SG CREATES PLATFORM TO SHARE EXPERIENCES WITH RACISM AT SIUE page 2
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FORMER STUDENT ILLUMINATES BIAS IN SCHOOL DISTRICT pages 4 & 5
vol. 74 no. 2
The Student Voice Since 1960
SIUE admissions stay constant — mostly GABRIEL BRADY reporter
visiting Cougar Village. “I don’t understand how they’re really going to limit [guests] because I know people who have already had people from out of Housing over,” Baker said. “It’s just hard because I guess they can’t really tell, so I feel like it’s something that’s not necessarily going to work out the way they wish it would.” While Parking Services would know someone who doesn’t reside in Cougar Village is there, it would be difficult to tell where they are. However, an unauthorized person could also be discovered while RAs are doing rounds or if another resident reports it. Sidarous said residents who violate the policy will go through the standard discipline process in the Living Guide, the handbook of rules residents agree to when they register for on-campus housing. “[Residents who violate the policy] would go just through the accountability process within University Housing, or if you don’t follow policy, there are
SIUE’s enrollment staff is dealing with a problem that many colleges around the country are trying to address— keeping admissions numbers up during the COVID-19 pandemic. International students face a unique problem during this pandemic. Director of Graduate and International Admissions Jim Monahan said one of the biggest challenges for these students has been obtaining visas. “What we are seeing is definitely a drop in new students, and it’s definitely because of the pandemic. [International students] have been unable to get visas at U.S. embassies, because across the world, those embassies are closed,” Monahan said. “Those embassies are starting to reopen, but now it’s too late for those students to go through this process. So, a lot of international students have had to be deferred to next future semesters.” Although international students can still take classes online, there is still a risk there, according to Monahan. “If there is no visa, they can’t physically come here, and it’s hard to get a whole degree online … [and] there’s a risk there. Depending on where they are living, international students can’t really do synchronous classes,” Monahan said. “It’s hard to work around time zones.” Director of Undergraduate Admissions Todd Burrell said international enrollment may have been difficult to retain during the pandemic, but undergraduate and transfer enrollment haven’t faltered too much. “The pandemic has hit us a little bit, but our transfer population is still on track with last year’s, and we still get a few students from colleges like [Southwestern Illinois College and Lewis and Clark Community College] where there’s a good number of students who transfer to here,” Burrell said. “As for undergrad, our new student population is doing well. This summer, we saw a two percent increase [compared to last summer], and it was
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new year, new rules Housing guest policy baffles Cougar Village residents ALEX AULTMAN lifestyles editor
The updated guest policy is one of the most significant changes to University Housing this semester. With Cougar Village apartments spanning across 62 buildings, residents are wondering how it can be enforced on such a large scale. The new policy states residents may not have guests in their living spaces unless they are in same living community. In the residence halls, anybody entering the building must pass by a continuously-monitored front desk. Because Cougar Village consists of several buildings, it does not have a comparable check in point, making it harder to control who comes into the apartment buildings. “We’re considering Cougar Village one community, so the guest policy would mean that anyone who lives in Cougar Village could be in your living unit with you,” Director of University Housing Mallory Sidaro19us said. “If
Sophomore elementary education major Mitchell Deters of Teutopolis, Illinois, started the year as a desk manager at Woodland Hall by checking residents in on move-in day. Move-in “day” spanned over several days to ensure proper social distancing measures could be met. I Mackenzie Smith / The Alestle
someone is not a resident of Cougar Village, then they would not be permitted under the guest policy, so that aligns with our other four residence halls in terms of the community itself.” While there is no central point to control who is coming in or out of the apartments, University Housing is hoping to monitor this in other ways. Sidarous said this semester University Housing opted not to issue guest parking passes to residents. “One of the ways that we are [ensuring residents in Cougar Village follow the guest policy] is not issuing guest parking passes,” Sidarous said. “So primarily, that was how folks could host a guest or host a guest overnight, would be for them to get a parking pass.” This means when Parking Services is making their rounds, they will be able to check if a car has a parking pass to determine if the owner is a Cougar Village resident. Senior art history major Kait Baker, of Washington, Illinois, questioned whether checking parking passes will be enough to prevent non-residents from
Where to get tested for COVID-19, and what to expect ALEX AULTMAN lifestyles editor
SIUE, as well as many other locations in the area, is offering COVID-19 testing, each with different testing methods and requirements. SIUE announced last Thursday it would be offering free COVID-19 screening tests through Health Service beginning the first week of classes. Students can schedule an appointment online for a nasal swab test if they would like to confirm their status. They should receive results in 72 hours. Medical Chief Dr. Kelly Farroll said screening is only for peo-
ple who do not have symptoms and have not had direct contact with a case. “Currently the university is offering to faculty, staff and students a screening test. That means they are not having any symptoms and don’t believe they have encountered an exposure to COVID,” Farroll said. “If someone believes they are having symptoms or that they have had a close contact or exposure, then we are asking them to identify themselves differently so that the testing site would be different.” The CDC defines “close contact” as being within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes. Those who believe
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they have been exposed or are experiencing symptoms can make a Zoom appointment with Health Service to determine next steps and check if they have any additional medical issues to address. They are also required to fill out the self-reporting form online. Another location offering testing free of cost is Anderson Hospital in Maryville, Illinois. The drive-thru testing site is a few blocks away from the hospital in an old bank building Anderson owns. Director of Care Coordination and Specialized Nursing Services Andrea Burns said they are doing an oral swab test and can get results out in 24 to 48 hours.
