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Return to in-person classes offers mixed results
Spooky tunes to give you the chills this Halloween
SIUE Basketball prepares for upcoming season
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
the student voice since 1960
Thursday, October 21, 2021 Vol. 75 No. 8
Weekly therapy dog sessions provide stress relief to students FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter
SIUE ACCESS is currently putting on Pet Assisted Wellness Sessions to promote student wellness. Once a week, therapy dogs are brought in and students are able to sign up to come pet them. Asia Locke, a senior social work major from Chicago, helped start the program as part of her social work practicum. She said she thought of the idea because she remembers missing her dogs when she moved to college and thought other students may have felt the same. “One of the first days I was with all the other practicum students, the director and our supervisor, we were brainstorming ideas. I was like, ‘Why don’t we bring in therapy dogs.’ [Everyone else said] ‘They already do that during finals’ and I [said], ‘But what if I do it weekly,’” Locke said. Patrick Ferland, director of therapy dogs at Got Your Six Support Dogs, said therapy dogs help students deal with depression, anxiety and stress, all of which
college students deal with often. “I know some of the students are in a new unfamiliar place [and are] having some anxieties about that. Sometimes [you feel like] you’re not really accepted and these therapy dogs can come over and take your mind away from that from time to time,” Ferland said. Got Your Six Support Dogs is a charitable organization that works to provide veterans, first responders and sexual assault survivors who have been diagnosed with PTSD with service dogs for no charge. According to Ferland, these dogs can cost up to $20,000. Got Your Six Support Dogs also helps train therapy dogs to go into courtrooms, hospitals, nursing homes and schools to provide stress relief for people. When Locke reached out to Got Your Six Support Dogs, she said she got a good response from the volunteers who bring in their own trained therapy dogs. Now, four or five volunteers bring their therapy dogs to campus weekly to allow students a chance to relax. Therapy dogs have been shown to reduce stress and anxi-
ety, according to the U.S. Service Animals organization. Sue Ellen Choate, a volunteer with Got Your Six Support Dogs, has raised therapy dogs for several years now and sees the impact that dogs can have on people. “I have seen blood pressure monitors drop in hospitals when patients see the dogs,” Choate said. When students go in for their 15-minute time slot, they are able to spread out in the room and pet the dogs who are sitting with their handlers. Each handler has photo cards of each dog telling the students a little bit about them. There are many breeds of dogs from labs to golden retrievers to a poodle-retriever mix. Locke said she hopes that the P.A.W.S program will be a weekly program, not only for the rest of the semester but for the rest of the year. She said she is currently working on trying to coordinate some different dates for students who may not be able to make it on Mondays or Wednesdays. Students can sign up for a 15 minutes session via a Signup Genius link that can be found on the ACCESS website.
Bosco (left) and Nautilus along with Nautlis’s owner, Sue Ellen Choate, prepare for students to take photos with them. | Francesca Boston / The Alestle
Chancellor suggests using student fees to fund diversity initiatives at SG meeting FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter
| Asia Locke
| Asia Locke Nautilus (top and bottom right), Bella (left) and Bosco (bottom middle) are happy to be of service to the students, even if it requires a few naps. | Francesca Boston / The Alestle
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Changes to athletic center dress codes, dining service updates and summer employment issues are brought up at the student government meeting, with announcements from Chancellor Randy Pembrook and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffery Waple. Pembrook suggested student fees be allocated for diversity efforts on campus. In the past, student fees have gone towards improvement in the MUC, the Student Success Center and textbooks. No decisions have been made on the use of student fees being used to increase diversity efforts across the campus, as it was a point that Chancellor Pembrook brought up to the senators for further discussion. Waple said the Student Government and the rest of the student body need to rally behind changing the summer employment requirements and talk to HR. The dress code that the Athletic Center had has been removed thanks to efforts from sophomore Hailee O’Dell, an
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elementary education and psychology major from Glen Carbon and student body president, and sophomore vice president Izzy Pruitt, a public health major from Chatham, Illinois. SIUE is now at an 80 percent vaccination rate. There are only 322 students who were non-compliant with the testing rules, but according to Waple, those numbers change every day. There are 25 staff who are continuously missing tests and a few who may face suspension. Morgan Jackson a junior computer science major from Edwardsville, spoke at the open forum. He said he was the student who started a petition to reopen Auntie Anne’s on campus. Waple said the dining budget is currently low as they are having to replace freezers that are from the 1960s and student employment has dropped from 500 student workers to 180. Waple said the school is working to reopen dining establishments. The next senate meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Oct. 25 in the Goshen Lounge. To find minutes from past meetings go to the SIUE Student Government website. See you on the Internet!
