Local Mentoring

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This month was National Mentoring Month and you may have noticed a lot of mentoring programs in the news or highlighting events. This post covers a handful of local programs that I've stumbled across, but is not exhaustive to all of the mentoring opportunities available through other programs and organizations:

• CU One-to-One Mentoring Program
• Girls2Women Mentoring Program (New)
• Boys2Men Mentoring Program
• Illini Mentoring Program

First, CU One-to-One Mentoring, which is the program that has been mentioned quite a bit in local news lately. WCIA had a quick overview of a program in our local school districts that is recruiting mentors right now:

Urbana and Champaign’s school districts are searching for mentors for kids in 3rd thru 7th grades.

The program currently has 625 mentors. Leaders said they hope to reach 700 by the end of the school year. Mentors will be matched one-on-one with students for a year. The program consists of hour-long sessions on school grounds once a week.

Mentors said they’re determined to help kids succeed.

That full article with video segment here. The Daily Illini had more on the University's Facility and Services departments long time collaboration with the program:

A mentoring program for schools in Champaign-Urbana, CU 1-to-1, is starting the year by celebrating National Mentoring Month. The University’s Facilities and Services celebrated 15 years of partnership with CU 1-to-1 on Jan. 15.

CU 1-to-1 is a mentoring program that offers mentors to Champaign-Urbana students in grades 3-12. According to Lauren Smith, community outreach coordinator for Champaign Unit 4 schools, there is no set curriculum for mentoring within the program, unlike other programs.

“It is a relationship-building program,” Smith said. “They’re not doing catch-up work with the students. They’re not doing tutoring. They’re not checking to see if they completed their homework for the day.”

Instead, it’s a holistic program that strives to create a relationship between mentor and mentee, to create trust and confidence and to do day-to-day activities together, such as playing basketball, Smith said. 

More at that full article here. The News-Gazette had similar coverage of that collaboration here.

There are upcoming events this week and next month to learn more and get involved. From CU One to One Mentoring's News and Events page:

Mentor Breakfast
Join us on Tuesday, January 28, 7:15 - 8:30 for Breakfast at Stone Creek Church, 2502 S. Race Street.  Enjoy scones from Common Ground, Bagels from Einstein Bagels, Yogurt, Fruit, Juice and Coffee

What Does it Mean to Mentor?  will be the topic and you will have a chance to discuess what mentoring means to you with fellow mentors.   Bring a friend interested in mentoring.

...

For Prospective Mentors (pick one)
One to One Initial Mentor Training

Thursday, January 30, 2020  6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Urbana Middle School (1201 S. Vine, U.)
...
Wednesday, February 12, 2020  11:30 - 1:30 p.m., Champaign Mellon Building (703 S. New, C.)

More at the that page, including RSVP contact information, here.


More Mentoring Programs:

Girls2Women Mentoring Program is a new program based on the successful local Boys2Men program described below. Their first meeting is tonight at the Urbana Free Library at 6:30pm. Their facebook page with additional information is available here. WAND had coverage last month of their initial vision here:

The program was inspired by the Boyz2Men mentoring program that was created in 2015.  Mentors say there has been a great turn-out for the guys, but they kept being asked why girls weren't included...

She says one thing both groups have in common is a need for space. At this moment, they are providing their services at the Champaign Public Library but are looking for a permanent place to teach the youth. They are also working on fundraisers to help make this space possible.

The program is completely free for girls in 6th to 12th grade. For more information contact girls2womenmentoring@gmail.com

More at the full article here. More coverage at the News-Gazette here.


Boys2Men Mentoring Program has a description on their facebook page:

Founded in 2015, by Devon Turner Sr., the Boyz 2 Men Mentoring Program's mission is to improve the academic achievement, self-esteem, social awareness, and social competence of young males. By providing young men with professional male mentors, Boyz 2 Men will help their mentees to reach their full potential thereby cultivating productive citizens.

Since its creation, Boyz2Men has directly connected with over 100 young men through direct mentoring. Seeing an opportunity to expand their influence and effectiveness, a weekly mentoring group for male students in grades 6th-12th was introduced at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. On average 22 students attend each meeting, with conversations that address common areas of concern and interest for young males. The mentors use this time to discuss racism, conflict resolution, popular news stories, effective means of communication, amongst less serious topics like sports and pop culture. The approach is designed to build lasting trust while also addressing real life challenges for the students.

The News-Gazette also had an overview with Devon Turner Sr. discussing the program a few months ago here.


And finally, the Illini Mentor Program, which I haven't heard much about yet. From it's webpage:

Illini Mentor Program is a registered student organization of the University of Illinois dedicated to fostering meaningful and consistent mentoring relationships between University students and children in the local community with the goal of supporting learning, growth, skill-building, and interracial and cultural understanding.

More at their facebook page and its main University website.

Urbana City Roundup

This Urbana City Roundup includes City Council updates, an area police records system that has to be updated this year used by the County, Urbana and a few other police agencies locally, some budget figures for the "Gather" development, a few other development updates, and a couple Urbana Police Department updates on dismissed litigation and the suspended bike giveaway program.

First some older City Council updates from last month:

• In December the City Council approved increased development incentives for the Philo Road Business District.
• Approved an increase to its food and beverage tax to 2%, matching cities like Bloomington/Normal, but still slightly less than Champaign's recent increase to 2.5%.

This month some big issues popped up at the Urbana City Council meeting (agenda and video links here). One involves the local police information system used by the County Sheriff and other local police department agencies, Area-Wide Records Management System (ARMS). From the information presented at the City Council meeting when updating the memorandum of understanding for the collaboration:

Urbana was the agency that created ARMS, and we are still the Lead Agency responsible for it. Part of that responsibility is keeping up with evolving requirements. One of those is coming up - starting on January 1, 2021 the State of Illinois and the Federal government will require police agencies to report by the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This method replaces the current method, which is the Uniform Crime Reports Summary Reporting System.

