NEW ‘MULAN’: IS IT BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL? page 4
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SPORTS WILL LOOK DIFFERENT FOR QUITE A WHILE page 7
vol. 74 no. 4
The Student Voice Since 1960
‘We still have work to do ‘ Women’s Studies bridges women’s suffrage movement with modern-day activism
NICOLE BOYD copy editor
To honor the 100-year anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, the Women’s Studies program held a discussion about the film “Iron-Jawed Angels,” a fictional telling of the women’s suffrage movement in America, as well as the movement’s impact on those of the future. Laurie Rice, political science professor, used her knowledge of political science to explain some of the tactics used in the film, and their impact on contemporary movements. “One of the things the women’s suffrage movement showed us is that outsider tactics work, that if elected officials are resistant to bring about a change that you want to see, going to the public engaging in protest, engaging in activities that are meant to draw media attention can be successful, that helps lead to more public attention and it puts pressure on elected officials to act,” Rice said. “We’ve seen a lot of movements since then, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter, engaging in some of those same outsider tactics.”
“Outsider tactics” were used in the film by Alice Paul, a leader of the suffrage movement who often clashed with Carrie Chapman Catt, who disapproved of her aggressive tactics. “Paul is advocating for these, what we call in political science, ‘outsider tactics,’ where you get the public on your side. Instead, Catt and others like her are favoring those more traditional, ‘insider tactics.’ Let’s lobby legislators, let’s win their support, let’s slowly work on changing lives,” Rice said. “That is the generational divide that we see in lots of movements.” Rice also said the #MeToo movement, which happened as a result of women, particularly celebrities, speaking out about experiences of sexual harassment and violence, shows women that there is still work left to do. “The #MeToo movement shows us that so many women have experiences of harassment and assault, and that the work that the women’s suffrage movement began for women’s rights and dignity and respect still remains unfinished,” Rice said. “We still have work to do.” Rice also discussed a fictional interaction in the film between Paul and Ida B.
Campus mask mandate experiences success
Wells, w h o participated in a march for suffrage but refused to march at the back of the parade, as Black women were expected to. “We see this theme where Ida B. Wells is really pressing for the rights not just of women, but thinking about the intersection of women and being a member of a racial minority,” Rice said. “And Ida B. Wells in a lot of respect was part of the conscience of this movement, saying, ‘How can you say that you’re for equality of rights if you’re ignoring the plight that Black women are facing throughout this nation?’” According to Rice, some laws continue to disenfranchise racial minorities. “We still have to keep paying attention to election laws and the impact … voter identification laws, research shows, have a disproportionate effect on minorities. They disproportionately affect Black and brown
ALEX AULTMAN lifestyles editor
Despite the prevalence of “anti-maskers,” SIUE’s mask mandate has been received positively by the campus community, according to the dean of students and MUC staff. SIUE announced before the semester began that masks would be required in all buildings on campus, and that there would be potential repercussions for students, staff and visitors who don’t comply. Employees and visitors who refuse to wear a mask will be asked to leave. Students who @thealestle
refuse to comply may be reported to the dean of students, whose office will decide potential disciplinary action from there. The university also released video training on their COVID-19 website called “Let’s Clear the Air” to help people find ways to ask someone to wear a mask if they aren’t wearing one. Dean of Students Kara Shustrin said it is the campus community’s responsibility to make sure everyone follows COVID-19 guidelines. Since enforcing the mask mandate is a community responsibility, the vidsee MASKS on page 2 @thealestle
see SUFFRAGE on page 3
Students raise concerns over potential Counseling Services changes GABRIEL BRADY reporter
I Mackenzie Smith / The Alestle
members of our communities, they disproportionately affect the poor and they disproportionately affect the young,” Rice said. During the presentation,
In a Counseling Services brochure dated last month, it was announced that SIUE Counseling Services would be adding visit, service and no-show fees. This has sparked discussion — and strong opinions — among many students. “Beginning in Fall 2020, Counseling Services will be charging visit, service and no-show fees. Please call our office or visit our website for more specific details,” the brochure said. Director of Counseling Services Courtney Boddie said this change is still being discussed, and nothing is set in stone as of right now. “While it is true that Counseling and Health Services have a proposal for a copay model to manage the fall-out associated with the Illinois state minimum wage increase, the Board of Trustees decision not to increase tuition and fees and the on-going fiscal impact of the pandemic, … no implementation plan is in place,” Boddie said in an email. Eddie Smith, a freshman anthropology major from Alton, Illinois, said he thinks some of the fees would make sense, but certainly not all of them. Smith sees a therapist, but not through SIUE. “I can understand the no-show fee, because that’s a normal thing for any doctor’s The Alestle
office, but paying for every session seems like it would make you need Counseling Services more [due to stress],” Smith said. “[My therapist] is free through insurance, and I don’t know how it would work there [at SIUE]. They should make sure they at least take insurance. Any medical cost is always way too expensive.” Sophia Buehler, a senior psychology major from Carterville, Illinois, said she agreed with Smith, and thought no-show fees made sense. She raised concerns over being charged per visit as Counseling Services is currently covered in student fees. “I can understand if they charge you for canceling at the last minute. They are still people and they need to make money, but I can’t imagine them charging in general up-front, because it’s factored into other fees, and it has been that way,” Buehler said. Smith said he thought adding fees might stop some people from coming in because they wouldn’t have enough money. “I just think it’s dumb that they’ll make it seem like an option, but then make it unattainable for certain groups of people,” Smith said. The idea of having to suddenly pay up-front for something that was originally in student fees upset senior psychology major Henry Schilling, of Fosterburg, see COUNSELING on page 3 alestlelive.com
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Spitting incident leads to administrative leave, more action requested GABRIEL BRADY reporter
