The Alestle Vol. 75 No. 19

THE

alestle

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

the student voice since 1960

Friday, February 4, 2022 Vol. 75 No. 19

RACISTS DON’T BELONG AT SIUE!’

SIUE’s Black Student Union organized a protest over recent racist harassment experienced by students in Woodland Hall. During the protest, speakers expressed their concerns over how SIUE has handled racist incidents and asked for more accountability. Protesters later went to the Chancellor’s Office in Rendleman Hall to bring their concerns to Chancellor Randy Pembrook (top right). | Alex Aultman / The Alestle

‘DISRESPECTED & UNPROTECTED’ Black Student Union says admin response to racist incidents is too slow SEE PAGE 8

Mental health and religion showcased in annual Juried Art Show PAGE 4

Student-athletes recognized for high GPA streak PAGE 7

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BY THE NUMBERS / COVID-19 AT SIUE, SPRING 2022 New confirmed positive cases (from tests conducted by SIUE and self-reporting):

Tests conducted by SIUE:

Jan. 25 - Jan. 31: 119 students, 26 faculty/staff

Jan. 25 - Jan. 31: 6,246

Jan. 18 - Jan. 24: 307 students, 59 faculty/staff

Jan. 18 - Jan. 24: 6,225

14-Day New Positive Cases: 426 students, 85 faculty/staff

14-Day New Tests Conducted: 12,471

All prior weeks positive tests: (Jan. 4 - Jan. 24): 958 students, 215 faculty/staff

All prior weeks tests conducted: Jan. 4 - Jan. 24: 21,110

400

452

14-day new positive cases: 513

Total Positive Cases:

207

205

224

JAN 26

JAN 27

JAN 28

SIUE announced that weekly COVID-19 tests are only required for unvaccinated individuals starting Monday, Jan. 31.

Per Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order, everyone on campus must either be fully vaccinated or get a COVID-19 test every week.

COVID-19 testing will return to room 0200 in the Student Success Center Monday.

4.1%

Percentage of isolation/quarantine space available on campus (as of January 31): 74%

100 JAN 25

SIUE no longer requiring testing for vaccinated individuals

Positivity Rate (last 14 days):

268

200

NEWS IN BRIEF

1,671

392

300

0

Jan. 25 - Jan. 31: 145 Jan. 18 - Jan. 24: 368

All prior weeks positive cases: Jan. 4 - Jan. 31: 1,671

453

379

162 students 34 faculty/staff

Positive cases identified by SIUE testing:

MADISON COUNTY DAY BY DAY:

500

Total active positive cases:

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JAN 29

JAN 30

JAN 31

FEB 1

Source: Health, Reporting, and Testing page on SIUE’s COVID-19 website, as of February 1.

City of Edwardsville ends lease on Cougar Lake Pool, future uncertain DAMIAN MORRIS opinion editor

Given their recent vote to terminate the lease agreement with SIUE’s Cougar Lake Pool, Edwardsville city officials are currently working on a partnership with the Edwardsville YMCA to bring residents aquatic recreation opportunities regarding water safety.

Nate Tingley, director of parks and recreation, said the aging infrastructure of the pool was the biggest factor in the termination. He said the operational repairs to run the pool were mostly standard. However, he also said the capital costs were becoming too much for the citizens of Edwardsville and Glen Carbon.

Tingley said some of the aldermen still want the city to be involved in water safety education to some capacity, so the City of Edwardsville is working on an alternative with the YMCA to use their pool. SIUE offered their indoor pool as well, but he said the YMCA had the staffing, pool and background in water safety for the community, so it simplified things as they would have had to jump through a few more hoops to use SIUE’s indoor pool.

“Unfortunately, SIUE won’t be a part of that [agreement], but it wasn’t for a lack of them trying and offering their indoor pool,” Tingley said. “It was just a little bit simpler to have the city work with the YMCA because they had a lot of those resources.”

He said the city will be trying to offset some of the costs of this partnership with the YMCA, but that the details haven’t been worked out at this time.

Although the Cougar Lake Pool is back under SIUE’s control, Vice Chancellor for Administration Morris Taylor said given its current state, SIUE has no current plans to open it back up in the near future.

“It’s one of those things where we want to be good stewards of resources and we also want to make sure we have strong connections with the City of Edwardsville,” Taylor said. “But the pool just got to the point where costs were just astronomical … so that’s the reason why we got to this point.”

SIUE Director of Campus Recre-

01.20.22 Officer responded to a welfare request by a family member for a subject in Woodland Hall. Officer made contact with the subject and the subject did not need police assistance.

