The Alestle Vol. LXXIII No. XVII

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COUGARS BREAK IN NEW GOLF FACILITY page 7 vol. LXXIII no. XVII

The Student Voice Since 1960

Loan program aims to correct racial injustice

JORDYN NIMMER lifestyles editor

A new state program is intended to fight what it terms “targeted injustice” created by the criminalization of marijuana with investment in local marijuana businesses.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity recently introduced the Social Equity Cannabis Business Development Fund Loan, created in order to uplift communities that have been historically and disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of marijuana.

Criminal justice professor Tricia Oberweis said this loan is important when given the context of injustices faced by people of color due to marijuana criminalization.

“The reason it’s so important is because, since 1937 when we first criminalized pot, it always had a strong racial overtone,” Oberweis said. “In 1937, the ethnicity of target was mostly Mexicans, but also the initial director of the drug police force had a particular issue with jazz-loving black men. His approach to drug control was always overtly, plainly, clearly racist in nature.”

Although the demographics of marijuana smokers have changed drastically since 1937, the targeted racial prejudice in the criminal justice system has seemingly not.

Despite the fact that smoking rates are approximately equal among races, with 17% of black people, 14% of white people and 13% of Latinos ages 18 and older reporting to have used marijuana in LOAN on page 3

Remembering MLK:

SIUE hosts celebration

The “Stone of Hope” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial stands tall in Washington, D.C. JOHN MCGOWAN reporter Students attended a Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon this Wednesday where Denise Taliaferro Baszile delivered a speech and scholarships and awards were rewarded.

This is SIUE’s 37th year hosting the event on campus, with this year’s theme being “The time is always right to do right,” a line lifted from a commencement speech King gave.

Miriam Roccia, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, said it’s important students have access to an event like this.

“Our challenge by the election of this year’s theme is that reminder to our stu-

dents, our faculty and staff, that speaking up for what’s right and taking action for what’s right- not just doing what’s right- but doing right by other people is what we’re here to do,” Roccia said.

Roccia also compared King’s message to SIUE’s goal to help students develop skills to help change the world.

The special guest this year is Denise Taliaferro Baszile, the Associate Dean for Student Services and Diversity at Miami University. According to Roccia, she’s qualified to speak because of her role in promoting diversity and fighting racial injustice in higher education.

Student reactions toward the luncheon and MLK weekend in general have been positive.

“We need to recognize and keep moving

Photo by Brian Kraus on Unsplash

forward with his beliefs and everything.

I just think we need to be reminded each year of what he did for the country,” Junior exercise science major Taylor Vaughan, of Dupo, Illinois, said.

Some said King’s fight for race equality has gone beyond race.

“MLK day is important because I think he was really one of those people who pressed on for equality, and not just race equality, because it’s been kind of a ripple effect. We’ve got more race equality, we’ve got more gender equality and more sexuality equality,” Freshman computer science major Rebecca Maine of O’Fallon, Missouri, said.

Students can check out other events held by the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion on their website.

Starbucks opening in Lovejoy Library despite previous plans for Dunkin’ JOHN MCGOWAN reporter

Late-night study sessions are soon going to become easier for students when they can visit SIUE’s second Starbucks on the first floor of Lovejoy. The new location is expected to open in March.

Before Starbucks began development, SIUE had plans to open a Dunkin’ Donuts in the library instead. As previously reported by The Alestle, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffrey Waple had announced the store in October 2018, but due to cost issues, these plans were abandoned.

“We were approaching a million dollars or so, where this whole project for Starbucks is under $200,000,” Waple said.

He also said it was an easier process due to the university already having a license with Starbucks from establishing a franchise in the MUC. According to Waple, research has shown the top three places a student visits on a college campus are the university center, the library and the recreational center.

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University officials are hoping to finish SIUE’s second Starbucks location around March, however, this is a mere estimation.

Photo courtesy of Student Affairs

While there is food at the Student Fitness Center and the MUC, there are currently no available options at the Lovejoy.

The new location is going to be smaller than the original in the MUC. It will feature the same drinks and pastries, but it

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won’t have the larger menu that includes sandwiches and wraps. According to Waple, the hours will also be shorter.

“The hours will be different,” Waple said. “We’re playing with them right now, but it will probably be more noon

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to eight-ish … There’s not a huge library flow at eight in the morning.”

Waple also said there are plans to extend the daily hours the week before finals for students who are studying late.

Because the location is smaller and the hours are shorter, the Lovejoy location will be used as a training site, where new hires will start then move up to working at the MUC. Freshman musical theater major Ellie Landes of Bloomington, Illinois, an employee at the original location, explained why she thinks this plan will be helpful.

“I think that’s a good idea because there’s a place where you can learn and it’s small and it’s not as stressful, and then you can go to the bigger one,” Landes said.

“Yesterday [while] I was working ... I was the only one there for awhile who knew how to make drinks [and] it was really stressful.”

Student reactions to the new Starbucks have been varied, with some voicing appreciation for the addition while others have said it’s not needed.

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Budzban steps down for political, social projects ELIZABETH DONALD copy editor

Dean Greg Budzban couldn’t get the projector to work, so he had to explain his new project to the dozen or so staffers without visual aids.

It was a small meeting in a conference room in Peck Hall, just an introduction to the next big step for the current dean of Arts and Sciences at SIUE. But his enthusiasm for the project didn’t need a PowerPoint or video.

Budzban had announced a few months ago that he intends to step down as dean, in part so he can concentrate on a documentary about the 2020 election.

“I announced early so that there would be a seamless transition,” Budzban said.

He remains dean through this academic year, but by the time fall rolls around, someone else will be running Arts and Sciences, and Budzban will be focusing on politics.

“Illinois is not going to come down to a recount in the presidential election,” he told the faculty and staff who had joined him for the December meeting. “If Illinois is close, this thing is a landslide. But the primaries are going to be very interesting.”

Budzban said the recent political history of Florida has turned it into a “purple state.”

“The statewide elections in Florida going back to 2000 have ended up very close and in recounts,” he said. “It’s a bit of analyzing the presidential election of 2020 from the vantage point of a state that arguably will be at the forefront of deciding who our next president is.”

