The Illini Union Board held this summer’s first weekly movie night on the Main Quad Thursday. The 2024 biographical film “Bob Marley: One Love” was projected on a large, inflatable screen on the north end of the Main Quad, just in front of the Illini Union. 

Dozens of University students, faculty, staff and Champaign-Urbana residents attended the screening, setting up blankets and bringing cinema-style snacks. The Union Quad Shop was open until 10 p.m., selling an assortment of drinks, snacks and popcorn to attendees. 

Before the movie began, Union staff handed out glow sticks and projected multiple slides on the screen, including a land acknowledgment, a viewer discretion warning, a list of this summer’s planned movies and various advertisements for the University’s resources and events.

The Marley biopic follows the Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s until his death from cancer in 1981. The film depicts Marley’s attempt to unite Jamaica through music during a particularly violent time in the country’s history.

The IUB, which is the University’s event planning board, plans and organizes all the movie screenings. The board consists of 11 planning communities, which organize hundreds of student events annually. 

Junior in LAS and IUB President Abby Stiefvater discussed the movie screenings and the impact on the University community.

“The IUB has been doing this for a long, long time,” Stiefvater said. “It was especially a big thing during COVID-19 because of all the restrictions on events. This is a great opportunity to provide for students but keep them at a safe capacity.”

Regarding the benefits of the movie screenings for the students on campus during the summer, Stiefvater said that it allows people to get out of their apartments, relax and enjoy the night on the Main Quad. 

Stiefvater also noted the difficulties of traveling to the movie theater from campus without having a car.

“It’s beautiful weather out,” Stiefvater said. “We get to show some movies that students don’t necessarily have the chance to see because it’s hard to get to the movie theater if you don’t have a car; you’d have to take a bunch of buses and all that.”

Stiefvater added that in order to determine the movie lineup, members of the IUB consult with film experts about the most popular recent movie releases and select a diverse range of genres to showcase for students. 

This summer, the movie lineup includes action movies like “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” as well as comedies like “Kung Fu Panda 4” and “IF.” Movies will be shown every Thursday at 9 p.m., with the final screening of the summer set on August 8.

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Representatives from the ongoing encampment on the south end of the Main Quad distributed a written statement to members of the press at around 5:16 p.m. Monday evening.

The statement, entitled “​​Students demand accountability from the University administration for their complicity in the genocide in Palestine and bad-faith negotiation tactics with protestors seeking divestment,” was four pages in length and gave a synopsis of the encampment beginning from its original establishment at the Alma Mater statue on Friday, April 26. 

The statement also outlined, from the protesters’ perspective, a negotiation meeting held between members of the encampment and Chancellor Robert Jones on Saturday, May 4.

According to the statement, the encampment, which was referred to as “the Popular University for Gaza,” was not established at its proposed location near Spurlock Museum in Urbana due to the presence of a police surveillance vehicle, which was not outlined in their agreement with University administration.

The statement also outlined the negotiations that took place between the evenings of Friday, April 26 and Sunday, April 28. According to a Massmail sent to members of the University community Friday evening, members of the encampment were set to negotiate with the administration on Monday afternoon, but the meeting was later canceled.

According to an April 27 interview with a protest organizer, the University later refused to meet with encampment members without prior dismantling of all structures on the Main Quad.

Protesters alleged in the statement that University administration assured encampment members multiple times that their commitment to holding a meeting the following Monday “was not contingent upon the dispersal of ongoing protests” during negotiations for the “temporary agreement” reached on Friday.

“Administration repeatedly went back on their word while simultaneously trying to villainize students who were peacefully protesting,” the statement said. “(Administration sent) a Massmail on April 28, while negotiations were still ongoing, stating that the student negotiators had ‘refused’ to meet with President Killeen and Chancellor Jones.” 

According to the statement, negotiations between protesters and the administration were nothing more than “performative acts on the administration’s behalf meant to thwart any progress that could have been made toward divestment.”

After several days of discussions with Associate Vice Chancellor Jim Hintz and other members of University administration, the protesters were ultimately able to secure a meeting with Chancellor Jones that did not require dismantling the encampment.

“Two stipulations remained: only those present during negotiations would be allowed to know about the meeting, and faculty representatives would not be allowed into the meeting as they had been previously,” the statement said. “This demand for confidentiality was a tactic to create unease and confusion across the camp and the larger Urbana-Champaign community.”

Following the death of Dr. Irfan Ahmad, assistant dean for research at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Jones met with members of the encampment and was “welcoming” to the proposals brought forth by protesters.