Officer responded to a report of a subject not exiting a Madison County Transit after being asked to. Officer advised no charges were being pursued.

01.23.22 Officer responded to a report of writings on nametags in Woodland Hall. BIRT contacted. Investigation continues.

Officer took a report regarding a subject receiving a disturbing text message. Investigation continues.

Officer responded to a welfare check on a subject. Officer advised the subject did not need police assistance.

01.24.22 Officer responded to a report of a smoke detector being covered in an apartment in Cougar Village. A city ordinance was issued to the resident.

Edwardsville officially began their lease on the pool in 2016. However, the city council recently declined to continue it. | Clair Sollenberger / The Alestle ation Keith Becherer said the changing demographic of the students is another factor that makes the pool not worth the cost of reopening.

“More classes were being offered online five years ago [and] fast forward to now in the summer, it’s almost exclusively online,” Becherer said. “Fewer students [are] living on campus, some of our family housing residents out in Cougar Village, where those numbers used to be much more robust, really have dwindled.”

SIUE proposed the lease agreement in the summer of 2016, allowing the city to operatethe pool. This would provide a public swimming pool for the use of their residents, given Edwardsville’s lack of an aquatics facility. This agreement was also under the stipulation that SIUE students were allowed access to the pool at no cost, about which Becherer said he was adamant.

Becherer said another clause was that it was up to a 10-year agreement, but was a year-by-year lease in which the university or city could exit at any time.

In the same year, Edwardsville entered into an agreement with the village of Glen Carbon to allow their residents access as well, under the agreement that they would split the costs of maintaining and operating the pool as well as any profits made.

Tingley said he believes the Cougar Lake Pool has run its course and that it has served its purpose for all three parties.

“I think all three parties can kind of step away from it with a good taste in their mouth,” Tingley said. “All three were working together to try to offer services to their constituents … and I think its just the timeline for the infrastructure and it’s lifespan has reached its end and we kind of maxed it out.”

01.26.22 Officer responded to a welfare check request from a mother on her daughter who lived in Woodland Hall.

Contact was made with the subject and the officer advised the subject did not need police assistance.

01.31.22 A furnace at Bluff Hall caught fire, which activated the smoke alarm.

Police said the building was evacuated, and the Edwardsville Fire Department extinguished the fire. There was heavy smoke and damage to the furnace. EFD cleared the smoke and allowed residents to reenter when safe.

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New club hopes to build community for people with diabetes on campus FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter

Two SIUE nursing students have launched the SIUE College Diabetes Network after meeting for the first semester of their freshman year.

Hannah Warfel and Sydney Allen started the club as part of a nationwide organization aimed to support students with Type 1 diabetes.

Allen said she had the idea of joining CDN before coming to SIUE and was surprised that the university didn’t already have one. She spotted Warfel’s Dexcom, which is a type of glucose monitoring device, during their First Semester Transition class, and instantly made a connection.

“We just found each other.

There were actually other diabetics in the room and we kind of immediately made a little group chat with all the diabetics we had spotted and our friends that we already had on campus and kind of got that community thing going. But we both had interest, and it was just like a perfect random thing that happened,” Allen said.

Warfel had heard about CDN while she was still in high school as well, and when Allen suggested they start the club, she said she was all in. It took several months to organize the club members, find a faculty advisor, and work with both the university and the national organization to start

CDN’s honorary mascot and Sydney Allen’s service dog, Finney, hard at work in his favorite spot in the library, while his fellow members work on club planning. | Photo courtesy of Sydney Allen SIUE’s chapter of CDN, but Allen said they found out they were officially a registered club on Jan. 25.

“Most of the first semester we were working on it, trying to find people. We got set up through [CDN] and they gave us the how-tos and really helped us.

Luckily, their paperwork was a lot shorter, but they even support us through doing all the campus stuff and they’re just absolutely amazing,” Allen said.

Stacy Skelton, an instructor and student success coach in the School of Nursing, is the faculty advisor for College Diabetes

Network. She said she was so intrigued when Allen brought the idea of being the faculty advisor to CDN to her, as she also thought the university already had one and was more than excited to be a part of the club.

“I was impressed by [Allen], she reached out to me and she [had] noticed that we didn’t have a diabetes network, which I was completely surprised, I would have thought there was already one,” Skelton said.

Skelton said Allen and Warfel were the best two students to start this club as both were very organized and prepared. She

said she is glad to be able to be part of a club that can provide a space for students to know they are supported.