So Budzban reached out you can illuminate what’s hapto colleagues at the Paul Simon pening,” he said. “If you tell their Public Policy Institute in Car- story and their evolution every bondale, Illinois and in Florida, day … you don’t necessarily have and is beginning the process of to go into cafes and get dozens of developing funding for the doc- sound bites.”

History professor Jason Staumentary. Academically, he hopes to loop in people from mass com- cy said Florida will need to be munications, political science, placed in context as a contested history and possibly sociology to state. “There has to be a degree work on the project, observing of focus in the questions we ask,” Stacy said. history as it happens.

Budzban grew up in Florida, “I’m going to try to be as nonpartisan as possible, as jour- and is well aware of the state’s volatile history. He said former nalistic as we can,” he said.

They plan to interview peo- governor Charlie Crist was phople up in the panhandle, which tographed with President Barack is a conservative area of Florida; Obama shaking hands. “They did down in Miami; and along the one of those guy-hugs, the awkInterstate 4 beltway, which Budz- ward lean into each other thing,” ban said he would characterize as Budzban said. “Two years later, Crist runs for Senate. Marco “more Democratic.”

The faculty members had questions. Could students be involved, given that they’d be in Florida for weeks in the middle of a semester?

Instead, should students be involved as researchers and production assistants in Edwardsville while the crew is in Florida?

“The problem GREG BUDZBAN we historians have is dean of the College of Arts and Sciences that we always know the end of the story,” said his- Rubio pulls out the picture and tory professor Stephen Hansen. destroys his career. A sitting gov“Here we don’t know the end of ernor doesn’t get the nomination and loses as an independent. Just the story, and that’s exciting.”

Mass communications pro- that moment with Obama was fessor Tom Atwood said that a enough to destroy his career as a PBS-style news documentary can Republican in Florida.”

It’s also possible that a conbe thrown together quickly, but a “deep dive” as Budzban is sug- stitutional crisis arises, given the gesting could take a year or more rapidly changing news around in development. “Sometimes the Trump administration, Budzthrough the story of one person, ban said. His meeting with the

faculty members took place in December, 10 days before the U.S. House impeached President Trump.

That’s the kind of unpredictable political climate that will become a microcosm for the division in the country, Budzban said.

“Let’s face it, we aren’t going to be sitting around on election night wondering where Illinois’ electoral votes are going to go,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for our students.”

It’s not the only reason Budzban decided to step down as dean.

He has been working for years with a national nonprofit called the Algebra Project, organized by “Freedom Summer” coordinator Bob Moses. For more than 20 years, Budzban has been working with Moses on educational equity work, and expects to take over more of it now that Moses’ health issues have caused him to step back a bit, he said.

“Educational equity in terms of a civil rights issue is arguably the biggest issue in this country,” Budzban said. “The quality of a K-12 education in this country varies wildly, primarily on the basis of socioeconomic status.”

For much of the country, Budzban said, the property appraisal of a home is the biggest indicator of whether the children in that home get a quality education.

“We have high schools that are palatial campuses with the highest technology possible and the educational infrastructure that

“Educational equity in terms of a civil rights issue is arguably the biggest issue in this country. The quality of a K-12 education in this country varies wildly, primarily on the basis of socioeconomic status.

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Greg Budzban

a private college would have,” Budzban said. “Then you have local rural schools that can’t afford to buy textbooks. That issue of inequality in terms of educational experience is the key civil rights issue of our time.”

Budzban will be working on the Algebra Project and writing a book about Moses after he steps down as dean, in addition to the documentary. “There are a number of creative projects I’m very passionate about,” Budzban said. “I want to get involved in national politics and educational policy.”

Obviously none of that was compatible with staying on as dean. But what about teaching?

“It’s not clear if I will retire and do projects without being immediately connected to the institution, or have a role in the faculty,” Budzban said. “I still want to work and stay connected to SIUE.” After June 30, however, his attention may be focused on Florida.

Those interested in working on the documentary project are encouraged to contact Budzban at gbudzba@siue.edu or Atwood at aatwood@siue.edu.

Recent tweet sparks conversation about campus accessibility NICOLE BOYD copy editor

A tweet claiming the SIUE campus is not easily accessible for students with physical disabilities recently brought awareness to the issue.

On Dec. 3, 2019, Sydni Rubio, a teaching assistant studying for a master’s in biology, from Troy, Illinois, tweeted how the difficulty she experienced moving around campus made her feel “beyond discouraged” to go to class every day. Rubio has had two reconstructive ankle surgeries over the past year and has been temporarily incapacitated for about three months. She said the challenges she experienced in getting around prompted her to post the tweet.

Rubio has found Dunham Hall in particular to be difficult to navigate.

“Trying to get around Dunham Hall is a nightmare,” Rubio said. “I’m a T.A., so I had to go there for lecturers or proctor exams, and it’s a maze trying to get there. The ramps are in inconve-

nient places, [and] the ramps are really steep … It’s really hard to find handicapped entrances and once you do find them, they’re really out of the way, especially in Dunham.”

Rubio also said handicapped bathrooms in Peck Hall are hard to access.

“They have handicapped bathrooms off in a completely different area and they’re not very well-labeled … I went into the regular women’s bathroom and there’s no handicapped stalls in there,” Rubio said.

Rubio said some of the handicapped door openers are placed in inconvenient places, such as inside the doors, making it challenging to get around.

“Some of the buildings, they’re in nice spots, but in [Science West] you have to go behind the door to push it” Rubio said.

“I have to hurry up and quickly not get hit by the door.”

SIUE’s Twitter account replied to Rubio’s tweet and recommended that she reach out to marketing specialist Ashley Chitwood. However, Rubio said she

has not done so because she has only faced these problems for a limited time, while those with disabilities always experience them.

“I feel like I don’t have much of a right to speak out because I’m temporarily disabled,” Rubio said.

Chitwood said administration would have been better able to address such issues if Rubio had reached out.

“We could put them in touch with people on campus who can help make alterations or make changes, whether that be ACCESS or additional SIUE administrators, that ultimately we can put them in contact with people who ultimately make those decisions,” Chitwood said.

Chitwood said the university tries to respond quickly when a student voices a complaint.

“How things have a social teamwork here at the university is if we see something, a student or someone in our community addresses some sort of concern or is hoping to have something remedied, we just like to respond as

soon as possible … that helps us identify essentially what the need is and how we may be able to assist,” Chitwood said.

