Oklahoma country musician Zach Bryan released his fifth album “The Great American Bar Scene” on July 4. The patriotic release date marks the follow-up to his well-received 2023 self-titled album which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. 

For the past year, Bryan has been touring the country, selling out shows in the largest venues the American music industry has to offer for top dollar. His meteoric rise to fame through the 2020s, even through active service in the Navy, has defied the traditional country singer trajectory, quickly making him one of the most popular artists in America.

“(Musicians) have a pipeline of ‘oh man, I played the small bars, and then I played the bigger small bars, and then I played the bigger, bigger small bars, and then I played medium venues, and then bigger medium venues’,” explained Bryan in an interview. “But when I got out of the Navy I was already there.”

Fame is infamous for changing those who acquire it, but listening to “The Great American Bar Scene,” it is evident that Bryan is yet to be affected. 

The soul in the man-and-his-guitar recordings of Bryan’s early career is still blatantly present across the album’s 19 tracks, retaining the raw and honest sound in his music. His guitar often takes the instrumental lead while avoiding pop country-esque progressions, giving Bryan his originality and, sometimes, walking the line of folk. 

While his earlier recordings were bare almost to a fault, Bryan’s recent releases including “The Great American Bar Scene” have expanded upon instrumentation, adding sonic layers to his heartfelt stories. 

The greatest example of this is heard on “Oak Island,” as from the first few seconds both a bass and soft electric guitar can be heard melodically plucked in the background. Once Bryan’s story of a deal gone wrong concludes, the guitar amps up and the instrumentals build with a blaring trumpet. It keeps building until the guitar and drums are playing too quickly to be coherent, and then it all falls away in controlled chaos. 

Bryan also hosts a sizable number of background singers and features that add tasteful harmony or complementary verses to the album. On the song “Towers,” choir singers echo the hard-hitting moments of the chorus, making what is otherwise a fairly simple song into a memorable piece of the album. 

Features range from Canadian singer Noeline Hofmann, who has only released a few YouTube recordings, on the duet “Purple Gas,” to one of the only indicators of Bryan’s stardom on the album, an aging Bruce Springsteen for the song “Sandpaper.”

Save for the punchy and infectious track “American Nights” and the finale of “Oak Island,” the album is filled with a mellow tone that isn’t as somber as it is reflective or reminiscent. Even with some instrumental variance, the slower pace and frequent acoustic strumming do give the album a one-dimensional sound. 

What you hear is what you get with “The Great American Bar Scene” — in the sense that once listeners finish the first few tracks, the album doesn’t come with too many surprises. For existing fans, this won’t pose an issue as Bryan’s pen and performance are as good as they’ve ever been. But if listeners aren’t current fans, the album isn’t an attempt to reel them in. 

Though many of the songs invoke a similar feel, some still do manage to stand out, such as “28.” The reminiscent air of the album is at its finest on the chorus which is easy to sing along to.

“How lucky are we/ It’s been a hell of a week/ We’re all grown now,” Bryan sings while authoritative piano chords hit the audience with welcome force. Later lines of the chorus are also tweaked throughout the song, rewarding careful listeners. 

Small additions like these lyric variations are what further set Bryan’s music apart from the rest of the field. Whether it’s the time signature change with only 21 seconds left on the track “Funny Man,” or the seamless transitions between longing singing and harmonic conversation on “Better Days,” each decision feels intentional in a sound owned and occupied by Bryan. 

“And please don’t ask me how these last years went/ Mama, I made a million dollars on accident,” Bryan sings on “Northern Thunder,” a confession that explains the success of his music that tries anything but to intentionally be popular.  

As Bryan’s touring is scheduled to continue through the summer and beyond, the release of “The Great American Bar Scene” gives the coming packed arenas a batch of new tracks they will likely hope to hear from, piling on to one of the most in-demand set lists in the country.

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While the pro-Palestinian protest on the Main Quad continues, student protestors are not the only ones who populate the swarm of tents assembled at the foot of the Foellinger Auditorium. Members of University faculty have also made appearances at the encampment, showing support for the students. 

Despite their willingness to be present, faculty are running significant personal risks by being seen in the protest or voicing their thoughts on the subject.

“I think around this particular issue, there’s a lot of hesitancy and fear about speaking about it, first of all on our own, and even to the extent of supporting students,” said Maryam Kashani, associate professor in Gender and Women’s Studies and Asian-American studies. “Junior faculty are asking, ‘How much risk is there to even just be here at the encampment?’” 

The level of potential retaliation from the University and the future status of their jobs are factors that generate a level of fear in faculty looking to support protesting students — fear that Kashani believes is very real.

“I will say there’s also a lot of great faculty members who are really weighing the risks and their actual desire and responsibility to protect students and are showing up and speaking out and showing support,” Kashani said. 

