The Alestle Vol. 75 No. 23 by The Alestle

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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

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Thursday, March 24, 2022 Vol. 75 No. 23

Federal investigation launched on SIUE racism incident GABRIEL BRADY managing editor

A federal agency has opened two investigations into the racism and hazing experienced by sophomore construction major Arluan Van Hook months after the university concluded its internal investigation. In October 2021, Van Hook filed an official complaint with SIUE regarding racist and homophobic slurs that fraternity members used against him during what he alleged was a fraternity hazing ritual earlier that year. Van Hook alleged that the Kappa Sigma fraternity at SIUE had held a hazing ceremony in Spring of 2021 which included racist and homophobic slurs directed at himself, as well as other new initiates of Kappa Sigma. His complaint to the university was filed on Oct. 17. Van Hook met with Student Affairs and other administrators on Nov. 18 as part of the investigation. At the same time, Van Hook’s mother visited campus with a sign reading, “Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Waple, shame on you,” about a month after the initial complaint was filed and led an impromptu protest starting on the Quad that moved into Rendleman Hall. There, Van Hook and both of his parents attempted to meet then-Chancellor Randy Pembrook. However, when they were informed he was not in the office, they met with Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Jessica Harris. Over winter break, the results of SIUE’s internal investigation were released. Over the winter break, the results of SIUE’s investigation were released.

Department of Education opens investigation into SIUE

Van Hook said the university’s response to the complaint and the results of the investigation led him to reporting the incident to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. Specifically, he said he felt Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffrey Waple was a figure who showed a large amount of bias during the investigation. “Everything that has been done, that Jeffrey Waple has produced as his doing, was all recommended by me and my family and the legal counsel,” Van Hook said. “He’s shown his bias this whole time in the investigation, and even in the report [of the investigation’s results] he showed his bias.” Van Hook said he felt Waple’s bias in the way the investigation was conducted. Specifically, Van Hook said the investigation was hidden from the public by Waple. “Jeffrey Waple kept this under wraps. It wasn’t until students saw my mom in the Quad talking about this that the university issued those emails we all saw about the investigation happening,” Van Hook said. “Why did it take the Black Faculty and Staff to release a statement to create change and momentum for my investigation?” Shortly after the results of the inves-

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Arluan Van Hook attends the Black Student Union protest about racist messages in Woodland Hall, he directs students to the Chancellor’s Office in Rendleman Hall, which he says will more effectively create change. | Alex Aultman / The Alestle

tigation were released, Waple said he understood why some students were unsatisfied with the way the investigation was conducted. He said he feels investigations are a place for continuous improvement for the university. “As I say to students, every experience was a learning experience and a learning moment. And so, we’ve learned a lot,” Waple said. The first email notifying the campus community of the investigation was on Nov. 19, which was the day after Van Hook’s parents protested on the Quad, and hours after the faculty and staff constituency statement were released. Van Hook filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Education on Nov. 16. The first complaint alleges that the university handled the investigation inadequately, and the second alleges that Van Hook was retaliated against by the fraternity when they removed him from Kappa Sigma after he filed his first complaint. Van Hook received an email on Feb. 14, from the Office of Civil Rights saying they would investigate his complaints. The Department of Education website confirms the agency is investigating racial discrimination and retaliation at SIUE.

Results of SIUE’s investigation show hazing did occur

Reisa Van Hook, Arluan’s mother, remembers the meeting with members of SIUE’s administration about the results of the Student Affairs and Title IX office investigations. “We had our final meeting, and they came to the conclusion that the hazing allegation was no longer an allegation, but it was a fact that [Kappa Sigma] had done that to my son,” Reisa Van Hook said. SIUE had conducted two investigations into what Arluan Van Hook experienced. The hazing was investigated through Student Affairs. Meanwhile, the

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investigation into racial and homophobic of hazing students in 2018. Their hazing slurs was conducted by the SIUE Office was known as “The Gates,” whereas SIof Equal Opportunity, ACCESS and Ti- UE’s Kappa Sigma fraternity refers to it as tle IX. Both investigations concluded over “The 12 Gates of Bologna.” GSU’s Kapwinter break. pa Sigma’s hazing consisted of taking stuThe specific wording of the document dents to an unspecified location and bewith the results of the hazing, which came ing taken through 12 rooms, or “gates.” from the office of Student Affairs, details After this, some students reported being the “12 Gates of Bologna” event. It is the beaten into unconsciousness and others fraternity’s initiation ceremony, and, ac- being thrown to the ground. cording to Arluan Van Hook, is the hazing The SIUE Student Affairs report ritual he experienced. recommended placing Kappa Sigma on The report stated that the “12 Gates” disciplinary probation through the end incident was not sanctioned by the nation- of the spring semester, and the fraternity al fraternity, and that the SIUE chapter is required to submit a plan for delivering leaders had been told the 12 Gates of Boby their national adlogna in a new manvisor not to hold the ner. The plan will event in the manner have to meet approvthat it was delivered. al from the national Instead, the chapter chapter advisor and president and pledge Waple’s office. educator told the new Reisa and Armembers, “Rememluan Van Hook said ber the thing that they were both takdidn’t happen tonight en aback by these is only a Kappa Sigma results. Specificalthing, so keep that to ly, Reisa Van Hook ourselves. Not even said it felt like the nationals.” students who had As a result, Stuhazed her son were dent Affairs decided not being properly to charge the fraternireprimanded. ty with hazing under “[Waple] did the Student Conduct the most minute Code. thing, which was The document put [Kappa Sigma] does not call for an on probation,” Reisa end to the ritual Van Hook said. “He at SIUE, however, didn’t even think it which is what Reisa was serious enough and Arluan Van Hook to suspend anyone, said they wanted. Inlet alone any legal stead, the document action for what hapincludes a request that pened.” Jeffrey Waple Kappa Sigma change Arluan Van Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs the way they present Hook said SIUE’s the ritual. responses to issues According to The George-Anne at of race have been subpar overall, and not Georgia Southern University, the Kappa see INVESTIGATION on page 2 Sigma fraternity at GSU was found guilty

“

From the date that we were made aware of all this in October, to the day the investigations both ended … for both of those to be conducted in a month is at a priority pace. We did it in a month, and they were done thoroughly.”

