The Daily Illini: Volume 143 Issue 71

BY ELI MURRAYSTAFF WRITER

Police officers in Cham-paign County have a unique tool at their disposal. When they receive a call about a dis-turbance, they can enter the address into a database that connects officers to an array of information about the desti-nation, such as names of prop-erty owners, or directions to the site.

This “Geographic Infor-mation System,” said Leanne Brehob-Riley, director of the Champaign County GIS Con-sortium, can be a very valuable tool in the planning stages of major operations.

“We’ve had officers come in ... if they know there’s drugs in an area and they want to plan out the best way to get to the property ... they’ll come in and ask for aerial photos,” she said.

The county’s GIS is provid-ed by the Champaign County GIS Consortium, an entity com-posed of seven members: unin-corporated Champaign Coun-ty (the area of the county not directly governed by munic-ipalities), the City of Cham-paign, the City of Urbana, the University of Illinois, the Vil-lage of Rantoul, the Village of

Mahomet and the Village of Savoy.

Each of these members pays a fee to gain access to the sys-tem. The fees are based on the population of each body. Additionally, the consortium receives about $100,000 in additional revenue selling the map data to private entities. But on Monday, the Urbana City Council passed a resolu-tion to change the language in their agreement with the con-sortium. The updated language clarifies the role of technical advisors and also updates the process of data disclosure to non-member agencies.

Urbana City Council member Diane Marlin, Ward 7, said she had seen similar tools before that stored more information and tied it to property address-es. She said the current GIS was, in comparison, slightly outdated.

Nevertheless, the GIS data-base is the groundwork for engineering projects, sewer systems and tax information, said Bill Gray, Urbana direc-tor of Public Works.

“It’s a very useful tool for (city staff) in our daily work,” he said.

Additionally, residents can access the spatial data main-

tained by the consortium. Users can look at aerial maps of the county ranging from 1973 to 2011, as well as terrain data and other tools that help chart out school districts, vot-ing precincts and more.

Gray said the current GIS could use some improvements, and city staff members are currently working on a pro-posal to bring before council later this year.

“We really, really need to update our work order and asset management system ... we could (have all the capa-bilities of other systems), but we have to have that software tool,” he said, adding that the upgrade to the system would be costly.

Eli can be reached at [email protected].

WINNING ENTREPRENEURS GET A $50,000 GRANT

$50,000 GRANTS DRAW ENTREPRENEURS TO ST. LOUIS

I N S I D E P o l i c e 2 A | H o r o s c o p e s 2 A | O p i n i o n s 4 A | C r o s s w o r d 5 A | C o m i c s 5 A | L i f e & C u l t u r e 6 A | S p o r t s 1 B | C l a s s i f i e d s 3 B | S u d o k u 3 B

THE DAILY ILLINITHURSDAYFebruary 6, 2014

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WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM he independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871 Vol. 143 Issue 73 | FREE

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BY MARYCATE MOSTSTAFF WRITER

Members of the campus community gathered at the Campus Faculty Association’s press conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday to voice their sup-port for faculty unionization.

In attendance were mem-bers of the Graduate Employ-ees Organization, who nego-tiated a new contract with University administration in December 2012.

“We were just there let-ting them know how much we appreciated their support in the past and how much we appreciate what they are doing now,” said Stephanie Seawell, GEO spokesperson. “(Union-ization) makes our campus stronger — making sure we have effective governance at the University is something

that graduate students care about too.”

Unionization has become a controversial topic among fac-ulty at the University — more than 120 faculty have already signed a statement in opposi-tion of faculty unionization as a part of the Preserving Excellence campaign, headed by professors Joyce Tolliver, Jeff Brown and Nick Burbules.

Faculty members who signed the Preserving Excel-lence statement have listed the loss of critical faculty as one of their main concerns about unionization.

“I have heard people tell me that they would leave if the campus unionized,” Burbules said in an interview earlier this week. “That is why the campaign is called Preserv-ing Excellence.”

Harriet Murav, president of the Campus Faculty Asso-ciation, believes that faculty unionization is the best way to

Unionization sparks dispute among faculty

Urbana accepts revised agreement for geographic tool

Campus faculty divided on whether or not to unionize

Yahoo expansion to reach UI’s Research Park, set for 2014BY ANGELICA LAVITO AND MIRANDA HOLLOWAYSTAFF WRITER AND ASSISTANT DAY-TIME EDITOR

Snow covered streets didn’t stop guests of Yahoo’s expan-sion announcement from attend-ing the event at the I-Hotel on Wednesday.

Yahoo held the ceremony to announce their plans to expand their presence in the Universi-ty’s Research Park.

“The Research Park has been a great home for Yahoo’s Champaign team, and I know the people love working here at the Yahoo Champaign site for a variety of reasons,” said Senior Engineering Director and

Champaign Site Director Cath-erine Singer at the ceremony.

Yahoo’s Champaign loca-tion is one of its main engi-neering facilities in the U.S. The 40,000 square foot facility will be designed to encourage a fun, collaborative atmosphere, according to Yahoo’s invita-tion. Yahoo opened the loca-tion in 2007, and is the largest employer in Research Park with 90 employees. They anticipate creating at least 80 new jobs with the new facility.

Scott Burke, Yahoo’s senior vice president of advertising technology, is happy to have a “We’ve had

officers come in ... if they know there’s drugs in an area and they want to plan out the best way to get to the property ... they’ll come in and ask for aerial photos.”LEANNE BREHOB-RILEYDIRECTOR OF THE CHAMPAIGN COUNTY GIS CONSORTIUM

SEE YAHOO | 3A

SEE UNION | 3A

A snow-clad apology

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINIA message is left for Chancellor Phyllis Wise in front of Anniversary Plaza on the Quad on Wednesday.

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINIDon Gerard, Mayor of Champaign, signs a shovel during the Yahoo! Groundbreaking event at the IHotel on Wednesday.

BECKMAN BRINGS IN CLASS OF 18 FOR 2014 CAMPAIGNIllinois nets 5 in-state re-cruits and gets one four-star player in DL Jihad Ward.

SPORTS, 1B

Turning a hobby in reality, freshman Tim Miller creates apps

Miller’s business helps him pay college tuition

LIFE & CULTURE, 6A

2A Thursday, February 6, 2014 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

WEATHERPOLICE

HOROSCOPESBY NANCY BLACKTRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES

Today’s Birthday Health and service provide context this year. Listen to emotions and intuition, with Mercury retrograde (today until 2/28). Plan, practice and prepare. March and April favor home improvements, while the solar eclipse (6/10) brings romantic change. Aim for balance, even with travels and adventures. Young people inspire playfulness. Follow your heart. It’s pro! table.To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

ARIES ( MARCH 21-APRIL 19)Today is an 8 — For about three weeks with Mercury retrograde, talk and plan with associates. Clean up the place. Don’t take risks. Double check ! nancial transactions. Review recent negotiations and decisions. Increase peace through meditation.

TAURUS ( APRIL 20-MAY 20)Today is a 9 — Review data to ! nd a hidden truth. Misunderstandings are plentiful for the next three weeks. Ask questions, even if you’re nervous. Repeat what you said to be sure it gets through. Handle outstanding assignments.

GEMINI ( MAY 21-JUNE 20)Today is a 6 — For the next three weeks while Mercury’s retrograde, revisit creative ideas from the past. A temporary disruption could slow things... have a backup plan. Revisions are necessary. Take your act on the road (after double-

checking reservations and roads).

CANCER ( JUNE 21-JULY 22)Today is a 7 — For about three weeks, pay off bills. Don’t confront authority or get into legal disputes... it would just get complicated. Watch for technical difficulties. Tune your equipment. Keep decreasing your obligations. Share food and fun with friends.

LEO ( JULY 23-AUG. 22)Today is a 7 — Secure what you’ve achieved over the next several weeks. Continue to increase your authority, although possibilities to advance remain static for a while. Keep practicing, and raise your skills. Make plans, and check equipment for repairs.

VIRGO ( AUG. 23-SEPT. 22)Today is an 8 — For three weeks, confusion is more common in groups. Travel can get disrupted or interrupted. Accept responsibility where due, and stay patient. Review documents and sign again as needed. Avoid overspending. Free up some time for peacefulness.

LIBRA ( SEPT. 23-OCT. 22)Today is a 7 — For three weeks, you gain most through old contacts and familiar practices. The initial phase of a job is over. Fact and fantasy clash. Keep decreasing public obligations. Pad your schedule for unexpected circumstances, and take quiet time.

SCORPIO ( OCT. 23-NOV. 21)Today is an 8 — For about three weeks, hold onto what you have. Better safe than sorry. Avoid risks.

Have people over instead of going out. Travel and transportation can get disrupted. Pay extra attention to a partner.

SAGITTARIUS ( NOV. 22-DEC. 21)Today is a 9 — Communicate carefully for the next three weeks. Save your insights for later... avoid misunderstandings. This retrograde period is good for organizing, sorting and ! ling. Clean your desk, and complete old projects. Service breakdowns could slow things.

CAPRICORN ( DEC. 22-JAN. 19)Today is a 7 — For about three weeks, revise and re! ne your procedures. Review your notes, to simplify. Dig into a research assignment. Double-check bank statements and ! nancial transactions. Today and tomorrow, play and have fun (especially with family).

AQUARIUS ( JAN. 20-FEB. 18)Today is a 6 — Review the data and practice over the next three weeks. Sign papers and contracts after that, if you can wait. Increase support structures. Handle home repairs, especially regarding plumbing. Travel could get tricky. Enjoy home comforts.

PISCES ( FEB. 19-MARCH 20)Today is a 7 — For the next three weeks, renew old bonds. Review ! nancial contracts and statements. Increase your savings with planning. Wait for a better time to take risk or make major decisions. Review the pros and cons thoroughly ! rst.

