Editorial | Express love for Valentine’s Day, whoever you are
By The Daily Illini Editorial Board
February 14, 2019
Filed under Editorials, Opinions
Valentine’s Day can be great. The start of something exciting and new might happen, whether it’s asking out that cute guy or gal in lecture or maybe just even getting their number. Or, it’s a day celebrating a romantic relationship that’s already happening between you and your significant other...
Valentine’s Day reinforces gender stereotypes
By Jaime Watts, Columnist
February 13, 2019
Valentine’s Day is upon us and for the past month, every store you walk into has one giant red section filled with heart-shaped chocolates and giant teddy bears. Every commercial break has advertisements from jewelry stores talking about how it’s the perfect time for a man to propose and stores lik...
California utility company powers fires
By Fred Shoaff, Columnist
February 13, 2019
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Opinions Top Stories, Top Stories
After playing a role in deadly wildfires several years in a row, a California utility company is showing just how dangerous and unfair the modern utilities system is. Utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has been the topic of national scrutiny for months as their careless busine...
Be skeptical, but assume the best
By Matt Hutchison, Columnist
February 12, 2019
Our expectations often impact how situations will develop. Yes, our thinking often creates self-fulfilling prophecies. Of course, these are not really prophecies but outcomes influenced by our expectations. No, I’m not making any type of paranormal claim. In fact, I’m making a pretty basic psy...
Navigating fake news through awareness
By David Lee, Columnist
February 12, 2019
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Opinions Top Stories, Top Stories
Irresponsibility by celebrities, news outlets and Twitter users has butchered the Nick Sandman story, leaving space for many valid accusations against mainstream media. From this, we can further understand the nature of “fake news.” There is some merit to accusations against Covington Catholi...
Cherish criticism, promote progress
By Thomas Block, Columnist
February 11, 2019
Criticism can be just as hard to give as it is to take. It threatens to demolish a promising idea like a wrecking ball, and not only does the receiver risk a sad trip back to the drawing board, but the lender can all too easily get blamed for it. Criticism is a touchy subject even for me, seeing I’ve historicall...
English fluency is crucial to careers
By Guzi He, Columnist
February 11, 2019
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Opinions Top Stories, Top Stories
A professor at Duke University was dismissed earlier this month after sending a mass email in which she urged students from China to use English “100 percent of the time.” Megan Neely, former director of studies at Duke’s biostatistics master’s program, went so far as to say the students were b...
Patriots’ sixth Super Bowl win offers lessons
By Cole Timmerwilke, Columnist
February 11, 2019
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Opinions Top Stories
Once again, to the chagrin of many Americans, the New England Patriots are Super Bowl champions. After an inconsistent regular season which prompted many to predict an end to their lengthy dynasty, the Patriots went on to beat three playoff opponents with better records en route to their sixth Super Bowl...
Find time for free time
By Abby Weber, Columnist
February 9, 2019
For college students, it is incredibly easy to get wrapped up in doing the things you have to do and never getting to do the things you want to do. Having free time makes a person more productive and more happy, ultimately promoting personal growth and advancement for the institutions one is a part ...
Violence against women normalized in mainstream media
By Kaitlyn McCann, Columnist
February 8, 2019
Filed under Columns, Opinions, Opinions Top Stories
Recently, five women were shot and killed by a gunman in a Florida bank. After entering the bank, 21-year-old Zephen Xaver forced the women down onto the lobby floor and shot them in the back of the head. He then called the police on himself, but would not allow anyone in the building to medically treat the women unti...
Media fails to take accountability
By Ajay Dugar, Columnist
February 7, 2019
Filed under online, Opinions, Opinions Top Stories, Top Stories
“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” This Latin phrase, “Who watches the watchmen?” is attributed to the Roman poet Juvenal. Over the centuries, this expression has been invoked to underscore the responsibility and necessity of scrutinizing those in power. This has typically been the job of the media — t...
Self-care just as important as academics
By Kimberly Ngoh, Columnist
February 7, 2019
I remember feeling like that overused Pikachu meme after my friend complained to me about her final semester of college being rough—--she had a lot on her plate and she was upset she’d have to spend this semester “studying on the weekends.” I calmly replied, telling her to take it one step a...