Kashani highlighted that concern for repercussions is particularly prevalent in junior professors, as professors with tenure have a level of protection from termination that junior professors do not.

Junior professors are those still working under the University’s six-year probationary period, where their teaching is subject to evaluation to determine if they will achieve tenure. 

If a professor is given tenure after review from the University, the limited grounds of dismissal include gross neglect, incompetence or advocating for the overthrow of our constitutional form of government by force.

“I just got tenure this year,” Kashani said. “So I feel much more comfortable being maskless in this space, speaking to the students and being present and supporting them.”

Despite the increased security tenured faculty enjoy, the University has shown in the past that it is willing to fire tenured faculty who speak publicly on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

In 2013, the University hired Steven Salaita as a tenured professor in the American Indian Studies Program to begin teaching in August of the following year. In the weeks leading up to the start of his position, the 2014 Gaza Conflict broke out, ultimately leading to the deaths of 2,251 Palestinians, 1,462 of whom were civilians, and 73 Israelis, six of whom were civilians. As a result, Salaita made several tweets that were extremely critical of Israel and its actions. 

Two weeks before he was set to begin his new role, Salaita was fired by the University due to the determination that the tone of the tweets was uncivil. The decision was met with backlash in the academic community, including a censure from the American Association of University Professors. 

“We actually feel the repercussions of Salaita not being here as a professor now,” Kashani said. “We don’t have an expert who can talk about the situation right now in occupied Palestine and he was actually hired to teach Indigenous studies … he was going to be thinking about ‘how do we understand indigeneity globally?’”

Regardless of the University’s past actions, Kashani still feels that she as a professor should appear at the encampment, not just for the support of students, but also for their safety.

“I think the students feel better that we’re here because they feel somehow that the administration will think twice before sending the police down,” Kashani said. “I think there’s a certain legitimacy that comes with the letters before our names.” 

Even if consequences do come, Kashani has come to terms with their worst potential, still confident in her choice to support the protesting students.

“I might lose my job,” Kashani said. “But for me, it was worth it because what’s the point otherwise, doing this job, if I can’t educate people about what’s happening in the world.”

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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Chancellor Robert J. Jones issued a campus safety update at 11:31 p.m. Friday, stating that the University administration had reached a “peaceful resolution to end the demonstrations outside the Illini Union.” 

According to the announcement, protesters will be relocating to the space west of Gregory Avenue and north of Oregon Street where Spurlock Museum is located. 

“This location will limit the disruptions to campus operations. The demonstrators will restrict their activities to a strictly defined area. We also will be able to maintain a wider area of separation between the demonstrators and our academic operations on Monday,” the Massmail stated.

Jones acknowledged that this decision will likely cause frustration among community members, stating “I made this decision after careful and lengthy consultation with our police department, the university administration and local authorities.”

Demonstrations at Spurlock will be permitted until the conclusion of a previously scheduled meeting between protest organizers and administration on Monday at 5 p.m. 

There was a clear understanding between the protestors and University staff that there would be “immediate action to disperse the group if their activities present any new safety risks or violations of state or local law,” the Massmail stated.

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“After remarkable steps spearheaded by Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois State Police in conjunction with the Cities of Champaign and Urbana, we were able to pull together the law enforcement staff needed for us to hold a safe and secure event,” the email read.

The center announced it will be holding a press conference in the coming days that will address the events that took place to keep the races ongoing.

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Students representing the protestors who met with Associate Vice Chancellor Hintz were unable to reach a compromise.

A fire truck was seen filling up from a hydrant on Green Street.

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Students hoping to hear from Monica Lewinsky formed a line wrapping throughout the Union on Monday night. Invited by the Illini Union Board, Lewinsky spoke on cyberbullying, shame and humiliation in the online space. 

Lewinsky was thrust into the public eye when she was a White House intern during the Clinton administration due to her relationship with the then-president. She is currently a Vanity Fair contributor, public speaker and anti-bullying activist. 

“In 1998, after having been swept up in this improbable romance, I was then swept up into the eye of a political, legal and media maelstrom like we’ve never seen before,” Lewinsky said. 

The media landscape at the time was rapidly changing due to the growing influence of the internet.

“Thanks to the Gulf War and the OJ trial, we were now acclimated to this idea of 24-hour news,” Lewinsky said. “But the internet meant … that news not only (came) from everywhere but it then could be transmitted everywhere too.”

As a result, Lewinsky came under a level of public scrutiny that was previously unknown. 

“I went to bed one night, a private person … and I awakened the next morning known by almost the entire world,” Lewinsky said. “I was patient zero of losing a personal reputation on a global scale instantaneously.” 

