that, but four years ago it was a lot worse. Champaign Police Chief R.T. Finney also referenced crime statistics on the likelihood of being attacked in his presentation. Crime has actually gone down in the last 15 years in Champaign. With the exception of robbery, all other types of crime have gone down, Finney said. Urbana Assistant Chief of Police Patrick Connolly followed Finney with a discussion on burglary prevention. Burglaries will go up during Spring Break, Connolly said. Lock up your valuables; document the serial numbers with your local police. Connolly also advocated registering with the polices Vacation Watch program, which allows officials to check on residences regularly for suspicious activity. He said this service is free and can be activated by either calling the police department or registering online. Following their presentations, the panel addressed the students questions and concerns. When asked about the concentration of crime on campus, Frost said the issue about why the crimes continue to happen is more important. Its not about where these crimes are coming from; its about why theyre happening here, Frost said, These suspects fit in here; theyre out-of-town college students that can blend in. He said the suspects do not appear to attend the University based on prior arrests made. Frost added that the individuals arrested by University police were thugs and not gangs involved in any type of initiation rituals. Another concern among students was the polices plan of action for Unofficial, which Illinois State Police Sgt. William Emery said would involve state officials. We will be present on campus during Unofficial, Emery said. We will be assisting in roadside safety checks and patrolling. The forum ended with talks about future plans to increase safety. Finney briefly mentioned plans in progress to implement more lighting along Fourth Street. Those plans are something the student senate has been pushing for, said David Wall, ISS vice president external. We pushed for lighting, more emergency phones, and provided input to former Chancellor Herman about the new camera system in progress, Wall said. Champaign, IL Payal Shukla Authorities address student concerns in public safety forum The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:66bbaf00db5e8dd5bc97b3642ec84aa3 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d134a8145423b43f640907a9020be55b 2010-02-09T00:29:55-06:00 2010-01-26T22:14:36-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. When I saw the DIs headline this morning (Still Searching for Leadership), I thought that the fiscal and leadership crisis here at the U of I was finally getting the attention it deserves. But I was wrong: just like yesterday, the paper carried an important article on the slow destruction of our university with a headline in tiny type, buried beneath the fold. Big banner headlines instead directed the reader to the really important issue: the basketball team. (Ironically, the article under the fold was about the faculty begging for public attention to the problem.) You know the facts: hundreds of millions of dollars the state owes the university, furloughs and a rapidly decaying infrastructure. Jared Halls excellent editorial on the inanity and insanity of our state legislature should have been on the front page, and showed why students should care. The future of the state is at stake, and the DI should step up and fulfill its basic mission of creating an informed and engaged citizenry. Robert A. Rushing, associate professor of Italian and comparative world literature Champaign, IL Robert A. Rushing, associate professor of Italian and comparative world literature Public attention needs to be redirected The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d75f18d5cef24fc18b544ae718588d66 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:562eaeb19d90a967e3fa5d2d824a6f2a 2010-02-09T00:28:50-06:00 2010-02-09T00:16:49-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Owais Ahmed Junior in LAS, member of Student Organization Resource Fee( or SORF) Board Ahmed was involved in Illinois Student Senate during his freshman and sophomore years as a staffer and member of the outreach committee, respectively. He also participated in the Registered Student Organization Model United Nations. The reason why I chose (to campaign for student trustee) is because I think I can make the most difference on campus, Ahmed said. I want to make sure that the student trustee is not just a ceremonial position. He said he hopes to help the University cut down on unnecessary spending. Obviously you want to reduce tuition, but during tough economic times its really difficult, Ahmed said. We want to make sure that when the Board of Trustees makes a decision to increase tuition, it is the very last resort. Ahmed added that he hopes to increase transparency within the Board of Trustees. Daniel Soso Junior in Engineering, president of For Aspiring Civil Engineers, or F.A.C.E. Soso said that he decided to run for student trustee because there are many small things that should be changed around campus that only a student would notice. I feel like the role of the student trustee is to make the Board of Trustees aware of student concerns, Soso said. He said the Board is aware of big issues on campus, but there are numerous smaller ones that only someone with a students perspective would notice. Soso said he hopes to improve wireless Internet service at the Undergraduate Library and increase lighting on the Quad. I think one of the biggest issues that students need to focus on is that we are in a budget crisis, and there are going to be cuts made, Soso said. We need to make sure that those cuts dont come with consequences to the students. Soso is also a member of the fraternity Alpha Tau Omega and the honors fraternity Phi Eta Sigma. David Wall Sophomore in LAS, Illinois Student Senates vice president-external Wall has been involved in the Military Education Council that oversees the ROTC program, Assembly Hall Advisory Committee, the provost search committee and the Chancellors Commission on Student Veterans. He has also served as a petty officer in the United States Navy. I think at this point in the history of the University of Illinois, leadership is absolutely necessary, Wall said. I think Im just that candidate given my experience not only at the University level but just in general. Wall said he hopes to help make the University more self-sufficient and not as dependent on state funding. He also said he wanted to work toward a student-driven letter drive, such as the Lincoln Hall letter drive held last year. The letter drive consists of students writing letters to alumni to ask for donations. I think we need to focus on experience, make sure that the candidate is someone who can work with administrators, he said. Dan Weber Junior in LAS, former member of Illinois Student Senate Weber was elected as student trustee last year, but was removed because of campaign violations. The runner-up candidate, Matt Reschke, assumed the position. Im personally running because there are issues that matter to me that arent going to get the same attention by other candidates, Weber said. The issues that Weber plans to focus on if elected are minority attention in the incoming freshman class, LGBT advancement, renovating cultural houses, improving campus sustainability and protecting student jobs. A lot of students are paying for college with the jobs that they work everyday after they get done with their classes and their homework, he said. Weber said he hopes to represent minority groups on campus. Students should pay attention to things that affect their lives everyday, the things that matter to them, Weber said. Election: Feb. 16: Petition signatures are due Fifty petition signatures needed for ISS and SORF Board, 150 for student trustee Mar. 2 to 3: Election days Mar. 4 at 5 p.m.: Unofficial results Mar. 8: Results certified Restrictions: Candidates cannot run as a party Registered student organizations cannot endorse candidates Spending Limits: $150 for ISS/SORF Board, $500 for Student Trustee No classroom campaigning Cannot campaign in residence halls without permit Only public bulletin boards are permitted No campaigning within 50 feet of University computer labs Cannot chalk benches, only sidewalks Restrictions apply to all people part of campaign Source: Student Election Commissions Web site Champaign, IL The Daily Illini Staff Meet this years Student Trustee candidates The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:bde5cb52f6b5890917e387c55b36c577 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0737abe5e5bce90ab4d52dd43b201d85 2010-02-09T00:26:01-06:00 2010-02-08T10:12:23-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Champaign Citizens for Peace and Justice is also a collaborator. The Web site communicates a timeline of events and documents pertaining to the incident last October, including Illinois State Police investigation documents. It is intended to be a permanent home for documentation of the incident including photos, audio and video clips and articles. Items are arranged in a timeline format for ease of use and linear clarity. Many documents are concentrated on October 9, when the incident occurred. The site includes a newly released interview with Deborah Thomas, who lives at 906 W. Vine St., the house that Carrington was shot outside, and the house that Carrington had been staying at frequently. The Web site can be found at http://timeline.chambana.net Champaign, IL Melissa Elegant Web site launched for Carrington case The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:ef024de877caa5df183d29e1c095623a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:087cba01fa25c26746026209dbc9295a 2010-02-09T00:12:03-06:00 2010-02-08T23:36:57-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Sustainability Advisory Commission issued a proposal to reduce emission levels for the City of Urbana at its city council meeting on Monday. The commission has adopted a mission statement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020, said Rod Fletcher, environmental manager for the sustainability advisory commission. Were looking at various plans and scoping out reduction strategies, Fletcher added. I think were positioning ourselves pretty well. To reach the goal of reducing emission levels by 25 percent by the year 2020, the city has to reduce levels by 2.5 percent each year. The commission will be hosting two public informational meetings to discuss possible reduction strategies that residents can implement, to explain climate change and to learn what is causing this in the environment. Its important to encourage the entire community to be proactive, said Dennis Roberts, Ward 5. Fletcher suggested that the proposal is a huge endeavor to undertake by the city. This is a process; its not a one time thing, Fletcher said. It will be integrated and institutionalized. This will be measured; it will be an ongoing process. Other committee members said they agreed that this is a much needed but ambitious proposal. Brandon Bowersox, Ward 4, said that he was excited to be moving forward with this plan. I think we are ahead of our region, he said. Its a huge reduction ... that we have to change how we live. Changes will have to come in a lot of different places. Its exactly how we can guide people to change business, change government. Theres a lot of public engagement. However, other members of the Urbana City Council said the council seemed hesitant that the University is excluded in this reduction plan. I dont know how we can separate the University from the city, said Diane Marlin, Ward 7. I just dont think it makes sense. The University, on the other hand, is preparing its own climate action plan to reduce greenhouse emission levels, said Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing. She added that the University will be initiating its own plans and protocols by May of this year. Champaign, IL Avani Chhaya Urbana reduce emissions by 2020, University not included The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:c1d6eb5a43d6092a1df9fc6bb5c2ce54 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:3d735e3c292a61bd9802df2b9ec82263 2010-02-09T00:10:06-06:00 2010-02-07T21:52:08-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. On Thursday, the University launched a new Web site to address the budget situation. Stewarding Excellence @ Illinois could not have come at a better time: financial turmoil is starting to take form in furloughs, freezes and cuts. The site will function as a hub of news and information relating to campus action about the situation, according to a University massmail. It includes frequently asked questions, links to more budget information and the budget itself, a breakdown of the people and committees involved in problem solving and more. This site is a great idea. As a news organization, we believe that good information is essential to the public and accountability is essential for those who serve the public. This, and our current administration, is really making strides towards both of these. While we wish some of the information was broken down in more understandable ways, the site is an excellent starting point for anyone looking for details on how the Universitys money is budgeted. Listing who is in charge of what, as well as a timeline of goals, fosters accountability for those responsible. It should have come sooner, but sometimes, crises like this can help bring good ideas to fruition. The transparency and openness represented on the site is laudable. The Web is a powerful, accessible tool toward in advancing those goals. Included among the sites resources are presentations to various groups; not just public relations responses found elsewhere. But the information cannot help us if it just stays online. One of the sites best features is its interactivity. You can subscribe to receive weekly updates functioning almost as an RSS feed, which will help ensure that information is being updated consistently. There is also a form to submit ideas and questions. The brainpower at this University is clearly not limited to those at the top. Weve heard your voice in our letters to the editor and columns as well as comments and calls. Lets take the University up on their Web site and apply those smarts to ask critical questions and suggest creative responses to the situation. While we are excited about the opening of a window to more easily accessible information, right now, it is only a start and there is still a lot to be done. The timeline, for instance, can help us track the Universitys progress, but it needs to move from vague administrative language to specifics. Like the rest of the site, the basic framework is in place, but specific and frequently-updated information must follow. Those of us who are affected by these decisions should be looking for it. Champaign, IL The Daily Illini Editorial Board University of Illinois Web site projects campus action, turmoil The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:b5209fa882c43a2d47dc6f0243e9d64f Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:bd46459ebca439b4ecd26964fadf4e4b 2010-02-09T00:04:05-06:00 2010-02-08T21:28:29-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Roommates its the subject that, unless you move to school with a plan to bunk with a friend from home, can often cause the most worry when thinking about housing. Will I get along with my roommate? Will he or she be clean or messy, quiet or loud? Will I be able to live with this person in a small, enclosed space for an entire semester? These questions, among others, are frequently pondered when considering dormitories. By the time you get ready to transition into an apartment, even if you have accumulated the friends you are excited to live with, the worries can sometimes triple in size and show you that you may be the roommate with the issues. When I moved into the Peabody residence halls my freshman year, anxiously anticipating the first encounter with my randomly assigned roommate, I had many of the aforementioned questions in mind. While I consider myself a social person, I do value my time spent as a recluse and was, therefore, very concerned with the space issue. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones. My roommate and I were perfect for each other and enjoyed spending time together. While we got along well, I did discover that her tendency toward neatness, list-making and all other types of order helped balance out my tendency toward the opposite. And, even though there were instances when we got on each others nerves and needed more space than the small, concrete box we shared, living together in such a space was a great for developing polite social skills and learning to appreciate different personality traits in friends. Living in an apartment can sometimes deteriorate that closeness that turned out to be more beneficial than originally expected. When my roommate and I moved out of the dorms and took on two of our other friends to share an apartment together, I eventually realized, thanks to the extra space I was given via more room in an apartment, that I had contained many of the quirks that I once dreaded finding in a roommate. I had to learn to be respectful of others cleanliness preferences, especially in terms of the kitchen, and become accustomed to others ideas of how chores should be done, how thermostats need to be regulated, how lights should be turned off, etc. In short, I was able to let my lack of order reign free, not realizing how it may negatively affect the space of others. Sharing space in an apartment, even though it has made me more independent, has also made me appreciate the time spent getting to know the quirks, good and bad, of friends and oneself. So, just remember that a small space can be a positive learning experience that will teach you how to be a more respectful, polite friend. Trust me, you dont want to be the bad roommate. Stephanie Sadler is a senior in LAS. Champaign, IL Stephanie Sadler Y is for potential yipping roommates The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:2a124256620b4ea5aa1518b2798ca500 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f3d9feb36621828341363a56cfb1ea2c 2010-02-09T00:03:37-06:00 2010-02-08T21:20:51-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. When its this cold outside, its hard to motivate yourself to do anything, let alone work out. I live just a few blocks away from CRCE, but I find its a real effort to have to put on my workout clothes, tie up my running shoes, find a water bottle, hike through the snow and then hop on an elliptical for half an hour. So, in order to get my recommended exercise for the day, I walk. Everywhere. After they changed the bus routes, I never re-learned them. So even if its a blizzard or negative 10, I dont really have much of a choice. It may not sound like much, but it adds up. Consider my schedule. I wake up, walk to a couple of classes from my centrally located apartment building. Then I walk back home for lunch before I head to work, a good 15 minutes walk away. Im on my feet there and I try to take the stairs over our elevator. And at last, I walk back home for the night. Now I know what those of you who live at Capstone Quarters are saying; that would be impossible. Youre probably right. But now its your turn to get creative. My roommate and I are contemplating buying an exercise DVD. Theyre pretty inexpensive and wed be able to work out in our living room without facing the harsh elements. Plus, you have quite a large selection to choose from. Theres step aerobics, Pilates, Tae Bo, yoga, dance videos, pole dancing videos, you name it. But if you do live somewhere like Capstone Quarters, youre lucky. Youve got a gym in your building, and that is the ideal (at least for me). No dealing with winter weather, less competition over the machines ... want to be workout buddies? Alison Trouy is a junior in Media Champaign, IL Alison Trouy W is for Working out The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:bed001ddbfee19bb91d1760849b0dd45 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9957abaf1bce4edfd26a64b9fdbb6b11 2010-02-09T00:03:00-06:00 2010-02-08T21:09:33-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Saferides knows my name. Yes, its incredibly embarrassing when I call for a ride home from 512 E. Green St. at 10 p.m. every day and the person on the other end knows my name. Sadly, I dont have to show my University i-card to anyone; the drivers recognize my face. However, there isnt much I can do. I essentially commute everyday to work; I either walk two blocks to take a 30-minute bus ride, or I walk 17 minutes in pitch black. And though my 5-foot-6-inch frame could take on many people, Im not going to chance it against the attackers who have plagued our campus. Many students, like myself, recognize the dangers of walking alone at night but forget that danger lurks beyond the streets. It also exists at home. When I was a freshman, I left for class one day and forgot to lock the room. When I came home three hours later, my roomie, Amy, sat me down and explained how much of an idiot I was because we could have had our printer, TV and most important her Laffy Taffy candy stolen. For those who havent had a fiery Southern Illinois girl shriek at you before, I can easily say that I learned to lock the room when I left after that. But its not just about locking doors. How many apartment tenants keep their window open next to the door handle? How many people let others into the residence halls without thinking about whether they live there? How many people actually check to make sure that nobody is following them home? There are safety precautions out there, and we need to use them. As for me, as long as I can have that beautiful white bus chauffeur me home at night, you know Ill be riding it. Jen Wheeler is a junior in Media. Champaign, IL Jennifer Wheeler S is for Safety The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:de5bf51b0c91a10a6a8f13750b41bf0a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:cd40533f928eec3c1d1b770dc848b183 2010-02-09T00:02:43-06:00 2010-02-07T23:12:50-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. When nine members of the No. 2 Illinois mens gymnastics team traveled to Las Vegas over the weekend for the Winter Cup Challenge, they went to compete for one of the sports highest distinctions, a berth on the U.S. national team. On Thursday, six Illini qualified for the finals and along with 37 other athletes made their bid for the 17-spot roster. After Saturdays competition ended, the gymnasts eagerly awaited the Mens Program Committee to announce the roster. For sophomore Tyler Mizoguchi, waiting was the hardest part. I remember just sitting there, my face was white, I was so nervous, Mizoguchi said. The judges were trying to pick the team and it was like a 30-minute wait. I really thought I was going to pass out, I was just so nervous. But when the results came back, it was announced that junior Paul Ruggeri and Mizoguchi had secured spots by finishing in the top 10 of the team selection points standings. Ruggeri took 15th in the all-around competition, with a two-day combined score of 168.100, but was fifth place in selection points on the strength of a second-place finish on vault (32.250), fifth place on the high bar (28.500) and seventh place on the parallel bars (28.550). Mizoguchi finished 12th place in the all-around with a combined score of 169.000 while finishing second on parallel bars (29.200) and fifth on floor exercise (30.000). Seniors Chad Wiest and Luke Stannard, junior Daniel Ribeiro and sophomore C.J. Padera also competed in finals for the Illini. Its really an incredible thing for our program. We were tied for the most guys in finals. We had a really good showing, and we represented the Illinois program in a great way out there on the national floor, associate head coach Justin Spring said. It was a great place to go out and show that we are definitely one of the top teams in the country right now, and we really proved it out there this weekend. Wiest finished in third place on the floor exercise (30.200) and ninth on vault (31.400), while Ribeiro and Stannard placed sixth and 13th on the pommel horse, respectively. Stannard also finished ninth on high bar (28.000), while Padera tied for 12th (27.800). For some of the Illini, aspirations were tempered. I just wanted to hit my events and see what Id place, Wiest said. I just tried to go out there and have fun this weekend. It wasnt a team competition, so it was more relaxed for me. If you mess up, its just you, its not like the team is relying on you. But for Mizoguchi, this weekend was about pursuing a life-long goal. My dream is to go to the Olympics, and being able to do this now sets my hopes up a little higher, and its going to make me train even harder now, knowing that Im that close and that I have a chance. Champaign, IL Matt Swain, contributing writer Gymnasts Ruggeri, Mizoguchi make U.S. national team The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:1bbe51d5f5322574aff07e028de52a9d Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a33c38ac6896dd545a238c1a485f59bc 2010-02-09T00:02:19-06:00 2010-02-08T21:08:46-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. If youre reading this article, youre probably a college student, which likely means a couple things. First, you have a lot of homework and studying to do on a regular basis. And second, you dont like doing that homework and studying. Now, if youre anything like me, you tend to procrastinate a bit on all that work. And if youre anything like me, you tend to turn to the TV to assist you in the delay against that homework. Me personally, Im an action-watching type of guy. I like Lost (when I can understand whats going on), 24 and Flash Forward. Im always up for old reruns of CSI and the like. But more than anything, I like watching sports. I never had a problem feeding my addiction in my apartment last fall, as our TV was seemingly stuck on a 24-hour ESPN loop. Then Christmas came. One of my roommates got a new Xbox 360 to replace the one that fried with the red circle of death at the beginning of the school year. Another one of my roommates received a Wii. This was great. We have our choices of playing Modern Warfare, NCAA Football 10, Wii Sports and seemingly everything in between. The only problem? Its impossible to play video games and watch the big game at the same time on one TV. Enter TV No. 2. My roommates and I werent the first ones to do this and surely wont be the last, but Im here to relay some important housing advice to you anyway: Your living room needs two TVs, as ours now has. The dual-TV living room setup has solved our problems. Now we never miss a SportsCenter or a wild ending to a college basketball game. We also dont have to worry about not catching a Blackhawks goal when were Wii bowling. In fact, if it werent for more hard feelings from increased Mario Kart racing, we probably get along better because we spend more time hanging out and dont have to argue about what we want to watch or play. How you want to set up your dual-TV system is up to you. We stuck our second TV on the top of the entertainment center upon which our first TV already rests, so they are in the same viewing plane. We did this because, as one of my buddies pointed out, we didnt want to have to turn our head to see whats happening on the second TV. We only wanted to move our eyes up and down. Maybe you dont like watching TV. Or maybe you just dont have the time. But just know that if youre searching for that perfect college living setup, look no further than the second TV you could have in your living room. After all, its Wii-ldly entertaining to watch the big game and play the virtual game at the same time. Cody Westerlund is a senior in Media Champaign, IL Cody Westerlund T is for television The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:6b361c727e4fd68352c54ea9c46b36e6 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9aa032675588a0161d6731fa94739431 2010-02-09T00:00:39-06:00 2010-02-07T23:24:52-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Last season, playing Indiana was the perfect remedy for an ailing Illinois womens basketball team. When the Illini played the Hoosiers on Jan. 25, 2009, they were 4-16 and had yet to win a Big Ten game. But they beat the first-place Hoosiers, 61-52, to end a 10-game losing streak. The scene was one of a team that had just won a Big Ten championship. The Illini beat the Hoosiers again two weeks later, as they ended the Big Ten season by winning five of nine games. Felicia Legette-Jacks Hoosiers havent been so kind in 2010. On Jan. 7, the Illini were 10-3 before losing to the Hoosiers. That loss set off a string of eight losses in 10 games that continued Sunday against those same Hoosiers squad at the Assembly Hall, as the Illini lost 67-54 in a game in which the teams combined to miss 84 shots 51 by the Illini. The postgame scene was the polar opposite of that a season ago. Im at a loss for words with how I feel right now, Illinois senior Jenna Smith said so quietly she could hardly be heard. Everybody feels different, everybodys tired of losing, but ... Fellow senior Lacey Simpson cut her off. Everyones tired of losing, but this is it for us, the senior said. Each game is getting less and less. Both teams struggled in the first half, combining to shoot 24.6 percent from the field, as the Hoosiers went into the break up 22-20. At that point, the Illini had taken 12 3-pointers, making three. They averaged 12.5 a game before Sunday. The game plan for Indiana was to make us beat them from the outside, coach Jolette Law said. We had good looks, we just didnt knock the shots down. I just think we settled on jump shots versus penetrating the zone. We started relying on 3-point shooting, and were not a 3-point shooting team. Eight points from Lacey Simpson early in the second half, including two 3-pointers, helped keep the Illini within two points with six minutes left in the game. Smith was subsequently subbed out of the game for Simpson.In the next 1:07, the Indiana lead ballooned to eight. Smith went back in the game, but the damage was done, as the Illini were never again closer than six points. We were turning the ball over, everyone was trying to do everything so fast, Law said. Any time youre playing at this level, youve got to take care of the basketball. The Illini shot 28 3-pointers on the day, making seven. Their previous high this season was 19. The Illini are shooting 30 percent from beyond the arc on the year. Aside from Simpson and freshman Karisma Penn, who scored seven points in 15 foul-troubled minutes, the Illini shot 9-for-49 on the day. In a senior season that quickly went from promising to tough in the span of only a few weeks, Simpson knows there is only one thing she can do. Of course every senior wants to go out on a big bang, but Im not going to get down on this game, she said. Tuesday all I can do is come in and get ready to go. Champaign, IL Anthony Zilis Womens basketball doesnt execute from perimeter, falls to Indiana The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a256bb3540f67720ff261ce1da6d2cf2 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:7a62c77e26fe46997adf32410f9b0a28 2010-02-09T00:00:25-06:00 2010-02-07T22:57:56-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A crowd of 4,143 showed up at the Assembly Hall for ESPNs College GameDay on Saturday morning, while a