The Alestle Vol. 74 No. 28

RANKING THE STL TRADITION OF TOASTED RAVIOLIS page 4

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T H E

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vol. 74 no. 28

SIUE’s WE CARE clinic receives $20,000 breast cancer services grant NICOLE BOYD copy editor

Two students receive ice cream as part of SpringFest. The annual tradition of a giant banana split was replaced with individual servings of ice cream due to COVID-19.

I Alex Aultman / The Alestle

The WE CARE clinic received a $20,000 grant from Susan G. Komen Missouri to expand their breast cancer services and education in an effort to improve the racial disparity in breast cancer outcomes.

Jerrica Ampadu, director of the WE CARE clinic and assistant professor in the School of Nursing, said they were introduced to Dawna Currigan, acting executive director for Komen Missouri, through Phyleccia Cole, an attorney for SIUE who is an advocate for breast cancer awareness. Currigan outlined what Komen was looking for in terms of community and health.

“From there we identified how we could use the funding.

We wrote up a document to support why breast cancer [funding] is needed, specifically in the African American community, and how we would utilize those resources to make a difference in East St. Louis,” Ampadu said.

Chaney Bell, nurse practitioner at the WE CARE clinic, said the grant will be primarily used for breast cancer services, such as mammograms, assistance with treatment for breast cancer and diagnostic ultrasounds, for a target population.

“If a woman had a mastectomy and she needed breast supplies, it would include that. It includes clinical breast exams that I do here at the clinic, transportation for breast services, education for breast health and prevention see GRANT on page 3

Campus group calls for more gender-inclusive restroom accommodations DALTON BROWN copy editor

As of April 27, the gender-inclusive restroom in the Engineering Building is still labeled as ‘shower’ (left). The Peck Hall restroom (right) has one of the updated signs.

I Dalton Brown / The Alestle

Gender-neutral signage on public single-occupancy restrooms has been required by state law since 2020; while SIUE has since made itself compliant, members of the school’s Restroom Accessibility group say there is still work to be done.

Senior English secondary education major Jo Moulton, of Chatham, Illinois, is also the secretary for SIUE’s Gay-Straight Alliance. They said the university’s lack of gender-neutral restrooms

— and the lack of awareness surrounding them — is particularly inconvenient for students on campus.

“One thing I’ve noticed is there’s, as far as gender-neutral restrooms … we have [them] in Peck Hall and that’s it,” Moulton said. “Some students don’t even have classes in Peck Hall and might not even know about those as an option. Can you imagine only having Peck Hall every time you had to go to the restroom?”

A state-wide restroom law enacted on Jan. 1, 2020 requires all public single-occupancy re-

strooms to be labeled “all-gender.”

Ezra Temko, a member of SIUE’s Safe Zone and its Restroom Accessibility Group subcommittee, said a list of all compliant restrooms on campus is available on the Safe Zone website.

“Under ‘Gender Inclusive Restrooms on Campus,’ we’ve listed a few, which includes Peck Hall, where there’s a family restroom; Engineering, a restroom in the basement that’s marked ‘shower’; [the Morris University Center] restroom is in Starbucks and then see RESTROOMS on page 3

500 Pfizer vaccines distributed at the Student Fitness Center BRANDON WELLS reporter

The Madison County Health Department partnered with National Guard workers to administer 500 Pfizer vaccines at the Student Fitness Center last week.

The vaccination site was established in response to the Madison County Health Department’s and SIUE’s joint goal of making vaccines more accessible.

Director of Campus Recreation Keith Becherer said SIUE has worked closely with the Madison County Health Department for a number of years, so setting up wasn’t a problem.

“The university and Madison County have always had a great working relationship. Our facility serves the need — in case they need that — for a variety of things,” Becherer said.

Becherer said that SIUE faculty and staff were on site to help if needed, but the clinic was primarily run by the Madison County Health Department “Madison County and the National

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Guard were really coming in and running the clinic. We’re really just providing the space to allow them to accommodate that many people,” Becherer said.

Director of Community Health Amy Yeager with the Madison County Health Department said Madison County sent its mobile vaccination team provided by the Illinois National Guard.

“With the National Guard comes soldiers, contract nurses and vaccines,” Yeager said. “[The National Guard have] a system down pat of what they need, how much spacing they need, how many chairs and tables they need and where they’re going to be placed.”

Yeager said she appreciated how accommodating and supportive the university staff was to the clinic.

“The people from the Vadalabene Center were there to help us — they checked in with the [National Guard sergeant] throughout the day to see if there were any needs that we had or if there was anything missing,” Yeager said.

Yeager said the date for the next vac-

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cination site on campus for the Pfizer vaccine is May 14 and that participants from April 21 already have info on how to sign up.

“They will receive an email with a link to schedule a time if they want to come back on that date to get their second dose,” Yeager said. “If for some reason you can’t make that date, we have Pfizer at all of our other clinics as well and they could come to one of the other clinics and get their second dose.”

Health Service Director Riane Greenwalt said her and some of her staff were present at the clinic assisting the Madison County Health Department with appointments and whatever else they needed.

“We either verified their appointments or accepted walk-ins — we accepted people that might have missed their morning appointments and came in the afternoon.

We mainly were there to help answer any questions that had to do with their status as a student,” Greenwalt said. “If they have any concerns after the vaccine, they can contact our office.”

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Greenwalt said the vaccination site served as a way to help students get vaccinated if they were struggling before.

“We’re trying to do it on campus so that students that maybe had a scheduling conflict or transportation issues would have that available to them,” Greenwalt said.

Greenwalt said she’s been working closely with the Madison County Health Department in order to help students get fully vaccinated regardless of their location.

“Every week, Madison County opens up vaccine clinics and vaccine appointments. Anyone that’s looking for vaccines that didn’t make it to [the April 21] clinic are more than welcome to email me at rgreenw@siue.edu and I’ll help them connect with a vaccine clinic,” Greenwalt said.

The Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Illinois is still taking appointments, but walk-ins are also welcome for all eligible recipients. You can schedule appointments at the Madison County Health Department website.

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SG’s accessibility resolution asks for more inclusive practices KRISTINA JOHNSON reporter

After accessible parking spots were snowed-in last winter, SIUE’s student government signed an accessibility resolution that may add new accessibility rules in the future.

Junior Senator for Student Government and sociology major Julia Goren, of High Ridge, Missouri, wrote the resolution titled “Accessibility Campus Resolution.” She said this resolution took over a year’s worth of work to be compiled and may have more resolutions coming.

