The Alestle Vol. 73 No. 33

CAMPUS POLICE RESPOND TO CONCERNS RAISED AFTER PROTESTS page 3

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SIUE BASEBALL PLAYER GOES PRO page 7

vol. 73 no. 33

The Student Voice Since 1960

SIUE’s mask policy draws mixed reactions

Propelling the movement

ISOBEL ABBOTT-DETHROW reporter

| Madison Lammert / The Alestle Cameron Cole gathers among other peaceful protesters in front of City Hall in East St. Louis on Thursday, June 18. After the initial meet up and a few words from other supporters, demonstrators marched through the city in support of Black lives and raising greater economic awareness in the community.

Public outcry for relocation of statue erupts, racist past cited GABRIEL BRADY reporter

Statues of historical figures with problematic histories are being taken down in the U.S. and internationally, and this movement has now reached Edwardsville.

One of these historical figures who has come under investigation is the namesake of Edwardsville, Ninian Edwards. Edwards was one of the first governors of Illinois, which is why the city was named for him, and is also why he has a statue. However, some research reveals Edwards owned slaves and defended slavery, despite living in Illinois, where slavery was illegal. He had brought the slaves from his home in Kentucky, and refused to free them in Illinois, even though Illinois was a free state. While in office as gov-

ernor, Edwards also suggested the eradication of Native Americans from Illinois, according to the National Governors Association.

On June 17, a Facebook group was created, and it gained over 500 members in less than 24 hours. According to the group’s action statement, its three main purposes are to remove the statue of Edwards from the plaza, put the statue in a less public place where information on his history of mistreatment of Black and Indigenous people can be displayed and to rename the Ninian Edwards Plaza.

Andrew Carr was raised in Edwardsville but now lives in Chicago. He is a member of the group and said he initially didn’t fully know Edward’s history, but now that he does, he wants the statue removed.

This statue of Ninian Edwards, Edwardsville’s namesake, stands at the corner of St. Louis and West Vandalia streets.

I Photo courtesy of Tyler Pletsch / Edwardsville Intelligencer

“I didn’t know Ninian Edwards’ full history, but that really goes to show that there are many terrible things in our past that are

not well known,” Carr said. “I definitely think the statue should be taken down, and as a person of

see STATUE on page 2

Community leaders bring discussions of systematic racism to campus MARK ALBRECHT reporter

More than 400 students, faculty and administrators gathered during the DREAM Collective’s hosted forum, entitled Dismantling Institutionalized Racism in Higher Education.

In a statement put out by the newly formed DREAM Collective, the group said their efforts are concentrated upon identifying and addressing racial issues that arise throughout the entire education system.

“By supporting community members, educational organi-

zations, and professionals in the process of naming, addressing and dismantling racism through education, advocacy, and mobilization, we seek to engage in well-established practices of collective efforts to dismantle white supremacy through transformative sociopolitical and institutional change,” the statement said.

The DREAM Collective hosted an open forum on Thursday, June 12 via Zoom to discuss measures to dismantle institutionalized racism.

Moderated by Nate Williams, an incoming assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and

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Learning, a group of panelists came together to enlighten the attendees with their views on how to achieve racial equality throughout the education system.

Educators and administrators across the country made up those who spoke during the meeting.

Director of ACCESS Dominic Dorsey and Timothy Lewis, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, were included in the group of speakers.

Each panelist was asked for their own views and solutions to systemic racism in education.

At one point, Lewis spoke on his role as an educator in com-

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bating white supremacy. Lewis said he does so by exposing his students, who are predominantly white, to lessons they might not have previously covered. For example, Lewis covers Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter written in 1963 from Birmingham Jail.

“I use this reading to show that privilege allows you to exist in a world where the law and the application of the law favor you,” Lewis said.

According to Lewis, King wrote the letter after being arrested for marching without a license.

The Alestle

SIUE administration has created a policy that states all campus employees and visitors must wear a mask.

An email was sent out by Vice Chancellor for Administration Rich Walker on Monday, June 8, regarding face masks on campus and repercussions if campus employees and visitors did not follow guidelines.

“Masks are so important, that any employee who refuses to wear a face mask properly, without a documented health condition, and who can’t maintain a 6-foot social distance, will be sent home without pay for refusing to adhere to workplace safety rules,” the email said.

In addition, campus visitors will be asked to leave if they refuse to wear a mask, according to the email.

“Unless prohibited for health reasons as described above, campus visitors are required to wear a face mask and observe the 6-foot social distancing protocol,” Walker said in the email. “Extra masks can be purchased by [departments] to keep on hand rather than turn a guest away … Visitors who refuse to wear a mask should be asked to leave the campus. If a visitor refuses to leave, call campus police at ext. 3324.”

The Alestle sent out a survey to student Facebook groups to see how they would react to the policy’s rules for employees and visitors. The survey received 158 responses. More than half of respondents said they agreed with the policy. Most disagreement stemmed from the repercussions for employees if they did not follow the rules.

Walker said the policy is in place because of the current requirement to wear masks during Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan.

“We’re assuming [face masks] are going to be required in the fall as well,” Walker said.

“That would cover all indoor public spaces for employees, visitors and students.”

According to Walker, campus police enforcement and escorting anyone away should be the last resort.

“The enforcement is by the entire community,” Walker said.

“There’s lots of ways you can resolve an enforcement issue. The first, of course, is to ask someone, ‘Do you mind putting on a mask?’ In some cases, departments or students could provide a mask to [somebody]. We want

see DREAM on page 2 alestlelive.com

see MASKS on page 3

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color, I feel as though my opinion matters more on this topic. If it were a statue of a misogynist, and women were asking for it to be removed, but then men were defending the statue, it would not be good optics.”

Kirk Schlueter, of Edwardsville, is one of the administrators of the group. Schlueter said he was unaware of Edwards’ history, but he was very upset when he discovered it and wanted to take action immediately.

“I’ve been a lifelong resident of Edwardsville. In fact, most of the group probably is. I had no idea that the namesake of the town had taken concrete steps to protect slavery in Illinois,” Schlueter said.

“When I discovered [Edwards’ history], I reached out to people I knew that either didn’t know, or who already knew and were upset by it. We all agreed that we wanted the statue removed and the plaza renamed.”

Lauren Mudge, of Edwardsville, is also

an administrator of the group, and she said she has been organizing protests in the area for different causes. Mudge also said if they can get the statue of Edwards relocated, there are other steps the group could take to support the cause.

