The Alestle, Vol. 76, No. 23

FRANCESCA BOSTON lifestyles editor

With the student government election next week, presidential candidates and their vice presidential candidates are on the campaign trail.

Ugo Eleonu and Jared Jess are running together for president and vice president, with the slogan “Ready to Serve.” The pair said their experience both in and out of student government are their greatest strengths.

“We are ready to serve. We are older students that have had a little more experience and we can bring things to the table that others may not be able to. And the good thing is, we are ready to serve and share that knowledge,” Jess said.

Elenou, a junior mechatronics and robotic major, is running as president after serving in various capacities on student government for the past two years. He has served as a senator and an executive member, and is currently serving as the financial officer. He said he is running because he believes that student government is a fundamental part of the school that is often underlooked and he has the ability to make a difference in the school.

“There’s a lot I have to offer based on the previous work I have done with student government, I feel there’s still much more work that needs to be done. I think it’s time for me to take up a more decisive role, that can give me the opportunity to make much more impact,” Eleonu said.

Eleonu said one of their main platforms is trying to bridge the disconnect between students and

the faculty. He said that eliminating some of the dissociations between the administration and students, especially concerning larger changes would help improve the student life, and will improve the overall experience of students.

“We want to be able to communicate, with both faculty and students, to improve student life, because we have a lot of problems as students that we go through that actually contributes to the problems that the faculty complain about,” Eleonu said.

Jess, a senior mechatronics and robotics major who will be attending graduate school to pursue a master’s in mechanical engineering, is running as vice president. He said one of his biggest motivators to run is his belief that a true leader shares knowledge, and prepares others to take leadership positions. Jess said that as a non-traditional student with more life experiences than most students, there are strengths he is ready to use to help students.

“[We can be] the connector between the younger students

and the older faculty. Having some leaders that are closer to the faculty life range, and just able to branch that gap a little easier,” Jess said. “[Seeing] what the faculty is seeing better, so we can then discern that information, and pass it down to the students in the most effective and best way.”

Eleonu said that implementing and seeing the new constitutional changes through would be a top priority for the team. The constitutional changes include amendments to add new senators based on representation for various groups, rather than by school only.

“We feel that we’re in the right position to actually move forward with [the changes] because these new positions are going to be chosen for the next academic year. [They are] new positions, there is no handover file, so it will take a lot of dedication to be able to direct these individuals on the right path so that they can actually achieve the goals that we intended for making those positions,” Eleonu said.

Kenzie Richards and Juan

Pizano are running together as president and vice president, running with a goal to increase support for student organization and transparency between administration and students.

Richards, a junior psychology major, is running for president. She currently serves as external affairs officer for student government and said that her experience in that position drives her passion for supporting student involvement on campus. She said that this is greater than supporting student clubs and organizations through financial funding but encouraging them as well.

“I want to make sure that student government not only gives these resources, but is supporting them as they go along, so making sure that we are marketing to other organizations, something that’s like, ‘Let’s go support each other,’” Richards said.

Richards said that increasing transparency between students and administration is incredibly important to them. She said that students can often feel blindsided by information or not feel like they know what is actually going on, other than information spread by word of mouth.

“We are the ones who are paying to be here right? We are what makes up this university. If you didn’t have students here, you wouldn’t have a university. So making sure that students are being communicated the things that they need to know, whether that be a weekly newsletter, a monthly newsletter that just makes sure the students have the information they deserve to have,” Richards said.

Juan Pizano, a freshman undeclared major, currently serves as the freshman senator. He said because he is still fairly new to student government, he is able to have a fresh take on what it means to be part of student government, which will be important when introducing the new senators who will be coming into brand-new positions as part of the amendments to the constitution.

“I remember joining and feeling like the introduction to student government wasn’t as well as I would have hoped it to be, so making sure that the new elected senators for those new positions on Student Government, have the support and know what student government is about and know what they’re sort of expected to do,” Pizano said.

Pizano said he knows he may not have every answer, but by working together with other people, he hopes to be able to support senators and other students. Both Richards and Pizano said that they are running hoping to see change on campus and to make an impact while continuing the work that this year’s student government has started.

“I just really enjoy having an impact on campus, but also being a part of change on campus. Enacting our constitutional change was really awesome because I just love having more of a diverse view, and just more experiences that can contribute to the conversation that we have going forward,” Richards said.

Online voting will open at 7 a.m. on March 28 and close at 7 p.m. March 29. Walk-up voting will take place both days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Ukrainian student shares exhibit to commemorate invasion of Ukraine

NICOLE BOYD opinion editor Russian invasion of Ukraine, or I thought that maybe for here it might be too political, so I just decided to do it like this,” Baruda said.

