Alestle Vol 69. No.34

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Students break the traditional mold page 4

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vol. LXIX no. XXXIV

Calling for support in Springfield

Former SG members visit from capital, offer advice to senators MIRANDA LINTZENICH Alestle Reporter As elections and the semester come to a close, Student Government is preparing for the next school year and two SIUE 2016 alumni came to remind the senators of their role on campus.

Dillon Santoni, former student trustee, and Madeline McCune, former student body president, currently work as capitol staff members in Springfield. The pair wanted to encourage senators attending Advocacy Day on April 26, to stand up for their peers and advocate for not only the budget crisis, but also for other areas they have the ability to change.

Santoni suggested a better description of what the role of a senator stands for at SIUE, the idea of senator mentoring, what their power is capable of and for who they work. McCune suggested something she wishes would have been applied when she was in SG. “One thing that I would’ve wished we had focused on more as a group was understanding the process,” McCune said. “Congress is a process.”

That process entails going through a formal agenda and senator and executive reports, while speaking on topics that affect students at SIUE. Santoni did that by putting the budget situation in perspective for the senators.

“Illinois is in a pretty strange fiscal situation,” Santoni said.

“Since 2002, public institutions in Illinois have been appropriated

Left, former Student Trustee Dillon Santoni speaks during the Student Government meeting April 10, in the Goshen Lounge. He and former Student Body President Madeline McCune returned from Springfield to give insight to the senators about working in the capitol. | Allison Gregory / Alestle

21 percent less money than they were 15 years ago.”

With that, Santoni said statutory Monetary Award Program grant funding has been kept at the same monetary level. According to Santoni, the state appropriation has decreased, higher education has become more expensive over the years, and MAP grants have stayed at the same amount, leaving students with more financial burdens on their backs. “[At] the University in 1957, in its first year, tuition for 16 hours was 70 dollars,” Santoni

said. “With inflation, that is 607 dollars today. With fees, that is about 14 and a half percent times more today than it was then.”

According to Santoni, some of that makes sense when looking at SIUE’s growth.

“When we begin to consider fiscal situations that are happening not only in the state but furthermore happening nationally, it is kind of a trend that we have to be careful of,” Santoni said.

Vice President Ryan Johnson asked the pair about the Senate Bill 888 and their take on it. The

bill suggests letting community colleges in Illinois provide bachelor’s degrees in nursing to keep up with demand.

“The proponents of the argument say that in the large picture, the United States has a large demand for nurses, and in order to keep up with that demand of nurses, we need to have more institutions granting more degrees to have that,” Santoni said. “The other side of that is that, especially with the fiscal situation in Illinois, granting new four-year degrees creates a new cross barrier

to things.”

Santoni said a limitation is the accessibility of universities versus community colleges. Santoni also said he spoke to the dean of the School of Nursing, Laura Bernaix. She and others in similar positions are working on providing more partnerships to work on a solution to this problem.

When looking at the budget and senate bills that affect universities, Santoni stressed the importance of advocacy.

“You all are elected members of the body, and for those of you coming into new positions, that elected position is very important, and I believe that if student leaders aren’t engaged, then the motion slows down,” Santoni said.

Santoni said there were three things he wanted to leave the senators with — they must lead, understand that leading is a privilege and empower others around them.

In other business: • Johnson announced the resignation of Senator Cody Osborne due to dropping below full-time status, and the removal of Senator Austin Evans due to absences.

• The constitutional reviews for SIUE Student Action, Support the Girls, Beta Gamma Sigma and Sigma Tau Delta were all approved.

Contact MIRANDA LINTZENICH Call 650-3527 Tweet @mlintz_alestle Email mlintzenich@alestlelive.com

IN A FIELD OF HER OWN

Customizable program to see first graduate in May MIRANDA LINTZENICH Alestle Reporter With a demand for more jobs that require a blend of majors, the integrative studies program was started in 2015 to help students achieve two majors at once — the only catch is the focus areas have to already be offered at SIUE. “Integrative studies is one of our new programs that exists on both the undergraduate and graduate level,” director of integrative studies, Zenia Agustin said. “It allows a student to mesh two focus areas.

So basically, if you are a student who has interest in two different fields and you want to be able to get the background that integrates the two studies, then integrative studies is the way to go.”

This year, graduate student Megan Arnett, of Roxana, will be completing the program, making her the first one to get her Masters of Integrative Studies.

Agustin knows Arnett personally, and is the person to know if a student is wanting to choose this route.

“She is actually a double major,” Agustin said. “She is pursuing a graduate degree in sociology and also in integrative studies in sustainability. I guess she first started in sociology and she was getting close to the end of the degree when she learned about sustainability, then she took an interest in @thealestle

sustainability, and the interesting thing with integrative studies,” Agustin said. “Once I integrative studies is that she has the envi- have students who are interested, I have to ronmental studies part, which talks about help them develop their plan of study. You the different laws and policies.” can build your own program, so I facilitate Agustin said with sustainability, some- the process.” one could work with institutions to develAccording to Director of Graduate op a “Go Green” Education Tesinitiative, among sa Keyes, the other career opprogram is oftions. However, fered for underto understand graduates and what someone graduates.