“I feel better knowing that we now have the network here. I feel better that there’s a place for [students] to come and see people like them and utilize resources so that they’re supported, they’re healthy, and they’re safe, and yet they’re living on their own and enjoying campus life. If I can facilitate that, that was going to be my job,” Skelton said.

Warfel said the club is not just for people with Type 1 diabetes, but for anyone who has

a loved one with diabetes. The club’s main goal is to be inclusive and supportive.

“We’re [going to] welcome everyone, anyone that wants to learn about Type 1, anyone [who] wants to support, doesn’t have to just be Type 1, it can be Type 2, or love someone that has it.

Anyone that wants to learn, and be a support system for everyone on campus, to feel inclusive, and provide stability and people to talk to,” Warfel said.

To find out more about SIUE’s College Diabetes Network, visit their Instagram or GetInvolved page.

NEXT WEEK: VALENTINE’S DAY DATE IDEAS

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lifestyles alestlelive.com

contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com 650-3527 Friday, 02.04.22

Art and Design hosts Annual Juried Art Show NICOLE BOYD online editor This year’s Annual Student Juried Art Show featured 80 exhibits out of almost 200 submissions, with pieces inspired by beauty standards, mental health and self-identity.

Joe Page, associate professor of ceramics and the gallery coordinator, said they take submissions from both graduate and undergraduate students. To qualify, the work must have been made in an SIUE art class during the last year. A juror then comes from outside of the university to select pieces for the exhibition. This year’s juror was Paula Sheldon, the gallery director of The Sheldon in St. Louis.

“It’s a great opportunity to have your work on display in this 3,600 square foot gallery that the larger university community and even people from outside the university can see the work. It’s a great opportunity to get your artwork in front of a juror with a network and credentials outside the university,” Page said.

Ella Ackman, a freshman studio art major from Frederick, Illinois, won the Wagner Association of Metalsmiths Award for metals for her piece “Idols 2,” a rosary that replaces depictions of religious figures with beauty icons.

“I created this piece thinking about how society really tends to focus on certain aspects of the female body and just the feminine essence in general,” Ackman said. “So I wanted to combine a religious sense of worship and then also just society’s worship of female beauty standards and portray it in a physical way.”

Gigi Florek, a junior art education and studio art double major from St. Louis, won the Paulette Myers Award for metals for her piece “You Are Enough,” which she said symbolizes the duality of going into and coming out of the depths of mental and chronic illness.

“It was very tedious for sure. I do want to say … ‘You are enough, you matter, people care about you,’” Florek said.

Mary Rhein, an unclassified graduate student from Belleville, Illinois, won the WPA Award for ceramics for a piece called “Curiosities,” which was part of her installation at the BFA art show called Fever Dream. Rein said that installation was inspired by anxiety, and she sprayed “Curiosities” with black slip, a mixture of clay and water, to make it appear like a void.

“I make this really meticulous slip casted work. So first I make the mold, and then I go through and refine it. And it’s pretty intense and tedious,” Rein said.

“But with this work, I kind of stepped back from doing that and I cast a bunch and then I stack it on top of each other and just try to look for a nice silhouette that has a lot of curves and is quite beautiful.”

Nkosi Wan, a second year graduate student with a concentration in painting and drawing from St. Louis, won the Rose Marie Sacchi Award for “Mad Scientist,” a mixed media piece with graphite, Conté and ink.

“It’s more so dealing with the deconstruction of a self-identity, and what that looks like from an internal perspective being almost disastrous or violent at times, but also serene, and then what that looks like from an external perspective, in which they look at you and conceive of you and being in this space of insanity,” Wan said.

Wan said it was one of his more difficult pieces.

“A lot of labor, lots of sleepless nights, but also informative. As I worked through the piece, I learned a lot and then would respond to what I learned,” Wan said.

Wan said he is grateful not only to receive recognition for his own art, but the art of people in his cohort.

“People here are creating all the time and I think that anyone here that’s in this show was capable of earning an award,” Wan said.

Silas Coggeshall, a third-year graduate student with a focus in painting from Quincy, Illinois, won the Valerie Lee Reynolds Smith Award for “Child’s Eye View,” a mixed media piece.

“Even though my focus is painting, a lot of my work blends mixed-media, painting and sculpture practices. So that the object that I’m depicting [to] come out and invade the viewer’s space, in that particular painting, is the underside of a chair, so a common everyday object that’s shown in this unconventional worth,” Coggeshall said.