“This is my first of three resolutions. This is the general accessibility resolution, where I outlined a general overview of what the issues are and what potential solutions are,” Goren said. “I had a meeting with the director of ACCESS, Dominic Dorsey, in September of 2020 and I asked him several questions [about] where he had heard concerns about accessibility issues on campus.”

An issue addressed in the resolution was accessible parking spots on campus being snowed in during the winter. Senior ac-

counting major and Student understand when there are times ditional minimum of 40 spaces Government Vice President Ron- of inclement weather and campus for housing. Graduate psycholoald Akpan, of Dunlap, Illinois, is not closed, it is a little bit trick- gy student and student diversity said upon discussing with Goren, ier for students – and this is all officer Maddy McKenzie, of Alhe was able to help her write out students, not just students with ton, Illinois, said the purpose of their ideas of greater accessibility mobility impairments. We’re a having these spots is negated if they cannot be used. for students with “Even if we are disabilities.

“I remember last year one time meeting the state “I believe [the resolution] during class, I was taking a quiz and all guidelines for those handicapped spots, is a way that includes all students of sudden there was a fire alarm [that] technically we’re not to make sure all went off. We had to quickly evacuate, if we are instead piling them with snow. voices are heard,” Akpan said. and [for] people who didn’t have the If people can’t park there, then what is “[Goren’s] heard from many peo- same capabilities [it] would have been the point?” McKenple’s perspectives difficult for them to leave. Personally zie said.

The resolution about how there’s a lot of snow piled I was a little shocked we didn’t have also mentions a plan all faculty and up during the winan evacuation plan, because there are for staff to be trained in ter times. It’s defievacuating students nitely made it hard students who have been overlooked. with disabilities, as for them to not there is currently no only find parking, RONALD AKPAN university policy that but also to maneu- Senior accounting major and Student Government Vice addresses this. ver around cam- President from Dunlap, Illinois “I remember last pus.”

With some parking spaces commuter school, [and] the red year one time during class, I was taking a quiz and all of sudden blocked and students having to lots are far away,” Goren said.

Per the American with Dis- there was a fire alarm [that] went navigate other options, Goren said professors have to be more abilities Act, Goren said SIUE off. We had to quickly evacuate lenient with students being late is required to have at least 80 and [for] people who didn’t have accessible parking spots for the the same capabilities [it] would to class or Zoom meetings. “[Professors are] having to Edwardsville campus and an ad- have been difficult for them to

leave,” Akpan said. “Personally I was a little shocked we didn’t have an evacuation plan, because there are students who have been overlooked.”

Goren said she conducted a survey with students using ACCESS to see what student government can do better concerning inclusion and how this pandemic semester has been for students. From the 32 students who responded, she said she was able to understand their expectations more. “[The survey] also helped me to figure out where I need to go in the direction of these resolutions, especially this first one,” Goren said. “Overall, the general accessibility resolution is really vital to our campus in order to allow students to feel included and comfortable within the university.”

Goren said the resolution has been forwarded to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffery Waple, making it the first student government action to pass the student senate in nearly a year.

For more information about the accessibility campus resolution, visit SIUE’s Student Government website.

Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause may cause future stigmas KRISTINA JOHNSON reporter

04.19.21

04.24.21

Officer took a report of an employee advising there was possibly a lost computer. Officer made contact with the subject that possibly had the computer and the subject advised he did have the computer and turned it in.

Officer responded to an active fire alarm. Officer advised the alarm was activated due to a resident accidentally hitting the detector with a fire extinguisher. Officer advised there was no fire, no smoke, no damage.

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Dispatch received notification of an alarm. Officer did not respond per policy.

Officer assisted Edwardsville PD with trying to locate subjects potentially involved in a traffic accident. Officer advised the occupants were not located.

Officer assisted housing in speaking with two residents. Officer advised there was no crime committed and it was a housing incident only.

04.22.21 Person was arrested on a Wood River warrant. Subject was transported to Wood River PD. State citations issued for Speeding and Driving on a Suspended Driver’s License.

Officer assisted Edwardsville PD with trying to locate a subject. Officer advised Edwardsville PD made contact with the subject.

04.23.21 Officer took a report of an employee receiving two emails from an alumni.

Employee just wanted documentation of him receiving the emails.

Officer responded to a report of a solicitor putting fliers on vehicles. Officer made contact with the company on the flier and advised the proper way the company needed to advertise.

Officer responded to a loud noise complaint. Officer advised Housing was on scene when officer arrived. Officer advised Housing stated it was a noise coming from the furnace and a work order would be submitted.

Officer responded to a report of two dogs being found. Officer advised the dogs had collars, but no tags. Officer transported the dogs back to the SIUE PD. Owner of the dogs was contacted and the owner picked up the dogs.

04.26.21 Officer responded to a report of a burglary to motor vehicle. Victim advised wallet was stolen and debit card that was in the wallet had authorized charges on it. Investigation pending.

04.27.21 Officer assisted Edwardsville PD with making phone contact with a subject in their venue. Subject wanted to speak with an officer in person. Edwardsville PD sent an officer.

Lifting the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccines has caused differing viewpoints, but the restart of vaccinations may cause people to be concerned about future vaccine safety.

On April 13, the FDA and CDC paused the distribution of the J&J vaccine because of fear of more blood clots in those vaccinated with it, according to the Washington Post. A little over a week later, the pause was lifted — adults can be vaccinated again with the single shot.

Although the pause was short, Director of Health Services Riane Greenwalt said putting the J&J vaccine on hold was probably the right decision.

“I think there have been seven adverse events that happened with the J&J vaccine.

In relationship to the 7 million vaccines that have been given, it seems like a very small percentage unless you’re one of those seven. Since it was such a serious adverse event, I think they were right to put in a pause,” Greenwalt said.

Senior nursing student Jordan Wesley, of Edwardsville, said although there were some people experiencing blood clots, the pause may have been done too quickly.

“I think they were being overly cautious because it was so rare. I’m sure they didn’t really know if it was the vaccine that caused it,” Wesley said. “I understand why they paused, it because they didn’t want a high spike of people with blood clots from their vaccine.”

Wesley, who has a peanut allergy, said her doctor advised her not to get the vaccine right now, but she said she wants people to continue getting the vaccine.

“I learned about vaccines a few semesters ago and I think a lot of people [are] strictly uneducated and don’t actually know how vaccines work,” Wesley said. “From a standpoint of how I know how they work, it doesn’t scare me.”

First-year pharmacy student Gabe Comonal, of Romeoville, Illinois, said he

is afraid with the J&J vaccine having the pause, there will be more people who fall into the anti-vaccine crowd.

“They are looking to say, ‘We don’t trust vaccines and this is a reason why you shouldn’t too.’ It’s completely detrimental to the whole fight against COVID-19,” Comonal said.