sellout of 16,618 witnessed Illinois knock off No. 5 Michigan State at night. After freshman D.J. Richardson knocked down a pair of free throws and junior Mike Davis broke away for a dunk to seal the 78-73 win, Illini fans rushed the court. Demetri McCamey jumped onto the scorers table, while Richardson and Brandon Paul were lifted into the air by the Illini faithful at midcourt. This is my house. Lets go. Lets get wins, McCamey told those sitting at the table. Head coach Bruce Weber, who said his team played at a magic level, was all smiles when fans flooded the court. I dont think we needed to do it, but I think just the whole day, the build-up from (Saturday morning) ... they probably had so much energy that they didnt know what they were doing, Weber said, who sported his wear-it-once-a-season orange blazer for the game. I dont know if we needed to do it, but I think our (players) loved it, too. When we got in the locker room, half of them were still out there. Orange Krush president Matt Jones said the leaders of the student section are always supposed to tell everyone not to rush the court, but Saturday was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions. Ive been coming to the games since Ive been a junior in high school, Jones said. I got to see some really good games, but this was the best game Ive ever been to. Ive been telling everyone that when Mike Davis capped the game off with a dunk, it was only fitting. It was one of the greatest nights in Illini history ... It was probably the most memorable day Ill ever have being a part of this university. McCamey tried to rid himself of all of the background noise during the game until it was over, though. Most of the time, I dont pay attention to the crowd, McCamey said. Im trying to listen to Bruce as it is, screaming on the sidelines. So I try to tune the crowd out and just try to play my game and listen to Coach Weber at the same time. Meanwhile, Jones said he noticed stricter codes by the Assembly Hall security once the game began. At the beginning of the game they were making us all sit down on the sidelines, Jones said. But in the second half they were a lot more lax, and they didnt even stop us when we rushed the floor. Jones said the Orange Krush members received a lot of outside donations to ensure they were amped up for the game. Red Bull donated nearly 600 energy drinks, they received more than enough pizzas for the entire Krush and County Market donated breakfast prior to GameDay. It went as good as we could have ever hoped for, Jones said of the day as a whole. Everything sort of fell in place as far as organization went. The day began as early as 6 a.m. for some Illini fans, when they lined up for the live taping of GameDay. Its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, freshman Orange Krush member Thomas Bruch said. Were really excited for the season, and we still think we can make the NCAA Tournament. Its just fun being out here. The crowd didnt come close to resembling the 8,149 fans who showed up for the taping at Kansas State last weekend, but Illini nation didnt seem to mind. The GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps made themselves at home at the Assembly Hall. Hubert and Bilas originally picked the Spartans to win Saturdays contest, while Phelps quickly became the fan favorite after he voted for the Illini. The energy they had this morning, it was pretty special, Weber said of the Orange Krush. I let the players be involved. You always kind of worry about that, but I thought, Man, we never may have this opportunity again. Let them enjoy it and feel the energy. It ended up being a good decision because we came out and played at a real high level early. Fans arent normally allowed to bring signs into the stadium for games, but the mornings event was an exception. Students had signs saying everything from, Kalin is a girls name, to Are you hungry for some Billy Cole slaw? Weber challenged Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo to a free-throw contest to raise money for Coaches vs. Cancer. Although Weber appeared a little embarrassed to lose to Izzo, the coaches agreed to donate $50,000 apiece. Champaign, IL Stuart Lieberman Illini fans cap GameDay by storming court The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f71f1a78da78a9e98cfd8857f3bedd6b Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:703ad979beaa25f177118cd6226ea3ee 2010-02-08T23:59:22-06:00 2010-02-07T22:53:25-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Illini nation packed the Assembly Hall on Saturday night as Illinois defeated No. 5 Michigan State, 78-73, to cap off ESPN College GameDays stop in Champaign. A sea of orange stormed the court following the final buzzer, as the Fighting Illini moved into a tie for second place in the Big Ten with the victory. Junior forward Mike Davis said the Assembly Hall crowd Saturday might have been the loudest hes heard it in his career. The crowd was great, Davis said. They were the sixth man tonight, they kept us in it. Every time (Michigan State) made a run, they got loud and they disrupted the offense a little bit. Illinois (16-8, 8-3 Big Ten) benefited from veteran leadership on the night, as junior guard Demetri McCamey scored 22 and added a game-high 11 assists. Davis came off the bench to add 16 points. Im not trying to prove that Im one of the top players in the country or anything like that, I personally dont care, McCamey said. I just want Illinois to get to the tournament and do big things, and all the other things will come. Not to be left out of the action, freshman guard D.J. Richardson added 14 points on the night. I was just motivated, and Demetri talked to me a lot at the dorms and just told me we got to be ready to play tonight, Richardson said. Michigan State (19-5, 9-2) was without the services of the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, Kalin Lucas. The junior guard suffered a sprained ankle in the Spartans loss at Wisconsin on Tuesday. Lucas is the Spartans offensive leader, averaging 15.6 points a game. Illinois head coach Bruce Weber wasnt expecting to see Lucas on Saturday night, but he told his team it didnt matter whether Lucas played or not, the Spartans would still come to play. They have a lot of weapons, Weber said. They played at a high level, I thought. Spartans sophomore forward Draymond Green stepped in to lead the offense with 17 points while grabbing 16 rebounds. Junior guard Chris Allen joined the Michigan State offensive effort with 15 points. Green drew praise from Spartans head coach Tom Izzo. Draymond Green might have had one of the greatest single performances, Izzo said. If I looked at it from what he accomplished and what he did rebounding the ball, scoring the ball, defending everybody on the court. I needed more guys to step up and do that. The Illini opened the game on a 14-4 run to the roar of a sellout crowd, but the Spartans pulled to within one at the half. It was a battle the rest of the way, as the score was tied eight times in the second half. Illinois used a 9-0 run to grab a 64-57 lead with 7:17 left before Michigan State tied it at 68 apiece with just under two minutes to play. However, Brandon Pauls layup with 1:19 remaining put Illinois up for good, and Richardson made three free throws down the stretch to help hold off the Spartans. Coming into the game, the Illini had an axe to grind with the Spartans after falling in East Lansing, Mich., on Jan. 16. The Orange and Blue came out Saturday with the intention of showing off the strides theyve made since the first matchup. Tonight we just wanted to fight for 40 minutes. And tonight they made their runs, we made ours, and they came back, they kept fighting and never gave up until the end, McCamey said. So I just want to give my guys credit, we played for 40 minutes, probably the first time we did this all season. It feels great. Champaign, IL Kate Munson Mens basketball team fights, takes win against Michigan State The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0ef7d71cc52d9ddee489697b720d3106 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4b9e3fe12800e6333609f5d50675f7d3 2010-02-08T23:46:59-06:00 2010-02-08T23:46:59-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. NEW YORK The New Orleans Saints victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of M-A-S-H to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday. Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season. It was one of those magical moments that you dont often see in sports, said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports. Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sundays Super Bowl. The M-A-S-H record was 105.97 million. The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl last years game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said. The M-A-S-H record has proven as durable and meaningful in television as Babe Ruths record of 714 home runs was in baseball until topped by Hank Aaron. Ultimately, it may be hard to tell which program was really watched by more people. Theres a margin for error in such numbers, and Nielsens Monday estimate was preliminary, and could change with a more thorough look at data due Tuesday. Its significant for all of the members of the broadcasting community, said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO. For anyone who wants to write that broadcasting is dead, 106 million people watched this program. You cant find that anywhere else. Moonves predicted CBS will earn more in advertising revenue than in any other Super Bowl. The good ratings for the game and football in general also set CBS and other football broadcasters up well when selling advertising for next season, he said. The Nielsen estimate also drew some congratulations from Alan Alda, the star of M-A-S-H, and the slugger whose record was beaten. If the M-A-S-H audience was eclipsed, it was probably due in large part to the fact that the whole country is rooting for New Orleans to triumph in every way possible, Alda said. I am, too, and I couldnt be happier for them. I love that city. There are more American homes with television sets now (114.9 million) than there were in 1983 (83.3 million). An estimated 77 percent of homes with TVs on were watching M-A-S-H in 1983, compared with the audience share of 68 for the Super Bowl. Nielsen also measures only the United States, and its possible some World Cup soccer games were seen more worldwide. Accurate measurement of television audiences outside the United States is spotty at best. Alda also wondered whether the numbers were too close to declare a new champion. He thinks Nielsen didnt take into account large numbers of people watching M-A-S-H communally, which is often the case for football games, too. Not to say Im competitive, but in part we are talking about sports, he said. And I actually AM competitive. McManus didnt want to jinx it, but the abnormally strong viewership for football this year left him hoping for a record. The NFC and AFC championship games both had their biggest audiences since the 1980s. The growth of high-definition television and its appeal to sports fans has also helped. A competitive game until the final minutes sealed it. McManus acknowledged some nervousness when Indianapolis jumped out to a 10-0 lead a Super Bowl rout often makes people turn away from the game but New Orleans roared back. The Mid-Atlantic blizzard also helped CBS. After New Orleans, the highest-rated market was snowbound Washington, Nielsen said. More people watched the game from their homes in that area instead of going to parties or bars, and Nielsen does a much better job counting viewers in homes than outside of them. Bad weather in the Northeast and good weather in Florida was a good combination for us, McManus said. The Super Bowl also proved a strong launching pad for the new CBS series Undercover Boss that premiered after the game. An estimated 38.6 million people watched the first edition of a series about corporate honchos working secretly as low-level employees in their own companies, Nielsen said. Thats third only to a 1996 Friends and 2001 Survivor as the most-watched program after the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Doritos was a big winner in a measurement of interest in the commercials played during the Super Bowl. TiVo Inc. said the snack companys ad featuring a boy telling a man to keep his hands off his chips and his mom was stopped and played back in 15 percent of homes with the digital video recorder. The secretly filmed CBS promo with David Letterman, Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey came in second, followed by the Snickers ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda flattened in a football game. In general, however, TiVo found less interest in the commercials than it has in previous years, judged by how many people paused live action to see them, said Todd Juenger, general manager of TiVos research department. Champaign, IL DAVID BAUDER, The Associated Press Super Bowl is most watched TV show ever The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:086e34bf4e3aebbb142ead2fd4901c0a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:3689526e8ce9544ce4c5708144ad9976 2010-02-08T23:40:48-06:00 2010-02-08T23:40:48-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Relief efforts are going strong on campus after the earthquake that slammed Haiti on Jan. 12. Several Registered Student Organizations and local businesses are doing their part to create fundraising and donation opportunities. Ellen Landgren, philanthropy chair for the professional business fraternity Phi Gamma Nu and junior in LAS, said her group is organizing Hunt for Haiti, which begins at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 20 under the Bell Tower on the South Quad. The cost is $10 per person. Landgren said the event is a digital scavenger hunt, involving a list of events that must be completed in teams and photographed with a digital camera. Prizes will be awarded to the winners and the groups that bring the most people to the event. A raffle will also take place. Thats all going to be based off donations, and so theres going to be no cost to the event all the proceeds are going to UNICEF, where 100 percent of their donations go to efforts in Haiti, Landgren said. Stefano Boulos, graduate student and native of Haiti, said he wanted to help his home country as much as possible by holding a series of events to find a way to provide relief. The first thing I thought about is How do I go back to Haiti? actually, Boulos said. But I thought about it, and realized its probably better to stay here and try to work with people here and bring some kind of relief from here instead of just going and not knowing what exactly I was going to do. The event, I HEART HAITI, is an informational forum and fundraiser occurring on Feb. 11 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center. There is a $5 suggested donation for attendants, and both monetary and non-monetary donations are welcome. Boulos said the first hour will feature speakers discussing the history of and present conditions in Haiti, and the second hour will feature two live bands. Obviously, Haiti needs a lot of help right now and anything can help. Actually, at this point, every little thing can help, Boulos said. Paul Keutelian, senior in Engineering, said Hendrick House is hosting an event, SMASH for Haiti, to bring together video game fans for Haiti relief. SMASH for Haiti, a tournament featuring the video game Super Smash Bros. Melee, will occur on Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. at Hendrick House. There is a mandatory minimum donation of $5 for students and $10 for non-students. People who do not sign up can donate as well. Keutelian said Betsy Hendrick, the building owner, will be matching all donations. He said 10 people have signed up on his Web site, Smashforhaiti.org. William Reed, senior in LAS and the arts and music director for Caffe Paradiso, said the caf knew it wanted to do something to help with Haiti, and decided to make a big music event out of it instead of just putting out a donation table. We had 10 different performances all day (Feb. 6) from 9 a.m. till 11 p.m, Reed said. Some were bands, some were just solo artists, and they were various different genres, so we had everything from folk music to rock, to classical to jazz. Many people responded to this opportunity to help Haiti by bringing in their own possessions and creations, he said. There were clothes, there was a random stuffed lion, Reed said. Lots of various different things, Reed said. Champaign, IL Jennifer Fowler Students continue to help Haiti The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:dea4e2001750c937ad310c6797cf674c Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0924a5cd77ed3106115ee8814aea7bf2 2010-02-08T23:17:06-06:00 2010-02-08T23:15:27-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. With just seven games remaining on the regular-season schedule, Illinois is on the road Tuesday with a goal no basketball team has achieved this season: defeat No. 11 Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. The Badgers (18-5, 8-3 Big Ten) are coming off consecutive wins against Michigan State last Tuesday and a 62-44 victory at Michigan on Saturday. But the Fighting Illini (16-8, 8-3) are riding a four-game winning streak that culminated in Saturdays win over then-No. 5 Michigan State. For junior center Mike Tisdale, the momentum from the weekend may be just what the Illini need to win at the Kohl Center. Its been tough for a lot of teams to get a win in there, but were going to go up there with the attitude that we can win, Tisdale said. We just beat Michigan State, so hopefully the confidence carries over and we can go up there and do some damage. Its pretty amazing to see what we can do when we actually come out fired up, ready to go, Tisdale added. Despite losing junior forward Jon Leuer to a wrist injury on Jan. 9, the Badgers havent missed a beat. In fact, Illinois head coach Bruce Weber said the injury may have been a mixed blessing for Wisconsin. Obviously without Leuer, it caused some stress for their staff and their fans. But its turned out to be a benefit for them, Weber said. Theyve gone to the three guards. The guards are playing at a high level theyre playing small ball, theyre spreading you. Its allowed some other guys to really step up. The three guards are seniors Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon and sophomore Jordan Taylor. In Leuers absence, Hughes has stepped up to lead the Badger offense, averaging 15.5 points while grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game. Bohannon averages 11.1 points, while Taylor averages 10.0. The impact of the three-guard lineup on Wisconsins game plan isnt lost on Illinois junior forward Bill Cole, either. Those guys are a huge part of their offense, Cole said. And with that swing offense they run, they do everything. They run the floor, they post up, they come off the screens, so we got to be strapped in mentally on defense. Entering play Tuesday, Illinois sits in a three-way tie with No. 13 Ohio State and No. 11 Wisconsin for second place in the Big Ten. Tuesdays contests could mark a shake-up in the Big Ten standings, though, as No. 10 Michigan State, which holds a one-game lead in the conference, will face Purdue following the Illinois-Wisconsin showdown. A win at Wisconsin could mean more than just a move up in the Big Ten standings for the Illini, though. Its one thing to get a home victory against a top-20 team, but to get a road victory against one of those teams weve got one, that was Clemson, on our belt it obviously would be a nice thing for our resume, Weber said. It was great Saturday, I let them enjoy it. But now you have to come back and get refocused and see if you can find a way to do something thats very rare, and thats winning up in Madison. Junior guard Demetri McCamey, the co-Big Ten Player of the Week, is looking forward to the test. I like these games. Theyre challenges, McCamey said. And thats one thing about good players and good teams, they like challenges. Hopefully we can overcome this challenge and beat Wisconsin. Champaign, IL Kate Munson McCamey, Illini ready for challenges against No. 11 Wisconsin The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0808a56a90ca2f8b1e91a1e60b7b451e Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:8df4e5f1ef22a82b696d86c7f6e58992 2010-02-08T23:01:21-06:00 2010-02-08T23:01:21-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For President Obama, the next twelve months will define his presidency. After taking office with tremendous momentum, 2009 dealt a blow to the Obama administration. Last January, many Americans were in rapture over the charismatic and eloquent leader who promised change. Despite high hopes and expectations, when it came time to govern this country and lead the world, the global community and American voters indicated that perhaps they do not see Obama as a strong, effective leader. According to Gallup, Obamas disapproval rating is at 41 percent. What has led to this drastic decline? A common theme during his first year was Obamas willingness to engage in a risky political tactic: impromptu appearances at summits or important votes in order to influence the outcome. Unfortunately, every attempt has failed. In 2009, Obama traveled twice to Copenhagen: in October to support Chicagos Olympic bid and again in December to urge world leaders to take comprehensive action on climate change. In addition, he sent Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Moscow to wheel and deal on security issues with Russia. In review, Rio de Janeiro will host the Olympics, the summit on climate change ended bitterly and the US surrendered key strategic programs without unequivocal reciprocation from the Kremlin. Maybe Obama thought he had engendered enough international goodwill to take the necessary political risks in Copenhagen and Moscow. Instead, his administration has become akin to Apollo 13 in that the White House is bleeding a valuable resource political capital. Despite his rhetoric and intentions, the international community is beginning to realize that our president may never become the expected formidable political player and will see him as a weak and ineffective leader. Domestically, Obama has fared no better. Last month, Republican Scott Brown won the Massachusetts special Senate election on a simple platform: anti-Senate health care bill and anti-establishment. Although Democrats attempted to shift the debate away from health care, the Republicans successfully framed the election as a referendum on Obamas top legislative priority. With his presidential agenda on the line, Obama traveled to Boston. The Massachusetts vote highlights two important points about the Obama administration. The first is the White Houses glaring inability to replace Ted Kennedy, who championed health care, with a Democrat. Second, it highlights the lack of bipartisanship on this massive legislation. During his campaign, Obama pledged to end partisanship; however, the health care bill ended in a partisan 60-40 vote, largely because the president lacked the leadership necessary to control the bills debate. Successful leadership requires supplementing oratorical skill with action. Despite raising the hopes of millions, Obama has failed to deliver, or at least make headway, on the promises that got him elected. Obamas biggest test will be his response to Browns election. The midterms, while historically an anti-establishment election, will be a barometer of the national political climate. Key House and Senate positions are open for election and how many seats the Republicans pick up in Congress this year will be an indication of the approval of the president and his agenda. If Obama doesnt take decisive action and forge ahead on domestic and international policies, he could be in for the fight of his life in 2012. Daniel Flesch, senior in LAS Champaign, IL Daniel Flesch, senior in LAS Despite big promises, Obama fails to live up to hopes of his voters The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:25c801f83373161c6a13f424af3c2791 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:294f0145806eac2f79b72e3c630ddddf 2010-02-08T22:58:35-06:00 2010-02-08T22:58:35-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Lost in the shuffle of the energetic win against Lindenwood on Saturday was the markedly more physical and better-executed play of the back lines for the Illinois hockey team. Unable to penetrate the Lions towering back lines on the offensive end and beaten to the puck on the defensive side, the Illini on Friday were unable to keep up with the bruising and quick style of play that Lindenwood likes to enforce, with all five players getting in on the action. Characterized as a run-and-gun offense by goalie DJ Kohler, the Illini defenders appeared to have the solution for the Lions on Saturday that helped open up the game. You got to take good angles and ride them off into the corners, defenseman Joe Cardona said. The strategy paid off for the the Illini defenders, as the Lions total number of shots during regulation decreased by 13 between Fridays and Saturdays games. The tallest of the Illinis corps of defenders is Pierce Butler at 6-foot-3 inches, but no defender comes within 15 pounds of the biggest defender in Cardona, who is listed at 200 pounds. Contrast that with the defensive group of Lindenwood that features players hovering around the 200-pound mark, includes a 6-foot-4 defender in Tyler Bowman, and likes to jump into the offensive flow to compliment the sizable wingers. Considering the Lions size, the importance of getting the puck out of the zone and countering with attacks became that much more important for the Illini. I think we were more confident with the puck, (had) a lot more composure, Cardona added. We made a few strides before getting rid of the puck, kept our heads up and made better passes by playing a lot off the glasses. The Illinis ability to control more of the puck in their own zone and send pucks up through the neutral zone frustrated the Lions all game, as Lindenwood took bad penalties and coughed up the puck at inopportune times. The effort is going to have to be more consistent, but if we have the effort we got Saturday we will have a lot more success, Illinois head coach Chad Cassel said. Blood ... but no foul? One instance of a bad penalty being taken in Saturdays game involved a bloodied Joe Cardona only it was Cardona who got whistled for the call. After a whistle with just over two minutes to play in the opening period, Cardona took a stick to the face that drew blood. Cardona went to retaliate the hit but was struck again before being escorted to the penalty box. Immediately after the whistle, it wasnt clear what the call was and who the penalty was on, but once Cardona reached the box, the blood and anger spilled out. I went to hit the guy, but he got a stick up and cross-checked me in the face and gave me another shot, but I got the penalty for it, Cardona said about the scrum. The guy was looking right at it, and there was no call, and I was a little surprised. Once the call was cleared up, Cardona skated to the bench to be attended to by the teams trainer while forward Rob Deubel served the penalty for Cardona. Kohler strikes again For the third straight weekend, the Illini have cranked out a grueling win in dramatic shootout form this time it was goalie DJ Kohlers turn. Despite the flurry of saves he made in each period of the game, theres one shot hed like back. At the start of the second period, I gave up a pretty soft goal, Kohler said. I took that goal to heart and wanted to make sure that that goal wouldnt be the one that cost us the game. Just under two minutes into the middle period, with the game tied 1-1, Lindenwoods Carson Hamill skated casually towards the Illini goal and pulled up for a shot from the Illini blue line that appeared to catch Kohler off guard and put the Lions back up momentarily. But Kohler would shake that early goal off and remain rock solid the rest of the way, only giving up a late third-period goal on his way to stopping 24 more shots in the game. Once that goal ended, I just refocused, Kohler said. I tried to forget about it and give my team an opportunity to win the game. Kohler was able to exact some revenge against Hamill after Illini forward Tom Connell scored first in the shootout. It was a big boost of confidence when Tom came down and scored that first goal, kind of took the pressure off, Kohler said. The first shooter was Hamill, and he was the player that had scored just outside the blue line, and I got him back for that.. Champaign, IL Alex Paull Hockeys back line learns from mistakes The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a9e388897a108c6851aa339173785819 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:e866d57c1c5c4c585f16331188c5468b 2010-02-08T22:35:26-06:00 2010-02-08T22:35:26-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Some seniors in the College of Engineering are scrambling to finish credit hours they thought they had already completed and need to graduate. The college discovered an error in how DARS audits were treating foreign language classes some incorrectly fulfilled a social sciences and humanities requirement as well. The college is working with students on a case by case basis to ensure that they can still graduate if this credit is the only thing holding them back. But they have also emphasized that DARS is not an official report, and that the error is not a change in the colleges actual requirements. They didnt change anything on the students; DARS was just wrong. While we understand that DARS is not law, we wonder why it took so long for this error to be detected. The glitch in the system had been there for at least three semesters before it was caught late last fall. If the audit is unofficial, why didnt discrepancies with the official audit surface sooner? For this reason we hope the college is being extra-flexible. If their own counselors did not catch the error, no student should have to squeeze in a humanities class or pay for summer school, and if even one students ability to graduate is affected by the error, we think thats one too many. Counselors are paid to make sure that students have all of the information they need and are doing what they need to. If the error was so hidden that the professionals did not catch it for so long, surely students should not be penalized in any way for missing it, too. This error represents a potential nightmare for students. We rely on DARS and our advisers to help us unravel the sometimes complicated rules governing which classes can double-dip for two requirements. If DARS is wrong, and if our counselors arent catching the errors either, how vigilant do we have to be? If there is any question in your mind about whether or not youre on track, especially if graduation is nearing for you, we suggest you review your courses one more time to make sure youve got it right. Even if DARS says youre on track. Even if your counselor says youre on track. Apparently, both of those things can fail you and apparently, it will still be your fault. Champaign, IL The Daily Illini Editorial Board DARS error puts pressure on students The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:ffbab8235ddc5c0290ecd6ceccc0a61a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0b796dbe9fcf64cd5f8a06b027466d9a 2010-02-08T22:34:55-06:00 