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Thursday, 03.24.22

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:

Mar. 16 - Mar. 22: 6 students, 1 faculty/staff

Mar. 16 - Mar. 22: 1,346

Mar. 9 - Mar. 15: 2 students, 1 faculty/staff

Mar. 9 - Mar. 15: 256

14-Day New Positive Cases: 8 students, 2 faculty/staff

14-Day New Tests Conducted: 1,602

All prior weeks positive tests: (Jan. 4 - Mar. 22): 1,033 students, 244 faculty/staff

All prior weeks tests conducted: Jan. 4 - Mar 22: 27,854

8 students 1 faculty/staff

Positive cases identiﬁed by SIUE testing: Feb. 23 - Feb. 28: 10 Feb. 15 - Feb. 22: 25

14-day new positive cases: 11

30 25 20 15

03.21.22

COVID-19 website, as of March 22. MAR 15

MAR 16

MAR 17

MAR 18

MAR 19

News in brief

Anti-trans stickers reported in SIUE restrooms

Stickers with anti-trans rhetoric were found in an SIUE restroom on Monday and the bias incident task force is investigating. Interim Dean of Students Terrence McTier Jr. called the stickers “detestable rhetoric” which declared that “trans women are men.” “To our trans community and student body, let me first apologize for this hateful rhetoric that was posted in one of the restrooms here at SIUE,” McTier said in a campus-wide email Wednesday. “First, trans women are women! And we do not and will not tolerate any form of gender or identity bias at our institution.” McTier said that there are no cameras in or near restrooms, but asks anyone with information to come forward to help with the investigation. “Here at SIUE we value diversity, we value inclusion and we value members of our trans community,” McTier said. “We affirm your identity and we will continue to stand in support of you.” McTier also called on the campus community to stand up when they see or hear anyone engaging in biased behaviors. “Let them know you are not accepting or engaging in behaviors that further marginalize, isolate or discriminate against anyone,” he said. It is not the first time that SIUE’s restrooms have been targets for anti-trans vandalism. In November, menstruation products were thrown out or defaced when the university’s Mensi Project began placing them in men’s restrooms. McTier reminded the campus community that students engaged in gender bias will be subject to consequences under the Student Code of Conduct, and employees would be subject to consequences with the appropriate office.

MAR 20

MAR 21

03.17.22

Percentage of isolation/quarantine space available on campus Source: Health, Reporting, and Testing page on SIUE’s

Officer responded to a report of possible domestic battery. Nicholas C. Abrams was charged with domestic battery. He was fingerprinted, photographed, processed and transported to Madison County Jail.

Positivity Rate (as of Mar. 22): 0.69% (as of March 1): 100%

03.13.22

Officer responded to a report of a male subject in an academic area yelling at students. Officer told the subject he needed permission to be in the academic area if he was going to speak. The subject did not have permission and stopped speaking.

All prior weeks positive cases: Jan. 4 - Mar. 22: 1,830

MADISON COUNTY DAY BY DAY:

Total active positive cases:

MAR 22

see INVESTIGATION on page 2

just in his case. He specifically said the creation of SIUE’s Black Unity Council, also proved this to him. “I would say that the university’s response to those issues at hand, even once they were found to be substantial and proven true, the university’s response is still lackadaisical,” Van Hook said. “They only ever respond because they know students and staff are waiting to see how they will respond.” Waple said both of the investigations SIUE conducted were done quickly, but still rigorously. “From the date that we were made aware of all this in October, to the day the investigations both ended … for both of those to be conducted in a month is at a priority pace,” Waple said. “We did it in a month, and they were done thoroughly. We interviewed lots of students and other folks involved.” Harris said moments like these are important at SIUE, because they show where improvements are needed. “As with any of our processes and procedures, I think about, for instance, our academic programs that go through program reviews — it’s always about continuous improvement,” Harris said. “In terms of outcomes that I think are really important to think through, these are suggestions that came from Arluan and his mother and also members of our campus community that focus on cultural competency and diversity training or our students.” Although he said the investigations were done quickly, Waple also said he understands why some members of the SIUE community were concerned with the timeliness of the investigations. “I know people have different definitions of time and what’s timely. I would say the time it took from complaint to investigation to results to meeting with the family was quick, and it was a priority of everyone involved,” Waple said. Waple said part of the reason the investigation was conducted at a quicker pace was the date of finals coming up soon. “We didn’t want [the investigation] to continue into finals,” Waple said. “We try not to disrupt a student’s academic career when we approach finals.” According to the Student Handbook,

if the investigation was done with an administrative board, the timing should have ranged from 15 days to 30 days. If it had been with a hearing panel review, the range should have been 32 to 49 days. The investigation took 49 days.

Kappa Sigma at SIUE releases statement about investigation

On Dec. 20, Kappa Sigma released a statement which is on the fraternity’s Instagram account. In the statement, fraternity leaders alleged that racist comments were made by one member of the fraternity. “The Sigma-Rho Chapter of Kappa Sigma at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville absolutely does not condone any form of racism, homophobia or hazing. This is evident by our previous actions. In spring of 2021, there was one member who made a comment that was racially insensitive, and the chapter unanimously voted to expel him immediately,” the statement read. However, the SIUE report alleges multiple students made racist statements at that time. Arluan Van Hook said the fraternity was putting out information that was blatantly untrue about his traumatic experience. “You have four individuals, not including the one they kept referring to in the statement. Kappa Sigma itself was found responsible,” he said. “There was not just a single individual. Don’t fall for that statement. Every one of them provided a false narrative.” Considering all of this, Reisa Van Hook said she is grateful that she and Arlando Van Hook, her husband and Arluan’s father, live so close to SIUE. She said she is concerned for parents of students at SIUE who cannot come to campus to advocate for them as she and Arlando did. “We have the privilege of living 30 or 40 minutes away. What about parents who are far away? What if my husband and I were that family and could not sit in a meeting, and had to choose between supporting our student or working for the next paycheck?” Reisa Van Hook said. “I have a cousin whose daughter graduated high school recently. Her choices came down to SIUE or Mizzou. And she asked us about all this, and if it really was that bad. So, her daughter will be going to Mizzou.”

Officer took a report of stickers being placed on a wall in Founders Hall. The Bias Incident Response Team was contacted.

TIMELINE Spring 2021 Arluan Van Hook says Kappa Sigma members directed racist and homophobic slurs at him and conducted a hazing ritual. Oct. 17, 2021 Van Hook reports the hazing and harassment to Student Affairs. Oct. 18, 2021 Van Hook meets with Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffrey Waple, Director of EOA and Title IX Jamie Ball, former dean of students Kara Shustrun and Coordinator of Fraternity and Sorority Life MJ Abdullah about the report, beginning the investigation. Nov. 15, 2021 Van Hook files two complaints with the U.S. Department of Education in regards to SIUE’s investigation of hazing and harassment. Nov. 18, 2021 Arluan Van Hook meets with Student Affairs staff as part of investigation. Meanwhile, Reisa Van Hook protests in the Quad. The Van Hook family and other protesters walk to Rendleman Hall to demand a meeting with administrators. The group meets with Vice Chancellor Jessica Harris. Nov. 19, 2021 Campus constituency groups release a statement asking administrators to improve response to bias incidents and for Student Affairs to diversify its staff. Nov. 19, 2021 Administrators release an email informing the campus community about the hazing and racial slurs. Dec. 6, 2021 SIUE’s internal investigation concludes, finding Kappa Sigma guilty of hazing. Dec. 10, 2021 Arluan Van Hook receives an email from Kappa Sigma’s national office informing him of his suspension from the fraternity. Dec. 20, 2021 Kappa Sigma releases statement on Instagram alleging there was only one individual who made racist comments who was expelled from the organization. Feb. 14, 2022 U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights opens an investigation into SIUE for racial discrimination and retaliation.