Lewinsky became a target for news outlets, talk shows and “virtual stone throwers.” 

“When this happened to me 26 years ago, there was no name for it,” Lewinsky said. “Now we call it cyberbullying, slut shaming and online harassment.” 

In 2014, Lewinsky broke her self-imposed exile in Vanity Fair, hoping to reclaim her narrative and incite change after more than a decade of silence. 

Lewinsky cited 18-year-old Tyler Clementi’s 2010 suicide as placing her experience in a broader context. Clementi, a Rutgers student at the time, was non-consensually filmed kissing another man and publicly shamed on social media. 

“For nearly three decades now, we’ve slowly been sowing the seeds of shame and public humiliation in our cultural soil, both on and offline,” Lewinsky said. “So if you think about gossip websites, paparazzi, reality programming, politics, news outlets and sometimes even hackers, they all traffic in shame.”

This behavior, Lewinsky added, has created a “culture of humiliation” where cyberbullying, trolling and online harassment occur frequently. 

Riya Patel, junior in Gies, who attended the talk, said Lewinsky’s topic could be particularly relevant in a university setting. 

“If you were to see harassment on social media, it would get more blown out of proportion, especially with college students who are more likely to be immature about certain things,” Patel said.

Nora Duffy, junior in LAS, agreed with Patel and included how Lewinsky’s discussion of mental health pertains to the younger generation. 

“A big part of her talk was humiliation and mental health and her struggles with mental health. I think that college students are a very big target for that,” Duffy said. “She was at a very similar age group to us.”

Lewinsky said it is time for an “intervention on the internet and in our culture.” This shift, she said, begins with the simple act of returning to values of compassion and empathy. 

“Because online, we’ve got a compassion deficit, or an empathy crisis,” Lewinsky said. “I’ve seen some very dark days in my life, and it was empathy and compassion from my family, friends, professionals and sometimes even strangers, which helped save me.” 

Lewinsky cited one instance when someone wrote an obnoxious comment about her. After looking at his profile, one of her followers discovered that he had recently lost his wife. 

“(The follower) tweeted out some expression of compassion towards him … I followed suit, and this man ended up apologizing,” Lewinsky said. 

“It kind of just shows if we all give each other a little bit more compassion, then there’s only positive things that can come out of that,” Duffy said about Lewinsky’s anecdote. 

While Lewinsky acknowledged technology can connect people in unimaginable ways, she believes that individuals must recognize their responsibility with freedom of speech. 

“We can all together make a society where the sometimes distancing effect of technology doesn’t impact and take away our humanity,” Lewinsky said. “We need to communicate online with compassion, consume news with compassion and also click with compassion.” 

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The burger is one of — if not the most — iconic food items in American culture. It’s not a stretch to say a U.S. college campus would be incomplete without a burger place, and thankfully, Jurassic Grill has us covered.

Whether it’s from the food truck or the storefront that stays open until 3 a.m., a Jurassic Grill burger will satisfy you to the fullest and make you wonder why you ever ordered a burger before that wasn’t named after a dinosaur. Once the clock strikes 11 a.m., there’s never a bad time for Jurassic Grill.

Hungry on a night out? Grab a nighttime T-REX Cheeseburger. Need a quick, filling lunch? Go for a T-REX Baconburger. Or you could try my favorite: a post-workout Brontosaurus. With two patties, ham, bacon and a fried egg to top it off, the Brontosaurus is $11.99 you’ll never regret spending. 

Always reliable whenever your stomach needs it the most, Jurassic Grill is the undeniable burger hot spot of Champaign-Urbana. If you’re on Green Street and in search of this American classic, Jurassic Grill’s unique take on this standard sandwich will never disappoint.

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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After an 85-69 win over Morehead State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Illinois men’s basketball is advancing to the second round against Duquesne on Saturday. With winning momentum but a recent history of early tournament exits, University students weigh in on the Illini’s performance.  

“We were wondering whether or not we would actually choke,” said Anvit Nidadavolu, sophomore in Engineering.

At halftime, the game was within one point, but Illinois was the heavy favorite, ranked a three-seed, while Morehead State was a 14-seed.

“I was a little stressed, but we pulled through,” said Nithilan Elangovan, sophomore in Engineering.

Elangovan attributed much of Illinois’ success in the game to graduate student guard Marcus Domask and fifth-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr.

“Domask — he was having a tough start at the beginning, but he ended up playing through to the triple-double, and Terrence is always the best on the floor at any given moment,” Elangovan said.

Shannon put up 26 points while Domask posted an impressive 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for only the 10th triple-double in NCAA tournament history. 

Elangovan and Nidadavolu also commended redshirt junior forward Dain Dainja, who came off the bench for 21 points.

“I’m excited for the future of the team,” said Amen Ausar, senior in LAS.