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“We are doing an oral swab there, so that swab is just like a strep throat swab,” Burns said. “We’re fortunate we have a machine in-house to read it so we’re able to get results out in about 24 to 48 hours back to the physician that ordered the test.” Those looking to get tested at Anderson only need a doctor’s referral and to schedule an appointment. There is no symptom or exposure requirement and the doctor who ordered the test will tell the patient their results. Burns said the CDC is unsure of the oral swab’s accuracy rates, but Burns said they show the same results as nasal swabs. “The CDC is still kind of
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contesting accuracy rates of the point of care, the nasal and the oral swabs,” Burns said. “We’ve done several comparison swabs here and they have been a hundred percent, but overall I don’t know what they would say.” SIHF Healthcare also has multiple testing locations in the Metro East area. One of their fixed locations is in Wood River, Illinois. They also have mobile testing sites in Madison and St. Clair Counties. Those looking to get tested through SIHF need to go through a short phone screening process and can schedule an
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TESTING I COVER
ENROLLMENT I COVER
appointment that afternoon or the next day. Corporate Director of Communication and Development Planning at SIHF Steve Tomaszewski said the test method can vary depending on the day and what lab they are using. “It can vary by when you’re coming and where we’re sending the swabs. We had to switch labs where we do the processing,” Tomaszewski said. “I believe we were doing the nasal swabs originally, then we switched to oral because we had a change in labs. I don’t want to promise that it will be oral next time because we may switch back to the nasal depending on which suppliers we have available and to which lab it’s going.” They are collecting insurance information if the patient has it, but there will be no cost, even if they are uninsured. Test results should be received in two to four days. Burns said people need to quarantine while they are waiting for their test results. “It’s essential that while they’re waiting for their results they should quarantine, which really means stay in a setting not around people, wear a mask at all times, and definitely be careful of sharing drinks and utensils or sink spaces,” Burns said. “If they are positive, the CDC requires they are quarantined for 10 days after symptoms have started unless the symptoms like fever continue and they need to quarantine even longer.” Director of Health Services Riane Greenwalt urges students to become familiar with the resources on SIUE’s COVID-19 website. “I just want to encourage everyone to use all the information that’s available
very nice, and … hopefully that will trickle over to the next semesters.” However, Burrell said there have still been some minor problems, but admissions is working to remedy them. “We did our pay drop, where we drop students who haven’t paid, and that usually drops some kids, and it did. We hope to be on target [with the average], but it might be a bit of a decrease. People still have a few days to get back into the system after it drops them,” Burrell said. “The application deadline was August 5, but we still check people on a case-by-case basis. And we will obviously have a better idea later, but right now, we kind know what we’re on track with.” Chancellor Randy Pembrook said, regardless of a possible decline in enrollment, the admissions staff has done all they can to keep SIUE on track. “Our enrollment management team has worked hard all year regarding recruiting and retention for Fall 2020. In spite of challenges relating to the COVID pandemic, we saw positive numbers for summer enrollment, and are [still] optimistic about our fall enrollment,” Pembrook said. Exact head counts have yet to be released for the Fall 2020 semester. Since 2015, enrollment rates for both firsttime freshmen and transfer students have been declining at SIUE. From 2018 to 2019, enrollment for first-time freshmen dropped two percent, and enrollment for transfer students dropped five percent. For more information, check the SIUE admissions website.
For those looking to get tested off campus, here are the locations of some COVID-19 testing sites near SIUE. | Summer Bradley / The Alestle
on the COVID website at the university,” Greenwalt said. “It outlines several campus messages, the university’s plan and policy, a training video that we’ve created and health reporting and testing, which is very
important and then the resources that are available to everyone.“ More information about COVID-19 testing locations can be found on the Madison County Health Department’s website.
