1/19/25 – 1/26/25
On campus
The spring semester resumed on Tuesday, and students faced harsh, wintery weather over the first days of classes. Weather on Tuesday ranged from 6 degrees below zero to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Several professors either canceled classes or moved them online.
Besides a Massmail the University sent out on Jan. 19 warning students to “prepare for the cold,” the University did not take any formal actions to cancel classes.
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On Tuesday afternoon, the University sent out a Massmail stating that Jennifer Bernhard, professor in Engineering, would chair the Chancellor Search Committee advising University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen. The news comes two months after Chancellor Robert Jones announced he would step down from the position in June.
The following day, Bernhard sent a message inviting the campus to support the search committee by “identifying” what issues the prospective chancellor will face and what “traits and experiences” the committee should consider as they evaluate candidates.
Community members can provide input during three focus sessions held next week in the Illini Union Room 314 A. Wednesday’s session from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. will be strictly for undergraduate students. There are also two open sessions on Tuesday from 4:15 to 5:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 11:15 a.m. to noon.
The UI System Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting on Thursday, where they approved changes to tuition rates and student and housing fees for the 2025-26 academic year. Most notably, tuition rates will increase by 2.2%, and housing will increase by 5%.
In the US
President Donald Trump took the presidential oath of office and was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday. It marks the pinnacle of a turbulent political journey for Trump, whose first term was mired by controversies, including two impeachments. Later, he would be indicted for election interference, withholding sensitive classified documents and falsifying business records, the last of which he was found guilty.
Despite these setbacks, Trump defeated his opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, by 86 electoral votes — 312 to 226 — and won the popular vote for the first time since he entered politics.
After taking office, Trump began signing a slew of executive orders, one of which sought to end birthright citizenship for children whose parents entered the country illegally. The order was immediately the subject of lawsuits by several states, including Illinois.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul argued the executive order was unconstitutional because it violates the 14th Amendment, which reads, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour blocked Trump’s executive order, siding with Illinois and other states on the issue.
Worldwide
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that went into effect on Jan. 19 is looking increasingly shaky. On Jan. 19, Israeli troops prevented Palestinians from returning to the North of the Gaza Strip. Israel said Hamas violated the truce by not returning a female hostage scheduled to be released Saturday. Hamas disagreed and argued Israel stalled throughout the truce.
Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea’s impeached president, was charged with insurrection by South Korean prosecutors on Sunday. The indictment comes after Yoon imposed martial law for six hours on Dec. 3, in what the opposition party labeled as an attempt to subvert South Korea’s constitution.
Concurrently, South Korea’s Constitutional Court will decide whether or not to uphold Yoon’s impeachment, a move that would certify his removal from the presidency.
That is it for this week. C-U next Sunday for the next edition of this week in news.