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K R A NNER T CENTER FOR THE PERFOR MING AR T STHIS WEEK

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Champaign Theft was reported at Cly-

bourne’s, 706 S. Sixth Street, at around 6 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the report, the vic-tim’s money clip was stolen.

Burglary from a motor vehi-cle was reported in the 500 block of East Grove Street at around 6 p.m. Monday.

According to the report, the offender burglarized the victim’s car and took a purse, identifi cation cards, credit cards and damaged a window.

A controlled substance look alike was reported at the Don Moy-er Boys and Girls Club, 201 E. Park

Ave., at around 1 p.m. Tuesday.According to the report, a bag

with a look alike substance was found on a gym fl oor.

Urbana A 22-year-old man was arrest-

ed on the charges of domestic bat-tery, unlawful restraint and crim-inal damage to property on the 800 block of Springfi eld Avenue at around 12 a.m. Monday.

According to the report, the offender and victim previously dated. The offender battered and restrained the victim, along with damaging property in her apart-ment. The offender was located

and brought to jail. Theft and mislaid property

was reported in the 1500 block of East Florida Avenue at around 12 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the report, the victim lost her credit card and an unknown offender found it and used it without her permission.

Theft was reported on the 1800 block of Philo Road at around 8 p.m. Sunday.

According to the report, the offender entered the business, con-cealed merchandise and walked out without paying.

Compiled by Miranda Holloway

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BY TIFFANY HSU, NOAM N. LEVEY AND SOUMYA KARLAMANGLAMCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

CVS Caremark Corp.’s immi-nent exit from the cigarette and tobacco business — an unprec-edented move for a major phar-macy company — is being cheered by many medical pro-fessionals and lawmakers as a triumph of corporate responsi-bility over the bottom line.

But industry experts say the strategy shift is less an altruis-tic endeavor than a savvy mar-keting ploy from a drugstore giant trying to promote itself as a retail health hub in an age of increasingly self-serve health care.

“It’s smart business on CVS’ part,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia, a state steeped in tobacco history.

The drugstore chain — the largest in the country by sales with $123 billion in revenue in 2012 — said Wednesday that it will be tobacco-free by Oct. 1. CVS has more than 7,600 stores, making it second in retail loca-tions only to Walgreens.

The move comes soon after the 50th anniversary of a land-mark report from the surgeon general linking smoking to ill-nesses such as lung cancer and heart disease. Pharmacies have faced years of criticism from

health advocates for juxtapos-ing tobacco items with medical products.

Former smoker President Barack Obama applauded CVS, saying the company “sets a powerful example” and that its decision “will have a pro-foundly positive impact on the health of our country.” He added that the strategy shift will aid his administration’s efforts to reduce tobacco-related deaths and illnesses while also bring-ing down healthcare costs.

CVS said that it is sacrifi cing $2 billion in annual revenue in its endeavor, which it said also includes a “robust national smoking cessation program” to begin this spring. But the Woon-socket, R.I., chain also has much to gain.

Amid a shortage of primary care doctors and legislation that expands access to health care coverage, CVS and many of its competitors are investing in more in-store urgent care clin-ics. They’re also featuring phar-macists who can offer medical counseling and extending out-reach efforts to clinicians and medical centers.

More Americans are seek-ing self-service options at local retailers providing a growing suite of services and products made cheaper and simpler by improving technology, said Columbia Business School pro-fessor Rita McGrath.

“In today’s fast-moving, com-petitive market, retailers are taking their resources from declining categories like cig-

arettes, where there’s a lot of cost associated with securing the products and checking peo-ple’s ages, and putting them into growth areas that involve health and services,” she said.

Retail establishments such as CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid operate more than 1,600 health centers, according to a report Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was written by Dr. Troyen A. Brennan, CVS’s chief medical offi cer, and Dr. Steven A. Schroeder, who runs the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at UC San Francisco.

“Making cigarettes available in pharmacies in essence ‘renor-malizes’ the product by sending the subtle message that it can-not be all that unhealthy if it is available for purchase where medicines are sold,” they wrote.

Investors were uncertain, sending CVS Caremark’s stock down 1 percent, or 67 cents, to $65.44 a share Wednesday. Meanwhile, Walgreen Co. rose 3.4 percent, or $1.90, to $57.85, and Rite Aid Corp. increased 2 percent, or 11 cents, to $5.45.

But by renouncing cigarettes, CVS could end up engendering loyalty among customers, some experts said.

tobacco products in pharma-cies, becoming the fi rst U.S. city to do so. Boston and Need-ham, Mass., followed the next year with similar laws. Less than 5 percent of cigarette rev-enue came from pharmacies in 2009, according to the Center for Global Tobacco Control.

BY CRAIG JARVISMCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

RALEIGH, N.C. — Clay Aiken’s announcement Wednesday that he wants to be a congressman from North Carolina drew the expect-ed national attention and mixed reactions.

Some expressed skepticism that the entertainer is substantial or conservative enough to carry the 22nd Congressional District. Others welcomed his entry into the Democratic primary and spec-ulated he could defeat U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers, the Republican incumbent.

Among those who broadcast their support for him on Twit-ter was Arsenio Hall, who tweet-ed: “Run Clay Run!!!” And 2003 “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard, tweeted “Please sup-port my friend.” Aiken was a run-ner-up to Studdard, but the show launched his successful career as a singer.

Then there was the less enthusi-astic “Now I’ve seen everything,” from a man in Illinois.

Meanwhile, the national news media glare intensifi ed.

Aiken, 35, spent the day Wednesday doing interviews, including an extended segment on CNN, where he said President Barack Obama could do a better job resolving the “dysfunction” in Washington. “He is not immune” from the criticism, Aiken said.

A New York Times reporter was quick to post a list of fi ve questions Aiken might face on the campaign trail. They ranged from what he thinks of the Trans-Pacifi c Stra-tegic Economic Partnership and its effect on North Carolina manu-facturing, to whether it’s harder to place in a national singing contest

or to pass meaningful legislation in Congress.

The North Carolina Republi-can Party wants to know what he thinks about gun control and abortion.

“The residents of North Caro-lina’s 2nd District have no clue where Aiken stands on important issues and whether he’s going to be an automatic vote for President Obama and Nancy Pelosi’s liberal agenda,” GOP spokesman Dan-iel Keylin said in a news release.

Aiken’s campaign spokesman, Karl Frisch, responded:

“The GOP’s press release looks like it walked out of central cast-ing for ‘politics as usual.’ Clay’s announcement video and subse-quent media interviews begin his conversation about the problems 2nd District families face, the role the incumbent has played in exac-erbating those problems, and the solutions he’ll seek in Washington. While we appreciate their inter-est in how Clay should conduct his campaign, they’ve not proven themselves to be particularly good stewards of the 2nd District so we’ll have to pass.”

But those questions will per-sist in the battleground that is the weirdly lopsided U-shaped district that Republicans redrew in 2011.

The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake blogged that only three House Democrats represent dis-tricts that are more Republi-can than Ellmers’ district. Two of them – Rep. Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Rep. Jim Matheson of Utah – are retiring. The third, Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia, is in a tight race despite having been in offi ce for decades.

Mitt Romney won almost 60 percent of the vote in that district in 2012, according to an analysis by the N.C. Chamber. The elec-tion saw easy margins of victory by several statewide Republican candidates.

The worst-performing GOP candidate in that election, unsuc-cessful state schools superinten-dent candidate John Tedesco, still won that district with 51.4 percent of the vote.

“I have no doubt Clay Aiken will have all the money he needs to run an effective campaign. And his ‘I’m not a politician’ message is the right one for this political environment,” the Chamber’s Nathan Babcock said. “But even the strongest Democratic candi-date faces a steep uphill climb in the 2nd Congressional District.”

Yet David Wasserman, an analyst of U.S. House races for the nonpartisan Cook Politi-cal Report, said in an interview Wednesday that Aiken livens up the race, which could test wheth-er elections have become entirely partisan.

“If a candidate as likable and as backed by as much star pow-er as Clay Aiken cannot win in this solidly Republican seat, who can?” Wasserman said. “Clay Aiken’s records have sold well in areas like the 2nd District, but the Republicans’ ability to draw the map prior to 2012 is a much more daunting factor in this race.”

Aiken will still face a strong opponent in the May primary election. Former state commerce secretary Keith Crisco said he will remain in the race.

Opening doors

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURA BLEILL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS FOR THE RESEARCH PARK

A ceremony was held at the I-Hotel on Wednesday to announce a new Yahoo facility coming to Research Park, shown in this rendering.

BRIAN YU THE DAILY ILLINIKelly Uchima, junior in ACES, talks to students about job opportunities at the Offi ce of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations at the fi rst Student Affairs Job Fair on Feb. 5. Uchima is a Hermia Soo Intern at the OIIR.

COREY LOWENSTEIN MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNESinger Clay Aiken, seen in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday, offi cially announced his campaign for Congress on Wednesday, producing a challenger to U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers in the Democratic primary.

preserve, or restore, excellence on campus.

“I think there are miscon-ceptions about ... the percep-tion that this is bad for pres-tige and bad for excellence,” Murav said. “I think what is bad for excellence is when people’s pensions are limited to salaries below what their current sala-ries are. That is what is going to drive away excellence — not unionization.”

On Feb. 4, the GEO issued a press release in support of the Campus Faculty Association’s mission to unionize.

“The Graduate Employees Organization is excited to work with the Campus Faculty Asso-ciation as they work to form a union,” said GEO Co-Presi-dent Clayton Alsup in a press release. “It sends a clear state-ment to the University of Illi-nois administration that we are prepared to stand in solidarity in order to maintain high qual-ity education and working con-ditions at our university.”

GEO itself inspired the Cam-pus Faculty Association to take action towards unionization, Murav said. Murav referred to a specific incident in which GEO asked for and received a contract and pay raise during a furlough .

“A lot of us faculty saw this and said, ‘If they can orga-nize, and they are graduate students and we are profes-sors, why can’t we organize?’” Murav said.