Although Urbana is actively researching replacements for ARMS, we will not have a new system in place by January 1, 2021 – and so we must modify ARMS to comply with these standards. Based on our estimates, we think that this will require more than 1,300 hours of effort.

The good news is that the Sheriff’s Office applied for, and received, a grant from the Department of Justice to help us comply with the NIBRS standards and be a pilot agency to help the State confirm its process. That is the “National Crime Statistics Exchange – Special Data Collections and Statistical Studies” grant. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office has a separate grant that has a requirement for a portion of its value to be used towards NIBRS compliance. (The latter is the “Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant Assistance Grant”.)

In both cases, the City of Urbana is acting as a contractor for the Sheriff’s Office, and we will bill the Sheriff’s Office for hours spent on this work, then they will seek reimbursement through the grants.

More at the full resolution information here. Two resolutions also passed to allow the City of Urbana to be involved with the County's Board of Review on hospital property tax exemption issues that may come up. From the explanation memo:

The two proposed resolutions will allow the City to initiate, intervene in, and participate in property tax exemption proceedings before the Champaign County Board of Review and the Illinois Department of Revenue involving OSF Healthcare System, d/b/a OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center, and the Carle Foundation for revenue year 2019 pay 2020 for parcels these entities own in the City of Urbana. 

More at the full memo here and News-Gazette coverage explaining how this empowers the City to be involved if further property taxes disputes arise this year here. Excerpts:

Both Urbana hospitals have until the end of this month to file affidavits with the county that will be used by the Board of Review to determine whether they qualify for a continuation of their property-tax exemptions for that tax year...

City Administrator Carol Mitten said the council would be authorizing the city staff to challenge any finding by the Board of Review that OSF Heart of Mary and/or Carle meet the definition of a charity (and would thus be eligible for a charitable tax exemption) under a 2018 Illinois Supreme Court ruling.

Both hospitals have easily met the current standards for exemptions under state law, which makes them exemption-eligible if the dollar amount of the charity they provide is at least as much as the amount of property taxes they’d have to pay on any given year.

That full article here. A presentation on pedestrian and bicycle safety measures was presented at the same meeting. WCIA coverage of that here, with additional information available at the organization's website here. City Council presentation video here.

There has also been some coverage on the "Gather" development in Urbana that is being promoted as a new gateway to the University of Illinois through Urbana at the intersection of Lincoln and University Avenues. The News-Gazette recently had some figures on property purchase prices and expected project spending:

The Texas-based developer that bought it now plans to spend $30 million to develop a new project at the southeast corner of Lincoln and University avenues.

It is expected to include about 200 apartments, 50 extended-stay rooms and 15,000 square feet of lobby, retail and outdoor public areas.

More on that here. A more detailed overview of the project plan was published in the News-Gazette last month here.

WCIA had coverage of a potential new wellness center being discussed at Lincoln Square Mall here. They had additional coverage of a separate spiritual wellness center, Soul Care, that opened in Urbana this month here. The News-Gazette had some general updates on the Lincoln Square Mall current and possible future usage here.

A federal lawsuit was dismissed against the Urbana Police Department which alleged retaliations over litigation against another police department, that ended with a settlement with Champaign PD. The News-Gazette had coverage of that last month here:

The suit filed on behalf of Benjamin Mann and his girlfriend, Samantha Wade, alleged that the Urbana officers retaliated because he stood up to the city of Champaign regarding Rush’s alleged behavior on March 16, 2014.

The complaint sought damages for Mann and Wade on 11 counts, including retaliation, false arrest, fabrication of evidence and illegal search.

Two of those were dismissed in December, including claims against a University of Illinois police officer, and the remaining nine were rejected last week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long.

“There is no evidence the Officers considered (or even cared) that Mann was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Champaign Police Department,” Long concluded in a 37-page opinion granting a request from Urbana for summary judgment.

More at the full article here.

Urbana Police Department also had an update in Tom's Mailbag on their suspended Bike giveaway program and the storage issue that needs to be resolved to get it started again:

It’s a matter of storage space for all those bikes, said Urbana Police Chief Byrant Seraphin.

“When the Goodyear building at 202 S. Vine, which had been owned and used by the city, was torn down in June of 2019 as part of the redevelopment project there, the city was left with less storage space,” he said. “In order to work within the space we do have, we are currently making donations of useable, abandoned bicycles on a much more frequent basis to Salt & Light. This keeps our inventory much smaller and more manageable.

“It is our hope to restart the bike giveaway as we move through the storage space issue.”

From Tom's Mailbag this week here. More on what happened to the old Goodyear building towards the end of this News-Gazette article here and the proposed project here.

City of Champaign Updates

This post covers several updates on recent City Council meetings, Downtown Plaza updates, an update on a Garden Hills program, the City's Diversity Advancement Program, and some additional City information on marijuana legalization to STD rates.

There's a City Council Study Session coming up reviewing City boards and commissions (and may cover earlier concerns about the police review board). More on that in a separate post here. At the last Study Session the City Council looked at guidelines for the City sponsoring events. From the News-Gazette a couple weeks back:

The Champaign City Council is still trying to settle on guidelines for helping it determine which events to sponsor...

Staff came back Tuesday with the recommendation that the city shouldn’t sponsor or fund events, with narrow exceptions for existing agreements with 40 North’s Friday Night Live program and the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon.

At the end of Tuesday’s meeting, they again directed staff to prepare for another study session on guidelines for event sponsorship.

That full article here. Earlier this week the City Council approved an engineering contract that would get the ball rolling on the planning stages for the Downtown Plaza project. WCIA had a helpful blurb here:

It would turn the parking lot at Neil and Washington into a public plaza. On Tuesday night, city council members unanimously approved an agreement with engineering firm, Clark Dietz, Inc. The agreement is worth $119,475.