For does with an integraduates, they grative studies decan either get a gree, there should master’s degree, be an understandor choose to get a ing of what the baccalaureate cerprogram is betificate. The cerforehand. tificate route was According only approved in to Agustin, the the fiscal year 16program is very 17. flexible. She looks “One of the at the academic nice things about background of the [post-baccaTESSA KEYES the student, what laureate] certifDirector of Graduate Education the interest of the icate is that stustudent is, and dents can choose what the goal is. Then she works with each to select courses within two different deof the programs to map out a viable cur- partments that work together to create their riculum. own personal goal,” Keyes said. “That goal “My role is to meet with students and can be professional, academic or a stepping basically to recruit students interested in stone into another degree, but it allows

“...it allows [students] to choose from the courses that we offer and we can design something truly unique to them.”

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[students] to choose from the courses that we offer and we can design something truly unique to them.”

Keyes said it give students an opportunity to stick their toe in the water. If a student doesn’t necessarily want to commit to graduate school, they can complete the 18 credit hour option of a post-bachelor’s degree, rather than complete the master’s, which requires 37 hours, according to Keyes.

“There are just so many diverse jobs out there now, and there are great opportunities out there now, especially within technologies and diversity playing a big role, and so much of that may pull from just two different areas,” Keyes said. “[We want to] make sure that a student gets the education that most suits their needs.”

Keyes said she wants students to know about the program, and that they would have to work within existing programs, but by earning the degree they are able to focus in on a particular topic.

“Most of the time you go to graduate school to focus in and narrow in on your profession,” Keyes said. “Integrative studies opens up a lot of possibilities, but you can still try to focus in on what you are trying to achieve.”

As of April 10, Agustin said there are 41 undergraduate and 10 graduate students in the program. alestlelive.com

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thursday, 04.13.17

Seeking refuge

International Institute assists in transition to the States TAYLOR FLEIG Alestle Reporter

Gary Broome, director of communications and marketing at the International Institute of St. Louis, conducts a lecture coverage of national and international refugees April 6, in Dunham Hall.

| Sam Kitchen / Alestle

National and international refugees were the focus of a lecture by Gary Broome, director of communications and marketing at the International Institute of St. Louis, April 6, in Dunham Hall. “[The International Institute of St. Louis] exists as a welcoming center to new Americans — which is our term for refugees and immigrants,” Broome said.

Broome is an active participant in the field of diversity and is active in the St. Louis community.

The International Institute started in 1919 has always aimed to support refugees.

“We are the refugees’ first point of contact once they flee their home country. When they come to us to escape, we are their first point of contact to learn English, computer skills, living skills and job skills. They are dependent on us for establishing a new life in here in St. Louis,” Broome said.

The program receives federal funding as well as corporate support to aid with helping the refugees.

“Diversity is key to everything we do at the International Institute. We are the only pro-

gram in St. Louis that helps refugees and immigrants,” Broome said.

The International Institute is one of 10 similar programs in the United States.

According to Broome, refugees help the economy rather than hindering it.

“Diversity has real economic benefits. There is strong economic evidence that refugees contribute to the economy. There’s a strong economic component to resettling immigrants,” Broome said.

The program raises money for the several processes that are involved in the resettling process.

The International Organization for Migration arranges travel for the refugees. Refugees are indebted to the United States government once they sign the required promissory note agreeing to pay back the travel expenses.

During their week of arrival, immigrants receive an orientation and an apartment located close to a bus station, so they can get to work easily.

During the second week, refugees apply for a Social Security card and Medicaid, as well as a health screening.

Lastly, they enroll into a school for classes to learn English as a second language and job

readiness skills. They also meet with a job specialist.

According to Broome, each of these parts within the immigration process are important to adjusting to the United States.

Since 1979, the International Institute has resettled 23,604 refugees.

Employees of the International Institute said there are many rewarding aspects of the job.

“I spent most of my career working at the St. Louis Regional Chamber of Commerce for 28 years and retired at 60. I had a heart for starting a new life for refugees, so I volunteered at the institute,” Broome said. “I then had an opportunity provided to me to join the team.”

The volunteers appreciate any help possible. According to Patrick McCue, AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer, despite the accusations of the media, the immigrants are nice people who need to be welcomed into the country.

“These are people, not statistics,” McCue said.

To volunteer for the program, visit the International Institute’s website at iistl.org.

Contact TAYLOR FLEIG Call 650-3527 Tweet @tfleig_alestle Email tfleig@alestlelive.com

International Studies Day combines culture, education KEEGAN GAUWITZ Alestle Reporter

The international studies program on campus hosted International Studies Day April 6, to highlight the positive impacts of immigration, international students and studying abroad, while panels presented information on international issues and careers in the field.

The twelve-hour event began at 9:30 a.m. April 6, with a variety of information booths set up by SIUE departments and programs, the Office of International Affairs and the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion.

Attendees browsed around the booths, asking questions and collecting information until the Key International Issues Panel began at 10 a.m.

The opening panel covered global issues pertaining to international trade, sustainability, communications and economic development, and lasted over an hour.

They were followed by a second panel of speakers providing information on international career possibilities for international studies majors. The panel included Robert Neus, diplomat in residence for the Midwest of the U.S. Department of State; Gary Landry, special agent for the Diplomatic Security Service; regional recruitment manager from City Year Eric Barbour; Joe Zucchini of the Peace Corps; and John Lewington from the World Affairs Council of St. Louis.

The members of the panel shared their experiences working in international studies as well as the requirements for reaching their respective positions within their field.

“There’s so many measurable advantages [of international studies] not only economic, but the growth of understanding other cultures. Growing awareness of other countries and other cultures is not a burden on us or our country, it’s an advantage. So to see students’ growing interest in the world outside our own borders is really encouraging and inspiring,” Zucchini said.