Coggeshall said it feels good to win an award, and that he just tries to keep falling forward.

“Some days you win awards and that’s really exciting. A lot of the days you don’t and we just have to keep pushing through whether you get it or you don’t,” Coggeshall said. “But it feels good to have that pointed out.”

In “You Are Enough,” Gigi Florek from St. Louis was inspired by journeys through chronic and mental illnesses. | Jihun Han / The Alestle

Hannah Harvey, junior art education major from Carey, Illinois, drew upon the idea of Mary as a model for Christian women in “Is The Lord Still With Thee?” | Jihun Han / The Alestle

Research shows religious people more likely to watch ghost hunting shows FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter A senior research project about a correlation between religion and the paranormal surprised the group members, as data shows both of the group’s hypotheses are wrong.

Noah Jones, who graduated in December said he was fairly surprised with the final data. The group’s original hypothesis was that religious people were less likely to watch ghost-hunting shows, and those who identified as agnostic were more likely to watch shows that featured ghost hunting.

“We were pretty surprised. It was surprising to see that Christian people actually watch slightly more often than agnostic people, but not a significant enough amount more that we could conclusively say they watched more, but it was surprising to see that just a little bit more they watch so that pretty much or that disproved our hypothesis. We were incorrect,” Jones said.

Jones said the project consisted of 100 anonymous surveys and six in-depth interviews. When the group was analyzing the data, they dropped certain data sets, as they had low numbers for certain religious groups, such as Judaism and Islam.

The research paper written by the

group states, “To understand whether specific religions had a bias towards watching ghost shows more often, the average frequency of ghost hunting shows watched was calculated for each religious group. After removing the groups that had very small data sets, ‘agnostic/atheist,’ ‘Christianity,’ and ‘spirituality’ were left.”

Senior Anna Gentelin, a mass communications major from Alton, Illinois, said that she conducted a large majority of the in-depth interviews and really enjoyed that aspect of the project.

“I did a majority of the interviews, which I thought were really fun to just be able to sit down and talk to people about

religion, because it’s something that I guess people don’t really go in depth in typical conversations about religion,” Gentelin said.

The third member of the group, Jamie Grigsby, could not be reached.

The group’s conclusion as stated in their research paper, “A Correlation between Ghost Hunting Shows and Religion?” was “... religion and interest in ghost hunting shows do not correlate. An interesting discovery was that spiritual people seemed to be much less interested in ghost hunting shows, but further research would need to be completed to discover why this is the case.”

Friday, 02.04.22

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SIUE names first Black Distinguished Research Professor on less traditional forms of media.

“When I first started, I covered poetry and novels, and I still do that. But I English professor Howard Rambsy, started looking at freestyle rap occasionalwas recently granted the title of Distin- ly, and I have a recurring class on diversity guished Research Professor. Rambsy is the in comic books. It’s an [interdisciplinary first Black professor to be given this title. studies] course and fairly new … I’ve According to SIUE’s website, the title enjoyed it,” Rambsy said. of Distinguished Research Professor is giRambsy said the stream of conven from the university to a professor who sciousness associated with freestyle rap has been tenured for is what inspired him at least five years. The to create a course “I am known on application process regarding it. takes months, and campus for a lot of “We teach about only one or two are rap and freestyle rap, teaching, which is corchosen annually. but then we ask what Rambsy said he rect and good, but I’ve it means to be free of remembers his bestructures and create ginnings at SIUE gotten this honor for the a stream of thoughts, almost two decades and make it artistic ago, and remem- research and I want to fo- and I enjoy that kind bers being where cus on that more. I wrote of thing,” Rambsy many students are said. “In the comics right now. about cultural criticism of class, we discuss the “I got my unchanges over time to dergrad at Tougaloo African-American a culture.”

College in Mississip- literature and culture, Rambsy said pi, which is a [histoa good example of rically Black college/ and I finished my second this concept of thouniversity]. I went se changes is the to graduate school book a year or two ago.

Marvel character at Pennsylvania State My next thing is book Black Panther.

University, and then “We would be I came here to tea- three, and I’m trying to talking about comic ch African-American book Black Panther, literature,” Rambsy write it a bit slower than but that immediately said. “That was a long before.” leads into the movie time ago, in the fall character and how HOWARD RAMBSY of 2003.” movies and comics There were seve- English professor are focusing more ral Black authors that on diversity and it Rambsy said he frequently teaches in his becomes something larger,” Rambsy courses, including Toni Morrison, Colson said. “People have all sorts of knowledWhitehead, Tyehimba Jess and Ta-Nehisi ge about those cultures before the class, Coates. But Rambsy said he enjoys tea- which makes it interesting to see what ching his other courses too, which focus everyone has in the start.”

