The Alestle Vol.75 No.2

THE

alestle

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

the student voice since 1960

News in brief Mask mandate returns, new vaccine mandate Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced beginning Monday, August 30, Illinois will return to mandated masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Pritzker and Dr. Ngozi Ezike also announced that individuals that are in high-risk settings are now required to receive the vaccine.

All health care employees, pre-K-12 teachers, staff and students and higher education personnel and students are required to get the vaccination.

Any student or employee who is medically unable to receive the vaccine or is unwilling to receive it is required to be tested for COVID-19 once a week at the minimum.

“Health care, school workers and higher education personnel and students attending in-person classes who do not provide proof of vaccination will be prevented from entering health care and educational facilities unless they follow the required testing protocol,” According to Illinois’s E-News release.

The announcements come as Illinois has seen a resurgence of COVID-19 in regions that have a low vaccination rate, resulting in an increase in hospitalizations.

SIUE offers blood donation as form of community service FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter

Impact Life Bloodmobile collects enough blood to save 33 lives and raises awareness for upcoming blood drives.

Donors who took part in the blood drive during the SIUE Experience donated 11 units of blood, which is enough to save 33 lives. Donors included students, faculty and community members. Donors were able to give either whole blood or double red cells.

The Bloodmobile was parked by the quad in Hairpin Drive on Aug. 21, as part of SIUE Service Saturdays. It was open to faculty, students and the community.

Jason Kempen, the community development advocate for Impact Life, talked about the importance of blood donation, especially for college students.

“Blood donation, in general, helps local hospitals. In fact, Impact life serves [24] hospitals in the St. Louis metro region. So the blood that they donate goes directly into hospitals helping kids with cancer, transfusions, people that are in traumatic accidents. And so the blood see BLOODMOBILE on page 3

follow the alestle

Edwardsville bike race brings excitement to the community

Tips for being an eco-friendly student

New assistant soccer coaches change the game

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Thursday, September 2, 2021 Vol. 75 No. 2

New military science professor brings a ‘people-oriented’ culture to Army ROTC leadership goes far beyond the I want to do that job,’” Woody classroom. said. “Of course, I talked to a “Instead of just wanting us couple of my mentors to see With new Adjunct Professor of Mili- to be in class all the time and what they recommended and tary Science Major Eddie Woody joining constantly learning textbook they were like, ‘This is what the Army ROTC program, some cadets things, it’s more, ‘This is how you’re built for,’ so that’s why have noticed a positive shift in the pro- you develop people as a leader,’” I’m here.” gram’s culture.

Peery said. “You have to care Hester said Woody’s deWoody said he loves being around about what’s going on in their sire for this role is visible in young people and talking to them about home life and what’s going on the way he interacts with those his philosophy for living, leadership and in their school life. Like, they’re | Photo courtesy around him. why it’s important to lead a certain way. more than just cadets right of Denzel Gay “He’s not in this position “I have four pillars that I believe now, we’re involved in so many on accident,” Hester said. “It’s leadership is held up with,” Woody said. other things and I think that’s something that he really want“Integrity, because leaders have to do the what’s awesome, is he cares about all the ed and he pursued and that shows through right thing, even when other stuff that’s going with his day-to-day interactions, both it’s difficult. Respect, on in our lives.” with our staff and also with the students. because respect is the Through Woody’s The level of care, concern, compassion for foundation of all healthy leadership, Army the students who are in the program is relationships. CharacROTC Cadet and se- very evident.” ter, because somebody’s nior biology major Woody said the best way for students always watching, esSterling Howard from to test the waters with the ROTC propecially when you’re Windsor, Illinois, said gram is through their MS 101 course. wearing the uniform the program’s culture “I just want people to know that if we ... Compassion, behas completely changed have students on campus who are looking cause the best leaders for the better. for ways to fill any type of gap as far as care about their people “Last year every- finances are concerned, or if they are just and they understand thing just seemed very looking for an opportunity to enhance or their needs.” disorganized. It seemed develop some leadership skills, they should Assistant Adjunct like the program didn’t give MS 101 a try because you can try Professor of Military really care about peo- ROTC without committing to ROTC,” Science Major Ryan ple or any of our lives Woody said.