MaryCate can be reached at [email protected].

UNIONFROM 1A

YAHOOFROM 1A

location close to the University because of the opportunity for partnerships with students.

“The University has a great history, actually, of being at the innovative edge ... Having that kind of attitude and vision about inventing new business-es and ideas, that’s really the most important,” Burke said. “The technical skill is impor-tant, and the training, but you have to have a willingness to try new ideas.”

University administrators addented the event, including Chancellor Phyllis Wise.

“I can’t thank (Yahoo) enough for (their) confi dence in what we are doing and what we are going to be doing,” Wise said. “The groundbreaking today is truly one more example in the founda-

tion that was built with Yahoo in 2007, and will continue to grow in 2014.”

Mayor Don Gerard is excited about Yahoo’s expansion because he thinks it will help grow Cham-paign-Urbana’s technology pres-ence, and agreed with Cham-paign City Council’s plan to pay Yahoo $3 per-square-foot built and $1,000 per new employ-ee hired at a study session in November.

“What we’re trying to do is retain talent. We have the best and brightest passing through, but a lot of them tend to go on to San Francisco or Boston or Chicago or elsewhere,” Gerard said. “This provides them with an opportunity to stay right here in our community.”

Angelica can be reached at [email protected]. Mi-randa can be reached at [email protected].

CVS stops selling tobacco

Aiken’s bid receives mixed reviews

Major drugstore chain targets self-serve health care fad

OPINIONS4ATHURSDAY

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS | [email protected] with the subject “Letter to the Editor.” The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit for length, libel, grammar and spelling errors, and Daily Illini style or to reject any contri-butions. Letters must be limited to 300 words. Contributions must be typed and include the author’s name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college.

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EDITORIAL

High grades don’t re!ecthard work or e"ort of

students

I t’s an increasing trend sweeping across college campuses and even reach-ing some Ivy Leagues: grade inflation. Whatev-

er the rumors were about C be-ing average — that’s not the case anymore. Nowadays, A has be-come the new C.

According to a December Washington Post article, nearly 41 percent of undergraduates ob-tain an A- grade or higher, while only 5 percent of undergradu-ates are receiving grades of C or less, nationally. It doesn’t ap-pear problematic at first — more and more students must be work-ing harder and challenging them-selves to enter an increasingly competitive workforce and econ-omy.

But what this grade inflation really reflects is that colleges are losing their grasp on how to gauge students’ work.

Even Harvard University, ranked by U.S. News & World Re-port as the No. 2 university in the nation, found that the medi-an grade was an A- and the most frequently received grade was an A. One of the nation’s most rigor-ous schools is also one of the na-tion’s most lenient graders.

So that brings about the ques-tion many colleges are faced with today: What does an A even rep-resent anymore? And if it doesn’t reflect exceptionality, what does?

Professors at the Universi-ty of Illinois are given the free-dom to determine how many per-centage points account for an A-, A and A+, or if they even want to include a plus and minus dis-tinction. With more distinguish-able marks, we can differenti-ate the achievements of students more easily, and identify their strengths and weaknesses.

But here, students can’t receive anything higher than a 4.0, which is given to a student who earns both an A or an A+. A better sys-tem is to make an A+ worth 4.333, and then cap the overall GPA a student can graduate with at 4.0.

Think of it this way: When plus-es and minuses are enforced, there is a wider range of grades students can receive — B-, B+, A. If grades can’t creep above 4.333 to match the grade inflation hap-pening across the country, more people crowd toward the top, and everyone starts to look the same. Of course, they are not.

In school, it’s hard to be good and even harder to be great, so why isn’t that reflected in our GPA system?

Grade inflation crept up in universities because employ-ers want to see A’s, and profes-sors want to help their students get jobs. When an employer or graduate school sees a resume or transcript full of A’s, they aren’t going to consider how many oth-er applicants also received A’s.

An A means exceptional, and that’s all they’ll see. They’ll just see that A, which, hypothetical-ly, was awarded to one student for her perfect fluency in Italian and another student who can only read it well.

But the question is: What hap-pens when a 4.333 isn’t high enough? Bumping up the GPA earned for an A+ is a temporary fix.

The real solution, and the more difficult one, is to deflate the grade nationally. Professors must give D’s and C’s to average work, and students must once again work hard for the almighty A.

W rite three paragraphs.Stop. Check Facebook.Write two more paragr — stop. Check

phone. Answer text.Continue writing.Stare into space for 10 solid minutes.Finish paper.Watch an episode of “Parks and Recreation”

on Netflix — OK, fine, two episodes — OK three episodes.

Start next assignment.Essentially, this is the narrative for most col-

lege students when it comes to doing nightly school work. And this narrative is probably par-allel to most other things we do as well.

Younger generations tend to fall into this apparent trap of multitasking — and we all think we are so good at it. We think that we are capa-ble of listening to our professors while catching up on readings for class and periodically switch-ing from one Internet tab to another, all with the occasional email check or social media check.

However as Professor Clifford Nass of Stan-ford University demonstrates in “Digital Nation,” a Frontline documentary, “multitaskers are terri-ble at every aspect of multitasking. They get dis-tracted constantly. Their memory is very disor-ganized ... they’re worse at analytic reasoning.”

So here we all are, thinking we are being pro-ductive and proficient, but in the meantime we are probably doing unexceptional work as we dis-tribute our attention to multiple tasks.

Although, I think much of the issue lies within the range of technological advancements, cul-tural expectations and cognitive processes that intermingle and facilitate the highly prevalent “multitaskers.”

With so many new mediums to work through such as iPads, tablets, laptops, smartphones and more, many of us are able to have a wider

range of resources at our fingertips. We text on our cellphones, check up on different websites, take notes on an iPad, etc. And we do so rather effortlessly.

But because of this, there seems to be different cultural expectations as well, in terms of timeli-ness and social responsibilities. For instance, if we don’t respond to an email within a matter of a few hours, we might completely miss an opportu-nity, all because of our cultural emphasis on time and efficiency.

We are expected to be prompt in most aspects of life, such that we use these different mediums to maximize our productivity and reach out to many different people at once.

Meanwhile, all of this seems to be affecting our brains and the way we think. N. Katherine Hay-les, a literary critic and professor at Duke University, discusses the differences between hyper and deep attention. She says hyper attention entails doing differ-ent tasks at once and tending to many different stimuli — such as the case of my brief narrative presented at the beginning.

Undoubtedly, hyper attention is more prevalent among young-er generations, which definite-ly takes part in our rampant multitasking.

Deep attention, on the other hand, deals with concentrating on one subject for an extend-ed amount of time, which allows us to focus on more thoughtful projects. In doing this, we might have a better understanding of a concept than when using hyper attention.

So while multitasking may be at the hands of multiple different forces, it is proving to have an effect on how we work and the ways in which we work. And the real question is how will this impact our future as a society? If us multitask-ers are supposedly worse at analytical reason-ing and have less tolerance for focusing on one subject for too long, how does that impact our work ethic or our ability to be critical thinkers?

These are important questions to consider when it comes to how we structure society in terms of the cultural expectations and technol-ogies we produce, because ultimately I think college students and younger generations are victims of the circumstances that surround us — and it’s showing in our cognitive processes.

Granted, this semester, several of my pro-fessors have implemented strict policies limit-ing the use of media sources in the classroom, such as laptops, tablets or cellphones, to ensure that we are engaging with discussions and class material.

And I have to say, I find it to be a reasonable and effective method to limit multitasking and promote deep attention in an environment where we should be focused and learning.

I feel that a stronger empha-sis needs to be placed on deep attention and determining how to incorporate that kind of think-ing into everyday life, because I don’t want to be a part of a world full of mediocre producers and less-than-thrilling thinkers.

So while I don’t place the blame of this multitasking phe-nomenon on anything but gradu-al, societal development, I think

we ought to be more aware of the ways in which we are all being influenced by our surroundings and how that can affect the ways we think and live.

The irony of it all is that I wrote this entire column on a laptop while simultaneously answering texts and working on another com-puter with several tabs open, all while listening to Beyonce — and I thought I was good at it.

Meanwhile, I probably produced a pretty aver-age column.

Whoops.

Nicki is a junior in Media. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @NickiHalenza.

The art of multitasking produces average workNICKI HALENZA

Assistant opinions editor

Students more salty about weather than streets

The winter weather has led to a lot of contro-versy lately. Specifically, a certain snow day (or two) that never was. But that seems to

have been beaten to death. So, instead, I thought I would pose a question to the campus commu-nity: Why, for the love of all things orange and blue, can’t the sidewalks be safer to walk on instead of large sheets of ice?

It seems like such an easy task. Pour a little salt here and there so that the downpour of snow and rain will not turn our paths into icy, treacherous trails. Now I understand salt-ing the sidewalks costs money, labor, politics and a bit of sci-ence to it that I don’t know about or understand — but people are falling like bowling pins.

The Facilities and Services department of the University is responsible for snow and ice removal on University proper-ty, and, although, they do not post a schedule of how often the sidewalks are salted, they do describe how snow removal is “priority work.”

Just to recap: Last week, Mother Nature kind-ly decided to freeze Champaign-Urbana over

with the second polar vortex of the year. This week, Mother Nature really rubbed it in our fac-es by adding another six inches of snow on top of all the ice.

As we nursed our frostbite from some of the coldest weather we will probably ever experi-ence, last week, it began to rain. Yes, pouring down rain, creating a lovely slush on every side-walk and crevice of cement. As if that wasn’t enough, it got colder and, slowly but surely, that slush began to freeze into ice.

Last week it was frostbite; this week, it’s bruis-es from the inability to safely walk the streets of Champaign because of the thick layer of ice. All of this could have been avoid-ed with a little salt. It seems like a simple solution for such a hor-rific problem, but, apparently, we will all have to ice skate around campus this week.