The firm is working on the “immediate phase” of the project — which includes making design plans for a stage, specialty lighting, sidewalk improvements and a crosswalk at Neil and Hill Streets.

To read the full council bill that was approved, click here.

Full blurb and video segment here. The News-Gazette had additional details in its article previewing the City Council meeting here. Even more information and links in the bottom half of a previous Cheat Sheet post on Champaign City Planning here, including information about potential phases of the Plaza development.

The Garden Hills SLEEP program received additional funding approved at that same City Council meeting. WCCU had a quick overview here:

Garden Hills will be receiving more exterior lighting thanks to the City of Champaign and Busey Bank.
The Champaign City Council approved the almost $68,000 grant at Tuesday night's meeting...

Busey Bank will also grant $75,000 for five homeowners to add more upgrades to their homes.

Full blurb with video segment here. The News-Gazette had additional background in their coverage here:

The city initially committed $122,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding to the program and got 59 applications from homeowners in 2019...

The new funds will go toward “emergency escape and rescue windows, and the lighting features at the entry points, as well as the yard poles,” said Jennifer Carlson, the city’s neighborhood programs manager.

“When we developed the SLEEP program, we always had the intent that we would seek out other funding sources because we see it as a great need and a great opportunity,” Carlson said.

That full article here. Additional background and concerns about the SLEEP program and the City priorities with the Garden Hills neighborhood in a previous Cheat Sheet post here.

Smile Politely highlighted the City's Diversity Advancement Program and an information session coming up for it on January 28th:

The City of Champaign Diversity Advancement Program "encourages City departments, contractors, and other vendors doing business with the City to increase the amount of goods and services provided by local businesses owned by minorities, women, and other socially and economically disadvantaged groups." On Tuesday, January 28th at 8:30 a.m., the City of Champaign and Small Business Development Center at the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation are hosting an info session for those interested in learning more about how the program works.

Rachel Joy, the City of Champaign’s Community Relations Manager/Compliance Officer will give a presentation, followed by a Q&A. The session will take place at 1817 S. Neil Street, Suite 100, Champaign. It's free, and walk-ins are welcome, but RSVP if you can. 

That full blurb here. More information at the links in the excerpt or the City's website here.

The Daily Illini had a recent article about STD rates in the United States and Champaign's ranking 50, possibly due to the perils of college town lifestyles. More on that here.

The City of Champaign released a Champaign Police Department video answering questions about legally using marijuana in the City of Champaign on their YouTube channel here.

Citizens Review Subcommittee Review Update

Coming up this Tuesday, 1/28, the City Council of Champaign will be having a study session that includes reviewing local boards (agenda here). The Study Session report for that subject has an excellent breakdown of the boards and commission of the City of Champaign with descriptions, composition, and duties starting on page 3 of this PDF here. The descriptions are also available on our City of Champaign government organization page here.

Initially the calls for reviewing the City's Boards came after a controversy arose with the Citizens Review Subcommittee of the Human Relations Commission. Full Cheat Sheet post on that with a lot of links of local coverage on the controversy here. After the Subcommittee publicly suggested potential reforms, there was immediate backlash focused on the manner in which they did so. Initial calls to look at the need for the board were changed to call for a review of all boards and commissions. This appeared to be to avoid looking like they were singling out the board that reviews citizens complaints of the Police Department. Excerpt from the last post:

A lot has happened since the reform ideas were initially presented to the Champaign HRC in June. The Citizen Review Subcommittee discussed the recommendations with Chief Cobb at their August meeting (video available here, overview in the minutes available here). The News-Gazette had coverage of that meeting with Chief Cobb here. with many of his initial thoughts and Q & A with subcommittee members:

The city’s top cop has several concerns but no solutions about proposed changes to the way citizens file complaints about police officers.

Champaign police Chief Anthony Cobb appeared before the citizen review subcommittee this week to address recommendations the 2-year-old, five-person commission made in late May. The chief left the meeting agreeing to work with members of the group but not ready to sign off on any of the four changes to the process they had suggested.

That full article here. The recommendations and attention has raised concerns among some City Council members. From the News-Gazette earlier this month:

Some on Champaign council questioning Citizen Review Subcommittee's role as police chief reviews recommendations
...
Among Fourman’s issues with the group’s recommendations is the elimination of a time limit on filing a complaint.

That, she said, “is not going to work in the citizen’s best interest,” given that body-camera footage is deleted after 90 days, unless it’s flagged...

According to the ordinance that established the subcommittee, it has a role in promoting “thoughtful policy recommendations and ongoing outreach” in addition to its duties as an “unbiased review board.”

But like Fourman, Stock questions whether the subcommittee is overstepping its bounds.

That full article here. Attempts to resolve the City Council members concerns led to a rift between council members concerned about recommendations that tread into policy and subcommittee members who consider recommendations a clear mandate of the subcommittee passed by the council itself.

That full post available here. This Study Session will be coming up less than a week after a former Champaign Police Department officer was sentenced for breaking into cars and making local headlines about substance abuse while previously on the job. From WAND:

A former Champaign police officer has been sentenced to probation after he admitted to breaking into cars in his hometown.

Justus Clinton, 45, said he was under the influence when he broke into about ten vehicles in May 2018....

Clinton was with the Champaign Police Department for 14 years.

The News Gazette reports Clinton had struggled with substance-abuse in the past while he was with the police department and even came to work under the influence in 2017 and 2018. The city had offered to get him help so he could keep his job.

His attorney said he has PTSD from a time when he narrowly avoided being shot in the head.