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BY THE NUMBERS
COVID-19 at SIUE
New confirmed positive cases (from tests conducted by SIUE and self-reporting):
Oct. 8 - Oct. 14: 9 students, 2 faculty/staff Oct. 1 - Oct. 7: 12 students, 1 faculty/staff
14-day new positive tests: 21 students, 3 faculty/staff All prior weeks positive tests (Aug. 6 - Sept. 30): 151 students, 24 faculty/staff Total positive cases: 172 students, 27 faculty/staff
Thursday, 10.21.21
Madison County confirmed cases by day
225 200 175 150 125 100 75 50 25 0 OCTOBER
19
18
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
Source: Madison County Health Department COVID-19 Dashboard under the Cases by Day tab as of Oct. 20
Percentage of isolation/quarantine space available on campus (as of October 20): 98 percent Source: Health, Reporting, and Testing page on SIUE’s COVID-19 website, as of October 20
Tests conducted by SIUE Oct. 8 - Oct. 14: 1,793
COVID-19’S impact on Madison County
14-day new tests conducted: 3,710
All of Illinois’ regions remain under Phase 5, which went into
Oct. 1 - Oct. 7: 1,917
All prior weeks tests conducted (Aug. 6 - Sept. 30): 12,654
effect June 11. All sectors of the economy reopened with new health and hygiene practices permanently in place:
Total tests conducted: 16,364
• •
Positive cases identified by SIUE testing: Oct. 8 - Oct. 14: 9 Oct. 1 - Oct. 7: 9
14-day new positive cases: 18
All prior weeks positive cases (Aug. 6 - Sept. 30): 118 Total: 136
• •
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
Faculty weigh in on return to in-person classes after a year online FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter
After a year of online classes, SIUE has started to move back to face-to-face classes. Professors in various studies talk about what trends they are seeing as they move back into face-to-face classes. Tricia Oberweis, a criminal justice professor, said she has the same class online as she has in-person but has found that her in-person class is much smaller than her asynchronous class. She has seven students in her in-person class with nearly 30 students in her online class. She said she isn’t sure why that trend has occurred and hesitates to make any conclusion from such a small data pool. She said she also noticed that students aren’t always falling in a bell curve as in the past but instead a bimodal graph with a portion of students getting lower grades and the other portion getting much higher grades, with very few people in the middle. “I think as a society, we thought that college students were sort of dying to get back into the classroom. I wonder if that was true,” Oberweis said. “I don’t know if it’s a real pattern or just kind of a fluke of a thing that I saw, but what I saw was that the in-person students divided up into kind of two chunks. There were the students who clearly hadn’t really lost any ground and they did fine on the test. Then there was a second group of students for whom the grades were lower than I would have expected.” Erik Alexander, an associate history professor, taught all his classes online last semester but has all in-person classes this semester. He said he has noticed that students are generally doing better than they were last semester, not only grade-wise but also in engagement as well. “The transition has been very, very positive. I think students seem to have adjusted well, and they’re happy to be back in the classroom. I saw a lot more problems last
year, when we were online, where students Oberweis said she was interested in seeing would just sort of kind of give up halfway if her online students were non-traditional through the class,” Alexander said. And students, but since it is an asynchronous so I think being in person has been pretty class she often doesn’t get to form connecbeneficial.” tions with those William students. She said “I think as a society, Tucker, a mass that not only has communicaher attendance we thought that college tions lecturer, shifted, but so has been able to has her teaching students were sort of dying teach in person style, changing for the last few her policy on an to get back into the semesters. He open-note tests. classroom. I wonder if that did teach online “It’s interin the spring of esting and it was true. I don’t know if 2020 and said he would be silly, I struggled with think, to imagit’s a real pattern or just making sure his ine that we could kind of a fluke of a thing students got all go through a the information crisis that prothat I saw, but ... in-person they needed. He found and a dissaid when teachruption of that students divided up into ing online, somemagnitude and kind of two chunks. There times the lectures not see some were missing stuff change or were the students who information bebe impacted,” cause he was not Oberweis said. clearly hadn’t really lost any able to add notes Tucker said that he thinks of he understands ground and they did fine while lecturing the need for onon the test. Then there was in person. line classes and “When you appreciates the a second group of stutype up your lecaccessibility it ture and post it provides but bedents for whom the grades on Blackboard, lieves that stuwere lower than I would that’s all there dents learn best is,” Tucker said. when they are have expected. “When you acin person. tually lecture in “[O n l i ne TRICIA OBERWEIS class so many classes] creates criminal justice professor things pop out accessibility for of your head that more students, your lecture notes end up being almost so there are good reasons to have online twice as long as what you just put on Black- teaching. But in general, my philosophy board and I think the students get more is I think learning happens best in perout of that.” son. That’s sort of the way we learn best, I Oberweis, Alexander and Tucker all think,” Tucker said. “I’d much prefer being said that the majority of their in-person in person and I’m really glad to be back classes are traditional college students. in person.
News in brief Fuller Dome celebrates 50th anniversary with essay, dance tribute and art exhibition Dance tributes, live music and a reading of its creator’s writing will highlight the 50th anniversary celebration for the Fuller Dome, home of the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability. The celebration will start at 6 p.m. with a reading of the essay “Geoview, Go In To Go Out,” written by one of the dome’s designers, Buckminster Fuller. Fuller’s family, friends, colleagues and devotees will read the essay, which describes the intentions and inspirations Fuller had in constructing the dome. The Katherine Dunham Dance troupe will perform a dance tribute, and the SIUE music department will provide live string and piano music throughout the ceremony. At 7:30 p.m. they will open up the exhibition featuring art and artifacts donated from the Fuller Estate. The center was initially designed and created by Fuller and Shoji Sadao and opened on Oct. 22, 1971. The translucent dome on top of the building was designed to be a miniature model of the Earth. Built on the Earth’s 90th longitudinal meridian, it is structured in such a way that if you stood in the center and looked straight up, the position you looked through on the globe would line up with where you were standing on Earth. The event will be held on Oct. 22 at the Fuller Dome. More information can be found on the event’s page.