“Unissued Diplomas” is an international exhibit honoring the stories of Ukrainian students who did not graduate as the result of the Russian war in Ukraine. A Ukrainian student decided to bring the exhibit to SIUE in her own way.

Lisa Baruda, a junior journalism major from Odesa, Ukraine, said she wanted to share work from the exhibit at SIUE to draw attention to the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She said she chose to use posters with QR codes to the exhibit’s website where people can read the students’ stories themselves.

“Here at SIUE, a lot of people, they are not really comfortable with talking about the

Baruda said when she originally put posters up, they were taken down by the next day. Although she said it made her sad, she put them up again because as the only Ukrainian international student at SIUE, she feels it’s important to speak up.

“All I wanted was just to draw attention to [the war], because unfortunately here at SIUE I didn’t notice much attention and support,” Baruda said.

Baruda said she hoped to educate SIUE students about what’s happening in Ukraine with attention-grabbing posters with two phrases, the first being something

American students can relate to, and the second show ing the impact of the war.

“One of the posters said, ‘He dreamed about joining a fraternity,’ and the sec ond phrase was, ‘But he joined a battalion instead,’” Baruda said.

“I really wanted to create this thought in our students like, ‘What do you mean, battalion?’ or ‘What do you mean, war?’”

Olga Bezhanova, chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, helped Baruda with getting approval to hang the posters outside the Foreign Language Department. Bezhanova said the organization

the posters so that every university has the same kind of exhibit.

“People have a shared experience of this event, and I think that’s very good that SIUE is doing something that’s geared toward marking the anniversary,”

Bezhanova said.

Bezhanova, who is from Ukraine, said she had to prepare herself emotionally to see the posters. She said it’s still very hard and she follows the events in Ukraine on the news all day, which is how people who are from Ukraine are living on a day-to-day basis.

“It was an emotionally very fraught and touching moment, and I’m very glad that this was done. It was a student initiative, I just facilitated,” Bezhanova said.

To view the unissued diplomas and the stories of the Ukrainian students they honor, visit the exhibit’s website, unissueddiplomas.org.

“

We are ready to serve. We are older students that have had a little more experience and we can bring things to the table that others may not be able to. And the good thing is, we are ready to serve and share that knowledge.”

Jared Jess, Vice President Candidate

03.03.23

Five offensive stickers were found in Cougar Village. All were removed and BIRT has been notified.

03.04.23

An unleashed dog was reportedly chasing people. The dog’s owner was able to regain control of it. There were no injuries.

An offensive sticker was found on an exterior junction box in Cougar Village. The sticker was removed and BIRT was notified.

03.05.23

An unleashed dog was reported near a playground. The dog and its owner were gone when the officer arrived.

03.12.23

A hit and run was reported in Parking Lot 5F.

03.14.23

A small electrical fire in the main elevator in Peck Hall caused the fire alarm to be activated and the building to be evacuated. There were no injuries but the elevator remains out of order.

03.15.23

A woman in her vehicle in Parking Lot 4A was approached by a man who asked her to exit her vehicle. She did not exit the vehicle and the man left. An e-Lert was sent to campus

Freshman student Juan Pizano is running for Vice President with campaign partner Kenzie Richards.

| Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

Freshman Lucia Knapp discusses her campaign goals at the Student Government debates held Wednesday morning in the Goshen Lounge located in the MUC.

| Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

Phenomenal Wom*n make strides in harassment research and other topics

DYLAN HEMBROUGH reporter

Every year for Women’s History Month at SIUE, a few lucky women are awarded in the Phenomenal Wom*n Awards, a luncheon in which women who have been nominated by colleagues for selfless actions are recognized and awarded for said accomplishments.

Candi Johnson works as a program coordinator for the STEM center and has been nominated before for this award.

“It’s an award that is given to women of the university that have a positive contribution to our community, so colleagues across campus can nominate women that they think are deserving of the award,” Johnson said. “A lot of them have done something to support a specific group in the community, for instance, a marginalized group that could use extra support or resources, so it’s honoring the work that they do outside of themselves to contribute to the community.”

Johnson said she was equal parts surprised and honored when she was asked to be the keynote speaker for this year’s Phenomenal Wom*n Awards. In her speech, Johnson said she plans to touch on the historical trend that women are supposed to be quiet and reserved.