Hester said Woody’s outside of ROTC,” Hester said this is also a great opporguidance falls in line Howard said. “It’s a tunity for students to learn more about with their main mission lot more people-ori- the government and military in a way they of creating Army lieuented, just a lot better may not have previously. tenants, which involves MAJOR EDDIE WOODY atmosphere and things “I think it’s a great opportunity for much more than just Adjunct Professor of Military are getting done a lot any student, keeping in mind too that a Science tactical abilities. more efficiently.” student can take up to two years of ROTC “We want to focus A rmy ROTC classes without any commitment to the not so much on tactics and that sort of Cadet Battalion Commander and civ- military,” Hester said. “It’s a great opthing, but character building and helping il engineering major Colton Higgerson portunity for students ... to gain a deeper these young students develop themselves from Glen Carbon, Illinois, said Woody understanding of how our government in a character-driven environment where has given the cadets a lot more freedom works, how our military works and gain they are looking out for each other as to lead. an appreciation for a much as they are for themselves, and to “As far as being the whole other side of our provide them opportunities to experience Battalion Commander government and things challenges and to really learn who they are and making decisions, that they wouldn’t orin a way that standard college courses ar- I have a lot more freedinarily be exposed to.” en’t going to do,” Hester said. dom to make my own Hester said stuWoody said this character building decisions and not be dents shouldn’t be happens primarily through shaping a stu- micromanaged or conafraid to try the prodent’s philosophy for leadership and life as trolled by the Cadre gram because Woody a whole. above us, so it’s more is just as dedicated “Our ultimate goal is to develop col- of a cadet-run program to those who haven’t lege students into Army officers, second now,” Higgerson said. made a final decision as lieutenants,” Woody said. “And we do that “He’s very personable; those who have. by ensuring they know how to soldier. For always asking about my “[Woody’s] very one, we have different skills that we have family, telling me about welcoming to new to make sure that they can accomplish, but his family, it’s more of a cadets,” Hester said. also helping shape their philosophy for relaxed situation as op“He’s not going to turn living. One of those philosophies that I posed to the usual milisomeone away or give shared with the entire battalion the other tary lifestyle of straight MAJOR RYAN HESTER someone less attention day was the saying by the Greek philoso- back chairs.” because they’re not acAssistant Adjunct Professor of pher, Aristotle. He says that human beings Woody was orig- Military Science tively in pursuit of a are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, inally selected to be scholarship or a comtherefore, is not an act, it’s a habit, so I en- inspector general in mission, he’s going to give them the same courage them to have good habits because Wichita, Kansas, but had previously ap- amount of time to someone who is just our habits inform our choices, and when plied to be a military science professor and trying to feel this out because they deserve we make good choices, we have better out- received an offer for the position. the same opportunity to learn about what comes.”

“I was at a wrestling tournament with we have to offer as anyone else.”

Army ROTC Cadet and senior mass my son and I received an email … ‘Hey, For more information about communications major Mackenzie Peery you have two days to reply whether you Woody and the Army ROTC, visit their from Highland, Illinois, said Woody’s want to do this job or not,’ and I said, ‘Yes SIUE website.

DAMIAN MORRIS managing editor

“Excellence, therefore, is not an act, it’s a habit, so I encourage them to have good habits because our habits inform our choices, and when we make good choices, we have better outcomes.

“We want to focus not so much on tactics and that sort of thing, but character building and helping these young students develop themselves in a characterdriven environment

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Thursday, 09.02.21

Annual rotary festival draws local communities BRANDON WELLS sports editor

Taking place on August 21 in downtown Edwardsville, the annual Edwardsville Rotary Criterium Festival brought a warm afternoon of cycling and music for people from all over to enjoy.

This marks the eleventh year the Edwardsville Rotary Criterium Festival has taken place. According to the Intelligencer, the estimated number of people who attended ranged from 5,000 to 8,000 people.

Sponsored by Busey Bank, the event lasted all afternoon and held nine different races for different types of cyclists. During the novice and pro events, the crowd showed their excitement with cheering and clapping.

The festival also included the Downtown Dash event, which included a twolap foot race on the course that was open to all who wanted to sign up.

The Intelligencer reported that 225 racers from 14 states and 74 cities were registered this year.

According to the Intelligencer, the Pro Cat 1, 2 and 3 races were also competing for a monetary prize. Cat 1 and 2 racers were competing for a minimum of $2,000 between 10 racers with Cat 3 racers competing for a minimum of $900.

Jim Vysoky, a participant in the Novice Cat 5 race, said the new track was something he looked forward to racing on, but expected the track to be difficult to get used to.

“My goal for today is just to finish the race. It’s the first year for this course, so I don’t have any expectations other than [that] it’s going to be hard,” Vysoky said.

Volunteers from the community and

08.27.21 Officer assisted Edwardsville PD with locating a vehicle that was involved in an incident in their venue.

Officer assisted Edwardsville PD with trying to locate a vehicle.

08.28.21 Officer responded to a suspicious odor of cannabis call. Officer advised there was a faint smell, but could not locate the source. Officer spoke with a subject about the housing policies with cannabis.

Racers in the master’s category, a category for racers over the age of 40, pedaling towards the finish line for another lap on the updated 1.4 mile route. | Brandon Wells / The Alestle

the Edwardsville Rotary Club helped set up the event prior, with members helping set up tents and helping to assist participants and spectators if they needed.

Club Secretary Carrie Babington said she had worked the event for 10 of the 11 years it has been held and said her goals were primarily based on making sure participants and spectators were able to be safe. Being a long time member of the club, Babington said she values the sense of community the event provides. “[I value] the camaraderie with the other rotarians in the community. You get to meet new people every year and get to know your fellow rotarians [and] different rotarians every year because you work with different people,” Babington said.