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SIUE’s The Alestle, wins awards New director of Counseling in three national college Services aims to focus on journalism competitions prevention, education EDWARDSVILLE — The Alestle, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s student news organization, recently won five national awards during the 100th annual Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Association National College Media Convention. The Alestle staff won honorable mentions in the Pinnacle Awards Best Newspaper Entertainment Page/Spread and Best Newspaper Photo Page/Spread categories. The winning entries were The Alestle’s Metro East Eats Toasted Ravioli edition and their photo coverage of Black Lives Matter protests, respectively. Other winners in the two categories included Ball State University, Virginia Commonwealth University, UCLA , University of Texas at Arlington, Elon University and Colorado State University. The field of competitors for the Pinnacle Awards was wide open and not broken down by school size or frequency. Any member schools and their news organizations from across the country could compete in the same category. For the first time, The Alestle was recognized in the Associated Collegiate Press Individual Awards. Former Editor-in-Chief Madison Lammert and former Graphics Manger Summer Bradley received an honorable mention in the Informational Graphic category for an infographic in spring 2021 about the progress and regression of women’s rights. Other winners in the ACP Individual Awards Informational Graphic category were Savannah College of Art & Design, Indiana University, Ball State University, University of Kentucky, DePaul University, California Polytechnic State University and School of the Art Institute Chicago. The Alestle also won two Best of Show Awards during the convention. The staff took 8th place for its digital newsletter. University of Alabama, Appalachian
State University, Indiana University, Bloomington; California State University, Fullerton; Santa Ana College; Tarrant County College; Georgia Southern University, Statesboro; University of North Carolina at Charlotte; and Skyline College, San Bruno, California, were also winners in the category. In the best website category for schools with more than 10,000 students, Alestlelive.com won 6th place. Other winners were California State University, Sacramento; Wichita State University; University of Miami, Coral Gables; Baylor University, Waco; University of Iowa, Iowa City; Appalachian State University; and California State University, Fullerton. “It feels great to have The Alestle’s hard work recognized on a national scale, and we hope to continue to provide the campus community with quality journalism,” Alestle Editor-in-Chief Alex Aultman said. “The students of The Alestle are some of the hardest working people on the SIUE campus, and it shows in their tireless dedication to producing an ever-improving product for the people of SIUE,” Student Publications Program Director Tammy Merrett said. “This is our first time being recognized in ACP’s individual awards competition and receiving so much recognition at the national level across the board.” The Alestle has placed several times in recent years in the CMA Pinnacle awards, and national ACP Best of Show competitions. This is the first time The Alestle’s work has been recognized in the ACP Individual Awards. The publication is consistently an American Scholastic Press Association top-ranked publication and regularly wins several top awards in the annual Illinois College Press Association contest as well. See their work at alestlelive.com.
10.09.21
10.15.21
Officer responded to an active fire alarm and advised the alarm was activated due a vaping pen. Housing advised resident of the housing policy.
Officer responded to a parking lot regarding a vehicle that was possibly taken without permission. Contact was made with the driver and the owner of the vehicle. The owner advised the driver to return the vehicle.
10.10.21 Officer responded to an active fire alarm. Officer advised the alarm was activated due a hair straightener.
10.12.21 Officer conducted a vehicle check. Person was arrested on an East Alton PD warrant for failure to appear on a charge of Assault and Battery. Subject was transported to Alton PD. Investigation continues.
10.17.21 Officer responded to an active fire alarm. Officer advised the alarm was activated due to an unknown reason.
10.18.21 Officer responded to an active fire alarm. Officer advised the alarm was activated due to hair dryer.
10.13.21
Officer took a report of a possible hazing incident. Investigation continues.
Officer responded to a report of a subject yelling and using vulgar words at employees in Rendleman Hall. Investigation continues.
Officer responded to a suspicious odor of cannabis. Officer advised there was a faint smell, but unable to located the source.