New ‘Black at SIUE’ Instagram account provides space to acknowledge experiences with racism at SIUE NICOLE BOYD copy editor “Black at SIUE,” a new Instagram account created by Student Government, allows Black students and faculty to speak out about racism and microaggressions encountered at SIUE. Student Diversity Officer Maddy McKenzie, a first-year graduate student in industrial organizational psychology from Alton, Illinois, said Student Government got the idea to start the account after seeing a similar account at another university, as many universities have Instagram accounts that allow Black students to share their experiences. “I thought, ‘Why isn’t SIUE doing something like this?’ because I know we have racial tension on campus, but it’s not being seen,” McKenzie said. “So I thought that [Student Government] would create an account where people can anonymously share their stories of times that they’ve experienced institutional racism and just bring awareness to that.” Student Government uses Google Forms, which do not track IP addresses, to collect submissions. This ensures anonymity to protect the identities of the authors. Student Body President Maddie Walters, a junior business major from Elizabeth, Illinois, said the recent protests — seen both locally and across the word — provided motivation to start the account. “It’s been a while in the works. It took us some time to get it set up and figure out the logistics of it, but it was the protests and the political unrest going on right now that inspired the page,” Walters said. Sarah Laux, associate director in the Kimmel Student Involvement Center, said Student Government came to her with the idea for the page. “This was an idea that was presented to me as an opportunity for our Black students, faculty and staff to have an outlet to share
their experiences about racism and discrimination on campus in a safe way,” Laux said. In addition to starting the account, McKenzie moderates submissions. She shares stories related to the Black experience, but filters out hateful messages. “I’ve gotten some submissions that were just people trolling, and so I just don’t post those, but ones that are relevant to Black faculty, students and alumni … their experiences on campus and stuff with racism, that’s the ones that I post,” McKenzie said. Through reading all the submissions, McKenzie said she has found many share common factors. “Some common themes are people that try to act a certain way to prove prejudices wrong, like a lot of Black students feel like they’re being watched more than other students, like their behavior. And another common theme is people being called racial slurs and stuff like that,” McKenzie said. One student shared that watermelon chunks were thrown at their door as a form of retaliation. “Watermelon chunks were thrown at my dorm room freshman year for politely asking my white neighbors to turn down their loud music. Despite this, my RA would not intervene,” the post reads. Rahmat Salau, a sophomore accounting major from Lagos, Nigeria, said although reading stories on the account makes her sad, she is glad people are able to share their experiences. “I feel like it’s sad that those things happen, but then I’m also kind of glad that Black people that talk about it feel okay enough to talk about how they were affected by racism,” Salau said. “Sometimes when it happens, you really don’t want to tell anybody except who you’re close to, and it’s something for you to be able to come out and talk about it.” According to Walters, the page is intended to bring awareness to racism on campus. “The goal is mostly to just spread aware-
ness. We want students, faculty, staff to be aware of issues that we still have on campus, issues of racism and discrimination, and we also are using the page to share resources for students,” Walters said. While the account is run by Student Government, not SIUE’s administration, the group added information about resources such as the Bias Incident Report Team so people can take further action if they wish. “I have reached out to other faculty and staff members to provide their information on the page for Black students to reach out to them, and then I also provided the ways to submit the Bias Incident Report because originally it was kind of hard to find unless you knew what you were looking for. So I just provide resources,” McKenzie said. “But hopefully, administration will see it and try to take action.” Walters said Student Government took on the role of running the page when they saw there was a need. “We are leaders on campus, and we saw that there wasn’t a page for SIUE and saw the opportunity to step up and be the people that took on that responsibility.” Laux said Student Government not only oversees the account, but supports it as part of their mission. “It aligns with their statement and their goals that they stated over the summer, to be solidified in anti-racism efforts on campus,” Laux said. Salau said while there is a wide range of severity among the stories, it is good that the account is bringing attention to racism on campus. “Some stories were not that bad, but some were really relatable and some were just awful. I can’t remember one particularly that stood out, but it was nice to see that they were being heard. Things like that happen, and it’s real,” Salau said. Click here to submit a story to the Black at SIUE Instagram account.
Above are three posts found on the “Black at SIUE” Instagram account. As of Aug. 25, the account had 24 posts in total and 280 followers.