Craig Holan, director of Facilities Management, said SIUE takes measurements to ensure the campus is accessible for all students.

“The campus is fully ADA accessible. We meet all the criteria as designed for that, and in many cases we go above and beyond,” Holan said.

Holan cited multiple examples of how the university exceeds ADA guidelines.

“We’re not actually required necessarily to provide accessibility between buildings, but of course we want to do that. That was one of the routes that we just recently did as part of that several million-dollar project,” Holan said.

“So we provide wide sidewalks that meet the required grades, and in many cases we provide more than one route.”

According to Holan, other examples include accessible parking, as well as handicapped bathrooms and door openers in each

building.

“We have accessible parking throughout the entire campus, included in each of the lots, and we have accessible bathrooms in each of the buildings,” Holan said. “Additionally, we have door openers, many times on multiple doors in the building, so we’re really only required to do that at one location.”

Rubio said the campus should be more inclusive going forward, and said they should keep people with disabilities in mind when constructing new projects.

“Disabled students shouldn’t have to ask for the basic rights that everybody else gets,” said Rubio. “I guess for future reference, if they’re going to rebuild or do reconstruction for anything, think about [people with disabilities].”

Students can direct related concerns to ACCESS at 618-6503726 or myaccess@siue.edu.

NICOLE BOYD 650-3527 @NAlestle nboyd@alestlelive.com

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Illinois removes statute of limitations on sex crimes MADISON LAMMERT editor-in-chief

01.15.20 An officer responded to a report of two large dogs loose in the Evergreen Hall parking lot. Edwardsville Animal Control was notified.

01.16.20 SIUE Police received a report of domestic battery in Cougar Village. The responding officer advised the victim did not want to pursue charges.

At Rendleman Hall, an officer took a report of a student’s account being hacked and money being transferred to a different bank account.

01.17.20 An officer took a report in the Engineering Building of a possible stalking case. Investigation into the matter continues.

An officer responded to a report of an assault in Bluff Hall. The officer advised no charges were being filed.

01.20.20 SIUE Police received a report on campus of a domestic battery that occurred Jan. 19.

The investigation continues.

STARBUCKS I COVER

“It’s unnecessary because going from the library to the MUC is a one-minute walk,” Freshman art major Kacey Hochgraber of Quincy, Illinois, said.

Other students had no issues with the addition.

“I never use Starbucks really ever, but if it’s there and it helps other people, so what?” Senior integrative studies major John Morrison of Burnside, Illinois, said.

Waple said between what’s already available along with Starbucks’ expected opening in March and Skywalk Café reopening this summer, things will be easier on students.

“That gives us a lot of different areas to help support our students,” Waple said.

For now, students can rely on the Starbucks in the MUC for their caffeine fix, open 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on weekdays, as well as Kaldi’s, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on most weekdays.

JOHN MCGOWAN 650-3527 @john_alestle jmcgowan@alestlelive.com

With the new year kicking off, the media is buzzing with stories surrounding new Illinois laws, the most popular being the legalization of recreational marijuana. However, in another important change made as of Jan. 1, the statute of limitations for major sex crimes was removed in Illinois.

Essentially, there is no longer a time frame in which survivors can choose to prosecute criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault or aggravated criminal sexual abuse. As the law’s synopsis states, victims previously had to come forward to law enforcement within three years of the alleged offense, and prosecutors had 10 years to charge the alleged perpetrator(s).

In the wake of this new legislation, The Alestle sat down with Jamie Ball, director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Access and Title IX Coordination, to discuss HB2135. Here are some of the main takeaways:

Statutes of limitations may not always be reasonable.

“The notion, as I learned it as a law student, is you can’t sit on your rights,” Ball said. “It’s the notion that you can’t let your claim go stale. So there’s a certain logic in that, you want people

LOAN I COVER

the past year, arrest rates are significantly higher for people of color, according to a national survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

According to a recent study reported by the American Civil Liberties Union, black people are 7.56 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis-related offenses in Illinois.

“Right now, in Illinois, we have some 40,000 people that are in prisons. There’s another 25,000-30,000 that are in jails, and 80% of federal prisoners and 60% of Illinois prisoners who are there for drug possession are people of color,” Oberweis said.

“You can see, it doesn’t line up.

The proportion of people who are drug users broken down by race doesn’t match up with the incarcerated people who are there for drug possession broken down by race. We have disproportionately impacted people of color.”

Among the students who believe the loan will have a positive impact on people of color is junior graphic design major Praither Williams, of East Saint Louis, Illinois.

“I think it’s a good way for people to right the wrongs of what’s happened with a lot of prejudice,” Williams said. “Weed is such a small-time drug, and it’s been a way for people to lock up people of color, blacks and Mexi-

to be timely in their response to pursuing their legal rights, especially in most instances. But it doesn’t match the reality of experiences of crime victims in every instance.”

tionally prepared to deal with that aspect of a criminal prosecution, I think, also sometimes leads to folks hesitating or waiting to be ready to participate in that kind of process.”

This legislation helps survivors seek justice without being confined to a timetable.

While there are many positives to come from HB2135, it also has struck up controversy.

“It’s a complex experience and I certainly could not speak for every person, but my general sense … is a lot of times there’s maybe some confusion about what the experience was … [and] I think there’s kind of a defense mechanism that occurs where a person will try to rationalize or explain away an event as something they shouldn’t want or need to pursue through the criminal justice system,” Ball said. “Sometimes people are dealing with the immediacy of trauma, [such as] physical injuries and self-care that’s necessitated by an event like a sexual assault — it just takes priority and there’s a limited amount of bandwidth a person has.”

There may also be cultural pressures not to come forward.

“I think there are also cultural things,” Ball said. “People are shamed; It’s not easy to come forward. You subject yourself to scrutiny in some situations, so the idea of coming to grips with that and being mentally and emo-

cans alike. It’s a way for them to populate jails. This is one way to go about fixing it.”

Junior nursing major Venice Guevarra, of Skokie, Illinois, emphasizes the importance of helping incarcerated individuals regain their footing in society.