search that landed Courtney Boddie. “She was second. We hired Dr. Boddie, but had Dr. Boddie not accepted that Jessica Ulrich said she wasn’t interest- role, we would’ve offered it to Jessica back ed in a leadership position when she started then,” Waple said. Waple said Ulrich stood out because in the department in 2008, but has moved she’s proven herself as a good clinician and into it as time progressed. Now Ulrich has been named di- grew up in the department. “She’s held … every role rector of Counseling Serthat she could possibly have vices after serving as in that department,” Waple interim director. said. “And she has a master’s “I was associate director degree in social work, which for the past three years and so I think really helps us when I really like having that more we’re thinking about all those administrative part to the job,” social service needs that stuUlrich said. dents sometimes present Ulrich said one of her when they’re in a counseling goals is to focus on prevenappointment and the other tion and education, which she things they need to help them said the department hasn’t New director be successful here.” been able to focus on due to of Counseling Taylor Rogers, staff staff shortages. counselor, served on the Services Jessica “Even if it’s pushsearch committee and said Ulrich ing out more social meUlrich was a good candidia platform messaging, date because she wanted to that’s something that we don’t have a presence in, so definitely keep some continuity of what the preadvancing in that respect,” Ulrich said. vious director already set in place, as it’s “But I definitely think trying to focus been working. “Her wanting to keep the focus on more on prevention and education, so that way we can build on overall cam- what we’re doing … wanting to further pus wellness and hopefully [prevent] the our mission but not introducing a ton number of people that are escalating to a of huge changes coming out of the panpoint of needing therapy and Counseling demic and trying to return life to normal, that stability was Services.” pretty enticing,” Ulrich, a liRogers said. censed clinical so“I think directors Rogers said cial worker, said her should have a nice Ulrich is her assobackground suits ciate director and her for the role bebalance of being the clinical supervisor, cause she has exso she consults perience providing captain of the ship but with her for clinical administrative clinalso concerned with what duties. Rogers said ical supervision of Ulrich is easy to the staff. Ulrich has the crew is seeing and approach, a good previously served listener and open as interim director, the vision that the crew to feedback. associate director, “I think direcbehavioral incident has for the department. tors should have counselor, care coSo, I think she has a nice a nice balance of ordinator and staff being the captain counselor. balance of listening to of the ship but also “I’ve worked concerned with on the budgetary our feedback and what what the crew is things,” Ulrich we’re noticing but also seeing and the visaid. “I do have sion that the crew campus partner rehaving her own vision has for the delationships to be able to collaboraand trying to collaborate, partment,” Rogers said. “So, I think tively work with incorporate. she has a nice baldifferent campus ance of listening to entities and I do our feedback and have the academTAYLOR ROGERS what we’re noticic and the licenstaff counselor ing but also having sure credentials to her own vision and be able to provide all of the supervision for all the staff that trying to collaborate, incorporate the two.” Lisa Thompson-Gibson, staff counwe have.” Jeffrey Waple, vice chancellor for stu- selor and coordinator for outreach and dent affairs, said the search committee prevention initiatives, said she and Ulsought someone familiar with educational rich have worked together on a grant, outreach and prevention, and familiar with projects and Ulrich has supervised her mental health challenges that are unique to clinical work. “She’s really invested in the developcollege students. “Because we are a training ground for ment and success of undergraduate stucounselors, so we have interns from SIUE dents, graduate level students particularly, and WashU and SLU, we needed some- in our office because we have internships body that was licensed in both Illinois and in our office, as well as new counselors,” Missouri so we could continue to provide Thompson-Gibson said. To learn more about Counseling Serthat clinical supervision for future clinivices or schedule an appointment, visit cians in mental health,” Waple said. Waple said Ulrich was a finalist in the their website. NICOLE BOYD social media manager
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contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com 650-3527 Thursday, 10.21.21
Indigenous Knowledge conference emphasizes climate change, native pollinators and food FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter The conference was a virtual platform for Indigenous speakers and educators featuring food as the main topic. Other speakers included staff from the Missouri Botanical Garden and the St. Louis Zoo. Greg Fields, a professor in the department of philosophy and Native American studies program, was the chair for the event. He said that he wanted to educate the public on the several institutions in the St. Louis region that are doing lead work on the intersection between American Indian Studies and sustainability efforts. “The idea was for organizations to come together in order to be able to do more than we could on our own, to help engage the researchers in the area and also students and the public with some of the very powerful work that Native American scholars and communities are doing to help reduce the risks of climate change,” Fields said. Benjamin Lowder, director of the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability, said the event follows the center’s mission statement closely, forging the sacred connection between people and the planet, showing that the Earth is not a collection of items for humans to consume but a dynamic relationship between all organisms. “It’s more about a relationship between an ecosystem of living organisms that are all equally important to the health of the whole [world]. It’s a worldview that will help us go forward sustainably rather than technologically innovate our way out of [the climate crisis],” Lowder said. Several zoom events took place from Oct. 6 - 10. The events on Oct. 10 were meant to honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day. One of the events featured four local women who spoke about cultural food initiatives in the St. Louis Region. Saundi Kloeckner and Sherry Echohawk, who both spoke during the event, are part of Native Women Care Circle, a prayer group that promotes health and welfare among the Native American community in St. Louis. Both women spoke about the importance of living as part of the earth and treating all plants and animals with kindness as they provide humanity with food and other resources. Elizabeth Hoover, an associate professor at
Coordinator for the Native American Studies Program Julie Zimmermann and Professor of Native American Studies Greg Fields listen as the presentation takes place while moderating questions from the virtual audience. | Francesca Boston / The Alestle UC Berkely spoke during the “American about the importance that native pollinaIndian Gardens” lecture about the impor- tors play and how everyday people can tance of commuhelp native pollinanity gardens and tors thrive. He said how native plants that even though and foods are not most college stuonly healthier for dents don’t have the people but access to yards they also the environcan take other steps ment. to help out native Another event pollinators. took place in the “If you’re Fuller Dome. The living in a dorm, “Native Food, convince them Native People, to redo the [outNative Pollina- BENJAMIN LOWDER door] commons tors” events were director of the Center for Spirituality and [with native flowhosted by SIUE’s Sustainability ers]. If you’re livCenter for Spirituality ing on-campus, work with the campus and Sustainability authorities to create more patches with guest speakfor pollinators. If you have a patio, ers. One of the containers are a really good way guest speakers, Ed to do plants. The container Spevak, the curator garden is really where it is for invertebrates at at,” Spevak said. the St. Louis Zoo, spoke Julie Zimmermann,
“It’s more about a relationship between an ecosystem of living organisms that are all equally important to the health of the whole [world].