GABRIEL BRADY managing editor

| Photo by Howard Ash Rambsy said these less traditional formats lend themselves well to something he always wants to teach in his classes — how to informally discuss media in an informed way.

“In the process of becoming a Distinguished Research Professor, I had to write a few books and conduct some formal research. When you’re around your friends, talking about movies and streaming shows, that’s a different type of evaluation,” Rambsy said. “That’s something I like to teach about. I think we all watch movies and listen to music, so I try to assist students in being better equipped to have those informal conversations, but in an intelligent way.”

When not researching, discussing or teaching African-American literature, Rambsy also serves as the advisor to the Black Student Union at SIUE, which held a protest on Jan. 29.

“I work with the group a lot, and if you’ve been following the group, we’ve been working a lot this past week,” Rambsy said.”The organization has always been very active. I like to say that they’ve been better than active, they are responsive. They respond to what students on campus are concerned about and what they want done.”

Rambsy said he enjoys teaching and aiding the BSU, but sees more research in his future.

“I am known on campus for a lot of teaching, which is correct and good, but I’ve gotten this honor for the research and I want to focus on that more. I wrote about cultural criticism of African-American literature and culture, and I finished my second book a year or two ago,” Rambsy said. “My next thing is book three, and I’m trying to write it a bit slower than before.”

REVIEW: ‘The Legend of Vox Machina’ doesn’t know what it wants to be ALEX AULTMAN editor-in-chief

“The Legend of Vox Machina” is a fun show for fans, but has too many references for the newcomers to whom the team was trying to market.

“Critical Role” fans have been eagerly waiting for “The Legend of Vox Machina” since its Kickstarter campaign in 2019, which raised $11 million. It was originally set to be one animated special, but was turned into a 10-episode series due to the amount of support it received.

After it was announced that Amazon would be streaming the show through Prime Video, the company began a robust advertising campaign. The cast and fans would post pictures of the advertisements they saw while out and about, including in the NYC subway system. The ad placement made it seem like Amazon was trying to market the show to the general public as well as to fans.

After watching the first three episodes of the show that are currently available, I think the advertising strategy conflicts with the actual show. There are too many in-jokes about “Dungeons and Dragons” mechanics and “Critical Role” to work for such a wide audience. I think this disconnect is why they relied a little too much on fart jokes and “ball tag,” which is exactly what you think it is.

The show is a retelling of the first “Critical Role” campaign, which I’m not sure was the best choice. Sure, this campaign has the classic character archetypes that even those who don’t know much about “Dungeons and Dragons” know. However, it

| Image courtesy of Prime Video begins to become cringey in the second and third episodes, which may be affected by my preference for campaign two.

Scanlan Shorthalt (played by Sam Reigel, as in the Twitch stream) is your stereotypical horny bard who serenades ladies and starts shenanigans. His introduction, though trope-y, is done well and I have no problem with it, but his songs throughout the show are just grating and made me want to look away from the screen. They were intentionally bad in the livestream that the show is based on, but it does not transfer well to the animation.

This first campaign is just not suited for an animated series. It was the “Critical Role” cast’s first time making a story designed for both spectators and the players, which caused all sorts of pacing issues. Most people will tell you to skip the first 30 or so episodes of the stream to get to the Briarwood arc, which starts in episode three in the cartoon.

By condensing so much content into so few episodes, it creates weird tonal jumps and it’s clear that the writers didn’t know what to do with all six members of the adventuring party.

For example, Vox Machina suddenly goes from only being in it for the coin to trying to avenge a child slain by the monster they were hunting. The change from mercenaries to do-gooders is much more gradual and dynamic in the livestream.

Aside from those points, the show is fun and has an interesting mix of gore and comedy. The gore, along with the sardonic characters, reminded me a lot of the Netflix series “Castlevania.”

The rest of the episodes will be released weekly on Prime Video.

NEXT WEEK: TRIAL BY SOCIAL MEDIA HARMS THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL IN COURT

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Friday, 02.04.22

Cougar

Controversies ALEX AULTMAN Editor-in-Chief

Thin or Thick Burgers?