Full blurb here. More from the News-Gazette here. One of the reforms suggested by the Review Subcommittee that appeared to have some broader Council support at the time was to "eliminate the current 30-day limitation on filing complaints."

Latest Wuhan Coronavirus Updates

This post is following up on yesterday's update on US cases of the Wuhan Coronavirus respiratory illness and local precautions. New information and links below, but first, as of this posting, all the news I've seen at the local, state and federal level puts the general risk here as "low at this time."

The CDC had an update on the status of the outbreak yesterday, but in its risk assessment still stated that "the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general American public is considered low at this time." The Governor of Illinois noted yesterday that the State of Illinois had been preparing for the possibility of cases here before the confirmed case in Chicago. From the Springfield Journal-Register:

A Chicago woman who returned from China this month is currently hospitalized and isolated, but doing well, according to the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Ngozi Ezike. She added that CDC officials landed in Chicago this morning, and Pritzker said the CDC, IDPH and local agencies are closely monitoring the situation.

“Illinois has a strong public health system that has been proactively preparing for this situation,” Pritzker said. He advised people to take the same precautions as one would with the flu, such as washing your hands and calling ahead of a doctor’s visit if experiencing symptoms.

That full article here. He also sent out a series of tweets yesterday assuring that the State was dealing with the potential problems and the risk remained low. The Mayor of Champaign retweeted that this morning.

Locally there have been preparations as well for screening and some proactive measures on campus delaying a gala for international students celebrating the lunar new year. From the News-Gazette:

Amid growing concern about an outbreak of a new virus, the Chinese American Association of Central Illinois is postponing its annual Lunar New Year gala that had been scheduled for Saturday at Parkland College...

More than 5,800 students at the University of Illinois are from China, and Emily Liu, the director of the annual gala, said some who returned from winter break are from Wuhan.

“We are afraid that this kind of large gathering of people will endanger public safety,” she said through a translator.

Full article here. Local hospitals have been preparing to screen for possible cases as well. From the News-Gazette eEdition this morning (subscription):

“We encourage patients to call ahead if they feel like they may have been exposed, so we can take proper precautions to isolate them to protect themselves and others,” said Carle spokeswoman Jamie Mullin.

Isolation measures would involve the patient being masked and placed in isolation and medical caregivers putting on masks, gowns and other protective gear, Mullin said.

There’s no need to panic if you walk into a waiting room and see patients in masks, she advised.

That full article in the eEdition here (subscription). Carle had a lot of additional information on precautions and for people with concerns here. Christie Clinic had information including travel declaration forms for people recently having traveled in Wuhan China here. McKinley Health Center had information for students here.

Wuhan Coronavirus Updates

The News-Gazette reported that the University of Illinois will be screening students for a respiratory virus that has recently been detected in the United States after an outbreak in China. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the risk low at this time, but since this is a novel virus, they're taking precautions. From the CDC:

Outbreaks of novel virus infections among people are always of public health concern. The risk from these outbreaks depends on characteristics of the virus, including whether and how well it spreads between people, the severity of resulting illness, and the medical or other measures available to control the impact of the virus (for example, vaccine or treatment medications).

There is much more to learn about how the 2019-nCoV virus spreads, severity of associated illness, and other features of the virus. Investigations are ongoing. While CDC considers this is a serious public health concern, based on current information, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general American public is considered low at this time. Nevertheless, CDC is taking proactive preparedness precautions.

More information at their website here. CNN had a helpful overview here as well. The News-Gazette article is available here. Excerpt:

Students with respiratory illnesses will be screened regardless of whether they’ve been to an area with a confirmed case of the virus, which has infected more than 400 people in six countries, including a case confirmed Tuesday in Washington state.

So far, nine people in China have died from the virus, which can be spread through coughing and sneezing, the UI said.

Despite considering the risk to the American public to be low, on Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began screening for the disease at three airports that receive most of the travelers from the province in China where the disease started — San Francisco International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

That full article here. WAND had coverage of the first case being reported in the United States yesterday:

The U.S. patient is a male in his 30s and in good health the CDC said. He arrived in the U.S. around Jan. 15 after visiting Wuhan. Airport screenings for those traveling from Wuhan did not begin until Jan. 17.

The patient is from the U.S. He said he did not have any symptoms when he returned, but immediately reached out to a health care provider when he started to develop symptoms.

NBC reports the strain could be passed in so-called super-spreaders or highly infectious patients. Those people could sicken dozens all at once...

Currently major airports have been screening passengers who are arriving from Wuhan, to prevent the spread of the virus. The CDC added Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta to the list on Tuesday. 

Full article here. WCCU had additional coverage including reaction from the C-U Public Health District and University working together on the issue:

[Deputy Administrator of the C-U Public Health District, Awais] Vaid said the District and University are close in contact.

"Before waiting for any of this to happen they're being very pro-active," Vaid said. "They ask the question for anyone that comes into the McKinley Health Center if they have any travel history or if they have any symptoms on mimicking coronavirus,."

Vaid said it's still too early to tell what could happen in the C-U area.

"The situation is very current as of what we know right now but things will change in the next 24 to 48 hours," Vaid said.

That full article here. I suppose we can only keep an eye out for any changes in the news and hope that the risk remains low. 

UIUC Updates

This post contains updates from the recent UI Board of Trustees meeting in Chicago. It also contains  other updates (jump to link) with:

• A couple professors and pending litigation. 
• A couple local professors in the news for good reasons.
• Link to an overview of UI initiatives moving forward
• Local coverage of upcoming Illinois Fire Service Institute training on campus.

UI Trustees Meeting:

The News-Gazette had several articles previewing the Board of Trustees meeting (e.g. on tuition and Killeen's raise) in Chicago as well as later coverage of various measures approved. The Daily Illini had a quick summary of the top headlines out of the meeting Friday:

Incoming students will see a 1.8% increase if they choose to attend either the Urbana-Champaign or Chicago campus, while students attending the Springfield campus will see a 1% increase.