For those of you who were smart and decided not to venture outside, let me paint a picture of just how hilariously awful the thickly iced sidewalks were. Like many, I stupidly decided to brave the weather conditions to attend one of the watering holes on cam-pus, and the scene that unfolded on Green Street was something

out of a movie. People everywhere were collapsing as they

walked along the sidewalk, and as my friends trudged along, we all warned each other to be careful and use caution. In an effort to escape

the cold conditions, I decided to speed up my pace, confident in my stride.

And I paid for it, in a big way. Right by Potbel-ly, there is a slight incline in the sidewalk, and I clumsily fell hard onto the pavement.

But it got worse. As I tried to get up, I began to slide on the ice

into the ongoing traffic on Green Street. As my friends tried to come to my rescue, they

too fell, one by one, onto the ice. Hilarity ensued, and while I’ve never laughed so hard, it left me wondering why the little John Deere salt cart was not running rampant all over campus.

Everywhere we looked, there were people fall-ing from simply walking along the sidewalk. And while my situation was funny and I’m able to laugh at it, I’m sure many were actually injured from their tumbles. A little bit of simple salt could have prevented all of this if the Universi-ty were more proactive in how they prepare for winter weather conditions. I’m not asking for those in charge to be able to read the future, but I am asking that my walk to class not involve ice skates.

While many could argue that it’s not reason-able to ask that every sidewalk be salted, I do think it is reasonable to expect that the common walkways be salted, regularly. If the city of Chi-cago is able to do it, then the University should be able to maintain a handful of common side-walks, like the Quad.

I’m salty about it, and the sidewalks should be, too.

Kate is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].

EDITORIAL CARTOON LARRY WRIGHT CAGLECARTOONS.COM

KATE CULLEN

Opinions columnist

I think we ought to be more aware of the ways

in which we are all being influenced by our surroundings and how that can affect the ways

we think and live.

Last week it was frostbite; this week, it’s bruises from the

inability to safely walk the streets of

Champaign because of the thick layer

of ice.

THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM Thursday, February 6, 2014 5A

EDUMACATION JOHNIVAN DARBY

BEARDO DAN DOUGHERTY

DOONESBURY GARRY TRUDEAU

DOWN 1 “___ la Douce” 2 Relate to 3 Successful, as an

applicant 4 Sound of support 5 Ingredient in Floren-

tine dishes 6 “Someone Like You”

singer 7 Hircosity 8 1968 #1 hit for the

Supremes 9 Feeling romantic10 Going without help11 Car not in a garage12 Gatekeeper’s grant13 “Voilà!”

18 Forget-me-___24 Future court case26 Mistreatment27 ___ Mae (“Ghost”

role)28 Parts of clogs30 Softened up, in a

way32 Where Snickers,

Skittles and Star-burst are manufac-tured

34 Crash pad?35 Frees36 It goes around the

world38 Diplomatic agree-

ment39 Inconsequential

stuff40 Little bloom41 Don’s place42 Charlie Chan’s cre-

ator Earl ___ Biggers43 “Grand Canyon

Suite” composer44 Red Sox Hall-of-

Famer Bobby47 Tea type49 Company with a

1998 Nasdaq I.P.O. that hired its first employee in 1996

52 Mauna ___

The crossword solution is in the Classified section.

ACROSS 1 Some support beams 6 100% 9 Key of Chopin’s Polonaise

No. 614 Hit the highlights15 Husband and wife, e.g.16 Sponge17 Food or drink dispensers19 ___ to the top20 First word in the English

lyrics of “Frère Jacques”21 Nick of “The Deep”22 Kind of cartridge23 Burning the midnight oil25 Like virtually all gold med-

alists in Olympic table tennis

27 Science of light 28 Lads29 Performs, in the Bible30 Shimmery silks31 “You ___” (2011 Lady

Gaga song)32 Robert Frost poem that

includes “Good fences make good neighbors”

33 Three-toed runners37 Designed (for)39 Yoga pose that strength-

ens the abs40 Pope who declared “I am

a sinner. This is the most accurate definition”

42 With skill and grace43 Hog44 Ignoring45 Maid on “The Jetsons”46 ___ squash48 Sea eggs50 Sci-fi novelist ___ Scott

Card51 Taking liberties53 Mock attack54 “Star Trek” prosthesis55 Oceanward56 Tour de France stage57 Board member: Abbr.58 Full of spunk

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21 22

23 24 25 26

27 28

29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36

37 38 39

40 41 42

43 44

45 46 47 48 49

50 51 52

53 54 55

56 57 58

NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD

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WPGU 107.1

ALICE SMELYANSKYSTAFF WRITER

In the quiet moment after she has expelled a poem down onto a sheet of paper, Sophia Ege, junior in LAS, breathes a sigh of relief. As immersed as she is in her emo-tions at the start of the process, the end is all revealing — Ege decon-structs her prose, as well as the root causes for her emotions.

“I think a poem is created before you write it, and you simply fi ll in the blanks and you feel around for what fi ts it best,” she said.

Poetry is the house cat Ege comes home to and tells about her day, the method through which she bleeds out her frustrations and an avenue to express the silly life events she experiences. And on Jan. 29, Ege put together about 50 of her poems and self-published “Gakked,” her fi rst book of poems. According to a 2012 report pub-lished by Bowker, the number of self-published books produced in the U.S. annually has tripled since 2006.

After she chose an appropriate cover illustration for the book, a photo of her cat Simon, a Cham-paign native, Ege submitted her poems and pages to CreateSpace, an online self-publishing web service.

She received a physical proof of the book in the mail, made more edits online and then completed the fi nal version.

According to Ege, “Gakked” is about adolescence, coming onto a college campus, womanhood, vio-lence and how she has been shaped throughout her life. She also uses her poems to challenge the role education plays in the lives of stu-dents today, and relationships with the leaders in her life. However, she juxtaposes these themes with happiness and an overwhelming gratitude for life.

“I think gratitude comes out of realizing that the world is going to be okay in your worst moments, and realizing that you do have a support system,” Ege said.

Ege met one of her biggest sup-porters and best friends, Kirsten Onsgard, junior at DePaul Uni-versity, in high school. Both man-aged their school’s Writer’s Club and bonded over a love of creative writing.

“She and I provided each oth-

er a lot of support in high school,” Onsgard said. “For me, like a lot of people, high school was rough. Though I don’t want to speak on her behalf too much, I think we somewhat shared in the struggle of fi nding support and fi nding people to confi de in.”

When Ege came to the Univer-sity campus, she fi rst struggled to fi nd a supportive social structure and a group of people to identify with. These challenges, along with others she encountered, allowed Ege to learn about herself through her poetry.

“Especially in poetry, writing and analyzing the environment around you, you realize that there is a balance to everything,” she said. “And most of the time, the good is in your favor. It’s just a matter of perception and picking up on it.”

Though Ege began writing poet-

ry during her sophomore year of high school, she started put-ting “Gakked” together about six months ago. This school year, Ege adopted a new mentality and decid-ed it’s “now or never.”

“It’s so great to see the girl who started a small club for poetry at school become a woman who is now publishing her work,” said Cara Jones, Ege’s friend from middle school and junior at DePaul.

“Gakked” is available for pur-chase on Amazon.com, but Ege’s goal in fi nally publishing her work was not a monetary one.

“The purpose was to get it pub-lished,” she said. “I’m not look-ing to make a lot of money off of this. It’s just me saying, ‘Here I am.’ And that’s fulfi lling enough in itself.”

Alice can be reached at [email protected].

BY ELIZABETH DYESTAFF WRITER

Four years ago, sweaty mass-es of eager yet heat-stricken stu-dents passed between the Illini Union and the Undergraduate Library on a quest to join some of the school’s numerous and diverse organizations.

That blistering Sunday after-noon was the University’s 39th Quad Day, and coincidentally, also one of Julie Brady’s fi rst days as a student on campus.

Like many fresh-out-of-high-school college freshman, Brady wanted to try something she had never attempted before col-lege. While navigating her way through the information booths and students who were crowding the Quad, she stumbled across an enormous poster with the words “Improv Comedy” plastered across the front. Having never attempted improv comedy or the-ater prior to college, Brady was nervous to perform in front of an audience. But, remembering her wish to try something new, she took it as a sign to try out.

“It’s college,” Brady said she remembered thinking. “I can do whatever I want.”

At fi rst, Brady said she was nervous to perform in front of an audience, but she soon found that the laughter her performances received was more than power-ful enough to quell any ounce of stage fright she had experienced.

Brady, now a senior in AHS, has stuck with comedy to this day.

“Improv is such a good skill builder in a lot of different areas,” she said. “I have no problem with public speaking now because I’m on stage in front of over a hun-dred people.”

And after much contemplation this previous summer, Brady and members of other existing comedy troupes on campus offi -cially launched their RSO com-edy group, The Phoenix Improv Company, last August.

Brady and Anna Gooler, co-coach of Phoenix and senior in LAS, said they felt the need for a student-run comedy group. And because their group is student-run, they believe it extends their creativity, gives them the abil-ity to experiment with differ-ent comedic formats and allows them to make more of their own decisions.

The group comprises 12 mem-bers, excluding those selected at their most recent audition, which took place Tuesday. A second round of auditions will be taking place at Gregory Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 6 p.m.

The group will be perform-ing their fi rst on-campus perfor-mance at the Illini Union’s Court-yard Cafe on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Both Brady and Gooler said they hope the uniqueness of their comedic style will draw the pub-lic to their fi rst performance on campus. Brady explained that the group tries to perform different “forms” that audience members can’t just turn on “Who’s Line is it Anyway” on the home TV to see.

Gooler added that the huge amount of involvement they give to younger members also sets their group apart from other comedic clubs on campus.

“We want to help coach mem-bers and get them to where they are not only learning, but really enjoying (themselves) too,” she said.