“Women are traditionally

encouraged to be modest and polite and quiet, and not really allow ourselves to openly be proud of our accomplishments,” Johnson said. “Sometimes that’s seen as selfish or conceited, so I would really like to celebrate the fact that we are celebrating women. It’s okay to be proud of what we do and to share that with each other, and just to celebrate all of our accomplishments and accolades.”

Johnson said that, coincidentally, she also nominated her coworker, Carol Colaninno. Colaninno is a research associate professor with the STEM center.

“Carol is one of the hardest workers I know,” Johnson said. “She’s had family matters to deal with over the past year, so [she] balances that and still directs so many of our projects, and [she’s] such a pleasant person to be around too … what would we do without her?”

Colaninno said her nomination was likely due to her research on women in the scientific field.

“It felt great to be recognized for a lot of the work that I do,” Colaninno said. “My research focuses primarily on women and harassment they experience doing scientific research, so it’s nice to have that recognition that I’m doing something significant that contributes to promoting spaces where women are included.”

Colaninno also said the awards were a great way for other women in the SIU system to hear about and be in-

spired by the work of these great women.

“Hearing those stories is always inspiring and lets other people know that we’re not alone in trying to make a workspace that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion,” Colaninno said.

Colaninno said much of the harassment women experience in academic settings is tied to barriers that prevent women from excelling in their talents.

“Our student evaluations tend to be lower, because students evaluate us lower than our male counterparts, and those evaluations go into our promotions,” Colaninno said. “Some students have an implicit bias they’re probably completely unaware of … they just don’t perceive that a woman should be teaching those things.”

Emily Milano, president of the disability awareness group New Horizons, said she was asked to read off some of the nominations this year.

“As I was reading through these nominations … we’re really seeing how much these women mean for campus and how much of a difference they’re making,” Milano said. “And a lot of times, these people aren’t doing these things for recognition … we definitely think that it’s worth recognizing these women for these amazing things they’re doing on campus, because they are really doing amazing things.”

Milano, who also works for

the Inclusive Excellence, Education and Development Hub, also said this event serves both to recognize the accomplishments of women in the SIU system, as well as to inspire others to affect positive change in their communities.

“I’m just astounded by how many awesome people we have on campus and that we’re giving them the opportunity to be recognized for their actions,” Milano said. “It’s inspiring to be able to say, ‘This person did this, this and this,’ so I can do that too.”

Johnson said that, though women have made monumen-

tal strides in terms of achieving equality, there is still a lot of work to be done, especially in university environments.

“I guess all I could add is I really appreciate this event, because even though our culture and society has had so much progress with equalizing and recognizing diversity and being inclusive, it is still difficult to be a woman in a university setting,” Johnson said. “[There are] still a lot of statistics against us. Women really do need to be encouraged and uplifted [and] protect our mental health and self-esteem along the way.”

Holly’s House of Hope clients shine in ‘An Evening of Hope Gala’ fashion show

CAMELA SHARP

reporter

Local nonprofit Holly’s House of Hope worked with professor Sarah VanSlette’s applied communications senior class for a fundraiser that took place on March 18th at the Fox Creek Golf Course in Edwardsville.

Holly’s House of Hope was a non-profit organization founded by Tammy and Eric Wrobbel. Valerie Furlong, senior, said that the focus of this event was to network with other businesses to get more job opportunities for their clients who are special needs adults.

“It’s basically to promote Holly’s House of Hope and their mission and to promote networking with local businesses for them, since their clients can have apprenticeships working with them,” Furlong said.

Makenna Grohmann, senior applied communication studies major, said that networking at this event was important for trying to give the young adults of Holly’s House of Hope more opportunities to be hired for the jobs they want.

“Their clients are special needs young adults,” Grohmann said. “Early 20s typically. And they’re all out of high school, so they don’t have the same resources that

you get whenever you’re in public school. So they are reaching out to local businesses, asking if they would be willing to hire those kids, and they do the work at this consignment shop and build those skills, in order to work at a place that they want to work at.”

At the event, the main focus was the fashion show, where the models were all Holly’s House of Hope clients. Furlong said that the models picked out their own outfits.

“So the main event in the event is the fashion show and so the clients will be walking,” Furlong said. “They picked out their outfits since it’s a consignment shop it’s thrifted formal. It doesn’t have to be formal. Whatever they feel comfortable in, they picked. And the ‘Without Limits Dance Company,’ which Holly is a member of, will also be walking as models.”

Furlong said the intended guests were the local businesses that could provide apprenticeships, the community, and anyone wanting to better understand the mission of Holly’s House of Hope.

“We invited the general public,” Furlong said. “So just whoever would like to learn about a Holly’s House of Hope’s mission and again. With the apprenticeships, anybody that would be interested in providing that.”