GABRIEL BRADY Managing Editor

EMILY STERZINGER Lifestyles Editor

55.6% BRANDON WELLS Sports Editor

Questions go up at 10 a.m. every Monday on Twitter: @TheAlestle

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DAMIAN MORRIS Opinion Editor

NICOLE BOYD Online Editor

JULIANNA BIRKEY ELIZABETH DONALD JANA HAMADE Copy Editors FRANCESCA BOSTON Reporter KIRSTEN O’LOUGHLIN Graphics Manager TAMMY MERRETT Program Director

JIHUN HAN CLAIR SOLLENBERGER Photographers CAMILO ZULUAGA-CAICEDO Advertising Manager UDIT NALUKALA Circulation Manager GWENDALYN ECKERTY AMINA SEHIC Office Clerks ANGIE TROUT Office Manager

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Clothes hold no moral standing, only fashion

THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

While clothes are often used to express oneself through fashion, clothes themselves hold no moral significance.

Recently, M&M has decided to revamp their characters, making the characters more inclusive. They have removed the typical high heels and go-go boots from the brown and green M&Ms, replaced with sneakers. This rebrand promoted a conversation around the fact that clothes are often used to display a person’s morals.

Clothes do not have moral standing. A person wearing a sweatshirt is not more virtuous than a person wearing a crop top. The clothes a person chooses to wear do not reflect their morality, it reflects their style and values. For many people, clothes are simply a way to express themselves and can be used to help fight gender dysphoria and

body issues.

Clothes can be a way to display a person’s values. A person who values sustainability and ethics may choose to buy only secondhand clothing, same as a person who values fashion may choose to keep up with current trends.

While values may be expressed through clothing, the pieces of fabric themselves have no moral value and should not be used to determine a person’s morals.

Clothing has a complicated and complex history. In Western culture, historically more “moral” women covered every inch of skin. When thoughts around women’s liberation began to change in the early 1900s, so did women’s fashion.

During World War 1, as women began to work in factories and on farms, skirts got shorter and corsets were exchanged for brassieres. Post World War I, when the fight for

women’s suffrage began to pick up steam, many suffragettes used their clothes to fight against the fashion industry, calling it “the acceptance of female oppression.”

Since then, women’s fashion has evolved into more modern styles, and clothing has transformed from a way to convey one’s morals to a way to express one’s sense of self.

While traditionally male clothing has not changed a significant amount in the past 100 years, it has seen a decrease in formality. Suits and jackets are reserved for more formal events or professions, rather than everyday wear. It is also important to acknowledge that men’s clothes, while policed, have been less of an indicator of a man’s morals compared to women’s.

Clothing can hold cultural, religious and personal importance, but the clothes a person wears shouldn’t be used to define their morals. Every person has their own definition of modesty,

but it doesn’t make one person immoral if they choose a more revealing piece of clothing any more than a conservative piece of clothing making someone a better person.

Clothing cannot hold a moral significance because clothing is simply a tool used by humans to express themselves, not a tool to decipher how moral a person is.

Changing the M&Ms shoes to be more “inclusive” ultimately is a meaningless act because high-heels do not convey a different morality than sneakers, they are simply shoes.

When a person attaches a moral standing to a piece of clothing, they are implying that a piece of fabric says more about the person wearing it than the piece of clothing itself. People who choose to dress modestly, either for religion or other personal reasons, aren’t inherently prudish, simply making a choice they feel comfortable with.

All SIUE students must provide proof of immunization against rubeola, rubella, mumps, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and meningitis, unless they have a medical exemption. I’m sure that the average student doesn’t know the ingredients of these vaccines or how they’re made, and yet they have them anyway. For those who like to parrot COVID19’s one percent fatality rate, the case fatality of mumps is 1.6-3.8 per 10,000.

Polio, diphtheria and chicken pox have become extremely rare in the United States thanks to routine vaccinations. This could be said for COVID-19, but sadly, the COVID-19 vaccine has become a political football. According to a recent survey, 21 percent of adults ages 18-29 say that they will never

get the vaccine. We are past the point of educating or convincing hesitant people.

I am in no way frustrated with those who cannot get the vaccine for medical reasons. I am incredibly frustrated with those who spread misinformation or abuse their personal freedoms despite putting others in danger. Your personal freedom is infringed upon because you are required to drive sober, abstain from smoking indoors and get other vaccines, in the name of public safety.

Perhaps the most infuriating anti-vaxxers are those who compare themselves to victims of the Holocaust because they have to do these things. Do you have to have a driver’s license to drive a car? Yes? Then don’t compare having to show a vaccination card to

get into a concert to being forced to wear a yellow star.

I do believe in medical freedom. For example, I believe someone diagnosed with cancer should have the right to refuse treatment.

