Alex Zhai, a veteran of one International Math Olympiad, began his road to a second IMO by earning a perfect score in the American Mathematics Contest 12. He and eight other Uni students now advance to the American Invitational Mathematics Examination.

Sophomore Jessi Sullivan will represent Uni at the IHSA Class A Three-Point Showdown later this week. She'll compete Thursday at Redbird Arena in Normal, and in the process make a little history.

Andrea Park is sick and tired of Lindsay, Paris, Hilary, and the lack of respectable female role models in the popular media today. But she hasn't given up hope. Park suggests that tabloids aren't the place you'll learn about worthy female role models like Betty, Emily, America, and Maggie.

Although the Illineks have been knocked out of the IHSA playoffs, they still have one regular-season game left: Thursday against Decatur Lutheran in a contest that was postponed twice last week because of snow. If the Illineks win that game, they will be the undisputed conference champs for the third straight year. [UPDATED]

Couldn't get to a game last week? Spend a couple of minutes listening to the Gargoyle's "Week in Uni sports," and we'll bring you up to date on what you missed. Covered in this audiocast: varsity basketball action during the week of Feb. 12 - 16.

Boardman's Latin American Film Festival begins Friday, while the Oscar-nominated "Babel" leads the pack in new DVD releases. There's not much to get excited about in CD releases, but there's plenty of action going on in the local concert scene. Erin Hayes explains it all.