the coordinator for the Native American Studies program and a board member for the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability, said that even though COVID-19 derailed the original plans for the conference, having to do a virtual event allowed for speakers from around the country. “The opportunity to bring Native American guests from all over remotely has just been fantastic,” Zimmermann said. “We think about ways to preserve this planet and [want] to learn Native American methods for doing that.” Fields said that the public shouldn’t think about Native American knowledge as records from 100 years ago, but the living educators who have the knowledge today to heal our earth. To watch the Zoom recordings rom the conference, visit the F u l l e r Dome w e b site.
Thursday, 10.21.21
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Headphone Jack: Spooky tunes for this Halloween EMILY STERZINGER opinion editor With costumes on sale, pumpkins on porches and Spirit Halloweens filling up abandoned storefronts, Halloween is just around the corner. Here’s a multigenre playlist to make sure you have a scary good Halloween. ‘Thriller,’ Michael Jackson Starting off with a classic, virtually everyone has heard this song at least once. If you haven’t, check it out. If you have, listen to it again to ring in the season. ‘Dead Man’s Party,’ Oingo Boingo With a groovy ska sound and playful death themed lyrics, this song balances spooky with upbeat perfectly. ‘Monster,’ Kanye West feat. Bon Iver, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross and JAY-Z This dark, horror themed rap is atmospheric in just the right way for Halloween. Additionally, even if her knowledge on vaccines is flawed, Nicki Minaj’s verse on this song is one of the best parts.
‘Ghosting,’ Mother Mother This song may be a bit more emotional and pensive than others on this list, but it’s still a bop. That, along with the lyrics that namedrop Halloween, allow this hauntingly emotional song to fit right in. ‘Somebody’s Watching Me,’ Rockwell This one’s another classic, and though it isn’t exactly a unique choice for this playlist, it couldn’t be left off this playlist. This horror themed synth-funk song is just too quintessential to the season. ‘Cannibal,’ Kesha With a heavy electronic beat, striking pop vocals and particularly violent lyrics, this song invokes the kind of frightening, hyper violent femininity depicted in horror movies like “Jennifer’s Body” and “Ginger Snaps.” In short, it’s an absolute banger. ‘Calling All the Monsters,’ China Anne McClain Look, I know that this one is from a Disney Channel show, but who doesn’t love a throwback? That doesn’t change the fact that it slaps, and is clearly themed around Halloween. “I Want Candy,” Bow Wow Wow Though we as college students may be past trick-or-treating age, Halloween can still get you into your candy cravings. Hopefully this energetic song, even if it’s not particularly scary, will keep you in check until Nov. 1 brings post-Halloween candy sales.
‘She Wolf,’ Shakira This synthy werewolf-themed song embodies the more sultry side of Halloween, and in Spanish it’s title, “Loba,” even references a derogatory term for promiscuous women and uses it to be empowering. Definitely worth having on the soundtrack for your next costume party, but you don’t need to be out for the night to enjoy this bop. ‘Monster Mash,’ Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers No matter how many decades have passed since this song came out (nearly six, if you’re counting), there’s a reason why it’s consistently featured as a song for the holiday. It’s an oldie, but a goldie. ‘Dracula’s Wedding,’ Outkast feat. Kelis Not only is this a fun, slightly eerie tune, it’s got a surprisingly charming love story going on within the lyrics. Whether spending Halloween alone or with your significant other, this is certainly fit for the season. ‘Highway to Hell,’ AC/DC Sure, this isn’t really a Halloween song, but the hard rock and satanic lyrics provide a nice compliment to the more spooky songs on this list.
‘bury a friend,’ Billie Eilish Billie Eilish maintains a soft, almost ghostly tone of voice throughout this creepy song, but the heavy beat and unique instrumentals make this song eerie without compromising its listenability. Definitely worth listening to, as it’s a somewhat underrated piece from a very mainstream artist. ‘Dragula,’ Rob Zombie The harsh but energetic guitar and intense vocals make this song catchy and one worth listening to even if metal isn’t your thing. Despite being great at any time of the year, it especially suits the gruesome aesthetic of Halloween. ‘Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps),’ David Bowie To finish off this playlist is a bop from the late, great David Bowie. The punky sound, though a departure from his other work, still is embodied well within this song and is appropriate for spooky season. To hear the visit our Spotify.