Another volunteer and member of the club, Laura Mattson, said this was her first time getting involved in this event, and that she had high expectations for how well it would go.

“This event today is to support the community, support our small businesses and to bring everybody together and get to know each other and just bond,” Mattson said.

Mattson said her reason for volunteering for the festival is due to how large the festival is in the area.

“It’s one of the biggest events in Edwardsville and it attracts people from all over — it brings people from all surrounding areas into Edwardsville so they can see what a gem we have here,” Mattson said.

WHAT’S YOUR WARRIOR? GOARMY.COM/ROTC

START YOUR CAREER A STEP AHEAD. Begin your journey as a U.S. Army officer, and set off on a path to the top. Officers get leadership opportunities right away, all while enjoying benefits like competitve pay and a clear path to advancement. Join forces with us, and take on anything.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 618-650-2518

©2020. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved.

08.29.21 Officer responded to a welfare check request by a mother for her daughter. Officer made contact with the daughter and the daughter did not need police assistance.

Warning issued for Failure to Yield Right of Way. Warning issued for Child Restraint Violation.

08.30.21 Officer assisted Edwardsville PD with traffic control on a traffic accident.

Officer responded to a report of a male subject asking the library employee if he was able to use his own check paper in the printer. Investigation continues.

alestlelive.com

Thursday, 09.02.21

BY THE NUMBERS

COVID-19 at SIUE

New confirmed positive cases

PAGE 3

Madison County confirmed cases by day

225 200 175 150 125

(from tests conducted by SIUE and self-reporting):

100

August 20 - 26: 41 students, 4 faculty/staff

75 50

August 13 - 19: 17 students, 2 faculty/staff

14-day new positive tests: 58 students, 6 faculty/staff All prior weeks positive tests (August 6 - 12): 7 students, 2 faculty/staff Total positive cases: 65 students, 8 faculty/staff

25 AUGUST

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Source: Madison County Health Department COVID-19 Dashboard under the Cases by Day tab as of August 30.

Percentage of isolation/quarantine space available on campus (as of Aug. 30): 95 percent Source: Health, Reporting, and Testing page on SIUE’s COVID-19 website, as of August 30.

Tests conducted by SIUE August 20 - 26: 1988 August 13 - 19: 760

COVID-19’S impact on Madison County

14-day new tests conducted: 2,748

All prior weeks tests conducted (August 6 - 12): 415

All of Illinois’ regions remain under Phase 5, which went into effect June 11. All sectors of the economy reopen with new

Total tests conducted: 1,175

health and hygiene practices permanently in place:

Positive cases identified by SIUE testing: August 20 - 26: 40

• •

August 13 - 19: 11

14-day new positive cases: 51

All prior weeks positive cases (August 6 - 12): 6 Total: 57

• •

Large gatherings of all sizes can resume.

All sectors of the economy reopen with businesses, schools, and recreation resuming normal operations with new safety guidance and procedures.

Conventions, festivals, and large events can take place.

On June 30, Illinois returned to mandated masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Source: dph.illinois.gov

| Kirsten O’Loughlin / The Alestle

Biden defends withdrawal from Afghanistan Chris Megerian Los Angeles Times

President Joe Biden on Tuesday described the evacuation from Afghanistan as an “extraordinary success” even though dozens of Americans and thousands of Afghan allies were left behind, and he defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from the conflict.

“I was not going to extend this forever war,” he said from the White House.

Biden said his administration worked tirelessly to help Americans leave Afghanistan before the last U.S. troops departed this week, and he said diplomatic efforts would continue now that military operations have ended.

Biden’s remarks were part of an effort to turn the page on the worst foreign policy crisis of his tenure. The frantic withdrawal, which ended America’s longest war, has garnered bipartisan criticism of the president.

“I take responsibility for the decision,” Biden said, but he insisted that some level of chaos was unavoidable.

“The bottom line is there is no evacuation from the end of a war that you can run without the kinds of complexities, challenges, threats we faced,” Biden said. “None.”

The last U.S. soldiers left after nightfall the previous evening, ending two decades of war that began as retaliation for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by al-Qaida, the terrorist group based in Afghanistan. The Taliban, the fundamentalist group that U.S. forces drove from power only to see it regain control of the country in recent weeks, celebrated the American withdrawal by firing weapons in the air and scavenging for abandoned equipment at Kabul’s airport.

The departure of U.S. troops marked the final stage of an evacuation that flew more than 120,000 people, mostly Afghan allies, out of the country.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said Monday that U.S. diplomats would pressure the Taliban to ensure safe passage even though the military mission has ended.

“Our commitment to them and to all Americans in Afghanistan and everywhere in the world continues,” he said.