2010-02-08T11:29:13-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Daughtry is out in support of its current sophomore album, Leave This Town. Tickets go on sale to the general public Feb. 13 at 10 a.m, according to the Assembly Hall Web site. There will be a student pre-sale on Feb. 12 at Ticket Central in the Illini Union. Tickets can also be purchased at the Assembly Hall Box Office and Ticketmaster. Champaign, IL Melissa Elegant Daughtry to perform at Assembly Hall in April The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:300a8fce4c1f43b937c0cf707d0f3cd9 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:6233e8c499b25aeb836e90c5d784d259 2010-02-08T22:29:05-06:00 2010-02-08T22:29:05-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Many studies have drawn a conclusive link between cell phone use and drivers being distracted while driving, but researchers at the University also believe driving impairs the drivers ability to comprehend language. A primary question of our research was to find out, Does driving have an impact on our ability to hold a coherent conversation? said Ensar Becic, who graduated in 2009 with a ph.D. in psychology and is the lead author of the article. Driving impairs talking, published in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. Becic said that driving has a drastic impact on our ability to comprehend language, since driving requires a cognitive effort and so does constructing sentences. Gary Dell, a psycholinguist in the department of psychology and co-author of the study, said that these conclusions make sense, as talking is a creative process. In general, we have to pay attention when things are not predictable. Talking and using language is not he said. When you talk, you put together words you have never put together before. At the same time, Dell said driving is not a predictable process either, because it requires paying attention to the road. Becic and Dell said that in a sense, language and driving are two competing processes. When you do one really well its at the expense of the other, Dell said. It makes sense that driving and language use would compete for our brains cognitive ability. Dell said that if driving is a hard thing to do, then it should follow that it interferes with talking, but no one had done research on this before. The experiment was conducted at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University in a driving simulator. Both the driver and the passenger wore headphones and listened to a different 15-second short story and then were asked to tell the story they heard to the other person. According to the study, the driver usually told the story less accurately than the passenger, who viewed the same environment as the driver. The study states that drivers lose about 20 percent of their ability to retain and retell a story while driving. The experiment also looked at the impact of the driver talking on hands-free cell phone to someone at a remote location. There were also no differences between the driver talking on the hands-free phone and talking to the passenger in the car. Everyone thinks that you are distracted because your hands are doing things, said Dell. That does not hold true. Its the talking and holding a conversation about something that is not related to your driving that impacts our ability to drive. This is just one of the consequences of modern technology that enables us to talk in situations where we could not have before, Dell said. Becic said he plans to continue the research that he started here in Minnesota. The obvious solution to reducing distractions while driving is not talking, he said, but he believes this is impractical because people will still use their cell phones while driving. I want to use a controlled speech task while on a specific driving scenario to see (if) when the passenger actually sees the driver is really busy, they might pause, he said. Champaign, IL Shawn Adderly University study says driving impairs cognitive processes The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4a9a32256809fc17cd9e68e5f6feb3ed Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:2d7140a94b39302c5bb17fb615109a5d 2010-02-08T22:26:47-06:00 2010-02-08T22:26:47-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Researchers at the University have developed the newest generation of a photocatalytic disinfectant that can work with visible light and even in the dark. Jian Ku Shang, a professor of materials science and engineering, led the research team. A catalyst is a substance that helps speed up chemical reactions. A photocatalyst is a catalyst that works with light. When you shine a light on the substance it generates electrons, Shang said. Previous catalysts have had to use high-energy photons, such as ultraviolet light. This new catalyst works with lower energy photons and can be generated by visible light, both natural and artificial. When visible light shines on the substance it activates the photocatalyst, which speeds up the reaction, Shang said. This generates a special type of antibacterial substance, Hydroxyl radical, which is a form of oxygen and hydrogen. It (hydroxyl radical) is the same agent the human body produces whenever the body is infected with a bacterial infection, Shang said. While most catalysts require light activation to work, this catalyst continues to kill bacteria in the dark. It can continue to work up to 20 hours after its last exposure to light. This new development was made possible by catalytic memory, a method discovered about a year ago. You can produce a catalyst that remembers it had been activated before, Shang said, So even when the light is switched off, the catalyst can still stay active and kill bacteria and viruses. Catalytic memory works by using palladium nanoparticles to trap electrons while light is shining on the catalyst. These electrons are then stored in the nanoparticles. When the light is switched off, the nanoparticles discharge the electrons a little bit at a time, Shang said. The nanoparticles function like a tiny little battery. It gets charged when the light is on the photocatalyst, and when the light is off, the nanoparticles start to discharge the energy, Shang said. This project has been ongoing since 2001, said Jim Economy, professor of materials science and engineering. This development has the potential to expand, Economy said. He (Shang) has the enthusiasm and energy to make this technology happen. I suspect that if given half a chance, Shang will make this system suitable for a number of critical needs, Economy said. Photocatalysts have several applications. One application we are looking at very closely now is the disinfection of waste water, Shang said. Catalysts are useful in cleaning up the environment. The photocatalyst can help in the photo-oxidation of polluted water. Shang is interested in using this development to disinfect polluted bodies of water, especially in cities. For large cities, at this point, because there arent viable technologies to clean the water, the water is simply released to rivers without disinfection, Shang said. The University has a few options when it comes to commercializing this product. The University can get a patented commercial license, which would allow other companies to use this development in their products. The other option is to start a new company and apply this method to a specific application, Shang said. However, there are some obstacles when it comes to getting the product on the market. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is getting support from venture capitalists who are willing to allow Shang the funding to develop the technology in a timely way, Economy said. The photocatalyst is in its seventh version, and Shang said the product is far from finished. Research is never finished, Shang said. We are still doing research and developing new variations of these materials. Champaign, IL Christine Gluckleder UI researchers develop photocatalyst that works in dark The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a87af548651faf99448576a18ececddd Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:cdcdd5618a386b40a4b799b841c67ff0 2010-02-08T22:18:58-06:00 2010-02-08T22:18:58-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Not only is the first day on campus with a new roommate awkward enough, but keeping your dignity while changing into jammies and what you select to wear can set the tone for the rest of the year. I have slept in just boxers since I started dressing myself and when I came to school, I was not sure how my country raised roommate would handle the idea. I was unable to make contact with my roommate before move in day. Thankfully, I moved in early because of Marching Illini band camp but because of the same reason, I only saw my roommate for all of 20 minutes between rehearsals. When I came home that night we went through the same awkward conversations all new roommates experience as I tried to wait out the clock until bedtime. Would he snore? Would he want pillow talk? How will I react if he sleeps in the nude? Most importantly, how will he react when I strip down to my boxers to go to sleep? My roommate made the first move and wore a pair of shorts as his night attire and I now thought it safe enough to get down to my boxers; rite of passage complete. If you are moving in with a new roommate decide early what you plan to wear to bed and invest in some jammies if you need to. Also, do not worry about changing in front of your roommate; they do not want to see you naked more than you do not want them to see you. Grin and bear living with a new roommate, if you are lucky youll end up like me and live with your random freshman roommate all four years. Michael Stein is a senior in FAA. Champaign, IL Michael Stein J is for Jammies The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:01e4bb6467b09e8aa75f20620c9c21de Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:25a71afa6879acfad716cff3fbe6cffc 2010-02-08T22:18:34-06:00 2010-02-08T22:18:34-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I love cooking. I love making dinner for my friends and sister. I love baking cakes for birthdays. I love reading cookbooks and watching the Food Network. Whenever someone travels or goes on a date, I always ask: whatd you eat? Food has always been a huge part of my family. So naturally, the kitchen is a place where I gravitate and hang out. Most people I know dont usually make chicken and asparagus risotto or chocolate covered strawberries at school. It tends to be a place to zap Ramen or popcorn. Or pour Honey Nut Cheerios. Its where we take a few (albeit throwback) drinks before heading to the bars. Some students, especially those in residence halls, dont even have the luxury of a full kitchen. So when I finally got one my junior year (after living in LAR freshman year and the ADPi house sophomore year), I thought it would be the greatest. Little did I know how little the kitchens are. Or that one drawer always doesnt quite shut. Or that- despite all the bleach, Clorox wipes, Swiffer, cleaner or fire no amount of scrubbing will remove the sticky reside from years of jungle juice past. Or mice. The biggest kitchen disaster Ive ever dealt with came after Thanksgiving break as a junior. Before leaving for break, thinking like thousands of other apartment-dwellers on campus, my roommates and I left our apartment clean. We threw away our rotting apples and a tomato that had turned to soup in the bottom of the fridge drawer; tossed all the food storage bowls, none of which we could find the lids for ... but couldnt bear to throw out, neatly into the cabinet; wiped down the counters; took out the trash. Little did we know that we had left a bag of chips on the top of the fridge. So needless to go into a million-tiny-feces-infested details, we returned to mice. Not just in the kitchen, but all over the house. Perhaps I should mention, I am a typically rational person and able to handle bugs, spiders, blood, zombies, etc., except when it comes to mice. I am paralyzingly afraid of the rodents. And my room was right next to the kitchen. I could hear their gnawing and scurrying in the walls after dark. I didnt sleep for weeks in fear they would crawl on me in the night. Every noise I heard, I was convinced was them. My roommates, except the one who lived on the first floor with me, thought I was crazy to call the TLC Pest control daily, clean incessantly and teach myself how to lay traps. And, the girl who once lived in the kitchen was no more. There is nothing like hearing the pitter-patter of the feet of a family of mice to ruin your appetite for the entire semester. Or having one run across your kitchen table. I dont think Ive ever screamed as loud in my entire life. So, to all those students with kitchens, or will have a kitchen in the future: Even if you think youre clean, you have no idea whats on the top of your kitchen freezer. You should really should clean it out and organize it. And by clean out and organize it, I mean just throw it all out. Its so much better to bring home that bag of Tostitos than months upon months of mice, roaches, rats or [insert your dwelling, germ-infesting rodent and biggest fear here]. Whether you cook or not, we all live in the area and its so much harder to get rid of rodents than call your realtor to fix your leaky faucet. And we only live in these apartments for a short time, but theres nothing worse than dreading coming home and actually not being able to make EasyMac. Liz Kalkowski is a senior in Media. Champaign, IL Liz Kalkowski K is for kitchen The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d5c11ef989a985d51ca34481f0e40b83 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0d2c238193d3089a0b665f5fe91cec0e 2010-02-08T22:14:24-06:00 2010-02-08T22:14:24-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Lets face it; we would simply cease to exist without the Internet. Our schoolwork and social lives depend on gigabytes and Ethernet. Thats why the thought of most freshmen as they enter the dorms for the first time is how do I get connected? University Housing makes it easy: just agree to the usage policy, plug in and log on. I guess thats where I went wrong. I hope youre ready for a cautionary tale. It all happened the first week after winter break had ended. I went into my dorm room after a day of class and found that my Internet was not working. In the absence of Facebook and Hulu, I naturally took a nap. I woke up a few hours later to discover that my roommate was having the same problem. It was at this point that I began thinking something was wrong. I went down to my residence halls computer lab to check my inbox. Immediately the words COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT caught my eye in the subject line of one of the e-mails I had received. Crap, I thought to myself. It turns out that the University had received an e-mail from a third-party company claiming to have tracked some unauthorized file sharing from my IP address. As a result, they had turned the Internet off in my room. I panicked. I researched the issue in hopes of comfort. I didnt find any. In the past, I always acted under the well no one actually gets caught way of thinking. I now realize how ignorant that really is. Cases of copyright infringement have all sorts of consequences ranging from warnings and mandatory removal of all questionable material to thousands of dollars of fines. I made an appointment with my Resident Director per the e-mails instructions and learned how lucky I am to have been contacted through the University. Due to the volume of pre-settlement letters the University receives, the University is left with dealing with these types of issues internally. In the end, I made off with a housing reprimand, much less of a punishment than thousands of dollars in fines. If it happens again, which it wont, my Internet will be shut off until the end of the school year. Needless to say, I have deleted any kind of file sharing software from my computer and have been sufficiently scared into making all of my purchases through iTunes. So, let me serve as an example. People do get caught file sharing. Danny Weilandt is a freshman in Business. Champaign, IL The Daily Illini Staff I is for Internet The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:2c67d1e3b4e1f623319862f863b5b6ea Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:c75e0022b6cc1596225348cafd09531f 2010-02-08T22:10:52-06:00 2010-02-08T22:10:52-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I scribbled a large letter D on the dotted line, along with a loopy version of the rest of my name, finally dating the sheet of paper and handing it over to the brightly beaming lady at the desk. I couldnt read her smile; did I see a slightly evil gleam in her eye? Or was that just a manifestation of my mind telling me Id just signed my life away? I decided it was the latter, and walked away with my roommate for next year chattering excitedly about our apartment for next year. That was four months ago. Since then, Ive been fretting over whether we added all the clauses in the lease that we should have. You see, once the signature is on the lease, theres no turning back. Luckily, the University of Illinois has an excellent resource here on campus, which helped me out as I was apartment shopping. The Tenant Union is located at the Illini Union in Room 326 and is open to all students who did not take a SORF refund when paying their tuition. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, the staff offers help to those who, like me, are somewhat baffled when it comes to matters of the law and housing. They have a phone number and e-mail address , too, and when I did need to e-mail them I found them to be very prompt in helping me out. So make sure to go to them for a lease review. The lease is the heart and soul of your housing arrangement. Dont get screwed by a mean lessor. And speaking of mean lessors, the Tenant Union is also the home of every formal complaint filed against every landlord and housing company. If there are doubts about a lessor, assess them using these complaints as a starting point. Just be careful out there. Dont get taken advantage of and ask multiple sources about the reliability of a landlord, so that when signing a lease, that signature wont be the soul-embezzling swirl of ink it seems to be. Divya Gai is a junior in Media. Champaign, IL Divya Gai L is for Leases The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:3d2efbf76bc72a2c0f69dcfc5d657f69 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a459139e1619738bdc0bbda4d0954168 2010-02-08T22:09:29-06:00 2010-02-08T22:09:29-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. H is for hatred. And heating, which is convenient, because I really hate heating. Okay, maybe not heating in general (Im not into the whole frostbite thing, thats so last winter), but dealing with it is a hassle. When you have your own apartment, you usually have to pay for your heat. And heat isnt cheap our electricity and heating bill was more than $200 in December, and we werent even home to be using electricity. Our thermostat was set to 65 degrees, at the request of our landlord. We thought wed be getting off easy and thought they must have made a mistake, but freezing temperatures made our furnace work hard. Staying warm is costly. I despise this fact, because every time I bump up the thermostat up a couple degrees, I picture movie tickets and mugs of Espresso floating away. Is the switch from 70 to 72 degrees really worth losing the new jeans I want? I may be wearing three sweaters, but if I keep it cool, I could probably purchase a fourth. If I turn blue, Id match those ballet flats in Urban Outfitters window perfectly. This leads to a silent struggle that spanned over five degrees. One of my roommates has the perpetually freezing room in the apartment, so shed emerge, teeth chattering, and turn up the heat a few degrees. A couple of hours later, Id turn it back down. Rinse and repeat for a few days, until I woke up to find a cheerful star-shaped Post-It on the thermostat that read: IF YOU TOUCH THIS I WILL KILL YOU. I realized two things in that moment. First of all, I am turning into my father. Second of all, people are not penguins. Neither of these things relates to you, but Ill tell you what does. If you live in the dorms, it can be tricky deciding how hot or cold to keep the room. Rather than sneakily shutting the windows every time your roomie goes to the bathroom, talk about it. Maybe your roommate on the top bunk is sweltering up by the vent and doesnt know youre freezing, but a well-aimed fan could help things. It could be that theres no compromise that works, but if you keep mum youll never know. If youre in an apartment and you think theres a problem with your heating, check it out. Our bill probably wouldnt have been so high had we noticed that the front door wasnt sealing properly and wind was coming through oh, and the fact that our furnace wasnt working right. A quick call to the landlord or a maintenance request can save you money and keep you toasty. Rachel Small is a sophomore in Media. Champaign, IL The Daily Illini Staff H is for hatred The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:2effe738aabc3389732d52be1e184420 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:39d786e761e6f1747c4231a97acee4ef 2010-02-08T21:56:09-06:00 2010-02-08T21:52:41-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. One of the most important parts of the housing equation is something that might be a second thought garages. Not garages alone, but more specifically, parking. Where you live greatly affects how much parking costs and how convenient it is. For those without a car, this isnt a big deal, but if youve got one, listen up. On-street parking is one option, and Urbana beats Champaign by a long shot here. On-street permits in Urbana cost $135, but the only drawback is that you wont have an assigned spot. Hunting one down can be a challenge at times, but think of it as an adventure in saving money! Only those who live in the West Urbana parking district can buy the permits; the boundaries are Green Street on the north, Race Street on the east, Florida Avenue to the south and Lincoln Avenue to the west. If you live in Urbana, but not within those streets, consider parking north of Green Street. The parking up there is free, and this is where I parked my entire junior year. It was a bit of a hike, and finding a spot was usually fairly difficult, but the price free was worth it. If youre living in Champaign, plan on shelling out significantly more money. On-street permits with assigned spots range from around $500 to nearly $700, and are only valid for the academic year. Most parking lots cost around $600 for an entire year, and expect covered parking and underground garages to go from $800 to nearly a grand or more. If Ive learned anything at the University, its that having a car aint cheap. Then again, taking the bus to Meijer isnt fun at all. Trade-offs! Going out is something to take into consideration when picking a new home. Will you be close to your favorite spots, or at least close to a bus stop? Its no fun to be stranded somewhere at 3 a.m. when its raining. At the very least, check out what bus stops are close to where youre thinking of living, and how often or late the buses run. Youll be thankful later on. James Vanderberg is a senior in Media. Champaign, IL James VandeBerg G is for garages The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4f1b11436a14c1606a343340b57dc8b7 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9150ea135a48c4884a56437d2170137b 2010-02-08T21:54:33-06:00 2010-02-08T21:54:33-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Money is the main factor for many when choosing housing. Living with friends makes apartment living more cost effective. After finding roommates, choosing housing and getting ready for a new place, you have to figure out how to pay for it all. Roommates can simplify or complicate the issue. The financial benefits of roommates include sharing of utilities, use of their possessions (TV, game systems, kitchen utensils) and buying food in bulk. One way that I ease the pain of paying the bills is taking turns paying rent and utilities with my roommates. Every fourth month I pay the full rent check. I save on checks and the experience of paying a large sum infrequently is similar to writing a paper single spaced then double spacing it before turning it in. With multiple roommates, fixed cost utilities, such as Internet and cable, become much more affordable and upgrading to DVR, HD, premium channels and faster Internet speeds is feasible. Entourage fans, rent a house with your friends and rejoice at affordable HBO. When picking a place for housing, there are many variables that control the prices: location, size and condition. Other things that you may over look are availability of a washer/dryer, storage space (closets, cabinets and drawers) and furniture. After being restricted by dining hall plans while in residence halls, apartment life liberates your meal options. You could choose to spend two dollars a day eating oatmeal and potatoes or $20 eating out for every meal. Cooking meals, not microwaving TV dinners, will be better for you and save you money. Because apartment living is short term, investing in expensive furniture may not be the best idea. The cheapest option is to garbage pick as soon as you move in. The second, less disgusting, option is to visit the Champaign resale shops: Salvation Army (two locations: 2212 N. Market St. and 109 W. John St.), Goodwill (1102 N. Prospect Ave.) and the Habitat for Humanity Reshop (119 E. University Ave.) When attempting to save on furniture, its the journey not the destination. Ned Mulka is a junior in FAA. Champaign, IL Ned Mulka M is for money The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:cea09ffe70b0c2233754dd0f9cb36a52 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:584ab66bb38e66f579e4aeb5030616c8 2010-02-08T21:50:47-06:00 2010-02-08T21:49:14-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. When I moved back to my apartment in Urbana at the end of the summer, I wanted it to have more pizazz. In my case, having more pizazz meant having more than a shag rug at the front door, more than a torn print of Edwin Munchs The Scream on my wall, and more than the Pizzazz pizza oven that Im convinced will cook anything exactly how I want it. Having more pizazz meant having better furniture. Now, Ive noticed a few things about apartment living in my collegiate life. At the top of that short list of observations is this: most apartments contain couches that are made of cardboard. Thats why youve gotta bring your own stuff if you want any semblance of comfort in your new place. Its why I decided to bring one of my favorite leather blue recliners to replace the love seat that I think was upholstered with dish towels. I know what youre thinking. Its too much effort to bring your own furniture. The futon wont fit in your car. Itll be too heavy to carry and once you get it in the main doorway, youll have to flip it and rotate it 172 degrees before you finally wedge it through and scratch up one of the legs. The thing is, its worth the effort. Having your own proven piece of furniture means you can jump on it, readjust it and really relax the way you want to. If you spill something on your own couch cushion or La-Z-boy, who cares? You dont have to pay any fines. Just throw a paper towel on it. Itll soak it up. Finally, having your own furniture will make your guests more comfortable as well. Theyll appreciate your foresight, and the surprisingly-painful-but-ultimately-not-too-serious injuries you sustained in bringing and sharing a piece of your furniture really, a piece of yourself with them. Unless your piece of furniture is like my blue recliner. I seem to be the only one who can figure out how to work the handle and properly extend the footrest. In that case, dont worry about sharing your own furniture. Go ahead and enjoy it yourself. Your guests can sit on the cardboard. Andrew Maloney is a junior in LAS. Champaign, IL Andrew Maloney F is for your own furniture The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9cdb4000a2c0e308cd60aaa1cc1255e8 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a1f63b8f1bf484f6f4dc5db3f1bf9439 2010-02-08T21:49:02-06:00 2010-02-08T20:45:30-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Ill be honest: whenever Im by myself and Party in the USA comes on the radio, Ill crank the volume up to 11 and belt out the lyrics to my hearts content. Nothing wrong with making a little noise when you can enjoy it, right? Well, if your next door neighbor is blasting Miley at 2 a.m. when you are trying to do some cramming for final exams, it may turn into a bit of a bugaboo. Speaking from someone whos lived most of their college life in the dorms, occurrences like these are rare, but definitely an inconvenience. Really, it all boils down to communication. A simple in-person request of a neighbor, whether in a dorm or apartment, to tone down the noise, will not only make your living environment more peaceful, but also create a better social relationship with those living around you. And who knows? They may be a Miley Cyrus fan too. University dorms institute quiet hours to assist with the noise nuisance; but really its all about what noise level allows you to best go about your daily routine. And along those same lines, the noise factor could definitely be something to ask landlords about when determining where to live; however, in my time here I havent seen noise as a problem that gets in the way of my day. If all else fails, though, buy earplugs! Tim Ditman is a junior in Media. Champaign, IL Tim Ditman N is for Noise The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:788d8ecfaa6b9f460f667cb67f3faf9a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:b00a9c5d10c640f163489875511ef597 2010-02-08T21:44:54-06:00 2010-02-08T21:44:54-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. I was sure I would do a lot of cooking after moving into an apartment for the first time. After years of having food prepared for me, in the residence halls and my sorority house, not to mention by my loving parents, I was ready to be responsible and healthy. I intended to save money and brought cook books and dreams of lavish pasta dishes that would make my grandma proud. While I do some cooking, its safe to say that my location on Green Street did me in. Frankly, its just easy to run downstairs and buy food. With little time between classes and long hours at work, getting home to cook is not always feasible. While there are many great food choices on Green Street and Internet menus make it easy to track calories, I tend to find myself at the same gourmet restaurant. My coworkers took a notice to my eating habits and I received a gift card to this location in a secret Santa this past holiday season. Sure I love Geovantis fries and honey mustard. I definitely enjoy Noodles and Co.s macaroni and cheese. I can often be spotted at Qdoba after the bars close waiting for a quesadilla. However, there is only one eatery that has all of my love. This is the place I go when Ive had a rough day. This is the location I feel at home in. Yes, this column is my ode to Subway. While I have always loved the worlds greatest sandwich shop, I never ate there as much as I do now. If I go two days without setting food in the Green Street stop, I feel disorientated. Some days I eat