playlist
yourself,
REVIEW: ‘You’ season three pushes toxic romantic tropes to the extreme NICOLE BOYD social media manager
Season three of “You” is emotionally exhausting to watch — not just because of the gruesome murder, but because of how it portrays failing relationships and the “American Dream.” The season begins with Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) lamenting that he’s ended up married to (and having a baby with) Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti) after finding out that she has killed a number of people. Even though Joe is a fellow serial killer himself, this taints the idolized image of Love he created in his head, so he quietly despises her. It’s incredibly frustrating to watch, as Love is probably the only woman in the world who will accept his sick and twisted behavior. Joe refers to Love as a monster, while he regards his own murders as “mistakes.” In social psychology, benevolent sexism is an “affectionate but patronizing attitude that treats women as needing men’s help, protection and provision.” This is an important part of Joe’s character. He engages in disgusting behavior in the name of “protecting” the women he obsesses over. He struggles to parent his baby, who was expected to be a girl but happened to be a boy. While he was willing to push through a marriage to Love to protect a little girl, he finds it much harder to do for a boy. After Joe and Love work together to cover up a murder, they attend couples counseling. In these scenes, and in later scenes as their relationship falls apart, they are somehow relatable, apart from the many, many murders in which they find themselves involved. Throughout the season, they mend and break their relationship in various ways, and Love is often the one who tries to fix it (without ulterior motives). This is more tiring to watch than the murder scenes, because it’s more realistic than a couple getting away with 15 murders between the two of them. Joe and Love find that suburbia and domestic bliss aren’t for them, although Love so desperately tries to make it to be. Love is constantly miserable, and her unhappiness echoes that of many unhappy new mothers in real life, which makes the season emotionally
draining to watch. I found myself feeling sorry for Love, until she commits one murder that makes her seem especially cruel. Up to that point, however, I was bothered by the fact that I could sympathize with her. Like Joe, she never has bad intentions in her own mind, and often murders trying to “protect” her family. Both she and Joe committed understandable — in some cases, forgivable — murders as children. While I may have been manipulated by her crying multiple times each episode, and Pedretti’s good looks, Love is at least fighting to save the relationship because she still loves Joe. Joe meanwhile, fixates on multiple women, each of which he’s convinced is his soulmate. Furthermore, Love’s readings of their relationship are accurate, while Joe is delusional about the objects of his obsession. I was also annoyed at Joe for pursuing
other women while he’s already married to someone who should be perfect for him. He’s too interested in finding a woman who’s different, not like other girls, because he wants to be intrigued. This made his character even more hateable to me. “You” has been criticized for romanticizing a stalker and serial killer. While the viewer knows what’s going on in Joe’s mind, Joe often seems like the perfect boyfriend/husband to the women he pursues, and the series is shot through a warm, romantic light. However, the show is intended to criticize the rom-com tropes we’ve been conditioned to romanticize. Badgley himself has said he’s uncomfortable by people lusting after Joe and that his character doesn’t deserve redemption, although the series is intended to be a thought-provoking social commentary. “Joe is not actually looking for
true love. He’s not actually a person who just needs somebody who loves him. He’s a murderer! He’s a sociopath. He’s abusive. He’s delusional. And he’s self-obsessed,” Badgley said in an Entertainment Weekly interview. The series also touches on “missing white woman syndrome,” as the murder of an affluent white woman stirs the town, to Joe and Love’s dismay. Additionally, Joe’s last fixation, a Black woman, is repeatedly screwed over by the legal system in a custody battle for her daughter, prompting Joe to take drastic action. Even the climax of the series focused more heavily on relationships than action. A couple trapped in the Goldbergs’ soundproof cage make a breakthrough in their relationship, while Joe and Love’s marriage ends in violence. The ending was a bit overthe-top, and sad, although I feel gross for being sad about it.
| Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Television Distribution
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‘Parking lottery’ should be parking permit sale
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Every year, students receive a number of emails regarding opportunities to enter a lottery in which winners can buy a new parking permit in certain lots. While the lottery was originally intended to incentivize students to get vaccinated, the system needs tweaking. The numerous emails about another lottery drawing students have received indicate that not all of the winners want a new permit — or at least, don’t want to purchase one. The answer is simple: there should be a first-come, firstserve parking permit sale. That way, those who are willing to pay for a new permit can do so without having to wait to see if they
won, and the process of picking winners can be done away with altogether. It’s not necessary to create a prize system if the winners have to pay full price anyway. While the emails did explicitly state that winners would have to pay full price, the lottery flipped from offering free permits as prizes to requiring winners to pay. Originally, an email was sent out in August with the subject, “Free Green Parking Pass? Enter to Win by Friday!” Subsequent emails regarding the lotteries stated that winners would receive further instructions as to how to purchase their permits. While it’s not necessarily bad to change the platform, and it’s not the university’s fault if students don’t read their emails carefully enough, clarifying that the prize that was ini-
tially offered as free must now be purchased would have alleviated any possible confusion. Although having a lottery as incentive for students to submit proof of being vaccinated against COVID-19 wasn’t a bad idea, a true incentive would have been the opportunity to win discounted parking permits. If parking services doesn’t want to outright sell green permits to students, and instead wishes to use a lottery with entries, then the winners of said lottery should get the permits at eithers a reduced price, or no price at all. Furthermore, the rules of the lottery state that students must select if they’d like a permit for Lot A or E. Then, if they aren’t selected, they may sign up for either the Bluff Hall or Evergreen Hall lot-
tery. If each lot has open spaces, why not just let people purchase permits outright according to their needs? Why require them to wait to see if they’re selected for Lot A or E before allowing them to enter a lottery for Bluff Hall or Evergreen Hall? Making the process a lottery is unnecessarily complicated when it could be a simple sale. To save confusion, time and hassle, just let students purchase available permits on a first-come, first-serve basis. That way, those who want a permit badly enough will pay (and get to select the lot they actually want), and those who don’t won’t bother. If the university really wants to use a parking lottery as an incentive for students to get vaccinated, they should offer reduced priced or free permits.