Blinken said many of the remaining Americans were dual citizens with “deep roots and extended families” in Afghanistan, and they’re facing a “painful choice” about whether to leave.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on ending the war in Afghanistan in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. | Yuri Gripas / Abaca Press / I

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, defended the withdrawal in an interview with ABC News on Tuesday morning. He said the president “made that hard call and it is a call he believes will ultimately serve the interests of our people, all of our citizens and our country.”

Former President Donald Trump made the original decision to pull out of Afghanistan, reaching a deal with the Taliban for U.S. forces to leave May 1.

After Biden took office, he pushed back the deadline to the end of the summer, but he remained committed to ending America’s longest war. He was the fourth president to oversee the conflict, and he has said he refused to pass the burden to a fifth.

However, the withdrawal came at a heavy cost. Thirteen U.S. service members safeguarding the evacuation died in a terrorist attack by a local affiliate of the Islamic State. A U.S. drone strike intended to prevent another bombing may have killed several children.

The president’s political standing has also been bruised by bipartisan criticism over how he managed the withdrawal.

A new Pew Research Center survey said 54% of Americans believe it was the right decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, but 42% said the Biden administration has handled it poorly. Only 27% said the administration has done a good or excellent job.

Biden won office by promising competence and empathy in the White House, but

his handling of the withdrawal has more often been characterized by stubbornness.

Some military families who lost relatives in the operation have been raw with anger at the president, even after meeting with him at Dover Air Force Base on Sunday.

Administration officials also failed to anticipate how swiftly the Taliban would retake power once it became clear that the U.S. military was leaving. As the deadline for withdrawal approached, the Taliban advanced swiftly, sweeping into Kabul two weeks ago.

The Taliban’s arrival in the country’s capital forced the U.S. to organize a massive airlift to evacuate American civilians and Afghan allies.

Biden has been defensive when challenged, refusing to acknowledge that the withdrawal could have gone smoother.

“The idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” he told ABC News after Kabul fell.

Now that the withdrawal is over, Afghanistan has been left in the hands of the same fundamentalist group that sheltered al-Qaida before the 9/11 attacks. It remains to be seen how long the political fallout lasts.

The American attitude toward Afghanistan had long been dominated by apathy, which allowed the war to drag on with no end in sight. But the evacuation has refocused voters’ attention on Afghanistan, at least for the time being.

BLOODMOBILE I COVER

they’re donating, they’re impacting people’s lives and their community by donating,” Kempen said.

Kempen also said Labor Day Weekend is traditionally a time of year when the number of blood donations drops, so the need for blood donors is extremely important. Nearly all the blood types, are in critical need, according to the Impact Life website, including O positive, which is the most common blood type.

Impact Life services over 120 hospitals in four states, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, which means the company must have enough blood to ensure medical centers have enough to save lives.

Andrew Winters, a charge phlebotomist with Impact Life, said that Impact Life is community-focused. The blood that donors give goes straight to major hospitals around the area, including Anderson Hospital located 15 minutes away from campus.

Winters said first-time donors should know that it is okay to get stuck with a needle and know what the cause is going toward.

All blood donors should be in good health and prepare themselves correctly prior to their blood donation.

“It’s always good to drink plenty of water to make sure they’re hydrated. Make sure that they have eaten a full-sized meal before they come in as well,” Winters said.

Dayevion Meek, a freshman exercise science major from Decatur, Illinois, who was donating for his second time, said, “I couldn’t wait to start and I knew it could help out some people.”

Donating blood can be a daunting task, but Kempen said it doesn’t need to be.

“The staff at Impact life do a tremendous job of making all donors very comfortable in going through the process of donation,” Kempen said.

Meek also had some words of encouragement for students who may be hesitant about donating blood.

“It’s not that bad. Just the needle’s kind of scary, but once it’s in, it’s chill,” Meek said.

Impact Life also has perks to donating. At the moment, you can either choose a quarter-zip pullover or a gift card to various places. Donors are also entered into a drawing for a $500 gift card to a store of their choice.

For students and staff who are wanting to donate, several blood drives are coming up. The bloodmobile will be back from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 1 and 2 at Hairpin Drive.

Students can make an appointment online at bloodcenter.org or call Impact Life at 800-747-5401. There will also be other blood drives throughout the year through both the Red Cross and Impact Life.

NEXT WEEK: ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW AT SIUE PAGE 4

lifestyles

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

alestlelive.com

Thursday, 09.02.21

‘Individual actions do matter’:

How students can be eco-friendly on campus The Granite City Cool Cities Committee advises the Granite City Council on matters regarding environmentalism. Shown above is their community garden. | Photo courtesty of Carole Valencia NICOLE BOYD copy editor After the International Governmental Panel on Climate Change reported a “code red” for human driven global heating, many have called out corporations for widespread environmental damage. However, experts say we still have an individual responsibility to live sustainably.

Sharon Locke, professor of environmental sciences and director of the STEM Center, said students can challenge themselves with one trash-free day a week.

“A good thing to do would be to reduce single-use items. So that’s obviously carrying your own water bottle, reusable water bottle, which many students do.