Illinois has been unable to advance past the second round in the last three tournament appearances, but Ausar is still confident this year will be different. 

“I think it’s going to be the same result as the first game — a win for the Illini,” Ausar said about Saturday’s game.

Others are still hopeful but are weary of the upcoming competition.

There are no promises, Elangovan said. “It’s a one-game-at-a-time thing.”

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Emergency services responded to smoke coming from the roof of Bunny’s Tavern in downtown Urbana at 2:27 p.m. on Monday. 

First responders labeled it a “working fire,” meaning that it had the capability to cause considerable destruction or loss of life. They subdued the fire visible from the exterior at 2:37 p.m., according to the METCAD scanner. No injuries were reported.

First responders believed the fire started on the roof of the building, though the exact cause is currently unknown.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates here. 

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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The College of Veterinary Medicine sent acceptance emails to the wrong group of applicants on Monday morning. 

“We issued our admissions decisions to the hundreds of aspiring veterinarians who applied for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine,” said Robin Kaler, spokesperson for the University, in a statement. “We intended to let 44 applicants know they had been assigned to our waitlist, but an administrative error resulted in them receiving an acceptance offer instead.”

According to Kaler, a correction email was sent within 10 minutes of the initial email, informing students of the error.

“We deeply regret the confusion,” Kaler said. “We know applying to professional schools is a stressful process, and we know how disappointing it would be to receive an offer and then a correction. We are reaching out to each of the affected applicants to apologize directly to them.”

According to the College of Veterinary Medicine, approximately 150 students are accepted each year to the University’s program. On average, the national acceptance rate for veterinary school is 10-15%.  

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. 

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With the annual voting for Illinois Student Council positions taking place today through noon on Thursday, four pairs of students are hoping to win the election to become the next ISC president and vice president. To explain their positions, each pair sat down to explain what their vision for ISC looks like and why students should support them.

Jack LaMorte and Alyla Ditiangkin

“You know, he wears a suit everywhere — everywhere,” said Alyla Ditiangkin, junior in Media, of her running mate Jack LaMorte, junior in LAS. 

Frequently sporting a suit isn’t just a fashion choice for LaMorte, he said. He believes that when going to meetings, he should dress the part. 

“I truly believe that the best way to advertise is through success, so when we provide tangible results to the student body, then it’s going to pass through word of mouth,” LaMorte said, speaking on growing the legitimacy of ISC among the student body. 

To get the tangible results LaMorte foresees, he and Ditiangkin are running on four main pillars: student success on campus, success post-graduation, supporting Greek life and eliminating national politics from ISC. 

“It may sound small, but (diverting from national politics) does separate us from our opponents,” LaMorte said. “They are going for these big issue ideas and it’s not the job of student council.” 

By focusing on more University-specific issues, LaMorte and Ditiangkin hope to make ISC a body that can impact students directly. 

“So first, we want to address food insecurity for those who can’t afford to go to the grocery store and buy their groceries,” Ditiangkin said about how they can improve on-campus student success. “We want to give students who need it food, emergency meal tickets, so they can go to the dining hall and get their adequate nutrients that they need on a daily basis.” 

Buying these meal tickets is one of the ways the ticket aims to use the $80,000-plus ISC budget to meet the needs of students. 

Additionally, the ticket wants to buy NARCAN to place in each fraternity house to prevent possible overdoses and supply suits for students to wear to job interviews. 

“If you want to see actual positive change on our university and you want to have someone who knows the ins and outs of the student council to actually benefit you, then you need to elect our ticket so that you can actually see those results and you’ll have a welcoming environment,” LaMorte said, who currently sits as the ISC deputy speaker.

Carter Cohen and Viktoriya Dragnevska

“Our campaign has a lot of pillars of things that we want to see accomplished,” said Carter Cohen, sophomore in LAS. “We have things that we think our university does really well but is underutilized by our student body.”

Both Cohen and Viktoriya Dragnevska, sophomore in ACES, believe that the University has effective programs in place to benefit students, but doesn’t have the proper advertising and efficiency in place to have exposure to students.

“A perfect example of something that incorporates both of these things is the mental health center,” Cohen said. “It’s a great resource that you pay for in your tuition, but a lot of students don’t know where it is, or that they can use it, or how to operate it.”

Cohen and Dragnevska want to focus more on creating a unique personalized experience for students at the mental health center so students can get the help they deserve. 

Besides mental health advocacy, both Dragnevska and Cohen believe that sustainability is important to the University and something the student body should care about more. 

“Our University pledged to divest our 220 million in fossil fuels and it is a nonbinding commitment to working with the University and telling the student body that this is clearly something we care about,” Cohen said.