The tuition increase will not affect current students, as the Illinois Truth in Tuition law ensures the price students pay in their first year of attendance is what they will pay for their four years in college.

This is the first time since 2014 that President Tim Killeen will not recommend a tuition freeze after initially doing so to attract more Illinoisans, ending the longest freeze in UI System history. 

Full article here with some basic details on Killeen's pay raise. This News-Gazette article from Friday was probably the most comprehensive here. Excerpt:

In addition to a tuition hike and extending Tim Killeen’s contract, UI trustees signed off on a number of other items Thursday in Chicago. Among them:

— The appointment of two-degree UI mechanical engineering grad William Jackson as executive director of the Discovery Partners Institute. His annual salary will be $414,000.

— The appointment of former Parkland College trustee and UI assistant libraries dean Greg Knott as secretary of the Board of Trustees and UI System. His annual salary will be $182,500.

— A $67.5 million budget for upgrades at two Illinois Street residence halls — Townsend (to be completed in July 2020) and Wardall (July 2021).

Full article with a great deal of additional information here. There was also a lot of detailed information on the meeting items at the UI System's press release here, including specifics on tuition and fees:

Trustees also approved student fees for the 2020-21 academic year. In Urbana, those fees will increase 2.5 percent, or $76, to $3,162 per year, and Chicago’s fees will rise 1 percent, or $32, to $3,340 per year. In Springfield, fees will be unchanged, remaining at $2,426 a year. Fees help pay for student health services, library maintenance, student unions and other services and are set in consultation with committees that include students.

Undergraduate room-and-board costs in Urbana, based on the standard double-occupancy room and meal plan, will rise 3.65 percent, or $394, to $11,168 per year. In Chicago, costs will increase 2.6 percent, or $293, to $11,553 per year. In Springfield, the cost for a double-occupancy room in Lincoln Residence Hall with a gold meal plan will remain unchanged at $10,810.

That full press release here as well as one specifically on Killeeen's contract extension and raise here along with biographical information. The News-Gazette also had information on the Discovery Partners Institute's new Executive Director approved at this meeting in coverage earlier this month here.


Other Updates:

In the last month there have been a couple updates with professors facing accusations. First on Jay Kesan from WILL last month:

A University of Illinois law professor previously accused of sexual misconduct and slated to return to teach in January will instead go on "university-sanctioned leave."

That’s according to an email sent this week to College of Law faculty and students on behalf of the college’s dean, Vikram Amar, and reviewed by NPR Illinois. The email says Jay Kesan, faculty at the U of I’s flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign, will not teach two courses he had previously been scheduled to begin in January 2020. Instead, on January 1, he will go on leave “during which he will not be teaching” the email says...

A 2019 investigation by ProPublica and NPR Illinois detailed several cases where U of I professors had been found to have violated university policy after facing accusations of sexual misconduct and had their reputations protected by the university. Some were promised the university would not disclose the details of their resignations. Others, including Kesan, were allowed to remain on faculty.

Full article with an overview and timeline of the accusations and fallout here. ProPublica investigation into several UI cases here.

Also about a month ago, a professor who has been inaccessible (believed to be in China) was finally served legal documents via email. From the News-Gazette last month:

The alleged victims of former University of Illinois Professor Gary Xu were finally able to serve their federal lawsuit to him over email.

Their civil lawsuit had been held up by their inability to deliver the lawsuit to Xu, despite multiple attempts to do so since it was filed Sept. 10, and earlier this month, they were granted an extension to serve the lawsuit.

When the extension was granted at a Dec. 6 hearing, the attorneys also discussed with a magistrate judge a sealed motion to serve the lawsuit by email, which was apparently granted.

Full article here. Background information on the accusations here and in the ProPublica series and article here. I haven't found any further updates on the Kesan and Xu situations more recently. [UPDATE 1/22: WCIA has a short blurb on their website saying Gary Xu is denying the accusations in a federal lawsuit, but it doesn't have any additional information here.]

In better news, two local UI professors are in the news for good news and accomplishments. Ming Kuo will be speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos. From Smile Politely:

Ming Kuo, associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, will be speaking on "the connections between mental health, urbanization, and loss of contact with nature, making the case that investments in urban greening could improve mental and physical health."

Kuo, an expert in urban greening, is the first person from the University of Illinois to speak at the forum's annual meeting, which takes place in Davos, Switzerland next week. Thousands of global business leaders and heads of state attend each year with the goal of, according to the website, shaping "the global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of each year."

Full blurb with additional information and links here. Another professor was awarded a fellowship from the NEH. From WCIA:

A UI music professor has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for 2019.

The recipient, Christina Bashford, is a professor of musicology...

The NEH awarded $30.9 million in grants for 188 humanities projects across the nation. The fellowship program supports advanced research in the humanities, and the recipients produce articles, books, digital materials or other scholarly resources.

The NEH has received an average of 1,110 applications per year for fellowships in the last five rounds of competition, according to the NEH website. Over that time, it awarded an average of 79 fellowships per year for a funding rate of 7%, making the fellowships among the most competitive humanities awards in the country.

Full article available here.

The Sunday News-Gazette had a five year outlook on issues facing the University. Excerpt from the description:

Enrollment continues to rise, but administrators have their eye on a declining number of high school graduates and the growth of online programs.

Faculty hiring is ramping up after a budgetary dry spell, with aggressive efforts to recruit new talent. But finances, and affordability for students, remain a concern.

Two huge new projects — the Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine in Urbana — are up and running but still in fundraising mode.

And after a year of headlines about sexual misconduct, the campus is moving to implement new procedures to protect students and staff.

Full article here.