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“It just exploded into this:” Edwardsville couple uses Facebook to raise funds for aid in Ukraine LIV KRAUS reporter

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has left many Ukrainians cold, hungry and without heat. Edwardsville couple Michal and Christine Matras are using the power of Facebook to make a change. Michal Matras is from Poland, where many of his friends and family still reside. Through his family, Michal Matras said he got insight on the shocking amount of Ukrainian refugees seeking asylum in Poland, and they were willing to help in any way they could. “We knew that the exchange rate was really good for us. We could send some money to them and had a few Facebook friends that were also willing to send some money,” Christine Matras said. Christine Matras said that once she made the fundraising post on Facebook, she contacted her bank about wiring money to Poland. The bank told her it could be done. “I just decided to make a Facebook group so, as we bought things, we could

post it on that. I created a Venmo, since everyone had one, and it just exploded into this,” Christine Matras said. The couple weren’t expecting the number of donations to rise as quickly as they did. The Matrases watched as the numbers climbed from $1,000 to $5,000 shortly after starting the Facebook group. Currently, they have raised more than $40,000. “Every single dime we spend is spent on the refugees. We can buy medical supplies, diapers, food, and generators for the hospitals in the Ukraine. Things like that,” Christine Matras said. Christine Matras said she was astonished by the power of connection when it comes to helping others. She said one of the strongest examples of this comes from when an old college friend of Michal Matras reached out to the couple about a former Ukrainian exchange student who was stuck at the border. Initially, the couple weren’t sure if they would be able to help. Christine said they were lucky to have friends who were

When the Matras recieve the photos of the people of Ukraine with the aid, they often post it to the Facebook group. | Photo Courtesy of Bartek EM able to step in. “Our friends were able to go get her from the border and take her to their house. Now she’s living with them so it was having that connection that was able

The Ukrainians who’ve recieved aid from the Matras and others through Facebook have sent several photos, like this one, to them as a way of showing how their support is impacting Ukraine. | Photo Courtesy of Mariusz Święch

to get her out of Ukraine,” Christine Matras said. Christine and Michal Matras said they both have shared on Facebook how grateful they are for the things they’ve accomplished through the donations they have gathered. “It’s crazy. We have so many friends and family who we trust over there and they’re sending us the receipts and everything like that so it’s great,” Christine Matras said. Christine Matras said they are focusing on helping in the ways that they can. “A lot of people from the Ukraine have reached out to us now and have sent us a lot of videos that we don’t post, just horrible things happening. We try to focus on what we are doing vs what we cannot help,” Christine Matras said. While the Facebook group gains mostly positive feedback, Christine Matras said there has been negative backlash towards it. “There are a lot of people over there that are angry at the United States right now,” Christine Matras said. “For one reason or another, we’re getting a lot of people seeing us as representing the United States, which we don’t. It’s just kind of a group of people here that want to help.” For more information, check the Facebook group’s page.

New staff and faculty organization aims to represent LGBTQ+ voices FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter

SIUE welcomed a new constituency group recently — the Queer Staff and Faculty Association, which has been several years in the making. Nick Niemerg, assistant director of constituent relations for alumni affairs, is one of the founders of the group. He said the group is just getting off the ground, with informational meetings coming soon for interested parties to attend. He said this group was created to give everyone a seat at the table, bringing more diversity to the forefront of the university. “The main reason [we] wanted to get this group up and running is [to give everyone a] seat at the table, when it comes

to university policy, to just being better advocates for not just queer faculty and staff and also for the student population as well,” Niemerg said. The founders of the Queer Faculty and Staff Association modeled a large part of their organization after the Black Faculty and Staff Association, according to Niemerg. “[BFSA] has been a very successful constituency group on campus, and we’re really excited to work with them and the other constituency groups to just make the campus a better place for everybody,” Neimerg said. Rex Jackson, associate director for residence life, has been working towards creating the Queer Faculty and Staff Association for many years, but it wasn’t

until the past two years that there was finally the momentum to create the association. Jackson said he worked with Neimerg, Elizabeth Kamper, and Jennifer Wagner to expand the opportunity in front of them to address the needs of the LGBTQ+ community at SIUE. “We were like, ‘We think we’re now at the moment where we have the structure and the people in place, we can take another run at this.’ With the dynamics impacting our campus, we saw a real opportunity to articulate - we have to address racism on our campus. But at the same time, we cannot ignore the needs of our LGBT faculty, staff and students,” Jackson said. Jackson also said the group is passionate about intersec-

tional identities and creating change on campus. “We know that there are significant concerns on our campus, around this community, especially if you are trans,” Jackson said. “If you add other identities into that conversation, there are significant challenges. The goal of all of this work is to, together, address all of the things that are creating barriers and obstacles for individuals who have marginalized identities.” Niemerg said he hopes that the new association will be both a valuable recruitment tool for the university as well as a way to help with retention efforts, as it will allow staff and faculty to feel as though their voices are being heard and genuinely recognized by the university.

“I think just overall optically, this is a great opportunity for the university,” Niemerg said. “We’ve been making a lot of great strides in the overall realm of diversity, equity and inclusion and this is just one more piece of the puzzle.” Jackson said he is excited, not only to see years of hard work pay off but to see what change the group brings to the university. “The establishment of QFSA is a sign of a hopeful future. [There’s] a hell of a lot of work to be done, let’s not kid ourselves. But I think it’s bringing one more tool, one more group and one more burst of energy to this work that I think will help us push things across the finish line finally,” Jackson said.

Thursday, 03.24.22

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The Alestle wins 15 awards at state college media convention EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — The Alestle won 15 awards at the recent Illinois College Press Association’s Convention and Awards. The publication is back in the ranking of top student news orgs in the state. The Alestle staff won second place in general excellence among non-daily publications at schools with more than 4,000 enrollment. “It is always exciting when students are recognized for their hard work and dedication, but it’s particularly so when we’ve been able to place in the general excellence category. News orgs in that category are the best of the best in the state,” Student Publications Program Director Tammy Merrett said. The division The Alestle competes in is the most competitive in the annual ICPA awards. Almost half of the total member publications compete in the non-daily division for schools with enrollment more than 4,000. “While we don’t — and shouldn’t — do our jobs with the goal of winning awards in mind, it’s nice to have our hard work recognized,” Alestle Editor-in-Chief Alex Aultman said. Aultman’s individual work was also recognized. They won first place in the news story category for the story “Anti-trans vandalism hits Mensi Project, new vending machines possible.” It has been several years since The Alestle placed so high in the news story category. “I was surprised and excited. I honestly had to try to keep myself from crying at the awards ceremony,” Aultman said. “I’m glad that a story I felt was so important was recognized for the work I put into it.” Lifestyles Editor Emily Sterzinger’s work in editorial cartooning won second place in the open division of the competition in which all schools of all enrollment levels compete. Her cartoon, Space Race, was ranked as second best in the state. Also in editorial, the Alestle staff was honored with another second place award for its editorial section’s overall quality. An honorable mention was earned by The Alestle for its staff editorial “Unpaid student opportunities and requirements are inev-