Because the group performs

improv, Brady and Gooler are not able to reveal details on their upcoming performance. For those who are not familiar with improv comedy, all of the scenes, actions and dialogue are made up on the spot. None of what the audience sees at the group’s Feb. 8 perfor-mance will be rehearsed, and nei-ther their group nor the audience will be sure of what to expect.

However, Brady and Gooler did reveal that they would be per-forming an original form creat-ed by one of their members, as well as several forms that include audience interaction. One form, Gooler said, involves bringing an audience member on stage and asking him questions about his life, such as what he likes to do or how his day is going. Then, an entire skit is based solely on that person’s life.

“I think it’s fun for them to see their life on stage, and for their friends to see our interpretation of this stranger,” Gooler said.

As excited as Brady and Gool-er are for their upcoming show, many students are also sharing the same sentiment.

Alec Fountas, freshman in Engineering, is one of those students.

“I’ve always watched shows like ‘Who’s Line is it Anyway,’ and have always wanted to be in the audience,” Fountas said. “It would be cool to be right next to the stage, witnessing these hilari-ous scenes happening in live time, right in front of me.”

Admission is $2 for students with iCards and $3 for the gen-eral public.

Elizabeth can be reached at [email protected].

UI’s newest student-run improv group to perform at Courtyard Cafe Saturday night

‘Gakked’: one student’s journey into self-publishing, writing poetry

part of improvisation is accepting that you don’t have any control over it. You just get up there, and you wait for a big wave to come in and just ride it in. But we always listen to each other. Almost more than we even listen to ourselves.

DI: What inspired you guys to

make the music you make? Compa: I don’t think there’s any conscious effort to be differ-ent or anything. You just have to make room for what everybody likes and can put into music. And all of us have so many different infl uences that we have to make room for. We have to make room for everyone’s personality in the song.

DI: Where does the name Dopa-

pod come from? Compa: I don’t know. I honest-ly don’t. Because I wasn’t in the band when it started up. I know that it’s not drug related, and everyone is so surprised to hear that when I tell him or her. It has something to do with dopamine, the chemical in your brain that causes happiness.

Alex can be reached at [email protected].

DOPAPODFROM 6A

PORTRAIT BY BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINI

educators may not know of his mobile app business, his work eth-ic and passion do not go unnoticed.

“He was a keen student with a lot of enthusiasm (and) used to help other students understand the concepts better if they were confused,” said Dharthi Nagaraj Kashyap, Miller’s former comput-er science teaching assistant.

Miller’s “entrepreneurial spirit” is a distinct character-istic that sets him apart from others, said Jake Hamill, fel-low Illni Swim Club member and freshman in Engineering.“Many people have ideas but can never follow through and actually make their ideas into a reality,” he said. “I believe that Timothy will be successful in whatever he does because he gets things done and turns his ideas into reality.”

With all that he has accom-

plished, Miller’s immediate goals are focused on his undergradu-ate studies. He aims to graduate a year early with a degree in Com-puter Science and a minor in Busi-ness. For now, his future employ-ment doesn’t worry him too much.

“Coding gives me fi nancial independence,” he said. “My job is anywhere where I can get Wi-Fi connection.”

Stephanie can be reached at [email protected].

TIM MILLERFROM 6A

6A | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2014 | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

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BY STEPHANIE KIM STAFF WRITER

At age 15, Tim Miller, freshman in Engi-neering, began creat-ing mobile apps as a hobby. Soon, this hob-

by flourished into a business — one that now pays for his college tuition.

By the end of this year, Miller expects to make a six-figure annual profit from the mobile apps he has made so far.

But it’s not the money that’s important, Miller said. Rather, it’s the opportunity to learn more about coding, and to provide resources to users and content managers.

Miller’s interest in coding began when the iPhone and App Store were first launched.

“I knew it was going to be pretty big,” Miller said. “But then I was 13 or 14 at that time, and there was nothing I could do.”

But after taking a computer sci-ence class in Javascript his fresh-man year of high school, his interest in programming was able to develop into an acquired skill. Miller credits his teacher for giving him the inspi-ration and enthusiasm for coding that he still has today.

“He emphasized that program-

ming can be fun,” he said. “He made the class not (about) teaching for the AP test, but more for making sure we enjoyed what we were doing.”

The following summer, Miller increased his coding skills by teach-ing himself through online sourc-es such as Stack Overflow, a ques-tion-and-answer forum for coding enthusiasts.

After a period of time that is “too long to tell,” Miller eventually made his first mobile apps for Android phones and found success. Although back then he didn’t make nearly as much money as he earns today, he still made a “sizeable amount” of money for a 15-year-old, he said.

Some of his earlier apps include Eggmergency, a Pokémon-inspired game, and two that have since been taken down: GTxter Pro, a text-bombing app that could send mul-tiple messages at one time, and Memegenerator, which is used to create and view memes. While Mill-er jokes that some apps, like the text-bombing app, may have done more harm than good, he considers “Speed Boost,” which helps Android users have increased phone speed and utility, his most successful app.

Since the start of his program-ming career, Miller has made more

than one dozen apps, the majority of which were games for all iPhone and Android models. However, he plans to create mobile apps for those who want to earn money from their content, such as their Facebook fan pages and personal online websites.

“It’s easy to get followers on the web, but everybody’s always inter-ested in making more money on the content so they could do what they love,” Miller said. “And this app would allow them to do that.”

So far, Miller has successfully signed two contracts with the web-site Supercross/Motocross Updates and the Facebook page “Cats Are Liquid” to create mobile apps that would help increase the number of users and amount of earnings the webpages would receive. The app Supercross/Motocross Updates - Real Time News was released this week, which is an outlet for moto-cross news, photos and videos. The app for the Facebook page “Cats Are Liquid” is currently under review.

And yet, although Miller has gained success, he points out chal-lenges for those wanting to go into the industry.

“The app market is really saturat-ed right now, so I wouldn’t recom-

mend anyone to do what I’m doing at this point,” he said. “It’s just too hard to start from zero and get a decent following. It really doesn’t matter how good the app is. If you can’t get access to people, you can’t get any sizeable revenue from it.”

Miller attributes his achieve-ment to the early start he was able to have once the App Store began, calling himself a “veteran of the app ecosystem.”

“I’ve been around since the beginning, and I’ve seen it grow,” he said. “It’s still relatively new, but just getting good advertising for apps is really important and that’s something I have access to.”

Miller also cites the advice and teachings of “top notch” professors that have helped him enhance his coding capability and knowledge.

“It’s interesting learning lan-guages in a formal setting that I’ve known for a couple of years on my own, rationalizing how it works and how to apply it,” he said. “In high school, if I ever had a question or an issue, I couldn’t ask anybody because I was the person that was supposed to know the answer.”

Still, Miller cites an obstacle of his own: finding motivation.

“The hard part is to keep doing

what you’re doing, even though it’s making enough, or you would assume, would be enough,” he said. “Right now, I’ve taught myself to not to get complacent from what I’ve done from the past, and to keep getting motivated to make better content and apps.”

While he believes the app indus-try will remain strong in the next five to 10 years, Miller holds a dif-ferent vision for his future.

“I want to be making jobs for the college students that are at career fair(s), looking forward to getting an internship,” Miller said. “The inspi-ration is to help other people get jobs. So, down the line, this would be big enough where I can employ somebody else or start a corpo-ration to have a board and have a whole culture revolve around this. Coding is a means to an end. It’s what I do, but it’s not all that I do.”

When he’s not coding, Miller spends his time as an active stu-dent in the College of Engineering and participates in the Universi-ty’s water polo club team, the Illini Swim Club and the Animal Protec-tive League.

But even if Miller’s peers and

PORTRAIT BY VICTORIA PAI THE DAILY ILLINI Tim Miller, freshman in Engineering, is a young entrepreneur who began making mobile apps when he was 15.

TIM MILLER:MASTER OF MOBILE APPS

BY ALEXANDER VASSILIADISSTAFF WRITER

Electronic funk jammin’ is the game, and Dopapod is the name. On Thursday, Eli Winderman (keyboards), Rob Compa (guitar), Chuck Jones (bass) and Scotty Zwang (drums) will hit The Can-opy Club at 9 p.m. Three years young, Dopapod is an improvi-sational jam band that experi-ments with electronic funk. They are currently on their third tour around the East Coast and Mid-west, which will continue until May 3. The Daily Illini was able

to talk to Rob Campa about their upcoming show. Daily Illini: Have you guys per-formed at The Canopy Club before? Rob Compa: Yeah, two other times. One time we opened for Papadosio, who are our best bud-dies, and the second time was our last tour before this. So this will be our third time.

DI: How was the energy at your concerts before, and are you expecting anything different this

time? Compa: It was great! Both times were awesome. I never know what to expect, I kind of have trained myself never to expect anything, so I am happy with whatever happens. I don’t even think about it. Last time, I remember being really psyched because we only were there one other time so I was like, “Is any-one even going to come?” And we ended up having a really great show and an amazing crowd. We were all really pleased.

DI: What is your purpose when performing? Compa: For one, it’s the feeling that we’re in a room with no one watching, which is the more self-ish reason to do it, where it is just the four of us playing together. I search for that feeling every night. We don’t always get it, but that’s what we’re looking for. We just really want to walk in and make something incredible happen on stage. I guess for the second reason, for me personal-ly — I remember when I was 18 and 19 ... how I (would) feel when

I (would) listen to my favorite musicians and guitar players. So I guess my goal is to make peo-ple feel how I feel when I see my favorite musicians.

DI: How would you describe your band’s sound? Compa: That’s tough. We’re try-ing to be progressive in a way without trying to be pretentious. We love making weird arrange-ments and music you’re not even sure you’ll like or not, but without being academic about it. We try to have a sense of humor about

the whole thing. And improvisa-tional. Improvisation is easily 50 percent of what we do. As far as genre wise, I can never answer that. I never know what to say.