And finally, the Illinois Fire Service Institute on campus has its winter training coming up. WCIA had a blurb with some preview coverage:

Nearly 300 of the state’s bravest will descend on Central Illinois this weekend. The Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) is hosting the 25th annual Winter Fire School this weekend.

The attending first responders will experience in-depth, hands-on training from more than a dozen classes and live fire courses. Topics include traditional essential skills, large animal rescue, active shooter for EMS, investigation, wildland firefighting and advanced level rescue training.

Full blurb here. More information on the training event from the institute's website here, including registration and class information here.

Unit 4 School Swap Scrapped

The last update here on the proposed facility swap between Garden Hills and the International Prep Academy was about a strong negative reaction from the community and the Unit 4 administration announcing two listening sessions to hear and address concerns. Additional background information in this January 5th News-Gazette article here. Since then the listening sessions have happened and the Superintendent has announced that the proposal has been scrapped. From an update to a News-Gazette article last night:

Unit 4’s proposed building swap of Garden Hills Elementary and International Prep Academy is off, Superintendent Susan Zola told The News-Gazette on Friday.

"I notified my board earlier today that for now, we're going to discontinue the conversations around moving campuses, and we will focus on each campus in their current location," Zola said.

The decision comes after Zola heard concerns from residents during two “listening sessions” this week.

That updated article, available here, also includes coverage of the first listening session at Garden Hills from the original article. WCCU had additional coverage, including a video segment here.

Zola said her biggest takeaways from the sessions were that families and their children are comfortable in their current schools.

Zola acknowledged the achievement gap that affects mainly African American children at Garden Hills Academy and is hopeful strategic planning can lead to answers...

At Monday’s school board meeting Zola will update the school board on trends like enrollment and provide feedback from the listening sessions on how to move forward.

That full article available here.

Parkland Updates: Marijuana and SWFT

I have a couple Parkland updates, both referenced in other County organizations. First, Parkland will be having an educational event open to the public on marijuana legalization and how students and others in the community can stay on the right side of the new law. From Parkland's website:

The legalization of recreational cannabis in Illinois will be the topic of an information session at Parkland College later this month.

The session, "New Legalization of Recreational Marijuana: Laws and Restrictions," will be held Wednesday, Jan. 22, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Student Union cafeteria.

Parkland College's Student Life, Public Safety, and Dean of Students' offices, as well as the Parkland College Black Student Success Project student group, are hosting this event. Parkland Police Chief William Colbrook and Dean of Students Dr. Marietta Turner will provide an overview of the law, discuss how it might impact students, and provide other vital information. 

The event was brought up in the last two Champaign County Community Coalition meetings, with details this month.

Parkland's Support for Workforce Training (SWFT) program was also highlighted in a presentation to the Champaign County Reentry Council this month. More information on that program at a previous Cheat Sheet post here.

The program is aimed towards underserved populations, including the formerly incarcerated. Some of the highlights from the presentations included eligibility and benefits. The free program covers books and fees. A small stipend is available to help cover transportation and other basic costs. Parkland's Center for Academic Success provides access to a "success coach."

Eligibility is open to 18 year old (or those who will be 18 by the time they start) residents in Parkland's District 505. Depending on the specific program or career path, there may be some restrictions on prior offenses, but generally the program is open to and actively reaching out to the formerly incarcerated. Outreach includes various census tracts in the district as well as underserved populations, though the application process is open to all eligible residents of the district.

The application page is available here. More information about the program in general available here.

Preliminary Marijuana Updates

There has been local coverage of the initial response to recreational marijuana legalization, from long lines to dispensary license application deadlines. WILL had coverage of the initial long lines, high prices, and local officials in the mix:

Champaign Deputy Mayor at Large Tom Bruno was among the first paying customers at Sunnyside, whose parent company is Cresco...

NuMed in Urbana also opened its doors at 6 a.m., with an overflowing parking lot and about a hundred people waiting in line, including Chad Crouse, who drove about an hour from Clifton to purchase THC concentrates for vaping...

At a ribbon cutting at NuMed at 9 a.m., Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin said the historic day represents a change in attitude toward cannabis policy.

She said over the next year, the city will be working to address common misunderstandings about cannabis legalization. 

Full article available here. The News-Gazette also had an overview of initial turnout and what that may mean for local tax revenues:

At least 1,000 people were served at two dispensaries in Champaign-Urbana on the first day of legal marijuana sales, and customers continued to arrive by the hundreds on Day 2...

Statewide, dispensaries that opened for recreational sales on Wednesday together handled 77,128 transactions and racked up just shy of $3.2 million in sales, according to the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation...

Legalized weed sales aren’t just earning money for dispensary owners. Both Champaign and Urbana approved a 3 percent sales tax on recreational marijuana.

That full article here. WCCU had some additional updates on adult-use dispensing licenses approved in time for sales beginning this year, including the NuMed license in Urbana here. In another article they pointed out that the January 2nd deadline has passed for 2020 licenses.

Not every city is participating. But, before they even opened, cities had to make a decision. And, it's a decison that some towns are still struggling with...

But, if any of those towns do decide to sell recreational marijuana, they'll have to wait.

The deadline to apply for one of the state's first 75 licenses passed on Jan. 2.

The Ilinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will issues an addictional 75 licenses in the coming months, but they haven't opened up the application period yet.

While some may be worried on missing out on months of tax revenue, others want to take their time to make the right decision for their city.

Full article here, including additional information about the license costs and the point system to get one. Previous Cheat Sheet article on local marijuana legalization issues and legal technicalities here.

Urbana SRO Expansion Update

In a follow up to a previous Cheat Sheet post about a preliminary approval by Urbana schools District 116 to expand their Student Resource Officer program, there was local coverage a couple weeks ago worth pointing out. As with most government bodies, there are often numerous steps between a policy getting proposed to a final approval. Idealists may believe this helps ensure transparency and accountability by giving voters time to get involved, or at least avoid being blindsided by some sudden change. Cynics probably see it as numerous points for politics and horsetrading of favors. Perhaps a little of both.