“I think the loan equity program is a great idea, especially since people of color that are men have been disproportionately tar-

“There are lots of civil liberties groups who are concerned about the extension of the statute of limitations because sometimes the prosecution of cases — of any kind of case — becomes more difficult the more remote in time from the event [for which] that prosecution is occurring,” Ball said. “Evidence is less accessible sometimes and sometimes recollections aren’t as clear, so that sometimes makes things difficult in terms of how a prosecution might actually move forward or how an investigation might move forward. So it’s certainly not without difficulty or controversy, but I think preserving the right to move forward with requesting an investigation or a prosecution of a crime, I think ultimately that’s a good thing in that there should never be a time where it’s too late for justice if it can be achieved.”

Political pressure cannot be ignored in the debate.

“Some of the criticism I’ve read relates to the idea that even

ceration are so much more than that,” Oberweis said. “We’ve torn families apart. We’ve left mothers without an income from their breadwinner who’s been incarcerated. White families are disproportionately able, not that they necessarily do, to have two breadwinners in a family and boost their wealth, pay for things like homes in good school districts, private schooling, college educa-

“The proportion of people who are drug users broken down by race doesn’t match up with the incarcerated people who are there for drug possession broken down by race. We have disproportionately impacted people of color.

TRICIA OBERWEIS

criminal justice professor

geted,” Guevarra said. “This will definitely help them, because they’ve been robbed over something that isn’t serious compared to other charges. It will help them reenter society.”

However, the effects of incarceration can extend beyond difficulty returning to society and the workforce.

“The ramifications of incar-

tion. They are able to accumulate wealth or socioeconomic status in a way that families of color have not been, in part due to connections to the drug war.”

Regardless, the loan program is a step in the right direction in many people’s eyes. Applicants will receive technical assistance and support, pay reduced license and application fees and access to

in cases where the evidence is not very strong or available anymore because of the incident’s remoteness in time, there will still be political pressure on prosecutors to bring cases forward because there’s a louder conversation about victim’s rights and the need for criminal prosecutors to be more responsive — and in some cases aggressive — in pursuing the prosecutions in sexual assault cases,” Ball said. “Criminal prosecutions are influenced by the political landscape of the communities in which those prosecutions are occurring.”

SIUE policy doesn’t necessarily abide by a statute of limitations.

“We don’t have a strict statute of limitations per se,” Ball said. “Our policy does contemplate that we would encourage folks to come forward with their complaints as near in time to the incident as possible, but it does allow for the extension of inquiry into situations that are relatively remote in time in certain circumstances. So, everything is case-bycase.”

To view the full text of HB2135, visit Illinois General Assembly’s website.

MADISON LAMMERT 650-3527 @madison_alestle mlammert@alestlelive.com

low-interest loans for their marijuana business startup.

In order to receive the loan, 51% of the owners must have lived in an area disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs in five of the past 10 years, have been arrested, convicted or adjudicated delinquent on a cannabis-related offense and are eligible for expungement or have a parent, child or spouse similarly affected by a cannabis-related offense. If 51% of the owners do not meet these criteria, the business may also be eligible if it has more than 10 fulltime employees and at least 51% of the employees meet the above criteria.

Oberweis believes the loan will provide the necessary support prospective business owners require to become successful.

“Obviously, you have to put in a substantial investment before hand, and then you have to wait around for 3 months, 6 months until your plants mature, and you have a crop that you can turn into capital,” Oberweis said. “So these loans are meant to help those people anticipated not to have access to capital into the business where they can then start generating tax revenue, generating wealth, generating profits for themselves, and by extension, bringing their communities up with them.”

For more information about the loan program, visit https:// www2.illinois.gov/dceo/Pages/ CannabisEquity.aspx.

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LEARN ABOUT EXCITING EVENTS IN FEBRUARY page 4

contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com 650-3527

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Staff OSCAR nominations The photos used for this graphic were derived from piqsels, Dennis Jarvis and motors.all-free-photos.com.

‘Avengers: Endgame’

‘The Lighthouse’

“The Lighthouse” is easily the best movie I’ve seen all year. The visuals, the writing and the characters specifically serve to make this movie captivating from the very start.

When a young man looking for a job finds himself paired with a veteran lighthouse keeper on an island secluded off the New England coast, the two struggle to maintain their sanity and their lives.

The movie is filmed in black and white, and it’s presented in a unique 1 by 1.19 aspect ratio.

Not only does this harken back to the past when this movie takes place, but it’s limited color and view help contribute to the claustrophobia and eventual cabin fever that is expected from a movie about two men stuck on a lighthouse for four weeks.

The two main characters, Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) and Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) spend nearly the entire movie crying, fighting, arguing, singing and dancing while intoxicated.

Through all this drunken chaos, Pattinson and Dafoe are able to realize the kind of complex relationship between two men that can only come when they’re stuck on island together for a month.

Of course, the actors wouldn’t be able to succeed this well if it weren’t for the script. In a movie composed mainly of dialogue between these two characters, the script manages to never let the movie get boring.

Every line from the very beginning is full of weight that shows what these characters think of each other, themselves and the lighthouse itself.

“The Lighthouse” tells an amazing story while being just as mesmerizing and intense as the best action movies of the year.

— John McGowan, reporter

‘Fractured’

“Fractured”, released in September on Netflix, was a movie I had been anxiously awaiting since the release of the trailer, and it did not disappoint. Although it was not in theaters, I found that this was my favorite movie of the year.

A man, woman and their daughter are traveling when they stop at a gas station and the little girl falls into a construction site hole, breaking her arm.

Frightened, the parents rush to the hospital where the woman and daughter are taken to get an MRI. Hours pass by and as the father becomes increasingly skeptical, he realizes that maybe the hospital cannot not be trusted as he cannot find his wife or daughter anywhere.

This movie exhibits the perfect balance of mystery and suspense, keeping the audience guessing the whole time.

The disappearance of the little girl and her mother gives the viewer a sense of empathy towards the main character, her father.

As kidnapping has become unfortunately common in our world, you find yourself rooting for the father to do whatever it takes to get his family back. It is hard to even form an educated guess on what the ending may be due to the psychological dramatization presented within the characters throughout.

It is definitely not a movie that you can half watch without missing something important.

— Mackenzie Smith, multimedia editor

‘Ford v. Ferrari’

As someone who has never been a big fan of watching NASCAR or other car races, I didn’t know what to expect walking into the theater to see “Ford v. Ferrari.”

I worried that I would be bored during the movie or simply not be able to follow it, since I am nowhere near a car expert. Walking out of the theater two and a half hours later, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the film.

