Tag: university of illinois

U Of I Needs FDA Authorization To Expand Access To COVID-19 Testing In Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign still does not have emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its saliva COVID-19 test — and that’s causing delays in expanding it to the rest of the state’s public universities and K-12 schools. University officials discussed the matter at a hearing hosted

Report: Teaching In Illinois ‘Not Sustainable’ During COVID-19

SPRINGFIELD – The COVID-19 pandemic will likely worsen Illinois’ teacher shortage. Educators who were already in short supply in the state face increased challenges on the job, according to a new report from the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Meghan A. Kessler, who authored the report and is an assistant professor

U Of I Chancellor Releases Plan For Campus Life After Chief Illiniwek

A plan for addressing issues related to the University of Illinois’ use of Chief Illiniwek as a mascot includes formation of a student council to look at the development of new traditions for the Urbana campus. Chancellor Robert Jones released the implementation plan on Friday. The plan draws from input from a series of community-wide

Food Insecurity Disproportionately Affects Certain Regions, U Of I Study Shows

URBANA – Before the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of food insecurity were lower than they had been in more than two decades, according to hunger relief nonprofit Feeding America. Now that trend is reversing, and millions more Americans are facing hunger this year due to loss of employment and reduced access to school meals. Feeding America

University Building Monitoring For COVID-19 Lax After Hiring Shortfall

URBANA — To get into University of Illinois buildings, students and employees are supposed to show an app saying that they’ve had a recent, clean COVID-19 test. Nearly one-third of the time, however, there’s no one at the door to check their status. This is the finding of a group of University of Illinois student

U.S. Dept. Of Education Opens Investigation Into Alleged Anti-Semitism At U Of I

URBANA – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating the University of Illinois’ response to reports of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionist incidents on its Urbana campus. Three Jewish organizations — including the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights, the Jewish United Fund and Hillel International — filed a complaint earlier this

University of Illinois Students Hold Vigil To Raise Suicide Awareness

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include information about the number of counselors and funds for mental health services provided by the University of Illinois. URBANA – Students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign held a vigil Nov. 1 to honor the life of a student who died by suicide in late

U Of I Researchers: Coronavirus Mutations Are Important To Track As Pandemic Continues

URBANA – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, it will be important for scientists to track how the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV2, is mutating, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As the virus spreads from person to person, random mutations can lead to the creation of different strains over time.  Understanding how those mutations

U Of I Preparing To Expand COVID-19 Testing To Champaign-Urbana Community

URBANA – The University of Illinois’ saliva-based COVID-19 testing program will soon be available to the larger Champaign-Urbana community, according to university officials. Currently, the test is only available to students and staff on some college campuses. But officials say plans are now in the works to make it available to Champaign-Urbana community members, too.

Jupiter String Quartet To Perform New Piece Virtually Friday

URBANA — You can see the Jupiter String Quartet in concert Friday afternoon — virtually, of course — performing a piece commissioned in part by Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Composer Michi Wiancko wrote the piece To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores as a tribute “to the beauty and vitality of the natural world.” After

A Tale Of Two Schools: COVID-19 Testing On Illinois Campuses

URBANA – Marisa Hardwick isn’t surprised there are now more than twice as many cases of COVID-19 on the University of Illinois’ Urbana campus than previously predicted by university researchers.  Hardwick is a senior at the U of I studying kinesiology. She’s also a resident advisor in a campus dormitory.  “The type of school this

U Of I Plans To Expand COVID-19 Testing To Champaign-Urbana Community

URBANA – Administrators at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign want to expand their testing program to the broader Champaign-Urbana community. U of I System President Tim Killeen said earlier this week that the university system was working with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to expand its saliva-based COVID-19 test to other communities and public institutions