Following the panel for international careers was a screening of “Operación E”. The film told the story of Clara Rojas, a Colombian politician kidnapped by guerrillas, an independent group of Colombian rebels. The movie was followed by an American film, “Sold,” detailing the threat of sexual slavery in India.

The final demonstration, before the event concluded with an international trivia night, was an African Arts performance shown

by African Musical Arts, The Song of Africa Ensemble and IMI Chamber Players from St. Louis. The performance included African music, poetry and interpretive dances drawing from African musical traditions.

The event was directed by applied communications associate professor Sorin Nastasia, who was named director of international studies last July. The program began this January and already has 20 participants declared

for the major thanks to steadfast promotion from Nastiasia.

“I have tablecloths that I’ve bought. I have banners and posters that I have designed and printed to spread awareness throughout campus,” Nastasia said.

Nastasia’s Peck Hall office walls and shelves are covered with these promotional materials created to help the program get off to an active start in its first six months, and brochures for the event and program line his desk.

The event appeared to be an immediate success for the international studies program as Nastasia read an email from a counselor on campus, who shared the story of a student who attended the event before entering her office with “tears of happiness.”

The newly encouraged student told her counselor that the event confirmed that she was on the right path.

Nastasia said he was born into a family of teachers and has always had a passion for education. He said stories like this are what make the job worthwhile.

“It is the satisfaction of a job well-done,” Nastasia said.

Students can find more information regarding the international studies program on siue. edu/artsandsciences/internationalstudies/ or by contacting Nastasia at snastas@siue.edu.

Contact KEEGAN GAUWITZ Call 650-3527 Tweet @kgauwitzalestle Email kgauwitz@alestlelive.com

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thursday, 04.13.17

He got his start at SIUE. Thursday, he’ll be on NBC’s ‘Chicago Med.’ LEXI CORTES

Belleville News-Democrat 04.10.17 An officer issued a written warning for disobeying a stop sign on Circle Drive at North University Drive.

An officer took a report of a traffic accident in Lot B involving Illinois registered vehicle ZZ92537 and Illinois registered vehicle N697743. There were no injuries.

An officer took a report of suspicious activity that occurred on Snapchat.

04.08.17

An officer issued a scofflaw violation to Illinois registered vehicle Q217780 in Evergreen Lot. The vehicle was towed by Brown’s Towing.

An officer responded to 421 Cougar Village for an active fire alarm. The officer advised the alarm was caused by cooking. There was no smoke, fire or damage.

An officer responded to 517 Cougar Village for an active fire alarm. The officer advised they were unable to determine the cause of the alarm. There was no smoke, fire or damage.

An officer issued a written warning for disobeying a stop sign on Whiteside Road at South Circle Drive.

A sergeant advised Illinois registered vehicle S841050 was parked illegally in a handicap space at Bluff Hall. The sergeant issued a state citation to Miranda S. Gray for unauthorized handicap parking.

An officer responded to 417 Cougar Village regarding an active fire alarm. The officer advised the alarm was activated due to cooking. There was no smoke, fire or damage.

An officer issued a written warning for disobeying a stop sign on University Park Drive at Research Drive.

A sergeant responded to Bluff Hall regarding an RA calling and advising vehicles were parked illegally in the circle.

Brown’s Towing was notified, and Missouri registered vehicle SM5S2T was towed. At 1:15 p.m., a state citation was issued to Lindsey C. Williams for unauthorized handicap parking.

An officer issued a written warning for disobeying a stop sign on Whiteside Road at South Circle Drive.

A subject reported being a victim of a fictitious personal assistant job e-mail scam involving a fraudulent check.

An officer issued a written warning for speeding 38 mph in a 25 mph zone on North University Drive at P2 Road.

04.07.17

04.09.17

A male requested a welfare check on his brother since neither he nor his parents have heard from him since Friday morning. The subject’s vehicle was located in Lot E, but the subject was not in his office.

Officers located the subject in an office in Rendleman Building and he was fine.

An officer responded to 417 Cougar Village. The alarm was activated from cooking. The was no fire, smoke or damage.

An officer issued a written warning for disobeying a stop sign on South Circle Drive at Whiteside Road.

An officer issued a written warning for driving while using an electronic device on South University Drive at South Circle Drive.

An officer responded to Lot 4 regarding a road rage incident against South Dakota registered vehicle 52S847.

A subject reported she sold an item online and was paid with two fraudulent checks.

Bart Shatto has known he wanted to be an actor since he was 2. His dream was to be on TV and in movies.

On Thursday, the 52-year-old will appear in an episode of the NBC medical drama “Chicago Med.” But back when he was a college student at Western Illinois University, Shatto says he was “a little lost.”

“At Western, I was flunking out of classes because all I wanted to do was theater,” Shatto said.

He transferred to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and auditioned for a play right away. Shatto found mentors in dance and theater professors like Calvin Jarrell and William Grivna, who he said “gave me my big start.”

“SIU was really instrumental in helping me to go, ‘OK, this is what I want,’” Shatto said.

Jarrell remembers Shatto being a focused student with “gobs of talent.”

“That was clear from the beginning,” Jarrell said.

In addition to plays and musicals at school, Shatto said he was performing at Looking Glass Playhouse in Lebanon and The

Muny in St. Louis. Shatto lived in Belleville at the time, and said he worked as a cantor at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, too.

After three years at the Edwardsville university, Shatto said he left to start his career in St. Louis.

“It got the point to where I said, ‘I learned enough. I’m ready to start working,’” Shatto said.

Shatto has gone on to perform in Broadway musicals, but said he continued striving for a role on a TV show.

“My real dream was to be a TV actor,” Shatto said.