Matt Damon and Christian Bale both gave remarkable performances as the two leading actors in the film, and the directing was equally impressive.

The movie takes place in the ‘60s and tells the story of a fierce competition between the heads of two major automating companies — America’s Ford and Italy’s Ferrari.

More than this, however, the film focuses on the ingenuity and dedication of two hard working Americans, giving the average viewer someone to truly root for.

As a movie about racing, there weren’t that many scenes actually devoted to racing competitions. Instead, much of the film focuses on the engineering and trial and error behind the creation of the race cars.

The racing scenes that are included, however, are absolutely exhilarating. The movie held my attention throughout, and as someone who didn’t know the true story behind the film, the ending was a shocking surprise.

— Jennifer Goeckner, managing editor

I honestly struggled between two very different movies that topped my personal list this year. “Avengers: Endgame” was one of the few giant blockbusters that really deserved its hype.

Let’s face it: by now, you’ve either bought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe or you’ve passed it by, so I can’t pretend it’s a movie for anyone who hasn’t watched the other 21 movies in the franchise.

But if you were following this giant, sprawling story, “Endgame” managed to draw together all the plot lines and loose ends and put a powerful finale for the series, while still leaving room for the next phase (and about a dozen series on Disney+).

I can’t imagine the strain on those poor writers, having to satisfy all those requirements in one movie - and make a billion dollars or so. I’m frankly amazed that they pulled it off, and in addition, “Endgame” is just plain fun to watch.

— Elizabeth Donald, copy editor

‘Little Women’

But on the other end of the spectrum… “Little Women.” I am a long-time fan of the classic novel and especially the 1994 film version, so I was happy to see Greta Gerwig’s update — and it is an update, with many lines of dialogue and a few plot points drawn more from Louisa May Alcott’s life than her novel.

Saoirse Ronan is a worthy successor to Jo March, and extra credit must go to Laura Dern for a brilliant and believable Marmee.

Sadly, it missed being my top film because Timothee Chalumet was badly miscast as Laurie, working as hard as he can for a difficult role but simply has no believable chemistry with Ronan or Florence Pugh as Amy (whose speech about marriage as an economic question is straight from Alcott and sure to be her Oscar clip for her supporting-actress nomination).

Likewise the “twist” that had people screaming online is more Alcott than March, and I leave it to others to decide if that ending - or Gerwig’s decision to timehop back and forth through the story - was a good choice.

One thing is for certain: Gerwig was absolutely snubbed for the Oscar, and it’s a shame worthy of Jo March’s best wrath.

— Elizabeth Donald, copy editor

‘Joker’

An allusive commentary on mental illness, “Joker” exploits the harsh reality faced by individuals with mental illnesses in modern society.

The film is brutally honest and overly pessimistic. However, the nature of the film is refreshing, as it does not conceal the negative aspects of mental illness or sugarcoat the way in which others respond to people affected by it.

Joaquin Phoenix plays the distraught Arthur Fleck, eventually known as Joker.

He expertly encapsulates the manic highs and lows of psychosis and delusions of grandeur.

The film revolves around Arthur’s life as a professional street clown, working to make ends meet and provide for his mentally ill mother. Pushed to his limits, Arthur endures abuse and criticism until he cracks and lashes out against one such perpetrator.

Amid a tumultuous political and socioeconomic environment in Gotham city, chaos soon follows. The film exposes the fragility of societal foundations and belief systems.

It begs viewers to call their morals and perceptions into question. The film will captivate and perplex viewers until the rolling of the credits.

— Jordyn Nimmer, lifestyles editor

‘Knives Out’

As a self-proclaimed fan of murder mysteries, I was sure I’d enjoy “Knives Out,” and it did not disappoint. “Knives Out” begins with the murder of a wealthy author, and his dysfunctional family provides countless suspects and motives.

I found each character to be entertaining in their own way, and the plot kept me guessing with each twist and turn.

The film achieves a balance between suspense, sadness and humor that made me laugh, while keeping me on the edge of my seat. All of the actors are well-casted, especially Chris Evans, who plays the arrogant, yet charismatic, black sheep of his affluent family.

I particularly appreciated the political overtones in “Knives Out.” The film’s portrayal of a child of an undocumented immigrant, along with a plot that makes the viewer question what constitutes righteous punishment, makes a bold statement about how undocumented immigrants are treated.

This is done, however, without seeming preachy or overdoing the theme.

While some aspects of the film are a bit silly — for example, the dead man’s nurse cannot lie without throwing up — they manage to provide comic relief throughout darker moments in the story.

This type of comedy is balanced by more mature humor that makes the film suitable for an older audience. “Knives Out”’ held my interest and kept me guessing until the very end.

— Nicole Boyd, copy editor

thursday, 01.23.20

alestlelive.com

page 5

Scouting event attracts Boy Scouts from across the country SHANE WHEATLEY copy editor The Boy Scouts of America’s Greater St. Louis Area Council hosted their annual University of Scouting event on campus this Saturday, Jan. 18th in the Morris University Center, with classes spread throughout Science East and Peck Hall.

This was the second year the Boy Scouts of America from the Greater St. Louis Area Council were able to host it at SIUE. Their section of the boy scouts has approximately 66,000 members and almost 15,000 adult volunteers. Cory Reeves, event chancellor, said that more than 1,000 people came through to register for the event, with all of the scouts spread throughout classrooms in the three buildings with a range of activities.

The activities are all focused around let-

“We see these youths working together in high leadership positions, running the entire lodge basically and making sure everything runs smoothly, and it’s all to teach them leadership.

KJ Botterbush

Runs a branch of Boy Scouts

ting the young scouts get skills and knowledge aimed towards earning their merit badges.

“We’ve got about 200 classes going on throughout the buildings, with a wide range of lessons for the scouts,” Reeves said. “All of them are geared towards teaching them lessons and skills so they can go on and earn their merit badges.”

Reeves said he has been with the scouts for approximately 40 years, having joined when he was a youth in the scouts and going on to forge his decision to join the fire department through the scouts.

Reeves sees the event as a great opportunity for young adults from all over to learn about the boy scouts, what they do, and how they can take that information back home with them.

The event held over 200 different classes for the scouts and their troops to involve themselves in, ranging from fire starting to woodcarving and camping skills.

Reeves said the way the troops are run is based around putting the scouts in leadership positions from a young age and letting them run their own groups, with adults as moderators.