Dragnevska went on to discuss other programs that the University endorsed that lack proper exposure.

“The (SafeRides) program is a great program that is offered to us by our tuition, but the amount of people that I’ve talked to just on the quad that say it doesn’t come up or it’s just a complicated program to figure out is large,” Dragnevska said.

“We want to prioritize working with the University to revamp the rules to a great program that already exists and really make it an accommodating resource for students.”

Outside of the current election, both Dragnevska and Cohen discuss their reasoning for getting involved in student affairs as well as discussing their political passions.

“Politics, public policy and government is just my life at the moment,” Cohen said. “This is something I am really passionate about and, in high school, I was founding many clubs related to advocacy as well as being the class president. I’m someone who likes to get the work done and likes to do the diligent behind-the-scenes stuff, which is what the position calls for.” 

Dragnevska discussed her experiences talking to students about issues and what she wants to see accomplished.

“I am someone that wants to see the greater good of campus and someone that wants to make sure students are having an equal and as great of an experience on campus as we are,” Dragnevska said. “We found that we have a lot of similarities on that spirit of public work and making sure students are well represented.”

“I just went on the quad and spent three or four hours talking to students listening to their concerns and telling them about things I want to fix personally,” Dragnevska said. “Hearing such good feedback makes me feel like a good communicator and an excellent candidate for the position.”

Bill Liu and James Yang

“I’ll be honest, coming to UIUC, I didn’t expect to be running for student council,” said Bill Liu, freshman in LAS. “But upon coming here, I think I met a lot of ambitious people, and I thought about the best ways I could be the, I don’t know, kind of cliche, but be the change I want to see in the world.”

Liu said that he is not the candidate most people would expect to be on the ballot for student body president, but for Liu that plays into his presidential bid.

“I think during the forum, I suggested that right now the student government or the student council is like a bubble almost filled with, like, poli sci majors, business majors or people who just, like, are generally involved,” Liu said.

Although Liu may not be in what he considers the bubble, he isn’t necessarily a stranger to the political realm, as he participated in student government in high school and contributed to political science research at the University.

“And I guess as a person, my interests are deeply political,” Liu said. “I really do wanna make something of myself, which is, I guess, what a lot of young people in this world want to do.”

Liu admits that ISC is not an extremely popular body among most students, but he hopes to change that if elected.

“Student government doesn’t have to be a relic of the past and can be something that people actively participate in to help change their community,” Liu said.

Hunter Farnham and Rudy LaFave

“We hope to accomplish three big key things,” said Rudy LaFave, junior in ACES. “First, raising the Illinois commitment scholarship level to reflect the 2023 median income here in Illinois. Second, divestment from fossil fuels. And third, we want to repair the relationship between ISC and the rest of campus.”

These ideas have been the foundation of Hunter Farnham, sophomore in Information Sciences, and LaFave’s campaign, who both feel they have the experience to enact them.

“I have been involved in campus politics for three years working with Students for Environmental Concerns, Illini Democrats, and being a part of a coalition with PPGA, SJP, Amnesty and YDSA,” LaFave said. “This has given me a great deal of experience in understanding how this campus has run and what large organizations have said that they need changed.” 

Where LaFave’s experience comes from a myriad of student organizations, Farnham leans on his time and work within ISC itself.

“I have a year of ISC experience under my belt and have tirelessly worked in ISC to get the sustainability committee off its legs,” Farnham said. “I understand how ISC works and how to channel the change we want to make into real policy change here at UIUC.”

Besides the ideas they mention, LaFave and Farnham believe many programs and initiatives on campus require a change in order to benefit students more.

“I believe that the mental health services need to be completely revamped,” Farnham said. “We want to make sure that there are more counselors to go to, that the timeline to register for therapy is longer than a day and that the counselors in the centers are of a wide variety of racial, ethnic backgrounds so that all students can feel heard and comfortable.” 

With so many different candidates coming from different backgrounds and experiences to better the University, many students are unaware of the ISC’s impact and significance. LaFave went on to discuss the importance of voting and its benefits.

“I understand why students don’t vote,” LaFave said. “CSEC only puts out a couple of signs, the general student body isn’t enthused about what ISC has done in the past and oftentimes is plagued with problems in getting to work. But this means that if you want ISC to change, then you need to vote. If you want UIUC admin to hear what you have to say, then you need to vote. If you have any hope at all that this campus can be a better place for you, then you need to vote in this ISC election.”

Voting for ISC student body president and vice president is open until noon on Thursday, but it isn’t the only position on the ballot. Other positions include student trustee, college-specific senators and representatives and more. 

Voting is also up for various amendments, including raising student organizations, media and ice rink-related fees. Voting takes place on OneIllinois and interested students can cast their ballots here. 