An architect in Facilities Management recently found himself at the center of a strange attack: via a dash camera, he caught a coworker spitting on his car. This was only the beginning of the story surrounding the incident. Patrick Long, the victim of this attack, said he wanted to be certain of what happened before he went to the police. “I still don’t really know what started it. Something was showing up on the hood of my vehicle in maybe early June or late May. I didn’t think much about it until it just kept showing up. I even moved my car to different spots and it kept happening,” Long said. “I took a more proactive approach and got a camera to see what was going on. Then, on the morning of July 17, I went out after work and found a video showing one of my coworkers spitting on my vehicle.” Long said this was entirely uncalled for, and he was especially concerned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “[Due to the pandemic,] all of us are dealing with a situation where we aren’t supposed to be spreading bodily fluids like that,” Long said. “I went to the [SIUE] Police Department, … and I showed an officer the video, and what was on my car. I hadn’t cleaned it off yet, and he said ‘Yeah, that’s what happened here.’ I posted [the video] on my Facebook, and you can see that it happens quick.” Long believes the spitting happened either because of his race, or his seniority. Long is Black, and the perpetrator, Michael
Grandy, another architect in Facilities Management, is white. “In Facilities Management, there are only two Black employees: myself and one other,” Long said. “[Grandy] gave a statement to the police where he said he didn’t do it because of race, but he didn’t give any other reason either, which is suspicious.” Shortly after showing the video to the police, Long attended a meeting of Brothers Breaking BREAD, an organization for fellowship among Black men on campus. This meeting was also attended by Black Faculty and Staff Association President J.T. Snipes. At the meeting, Long told his story, and Snipes was very interested. “Brothers Breaking BREAD is a space where we, as Black men across campus, can just talk about our lives and catch up with each other,” Snipes said. “I didn’t know all of the exact details at the time, but [Long] just let us know that it was hard for him … [Later,] I reached out to him, and said, ‘What can we do? This is unacceptable.’ I do have somewhat of a larger platform as president of the Black Faculty and Staff Association, so I was happy to use that group to support him, because that’s what it’s for.” Snipes said the lack of diversity that Long expressed is something that is common in jobs in higher education. “As a person who is part of a minoritized group in the United States, you get used to, well I don’t know if you get used to it, but you persistently encounter being one, or one of a few in the workplace, especially in higher education,” Snipes said. Snipes was able to use his position for support when Grandy was charged with disorderly conduct and put on administra-
tive leave without pay. The Black Faculty and Staff Association detailed in a statement sent to Chancellor Randy Pembrook why they believed this disciplinary action could have been stricter. “We believe these charges do not go far enough. There is sufficient video evidence of Mr. Grandy spitting on Mr. Long’s vehicle during a pandemic of a novel coronavirus that resides in respiratory droplets,” the letter said. “Therefore, this act was not only a degradation of Mr. Long’s personal property, but an act of racial animus that may have increased his exposure COVID-19, as Mr. Grandy admitted to performing this act several times.” Regardless of Grandy’s punishment, Long had other troubles to deal with. According to Long, one of the more annoying instances of this situation was an inaccurate retelling of his conversations with the police during a webinar of the Anti-Racism Task Force . “My name was brought up during an Anti-Racism webinar, although it wasn’t supposed to be. I was not supposed to be the focus of that meeting, but my incident was discussed anyway. When I first made the charge, the officer I talked to told me I needed to make an email to my supervisor so that he’d know what was happening. In that email, I copied the Chancellor, [Associate Chancellor for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Venessa Brown], and the head of HR. I told them what happened, told them I thought this was race-related and expressed concern for my health and safety,” Long said. “It was stated at the webinar that I didn’t think it was race-based, and that it was something the Black Faculty
and Staff Association had mentioned that first.” SIUE Police Chief Kevin Schmoll was the individual who misquoted Long. According to Schmoll, Long didn’t cite race as a reason for this crime in the first report, though he did later. “When the victim made the initial report with the SIUE PD there was no reference to race or feelings this was done because of race. The second time we interviewed the victim was when he indicated he felt this was done because of his race,” Schmoll said. “Our investigation could not prove this was a hate crime and the offender was charged with disorderly conduct.” Schmoll said he was proud of his officers’ handling of the situation, and was happy to help Long find justice. “My officers did a very good job on this investigation working with the victim and bringing it to a conclusion with disorderly conduct charges. We will not accept these types of incidents occurring at SIUE,” Schmoll said. “For the SIUE Police Department, the safety of our students, staff, faculty and guests is our top priority.” Long said although this has been a difficult situation for him, he is relieved it was not as serious as it could have been. “I’m grateful that I wasn’t shot at or physically attacked, but I still hope nothing like this happens to anyone else,” Long said. Both Pembrook and Director of Human Resources Robert Thumith declined to comment on the matter. For more information, read the Black Faculty and Staff Association’s letter to the chancellor.
Survey furthers conversations about race and equality within Edwardsville: Majority of respondents report encounters with discrimination in city GABRIEL BRADY reporter
The City of Edwardsville’s community action group released a survey regarding citizens’ opinions on race relations in the city. While the group has stated the survey was part of an outreach initiative, some citizens are still speculating about the timing and reasons for its release. Ezra Temko, assistant professor in the sociology department, is an administrator of a Facebook group devoted to relocating a statue of Ninian Edwards, Edwardsville’s namesake. Edwards was a former governor of Illinois who had some controversial stances on slavery and Indigenous people. Temko said he thinks the creation of the survey, and the race relations group, was at least partly in response to the surge in support his movement has gained. “I think [the Facebook group’s popularity] was part of it,” Temko said. “Along with the survey, they’ve been having community conversations and listening sessions devoted to trying to get input on data to move forward as a community with improving race relations and race equity.” Over the summer, another Facebook MASKS I COVER
video suggests that students inform anyone they see not wearing a mask or wearing it incorrectly of the campus policy. “We thought it was really important to focus our efforts on that idea of community responsibility toward keeping each other healthy and safe during this time,” Shustrin said. Shustrin said the university wants to make it easy for students and visitors to comply with the mask policy. There are several locations around campus where people can obtain masks, with disposable masks being available in each office in the MUC and each classroom. Students are able to get their free washable cloth SIUE mask from the MUC Welcome Desk.