Eric Wrobbel said that Holly’s House of Hope has a lot of supporters through different establishments like banks and churches.

“Bradford Bank has been very supportive,” Wrobbel said. “Highland is a nice tight-knit community and we are part of the Chamber of Commerce, so we get a lot of support from Highland Chamber members and stuff. Some of the local churches, too. I know quite a few people from the church are coming.”

Guests were just expected to bring themselves and money to donate.

Wrobbel said that since their 5k fundraising event last year, they chose to go in another direction that they figured was better for the clients.

“Last year we did a 5K,” Wrobbel said. “This is only the third year that we’ve been in existence. My hope is that going forward we do this again and I think as a group we all think that the gala is a great idea and we hope that we can succeed and replicate this one going forward. The 5K was successful, but our clients are not a group that are really all about running. We wanted something that our clients could participate in more directly and so the team here came up with this idea of a fashion show because we run a clothing store.”

Furlong said that the raffle would be online, so everyone didn’t need to show

up in person. They could just participate in the raffle.

“It’s on Rally Up and it has donated items from all around,” Furlong said. “There’s a grill from Lowe’s, there’s a lot of things… On the Rally Up site, you don’t have to be present to win any of those items, so you can buy entries for things on the raffle. You don’t have to be at the event to win. There is a link to donate on the Rally Up site, and you can also go to the Holly’s House of Hope website to donate and on the EventBrite.”

Wrobbel said that this event is one of many that are relatable to other senior projects.

“This is one of a number of similar kinds of senior project classes going on right now,” Wrobbel said. “I’m just very lucky that a group chose us so it just happened to work out that since I’m connected to the university but we work with lots of other groups in the community and have been doing this for years and it’s always a great way for our students to kind of show off what they’re good at. The whole point of the senior project is to give students a chance to kind of pull everything that they’ve learned together and actually do something tangible with it.”

For more information, visit the Holly’s House of Hope website.

With the cold weather staying past its welcome, The Alestle staff took it upon themselves to find the best bowl of delicious carbs and cheese. Finding the best bowl of pasta is no easy task, but following a few simple guidelines of taste, appearance and price we rated seven local restaurants, from lower priced one in Edwardsville to some fancier ones on The Hill in St. Louis.

I Rating Graphics and Header by Thea Weltzin

Peel Wood Fired Pizza’s wagyu pasta is pretty pristine

BRUCE DARNELL sports editor

With good taste and a reasonable price for the amount of food, their pasta is definitely worth a try.

The last time I went to Peel Wood Fired Pizza in Edwardsville, I had wild mushroom soup, which was not at all worth getting for any reason.

The atmosphere of the building was still as cold as it was last time, though, since I came later in the evening, there were more people in the restaurant, which

made the environment seem more lively.

This time, I got wagyu bolognese pasta, which was served in a giant bowl. It also came with two pieces of long triangle bread with cheese on top, although this didn’t add much to the meal for me and I ended up only eating one of them. The sauce, meat and noodles were great. The appearance was appealing, too. The price was a bit expensive for just one item, but the portion size made it worthwhile. In all, if you go to Peel for anything other than pizza, getting their pasta is certainly not a bad alternative.

Sugo’s Spaghetteria is perfect for broke college students

CHLOE WOLFE photographer

Sugo’s offers cheap pasta with the vibes of an expensive restaurant.

Every time I’ve been to Sugo’s the service has been excellent and efficient.

As soon as you walk in the door, you are seated. Each table gets free water and bread to go along with your meal.

The lighting in the restaurant is dim and candles are on all of the tables, setting a great ambiance for the restaurant.

For my meal, I ordered a half order of chicken fettuccine alfredo which only cost me $9.75. I don’t usually eat a lot, so it was enough to take home leftovers. The pasta was delicious, just not the best I’ve ever had. I feel like there’s not much you can do with cheese and pasta, but I still enjoy it.

From the time I ordered my food to when it was placed in front of me, I only waited about 10 minutes.

Sugo’s is one of my favorite restaurants in Edwardsville and the perfect place for a dinner with friends or a date night.

Santino’s pasta had good flavor, but texture was not there

EMILY STERZINGER

editor-in-chief

I wasn’t expecting much entering Santino’s in Alton, and that’s exactly what I got: not much.

I’m not referring to the portion sizes, which were reasonable for an average Italian restaurant in the U.S. Instead, I was unimpressed with the overall quality of the food.

I ordered Santino’s Linguine. It didn’t look bad, as an average plate of linguine with a nice little garnish around it.