“We want to move the statue to somewhere more appropriate, like maybe use it more for education. The Madison County Historical Society said they might help,” Mudge said. “The renaming of the square is our next topic because we don’t want to bite off more than we can chew. We’ve been actively contacting the city council and the aldermen, then they would bring that to the mayor. I anticipate it being an uphill battle.”

Emma Lipe, another administrator, from Glen Carbon, Illinois, said she agreed the relocation of the statue should only be the first action of the group.

“Personally, I think [moving the statue] is important, but it should just be the

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tip of the iceberg,” Lipe said. “I understand that, when compared to systemic things, the statue doesn’t mean much, but it would be symbolic, and we would definitely not stop there.”

Schlueter said although the removal of the statue is important, he wants the rest of the group to be aware of systemic racism as a larger issue.

“Right now, we want this to be supplemental for a larger movement for Black Lives Matter. We don’t want to take away attention from police brutality. Both are problems,” Schlueter said. “We’ve been encouraging members to work against police brutality as well. For the statue itself, we’ve been lobbying Edwardsville City Council to remove the statue. We’re not advocating destruction. We don’t want people to go in with sledgehammers and smash it, regardless of if they’re protesters or people from the city.”

Carr said he feels using the statue as a

CSDI holds listening sessions aimed at tackling racism NICOLE BOYD copy editor In response to the death of George Floyd and recent protests, the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion hosted listening sessions via Zoom to hear ideas as to how SIUE can improve race relations.

The sessions were open to SIUE students and faculty members. Spots could be reserved by signing up through SignUpGenius. Once signed up, attendees received a link to a Zoom meeting, during which anyone who wanted could share their thoughts.

Director of CSDI Lindy Wagner said the idea for listening sessions was formed in discussions between Student Affairs and CSDI. “Student Affairs Division kind of, as the directors during our directors’ meeting, had talked about some things that we could do to support more discussion on campus about the current events as well as how people were experiencing that on campus, and I had done Listening Sessions at other institutions before and had kind of offered to house them through CSDI, and so that’s kind of how it started,” Wagner said.

According to Wagner, the goal of the Listening Sessions was to allow SIUE community members to voice their feelings in response to national and campus racial issues, as well as to share their own experiences.

“A lot of times, the institutions, we don’t actually hear people’s true experiences on campus. We make assumptions sometimes, but this was an opportunity for people to really share their actual experiences,” Wagner said.

“And then of course the idea is then at the end, as with any listening session, is that it starts to offer steps or tangible ideas that can be used to move a community forward.”

At the end of each session, Wagner said she asks participants for ideas that can be im-

plemented on campus.

“Some examples might be more curriculum-focused. Maybe they’re more about how we [can] incorporate anti-racist information, whether that be readings or trainings or ideas within the curriculum, whereas maybe another idea might focus more on hiring,” Wagner said.

Wagner said she hopes listening sessions provide a way for people to have their voices heard.

“Sometimes, as is the case in real life and not just a specific session, sometimes as a person we just want to be heard. You know, we

“I’m angry with myself because I realize that by not becoming more educated on the topic, I’ve been complicit in the perpetuation of institutionalized racism.

GLORIA SWEIDA

assistant professor of management and marketing

just want to be listened to. And so I do hope that that was kind of the first thing that happened,” Wagner said. “And then also, I hope that they can see this as something that could be done again and that they may be interested in participating again. I think that a lot of times people do want to be involved, or do want to make change on campus, but they’re not sure how, and so sometimes this is a good, accessible, easy first step.”

Robin Ermer, office support specialist at

the Kimmel Student Involvement Center, said she participated in a Listening Session to help improve the lives of students of color.

“I just really want to know what myself and my department can do to improve the lives of the students, the students of color … basically all of the students, how I can improve their experience,” Ermer said.

Ermer said the session was helpful because it allowed her to see that others seem to be sharing similar thoughts.

“I can see that others had the same thoughts that I had, that we’re all kind of on the same page on our desire to improve and help our university to move forward,” Ermer said.

Gloria Sweida, assistant professor of management and marketing, also attended a session. She said she participated to express her thoughts and hear the thoughts of others.

“I didn’t have any expectations of anything to gain, other than to maybe express myself and hear what other people were thinking. And so, [I] just wanted to see where other peoples’ heads were and, you know, if I was in the same place as others or if there were other things I should be thinking about that I wasn’t,” Sweida said.

Sweida said she shared during the session that she was angry with herself.

“I’ve considered myself sort of an educated person, and that I understood what words like systemic racism and institutionalized racism mean, at least I thought I did.

And I’m upset with myself because I’m recognizing how little I really knew, and how much there is still to learn about,” Sweida said. “I’m angry with myself because I realize that by not becoming more educated on the topic, I’ve been complicit in the perpetuation of institutionalized racism.”

To learn more about the CSDI, visit their website.

starting point is the best course of action.

“All these political movements are trying to collect momentum, so that by starting with something relatively small, like a statue, systemic changes can be made,” Carr said. “Moving that statue is not a full fix, but the idea to get to that full fix is there.”

According to Schlueter, the statue harms Black and Indigenous people and tarnishes Edwardsville’s image.

“We are asking for the statue to be put in a museum, or a less public area, with info about the harmful actions [Edwards] took.

That way, it seems like we are not honoring him,” Schlueter said. “We believe Edwardsville is more than Ninian Edwards.

We want Edwardsville to stop putting his face forward as the face of the city.”

The group released their formal action statement on June 22.

The Alestle will continue to follow this story as it progresses. For more information, check the group’s Facebook page.

DREAM I COVER

Lewis said he would explain to his students how the privilege they have allows them to march, as King did, without having to fear facing the consequences he did.

During the panel, Dorsey discussed a recent incident when he was asked to delete a comment he left on SIUE’s Facebook page.

A picture of the Quad’s Rock, spray painted with the words Black Lives Matter by students, was posted on social media.

Some commenters responded by hurling insults at the movement and the Black community. A number of these comments contained blatantly racist messaging, including one that compared African Americans to monkeys.

“Thanks for the opportunity to screenshot another racist,” Dorsey wrote in response to one such comment.

Dorsey was then contacted by SIUE’s social media to take the post down, saying they don’t allow name calling or personal attacks. During the panel, Dorsey said he found it hypocritical that comments like the anti-BLM posts usually result in firings, while his were the ones targeted in this case.

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership J.T. Snipes, one of the members of the DREAM Collective, revealed some details regarding the group’s intentions for the future.

“We’re going to continue a conversation around what it looks like to make an institution or to create an institution that is more socially just,” Snipes said.