of the numerous dialects in the English language. Another example is misgendering. Many people are taught to assume what people are based on how they appear, using gendered terms like ma’am or sir and gendered pronouns such as he or she. Nearly everyone is guilty of this at one point or another, but it’s not fair to trans people, especially those who don’t pass as one binary gender or don’t even desire to adhere to binary gender. Sometimes society ingrains discrimination so deeply that an ignorant act can be completely removed from its discriminatory context in the average person’s mind. A good example is the word G*psy, a centuries old ethnic slur for the Romani people, a term used famously in the Victor Hugo novel and later Disney movie “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” It’s become so common in use to mean a free-spirited wanderer that it’s even become a name, which is a way that ethnic discrimination manifests everyday in society. A similar example of an unintentional usage of a slur happened when Cardi B referred to her daughter’s eyes with a slur
against Asians, claiming she was completely unaware of the connotation it had. Just because someone does something bigoted doesn’t mean that they’re bad people, or even personally bigoted. It also doesn’t mean that if someone was bigoted in the past they don’t have potential to change. We’ve all seen cases of big name celebrities being chased off of the internet and even actual projects for saying offensive things in their past. While they still should apologize for behaving that way in the past, it’s bad faith to think someone is going to have the same beliefs they did years ago, especially if their current behavior indicates otherwise. The key is that, as previously stated, they must apologize and work towards unlearning and actively opposing that same bigoted behavior in the future. There are other things you can do to prevent yourself from perpetuating prejudiced behavior. In cases like misgendering, it’s important to apologize and furthermore, not center your own feelings in the apology. Similarly, many white people freeze up or center themselves when they’re
told their behavior is racist. Doing something racist doesn’t mean you’re bad, so long as you work against that behavior from then on. This extends to any and all discrimination; being told you did something bigoted will never feel worse than facing bigotry throughout your life as a marginalized person. It can also help to analyze your privilege and make sure you’re able to empathize with those outside of that. If you’re middle class or above and think that people can make it out of poverty by working hard, consider how much more work it takes to get to a stable financial situation when you’re working from zero rather than working from a stable income and a safety net. If you’re a non Black person who hears someone speak in African American Vernacular English and sees it as an indicator of lower intelligence, consider why you jump to that assumption. Virtually all of us have some privilege and some marginalized identities, so it’s important to center empathy and grow from your mistakes to become a more compassionate person to those around you.
Making mistakes is important when unlearning prejudice EMILY STERZINGER opinion editor
Almost nobody is intentionally bigoted, but basically everyone has said or done something bigoted in their life, often without being aware. That’s not a bad thing, so long as you are willing to correct that behavior; making mistakes is the most effective way to learn. Within individual cases, accidental prejudice often manifests as implicit bias, which is the unintentional application of social stereotypes by individuals. Even if you don’t try to be bigoted, what you say can be clouded by societal perceptions. After all, humans are hardwired to pick up cues from their society, and unfortunately discrimination is no exception. Examples of this include seeing African American Vernacular English as an inherently “lesser” or unintelligent” form of English. Due to the anti-Black racism inherent in society, almost all of us regardless of race have been socialized in some way to see this as less intelligent despite the fact that it’s just another dialect
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ALESTLE
An Important Message About Gas Safety Natural gas delivered to the University from Ameren IP through a underground piping system. It is used to provide fuel for clean efficient heat to all campus buildings and residence halls. It is also used for hot water and food preparation.
If you smell a faint odor in any campus building notify facilities management at 3711. If the gas odor is strong and or you hear a hissing or leaking sound, you should leave the building immediately. If the odor is strong:
Overview of Hazards of Pipeline and Prevention Measures Used
• Do not smoke, use a lighter, match or open flame
The hazards associated with the pipeline include fires, explosions, leakage, damage to the facility and loss of service. In order to prevent these incidents the pipeline maintained and inspected according to state and federal regulations. Facilities employees receive ongoing training to ensure the continued safe transport of natural to the campus. In order to prevent damage to the pipeline due to construction excavations SIUE participates in the one call system known as JULIE. Within 2 days of a call for a planned excavation SIUE will mark the location of underground gas as well as other utility lines. Recognizing and Responding to Gas Leaks Pure natural gas is colorless and odorless. Before gas is delivered to the SIUE campus, an odorant called mercaptan is added to give gas its distinctive odor so you can smell a leak immediately. The odorant makes the smell like sulfur or rotten eggs.
• Do not use telephones cell phones, computers, or elevators • Do not operate vehicles near where the leaking gas could be • Do not re-enter the building to retrieve personal affects If you smell a strong gas smell in the air outside, or you see unusual occurrences such as: high pitched whistle or hissing sound, blowing dust, dead vegetation in a normally green area, or ground fires, you may be observing signs of a leak in a natural gas line. Always use caution near an outdoor gas leak and recognize the possible hazards, such as fire, ignition or explosion.