The “Chicago Med” episode in which Shatto plays the father of a patient who comes into the hospital will air at 8 p.m. Thursday. It’s titled “Generation Gap.” His character’s name is Stan Gallagher.

Shatto said working on the show was “absolute bliss.”

“Nobody ever looked at you like, ‘Oh, you’re just a Broadway actor. You’re just a stage actor.’”

Shatto said. “... It’s one of those experiences I’ll never forget.”

While he enjoyed the process, Shatto said it’s going to be difficult to see the episode premiere.

“I have a lot of trepidation about watching myself,” Shatto said. “... I told my wife, ‘I don’t

think I’m going to be in the room.’”

Jarrell, on the other hand, said he planned to tune in.

“As a professor of his, I’m just proud of his success and feel very humbled and grateful that he would even mention me,” Shatto said.

Shatto has also worked opposite Cuba Gooding Jr., in the 2015 film “Freedom,” which is available on Netflix.

“Chicago Med” is in its second season. Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf is the co-creator. Wolf is known for his roles as creator and executive producer of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

Shatto said he’d be happy to work on one of the other “Chicago” brands ­— “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.” or “Chicago Justice” — again.

His other plans for the future include finishing his theater degree.

“I would like to be the oldest guy at Juilliard,” or maybe Yale University,” Shatto said. “I will do it before I die. I will go back and get my degree in theater.”

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Rauner brings campaign to Metro East ahead of 2018 election

JOSEPH BUSTOS

Belleville News-Democrat As part of a two-day campaign-funded tour of the state, Gov. Bruce Rauner was scheduled to visit East Alton on Wednesday.

During his term as governor, Rauner has called for adopting a balanced budget, businessfriendly reforms as well as term limits for elected officials, a property freeze, among other things in order to grow the state’s economy.

Rauner, who was elected in 2014, put $50 million into his reelection campaign fund last year.

Rauner’s tour on Tuesday had him make visits to Bloomingdale, Rockford, Rock Island and Peoria. On Wednesday, he also was scheduled to visit Marion and Champaign.

The tour takes place as several Democrats have thrown their names into the hat for their party’s nomination to run for governor. The Democratic field now includes businessman Chris Kennedy, State Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston, Chicago Alderman Ameya Pawar, billionaire J.B. Pritzker, Madison County Regional Schools Superintendent Bob Daiber and small business owner Alex Paterakis of Vernon Hills. Also, state Rep. Scott Drury, of Highwood, said Monday he’s creating a campaign committee to explore a bid.

Pawar’s campaign this week was quick to pounce on the governor for campaigning as the budget impasse continues.

“Instead of working on passing a state budget that is now more than 21 months overdue, Gov. Rauner is out campaigning

in an attempt to distract us from the 22,000 seniors outside of Chicago who have lost access to services, the 130,000 lowincome college students who are not receiving tuition grants, the nearly 47,000 children whose parents are without affordable child care, and the 80,000 people who have lost access to mental health services in Illinois,” Pawar said in a news release.

A recent Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll of registered voters found 58 percent said they disapprove of Rauner. Roughly 61 percent of respondents said they disapprove of Democratic House Speaker Mike Madigan.

The same poll conducted in October showed Madigan’s disapproval rating at 63 percent and Rauner’s at 55 percent.

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N Traditonal O n students redefine what it means to be a Cougar

MIRANDA LINTZENICH Alestle Reporter When junior social work major Shirley Moore, of Edwardsville, first planned out her life, she didn’t expect to put school on hold. After graduating high school in 2009, she had to take five years off and wait to begin her education again in 2014.

Now with four children, life is challenging as a mom, full-time student and vice president of the Nontraditional Student Association.

“I got pregnant in high school, and it changed everything,” Moore said. “I went into a trade as a pediatric medical assistant for four years, but it wasn’t where my heart was. SIUE was where I had originally got accepted to, [so I decided to go here].”

Nontraditional students, like Moore, come in all forms and make up 14 percent of the SIUE population. For most, the general definition is meeting one of seven characteristics: delayed enrollment into postsecondary education; attends college part-time; works full-time; is financially independent for financial aid purposes; has dependents other than a spouse; is a single parent; or does not have a high school diploma, according to the American Asso-

ciation of State Colleges and Universities. “[Being a nontraditional student] is Senior finance major Rosetta Dinan, pretty difficult for numerous students,” of Highland, defined a nontraditional stu- Rodgers said. “They don’t offer too many dent as someone who is not dependent on programs. There is nothing specifically for their parents. Dinan, who has a son in col- nontraditional students.”

Dinan said she wants students at lege, used to be in clerical accounting, but has returned to school for more options — SIUE to realize there are other students who aren’t going through the typical colbut not without some difficulty. lege experi“You hit a ence. ceiling, and you “I would like “ D i hit that rate of versify your inflation,” Di[students] to view us study group, nan said. “You and don’t don’t have a study as college students as have it at buddy.

[Being well, and not as alien the dorm,” a nontraditional Dinan said. student] is very students.”

“You won’t lonely because find me at it’s hard to relate VIVIAN RODGERS the [Morris to traditional stuNontraditional Student Association President University dents’ lifestyles, Center] or and the expectathe dorms.” tions are just different.”

Rodgers said she wants other students President of the Nontraditional Student Association and junior psychology to see nontraditional students as individumajor Vivian Rodgers, of East St. Louis, als, and less as different.

“I would like [students] to view us as has worked hard to establish a place where college students as well, and not as alien nontraditional students can come to and students,” Rodgers said. “We pay the know there are other students with similar same student fees and tuition. Yes, I can life experiences.

go to the gym here. I would like there to be more acceptance than anything.”