To start with the positives, I liked the flavor of the dish generally. The sausage and bell peppers I particularly enjoyed. The former was rich and well-seasoned and the latter had a nice, fresh taste to it.

However, the texture of the dish wasn’t great, bordering on unpleasant at times. For starters, the oil-based sauce was very watery. The red peppers, though flavorful, had a odd mushy texture, as if they had been kept suspended in liquid for just a little too long.

Overall, it was okay, but I doubt I’m going back.

I Emily Sterzinger/ The Alestle

I Bruce Darnell / The Alestle

I Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

Bella Milano presents lasagna in a sea of cheesy goodness

DYLAN HEMBROUGH reporter

I gained a taste for lasagna fairly recently, but I fell in love with it instantly. I’ve since become an amateur connoisseur of this beefy dish, so when we chose pasta for this edition of Metro East Eats, I couldn’t help but order lasagna.

Walking into Bella Milano presented a stark, yet refreshing, contrast with the cold, windy air outside. The restaurant was spacious but maintained an aura of warmth and coziness with the soft lighting distributed around the inside. I had excellent service as well.

The lasagna itself was unique, as far

as my prior experience with lasagna goes. It was served in a pan, almost fully submerged in warm, liquid cheese. It wasn’t a typical lasagna in terms of structure, either – the layers were almost nowhere to be found. This made eating the lasagna almost like a treasure hunt, dipping my fork below the cheesy surface to find the pasta beneath.

All this said, Bella Milano’s lasagna was overall a fun, classy experience. The only real downside was the pricing. $17 for a lasagna is a bit steep, especially considering that I’ve had cheaper lasagna elsewhere of similar quality. Regardless, Bella Milano supplied me with another fond memory and another positive lasagna encounter.

Zia’s Restaurant is the Walgreens of the pasta industry

THEA WELTZIN illustrator

While described as being “on the corner of happy and healthy”, operating on a corner is the only thing Walgreen’s slogan has in common with Zia’s.

Inside, Zia’s has a welcoming atmosphere. Furnished with faux at-home appliances, the restaurant is seemingly attempting to replicate the feeling of grandma’s kitchen. However, these homey add-ons did little to the atmosphere, the restaurant still very much felt like a chain with the mismatched ceiling fan and skylight combo. Apart from the strange vibes, the seat-

ing area had, the food was overall decent.

I ordered the Cannelloni and was pleased to receive literal loaves of dipping bread, as my main dish was incredibly saucy. The combination of white and red sauce was better than the pork noodles themselves, with a light savory taste that complimented their bread wonderfully. The noodles were filled with grainy meat that did not taste similar to the sauce in any aspect, though the sauce made up most of the meal. Garnished with a layer of unappealing cheese, this dish was not worth the $19 I spent on it. For the price you’re paying at Zia’s, I would recommend trying another one of their dishes besides pasta.

Ravanelli’s vibe and flavor make a great dining experience

JANA HAMADE copy editor

The Italian Steakhouse and Wine Bar located in Collinsville, Illinois, presented us with a warm, rustic interior that featured a wide variety of wines, and even huge Italian cakes on display. The restaurant is extremely spacious and includes a bar which is separate from the large seating area.

Our service was excellent and extremely quick, and the menu had a large selection to choose from. I ordered the rigatoni pasta that was also offered to me baked with added cheese, which I did not opt for. We missed the lunch menu by a couple of minutes, unknowingly, which included several menu items for a lower price.

To our pleasant surprise, each main course is also served with a house salad and your choice of dressing, as well as a soup of your choosing. The salad was generous and filling, and the tortellini soup was delicious. The pasta itself used the same sauce as the marinara paired with our garlic bread appetizer, which was slightly too thick and sweet for the pasta in this case. The pasta was cooked well, but I did find myself having to add lots of salt and pepper to balance the flavors out.

Everything waiters brought out also looked delicious, and the person I was eating with chose a sandwich and fries which they enjoyed. Overall, Ravanelli’s tastes like home-cooked food at a good price, as well as great atmosphere and service.

Cleveland Heath takes mac and cheese to a new level

AUDREY O’RENIC copy editor

Located in downtown Edwardsville, Cleveland Heath offers a warm and casual atmosphere with upscale dishes and excellent staff. The restaurant is known for its locally sourced ingredients and seasonally based menu.

The staff were quick and friendly, and even suggested their favorites on the menu — but I already knew what I wanted.

I ordered a side of macaroni and cheese which consisted of a warm blend of sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese on top

of classic macaroni pasta. There were also bread crumbs generously sprinkled on top which added a nice crunch in comparison to the creamy cheese.

