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vol. LXIX no. XXXI | Wikicommons
Student fitness center adds universal-use locker room MIRANDA LINTZENICH Alestle Reporter Students passing through the hallway connecting the Vadalabene Center and the Student Fitness Center will no longer have to pass through construction. As of March 8, the universal restroom project has been completed. The space includes a universal restroom, changing or nursing room, locker room and direct entrance to the pool, as well as a second entrance to the women’s locker room. The spaces are separate, allowing multiple people to use them at once. According to project architect Mike Grandy, the entire process took about a year, but the construction took two months to finish. “It really was a smooth process,” Grandy said. “We worked with campus recreation and the Student Fitness Center to develop a design in some existing space that wasn’t being used very well to create this new family-style facility.” Campus Rec teaching assistant Kari Kolle, of Eau Claire, Wis., attended contractor meetings and said she thinks the space is a benefit. “It has really opened my eyes when looking at the diversity and the needs that need to be tended to,” Kolle said. “It’s not necessarily just gender, but also families. Having this allows our space to be more available.” Kolle said she wants students to know anyone can use the space; the reason for the restroom is accessibility and is for anyone who needs to use it. Director of Campus Recreation Keith Becherer said he hopes this space is a useful accommodation during events such as commencement and athletic events. “We are still trying to figure out what we are going to call these spaces until we have those conversations with people to start using them,” Becherer said. Kolle said the project has helped her realize the effort that goes behind it. “It makes me realize all the small details are important,” Kolle said. “Even as small as the way the door swings is important and we have to make sure it stays accessible for everyone.” According to Becherer, the reactions from staff and students have been positive and Kolle agreed saying she believes the restroom will break down barriers in regard to inclusiveness. “This is just another opportunity or way that Campus Recreation is responding to the needs of our students and campus community,” Becherer said. “We strive in, whether it’s facilities or services, to be inclusive and serve as many students as we can. I think this is just another way that we are able to accomplish that.”
Mae Jemison aboard the Spacelab Japan science module on the Earth-orbiting Endeavour. Making her only flight in space, Jemison was joined by five other NASA astronauts and a Japanese payload specialist for eight days of research in support of the SLJ mission, a joint effort between Japan and United States.
Out of this world
First woman of color in space visits SIUE
TRENT STUART Alestle Reporter
The first woman of color to travel to space, Mae Jemison, visited SIUE March 16 to give a speech to a sold out audience of over 900 people in the Meridian Ballroom. Jemison’s speech, “Exploring the Frontiers of Science and Human Potential,” addressed the intersection between arts and sciences, how humans are able to pursue the extraordinary and how her most recent project, 100 Year Starship, may affect the human race. “I truly believe that by pursuing an extraordinary tomorrow, we create a better world today,” Jemison said. The speech was put on by the chemistry and physics departments and wrapped up the “Arts & Issues” series — a program that hosts a variety of speakers on various topics each year. Jemison, who grew up as a dancer, said both science and art can be applied to life simultane-
ously, and that we should not have to differentiate between being an intuitive or analytical person. “Science provides an understanding of a universal experience, and the arts provide a universal understanding of a personal experience,” Jemison said. Jemison then continued to talk about her project, 100 Year Starship. “100 Year Starship is about making sure that we have the capabilities for human travel beyond our solar system to another star within the next 100 years,” Jemison said. She proved how important space and space travel is to Earth by explaining how it helps us on an everyday basis through cell phones, Global Positioning Systems, MRIs and figuring out social issues such as climate change, along with other basic functions of the human race. “It’s an integral part of our lives, but we don’t see it that way so frequently,” Jemison said. Jemison also talked about what decisions and challenges her team is facing while working on
this project. She said the biggest issues are the distance and time it would take to travel out of our solar system. The Earth’s closest neighboring star is over four light-years away, which would take over 50 years to get to if they found a way to travel 10 to 20 percent of the speed of light. “It’s just a long way away, which pushes us to change what we do,” Jemison said. Once the team figures out how they are going to achieve this, it also needs to figure out what resources would be necessary to survive while traveling through space for such an extensive period of time. Jemison emphasized that the project can and should inspire people to be more inclusive of everyone on Earth and to encourage others to pursue the extraordinary to reach their full potential. “We have to see ourselves as earthlings in some kind of way, and we think space may do this. Even though on the face of it, it’s a mission to achieve human interstellar flight in 100 years, it’s real-
ly a journey designed to enhance life here on Earth,” Jemison said. Sophomore physics major Thomas Nigh, of Chatham, said he enjoyed Jemison’s perspective about the human race and the Earth. “It’s cool to think towards the future with space travel and how everyone could get involved with it,” Nigh said. Jemison said 100 Year Starship is not a backup plan in case something ever happens to the Earth. Instead, it is an action plan to not only develop ways to make interstellar travel possible, but also to make humans come together to realize how important leaving the solar system could be in the future. “Whatever it is you do, be out there, participate, think big and think about how we can include everyone in the bounty of this planet,” Jemison said. Contact TRENT STUART Call 650-3527 Tweet @tstuart_alestle Email tstuart@alestlelive.com
Pembrook visits Alton, addresses budget, travel ban MIRANDA LINTZENICH Alestle Reporter
Chancellor Randy Pembrook answered questions from members of the SIU community March 16, at the Alton School of Dental Medicine, regarding the budget crisis, the travel ban, student service problems and scheduling. Despite going 20 months without a state budget, Pembrook said he thinks SIUE will be OK. “I think where we are heading in the next two to three years, and
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looking back at everything that SIUE and you have done here, I think that we are in a very solid financial situation,” Pembrook said. “That doesn’t mean that we won’t have to do some kind of belt-tightening, because who knows what Springfield is going to do in the future.” Pembrook said everyone need to be ready to make adjustments, but don’t have to jump at anything in particular. “I’ll be honest with you — I think our sister institution in Carbondale is in a different situation,” Pembrook said. “So I think
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that when you see future conversations, I think you are going to hear about some real belt-tightening there.” With that, Pembrook strongly encouraged faculty and students to differentiate what is being said about SIUE and the SIU System in the future. One attendee asked a question addressing the travel bans how they would affect SIU students. Pembrook said the administration had meetings and tried to provide as much information as possible to both students and
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faculty affected when the ban was first put in place. “We tried to provide individuals that could help with legal issues and we provided information about what this means and what the policies are. We suggested not traveling outside the U.S. for international students for the short term,” Pembrook said. “As an institution and as a system, we signed on to several communications expressing our concern that this was not good policy.”
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