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WIRE: Madison, Greene on state COVID-19 warning level list RON DEBROCK The Telegraph, Alton, Ill. (TNS) Madison and Greene counties are on a list of 20 counties released Friday, Aug. 21 by the Illinois Department of Public Health deemed at a warning level for the coronavirus disease. A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase. Other counties on Friday’s list were Bureau, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Franklin, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Jefferson, Logan, Monroe, Moultrie, Randolph, St. Clair, Union, Whiteside, Will and Williamson. Friday’s announcement came as IDPH officials noted 2,208 new COVID-19 cases in Illinois and 24 more deaths, including two in Madison County: a man in his 60s and a woman in her 90s. IDPH officials said the counties have seen cases or outbreaks associated with weddings, businesses, neighborhood gatherings, parties, long-term care facilities and other congregate settings, travel to neighboring states, bars, sports camps and spread among members of the same household who are not isolating at home. Cases connected to schools are also beginning to be reported. IDPH officials said they are observing people not social distancing or using face coverings. Additionally, there are reports of individuals who are ill attributing their symptoms to allergies or other illnesses, or not being forthcoming about their symptoms or close contacts. Several counties are taking swift action and implementing mitigation measures to help slow spread of the virus, including working to increase testing in their communities. IDPH uses numerous indicators when determining if a county is experiencing stable COVID-19 activity, or if there are warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the county: • New cases per 100,000 people: If there are more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
Region 7’s COVID-19 metrics as viewable at the Illinois Department of Public Health website. (Credit: https://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=7) | Graphic courtesy of Capitol News Illinois • Number of deaths: This metric indicates a warning when the weekly number of deaths increases more than 20 percent for two consecutive weeks. • Weekly test positivity: This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8 percent. • ICU availability: If there are fewer than 20 percent of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning. • Weekly emergency department visits: This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20 percent for two consecutive weeks. • Weekly hospital admissions: A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20 percent for two consecu-
tive weeks. • Tests performed: This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county. • Clusters: This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increases in cases. The metrics listed above are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week. A map and information of each county’s status can be found online at www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics.
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sanctions for those depending on what the policy is,” Sidarous said. “The Living Guide that the students are given outlines what that looks like, and we added a section this year that covers health and community safety violations as well.” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffrey Waple worked with Sidarous and Health Services to determine what precautions needed to be taken in the residence halls this semester. They determined the best way to keep classes on campus is for students to be responsible for their own health and to hold themselves accountable. “We’re going to ask our students to self-monitor. They have to protect the health of others,” Waple said. “[This is] the only way we keep classes on-ground and not go back online — we need our residents and our campus to practice the best health and safety measures that they can manage.” Sidarous said another key to enforcing University Housing policies is continuously reminding the residents of them. “We will be continuing to educate residents about what the policies are, not just the guest policy, but all the other policies for living in on-campus housing.” Sidarous said. “All our policies, including the guest policy, are communicated to residents in a variety of different ways, whether that’s through posted communication, social media, their RA reminding them.” However, education on the new policies largely depends upon residents reading their emails and communicating with their RAs. Baker said she has been relying on emails for information about the new policies. “I mean I’ve read the stuff because with this type of situation, I prefer to know what’s going on and what’s expected of me, but the actual information hasn’t been given to me verbally at all, nor have I been given anything on it really beyond what’s been in emails,” Baker said. More information about the COVID-19 guidelines can be found on University Housing’s website.
New dean brings excitement, experience to Lovejoy LILY SCHNIEDERS reporter Over the summer, Lis Pankl was chosen as the new dean of Library and Information Services at SIUE. Pankl assumed this role earlier this month and said she hopes to bring new potential to the Lovejoy Library and help it grow in many ways. Pankl has always been interested in library staff since she was young, and said it was always a huge part of her life. “Some families went to the park, my family went to the library,” Pankl said. She was initially intimidated with the idea of working in librarianship because she would need to earn a master’s degree, which seemed like a big undertaking. “I didn’t have the confidence to see myself in that role of being the head of librarian when I was younger,” Pankl said. Initially, Pankl decided not to pursue a career in librarianship and instead became an English teacher. However, Pankl said she ended up not enjoying teaching as much as she thought she would and wanted to follow a different path. After much consideration, she decided to give librarianship a shot after all. She knew people who were living where she was at the time which was Lubbock, Texas that were getting their degree online. She decided to look into it and see if it fit well with her. She started taking classes online while she was still teaching English in 2005. Her background in teaching helped in the process of completing her online courses. Once she completed all her courses, she got her first librarian job at LSU. “I applied for 70 jobs and I only got one
interview and got that job, but I think the reason I got it was because of my teaching background because it was an instruction librarian at [Louisiana State University] and they taught a credit course in research methods,” Pankl said. After LSU, she worked at Kansas State University where she got her tenure. She worked there for 8 years. While she was working at KSU, she also earned a Ph.D. in geography. Once her daughter went to college, she decided to challenge herself a little and started applying for leadership positions anywhere she could. “I was able to make that happen at Stony Brook University, but I was only there for 15 months because it wasn’t a good fit for my family and the expense of living there was really high,” Pankl said. Before she came to SIUE, she was at the University of Utah, where she decided it was time to take a next step in advancing her knowledge of leadership. To do that, she needed to find a place that would allow her to grow. After much time searching, she decided SIUE was the perfect fit for her to succeed. “The commitment of diversity, the inclusion and the really big commitment to school mobility caught my eye plus the strength in health services attracted me to this position,” Pankl said. Pankl has many plans to help the library grow. She hopes to breathe new life, a fresh start and a new vision to the library. “The library has tons of potential and I would love to unleash that, it is my biggest goal,” Pankl says. Several staff members at Lovejoy Library had plenty of nice words to say about Pankl