Part of their futures plans, according to Snipes, includes another meeting on Friday, June 26 with guest speaker Lawanda Ward, of Penn State University. This will be open to the public, with viewers given the ability to once again have their questions heard. Those interested can sign up at bitly.ws/8Q2T.

SIUE’s recent anti-racism messages and actions Chancellor Randy Pembrook and the Diversity Council issued a statement in response to the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. The message included resources for coping with trauma and plans for future workshops.

May 29

June 1

A number of SIUE administrators and departments issued statements in support of the Black community, including Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Denise Cobb, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffrey Waple, and staff from the Morris University Center and Kimmel Student Involvement Center.

June 1-6

In an email to the SIU community, System President Dan Mahony expressed his solidarity with the African American community and discussed steps he’s taking to promote diversity and inclusion on the system level.

June 11

Mahony and SIU System Executive Director for Diversity Initiatives Wesley McNeese announced the system’s Diversity Advisory Council will be holding a conversation of understanding on June 29 to give BIPOC a platform to share their experiences. SIUE leadership also announced the creation of an Anti-Racism Task Force.

June 12

The School of Education, Health and Human Behavior hosted a virtual discussion on Dismantling Institutional Racism in Higher Education, featuring faculty from SIUE and other universities. This was the first in a series of virtual panels, podcasts and discussions the school plans to host.

In a press release, SIUE faculty discussed the history and importance of Juneteenth.

Pembrook announced 19 SIUE community members had been selected for the Core Council of the Anti-Racism Task Force and subcommittees are in the process of being formed.

June 19

June 15-19

The Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion hosted five listening sessions to allow members of the community to share their feelings and offer action steps they’d like to see the center and other campus departments take.

wednesday, 06.24. 20 MASKS I COVER

people to comply, because we want to get the message across that we are all in this together.”

Honor Programs Assistant Director Ian Toberman said while he wholeheartedly supports mask wearing on campus, he expressed concerns about the mentioning of police enforcement due to current events. Toberman also acts as Staff Senate President.

“There’s a physical reason

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[for wearing masks]. We have seen various sciences that suggest wearing masks help. More importantly, wearing a mask shows that you care. It’s almost a visible signal, like ribbon wearing,” Toberman said. “It makes sense to have a policy that encourages and generally requires mask wearing when we’re interacting with other people. My concern is about having police enforce mask wearing.

This is not a law enforcement issue; it’s a sociological, cultural

and community standard issue.

Asking law enforcement to intercede automatically makes it a much more oppositional interaction. That’s not what we need to be asking police officers to do, especially right now.”

Associate Professor of Mass Communications Mark Poepsel said as a representative of the tenure-track faculty association he hears other faculty members’ concerns about mask wearing and the spread of COVID-19.

“I don’t speak for all the faculty, but the ones I do hear from seem to want to air on the side of caution and want to be really careful with how much they’re exposed to or expose other people to the potential of catching COVID-19,” Poepsel said.

Walker’s email said SIUE’s campus is supplied with masks, disinfectants and hand sanitizer for all offices. Masks can also be purchased on campus at the Cougar Store or Health Service Pharmacy.

SIUE community examines police practices following protests NICOLE BOYD copy editor As police departments are changing their policies in the wake of George Floyd’s death, the SIUE Police Department said they already practice many of the precautions other departments are just now enacting.

According to Kevin Schmoll, SIUE police chief, such practices include banning chokeholds and addressing excessive force. Schmoll said the department made many changes following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

“Everything that you see in the news that they’re wanting police departments across the country to make, we already had those in place years ago, really after Ferguson back in 2014. The Ferguson incident is when those changes were made,” Schmoll said. “We don’t have any chokeholds, can’t do that per our policy, and other ones are already in place.”

According to Schmoll, SIUE Police use a system called Lexipol to ensure the integrity of its policies. Lexipol’s website states that it provides customizable, state-specific policies and online learning content that is available at all times through in-vehicle computers or smartphones.

“Lexipol’s a company that helps you write policies and make sure they’re good, and they cover all the laws and everything,” Schmoll said.

Schmoll also said SIUE officers undergo many different types of training.

“We have implicit bias training, de-escalation technique training, use of force training, I mean I could go on, diversity training,” Schmoll said.

Trish Oberweis, a criminal justice professor, said these policies are helpful, but not always enough.

“I’m not necessarily of the mind that one hour or three hours of bias training a year is enough to sort of get at the big issue, but every little bit helps,” Oberweis said.

Oberweis also said many of the changes that need to be made are bigger than individual police departments.

“Historically, one of the sources of racial bias in the criminal justice system for the last 40 years, 50 years, has been the war on drugs.

The chief here of SIUE has no control over the war on drugs,” Oberweis said. “The university has policies, the state has policies, the nation has policies, and these just aren’t things that the chief himself can do much to address.”

According to Oberweis, the racial disparity in the criminal justice system has long been noted by academia, but has not been reflected in policy-making.

“The advocacy has been there, the knowledge has been there or the research focus has been there, but the actual connection to policy-making has not,” Oberweis said.

After the death of George Floyd, many activists are protesting for a change in police policy-making. Schmoll said SIUE Police has not assisted at any local protests because they have been peaceful.

“Everything was peaceful.

Everything went the way it was supposed to go, so we didn’t have

to send any officers, kept them all on our campus, which is good,” Schmoll said.

Emily Love, a sociology graduate student from Collinsville, Illinois, has been to a few protests in Edwardsville and said the lack of a police presence showed community trust.

“I think there’s something really powerful about the protests being allowed without police presence. I think that shows trust within the community, so I think that’s really powerful,” Love said.

“I think sometimes police presence itself can be something that escalates.”

Love also said she believes there are a number of ways policing can be improved across college campuses.

“I think that the policies matter, but I also think that research needs to be done to better understand which policies matter, and I think training just needs to be different,” Love said. “It needs to be demilitarized and … I think representation matters a lot.”

Garrett Milligan, a senior psychology major from Troy, Illinois, attended a protest in Collinsville, Illinois. He said there were just a few police officers along the way to make sure everything went smoothly, which is how he said he thinks it should be as long as police are not brutalizing peaceful protesters.

“I think it depends on how police are going to react to the actual protest, but if there are a couple officers and they’re not hindering the protest and just there to make sure everything runs smoothly, I think that’s good,” Milligan said. “And even better if maybe an officer joins

in with the dialogue of the peaceful protest and is speaking with some of the Black leaders, because I think that can be a really beneficial process toward change.”

Criminal Justice Professor Matthew Petrocelli, a former military officer and criminal investigator, said police have developed a war-like mentality that is the opposite of de-escalation.