This, Reeves said, creates a strong bond through the scouts and empowers the youths to develop important skills.

KJ Botterbush, 17, of Godfrey, Illinois, runs a branch of the Greater St. Louis Area Boy Scouts, having been with the Scouts for 6 years. Botterbush said the main focus of all the different branches is leadership, where everyone is elected by their fellow scouts, creating a system where everyone gets input in the collaborative effort.

“The way these different lodges are all run, the youths are doing day-to-day operations all by themselves,” Botterbush said.

“We see these youths working together in high leadership positions, running the entire lodge basically and making sure everything runs smoothly, and it’s all to teach them leadership and put them in the best position we can.”

Along with the classes for all the youth

Boy Scouts across the country come together to commemorate and honor their founding principles and work to become better leaders.

I Sgt. Aaron Berogan / U.S. Army

scouts, they also had a range of classes focused on the adults leading their unit, giving them useful skills and certification for things like first aid training and hazardous weather training.

This focus is to not only improve the participants’ knowledge, but also the adults in charge to make sure they’re properly equipped to deal with all situations surrounding their troop.While the main classes were focused around learning new skills, they also had an opportunity for scouts to look into continuing a career option through the Explore program.

Chad Deschane, the marketing director, said that there are a few options for them to pursue.

“You’ve got the Explore program on one side that’s the more traditional roles like cops and firefighters,” Deschane said.

“And on the other side you have the STEM that brings in that engineering and science

for them to continue into something a bit more advanced.”

What stood out among the entire University of Scouting event was their commitment to being available and open to work with Boy Scouts who have special needs.

According to their website, every unit has at least one scout with special needs.

They have resources available and actively work with their scouts to make sure that everyone is afforded the same opportunities and values instilled in them, which their website lists as “preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath.”

For more information about the scouts or any upcoming events they have, go online at stlbsa.org or find the University of Scouting Greater St. Louis Area Council on Facebook.

Sacred sound workshop claims to impact health of students JOHN MCGOWAN reporter On Saturday, Jan. 11, students experienced a sound bath and were healed with Himalayan singing bowls at the Fuller dome, in a “sacred geometry and sacred sound” workshop held by sound therapy organization SVOUND. This workshop was run by Lisa Grezlak, a sound vibrational therapist who started SVOUND in 2017. She said the workshop went well.

“It was amazing. Considering the fact that it was snowing that night where everybody was canceling— nobody canceled, everybody showed up, it was like 40 people. That was max capacity,” Grezlak said.

She also pointed out those who couldn’t make it had been very interested in the idea of her doing another on campus soon.

“People want me to come back. They reach out to me and say ‘oh I wanna come again.’ A lot of people couldn’t make it and asked ‘are you gonna have another one?’”

Grezlak said.

The workshop focused on the Fuller dome itself and Richard Buckminster Fuller’s intentions when creating it. She said Fuller had sacred geometry in mind when designing the dome.

“Mr. Fuller was kind of like the DaVinci of our modern-day times, and DaVinci was always very into the sacred sound and sacred geometry,” Grezlak said.

At the event, Benjamin Lowder, a cre-

Sound therapy often involves the use of Tibetan singing bowls and other instruments.

I Marcelo Garruth / Unsplash

ative consultant for the dome, spoke on Fuller’s connection to these practices as well.

According to Grezlak, sound therapy involves many different techniques and practices that are all utilized to affect the vibrations of a person’s body. She claims that a person’s vibration frequency affects how they feel mentally and physically.

“Everything in the world exists based on vibration,” Grezlak said. “When we as human beings are vibrating the way we’re supposed to be, like on this planet, Earth, the Earth is a huge energy battery for us.

We should be resonating with Earth’s energy, we should be resonating with Earth’s frequencies, and healthy high-level frequencies equal that of joy, happiness and peace.”

It’s a process called a sound bath, where various sounds are played all around in order to promote these good vibrations.

Various tools are used, from speakers to Himalayan singing bowls.

Sound meditation is a form of therapy that has been gaining traction the past decade. There are sound healing meet ups everyday in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, where people will often go looking for ways to treat depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Grezlak, while acknowledging it is new, has compared it to bigger health trends.

“Sound is today what yoga was 20 years ago,” Grezlak said.

Sophomore social work major Yolande Scholler, of Amsterdam, is the president of the Mantra club at SIUE, a club that specializes in what she considers a similar form of sound mediation. Scholler explained that the origins of sound medi-

ation date back to a collection of ancient religious texts from India.

“The Vedas are ancient scriptures originating from India. In those scriptures it is said that in this particular age mantra meditation is the most beneficial because it leads to self-relaxation,” Scholler said.

“We can see that around us it’s picking up in groups where people practice this type of meditation.”

Grezlak said she believes sound mediation can be used to treat real illnesses as an alternative to modern medicine.

She said she’s worked with clients who have cancer, partial deafness and blindness, and auto-immune deficiencies, and that they have all experienced some form of healing with her techniques.

“I’ve worked on clinically diagnosed patients … all of them have had some kind of healing take place. With stage four cancer, it’s the only thing that the people that I have worked with have said gave them relief,” Grezlak said.

Junior art history major Kait Baker, of Washington, Illinois, practices meditation more casually than Grezlak and Scholler.

She didn’t agree with the claims that meditation could be used to heal people with serious diseases.

“That’s the one place I have issues, because while it may be comforting or emotionally healing, I don’t believe that stuff can be physically healing at all. You need to go to a doctor for that,” Baker said.

Students interested in sound meditation can head to SVOUND’s next event at the dome in which is planned for April.

They can also check out the Mantra club on their website at siue.campuslabs.com/ engage/.

opinion

STAY TUNED FOR MORE OPINIONS NEXT WEEK page 6

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alestle view

Going places alone is OK -- and should be normalized THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

Now that winter break is over and classes have started up again, finding time to hang out with friends and family can be hard to do. While this can be a bit frustrating, it breeds the perfect opportunity not only to focus on things you enjoy — but to become comfortable doing them solo.

It can be uncomfortable to do otherwise social activities, like going to the movies or trying out a new restaurant, by oneself. Often, there is a fear of judgment that comes when flying solo. At the end of the day, if you are enjoying yourself, it doesn’t matter

what anybody else thinks. Just remember, the majority of those around you will never cross paths with you again.