group was created in opposition to Tem- share their stories of racism in Edwardsko’s. Edwardsville resident Leo Murphy ville. “[There’s a problem] when you see is an admin of this group, and he said he also felt the movement behind relocating trucks going up and down my street flythe statue of Edwards was the reason the ing a Confederate flag on the same day of a [Black Lives survey was made. Matter] protest,” “I didn’t hear “I think we have a lot one response said. about [the survey] “I have seen it at loat first. I had to do of growth to do as a cal bars and restausome digging on the rants, read about city [of Edwardscommunity, and as a it at the local high ville]’s Facebook nation, in terms of people school and multiple page,” Murphy said. accounts on social “I assume the peosupporting all of their media.” ple who heard about Murphy said he it and responded to community members looked at the quesit were the people instead of being divisive. tions on the survey, who feel strongly and said he felt the about that topic.” EZRA TEMKO city of EdwardsThe first quesassistant professor of sociology ville does not have tion on the survey a problem with race. asked if residents “I think Edhad observed or experienced racism or inequalities in Ed- wardsville is normal. There is not much wardsville. According to The Intelligencer, that makes this city atypical, especially for of the 426 respondents, 55.4 percent said being a city that is just over 80 percent they had, and 44.6 percent said they had white,” Murphy said. “I would even say not. There was an option to add extended Edwardsville is ahead of the curve in that answers, and some residents used this to department. I don’t think there’s any idea
of a bias, or an issue with the police in Edwardsville.” Temko said in the city of Edwardsville — and around the country — there is a race problem, and it is the job of citizens to change that. The recent protests have definitely helped push this along, but according to Temko, there are still people who fear this change. “I think we have a lot of growth to do as a community, and as a nation, in terms of people supporting all of their community members instead of being divisive. I don’t know if it will happen, but the bulk of people in town aren’t in that group,” Temko said. Murphy said he believes the recent surge in support for groups enacting change came from how well-known the death of George Floyd was. “Before George Floyd[’s death], race relations weren’t really widely addressed like they are now. Everything surrounding that has become so politicized,” Murphy said. For more information, check the city of Edwardsville’s website, the Facebook group devoted to relocating the statue of Edwards or the opposing Facebook group.
The Welcome Desk has also been making announcements throughout the day reminding people when masks are required and to wear them correctly. These announcements usually follow class changing times. Assistant Director for Guest Relations Dani Kroencke said that she has not experienced or heard of any negative reactions from those reminded of the mask policy. “We’ve been very fortunate there’s been no major pushback by anybody who has been asked to put a mask on or reminded of the mask mandate,” Kroencke said. “It’s actually gone over really well. We’ve found people, especially in the University Center, have been very compliant.” Masks are also available for purchase in the Cougar Store. Disposable masks are
She said students should be wearing masks outdoors if they’re in any situation where a six feet distance cannot be maintained. “I think the biggest place people have confusion is ‘If I’m outside, should I wear one? Should I not wear one?’ and the guidance we really want to throw out there is if you’re walking from the center of campus to a parking lot all by yourself, then no, you don’t need to wear one,” Shustrin said. “If you’re walking with someone else and you’re closer than 6 feet, if you’re outside taking a photo with some people, you really need to be wearing a mask. If you’re having a conversation outside and you’re all seated close together, you should wear one.” More information about SIUE’s COVID-19 guidelines can be found on their website.
$1.50 each and cloth masks are between $4.95 and $5.95 depending on the style; there’s a mask that hangs around one’s neck that can be pulled up when needed, and a more traditional mask. Assistant Manager of the Cougar Store Anna Pavlik said she has only experienced one person reacting negatively when they were reminded of the mask mandate. “I would say [the reception] has been almost all positive. We’ve only had one person with a slight attitude and I think they were just not in a good mood and [the problem was] not necessarily even the mask,” Pavlik said. “It was just the general demeanor.” Shustrin said the area she finds people are most confused about is if they’re supposed to wear a mask outdoors on campus.
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alestlelive.com SUFFRAGE I COVER
participants shared their thoughts on the film’s portrayal of Woodrow Wilson, who signed the 19th Amendment into law. Danielle Gallahan, a junior political science major from St. Charles, Missouri, said it was interesting to see Wilson portrayed as an obstacle to the movement. “It’s interesting because all you hear in history class is, ‘oh, he’s so good because he stopped World War I,’ but it’s like, ‘no, he kind of was a jerk.’ Yeah, he signed the movement, but at first, he’s kind of a jerk about it. I think that was kind of interesting, I think kind of critical to understand the atmosphere around the whole thing,” Gallahan said. Connor Holt, a junior majoring in history in education from Hamel, Illinois, agreed with Gallahan. “Not just in the respect that he was at first against suffrage for women, but there’s a lot of things in his presidency that he just was not good on, and I think people are kind of coming around to kind of realize that,” Holt said. “But yeah, he was not a good dude, like a lot of the textbooks say he is, but that’s just my personal opinion.” Rice ended the presentation with a call for young adults to use their right to vote. COUNSELING I COVER
Illinois, who said there should be a change in student fees if Counseling Services implements this new plan. “I know there are fees like that with other therapists and other counseling services, mostly because they’re their own businesses, but it makes no sense if it’s something we already pay for in fees. I think [student fees] should change if these up-front fees get added, though I still don’t like how that takes away from it being a free service,” Schilling said. Buehler said she had gone to Counseling Services at SIUE in the past, and she felt that the change in fees would be understandable if there was a change in how Counseling Services worked. “I went once at the end of my sophomore year, and it was a group session. They don’t offer one-on-one sessions that often, as far as I’m aware. They offered them every two weeks, and I think that’s it.