Cleveland Heath’s menu changes seasonally so the dishes offered changed based on what is in season, and in the past the restaurant has served other pasta dishes.

Although an $8 plate of macaroni and cheese may seem expensive for a side, the dish comes with plenty for a quick lunch.

However, despite the macaroni and cheese’s delicious taste, it did not wow me enough to choose it over a more affordable grocery store option.

I Jana Hamade / The Alestle

I Audrey O’Renic / The Alestle

I Dylan Hembrough / The Alestle

I Thea Weltzin / The Alestle

EMILY STERZINGER Editor-in-Chief

alestlelive.com

Cougar Controversies

Did you see our mental health issue?

67%

33%

yes! no!

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

Does anyone know SIUE’S active shooter procedure?

KIRSTEN O’LOUGHLIN Graphics Manager

ELIZABETH

DONALD JANA HAMADE

AUDREY O’RENIC

WILLIAM BANKS

TAMMY MERRETT Program Director

UDIT NALUKALA Circulation Manager

HAVE A COMMENT?

Editor’s Note: This article includes discussion of active shooters on campus.

DYLAN HEMBROUGH CAMELA SHARP Reporters

WINTER RACINE CHLOE WOLFE Photographers

THEA WELTZIN Illustrator

Let us know! opinion@alestlelive.com

Campus Box 1167 Edwardsville, IL. 62026-1167

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY:

The editors, staff and publishers of The Alestle believe in the free exchange of ideas, concerns and opinions and will publish as many letters as possible. Letters may be submitted at The Alestle office: Morris University Center, Room 0311

e-mail: opinion@alestlelive.com

All hard copy letters should be typed and double-spaced. Letters should be no longer than 500 words. Include phone number, signature, class rank and major.

We reserve the right to edit letter for grammar and content. Care will be taken to ensure that the letter’s message is not lost or altered.

Letters to the editor will not be printed anonymously except under extreme circumstances. We reserve the right to reject letters.

The shooting last month at Michigan State University is a reminder that when shootings happen on campuses, having procedures and plans ready is paramount.

Of the 12 shootings there have been at American college campuses, eight of them were in the last 15 years. Last month was the most recent one, at Michigan State University. As the shooting unfolded, Michigan State administration sent an emergency alert out to students telling them to “run, hide, fight.”

While this message was well-intentioned, the need to fight is not any students’ responsibility. Furthermore, telling students to run and hide is the correct message, but incredibly reckless and frantic.

After the shooting, which

killed three students and injured four, Michigan State went to emergency operations for two days. Although it is necessary to eventually return to a normal schedule after a traumatic event, returning to a normal schedule on Thursday after a shooting on Monday is incredibly fast.

The response to any act of gun violence, on or off campus, is often to increase gun control. Although this response would decrease the number of guns legally owned, it does not address illegal purchases. Additionally, gun control is a famously difficult topic to discuss and is rarely passed.

Although gun reform may be a solution, it is not within SIUE’s power to create it. What SIUE can do is make resources about what to do in the case of a shooting more readily available and advertised.

On the SIUE Police Department’s website, the procedures for SIUE during an active shooting are listed. Among the warn-

letter to the editor

TERRY CLARK office support associate

I’ve been a staff member here at SIUE for over 2 years now. I haven’t stayed because the job pays well, or because of the great benefits, but because of the opportunity to help students going through college. But anyone who has worked someplace for a time quickly begins to notice the issues that are most prevalent, and the university has many that threaten the future of SIUE as a whole.

is available every other Wednesday during summer semesters.

For more information, call 618-650-3528. For advertising, email advertising@alestlelive.com.

While students continue to navigate the challenges of the growing world, from surviving classes to taking on debt to pay for college, the faculty and staff of the university are constantly finding themselves at odds with the actions of the administration that they report to. Just recently,

ings about how to secure a room and to find safety, SIUE does one thing that the Michigan State warning does not — it does not tell students to fight. SIUE does list what to do in the case of an active shooter in a room with you, and it does ask students to try to distract, confuse or frighten shooters by throwing items and making noise. Despite the possible negative outcome of making your presence known to an active shooter in a room with you, it is better than telling students to fight.

This is a very grim topic to be addressed, but it has to be to reduce the intensity of the possible tragedy if the worst should happen. SIUE should make sure these resources are known by the SIUE community. It is a dark issue to have to discuss, but societally, it is safer to spread this knowledge and make sure we all know what to do in the situation than to not.