According to the statement, Jones ultimately agreed to schedule a meeting on May 5 with James Moore, president and CEO of the University of Illinois Foundation where representatives from the encampment would “lay the foundation for an investment policy statement with a commitment to divest from companies that directly enable violations of international law and assaults on human rights.”

In the statement, organizers alleged that Jones arrived five minutes late to the scheduled 30-minute meeting and that he immediately informed protesters that the meeting was canceled.

The statement said Jones had “given the impression” that the meeting was for the purpose of negotiation, but that it was actually proposed in an effort to “(elevate) the lived experiences of the student organizers.”

Jones later told encampment representatives he would attempt one more time to schedule a meeting with President Tim Killeen, but also advised them that it was a “quality of good leaders to know how to deliver bad news to their constituents.”

Finally, the statement alleged that Jones “prioritized his own optics over the state of his campus, and his desire to not mirror the responses of UCLA and Columbia superseded his desire to create positive change.”

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Ahead of their upcoming term, the pair spoke about some of their plans and how they feel about being newly elected.

“It still has not sunk in that Hunter and I are the elected student representatives of the student body,” LaFave said. “It is really humbling to put the work in on campus and see how you get recognized. A big thing that Hunter and I did that I was really appreciative of was that we did not have to sell ourselves, we had to tell ourselves.”

LaFave believes that their prior experience mixed with their ability to pinpoint specific aspects of campus they want to improve on were the reasons they were elected. 

“It was a shock to know that close to 2200 people clicked my name, which was pretty wild,” Farnham said. “Things have just started to sink in. We started to have a lot of meetings with various people involved in ISC, our faculty advisor and the outgoing vice president and president. Both of us are very excited about the process.”

LaFave and Farnham then went on to further explain some of the things they hope to accomplish this term.

“I feel like ISC has a pretty negative reputation on campus,” Farnham said. “I feel like the current president and vice president have done a lot to fix that, and I think they’ve laid a good foundation, but I think that Rudy and I are excited to sort of take that foundation and actually use it to advocate for students.”

Both Farnham and LaFave had a variety of joint stances on issues and changes needing to be addressed on campus, but Farnham goes on to discuss a personal goal he is looking forward to achieving. 

“Personally, one of the things I am most excited to accomplish is working closely with (registered student organizations) and students on campus,” Farnham said. “I want ISC presence to be felt on campus, and that involves sending members of our cabinet or Rudy or myself to RSO meetings, tabling constantly and making it so students can easily approach us.”

LaFave expressed his optimism toward working with RSOs on campus and addressing issues students deem important.  

“I am most excited to be on the ground with RSOs, and I think that speaks to my leadership style and how I have worked with activism beforehand,” LaFave said. “I am excited to go to these meetings and meet these teams and ask how we can uplift your group of students on campus.

“I am excited to keep being a student on campus and have people come up to me and have a conversation with me about something they want to see,” LaFave continued. “I think sometimes those are the most productive conversations that could have been had as that is someone who has been through a different experience than I did.”

The University’s Mental Health Center was a common topic of debate among candidates during the election due to the variety of issues students face using the service. LaFave went on to discuss their plans to improve the mental health outreach program on campus.

“We need to come to understand why the system is the way that it is now, and I think that once we have a conversation with the administrators about how we see it and how the vast majority of the student body sees it, (only) then we can move on to expand things like the week and the timeframe that students can sign up for mental health services and the number of counselors,” LaFave said.

The Illinois Commitment Scholarship was also one of the main talking points of their campaign. Farnham discussed why they believe the problem is occurring.

“The Illinois Commitment Scholarship program is incredibly complicated,” Farnham said. “It is a question of finances because it is a very expensive program, but I think it’s also a program that is necessary … because it is literally one of the only reasons many people we know are on this campus.”

As one of the proposed initiatives, LaFave and Farnham eagerly look to tackle the tight relationship between the University and fossil fuel companies as well.

“Fossil fuel companies are not going to be within our low-carbon future,” LaFave said. “We need to have a serious conversation about a defensive strategy within our endowment systems, and that is divesting from fossil fuels.”

To further explain the problem, LaFave pointed out how these companies will harm the environment, yet the University is still receiving ample donations from them.

“These companies hold two times the risk of any other average equity within the S&P 500 index and are spending less than 1% of their budgets on transitioning into a low-carbon future,” LaFave said. “(The) University had received hundreds of millions of dollars in donor money from BP alone between the years of 2013 and 2023.”

“We, as a university, need to take a hard stance and a hard look at the future of our endowments and really question whether or not we see a profitability and a long-term sustainability within these fossil fuel companies in our dominant system,” LaFave said.

To add on, Farnham shared his opinion on the inevitability of fossil fuel divestment.