and how she will be able to succeed as the new dean of Library and Information Services. Juliet Gray, the intermediate assistant dean of Lovejoy Library, said she thought Pankl’s background in multiple fields would be an advantage for the library. “Her diverse experiences as both an academic librarian and a scholar will help Library and Information Services continue to develop collections, services and campus partnerships that meet the needs of 21st century learners,” Gray said. Lora Del Rio, Lovejoy’s humanities librarian, said Pankl’s emphasis on research and expertise in various fields would also help the library to continue to improve. “Her work to enhance faculty research and student learning at several academic libraries combined with her interdisciplinary scholarship will help lead the library to innovate the support we provide to our students, faculty and staff,” Del Rio said. While SIUE received many applications for the dean position, Chancellor Randy Pembrook said at an SIU Board of Trustees meeting earlier this month that Pankl was the most well-rounded and suitable person for the position and possesses the qualities the library needs to stay successful. Pankl started her new job as Dean of Library and Information Services on Aug. 3 and will be continuing her leadership throughout the school year. For more information visit the Library services website. LILY SCHNIEDERS 650-3527 @lschnie_Alestle lschnieders@alestlelive.com
08.13.20 An officer reported the street road sign at Stadium Drive and New Poag Road had been knocked and tire tracks were present. The vehicle that ran into the sign was not located.
08.20.20 An unmarked bag containing pills was found in Bluff Hall. The pills were identified as prescription and disposed of in the medication drop box.
08.24.20 SIUE Police responded to a report of a firearm in a Cougar Village apartment. The resident of the apartment said they had left the firearm in their vehicle by mistake and brought it inside so as to not leave it unattended. The firearm was confiscated, and the owner was informed of SIUE’s no firearms policy. Jacksonville Health Department contacted the SIUE Police Department about a student living in Woodland Hall who may have been exposed to COVID-19. SIUE Police contacted the student, who was asked to self-quarantine.
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Student Demographics:
Student Suspensions:
Rockwood Summit Sr. High School Fenton, MO White 80%
Black 10%
Two or more races 2%
Two or more races 18%
Black 11%
JOHN MCGOWAN reporter
Rockwood Valley Middle School Wildwood, MO White 79%
Black 9%
Two or more races 20%
Two or more races 2%
Black 18%
Bowles Elementary School Fenton, MO White 80%
Black 11%
Two or more races 4%
| Summer Bradley/The Alestle
Social media movement prompts change in STL school district
Two or more races <1%
Black 32%
Statistics collected from greatschools.org.
After years of racial transgressions Black alumni and students from the Rockwood School District in St. Louis spoke up on social media this summer with the BlackatRockwood hashtag, prompting a response from the school. A simple search on Facebook will yield pages of stories about Black students’ experiences at Eureka High, Lafayette High, Marquette High and Rockwood Summit High, as well stories parents have shared about their children’s experience in the elementary and middle schools in the district. People wrote about being called derogatory terms and slurs, being punished unfairly and being held back academically based on where they and their peers lived. One alumna, U.S. Army Specialist Morgan Belsom, shared her experience being biracial at the school. “There were times I got called an Oreo, or when people would say the N-word around me,” Belsom said. “They would tell me that I could not get upset because I was only half Black and it didn’t matter.” Rockwood alumna and SIUE graduate Erica Green started the hashtag, and said she often faced microaggressions for how she acted as a Black student. “People were genuinely shocked that I was in AP classes, or they were shocked that I talk proper or ‘act white,’” Green said. Belsom said one of the first times she realized a problem in the administration itself was when teachers told students to not talk about the shooting of Michael Brown and the following protests in 2014. “The teachers just didn’t know how to deal with a situation like that, so they just told everyone to keep quiet about it,” Belsom said. “I think that made people really uneasy and caused a lot of tension.” In June of this summer, Green was prompted by recent Black Lives Matter protests to think about her own experiences as a Black student at the school district. On Juneteenth, she created her first post with the hashtag prompting others to follow suit. The movement eventually caught the attention of the district, and before long a team of alumni, including Green and Belsom, were in talks with the District on how things could be improved. The group of alumni has three goals they’re trying to achieve: First, the group is encouraging staff to not immediately punish students without first attempting see ROCKWOOD on page 5
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to find what prompted them to act out. The second goal is reforming the handbook and making sure Black students aren’t punished harsher than white students, and third is including more Black history in the curriculum. Green said their efforts boiled down to making things better for students. “We’re doing this to make sure that current students and future students don’t have to deal with the things we dealt with,” Green said. While the movement has stirred up plenty of emotions, Belsom wanted to clarify the group doesn’t harbor any negative feelings towards the district. “Rockwood is a good school district, it just could be better,” Belsom said. “We are not bashing the district. We are not bashing anybody. We just want to feel as important as everybody else.” The stories being shared and the work of the group have fast tracked work for equality, but Rockwood School District’s Director of Educational Equity and Diversity Brittany Hogan said the district has already been steadily working on making this progress. “For the last two years, before COVID hit and we went stay-at-home, we had something that we were already doing,” Hogan said. “I think that the beauty of the hashtag is it’s brought more people into what we were already doing.” Rockwood’s Executive Director of Student Services Terry Harris said the school is focused on ensuring the children currently at the district have a good experience as they move forward. “We’re driving this car towards justice. We’re on the highway and we’re moving fast because we’ve got to get there,” Harris said. “Justice isn’t going anywhere, but it just feels good to get there quicker than cruising on the highway. No one wants to cruise on the highway towards justice.” See all the stories by searching #BlackatRockwood on Facebook.