“Young adults have historically been underrepresented in terms of who uses the right to vote, which means young adult voices get left out and politicians are less responsive because young adults vote at a lower rate,” Rice said. “So I can’t encourage enough being registered to vote and using your right to vote.” The discussion, which took place via Zoom Friday, was moderated by Carolina Rocha, director of the Women’s Studies program and Spanish professor. Rocha said she hopes the discussion showed women not to take the right to vote for granted. “I think that understanding the past and the sacrifices of so many generations of women … because [college students] will take the right to vote for granted perhaps, so giving context, then they will have to decide what they want to do with their lives, how they are going to engage,” Rocha said. Rocha urged participants to join the Women’s Hour book club, which will meet Fridays from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 11 and 25, and Oct. 9. The first nine participants will receive a free book. To join the Women’s Hour book club, email siuewmst@gmail.com. “Iron-Jawed Angels” is available on Hulu and Amazon Prime. I guess I’ve been spoiled, but I used to go to a school where you’d get weekly or more one-on-one sessions for free,” Buehler said. “If they updated how they’re operating the one-on-ones, maybe people would think of the fee change as more of a positive.” Junior Accounting Major Cecilia Ballard, of Brighton, Illinois, said she also thought a change to Counseling Services would make the fees seem more understandable. Ballard said student fees should decrease if a fee is added for each individual visit as well. “If we already pay for it in student fees, then why would we pay for it twice? I didn’t even know it was paid for,” Ballard said. “If they have to pay for each visit, people might be less inclined to go do it, even if they really need it. And if we’ll have to pay for it, they should at least update the system they have currently. ” For more information, view the August Counseling Services brochure or SIUE Counseling Service’s website.
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Pritzker talks vaccine, contact tracing, university spread JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois
The statewide COVID-19 test positivity rate hit its lowest point since July 26 on Wednesday as the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,337 new cases of the virus among 48,029 test results reported over the previous 24 hours. The rolling seven-day average positivity rate was driven downward to 3.7 percent after Wednesday saw a 2.8 percent one-day positivity rate. That came as Region 7 of the state’s COVID-19 reopening plan saw its fourth straight day below an 8 percent positivity rate, the threshold at which the state increases economic restrictions in an effort to mitigate spread. The rate in Region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee Counties, was 7.4 percent as of Sunday. That was still higher than the 6.5 percent rate at which the state would start to relax some of the added mitigations, which include closing bars and restaurants to indoor service. In Region 4, which includes the Metro East area on the Missouri border, the positivity rate remained stubbornly high as of Sunday, increasing one-tenth of a percentage point from the day prior to 9.9 percent. In an unrelated appearance at Illinois State University, Pritzker also took questions on the spread of the virus at colleges and universities, ongoing contact tracing efforts and the potential distribution of a vaccine once it becomes available. Pritzker said when it comes to a vaccine, the state will have to be ensured of its safety before it will distribute it, and he was skeptical that such a vaccine would be ready by November. He also said the state is “well along the way” to putting a distribution plan together for a vaccine. “We want to make sure that the people who are most vulnerable are reached first, people who are most at risk,” Pritzker said. “Because of the jobs that they have, our frontline workers, our nurses, our doctors, etc., we want to make sure that they are covered, and so on … There’ll be a list by priority and, of course, by availability of that vaccine.” He said Bradley University, which instituted a two-week quarantine for all students from Sept. 8 through Sept. 23, “made a wise
choice for their campus,” but such a decision might not work for every university. Bradley students will be required to quarantine in their residence halls, Greek houses, apartments or houses for two weeks as the campus goes to remote learning. Pritzker said it is better to have students quarantine in place on campus rather than sending them home where they could infect others. More than 1,300 Illinois State University students have tested positive for the virus since the fall semester began, and the rolling seven-day positivity rate was 13.7 percent as of Wednesday, according to the WGLT-FM radio station. Pritzker was asked if the state was quick enough to distribute funding to help counties set up contact tracing efforts since places like McLean County, where the university is located, were overwhelmed with new cases. “The state has distributed that money as fast as it could,” Pritzker said, noting that the legislative session allowing for the distribution of funding lasted only four days in May. “That allowed us to distribute those funds to the various county boards of health, to the county departments of health, and then they’ve been in the process of hiring up since then.” Pritzker said the Illinois Department of Public Health does not dictate to local health departments how quickly such contact tracing programs should get up and running. “There is a partnership, and it’s a good partnership, but it is up to the county departments to make the decisions about how, how quickly, etc. they’re able to hire, and we’ve distributed those funds so that they could hire.” Later Wednesday, Pritzker’s office said there are more than 2,100 contract tracers working throughout the state through county health departments. All local health departments are receiving grants to hire and train more contact tracers, according to a spokesperson for the governor. There have now been a total of 253,690 cases and 8,214 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began in Illinois, and IDPH reports the recovery rate is 96 percent for those 42 days removed from a positive diagnosis. At the end of Tuesday, hospitalization numbers for the virus remained roughly steady at slightly above pandemic lows, with 1,580 people in Illinois reported hospitalized with COVID-19, including 357 in intensive care units and 133 on ventilators.