Another initiative that LaFave and Farnham want to work on would be the monthly meeting with RSOs and cultural houses. To show how that works, LaFave subsequently shared a recent problem they have been dealing with.

“One of the concerns La Casa had brought up was that they don’t have a refillable water bottle station on any point of Nevada (Street),” LaFave said. “That is an example of how we, as a student president and vice president, can direct resources to them — whether that’s going to be the Student Sustainability Council to ask for funds in order to get that done, or ourselves — (having) conversations with the admin to keep that process going.”

“We can just point-blank and say, ‘What do you guys need?’ (or), ‘How can we help you?’, whether that is hosting an event or funding a program,” Farnham said.

“If we just continue to have conversations, I feel like those will just continue to crop up,” LaFave said. “We’ll learn a lot about the campus in the meantime, and we will be able to literally solve some of the problems that are actively ongoing within these RSOs and cultural houses.”

Farnham added that the referendum previously passed in regards to providing abortion pills to students through the McKinley Health Center is also something the duo wants to expand upon.

“That referendum passed with 75% support, so obviously, we know students support this,” Farnham said. “So, Rudy and I want to be the ones to take that to the administration and have those conversations with McKinley and with the University Health Center to see how we can get this from a hypothetical referendum question into actually being something that students are able to access in a very easy, affordable way.” 

As the incoming ISC president and vice president, LaFave and Farnham both hope to address any concerns raised by University students and are looking forward to helping them be connected with the school after they are officially sworn in.

“I, myself, really think that this is an opportunity to be able to advocate to administrators and to essentially have a seat at the table to really express students’ concerns and advocate the different ways that we want to move forward on campus,” LaFave said.

“Historically, I feel like ISC, or formerly ISG, has a fairly negative reputation on campus,” Farnham said. “Rudy and I want to change that and hopefully make students feel that ISC is actually doing something on their behalf.”

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The University hosted the 2024 Illini Career and Internship Fair at the Illini Union, open to all majors, on Wednesday. Students were invited to get in contact with various companies and employers. 

Employers were given the opportunity to talk about their companies with students from all fields of study. Students were able to sign up for email lists, hand employers their resumes and make connections with prospective employers.

“I stopped by a bunch of health care booths and other promotional things,” said Madison Phillips, senior in AHS. “It’s a great opportunity that catches your eye and that looks good on any resume.”

In particular, employers were looking for students who needed internships, part-time jobs or careers. 

“It’s been really good,” said Kelsey Capel, a clinical supervisor at Nexus-Onarga Family Healing. “I wanted to come to campus to give people the opportunity to experience Nexus and hear about what we are.”

A wide range of opportunities was offered — whether it was from big companies like Target attending the fair, health care companies like OSF HealthCare or nonprofit organizations looking to help the community. 

“There aren’t too many educators, but that’s to be expected with the shortage,” said Theresa Smith, the director of specialized services at Dalton School District 149. “We’re looking for educators, social workers, psychologists, parent educators (and) physical education teachers. These career fairs will have all majors.”

Students also said the fair was useful and a great opportunity to make connections. Many were dressed in formal or business attire, wanting to make a good first impression on their future employers.

“I would say as soon as you can get in, get in,” Philips said. “Get your foot in the door with a company. It’s a great opportunity. You can start from the bottom and work your way up from there.”

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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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The King’s Guard, a non-registered-student-organization University group, will hold tryouts for the Kingfisher mascot from Friday to Sunday. Those who pass the tryouts will have the opportunity to appear in costume at games and entertain at events.

The current official mascot of the University is Block I and is associated with the Fighting Illini. Chief Illiniwek, the previous mascot, was retired in 2007 due to a ruling by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. 

The kingfisher, a blue and orange bird native to North America, was proposed as an alternative in 2011. Since then, the idea has gained momentum: It reached a faculty senate vote and won 105-2.

The Kingfisher wasn’t only chosen for its colors, however. According to William Buerk, junior in Engineering and the lead of the performance team of the Kingfisher mascot, there are many reasons why people support it as the new mascot of the University.

Some like how the kingfisher is not the mascot of any other university, while others like it because the kingfisher can be found right on campus, as it is native to Illinois.

“I saw this giant mural on the side of one of the buildings — I think it’s an apartment complex — and on top of it, you can see a kingfisher, clear as day,” said Evan Lemberger, senior in Engineering and a lead coordinator of the Kingfisher team. “And when I saw that, I realized that this is a symbol for the community and campus.”

While the mascot is not official, the Kingfisher still appears at many events and games. Performers engage in a wide range of activities, which include hyping up the crowd at hockey games and entertaining children at special events.