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Knowledge is golden:
SIUE student writes how-to guide for undergraduates NICOLE BOYD copy editor
Many undergraduate students struggle with the transition to college life, but “The Gold Book” by Capri Wroten is a guide to make the process easier. Wroten, a graduate student in the College Student Personnel Administration program said her own experiences as an undergraduate inspired her to write the book. “In college I just didn’t feel like I knew enough, whether it was questions I had that people weren’t able to fully answer, or I didn’t know the proper terminology so it would create barriers to resources almost,” Wroten said. “I want to provide students with the knowledge to at least know what questions they should be asking, what they should be looking for at different institutions when it comes to resources to help students.” “The Gold Book” was written specifically with Black students in mind, Wroten said, as many Black students are disadvantaged by barriers to resources in higher education. “It’s in the National Center for Education statistics, [that] Black students are 20 percent below the national average when it comes to students graduating at a six-year rate,” Wroten said. “And I thought that was very important, because it’s one thing for students to get into the program or get into higher education, and then it’s another thing for them to graduate.” Wroten said she used much of what she learned while transitioning to college when writing “The Gold Book” and wanted to make that knowledge accessible to anyone seeking it, so she released individual volumes online.
“I think there are too many barriers when it comes to education already, and most of its knowledge I’ve acquired, or some of the time I bring in experts … in the field who are better versed with these different topics than I am,” Wroten said. “But I made it free because nobody has ever charged me to ask a question, so I didn’t think it was fair to charge students for them to just gain more knowledge if they’re seeking it.” Dominique Peel, a graduate student at SIUE in the College of Personnel Administration from Chicago, helped Wroten and contributed to an edition of “The Gold Book.” He said the book’s content was influenced by the Success Coach mentoring model, as the book serves as a mentor. Peel learned about the model, which is practiced in the Office of Student Conduct, through Assistant Director of Student Conduct Prince Robertson. “When you have a student … that violated the Student Code of Conduct, instead of them giving them a sanction that you’re like, writing a paper or just doing something that they might not [do], go try to mentor them and give them a success coach to where they are, so they can learn and gain a mentor throughout this,” Peel said. Peel wrote about time management, which will be featured in a later volume. “Making sure people understand the importance of goal-setting, the importance of being organized, positive affirmations to remind yourself that you can do this and just making sure that the students understand what they’re getting themselves into,” Peel said. Ebony Davis, a graduate student in social work at Loyola University, contribut-
SIUE’s Prince Robertson was a consultant on the Code of Conduct section of “The Gold Book.” | Photo courtesy of Capri Wroten
ed knowledge about journaling to the first volume of “The Gold Book.” She said she hopes the book can be a form of instruction for undergraduate students. “I’m also hoping that “The Gold Book” is something that becomes a little bit more widespread, because I remember when I was an undergrad, how difficult it was to navigate in that space, because we didn’t have resources like this to look at and figure out like, ‘OK, I’m struggling with mental health, this is where I go or this is what I can do,’” Davis said. “Or, ‘I’m struggling with getting adjusted to college life, this is who I can reach out to and talk to.’ I’m also hoping that it can kind of serve as a form of mentorship, just a little bit.” Volume One of “The Gold Book” is available online at thegoldbook2020.com.