“We’re fighting a war on drugs, we’re fighting a war on crime, we’re fighting a war on this, we’re fighting a war on that. So police find themselves in, by way of their training and by what they’re being told to do, their conclusion is, ‘Well, I’m a warrior.’ Now, what do warriors do? Warriors aggressively control situations, warriors fight, warriors do not back down,” Petrocelli said.

Petrocelli said the course of action should be to demilitarize the police.

“We need to radically move away from this paramilitary model, and we need to move toward a model that emphasizes restraint, control and de-escalation, absolutely,” Petrocelli said.

According to Petrocelli, one way to change policing is to invest in the training police officers need.

“We have not been spending the time and certainly the money on investing in the training that police officers need,” Petrocelli said. “And that is proper use of force, restraint, that is absolutely implicit bias training and certainly, very, very importantly, emphasizing de-escalation over aggression.”

To learn more about the SIUE Police Department, visit their website.

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A pandemic and protests:

How local fire departments are responding to current events ISOBEL ABBOTT-DETHROW reporter With an ongoing pandemic and frequent rallies for social justice, fire departments are one of many essential services that have had to adjust quickly to the changes caused by these events.

In order to keep fire department employees and citizens from getting infected with COVID-19, personal protective equipment has to constantly be replenished.

Rick Welle, chief of the Edwardsville Fire Department, said the department had to take extra measures to make sure equipment was kept in stock.

“The Edwardsville Fire Department provides advanced life support [and] ambulance transport for its residents,” Welle said.

“Our paramedics have to be aware of the COVID-19 risks. When we go to any household, we have to take many precautions in terms of our personal protective equipment.

That immediately required us to not only fully train and understand as much as we can about the pandemic, but we had to do such things

as reach out and find more personal protective equipment; we were burning through it so quickly.”

According to Tom Pour, chief of the Belleville Fire Department, they were able to keep their department stocked with personal protective equipment with the help of St. Clair County’s Emergency Management Agency.

“We were very fortunate,” Pour said. “We bought a lot to start with … St. Clair County EMA has been asking every couple weeks what the departments need. They’ve helped us get some masks, hand sanitizer, those kinds of things. We’re staying ahead of the game.

We’ve been OK with the help of the EMA and ordering early.”

The O’Fallon Fire Department takes on volunteers. Brad White, chief of the O’Fallon Fire Department, said the department had to completely modify its response to calls, which meant its volunteers had to remain home.

However, its volunteers are still able to train through an online program that covers cases like emergencies and sexual harassment.

“For most non-emergency calls, we are limited to a couple of us chief officers and a

four-person day or night crew on shift. All the volunteers stay home,” White said. “Fortunately for us, we have an online training program we use to complete a set number of hours each month.”

In the Metro East, several rallies and protests have taken place across the area in response to the recent killing of George Floyd by a police officer. The Black Lives Matter movement continues to inspire local protests in downtown areas.

Welle said the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests in Edwardsville have not been a concern for the city’s fire department, except for when the protests occur in unfavorable weather conditions.

“There have been two organized protests in Edwardsville [so far],” Welle said. “They were peaceful, so they didn’t have much impact [on the station]. Particularly, the second one, it was a very hot day and [protesters] were going for most of the day. We went ahead and increased our staffing for that day, anticipating we could have problems with the heat, more than problems with the protesters getting out of hand. With any event when we’re dealing

with heat and humidity, we keep a close eye on that and orient our staffing accordingly.”

Similarly, Pour said the Belleville protests have all been peaceful and have not concerned the fire department.

“With protesters staying out of the roadways, there is no danger,” Pour said. “That would be our biggest fear, somebody being hit by a car. [Around] the courthouse is very shady, so we don’t have to worry about heat exhaustion.”

According to White, the fire department and O’Fallon’s Public Safety Committee as a whole has a longstanding relationship with the NAACP and other groups in the area.

White said the current protests have not affected the fire department, although they’ve been called into St. Louis to assist with past protests.

“From the fire department perspective, O’Fallon is one of the units that would be called up to support an event in St. Louis, such as Ferguson years ago,” White said.

Visit the Edwardsville, Belleville and O’Fallon fire department websites for their COVID-19 policies.

READ ABOUT BLACK HISTORY NEXT WEEK page 4

LIFESTYLES

contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com 650-3527 wednesday, 06.24.20

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Experts share importance of discussing race issues with children NICOLE BOYD copy editor Conversations about race look different in white households than in Black households, but can still lead to change.

Alexandra Hughes, assistant director of student rights and responsibilities at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, said she remembers how her father talked to her about race at a young age.

“He actually basically sat me down, showed me video footage of the marches and different things like that … and he didn’t do a lot of it at the time because, you know, I was still young, but he showed me where the firemen were spraying hoses at people who were marching, and dogs, and they were kind of going and attacking people,” Hughes said.

“And that was kind of my first introduction into this whole world that we live in.”

Hughes

said, now, she talks to children almost educate them instead of differently than adults when it sitting them down one time and comes to race. talking about individual differ“I’m a professor, and I teach, ences and everything about that,” of course, of cultural humility, Ratz said. race, all that type of stuff. But I’m teaching it to adults, essentially.

So master’s level students, what I’m doing with these conversations or different areas … they’re college-age, for the most part,” Hughes said. “And the way that I talk to them is very different from the way that I talk to children.”

SAMMIE RATZ Hughes Child psychology graduate student said in Black households, conversations about race Ratz also said exposing chilare centered around sur- dren to characters of diverse backvival. grounds and ethnicities is one way “I think we’ve got to educate them. to look at the bigger “So, history individuals that picture. Why is it that had shown significant, very good we have to talk to our findings in the past or done really children about race? good things and you can include But the conversations heroes from different backgrounds of race are, ‘This is [and] different ethnicities,” Ratz what you need to un- said. derstand in order to Ratz said it is important for survive. This is what black parents to let children exyou cannot do,”’ plore their fears.

Hughes said.

“Identify that it is being tarSammie geted toward a certain race and alRatz, a child psy- lowing them to kind of think that chology graduate through and ask questions when student, said par- they’re confused about things, beents play the pri- cause you don’t want them to botmary role in teach- tle up the questions or the fears ing their children that they have in their head,” Ratz about racism. said. “You want to give them the “I fully opportunity to kind of release and believe when it fully understand what’s going on, comes to educa- but also not placing blame on spetion and teach- cific individuals, just addressing ing kids about the history behind it, in a sense.” certain things, it Lisa Dumoulin, a preschool starts at an early teacher in the Cahokia district, age. You have to said teaching about race in a

classroom differs from teaching at home because teachers cannot control what children are taught from their parents.