COVID-19 updates: What you need to know Recap of Region 4 mitigations
BY THE NUMBERS COVID-19 at SIUE
Confirmed positive cases
(from tests conducted by SIUE and self-reporting): Aug. 28-Sept. 3: 7 students, 4 faculty/ staff Aug. 21-27: 4 students, 3 faculty/staff Aug. 14-20: 4 students, 3 faculty/staff Aug. 7-13: 2 students, 2 faculty/staff Aug. 1-6: 2 students, 1 faculty/staff Total: 19 students, 13 faculty/staff
Tests conducted by SIUE (as of Sept. 3):
93
Positive Cases from SIUE Testing: 6 (positivity rate: 6.45 percent)
Percentage of Isolation / Quarantine Space Available (as of Aug. 27): 95 percent
Source: Health, Reporting, and Testing page on SIUE’s COVID-19 website
Illinois’ Region 4, which encompasses Madison County and the SIUE campus, continues to surpass the threshold of an 8 percent positivity rate, despite mitigations that went into effect Sept. 2. | Chart retrieved from www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics
Region 4’s positivity rate has consistently been above the 8 percent threshold established in the Restore Illinois plan since mid-August, leading new mitigations to take effect Sept. 2, including the following: • Bars & restaurants: These businesses must close at 11 p.m. and may not reopen earlier than 6 a.m. No indoor service is allowed, and outdoor tables should be at least 6 feet apart. Additionally, no congregating is allowed. • Meetings, social events & gatherings: All gatherings are limited to 25 guests or 25 percent of room capacity, whichever is less. No party buses can be operational. Gaming and casinos close at 11 p.m., are limited to 25 percent capacity and follow the same mitigations as restaurants and bars when serving food or drinks. IDPH said further mitigations will be instituted if the positivity rate remains above 8 percent for 14 days. Learn more at www.dph.illinois.gov/ covid19/region-4-mitigation-measures.
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REVIEW: Live-action ‘Mulan’ re-imagines classic Disney tale with new villains, but still manages to miss the mark
The witch Xianniang, played by Gong Li, in the midst of a battle with imperial soldiers. ALEX AULTMAN lifestyles editor
The 2020 version of “Mulan” differs from the original in many ways, adding new characters and villains, as well as trying to rectify the animated version’s shortcomings. The new “Mulan” starts with our protagonist as a child, immediately showing that unlike other live-action remakes, this one will not be sticking entirely to the plot of the animated version. Director Niki Caro based this film on the 6th-century poem “The Ballad of Mulan.” However, the poem only devotes a few lines to Mulan’s time at war, which is where most of the movie takes place. Most of the lines are describing before and after Mulan goes to war, focusing on her worry about her father before she leaves and her parents’ relief when she comes home after 12 years. Her comrades actually didn’t discover she was a woman until they visited her at her home. If you want to see “Mulan” before December 4, it will cost you a pretty penny. It’s $30 on top of the monthly $6.99 Disney Plus subscription. After that, it will become available with the base subscription. Personally, I don’t think the price worth it for college students. It’s more reasonable for families with children. Granted, we’re in a pandemic, so it’s not in theaters, but Disney is a big enough corporation that charging so much is a bit ridicu-
lous. If you’re a die-hard fan of the animated “Mulan,” you may not like this version. Disney tried to make this retelling a new experience rather than sticking to the canon of the animated version. There is no singing in this movie and the only callback to the original soundtrack is an instrumental version of “Reflection” at some key moments. They have also changed the names of several characters or replaced them with new characters. At first, I was disappointed that they did away with Li Shang, replacing him with a romantic interest of the same rank as Mulan. However, the lack of a relationship in the movie further serves the theme of female independence, as well as eliminating the potentially unbalanced relationship between Mulan and her commanding officer.
There were other changes made to make the story more feminist. The character of Mulan’s grandmother
and her dismissive comments were cut from this version. There is also no portrayal of the ancestors, removing the scenes of their disapproval at her decision to become a soldier. A change that I en-
joyed w a s the addition of a villainess. Shan-Yu and his hawk were replaced with Böri Khan and Xianniang. In this version, Mulan has always been athletically skilled due to a power called “chi,” which women aren’t supposed to have. This decision has been criticized be-
| Photo courtesy of Disney
cause the use of chi in the film isn’t how it actually works in Chinese culture. Chi is considered a life force that flows through everyone regardless of gender and it doesn’t magically make you athletic. In the film, women who do harness this power, like Mulan, are called witches and ostracized from society. The concept of witches in this film is another example of Disney’s awkward combination of western fantasy and Chinese culture. Xianniang is a witch who has had more time to come into her power and serves under Khan. She can also turn into a hawk or flock of birds, which is fairly common in Chinese myths. I found her to be the most interesting character in this film, but we aren’t really given any information about her backstory. T h e 1998 version was also criticized for its inaccurate depiction of Chinese culture. There was a mish-mash of Chinese and Japanese cultur es d e spite the story being set in China. The dresses more closely resembled Japanese kimonos than dresses from the setting and time period. Imagery heavily re-
lied on cherry blossoms, which are the national flower of Japan. The most egregious instances seem to be fixed in the live-action version, considering Jet Li, who played the emperor, has spoken about how well he feels the film represents Chinese culture in an interview with HelloBeautiful. Some Chinese people are criticizing the movie for its depictions for different reasons, like those mentioned in the earlier paragraph. The film received criticism before its release because Mulan’s actress Yifei Liu spoke in support of Hong Kong police last year amidst protests against police brutality. #BoycottMulan trended on Twitter again the day of release when it was discovered parts of the film were shot in Xinjiang, where Uighur Muslims are being held in internment camps. Personally, I think these are perfectly good reasons to boycott the film and it definitely impacted my enjoyment. This movie isn’t anything groundbreaking as far as storytelling goes and the negative aspects in and surrounding the film far outweigh the positives. Aside from the political controversies surrounding the movie, there are a lot of instances where this movie could have dug deeper into its characters and themes, but didn’t. Disney played it pretty safe with this new iteration of “Mulan,” presumably to please both American and Chinese audiences. However, the lack of depth leaves much to be desired.