itably classist” about unpaid internships being exploitative. Alestle staffers and the entire staff as a whole won many third place awards among some heavy hitters in student journalism in Illinois. The staff won third place for the overall quality of its online news site Alestlelive.com, as well as its email newsletter. The Alestle staff’s Metro East Eats featuring toasted ravioli won third place in the entertainment supplement category. The regular feature often ranks well in ICPA’s entertainment supplement category. The news organization brought home many more writing awards than in recent years. Lifestyles Editor Emily Sterzinger won third place in the opinion page category for an entry from when she was previously Alestle Opinion Editor. Former Copy Editor Dana Mclennan won third place in the sports news story category for her “New expansions in the Vadalabene Center will increase recruitment visibility.” Former Alestle Copy Editor Dalton Brown received an honorable mention for his feature story “Women’s basketball player bridges student athleticism, activism.” The Alestle’s photo staff did well in the competition, as they usually do. Photographer Jihun Han won third place in the feature photo and spot news photo categories for his photos of an alumni association event and a mother’s campus protest about racial discrimination against her son, respectively. Photographer Clair Sollenberger won third place in the sports photo category for her photo coverage of a men’s basketball game. Editor-in-Chief Alex Aultman and Graduate Assistant Graphics Manager Kirsten O’Loughlin received an honorable mention for their work in the front page layout category as well. The Alestle competed in 21 categories against 11 non-daily student news organizations on campuses with more than 4,000 students including Columbia College in Chicago, Loyola University, DePaul University, University of Illinois Springfield and others. Almost 1,000 entries in the competition were judged for excellence by working journalists across the country.

JOHN WOOFOLK The Mercury News / TNS

BA.2 subvariant will fuel another surge in the U.S. Helix, a company that provides genetic sequencing of the virus, estimates that BA.2 accounts for as much as 70 percent of new cases in many parts of the U.S., the Washington Post reported Tuesday. BA.2 is replacing omicron’s BA.1 but isn’t yet causing an increase in the total cases of COVID-19 or hospitalizations. Dr. Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute who has warned BA.2 could spark a new U.S. case surge, said Tuesday on Twitter that if BA.2 is as prevalent as Helix estimates and U.S. cases aren’t increasing overall, it’s a very encouraging sign so far. “It’s surprising, not easily explained,” Topol tweeted. “[But it is] gratifying to see — and [I] hope it holds up.” Ali H. Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which runs a widely followed model projecting the pandemic’s course, said Tuesday on Twitter that his group isn’t projecting a significant

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East St. Louis history protected by new group FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter

only be discussed and fixed if history is examined. “I personally think that we cannot SIUE partnered with the East St. understand how to address today’s conLouis Historical Society to present cerns if we don’t understand how those programs about East St. Louis histo- concerns evolved over time,” Theising ry and the impact of Black history in said. “I think that there is a very practical the United States. decision making value to understanding The ESTLHS originally partnered history, preserving history, sharing histowith SIUE for Black History Month. ry, learning more about history.” However, the group found a large number Theising gave a talk on “Reparations of interested members who would be will- of Past and Future” as part of the coning to give a presentatinuing program of tion, which led to exeducational talks. tending the talks for at He said that as a poleast several months, litical science profesif not years, according sor, he looks at the to Redina Medley, a evolution of today’s member of the ESTLproblems, whethHS. er they be political, Medley was a social, or economic, founding member through the lens of of the group back in history. He said that 2019, and has been while reparations are the liaison between a complicated topic, the SIUE East St. it is also incredibly Louis Learning Reimportant for them source Center and the to be discussed. ESTLHS. She said the “I’m going to partnership that has present the legal arbeen created between guments from these the society and the different scholars school will not only about how we do Andrew Theising be beneficial to both this, how we justify Professor Political Science organizations, but the it, and how we make entire community of it happen,” Theising East St. Louis. said. “[This is for the] communities around Medley said the ability to show Black us – to preserve the history and to educate students and children the heritage of Black and to help develop pride, a stronger sense excellence in the East St. Louis area is inof pride,” Medley said. credibly important work to her. She wants Andrew Theising, a political science to inspire and encourage children with professor and member of the ESTLHS, their own history. said that East St. Louis didn’t have a his“As an African American, I know the torical society for the longest time – and importance of seeing Black people and because of that, SIUE’s Initiative for Ur- hearing about their progress, successes, ban Research created a virtual historical achievements and leadership and it makes society for the community. a difference,” Medley said. He said that historical societies proTo learn more about the East St. Louvide a background and foundation for is Historical Society and the continued communities, and that many issues can programs, visit their Facebook page.

“

I personally think that we cannot understand how to address today’s concerns if we don’t understand how those concerns evolved over time”

Omicron BA.2 subvariant now 1 in 3 US COVID cases

New data Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show omicron’s more transmissible BA.2 subvariant now accounts for more than a third of the virus circulating in the U.S. but is not yet driving a surge in cases here as it has overseas. The CDC data show that as of March 19, BA.2 — often referred to as “stealth omicron” — accounted for 34.9 percent of genetically sequenced samples across the U.S., up from 22.3 percent as of March 12 and 12.6 percent on March 5. In the Northeast, BA.2 accounts for as much as 55.4 percent of the virus, and in Western states including California, 41.3 percent. Dr. George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California-San Francisco, said the increase is what he expected given the subvariant’s transmissibility. “It will continue to climb at 10 percentage points a week or so,” Rutherford said. With COVID cases overall on the decline in recent weeks, the bigger question is whether the highly contagious

new case spike. “Our models suggest that behavioral modification, particularly declines in mask use and social distancing, may be the most important explanation for the increasing case numbers in some countries in Europe,” Mokdad said. “However, it is possible that the rapid return to pre-COVID-19 behavior and the spread of BA.2 (in the U.S.) could see a short period of increasing case numbers.” National health officials have urged caution. “We likely will see an uptick in cases as we’ve seen in the European countries, particularly the U.K., where they’ve had the same situation as we’ve had now,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical advisor, said Sunday on ABC’s This Week. “They have the BA.2, they have a relaxation of some of the restrictions such as indoor masking, and there’s a waning of immunity ... Hopefully we won’t see a surge ... we have to be prepared ... [It’s] no time at all to declare victory because this virus has fooled us before.” Topol and other experts say BA.2 is about 30 percent more transmissible than BA.1, the omicron strain that drove this

past winter’s massive case surge. A number of high-profile figures have tested positive for the virus in recent weeks, including former President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff, San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren and on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who’s both vaccinated and recently infected, having tested positive in October. Other counties have had more worrying experiences: The United Kingdom reported Tuesday that cases were up 20.4 percent, hospitalizations up 21.7 percent and deaths up 17.1 percent over the previous seven days. But there also are indications that case spikes in some European countries hit by BA.2, such as the Netherlands, may have peaked. Rutherford said that for those who are vaccinated and had booster shots if needed, they’ve done all they can to protect themselves. The vaccines continue to provide good protection against severe COVID-19, he said. “It’s not more difficult to treat. It doesn’t cause more severe disease,” Rutherford said. “Keep your eyes on the prize, which is cutting down on hospitalizations, mortality, not disrupting schools, not disrupting businesses.”