“We can’t control what’s said at home or what the feelings are at home. I think they learn by example, what’s set forth and what they’re exposed to and … then at school I think it’s more situational,” Dumoulin said.

According to Dumoulin, preschool-aged children are harder to teach because they are still in the egocentric stage.

“Everything is about themself. So they’re just starting to be among people that are different from them, outside of their family, their first exposure to school,” Dumoulin said. “So we try to set those good examples for them to be accepting of others.”

Hughes said while Black families must talk about race for safety reasons, other races should also have those conversations.

“I think that’s where, as Black parents and Black people, we have to have that conversation with our kids because it can mean survival, right? Or not. But I think that those conversations can be happening in other races’ homes — white, whatever — as well,” Hughes said.

“I fully believe when it comes to education and reaching kids about certain things, it starts at an early age.

A young girl stands with her fist in the air at the Edwardsville protest on June 6. Many protesters, of various age groups and racial backgrounds, showed up in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. | Madison Lammert / The Alestle

A LOOK AT CHILDREN AT BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS:

Protests can be an opportunity for discussion and critical exposure for children. While complex issues in politics can present challenges for understanding, it is important to open dialogue within families about such issues. When presented with the opportunity for these discussions, many families chose to involve their children in Black Lives Matter protests this month. The key to these discussions and the integration of children into protests is creating a safe space where children can explore, navigate and articulate their feelings on topics of importance. | Dominick Oranika and Madison Lammert / The Alestle

wednesday, 06.24.20

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SIUE graduate selected for St. Louis Film Festival ISOBEL ABBOTT-DETHROW reporter A member of the SIUE community had his films selected for the upcoming St. Louis Film Festival, a prominent film showcase in the Midwest.

Rahul Menon, an SIUE alumnus from Delhi, India, recently found out one of his short films, titled “The Final Act,” was selected to be screened at the 2020 Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.

According to the Cinema St. Louis website, the 2020 Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase “screens works that were shot in the St. Louis region or were written, directed, or produced by St. Louis-area residents or by filmmakers with strong local ties who are now working elsewhere.”

Menon said he has been involved with the St. Louis Film Festival since he attended SIUE while earning a graduate degree in media management.

“A couple years ago when I came to the U.S. and started studying [at SIUE], the film festival was one of the big, dominant ones I heard of, so I decid-

ed to volunteer,” Menon said. “I Ryan Burns, of Edwardsville, usually volunteered there as an played one of the leads in Meusher and program handler. It non’s “The Final Act.” genuinely feels great to have my “I had always seen Rahul films selected.” ]For “The Final Act,” Menon took on roles as the writer, director and producer.

“As I was producing ‘The Final Act,’ I understood it’s always good to aspire to have the best output and lay down a benchmark for yourself,” Menon said. “But it’s also extremely important to be realistic, especially with the budget.

RAHUL MENON The budget SIUE alumnus shouldn’t be aspirational; it should encompass everything that one will ac- beforehand because I was a mass tually spend on their film and not communications minor,” Burns what one hopes to spend.” said. “He worked in the camera Graduate theater student shop area. It was just small, ca-

sual conversation. Next thing you know, I’m talking to my friend who works in the scene shop and he told me Rahul asked him to do this film and he needs to find another guy, and he asked me if I wanted to participate. I said, ‘Sure, why not?’”

B u r n s said he had a great experience working with Menon while filming “The Final Act.” “ [ Ra h u l ] is a tedious worker,” Burns said. “He wants everything to look right in the right spot.

He’s very creative.

When we sat down to read the script, we got really in depth on conversation, with inner thoughts and what these characters want. He really is a great director and is so young,

“A couple years ago when I came to the U.S. and started studying [at SIUE], the film festival was one of the big, dominant ones I heard of, so I decided to volunteer. I usually volunteered there as an usher and program handler. It genuinely feels great to have my films selected.

which is even crazier. For my first experience, he did a darn good job.”

SIUE alumnus Jonathan Johnson, of Florissant, Missouri, was the audio and sound designer on “The Final Act.” Similar to Burns, Johnson said he had a great experience working with Menon.

“Working with Rahul was a lot of fun and also a giant learning experience,” Johnson said.

“As a student in mass communications, you learn how to do audio, how to run cameras, things like that. I ran audio for Rahul and just knowing we were working on that big of a project together meant paying a lot more attention and being much more careful. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work.”

On Friday, July 10, Menon’s films will be featured in a complete lineup during a virtual version of the St. Louis Film Festival.

Because of COVID-19, the film festival will be showcased virtually in November.

Visit the St. Louis Film Festival website for more information regarding the showcase and selected films.

REVIEW: Chappelle’s “8:46” stuns audience with brutal honesty

Dave Chappelle rewrites the rules of comedy by addressing police brutality in his new YouTube special. | Photo retrieved from John Bauld via Flickr

MARK ALBRECHT reporter Fans of Dave Chappelle will find his trademark humor is replaced by a hunger to expound on hard truths in his new YouTube special.

Aptly titled “8:46”, referring to the length of time a Minneapolis police officer was taped kneeling on George Floyd’s neck resulting in his death, Chappelle’s surprise show quickly establishes the kind of content in store.

As the YouTube exclusive show begins, citizens of Beavercreek, Ohio, are shown pulling into reserved spots in the park where the show was held.

Their temperatures are

checked by officials, and each group of people is escorted to isolated seating for maximum social distancing.

“This is weird, and less than ideal,” Chappelle said to acknowledge the oddity of the situation.

These are some of the first words uttered by the comedian as a caption notes it has been 87 days since his last stand up.

Like an elephant in the room, COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter protests and George Floyd’s death seemed to hang in the air.

“It’s hard to figure out what to say about George Floyd, so I won’t say it yet,” Chappelle said.

As the stand-up gets going, he gives credit to the young population of protesters, letting them

know how proud of them he is.

Once formalities are taken care of, “8:46” begins in earnest.

It is then, that the star comedian shines.

Without a filter, Chappelle passionately cuts through any form of niceties and decorum, unleashing a torrent of striking language that emphasises how seriously he takes the subject matter.

It is as if a nation had one voice in which to express its anger and frustration built up for decades.

“This man kneeled on a man’s neck! For eight minutes and 46 seconds! Can you imagine that?,” Chappelle said.

As he makes clear, “8:46” isn’t just about Floyd’s death, or even the outraged protests that

followed. Chappelle makes sure to encourage the audience into remembering those that had unjustly died prior to Floyd.