“We just want people to come and show what their talents are,” Buerk said. “Like — how well they might be able to fit into the role of the Kingfisher. Can you dance? Can you act and be funny and do improv and stuff without talking? Can you do something we haven’t thought of?”

There are many ways in which students can help the Kingfisher become official other than trying out to be in the costume. One can invite the Kingfisher to new events and increase the mascot’s involvement on campus. The Kingfisher also has merchandise that can be bought to demonstrate support. Lastly, if anyone wants to help directly, the Kingfisher team is always looking for new members.

“We have a lot of support,” Buerk said. “We’ve passed faculty votes. We’ve passed senate votes. People involved in the school in all capacities are always coming up to (us) and telling us how much they support it. We’ve passed student votes. We’re really just waiting for that final push.”

More information about the tryouts and the initiative can be found on the group’s Linktree.

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Rudy LaFave and Hunter Farnham received the most votes for student body president and vice president, tallying 32.7% of all first-choice picks. 

On the ballot for president and vice president, 5,031 students cast their votes — nearly twice as many that voted for the position last year, according to the CSEC. LaFave and Farnham came away with 1,643 of the votes. 

In the vote for student trustee, Ariana Mizan won with 2,260 votes, or 35.6% of all votes. 

The unofficial results additionally included counts and winners for ISC senatorial positions, student senators from each college at the University and positions on the Student Organization Resource Fee board. 

According to the CSEC, several one-vote ties were recorded in the senatorial elections, requiring lots to be cast to break the ties. The CSEC’s student election code resolves these ties by casting or drawing lots — essentially a random selection. 

Students also voted on several nonbinding referenda, which included four that were sponsored by the Illinois Student Council. Issues included renewals and increases of fees for various programs, the fate of the Ice Arena and increasing access to reproductive resources on campus. 

Fee-related referenda, including those for the Student Organization Resource Fee and the Study Abroad and Travel Scholarship Fund fee, passed by a simple majority. The Media Fee renewal passed, but the increase in fees did not. 

Students overwhelmingly opted to maintain the Ice Arena for a $13 increase in fees, voting against the demolition and repurposing of the facility into a multi-use court. Eighty-eight percent of the vote was yes, while only 9.2% of the students voted no. The future of the arena has recently been uncertain due to considerable wear on the building. 

In addition, voters strongly supported a referendum calling for on-campus health care centers to provide students with access to contraceptive pills, with 74.7% of all voters affirming the proposal. 

These results are unofficial. According to the CSEC, official results will be released by 5 p.m. on March 22. 

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, the organization “Illinois Student Government” was used. Its current name is “Illinois Student Council” and is now properly reflected in the headline and body of the article.

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The Espresso Royale at the Grainger Engineering Library violated health codes in its health inspection on Sunday for “repeated poor food handling practices that may jeopardize the public’s health.”

According to the Food Establishment Inspection Report from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, there were eight Risk Factor/Intervention Violations. 

Some of the risks included food not being preserved in “good condition, safe and unadulterated,” as well as a lack of “contamination prevented during food preparation, storage and display.”

The report also gave notes of food in the display case being held beyond the “7-day use” period and a BelGioioso Mascarpone that was found in the cooler under the coffee machine with a “black growth” that was consistent with mold. 

A “yellow Food Safety Alert” was placed upon the establishment after repeated violations of safety. The location remains open and there will be a follow-up inspection in the next five to seven business days. 

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

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Illinois Student Council presidential ticket Carter Cohen and Viktoriya Dragnevska gave out free pizza to University students who voted in the ongoing ISC election in front of KAMS Tuesday evening.

Dragnevska, a candidate for vice president, said students could receive a slice of pizza for voting in the election — regardless of their chosen candidates.

“No matter if it’s for us or not, we encourage students to vote,” Dragnevska said. “We don’t tell them explicitly to vote for us. We encourage making their voices heard on important issues on campus and making sure they’re adequately … heard.”

Cohen and Dragnevska are one of four tickets running for ISC executive office. Students can vote until noon on Thursday on the Campus Student Election Commission website. 

In addition to the student body president and vice president, interested students can also vote for several referenda, a student trustee and representatives of their colleges in the student senate.

Cohen, an ISC presidential candidate, said the initiative was intended to get more students to vote in the election.

“Something a lot of people have in common is going out,” Cohen explained. “It’s a way to get to a lot of the student body.”

Tuesday marked the opening of KAMS’ self-described “St. Patrick’s Day pop up bar,” KAMRock, which will remain open until March 19.