DI: What makes you unique to the stage? Compa: I think we have our own twist on how to improvise. I think we have good enough experience that we can work with each other really well, music-wise. Interest-ing things happen on stage. A big

SEE DOPAPOD | 5A

Sophia Ege, junior in LAS, recently self-published her own book of poems called “Gakked.” Turn to Page 5A to learn more about Ege’s writing process and her passion and talent for the written word.

How one student’s hobby turned into a career

SEE TIM MILLER | 5A

Dopapod brings electronic funk to The Canopy ClubDOPAPOD

PERSON TO KNOW

BY STEPHEN BOURBONSTAFF WRITER

For the second consecutive year, head coach Tim Beckman and the Illinois football team dipped into the ranks of junior college players to fi ll recruiting needs.

The Illini class of 2014 includes fi ve junior college players, the same amount as in 2013. The 18-man class rounded out with 12 recruits signing letters of intent Wednesday, in addition to the six early enrollees already on campus.

Scout.com ranks the Illini class last in the Big Ten and 70th in the FBS.

The crown jewel of the class is junior college defensive lineman Jihad Ward, generally considered the class’s only four-star recruit. Ward will have two years of eligi-bility in the Orange and Blue and is ranked the No. 23 junior college player in the country by Scout.

“He’s huge. He’s what you want him to look like,” defensive coordinator Tim Banks said. “He could go anywhere in the country and be one of the biggest guys there.”

Ward, from Philadelphia, con-nected with offensive coordinator Bill Cubit — who is also from Phil-adelphia — during the recruiting process, and Beckman believes it

was their relationship which was crucial in his commitment.

Familiar facesThere are a few familiar faces

in this year’s class. Defense end Paul James III was a 2013 commit and joined the Illini in the sum-mer, but had to delay his enroll-ment to January.

Also, fellow early enrollee Peter Cvijanovic is the brother of current Illini left tackle Simon. Peter spent a year at prep school after high school before enrolling for the spring semester.

Illini looking for early impact from WRs

The 2014 class signed four wide receivers, two of whom are already enrolled for the spring semester.

SPORTS1BTHURSDAY

BY SEAN HAMMONDSENIOR WRITER

After eight consecutive losses, it becomes hard to fi nd answers. Illinois basketball’s losing streak has nothing to do with the players’ attitude or effort. It comes down to exe-cution and, maybe more impor-tantly, consistent execution.

“We’re trying everything,” head coach John Groce said. “I’m open to anything and everything. We talk about being solutions-based. We are going to try and stay positive and fi ght.”

The Illini didn’t play a great game Tuesday against Wiscon-sin, but they were in it. Like they’ve been in games against Northwestern, Purdue, Michi-gan State, Ohio State, Indiana and Iowa.

Saturday’s game against Iowa, more than any of the aforementioned matchups, was there for the taking on a night when Illinois was playing well, but they couldn’t hold onto the lead. Tuesday didn’t feel quite like that. The same intensity was not there.

“A couple possessions were like (Saturday),” senior Joseph

Bertrand said. “I don’t think we had as much as we should have to win the game. We had glimpses of it.”

Throughout much of Big Ten play, Illinois has had glimpses of what it could be. But the Illini have not been able to put it all together for some time now.

Little help from the bench

I l l i n o i s ’ freshmen-lad-en bench mus-tered only fi ve points against the Badgers on Tuesday. Only one of those points came in the second half. Kendrick Nunn had four points and Jay-lon Tate added a free throw. Malcolm Hill and Maverick Morgan, who combined for 18 minutes of play, failed to notch a point and each recorded a turnover.

Against Iowa it felt as if the bench helped fuel Illinois’ 21-point comeback. Nunn had a key fast break block in the fi rst half turnaround and also hit a three.

Groce said he’s really liked the strides Nu n n h as made since the beginning of the sea-son. One could argue that Nunn has been the most con-sistent play-er off an Illi-ni bench that has, for the most part, been inconsistent.

A lack of consistency is what has Groce searching for answers.

“We’re trying everything,” Groce said. “And I do mean everything.”

Losing streak mountsIllinois’ eight-game losing

streak is the program’s longest since the 1973-74 season, when Illinois lost 11 straight games and finished 5-18 overall. And sitting in last place in the Big Ten, it’s hard to argue that Illi-nois is the favorite in any of its remaining games.

Next up is a road trip to Penn State on Sunday to face a Nit-tany Lion team that’s won its last three. After heading to the far eastern reaches of the Big Ten, Illinois will stop in Champaign for a couple of days before heading in the opposite direction to play a Nebraska squad that is one point short of a perfect Big Ten home record.

“Watching these games in our league, every night it’s a grind, it’s a dogfight,” Groce said before the Wisconsin game. “It’s a play or two here or there that makes a differ-ence in games.”

For Illinois, a play or two could be the difference between a last-place finish or not.

Sean can be reached at [email protected] and @sean_hammond.

BY CHARLOTTE CARROLLSTAFF WRITER

With forecasted temper-atures barely reaching 20 degrees and a chance of snow predicted, a day at the ballpark is likely one of the last things on people’s minds.

However, the Illinois softball team is looking to improve on its past as it opens the season with a game against UIC on Friday.

For the second straight year, the Illini are starting the sea-son with an indoor tournament. Illinois will play fi ve games in the Rosemont Rumble Friday-Sunday at The Dome at the Ballpark.

“This year, we kind of have a new mind-set,” said sophomore outfi elder Kylie Johnson. “Last year, we were on the couch at the end of the season, so we don’t want that again. I think we’re really coming together and the chemistry’s great.”

After fi nishing 22-27 (11-12 Big Ten) last season, Illinois is looking to start strong.

Last year’s team saw a nine-game losing streak turn into a 10-game winning streak that allowed the team to move from

last to sixth place in the con-ference after it opened Big Ten conference play at 1-11. But the magic fi zzled and Illinois lost to Penn State in the Big Ten tournament.

Putting those memories to work during the offsea-son, the Illini are taking the upcoming year one game at a time.

“I know our players are hungry to get after it against anyone and any team from the state obvious-ly,” Illinois head coach Terri Sullivan said. “But our prime focus has been really just playing great softball and having pitch-by-pitch concen-tration, and just doing our job.”

That means forgetting the 20 games to be played against teams that participated in the 2013 NCAA tournament. That

means forgetting the teams from the other 18 leagues beside the Big Ten. That means forgetting the only 17 out of 56 games to be played at home.

For now, it’s all in perspective.“It’s the fi rst game of the

ye a r a nd that’s where the focus is,” Sullivan said. “That’s the first pitch. We’ve real-ly challenged our players to mentally have that kind of approach and just focus on the next pitch and that’s dif-ficult to do sometimes in softball. But that’s the fi rst one slated on

the schedule and there has to be someone you play fi rst.”

Under the leadership of seniors Alex Booker and Jen-na Mychko, the team hopes to carry its preseason camara-derie onto the fi eld and com-

pete highly both offensive and defensively.

Mychko received the 2013 Illini’s Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Booker was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, and along with junior Jami Sch-kade, to the fi rst ever Big Ten All-Defensive team.

“There’s a defi nite pressure but good pressure,” Booker said. “We have a very close-knit and tight team this year, and we’re all very talented so that actually takes the pressure off me. So I think we’re all excited to get into this weekend, and this will be a good fi rst tourna-ment for us.”

Though the focus is on the fi rst pitch of the season, Booker is looking for the team to go 5-0 after preparation on Illinois’s practice turf.

“Sometimes you can be over pumped for that opening game and opening tournament,” Sul-livan said. “But we really just want to stay within our game plan throughout the year and know that every game counts.”

Charlotte can be reached at [email protected]

weekendroundupTHE DAILY ILLINI

Editor’s note: The Daily Illini sports desk will publish a schedule of the weekend ahead for Illinois sports here every Thursday.

VS

VS

VS

SOFTBALL

WRESTLING

HOCKEY

WOMEN’S GYMNASTICSMEN’S GYMNASTICS

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

MEN’S BASKETBALLWOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S TENNIS

SWIMMING AND DIVING

SUNDAY, 2 P.M.HUFF HALL

SUNDAY, NOONATKINS TENNIS CENTER

SUNDAY, 10 A.M.WICHITA, KAN.

MINNESOTA CHALLENGESATURDAY, 4:30 P.M.MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

AT

VS

ATVS

VSVS

AT

VS

ROSEMONT RUMBLEFRIDAY - SUNDAYROSEMONT, ILL.

FRIDAY, 6 P.M.WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.

FRIDAY - SATURDAYAMES, IOWA

FRIDAY, 7 P.M.HUFF HALL

FRIDAY, 7 P.M.IOWA CITY, IOWA

FRANK SEVINGE HUSKER INVITATIONAL

FRIDAY - SATURDAYLINCOLN, NEB.

SUNDAY 3:15 P.M.STATE COLLEGE, PA.

SUNDAY 2 P.M.MINNEAPOLIS

FRIDAY, 6 P.M.ATKINS TENNIS CENTER

SATURDAY, 11 A.M.NORMAN, OKLA.

Illini football signs 18 in 2014 class

Illinois softball kicks off season with 5 games in Rosemont

Groce searching for answers amid losing streak

BRENTON TSE THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois recruiting coordinator Alex Golesh speaks to the audience during Illini football’s National Signing Day event at Colonnades Club in Memorial Stadium on Wednesday.

Ohio recruit joins his older brother with Illini football

“This year we kind of have a new mind set.

Last year we were on the couch at the end of the season,

so we don’t want that again.”

KYLIE JOHNSONILLINOIS OUTFIELDER

“I’m open to anything and everything. We

talk about being solutions-based We are going to try and

stay positive and fi ght.”

JOHN GROCEHEAD COACH

SEE SIGNING DAY | 1B

BY SEAN HAMMONDSENIOR WRITER

Even with all of the snow, Peter Cvijanovic has been avoiding the buses on campus. He doesn’t want to get lost.