Also carrying reusable utensils, which can be easily washed off … The other thing would be eating at the cafeteria rather than doing take-out, which involves another throw-away container,” Locke said.

Locke said when it comes to transportation, students should try biking, public transportation, sharing rides with other students and walking if they can instead of driving.

“One thing I notice is quite a few individuals, not just students, will be in their car and it will be running or idling, so trying to avoid running your car while sitting in the parking lot, because that leads to greenhouse gases.

Locke said other large contributions to mobile environmental problems are meat-based diets and food waste.

“Trying to shift toward even just a day like meatless Mondays or something like that … having a more plant-rich diet is a big thing because there’s a lot of greenhouse gas emissions associated with that, but then also trying to think

about and avoid food waste,” Locke said.

“I was just at a conference … out of Germany, and one of the speakers there said that their information shows that half of the food that’s produced is thrown out in the world.”

Locke said fashion is another way students can be more environmentally friendly.

“I had a student last year that looked at the concept of fast fashion and so buying clothes that will last longer, good quality that will last longer, shopping at thrift stores … And also washing your clothes less,” Locke said.

Kyong-Sup Yoon, assistant professor of environmental science, said college is a good time for students to evaluate their habits as they learn more about society, and clubs can be a good way to start.

“I think it’s a good idea to get involved.

Even if [students] don’t have a substantial outcome out of this activity, [students] still can learn [from] each other. People learn [from] each other when they watch what their close friends are doing, like, ‘I don’t use disposable cups anymore, I bring my own mug everywhere,’” Yoon said.

Linda Aud, an SIUE alumna, is chairperson of the Granite City Cool Cities Committee, which serves as an advisory committee to the mayor and city council of Granite City, Illinois. The committee has taken a greenhouse gas inventory with the help of SIUE graduate students, is working to make solar energy more accessible in the metro east through the Grow Solar Metro East program and runs a demonstration garden in Granite City to teach about landscaping using native plants and natural means of managing stormwater.

Aud said Granite City Cool Cities Committee needs young people for their

The Granite City Cool Cities Committee always need more volunteers to help.

| Graphics Manager Kirsten O’Loughlin / The Alestle goals planting trees and building greener parking lots.

“The more people we can get, especially young people, they are so important because if they’re interested in helping with environment and climate change, that’s what we need so we can turn things around,” Aud said. “There’s a lot of young people that are very concerned with what’s happening and they want this world to not keep going in the direction we’re going …

I think it would be a wonderful opportunity for young people and we have a lot of things that we need young people to work

| Photo Courtesy of Carole Valencia

at, learn and grow.”

Yoon said individuals are starting to realize that there’s only so many things that can be done at the individual level, which is a big issue, but that we need engineers, policy makers and new forms of energy to create change on a larger scale.

“As we think about our society we pretty much live in a capitalism-driven world, and capitalism is nothing but exploitation of environmental resources,” Yoon said. “We really need to be smarter [about] how to manage our natural resources and not just level toward exhaustion of certain resources. We need to work on, everybody, policy makers, scientists, need to work to develop new technology associated infrastructure.”

Locke said despite the damage that’s done on a corporate level, individual actions do matter.

“We have done some research working with young people, like middle school students, and we found that when there’s an awareness of problems, the students felt an individual responsibility to reduce their trash or not throw trash on the ground, but that also led to a sense of responsibility to their community, so wanting to educate others, like their parents about why it was important to recycle or important to reduce food waste, for example,” Locke said.

To learn more about the Granite City Cool Cities Committee, visit their Facebook page.

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Thursday, 09.02.21

PAGE 5

REVIEW: ‘Candyman’ (2021) is a scarily poetic reclaiming of the original film

ALEX AULTMAN editor-in-chief

“Candyman” is a reflective horror/thriller movie that makes you think about the effects of oppression and trauma. It has become the first film directed by a Black woman, Nia DaCosta, to open at No. 1. Jordan Peele, director of “Us” and “Get Out”, was a producer for the film and his touch can be felt throughout the story.

“Candyman” is a sequel to the original 1992 film. It builds upon the original lore and still works with some of the story from the less successful sequels.

It stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II from “Aquaman” and “Us” as Anthony McCoy and Teyonah Parris from “WandaVision” as Brianna Cartwright.

The 1992 “Candyman” was created by white writers and producers about the Black community. The lead heroine, Helen Lyle, was very clearly a white savior being a white graduate student interested in studying the Cabrini-Green housing projects. DaCosta’s addition to the franchise reclaims this story and tells it through a Black lens.

I went into this movie completely blind because I had never seen the original film or any of Peele’s other horror movies.

Viewers definitely shouldn’t have

to watch the other movies because I enjoyed it thoroughly without having the context of the original story. Those who have seen the original movie will experience some extra Easter eggs and probably understand the twist of the film more quickly.

I really liked the way it built upon the original lore and changed it in ways that better suited the themes of this film. Two of the first characters we are introduced to are a Black gay man and his boyfriend. For a horror movie it definitely gets extra points for not participating in the “bury your gays” trope.