Rodgers said she hopes SIUE can eventually have a set location that nontraditional students can come to and seek guidance. Until then, the Nontraditional Student Association, founded this past October, will provide help and a place to meet others.

“Many campuses have offices dedicated to nontraditional students, so I was surprised to see that we didn’t have that,” Rodgers said.

SIUE is working to make those changes in the coming years, and the Kimmel Student Involvement Center has a Pinterest board specifically for nontraditional students.

The association will be having a commencement ceremony recognizing eight graduating nontraditional students at 5 p.m. Friday, April 28, in the Hickory/ Hackberry Room.

To reach the Nontraditional Student Association, contact Rodgers at vrodger@ siue.edu, or find the association on Facebook.

Contact MIRANDA LINTZENICH Call 650-3527 Tweet @mlintz_alestle Email mlintzenich@alestlelive.com

Streaming vs. physical : The importance of buying music KENDRA MARTIN Alestle Managing Editor Recently, Jay-Z took his entire catalog of music off Spotify and Apple Music, leaving only his collaborative albums with R. Kelly and Linkin Park, his least critically acclaimed and successful albums. Ever since the launch of his own online streaming service, Tidal, in October, Jay-Z has gradually removed his music from streaming services, and even YouTube. Now, you will have to buy albums or use Tidal to listen to Jay-Z’s music.

Initially, this frustrated me — but looking

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back, I understand. I am a Spotify user, but I did have a Tidal account in order to listen to “The Blueprint” and “Reasonable Doubt.” I was frustrated that I was paying for two streaming services, so when I heard Jay-Z took his entire catalog off Apple Music and Spotify, I was livid. But this made me realize why buying music is so important.

Streaming is convenient; it is the new way we consume music, whether we like it or not. It has become a newer alternative to pirating music because at least some money goes to the artist.

I am a strong advocate of buying music. I usually listen to new music on Spotify — or Tidal if it is an exclusive — to see if I like it enough to purchase it. If I do, I will buy a CD, and even a vinyl because I love having physical copies. I recently did that with the new Joey Bada$$ album and even Syd’s new album that dropped a few months ago. I try to support music I genuinely enjoy.

However, when it comes to streaming, consumers have to understand that streaming is not enough for an artist to live off of. People were willing to buy albums in the eighties and nineties, so we should still be able to do that today. Streaming an album is not the same as going to the store or even buying an album on iTunes for $10. Artists only get a certain amount of money from streaming, and many artists have spoken out about the lack of revenue they get from streaming. That is why it is not enough to solely support an artist through streaming.

Jay-Z has every right to take his music off Spotify

and Apple Music if he wants — it’s his music. But this showed me we would not be having this problem if we did not solely rely on streaming. If you want to listen to Jay-Z’s music, suck it up and buy it so you can listen to it whenever you want.

There are many artists whose music I cannot stream and probably won’t be able to stream anytime soon because of either label issues or sample clearances — De La Soul’s catalog, Aaliyah’s last two albums, Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “The Main Ingredient” album, for example — so I took it upon myself to just buy them because it just makes the process easier.

All in all, streaming is great, but there are flaws. It is convenient, and it does save space on my phone by not filling it up with every single last song on my iTunes.

However, it is important to not rely on it because music can be taken off Tidal, Spotify and Apple Music at any time, and artists do not get paid enough solely off streaming. We have to start investing in art. Artists deserve to get paid for their art, and if you are a fan of an artist as much as you say you are, spend that $10 and support them.

Pressing play on their album on Spotify is not enough and never will be.

Contact KENDRA MARTIN Call 650-3527 Tweet @kmartin_alestle Email kmartin@alestlelive.com

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Let us know! opinion@alestlelive.com The Alestle Campus Box 1167 Edwardsville, Ill. 62026-1167 Letters to the Editor Policy: The editors, staff and publishers of the Alestle believe in the free exchange of ideas, concerns and opinions and will publish as many letters as possible.

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Our money, our choice

Attendence policies are juvenile The transition from high school to college is exciting. You hear stories and rumors from people who have successfully tackled their first year about the freedom of living on your own, and the time has finally come to experience it for yourself.

ALESTLE STAFF EDITORIAL In high school, you needed to a guardian call in if you were absent, and some high schools implement rules saying you can miss a few days of class and skip your finals as a senior.

But in college, you don’t need your parents to call you in.

It is your choice whether or not you want to get out of bed in the morning to go to class … or so you thought.

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The SIUE attendance policy states, “It is the responsibility of students to ascertain the policies of instructors with regard to absence from class, and to make arrangements satisfactory to instructors with regard to missed coursework.”

This means you could have one professor who gives you two unexcused absences a semester and one doesn’t take attendance at all.

The SIUE attendance policy should implement rules across the board, or not have attendance be taken into account at all. If the school chooses to not make a policy, then professors should be more understanding of students’ situations when they miss class.

If you went to a public high school, your parents didn’t pay for much more than lunch money and extracurricular activities,

yet you had to go every day. In college, you are paying thousands of dollars for classes, so you should be able to decide whether or not you want to show up to them.

While many professors have this mindset, others only allow you a few absences.

Teachers have heard every excuse in the book to not come to class, so some who do implement attendance policies barely accept any excused absences. How can teachers give you two excused absences a semester and expect that to be enough? If you get really sick, that’s going to extend longer than two days and your grade could drop a letter because of it.

College should be about what you learn, what you know and how much you study — not about the your absences.