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lifestyles

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Thursday, 03.24.22

Faculty, students, staff share love through Difference Maker campaign said. “Like, we would see glimpses of it. But, within my job, if I see something little it usually means more people are expeIn the midst of the COVID-19 riencing the same thing.” pandemic, a new way has emerged for When a community member is nomimembers of the SIUE community to nated as a Difference Maker, they receive express their appreciation for an email with the name of the one another. person who submitted and Ashley Chitwood, a marwhat they said made a diffeketing specialist with Unirence in their year. Chitwoversity Marketing and Comod said the responses from munications, runs SIUE’s nominees demonstrate how social media accounts with much of an impact the news the help of a student worker. has on them as well. In January of last year she “I got many emails back started the Difference Maker saying ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m campaign as a way for memcrying, this made my day,’” bers of the community to Chitwood said. | Jason Church show appreciation for others Reasons for nominations who have helped them, ranged from creating an enor who simply made their couraging classroom enviday brighter. ronment to helping directly Chitwood said she got with issues in nominators’ the idea for the campaign personal lives. when a student created a Assistant professor of post thanking someone for psychology Rachel Tennial holding the door open for said her nomination surprithem in the MUC last year. sed and humbled her. She said she thought it was “When I saw the stuimportant to promote gradent, I immediately was | Rachel Tennial titude for each other due to just like, ‘What?’ because it the chaos of the pandemic. was a student I remembe“It seemed people were struggling red. She’s such a cool student,” Tennial with ways to share this gratitude in a way said. “But it was not somebody that I that felt human and authentic,” Chitwood would have immediately thought that I ALEX AULTMAN editor-in-chief

would have had that kind of impact on.” Tennial said her nomination made her feel more at home at SIUE. “And for me to be a faculty of color in my second year and have this kind of recognition, it is such an important thing. It really just solidifies that SIUE is a great place for me to be,” Tennial said. “And while there are so many issues happening at the university around race, particularly for our Black students and faculty, that even if they’re small, there are ASHLEY CHITWOOD steps being taken marketing specialist forward.” The nominees and their stories have been featured on SIUE’s Facebook page and in E-News articles as a way of spreading the appreciation further and highlighting different departments at the university. Director of WSIE Jason Church was another nominee and said it was nice to see other people in the community hel-

“

ping each other. “I mean, obviously, the main purpose is to highlight great things going on on campus here,” Church said. “But you know, especially after the last couple of years that everybody’s had to endure with the pandemic, it just makes it all the sweeter.” Church said that he hopes the Difference Maker campaign will make people think about how they impact others. “I hope that it inspires other folks on campus, whether they be students, faculty or staff to really keep that [in] mind that even the simplest of actions can have a lasting profound impact on somebody,” Church said. Chitwood said she intends to continue the Difference Makers campaign next year and has thought about doing it each semester to provide more opportunities to share positivity.

It seemed people were struggling with ways to share this gratitude in a way that felt human and authentic.”

Why housing closes freshman dorms during spring break LIV KRAUS reporter

SIUE’s campus remains fairly quiet during spring break, in part because freshmen housing is closed. Vanessa Johnson, a first year nursing student, said freshmen were informed early that they would be expected to leave Bluff Hall for spring break on Friday evening at 5 p.m. Johnson said she believes this to be a hassle and would have rather stayed in the dorms during this time. “My roommate and I are from Greenville, which is about 30 minutes away from Edwardsville. Over break we work part time. It’s pretty hard on us because we’re both traveling back and forth all day over break,” Johnson said. Johnson said she reached out to Housing to see if she could stay, and they responded saying she had the option to fill out a form that allowed her to pay to spend spring break in Evergreen or Cougar Village for a certain amount a day. Mallory Sidarous, director of University Housing, said the time over spring break is spent doing maintenance in the building. However, she also said this is harder to do when the building is open and there are students around all the time. “Once students leave for spring break, our staff do check all the spaces, do

CORRECTION: In our March 3 article, “Black Girls Rock presents annual spring fashion show,” a photo cutline about ‘The Pro-

safety and security checks, and make sure the building is ready to be closed for the week. All things like keeping the building safe in the time that folks are not here,” Sidarous said. Johnson said students also have work to do before they leave. “We have to move stuff away from the heater, lock the windows and bathroom, unplug the microwave, and make sure there are no expired foods in the dorm,” Johnson said. These rules only apply to Bluff, Prairie and Woodland Hall. Evergreen Hall and Cougar Village are the only residences open during these break periods, Sidarous said. “Bluff, Prairie and Woodland Hall don’t have kitchens, so they’re not really designed to be living here when the building is closed and the campus is pretty quiet. There’s very little dining options, there’s no class, and there’s really no extracurricular things going on because of the break period,” Sidarous said. However, Sidarous also said there is a process students in Bluff, Prairie, and Woodland Hall can go through to stay in student housing during these break periods. “Sometimes, students can’t go home at all during the break. We often relocate them to Cougar Village for the week since the building itself is closed. We relocate them to a community that’s better desi-

gned for them to stay for a week,” Sidarous said. According to Sidarous, very few people opt to stay on campus during break periods. The majority of people who decide to stay consists mainly of international students and athletes. Sidarous says that since Cougar Villa-

ge and Evergreen both have kitchens, they are better designed to be lived in when the majority of dining options on campus are closed. There is a nightly cost to stay during the break period since it is not built into the cost of housing contracts. For more information, visit University Housing’s website.

test Scene’ should have indicated that it was intended to highlight Black men and women killed by police. In the article, Karlie Singleton-Kidd was incorrectly paraphrased as saying ‘The

Monochromatic Scene’ was about contrast with dark skin tones. She actually said the colors were chosen because they wouldn’t be expected. The Alestle will continue to be open

to criticism and corrections about our coverage in order to better serve marginalized communities on campus.

Due to a lack of kitchens, Bluff, Prairie and Woodland Hall aren’t convenient to live in when campus is closed. | Clair Sollenberger / The Alestle

Thursday, 03.24.22

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PAGE 7

Local 5K fundraiser organized by SIUE seniors, faculty NICOLE BOYD online editor As part of their senior project, applied communication studies seniors are working with Holly’s House of Hope to organize a 5K fundraiser. Holly’s House of Hope, located in Highland, Illinois, was started by Tammy and Duff Wrobbel. Their motivation for the initiative is their 22-year-old daughter who has Down syndrome, and finding that there weren’t options for her when she finished high school. They have an apprenticeship program in which they assess the participants’ skills and help them contact job coaching agencies. They also have a store of donated items that hosts monthly five dollar bag sales. Tammy, president of the board, said she wanted the event to be a 5K because the Highland community gets involved with them, and the organization wanted to have an event they can do from year to year that the community comes to anticipate. “We wanted to do something that would gather people at the beginning near our building, and then we would have some activity like a walk or run and then they would end near the building again, because we want to invite them inside and give them a chance to look around and explore,” Tammy said. Tammy said they reached out to applied communication students when they heard about the project because their board members have limited experience with fundraising and big events. She said in addition to increasing community awareness, they want to educate the community. “We want to help educate the community so they know that people with disabilities have skills. We want to make sure that community business partners know that we have an awesome apprenticeship program now, because we want the public to be aware that we exist. They might want to volunteer with us, and we’re hoping to, of course, raise some money,” Tammy said. Duff, chair of the applied communication studies department and com-

| Photo courtesy of Holly’s House of Hope munication director of Holly’s House of Hope, said they wanted an event to draw in younger people, and included both a run and a walk because a subset of their clientele are people with disabilities. He said they don’t have a particular target for the event, as they are not financially self-sufficient. “My wife and I put in a fair amount of our own money. What we’re trying to do is get to the point where we aren’t running at a deficit paying for the building. We have some other small fundraisers with roots and grants but we’re just coming up on our one year anniversary,” Duff said. Mackenzie Kot, a senior applied communication studies major who worked on the project from Calumet, Illinois, said they originally considered a carnival, but opted to do something they could lay blueprints for.