Medical News Today said the second fastest vaccine to be developed was the mumps vaccine, which took four years.

Comonal said because of the quick turnaround for the COVID-19 vaccine, many people who haven’t been vaccinated are questioning whether the vaccine was rushed.

“Normally it takes years and years to get them into widespread public use. [The CDC] wants to make sure of the efficacy and safety … and make sure no one is suffering side effects, like blood clots. I believe the people who were on the fence initially are more likely to wait for more people to get it and see how they fare in everyday life,” Comonal said.

With a lot of information out about the COVID-19 vaccine, Greenwalt said everyone should speak with a healthcare provider before deciding what is best for them.

“If you look at Moderna, Pfizer and even the J&J vaccine before the pause – they have had a positive impact on the disease,” Greenwalt said. “I would encourage anyone that is on the fence to number one, either talk to their pharmacists, or talk to their physician about their concerns so they can be addressed individually. I don’t think there is a standard concern.”

SIUE originally planned on using the J&J vaccine at the Student Fitness Center vaccine clinic, but Greenwalt said they switched the vaccine because of the pause.

“Once there was the pause put in, we pivoted to the Pfizer vaccine,” Greenwalt said. “[Madison County] had plenty of Pfizer vaccines available in order to do that.”

For more vaccine information, visit the CDC’s website or Madison County Health Department’s website.

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page 3 RESTROOMS I COVER

BY THE NUMBERS

COVID-19 at SIUE

New confirmed positive cases (from tests conducted by SIUE and self-reporting):

April 16 - April 22: 3 students, 0 faculty/staff April 9 - April 15: 2 students, 2 faculty/staff 14-day new positive tests: 5 students, 2 faculty/ staff All prior weeks positive tests (Aug. 1 - April 8): 346 students, 88 faculty/staff Total positive cases: 375 students, 97 faculty/staff

Tests conducted by SIUE

April 16 - April 22: 364 April 9 - April 15: 198 14-day new tests conducted: 562 All prior weeks tests conducted (Aug. 21 - April 8): 12,221 Total tests conducted: 13,603

Positive cases identified by SIUE testing:

April 16 - April 22: 3 April 9 - April 15: 0 14-day new positive cases: 3 All prior weeks positive cases (Aug. 21 - April 8): 379 Total: 388

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Madison County confirmed cases by day

April 17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

Source: Madison County Health Department COVID-19 Dashboard, as of April 25

Percentage of isolation/quarantine space available on campus (as of April 25): 99 percent Source: Health, Reporting, and Testing page on SIUE’s COVID-19 website, as of April 25

COVID-19’S impact on Madison County

All of Illinois’ regions remain under Tier 4 mitigations, which went into effect Feb. 4. These mitigations include the following: - All gatherings of 50 people or fewer are allowed with this limit subject to change based on latest data & guidance - Travel should follow IDPH and CDC approved guidance - All health care providers are open - P-12 schools, higher education, all summer programs and child care open with IDPH approved safety guidance Source: dph.illinois.gov.

- All outdoor recreation allowed | Summer Bradley / The Alestle

New technology arriving to Dunham TV studio DALTON BROWN copy editor

Energy-efficient lighting and interactive display boards are just two of many changes coming to the Dunham Hall TV studio. While the refurbishment project has been delayed by the pandemic, it may be done as soon as this fall.

Patrick Long, an architect and project manager with Facilities Management, said this project is the most significant change he’s seen to the TV studio since he arrived at SIUE in 2007. The project was originally signed off on in 2019, but he said it faced significant delays when the pandemic hit.

According to Long, several changes are coming — mostly to the lighting, which is being converted to be both more energy efficient and industry accurate.

“The technology has changed in terms of the type of lighting. The school is utilizing the incandescent lighting, which not only is a lot hotter, but it’s not as efficient energy-wise,” Long said.

“Going into new studios that aren’t in an educational environment, they’re state of the art and up to date, and ... the program is doing its best to make sure the students have what they will be dealing with when they get out into the ‘real world.’”

In addition to the studio lights, Long said the room’s regular ceiling lights are also being converted to LED as part of a university-wide push toward energy efficiency. He said other changes specific GRANT I COVER

screenings,” Bell said. “It’s not for all women. We have a target population — women ages 40 through 64 — and these are low income women, uninsured and underinsured women.”

Ampadu said the WE CARE clinic represents the population they serve, which is important because research shows that if the provider shares some commonality in identity with their patients, the patient receives better care. This is referred to as the patient-provider concordance.

“We’re able to be the face of health care and with the Komen grant we have access to provide another level of care that we didn’t have before. So by being here, being the face of health care in this particular area and then having those resources and funds, we are allowed to make some impact in breast health in this community,” Ampadu said. “The disparity essentially says that although Black women are diagnosed less, we

to the studio include an interactive display board, a control board to remotely control things like light temperature and the installation of some new wiring.

According to Mass Communications Instructor Cory Byers, the remote operation of the studio lights from the new lighting control board will be much more convenient than the method used previously.

“In the past, if you wanted to change the color of a light, you’d have to roll out the big ladder, climb up there with the gel, attach the gel to the light, climb down the ladder [and] move the ladder out of the way,” Byers said. “So this is a lot easier, it’s a lot more convenient, it’s a lot safer … and just being able to really do a lot more creative lighting with the lights, I think is something that I’m really looking forward to.”

Broadcast Engineer Theresa Pauli said the studio’s news anchor set, which had been donated from a CBS St. Louis station, was also updated last summer to reflect the look of the campus. Pauli said one major change to this set cleared up significant studio space at no extra cost.

“There was the main set with the anchor desk, and then there was a side desk … that was never used properly and it took up a ton of room,” Pauli said. “We have a giant green screen in there, and that set sat in front of over half of it … so that’s gone and I’d say it’s opened up another 25-30 percent of usable studio space.”

Pauli said the new space created from this process will allow students to roll new-

ly-donated news desks in front of the green screen area for filming.

Byers said the new display board will also be a welcome upgrade from the department’s prior equipment.

“I just heard that we’re getting a new display in there, which is really nice, because in the past, we’ve just been using a projector on a cart to project student work and the show that I work on, especially,” Byers said. “So having a higher quality, dedicated screen in there should be really beneficial to teaching and learning from students.”

Pauli said from a career perspective, the technology in the new studio allows her to learn along with students.

“If you’re in charge of a TV studio [and you have] antiquated systems, it’s going to make your job harder because there’s more maintenance involved with those,” Pauli said. “It’s nice to see new technology. I think from a career aspect, for me, it’s good to see that I’m able to work and learn too — in this industry, you always need to be learning the newest technology, and there’s always new technology coming along.”