there twice. Some weeks I eat there four or five days. The week before school started I was eating at Subway twice a day, every day. My mom helped feed my habit by sending me down with several gift cards. When my friends all went out to eat, I met them at the restaurant, with a Subway sandwich in hand. When some of the Green Street locations employees memorized my order, I realized I should take stock in the company. I know Im not alone and my roommates certainly eat their fair share of Subway. Im not sure what it is. I love a good sandwich, but its not like Potbelly and Jimmy Johns are far away. Last year, Subway introduced their wrap. I was in heaven. For months I visited the location off of Nevada Street, as that was close to my house and not all the stores had the wrap option. The day I arrived to find the wrap option gone was rough. I was devastated. How could the company I had been so faithful to take my favorite option away? In a lesson in dedication, I stayed loyal and was rewarded. Subway introduced their greatest creation to date, flatbread. There is nothing better than this tasty treat heated up. I used to order ham and sometimes salami, and there was a time when tuna was my protein component of choice. These days, I tend to just order turkey. I rotate between American and Provolone cheese, but everything else is the same. I top lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, green peppers and pickles on top of the turkey, cheese and flatbread. As I sit here now, I can think of little better than this wondrous creation. My Italian-born grandma will fly to Champaign from Phoenix to hit me if she reads this so let me make something clear: a good home cooked Italian meal beats anything. However, I do not really have the time to prepare gnocchi and breaded shrimp every day. When it comes to quick locales and feel-good food, I rarely turn my back on Subway. To the Green Street location workers, Ill see you soon unless youre reading this after 11 a.m. Youve probably already seen me today. Alissa Groeninger is a junior in Media. Champaign, IL Alissa Groeninger E is for eating out The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9ca82e82e6ee4f1fbbf0e6400fbdb751 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d1a73d6ff70cadc5da0d65c739d547eb 2010-02-08T21:43:23-06:00 2010-02-08T20:53:10-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. My roommates say that I use too much power (and my dad always told me that, too), so I decided to see if there is any truth behind their diatribes First, I looked up how much it really cost you to leave the lights on it seems like the type of light bulb you use is more important than obsessively turning the lights on and off. So, if you really want to save money buy the energy-saving light bulbs. Also, the larger the amount of energy the device uses, the more its going to cost you. So basically, using the microwave for two minutes costs more than leaving the lights on for two hours. Another thing that really costs you is your technology. Most computers are around 300 watts, a plasma television can be around 700 watts. Light bulbs on the other hand are 40 watts, maybe 100. So, watching television for six or seven hours a day adds more than a couple of dollars to your power bill. Leaving your computer on uses up quite a bit of power as well. I also learned that unplugging appliances and electronic devices really does save you money. Some devices like cell phone charges, cable boxes, printers etc. go into standby mode and use a substantial amount of energy. Not everything is this intense, though. Leaving the blender plugged in isnt going to cost you a fortune. It seems like the purchases you make before you move in can really make a difference. Next time I go to Walgreens, Im definitely picking up some compact fluorescent light bulbs and I think Ill stick to my twenty inch, non-plasma television. So, I do use too much power, but not because I leave the lights on, because I microwave 75 percent of my meals and blow dry my hair five days a week. Bridget Mulcahy is a senior in LAS. Champaign, IL Bridget Mulcahy P is for power The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:def69d33d6671fc59c33a5328d7b5a37 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a216a465bf82a4455453ad35db021818 2010-02-08T21:38:31-06:00 2010-02-08T21:38:31-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Every summer, the advertisements begin. They show everything from shoe organizers to put in your closest to the coolest comforter to put on your bed to the most popular posters to hang on your walls. Stores have just about everything you can imagine to decorate your dorm room or apartment. Having so many choices can be overwhelming, so heres a list of the top 10 things every dorm room or apartment should have: 1. Dry erase board Your friends can leave you fun notes when you are off at class or you can use it to write yourself a reminder of when the next test is. 2. Cool comforter You can show a lot of your personality through your bedding. Do you enjoy the beach bum feel or the urban feel? Are you more of a bright colors person or light pastels? Not only do you get to express yourself, but comforters also keep you warms during these cold winters. 3. Pictures of friends These are always a must. They can give you a little hint of home or show off some of the memories youve made at college. The fun part is you can change them in and out as the semester goes on. 4. Posters You cant have a college room without a few posters. Check out the poster sale at the Illini Union at the beginning of every semester. Theyve got every poster you can imagine. 5. Shelves While this is more a practical item, its definitely a must. Those textbooks have to go somewhere. 6. Christmas lights These little decorations dont always have to be put up at Christmas. They give the cream-colored dorm rooms a little softer feel, and they add a little festiveness around the holidays. 7. Mini fridge This isnt quite a decoration, but its always good to have in your room. If youre in an apartment, your realtor will provide you with a full size one, but if youre in the dorm, its always nice to have. You can stock up on your favorite Late Night snacks, especially those ever-delicious smoothies. 8. TV Entertainment systems are always a must. You just cant miss the newest episode of Jersey Shore, and the way you have it set up can add a little organization. 9. Lamps Stores now have about every type of lamp there is. They have simple desk lamps, lamps that clip on to something, lamps that have five lights coming off of them. You can pick and choose which one bests suits your tastes. 10. Curtains This addition can either cover your windows or act as a door. If your closet door is broken, leave it open and drape a curtain in front. It will hide the stuff in your closet but look a lot prettier than a broken door. Marguerite Day is a senior in Media. Champaign, IL Marguerite Day D is for Decorating The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0b4ade12f95d97ce2ac8b3544b479a10 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:719e07f5fbaa6cb679e14aafbd048a48 2010-02-08T21:35:37-06:00 2010-02-08T21:35:37-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. For anyone from Chicago, theres an old joke that there are two seasons winter and construction well after almost three years in Champaign, Im starting to believe the University is much closer to the windy city than I thought. With new businesses, buildings and apartment complexes sprouting up all the time, most University students have experienced construction and the many joys (if you can call them that) of living near it. I lived across the street from the newly renovated Scott Park at Third and Springfield for two years now, meaning I knew it when it was just a nice (semi-creepy) lot full of trees. Ive woken up to jackhammers, tree trimmers, pipe layers and whatever other heavy, and loud, equipment it takes to turn a field into a park. If you are lucky enough to live near the ongoing construction around campus, you understand. Waking up at 4 a.m. to the sweet sounds of construction men yelling, walking on your balcony to a cloud of dust and not being able to park on your street because a bulldozer is in your spot. Dont get me wrong, Scott Park is a beautiful addition to the community and a great step for the Boneyard Creek project, but Im glad its completed. Another caution of construction, dont believe the promise that your new state-of-the-art, but not yet built, beautiful apartment will be done by fall, especially as snow falls and ground hasnt yet been broken. Youd better make friends with someone with an extra couch because my guess is you wont be able to move in. Never sign a lease to live anywhere you havent actually visited. Z is also for zen and the place you live should really be somewhere youre comfortable and can call home. Through fights with roommates, throwing parties, finding a space to laundry under all your piles of laundry, where you live in Champaign-Urbana will be home. Now, as we zip up this housing guide, we hope youve enjoyed our advice both serious and comedic. Housing can be stressful at times, but living in Champaign-Urbana is a worthwhile experience and I hope weve helped you in some way or another. Melissa Silverberg is a junior in Media. Champaign, IL Melissa Silverberg Z is for zones The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9f878502461db1cdbe1a5402325752b8 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f50d6bf6015dd29eeeaf21a54f13e4ef 2010-02-08T21:26:55-06:00 2010-02-08T21:26:55-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. During my four years at this University, few issues have caused as much debate as the ongoing battle over which is better: Champaign or Urbana. Until recently I was very biased because I had only lived in Champaign. In fact, I have always lived within a few blocks of Green Street and the Main Quad. I never really understood how anyone could argue that Urbana was a better place to live. I used to joke that a trip to Urbana was like a trip across town there was a great deal of preparation involved and often ended with procrastination (Eh, Ill go next weekend.) It was not until I stayed in C-U over the summer (my apartment was in Champaign, of course) that I began to realize that Urbana was not some far away land. The argument of Champaign vs. Urbana made sense to me for the first timeUrbana wasnt so bad after all. In fact, it was pretty charming. There is not doubt that Urbana is beautiful. The trees, the grass, the stone in the street all of it reminds me of home. The houses even remind me of those in my subdivision in Creve Coeur, Mo. But in this town, location is everything. Champaign is closer to more University buildings and is home to many campus bars, restaurants, fraternities and sororities. It seems as though Champaign is the hard-partying, loud brother or sister to the subdued Urbana. There is so much to do and see, and its all in our backyard. And of course, theres the convenience of Green Street. Taking a half hour to walk to the bars at 11 p.m. while wearing 3 inch heels? No thanks. In Champaign, no matter the circumstance, I can get anywhere on Green in 5 minutes flat. And when its less than 20 degrees out and snowing, convenience is key. Considering that it feels like winter lasts for nine months here, the less time spent out doors is usually for the best. Who likes frozen hands anyway? So, while Urbana has that suburban charm, Champaign is convenient and always entertaining. I guess I know where Im meant to be. Sorry Urbana, but my heart belongs in Champaign. Julia is a senior in Media. Champaign, IL Julia Litz C is for Champaign The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:58ec79d0df4ac0be489b49a24d3b3c08 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:09e2b68bbb501263035b6850959f12a4 2010-02-08T21:24:19-06:00 2010-02-08T21:24:19-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. It was about 10:45 p.m. when I got the call. My roommate of two years and friend of mine had just gotten off of the phone with his girlfriend ... Well, I should say his former girlfriend. Sam was distraught. He wanted to meet. I was at my girlfriends on Green Street Gossip Girl was on and her roommates, their boyfriends, she and I were watching. However, something slightly more important had come up. I had to go. I suggested Starbucks, open late and a convenient halfway point between apartments gotta love Green. Heres a tip when dealing with a roommate whos just gone through a life-changing event. Be calm and, above all, be understanding. When youre dealing with someone whos whole world has changed, dont be stupid. Let them talk. They need to get everything out and theyve come to you. In fact, thats part of good roommate etiquette: roommates should be like family. You should support them, you should care for them, you should respect them. So, when Sam had officially lost the love of his life (up to that point), I did what I was compelled to do. As an aside here: I should note that I was compelled more by the fact that my best friend was in a great deal of emotional pain than by the roommate code that people who live together share, but thats beside the point. The compeller was there. At Starbucks, we sat in silence for a while. Eventually, I finally asked what had happened. Sam said the talk had been terrible. At this point, he and his girlfriend had been broken up for about a month. She did it on his birthday. But, it was this point that he had finally come to terms with the fact that this was not just a break from the relationship. She wasnt coming back, even after he had finished asking her. We talked for a good hour and a half, until the baristas started mopping the floor and putting chairs on top of tables. My favorite little bit of irony was when R.E.M.s Everybody Hurts came on about half way through the conversation. I remembered Dwight in an episode of The Office blasting that in his Firebird in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot. I couldnt help but laugh, and neither could he a good sign. Eventually good ole Sam left the Starbucks on Green and trekked back home. I went back to my girlfriends apartment to tell her the story. I can just see the movie shot of us going our separate directions on Green, me east, him west. Sam had a few rough months. A two-year relationship is a hard thing to get over once you really realize that it really is that: over. Oh! Something funny I forgot to mention a friend of mine had told me once that it took twice as long to get over a relationship as you were in it. At least, thats what I thought she said. Really, what she said was that it would take half as long to get over a relationship as you were in it. But I told Sam the former. He wasnt happy when he found out I was wrong. Tip to the potential roommates out there. Be a friend. Everyone will benefit. And if theres signs of a relationship problem on the horizon without fail, always have your roommates back. Id like to throw out there that Sam is a jazz guitar major and can serenade you to your hearts content. Mark Rivera is a junior in Media. Champaign, IL Mark Rivera X is for X-ample of roommate etiquette The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:39c5e6687112a66db45a257be6c8974e Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0135eac6eecb9e6347bc1081259cb372 2010-02-08T21:21:28-06:00 2010-02-08T21:18:37-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. According to Cookie Monster, C is for cookie. According to the DI, B is for baking. There is a reason that they put kitchens that have stoves in apartments and houses its so the tenants can cook for themselves. And youre paying the rent, why not utilize what youre paying for? Baking your own bread, cookies and other sweet treats has numerous benefits, including cutting costs, eating healthier and the fact that they just make your place smell great. With the economy in the state its in and the high cost of attending the University (lets not even get into the cost of books), everyone is looking to cut corners. Well, baking is a great way to start. For example, all you need for a loaf of bread is flour, water, yeast and salt. At first the cost of a bag of flour and a small container of yeast may seem like it will cost more, but a bag of flour and container of yeast will yield more than one loaf of bread. In fact, you may get at least five loaves of bread out of that. In the end, you will spend less per loaf of bread by making it as opposed to buying it, and have better bread as well. In addition to cutting costs, baking is also a great way to eat better. When you buy a package of cookies or a loaf of bread, ever look at the ingredients? There are preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup and things I cant even pronounce in them. Do you know what I put in my cookies? Butter, sugar, eggs, milk, flour and chocolate chips. No preservatives or things I cant pronounce in there. And white bread, well the reason the bread is so soft is because its full of air. Making your own loaf of bread leaves you with a much hardier and nutritionally sound piece of bread. Plus, you havent had bread until youve had a slice fresh out of the oven. But saving money and eating better is only the start of the endless reasons why baking yourself is better. And theres the fact that baking bread and cookies smells really, really good. If you share your baked goods you will become the most popular among your friends, co-workers and roommates. And, everything always tastes just a little bit better when youve made it yourself. Keep stocked with basic baking ingredients In order to bake, youre going to need a well-stocked pantry. Here are some basics you should always keep around that are used in countless recipes. Flour Sugar (granulated and brown) Salt Eggs Butter Yeast Baking Powder Non-stick spray Jessica Glade is a senior in LAS Champaign, IL Jessica Glade B is for Baking The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:3d86b21e15c3a29f4d87e511fbb95178 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:b121f5c550cc39cec30ae36123ba8df1 2010-02-08T21:20:16-06:00 2010-02-08T21:20:16-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Even with Champaigns bus system, the numerous bike paths, and your trusty pair of sneakers, having your own car on campus is so much more convenient than any of those methods of transportation. Ive had my own car on campus for a semester now, giving me access not only to campus town, but to all of Champaign-Urbana and Savoy. While running errands across town, Ive noticed that driving in C-U has a different style from the suburban blah of the Chicago burbs, or the anger infused traffic of Chicago. Back home, it seemed like everyone was in a rush, but not here in C-U. Champaign style driving is very laid back. Everyone is driving five miles an hour under the speed limit, and just taking their sweet time to get where they are going. It was all very different to the style of driving that Ive gotten use to back home. Traffic lights are also slightly different here. Is it just me, or does it seem like the yellow lights are shorter? When I first started driving around here, I ran so many red lights on accident because I thought I had enough time to go through the yellow. I know its not safe to do that, but Im use to yellow lights that are at least twice as long. Parking is also quite different in C-U then anywhere. If you dont know how to parallel park, you are screwed. The majority of spots in Campustown and downtown Champaign are parallel spots, but not the spots you would typically find in Chicago. These spots are enormous. I laugh every time I see someone struggle to get into their spot. Then there is the snow removal. Does Champaign-Urbana believe in clearing their roads when its snowing? I believe they dont. Driving around during the latest snowfall was pretty treacherous. There were many times I was slipping and sliding around. Its not all that bad driving around C-U though. Never was I stuck in a traffic jam for more than a minute down here. I guess thats the plus side of driving around in a city thats surrounded by cornfields. Charles is a sophomore in Media. Champaign, IL Charles Tan Lim V is for vehicles The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:552fd29905739c6a2530a5d60b19d196 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:bf302954bc8a5495a43d7c98fe35b31b 2010-02-08T21:14:10-06:00 2010-02-08T21:14:10-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Living on a college campus, Ive come to embrace the fact that underwear can be anywhere. On my body at almost all times, of course, but also crumpled on the street outside KAMs, left at the bottom of a locker at the Activities and Recreation Center, or even hung out to dry in very obvious locations around my dorm or apartment dangling from push pins on my bulletin board, hanging from coat hooks on my door or sitting on top of body pillows on my bed. Yes, in college, Ive had no shame. If my underwear is clean, but wet, and cant be put away yet, its going to be visible. And my roommates? Theyve have had to learn to deal with it. At first, they fought it. They would ask questions like, Arent you going to put those away? My boyfriend is coming over. I replied with inaction. The underwear werent dry yet, and no wardrobe malfunction is worse than wet panties or a damp bra, so my undergarments held their ground. This wasnt just a symbolic fight for my underwears right to party out in the open, it was a kind-hearted effort on my part to bring my roommates along on an educational journey toward non-awkwardness. I learned freshman year that any situation no matter how strange or out of the ordinary is only awkward if I allow it to be awkward. So by leaving my underwear in plain sight, Ive helped my roommates learn the extravagantly beneficial lesson that awkwardness is a creation of the mind. But they werent exactly quick learners. Next came the joking phase, known in psychological circles as a strange form of denial. My roommates would try to make excuses for why my bras and underpants were not hidden away, unfortunately drawing even more attention to the unmentionables just by mentioning them. But I pressed on, forcing the women Ive shared living spaces with to see my visible undies as something other than an awkward sight. They eventually complied. Or else they just gave up and stopped protesting my underwear air-drying habit. And whether my roommates have really learned anything about non-awkwardness from my underwear sightings, I keep it up. College life can be strange, and I constantly need a reminder not to let it become uncomfortable and awkward. And after all, whats not to love about the randomness of seeing the average T-shirt bra and boy shorts lying around on a boring Tuesday or a very lazy Saturday. But for the record, the brown, lacy bra stuck in the tree outside my apartment balcony for more than a year was NOT mine. I just spotted that one because I appreciate the humor of the occasional undergarment sighting as one of the many small pleasures of college living. Marie Wilson is a senior in Media Champaign, IL Marie Wilson U is for Underwear The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:b9c849ba1538b82e3c2e72ebfc92f14e Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:843647cf0456762f17e419fe63cd4cf1 2010-02-08T21:13:19-06:00 2010-02-08T21:13:19-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A is for apple, but its also for alarm clocks, both key objects we need to survive as students at the University. You might be saying to yourself, I dont need no alarm clock. I wake up naturally and I never miss classes. Well, whatever. This column isnt for you then. But if alarm clocks have done one thing for me in my four years here, itd have to be that they motivated me to actually get things done throughout the day. OK, I lied. I dont technically own an alarm clock. I own a cell phone. And without my cell phone Im not really sure what day it is, or even what month it is. I sync my cell phone to my Google Calendar, and from there, I know exactly where I have to be and when, and how to wake up in the morning. I like to sleep more than the average individual, and if it wasnt for some obnoxious ring tone to wake me up, Id be asleep right now. The alarm does me wonders. It wakes me up and prepares me to take on the responsibilities that I am here to accomplish. Skipping early classes used to be a great hobby of mine freshman, sophomore, and junior years, but finally, Ive found a way not to miss them: dont register for early classes. Yet, I find myself waking up earlier than I ever have before, even though my first class isnt until 11 a.m. Thats right. I actually get up early for the fun of it. I feel more refreshed when I wake up naturally, and feel like I can get more done throughout the day. The alarm has been a great help to me in my school career, but Ive come to the point where Im able to stare down my phone minutes before it goes off in the morning. All right. My alarms going off. I have to end this and get going on my next task. Landon Cassman is a senior in Media. Champaign, IL Landon Cassman A is for alarm clock The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:05761d7cd3d824ac6da56e12eb7c8c6f Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d51b01776349139431c04113d964eac2 2010-02-08T20:58:58-06:00 2010-02-08T20:58:58-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. When heading off to college, probably one of the biggest concerns is whether or not your roommate is going to be crazy or a normal human being! Random assignment is a gamble you might end up with someone with the potential to become your new bff, or someone you can simply tolerate. On the other hand, some incoming freshman choose to room with someone they already know, assuming its a safe bet. In my case, I was fortunate to room with my best friend. We grew up together in the same town and had been classmates since first grade. When we both learned senior year that we were accepted into the University we were ecstatic. How great would this be? Hanging out together all the time, partying together we were looking forward to an awesome freshman year. By the time we were sending in our housing forms, however, we had received plenty of warnings about the pitfalls of rooming with a good friend. Well-meaning pals told horror stories of rooming with a close friend with whom they were no longer on speaking terms by the end of the first semester. After talking over the pros and cons, we decided to stick to our original plan. And, true to expectations, the first couple of weeks were a lot of fun. In fact, it kind of felt like we were at camp because we had sleepovers every night, staying up late just talking on our bunk beds. While the novelty of this did wear off after the first month, Im happy to say that our friendship endured. Sure, we sometimes got on each others nervesliving together in such close quarters would put a strain on any relationship. But we made a conscious effort not to become completely dependent on one another. Having different majors, classes, and jobs meant we each met new people and explored our separate interests. Yet, at the end of the day, it was nice to come back to my dorm room a place that now truly felt like my home away from home. I started freshman year with a best friend and finished with a best friend. Lindsay Prossnitz is a sophomore in Media. Champaign, IL Lindsay Julia Prossnitz R is for Roommates The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:903c0307cf7a236832fd97660e14becb Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:773810f06672b8f59e9a462073563261 2010-02-08T20:56:25-06:00 2010-02-08T20:56:25-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. After three weeks of wearing the same four pairs of jeans and convincing yourself that using Febreze on that Illini hoodie is a good way to keep it clean, it happens: youve finally run out of excuses for avoiding laundry duty. Maybe youve noticed that those beer stains on all of your pants are eating their way through. Or perhaps its just that youve been tucking those Ugg boots into the same pair of black sweatpants for a week straight. Either way, what would have been a normal trip to the Six Pack laundromat can suddenly turn to spine-tingling horror, just mere seconds after youve tossed those clothes in and shut the lid. Thats right, youve run out of quarters. For the average dorm-dweller, keeping tabs on how many quarters you have can be both a bane and a boon. On the one hand, theyre absolutely essential for doing laundry, and having a pocket or bag full at all times can be very useful. Sure, you could toss a $1 or a $5 bill into the change machine, but if youre like the usual college student those bills are far too torn and frayed to actually register with the machine. Well, that or youre saving them for a more worthwhile occasion, such as legal tender for the shot lady at Joes. The easiest way to take care of this dilemma is fairly simple, provided you have easy access to a bank: get a roll of quarters. You can walk into pretty much any bank location and just exchange $10 off your card or out of your pocket to obtain an easy-to-carry, extremely convenient package with about five loads worth of money for laundry. Just tear off the paper as you work your way down the roll, and you never have to worry about throwing your quarters in a place where youll easily lose them. Another tip? Stock up on quarters during your return trips home. Not only will you save a bundle by mooching off of mom and dad, but it also saves you the trouble of exchanging dollars for quarters when you get back on campus. So the next time youre doing laundry, know that it doesnt have to be a terrifying experience. Just come prepared, and youll get through it. It wont be long before youre back home for the summer and mom is taking care of it anyway. Jill Disis is a sophomore in Media. Champaign, IL Jill Disis Q is for Quarters The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:8aecd51d6d87cc8f1ceed1134cc06934 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d5511b53790c5e82ff211737dbb80a32 2010-02-08T20:51:00-06:00 2010-02-08T20:51:00-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. When people are looking for somewhere to live, one of the top things on their minds is location. Location, location, location. By now, Ive heard almost all of the arguments on whether to live on or off campus. While there are benefits and setbacks to each, I always decided to live on campus, and here are the three main reasons why: To get more sleeping time Every semester, Ive always managed to get an early class. While I dont mind getting up at 7 a.m. to catch a bus to bring me into campus, I would prefer to sleep until 7:40 a.m. before heading to my 8 a.m. class. Its only 40 more minutes of sleeping, but to me, its worth it. To stop home more (or have the opportunity to do so) I spend a lot of my time on campus, whether it is at work, classes or Green Street restaurants. I like the luxury of being able to run home really quickly, in case I forget something, which tends to happen more than I would prefer, or in case I want to grab lunch between classes. Thats not to say that people who live off campus cant stop back home during the day, but I like not having to wait for a bus to take me back. To avoid the weather Champaign-Urbana gets every type of weather, from cold wind that somehow manages to blow through all your layers to pouring rain that blows in every direction so an umbrella is pointless. Although I enjoy the warm sunny days we get at the beginning and end of the year, some of weather conditions are just not fun to walk in. Living on campus allows me to be close enough to my classes or work that I dont have to spend more than 10 minutes trudging through the weather beaten streets. We do have a great bus system that gives people off campus a chance to stay out of the weather, but I would prefer to walk 10 minutes than have to wait for a bus. Marguerite Day is a senior in Media Champaign, IL Marguerite Day O is for On or Off campus Living The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a6923eb702e7fb7a542fc25cb1b7ea9e Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:05a63f017025ebb69ed2582a4d6c8a40 2010-02-08T17:24:01-06:00 2010-02-07T18:12:16-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Arrests were made after high-speed chase ends on campus. University police engaged in a high-speed chase ending at Fourth and Chalmers streets at approximately 4:45 p.m. Sunday. Sgt. Aaron Fredrick said police attempted to stop a driver for a regular traffic stop when he refused to get out of the vehicle and drove away. Police chased the offender down to the intersection of Fourth and Chalmers streets, where the offender agreed to pull over. When officials entered the offenders information into the police database, they found an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The offender was also arrested on charges of obstructing justice, eluding an officer, eluding arrest and driving with a suspended license, Fredrick said. Champaign, IL Payal Shukla Police chase ends at Fourth, Chalmers The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f8e10f59cbf69c0457bf8c566aaba393 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9b62ec4c7177c85792e7be28f3b943e1 2010-02-08T15:50:32-06:00 2010-02-07T22:47:14-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Recycling will be one of the main points on the agenda for the Urbana City Council on Monday night. The council is voting on whether it should transfer more money into a recycling project fund since the program has gotten a little more expensive, said Charlie Smyth, Ward 1. Passing an ordinance for battery recycling would add $3,000 to a $10,000 recycling project fund. The extra funds will increase pick-up services that will assist residents in dropping off used batteries. The fund will cover the expenses for this fiscal year, said Dennis Roberts, Ward 5. The amount of pounds of batteries have increased by 45 percent, Roberts said. In 2008, 5,000 pounds of single-used alkaline and lithium batteries were collected. In 2009, 7,000 pounds of batteries were collected. Urbana residents pay about $250 a month for recycling services, which would go toward battery pick-up if the ordinance is approved, Smyth said. We run a little more surplus in our budget, Smyth said. We have sufficient money to pay. Its a good thing to be doing. On the topic of environment, an update from the Sustainability Advisory Committee will also take place at Mondays meeting. The advisory committee tracks the citys efforts to cut down its gas emissions, Roberts said. The committee will give a report on the climate action plan, which is a summary of the estimated quantity of greenhouse gases produced by the City of Urbana excluding the University, said Diane Marlin, Ward 7. In 2007, there were 562,368 tons of carbon dioxide gas emissions produced by the city. Marlin said the sustainability advisory commission will hold two public information meetings to hear input from the public and to start developing strategies to reduce emission levels. The meetings will be held on Feb. 24 and Mar. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Urbana Civic Center. Besides the draft ordinance for battery recycling, the issue of commercial recycling is one of the other main points on the agenda. The commercial recycling proposal is meant for businesses to put their recyclables en route to either one of the programs: the multi-family or the single-family program, Smyth said. The two programs, however, are already running at capacity. What I proposed was to allow to sign up to use those services, he said. We really have to come up with a third program - a third way of doing new businesses - a program where the garbage hauler for that business needs to provide a recycling option to that business or subcontract to a business that does have a recycling service. The discussion at the meeting will be a step toward implementing the proposed program for the Urbana community. Champaign, IL Avani Chhaya Urbana City Council to discuss environment, recycling services at meeting The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:ea7125c532d2047c12186fb54f3f0c88 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:aa5029a4a6d87c21bf08ab4bd96cac92 2010-02-08T15:49:06-06:00 2010-02-08T12:11:22-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Roger Eberts 12th Annual Film Festival will be held from April 21 to April 25 at the Virginia Theatre, 203 W. Park Ave in Champaign. The Festival passes were sold out on Jan. 8, but Virginia Theatre has started a waiting list for passes if any become available. According to the website, individual screening tickets will go on sale April 5. Tickets are $12 per screening and $10 for students and seniors. All tickets can be purchased at the Virginia Theatre, or by calling (217) 356-9036. The films for the 2010 Festival will be announced in March. Champaign, IL Svjetlana Stojanovic Passes to Ebertfest sold out, tickets on sale in April The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:92ef030b5b129817c1b812c22f4ce721 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:61093e6d3e79c85fa81fedacd02bc88d 2010-02-08T15:38:53-06:00 2010-02-08T15:38:53-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Students have been allowed to subscribe to a weekly update through the Web site of what changes are being made to the budget during the financial crisis. The project includes involvement from many standing committees that contribute to the smaller project teams that focus on certain parts of the budget. The structure includes the Council of Deans, Senate Budget Committee, Senate Executive Committee, Campus Steering Committee, Campus Advisory Committee and Project Management Committee. We created the Web site to offer the campus community a resource for understanding the current campus financial challenges, said Robin Kaler, associate chancellor for Public Affairs. It also offers a way to share their ideas for cost savings. Led by Robert Easter, interim chancellor and provost, and Dick Wheeler, interim vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, the project has identified that short-term projects will be completed by April as committees continue to monitor progress on long-term projects. Champaign, IL Rosie Powers Budget Web site active for Urbana campus The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:955eae3d90fefc75fd6ecfd4ba804b11 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4fd8a51049502ffb41f763a51e1633ef 2010-02-08T15:31:16-06:00 2010-02-07T23:31:06-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Market Place Shopping Center was full of kids with newly clean smiles Saturday afternoon. Give Kids A Smile, an annual event held by the Illinois District Dental Society, provided free dental care and information to children between the ages of 1 and 17. The event had various booths with activities and information for children and adults, including: face painting, a coloring contest and nutrition counseling. Tooth decay and dental infections are the No. 1 reason that children miss school, so our goal is to make sure that all our kids are able to attend, said Dr. Kirk Noraian, secretary for the dental society and event chair. Last year, volunteer dentists gave exams to 300 kids. This year, they had supplies to take care of 500 children, he said. We think that oral health is important for everyone, and we just want to make sure that our children are taken care of, Noraian said. Give Kids A Smile also provided services that meet the state requirements for dental exams for kindergarten, second and sixth graders. Noraian said children were able to get a fluoride treatment. If its determined they need other services, we have other organizations that will help us get children access to care, Noraian said. Jaclyn Taylor, sophomore in LAS, is part of the Pre-Dental Club at the University and was volunteering at the event. All the booths are making it fun for the kids, so its not as scary, Taylor said. Her booth had a thumb-cast activity to make things fun for children. Getting a thumb-cast resembles getting a dental cast, she said. For Champaign resident Sally Kim, this was her second time at the event for her and her daughter. Her daughter is usually a little afraid of the dentist, Sally said. But with this atmosphere, I think shes a little bit more relaxed. Yoolim Kim, periodontist at the Dr. Steven W. Seibert, DMD, dental practice in Champaign, was performing exams at the event. She said she has been volunteering at the event since she was in dental school. There are a lot of kids who can not afford to go to the dentist, so at least they can actually have a school exam and have the minimal observation so we can direct them to the right place, Yoolim said. She said she hopes in the future the dental society will be able to provide even more services at the event. Champaign, IL Katie Durkin Free dental exams make for many smiles at Market Place Shopping Center The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:96a65578dd725718afb62869c9c1c3b3 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:afce0f216a67467c15d551de761562cd 2010-02-08T15:24:29-06:00 2010-02-08T15:24:29-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. According to a representative of the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, a server went out and they are in the process of fixing the electronic timetables. To find out what time the buses will be at your stop, check the schedules in the Routes and Schedules book or on the MTD website www.cumtd.com, or call 217-384-8188. Champaign, IL Hilary Osborn MTD's STOPwatch out of service The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d41380111f8558d2a5a9da7a095bbd0f Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:7b5b92afcfb1848d01517dca50acc3eb 2010-02-08T15:20:55-06:00 2010-02-06T22:07:45-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A sea of orange stormed the court following the final buzzer, as the Fighting Illini moved into a tie with Wisconsin for second place in the Big Ten with the victory. Junior forward Mike Davis said the Assembly Hall crowd Saturday might have been the loudest hes heard it in his career. The crowd was great, Davis said. They were the sixth man tonight, they kept us in it. Every time (Michigan State) made a run, they got loud and they disrupted the offense a little bit. Illinois (16-8, 8-3 Big Ten) benefited from veteran leadership on the night, as junior guard Demetri McCamey scored 22 and added a game-high 11 assists. Davis came off the bench to add 16 points. Im not trying to prove that Im one of the top players in the country or anything like that, I personally dont care, McCamey said. I just want Illinois to get to the tournament and do big things, and all the other things will come. Not to be left out of the action, freshman guard D.J. Richardson added 14 points on the night. I was just motivated, and Demetri talked to me a lot at the dorms and just told me we got to be ready to play tonight, Richardson said after the game. Michigan State (19-5, 9-2) was without the services of reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, Kalin Lucas. The junior guard suffered a sprained ankle in the Spartans loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday. Lucas is the Spartans offensive leader, averaging 15.6 points a game. Illinois head coach Bruce Weber wasnt expecting to see Lucas on Saturday night. But he told his team it didnt matter whether Lucas played or not, the Spartans would still come to play. They have a lot of weapons, Weber said. They played at a high level, I thought. But Spartans sophomore forward Draymond Green stepped in to lead the offense with 17 points while grabbing 16 rebounds. Junior guard Chris Allen joined the Michigan State offensive effort with 15 points. Green drew the highest praise from Spartans head coach Tom Izzo. Draymond Green might have had one of the greatest single performances, Izzo said. If I looked at it from what he accomplished and what he did rebounding the ball, scoring the ball, defending everybody on the court. I needed more guys to step up and do that. The Illini opened the game on a 14-4 run to the roar of the Illini Nation, but the Spartans pulled to within one at the half. It was a battle the rest of the way, as the score was tied eight times in the second half. Coming into the game, the Illini had an axe to grind with the Spartans after falling in East Lansing, Mich., on Jan. 16. The Orange and Blue came out Saturday with the intention of showing off the strides theyve made since the first matchup. Tonight we just wanted to fight for 40 minutes. And tonight they made their runs, we made ours, and they came back, they kept fighting and never gave up until the end, McCamey said. So I just want to give my guys credit, we played for 40 minutes, probably the first time we did this all season. It feels great. Champaign, IL Kate Munson Illini Krush No. 5 Spartans, 78-73 The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:39f90409e6bf42733041b973096d3d10 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f28390bec69b3116041e0b27da9d0248 2010-02-08T15:01:25-06:00 2010-02-04T11:35:42-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ESPN College Gameday Driven by State Farm will broadcast live from Assembly Hall this Saturday, Feb. 6. All Orange Krush members will be allowed admittance at 7:30 a.m., while all other fans will be able to enter at 8:00 a.m. Admission and Assembly Hall parking are free for all. State Farm will donate $1 to the Orange Krush Foundation for each person that attends the GameDay show Saturday before the matchup between the Fighting Illini and Michigan State. The show will begin at 10:00 a.m. and College Gameday crew members Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis, and Digger Phelps will break down the basketball action and Illinois-Michigan State matchup for the fans. ESPN will be giving one fan a chance to win $17,500, courtesy of State Farm, if they make a half-court shot. The fan will still be presented with a $1,000 check if the shot is missed. T-shirts, rollabannas and net hats will be distributed to fans by State Farm. Champaign, IL Stephanie Tussing ESPN College Gameday coming to Assembly Hall The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:ad08bf300c9716f116fdf7cfe4fb0d15 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:bb1853656a7f3f3dfa693d52d3a235dd 2010-02-08T15:00:25-06:00 2010-02-05T00:07:17-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. When ESPN College GameDay comes to the Assembly Hall on Saturday, security will be nothing out of the ordinary for the home of Illini basketball. Kevin Ullestad, director of Assembly Hall, said there will not be any significant changes in security procedures for the event. Obviously theres a lot of activity and a lot of excitement running into this event on Saturday morning, Ullestad said. Weve ramped it (security) up a little bit to be able to accommodate ESPN coming in. Ullestad added that Assembly Hall has focused on its on safety procedures since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. University Police Lt. Roy Acree said the department will be as involved with College GameDay as it would be with any other function expecting about 2,000 people or more. Were going to be there just to make sure everything runs smoothly, Acree said. We want everybody to have a good time, show the U of I spirit, but we dont want it to get to the point where we are interfering with them (ESPN) doing their job. The event will bring top college basketball personalities Digger Phelps, Rece Davis, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis to campus for the 10 a.m. show Saturday. Ullestad said Assembly Hall normally has tight security for games and will operate as usual with minor changes in responsibilities to accommodate the ESPN talent. Im not too worried about it, said Phil Kohlhagen, freshman in Business, about the security for the event. The only reason why it could be bad is if theres an MSU fan inside. Fans can begin to enter the arena at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday with free admission and parking. The ESPN College GameDay show will precede the Illini Mens basketball game that evening. The Fighting Illini, coming off a 57-49 win over Iowa, will take on No. 5 Michigan State. Champaign, IL Chad Thornburg Routine security expected for College GameDay The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:cf7065ddd8146156c055e0f61d01dcec Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4a508b67d1275460b4b97f018c403776 2010-02-08T14:56:18-06:00 2010-02-04T23:43:17-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Illinois has caught Michigan State in a rut. The No. 5 Spartans will enter the Assembly Hall on Saturday night fresh off their first Big Ten loss and perhaps without their star performer, Kalin Lucas. They were 9-0 in conference play before losing at No. 16 Wisconsin on Tuesday, where Lucas sprained his right ankle and remains questionable for Saturdays contest. Add ESPNs College GameDay and the Illinis current three-game winning streak to the mix, and head coach Bruce Webers squad has the momentum in its corner. Hopefully we can live up to what we expect of a tremendous crowd, Weber said. Junior forward Mike Davis said its about time things are looking up and down for Michigan State. Were happy that they lost because it puts us in a better position to maybe win the league now, Davis said. I think if we win this game, itll put us in good contention to win the league. But Davis said he hopes to have Lucas, who leads Michigan State with 15.6 points per game, out on the court to show the Illini can defeat the full Spartan cast. Meanwhile, Illinois sits on the other end of the seesaw. The Illinis leader, junior guard Demetri McCamey, has taken the reins as of late, scoring a combined 34 points in his last two games. His confidence is through the roof right now, Davis said of McCamey. He just goes out there and plays. He has no problem with shooting his shot ... Coaches embrace that. Freshman guard D.J. Richardson said everybodys confidence is finally rising together. I think we have a team full of players that are becoming leaders now, Richardson said. Ive seen (McCamey) take the team on his shoulders. Him and Bill Cole have been playing big roles for us. Despite an eight-point victory at Iowa on Wednesday, the team was a little streaky at times shooting. Sometimes we just dribble too much on the wing, Davis said. We cant let the shot clock go down like it did (Wednesday) ... Weve got to get good shots for the guards coming off screens. Richardson said the team must play like it did against Vanderbilt on Dec. 8, when it got off to a fast start to amp up the crowd and McCamey put up 23 points. The Michigan State matchup is the first of the final eight-game stretch for the Illini all of which are against teams in the top half of the Big Ten. I think we can go 6-2, Davis said. To be honest, thats my goal for the team, to go 6-2 in these last eight games. I think were very capable of doing it if we rebound and play like weve been playing. The offense is not a problem. Weve been scoring pretty well. Demetris been taking over the game, and Tisdale gets steady down low. Although Davis remains focused on Saturday nights matchup and is still trying to earn back his spot in the starting lineup before then, he does have a sliver of excitement for the GameDay events that precede it. Im probably going with the Krush, Davis said of Saturday mornings GameDay show. It will be a fun atmosphere just jumping around in there, going in there and having fun. Ive probably got to get there early if I want to get on the floor. Hopefully, I can get to the tunnel and sneak down there and meet Jay Bilas or someone like that. For Richardson, the mornings events wont be as much of a distraction. I really havent watched too much GameDay in a couple of years because when I went to prep school I didnt really watch that much TV, Richardson said. If the pendulum truly has shifted toward the Illini, ESPN announcer Hubert Davis will award them with an A on Saturday. I like Hubie, Davis said. Hes funny. Hes my guy. He always gives us good grades when he talks about us. Champaign, IL Stuart Lieberman Illini grab momentum heading into matchup with Spartans The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:88b3febc5798a734026c82c1012408f5 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:7ea2053149aa9ffdb8457f88227e4de9 2010-02-08T14:44:52-06:00 2010-02-04T23:34:02-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The wait is almost over. Season six of ESPN College GameDay is set to bring the big, red bus to Champaign for the first time on Saturday, when Illinois hosts No. 5 Michigan State. There are 347 Division-I basketball programs in the country, but Illinois was one of just eight chosen to host a live GameDay broadcast in 2009. With a live taping at the Assembly Hall in the morning and ESPNs broadcast of the primetime clash between the Fighting Illini and the Spartans, the national spotlight will be focused on Illinois basketball all day. But the Illini arent intimidated by the added media attention. Its really exciting. Theyre going to see us all day, so its going to be a big thing for the (team), junior guard Jeff Jordan said. And not just us, but the whole school in general. So were looking forward to it. The basketball version of GameDay began in 2005, but no Big Ten schools were included until the crew hit Ohio State in 2007. For head coach Bruce Weber, the buss delayed arrival to the Assembly Hall means the pressure is on for his squad. We waited a little longer than we had hoped. When it first started, the whole Big Ten thought somebody should get it. There was a few years where I dont think the Big Ten was involved, Weber said. Now, its become such a major thing that its become important to the league and the team that were included, and I hope that we can live up to all of the expectations of it. While the arrival of GameDay is providing excitement for the 2009-10 season, it just may bring excitement for the future as well. As a player who recently went through the recruiting process himself, freshman forward Tyler Griffey said the added attention for Illinois could be a positive in that department, too. I think it makes a huge impact. Its national spotlight, national TV, Jay Bilas and all those guys broadcasting live from Assembly Hall it puts us in the spotlight a little bit, Griffey said. Its a big deal and were certainly looking forward to it. I think in terms of high school kids looking at it, it puts us in their eye a little bit more, Griffey added. But GameDay is about more than just national attention for the Illinois basketball. For every fan at Saturday mornings live taping, State Farm will donate one dollar to the Orange Krush Foundation to be given to charity through next seasons grant application process. Krush is really excited. Ive gotten hundreds of e-mails about it, even from people who arent in Krush, excited people just wanting to come, Orange Krush vice president Matt Jones said. I think its a great thing for our campus and like the community, too. While Krush is a major part of Saturdays festivities and members will have perks such as being allowed into the live taping 30 minutes earlier than the general public, the event is for more than just the official student section. I think its a great opportunity for us to show our program off, to show how good were doing, and also to show off what kind of school pride we have, Jones said. Its a great way for Illini Nation to really stand out Saturday night. Regardless of if youre a basketball fan, you should show up to support your University, Jones added. Senior writer Stuart Lieberman contributed to this report. Champaign, IL Kate Munson Excitement surrounding ESPN GameDay in Champaign The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:dcf93600bbba2cf6f214349c39588527 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:551134f0314bbd02db0b39d640d411de 2010-02-08T14:37:04-06:00 2010-02-06T09:53:43-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Illini fans began lining up for the live taping as early as 6 a.m. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," Orange Krush member Thomas Bruch said. "We're really excited for the season, and we still think we can make the NCAA Tournament. It's just fun being out here." The crowd didn't come close to resembling the 8,149 fans that showed up for the taping at Kansas State last weekend, but Illini nation didn't seem to mind. "I expected a little more, but everyone's still having fun and going crazy," Orange Krush member John Sanberson said. The GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps made themselves at home at the Assembly Hall, and Bruch was happy to see Bilas for the second time around. "I saw him at a game a couple of years ago," Bruch said. "I waved and he waved back." Fans aren't normally allowed to bring signs into the stadium for games, but the morning's event was an exception. Students had signs saying everything from, "Kalin is a girl's name" to "Are you hungry for some Billy Cole slaw?" With the game against Michigan State set to begin at 8 p.m., Sanberson thinks the energy will only increase as the day goes on. "You don't get tired for this," he said. Picks, picks, picks Bilas and Davis chose to go with No. 5 Michigan State for tonight's contest, while Phelps voted for Illinois. Phelps was definitely the fan favorite, and all of the analysts learned the dances of the Illini faithful. Bilas joked that he doesn't put much weight on Phelps' pick, though, as he typically goes with the hometown team. Leading the fight Bilas also added that as junior guard Demetri McCamey goes, so goes the team. If the Illini want to pull out a win tonight, Bilas believes McCamey must put the team on his shoulders once again, as he did against Iowa and Indiana in the past two games. A gentleman's bet Head coach Bruce Weber challenged Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo to a free-throw contest to raise money for Coaches vs. Cancer. Although Weber appeared a little embarrassed to lose to Izzo, both agreed to donate $50,000. Afterward, Weber said he would rather win the game tonight. Champaign, IL Stuart Lieberman College GameDay News & Notes The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:cf9f1b4fdb103204a99b0e9f26ba4bab Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4e30d7539469355234be2ebccecf1b3c 2010-02-08T13:36:09-06:00 2010-02-07T21:35:57-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. At the 2010 annual faculty retreat, University staff discussed the importance of bringing creativity and collaboration into the classroom to prepare the next generation of thinkers. Our ability to contribute to society and the problems it faces are dependent on excellence but also sustainable creativity, said Interim Provost and Chancellor Robert Easter. The event took place Friday at the Illini Union, where about 230 faculty members from departments across campus gathered for the retreat, said Cheelan Bo-Linn, event coordinator and head of instructional development at the Center for Teaching Excellence. This is a wonderful example of the commitment on campus to teaching excellence, Bo-Linn said in her introductory remarks at the event. The retreat was co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Continuing Education and featured introductions by Easter, Bo-Linn and Professor Keith Sawyer from Washington University in St. Louis as the keynote speaker. We are all here because the world is changing, Sawyer said. We need students and graduates to come out of school being creative. They need to be able to solve global, pressing problems. Creativity is more important than ever before in history. Sawyer also stressed the need for collaboration in higher-level education. The problems students are dealing with are too much to handle on their own, he said. Solving these problems is going to be difficult. Gloriana Gonzalez, professor in Education, said she agreed with Sawyers emphasis on ingenuity, but said she felt the University is already putting some of his ideas in place. We are working on new ways to support our students and face challenges of the new world, she said. His suggestions are supporting current actions to support problem-based learning. Assistant Provost Fellow Peter Mortensen focused on the Undergraduate Research Symposium as one example of how faculty can work with students to integrate innovative learning. Any undergraduate on campus can propose or present a poster on different topics of their choosing, Mortensen said. Physics professor Tim Stelzer, who was honored as the Distinguished Teacher-Scholar of the year for his role in inventing the i-clicker, said he appreciated the emphasis on collaboration as well as originality in teaching. Its fun talking to a variety of people in different departments about education, Stelzer said. Bo-Linn said she hoped to use the momentum generated by the retreat to explore new teaching and learning methods in the future. The University is planning post-retreat activities such as faculty speakers and workshops, Bo-Linn said. The goal is to sustain the momentum of the event beyond one day, she added. Champaign, IL Alison Anderson Faculty retreat stresses creativity, collaboration The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:b28056072ee588a30755fd0cbdc821c0 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:1469c1829ff9a223c7ea7aadf50e812e 2010-02-08T13:35:12-06:00 2010-02-08T13:33:18-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. According to a press release from Hendrick House, the funds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders and the International Red Cross. The owners of Hendrick House have also pledged to match the funds raised by students. Residents are encouraged to donate at least $5 to support the cause throughout the month. Events included: Smash for Haiti will be held Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. This event is open to the public and students are invited to come play Super Smash Brothers. More information for this event can be found at www.smashforhaiti.org Kisses for Haiti is being held from Feb. 1 to Feb. 14. Students can send their friends CandyGrams that will be delivered on Valentines Day. The total purchase price will go to the Haitian fund. Alternative Game Night will be held on Feb. 20. For a fee, students will get to enjoy a night of board games, card games, TVs with game systems and a movie. Refreshments for this event will include popcorn and pizza donated by Dominos. Hendrick House residents will get the opportunity to throw a pie in the face of one of the Resident Advisors. Each RA will have a collection can and students can contribute to it throughout the month. The RA with the most money on March 1 will get a pie in the