But cancer isn’t contagious.

I understand that requiring the COVID-19 vaccine would generate controversy for SIUE, and they may lose students. However, SIUE needs to step up and keep its students safe. After three semesters of online school, I am thrilled to be back in person. I’d like to stay back, and do so safely.

Saint Louis University is strongly committed to staying in-person for the rest of the semester, but their vaccine requirement adds an extra layer of protection for students and faculty. SIUE should follow suit.

Vaccine requirements are not oppressive — and SIUE should have one for COVID-19 NICOLE BOYD online editor

At this point, just about everyone who wants to and is able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine has done so. It’s time for SIUE to step up and keep students safe.

Now that we’re fully back in-person learning, COVID-19 precautions are more important than ever. As of December 2021, 79.57 percent of the Edwardsville campus is fully vaccinated, compared to 80.43 percent of the East Saint Louis Center and 89.13 percent of the Alton campus. While these numbers are encouraging, schools including the University of Illinois, Saint Louis University and Washington University are requiring all students to be fully vaccinated. SIUE should, too.

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 Page 7

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Student athletes achieve record high GPAs FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter SIUE’s student athletes have earned the second-highest combined GPA in the program’s history. The average GPA was 3.436, which is 0.6 higher than the average GPA for Division 1 athletes.

SIUE tennis ended the 2021 fall semester with an average of 3.803, which is the second-highest GPA any program has earned in athletics history. Tennis Head Coach, Adam Albertsen, said finding driven, hardworking student-athletes during the recruitment process means he is able to trust his players to take care of their work and lean on the support system provided by the team and the athletics department.

“As a coach and [a part of the] athletic department, it really starts with the recruiting process. Finding the right fit not only from an athletic side on the tennis court, but to an academic side of what they’re interested in, how motivated they are, work ethic, and all of that to see if it’s the right fit for our team and program,” Albertsen said.

Albersten’s sentiments were echoed by golf’s head coach Derrick Brown. Brown said as much as he looks for athletic ability, he also looks for a strong academic student when recruiting players.

“Someone who is better academically prepared to come into college is going to be more prepared to be able to handle athletics and academics at the same time. So it starts there,” Brown said. “[Students] have to be able to do their work on the road and trust that they are asking questions if they need it so they’re not getting behind.”

Golf has an average GPA of 3.709, which is the highest GPA the program has seen in over 10 years. The national average for male D1 athletes is 2.84. Brown said he is very impressed with his players and it is one of, if not the highest GPA he has seen as a head coach.

“We have a pretty good group right now and that showed in a 3.7 [GPA]. That was the highest we’ve ever been before. We’ve been above 3.5, the

NEXT WEEK: GET TO KNOW THE WOMEN’S TENNIS COACH

last three or four semesters, but this one was extra special, 3.7 is pretty, pretty high. I was definitely pretty proud of the guys,” Brown said.

Women’s Basketball Head Coach Samantha Smith said she emphasizes the importance of being a student first, then an athlete, to her team often. She said while the coaching staff is mostly new and working with a veteran team, thinking about the future is very important for them.

“We talk to our women a lot about how this is bigger than basketball, that there’s life after basketball, that the ball is going to stop bouncing someday,” Smith said. “We talked about goals a lot and their futures and where they want to be five years from now. Having those conversations, they’re real and honest.”

Smith said the support from the Athletics Academic Support and the professors allows the athletes to excel in their studies.

“We have some great faculty athletic reps that are involved with our programs and athletic teams. You have 18 individuals and not everyone’s going to be perfect and lead in the classroom,” Smith said. “Our faculty athletic reps reach out and say, ‘Okay, so and so needs to get into some tutoring.’ We have that support, from the academic side of things and the professor side of things, which really helps.”

Albertsen said professors and teaching assistants showing up to their student’s games is one of the greatest things he can see as a coach. He believes it says a lot about students who are able to make connections in the classroom, who put in the work in academics and in return their professors support them on the court.

“The greatest thing is seeing some of the professors come out to matches because they built kind of that relationship or gotten to know a certain student athlete. When professors start coming to our matches and becoming fans because of just the relationships they build in the classroom. That’s really really special. And I think that says a lot about the students too,” Albertsen said.