Some instructors implement a policy in fear that students won’t show up for class, but the point of college is to learn responsibility. If students do not show up for class, it is on them, and if their grade suffers it is their fault.

Let’s be honest, college is difficult. Sometimes we all just need a break from the struggles of everyday life, but when we can’t miss class because our grade will drop, our mental health suffers.

Everyone needs a break sometimes, and with people being full-time students, working jobs and trying to have a social life, we should be allowed that every once in awhile.

READ MORE STAFF EDITORIALS AT ALESTLELIVE.COM

Night owls have no nest to study in With finals coming up, getting a conference room in the Student Success Center can feel like “World War Z” or perhaps the “Mean Girls” scene at the mall.

This is a plea to all coffee shops, libraries, open garages or any place with seating, really — please consider longer hours.

MIRANDA LINTZENICH Alestle Reporter The name Alestle is an acronym derived from the names of the three campus locations of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville: Alton, East St. Louis and Edwardsville.

| Illustration by Nicolle Patton / Alestle

Fortunately, with the newsroom, I’m one of the lucky ones. I can study on the couch for hours without being bothered, as long as it fits into the Morris University Center hours.

Sure, anyone can study in their dorm or at their house, but sometimes you just need to get away from the regular environment to focus. Unless you don’t

mind Steak ‘n Shake or Denny’s as late night study spot, the next best option is the Coffee Cartel in St. Louis.

I’m not saying St. Louis is unreasonable, and maybe pushing into the city could be better for us culturally, but when you only have a set amount of time pushed aside for cramming, the hour you lose driving can seem like an apocalypse.

So what can be done about this? SIUE could make an effort to delegate conference room times during finals week, or perhaps classrooms not being utilized could be reserved by study groups. I get it — longer hours means having to pay someone to run the area, and we are at a disadvantage due to the budget crisis, but having a 24-hour library isn’t out of the question.

I acknowledge that Lovejoy

is open 24-hours the week before and during finals, but one step in leaves you feeling like a sardine in a tin can. Students have no choice but to study in random areas outside offices in Rendleman or in the basement of Alumni. Perhaps longer hours throughout the semester would give students less of an excuse to push things off until the last minute, and would offer more opportunities.

Northwestern University’s library is open until 3 a.m. on weekends and SIUC’s library is open for an hour longer than Lovejoy. What does that say about our university?

I get we have to make cuts, and I should be happy we have at least one area that stays open 24

hours, but life is hard for a college student. Six conference rooms are not cutting it, and I don’t think I’m alone in thinking this.

Sure, students could just study during the day, but some of us have jobs, classes and activities that consume our schedules.

Squeezing in studying just isn’t feasible sometimes, and there should be a local area that recognizes that, outside of just during the week of finals.

alestlelive.com

thursday, 04.13.17

page 6

Latest Joey Bada$$ album raises the bar in hip-hop Joey Bada$$ has been creating waves in the hip-hop community — quite literally — since his highly-acclaimed single “Waves” dropped in 2012, prior to his debut mixtape “1999.” Since then, he has grown from a 16-year-old with a polished East Coast flow to a soulful staple in hip-hop’s hopeful future.

KEEGAN GAUWITZ Alestle Reporter Among the mainstream hype of Lil’ Whoever, Yung OneHit Wonder, and publicity-fueled “beef ” like that of 21 Savage and 22 Savage (yes, those are real people, involved in a real dispute), lyrical emcees have been cast underground in recent years. Many

critics claim hip-hop is dead, but I think listeners are to blame.

As the average attention span grows shorter, listeners have lost interest in the lyrical miracles of the ‘90s, while trap and pop music are topping the charts. With that, the days of 20-track mixtapes and albums fully stocked with WuTang-esque skits and static-filled landline voice mails have become scarce with most artists cutting their projects to 10 or 15 tracks.

Rap went trap, and trap went pop. Unfortunately for listeners, pop music relies more on sound than depth. Fortunately for 22 Savage and company, sound is easier to mimic than consciousness. Good artists often master one aspect — sound or depth.

The great artists — Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Kendrick Lamar — master

Words to Why inclusive feminism matters “Words to Empower”is a bi-weekly column about social issues regarding gender by Taylor Fleig.

When choosing our battles, it is almost always easier to focus on what affects us the most. This is why white, cisgender women are often accused of not practicing intersectional feminism. This matters because many women are unaware that they are being exclusive, and want to become better allies. People can be better allies to their diverse community by practicing intersectional feminism.

Intersectional feminism is a theory that centers around analyzing how forms of oppression often intersect, creating unique experiences of discrimination.

Recognizing that multiple aspects of our identity shape our lives and experiences is how we can recognize the different ways in which people are oppressed and marginalized.

We cannot prioritize one kind of oppression over another. While all women risk facing gendered violence, some women are far more at risk than others.

One misconception about intersectionality is that it encourages division and exclusion in the feminist movement. Instead, by including race, class, sexuality and other identity markers in feminist analysis, intersectional feminists are spreading the movement to reach all people.

One of the best ways to start practicing intersectional feminism is by investigating your own privilege. Moving beyond a theoretical understanding of feminism and actually considering how society treats people of different identities is vital.

If one does not put in the work to understand others, their feminism will not be intersectional.

Intersectionality demands feminists to discuss what they don’t understand. Modern feminism is not only about sexism and ending patriarchal structures, but also it is about ending all of the systems of oppression that affect different women.

Without intersectionality, it’s easy to center feminism around either our own experiences or the experiences of those who are the unaware of their privileges in society, which helps no one.