face. According to the press release, other events are still being discussed. Champaign, IL Svjetlana Stojanovic Hendrick House to raise money for Haiti The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:c715b6e2c4d7f98d50275cf056232b73 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:c640555defe926e13e0e02a66846230a 2010-02-08T09:27:03-06:00 2010-02-07T23:20:37-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Regardless of the sport, every athletes dream is to go out on top, to end their career with a peak performance. At this weekends Minnesota Challenge, Illini senior swimmer Courtney Spivak couldnt have ended her career any better, setting lifetime bests in the 200 fly (2:14.38) and 200 free (2:00.30). It was kind of nerve-racking going in knowing it was my last meet, Spivak said. But because it was my last time, it helped me relax and stay calm. There was no pressure, so I could just have fun. It was extremely rewarding. Spivak wasnt the only Illini to have a big day. Senior Morgan Gilman was the top Illini in three different events the 100 fly, 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. Not to be outdone, the divers also performed well. Sophomore Britni Fisher won the three-meter dive with a score of 297.60, moving her up to third on the all-time list, and freshman diver Tessa Adams finished in second place in the one-meter dive, scoring 249.20. (Diving coach Chris Waters) was happy with how they performed, head coach Sue Novitsky said. They kept their composure. Its good to get as much experience as possible heading into the Big Ten Championships. Going into the meet, Novitsky wasnt sure of which or how many teams were going to be there, and even after the meet, she still was unsure about which schools were there. We were still trying to figure that out, Novitsky said. There were about 15, all varying sizes. Minnesota and some smaller Minnesota schools Wisconsin schools too. There were a lot of people. Last weekend, the Illini faced Minnesota, losing 235-95. Coming back to compete against the Gophers again this weekend required the team to pull together. As a team we did really well and just came together everybody was cheering each other on, senior diver Nikki Spillone said. Along with banding together, the Illini also had to work on maintaining their focus throughout the meet. For this weekends meet, the team only took five swimmers and five divers, which in turn limited the number of distractions for the athletes. We had to keep our focus, which has been one of our problems, and knowing that going in really helped our girls, Spivak said. This was the second week in a row the Illini have traveled out of state for a meet. And while this may possibly have an effect on the younger athletes, the older swimmers feel they are much more adept at handling the travel. It doesnt really affect us, Spivak said. Weve done long bus trips before. Weve gotten used to it because of all those years with no home pool. Novitsky also believes that the travel shouldnt affect the team. Sitting on a bus is tiring, but (the athletes) make sure they do get ample recovery time and just be smart about their schedule, Novitsky said. After having meets nearly every weekend for more than a month, the Illini now have a two-week break before the start of Big Ten and NCAA championship meets. We set up the spring semester so we have a lot of races and meets, having some time to recover physically and mentally and amp up before the Big Tens, Novitsky said. Champaign, IL Ross White Swimmers end on high note heading into Big Ten Championships The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:1d4fec573363bb608caa3008337ea5cb Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f5365982fe5381c5c11fe945a6a9ef72 2010-02-07T23:20:28-06:00 2010-02-07T23:20:28-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. An eighth straight win by junior Abe Souza was not enough for the No. 12 Illinois mens tennis team (3-2) to top host No. 5 Tennessee (7-0) on Sunday in Knoxville, Tenn., as the Illini fell 6-1. The match was the second of the weekend; the Illini beat No. 21 Duke (2-2) by a 5-2 score on Friday. Tennessee dominated the day from start to finish. The Volunteers gained a quick lead after sweeping the doubles point and continued with No. 22 Rhyne Williams 6-0, 6-2 victory over junior Johnny Hamui. Tennys Sandgren continued the trend, defeating senior Marek Czerwinski, 6-3, 6-4. No. 43 sophomore Dennis Nevolo battled No. 68 Boris Conkic but lost 6-3, 7-6, sealing a victory for the Volunteers. The Illini picked up their lone point when Souza defeated Matteo Fago, 7-5, 6-4 to earn his eighth straight singles victory. Junior Connor Roth then fell to Edward Jones, 6-4, 6-2, while freshman Stephen Hoh lost to Davey Sandgren. On Friday the Illini got off to a quick start when they grabbed the doubles point once Souza and Roth defeated Alain Michel and Jared Pinsky in No. 3 doubles. Duke quickly grabbed a point in No. 2 singles when Dukes Reid Carleton defeated Hamui, but the Illini stormed right back, grabbing victories with Czerwinski and Souza. Nevolo fell in No. 1 singles 6-4, 7-6 (2) to No. 17 Henrique Cunha to pull Duke within one. The Illini were able to hold off the Blue Devils after Roth won 7-5, 7-5 over Luke Marchese and Hoh defeated No. 77 Torsten Wietoska, 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5. Dennis battled back in the second set and I think that gave us a boost in confidence and when Stephen won the second set, I think that took some pressure off of Connor and allowed him more freedom in his match, head coach Brad Dancer said in a press release. Overall, we played hard and purposeful, but we can always get better. We just need to keep believing in ourselves and in what were trying to do. The Illini will be back in action at the ITA National Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va., beginning Friday. Champaign, IL Greg Zeck, Contributing Writer Mens tennis earns weekend split The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4a439262a0870cea4d0eed366a70668a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:3f1aaf73efc7e4a93af1dba0634dcbdb 2010-02-07T23:15:51-06:00 2010-02-07T23:06:32-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Playing against Lindenwood, a team that doesnt have many weaknesses, the Illinois hockey team needed to capitalize on rare mistakes and slip-ups to hang with the top-ranked team in the country. On Saturday, the Illini did just that. After sputtering Friday with a 5-1 loss, Illinois rebounded Saturday with a 4-3 shootout win to cap off the toughest stretch of its season. With the win, the Illini (23-7-1, 12-7-1 CSCHL) snapped an eight-game losing streak against the Lions and got a step closer to locking up the third seed in the upcoming CSCHL Tournament. Coach (Chad Cassel) said on the bus before the game that we had lost eight straight to Lindenwood, and you never like to hear that, especially against your biggest rival, especially after they beat us in nationals last year, goaltender DJ Kohler said. You just got to feed off that and come out with a lot of energy. Its always fun beating Lindenwood. It was anything but fun for the Illini on Friday. In a lackluster performance, the Illini were essentially out of it from the drop of the puck. Lindenwoods Steve Balint got the scoring started five minutes into the game. He began with a quick shot off a face-off win before Jake Coyle doubled the lead six minutes later with an easy shot in front of the crease off a terrific save by Illini goaltender Mike Burda. Illinois forward Tom Connell breathed a little life into Illinois with a goal 30 seconds into the second period, but it was short-lived, as the Lions Adam Krefski answered back with a blast six minutes later. The Lions added two more in the third, including an empty-netter with six seconds to go, to put the dominating victory to bed. It was disappointing because it was such a big game, Cassel said. To not play with energy and take bad penalties, it was disappointing. But the mistakes and mental lapses that plagued the Illini on Friday became the sources of success for the squad on Saturday. Winning in shootout fashion for the third series in a row, the Illinois kept the pressure on Lindenwood all game Saturday, roping the Lions into bad penalties and costly mistakes. We played hard out there, it was a complete team effort, Illinois forward Andrew Cardona said. I dont think one guy took a shift off. We got to keep doing that. After Krefski got the scoring started five minutes into the game, Cardona scored the first of his two goals seven minutes later off of Joe Sullivans pass. Carson Hamill put the Lions up again early in the second period, but Cardona leveled the score once again with a similar goal in front of the net, this time off of Daniel Cohens feed. I was trying to play a lot smarter, trying to get the puck deep and get shots on net and then crash the net, Cardona said. It was a matter of execution and we did a good job. Sullivans goal late in the second period to put the Illini up looked to be the game-winner until Lindenwoods Grant Gorczyca buried Tim Gardners pass with less than five minutes in the final period to send the game into overtime. Despite controlling much of the extra period, Lindenwood couldnt finish the game off, as Kohler came up with critical saves. As the game moved into a shootout, the Illini responded right on cue Connell buried the game-winner and Kohler denied the opponent yet again. Its tough to give up a goal so late in the game, but we had to move on and get the next one, Cassel said. It was a big win for us. It proved to ourselves that not only we can play with them but beat them. We needed to work harder for 60 minutes, and I think we did a good job of that. Champaign, IL Alex Paull Illinois hockey breaks Lindenwood skid with weekend split on the road The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:5e596f779ebf739e74049aa76fd0a52e Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:c85ff30ddfd6f017c1e1d85a9f035e29 2010-02-07T23:12:23-06:00 2010-02-07T23:12:23-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Champaign A 20-year-old man was arrested at Firehaus Bar, 708 S. Sixth St., on Friday morning. According to the police report, the offender was arrested for disorderly conduct and refusing to leave the bar. A 37-year-old man was arrested at the intersection of Champaign and North streets on Thursday morning. According to the police report, the offender was arrested on charges of aggravated battery. A 45-year-old man was arrested at the 2100 block of Mattis Avenue on Friday night. According to the police report, the offender was arrested for obstructing justice after providing a false name when questioned about an investigation. Theft was reported at the 1700 block of State Street on Thursday afternoon. According to the police report, an unknown offender stole cable equipment from the property. A 31-year-old man was arrested at the 2400 block of West Bradley Avenue on Friday afternoon. According to the police report, the offender was arrested for aggravated assault. Theft was reported at Market Place Mall, 2000 N. Neil St., on Friday afternoon. According to the police report, an unknown offender stole a drivers license and credit cards out of the victims unattended wallet. Urbana Harassment was reported at the 1200 block of West Nevada Street on Thursday morning. According to the police report, the victim received several threatening phone messages from an unknown offender. A 43-year-old woman was arrested at Wal-Mart, 100 S. High Cross Rd., on Thursday afternoon. According to the police report, the offender filled a cart with over 100 items and attempted to leave without paying for them. A 47-year-old man was arrested at the 1300 block of Cunningham Avenue on Thursday afternoon. According to the police report, the offender, a registered nurse, was writing prescriptions for his drug addiction. Fraud was reported at the 800 block of Oakland Avenue on Thursday evening. According to the police report, an unknown offender used the victims debit card number to make unauthorized purchases. Compiled by Payal Shukla Champaign, IL Payal Shukla Police Blotter 02-08-2010 The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:11ff488078a13bfb755f74fbd6070ae3 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:adaf296495595debf8d212cc79cf81af 2010-02-07T23:08:22-06:00 2010-02-07T23:08:22-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The idea of team chemistry in track and field can be absent, even in a team-scored meet. But when the Illinois mens track and field team competed in the individually scored Meyo Invitational, where the team recorded 15 personal bests last weekend, it took everyone working as a team to accumulate the performances the Orange and Blue had. Our team chemistry is a lot better than in the past, interim head coach Mike Turk said. It is critical for us because we are such a young team and it is often overlooked in our sport. A lot of our younger guys are going through a discovery phase, and its up to our older guys to set the tone for everyone. Sophomore Andrew Riley continued his trek toward qualifying for nationals in the 60-meter dash when he ran a personal best for the fourth straight week with a time of 6.74 seconds. Freshman Bai Kabba added another individual title to his resume, winning the 300-meter dash title with a time of 34.41 seconds. I actually wasnt as tired as I thought Id be, Kabba said. Running on a 300-meter track, there werent as many turns. As a result, I was able to run a faster time. In what he called the first notable event Ive competed in college so far, redshirt sophomore Dan Kremske gained a sizeable personal best in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:15.89, as he finished in 13th place. I had some jitters going into the race, but I think that helped my performances, Kremske said. I had never been in a heat where it was the featured heat. I think it helped me to focus more on what I needed to do and then doing what I know I need to do, like focusing on warm-ups and getting myself prepared to run in a big-time race like that. In the field events, sophomore pole-vaulter Alex Baldwin had a personal-best 4.90-meter mark, while junior Oz Lifshitz was fourth in the triple jump with a 14.96-meter leap. Freshman Ryan Michel was ninth in the high jump with a distance of 2.06 meters. Next up for the Illini is a split-squad event. The majority of the team will compete at the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa, while the top performers on the team will head to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Invitational. The final roster for who will be attending the meet in Arkansas is yet to be determined. Riley, senior Greg Shroka, Lifshitz and junior Matt McHugh will most likely compete. This is the most cohesive unit Ive ever seen, Turk said. Theres a lot of young talent that has a long way to go, but I think a lot of it is because of our older guys. We can be much better than the sum of our parts. Champaign, IL Jeff Kirshman Team chemistry leads mens track to 15 personal bests The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:078489fcf94fc4892f40546d23a09317 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:ce7c9c755f18be86530ab7301327c866 2010-02-07T22:54:05-06:00 2010-02-05T15:41:36-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 230 faculty members from different departments across campus gathered together in the Illini Union to learn how to apply these ideas to higher education, said Cheelan Bo-Linn, event coordinator and head of Instructional Development at the Center for Teaching Excellence on campus. The event was sponsored by the Provosts Office, the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Continuing Education. The level of support and participation shows that this campus is committed to teaching and learning, Bo-Linn said. Keith Sawyer, professor at Washington University in St. Louis, served as the keynote speaker. We are all here because the world is changing, Sawyer said. We need students and graduates to come out of school being creative. They need to be able to solve global, pressing problems. Creativity is more important than ever before in history. Champaign, IL Alison Anderson Faculty collaborate, think creatively at retreat The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4aa01bbc62f8ed53379dc362ea14e558 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:cde2f7a8e3d6899e21e232f30b04ed48 2010-02-07T22:52:44-06:00 2010-02-05T00:13:04-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. While the University may hold its own in enrollment figures against other Big Ten universities, the student governments budget is a different story. Illinois Student Senate operates on one of the lowest budgets in the Big Ten, with $39,000 allocated per year. Despite receiving the least amount of funding, it is ISS internal structure that allows it to function. I think that we are unique within our circumstances. A lot of other schools have more responsibilities, said Carey Ash, vice president-internal of ISS. The student senate gets to focus on what it should be doing and thats advancing the quality of life of every student here at the University of Illinois. ISS allocates the majority of its money to committees, town hall meetings, paying its videographer who captures each meeting, its election, lobbying for funds at U of I Day in Springfield and conferences, said Jeffrey Schroeder, ISS treasurer. ISS does not need to allocate funds to programming, such as concerts, like other student governments do, because the Illini Union Board is responsible for those events, said Kara Beach, ISS press secretary and former Illini Media Company employee. Brad Tran, president of ISS, said that the student senate budget is strictly for internal use. A lot of the other student governments have dual roles and additional roles that we dont have in terms of funding, Tran said. An example of a school with more financial responsibility is the University of Michigan. The Michigan Student Assembly, or MSA, is allocated $501,390 per year, all of which comes from student fees. Students pay $7.19 per semester to fund the assembly. Vishal Bajaj, MSAs treasurer, said a good amount of the money goes toward the univeristys Budget Priorities Committee and the Community Service Committee. The assembly also sponsors the revenue-generating Air Bus, which takes students to and from airports during breaks in schools academic calendar. Bajaj said the rest of the money, about $100,000, goes toward their 25 different committees and commissions. Tran said for universities like Michigan, they already have an obligation to distribute its money to certain areas while ISS can choose to spend their cash wherever they deem necessary. Many of the schools with extremely large budgets, a lot of their funds are already allocated, Tran said. Penn State Universitys student government, known as the University Park Undergraduate Association, or UPUA, is given $140,000 per year to operate. Mark Cannon, chairman of the assembly for UPUA, said this money goes toward a variety of different projects. He said it used funds to increase bus loop service around school at night, provide students with supplies for finals and host a large concert for the student body each spring. Indiana Universitys student government and the Indiana Union Board operate similarly to ISS and IUB. However, Indianas student government still has a larger budget than ISS, although the discrepancy is not nearly as with large other schools. Neil Kelty, member of the Indiana University Student Association, said that Indianas student government typically runs on funds between $80,000 and $100,000. Despite working with a smaller budget than other schools, ISS is able to accomplish their goals by practicing responsible financial discrimination, Schroeder said. The senate started this school year with a budget of $64,000 because they were able to save approximately $25,000 the previous year. Every year, or at least the last few years that Ive been involved, we never spent our full budget, Schroeder said. Just because we have money, we dont spend it. Champaign, IL Chad Thornburg ISS ranks at bottom of Big Ten budgets The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:3248c40ff051c44bdb10a7f61ef737de Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:85d3148a5ba4dfa01a6305e1cf57280a 2010-02-07T22:51:32-06:00 2010-02-05T14:58:37-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Icing on the road is believed to have been a factor in at least two of the crashes. An MTD bus was rear-ended by a car around 3:00p.m. on Friday at the intersection of 4th and Gregory in Champaign. The car, according to MTD Operating Supervisor Mark Cunningham, slipped through the stop sign and proceeded to run into the back rear of the bus. "The damages were minor, and there were no injuries," said Cunningham. The bus was heading southbound, and was halfway through the intersection when the car, traveling westbound, slipped through the stop sign and hit the bus. There was minor property damage. A black BMW going northbound on Third st. struck a silver Toyota going westbound on Green st. at approximately 1:52 p.m. A ticket was issued to the BMW driver by the Champaign police. The driver refused to comment. The collision occurred very close to a Roland Realty office building located at the intersection. No one was injured in the accident, according to a Champaign police officer at the scene. Another accident resulted in the death of a 16-year-old Pesotum resident when she struck the guardrail for the bridge over the Hacket Branch waterway. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by the Champaign County Coroners Office. A third accident occurred on Cardinal Road and was a single vehicle crash involving a 41-year-old Champaign resident and an 18-year-old occupant. The driver was transported to Carle Hospital with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries. Marty Malone contributed to this report. Champaign, IL Melissa Elegant Blizzard causes several collisions in Champaign County The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:e24a52691f9bd7fbd96595a0be3914fd Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:61d248f222685587df6abfa8d4ead1af 2010-02-07T22:14:05-06:00 2010-02-07T22:14:05-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Freshman Rachael White introduced herself to Illinois womens tennis fans as a blonde in Fridays home opener. Just two days later, she sported a new look that confused some spectators. She was thinking about it and was like, I think I want to go brown, senior Kristina Minor said. (Sunday) morning she shows up with really brown hair. I dont think shes a really big fan, but we like it. We think it looks good, but she might be blonde by tomorrow. White was 0-5 at No. 1 singles prior to her new look, and though she said that her decision for the change had nothing to do with a desire to change her game, she did record her first singles wins on Sunday. White, who is ranked No. 33 nationally, cruised through both her single matches in Sundays doubleheader against Marquette and Western Illinois, as the No. 32 Illini won 6-1 and 7-0, respectively, to improve to 3-4 on the season. Though Sundays win was a no-contest against the two unranked opponents, it may have been the necessary turning point that Illinois has been hoping for after dropping its third 4-3 match against a higher ranked team on Friday against No. 21 Florida State. I told the girls that they should walk out of the locker rooms with their heads held high, head coach Michelle Dasso said after Fridays home opener. Unfortunately, it hasnt fallen our way quite yet. But Ill tell you what, were going to get over that little hump at some point. Against the Seminoles, the tandem of junior Marisa Lambropoulos and sophomore Chelcie Abajian cruised at the No. 2 doubles spot with an 8-3 victory over Federica Suess and Katie Rybakova. White and junior Leigh Finnegan rallied back from a 5-2 deficit on court one, while the duo of senior Megan Fudge and freshman Breanne Smutko also battled after being down 6-3 at the No. 3 doubles spot. But the Seminoles edged the Illini 9-7 on both courts to take the doubles point. The deciding match dwindled down to White at the No. 1 singles spot, but White couldnt rally back in the third set, as she lost to No. 23 Lauren McCreless, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Were playing the top teams in the country, and thats only going to prepare us more for our conference schedule, Dasso said after the loss. So yeah, I shouldnt say it sucks, but its disappointing to lose. It is. And it hurts. But theres so many positive things about this team. Illinois returned to the Atkins Tennis Center in an early Sunday morning match, in which the Illini took five singles matches in straight sets, to top Marquette. Illinois then sent Western Illinois quickly packing in the second match of the day, sweeping the doubles point. The Leathernecks never scored more than three points on any of the singles courts, as the Illini cruised in straight sets again. Obviously I was a little upset after (Friday), but (Sunday) was a new day, and I just came out swinging and played my game, so I felt pretty good, White said. I just tried to play my game the whole time. (Friday) I won the first set, but I let up a little bit in the second set, so I really tried not to do that (Sunday). After Fridays heartbreak loss, Dasso wanted her team to execute two goals on Sunday. One: be more active at the net and take some more chances, and No. 2 is to go out there and play with complete total confidence, Dasso said. Those (were) the two focuses of the day. Champaign, IL Rosalind Dumlao Despite major loss to Florida State, freshman aids womens tennis in back-to-back wins The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:eadb6cf675b06c7caefa299b485c6a6a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:88ae4b7f5ff78f3f5bf44fcea6097c14 2010-02-07T22:09:10-06:00 2010-02-07T22:09:10-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Perseverance was on display for senior Elizabeth Boyle during Saturdays Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Ind. During the 3000-meter race, Boyle ran into some trouble as she was knocked to the ground by another competitor. Head coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said the senior could have run even better had she not fallen. The amazing part about the 3,000-meter was that Elizabeth (Boyle) still ran a personal best even after getting knocked to the ground, Buford-Bailey said. By the end of the race, Elizabeth was able to finish before the girl that knocked her down, too. I guess that served as a little bit of revenge for her. The Illini had strong performances from a number of athletes, including Angela Bizzarri, who competed for the first time since she won the national championship in cross country last fall. Bizzarri provisionally qualified for nationals in the 3,000-meter race with a time of 9:16.75. The senior just missed automatically qualifying for nationals by 0.75 seconds, but Buford-Bailey said she expects Bizzarri to return to form in the upcoming meets. Angela showed a little bit of rust at the end of the race, but she hasnt competed since cross country so that is to be expected, Buford-Bailey said. She was a little mad about just missing the automatic bid, but she will be fine. Along with Bizzarri, sophomore Kristin Sutherland also provisionally qualified for nationals in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 16:43.68 in her first race of the season. The time was good enough to take third in the event. In addition to the success of the distance team, Tamika Robinson and Melissa Bates had big days to help the Illinis chances. Robinson ran the fastest time in the preliminary heat in the 60-meter hurdles before she ran the same time in the finals to finish third overall. Bates was the highest individual finisher in the running events for the Orange and Blue. She finished second in the 300 meters with a personal best of 39.09. Also, Bates was the anchor of the 4x400 relay team that edged Mississippi to win. The time was good enough for the team to provisionally qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. Marissa Golliday, Ashley Kelly, Ryisha Boyd and Bates made up the team that will hope to improve on its time before next weeks Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. Kelly said the group did a good job of calming each other down before the race. This was our first race against good competition, so we came out there with some nerves, Kelly said. During the race, we were all cheering each other on, so it helped with the nerves. Today was a good race because we really got to test ourselves. The 4x400 teams win was the highlight of the day for the Illini, but coach Buford-Bailey is still looking for the perfect combination in the 4x400. We are still trying to toy around with the 4x400 team because we are looking for our first leg to get stronger, Buford-Bailey said. None of the girls that we are considering have really stood out from the rest of the pack, yet. If we are going to be qualifying nationally, we will have to have four strong pieces. Champaign, IL Michael Norman Boyle, 4x400 relay highlight womens track performance at Meyo Invitational The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:e7b52ca13b8bbcfa6e67bcf09d617398 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f9d61c175f82efd27a5d8f19abb7caaa 2010-02-07T22:08:01-06:00 2010-02-07T22:08:01-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The No. 23 Illinois womens gymnastics team has made a habit this season to continually improve on its score from the previous week. Now the Illini are making it a habit to change the record books every time they compete. Saturday night against no. 17 Penn State, junior Allison Buckley set the Illinois all-time record in the all-around with a 39.525 and captured the vault title, placing her into sole possession of fifth place on the schools career event titles list. Despite the record setting day, the Nittany Lions managed to escape with a 196.425-196.275 win over the Illini. I went four for four, no falls, and just improved my bars a bit, Buckley said. (The coaches and I) talked in practice about some of the small changes I could make, and I was able to do that. It was nice to see those small changes. I had a great performance I am really happy about. Following a day which the Illini posted several season-high scores, the team isnt down about its performance, despite the loss. Junior Melissa Fernandez set a personal career high in the all-around for the second straight week with a 39.250. Senior Sarah Schmidt also had a career day, posting a personal-best 39.400 in the all-around, good for fifth-best in Illinois history, while also garnering the floor crown. We had probably three to four great performances on every event, head coach Bob Starkell said. In the sport of gymnastics, details are key. We probably lost on a step on the landing. Other than that, we held our own, beat them in two events and were very close in the other two. The Illini posted season-high scores as a team on the floor with a score of 49.175 and the bars with a 49.175. The season-high floor score was good enough to take the event as a team. The squad also won the battle on the vault. Schmidt used her performance from last week as base to build off, something the team has successfully done