According to Cohen, his team decided to sit outside of KAMS in order to meet students where they were.

“We are here, offering them pizza to vote for whoever they want to and doing something to represent themselves on campus,” Cohen said. “Yeah, that’s where we’re at.”

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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. 

mcbales2@dailyillini.com

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Tomorrow, polls will open at noon for the election of a new student government. These annual elections result in a complete turnover of the Illinois Student Council along with the student senators and Student Organization Resource Fee Board. Elections run until Thursday.

Four pairs of candidates are in a race to fill the shoes left by current Student Body President Abby McGuire and Vice President Alex Koscielski. Each duo finds themselves built upon a foundation of mental health advocacy and increasing student financial security; however, their differences are what may be the deciding factor in this race.

Presidential candidate Jack Lemorte and running mate Alyla Ditiangkin differentiate themselves with goals of decreasing targeted acts of violence, increasing post-graduate opportunities and ensuring food security on campus. According to the two, implementing their aspirations would take the form of increased access to pre-professional clubs and distribution of meal tickets. 

Competing candidates, Bill Liu and James Yang plan to leverage their technical expertise to aid in environmental sustainability and promote diversity and inclusion, which they say are at the heart of their campaign. Collaboration with dining halls to reduce waste, promotion of multicultural events and improving disability accessibility are on this partnership’s agenda if elected.

Carter Cohen and Viktoriya Dragnevska, former student representatives from ACES, plan to expand student safety and environmental and community advocacy, accomplishing this through the enhancement of the SafeWalk program and adjusting the Illinois Promise Scholarship for economic shifts.

Hunter Farnham and Rudy LaFave distinguish themselves from the common goal of financial security with a commitment to increasing the student worker’s minimum wage to $15. The two also seek to be more transparent with the council’s finances and transform the University into the sustainable technology leader of the Big Ten.

For a better overview of these candidates, visit their profiles or watch a recorded stream of their open forum from Feb. 19. 

Alongside the presidential positions, the Student Organization Resource Fee Board, student senate, student trustees and student representatives are all receiving a makeover. 

The Student Organization Resource Fee is a $5.50 fee collected from every student each semester that is used to help fund programs and/or services of registered student organizations. The board is established each year to allocate this collective budget.

The Senate is a legislative body composed of about 200 faculty, 50 students and 10 academic professional members. Its duties include but are not limited to the exercise of legislative functions regarding education policy, admission, athletics, research and inclusion.

Student representatives are more localized and are selected by their respective colleges to represent students’ interests within the college.

Only one student from the University is selected to be a student trustee and will join two other students from the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Springfield on the board of trustees. Among these three students, the governor selects one to have an official vote to use on issues of University health care, governance, budget and student affairs.

Interested students can vote online on the Campus Student Election Commission’s website starting tomorrow at noon. 

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The University hosted its annual Illinois Interfaith Conference on Friday and Saturday. The conference aimed to create a community and dialogue across important issues surrounding spiritual and secular issues in Champaign-Urbana.

The conference lasted all day Saturday and consisted of seminars, lunch and workshops. Workshops consisted of discussion-based exercises ranging from a variety of topics, such as healing from trauma, self-care and ways to find a community.

“I would say it’s about building bridges,” said Emily McKown, president of the Religious Workers Association on campus and workshop leader. “Getting folks in conversation with each other about tough topics, some of that being sexuality and gender in religious contexts, but not all of it.”

The theme of this year’s conference was to brainstorm ways to create inclusive spaces and conversations around religion. Sexuality was also a theme in the discussion, sparking conversations about where it fits in religious contexts while also being inclusive and understanding of the experiences of others.

Workshops on how to facilitate discussions effectively and inclusively were presented with interactive activities for participants to learn from their interfaith peers. Students were able to facilitate discussions to lead productive and welcoming conversations.

“We led a discussion with about eight or nine other people and helped them get to know each other and share their experience,” said Maya Crystal, junior in LAS and a member of the Interfaith in Action organization. 

The conference also offered interfaith-friendly food and beverages to make sure participants of all backgrounds would be able to enjoy lunch. A room was also set aside for any of the participants to take a break, pray or reflect on what they had learned. 

“We have to think about who we’re going to invite,” said Ross Wantland, director of Curriculum Development and Education at the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. “And what we’re going to do during that time together and how we can accommodate all the groups.”

The conference concluded with a service project for Strides Shelter, in which participants packed backpacks with essential needs, toiletries and other personal care items for unhoused youths in the C-U community.

“We know that there are a lot of homeless youth in our community, and we also know that queer youth are overrepresented in that population,” Wantland said. 

