Illinois News Bureau

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  Do-it-yourself bike repair

  Bicyclists in Champaign-Urbana can tend to minor bike repairs at six repair stations throughout the twin cities, including three sites on campus.
  
  Blue steel racks, with an assortment of tools tethered by steel cables, are part of a joint project among the UI, the cities of Champaign and Urbana, and the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District. The racks may be the first of their kind in Illinois, designed to increase bicycle ridership, encourage a healthy lifestyle and increase mobility.
  
  The stands are designed to hold a bike by its seat in an elevated position, while the cyclist works on it with the screwdrivers, assorted wrenches and tire lever attached to the rack. The rack also features a bike pump that works with multiple valves.
  
  The racks are located on campus at city parking lot J, 605 S. Sixth St., and the Bike Project, 608 E. Pennsylvania Ave., both in Champaign, and at the Henry Administration Building parking lot, 506 S. Wright St., Urbana.
  
  Increasing bike traffic cuts motorist congestion and reduces parking demands.

   

   

  

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  They built an app for baseball

  It’s April in Champaign-Urbana and you’re at a UI baseball game. Maybe it’s sunny, maybe it’s miserably cold (it’s April, after all).
  
  But as a UI hitter walks to the plate, journalism professor Charles “Stretch” Ledford is hoping you might be reaching for your smartphone and opening a student-designed app called Virtual Dugout. Focus your phone’s camera on the player’s photo in the game program and you’ll soon be watching his video bio, absorbing stats, or taking in other content related to that player or his performance.
  
  It’s all part of an independent study project, led by Ledford, who teaches multimedia journalism. The project involves 13 students from a half-dozen disciplines: advertising; art and design; computer engineering; computer science; journalism; and statistics. Their goal is to have Virtual Dugout available as a free download in time for Illinois’ home opener on March 30.
  
  The combination of disciplines is part of what Ledford thinks has to happen in the quickly evolving world of digital journalism. “From a journalistic standpoint, in order to communicate information to people in the 21st century, we have to deliver that content to them wherever they are,” and that now often means mobile technology, he said. Virtual Dugout will incorporate aspects of a commercial app, Aurasma, which makes it possible for physical images to trigger virtual experiences. The concept is similar to, but a step beyond, QR codes, those square images filled with seemingly random patterns of small black squares, Ledford said.

   

   

  

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  New minor in leadership studies

  A new minor in leadership studies is open to all undergraduates. With collaboration from virtually all colleges on campus, the new curriculum offers students an interdisciplinary minor to deepen the understanding of leadership principles.
  The leadership studies minor directly ties into the UI’s strategic mission that includes goals to develop leaders for the 21st century.
  
  The curriculum, developed by faculty and staff members from all UI undergradatue colleges, and administered through the College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, requires students to fulfill 17 to 18 credit hours through a variety of courses. Four required courses provide instruction in leadership theory, interpersonal dimensions of leadership and scientific research that support theories of leadership.
  
  Students also choose two electives, which can be either outside or within their major.
  More information is at www.illinoisleadership.illinois.edu/leadership.

   

   

  

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  Geographic representation of the freshman class

  By home address
  All Illinois: 76.8 percent
  Chicago area counties: 58.8 percent
  Champaign County: 2.3 percent
  Downstate counties (excluding Champaign): 15.6 percent
  Non-Illinois: 23.2 percent

  Top Illinois Counties
  Cook
  DuPage
  Lake
  Will
  Champaign
  Kane
  Winnebago
  Peoria
  Madison
  Sangamon, St. Clair (tie)

  Top States
  California
  New Jersey
  Texas
  Missouri
  Ohio
  New York
  Massachusetts
  Wisconsin
  Maryland
  Virginia

  Top Countries
  China
  South Korea
  India
  Singapore
  Taiwan
  Thailand
  Canada
  Indonesia
  Kazakhstan
  Turkey, Malaysia (tie)

   

   

   

   

  

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  The School of Music offers numerous performing opportunities for majors and non-majors