Pauli also said the project has stayed under budget thus far, so the department is looking into what else it could implement with the unused funds.

Long said the project could be completed as early as this fall, but the status of some recently-ordered materials might delay the project’s completion, so an official date has not been decided on yet.

die more and we have more complications.

Our goal is to at least bridge some of that gap, and hopefully we do that by providing trust, quality health care, as well as resources from the Komen grant.”

Bell said besides the WE CARE clinic, there is only one other clinic in East St. Louis, and a lot of those patients switch to WE CARE because of provider situations in which they feel they are not being listened to or can’t get an appointment.

“It’s just having that level of trust and being able to educate. So not only do we have this opportunity with the Komen grant to provide more education, not only do I do woman exams like the clinical breast exams and the Pap smears, we also have the public health educator here who can also provide another level of education regarding mammograms and breast health,” Bell said.

Currigan said Komen Missouri has historically granted money to southern Illinois in addition to Missouri. Since they weren’t able to give the grant fund to their usual or-

ganization in Illinois last year, she said they made it a point this year to give the money to southern Illinois. “[The WE CARE clinic] actually really fit perfectly with our mission to work on the disparities in the health care system, especially relating to breast health screenings and education,” Currigan said. “We felt by granting this money we would be able to reach people who didn’t have access to services, whether it’s screening or other support services.”

Currigan said Komen Missouri is proud to be working with the WE CARE clinic.

“We think it will service a very great need in that area and a number of surrounding counties, because we really are working to cut down on the disparities of the health care system, and the WE CARE clinic is going to be a great partner in doing that with us,” Currigan said.

To learn more about the WE CARE clinic, visit their website.

in the Lukas Annex, which I guess is in the [Vadalabene Center],” Temko said. “So those should be gender-inclusive, and … should now have marked signage that says ‘all-gender.’”

Director of Equal Opportunity, Access and Title IX Coordination Jamie Ball, another member of Safe Zone and the Restroom Accessibility Group, said the group was formed in an attempt to identify what the LGBTQ+ needs on campus are beyond what’s legally required of the university. According to Ball, the group has a few goals, not the least of which is spreading awareness.

“One [goal] is to make sure that all of the signage for the restrooms that we do have that are gender-inclusive are prominent and up-to-date,” Ball said. “And then also, kind of boosting the signal of the availability of those restrooms by developing some augmented maps or guides or things like that, so that if you were planning a trip to campus or let’s say you’re a new student … [you’re] going to need to use a bathroom at some point, so it’s good to know where bathrooms are.”

The list of gender-neutral restrooms on the Safe Zone website features links to various campus building maps, but the links are not currently operational and Temko says the site may need to be updated in order to reflect the current signage on campus.

Privilege is a special advantage held by people in a certain group which is unavailable to those outside the group. Ball said those who are cisgender, or whose gender identity aligns with their assigned birth sex, are granted a sense of privilege over nonbinary students due to the inequality of campus restroom accessibility; because of this, she said it’s important for students without such privilege to speak out on this issue.

“I know it’s a big ask of people, especially folks who maybe are feeling already pretty marginalized and maybe a little unsafe relating to questions of gender identity to speak up and let their needs be known,” Ball said. “But it is helpful, because it’s a function of cis privilege to walk around in the world and not appreciate that this is even a question or an issue.”

Temko said he would like to see further accommodations made and considers them part of the university’s mission.

“A next step would be for SIUE to make sure that in any building that has at least three multiple-occupancy bathrooms, that one of those multiple-occupancy bathrooms is designated ‘all-gender.’ I think that right now, all that would take is those same all-gender signs … which is a pretty minor cost,” Temko said. “If this requires more [money] … our administration has said that they’re committed to creating an inclusive university … and especially if the core of what we’re doing here is academics and we’re saying that in academic buildings, students don’t have access to their basic needs, then we’re failing at that mission.”

Illinois House Bill 3195, introduced by Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville), would require all public multiple-occupancy restrooms to have gender-inclusive signage.

Ball said she would welcome this change at SIUE if the bill were to pass. “[It’s] an interesting question of, ‘Well, do we just relabel all our restrooms?’ Personally, I’d be cool with that … To me, the idea of all the bathrooms just becoming gender-inclusive doesn’t seem all that controversial,” Ball said. “I think going forward … to prioritize this as a budget question, I think that might come from on high, from Springfield, to some extent.”

Temko said the Restroom Accessibility Group plans to make specific policy requests to administration at a future time yet to be determined.

“We’re putting together what our ask is to the administration about policy …

We have folks that are plugged in different parts of the university, but we haven’t made an ask yet, so we’re putting that together and then we’ll see kind of what response we get,” Temko said.

THIS WEEK ONLINE: ‘COZY GROVE’ GAME IS HERE JUST IN TIME FOR FINALS

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contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com 650-3527 thursday, 04.29.21

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A brief history of STL’s beloved t-rav ...

EAST EATS

Similar to the (rumored) history of the potato chip and Worcestershire sauce, St. Louis’s very own toasted raviolis are said to have been created by accident. The tale, whimsical to any foodie, was documented in the Feb. 25, 1987 print edition of The New York Times.

Yes, toasted raviolis caught national attention. However, we can guarantee the recipe in the article will not yield nearly as good results as the restaurants mentioned in this Metro East Eats. When it comes to a delicacy only found in St. Louis, it’s best to leave it to the pros.

Anyway, The Times reported the STL staple was created at Angelo Oldani’s on The Hill when a cook mistook instructions from their boss and dropped ravioli into a pan of heated oil (toasted raviolis are not actually toasted, but fried). Seeing what had happened, Oldani tried to save the dish with a dash of grated cheese. That fateful night was reportedly sometime in the 1950s, and we are still enjoying Oldani’s improvisation today.

St. Louis Magazine found a slightly different version of events (actually, a couple of different versions), and perhaps unironically, two different Oldani families are involved and both were what — in the words of Bob Ross — we can call “happy little accidents.”

The two restaurants dueling for the title of “birthplace of toasted raviolis” are today known as Mama’s on The Hill and Charlie Gitto’s.