all season long. For the sixth straight week, the team bested the previous weeks score. After last week, I figured what I was able to do, Schmidt said. I did better with my confidence and hit better. I went into practice this week not thinking about whether or not I could hit, but rather how I could improve. Plus all of my teammates were great on the events before me, so no pressure on me. In the end, Starkell and the team left College Park, Pa., with something more valuable than a win. Tough competition and away from home, Starkell said. This was, in fact, a postseason environment, so I think we really took advantage of the situation, going against a top-ranked team on the road. Its the kind of meet that should help us later on. Champaign, IL Mohammad Khaleelullah Buckleys record-setting performance not enough for Illini win The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:b13cef7da7957bff98239a2521d24a34 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4970b617b9105d01490dcb3422d9df4d 2010-02-07T22:05:46-06:00 2010-02-07T22:05:46-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. It was a tale of two duals over the weekend for No. 21 Illinois wrestling. After a disappointing loss to No. 5 Minnesota on Friday night in a meet that was over early, Illinois (8-6, 3-3 Big Ten) responded Sunday with an exciting 19-18 win over No. 13 Wisconsin in a match that went down to the wire. Nearly 1,300 fans showed up for Friday nights showdown against the Gophers, but many left disappointed as the Illini were manhandled from the start, losing 27-13. Illinois was spotted a quick 6-0 lead courtesy of a forfeit at 125 pounds but would never again lead as Minnesota came back with six straight victories, including a pin and three major decisions, to put the match away. The first five (matches) were really slow and pretty flat, head coach Jim Heffernan said. We needed something. We needed a spark in the first five to get us going and make something happen. Other than the forfeit, the only Illini victories of the night were picked up by a pair of seniors. No. 2 John Dergo continued to dominate, earning an 18-6 major decision over Kaleb Young at 184 pounds. That was followed up by No. 14 Patrick Bond upsetting No. 10 Sonny Yohn, 9-4, at 197 pounds. The crowd was much lighter on Sunday, with a crowd of just more than 500 on hand to witness the Illini take on the Badgers. However, a technical fall by Clint Arlis at 157 pounds put the Illini up 5-0 early and pumped up the crowd. Whenever you have an electric crowd, whenever you have a crowd thats into it, it always helps. sophomore Eric Terrazas said. When the crowd gets into it, it really carries you through that match. The fans stayed rowdy throughout as Wisconsin and Illinois went back and forth throughout the afternoon. The Badgers picked up four points with a victory by No. 1 Andrew Howe at 165 pounds, but the Illini responded with victories by No. 14 Jordan Blanton and Dergo to push the lead to 12-4. Wisconsin came right back with two straight victories to pull within two at 12-10 heading into the 125-pound match, where junior John Deneen gutted out a tough 4-2 victory to once again give Illinois a five-point advantage. (Deneens effort) was awesome. Its been a tough year, but hes found a way to win, and thats important, Heffernan said. The lead was short-lived however, as No. 7 Tyler Graff dominated Daryl Thomas at 133 pounds for a technical fall and tied the team score at 15 apiece, meaning the dual would come down to the final two matches of the day. At 141 pounds, No. 14 Ryan Prater started off the match aggressively, putting opponent Cole Schmitt on his heels. Prater fought hard in the second with three takedowns and nearly earned a pin before the buzzer sounded. The junior then finished strong in the third period to earn a 15-1 major decision and an important bonus point for the team. I just had to get some point for my team, Prater said. I havent really been doing too much for my team lately, but ... when I went out there, for the first time I just felt like everything was just clicking. On my feet, I had a lot of energy, so I just felt really good out there. With a four-point lead, the Illini needed to hold off No. 5 Kyle Ruschell from scoring bonus points. Terrazas proved to be up to the task, as he lost a hard-fought 9-5 match but gave the Illini a 19-18 win. The upset was the first time the Illini had beaten a ranked opponent this season in six tries. Heffernan was also much more impressed with the way his team performed Sunday. I thought the effort was much better across the board, even in the matches we lost, Heffernan said. Other than maybe two, I thought our guys competed very hard. I was much more pleased with our effort, and we looked excited to be out there. It wasnt a punishment to have to compete tonight. Champaign, IL Joe Souligne Wrestling squeaks by Wisconsin after falling big to Minnesota The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f621b7296bbf623d87327b52f12307a9 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:76e6fe23f3951344ee636a08e1f03a13 2010-02-07T19:09:20-06:00 2010-02-07T19:09:20-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Illini hockey team has had this weekend circled on its calendar since the beginning of the season. When Illinois and nemesis Lindenwood face off, skates get laced tighter, sticks get more tape and a fiery tension can be felt radiating off the cool ice. Although the Illini (22-6-1, 11-6-1 CSCHL) have been mathematically eliminated from the regular-season CSCHL title, this weekends series at division rival Lindenwood (32-3-1) still carries a lot of weight for the squad. I think this is a good test for us, obviously with Lindenwood being the No. 1 team sophomore forward Andrew Cardona said. Theyre going to be in contention right until the end. I think this is a good test to see what we need to get accomplished before the league and national tournaments come up. In the first matchup of the season between the two teams, Illinois was swept on its own ice. The series left some of the Illini players with a bad taste in their mouths, adding more blood to an already vicious rivalry. For the last two years, there has been terrible blood between the two teams, senior Brad Hoelzer said. With them sweeping us at home in front of our own fans, its something we havent forgot about. While the Illinois players are fired up to go into Lindenwood and try to bite back for their earlier matchup, head coach Chad Cassel knows that two wins this weekend might mean an easier road in the playoffs. It means a lot for us because we still have seedings for both our league tournament and the national tournament, Cassel said. You want to go in with the best seeding possible. I think this year more than ever its especially important with all the auto-bids, especially for the national tournament. Youre going to have three or four auto-bids, which are teams that arent in the top 16 (rankings). It would just make that first game much easier. This is a big weekend for us. Both teams are coming off sour divisional losses. Lindenwood suffered just its third loss of the season against divisional opponent Kent State at home last weekend. The Lions have a different look from the first time they skated against the Illini, as three of their key players were kicked off the team because of poor grades. They definitely lost a couple key guys to their team, senior forward Matt Jennings said. Its a big loss for them, but were still going to approach it like its any old Lindenwood team. They are still a good team. They have a lot of good players that can score and a solid defense, so its going to be two tough games. Jennings and Cardona were two of the forwards looked upon last weekend to carry a depleted Illinois offense, with leading-scorer JJ Heredia lost until the playoffs. In Fridays game against Ohio, Cassel was impressed with front squad. However, Saturday was a different story. The team scored just one goal, losing 4-1. Especially on Friday, I felt like it was a good effort all around, Cassel said. Guys were working hard. Mike McBride has been our best player the last few weeks. Hes been working hard, and consistently playing well since the Robert Morris weekend, and hes a very talented player. Its been big for us. We need a big team effort. We need more than just one or two guys stepping up their game. But a bright spot for the Illini was their special teams, which Coach Cassel called one of his keys to winning this weekends series along with staying out of the penalty box. Illinois went 3-for-7 on the power play over the weekend. One of the big question marks of the Ohio series was how Hoelzer would respond to being moved up to the attack from his spot on defense. Its still a work in progress, its a tough transition for Brad. Although hes played the position before, it has been a couple of years and there is still plenty to work on there, Cassel said. Illinois is going to need its front to respond strong, as it only scored four goals combined in its first series against Lindenwood. The last time we played them we had a great Saturday night that came down to a special teams game, said captain Pierce Butler. I think right now our special teams is 10 times better than it was at the beginning of the year. Man-to-man, shift-to-shift, I think we can beat Lindenwood this weekend. Its an important series because were gauging ourselves like its the national tournament. Champaign, IL Ethan Asofsky Postseason seeding on line as Illinois hockey battles rival Lindenwood The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:23035635a1f09e69866ec156ecfa2847 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:3a8334fa19eb3d1afa0819531bbe2b01 2010-02-07T12:01:08-06:00 2010-02-05T21:55:02-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. But the Seminoles followed also with straight-set wins at the Nos. 3 and 6 singles spots, which put the spotlight on the Illinis freshmen Rachael White and Breanne Smutko. Smutko responded with a win over Florida States Frederica Suess, 7-6 (5), 6-0, and this set up the showdown between No. 33 White and No. 23 Lauren McCreless on court one. Already in her third set down 5-3, White couldnt come back, as McCreless sealed the win for the Seminoles with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory. Obviously its a little disappointing, but I think I probably fought my hardest, White said. Its a little heartbreaking that its the deciding match, but Ill just move on. Theres always a next one. Illinois will return to the Atkins Tennis Center for a doubleheader against Marquette and Western Illinois on Sunday. Champaign, IL Rosalind Dumlao Women's tennis falls to Florida State The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:6a3c021c3468863faf3f09d860cf9108 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:088cb73983bc6b4e72cf401dc8f4c43c 2010-02-06T14:49:25-06:00 2010-02-05T14:45:12-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The bonds will be repaid by sale tax dollars collected throughout Champaign County. They were sold by Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, and were the first bonds sold in Champaign County following the passage of the County School Facility Occupation Tax in April. The release stated that several district administrators participated in the sales process including Superintendent Arthur Culver, Board President Dave Tomlinson and Chief Financial Officer Gene Logas. The district was extremely pleased with the sale of the Bonds, Culver said. He said planned projects include renovation of existing schools including Westview, Bottenfield, Kenwood and Robeson. Tomlinson said part of the tax money will be used to repay bonded indebtedness on prior construction projects, reducing property taxes in the district. Culver said the proceeds will also be used to build two new schools. "We will replace the existing Booker T. Washington School with a new magnet school focusing on science, technology, engineering and math," Culver said. He added that they will also construct a new school in Savoy adjacent to Village Park. Champaign, IL Melissa Elegant Building renovations to Champaign school district The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:de3eab45d1d6c29f01c4ff6a33e87d19 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:1259e07d349035431db5412a4f42638e 2010-02-06T14:46:04-06:00 2010-02-04T23:50:22-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Ken Dalenberg of Mansfield, Ill., is one of the local farmers feeling the effects of a decline in corn and soybean prices. After a Jan. 12 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report showed a larger supply of corn and soybeans than expected, returns on the crops will likely suffer for the rest of 2010. It looks to be a marginal year, unless we have exceptional yields, Dallenberger said. The USDAs final crop production estimation reported the corn supply is 250 million bushels larger than expected, said Dale Durchholz, a senior market analyst for AgriVisor. However, the report has not affected which crops Dalenberg will plant in the spring. I wont change a thing because I made my plans in the fall, he said. No matter what commodities do, my plans will stay the same. He added that the late, wet fall prevented some farmers from fertilizing their fields, and these farmers might be able to change which crops they plant. Brian Stark, regional sales manager for The Andersons grain elevator in Champaign, said corn prices have greatly decreased. He said corn was priced at $3.38 per bushel on Feb. 1, but before the report came out, it was at $3.92. The market for corn has been slowly recovering since the economys state caused prices to fall off in 2008. However, the news of the corn surplus has been a setback for farmers. Scott Irwin, professor of agriculture and consumer economics at the University, said the decline would have a major impact on potential corn and soybean farmers in the area. Corn prices have dropped 15 percent in revenue since the report came out, he added. Irwin said there had been a small recovery in price since the initial drop, but the price of corn was back down to $3.55 on Feb. 4. Before the report, prices for February and March were predicted to hit a high of $4.20. Durchholz said it is important to keep the price decline in perspective. While the current corn prices are significantly lower than they were in January, they are high compared to the prices in 2007. Markets are drastically different than prior to 2008, he added. He added that 2008 prices were extraordinarily high at the beginning of the year. He also said the price decline is due in-part to the increasing dollar index values since early January. Durchholz said that while prices are not picking back up any time soon, they will not go too much lower. The market is done going down right now, he added. Champaign, IL Brynn Twait Large surplus, small prices hurt farmers The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:983c61ae6b8a029a928172e94a7fe44f Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9a899543e9f3e62dea6230efac83be07 2010-02-06T14:45:50-06:00 2010-02-05T00:40:28-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Officials and community members remain skeptical of the details of the proposed Urbana-Champaign Big Broadband project, which may bring fiber-optic Internet connections to certain homes and community institutions if it receives a federal stimulus grant. Michael LaDue, council memberat large, said some council members and other residents are concerned the project may be useless because of the high level of Internet use found on campus and some other areas. Many doubt what the so called benefits of optic fibers in the community would be, LaDue said. Ive talked to many professionals skilled in technology who have wondered what additional service the broadband project would provide other than what the Internet services available to this community, like Comcast, already provide. But others say the Big Broadband Project will help lessen the digital divide because it plans to maximize Internet coverage of regions within Champaign, Urbana and Savoy that currently have fewer than 40 percent of residents subscribing to Internet service. Homes in 11 areas, known as census blocks, are being targeted to receive fiber-optic cable directly, whereas homes in other areas will receive more indirect service through fiber cables to their neighborhood or street. Were really working towards getting every home connected to the Internet in some way, said Jeff Hamilton, information technologies department technician for the City of Champaign. Hamilton added that the benefits of the project could include improved city relations and technology use. This has a correlation to our efforts to improve public communications, Hamilton said. The issue is getting Internet service into homes that do not have access to it; the Big Broadband project does that, which in turn, can connect more citizens to whats happening in Champaign. Fred Halenar, Champaigns information technologies department director, said the plan will provide broadband service to residents in lower income areas and to public service outlets, such as public libraries and medical facilities. Champaign City Council and other local bodies are waiting for approval of a federal grant application before taking the next step. Moving forward with this is contingent upon receiving a grant from the government, Halenar said. Without it, there is no next step. The uncertainty about the grant application makes estimating the time frame for the project difficult because the grant may be approved or denied at any point, he added. LaDue said the high cost of the project could prove to be disastrous to the citys budget. The project is estimated to cost $36.2 million, according to the grant application filed by the Urbana-Champaign Big Broadband consortium, which is the group formed to organize the program. About $30 million may be covered by a stimulus grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, while the state of Illinois is committed to pay $3.5 million. The remaining $3.74 million will be paid for by local city governments and the University. Halenar said although the expenses of the project run high, the costs are a reasonable amount in the long run. We hope to alleviate some of these costs through expansion of the (fiber) rings for local businesses to take advantage of, Halenar said. Council members will discuss the status of the grant application and details in regards to carrying out the Big Broadband project during Tuesdays regularly scheduled city council meeting. A consultant will be present to outline the advantages and the disadvantages in continuing with the project. Champaign, IL Nora Ibrahim Champaign City Council plans visit with Broadband Project consultant The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:ce721edac2d10ef0b2ee26c40924d7a5 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:ba20f88326b29f196d7f848b60ed2d8e 2010-02-06T14:45:34-06:00 2010-02-01T12:04:17-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Amara Yoga & Arts held a benefit on Jan. 24 at the Amara center in Urbana to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake According to a press release from Amara Yoga & Arts, the event raised $1,575 for UNICEF and Haiti relief. The press release stated the benefit had a series of free yoga classes that were open to all levels and by donation. The release added that Jesus Ballivan and Jessica Hajek, graduate students in the Center of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University, were at the event to answer questions about Haiti and relief efforts. We are fortunate to be part of such a generous and caring yoga community, Theresa Brandabur, studio director at Amara, stated in the press release. Haitian Christian Outreach and First Christian Church of Champaign have partnered to collect and send supplies including peanut butter, dry pasta, baby bottles, Tylenol, and medical gauze to Haiti. Financial donations are also being collected at First Christian Church on Feb. 6 and Feb. 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. All donated items will be shipped to Haiti over the next few months. Champaign, IL Svjetlana Stojanovic Champaign contributes to Haiti relief The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:e125b7b890763cc252d977ea261a1bc1 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:3c8c6a06060335a0a0b07118d43d062e 2010-02-06T14:42:12-06:00 2010-02-05T15:14:14-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The previous single-day high was in 2004. MTD has experienced an increase in ridership since changes made as part of its "Extreme Makeover" were introduced in August. Economic conditions across the country are causing declines in the ridership of most transit providers. Sales of MTD's Annual Pass have been strong since the price was lowered to $60 in July. Almost 2,500 passes have been sold since July 1, an increase of more than 2,000 over previous-year sales. The pass allows unlimited rides on any MTD bus at any time. The MTD provides public transportation services to the communities of Champaign, Savoy, Urbana and the University. Champaign, IL Melissa Elegant Single-day ridership for MTD at all-time high The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:5077e7663db851a1db0b3f61a80acc61 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:f5f1b31beffcd937ce63646132125665 2010-02-05T21:56:35-06:00 2010-02-04T22:36:44-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. When it comes to motivation, the No. 23 Illinois womens gymnastics team has no problem keeping itself afloat. The Illini will need every bit of motivation they have and more when they travel to University Park, Penn., to face No. 17 Penn State on Saturday. Well we havent scored a 200.000 yet, so (staying motivated) not a problem, junior Allison Buckley said. Were always motivated to go in and fix things from the last meet because obviously were not perfect, and until we reach perfection well stay motivated. Illinois, which came in ranked second in the preseason Big Ten rankings to Penn State, will look to continue its recent success against the Nittany Lions after defeating them twice last season, winning at home, 195.500-192.925, and edging them at the conference title meet, 196.750-196.525. When (Penn State) pretty much came out and said they would win conference, it added a little spark, some motivation for us, head coach Bob Starkell said. Every one of our athletes is smart. They know (Penn State) has good athletes that perform well and good coaches and what we need to do out-train them, up our level of everything. With a win at Iowa last week, the Fighting Illini picked up their first meet title of the season. The win could not have come at a better time, as the Illini will face No. 21 Michigan State, No. 25 Minnesota and No. 15 Michigan in three straight weekends, following a quick stop in Chicago next Friday. The squad feels it needs to continue to improve, as it has all season, and not put on the brakes in practice if its going to come out of that stretch with a couple victories. There was a little pressure off of us with our first win last week, junior Melissa Fernandez said. We were excited we put in a good meet, and I was excited with what I did. But after that performance, it made me even more hungry. I know I can improve and so can the team, even if it means little by little avoiding less tenths of deductions. The junior duo of Buckley and Fernandez are hoping to build off of career days from last weekend. Fernandez notched career high scores in both the bars and the all-around while picking up two event titles in the bars and the beam. Buckley also captured an event title in the beam, her 32nd career title, which moved her into a tie for fifth place on the career event title list in Illinois history. Its pretty exciting, Buckley said. There are a lot of good people on that list, so its exciting to be there with them. And its exciting to see where I might be at the end of four years. Hopefully Ill try to get a few more titles and well see. Champaign, IL Mohammad Khaleelullah Womens gymnastics staying motivated for contest with No. 17 Penn State The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:9be4d22ce19d25b5e31f97d0a69d7d0a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d516afad972548ac7c8c9568c90dc305 2010-02-05T15:09:36-06:00 2010-02-04T12:31:07-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This article was updated Feb. 5 at 3:00 p.m. Power of the MIC 2: The Movement will mark the beginning of events held by the Bruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center for February, Black History Month. The artistic expression of words, songs and history will begin at 7:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5. The theme, "The Movement," spans the 1960s to the late 70s to demonstrate the tenacity widely held during that era. The ceremony will take place at the Bruce Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, located at 708 S Mathews in Urbana. A Civil Rights Project Solo art exhibit will also begin showing that evening. Paintings and drawings by local artist Jason Patterson will premier during the Opening Reception that will last from 7-10 p.m. at the Indi Go Artist Co-Op located at 9 East University in Champaign. According to Patterson's website, the new series of works depicts the "work carried out by Afro-Americans and their supporters during the mid 20th century." "Growing up I loved studying history. Naturally that love worked its way into my art," Patterson said in an e-mail. "Also, being African American, the Movement has a lot of meaning to me. Artistically what gave me a lot of inspiration was the monochromatic photo paintings of Gerhard Richter. I borrowed from his painting style to draw the blurred film and video stills that are depicted in these pieces." Patterson said he began Civil Rights Project in the summer of 2008 and it has been his main focus since then. "It's hard for me to say what I hope people's reaction to this work will be," Patterson said. "When I made the work, one of the goals was to show the civil rights movement the way I see it. To capture the images that I see most significant and show them to others. So I suppose I hope that people simply agree with the work." Patterson said all the main pieces in the main series were drawn on raw canvas with charcoal and white pastel, all but for an oil painting and one charcoal and pastel drawing that is on laid paper. He said he developed this drawing style after studying the figure drawings of Pierre-Paul Prud'hon. Any proceeds made at the free exhibition will go to benefit the Don Moyers Boys and Girls Club, a nonprofit organization that University students can assist while enrolled in English 298. The Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club is a Champaign-centered organization dedicated to instilling a sense of community spirit, competence, positive influence and self-esteem in the youth of the Champaign community, according to their mission statement. The Solo Exhibition will run Feb. 5, 2010 to Feb. 21, 2010. Champaign, IL Stephanie Tussing History through art The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:33a5d9297143c62a93170d9dc2cf5a52 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:591b65e0be16c778f96bfe9de69ced3e 2010-02-05T14:32:21-06:00 2010-02-05T14:25:20-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Approximately 400 votes separate Senators Dillard and Bill Brady. With over 750-thousand votes cast, this is a .0005 of a percent difference. So, in a race this close, its important that every vote count, Dillard said. He added that estimates show there are almost 5,000 provisional ballots still uncounted. 