While many activities are often done in groups, it’s not strange to see somebody running errands alone. I believe this is due to the focus of “getting things done,” so no one judges you while out getting groceries because that’s something that everyone has to do. According to a Washington Post article, people actually change their actions in fear of facing judgment from others. The article calls this “the spotlight effect.”

The same article cited a study that showed people tend to have just as much fun going out

alone as they do when they bring friends along. So next time you’re the only one in your friend group wanting to see that new movie, consider going alone.

In fact, it might actually even be healthy for you. Allowing yourself time to be free of socialization and interaction allows you to take some time to just relax and find what it is that you like to do, instead of having to worry about your friends enjoying it on the same level as you. Many of us at The Alestle make it a habit to go out alone, and we’ve found it can be somewhat therapeutic. We believe that self-care is important.

When deciding to go out alone, always make sure that you stay safe about it. Always tell

someone where you’re going, and try to keep to safe areas that you may know better than exploring somewhere new.

When it comes down to it, going out alone can seem very daunting. However, when one gets over that fear, they’ll usually end up finding a new way to enjoy their free time. And if it turns out you don’t enjoy it, at least you have the freedom to call it a night whenever you want because you went alone.

So next time you find yourself spending another Friday night on the couch, do not automatically call a friend to come over. Instead, try going out by yourself. You might find you like the free time as much as we do.

For the last time, let deadnames rest in peace BROOKE HILL copy editor

There’s this fantasy I have where everything meaningful thing I’ve accomplished and every positive thought I’ve ever had about myself are lies. All of my good qualities and experiences can be lumped up and dismissed as invalid, but everything I have ever hated about myself is fundamental to who I am as a person.

As much as I hate entertaining this fantasy, anyone I encounter can force me to confront it at any time with a single word, and if I’m having a bad day, they can make it pretty difficult for me to distinguish this from the actual truth. This is the effect of deadnaming.

To “deadname” a person is to call them by a name they have chosen to stop using. Intentional deadnaming is often practiced as a way of harassing transgender or non-binary people.

This is often a very effective way to harass us because it undermines our attempts to build up a healthy self-image by controlling

how we are seen. It feeds the common anxiety of feeling like an imposter.

Additionally, it is often more effective than misgendering because a deadname is unique to the individual. While it would rarely hurt a cisgender person to the same degree as a trans person, you can misgender a cisgender person; you cannot typically deadname one.

I have a deadname and it is still printed on some of my documents. The proper etiquette is to never mention it to me or ask me about it. I only give it out for legal reasons, without exception. My girlfriend doesn’t know my deadname. She doesn’t care or need to know, and she knows better than to ask because she’s also trans. To me, being deadnamed means being forced to recall the least-pleasant periods of my life, to remember the feeling of helplessness and lack of control over who I was that I associate with the time before I left that name behind.

I like to think most of the people who deadname others on purpose simply haven’t thought it

through, or don’t have the frame of reference they would need to understand what they are doing.

Most of the time, at least from my experiences, when a person refuses to stop using a deadname, it’s a family member who doesn’t want to accept their concept of a close family member is wrong; they are unwilling to accept change.

Sometimes when people have the ability, they will use deadnames against people specifically to hurt them. Sometimes they will see any trans or nonbinary person as a stand-in for the entire community and want to get back at us for forcing them to learn that singular ‘they’ is a word.

Even worse, some people will only intentionally deadname people they dislike, pressuring anyone they actually like to ‘earn’ their favor or be treated poorly. I consider the latter variety worse because the approach is more manipulative and they are harder to detect.

I’ve been on pretty close terms with several people like this before finding out they were shitheads.

I like who I am now. I like hearing my name and I like it

when people talk about me. I didn’t always, and it so happens I started to like myself a lot more around the same time people started calling me by my current name. A bigot can’t make me any less trans, but they can make me a lot less happy. I know these sentiments are held by a lot of other people as well.

I hope I don’t need to point out that you can’t be an ally to someone while refusing to address them how they would like, but I don’t think most people understand quite how often this is used against us or how destructive it can be. I strongly suggest never to ask anyone for their deadname.

To many of us in the community, perhaps even most, just saying the name is an incredibly stressful experience, and we’d rather not discuss it.

If you do see someone being deadnamed, please speak up. It’s much easier and more effective for a third party to correct someone than the person being incorrectly addressed. Just make sure when you do, you don’t repeat the name.

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 thursday, 1.23.20

sports

NEXT WEEK, READ ABOUT SIUE SOCCER STAR GETTING DRAFTED INTO THE MLS

SIUE men’s golf breaks in new practice facility MARCUS KEY reporter

The golf team has an all-new golf facility named the Harry Gallatin Golf Practice Facility, in honor of his memory.

Gallatin, who was nicknamed “The Horse,” was a professional basketball player in the NBA. He played for the New York Knicks for nine seasons, and one season for the Detroit Pistons. Gallatin served as SIUE’s first director of athletics, was the coach for men’s basketball for three seasons and also was the golf coach for 24 seasons.

Gallatin holds many accolades, including The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame, All-NBA First & Second Team, seven-time NBA All-Star, NBA Coach of the Year and over the course of his professional basketball career, Gallatin accumulated an astonishing 8,843 points, 6,684 rebounds and 1,208 assists. During his time as coach for men’s golf, Gallatin took the team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Championships for a total of 19 times.

Director of Athletics Tim Hall said he appreciates the legacy Gallatin left behind SIUE and Athletics.

“He was a student, an athlete and a coach here at SIUE, and had a reputation that really preceded him and though I have never met him, I have only heard great things about him,” Hall said.

“His beloved widow was able to be at the dedication of the facility, so to give the naming of the facility to a gentleman who means so much to the history of SIUE Athletics, and is highly respected, I think that was important. It was really made possible through the hard work of individuals who came before me.”

Men’s golf Head Coach Derrick Brown says this new practice facility will allow players to practice together and not too far from

page 7

alestlelive.com

SIUE Standings MEN’S BASKETBALL

OVERALL OVC

Murray State Austin Peay Belmont Tennessee State Eastern Kentucky Morehead State Jacksonville State Eastern Illinois

13-5 12-7 14-5 12-7 7-12 9-10 8-11 9-9

UT Martin

5-12

Tennessee Tech

4-15

SIUE

SEMO

6-0 6-0 5-1 4-2 4-2 3-3 3-3 2-4 1-5

4-15

1-5

4-15

0-6

1-5

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

OVERALL OVC

The new golf facility at Sunset Hills Country Club gives players the ability to practice putting and driving, and will soon have a room dedicated to a virtual reality golf simulation. | Mackenzie Smith / The Alestle

campus, which will build team camaraderie.