In the film, painter Anthony McCoy moves into an apartment with his art gallery director girlfriend, Brianna Cartwright, that was built where the Cabrini-Green towers once stood.

He quickly learns about the legend of the Candyman from locals. Anthony then incorporates the legend into an art piece, encouraging viewers to say Candyman’s name five times in a mirror. He soon discovers the legend is real as it starts consuming him and the community.

There are many different moving parts in this film and rewatching it would definitely reveal even more nuance. Throu-

ghout the movie there are scenes of black paper puppets that show the different instances of racialized violence that made the Candyman who he is today. It also uses projection and reflection a lot, which makes sense since the Candyman is mostly visible through mirrors. I did find the murder scenes where, for the majority of them, they are being swung around by an invisible hook quite gimmicky and would have preferred more direct visuals of our killer.

I also feel like Anthony wasn’t a memorable protagonist. I found myself much more interested in Brianna’s story and how the events of the movie impacted her. Her tragic backstory was given to us through a brief flashback but it stuck with me throughout the movie.

I would have loved some sort of end credit scene showing her future.

As with most films Peele is involved in, there was deeper social commentary that shaped the story. It was honestly so interesting I had to fight myself from turning this review into an analysis. The Candyman is a great representation of generational trauma, especially since his lore was changed from him being one ghost to there being multiple Candymen created from different instances of racist violence. The

suffering the Black community has endured ended up fueling the legend more.

In the past, the Candyman killed indiscriminately, many of his victims being Black in the original film. While Candyman is still born of suffering, he came across as more of a protector in this adaptation. All of the victims had insulted or tormented a Black character shortly before summoning the Candyman and being killed by him. My favorite murder scene in the film uses a beautiful longshot through a distant high rise window to frame the action.

You also can’t talk about housing projects without talking about gentrification. This film has a lot of analysis of housing inequality and the situations of the people who lived in places like Cabrini-Green. Some scenes were filmed on location inside what is left of the housing project, returning to where the original film was shot. The movie also touches on white people’s love for Black art and culture without actually accepting it through the striking line of, “They love what we make, but not us.”

I would encourage any horror fans or politically minded people to go see “Candyman.” It has all of the elements of a slasher thriller that make them great while also giving meaningful themes to chew on.

Although it’s certainly the most recent example, the history of horror movies analyzing race goes back as far as 1968, with George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead”. | Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures

SPOTLIGHT: New class aims to help students adjust to living on their own FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter

Feeling overwhelmed is not an unknown feeling to college students. SIUE Counseling Services has created a class to support students. Adulting 101 wants to give students the skills they need to feel confident when entering the “real world.”

College students often find themselves lost and confused, unsure of where to go for help. Counseling Services knows this. That is why Adulting 101 was created, according to Taylor Rogers, a staff counselor. It is a virtual class that will take place every Wednesday for seven weeks.

Adulting 101 is an open therapy group, created for students who feel a bit overwhelmed about life. The class will be talking about topics ranging from morals and values to emotion regulation skills.

Rogers will be leading the class. She said that when planning for the fall semester, she was thinking about her college years and what she had wished she had learned.

“I feel like nobody teaches the skills of being an adult, like a healthy happy adult, we get taught about silly stuff in math... but nobody teaches you about emotion regulation or identity development,” Rogers said.

According to Rogers, Adulting 101 is a good class for students who aren’t comfortable with sharing a lot of personal feelings, or just want a place to learn a bit more about self-regulation skills.

“The purpose of this group is for individuals to learn a little bit more about themselves, and these topics in general and to develop some skills associated with these topics,” Rogers said.

“So while students might do a little bit of reflecting and a little bit of processing. If you put a scale on vulnerability, it’s on the lower end.”

Counseling services is also offering other classes this fall. There will be classes such as “Transforming the Frenemy Within,” which will focus on learning to be kinder to yourself, or “Breaking Ground,” a class geared toward first-generation students.

Adulting 101 is every Wednesday from 1-2:30 p.m. on Zoom.

To enroll in Adulting 101 or any other of the classes offered, call Counseling Services at 650-2842 to schedule a brief group screening. The screening is to ensure that the class will be a good fit and to offer any extra information.

NEXT WEEK: NOT ENOUGH VEGETARIAN FOOD ON CAMPUS

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SIUE’s coffee closures leave caffeine consumers cranky

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Within just the last two years, multiple campus coffee shop storefronts like the Lovejoy Library’s Starbucks and the former location of Kaldi’s are left sitting empty by campus closures.

As many students and staff depend on caffeine to get through the day, there’s mounting pressure on SIUE to provide more than just the MUC Starbucks.

Granted, there are some options besides Starbucks on campus if you’re not terribly picky.

These come mainly from the bottled Starbucks drinks in the fridges at Union Station and the Center Court’s limited coffee options.