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Rating: 6.5/10

Albert Einstein is famously quoted as saying, “The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before.” 

In 1915, Einstein’s published work explained to the world the relationship between gravity and the fabric of space and time. Today, we can look at one of his most famous quotes to explain the arrival of the phenomenon that was released Friday at midnight ET — Yeat’s “2093.” 

American rapper Yeat first went viral back in 2021 for his catchy, substanceless songs over cracked-out beats that are likely unintelligible to most people over the age of 40. 

“2093,” the rapper’s fourth studio album, embraces a more futuristic, gritty sound while Yeat continues to separate himself from his contemporaries. 

Coming almost exactly a year after his last album “AftërLyfe,” “2093” is a more focused version of his previous work. On “AftërLyfe,” Yeat sounded like he was trying whatever he wanted to see what would stick. On “2093,” he’s stuck with a dark, dystopian version of what the future may sound like. 

Like anything that pushes beyond the bounds of the crowd, this album is not for everyone. Almost every part of the album sounds intentionally artificial, right down to Yeat’s voice. Usually, such production leads to high-energy songs, but in “2093” it more closely resembles an endless downward spiral. 

This isn’t to say there’s no energy on the album. Some of the 22 songs push the tempo, like “Breathe,” which is easily a standout for that reason. Others like “More” and “If We Being Real” bring plenty of energy, but not in the upbeat way listeners may be used to.

Overall, the decision to turn away from the upbeat sound is one of the main factors that sets “2093” apart from Yeat’s previous albums, but it doesn’t pair well with the 71-minute runtime. 

The album is long — too long to be enjoyed all the way through in one listen. The sound does an incredible job taking you to the world Yeat envisions in the album, but after an hour, it starts to feel like being held hostage there. 

The album only has two features — Lil Wayne and Future. At 22 tracks, one would expect there to be more, but a listen to the album explains why there isn’t: “2093” is not a compatible environment for other artists. 

Because Yeat is very much carving out his own sound on the album, it leaves little room for others to be comfortable. Even between the two existing features, it sounds like neither Lil Wayne nor Future can truly fit into Yeat’s world.  

This isn’t something to hold against the rapper — if anything, the lack of features proves Yeat is coming into his sound, which cannot easily be done by others. 

Though not everything about the album is perfect, it’s hard not to appreciate what Yeat is doing. “2093” is a clear step forward in a more focused artistic direction that shows dimension and growth and points towards a promising future. 

mcbales2@dailyillini.com 

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In response to recent strikes against the city of Rafah in Palestine by the Israeli military, University students gathered at Alma Mater on Saturday for an emergency protest against the Israeli occupation of Gaza and to call for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza on the border with Egypt, holds 1.4 million Palestinians, many of whom have sought refuge there since bombings began in northern Gaza in October 2023.

The threat of an Israeli offensive on the city has caused international concern for civilian safety.

Over 100 University students and community members came out in support of Palestinians affected by the conflict. The protest began with student speakers and ended with a march down Green and John streets. 

“I was really surprised when I heard that there was like 130 to 115 people today which is pretty close to the original protest,” said a protest organizer who is a sophomore in LAS. The organizer has asked to keep their name anonymous for personal safety due to people doxxing students who speak out against Israel. 

The organizer said protest participation often decreases as time passes, but this hasn’t been the case among such events at the University.

“I feel like since the attacks right now are just so brutal, and it continues to stay very brutal; that people are still staying connected to the cause and wanting to show up for the cause,” the organizer said. 

The organizer said there are often people who aim to dox students at Palestine-related events, including this one. 

“(The people doxxing students) try to, even with the doxxing, they promote it as us being antisemitic, and they’re just equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism, which is horrifying, and it’s extremely disgusting,” the organizer said.

Despite opposition, there is the belief that the pro-Palestinian movement is making progress with the University by raising awareness and ending University investment in companies that give support to Israel. 

Recently, Tim Killeen, president of the University of Illinois System, visited the Salaam Middle East & North Africa Cultural Center. The organizer said this was an effort to build a relationship with Palestinian and Muslim University students, something he had not done before.

“He wanted to learn more about us and he realized that, you know, ‘There are concerned students on my (Killeen’s) campus, and I (Killeen) have to do something to change that,’” the organizer said.

As for the Saturday march, the event was held to raise awareness and attention to Gaza.

“The goal was just to educate people on what’s going on in Palestine that they may not know, and also just to get our voices heard and show that there is power in people and that the people are united,” the organizer said.

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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Illinois lawmakers introduced the One Fair Wage act, which aims to eliminate subminimum wage pay for tipped workers, on Tuesday. The bill would be similar to the One Fair Wage ordinance that passed in Chicago in 2023, which will incrementally raise the minimum wage of tipped workers to that equal of nontipped workers by July 1, 2025. 