“We planned the route we have, basically a registration setup that they could probably reuse from year to year, just setting up a solid blueprint for them to continue this every school year with a very important factor as well as raising funds for them,” Kot said. “The registration has a fee with it so that it’s like a donation to Holly’s House as well, so it really just covered all the bases that we wanted to cover with the nonprofit.” Kot said the first semester of the project was working on the proposal of their campaign, which included coming up with a name of the event, planning the registration and spreading the word. The second semester entails reaching out to local businesses, talking to the city to plan the route and taking hold of the organization’s social media accounts. “I’ve had a little bit of experience with

the nonprofit before this, but that was just with a small organization and I was never really on this side of things, to small businesses and forming these relationships for this nonprofit so that it can last,” Kot said. “That was something that I didn’t really have experience with before.” Maggie Koster, a senior applied communication studies major from Astoria, Illinois, also worked on the project. She said the project has helped her learn how to engage with people. “Definitely just stepping more out and engaging with people and just learning to kind of maneuver when people don’t respond and how you have to just physically show up and say, ‘Hi, did you get my email?’” Koster said. The 5K will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Mar. 26, at Holly’s House of Hope.

REVIEW: Robert Pattinson smashes low expectations in ‘The Batman’ NICOLE BOYD online editor

Nobody should be surprised that Robert Pattinson delivered as the newest Batman given his experience playing an angsty, brooding character with a flair for the dramatic. To be fair, Edward Cullen and Bruce Wayne aren’t so different. But more importantly, Pattinson is known to be committed to his roles and understanding his characters, which pays off well in “The Batman.” The main villain is the Riddler, who leaves clues with his victims in an effort to expose the deep corruption within Gotham City. This leads Batman on an investigation to discover who exactly is running the politicians, legal system and police force. It’s easy to sympathize with the Riddler’s intentions, but not his methods. By the end of the movie, Wayne must grapple with the fact that Batman and the Riddler may not be so different after all. As in all alter-ego superhero movies, we watch Wayne and Batman switch back and forth. Batman is a foreboding presence who can make criminals run simply by emerging from the shadows. His slow, heavy footsteps coupled with the movie’s score add to the effect. Pattinson’s Wayne is reclusive, unstable and sickly-looking, which gets rid of the character’s womanizing image. “It made more sense with the grie-

ving process as well if he hasn’t gotten over being the 10-year-old boy who, in his mind, let his parents die. What he feels is himself, he thinks is an incredibly weak and vulnerable child, and he needs to have an entirely different alter ego to survive himself, let alone fight all the criminals of Gotham,” Pattinson said to Entertainment Weekly. As Marvel movies branch into space and the Multiverse, it’s nice to watch a superhero movie that feels more relatable. The Riddler is just an extremely intelligent, yet disturbed, man who is disgusted with the corruption and inequality of his city – not an alien. Seeing a city run by heartless billionaires and the dangers of internet-radicalized, angry young men certainly hits closer to home. “The Batman” also feels like a more grown-up superhero movie compared to Marvel movies, with its darkly beautiful cinematography and absence of corny one-liners. In addition to initial complaints about Pattinson being casted as Batman, the movie has been criticized for Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) and Commissioner Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) being played by Black actors. While both actors played their roles well, the casting decision also served the movie’s theme. Catwoman only teams up with Batman to find her missing friend, and in one scene, she calls him out for seeming more interested in helping the power-

| Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. ful and says she can tell he grew up rich. She argues that, “All anyone cares about in this place are these white privileged assholes: the mayor, the commissioner, the DA, now Thomas and Bruce Wayne,” and that nobody cared when her own mother was murdered. In a movie about a billionaire superhero/orphan trying to help his city corrupted by other billionaires, this is a crucial flaw to address. Instead, “The Batman” should be criticized for queerbaiting. In the only interactions we see with Catwoman and her

friend, Annika, she calls her “baby” and tells her she loves her. While none of these actions are explicitly romantic, even Kravitz herself said she interpreted her character as bisexual. She then kisses Batman while Annika is missing. Pattinson responded to criticism of him being cast as Batman by threatening to do adult films if the movie didn’t do well. However, it has grossed $500 million worldwide. We may not see Pattinson in adult films, but we do get an exciting new Batman instead.

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Thursday, 03.24.22

STUDENT GOVERNMENT CANDIDATES

2022-23

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

Isabella Pruitt

Rahmat Salau

Mallory Nichols

Nicole Burbach

STUDENT TRUSTEE

GRADUATE SENATOR

SENATOR AT LARGE

Hailee O’Dell

Ethan Boulanger

Olufunke Mercy Ayegbidum

Ahmad Lathan

SENATOR AT LARGE

BUSINESS SENATOR

Alana Meyer

Peyton Williams

Barrett Larkin

Mason Hoylman

I pledge a presidency for the people. I plan on pushing boundaries and accepting nothing less than excellence from our University. Free printing, increasing engagement, and better green pass policies are some of my goals. Holding administration accountable and promoting the well-being of every student is my promise to you.

As your Student Trustee, I will represent your voices at every table without reservation. I will provide transparency and promote a better understanding of what happens at Board of Trustee meetings. I vow to use my vote on this board for the betterment of the student body, no exceptions.

As a Student Government Senator, I want to enact change for the betterment of the campus as a whole. I plan to improve sustainability on the SIUE campus and advocate for all of my constituents on matters that mean the most to them.

As your Student Body President, I will create a campus environment crafted by YOU! I am extremely passionate about amplifying your voices and advocating for ALL students’ interests at every level on campus. I will advance our Student Government’s position to influence positive & progressive change at SIUE.

As a Graduate School Senator, my goals would be to bring a sense of community back to this campus and provide opportunities for students, specifically at the graduate level. Many students on this campus that struggle to find a place to fit in, and I want to help with that.

My vision for student government is to provide a place where students of all racial backgrounds, ethnicities, and income levels can experience a sense of belonging in SIUE. I would like to target issues that students feel need to be addressed in the university.

As student body Vice President, I promise to advance the systems that are already implemented at SIUE; amplify the voices and issues of the student body; and advocate for those who are overlooked. I will create and promote a safe and inclusive campus while holding the administration to their word.

My name is Olufunke Ayegbidun and I am a graduate student. It is my desire to see students excel in grad school and whatever path we choose after graduate school. I want to provide support in every way I can, through the student government, to see our goals accomplished.

The wild card candidate, but in like, a charming way. I want to find those problems that are important to people, but no one is really talking about. An Econ major that talks a lot, so I’m obviously qualified for government. Go Cougs!

As Student Body Vice President, I will help students feel included and empowered by encouraging them to speak up about any barriers they may face. I will do this by promoting policy changes and holding administration accountable. It is my goal to create an ever-changing, united, and equitable campus environment.