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Vi r t u a l s t u d y a b ro a d p ro g r a m a i m s t o c o n t i n u e bringing world to students despite pandemic DALTON BROWN copy editor
The term “study abroad” usually implies world travel, something that has been severely restricted during the global COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the International Studies program got creative. International Studies students need to have six credit hours of study abroad as part of their degree requirement. Sorin Nastasia, director of the International Studies program, helped create a virtual study abroad option to help those students graduate on time. “This summer, I had this special issue, that some students were saying ‘I’m going to graduate in the summer, but there is no chance for me because of the COVID-19 situation to really go in person to study abroad,’” Nastasia said. Prior to the pandemic, SIUE’s study abroad program offered students the opportunity to
study in over 40 different countries. According to Kim Browning, a study abroad adviser, things quickly took an unexpected turn for the program. “When COVID-19 hit, it pretty much quashed study abroad across the country,” Browning said. “That left our providing companies, the companies we work with to provide various package programs, scrambling, trying to make a living. They had no customers.” Administrators of the program were not alone in having their plans interrupted by the pandemic. Senior International Relations major Kaitlyn Kyle of Dupo, Illinois, said she planned to study abroad in El Salvador, and was taking courses to prepare her to teach in local schools there, when the pandemic forced a change of plans. “Whenever things first shifted, it was very overwhelming for me, because I had already made payments onto my account,” Kyle said. “I already had plans
to go, and already had my flight purchased and everything ... so when I learned that it was going to be a virtual format, I was very disappointed and not as excited, because I wasn’t going to be traveling and actually doing what I had planned on doing.” After much talk with tens of thousands of advisers and professors from around the world, Nastasia managed to bring some experts and faculty from those countries to the students themselves via virtual discussions over Zoom. Not only did he find experts from the specific countries his students were interested in, he also made sure said experts were doing research on topics that were also of interest to his students. Not everything about the change to online was bad, according to Kyle. “Overall, it was like a smooth transition into the courses, and I had a lot of guidance from Sorin Nastasia … he was pretty helpful during that transition in explain-
ing everything that would go into our virtual program,” Kyle said. This fall, Nastasia has collaborated with International Affairs to make a wide array of virtual study abroad and global internship options available for students, including those from SIUE-vetted organizations that have worked with the university for many years. According to Nastasia, students who feel hesitant about joining a virtual study abroad program should consider a number of factors, not the least of which is cost. “Part of that is all in the mind of the individual,” Nastasia said. “You don’t have to go through the expenses of traveling in person, which is actually an advantage ... whatever you have in savings as a student will be smaller in euros than in dollars.” The reality of a virtual program is a matter of compromise, according to Browning. “This is not something for everybody,” Browning said. “It’s
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something for those students who need the experience, or who want to have this experience … if it can work, it can be effective. It’s not like being there, but you do what you can, right?” Students doing some form of virtual study abroad this fall should not lose hope, Kyle said. “I think just for them to stay optimistic and recognize what is actually happening in the world,” Kyle said. “I think that they should recognize that they do have resources available, and there are tons of faculty and staff that are willing to help them through this process and guide them through it, and just recognizing that there [are] so many more options after college to get to pursue traveling and studying abroad.” Students interested in learning more about the virtual study abroad program should visit the study abroad website and/or schedule a Starfish appointment with Browning.
REVIEW: Goshen Coffee proves to be a special treat for students
Goshen Coffee is currently offering drive-thru and online ordering from 6:30 a.m to 2 p.m every day. | Dominick Oranika / The Alestle NICOLE BOYD copy editor
Goshen Coffee, a new coffee shop just across the street from SIUE, offers food and drinks worth the hefty price. Goshen is the closest coffee shop to campus that is not on campus, and has a drive-thru. Goshen Coffee is a small building that would be hidden by Doc’s Smokehouse if it weren’t for the long drive-through line. We arrived around 10:40 a.m. on a Saturday morning, which appeared to be somewhat of a peak time. Goshen closes at 2 p.m., and is currently only serving items through the drive-thru or contactless ordering, so maybe the 20 minute wait shouldn’t have been such a surprise. What was instantly noticeable was Goshen’s commitment to safety during COVID-19. A sign on the ordering kiosk asks customers to wear a mask while ordering, and every single employee inside the window was wearing a mask correctly. There is limited outdoor seating, with a few tables in front of the store and some picnic tables spread much further than six feet apart on the grassy area to the side of
the building. We felt as if we could comfortably — and safely — enjoy our food outdoors. Goshen offers a wide variety of drinks and food options, with various toasts, bowls, salads and pastries. We decided on iced mochas, a cranberry orange scone and a matcha butter cookie, although we were heavily tempted to try the banana bread or sticky toast. While the menu is enticing, it’s worth noting that the prices may be a bit high for a typical college student. The iced mochas were $5, the scone was $3.50 and the cookie was $2.50. Most of the toasts cost between $6-$8, and it’s hard to find a drink under $4. Although the line to the window was long, we got our food and drinks pretty quickly after we ordered. We sat down at a picnic table and started with the iced mochas. They were exactly what an iced coffee lover wants — smooth, with just the right amount of sweet. The house-made chocolate sauce was a bit mild, but still added a nice flavor. The biggest deterrent was the price, as one can get a coffee that’s nearly as good for a fraction of the price. We moved on to our pastries. The
Iced mocha, matcha butter cookie, and cranberry orange scone from Goshen Coffee can be enjoyed on one of their picnic tables. | Nicole Boyd / The Alestle
matcha butter cookie had the perfect texture: soft, buttery and thick, with the perfect amount of white chocolate chips. Matcha is not for everyone, and as the matcha flavor was quite strong, we suggest this cookie only for die-hard matcha fans. Those who don’t like matcha might want to consider the dark chocolate chunk shortbread cookie. Next was the cranberry orange scone, which was absolutely delicious. The texture was soft and dense, with just the right amount of citrus. A light sprinkling of sugar on the top gave the scone a nice crunch, and large pieces of sweet cranberry were well-dispersed throughout. The scone was
baked perfectly: golden brown on the top, while soft on the inside. We could only peek through the drive-through window, but the inside of the shop appeared to be decorated nicely. It was a beautiful day, and the option to eat at a picnic table in the grass instead of a crammed, covered patio allowed us to enjoy our breakfast without fear of COVID-19. Anyone who likes a local coffee shop with healthy (and not so healthy) options will like Goshen Coffee. College students may not be able to afford to be regulars, but will definitely enjoy Goshen as a special treat.
