C-U Community and Campus Roundup

I have a few news items that intersect general community interests and campus specifically, including the official end of the recent local measles outbreak. Other items:

• A new African-American Cultural Center on campus
• Outreach to local citizens for pollinator data
• Boneyard Creek Community Day on April 13th
• Electric scooter rules for campus and Champaign

The last update on the measles outbreak we had was good news about no new infections, people being able to leave quarantine, and waiting to make sure no new symptomatic people/cases popped up. That deadline has passed and the outbreak is officially over. The News-Gazette had a short article here. Relevant excerpt:

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District waited out two full 21-day incubation periods since the onset of the last measles case before closing the book on an outbreak that included more than two dozen people being quarantined and more than 1,000 people being interviewed after being potentially exposed to the disease.

With no new cases in 42 days, district communicable disease investigator Rachella Thompson-Brown said the Champaign County outbreak can be considered over as of this past Monday.

In all, the measles outbreak that began in the county in January included four confirmed cases. Others quarantined had been exposed to measles and couldn't verify their immunity.

More at that article here. Today the News-Gazette had additional information about there already being more U.S. measles cases in the beginning of 2019 than all of last year. More on that here.


On the new African-American Cultural Center on campus (designs PDF here) from the News-Gazette last week:

New version of Nesbitt African American Cultural Center nearly ready to open on UI campus
Fifty years ago, in response to black students' demands for more support from the University of Illinois, the Afro-American Cultural Program opened its doors.

Five buildings later, the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center is finally moving into a permanent home near the UI Quad, a modern glass-and-brick structure designed to be a welcoming space for black students and to reach out to the broader campus.

Construction on the $5.9 million project at Mathews and Nevada streets in Urbana is nearly complete, with crews finishing up the sidewalks and other exterior concrete work this week...

The center is designed as a home for black students, but "we wanted to invite others in, to let people know that this is a place for everyone to enjoy and to be inclusive," Griffin said.

The first floor includes a lounge, large multipurpose room and activity spaces. The second floor is "more inwardly focused," Griffin said, with offices, study areas and a computer lab, to encourage quiet study and provide a haven for students.

More details at the full article here. Additional information from the center's website here.


For those interested in helping the science on pollinators, a University study is looking for help from area residents. From the Daily Illini last week:

I-Pollinate research initiative seeks citizen aid
Citizens surrounding the University are able to self-report data right in their backyards by collecting state wide pollinator data for the new I-Pollinate Research Initiative.

Pollination ecologist Alexandra Harmon-Threatt said in an email I-Pollinate is a joint research initiative between researchers at the University...

Harmon-Threatt’s contribution to I-Pollinate focuses on how plants with a one-year life cycle, or annual plants, should be considered for conservation, specifically ornamental annuals...

There are a few requirements eager citizens need to meet before jumping into the project. Participants are required to register a 4-by-6 foot plant bed filled with milkweeds and a variety of six out of 12 annual species. Additionally, citizens must gather data at least three weeks throughout the summer between the months of June and August.

Citizens will be asked to complete a variety of pollinator visitation surveys, including examining the annual plants for monarch eggs or caterpillars.

More at that full article here. A free webinar this Wednesday will have information for people interested here.


The Boneyard Creek Community Day on April 13th was highlighted in Smile Politely today:

Individual volunteers as well as volunteer groups are needed to help pull off this community wide effort. As a volunteer you will help clean up litter and clear out non-native plants surrounding Boneyard Creek. For your efforts, you'll get a t-shirt, a free lunch, and the opportunity to hang out and listen to music in Scott Park afterwards. Along with the obvious rewarding feeling of helping to keep your community looking beautiful, of course.

More information and links to get involved at that webpage here.


On electric scooter rules and regulations on Campus and Champaign from Tom's Mailbag a couple weeks back:

"Just wondering, can I just buy my own e-scooter and ride it in Champaign and the UI Campus?"

It appears so.

"In the Illinois Vehicle Code (IVC) they are referred to as 'electric personal assistive mobility devices' and basically the IVC states that any person who is operating one either on a sidewalk or road has the same rights as a pedestrian but that local municipalities can also regulate or prohibit their use," said Henry Haupt of the Illinois Secretary of State's office. "So it's possible that the local municipality might have more regulations."

In Champaign electric scooters appear to fall under the definition of motor-drive cycles and there doesn't appear to be any prohibition except in bike lanes. Here's the ordinance: "No person shall operate any vehicle except bicycles which are not motor-driven upon bicycle lanes which are posted and marked as such."

On campus, UI police spokesman Pat Wade said:

“There’s no campus policy that specifically mentions electric scooters, but there is a policy on ‘self-balancing personal transportation devices’ that might apply. That is defined as ‘a wheeled device designed for an individual to ride in a standing position, with an electric propulsion system.’ This was introduced a few years ago when hoverboards got popular, but it seems to me that an electric scooter would fit the definition. This policy does not prohibit scooters, but it does say that you cannot ride, store or charge them inside any university building.”

That full Mailbag article here. I don't know how much, if at all, this might relate to VeoRide's ideas on bringing electric rental scooters to Champaign-Urbana. I imagine if a change like that was a approved, any necessary regulation changes would be made with it. But we shall see.