As a senator, I will pride myself on making the campus environment better for the current and incoming students. My prior leadership experience will make a positive impact on this campus. I believe it is important to help with student concerns and solve these issues at hand.

I will work to develop better communication between the administration and the student body, as well as provide an outlet for students to express concerns. Joining senate, I can continue to develop my leadership skills, and by becoming a Senator, I can help make students aware of resources available.

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Thursday, 03.24.22

PAGE 9

STUDENT GOVERNMENT CANDIDATES

2022-23

School of Education, Health & human behavior, senator

Kaia Ford

Mackenzie Richards

Hannah Sauerhage

I plan to bridge the gap between the student body and Student Government to create a more inclusive and inviting campus. I hope to incorporate mental health resources on and off campus through my position, while also helping students who are not sure how to get involved on campus.

I hope to create a positive community for students in the School of Education, Health, and Human Behavior. My goal is to not only hear student concerns and suggestions, but make active changes towards those ideas.

As a senator, I will put my main focus on restoring the Morris University Center back to its welcoming community by getting back or gaining new food vendors and changing the MUC hours back to the long hours that they once were.

ENGINEERING, SENATOR

Logan MacDonald

All students here deserve the best possible education, and that is why I will continuously advocate for not only engineering students, but all students alike. Not only do I want to insure that students will feel confident in the classroom, but that they will feel represented and supported as well.

ELECTIONS ONLINE OPEN Tuesday March 29th — 7:00 a.m. CLOSE Thursday March 31st — 6:59 a.m.

Link will be available at 7 a.m. Tuesday March 29th: https://siue.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/election/start/530712

IN PERSON The Goshen: Tuesday March 29th — 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Thursday March 31st — 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

NEXT WEEK: THERE WILL BE NOISE IN THE GYM. GET OVER IT.

opinion

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Thursday, 03.24.22

ALEX AULTMAN Editor-in-Chief

YOUR

OPINION

GABRIEL BRADY Managing Editor

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The name Alestle is an acronym derived from the names of the three campus locations of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville: Alton, East St. Louis and Edwardsville. The Alestle is published on Thursdays in print and on Tuesdays online during the fall and spring semesters. A print edition is available every other Wednesday during summer semesters. For more information, call 618-650-3528. For advertising, email advertising@alestlelive.com.

The president does not control gas prices THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

You’ve either seen one in person, or you’ve seen it on social media: the I Did That stickers. They show the current president, smiling smugly and pointing at something, with accompanying text that says “I did that.” Almost every time this sticker is photographed or found, it’s on a gas pump. The issue with these stickers is that President Joe Biden did not “[do] that.” Gas prices are a very fickle part of the economy, and the fact that they are currently increasing is not Biden’s fault. Instead, the war in Ukraine is the reason for the increase. Because of the conflict, Russia and Ukraine are selling their gas for higher prices to help pay for their respective militaries. Another reason for the price increase is the fact that price gouging may be occurring. Price gouging is defined as a business sharply increasing the price for a necessity because they know that people will have to pay that price. If every water company in the world agreed to increase all their

| Francesca Boston / The Alestle

costs to customers, for example, everyone would be forced to pay that price if they wanted running water. It’s incredibly unethical, and gas companies may be currently doing it. A common rebuttal to this point is that gas prices were cheaper during the previous presidency, and that gas prices in Russia are actually quite low. However, both of these points ignore important facts. Gas was cheaper in 2020 than in 2022, but not because Biden demanded that the prices in-

crease. In 2020, the majority of the U.S. and the world at large were under lockdown. With lower demand, gas prices dropped dramatically. Former President Donald Trump only created lower gas prices by extending the pandemic’s length. As for the gas prices in Russia, there is an inequality at first glance. On March 14, a gallon of gas in Russia was $1.62, but it was $4.69 in the U.S. This is not because of any deed from Biden, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine leading to massive sanctions placed on

Russia by the international community. Those sanctions led to incredibly fast deflation in Russia — with the collapse of their economy and the value of their currency falling drastically. While the U.S. is dealing with inflation issues, Russia is dealing with deflation. Both are incredibly painful for the average citizens of these countries. By no means are we demanding constant respect and praise towards the president. But if you do wish to complain about Joe Biden and blame him for issues, blame him for the things he has control over. For instance, Biden thought about sending aid to Americans to help with these gas prices. That idea, however, was rejected. There’s also the plethora of campaign promises that Biden relied on heavily to win in 2020, which he seems to have no desire to fulfill, like forgiving student loan debt. No president is perfect. One of the best parts about living in the U.S. is being able to admit that openly. To see so many people misunderstand such a basic fact so much is disheartening.

Technological biases reflects society’s bigotry ALEX AULTMAN editor-in-chief

In the current world, it is almost impossible not to interact with some form of technology on a daily basis. Problems arise when the people who create this technology don’t reflect the demographics of the general population that will be using it. Everyone has biases. It’s impossible not to when we are raised in a racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, etcetera society. For the creators of technology, their biases inevitably seep into their designs — whether it’s a sensor that only detects light skin tones or an AI that is only given data that reinforces a white supremacist, patriarchal society.

These technological biases vary from being absurd and inconvenient to causing real harm. Some infrared sensors on soap and paper towel dispensers don’t recognize darker skin tones, preventing them from dispensing the needed item. There have been digital cameras that ask if someone blinked in a picture of smiling Asian people. Stores with a point of sale system that use the name on your card can out transgender people who haven’t legally changed their name. Risk assessment and predictive policing algorithms use already racially skewed arrest rates to determine rearrest. Police were using facial recognition software to identify and arrest Black Lives Matter protesters expressing their first

amendment rights. Some of these issues can be fixed by having more members of marginalized groups in the field of technology. Another step to try to eliminate these biases from technology is having sensitivity testers, like authors having sensitivity readers, to make sure things work as intended for everyone who may use it. Really, it should be part of the quality assurance process. Other aspects, particularly the policing algorithms, are extensions of already existing oppressive structures that will need more work to be dismantled. Businesses that use these technologies play a role as well. If installing soap dispensers, they should make sure they will work for everyone. As we shift toward

contactless payment methods, names should still be asked or there should be an option to input the name the customer wants to be called. To prevent offensive or prank names from being put on an order, there could be a simple text filter to eliminate profanity and common joke names. Developers and engineers should take more care to make sure their creations aren’t perpetuating inequalities. There needs to be more members of marginalized groups in the field anyway, since tech is usually a cishet white boy’s club. It is also the responsibility of the general public to raise awareness for these issues as they come up and help combat them by holding people accountable.