No matter what work you do or what your privileges are, take care to step back and educate yourself on issues that don’t affect you.

Pay attention when people speak to their experiences. Glossing over the issues faced by specific groups of women helps those who have the most privilege and visibility. Learning about issues that exist outside of what personally affects you is important.

Accepting others’ experiences and advocating for them will be appreciated.

Contact TAYLOR FLEIG Call 650-3527 Tweet @tfleig_alestle Email tfleig@alestlelive.com

both sides of the craft, and that’s what has transcended them to their level.

With the release of his second studio album Friday, “All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$,” Joey showed signs he was on the path to joining that list of greats. He juggled style and substance, speaking from the soul on the reality of racism and oppression in the United States while flaunting jazzy instrumentals and melodic vocal deliveries capable of captivating mainstream ears.

This balance is what hip-hop is about and what mainstream rap is missing. The ability to create a seamless project with pace and purpose sewed within every track is an art form that is growing more and more scarce as artists be-

gin to rely on singles to shoulder an entire project.

The album begins with slower-paced tracks, as Joey creeps into the issues plaguing our country.

As the story unfolds, his tone develops from concerned, innocent awareness to weariness within the first few tracks. That weariness churns into fed-up rage halfway through with the track “Y U Don’t Love Me? (Miss AmeriKKKa).” This is where Joey stops asking questions and begins demanding answers.

The album tells the story of generations of people exhausted from fighting the endless fight for civil equality. It tells the story of a young man realizing how the world works. The album tells a story — like hip-hop was intend-

ed to do. All the while, it remains catchy and pleasing to listen to — the balance for which more artists should strive.

Joey’s fearlessness in addressing social issues with such scope is something to be praised. It reaches for a standard that we as listeners have to start holding artists accountable for trying to obtain.

The listeners are responsible for allowing — or preventing — onehit artists to over-shadow emcees like Joey who continue to raise the bar higher for himself, his genre and the society around him.

Contact KEEGAN GAUWITZ Call 650-3527 Tweet @kgauwitz_alestle Email kgauwitz@alestlelive.com

Letter to the Editor:

Pro-LGBT court decision proves judicial overreach The odd, proLGBT decision just handed down by the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a perfect example of judicial overreach and irrational ideology trumping science, logic and natural law. (Thinking people from Plato on down have known for centuries that homosexual activity is immoral and a bad legal precedent, plus that homosexuality is an objective disorder.)

All the “arguments” the pro-LGBT judges had to back them up were logical fallacies, like Judge [Richard] Posner’s evolving-norms-callfor-a-change-in-interpretation-of-the-CivilRights-Act argument.

So I guess if society were becoming more racist, Judge Posner would decree that racist behavior is constitutional. Ridiculous.

The values of many proLGBT people are so upside-down and backwards they actually believe it’s OK to ignore the feelings of decent moral parents who don’t want their children to share restrooms with adult, sexually confused transgenders. In other words, many pro-LGBT people actually place the disordered feelings of transgenders above the feelings of normal people. Truly

bizarre.

And what kind of people believe in discriminating against and making criminals out of decent moral businesspeople who merely don’t want to cater to the “weddings” of heterophobic homosexuals? Could the answer possibly be “ignorant liberal bigots?”

[President Donald] Trump handily beat [Hillary] Clinton in part because a lot of decent moral people are getting really fed up with liberal judgmentalism,

liberal self-righteousness, liberal name-calling, liberal violence and hate, liberal intolerance, liberal bullying, liberal prejudices and liberal discrimination.

Liberals are showing us just how extreme and irrational they are, [and] how corrupt their values are. Let’s use that to really do a number on them in the next elections.

WAYNE LELA 630-964-4678

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 thursday, 04.13.17

sports

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page 7

Track teams take first at Gateway Classic

TRENT STUART Alestle Reporter

The SIUE track and field team came away from the SIUE Gateway Classic April 8, with a win for both the men’s and women’s teams, as well as personal bests across many events.

The Gateway Classic is the only home meet of the year, and half of the Cougars were able to finish the meet with a new personal best in at least one event.

The Cougars competed against two other teams — the Lindenwood University Lions and the Lincoln University Blue Tigers. For both the men’s and women’s teams, SIUE placed first, Lindenwood placed second, and Lincoln placed third.

Assistant Coach Joey Pacione said the performances at the meet gave him hope for the rest of the season.

“It’s nice to defend your home turf like that, and I walked away from the day really happy. I thought all the athletes competed really well, and it showed that when it comes time for conference, they should be ready to do as I hope,” Pacione said.

Sophomore jumper Nichyria Byrd walked away from the pit with yet another highlight by breaking her own school record she set the week before in the long jump.

Byrd also won the event with a jump of 6.25 meters, but with the wind taken into effect, it was not considered a legal jump. Pacione said her long jump performance was impressive, and that the 6.25-meter jump would have ranked her No. 20 in the nation.

“As a coach, there’s always multiple highlights, and whether your kid’s ranked 20th in the nation or 20th in the conference, if

Sophomore jumper Nichyria Byrd leaves the long-jump runway at the Cougars’ home meet April 8. Byrd left the meet breaking her own school record set just a week before.

| Lashai Spencer / Alestle

they do well for themselves, I’m still happy,” Pacione said.

By the end of the meet, the Cougars had recorded 16 personal bests.

Junior distance runner Haley Miller achieved personal bests in two events, the 1500-meter run and the 3000-meter run. Miller said the meet was a good tune-up

to prepare for the bigger meets and the conference meet in the upcoming weeks, and she had fun competing at home.