Though these options aren’t a bad idea for a quick energy boost, if you want more variety than a drink or a plain cup of coffee with some lukewarm creamer on cam-

pus you’ll have to go to Starbucks in the MUC. Unfortunately, the lines for that Starbucks regularly stretch far into the Goshen lounge, and with primarily new students working as baristas, rushes are not kind to them. Providing another option for fresh coffee on campus would take some pressure off of them, especially when winter rolls around and hot drinks come back in demand.

Overall, it’s in SIUE’s best interest to provide another option for quick, fresh coffee, especially as burnout could lead to less productivity in employees at the only currently open Starbucks, meaning even longer lines. If the burnout happens too quickly, it can even lead to the students currently employed quitting, leading to a more intense shortage in Dining Services student employees. Thankfully, there’s already

a few options available to lessen the pressure.

As those who have been at SIUE since before the pandemic know, leading up to 2020 one of the university’s projects was opening up a second Starbucks within the Lovejoy Library. It actually opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony in September 2020, not deterred from opening by the pandemic. Yet as we all know now, that aspiration has crumbled into nothing but the abandoned shack you see when you enter the library from the Quad.

Why not reopen that? Lovejoy Library’s Starbucks would be the most convenient thing to reopen under current circumstances. It’s designed to be smaller and would only need 1 or 2 employees at a time, taking some pressure off of the employees of the MUC Starbucks. This reopening would distribute traffic to both

locations, and be the easiest option on Dining Services as they wouldn’t have to put out a huge amount of shifts that need to be covered.

As previously mentioned, the former Kaldi’s location within the Student Success Center is empty too. Even if Kaldi’s can’t come back, this location could easily contain another smaller coffee shop, or something from another bigger chain like Dunkin Donuts or even another Starbucks, if that ends up being most convenient to add.

Since the structure for a coffee shop is already there, it’d be cheaper than trying to convert it into something else. Additionally, turning it into another coffee shop would make it look more visually appealing, instead of how it currently damages SIUE’s image as an empty, chained up store front.

Cursive handwriting should always be taught in the classroom BRANDON WELLS sports editor

From signatures to just having basic calligraphy skills, comprehensive cursive writing is still an important thing to teach children.

Though it’s a common myth that schools no longer teach cursive, the truth is that it just doesn’t have to be included in the curriculum in many schools around the country.

In Illinois, cursive writing is mandatory, but this only became the case in 2018 when it was passed into law. This law is the case in 20 other states in the U.S., but many other states give the option to schools on whether they will teach it.

While cursive may seem less important to some due to the increasing prominence of technology, it still has importance in our

lives. From writing signatures to learning to better understand old historical documents or letters you get from your relatives, cursive has many uses.

Typing and computer skills have their place, but for me, cursive is not only important, but it can also be fun, leading to more extensive calligraphy. While cursive is my primary method of calligraphy, learning it has helped me learn different ways of writing such as old English calligraphy faster than I would have if I had not learned cursive.

A personal example for me is being able to write birthday or holiday cards with much nicer looking handwriting than if I just wrote it normally. Taking the time and effort to write up a letter is something that I believe brings it more meaning.

There are various reasons why people say cursive writing

isn’t important. One of these is that it takes up valuable time children could be learning something else, yet most students would start learning cursive around seven or eight years old, while they still have room to learn while they are learning the fundamentals of other subjects.

Cursive takes some time to learn, but could also be taught in tandem with core English rather than as its own separate subject. Even if it was just 10 to 15 minutes at the end of a class, students taking time to learn how to write cursive will enrich their learning experience and lead to being more skilled at writing in the future.

Some of the other issues people bring up is that it won’t be relevant later in life, and that’s a good argument. Writing in full cursive might not be needed lat-

er on in your life, but learning it at some point will help you efficiently sign your name or pick it up later on in life, so it definitely wouldn’t hurt to learn it.

Cursive can be difficult to learn, especially if you’re not a strong writer, and I certainly wasn’t when I was younger, but learning cursive can help with enough practice.

According to one article, learning cursive even has the capability to help with dyslexia due to involving more complex brain processes that help students decode the different words.

There are pros and cons to learning cursive, but to me, the pros outweigh the cons.

Teaching cursive to students is well worth the time and effort.

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 PAGE 7

sports

NEXT WEEK: NEW MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SOCCER ASSISTANT COACHES

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Thursday, 09.02.21

New Assistant women’s soccer coach aims to improve performance with data analysis FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter

SIUE women’s soccer team welcomes Tom Homa, a new assistant soccer coach. Homa’s experience and knowledge in the VX units that track heart rate and player position through GPS will take the team far this year.

Tom Homa, who has played soccer himself since he was 4 years old, is joining the women’s soccer team. Homa also played soccer for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, during his own college years. He is bringing along an analytical mind and experience in Performance Analysis using GPS units that the players wear during practice.