1,000 absentee ballots also remain and up to 5,000 could still be in the mail. I wish we could resolve this today, Dillard said. But the reality is that it takes time for election authorities to do their job and for these votes to be counted. Some election officials have said they will wait until February 15 or 16 to count their absentee and provisional ballots. Dillard said the GOP remains committed to defeating Governor Quinn in November. The Republican Party is unified behind balancing our budget, putting people back to work and cleaning up Springfield. Senator Brady and I are absolutely committed to this goal, regardless of whos the nominee," Dillard said. He added that the two campaign staffs have been staying in touch. Champaign, IL Melissa Elegant Dillard wants all ballots counted The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:2ab507032a57dc82c268ea84eeecab35 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4aa5d0d6ea6ffcdcaae31301e3a8d6fd 2010-02-05T14:12:37-06:00 2010-02-02T23:22:30-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. J Leman used to just be one of the guys, living in a typical college pad. And he liked it that way. Once upon a time at the corner of First and Chalmers (streets) there was a house called Fort Monk, Leman said. It was a great time living there with seven football players. Ask any random person on the University campus during the 2007 season, What is Fort Monk? They would know. Leman, who was named a consensus All-American linebacker as a senior in 2007, has bounced around on various NFL practice squads since graduating from Illinois and even ended up on the Minnesota Vikings active roster late this year. But current Illini, like freshman defensive back Walt Aikens, still hear stories about him today. They talk about how enthusiastic he was going into each game, Aikens said. Our coaches tell us we have to have that same kind of intensity and love for the game. Lemans accolades speak for themselves: two All-Big Ten teams, sixth in school history with 407 career tackles, including a ridiculous 152 in his junior season, and 38.5 career tackles for loss. But out of all that, theres still one day that stands out in Lemans mind a Nov. 10, 2007 win at No. 1 Ohio State. Lemans 12-tackle performance led the defense in a victory that paved the way for an eventual Illinois Rose Bowl appearance. Going in there and beating the top team in the country at their place, making over 100,000 thousand fans go silent, it gives me shivers just talking about it. Leman said. It gives me shivers still. Yet Leman said he prided himself more on the attitude he brought to the Illinois locker room. You always want people to look at you when youre playing and say, Youre fun to watch, Leman said. Football is an exciting game. If you cant get jacked up to go out there and hit people, I dont know what else could possibly get you excited. Despite his constant energy, Lemans path to the top of college football was anything but easy. Many players might not have kept their spirits up through everything the way he did. The Champaign native went virtually unrecruited out of Champaign Central High School, with Illinois being the only Division-I school to offer him a scholarship. After redshirting in 2003, Leman played on Illini teams from 2004-06 that compiled a demoralizing 7-27 record and had to go through a coaching transition from Ron Turner to Ron Zook in 2005. But former Illinois safety Justin Harrison said Lemans attitude and fire stayed consistent through it all. He looked at things in a positive way, Harrison said. Even in the struggling seasons, we always had J as a guy who could motivate us. He was always the rock in that defense, and he always had one way to do things at full speed. Meanwhile, Zook, a heralded recruiter himself, said inheriting Leman from Turners final recruiting class was a big reason the program was able to return to the Rose Bowl in 2007. J Lemans one of a kind, Zook said. You can coach a lot of years and never have the opportunity to coach a guy like J Leman. He leads by example and doesnt worry what people think or say about him. Hes got a lot of self-confidence. He provided leadership while he was here and hes a great, great human being. But Leman said his success was just one small part of why his Illinois career culminated with a Rose Bowl appearance. Its not about me, Leman said. Any football player knows that. If Im on this list, then that whole team should be on there, because my success had less to do about me than about the guys that were around me. And who knows? Maybe the accolades will continue to pile up. Maybe one day, Leman will be just as famous for his accolades in pro football as for his time dominating the Big Ten. I think youre selling yourself short if you dont want to become a great player, Leman said. I want to be a starting linebacker in the NFL and to help lead a team to championships, and if I keep doing what I did during my time at Illinois, Ill be OK. Champaign, IL Peter Zervakis Illini of the Decade: #16 J Leman The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:00d2d1201f41b8827c19c5117bb77d46 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:1d1c6d8348ced179bf41a880f5a900a4 2010-02-05T14:01:11-06:00 2010-02-03T23:49:36-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Barbara Wilson, vice provost for academic affairs, said she has always had to juggle family life and work. When she took the position she holds today, her schedule became even more hectic. Wilson started at the University in 2000 as a professor in speech communication now communication and within a year became head of the department. After seven years, Wilson came to the provosts office, where she has been working for one year. She said despite working for University administration in the wake of sweeping personnel changes from the Board of Trustees to the president and chancellors offices her job has not become any more difficult in the past year. I think weve got a great team here, Wilson said. I feel really good about the people I work with. Wilson said it is the external factors rather than the internal factors that have been the most difficult part of her job. We have a very challenging financial situation in front of us and trying to plan for this and think about our future, you know, in a way that continues to protect what we care about here the core missions of the University its a very challenging set of circumstances, she said. Another challenge that Wilson, along with many other working women, faces is maintaining a balance between her career and her life at home. Wilson said that becoming vice provost for academic affairs meant more time spent in the office, more events to attend in the evenings and less flexibility in her schedule. Wilson has two daughters and a husband who works full time as a professor of communication, and said it is hard juggling time at home, at work and doing research. She said her husband, John Lammers, is very helpful and started managing more things at home after she took her current position. She added that part of the reason she is able to manage her current job is because her daughters are ages 12 and 14. If they were younger, this would be a very difficult job. I dont think I could do it, Wilson said. Dale Brashers, department head of communication, said Wilson is able to maintain a balance between work and life at home. Being an administrator is a huge job and requires a lot of time and energy, and she still seems to manage to balance her family life and be an active parent for her children, which is pretty amazing, he said. Barb is considered to be one of the best administrators on campus she is smart, energetic, and fair. Brashers said he worked with Wilson at the University of California at Santa Barbara, as well as in the department of communication when she was the department head and he was the associate head. Wilson said she does not believe that the expectations for men and women in administration positions are different and anyone trying to balance a career and family life faces challenges. I think every professional feels those struggles, she said. Debbie Kemphues, administrative assistant to the provost, said Wilson is very good about setting boundaries and not allowing her work life to spill over into her family life. Kemphues, who worked with Wilson in the department of speech communication and now works with Wilson at the provosts office, recalls a time when Wilson rescheduled an important meeting when one of her daughters called needing a ride. She talks about her family a lot and you can tell its a big proirity to her, said Kempues. Shes been actually a wonderful role model for balancing family and work life. Champaign, IL Selma Haveric Vice Provost juggles career, family life The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:d82ced4d399f271c1f206b76f8e6a893 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:831b3cc0df1ed51ce28129b98649ece9 2010-02-05T13:59:14-06:00 2010-02-03T14:31:53-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A building supervisor reported finding the message in the center stall at 3:26 p.m. Lieutenant Skip Frost said the University police are taking the matter seriously, but the content doesnt lead him to believe the message has any credibility. Champaign, IL Melissa Elegant Threatening message reported in Illini Union bathroom stall The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:dd93cf0ea7838d6856487cd438b32735 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:948052929f0d5bad3758b472d0488e77 2010-02-05T13:42:40-06:00 2010-02-03T23:17:03-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The largest fraternity in the world is back on campus, while another will be heading to a new home. Since January 2008, Sigma Alpha Epsilon has been working to bring back their Illinois Beta chapter, said Mohsin Mehdi, junior in LAS and president of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon colony at the University. After their charter was suspended in May 2004, the chapter needs to follow guidelines set by both their national headquarters and the Interfraternity Council, or IFC, in order to become a full-fledged chapter again. While going through this process, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is considered a colony. Mehdi said they hope to accomplish this within the next six months to one year. Sigma Alpha Epsilon has a long history at the University. The fraternity was originally founded on campus in 1899, said Ashley Dye, assistant dean of students and coordinator of Greek Affairs. In 1908, Sigma Alpha Epsilon had their house built at 211. E. Daniel St. in Champaign, Mehdi said. Members of the fraternity lived in the house for 96 years. Throughout the suspension, they have been leasing the house to Acacia, said Michael Morthland, sophomore in FAA and member educator for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. In 2004, both the Sigma Alpha Epsilon alumni and national headquarters decided it would be best to close the chapter. It was originally shut down because of failure to follow several rules. We were recruiting Parkland students, members werent paying dues and several other things were going wrong in the fraternity, Morthland said. Members plan on moving back into their original house. While the sign out front currently says Acacia, underneath is a concrete slab engraved with the letters Sigma, Alpha and Epsilon, Morthland said. The front of the house also bears the crest of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and two lions that act as a symbol for their fraternity. Acacia does not yet have any set plans for a house next year. It depends on our corporation board and what they determine is the best location, said Paul Warkins, sophomore in Business and social chair of Acacia. Well find out within the next couple of months whats going to happen. For Sigma Alpha Epsilon, regaining a chapter has been a procedure filled with hard work and many guidelines. In order to begin the process, extension coordinators will visit the campus and recruit a class of gentlemen, said Brandon Weghorst, spokesman from Sigma Alpha Epsilons national headquarters. We find men who are interested and embody our creed and values, Weghorst said. They then become our re-founding father class and must go through a certain number of operations in order to get their charter back. In addition to the number of procedures they must go through, the colony must have 35 members, Mehdi said. Members must also participate in philanthropy events and demonstrate to their headquarters that they uphold the fraternity creed. Though Sigma Alpha Epsilon is not a full-fledged chapter at this time, they are already recognized as members of IFC, Dye said. Specific to IFC, an organization must let them know that it wants to come back. The fraternity must then make a presentation, submit several written materials and go through other processes, Dye said. Once approved, IFC will vote to make the fraternity an associate member. After one calendar year, the group of students will have to make another presentation and will become full members if the fraternity is approved, she said. They (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) have the same full privileges and full responsibilities as all members of IFC, Dye said. Over the past four semesters, Sigma Alpha Epsilon has been participating in philanthropy and social events. Members said they feel that its important to establish themselves with a renewed focus on service. They have participated in events such as the Dance Marathon and Alpha Epsilon Phis AIDS Walk for Life, Mehdi said. Sigma Alpha Epsilon also has scheduled social events. This semester, they plan to have two exchanges and a semi-formal with hopes of further initiating themselves into the Greek system, Morthland said. Sigma Alpha Epsilon will continue to recruit on campus, and members of the colony said they hope to accomplish a lot within the next year. We hope to have anywhere from 35 to 50 members, have our charter back and establish ourselves on campus, Morthland said. Members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon are excited to recruit for the future, Morthland said. We look forward to upholding the honor of the 111 years that Sigma Alpha Epsilon had on this campus, he said. Champaign, IL Samantha Wagner Movin on up The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:5a4625709a0eb3aa9b9876f7ddcb8d38 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:46d31d196e018b06d5e15f751631e9b4 2010-02-05T13:21:20-06:00 2010-02-04T23:54:08-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Contrary to a recent study that shows weather does not affect the number of people who bike or walk, students on campus said they have been inclined to use the bus system more during the colder season. I take the bus a lot more when its cold, said Julian Alvarado, sophomore in LAS. I live right by the bus stop, and it drops me off where I need to be. The study, conducted by the Alliance for Biking and Walking, found that despite changes in weather, the average number of bicyclists and walkers in Illinois and nationwide stays constant throughout the year. Despite the results of this study, students on campus have found weather to be a major reason to use the bus more often than walking or biking during the winter months. When the weather is crummy, we see a high number of bus riders, said Jan Kijowski, marketing director for the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District. Ridership numbers are significantly higher in January and February. The MTD, which has served campus since 1989, accommodated more riders on Jan. 28 than in any other one-day period in its history, Kijowski said. She said last weeks colder temperatures most likely account for the high number of riders. Cameron Iannalfo, junior in LAS, said he often rides the bus because the winter weather is much colder than he expected after coming to the University from Boston. He said he will be walking a lot more when the weather gets warmer. Aside from the relationship between weather and peoples tendency to bike and walk, the Alliances study also addressed issues of safety and funding for bike paths and walkways. According to the study, released Jan. 29, the state of Illinois is spending 1 percent of its transportation budget on accommodations for bikers and walkers. The report also found that pedestrians account for 12.3 percent of all traffic deaths in Illinois. We continue to see the strong connection between funding and bicycle/pedestrian safety, said Rob Sadowsky, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, in a press release. Although the Alliance for Biking and Walking found that pedestrian transportation causes a number of fatalities, Kijowski said the opposite of public transportation, calling it very safe. I dont know much about how safe it is to bike and walk, but I can say that public transportation is very safe, she said. I would say its probably worse to walk or bike when its icy out than to be sitting inside of a vehicle. Traffic safety, however, does not usually worry students when transportation is concerned. Hannah Grad, freshman in Business, said she takes the bus in the morning because of the weather, but has never hesitated to bike, walk or take the bus because of safety. I always walk no matter what, but safety doesnt affect my decision to walk, said Kaitlyn Kalata, junior in LAS. Charles Terry, graduate student, also said safety is not something he considers when choosing to bike, ride in a car or walk. But temperature is, and as temperatures rise, Terry and other students may choose to commute to class differently. Champaign, IL Reema Amin Weather affects students transportation choices The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:98fc5ad418460333b8fe9f514c707f70 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:666a462fd97b88f284f956292f956237 2010-02-05T13:21:18-06:00 2010-02-05T13:21:18-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. According to a press release, the Visiting Academic Professionals (VAP) is a University bargaining agent for 300 Academic Professionals and are affiliated with the Association of Academic Professionals. The press release stated that the charge was filed on Feb. 2 and is now before the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board. The release stated that in the charges, VAP alleges the University violated the labor act by unilaterally imposing furloughs, bypassing the collective bargaining representative when offering voluntary pay reduction, and failing to bargain changes in the appointment notices. Champaign, IL Svjetlana Stojanovic VAP files unfair labor practice charge against University The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:918d2d39616621eedbe76248d1e3abcb Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:1f48726d5bd68d26bb50ecd6e093a97e 2010-02-05T13:17:21-06:00 2010-02-04T22:52:22-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A little over a year ago, I became a member of the Illinois community with my appointment as your Chief of Police. This past year I have found myself working with a very committed, professional and qualified staff within the Division of Public Safety. The culture of Illinois is very strong and healthy. The care and concern surrounding community issues from our students, faculty and staff coupled with our police officers community-based approach and personal commitment to keep our campus safe is a healthy combination. The reality is that our campus and surrounding area is not immune to criminal activity. One significant change this past year has been the implementation of greater use of Crime Alerts. Besides the mandate through the Department of Educations Clery Act to provide a timely warning about certain campus crimes, I strongly feel that the use of Crime Alerts is important for our communitys awareness and safety. I also realize that more frequent Crime Alerts can have the potential to give the impression that crime has increased significantly, which is a frightening thing for students, parents and others. In regards to the recent string of robberies within the campus district, statistically these incidents were greater this past Fall Semester compared to the 2008 Fall Semester. However, they were slightly lower than the 2007 Fall Semester. December was a particularly active month with nine reported robbery incidents in the campus district. Despite the efforts we place in preventing these crimes, offenders will unfortunately continue to prey on our open campus community. When incidents do occur, we work aggressively to direct our efforts to identify the offenders and bring them into the criminal justice system. And those efforts are working. For example, through these efforts our patrol officers recently identified three individuals who subsequently have been arrested for three of the December incidents. Additionally, I am very proud that our police department works with the Champaign and Urbana Police Departments. These established relationships extend beyond the cities and also include our partnership with the Champaign County Sheriffs Office, Illinois State Police, various federal agencies and others. At times, all these agencies are working together to address criminal issues within the campus district. On a daily basis our police officers work with these other agencies officers not only to investigate the recent string of robberies but campus safety in general. Despite our efforts, we need your help. The police cannot be expected to prevent or solve crimes independently. As devoted as we are to keeping our campus safe through strategic patrol and investigative efforts, we have a limited number of officers and resources. It is important for our students, faculty and staff to think about their own safety and do as much as they can to prevent becoming a victim of these crimes of opportunity. Crime prevention information and safety tips are available on our Web site at www.dps.illinois.edu. It is equally important that we watch out for each others safety. We are your police department. Call us if you see a suspicious person or situation. Call us if you see someone who may be placing him or herself into a threatening situation that may allow them to be potentially victimized. Calling 911 immediately in these situations is appropriate and wise. Let us work together and keep our Illinois campus safe with the attitude towards crime as not on my campus. I will continue to work with Interim Chancellor Bob Easter to evaluate our staffing levels and resources. We have moved towards greater and more effective use of technology. In addition to daily patrol initiatives, technology such as security cameras can assist in deterring crime and identifying offenders. During these harsh economic times campus safety remains a priority. Your safety is important to us within the Division of Public Safety. We value your learning, teaching and research. We remain committed to the Illinois mission. Sincerely, Chief OConnor Champaign, IL Barbara O'Connor, Chief of University Police Alerts increase more than crime The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:ef6a34ef0a948a42a3e116a2fa31dc8d Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:525af4603c45f8d435ea8a18521cfb91 2010-02-05T00:27:03-06:00 2010-02-05T00:27:03-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Champaign A 22-year-man was arrested at Macys, 2000 N. Neil St., Wednesday afternoon. According to the police report, the offender was arrested for stealing a pair of blue jeans. Theft was reported at the 1900 block of Glenn Park Drive on Wednesday afternoon. According to the police report, an unknown offender stole the victims purse. Motor vehicle theft was reported at the 400 block of South Neil Street on Wednesday morning. According to the police report, an unknown offender stole the victims car from a towing company lot. A 23-year-old man was arrested at Super Pantry, 1601 W. Springfield Ave., Tuesday afternoon. According to the police report, the offender was arrested for stealing a case of beer. A 39-year-old man was arrested at the 2000 block of Vawter Street on Wednesday morning. According to the police report, the offender was arrested for possession of cocaine with intent to sell. Theft was reported at the Illini Apple Center, 512 E. Green St., Wednesday afternoon. According to the police report, an unknown offender stole a pair of headphones and a hard drive. Theft was reported at The Clybourne, 706 S. Sixth St., Wednesday night. According to the police report, an unknown offender stole the victims jacket and digital camera from the bar. Urbana A 53-year-old woman was arrested at the 1500 block of East Washington Street on Wednesday night. According to the police report, the offender was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. University A possibly threatening message was reported at the Illini Union, 1400 W. Green St., Tuesday afternoon. According to the police report, a building supervisor found the message written on the wall of a stall in the womens bathroom on the first-floor. Damage to the stall wall is estimated at $100. Compiled by Payal Shukla Champaign, IL Payal Shukla Police Blotter 02-05-2010 The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:de53b50e7bd3ad415b35729c8276590d Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:24bcb3c0d188a1ba367f68f611d96bbd 2010-02-05T00:23:27-06:00 2010-02-05T00:07:24-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Despite the hiring freeze in place at the University, administrators are still searching for a new dean of the College of Media. The search is still alive, said Richard Wheeler, vice provost and interim vice chancellor for academic affairs. However, Wheeler said the search is suspended in the sense that he is still not authorized to make an appointment at this time. The four finalist candidates include Laurence Alexander, associate dean at the University of Florida Graduate School; John Pavlik, professor at Rutgers University; Steve Jones, professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and Gary Kebbel, journalism program director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Im talking with a couple of really excellent candidates for the job, Wheeler said. We do have two strong candidates, and the college very much wants one of them to come and be their dean. Wheeler said it has been a well-rounded search but two of the candidates did especially well, although he would not specify which two these were. He added that there are still other consultations that have to be done on campus, such as a meeting with the chancellor. The four finalist candidates each made a visit to campus between Nov. 30 and Dec. 15 to meet with campus groups and deliver a public presentation. All of the candidates were here for a two-day visit to campus and they all went very well, said Ruth Watkins, head of the search committee and dean of the College of LAS. Theyre strong individuals from a variety of backgrounds. Pavlik, who visited campus Dec. 7, said he met a lot of interesting students, faculty and alumni of the college. I enjoyed meeting people and finding out about the challenges and opportunities facing the college, Pavlik said.I think theres tremendous potential for the college, especially at this time when the media are going through a dramatic series of changes, he said. The impact of media in peoples lives has never been greater. Steve Jones, who visited campus Dec. 8, said he is waiting along with everyone else to see what happens with the state budget and funding for the University. Were all operating under financial constraints and the University of Illinois is no different in that situation than most other universities, including my own, said Laurence Alexander, who visited campus Nov. 30. Gary Kebbel, the fourth candidate for the position, did not respond to multiple phone calls for comment. Wheeler said he and Interim Chancellor and Provost Robert Easter will appoint the new dean. There is a hiring freeze on and we have to figure out a way to get around that if we go forward with this, Wheeler added. Its a little bit up in the air right now. The chosen finalist will replace Interim Dean Walt Harrington. Champaign, IL Melissa Elegant College of Media dean search continues The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:1580cb083169e06b7e5af0481196b674 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:a85505d817d6684559b9e2b253934be8 2010-02-04T23:51:48-06:00 2010-02-04T00:30:27-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. There was no last-second commitment from a prized recruit and no surprises on signing day Wednesday for the Illinois football team. After having successful signing days the last four years, Rivals.com ranked the 2010 Illini recruiting class 69th nationally and eighth in the Big Ten after 20 players signed national letters of intent Wednesday, pledging themselves to Illinois. The Illini were ranked in the top 35 nationally and top five in the Big Ten each of the last four years. The drop could hardly be considered surprising, as the Illini coaching staff has gone through a shake-up in a year the Illini had fewer scholarships to work with than normal and fewer wins. Both defensive coordinators were demoted to position coaches (Curt Mallory has since left the program), while offensive coordinator Mike Schultz, receivers coach Jim Pry, quarterbacks coach Kurt Beathard and special teams coordinator Mike Woodford were all let go. Perhaps the biggest hit of all to the recruiting class was losing recruiting coordinator and running backs coach Reggie Mitchell, who left to coach under Turner Gill at Kansas. Its not to say that the Illini didnt have recruiting success early on. Four-star recruits tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz and defensive back Corey Cooper committed orally to the Illini early in the recruiting process but each decided to go different ways in the end. Unlike last year ... it didnt go exactly as planned, but Im excited about where we are and what weve got, Zook said. Cooper signed with Nebraska on Wednesday morning, citing Illinois coaching instability as a reason for the switch. Fiedorowicz, who switched his commitment to Iowa in November, told the Chicago Sun-Times he didnt like what was going on at Illinois and that he would feel more a part of the offense at Iowa. Obviously, theres a lot of negative recruiting going on, but thats part of it, and the guys weve got here want to be here, Zook said. The new Illini coaching staff secured commitments from seven states that arent represented on its current roster (Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana and Arkansas). Zook said he was pleased with how quickly his new coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, adjusted. I was very impressed with how the new guys picked up and acted like theyd been there the whole year, he said. This is an experienced staff that knows what theyre doing. Zooks staff drew commitments from four offensive linemen after the graduation of starters Eric Block and Jon Asamoah and replaced four departing receivers with four recruits. Darius Millines and Ryan Lankford should add speed to the receiving corps, as each is listed as having run 4.4-second 40-yard sprints. If you look at who we lost, weve filled in the positions, Zook said. What we did is just helped our football team. Hopefully were to a point where we dont have to count on freshmen playing, although I think there will be some guys that have a pretty good opportunity to do that. Champaign, IL Anthony Zilis Stars lacking, but Zook still excited about 2010 class The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:4157e3079d4623f3c536105abbd1dc5a Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:08ea1c6f1bfd68c36034e2c5a04d3fe1 2010-02-04T23:51:35-06:00 2010-02-04T00:32:02-06:00 Copyright 2010 The Daily Illini. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. In a recruiting class experts dont label as successful, Illinois can be happy with at least one position quarterback. Rivals.com four-star recruit Chandler Whitmer was the second commitment of the 2010 class when he pledged to the Illini last May, and the Illini picked up a three-star prospect in Mt. Prospects Miles Osei in mid-January. Whitmer has a head start on his fellow classmates, as he is enrolled in classes this spring. Learning the playbook is one of the top priorities for the Kinesiology major. I tell people that my toughest subject right now is football, the Downers Grove, Ill., native said. Considered a smaller quarterback at 6-foot-1, Whitmer looks up to a former Big Ten quarterback who will be playing Sunday. I try to model my game after Drew Brees, he said. Hes one of the smaller quarterbacks, and I look up to him for that. Hes keeping the reputation up that smaller quarterbacks can play as well. I also idolize him as a person, hes great in the community. Osei had previously committed to Northern Illinois, but Illinois offered him a scholarship with a possibility of Eddie McGee permanently switching positions from quarterback to receiver. I thought it was important for us to sign another quarterback, head coach Ron Zook said, after previously telling Whitmer hed only sign one. I called Chandler, and I said I know this is what we said, but this is the reason why I think we need to look at another guy. We looked at a bunch of guys. Coach (Jeff) Brohm and coach (Paul) Petrino and I were in there watching. Known as a dual-threat quarterback, Osei passed for 4,498 yards and 38 touchdowns and ran for 2,426 yards and 39 touchdowns in his final two years in high school. Zook, though, was as impressed with the leftys reputation as he was with his statistics. Everybody in that school was in love with him, Zook said. The principal came up to me and talked to me because he wanted to talk about what type of person he is. Hes a winner, hes a competitor, he gets things done. Prosch stays with Illini Jay Prosch, a fullback from Mobile, Ala., committed to Illinois three days before signing day, but that didnt stop other schools from recruiting him. This is a story that would probably never get out, Zook said. We couldnt figure out why he was so tired this morning, and I couldnt figure out why. I figured out why this morning he was getting pounded by another school this morning. While he played on offense in high school, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Prosch will likely play on the defensive side of the ball. I think hes going to be a guy thatll surprise some people, Zook said. Negative media? Zook didnt hold any back punches when addressing the media Wednesday. While he answered a few questions about negative recruiting, he also blamed the press for any negative perceptions about his Illini team. Its incredibly hard, because of everything that people write, he said. People dont even have to say anything, they can just take things that people write and put it in front of them. Obviously youre defending your manhood, youre defending everything about you every time you go out there, Zook said. Champaign, IL Anthony Zilis Illini well-stocked at QB after signing day The Daily Illini urn:publicid:dailyillini.com:0e09236db12dbaeef86cbc2c097883ea Change 0 Usable