BASEBALL, MEN

Friday, 02.04.22

3.432

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL, MEN

3.074

BASKETBALL, WOMEN

3.286

TRACK/FIELD, MEN

3.256

TRACK/FIELD, WOMEN

3.342

X-COUNTRY, MEN

3.075

The Cougars lost against Austin Peay in an intense bout, losing by five points with the final score at 68-63. Two players stood out during this game, with graduate student Shaun Doss Jr. of Marion, Arkansas, leading the team with 18 points. Redshirt freshman Deejuan Pruitt of Sacramento, California, was not far behind, scoring 17 points by the end of the game. This loss leaves SIUE’s standing at 7-15 this season.

OVERALL OVC

SIUE Murray State UT Martin Belmont Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri Austin Peay Eastern Illinois Morehead State Tennessee State

9-12 15-6 5-14 11-7 13-7 5-16 13-6 11-10 1-19 11-10

MEN’S BASKETBALL

OVERALL OVC

SIUE Belmont Austin Peay Southeast Missouri Tennessee Tech UT Martin Morehead State Tennessee State Eastern Illinois Murray State

7-15 17-5 7-11 9-12 5-16 7-15 17-6 9-13 4-17 20-2

VOLLEYBALL

OVERALL OVC

X-COUNTRY, WOMEN

3.453

SOCCER, MEN

3.555

SOCCER, WOMEN

3.646

SOFTBALL, WOMEN

3.596

TENNIS, WOMEN

3.803

VOLLEYBALL, WOMEN

3.628

WRESTLING, MEN GOLF, MEN

3.101 3.709

Each athletic team had an average above 3.0 for their GPAs, but Women’s Tennis and Men’s Golf achieved the highest GPAs at 3.8 for tennis and 3.7 for golf. | Kirsten O’Loughlin / The Alestle

week in review MEN’S BASKETBALL

SIUE STANDINGS

SOFTBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

SIUE Women’s Basketball suffered a loss at the hands of Eastern Illinois University in their game on Jan. 31, ending the game with a 8965 score. Scoring the most points, junior Ajulu Thatha of Indianapolis, led the team with a score of 15 points by the end of the game. The second leader in points was senior Mikia Keith of Indianapolis. This leaves SIUE at a standing of 9-12 this season.

Morehead State Murray State Belmont Austin Peay SIUE UT Martin Eastern Illinois Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri Tennessee State

20-11 18-12 9-20 21-12 6-23 15-17 11-18 16-14 25-8 10-17

All stats are from the OVC

UPCOMING Track and field at SIU Carbondale Feb. 5 Wrestling at George Mason 3:30 p.m. and vs.

Clarion 5 p.m., Feb. 5 Women’s Basketball vs. Murray State 5 p.m., Feb. 5 Men’s Basketball vs. Murray State 7 p.m., Feb. 5 Women’s Tennis at SIUE vs. Western Illinois 9 a.m., Feb. 6 Men’s Basketball at SIUE vs. Southeast Missouri 7:30 p.m., Feb. 7

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Friday, 02.04.22

Students, faculty and alumni gather in the Goshen Lounge to express their concerns with how SIUE handles racist incidents and the treatment of Black students. | Alex Aultman / The Alestle

BLACK STUDENT UNION PROTESTS HANDLING OF RACIST INCIDENTS The Black Student Union Hook experienced. organized a protest last Friday Once Van Hook had the over the investigation into racial bullhorn, he said it would be slurs and threats in Woodland beneficial if the protest was to Hall. move locations.

About 70 “ H o n e s t l y, people were being right here, present, with the we’re wasting crowd growing time. We need to over time. go see [Randy] Leaders of Pembrook, the the group spoke chancellor,” Van into a bullhorn Hook said. at the center, The group calling for the moved to Rendexpulsion of the leman Hall, and accused student spoke with Pemand for stronbrook. ger protections According to against racism Pembrook, furat SIUE. Soph- DASHAUN EMERSON ther meetings beomore con- senior engineering major of tween the group struction ma- Belleville, Illinois and the Chanceljor Arluan Van lor’s office will be Hook, of St. organized.

Louis, was one of the students The administration will present and spoke on a previous host a town hall about the ininvestigation the university car- cidents at noon on Friday, Feb. ried out regarding a racist and 4, on Zoom. The meeting link homophobic hazing which Van was sent through SIUE email.

“What happens if I have kids that are Black, and they want to come to SIUE, and I have to tell them these stories?

Sophomore Noah Phillips speaks at the protest about how change needs to be made on campus. | Clair Sollenberger \ The Alestle

Sophomore construction major Arluan Van Hook, of St. Louis, leads protesters to Rendleman Hall to bring their concerns to the chancellor.

| Alex Aultman / The Alestle