“We practice on that track

two or three days a week during the season, and I would say we’re really comfortable with our facility. Plus, all of our family and friends are there, so it makes it kind of more exciting,” Miller said.

Junior thrower Alec Dutton placed second and achieved another large personal best in the hammer throw, topping the personal best he had set the week before by 2.7 meters.

“It puts me in a position where if I can keep going at this rate, I would be able to qualify for regionals,” Dutton said.

A few others were also able to break their personal bests during the meet. Senior distance runner Keith Meyer broke the 4-minute mark in the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:59:79, sophomore thrower Nick Matthews placed second and achieved a personal best in discus, and junior hurdler Dalton Oakes achieved personal bests in both the 110 hurdles and the 400 hurdles events.

Pacione said this year’s home meet had similar results to home meets in the past due to the athletes’ mentality while competing at the facility with which they are familiar.

“I think being at home is what allows them the comfort and confidence to do [what they did] because they practice there every day, and they know what it’s like,” Pacione said.

For the rest of the season, however, the Cougars will be on the road. They will travel to Champaign next week to compete in the University of Illinois’ Illinois Twilight meet Saturday, April 22.

Contact TRENT STUART Call 650-3527 Tweet @tstuart_alestle Email tstuart@alestlelive.com

Cougars stay hot at home, win 2 against EKU KEEGAN GAUWITZ Alestle Reporter SIUE began their week with a 9-3 victory over the Western Illinois University Leathernecks, marking their tenth home win at the Simmons Complex this season.

Junior right-handed pitcher Brendan Miller earned the win for the Cougars, throwing five scoreless innings and allowing just two hits.

Miller relieved sophomore lefty Michael Shereyk and freshman right-handed pitcher Devin Colley, who combined for three scoreless innings. Left-handed redshirt freshman Brian Coulter relieved Colley, allowing three runs on three hits in the top of the ninth.

By then, the Cougars’ offense had already provided a ninerun cushion beginning with a fiverun third inning.

A foul ball that was blown back into fair territory started the rally for the Cougars, scoring one with two outs. A walk loaded the bags for the Cougars, and redshirt

senior third baseman Jordan Stading made the Leathernecks pay with a bases-clearing triple. Stading then scored on an error, giving SIUE a 5-0 lead.

Defensive lapses by the Leathernecks and an RBI-single from redshirt freshman center fielder Eric Giltz allowed SIUE to tack on two more runs in the fifth.

The Cougars added their final two runs in the sixth, scoring senior designated hitter Keaton Wright and redshirt junior first baseman Jared McCunn on groundouts.

The first game of a threegame conference series against the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels began Friday with an 11-2 win for the Cougars.

With productive offense and reliable pitching, the Cougars dominated from the get-go in Friday’s game, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning following a 2-RBI double by junior outfielder Dustin Woodcock, and an RBI-single by Stading.

In the third, the Cougars extended their lead with RBIs from sophomore catcher Brock

Weimer, junior outfielder Marty Brunk and Giltz.

“I made a couple small tweaks in my swing before the Belmont series. I’m feeling more comfortable and confident at the plate,” Giltz said.

Giltz went 5-12 with a triple and 4 RBIs in the weekend series.

Junior starting pitcher Nelson Martz allowed the Colonels only two runs in seven complete innings. Martz was relieved by redshirt junior Mike Miller and sophomore right-hander Tyler Hutchinson. Each threw a scoreless inning in Saturday’s game.

The Colonels jumped out to a two-run lead in the top of the first, but a strong recovery by junior starting pitcher Brock Fulkerson and steady bats produced the same result as the first game of the series as the Cougars blew past EKU 11-2.

Fulkerson went all nine innings for the Cougars, allowing four hits and striking out seven Colonel batters. “[Fulkerson] was mixing all three pitches and lived down in the zone … He gave up a two-

run homerun in the first, and just moved on and obviously pitched outstanding,” Head Coach Sean Lyons said.

Home runs from junior shortstop Mario Tursi, Weimer and McCunn led the Cougars’ offensive attack. Each tallied two hits on the day, while Giltz added three hits, including a triple as the Cougars went on to win big.

The series finale Sunday was a high-scoring hitters’ duel. Eastern Kentucky came out on top, totaling 20 hits as they went on to defeat the Cougars 17-9 wrapping up the series.

The Cougars dominated the first three innings of play, putting up seven runs behind solo home runs from Wright in the first and second innings. Woodcock doubled twice, driving in a run in the first for the Cougars.

Woodcock ended the series 8-11 with six doubles, a homerun and four RBIs. He added a defensive highlight, robbing a would-be homerun from EKU slugger Ben Fisher, who finished the weekend with two homers. “[Woodcock] works very

hard in practice to make sure his swing is feeling right. I think it’s one of those points right now where he feels really comfortable and confident in the box, and the results are showing,” Lyons said.

“He made a phenomenal catch in right field yesterday. The timing of his leap couldn’t have been any better.”

A seven-run fourth inning gave the Colonels a lead that they would continue to build. Eastern Kentucky hit four home runs against five Cougar pitchers.

Sophomore Danny Ehrsam made the start for SIUE, throwing three and one-third innings, allowing seven hits and seven runs. Junior right-hander Tristan Walters relieved Ehrsam and inherited the loss.

The Cougars travel to Kentucky this weekend for another conference series at Morehead State. The series begins at 4 p.m. today, April 13.

Contact KEEGAN GAUWITZ Call 650-3527 Tweet @kgauwitzalestle Email kgauwitz@alestlelive.com