Homa has worked as a coach in the past, starting out as a graduate assistant at Augsburg University in Minneapolis working with the men’s team, then moving to the University of South Florida where he again worked for the men’s team. This past year he worked with Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with the women’s soccer team until this past July when he moved to Edwardsville.

SIUE is known for its soccer teams and Homa plans to continue the Cougar legacy.

“We’re a team that should be competing for conference titles every year. So, obviously, our goal is to win a conference and get [to the] NCAA tournament. Aside from that, getting wins and that sort of thing,” Homa said.

Homa specializes in data analytics, using the GPS units the

players wear during practice to maximize their performance and ensure players are not over- or underworking themselves.

“I do a lot of stuff with performance analytics. The players wear GPS and heart rate units which track a lot of their data, running and speed and all that kind of stuff. So we use that to help design our training sessions,” Homa said.

Derek Burton, head coach for the SIUE women’s soccer team, says that Homa has been a valuable addition to the team so far by providing data for effective workouts and recovery.

“He’s extremely invested in the well-being of our athletes,” Burton said. “He has a very sharp analytic mind and [a lot of] experiences with the data analyzation that we use. He is also very good at explaining [the data] to the players, preparing them for the next time out on the field.”

Homa also hit the ground running, starting practices and getting to know the players right off the bat, Burton said.

“His character and willingness to jump right into a new team, a new environment is admirable,” Burton said.

Andrea Frerker, a senior midfielder from Maryville, Illinois, on the team, said that Homa has been a great addition to the team.

“He’s super personable.

He’s a really great addition to the coaching staff, especially because he’s just put such an effort into getting to know us all individually but also at the team

| | Kirsten O’Loughlin / The Alestle

level, and knowing our culture and he’s just able to hop right into it,” Frerker said.

SIUE women’s soccer team has kicked off their season and

had several home games already this season. Homa said the team is looking forward to a great year and he plans to do as much as possible to

support the team.

“I want to just help the program, get better in any way possible, in any way I can contribute,” Homa said.

Men’s soccer welcomes Dunn as new assistant coach NICOLE BOYD social media manager

John Dunn is the former head men’s soccer coach at Indiana Tech, where he was awarded the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference of the Year in 2019 and 2020.

Dunn said he decided to come to SIUE because he could tell he and Head Coach Cale Wassermann had many similarities from their first conversations.

“Our philosophies aligned, the way we think about the game, our drive to be successful, I think those were some real factors that stood out immediately. It just seems to be a great fit,” Dunn said. “I was at a very good job at Indiana Tech. I really loved my time there and had a very successful team and I think the team that I left was probably the best that I’ve put together in my career so far, but I just felt all of those factors made it a really exciting time to come to SIUE.”

Dunn said his coaching history of the program any way philosophy is to play the game I can.”

Wassermann said Dunn in what he considers to be was picked due to his experience the right way.

“We want to get the ball on as both a head and an assistant the ground, we want to be on the coach, as well as his experience as front foot, to be aggressive, to the head coach of a team ranked in the top 15 Nahave players that are tional Association technical, that have a of Intercollegiate hunger, a desire, to be Athletics program. successful on and off “He was the the field,” Dunn said. head coach of IndiDunn said his ana Tech where they goal is to improve won four champithe program, and onships in the last he is encouraged by two years,” Wasserthe strong athletes mann said. “They on the team. won their confer“We have aspirations to win champi| photo courtesy ence championship onships and go back of University and their conference to the NCAA tourMarketing and tournament chamnament and challenge Communications pionship both years, so his experience at the national level,” recruiting, scoutDunn said. “I think otherwise, if we didn’t have those ing, running training sessions aspirations, I would not have [and] evaluating video will bring moved to SIUE, so my goal is to a lot of value to our program be part of a nationally successful right away.”

Wasermann said he is excited program and help build on the

to have Dunn because he is not only extremely competitive, but someone who builds relationships with players and gets to know them off the field. “[Dunn] joined us very late on short notice in pre-season, and you can already see him connecting with guys … as a head coach it’s my responsibility to be doing a lot of different things all the time, and I love connecting with players, but at the same time, sometimes if I’m running a training program session and trying to manage the whole group it’s really good if the assistant coaches can connect more individually,” Wassermann said.

Harvey Moyes, a fifth-year senior midfielder from Glascow,Scotland, said it’s been amazing to work with Dunn, who is also originally from Scotland.

“He understands my accent and most of the time he understands my bad jokes as well … all my references. At my last school I had one Scottish coach and apart from that I’ve been starved with

Scottish companions,” Moyes said “He’s also a Rangers supporter, so we both support the same team, so that’s been good.

It makes me feel more at home.”

Scotland, said it’s been amazing to work with Dunn, who is also originally from Scotland.

“He understands my accent and most of the time he understands my bad jokes as well … all my references. At my last school I had one Scottish coach and apart from that I’ve been starved with Scottish companions,” Moyes said “He’s also a Rangers supporter, so we both support the same team, so that’s been good.

It makes me feel more at home.”

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