GUEST CHECK Date: April 2021

Bella Millano

Toasted Ravio Scored out of lis a po

ssible 5

Filling Breadi ng Garnish Marinara

Total:

3/5

4/5

4/5

Rigazzi’s

5/5

4/5

4/5

16/20

Imo’s

4/5

4/5

5/5

5/5

5/5

17/20

3/5

5/5

17/20

5/5

2/5

1/5

13/20

Mama’s on the Hill Charlie Gitto’s Lombardo’s Trattoria

5/5

5/5

5/5

5/5

5/5

5/5

20/20

4.5/5

5/5

19.5/20

Have a nice day! | Summer Br

adley / The

Alestle

Bella Milano has a toasty, cheesy wonderland of ravs, but at a hefty price

I Alex Aultman / The Alestle

We ordered toasted raviolis from Bella Milano in Edwardsville through DoorDash. It was $8 for four toasted ravs and $11 for six. We actually had to order twice because we were so hungry, we forgot to take a photo before we ate the first time.

Getting curbside pick-up is definitely more cost effective than delivery. The delivery fees were at least an extra $7 and the price of the pasta we ordered was $3 more on DoorDash than at the restaurant. Luckily, the food kept well throughout its voyage across town.

As soon as we opened the togo container, the smell of Parme-

san wafted through the air. It had been sprinkled on the ravs and in the marinara sauce and was melting to the sides of the container. The marinara sauce came in a separate container, plastic wrapped to prevent spillage.

The ravs had a good crunch, but they weren’t quite as crunchy as we were hoping for. The filling was made with beef and herbs and was fine without the added flavor of the sauce. We think the meat could have used more spices. The marinara sauce had just the right amount of chunkiness, with pieces of tomato, onion and ground beef throughout. These ravs are definitely for meat lovers.

They were crispy enough to hold globs of marinara without drooping and the filling managed to stay in the rav while dipping — which is good, considering this is a common problem rav lovers face. These ravs were definitely good, but we aren’t sure if they’re $2 per ravioli good. They also did not include silverware, which is very inconvenient for attempting to eat pasta, which Bella Milano is known for.

BELLA MILANO 659-2100 1063 S. State Route 157 Edwardsville

Charlie Gitto’s takes the lead, and it has had quite some time to do so The toasted raviolis at Charlie Gitto’s on The Hill had over seven decades to be perfected, and they certainly have been.

Our online editor emphasizes the importance of madefrom -scratch Italian food, and Charlie Gitto’s menu as a whole embodied that phenomenally, especially the t-ravs. Everything from grinding the meat filling to the creation of the dough was entirely from scratch — which according to the staff, allows every flavor to be fine-tuned.

The dish was served as an appetizer, which meant fewer raviolis (eight for $12), but good things come in small packages.

The filling was warm and flavor-

ful, made of a delicious blend of meat, cheese and roasted vegetables.

Seasoning wasn’t skimped on either, completing the full-bodied flavor influenced deeply by the Italian roots of the dish. We enjoyed the breading, which was toasty and firm enough to hold a crispy texture, but not too tough or overpowering. The freshly grated Parmesan on top completed the ravioli itself, a delicious topping accompanied by our own ample use of the freshly made marinara, which was subtly savory with a pleasant tartness.

Overall, the t-ravs, though small, were full of authentic, well-balanced taste and had a

crisp, yet almost pillowy quality in every bite.

The experience was second to none. The manager regaled us with the history of the toasted ravioli’s construction and origins, as well as the background of the restaurant itself. The customer service was exceptional, and we appreciated that the staff was dedicated to upholding proper sanitary measures during the pandemic.

CHARLIE GITTO’S ON THE HILL 314-772-8898 5226 Shaw Ave. St. Louis

I Emily Sterzinger / The Alestle

thursday, 04.29.21

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Imo’s keeps the great, classic St. Louis taste, even in a different place

I Damian Morris / The Alestle

Despite being headquartered in St. Louis, Imo’s Pizza has expanded to over 100 locations across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. We sought to find out if their quality is consistent, even outside of St. Louis.

Of course, our main focus was on their toasted ravioli.

Could this St. Louis specialty live up to high expectations across the river? This question brought us to their Edwardsville location.

We decided to dine in. The seats were spaced out, a plus for the pandemic, and mostly metal chairs sat at circular brown tables. At the counter, there was a large menu for easy viewing and

someone waiting to take our order. Following the order of eight toasted raviolis for the price of $6.95, we took our seats to wait.

Barely a few minutes passed before the polite waitress brought out the basket of ravioli.

At first glance, each ravioli was generously dusted with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, leaving some excess at the bottom for those who prefer a bit more. The first bite, without any marinara sauce, showed the breading to be perfectly toasted and easy to bite into, but not undercooked. The flavor of the breading was standard to what one would expect from the average toasted ravioli.

This revealed the well-seasoned meat in the center, mixed with a couple of vegetables to enhance the taste. However, despite the great taste, the meat proved to be lackluster in its ability to fill the center of each ravioli. The marinara sauce held a watery texture, yet attempted to make up for this with the perfect balance of sweetness to counterbalance the heavily seasoned breading, meat and topping that maintained their quality claim.

IMO’S PIZZA 692-6100 1100 S. State Route 157 Edwardsville

After all these years, Lombardo’s Trattoria has yet to disappoint It’s 2005 and a young girl is skipping across the train tracks of Union Station, eager to watch some Blues Hockey, of course.

This vivid memory belongs to our lifestyles editor, and it would not be complete without the Lammert family’s post-game ritual: toasted raviolis at Lombardo’s Trattoria. The Trattoria is located right behind Union Station (or in front of, depending on which direction one is facing), which means it’s walking distance from the hub of STL Hockey.

With this Metro East Eats focusing around one of St. Louis’s finest culinary inventions, we knew we had to revisit the site of the giant t-rav. Due to the pan-

demic we did not eat in, but it did not matter. The experience was just as great: multiple greetings from friendly waiters and managers, focaccia bread still warm and the t-ravs heavy with meaty, rich goodness.

As always, the meat filling was the star of the show. A little chewy and blended with whoknows-what-else of mouthwatering goodness (St. Louis Magazine said beef, spinach, cheese and eggs), it was the perfect contrast to the somewhat sweet breading.

The thick comforter of bread is not what one would expect from a t-rav — soft but toasty on the outside. To preserve the integrity of the ravs, the marinara and

cheese were packaged on the side.

We loved this, as the marinara fiends of us were able to drizzle the smooth sauce all over, while others were just as satisfied with sprinkles of the aged Parmesan.

When feeding a whole staff, it’s all about the customization.

After 16 years of visiting the restaurant, our lifestyles editor still regards Lombardo’s Trattoria as the best of the best. Thank you, Tony and family, for opening your doors to us again and again.

LOMBARDO’S TRATTORIA 314-621-0666 S. 20th St. St. Louis

I Madison Lammert / The Alestle

For the alleged home of the original t-ravs, Mama’s misses the mark

I Kristina Johnson / The Alestle

If you’ve grown up around the St. Louis area, you know how near and dear to our hearts toasted raviolis are. Although where the famous dish was first created is debated among many St. Louis restaurants, Mama’s on The Hill continues to say their kitchen is where it started.