Making these resources available is only half the battle, however. It is important to make sure that the campus is aware when there’s an emergency. There was a small electrical fire in Peck Hall last week, which activated the fire alarm. Several classes in the MUC, including some with Alestle staff members, remained in their classrooms for an extended period, assuming the fire alarm was a test or a malfunction. There were no injuries, but it stands as a reminder to always err on the side of caution. If tragedies like the one at Michigan State University and other colleges were to strike SIUE, the SIUE community would also need more time to grieve than Michigan State was given. Returning to full campus operations the same week there was a shooting on campus does not give anyone enough time to process. If something were to happen, hopefully SIUE would be more understanding.

SIUE focusing on image, not students

steps were taken to consolidate all email inquiries to a singular office, rather than the schools themselves, which has created concerns that many students will fall through the cracks due to lack of competent response time for questions. Similarly, the online catalogue of programs and courses was updated with a new look and navigation scheme. Unfortunately, the site has now become a nightmare to navigate and some of the links and information are either outdated or mislabeled. In the School of Nursing alone, all profile links for our undergraduate programs direct people to a single program, rather than their respective sites. Also, the link for our undergraduate applications for the programs have been removed, thus leaving our team at a loss for how prospective students will have to

apply online.

These are just a couple of the issues that seem to stem from a larger problem that the university faces. The administration is in an unorganized tailspin to try and update the image of SIUE, without putting thought into what the ramifications of these decisions are. Most of these acts are spurred on by financial hardships and “less than ideal” enrollment numbers. Rather than shifting into a crisis mode and planning a sustainable initiative to address these issues, it appears that their is more concern for perception, such as the large rebranding campaign that is being advocated for. Meanwhile, services are being dissolved, workers are concerned about issues such as lack of retention and burnout, and fees for students

are increasing.

What is worse is that, in my few years of working here at SIUE, I have come to the conclusion that directly appealing to those in charge does little to address the issues. I have made my concerns known to individual administrators before, and they have been brushed off or forgotten.

This is why I wanted to appeal to any students or employees that have noticed similar troubles in the university: Please do not let these things go unmentioned. Deep down, we all want SIUE to be a place where students can prepare themselves for the future. But at the rate things are going, that desire to facilitate knowledge and understanding may be in serious jeopardy.

NICOLE BOYD Online/Opinion Editor

GABRIEL BRADY Managing Editor

BRUCE DARNELL Sports Editor

Copy Editors

AMINA SEHIC Offi ce Clerk

ANGIE TROUT Offi ce Manager

FRANCESCA BOSTON Lifestyles Editor

ALESTLE CLASSIFIEDS GIVE YOU MORE

Place your classified ad at a convenient time for you using our easy and secure online interface: alestlelive.com/classifieds

HELP WANTED

Person with laptop computer to set up a Go-Fund me, online photos and sales of autos, motorcycles, etc. No drug check; smoking ok. $12.50/ hr starting, flexible hours, will work on your schedule, in Granite City.

Call Bob: (618) 797-9375

FOR SALE

1998 Lincoln Town Car, 72,000 original miles, $4200.

Call Bob: (618) 797-9375

Part-time Babysitter for 12-year-old. Some evenings and / or weekends. Near campus. Send resume and cover letter to BJT.1915@yahoo.com

HELP WANTED

Seasonal Part -Time Public Works Laborer

The Village of Glen Carbon is now accepting applications for seasonal part-time positions within the Public Works Department. Job duties including mowing grass, weed eating, cleaning park restrooms and trash duty. Applicant must be able to work 40 hours per week. The hours are guaranteed until the job ends in September. Resumes must include employment history, job-related skills, 3 professional references and education. Or, you can pick up an application from Village clerk’s office between hours of 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Applicants must be at least 17 years of age to apply for work and must have a valid driver’s license and clean driving record.

Pay rate is $15.45 per hour.

Applications should be returned immediately to: Lori Gibson, Human Resource Coordinator, Village of Glen Carbon

P.O. Box 757

Glen Carbon, IL 62034

Phone: 618-288-2647

Fax: 618-288-4703. EOE. Positions open until filled. lgibson@glen-carbon.il.us

OPINION: Narcoleptics are exhausted, not lazy

WINTER RACINE photographer

Due to their excessive daytime sleepiness, people with narcolepsy are frequently mistaken for lazy and unmotivated.

In reality, narcolepsy is a debilitating condition that can have a significant impact on an individual’s daily life, making it hard for them to stay alert and complete important tasks.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that impacts the ability to regulate sleepwake-cycles. It is characterized by sudden, uncontrollable episodes of intense fatigue that can happen at any time, frequently at the wrong times.

