Opinion | Validate your negative emotions
By Ellen Barczak, Senior Columnist
May 15, 2020
Sometimes, everything sucks. And sometimes, it’s OK to let yourself be sad. Our lives have changed completely in the past two months, even if many of the changes are only temporary. Though everyone’s lives are disrupted, as college students, this pandemic is interrupting a period in our liv...
Illini stay creative amid quarantine
By Tianbin Chen, Staff Writer
May 13, 2020
It has been almost two months since the government has advised the public to stay at home. “How should I spend my day today?” has become a frequent question for people stuck inside during the pandemic. Time seems to be the cheapest asset people have right now, and some people decided to spend it ar...
Students ask for credit/no credit extension as finals loom
By Aliza Majid, Staff Writer
May 12, 2020
On April 29, the University extended the deadline for students to drop their classes or switch them to credit/no credit to May 6. Some students are hoping for another extension, as finals week influences their grades. After the sudden transition to an online semester because of the COVID-19 pandemic...
Opinion | Virtual concerts beat sound of silence
By Noah Nelson, Senior Columnist
May 9, 2020
Playing acoustic guitar gives me joy. Listening to recorded music moves me in ways I can’t describe. But going to live concerts makes me feel alive. Now, I can’t even do that. No one can. Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, all types of public events have been either cancelled or postpon...
Students receive money from emergency COVID-19 grants
By Amrita Bhattacharyya, Staff Writer
May 8, 2020
Undergraduate students who applied for the Illinois CARES: COVID-19 Support Program for the Spring 2020 semester have begun to receive their grants. This fund enabled students to request up to $1,000 for financial hardships stemming from the pandemic. Requested amounts greater than $1,000 were consider...
University announces online AP exams will be accepted for admissions, college credit
By Luis Velazquez, Assistant News Editor
May 7, 2020
Because of social distancing restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, high school students will take online advanced placement exams at their homes from May 11-22. Last month, the College Board announced on Twitter that its AP exams will have a different format compared to previous years. The onl...
CU Mask Makers respond to high mask demand during COVID-19 pandemic
By Karena Tse, Staff Writer
May 5, 2020
When sewist Megan Meyer first came across the CU Mask Makers on Facebook, the group totaled four members. However, after about a month, the 300-person network had produced and distributed over 7,000 masks across Champaign County. “I was completely floored by that number,” Meyer said. “I am so grate...
COVID-19 upends grad school admissions exams
By Heather Robinson, Assistant Daytime News Editor
May 4, 2020
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, graduate school exams are facing cancellations, alternative testing formats and other unprecedented changes. While some admissions exams will have the option of at-home testing for eligible students, other administrators are increasing testing dates in the upc...
UI president remains confident students will return in fall
By The Daily Illini Staff Report
May 1, 2020
President Killeen announced in an interview with Illinois Public Media that he is confident the University will return to face-to-face instruction in the fall. “We are playing close attention to the evolution of the pandemic,” Killeen said in the interview. The University is looking into a r...
UI fund covers tuition increase for new students
By Diana Anghel, Assistant News Editor
May 1, 2020
A $36 million fund has been created by the University of Illinois System to financially aid students faced with tuition increases, housing expenses and other costs. The Students FIRST (Funding Is Required to Support Tuition) financial aid will be prioritized for in-state undergraduate students. Th...
Editorial | Diffusion of misinformation undermines COVID mitigation
By The Daily Illini Editorial Board
April 30, 2020
Upon watching an apocalypse film, one might observe the same tropes. A natural disaster, some disease or an insurmountable evil suddenly hinders normal society. Although chaos unfolds, the main actors respond in similar manners. Imagine a disaster film where the protagonist couldn’t turn on the news to r...
ACES Professor addresses student, faculty difficulties amid COVID-19
By Zainab Qureshi, Longform Editor
April 30, 2020
Toni Marie Burkhalter, senior instructor in Food Science and Human Nutrition and advisor in human nutrition, recently made a video titled “COVID-19 What Your Students Are Not Telling You.” As a single mom with a daughter in undergrad doing research at the University and a son about to graduate high...