  All ensembles are open to musicians based on audition. 
  Bands
  Six concert bands
  British Brass Band
  Three basketball bands
  Orange & Blues pep band
  Marching Illini
  Summer Band

  Chamber
  Trombone and Clarinet choirs
  Brass, Saxophone and String quartets
  Woodwind Quintet
  String Trio
  Harp Ensemble

  Choirs
  UI Chorale
  Women’s Glee Club
  Varsity Men’s Glee Club
  UI Singers
  Black Chorus
  Oratorio Society

  Jazz Bands
  Four big bands
  Seven instrumental combos
  Two vocal jazz ensembles 

  

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  New Music Ensemble

  Orchestras
  UI Symphony Orchestra
  UI Philharmonia
  Illini Orchestra

  Percussion
  Percussion Ensemble
  World Percussion Ensemble
  Steel Band
  I-Pan

  World Music
  African, Andean, Balkan ensembles
  Gamelan

   

   

  

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  Student-Athletes Leading Social Change

  Darragh McDermott spends a lot of time practicing her dives, but she’s also been diving into something else during her college career: Student-Athletes Leading Social Change.
  
  Founded in 2009, SALSC involves student-athletes from various colleges and universities, with the UI, Michigan and Lehigh the most active so far, according to co-founder CeCe Marizu, a former UI swimmer and now a graduate assistant in the Irwin Academic Services Center on campus.
  
  “I just couldn’t wait to get involved,” said McDermott, who last year went to Ecuador with SALSC and worked on building a school, spent time with a girls’ club and funded a water system. “That was probably the best 10 days of my life,” she said. This school year, McDermott, a junior from Mokena, Ill., majoring in English and secondary education, is a co-coordinator of the UI chapter.
  
  Marizu said her dream is to see SALSC spread nationwide and is working on bringing student-athletes together for a service project this summer in Chicago. Marizu’s father is from Nigeria.Travel there as a child had given her an interest in service abroad even before involvement with SALSC, she said. In her time at the UI, however, and through visits to local schools through Hometown Heroes, she also had come to realize how much kids look up to student-athletes and how much of a role model they can be.

   

  

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  Students helping students

  In addition to the Nutrition Peers, the Peer Education Program at McKinley Health Center sponsors several other groups:
  
  • Sexual Health Peers offer workshops on campus that address sexually transmitted infections, birth control, safer sex and healthy relationships. The Sexual Health Peers also plan and implement education campaigns to address breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, condom use and other sexual health topics.
  
  • Stress Management Peers provide education and awareness on stress-related topics and concerns.
  
  • Fitness Peers provide education about physical fitness and wellness.
  
  • Special Populations Peers raise awareness about multicultural health, including the health disparities that exist for certain populations; promote social justice, healthy lifestyles and access to health care through education and outreach to underserved populations on campus, including international students.
  
  • Financial Wellness Peer Educators help students manage money more effectively, with a concentration on credit cards and debts.

   

   

  

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  Under-represented students

  The numbers of applications for the class entering the UI in fall 2011 increased for both Latina/Latinos and African-American students. Those same trends were seen in the enrolled populations. Campus officials are committed to work at ways to recruit and enroll under-represented students on campus.

  Ethnic and racial diversity: Freshmen
  Total: 13 percent
  African-American: 5.5 percent
  Latino/Hispanic: 7.4 percent
  Native American: 0.04 percent
  
  Ethnic and racial diversity: Transfer students
  Total: 10.8 percent
  African-American: 4.1 percent
  Latino/Hispanic: 6.5 percent
  Native American: 0.02 percent

   

   

  

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  2012 campus commencement exercises set for May 13

  The 2012 campuswide commencement ceremonies will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. May 13 at Assembly Hall.  Colleges will be assigned one of the ceremonies.
  
  Students who have completed degree requirements since August 2011 and May 2012 degree candidates are eligible to participate.  Participation information and instructions are available at www.illinois.edu/commencement.
  
  Students must order their academic regalia online by 11:59 p.m. April 16.
  
  Hotels begin taking reservations for Commencement Weekend a year in advance. Plan ahead if your student will be participating in 2013 ceremonies.

   

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