WILL had an overview of the debate and approval in the December school board meeting:

During their Tuesday evening meeting, the Urbana School District 116 Board of Education reaffirmed its decision to hire two full-time school resource officers (SRO), including one each for Urbana Middle and High Schools.

District 116 Board member Peggy Patten asked the board to consider reducing that number to one full-time resource officer. The board previously approved an intergovernmental agreement with the city to hire the two officers. Since 1993, the district has had one part-time officer who divided their time between detective duties and as a school resource officer at both buildings...

But no board member who had previously approved the intergovernmental agreement took Patten up on her offer to reconsider. She also attempted to pass an amendment that would require SROs to conceal their guns while on duty. That measure also failed...

More than a dozen people spoke during the public comment portion of meeting, and most supported hiring two full-time officers. Those who didn’t feared that the officers would make students, particularly those who are marginalized, feel unsafe while at school. They also worried that the presence of the officers would lead to an increase in student arrests.

More details about the various perspectives and arguments at the full article here. The News-Gazette also had coverage and highlighted some additional details:

The board voted 6-0 in favor of the agreement and rejected an amendment to conceal the officers’ guns by a vote of 4-2. Board member Ruth Ann Fisher wasn’t present.

The board had voted 4-3 in November to approve the agreement, but the city council amended it earlier this month to add an annual review of the program, so the school board needed to vote on it again...

While the city has been covering most of the costs right now, with the intergovernmental agreement, it would pay a one-time cost of $103,813, while the school district would pay $321,300 annually for the officers.

Under the agreement, the officers will handle criminal matters but won’t enforce school regulations.

More at that full article here. For an overview of violence issues at Urbana Schools, this Cheat Sheet post has a lot of information, links to data and news coverage of recent incidents.

Marijuana Legalization and Technicalities

There have been a lot of helpful guides and explanations of how the legalization of marijuana in Illinois at the first of the year may still have a hitch or two for those who wish to partake. WILL had a helpful Q&A interview on basics like public consumption not being allowed:

Essentially, you will not be able to openly consume outdoors and in public any more than you can alcohol. So, you have to be in an establishment so there will be some dispensaries that will be allowed to have a consumption area and there will be existing retail tobacco stores along the lines of hookah lounges and cigar bars that will also be able to add marijuana to their ability to consume.   There are a lot of worries about people walking through big huge puffs of smoke outside and that is not allowed. There is no public consumption drawn into the bill.

And on state penalties:

If you're over the legally allowed limit, and if you are under age, so this is only legalized for people over the age of 21. And so there are penalties for underage consumption and there are penalties for (possession) over the  legally allowed limit. This is still illegal federally. So, on federal property, there can still be absolute bars to being able to consume in those places.  We have to be very wary. So yes, this is for the most part at this stage right now in the beginning, private. [Under the law, minors cannot be incarcerated for marijuana convictions.]

That full interview and radio segment available here. A more straightforward legal rundown was put out by WILL yesterday here. WCIA had a shorter overview here with a video segment. Tom's Mailbag had an explanation dispelling concerns about purchase monitoring locally or by the State here. City of Champaign marijuana FAQ with a lot of helpful information here. Local police are, of course, still warning against driving while under the influence of this or other drugs.

Illinois State Police have tried to dispel rumors that legal marijuana purchases will affect one's Firearm Owner ID (FOID) card eligibility or affect one's right to own or posses firearms:

State and local police say purchasing legal marijuana will not have any impact on your ability to own or possess a gun in Illinois.

Social media posts claim that marijuana dispensaries will be checking IDs of customers and then turning that information over to the state… which will then use that as a basis to revoke FOID cards. But a state police spokesperson says buying marijuana legally will not be used to take away a FOID card, although someone could lose the card if it’s shown they are addicted or a “habitual user” of any drug, including pot.

State police also say it’s illegal for dispensaries to collect or store personal information about recreational cannabis users.

From a WMAY blurb here. The rumors to the contrary have been in local media such as this WCCU article (correction here) and this one from WAND.

As the News-Gazette pointed out on Sunday, employers are still allowed to set their own drug policies and can enforce them regardless of the legal changes. They go through a great deal of local government employers, from school districts to local government agencies that have maintained their restrictions on marijuana use. Excerpt:

Some employers will consider off-duty marijuana use none of their business unless it interferes with an employee’s job performance.

Some plan to continue zero-tolerance and drug-free workplace policies that include drug testing.

“Employers are very concerned about safety in the workplace,” said Jay Shattuck, executive director of the Employment Law Council of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce.

Illinois employers struggling with how to handle the coming of legal recreational marijuana come Jan. 1 should pay attention to these two things, he said: The policies they set for their employees with respect to marijuana use should be both reasonable and non-discriminatory.

Full article with a lot of information here. So far the two local dispensaries are prepared for a busy first of the year. The News-Gazette had details on their plans on giving priority to medical card holders, hours, etc:

Both local dispensaries are preparing for a crowd and lines at the door.

“I’ve been told that people plan on camping out,” said Brendan Jolly, an employee at NuMed, 105 E. University Ave., U.

If you’re a later riser, Sunnyside, the new name for Phoenix Botanical at 1704 S. Neil St., C, will remain open until 10 p.m. on New Year’s Day. NuMed Urbana will stay open until 6 p.m.

Purchases at both dispensaries will be on a cash-only basis, their owners said. And medical marijuana customers will have first priority for the available supply.

That full article here.

