On campus: Campus safety notice

The UIPD informed the community of a sexual assault that occurred Tuesday morning at a fraternity. The offender reportedly gave the victim a controlled substance before the assault.

“We are sending this message to heighten your awareness, to encourage student safety and to aid in the prevention of similar crimes,” the UIPD said in a statement.

On campus: GEO town hall meeting

The Graduate Employees’ Organization held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the implications of President Donald Trump’s funding freezes and the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

The group discussed growing fears surrounding “auto-trigger” words and their potential impact on research and graduate studies.

Their concerns involve confusion regarding similar words — such as “diversity” in “biodiversity.” Automated programs could flag this when the Trump administration reviews federal grants.

“From what we’re hearing from people, the administration is looking to cut grants from people where the grants for their research include certain keywords that they deem ‘woke,’” said Arthur Paganini, Stewards’ council co-chair for the GEO and graduate student studying mechanical engineering.

The GEO also addressed the nuanced challenges international graduate students face. Suzanne Basson, co-president of the GEO and graduate student studying musicology, shared her perspective as an international student.

“Our visa status is dependent on our student status, so if I lose my ability to be a student, I can no longer be in the country,” Basson said. “It is something that international students are a lot more scared of, and I think the administration is using this exact position of us being so precarious against us, to not be willing to organize, not go to protest. It’s just once again a tool to divide us.”

Concerns about funding were fueled after Trump announced his defiant stance on campus protesting via Truth Social on Tuesday.

“All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump said in the post. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came.”

Paganini and Basson shared that the GEO is categorized as a labor union, providing the group protections under the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act, which created the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.

“That gives us extra protections,” Basson said. “For example, your employer is not allowed to come in and do severe union busting as we see in cases like Amazon or Starbucks workers.”

Basson then expressed feelings of uncertainty but said that the support of the GEO community helps her maintain hope.

“I think a lot of us are feeling scared at the moment and unsure of what the future holds, but if we come together and we organize and we stand together, we can protect each other,” Basson said. “The reason I am not as scared as I think other international workers on campus is because I have a strong sense of community. People in GEO have my back, and in that same way, I have other people’s back.”

On campus: Stand Up for Science protest

Students, faculty and community members gathered at Alma Mater on Friday afternoon to hold a Stand Up for Science protest. The demonstration was part of a national effort to call out the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding and mass termination of federal employees, particularly in scientific disciplines.

Several attendees held signs expressing support for scientific studies, and others showed criticism toward the administration.

Peter Goldsmith, director of the now-closed Soybean Innovation Lab and professor in ACES, spoke to the crowd about the shutdown.

“Our lab served as a unique platform bringing U of I students, who worked right alongside us, to the frontlines of economic development,” Goldsmith said.

Other speakers included Scott Oswald and Asher Hudson, who shared how the funding cuts impacted them. Oswald, a postdoctoral researcher at the University, and Hudson, a research scientist at the University, were abruptly terminated in the past month due to the funding freeze.

“This is only the beginning,” Hudson said. “There are plans to fire hundreds of thousands of federal employees and slash scientific funding going to universities and research institutes for everything from agriculture to cancer research.”

Justin Michael Hendrix, a local activist and Champaign school board candidate, also stressed the importance of science in Black culture.

“As an advocate, educator and community leader here, I believe science in Black culture is significant … for students, teachers, schools and communities at large, for the quality of life and for the livelihood of Black lives,” Hendrix said.

The protestors marched from Alma Mater through the Main Quad, passing the Morrow Plots, the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and other South Quad buildings.

The protest ended at the McFarland Memorial Bell Tower, with protestors chanting to support the cause.

“Together, our voices will be heard,” Oswald said. “Let us speak out against the harm of the government’s actions; let us speak up for the value of science.”

On Campus: Unofficial festivities begin

Friday marked the beginning of Unofficial weekend, a premature celebration of St. Patrick’s Day unique to the University.

Socialites clad in green walked up and down the busier-than-usual Green Street on Friday. Partygoers’ plans included bar-hopping and apartment crawls.

“I love how U of I is the only college around us that celebrates (Unofficial), and so everyone comes here,” said Julie Kim, sophomore in ACES.

An ambulance was parked in front of a popular campus bar, The Red Lion, before 10 p.m. According to Metcad, the call was for a 21-year-old man going in and out of consciousness. Officials have not released further information.

The rainy weather showed no signs of deterring partygoers, as students from all over the state traveled to the University to celebrate with the Illini.

Drunken shouting, car engines and emergency sirens echoed through Campustown and kicked off the University’s first night of Unofficial festivities on Friday evening.

In the US: Trump launches trade war

Just after midnight on Tuesday, Trump launched a trade war against the United States’ largest trading partners: Mexico, Canada and China.

Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports and doubled the tariff he applied last month to Chinese products to 20%. He limited the levy against Canadian energy to 10%.

“Today the United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “At the same time, they are talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense.” 

Beijing responded by imposing retaliatory tariffs of up to 15% on various U.S. farm exports, which will take effect on Monday.

“Coercion and threats will not work on China, nor will they scare China,” said Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao. “China’s determination to defend its own interests is unswerving.”

On Thursday, Trump postponed the 25% tariffs on some Mexican and Canadian imports but still vowed to impose “reciprocal” tariffs starting on April 2.

In the US: Unions file lawsuit against SSA

A group of labor unions is requesting an emergency order to block the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Social Security data.

Democracy Forward, a legal services organization, filed the motion in a Maryland federal court late Friday against the Social Security Administration and Leland Dudek, its acting commissioner.

“Essentially what you have is DOGE just swooping in and bullying their way into access to millions of Americans’ private data,” said Karianne Jones, a lawyer for the unions and retiree group behind the lawsuit. “They cannot explain why they want this data … They want the source code, and they want to do it without any restrictions.”

Since its inception, DOGE has been the subject of multiple lawsuits, sparking ongoing debates over its potential risks. Legal challenges have centered on concerns about data privacy and the extent of DOGE’s access to personal information.

“It is not the job of the federal courts to police the security of the information systems in the executive branch,” wrote U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in a separate case in February.

The SSA has yet to issue a statement regarding the lawsuit.

Worldwide: Hamas, Israel ongoing war, updates

On Wednesday, Trump issued what he said was a “last warning” to Hamas, calling for the immediate release of the remaining hostages. 

“Release all of the hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.

This warning comes after the White House announced that there had been ongoing discussions between U.S. and Hamas officials.

Currently, Israeli officials believe Hamas is holding 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 more. Israel said it will send a team of delegates to Qatar on Monday to continue ceasefire talks. Hamas stated it received “positive signals” from mediators about starting the next phase of negotiations.

Worldwide: Tropical Cyclone Alfred

Tropical Cyclone Alfred weakened as it approached the Australian Coast on Saturday, and officials are now classifying the storm as a low weather system, defined as carrying sustained winds of less than 39 mph.

This change in intensity comes after tens of thousands of Australian residents lost power in the states of Queensland and New South Wales in recent days. Officials reported fallen power lines and damaged cars and homes Friday night due to heavy winds and falling trees.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli expressed relief that the storm did not make landfall during high tide, which could have resulted in the severe flooding of coastal homes.

“To have no homes reported … that have had storm tide inundation is really a tremendous, tremendous result,” Crisafulli said.

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