In 2022, lawmakers previously tried to pass a bill statewide erasing subminimum wage; however, it did not succeed. 

Under federal law, employers are required to make up the difference if subminimum wage workers are not tipped up to the equivalent of minimum wage. However, this applies to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, far below Illinois’ $14.

“(Restaurants) don’t really seem to try and compensate the worker for their underpaid tips,” said Addison McMillan, senior in LAS, who makes subminimum wage as a bartender. 

Though McMillan says he rarely makes below $14 an hour with tips, he says that’s not necessarily the case for his coworkers in other positions.

“Definitely there are many times where it’s a very lousy night but, like, a very slow night and they don’t get any money, and they’re just left with that as it is and not compensated really any further,” McMillan said.

Even for McMillan, who usually reaches the $14 threshold, there are still effects of only being guaranteed subminimum pay.

The subminimum wage in Illinois is 60% of the minimum wage, currently putting it at $8.40 per hour.

“It definitely makes it harder to plan ahead because you can’t really make it concrete how much you’re gonna make or how much you need to set aside or whatnot because it’s very dependent on the business you’re getting,” McMillan said.

The Chicago One Fair Wage ordinance states that “13 percent of tipped workers are in poverty, compared with approximately 6 percent of non-tipped employees.”

“Maybe one concern I might have about (One Fair Wage)  is for smaller businesses or like mom and pop shops or things like that where they might be already struggling to make ends meet,” McMillan said. 

However, when it came to larger businesses, McMillan was more in favor of the act.

“I think it’s definitely a good idea because (large restaurants) have way too much money that they can afford to lose a little bit more in this regard to keep their employees happier, keep their lives more stress-free and overall loyalty and things like that to the business that they’re in,” McMillan said.

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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Students and community members gathered on Thursday to hear Illinois Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid discuss the ongoing violence in Gaza. The representative spoke about manners by which the Boycotts, Divestments and Sanctions strategy can be used to push for a ceasefire in the region. 

Rashid took office in 2023 from Illinois’s 21st district, making him the first Palestinian American to sit in the Illinois House of Representatives. 

The event was organized by Bar None, SJP UIUC and Amnesty UIUC — three student groups that are looking to make a difference in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. As a guest speaker, Rashid was able to relate to the student groups through his own college experience. 

“I remember during my time in college, I was very involved in educating people about Palestinian human rights and fighting to make sure that (my) university wasn’t investing in companies that support this military occupation,” Rashid said. 

According to Amnesty UIUC member Kevin Murphy, the University invests in companies that contribute to human rights violations of Palestinians, including Caterpillar and Boeing. 

As a result, Murphy announced Amnesty UIUC is calling for the University to cease investing in these companies.

Financial pressure is a key aspect of the BDS strategy — a strategy that Rashid believes many Americans should be familiar with.

“The boycott is a time-honored American tradition (that) goes back to the Boston Tea Party and before the government of the United States,” Rashid said. “There are plenty of examples of movements using economic pressure and other leverage to pursue justice.” 

While boycotts are a recurring part of American history and a widely accepted method of protest, anti-BDS legislation has passed in many U.S. states, including Illinois, criminalizing the boycotting of Israel and Israeli settlements. 

“The Illinois BDS law requires the creation of a state-run blacklist of companies that boycott Israel and territories controlled by Israel and compels the state’s pension funds to divest from and prohibit investment in those companies,” said Marco Becerra, a representative of Bar None who spoke at the event. 

Signed in 2015, Illinois’ anti-BDS law was the first of its kind to take action against those who choose not to do business with Israel. Since then, 36 more states have enacted similar laws, making it illegal to boycott Israel or Israel-occupied territory in most of the country.

“It’s not that you’re restricted on doing business with a certain country or entity that operates within that country — it’s that you can’t not do business, which doesn’t really make sense,” Becerra said. 

Even with anti-BDS legislation already in place, Rashid worked toward for a path forward that goes through the channels of the state government.

“It’s straightforward what needs to be done to get something like this revealed,” Rashid said. “We need to educate our legislators, right, educate your state representatives and your state senators about this ill-advised law.”

Through his time as an activist, Rashid has advocated for meeting people where they are.

“I can’t overstate the importance of showing grace to people who you disagree with and working with them to move them along on the journey that they’re on,” Rashid said.

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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On Jan. 1, 2024, Illinois House Bill 2789 will go into effect, preventing the removal of material from state-funded libraries due to religious or partisan disapproval. 

The state law is the first of its kind in the country, making Illinois the only state so far to pass legislation against the rising trend of book banning across the country.

According to Pen America, there were 3,362 instances of book bans in the U.S. over the 2022-23 school year from public school libraries, a 33% increase from the year prior. 