The cities where the dispensaries are, Champaign and Urbana, have generally aligned their marijuana laws with reduced fines and consumption rules (more on that at a recent Cheat Sheet post here). The News-Gazette had an update since that post on Champaign ensuring that it's fines would remain local ordinance violations as opposed to a State offense with a risk of jail time:

Two weeks before recreational marijuana becomes legal statewide, city council members signed off on updates to the city code to bring Champaign’s cannabis ordinances in line with Illinois law.

“It doesn’t make anything unlawful that is not unlawful under the state law,” Champaign Assistant City Attorney Kathryn Cataldo said.

If the city had removed the ordinance violations related to cannabis, penalties — such as for underage use — would have become state criminal offenses.

This allows police officers to issue ordinance violations instead, which come with a fine but no jail time.

That full article here. I still haven't heard any updates on a set date and details on the public event being planned by Parkland College Police on marijuana legal issues announced at the Champaign Community Coalition. When I get more information on that I'll be sure to share it.

Unit 4 Equity Updates

Since the last Cheat Sheet post on Unit 4 Updates, there has been additional news coverage and public response worth mentioning. The last updates revolved around equity concerns. The ACLU and NAACP raised racial disparities in the district's gifted program and discipline. The school board raised the possibility of swapping the Garden Hills and International Prep Academy facilities, which brought a strong reaction by the Garden Hills community and parents. More on all that at the previous Cheat Sheet post here. WILL had an overview of the school swap proposal and reactions the day after our last update here.

First off, it was announced in the News-Gazette that there would be two listening sessions for the community in early January:

The Champaign school district is planning two listening sessions regarding its proposal to swap Garden Hills Academy and International Prep Academy.

The first meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Garden Hills Academy library, and the second will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 9 in the IPA gym.

Superintendent Susan Zola will visit the schools to “listen to feedback from the community and discuss possible options for several topics,” according to the meeting notice.

That full blurb available here. First meeting notice here, second meeting notice here. For those interested in attending, the school board meets for its regular meeting on January 13th at 5:30pm (more school board meeting information here).

Local education equity activist Craig Walker sent an e-mail to the Unit 4 school board that has also been circulating among Garden Hills families and other organizations. The letter itself takes a strong position against the swap proposal and cited some of the relevant initial equity negotiations from past referendums:

Attached is a flyer for the sales tax referendum that was utilized to pass the funding necessary for several Unit 4 school initiatives including Garden Hills. I was part of the community team that worked with the Board to get the referendum passed.

What is important to understand about this history is that this package was negotiated with the community as a resolution to end the Consent Decree and provide equitable school facilities for the black students in Unit 4.

His full email letter is available here. The flyer he sent along with it is available here. An old blog post covering Unit 4 issues has a well cited timeline on the various taxing issues around the end of the consent decree and the tax issues here. Unit 4's current website also reiterates its commitment to the end of the consent decree being the beginning of its work on ensuring equity in schools:

Champaign Schools are committed to diversity, and believe diverse schools offer the finest education to all students. From 2002 to 2009, Champaign Schools operated under a consent decree, which changed the way we view diversity in our schools. The expiration of the consent decree was not the end, but the beginning of our renewed commitment to increasing achievement levels and access to opportunities for all students.  Our district has established a number of initiatives and programs to help achieve these goals.

More information at that page on the consent decree and other related Unit 4 programs.

In regards to the issue raised by the ACLU and NAACP about racial disparities in the gifted program, Juliann Xu had a guest commentary in the News-Gazette. Excerpt:

Champaign-Urbana’s greatest pride should be its diverse community, and this should be represented in the spaces in which youth interact. When these spaces lack diversity, the students are deprived of the most comprehensive education this town can offer.

Centennial administrators work tirelessly to increase enrollment of underrepresented groups in AP classes. They administer surveys, send letters home and organize informational meetings. Although there is more work to be done to increase enrollment, this is not where the problem lies. The gap is established much earlier, when elementary school students are divided into enrichment and gifted programs.

Once a student is in the gifted program, they are more likely to enter the honors track in middle school, which then makes them feel better equipped to enter AP classes in high school.

Full commentary here. The News-Gazette editorial staff, for its part, argued that implicit bias and discrimination other than "" does not exist:

In fact, unless school officials are intentionally penalizing black students while ignoring or minimizing the same or worse conduct by Asian and white students — intentional invidious discrimination — it’s not really a racial issue, but an issue of disproportionate misbehavior among some members of an identifiable group.

Kids who get in trouble in the K-12 public school system are essentially volunteers for the disciplinary process. That’s because they’re attracting negative attention and potential punishment as a consequence of their own behavior.

That full editorial here. The ideological differences locally on this have been highlighted in a previous Cheat Sheet post on Urbana's discipline disparities here. A recent GAO study on the subject highlighted the problem with some of the other assumptions in the editorial:

Black students, boys, and students with disabilities were disproportionately disciplined (e.g., suspensions and expulsions) in K-12 public schools, according to GAO's analysis of Department of Education (Education) national civil rights data for school year 2013-14, the most recent available. These disparities were widespread and persisted regardless of the type of disciplinary action, level of school poverty, or type of public school attended.

That study available here. Local statistics on racial disparities in our schools available here, including a link to a searchable database. Pinning the blame on racial disparities in housing and poverty as if those racial disparities are somehow unrelated to racial discrimination in the past and/or current systems propagating those racial disparities gets problematic very quickly. 

One has to exonerate current institutions from playing a role in continuing racial disparities, ignore a lot of history that is far more recent than many of us would like to admit, and carefully word individual responsibility to dance around the end result of this construction: they are walking right up to the line of arguing that there is a racial disparity in good character. 

What's certain is that there is a chasm between those who believe America has overwhelmingly resolved its institutional discrimination problems and those who believe modern institutions evolved in a way that maintains discriminatory outcomes. I leave it to the reader to decide whether the disparate outcomes and data support their own views.