REVIEW: Dredd’s new EP is exactly what we need during the pandemic GABRIEL BRADY reporter
Freddie Dredd released his newest EP, titled “Suffer,” and created a great pastime during the pandemic. Although there isn’t much depth to the album, it’s still very enjoyable and a great example of Freddie in his prime. The EP is only 10 songs long, with almost all of them lasting less than two minutes. The album has a few moments of Freddie switching his (usually) consistent style in minor ways that are hard to notice if you’re not familiar with his music. Personally, I felt that even though Freddie tries a few new things, “Suffer” is a great example of Freddie’s formula that he and his producer Ryan C have perfected. Before I delve into this review, I want to explain Freddie’s style a bit, as it’s entirely unique to anything else I’ve heard. It would be an understatement to just call him a modern underground Canadian rapper, but he just hasn’t reached mainstream fame yet (although some of his songs, like “Opaul” and “Cha Cha”, gained popularity on TikTok). Some musicians have a distinct style, but have occasional songs that stand out because of interesting subject matter, or bizarre instrumentation. Freddie Dredd’s music is a steady formula that he and Ryan C, have rarely ever strayed from. First, find an old jazz song, maybe even one sung in a different language. Then, add a trap beat that’s almost too intense. Finally, write some incredibly dense
yet violent lyrics to rap with a fuzzy vocal microphone, and you’ve got a Freddie Dredd song. As a bonus, slow the whole track down for a few bars, but remember to speed it back up. With such a rigid pattern in all his music, I always expect myself to get bored of it eventually, but I haven’t yet. This album as a whole doesn’t break that pattern, but Freddie has a few major instances where things change up. The first six songs are classic Freddie Dredd (“Necklace”, the third song, is my favorite), but on the seventh track, “Delete”, Freddie turns off the fuzzy vocal filter he usually uses. Normally, the sound of his voice is distant, which makes the song sound old, while the lyrics remind you of how new it is. He has done this before on songs, but sparingly so. But, with Freddie’s v o i c e coming through c l e a r l y, there’s a sudd e n feeling of freshness. But,
it’s immediately countered by the next track, the incredibly bassy “Devil’s Work”, which is probably intentional. It goes from Freddie’s clear, filterless voice, to a pitched-down Freddie rapping about how he has to keep killing. The other biggest moment on this album which breaks Freddie’s usual cycle, is the final song, “Knot Myself.” Like I said before, Freddie Dredd’s lyrics are usually intense, and consist of Freddie explaining how he will kill the listener, without faltering once. However, “Knot Myself” changes this. Instead of just threatening violence on others, Freddie raps about violence against himself, and how h e despises his own deteriorating health. This is most likely a reference to Freddie’s recent attempt to quit smoking ciga-
rettes, which he has been tweeting about. But the song still has a normal Freddie Dredd instrumental, and contains plenty of standard Freddie lyrics later on. It’s a very strange juxtaposition, and a surprisingly somber note to end the album on. I have to admit, I’m not always in the mood for Freddie’s music. I can always appreciate it, but sometimes, I’d rather hear something else. It’s not what I want to listen to while I cook, or while I’m going to bed. But, right now, during a pandemic when I’m very rarely leaving my house, it felt great to listen to some mindless, fun music. I’ve been very active on social media, reading about our current president’s shenanigans, countless protests against police violence and, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic, and I just wanted a break from it all— I think that’s what most people need right now. Sometimes, we don’t want music that points out modern inequalities, or a song with dozens of metaphors for issues. Sometimes, we just want to listen to catchy beats in our bedrooms, and rap about things we would never do in the real world. At least, I do. If you’re interested, stream “Suffer” on Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube or other streaming services. GABRIEL BRADY 650-3527 @Gbrady_alestle gbrady@alestlelive.com
NEXT WEEK – WHY WE SHOULD BE WEARY OF TOUGH ON CRIME RHETORIC page 6
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MADISON LAMMERT editor-in-chief
JENNIFER GOECKNER managing editor
ALEX AULTMAN lifestyles editor
MACKENZIE SMITH multimedia editor
JORDYN NIMMER digital creative director
DOMINICK ORANIKA photographer NICOLE BOYD DALTON BROWN copy editors GABRIEL BRADY JOHN MCGOWAN LILY SCHNIEDERS VERNON SMITH JR. reporters SUMMER BRADLEY graphics manager CAMILO ZULUAGA-CAICEDO advertising manager TYMEI DAPPERT JORDAN RICHEY office clerks ANGIE TROUT office manager TAMMY MERRETT program director
Have a comment? Let us know! opinion@alestlelive.com Campus Box 1167 Edwardsville, IL. 62026-1167 Letters to the Editor Policy: The editors, staff and publishers of The Alestle believe in the free exchange of ideas, concerns and opinions and will publish as many letters as possible. Letters may be submitted at The Alestle office: Morris University Center, Room 0311 e-mail at opinion@alestlelive.com All hard copy letters should be typed and double-spaced. Letters should be no longer than 500 words. Include phone number, signature, class rank and major. We reserve the right to edit letters for grammar and content. Care will be taken to ensure that the letter’s message is not lost or altered. Letters to the editor will not be printed anonymously except under extreme circumstances. We reserve the right to reject letters.
