217 Today: U of I students call for better housing and meal options over breaks

Pari Kulkarni, an international student from India, has a collection of items on her desk representing home: a fennec fox stuffed animal, a figure of Ganapati, an alarm clock and a pot that used to hold a bamboo plant.

Monday, March 17, 2025

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Today’s headlines:

  • Dozens of people demonstrated in front of the Mahomet office of Congresswoman Mary Miller on Saturday.
  • Areas across East Central Illinois sustained damages from three tornadoes on Friday night.
  • The University of Illinois Observatory in Urbana was buzzing with activity from Thursday night into the early hours of Friday morning. 
  • The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team earned the six seed in the Midwest region of the NCAA Tournament. 

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn how some students at the University of Illinois want the campus to provide better housing and meal options over breaks. 

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Mary Piacente, Mae Antar, Adrien Reetz, Colin Hislope and Adelyn Mui.

Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.