The banning stems from parent groups who aim to remove what they deem inappropriate material for children in school. However, the bans have been found to disproportionately target female, minority and LGBTQ+ authors. 

Data collected by Pen America shows that the most frequently banned titles are “largely young adult novels featuring female, queer, and/or nonbinary protagonists.”

“All Illinoisans deserve to see themselves reflected in the books that they read, the art that they see (and) the history they learn,” said Gov. JB Pritzker at the signing of the bill back in June. 

Libraries that do not adhere to the new law will not be eligible for state funding. 

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, the earliest form of Mickey Mouse, one of the most iconic characters in American media, will enter the public domain.

The iteration of Mickey Mouse as seen in the 1928 cartoon “Steamboat Mickey” will outlive its 95-year copyright protection under U.S. law. This means that no permission will be needed from Disney to copy or use the 1928 Mickey and that it can be the basis of new creative work.

The original Mickey Mouse design was originally going to be made publically available in 2004; however, the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act  added on 20 years to copyright protection, creating the existing 95-year protection as opposed to the previous 75-year protection. 

The act was nicknamed the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act” due to media companies including Disney lobbying in favor of the act. 

Other major creative works to recently enter public domain include Winnie the Pooh, which became available in 2022, spawning the 2023 horror movie “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.” With the Winnie the Pooh spinoff currently sitting at a 3% critic score on rotten tomatoes, we can only wait and see what will become of Mickey Mouse. 

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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TEDxUIUC hosted its annual Student Salon at Illini Union on Tuesday. The event featured six student speakers whose topics ranged from meditation to fear of alienation in a new country. 

TEDxUIUC is a registered student organization independently organized by University students and licensed by TED that holds an annual Student Salon in which Illinois students can have their voices amplified.

“It’s a great platform,” said Tavishi Saraf, junior in LAS and member of TEDxUIUC. Saraf helped organize the Student Salon. 

According to Saraf, TED’s global reach makes speaking at TEDxUIUC events desirable for students, saying that TED is known “across cultures and countries.”

The student speakers featured included Om Badiyani, who discussed meditation and mindfulness; Kumuda Subranamyam, who pushed listeners to embrace the act of learning; Meera Kypta, who focused on how we can treat children to become leaders; Xinyuan Cui, who explored his fear in adapting to a new environment; Priyadharshini Sriramlatha, who posed that our passions build our foundations; and Jack Lamorte, who wanted students to learn and grow from a divisive political climate.  

Each student was selected by TEDxUIUC on an application basis and related their speech to the theme of the salon: Crossroads. 

“Students have a unique story — a unique perspective,” said Mia Kaufman, junior in LAS and TEDxUIUC member. “We all come from different, diverse backgrounds and that’s kind of what we look for when we’re choosing students.”

As a result, the backdrop of Crossroads was used by speakers in varying ways, from Lamorte’s external crossroads in our politics to Sriramlatha’s internal crossroads of our passions and academics. 

Kaufman believes that being able to hear from a diverse group of speakers like those who spoke at this year’s salon is a reason why students should take the time to come and listen to their peers. 

And while the six speakers were the headline of the event, the TEDxUIUC team decided to try something new for the opening act. 

“From my previous experience, we always have the performance just to give the audience some break from the talk,” said Kodchakorn Khemtonglang, graduate student studying bioengineering and TEDxUIUC member.

During her undergrad in Thailand, Khemtonglang participated in her university’s own TEDx branch, where performances from local musicians were incorporated into the events alongside the speeches.

Bringing that idea with her to TEDxUIUC, the salon opened with a musical performance by University a capella group The Other Guys. 

Khemtonglang at first had difficulty finding music groups at the University who were willing to perform so close to finals, “but then the other guy club volunteered themselves and then we started coordinating by telling them that we want something that ties with our theme, which is crossroads,” Khemtonglang said.

Though the TEDxUIUC members were content with how the salon turned out, they felt a schedule change could help boost the number of attendees. 

“We want to make it at a time where it’s convenient for everyone, not during the finals season, not during the end of the semester when everyone is already dead,” Saraf said.

As the TEDxUIUC team aims to expand its local reach into next semester, the members are mindful of the value their events can give, regardless of the number of attendees.

“It’s a really good community,” Khemtonglang emphasized. “That’s why I keep finding TEDx in every community that I go to and I feel like regardless of your background, regardless of your expertise, you can find yourself belonging to TEDxUIUC.” 

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

sonpari2@dailyillini.com 

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The closure is due to the need to remove a damaged streetlight from the area, according to a release from the city of Champaign. 

The closure is near parking lot E-14, a rental parking lot that may have spaces rented by students. 

The city encourages caution when driving through the affected area.

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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