The Illinois offensive lineman is new to campus and new to college. He is one of 18 signees to Illinois’ class of 2014 and one of six January enrollees. For him, these fi rst few weeks have been the same as they have for everyone: cold.

If there’s one person it doesn’t surprise that he has not made a freshman mistake yet, it is his brother, rising senior offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic .

“He’s on top of his stuff,” Simon said.

Simon picks Peter up for early morning workouts in the car their parents gave them, and Peter is often waiting or even calling to make sure his brother is up.

“I’m like, ‘I’m awake, stop calling me,’” Simon jokes.

The brothers hail from Ohio, and Peter joins the Illini after a season at East Coast Prep in Massachusetts. While one might think Simon infl uenced his younger brother to come to Illinois, the truth is the Illinois coaches took more convincing than Peter.

Simon said he kept telling his coaches to look at Peter as a football player, not as his brother. Eventually, they came around, and now, the brothers are united at Illinois, even if it is just for one year.

“I’ve been telling people, the bond I have, the guys in the locker room, is something I’ll have the rest of my life,” Simon

said. “Now I’ll have that with my brother on top of him being my brother.”

And similarly, Peter doesn’t feel like his brother was overly infl uential in his decision to play for Tim Beckman and the Illini.

“If he didn’t go here, I would probably still go here,” Peter said.

Simon remembers what it was like to be a freshman. He doesn’t have any experience being diabetic, however, like his brother. But he’s not letting that affect his brother’s college experience.

He promised his little brother that since he shouldn’t be drinking alcohol like a large portion of the college population, he — Simon — wouldn’t, either.

“I told him, ‘I’m going to be with you and show what it’s like to be in college and not have to party all the time to have fun,’” Simon said. “He’s underage anyway, but you shouldn’t be (drinking) as a football player anyway.”

Simon says the biggest adjustment for his brother will be the speed of the college game. But enrolling in January will help a lot. It gave Simon extra time to learn the playbook and not be fl ustered about being in a new state on top of football season.

When Simon fi rst came to Illinois, he didn’t know anyone. And while he may not know the bus system yet, Peter knows at least one familiar face on campus.

Sean can be reached at [email protected] and @sean_hammond.

Peter Cvijanovic enrolls early, joins brother Simon

Big Ten class of 2014 rankings1. Ohio State (5th)2. Michigan State (19th)3. Penn State (25th)4. Michigan (27th)5. Wisconsin (29th)6. Nebraska (30th)7. Iowa (41st)8. Indiana (41st)9. Minnesota (50th)10. Rutgers (50th)11. Northwestern (56th)12. Rutgers (60th)13. Purdue (64th)14. Illinois (68th)

For 2nd consecutive year, Illinois signs 5 junior college prospects

Geronimo Allison and Tyrin Stone-Davis are both junior college players rated as three-star prospects by Scout. Alli-son will have two years of eli-gibility while Stone-Davis will have three after redshirting at junior college in 2013.

Stone-Davis signed a letter of intent to enroll this semes-ter, but academic issues forced

Tyrin to wait until the fall to join the Illini. His brother, Tyree, was also committed to Illinois as a two-star corner-back but will not be enrolling at Illinois because of similar academic issues.

Allison already had an Illini connection as he came from the same junior college as current Illini players Martize Barr and Dallas Hinkhouse.

“They can teach me the ear-ly ropes,” Allison said. “I’m here early to compete to start

early. Those seniors did a heck of a job last year, they put up numbers. I’m looking to do the same.”

The other two wide receiv-ers, incoming freshmen Malik Turner and Mike Dudek, have the coaching staff excited as well. Beckman called Turner a “steal,” because he missed his junior season due to injury.

Recruiting in-state and ‘Illini nation’

The Illini added fi ve players from the state of Illinois — nearly one-third of the 18-man class, bringing the total to 52 players on the roster from the Land of Lincoln.

Beckman wasted no time in his news conference taking a veiled shot at Northwest-ern, saying the Illini signed four players from Chicago, more than “the team that is in Chicago.”

Even outside of the state of Illinois, Beckman and his staff

recruited “Illini nation” heav-ily — the area within a six-hour radius of Champaign-Urbana. The 2014 class has 10 players from “Illini nation,” and Beck-man said recruiting in-state is always his top priority.

Of the top-11 players in the state of Illinois, the Illini signed one, three-star center Nick Alle-gretti from Frankfort, Ill.

Stephen can be reached at [email protected] and @steve_bourbon.

Illinois football 2014 signing class

2, 11

3

6

4, 10

1

8

15

16 17

13

1812

7, 14

9

5

Quarterback

1 Chayce Crouch - Granville, Ohio

Wide Receiver

2 Tyrin Stone-Davis - Philadelphia, Pa.

4 Geronimo Allison - Tampa, Fla.

5 Mike Dudek - Naperville, Ill.

3 Malik Turner - Springfield, Ill.

Defensive Line

Jihad Ward - Philadelphia, Pa.

Joe Fotu - San Leandro, Calif.

Paul James III - Miami, Fla.

Tito Odenigbo - Centerville, Ohio

11

12

13

14

Defensive Back

Chris James - Orange, Texas

Julian Hylton - Tinley Park, Ill.

15

16

Offensive Line

Nick Allegretti - Frankfort, Ill.

Peter Cvijanovic - Concord Township, Ohio

15

16

Running Back

6 Matt Domer - Hazel Crest, Ill.

9 Austin Roberts - Rice Lake, Wisc.

10 Tre Watson - Tampa, Fla.

8 Henry McGrew - Overland Park, Kan.

Linebacker

7 Carroll Phillips - Miami, Fla.

SOURCE: SCOUT.COM SCOTTDURAND THE DAILY ILLINI

2B Thursday, February 6, 2014 THE DAILY ILLINI | WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM

I t’s that time of year again when college football makes a weird appearance in the realm of rel-

evance, and people we’ve never heard of become the most impor-tant subjects of conversation. Sign-ing day and the forthcoming spring football “season,” are both largely overblown.

That’s not to say it’s unimportant.

Recruiting in football, while not as glamorous as men’s basketball — one freshman can’t change your program — is perhaps the most demanding part of a coach’s job. For Illinois fans, it’s a matter of whether head coach Tim Beckman and company can breakthrough into the ranks of the Big Ten’s mid-dle tier.

This year’s class does not change the face of Illinois football, but it does address some needs and should not be considered a failure.

Beckman and company man-aged to snag just one four-star recruit, per Scout.com, but that four-star recruit, Jihad Ward, is a defensive lineman. Illinois’ defen-sive line was its weakest position group in 2013, and the 6-foot-7 behemoth should solidify a position group that was severely lacking in size. He weighs 285 pounds, which is somewhat slim for a defensive tackle at that height, but he’s got all spring and summer — not to mention four seasons — to bulk up. Ward is a three-star recruit per Rivals.com.

Tre Watson is Illinois’ only three-star linebacker recruit (two stars per Rivals), which is a con-cern for a unit that just lost Jona-than Brown.

No heroic signing was made in the secondary, but Illinois really should be more focused on develop-ing the talent it already has in that department.

On offense, the area Illinois best hit on was wide receiver. Tyrin Stone-Davis, whose twin broth-er Tyree (a cornerback) signed a national letter of intent to Illinois but is no longer a part of the class; Michael Dudek, who was taken sixth overall in the team’s spring squad draft; Geronimo Allison, who revives the Florida receiver pipeline for Illinois that produced A.J. Jenkins and Darius Millines; and Malik Turner, who hails from state champion and resident vil-lain Sacred Heart-Griffi n (Go, Solons!), are all three-star recruits who should help fi ll the void left by Ryan Lankford, Steve Hull and Miles Osei.

The biggest hole for Illinois is actually not in the department of what you would call “tangibles,” which is a pretty signifi cant con-cern for a team that went 4-8.

After being the face of Illinois football for four years, Nathan Scheelhaase is gone. The face of the defense, Brown, is also gone.

Beckman touched on the subject of leadership Wednesday. He said he misses the leadership of the senior class, and he may be on to something. Beyond the aforemen-tioned faces, Hull, Osei, Lankford, Tim Kynard and Corey Lewis were all steadying presences in the lock-er room as well. The senior class kept a terrible team pushing for-ward and getting better and com-peting with better rosters. Without their infl uence off the fi eld, Illi-nois may have given up in a way similar to how it did in 2012, and the program would be staring at a 22-game conference losing streak.

In year one of Beckman’s regime, there was not enough lead-ership. In year two, the senior class provided it. In year three, Beckman and his staff have to take charge. The senior class will have some notable fi gures: Reilly O’Toole, Donovonn Young, Simon Cvijanovic, Houston Bates, Zane Petty and Austin Teitsma; howev-er, O’Toole and Young are in posi-tion to be backups, and Petty and Teitsma were liabilities on defense last season.

The leadership will have to come from players who don’t have “it’s my last shot” as motivation. Guys like Wes Lunt, Mason Monheim, V’Angelo Bentley, Josh Ferguson, Spencer Harris and Teko Powell.

The leadership has to come from them — and the coaching staff has to be able to keep this team’s inter-est even if things go bad.

Otherwise, things could regress from last season, and Illinois, more specifi cally Beckman, have nei-ther much room nor much time for regression.

The recruiting class could pan out, or it could fi zzle. A lot of that development depends on the lead-ership of the program. Going for-ward without Scheelhaase, it’s time for Illinois football to get a new face.

But whose?

Eliot is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @EliotTweet.

SIGNING DAYFROM 1A Success of

new recruits depends on leadership, motivation

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

HEAD COACH Ron Zook Ron Zook Tim Beckman Tim Beckman Tim Beckman

22 27 18 27 18

8 17 12 17 10

13 9 6 7 9

0 0 0 2 0

7 8 4 8 5

57 of 120 40 of 120 68 of 124 42 of 126 70 of 128

8 of 11 8 of 12 11 of 12 5 of 12 14 of 14

1 1 0 1 1

0 0 0 0 0FIVE STARS

NOT RATED

THREE STARS

OVERALL CLASS RANK

TOTAL SIGNEES

FOUR STARS

FROM ILLINOIS

TWO STARS

BIG TEN CLASS RANK

ELIOT SILL

Sports ed.itor

How does Illinois football’s class of 2014 stack up against recent Illinois classes?A look at this year’s recruits in comparison to previous years.