“The facility gives us a new area to putt [and] work on our short games during colder months or even during rainy days when we might not have been able to practice in the past,” Brown said.

“This will also allow the players to build team camaraderie and help improve their competitiveness. It will really help with our spring preparation.”

Senior golfer Parker McEachern spoke about how the facility will allow the team to enhance their athletic performances and make the team more competitive.

“The new facility is going to allow us to play whenever we want... especially being in Illinois, the weather gets kind of rough and in the past, we didn’t have anywhere to practice and play, but this facility will allow us to stay close to campus since it’s only five minutes away,” McEachern said.

“In off seasons, we will be able to work on our technique, and the facility will really help us and allow us to do that.”

McEachern said this facility

is important to him because the team gets to call it their own and have access to it whenever they would like to practice.

“In having this new facility, I think it will be something great for our team because we will get to do a lot of bonding,” McEachern said. “In the off season we’re always hanging out at the house and watching movies or just playing cards, and now when its bad weather we can say ‘let’s meet up at the facility and play golf.’ While we’re all hanging out, we’re being productive and bettering ourselves in the game of golf, and I think it’ll be good for team camaraderie and to just allow us to have a place we can call home and not have to work around the country club’s schedule.”

Sophomore golfer Brooks Jungbluth said having this new facility will allow them to be more competitive and improve their golfing skills.

“For the team, we will have the ability to practice at a more competitive level and have a better place to come together as a team without having to leave far

from campus, or not being able to play because of inclement weather or the softball field not being available,” Jungbluth said.

Jungbluth credits Brown for all of his hard work and helping to make this opportunity possible and bringing the team together.

“With what Coach is doing with the team and our previous plays last year, we feel like we are doing very good and Coach is trying to build a program to be as competitive as possible, and with a facility like this, this gives us a competitive edge for sure, definitely for the OVC Championship and as well as [competing against] the area schools around and other conferences as well,” Jungbluth said. “Playing the level of golf we did last year, we proved a point, and this facility definitely makes us want to continue to get better and continue to move the program forward.”

The Harry Gallatin Golf Practice Facility was completed December 2019, and the men’s golf team is now able to practice at the facility.

Belmont

26-7

16-2

23-9

13-5

Morehead State

24-11

Tennessee Tech

22-11

Murray State

13-17

SEMO

13-17

UT Martin

Austin Peay

15-15

Jacksonville State

15-15

SIUE

13-16

Eastern Illinois

Tennessee State

Eastern Kentucky

11-18

5-25 2-27

13-5 12-6 10-8 9-9 9-9

8-10

8-10 5-13 5-13 0-18

WRESTLING

OVERALL MAC

EAST DIVISION Rider Clarion

Edinboro

Old Dominion

George Mason Lock Haven

Bloomsburg WEST DIVISION Missouri Northern Illinois

Central Michigan Buffalo Ohio

Cleveland State Kent State SIUE

8-2

4-1

9-5

3-3

8-3 4-8 7-4 6-4 2-5

5-2 2-2 2-3 2-3 0-4

8-5

5-0

3-4

3-2

8-3 7-7 4-5 6-2 5-9

1-8

3-1 3-3 2-2 2-2 1-4

0-5

Skelly, Lynch lead Cougars at John Craft Invitational JENNIFER GOECKNER managing editor

In the Cougars’ third meet of the indoor track and field season, the men’s team placed third, while the women’s team ended the weekend with a sixth-place finish.

Seniors Landon Skelly and Austin Lynch led the men’s team, with Skelly placing first in the 800-meter and Lynch finishing first in the shot put. Both Skelly and Lynch came close to their personal records. Skelly’s time of 2:00.08 was within five seconds of his best outdoor time.

Meanwhile, Lynch’s shot put throw of 14.90 meters was within one meter of his personal

record. Lynch said he felt good about the throw moving forward in the season.

“I just felt relaxed during the shot put,” Lynch said. “It was a really good confidence booster moving into the Illinois meet next week.”

Several Cougars finished on the podium for the men’s weight throw, with senior Nick Matthews, Lynch and junior John Barnes coming in second, third and fourth, respectively.

The men’s team also had top finishes in jumps. Sophomore Conor McCarthy placed third in the long jump, followed closely by senior Logan Webb in fifth place. Sophomore Ethan Poston finished fourth in the high jump.

On the women’s side, senior Jalea Paslay and sophomore Jaylyn Scales placed fourth and sixth in the 600-meter. Scales said she was proud of her time, 1:44.59, because the 600 is not one of her usual races.

“Running the 600-meter was an adjustment because I usually run the 800 and 400,” Scales said. “But I feel like I ran a decent time that would convert well into either of those races.”

The women’s 4x400-meter relay also earned points for SIUE, finishing fifth with a time of 4:21.38.

The women had three top 10 finishers in the shot put. Senior Michaela Smith placed sixth with a throw of 12.29 meters,

sophomore Rachyl Anderson finished ninth with a throw of 11.53 meters, and freshman Jamirah Meeks placed tenth with a throw of 11.15 meters.

Anderson also finished in the top 10 in the weight throw, placing eighth with a throw of 14.64 meters. She trailed sophomore Alexis Hutchins, who finished fifth with a throw of 16.31 meters.

Doug McDannald, assistant coach for sprints and jumps, said he was happy with the Cougars’ team and individual performances, and the progress he has seen so far this season.

“Overall, I’m satisfied with the team’s performance,” McDannald said. “Most athletes per-

formed as well as I was hoping, and several did better. I’m very happy with the team’s progress, and every week they’re getting better and better.”

McDannald also said he thinks many of the team’s athletes will have a good chance to perform well at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships this year.

“There’s a number of athletes with a chance to medal at conference this year,” McDannald said.

“Several team members have surpassed their outdoor marks from last year and will have some big opportunities at the OVCs.” Track and field’s next meet is on Saturday, Jan. 25, at the Illini Invitational in Champaign, Illinois.

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