Since they call themselves the home of the toasted ravioli, we had to go to Mama’s to try them ourselves. We ordered carry-out and although we weren’t able to get the full dine-in experience, the service was quick and the staff was pleasant. The restaurant seemed COVID-19 prepared with two containers of hand sanitizer sitting on the host

stand and tables looked to be six feet apart.

In an order of Mama’s t-ravs, you get 10 raviolis, a side of marinara sauce and a dusting of Parmesan cheese for $9.99.

The star of the show is no doubt the filling. They have a tender meat filling with all the different textures melting in your mouth.

The raviolis are fried just enough for a crunchy, deep color on the outside while keeping the insides flavorful and absolutely not dry at all.

The topping of Parmesan cheese was lackluster and not enough for our liking. On top of that, there was a thin, watery marinara sauce on the side. The

taste of the sauce was similar to a majority of marinara sauces you can get at the grocery store and didn’t give us the feeling of homemade. Although the saltiness and overall flavor was OK, we could’ve eaten the t-ravs without it.

We had high hopes for Mama’s t-ravs as they are supposed to be the location that started it all. Even though they didn’t necessarily disappoint us, we expected them to be the best ravioli in STL. MAMA’S ON THE HILL 314-776-3100 2132 Edwards St. St. Louis

Rigazzi’s on The Hill’s toasted raviolis will leave you wanting more The Italian restaurant Rigazzi’s in STL’s The Hill neighborhood strikes an appetizing balance of crunchy yet soft and filling with their toasted ravioli.

When we arrived at Rigazzi’s the parking was what to be expected for STL — not terrible, but it could be better. This of course is not the fault of Rigazzi’s.

We ordered ahead to pick it up inside the restaurant, but we weren’t at all disappointed with the wait. The warm and inviting atmosphere of the restaurant still existed even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The toasted ravioli came with 11 raviolis in the box with Rigazzi’s marinara sauce at the price of $9.95. The box itself came with a cute smiley face on it, giving us a positive feeling.

Like the rest of their menu, Rigazzi’s does their toasted ravioli just right. The filling seemed to be made up of only lightly spiced beef, but it was the perfect amount of filling for each bite to leave you wanting more.

The breading of the ravioli was slightly crunchy with a very fresh and toasty taste that the fresh Parmesan cheese garnish added to, making the experience of eating them quite addictive.

When we tried the toasted ravioli with Rigazzi’s marinara sauce, store-bought ravioli or marinara couldn’t compare to the taste. The sauce was a balance between being thin and thick, with the fresh ingredients leaving a good aftertaste.

Rigazzi’s left us feeling satisfied and wanting to come back for more. Their featured side of toasted ravioli will be something we order upon our next visit.

RIGAZZI’S 314-772-4900 4945 Daggett Ave. St. Louis

I Brandon Wells / The Alestle

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ALESTLE VIEW

As the semester ends, we need change final-ly ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

April grades bring May finals. This month is the month of stress among students and faculty alike across universities. And with COVID-19, the stress only increases. Although we’ve written about stressful group projects in the past (and received some counter-arguments), finals are a very different beast.

Finals are a normal part of schoolwork; most of us have had them since high school. However, this doesn’t mean that they’re useful, or easy to deal with.

According to the American Test Anxieties Association, somewhere between 16 to 20 percent of Americans have high test anxiety. They also found that the majority of students felt more stressed by tests than anything else in their lives.

Some instructors avoid this stress by assigning final projects or papers that replace the final,

which is fine, and much preferable. If we have more time to work on a large assignment — one that we can ask the professor for help with during the semester — then it makes sense for them to be worth a lot of points.

However, if little-to-no help is being offered from the course’s instructor while we take the exam, students are obviously going to do much worse.

What is not fine or preferable is when instructors assign both a final project or paper and a final exam. If students are given two assignments that have a large effect on their grades and require extensive amounts of studying and effort, then they will most likely end up with one of two outcomes; either they do poorly on one or both of the finals, or they score high grades on both at the expense of their mental health.

These complaints are universal. However, more accommodation is required than this,

as COVID-19 has caused many classes to remain online this semester. So, a whole new issue is brought about. Even if a professor has software enabled to try to prevent it, if an exam is online, students can still just look through a textbook or handwritten notes in between questions.

In this case, a student who cheats is far more likely to get high marks than a student who is honest, but takes tests poorly.

Alternatively, if the final in this hypothetical situation was a project or paper rather than an exam, the students would be able to put work into it over time, ask their professor for advice or clarification and the outcome would more likely reflect the effort put in.

Furthermore, why is it even against the rules to look at notes or a textbook during an exam in the first place? In some cases, it does make sense; there is a level of background information in most

fields that has to be memorized, and some fields like criminal justice require an incredibly in-depth knowledge of the subject matter.

But, in almost every field, it is not uncommon to have to look things up when you need them. If you were a biologist and you were preparing to conduct an experiment, but you forgot some important knowledge beforehand, you would not fail. You could look at your notes and carry on.

If you were a statistician and you couldn’t remember what your data was, you could easily check it and correct it.

Obviously, there will still be students who do amazing work all semester and ace their final exams, but they will likely realize their situation isn’t the case for all students. As for faculty, think of it this way: would you rather have to grade tons and tons of uniform exams, or look at papers and projects, all personalized according to the student who created them?

The trend involves using makeup and eyeshadow to give the appearance of upward slanted eyes, and pulling up the skin to the side of the eyes to further accentuate a thin, slanted eye shape. Many Asian Americans, including myself, noticed a strong resemblance between fox-eye makeup to decades of yellowface in media, as well as the pose associated with the trend being nearly identical to pulling the corners of the eyes to mock monolids, epicanthic folds or otherwise “small eyes.”

Appropriating the appearance of Asians has even been done permanently. Oli London, a British musician, spent over $100,000 on plastic surgery to look like his favorite K-Pop idol, Jimin. London’s case is extreme and fetishistic, but it’s not unheard of for fans of K-Pop and anime to attempt to look Asian and even obscure their actual background; I’ve seen examples from my own time as a cosplayer on social media.

As for appropriation in beauty trends, Blackfishing has become a staple for influencers and other celebrities. The term, coined by journalist Wanna Thompson, refers to the use of makeup and hairstyles to give the impression of racial ambiguity or Black ancestry. It’s widespread throughout social media — even used by famous celebrities.