“I hope that by coming to this conference, folks can begin to say, ‘How do I care for people that get pushed to the margins, that are overlooked, that are mistreated due to systemic homophobia and racism?’ and other things like that,” Wantland said.

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The Indian Graduate Students Association organized a candlelight vigil on Friday to honor the life of 18-year-old Akul Dhawan, freshman in Engineering. The University community has been mourning his loss ever since he was found dead with signs of hypothermia on the morning of Jan. 20. 

The vigil began at Alma Mater, where a crowd of some 100 students and parents had gathered. After an initial speech, IGSA passed out flowers and candles to the attendees. 

From there, the procession walked down Green and Goodwin streets in silence before finally reaching the back porch of a building in the 1200 block of West Nevada Street, where his body was found.

“I’m here to pay respects to my friend that passed away,” said Jai Gupta, freshman in Engineering. “I hope the event brings closure to the people who were affected by his death, and I hope his parents can get something out of it as well.” 

Gupta and several more of Dhawan’s friends spoke at the site of the vigil after IGSA, sharing stories about their lost friend. They reminisced about his personality traits and quirks, what drew them to him initially and the time spent with him that they would cherish forever. 

Many of them expressed just how easy he was to connect with and talk to, the new perspectives he frequently brought to them and how unique he was.

“Akul was part of the Indian community, and we are the Indian Graduate Student Association, so we would like to form a deeper connection there,” shared Derek Pinto, secretary for the IGSA. 

While Pinto discussed the more lighthearted cultural impact that IGSA has on campus, he also stressed the importance of honoring Dhawan’s memory. 

“We do a lot of fun events and celebrations like Diwali, but this is also an event where we need to play a role,” Pinto said. “We’ve lost a member of our community, so we are here to honor and cherish his memory so that a part of him continues to live on campus.

“I think, first and foremost, this event highlights the life that Akul lived here on campus,” Pinto continued. “He came here with a lot of ambitions, he wanted to be an engineer. We have a message from his dad which also brings out his spirit, and this is a way to communicate with people what he could have been, or what he was; what his dream on campus was.”

The vigil concluded with two minutes of silence and a triple chant of “Om Shanti Shanti Shanti” before those attending came forward to place flowers and candles under a picture of Dhawan with burning incense. Many students lingered for long after the ceremony, forming a half circle while they reflected on his life.

“We didn’t know him, we’re just paying our respects,” said Rakshita Kunde, freshman in Business. “With the vigil, the community is working together to be able to share with other people what happened, to spread awareness of that and the dangers that come with being on campus.”

“It reminds us of the value of our loved ones and the people that surround us, so we can cherish those memories,” added Akanksha Kashyap, freshman in Business. 

The impact of Dhawan’s death stretches far beyond the University campus. The vigil attracted numerous parents who represented a broader community concerned about the welfare of Indian students in America. 

“He was my daughter’s friend,” said Jishnu Nair, father of a University student. “So when this happened, she was pretty upset. Parents all over India have raised concerns with regards to multiple incidents that have happened in the last few weeks. Most are upset, and they’re pretty helpless. They’re taking it up with the government of India and the congresspeople to see what can be done. There are many state governments that are getting involved with the universities as well, not only this one but the other places this has happened.”

“This is the fifth incident that has happened in the last four weeks,” Nair said. “There were two incidents at Purdue, and a couple more. Many of the incidents were something weather-related, is what the police are saying. So, this issue has been taken up by the media in India and was raised in the parliament, and there’s a lot of attention on it. A lot of parents are watching from India, and I and a few others are here representing that bigger group and their concerns.”

Despite the broader context of the issue, Nair shifted focus to the community’s reaction to Dhawan’s death, expressing appreciation for the outpouring of support from the student body.

“This is a very good thing that all the kids have come here to show respect, even though he was just a first-year student,” Nair said. “So within a short span of time, I believe he had a great impression here.” 

Ish Dhawan, Akul’s father, also echoed Nair’s concerns about safety in the University community. 

In late January, he and his wife decided to file a complaint against UIPD, claiming negligence in the search for their missing son. Dhawan had been missing for 10 hours when he was found by a school employee just 400 feet away from his last reported location.

“The reason he went to UIUC is because he really liked the school,” Dhawan said. “He was enjoying it, he had a really good time in his first semester, he was really looking forward to his second semester until this tragic incident happened. There’s no doubt about it: He held the University’s engineering department in very high esteem. He had offers from UCs, but he insisted on going to UIUC.” 

Reflecting on the distressing circumstances that led to the loss, Dhawan shared his grief and pointed out the preventability of this situation, stressing the need for vigilance in the community.