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Like University of Illinois, SIUE should require students to be tested for COVID-19 THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board Before students returned to campus for the fall semester, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced that all university students living on campus, faculty and staff are required to be tested for COVID-19 twice a week. SIUE should do the same. U of I has several on-campus testing locations, and uses saliva samples that typically yield results in about five hours. Any employee or student coming to the campus for any length of time must test negative no more than four days beforehand. Furthermore, on-campus tests are required for students to participate in on-campus activities, which are limited under state guidelines, and anyone who tests positive off-campus is supposed to give the Champaign
Urbana Public Health District permission to notify the university. Testing at SIUE looks much different. First of all, students, even those who are living on campus, are not required to get tested. Students who choose to get tested on campus must be asymptomatic, and cannot have been in close contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Those who do report symptoms are referred to off campus testing locations; however, it is optional due to the self-reporting system to report a positive off-campus test to the university. SIUE test results may take up to 72 hours. As of Sept. 4, SIUE reported 32 active cases. 19 are students, while 13 are faculty and staff. Three of those tests were administered on campus. The university has administered a total of 82 tests, and the positivity rate for on-campus test-
ing is 3.85 percent. Unlike SIUE, U of I reports how many tests are administered each day, the number of new cases per day, and a 7-day rolling average positivity rate. As of Sept. 6, 218,357 tests have been administered, with a 7-day rolling average positivity rate of 1.43 percent. Sept. 3 yielded 14,841 test results, 88 of which were positive. It’s tempting to look at SIUE’s low number of positive cases to ease concerns about COVID-19. However, this is unlikely an accurate measure of how many cases the campus actually has. By looking at the numbers, we can see that the vast majority of positive cases come from off-campus tests, which makes sense, because those getting tested on campus cannot have symptoms. Additionally, these are only the reported positive cases. It is possible that students are testing positive off-campus and not re-
porting their cases, since reporting off-campus positives is optional. That’s if they choose to get tested at all. At first glance, U of I’s number of COVID-19 cases seems much higher than SIUE’s, until one considers the size of their student body and their lower positivity rate. For the sake of our campus community, SIUE should also require regular testing for those living on campus at the absolute bare minimum. Doing so may increase our number of reported cases, but it would be incredibly useful in limiting presymptomatic spread and quarantining those who are sick. The university’s current protocol implies that the administration cares more about appearances than about the health and safety of their students. We at The Alestle are calling on the university to change its protocol and prove us wrong.
of the Restore Illinois plan allows for groups up to 50 people, so just a few people hanging out seems fine in comparison. But is being around just small groups really okay? Although the government permits small groups to be around each other, the virus will still be contracted by everyone in that group if even one person gets it. The only reason the government is allowing these groups and not locking us all up in our houses is because humans need interaction. However, that need for normalcy the public is craving is causing deaths. Although I, and every other person, would hate to still be living the way we were in April, there’s no arguing that it’s the morally right way to be living. I understand the need for social interaction. There are those who need to be around others for work-related reasons, and there are those who need to be around peo-
ple, otherwise they’d just be terribly sad. However, the hard truth is some people are dying so they can live comfortably. It’s tough to confront, and it’s a hard truth for me to face sometimes. Whether or not we know there’s a chance we could catch it and spread it, many of us still do what we’re allowed to do. These scientists know that a full lockdown is just too much to deal with for many people. Countries like Japan have fought the virus almost entirely through masks, but America has shown to be too stubborn for that. In five years or so, the pandemic will be a touchy subject to bring up. Contact tracing will be done, and everyone will know which specific friend they got the virus from, by extent killing their grandparents or any other immunocompromised people. It will be an acknowledged guilt that our generation will share
by knowing they could have done better. Sure, the anti-maskers and the reopen America protesters are the reason it’s spreading, but what about every time a student steps out of their house/dorm and thinks to themself, “Nothing is wrong with going home this weekend. My roommates seem clean, and I only went out for fun once!” When everything is over, the world will look back at this time the same way they’d look back at a past relationship or job that went wrong. They’ll believe that if they could go back they would fight the pandemic the right way, even though at the end of the day, no one is able to live completely selflessly. Everyone needs to keep trying their best, but they also need to keep an important thing in mind: This pandemic sucks, and you won’t be able to keep everyone safe.
Everyone is coming out of this pandemic guilty
JOHN MCGOWAN reporter The pandemic isn’t over, and chances are it won’t be over for a while. People like anti-maskers and reopen America protesters have always slowed recovery from the pandemic, but even those who follow the rules and listen to the government are also guilty. At this point in the pandemic, there are few who have stayed completely isolated, having no fun at all. Maybe they didn’t go to any concerts or big events, they wore their mask everywhere and they stayed updated with the news, but they still did what the rules allowed them to do. I’ll admit that I hung out with some friends quite a few times over the summer, and I’m sure many who are reading this did the same. Of course, there’s technically nothing wrong with that. Phase 4
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Former STL Cardinals player dies at 81
Athletics discusses protocol in the age of COVID-19 JOHN MCGOWAN reporter
Former St. Louis Cardinal and Hall of Famer Lou Brock signs autographs before the spring training game between the Miami Marlins and the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013. I David Santiago / El Nuevo Herald (MCT) PAUL VIGNA pennlive.com (TNS)
St. Louis Cardinals’ Hall of Famer Lou Brock died Sunday afternoon after fighting through an assortment of medical conditions in recent years. He was 81. Brock was the National League’s all-time leader in stolen bases with 938, and had 3,023 hits. He was a first-bal-
lot electee into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, according to a story on stltoday.com. He is being remembered in St. Louis as a guy who arrived from the Chicago Cubs in an unpopular trade in 1964 for a pitcher, Ernie Broglio, who had won 18 games the previous season, the story said. Whatever unhappiness that followed the trade soon disappeared, as Brock would hit .348 the rest of the 1964
season and steal 33 bases as the Cardinals won the National League pennant on the last day of the regular season. They beat the New York Yankees in a seven-game World Series. It was the Cardinals’ first World Series title since 1946. In a 19-year major league career, Brock played in 2,616 games and hit .293. Along with 149 home runs and 900 RBIs, he finished his career with a .343 on-base percentage and .410 slugging percentage.