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siue basketball returns in full force
with new coaches, strategies Men and Women’s basketball teams are excited to get back on the court after a season disrupted by COVID-19.
PAGE 8
SIUE Standings WOMEN’S SOCCER
OVERALL OVC
Murray State SIUE UT Martin Belmont Tennessee Tech Southeast Missouri Austin Peay Eastern Illinois Morehead State
8-7 7-6 9-4-1 7-6-1 4-5-2 5-8-1 3-9-3 4-9-2 4-8-4
MEN’S SOCCER
OVERALL MVC
Bradley Loyola Missouri State Drake Evansville SIUE
2-9-1 7-3-1 11-1 6-4 1-10-1 4-7-2
SOFTBALL
OVERALL OVC
men’s Quincy at SIUE 7 p.m., Nov. 4
SIUE at Marquette 7:30 p.m., Nov. 9
SIUE at Chicago State 7 p.m., Nov 12
FRANCESCA BOSTON reporter
SIUE men’s basketball is getting ready for their season. The men’s basketball team was started back in 1967, 54 years ago. Head Coach Brian Barone, is entering his second season at SIUE as head coach. He is assisted by Charles Wells, Troy Pierce and Colin Schneider. Barone said he is very excited for the upcoming season and this year’s team. “We have a good group of young men that have really dedicated the last several months trying to bring a certain amount of effort, energy, every single day, while also being able to grow together as a team, on and off the court,” Barone said. Barone said the team is coming off a year where the team wasn’t able to practice before playing nearly 20 games over 43 days, and the team has been working hard in practices for this season. “You go into every game expecting and preparing to win, and I think just continuing to grow the program forward after a year [where] we couldn’t even practice is a really big deal. The goal each and every day is to be better than when you started the day. Winning would be a result of that,” Barone said. Shamar Wright, a redshirt junior guard from Murrieta, Caliifornia, said the team is excited as well, as more than half the team are new players. He said that the team works really well together, moving the ball around the court, which according to him is something different about this team than past teams. “If we could do something special, then we can take some strides in the right direction for where our program has been going these past few years,” Wright said. Both Barone and Wright said they are excited to get back on the court and have the fans back. “We’re excited to [have] the community really be part of what we’re building here. We want [the community] to embrace us. We want to embrace the community, and we want to represent and build the brand of this university the right way,” Barone said. The men’s first game will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Vadalabene Center against Quincy University.
women’s UMSL at SIUE 1 p.m., Nov. 6
SIUE at Kansas 7 p.m., Nov. 10
SIUE at Memphis 2 p.m., Nov. 14
| Kirsten O’Loughlin / The Alestle
Head Coach Samantha Smith, leads the women’s basketball team in their 47th year. This is Smith’s first year coaching at SIUE. She is assisted by SIUE alumni Jazmin Pitts, Bradley Bruno and Ariel Massengale. Smith said that the team is really excited for the upcoming season. “It’s a new coaching staff, so there’s been a new culture that’s been established. The meshing of returning student athletes, new student athletes, new coaching staff, it’s been a really welcoming experience so far,” Smith said. According to Smith, the team is just starting official practices but everything has been moving in a good direction. She said she understands the pressure of being a student athlete, keeping up with academics and athletics and that the coaching staff has been working hard on helping the players work through adversity to be the best possible athlete they can be. “Overall, we’re just really excited for this opportunity that we have here to start something really special and to get off on the right foot. That’s been a big part of what we’re doing here is having this positive mindset and positive attitude,” Smith said. Jaida Hampton, a redshirt junior guard from Lansing, Michigan, said the team loves the coaching staff and their coaching style. “We feel really positive, really good, we love the energy that Coach Sam [Smith] has. I think everybody pretty much enjoys that energy and the playing style that she’s been putting in every day. That consistency and toughness, that she’s trying to instill in us, has been really positive and we’re just really eager to play,” Hampton said. Smith said she’s excited for the upcoming season and can’t wait to see what the team will do. “We are making some noise and making a name for women’s basketball,” Smith said. Women’s basketball plays their first game at 1 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Vadalabene Center against the UMSL Tritons.
Morehead State Murray State Belmont Austin Peay SIUE Jacksonville State UT Martin Eastern Illinois Tennessee Tech Eastern Kentucky Southeast Missouri
11-30 22-29 15-25 27-16 18-21 24-25 27-19 25-19 19-30 35-17 30-17
All stats are from the OVC and MVC Websites
UPCOMING Women’s Tennis at ITA Central Region Championship Oct. 22-24 Volleyball at SIUE vs. UT Martin 6 p.m., Oct. 22 and 2 p.m., Oct. 23 Men’s Soccer vs. Bradley 7 p.m., Oct. 23 Women’s Soccer vs. Belmont 2 p.m., Oct. 24 Men’s Golf at Old Dominion Intercollegiate Oct. 25-26 Volleyball at SIUE vs. Eastern Illinois 6 p.m., Oct. 26 Men’s Soccer at SIUE vs. Evansville 7 p.m., Oct. 27