“The guy killed the person that they were, what do you call it, apprehending? The guy was selling loose cigarettes!” Chappelle said. “There goes Eric Garner.”

All he can do is sigh and take a second to collect himself before naming the other Black men who have been killed.

Some of those specifically named are Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, Martin’s death hitting the comedian more memorably as his appearance resembles that of his own child.

“I hate George Zimmerman,” said Chappelle, “as an idea,

not as a guy, I’ve never met the man.”

Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges in the shooting of Martin in 2013.

Chappelle uses him as a symbol of those who have inflicted injustices upon the Black community, which have now spurred Black Lives Matter protests across the globe.

In the last five minutes of the special, Chappelle makes some of his most poignant observations, first by going after commentator Candace Owens for bringing up Floyd’s arrest record.

Then using her own comment to make probably the best statement of the show.

First imitating the conservative and quoting her, he said, “Why do you choose him as a hero?”

“We didn’t choose him, you did!” Chappelle said. “They killed him ... We’re not desperate for heroes in the Black community.”

As the comedian’s fiery retort comes to an end, all he can do is finish with a resounding comment.

“Any [Black person] that survives this nightmare is my goddamn hero,” Chappelle said The applause that follows exemplifies the pure gratefulness the audience, in the crowd and possibly those watching, feels succeeding such a passion-filled harangue.

Chappelle’s passion and anger shines throughout the special.

While there were moments of laughter elicited from the audience, this show focuses more on the pain and outrage being experienced around the country.

The special is well worth a watch for anyone looking for a hard dose of reality and truth, just don’t expect to be clutching your sides in hilarity once it finishes.

ONLINE NEXT WEEK – THE IMPORTANCE OF RACE CONVERSATIONS AT HOME page 6

opinion alestlelive.com

alestle MADISON LAMMERT editor-in-chief

share your thoughts: opinion@alestlelive.com 650-3527 wednesday, 06.24.20

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alestle view

‘Attractive’ sex offenders are still sex offenders

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All sexual assaults are not OK, regardless of who the perpetrator is.

The truth is that anyone can be a sex offender, and their age, gender or level of attractiveness does not change the fact that sexual assault is a heinous act.

It takes time for victims to find the strength to report or talk about sexual abuse. This happens for many reasons, but it is possible that the offender is very well known or popular. When this is the case, victims may fear their voices will not be as powerful as those of the offenders.

Celebrities are not exempt from this. Although it is not uncommon for accusations to be placed on famous people, these people are often defended, both in court and in society at large, because they have a large fanbase or possess the ability to win over a crowd.

We all have our favorite celebrities who seem to be incapable of harming anyone, but giving them

that pedestal is the reason they continue to get away with assault.

We do not know them personally, which means we do not know how they spend their days away from the public eye. While it may be hard, we need to keep in mind even the most popular celebrities may not be worthy of our respect.

Actor, singer and dancer Ansel Elgort was recently accused of sexually assaulting an underage girl in 2014. The young woman posted her story on Twitter in hopes that other victims would also speak out against Elgort. In the comments, people began defending Elgort and shaming the young woman, saying she should feel lucky because he is attractive and famous.

A similar example became more prominent after documentaries about Ted Bundy were released on Netflix, and also at the time of the trials when women supported him through rape and murder.

People felt that Bundy was not at fault, or not guilty, for the numerous rapes and murders of innocent women because his looks made him

seem nonthreatening. He used his charm to lure women into inescapable situations. Decades later, the internet still talks about how attractive Bundy is to them.

Those who have been sexually assaulted are not “lucky,” and the perceived attractiveness of the perpetrator does not change they violated another human being’s autonomy and should face sanctions for their crime, period. Consent is only achieved when freely and enthusiastically given by all parties involved, it is not obtained just because of one’s attractiveness or level of status. In simpler terms, attributes of an individual do not automatically constitute consent.

Rape myths such as this contribute to society’s acceptance of rape culture, which leads to a variety of adverse implications, such as survivors not being believed and justice not being served. Telling a survivor of sexual assault or sexual harassment that their experience was OK because of who the perpetrator was is unacceptable: It’s invalidating and downright disre-

spectful. In addition, those who sit by and watch survivors being belittled are part of the problem as well.

We all need to actively resist these harmful narratives, whether it’s by admitting we are wrong or calling others out.

Defending rapists should never be acceptable, and disregarding a sexual assault or accusation because the perpetrator is attractive is insensitive toward the victims.

It is possible that a person is attracted to someone without giving consent, because it is human nature to be attracted to other people, but it is also human nature to decide on your own terms who you want to be intimate with. Stating that you are attracted to somebody does not give consent either.

Sex offenders can be anybody.

People of any race, gender, age, social status and sexual orientation can be abusive. Sometimes they are the people we walk past on a regular basis, or they are people we look up to, but abusers should not be defended because victims deserve justice.

Letter to the Editor: To change police culture, we must change police training MATTHEW PETROCELLI professor of criminal justice I was a soldier in my youth and I can distinctly remember a training event geared to mentally prepare us for combat. A grizzled sergeant told us, “None of you are Rambo. That does not exist. When the bullets start flying, you will not rise to the occasion. You will sink to the level of your training.” The lesson: How you train matters the most when you are called upon to perform in a stressful situation.

I’ve been a policing scholar now for more than two decades.

Like most Americans, I watched with horror the grotesque video of George Floyd being slowly choked to death by a police officer. As someone very familiar with American law enforcement, particularly police use of force, I have been asked many times how this could have happened and what can be done. I have a long answer to those questions but to me the best way to change police culture is to address and amend how police officers are trained.

Policing has always been a paramilitary institution. The first modern police force was created in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel, a member of Parliament who authored the London Metro Police Act. Peel envisioned the police as a melding of the military and legal worlds. Police officers would be called upon to en-

force the law and he wanted them to do it with the disciplined bearing of a soldier. When the United States recognized its own need for a formal law enforcement arm, we essentially copied the model that Peel had created. Hence, America embarked upon training police officers as we trained soldiers, and that model is essentially still in place today.

The military trains soldiers for very specific purposes: Their job, when called upon, is to kill the enemy or destroy anything that is useful to the enemy. If soldiers are not involved in those endeavors directly, they are trained to support those efforts. To that end, military training consciously and aggressively attempts to imbue a “warrior mentality.” Your job is to fight ferociously until victory is attained.

You are taught that you are part of a team and the performance and safety of your unit supersedes your own well-being.