Stars from Kim Kardashian to Selena Gomez to Ariana Grande have been called out for deliberately darkening their skin beyond a natural tan, or appropriating Black hairstyles such as cornrows and box braids, often in combination. Some celebrities knowingly play into their manufactured racial ambiguity, such as Rita Ora claiming in an interview that being seen as Black “gets [her] places.”

Examples don’t just stop at large scale celebrities, with Instagram influencers such as Emma Hallberg or Aga Brzostowska being accused of Blackfishing.

Both denied the claim by either claiming an ability to naturally tan or that they enjoy the aesthetic of tanning, but that doesn’t explain more blatant examples of mimicking predominantly Black hairstyles and textures alongside these deep tans.

As a half-Asian woman, there’s been countless times I’ve felt less beautiful or otherwise alienated by being visibly mixed. At a certain point, I start to feel bitter seeing white women praised for the appearance I was mocked for, an experience many other women of color relate to.

The appropriation of nonwhite features by white people often relies on them trying to take on a more “exotic” appearance, but without any of the hardship people of color face in day-to-day life. They continue to be privileged, even with eyeliner, regardless of hairstyle and regardless of how dark they tan themselves.

Appropriation: How nonwhite beauty is commodified EMILY STERZINGER online editor

Despite the Eurocentric nature of beauty standards, in recent years white influencers and celebrities have been profiting off of appropriating the appearance of women of color.

Though makeup is seemingly an apolitical choice, the makeup industry has been rife with racism and general exclusion of people of color for decades. Even to this day, makeup often remains exclusionary in ways white consumers may not even notice, such as eyeshadows that hardly show up on dark skin, or foundation and concealer makeup that isn’t sold in shades deeper than medium brown. However, the racist aspects of makeup don’t end at the brands that sell it.

The fox-eye makeup fad, which recently took Tik Tok and Instagram by storm, is a strong example of how nonwhite features are praised on white faces.

sports

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 thursday, 04.29.21

WATCH FOR UPCOMING SUMMER SPORTS COVERAGE AT ALESTLELIVE.COM page 7

alestlelive.com

Cougars track and field teams on roll at Sycamore Invite BRANDON WELLS reporter

Saturday’s Sycamore Invite went well for the Cougar track and field teams. With the men’s team placing third and the women’s team placing seventh, they are one step closer to the Ohio Valley Conference Championship.

Head Coach Marcus Evans said the teams performed well despite some challenging weather conditions.

“Both teams did well,” Evans said. “I thought it was a great day with a lot of personal bests and good performances.”

With one meet until the OVC Championship, Evans said he’ll be sad to see the fifth-year athletes finally leave after last season’s cancellation.

“I think there’s going to be Junior distance runner Emily Ellis, no. 481, sprints to the finish during the 2019-20 OVC Cross Country tears on their last day of compe- Championship. During the Sycamore Invite, Ellis claimed first place in the steeplechase. | Alestle File Photo tition. They can look back on our program and see the legacy that “Everyone had a great day “I’m hoping to run in the can in the upcoming weeks bethey’ve built for us,” Evans said. — a lot of people had PRs that 15:30’s range for the 5k next fore the OVC Championship “In a lot of ways, we’ve leaned day,” Burmester said. “It was a week — I think I can get a much meet. on them to great com- better time,” Woodard said.

“I think what’s going to be give us an inpetition. We Woodard said he would also most important is getting a lit“I think there’s going sight on what had people like to focus on his 3000-meter tle speed for my races — and our program our rang- steeplechase times. obviously endurance, too. The to be tears on their last in needs are.” es that we “[I’ll be] working on things [400-meter] is all about speed COV ID could keep like hurdle technique and hurdle and endurance,” Bretz said. day of competition. senior disup with.” form while also making sure I Bretz also ran in the 4x100 tance runner Due to keep momentum through hur- and 4x400 meter relays with his They can look back Keri Burmthis being dles,” Woodard said. team placing third and first reon our program and ester said she her last seaJunior sprinter Brandon spectively. Bretz said he thinks saw big imBur- Bretz ran the 200-meter dash at the men’s team did a great job see the legacy they’ve son, provements mester said the Sycamore Invite, where he overall and is confident in what to her time in she hopes to took first place with a time of they can do at the upcoming built for us. the 5000-meimprove her 22.03. Bretz said his primary goal OVC Championship.

MARCUS EVANS ter, taking times in her is to keep his pace to help prog“I think we can do big things track and field head coach first place races for the ress his 400-meter time. and place really high in the conwith a time OVC Cham“At this point in the year it’s ference [championship] as long of 18:21.59. pionship. just about staying consistent — as our team stays healthy,” Bretz “It was great and amazing to Sophomore distance runner [it’s about] making sure I can said. see the progress I made over the Cameron Woodard said he ran continue to run times that I’ve The Cougar track and field past year,” Burmester said. his usual time in the 5000-meter been doing,” Bretz said. teams will compete April 30 and Burmester said she thinks the at 15:54.78, but is hoping to cut Bretz said he wants to keep May 1 at Illinois State Universimeet went well for both teams. that time in the next meet. improving in whatever way he ty’s Invite.

Women’s basketball gains new head coach to replace Buscher a Division II school in Romeoville, Illinois, for the past four years. While she was at Lewis, her team earned a winning record of 83-34.

Before Lewis, Smith became the youngest head coach in the country while working at St.

week in review BASEBALL The Cougars lost two of three games in their series against Austin Peay. The first game of the series went 12 innings and ended with Austin Peay picking up a two-run homer to win the game 7-6. SIUE won the second game of the day 11-3. The Cougars picked up four runs in the first inning, including three runs off a homer from redshirt sophomore first baseman Ole Arntson, and never lost the lead. In the final game of the series, SIUE lost 7-6, bringing their record to 9-9 in conference play and 19-16 overall.

Francis, an NAIA school in Joliet, Illinois. She was just 22 years old at the time.

As a player, Smith competed at DePaul from 2006 to 2011.

While there, she scored 1,273 points and collected 484 assists.