“What happened over there is a tragedy, and I think that could and should have been avoided,” Dhawan said. “And a young, bubbly kid, who was so naive and gullible. He was only 18, he just turned 18 and lost his life, which is so tragic. Every student should be concerned about their safety. It’s not that kids don’t indulge in reckless behavior; they do. But it should not come at the expense of their life. The professionals should have easily prevented this tragedy, but the tragedy is that it happened.”

Dhawan and his wife hope to use this platform to ensure that no other family has to go through what they did.

“Our intent is that we do not want a similar incident to happen ever again,” Dhawan said. “We have lost our son. He is not coming back. Can we use this platform to make sure nothing like this event ever, ever happens again?”

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The University, under the guidance of the Illinois Climate Action Plan and recent state sustainability legislation, has awarded over 30 buildings with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. 

LEED certifications, pioneered by the U.S. Green Building Council, are given on a voluntary basis to buildings that undergo assessment for sustainability criteria. The certifications aim to exemplify the University’s commitment to environmentally-friendly performance.

As of 2023, the University features 32 certified projects, with more awaiting evaluation. Townsend, Nugent and Lincoln halls are just a few of the student housing locations that boast a LEED certification.

Steven Breitwieser, manager of communications and external relations for Facilities & Services, said that obtaining a LEED certification requires extensive inspection and preparation. 

“Each project striving to achieve LEED certification applies to the U.S. Green Building Council and undergoes a comprehensive design and technical review to acquire points and credits,” Breitwieser stated in an email statement.

LEED evaluations on campus are completed by a team of engineers, architects and designers who examine the buildings’ construction and performance as a local space. The team also evaluates how the buildings’ operations are performing in waste disposal and reducing emissions. 

The four levels of LEED certifications are given based on point totals, with certified being the lowest when the building has earned 40 to 49 points. The highest ranking, platinum, means that the building has earned more than 80 points. 

Excluding sustainable efforts on campus, the state of Illinois continues to focus efforts on expanding the accessibility of environmentally friendly power to every community. For example, the Illinois Solar for All Program, first established in 2017, provides individuals who make an income 80% or less of the area median income with no-cost solar panel installation. The program also extends, with different qualifications, to public facilities and nonprofit organizations.

Solar panels are meant to both cut costs for homeowners and make a positive impact on the environment. Illinois now ranks eighth nationally in terms of the use of solar energy and, as of 2023, has installed enough panels to over 375,000 homes.

Breitwieser says Illinois continues to be a trailblazer in sustainable construction by requiring LEED Silver certifications for new construction.

“Illinois is a national leader in sustainable building design by requiring that new buildings and major renovations constructed on campus meet strong performance standards and are LEED Silver certified at a minimum,” Breitwieser stated.

The requirement stems from the Illinois’ Climate Action Plan, which Breitwieser says is how the University hopes to achieve carbon neutrality and combat climate change.

“The Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) is the university’s strategic plan to meet the Climate Leadership Commitments, including being carbon neutral as soon as possible and building resilience to climate change in the local community,” Breitwieser stated. 

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St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church and a privately owned apartment building are being demolished following plans to construct a new seven-story apartment complex on the combined plot of land. Visible on the northwest corner of Wright and Chalmers streets, the demolition began on Monday with the intention of completing the construction of a new building by fall 2025. 

The agreement between Fairlawn Capital, owners of the apartment building, and St. Andrew’s comes as the church looks to renovate its outdated building. The prospective building will contain both private apartments along with a remodeled space for St. Andrew’s, a long-standing piece of the University campus. 

Built in 1956, St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church has been active on campus for nearly seven decades. The organization’s mission, according to its website, is to provide an inclusive community for University students and faculty. In recent times, however, the historic building began facing several issues with its plumbing, HVAC system and foundation. Beyond these, the building’s lack of physical accessibility made it a difficult space to use.

“All the programming was happening on the main level, and there was a large basement but there was only stair access, so there was no elevator and no way to put one in; it was just such an old building that it kinda outlived its usefulness in a lot of ways,” said Jon Fry, pastor of St. Andrew’s. 

To resolve these issues, the church began considering plans to rebuild inside a larger apartment complex, which would allow it to work within a smaller budget.

“Even before the pandemic, there were conversations with different developers in town … The church does not have a ton of money set aside for a project like this, so we were trying to see if somebody would want to put in housing and build us some new space that we would share,” Fry said.

This led St. Andrew’s to form a partnership with Fairlawn Capital, owners of Smile Student Living. In 2021, Fairlawn Capital acquired 608 E. Chalmers Street, the apartment complex directly behind St. Andrew’s, as a part of a deal with Campus Property Management. 