Police have a very different mission. Their charge is not to kill the enemy but rather to protect and serve American citizens. Obviously, those are two very different things, but what has always been peculiar to me is that we train soldiers and cops in a very similar way. When a candidate enters the police academy, they are largely subject to the same experience as a military recruit. Uniformity is enforced, orders are barked and aggression is

taught and rewarded. That socialization is a great benefit for a soldier who will one day be deployed to a combat zone, but it is the exact opposite of what a police officer needs.

First of all, the military acts as an aggregate and is trained to execute a battle plan to the best of their ability. Certainly, there is some room for initiative as circumstances change, but almost always the marching orders are to “plan the fight and fight the plan” as dictated by a commander who controls the action. Police operate under a totally different set of conditions. Generally speaking, cops patrol alone or perhaps with a partner, but almost never as a unit. The situations they face are unpredictable and many times unique, without any supervision, requiring an officer to think on his or her feet and rapidly adapt to the unfolding scenario. Military training, which stresses repetition and discipline, is not well suited for those types of problems.

Next, the military stresses that your own safety is subordinate to mission success. And while policing can certainly be dangerous, one of the oldest and best known maxims amongst rank-in-file officers is that the most important consideration is that you get home safely. So police officers are taught that they must aggressively control any and all situations but the paramount consideration is their own

protection. That toxic combination is certainly a precursor to excessive and illegal force being used on the street.

Last, the trappings of the police uniform are much too close to their military counterparts. Soldiers are trained to be killers, hence the uniform and appearance of a soldier is synonymous with that task. Police officers have essentially co-opted that look, from the buzz cut, to the tattoos, to the tactical glasses and gear many sport today. When police officers look at themselves in the mirror prior to the beginning of their shift, they see a warrior.

There are many other steps that can be taken to reform policing in America, the most urgent being examining the validity of qualified immunity. But training matters.

It sets the tone for a professional mindset and it dictates how a person will respond. Police should not be expected to rise to the occasion; like most of us, they will sink to the level of their training. The first tangible step we can take as a nation is to discard paramilitary preparation and focus police training on de-escalation, protection and service.

The police are not the military.

They have distinctly different missions that require distinctly different training and socialization.

MATTHEW PETROCELLI Professor of Criminal Justice mpetroc@siue.edu

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 wednesday, 06.24.20

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COUGARS DON’T STOP DURING SUMMER BREAK — NEITHER DO WE. WWW.ALESTLELIVE.COM page 7

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Former SIUE pitcher signs with Boston Red Sox GABRIEL BRADY reporter

After two years on SIUE’s baseball team, Spring 2020 graduate Cole Milam, of Waterloo, Illinois, signed with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent.

Milam said it felt amazing when the Red Sox officially signed him, especially considering the work he had put in to get this far.

“It feels like a dream come true. I’ve worked for this my entire life,” Milam said. “It feels especially great, being a kid that already pitched in high school, and a few innings in junior college.”

Although Milam only played at SIUE for the past two seasons, his earlier baseball career had been closely watched by SIUE’s baseball coaches. Baseball Head Coach Sean Lyons said he even saw Milam play in high school.

“We happened to see Cole play in high school, and we saw him at [Jefferson College],” Lyons said. “We were the ones who recruited him to come to SIUE. After his two years at [Jefferson College], he decided to come play for us.”

Although they saw Milam play in high school, Lyons said the decision was made to not immediately scout him into playing

at SIUE. “Cole’s a big, strong kid, and he threw the ball hard,” Lyons said. “He was the pitcher, so he had arm strength. The main goal we wanted for him was a matter of honing his skills, and learning to throw strikes consistently.”

Assistant Coach Brandon Scott agreed with Lyons, and said Milam worked hard to sharpen his skills while at Jefferson College.

“He didn’t pitch a ton in junior college, but he got here, and that seemed to change a few things for him,” Scott said. “He needed more command with his fastball. Over time, he developed a big time slider, which usually led to a majority strikeout. His breaking ball is good. He has definitely worked his butt off.”

One of the biggest motivators to keep Milam working was his sense of responsibility for the teams he played with.

“When I’m out there playing the game, I don’t want to let my teammates down. It’s definitely high pressure,” Milam said. “I remember, this last season, they brought me out during a tie, at the end of game one. I didn’t want to go out there and lose it for my team, and I didn’t.”

When looking ahead to his future in major league baseball,

Before coming to SIUE, Milam pitched at Jefferson College. Now, Milam looks toward future opportunities he will have in professional baseball, as he has been signed as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox. .

I Photo courtesy of SIUE Athletics

Milam said his biggest concern is the possibility of the COVID-19 pandemic denying him his first season next year. Milam said he even thought he might not get signed this year because of COVID-19.

“At first, this season kind of slowed down. Then, once the major league stopped, all I heard was

just crickets. Mentally I thought ball was over, but it all started for me again,” Milam said. “It definitely doesn’t feel very good for next year, especially because I already got robbed of my senior season. The player developers [for the Red Sox] said there probably won’t be a season next year, but we would still have individual de-

velopment, like training, which I’m still excited for regardless.”

Milam will likely be playing for the Red Sox as a relief pitcher in the coming seasons.

GABRIEL BRADY

650-3527 @Gbrady_alestle gbrady@alestlelive.com

WIRE: ‘It makes a lot of sense’: Wassermann reflects on SIUE’s soccer return to MVC SIUE, which plays in the Ohio Valley Conference for most other sports, opted to join the MVC in 2010, when SIUE was making the conversion to NCAA Division For the coach of a team caught in the I status for all sports. midst of a pandemic, SIUE’s Cale WasserIn 2015, Mario Sanchez’ first season mann has been pretty busy. as head coach, the Cougars won the MVC Wassermann’s Cougars announced last regular season title. They also advanced in week they are returning to the Missouri 2016 and 2017.

Valley Conference in 2021 and this week, SIUE has been an affiliate member of they released a 12-man recruit list (see re- the MAC the past three seasons and will lated story). compete in the league this coming season “Things are before moving pretty busy,” Wasto the MVC. sermann said.

SIUE has He’s hoping for a made 15 apreturn to normal pearances in for the fall season the NCAA after dealing with Division I the recruiting championship restrictions and and 23 NCAA other guidelines tournament in place because appearances of the COVID-19 overall. The pandemic.