The name Alestle is an acronym derived from the names of the three campus locations of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville: Alton, East St. Louis and Edwardsville. The Alestle is published on Thursdays in print and on Tuesdays online during the fall and spring semesters. A print edition is available every other Wednesday during summer semesters. For more information, call 618-650-3528. For advertising, email advertising@alestlelive.com.
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Meet the editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madison Lammert, editor-in-chief As editor-in-chief of The Alestle, my main goal is not only to make sure we have content every week for both our online and print productions, but also that our content is relevant to the campus community. In essence, if our coverage doesn’t serve the students, faculty and staff at the three SIUE campuses, we are not doing our jobs to
the best of our ability. With the pandemic limiting the amount of on-campus interaction we, along with our fellow students, obtain each week, as well as being based on SIUE’s Edwardsville campus, it is often harder to cover the Alton and East St. Louis campuses. My goal this fall is to broaden our coverage so it serves
Jennifer Goeckner, managing editor In the past three semesters I’ve spent at The Alestle, I have assumed a number of roles, starting as a copy editor before moving to lifestyles editor and then stepping into the managing editor role at the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester. As managing editor, I am responsible for The Alestle’s news content, both the stories we publish and the design of our news section. I also work to ensure our news stories are relevant to our readers across the SIUE community. As we all continue to live through a pandemic, I believe The Alestle’s
role is to inform members of the community as regulations and circumstances evolve on the state, local and university levels. This semester, I hope to keep our readers aware of any COVID-19-related changes that occur, as well as other events t h a t impact our community.
the communities of Alton and East St. Louis as well. But, as hard as my staff and I try, we cannot achieve this goal alone. We need our audience to actively engage with our content. Our goal is to serve you all and get you the information you need — and often want — to know. So don’t be afraid to send me or one of our section editors an email,
F a c e b o o k , Instagram o r Twitter message with news tips or story ideas.
Alex Aultman, lifestyles editor As lifestyles editor, I manage the content for the lifestyles section as well as create its design in the print edition. I also upload the lifestyles stories to our website. I just started in this position this semester, so this is the first issue I’ve designed for, and I have a lot to learn. I hope to be able to create interesting page designs like the previous editors. Designing is a whole different world than reporting and I will miss writing stories as often as I did. I will still get to use my reporting experience to help the reporters with their stories and give them
ideas and suggestions. I hope to use the Lifestyles section to tell diverse stories from our campus and the larger Metro East community. I plan to find these stories through social media and student organiz a tions, as well as ideas from my coworkers.
Jordyn Nimmer, digital creative director Mackenzie Smith, multimedia editor During my time at The Alestle, I have served in various editorial roles. For the upcoming academic year, I will be assuming a new role as the digital creative director, a revised and expanded version of the online editor position. As the digital creative director, I am responsible for conceptualizing and executing creative content for the newspaper, including — but not limited to — editorial cartoons, headline writing, social media, marketing strategies, engagement profiles and analytics. Despite the unforeseen circumstances relating to campus life
and the state of the world, I am committed to ensuring our content is accessible to everyone — regardless of whether they are on campus or not during these times. Furthermore, I will continue to strive for equal representation and diversity within our content strategies.
Summer Bradley, graphics manager
I am a graduate candidate in the Art Therapy Counseling department. I have been with The Alestle for a year now as the graphics manager. I help manage all of the visual elements that our viewers see on our pages and online stories such as layout, graphics, fonts and more. I meet with our ad represen-
tatives and manager to ensure our clients have the best quality ads in our print and online platforms. I work collaboratively with all staff on weekly content and software training updates. I have seen our newsroom step up with their coverage of COVID-19 and am so proud to be a part of it all. Despite the
As the multimedia editor, I have the opportunity to take photos as well as train other photographers, manage the photos that are featured in the paper or on our website and design pages for our print editions. This semester, my goal is to be able to find more opportunities that allow stories to be told through photos and videos. Although our reporters do an excellent job of keeping the paper full of interesting content, the photos that accompany these stories have the ability to convey emotions that are equally as powerful as the
words we present. The pandemic has made taking photos of people and events challenging, but I am looking forward to going beyond the norm to deliver intriguing photos and videos by listening to students, a n d keeping up with c u r r e n t events.
challenges we face, including a new physical space in MUC 0311, we have upheld our previous newspaper standards. My goal for this new era is to provide high quality visual elements for our viewers to compliment our great reporters’ stories. I strive to create new and original ideas for our viewers each week. I
cannot wait to see what we are able to accomplish as a team in the next few months. | Avatars made by Bitmoji
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