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Hockey looks for wins to earn spot in ACHA tournament

Illinois changes lineup with hopes of ending losing streak

I t’s no secret that it’s been a rough year for Illinois sports. Our football and

men’s basketball teams have found the Big Ten basement in seasons that included lengthy losing streaks. We’ve seen bet-ter days as fans. Our sports egos have taken a bruising.

On-field struggles aside, Illi-nois athletics hasn’t exact-ly gotten the best publicity nationally, either. The football and men’s basketball teams made headlines for the wrong

reasons several times this year. Remember the infamous Cliff Alexander hat-switch? Well, that footage ended up on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Photos of a nearly empty football student section at Memorial Stadium made the rounds on Yahoo! and Deadspin.

Did I say rough year? The 2013-14 year has been a disas-ter at times for Illini Nation. School pride from the student body is dwindling. This fan base needs something new to get excited about.

Thankfully, Nike is giv-ing us something to look for-ward to until our major sports teams come around. Current-ly, the University is partner-ing with Nike on an 18-month

re-branding of Illini athletics. All 19 sports teams will get new uniforms with new logos and designs. The re-brand will also apply to Illini merchan-dise sold in stores, so get your wallets ready. The logos and results of the re-brand are set to be unveiled in mid-April.

I’m pumped. Our basket-ball uniforms are pretty sharp, but football has had the exact same uniforms since the Ron Turner era. And it’s not just football and basketball. It’s time to switch it up across the board. Whenever I attend vari-ous Illini sporting events I notice the lack of uniformity among our 19 programs.

The women’s basketball jer-seys are different than the

men’s. The baseball team has had the same design on its jer-seys since I chased foul balls at Illinois Field as a grade-schooler. Some teams use the “Circle I” logo. Others use the plain old “Block I.” The under-lined and italicized “ILLI-NOIS” appears on the backs of our volleyball jerseys.

We have an identity cri-sis. After the University was forced to abandon the Chief as its primary logo, it hasn’t real-ly settled on one since. As a school without an official mas-cot, it’s hard to create an iden-tifiable logo to represent our entire university. Especially if all you have to work with is the letter “I.” The Illinois state outline has appeared on

the basketball court and foot-ball fields recently as well as in the “Our State, Our Team” campaign, suggesting that it may have a place in the future plans.

Still, no one really knows what Nike has in store for the Illini. No matter what they end up unveiling in April, one thing is certain: some people will hate it, others will love it. Either way, this can only be a good thing for our athletic pro-grams. Whenever all 19 teams benefit, it’s a positive. Effec-tive branding and flashy uni-forms can even have a favor-able impact on recruiting.

If you shop at NikeTown in Chicago on Michigan Avenue, you’ll notice that there’s no

Illini gear to be found. You can find apparel for Michigan State and Ohio State, who are the benefactors of recent Nike branding efforts. It’s pretty sad that you can’t find any Illi-nois gear at one of our larg-est sponsor’s largest stores in Chicago.

Hopefully the re-brand brings more orange and blue to the stores. Hopefully it brings a more cohesive iden-tity to the University and fans alike. And if our athletic teams lose, at least we’ll look good doing it.

Alex is a sophomore in AHS. He can be reached at [email protected] and @aroux94.

BY SEAN NEUMANNSTAFF WRITER

The Illinois hockey team is looking for a pair of wins against CSCHL conference rival Iowa State this weekend.

No. 19 Illinois (17-14-2) is on the cusp of an ACHA nation-al tournament birth but will need to put on a strong showing this weekend to solidify a spot against No. 10 Iowa State — a team who swept the Illini earlier this season.

Illinois has only missed the tournament once in the past 16 years (2010-11), when the team finished the season 21-10-1. The Illini seniors, who were a part of the 2011 team, are bat-tling the possibility of a similar fate by stressing the confidence

they have in making a late-sea-son run.

“It’s win or go home,” senior forward Matt Welch said. “We have confidence that we’re going to go all the way. If not, there’s no reason for us to even play.”

Illinois has outscored oppo-nents 28-23 since the semes-ter break, pulling out big wins against No. 7 Minot State — the defending national champions — and No. 8 Ohio.

“When we’re scoring a goal per game, you don’t leave your-self a whole lot of margin for error,” head coach Nick Fabbri-ni said. “I think we’re realizing now, to score goals in this league, you’ve got to go to the front of the net and take a hit to make a play. You’re not going to score from

the perimeter on good teams and good goalies.”

Iowa State goaltender Matt Cooper will be looking to shut down the budding Illini offense this weekend, posting a .956 save percentage with a 16-1-1 record for the Cyclones so far this season.

After a tough stretch early on in the year, when the Illini went just 1-7 throughout October, the team has started changing the locker room environment before games, even turning off the loud music typically heard blasting from hockey dressing rooms.

“We were (playing music) all year, and obviously it wasn’t working early,” senior goalten-der Nick Clarke said. “It’s a lot more quiet, and guys can get a lot

more mentally prepared. We’ve been doing that the past couple weeks, and it’s been working for us.”

The Illini have won six of their last 10 games, nearly winning a seventh last weekend in a shoot-out against No. 7 Minot State in what Fabbrini called a “moral victory.”

Fabbrini believes this week-end’s series against No. 10 Iowa State will go a long way toward determining whether the Illini will make the national tournament.

“It’s a tough place to play, and it’s always been a tough place for us to go in and win games,” Fabbrini said. “We’re more than capable of going there and get-ting two games. It’s just a matter

of bringing the right effort and right attitude.”

But while teetering on the edge of the rankings, the Illi-ni have been playing the best hockey they have all season with four wins over top-10 opponents since November. Fabbrini said he isn’t concerned about Illinois getting into the national tourna-ment, even with just four ACHA games left to play.

“I think we’ve put ourselves in a good position to go to Iowa State and basically get into the tourna-ment,” Fabbrini said. “We just need to keep winning games, and the rest will take care of itself.”

Sean can be reached at [email protected] and @Neumannthehuman.

BY STEPHEN BOURBONSTAFF WRITER

Despite an overhaul of the starting lineup, the Illinois wom-en’s basketball team couldn’t buck its losing streak in a loss to Michigan State.

The Illini (9-14, 2-8 Big Ten) got burned by a late run from the No. 24 Spartans (15-7, 7-2) in the first half and never threatened, losing 69-53.

Illinois has lost four consecu-tive games, and nine of its past 11. Illinois is also winless in its last six appearances at home after opening the year a per-fect 6-0 at State Farm Center.

“We haven’t shot the per-centage we’ve needed to,” head coach Matt Bollant said. “Good teams make shots. We didn’t get as many touches inside with Jac-qui being out, so we shot more from the 3-point line and tonight is not the kind of night where we can go 3-17 (from three) and beat a ranked team.”

The Illini sported almost an entirely new starting lineup Wednesday night, a move that head coach Matt Bollant hinted at after the team’s 77-58 loss to Indiana on Sunday. While usual starter Ivory Crawford was in the lineup, freshmen Sarah Livings-ton, Taylor Gleason and Ashley McConnell all earned their first career starts.

Illinois was without forward Jacqui Grant due to mono — the freshman will be out one to two

weeks — while Michigan State was without starting point guard Kiana Johnson, who was sus-pended indefinitely due to a vio-lation of team rules.

The lineup change didn’t change the team’s recent for-tunes, especially in the first half. The Illini were down by just three points before the Spartans ripped off a 17-3 run to close out

the half. The Illini didn’t make a field goal in the final seven min-utes and 10 seconds of the first half.

Michigan State shot 69.6 per-cent from the field in the opening half as compared to Illinois’ 25.8 percent overall.

Illinois got a boost from the freshman Gleason, who scored six points in the first half but

whose foul trouble forced her to leave the game late in the peri-od. She ended with eight points on 4-of-12 shooting.

“I’m a perfectionist, so nothing is ever good enough,” Gleason said. “It wasn’t too nerve-wracking.”

“I like that Taylor believes in herself and believes that shots are going to go in,” Bollant added.

Tori Jankoska and Becca Mills led the Spartans with 22 points apiece on a combined 15-of-21 shooting. Illinois smothered the Spartans’ two leading scor-ers, Aerial Powers and Annalise Pickrel, into just 10 combined points, 17 below their combined season average.

While Ivory Crawford ended with 20 points, she was just 5-of-18 from the floor to go with sev-en rebounds.

In the second half, the Illini pulled off a 14-0 run to shrink the lead to nine, but Michigan State held firm down the stretch to secure the victory.

As for the lineup changes, Bol-lant said he wants competitors that are willing to play defense,

and that this lineup might not be just a one-game audition.

“We’ll keep evaluating every day,” he said. “We were pleased with the way they fought today so they’ll probably get another chance this weekend and go from there.”

Stephen can be reached at [email protected] and @steve_bourbon.

ALEX ROUX

Illini columnist

“I think we’re realizing now, to score goals in this league, you’ve got to go to the front of the net and take a hit to make a play. You’re not going to score from the perimeter on good teams and good goalies.”NICK FABBRINIHOCKEY HEAD COACH

FOLAKE OSIBODU THE DAILY ILLINIIllinois’ Ivory Crawford dribbles the ball during the game against Michigan State at State Farm Center on Wednesday. The Illini lost 69-53.

“We’ll keep evaluating every day. We were pleased

with the way they fought today so they’ll probably get another chance this

weekend and go from there.”

MATT BOLLANTHEAD COACH

The Daily Illini: Volume 143 Issue 71

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