Fall sports have begun and SIUE Athletics is trying to keep things safe, including establishing extra precautions to prevent the virus from being contracted and having a plan for when someone does test positive. If someone on a team tests positive, the team is informed so they can all self-isolate. Senior midfielder Angelique Ikeda, of St. Charles, Missouri, plays on SIUE’s women’s soccer team. She said when one of her team members tested positive, the following quarantine affected their practice. “We had to quarantine for two weeks because there was a case that got brought to the team,” Ikeda said. “That experience in general kind of sucked because it was hard to go out and work out. We couldn’t find a space outside of our home to work out without putting other people in danger.” Medical Chief at SIUE Health Service Dr. Kelly Farroll said the main difference in handling a student athlete case versus other cases involves taking their physical activity into consideration. “A lot of it is very similar. They’re both isolated while they’re sick and while they could be contagious. The only issue is that with athletes, because of the intense cardiac involvement of the athletic activity, it’s more important that they’re monitored when it’s time to consider them resum-
ing athletic activity,” Farroll said. Practices are kept as distant as possible while still being effective. Assistant Athletic Director for High Performance Mark Jamison said they take plenty of precautions. “They have to do a symptom questionnaire every day. They have to get a clearance band and go through a temperature check station, and so do the staff and coaches,” Jamison said. Jamison also said the level of precaution differs depending on whether it’s an indoor or outdoor sport. “The CDC and WHO deem that there is significantly less risk when you’re outdoors … most of the sports [teams] wear face coverings while they practice … they’ll use the whole field and they will spread out and at least maintain a 6- to 15-foot distance between their athletes,” Jamison said. “In indoor sports, a lot of them are leaning towards individual or small group based practices as opposed to the full team.” Jamison said as far as reporting the case, the information on a positive test is kept to only these that need to know. “There’s a formal email sent out from the athletic trainer that involves Health Service, senior administration, the coaches related to whatever athlete might have tested positive and that student athlete,” Jamison said. Visit SIUE’s COVID-19 page for more information.
Moving forward from COVID-19: Is the world of collegiate athletics forever changed? LILY SCHNEIDERS reporter
College sports will be impacted financially and physically by their COVID-19 adjustments. These impacts will be long-lasting, SIUE sports experts said. Travel is one of the biggest factors schools are going to have to adjust, because some schools have to fly to other schools, SIUE Director of Athletics Tim Hall said. “Flying may not be recommended during the pandemic,” Hall said. “Universities are also considering using their own busses when traveling instead of a charter.” For the long term, conferences will be changed so that universities won’t have to travel as far to play their games. The pandemic propelled the SIUE men’s soccer team to further consider switching from the Mid-American Conference to the Missouri Valley Conference in the next year. “It was a part of a more holistic way of looking at geography and what’s closer,” Cale Wassermann, men’s soccer head coach, said. “This pandemic hasn’t started that, but it definitely emphasized the need
for it.” The atmosphere in the following seasons will be different. The games will be played the same, but there will not be large crowds in the stands. Seating will be limited to encourage social distancing, and masks will be required. “I am going to be an optimist and we are going to come out of this okay,” Hall said. Another long-term effect on universities is the financial impact on revenue they normally receive from playing their sports. Hall said that while SIUE is losing money, it is not hurting as bad as other schools. Even if the pandemic were to dissipate, the financial strain now placed on schools across the country will not. Dan Mahony, SIU system president, is also teaching a sports-related class at SIUE. He is widely published in the fields of sport consumer behavior and intercollegiate athletics. He also is a former president of the North American Society for Sport Management and received the organization’s 2007 Earle Zeigler Award for his research contributions to the field. He said large schools, such as the Power Five, are feeling the brunt of budget cuts. “For the large schools, some have es-
timated an impact of over $100 million for some schools if they do not play football,” Mahony said. SIUE lost revenue, but not enough to have to lay off employees within their respective athletic departments the way bigger schools are having to do because they don’t have enough money to have them at the university. “SIUE will be in a good place once this virus ends because we handled our financial stuff a lot better,” Hall said. This loss of revenue means universities are going to have to budget differently this year, because the NCAA is granting anyone who missed the chance to play this past season an extra year of eligibility if they wish to take it. “I know many spring sport student-athletes who chose to graduate in May and move on rather than stay for another year, even though they had that option,” Mahony said. “We will likely know more about this impact near the end of the year.” Universities are navigating how to handle future upticks in cases. Action will be taken as quickly as possible when someone tests positive or is in contact with someone that tests positive, Mahony said.
“Throughout the last couple of months, we have seen athletic programs across the country take action when there is a relapse on a team or in an athletic department. They have shut down practices for periods of time ... I would expect that would continue in the future,” Mahony said. Precautions in place right now like temperature checks before training and sanitation stations in all sports complexes will continue across universities. Athletes will also be using a heart rate monitor when playing, since that is a huge health risk when it comes to COVID-19, Mahony said. SIUE’s Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Senior Women’s Administrator Katie Zingg said this experience has taught her to adapt to an unpredictable future. “I have learned to live in a space of more unknowns than ever before,” Zingg said. “It’s been challenging to live with so many questions that can’t be answered as quickly as we want and plan for a completely unpredictable future. Learning to be flexible and taking things as they come has been very important.” Contact SIUE Athletics for further information.
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