Read more about the article University of Illinois dorm maintenance relies on facility staff responses to thousands of requests, lack annual inspectionsDarrell Hoemann
Illinois Street Residence (ISR) Halls, exterior (1010 W Illinois St, Urbana, IL 61801) on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

University of Illinois dorm maintenance relies on facility staff responses to thousands of requests, lack annual inspections

The university has a total of 37 student housing options: 24 regular dorms and 13 Private Certified Housing options. “A search for one month produced more than 800 Maintenance Inspector Weekend Logs, 2,400 Maintenance Request Database entries, and 3,000 work orders in the database,” University of Illinois Chief Records Officer Kristen Ruby stated in an email.

Continue ReadingUniversity of Illinois dorm maintenance relies on facility staff responses to thousands of requests, lack annual inspections
Read more about the article City of Champaign no longer enforcing underage drinking laws at Campustown bars during pandemic
Champaign-Urbana social-media community exploded in hundreds of comments under the Facebook and Reddit posts discussing a long line of people waiting at the entrance of one of the campus bars – Red Lion, on January 23, 2021.

City of Champaign no longer enforcing underage drinking laws at Campustown bars during pandemic

It’s no secret that some underage students at the University of Illinois like to drink at nearby Campustown bars, and that those under 21 have ample opportunity to violate the law at Campustown bars. But throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Champaign Police Department has made it even easier for minors to get away with underage drinking at the local campus bars.

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Read more about the article University of Illinois building monitors inconsistently enforced access while campus COVID cases surgedVivian La
A vacant building monitor desk in the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics in Urbana.

University of Illinois building monitors inconsistently enforced access while campus COVID cases surged

To mitigate infection, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had to utilize several novel technologies, yet lack of staff availability to enforce this technology…

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Read more about the article Champaign elementary students grapple with masks, vaccinesDarrell Hoemann
Kenwood School on Sunday, December 19, 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Champaign elementary students grapple with masks, vaccines

For one Champaign Unit 4 school parent, vaccinating his child is important.  “How can you go against science?” Daniel Martinez said. “I lost my…

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Read more about the article University Tenant Union Housing Portal taken down for violating ad policies, but decision eliminates student complaints against landlordsHousing Explorer web page
The Housing Explorer was among one of the cuts to student and community resources made by the University of Illinois's Off-Campus Community Living Office.

University Tenant Union Housing Portal taken down for violating ad policies, but decision eliminates student complaints against landlords

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign quietly removed an online portal last year that, compiled a database of student complaints against area landlords and landlord responses to those complaints. A university official said this month that the site was taken down because it violated campus website advertising rules and that it was too much work to maintain the complaints section. The University of Illinois Off-Campus Community Living suggests that students use sites like Google Reviews, Yelp, the U of I Reddit Page, or the Better Business Bureau to draw their own conclusions about leasing companies on campus. 

Continue ReadingUniversity Tenant Union Housing Portal taken down for violating ad policies, but decision eliminates student complaints against landlords
Read more about the article Students living at The Place at 117 to have a safer way to bike to campusDarrell Hoemann
The Place at 117 exterior (117 Sterling Ct, Savoy) on Sunday, December 19, 2021. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Students living at The Place at 117 to have a safer way to bike to campus

A grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) has supported the Village of Savoy’s intent to construct a shared use path along First Street next year, estimated to cost $1.2 million. The Place at 117 is a student living apartment complex located in Savoy at the intersection of First Street and Curtis Road. It’s a 10-minute drive to campus by car or a 30-minute ride on the public bus. Yet 1 mile of the 2.3 mile bike ride from the complex to campus along First Street are missing bike lanes and lighting, and the Village of Savoy plans to fix that.

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Read more about the article Nearly 8,000 students may be coming from Illinois zip codes with higher COVID infection rates than Champaign CountyMcKinley Health Center website
McKinley Health Center on the University of Illinois campus.

Nearly 8,000 students may be coming from Illinois zip codes with higher COVID infection rates than Champaign County

Almost 8,000 students may be returning to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus from Illinois ZIP codes with higher COVID-19 positivity rates than Champaign…

Continue ReadingNearly 8,000 students may be coming from Illinois zip codes with higher COVID infection rates than Champaign County
Read more about the article University of Illinois COVID discipline policies under fire after another “unfair” dismissal of graduate studentGEO YouTube
Antonio Ruiz gave an emotional statement and proposed changes to discipline procedures during the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) press conference in late April.

University of Illinois COVID discipline policies under fire after another “unfair” dismissal of graduate student

While the Graduate Employees Organization and some professors were pushing the University for the changes in COVID disciplinary and testing procedures, a graduate student in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Antonio Ruiz, was dismissed from the University for not complying with the COVID-19 testing policy. But the University has not deemed it necessary to review its procedures so far, even as calls for change are amplified by social media.

Continue ReadingUniversity of Illinois COVID discipline policies under fire after another “unfair” dismissal of graduate student