Cougars won “We were an NCAA DiCALE WASSERMANN happy in the vision I Namen’s soccer head coach MAC,” said Wastional Chamsermann, referpionship in ring to the Mid-American Conference, 1979. The Cougars were national run“but we’re very excited to go back to the ners-up in 1975, finished third in 1977 and Missouri Valley. It’s a great conference and were national semifinalists in 1982. SIUE it’s produced some excellent teams through also captured the College Division Nationthe years.” al Title in 1972, was runner-up at the DiIncluding the Cougars, who as recent- vision II level in 2004 and a semifinalist in ly as 2017 won the MVC Soccer Tourna- 2005. ment title and with it an automatic berth in “There are trophies in our locker room the NCAA Division I Nationals. and in the office from previous Cougar PETE HAYES The Telegraph, Alton, Ill. (TNS)

“There are trophies in our locker room and in the office from previous Cougar teams who have battled and won in the Valley, and we’re proud to carry with us that history and to continue that tradition.

Wassermann, right, and the team gather on the sidelines at their first game of the Fall 2019 season.

I Photo courtesy of SIUE Athletics

teams who have battled and won in the Valley, and we’re proud to carry with us that history and to continue that tradition,” Wassermann said. “The MVC is a tough conference with programs and coaches who we highly respect. I know how difficult it will be but I could not be more excited for the future of Cougar men’s soccer.”

“It makes a lot of sense to get back in the Valley for travel distance and rivalries,” Wassermann said.

And scheduling.

“We would have to schedule up to 13 non-conference games in the MAC,” Wassermann said. “In the Valley, it will be more like six to eight. That can make a difference in the way coaches approach conference games, depending on if they’re going to see a team just once or will see them again in

the conference.”

Wassermann, in his second season as SIUE coach following a stint as an assistant at Michigan State, said the move to the Valley hasn’t been in the works all that long.

“It happened quite quickly, actually,” he said. “With Valpo dropping their program, the conference placed high importance on bringing in another team.”

SIUE’s recent previous success in the MVC gives Wassermann reason for confidence heading back to the league.

“It’s a really tough conference, but I’m confident we can perform well in the Missouri Valley,” Wassermann said. “But we’ve still got a season ahead of us in the MAC. That, along with getting our recruits here and preparing for the 2020 season is more immediately ahead for us.

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WIRE: State releases Phase 4 guidance as hospitalization numbers continue to decline Restaurants can offer indoor dining with restrictions in place JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois Restaurants across the state are set to open for indoor dining Friday among other additions to allowable activities under the state’s Restore Illinois plan. The state released new guidance for reopening businesses Monday.

Restaurants must arrange their seating facilities so that tables are 6 feet apart, and parties larger than 10 people will not be allowed, per state guidelines.

Standing areas such as bars will be allowed to operate at no more than 25 percent of capacity, and staff is required to wear face coverings when serving customers.

As well, gatherings of 50 people — up from 10 — will be allowed in Illinois, including at weddings and funerals; and fitness centers, movie theaters, museums and zoos will be allowed to reopen with capacity limits and health guidelines in place. Industry-specific guidelines from the state can be found at Illinois.gov/ businessguidelines.

The state continues to see downward trends in hospitalizations and positivity rate of those

tested for the COVID-19 virus.

The number of new cases has leveled off to about 450 to 700 daily over the past 10 days, even as more businesses and activities get the green light to reopen.

Hospital bed, intensive care bed and ventilator use by COVID-19 patients on Monday all were at lows since the state began reporting the numbers daily on April 12, with 1,628, 419 and 256, respectively. The state continues to report about 18,000 to 30,000 test results daily, and the positivity rate for tests conducted over the past seven days is approximately 2 percent, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Monday’s 462 new cases among 18,219 tested made for a positivity rate of about 2.5 percent, and the new cases reported were the lowest in one week’s time. There were 26 more COVID-19-related deaths reported to bring the total to 6,671 among 137,224 confirmed cases since the pandemic began, and the recovery rate is 94 percent for those 42 days removed from a positive test, according to IDPH. “The state of Illinois has made great progress in slowing the spread of COVID-19, largely because of the measures our administration enacted to protect residents and communities during

this public health crisis,” IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said in a news release. “Our strategy to encourage social distancing and expand testing and contact tracing will enable Illinois communities to continue to take steps to reopen, to return to work and to resume daily activities.”

While some — including business groups and legislative Republicans — have urged Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration to expedite entry into the fourth phase of his five-phase reopening plan due to the progress being made, he has strictly adhered to the original timeline — with some revisions such as allowing outdoor dining earlier in the process — of the plan that he announced on May 5.

While each of the second, third and fourth phases of the plan lasted 30 days, there is no timetable for moving from Phase 4 to Phase 5, the final phase of the plan when the state’s economy fully reopens, including conventions, festivals and large events.

Per the current plan, Phase 5 cannot begin without a coronavirus vaccine or “highly effective treatment” being widely available, or without new cases of the virus being eliminated for a sustained period.

When Phase 4 begins Friday, June 26, venues will be able to

host up to 50 people or 50 percent of their overall room capacity — whichever number is less.

Multiple groups are permitted at certain facilities as long as there is space to social distance and limit interaction between groups.

Bowling alleys, skating rinks and clubhouses are on the list of allowable indoor and outdoor recreation under Phase 4, provided they also operate at the lesser of 50 customers or half capacity.

Groups of 50 will be allowed for outdoor recreation, and multiple groups can gather if they can remain separated.

Museums and zoos can reopen at 25 percent capacity or less, but interactive exhibits and rides must be closed. Guided tours will be allowed but must be limited to 50 people or fewer per group. Indoor exhibits at zoos will remain closed as well.

Theaters with indoor seating and performing arts centers would be allowed to open with 50 guests maximum or 50 percent capacity, whichever is less, in each of the theater’s screening rooms or performance spaces. Outdoor capacity would be limited to 20 percent of overall theater or performance space capacity.

Concessions would be permitted if: delivered by a server who takes orders from guests

while seated with distancing guidelines followed, or purchased pre-packaged via “grab and go” function at an outdoor kiosk or indoor service areas.

The guidelines also included revisions for youth and recreational sports. Those include allowing competitive gameplay and tournaments with venues operating at half capacity and 20 percent seating capacity for spectators. Group sizes of up to 50 would be allowed with multiple groups permitted during practice and competitive games as long as interaction between groups is limited.

Gyms and fitness centers can open at half capacity and can have group fitness classes of up to 50 people with new indoor safety guidelines. Multiple groups, provided interaction between them is limited, would be permitted at these facilities as well As well, seating capacities of 20 percent would be allowed at outdoor spectator sports, and film production could resume at no more than half capacity of the sound stage or filming location.

Water-based activities would be permitted at day camps in accordance with IDPH guidelines, half facility capacity and with a group size of no more than 15 participants.

Graphic retrieved from the Illinois Department of Public Health

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