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Thursday, 03.24.22

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Stop undermining women’s sports THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

Women’s sports are chronically under attended and underappreciated. Every level, from junior high to professional league, women’s sports are both underfunded and unvalued. There is a long history of why women’s sports are seen as inferior and ‘less exciting,’ but it all boils down to patriarchy. Despite women’s teams performing at the same or higher levels of athletic performance compared to men’s teams, there is a narrative surrounding women’s sports teams, that they are ‘less interesting’ or that their players are ‘poorer athletes’. Take several of SIUE’s women’s teams. Our women’s tennis team is nationally ranked, and is currently in one of their best seasons in the program’s history - yet their matches are very poorly attended. This could be for a few reasons. One of the main ones is that they are scheduled at awkward times, such as Sunday mornings or weekday afternoons. Another reason is despite

coaches’ and players’ best efforts to publicize the program, when people think of SIUE sports they think of the men’s soccer and basketball teams. Another example is the SIUE women’s basketball team. Their games were often scheduled for earlier in the night or even during the day, while the men’s games were more consistently on Friday or Saturday night, later in the evening, which is when most people are off of school and work. Women’s sports are often put in worse locker rooms, or no locker rooms, as seen in the 2021 NCAA tournament. This is not just an SIUE problem, though. Across the country, women’s teams are underpaid and devalued. One of the major examples of this issue has come to light in the past 5 years. The U.S. women’s soccer team, which has won multiple world championships, was paid less than half of what the U.S. men’s soccer team, which has never won a world championship, gets paid. The women’s team recently won a court case that rules they will now receive fair and

equal pay. Because this issue is systemic, it can be seen at all levels of competition. Starting as young as junior high, women’s sports are less likely to receive funding to pay for new uniforms, equipment, or even basic maintenance of a practice space. By the age of 14, girls are twice as likely to drop sports, due to lack of familial support, funds, issues with self-confidence, or even just lack of access to a sport. This is not to say that men’s teams don’t deserve support, of course they do, but women’s sports are systemically less valued. From inconvenient schedules hindering people from attending events to support teams to the general narrative around women’s sports, the system surrounding these teams has placed a lesser value on these teams, simply because they are female. This Women’s History Month, support a women’s sports team. Whether that be attending an SIUE tennis match, softball game, or cheering on a professional team, put energy towards those teams.

fluent in the local language and are often unfamiliar with its culture. On top of that, they also have to deal with xenopho bia and racism. Be it their accent or app e a r a nc e , i m m i grants are often easy targets for ma rg i na lization. In turn, these factors may cause immigrants to suffer from lack of employment opportunities.

Not too long ago, immigrants who may not be perceived as Caucasian were treated poorly in the States. I have heard from my Nepali compat r iots who arrived in the United States a decade ago that d iscrimination was very prevalent. Gas station owners would not give them jobs and even professors in college would treat them

PAGE 11

WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE NOT TO ENGAGE WITH WOMEN’S SPORTS Less media coverage (reporting, highlights, etc.)

40%

Lack of knowledge about the teams and/or athletes

35%

Limited marketing

30%

Cannot easily ﬁnd games to watch on TV, online, or other channels

27%

Fewer people around me are interested in it

27%

The coverage is not high enough quality

24%

Games are not as physical

20%

Skill level is not as high

19%

Games are slower

14%

Not applicable—I believe people engage with women's sports as much as men's sports

Source: YouGov, as of June, 2021

Progress is still needed on immigrant inclusion in America SANGIMA RAI reporter

Immigrants are getting an improved quality of life today than they were a few years ago. As one of the most infrastructurally and economically developed countries in the world, the United States of America is a land of tremendous opportunity. Looking at the history of the nation, it has always attracted immigrants who travel to the United States to fulfill their American dream. Being one of them, I have come to realize that my life as an immigrant is a lot better today than what others experienced even 10 years ago. Truthfully, life as an immigrant is never easy. They arrive on foreign land, are often not

“

Now, it is in the hands of residents of the United States to make things even better ... for immigrants”

unfairly. Local Americans would not want to befriend them, which limited them to their circle of Nepali connections. But now, times are changing. It is not as difficult to be an immigrant in the United States as it was a decade ago. Minorities have found a way to come together in their common experiences. I have come to realize this in recent days, after finding myself sharing a dorm room with my African friend. Whenever we feel lonely in our present circumstances, we try to comfort each other with our words and dispel the gloom of feeling alienated. I feel as though America, at the end of the day, has always been a country made up of people who despite their nationalities, came together to make their dreams

come true. Especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for immigrants, people have begun to come closer together than ever before. Even in an average American, I feel that the level of empathy has increased immensely. Furthermore, movements like Black Lives Matter have also had a tremendous impacts on making Americans more aware of oppression and discrimination. People are getting more cautious about how their actions may leave negative consequences on immigrants and people of color. Now, it is in the hands of residents of the United States to make things even better, not only for local citizens, but also for immigrants themselves.

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 Page 12

sports

NEXT WEEK: INTERVIEW WITH NEW MEN’S SOCCER ASSISTANT COACH

alestlelive.com

Thursday, 03.24.22

SIUE STANDINGS Softball

OVERALL OVC

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

8-16 19-8 16-7 12-7 17-9 14-10 13-14 14-13 1-18 9-16

Baseball

OVERALL OVC

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

Freshman, Mia Haynes, from Burke, Virginia, strikes out Murray batter.

| Clair Sollenberger / The Alestle

Concatto’s home run not enough as Racers beat Cougars SANGIMA RAI reporter The SIUE Cougars played against Murray State Racers in a softball game at the Cougar’s home ground, the Cougar Field. In spite of being on away soil, the Racers defeated the Cougars 6-1 in the third game of the series. With this defeat, SIUE Cougars fell to 8-16 overall and 0-3 in the OVC. The Murray State Racers on the other hand improved to 19-8 overall and 3-0 in the OVC.

P.J. Finigan, the team’s interim head coach, expressed his frustration and disappointment in the game. “We gotta get better in every area,” Finigan said. “I don’t think anybody would be happy with what we did in any phase of the game this weekend.” The Racers won the battle of pitches as well. Sophomore pitcher and first baseman Mia Haynes of Burke, Virginia, allowed nine hits and struck out six, but still fell short to the Racers’ Hannah James, redshirt junior from

10-8 14-8 7-15 14-5 14-5 7-11 7-13 13-4 13-6

Nicholasville, Kentucky, and Jenna Veber, redshirt sophomore from Oswego, Illinois, who managed to allow only four hits. Still, Coach Finigan said that Haynes pitched a lot better than what results demonstrate. Despite the defeat, the highlight of the matchup for the Cougars was the sixth-inning home run by redshirt sophomore Bailley Concatto, who went out to bat twice. Finigan hopes that the fight shown by the team late in the game carries on their next game.

Redshirt sophomore Lexi King from Goreville, Illinois, went up to the plate three times to bat and managed one hit. Abby Braundmeier from Aviston, Illinois, had similar batting statistics, batting three times to get one hit. Freshman Aerin Talley from Spencer, Oklahoma, also managed to get a hit while going out to bat twice. “They are a good team. It is something we’re gonna move on from, learn from, and hopefully stay away from as we get forward,’’ Finigan said.

Women’s Tennis OVERALL OVC

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

7-6 7-4 3-5 12-1 1-10 2-12 8-4 0-4

All stats are from the OVC

UPCOMING Baseball vs. Southeast Missouri 6 p.m., March 25 Women’s Tennis at SIUE vs. UT Martin 1 p.m., March 25 Track and Field at Margaret Simmons Invite March 25 and 26 Softball vs. Belmont 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., March 26 Baseball vs. Southeast Missouri 2 p.m., March 26

Redshirt sophomore, Micah Arps, from St. Louis, Missouri, makes a clean hit and makes a run on base.

| Clair Sollenberger / The Alestle