Smith will replace Paula

WOMEN’S SOCCER

OVERALL OVC

Murray State SIUE UT Martin SEMO Belmont Tennessee Tech Jacksonville State Eastern Kentucky Austin Peay Eastern Illinois Morehead State

9-2 8-2-2 6-4-1 7-4-1 5-4-1 4-5-1 4-5-1 4-5-1 2-7-1 2-7-1 2-8

9-1 6-2-2 6-3-1 6-3-1 5-4-1 4-5-1 4-5-1 4-5-1 2-7-1 2-7-1 2-8

SOFTBALL

OVERALL OVC

Eastern Kentucky SEMO Austin Peay Jacksonville State Murray State UT Martin Eastern Illinois SIUE Tennessee Tech Belmont Tennessee State Morehead State

30-11 21-14 23-12 19-21 19-25 24-14 21-17 12-21 18-24 12-22 8-27 11-24

21-5 16-5 18-10 17-11 16-12 13-10 12-12 12-14 12-15 8-17 4-21 3-20

BASEBALL

OVERALL OVC

Morehead State Murray State SEMO Belmont Austin Peay SIUE Jacksonville State UT Martin Eastern Illinois Tennessee Tech Eastern Kentucky

20-15 21-17 18-15 19-19 15-23 19-17 19-21 15-20 19-19 14-19 13-26

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

UPCOMING GAMES: Women’s Track and Field at ISU Invite, April 30 Baseball vs. Eastern Illinois 6 p.m., April 30 Men’s Soccer at Butler 2:30 p.m., Feb. 5

sports in brief

Director of Athletics Tim Hall announced Samantha Quigley Smith as women’s basketball’s new head coach.

Smith will be the program’s sixth head coach.

She comes to SIUE after coaching at Lewis University,

SIUE Standings

Buscher, who has acted as the team’s head coach since 2012.

During her tenure, the Cougars made six OVC Tournament appearances.

Find more about SIUE women’s basketball on the Cougars Athletics website.

Men’s Track and Field at ISU Invite, May 1 Softball at Morehead State 12 p.m. & 2 p.m., May 1 Baseball vs. Eastern Illinois 1 p.m. & 4 p.m., May 1 Softball at Morehead State 12 p.m., May 2

SOFTBALL

SOFTBALL

SIUE Softball swept Austin Peay in their series. Game one ended 2-1, game two 7-2 and game three 3-2. In a low-hitting game, game one saw just four hits from Austin Peay and five from SIUE — all singles. This was freshman pitcher Sydney Baalman’s fifth win. In game two, SIUE picked up 12 hits, including a triple from redshirt junior outfielder Alana Cobb-Adams and three doubles. Of the six Cougar hits in game three, half were doubles. The team’s record stands at 12-14 in the OVC and 12-21 overall.

The Cougars placed third of 11 teams at the OVC Championship in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The team finished at 869 (+5), tying their best finish. This score left them trailing first-place UT Martin (861) and second-place Belmont (863). Redshirt senior Zak Butt finished third, earning him All-Tournament honors. His total of 209 (-7) is the lowest score by a Cougar ever at the OVC Championship. Freshman TJ Baker collected his third top-20 finish of the season, tying for 17th at 221.

SOFTBALL

GOLF

page 8

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thursday, 04.29.21

REVIEW: ‘Cozy Grove’ gives the life-sim genre a paranormal twist “Cozy Grove” has become a lovely little daily ritual for me over the last eight days, and there are still so many more elements for me to discover.

I came across “Cozy Grove” while browsing the “wholesome games” category on Steam in a desperate search for some serotonin after finishing “Spiritfarer.”

Since it was on sale for $13.49, I figured I didn’t have much to lose by purchasing it. Even the regular price of $14.99 won’t break the bank. Steam also allows you to return games if you have played them for less than three hours.

When I launched the game for the first time, I was greeted with a gorgeous title screen and a soundtrack that sounded like it would fit right in with “Stardew Valley.” One of the first things I noticed was that it used my com-

completing various milestones.

Your character is sent on their first solo mission, a rite of passage for all Spirit Scouts. After you arrive, your boat floats away and you are stranded on the island until you help all of its ghostly inhabitants.

When you first start, the island is entirely a grey-ish green color and it slowly grows more vibrant as you help more spirits.

All the spirits are also bears with very cute character designs.

As with any good life-sim, there’s a fishing mini-game and it’s one of my favorite parts. It’s fairly similar to “Animal Crossing” in that you wait for the fish to fully bite before reeling them in and the reeling animation is really similar. The main difference is that the fish have really unique names and designs and don’t appear to be named after any real life fish. The more rare the fish, the more complex the steps are to catch them. Some of them will

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a while for me to explain, but I really enjoy having to surround your plants and pets with decoration styles they like. It forces you to have different sections of the island be different themes.

Part of me hates the real-time mechanic because I want to play the game for hours at a time — but, on the bright side, it means I can’t use the game to procrastinate. The developers of the game at Spry Fox say they designed it this way so players have something to look forward to each day, and it really works. The developers seem really responsive to the requests of their player base. They have a Discord server with a feedback channel where people can report bugs and make suggestions to improve the game. I think this is definitely a game to watch that will only improve with time.

“Cozy Grove” is available on Steam, Epic Games, Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch.

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scare off if they are hit with the bobber, others require that you land the bobber a few feet away from their mouth in order to bite.

There’s also a sort of museum mechanic similar to “Animal Crossing” that I’m way too set on putting the first of everything into, even if it means it takes longer to complete requests. You get currency or decorations depending on what you donate. Plants and fish also appear in different seasons, so we will get new items in the summer.

You can only do a limited amount of spirit requests each day and as you progress, they get more labor-intensive. I’m currently stuck on a quest to make a recipe that requires 12 eggs and at the moment, I can only buy one per day from the shop. As you do more quests, you unlock more spirits and the island gets bigger.

There are a lot of interesting mechanics that would take

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puter’s time and date and took place in real time, much like “Animal Crossing.” I was immediately entranced by the 2D illustrated art style. It’s really cute.

You can customize your character’s skin tone, hair color, hair style and eye color. The hair color options are definitely limited and I hope they improve them.

It makes no sense that my character can have purple eyes but not colorful hair.

The user interface can be a bit tricky. You have a hotbar and then a larger inventory space in your backpack and oftentimes items go into your hotbar when you pick them up even if you don’t want them to. There’s also a delay in exiting some dialogue menus, mainly when purchasing items or crafting.

The game’s lore is really interesting. Your character is a Spirit Scout, which helps spirits cross over and you get merit badges for

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ALEX AULTMAN editor-in-chief

S e n d in g O u r H e a r tf e lt G r a titu d e To Ken’s SIUE Family,

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We want to extend our sincere gratitude for all your prayers, kind words, and support for Ken and our family during his hospitalization through his passing.

Ken enjoyed his job because he enjoyed all the people at SIUE. From his good friends at Facilities Management to Dining Services, and all those he met while painting their office or walking down a hall, you were all special to him. Ken was a kind person and, as such, a role model to all.

Ken was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend, and we deeply miss him. You were all there for him during life and at death. It was because of you he enjoyed his life. Our family thanks you for that. Ken’s SIUE family will always be special to us.

The Family of Ken Keilbach,

Deb, Jared, Kalyn, Corey, Jaxon, Wyatt and Gerri