These episodes are often triggered by environments in

which the individual is not actively moving their limbs: driving, sitting in lectures, reading books, etc.

The onset of these symptoms cannot always be felt, and can be disorienting and scary.

It is a common misunderstanding that individuals with narcolepsy can control the amount of time they spend napping and replenishing their energy.

In order to understand a narcoleptic’s rapid depletion of energy, it may be helpful to visualize it as a glass of water. While most people wake up with a full glass of energy and go to bed with only a quarter remaining, narcoleptics wake up with only half a glass and can be complete-

ly drained by noon. Sleep is the only way to refill their glass.

Just as a person with a halffull glass of water cannot pour a full cup, a person with narcolepsy cannot control the limited amount of energy they have.

Although they may wish to attend social events or participate in class, their energy levels simply may not allow it. This does not mean that they are lazy or unmotivated, but rather that their diagnosis limits their ability to uphold certain expectations.

By understanding that narcoleptics do not choose how much energy they have, we can avoid stigmatizing those with narcolepsy and instead provide the support necessary to help them manage their condition.

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com

650-3527

CHLOE WOLFE

photographer focus on the “mental and spiritual” sides of athletes. Their brand motto is “educate, motivate and inspire.”

After traveling the world playing basketball, Brandon Hogg returned to Edwardsville and started his business in hopes of using basketball to “educate, motivate and inspire” young basketball players in the area.

Ball Hogg Academy was founded in 2018 by CEO Brandon Hogg, who got the idea for his business after working with Triple Threat Mentoring in Chicago, Illinois, and California.

Since starting his business, Ball Hogg Academy has moved to a sportsplex that he hopes will house multiple sports in the future.

“We were blessed last January, to be able to expand to 20,000 square feet,” Hogg said. “So we went from a basketball training facility, which is our phase one. And now we’re heading into our phase two, which is the Bridge Sportsplex, where we plan to house multiple sports, multiple athletes, and just keep expanding.”

The current sportsplex houses three basketball courts, a conditioning area, a weight training area, a lounge and a film room. Some sports Hogg plans to offer in the future include volleyball, baseball and football.

Ball Hogg Academy is not just focused on the physical side of sports. Hogg said they also

“Footwork, speed, agility, that’s the physical side of it,” Hogg said. “Our mental side is motivate. We believe in a relational versus transactional approach, we focus on the person, rather than the player. These kids are dealing with a lot, they got a lot going on at school, and they need an outlet. And then the last one is inspiring. After we get to learn who the athlete is, we want to do the last and final step which is ‘What’s your why? What do you want to do as far as impacting the world, now that you have been through our program?’”

According to Hogg, the number of students is growing as well. He said that this year is the most enrollment they’ve had since opening, with over 430 kids registered for basketball trials. Which will hopefully lead to over 40 teams, Hogg said.

Ball Hogg Academy offers training opportunities for kids ages 5-18. According to Hogg,

they offer training to kids who are not interested in being on their travel team as well.

For anyone interested in being a part of the Academy but unable to afford it, they offer sponsorships through their not-for-profit called The 40rty Foundation.

“We have local businesses and boosters try to help out and get donations into the academy so that these kids will be able to have that opportunity to play and compete,” Hogg said.“We’re just trying to give everybody the opportunity to be a part of it.”

Outside of opportunities for children and teenagers, Ball Hogg Academy offers opportunities for SIUE students through internships or jobs.

As of right now, Ball Hogg Academy offers internship opportunities to kinesiology majors, physical trainers, and physical therapists.

In the future, Hogg hopes to offer internships to students majoring in marketing and mass communications.

NEXT WEEK: MEN’S BASEBALL AND

“We want to start shoot ing videos creating highlight tapes for athletes, and show workouts. We want people that want to record games and break down films to get kids recruited,” Hogg said.

Outside of intern ships, Hogg said they are always looking to hire coaches and trainers.

As Ball Hogg Academy moves to wards expanding, Hogg hopes to con tinue expanding the creativity of the brand.

“Everybody has their own lanes and their own cre ativity,” Hogg said. “So we just don’t want to box people in here. We want peo ple to think outside the box. And that’s pretty much what we did here. We literally took a 20,000 square feet pole barn and just got creative and started thinking outside the box and created a whole sportsplex.”

For more information on enrolling in Ball Hogg Acade my visit their website.

For more infor mation on apply ing for an intern ship at Ball Hogg Academy, visit the Career Development Center’s website.

High school student Isaac Ballard coaches students on handwork during practice.

| Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

These kids are dealing with a lot, they got a lot going on at school, and they need an outlet.

Owner Brandon Hogg