Fairlawn Capital and St. Andrew’s began discussing a plan to build a large property that would span both plots of land. In mid-January, the two groups formalized their agreement, and on Jan. 30, the city of Champaign approved the two parties to begin demolition. In line with the academic calendar, construction is intended to be finished by August 2025.

This new apartment complex will be seven stories tall and will resemble an L shape. It will contain a mix of apartment sizes ranging from studio to four-bedroom units and will include underground parking. 

Similar to its old location, St. Andrew’s will occupy a portion of the first two floors and face the corner of Chalmers and Wright streets. The church will have its own entrance and elevator and gain an increase in square footage from 6,000 to 9,200 square feet.

“I think we’ll have more parking space, we’ll have more square footage and the plan is the sanctuary and offices will be on the main level on the first floor, and the second floor will be a large fellowship hall for events, a large meeting room and a small boardroom,” Fry said. 

This design will allow the church to still operate its own space while being part of the larger building structure. Overall, Fry is optimistic about the change in location and believes it will provide a unique opportunity to be more involved with the student body. 

“If our goal is to create space for the student community — and there will be students in the same building — we can find ways to connect or at least invite them into the space so that they can see it and it does not feel like something out of place,” Fry said. “We’re kind of in the dreaming, visioning, hoping phase of what could be.” 

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From Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, registered student organizations and other clubs were invited to join and attend the Involvement Fair from 6-8 p.m. at the Illini Union’s Courtyard Café; A, B and C Rooms; and South Lounge. The fair aims to promote organizations as well as talk to new students looking to get involved on campus.

The Involvement Fair had clubs and organizations that span from major-specific and academic-centered to clubs that are meant for fun and extracurricular activities.

Ryan Wang, freshman in LAS, went to discuss the organizations that interest him to come out and attend the fair.

“I’m pre-med, so I mostly came here for professional clubs,” Wang said. “I wasn’t really looking for fun clubs, but I found a few that interested me.” 

William Bartee, junior in LAS, discussed the importance of having this event halfway into the school year and what he wants his International Film Club booth to accomplish.

“Not everyone goes to Quad Day; some people want to reach out in the middle of the year, and if there’s no fair then it becomes harder for those students to reach out and find those groups,” Bartee said. “We just want to reach out to people that might also have a passion for movies and want to share that experience together.”

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Twenty-eight employers attended the fair, and while students were not required to sign up, 1,200 preregistered for the event. However, according to workers at the event, within the first couple of hours, it was clear the actual number of students greatly exceeded 1,200. 

One of these students was Arnav Aggarwal, sophomore in LAS, who attended the event to build his resume and explore opportunities. 

“I’m looking for part-time work, just something casual to make money and get some experience from,” Aggarwal said. 

Of the 28 employers, around half were opportunities through the University, while the other half were private companies around the C-U area. University positions included jobs in Campus Recreation, Human Resources and Student Affairs. Some of the private companies included FedEx and First Federal Bank.

Aggarwal, who had attended job fairs before, appreciated the wide array of opportunities the event presented. 

“There are companies here that I probably would never have otherwise known about … First Bank and Greenix were the ones that stuck out to me,” Aggarwal stated. 

For the majority of jobs at the fair, previous experience was not required. Instead, employers emphasized some common personality traits, such as the ability to communicate, sincerity and a proactive attitude as being invaluable for students who are looking to get hired.

For students who missed the event, a link can be found here for future career fairs.

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Due to sleet, freezing rain and ice accumulation, University administration advised instructors to move in-person classes to a remote format for Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Furthermore, the statement recommended the cancellation or rescheduling of any nonacademic activities from Monday night to Tuesday morning. The delayed start on Tuesday will give University and city crews enough time to clear streets, sidewalks and parking lots from any remaining ice.

“Our Facilities & Services crews are working through the night to keep campus streets and walkways clear of ice, but whether on foot or driving, you should proceed with caution on and off campus,” the statement said.

According to the Massmail, students, staff and faculty should verify if University facilities are open before they attempt to visit, although they are expected to maintain their regular hours. All University libraries close at 5 p.m. on Monday and reopen at noon on Tuesday.

“As a reminder, the residential and research aspects of our operations make closing impossible, so staff members are expected to fulfill their regular work responsibilities,” the statement said.

Students who need warm weather essentials can contact the Student Assistance Center for Basic Needs at (217) 333-0050 or basicneeds@illinois.edu.

To aid in snow and ice removal, people can report immediate areas of concern online. General questions about snow and ice removal can be directed to the Facilities & Services office at fsserviceoffice@illinois.edu.

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