THE IMPACT OF RAINBOW CAPITALISM THIS PRIDE MONTH page 5
wednesday, 06.16.21
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NEW WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH Q&A page 7
vol. 74 no. 31
The Student Voice Since 1960
SEHHB increases scholarships by over $10K BRANDON WELLS reporter
and then we also specifically calculate just the math and science of those pre-pharmacy classes,” Jeffers said. “That’s kind of like the gatekeeper ... to be considered for the program. And then they submit an application, not through the graduate school or the SIUE website, but they’ll do it through a system called PharmCAS.” Southerland said the PharmCAS application requires students to put in more than just a resume. “They have to go in and instead of just putting in a resume, they have to fill out all of their experiences in it,” Southerland said. “In addition to sending in a transcript, they have to manually enter all the classes that they’ve ever taken and they have to have two letters of recommendation and a personal statement … and we don’t require the PCAT anymore.” Jeffers said they also require students to go through an interview process. “This past year, they’ve all been virtual — normally they will be in-person, but we’re looking to keep including virtual interviews in the future in some way, shape or form just because it’s offered a lot of flexibility for applicants,” Jeffers said. “But the interview process is essentially them vying for a spot in the cohort.” Southerland said they are interviewed by pharmacists who are typically either current faculty members or alumni and are looking primarily for the student’s level of interest. “From what I’ve noticed from the feedback I’ve gotten from the interviewers is that they’re looking to see that the student is genuinely interested in becoming a
This year, the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior awarded $26,000 in scholarships to over 70 students, marking a drastic increase from the previous year. Divah Griffin, director of development in the SEHHB, said the previous year’s amount for scholarships totaled to a little over $12,000, meaning this year saw more than double the amount than last year. “This year, we wanted to increase the amount we were giving due to increased need among our students. COVID-19 has really thrown everyone for a loop and we knew a lot more of our students needed the financial help,” Griffin said. Griffin also said the SEHHB has many essential workers in its departments that have been working in places affected by the pandemic. Griffin said this year did not see an increase in the amount of scholarships, but that each department tried to award more aid from department budgets in addition to what is given by donors. “Our department chairs got together and decided to give even more out of their departmental budget to designate to give to students,” Griffin said. Griffin said the SEHHB is still determining the best way to go about improving how much they give in the coming years, but that she is working hard to increase donors. Robin Hughes, dean of the SEHHB, said she would like to keep increasing the amount for scholarships over time to a larger amount if possible. “If I had my druthers, I would like to give $30,000 to $40,000. I believe that we can push to give that much,” Hughes said. Hughes said her reasoning for trying to keep giving is out of her desire to help students as well as how committed the donors are to students. “I remember banging the couches trying to find a quarter — I just don’t think in this day and age that students should have to do that,” Hughes said. “I want to make sure students receive every dime — every red cent — that they’re supposed to receive, because that’s what the donors want.” Hughes said a lot of the progress that has been made can also be attributed to the hard work Griffin has put in as the director of development. Hughes also said she appreciates how hard the chairs of each department pushed. “We had a discussion during the [department chair] meeting and talked about, ‘Let’s give as much as we possibly can this year — folks need it every year, but let’s pull out all the stops and up the ante,’” Hughes said. Senior elementary education major Amanda Dermody of Swansea, Illinois, said she was a recipient of the $500 Kendall Allida Douglas Memorial Scholarship. Dermody also said this scholarship helps her get to her goal and she is driven even
see PHARMACY on page 3
see SEHHB on page 2
Visitors to Alton’s Night Market stop by Runemane Creations, a shop that sells flower crowns, leatherwork, jewelry, masks and more. The Night Market will be taking place from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. every Thursday night from June 3-July 29. See page 4 I Emily Sterzinger / The Alestle
SOP and CAS partnership opens new doors for pharmacy students, degree specialization DAMIAN MORRIS managing editor
School of Pharmacy students now have the opportunity to receive a bachelor’s degree alongside their Doctor of Pharmacy degree through the College of Arts and Sciences’ new pharmaceutical chemistry specialization. Mike Shaw, distinguished research professor for the Department of Chemistry, said this program is not a backdoor into the pharmacy program as you have to be accepted into the SOP first, but rather for students who have a strong interest in chemistry or want to eventually move into the research side of pharmacy. “If you really don’t want to do chemistry, then don’t,” Shaw said. “It’s not like the extra little prize that you get out of a Cracker Jack box, there is a bit of a commitment there ... but in the future, if you’re thinking about maybe … moving beyond being behind the desk at Walgreens into a little more pharmaceutical development or a pharmaceutical company, having that chemistry credential might give you that leg up.” Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Jingyang Fan said having a strong science foundation could help students pursue a degree beyond a doctorate of pharmacy as well. “I think this degree definitely opens up more opportunities for students, whether it’s solidifying the scientific foundation as a pharmacist, they want to use the degree toward an advanced degree … or people who want to pursue a career in drug discovery or research in development or things like that,” Fan said. @thealestle
Director of Student Services Joe Southerland said he believes the benefits of this program move even beyond the extra chemistry classes, but help students to function in the collaborative nature of the health care industry as well. “A big part of health care is understanding stories and being able to listen to patients, and I think that’s something that’s in the tradition of the humanities big time,” Southerland said. “So, not only are we helping students get additional chemistry stuff that’s going to help on that science side of becoming a pharmacist, taking some of those extra gen-eds I think will help on the human side when it comes to interacting with patients and helping them critically think around what those needs are.” To get into the SOP, Southerland said he recommends students still in high school go through their Conditional Entry Program. “They need to apply by December before they start their freshman year,” Southerland said. “There’s an application that goes along with the Meridian Scholarship program and so they usually interview for the Meridian Scholarship and CEP program at the same time.” Southerland said all other students must submit an application after completing the Pre-Pharmacy Curriculum. Coordinator of Student Services Ashley Jeffers said during this curriculum, students must keep up with the requirements of two different GPA scores. “GPA-wise, you do have to have a minimum of a 2.75 on a 4.0 scale and that’s actually in two specific areas. So, that will be in your pre-pharmacy, which is every class that’s required to get into pharmacy school, @thealestle
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