The Alestle Vol. 76, No. 27

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

FRANCESCA BOSTON

lifestyles editor

SIUE will require health insurance for all students starting Fall 2023, with an additional $1,200 fee for students who do not have their own health insurance. A waiver process is available for students with preexisting health insurance.

Michael Schultz, public health response coordinator, said many state schools in Illinois have required insurance for many years, and SIUE has always required health insurance for international students. Schultz said the school has increasingly found that students who aren’t previously covered have needed health insurance.

“What we found was that there were situations where stu-

dents would run into a medical emergency and have no insurance and they would have to drop out of school because they had no way of paying for it,” Schultz said. Schultz said health insurance will only be required for full-time students taking 12 or more hours and taking at least one class on campus. He said if students are fully on-

line, they will have access to the insurance, but it is not required. The policy states the definition of “full time students” varies by student population. For undergraduates, pharmacy and dental students in the fall/spring semesters must take at least 12 hours, graduate students at least nine hours and graduate assistants at

least six hours.

The waiver process, which Schultz said will begin in midJune, will allow students to submit proof of insurance in order to remove the insurance cost from their fall 2023 bill.

“If a student doesn’t want to see it on their bill and [it] is not included in their first installment payment, they can submit their insurance by, probably, the third week of June,” Schultz said.

International students have always been required to have health insurance at SIUE. Fatimot Onanusi, an international student from Nigeria and former vice president of Student Government, said international students have found the cost of the health insurance to be a burden, and brought the issue to administration in the fall semester. She

said they responded with the new mandatory plan for everyone which actually raised the price of the health insurance for international students.

“I understand why they had to do it, and I believe that everyone should have access to health insurance, but it is a bit frustrating to bring an issue to the attention of administration, and in response, they make it worse,” Onanusi said.

Onanusi said the price will increase by several hundred dollars for international students and drop by several hundred for domestic students who may have used the insurance provided by SIUE this year.

For more information see SIUE Policies and Procedures Mandatory Health Insurance Policy 4C5, or Health Services website.

Union negotiations remain unsuccessful, all of campus may face consequences

BRUCE DARNELL sports editor CHLOE WOLFE photographer DYLAN HEMBROUGH reporter

Unions across campus believe that as the university continues to refuse their demands in contract negotiations, students will start to see drastic effects.

Many of the unions that are still negotiating have been since the beginning of the semester. Most feel university administrators have not been listening to them.

The faculty, the clerical workers and the building service workers’ unions are seeking pay raises. Some, like the building service workers, have also sought better maternity leave than the federal minimum.

The food service workers’ union were able to secure a new contract, like SIUE’s academic advisors earlier this year.

When asked for a comment, Chancellor James Minor and Beverly Bevineau, assistant director of labor and employee relations, did not reply directly. Kedra Tolson, executive director of marketing and communications and administration spokesperson, responded via email on behalf of the university regarding the egotiation process.

“We will not comment on

the details of ongoing contract negotiations,” administration spokesperson Kedra Tolson said in an email. “However, the university will continue to negotiate in good faith while maintaining our commitment to affordability and accessibility for the region’s students.”

FACULTY AND STAFF FIGHT FOR MORE FUNDING AND HIGHER PAY

Ed Navarre, president of SIUE Faculty Association, gave a speech after negotiating on April 13 to a crowd of faculty members and students protesting outside Rendleman Hall.

“We’ve heard back on workload, salary and other details,” Navarre said. “We’re still working on some of the details, but we disagree on some aspects of what they’re saying … [The new] proposal doesn’t make us enthusiastic.”

Navarre said there is still a sense of a contingent salary, which means that salary increases may become dependent on enrollment — which the university has proposed — instead of being linked to cost of living or merit. Navarre said this may cause issues as faculty have no control over how many people are enrolled at campus.

“The best they could offer [is increases based on] if we met all the maximum enrollment increases this coming year and the following two years — about 600 additional students than what we saw this last fall,” Navarre said. “[That] would get us about a 9.5

percent increase over four years, which barely addresses the inflation we face today.”

Academic institutions across the United States are seeing more unions organizing on campus in the face of rising inflation coupled with low wages. Navarre mentioned multiple institutions, one of which was Eastern Illinois University, where faculty went on strike earlier this month.

“All those institutions demonstrated collective action, what [the crowd is] doing here by showing up and being a member of the faculty association, and

they were able to demand a fair contract,” Navarre said. “Not all of them went on strike. That’s not necessarily all that there is to do – some of them did – but all of them benefited from having their faculty join together during negotiation.”

Departments such as geology, anthropology, English, mass communications and music have lost teaching assistants due to lack of funding.

One student at the protest was Joshua Last, a freshman in the music program. He said he learned about it from his music

theory professor, Kim Archer. Archer is also the former president of the SIUE Faculty Association “So [Archer] told us this morning that they needed as many bodies as they could get,” Last said. “And she told us all what was happening, the same stats that she’s said up there [in the speech]. It just sucks because we know a lot of the TAs in the jazz department, they help out a lot. They teach our primary ensemble class. It’s taught almost 100 percent by grad students, and

see UNION on page 3

“

Now students will be able to not have to pay for [the mandatory health insurance], if they have already covered under a health insurance policy.”

Michael Schultz Public Health Response Coordinator

Rebecca Halford, a BSW, holds her newborn baby surrounded by other BSWs holding up signs. Halford had to come back to work soon after a traumatic birth followed by 7 1/2 weeks in the NICU because she ran out of FMLA time.

| Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

Student Government results ratified, new positions sworn in

After a second election was held for student government president and vice president, SIUE finally has a new senate and leaders for the upcoming summer and new year.

Mackenzie Richards was sworn in Monday night as president and Jared Jess, who was not her running mate, was sworn in as vice president. Juan Pizano, who had been running for vice president alongside Richards stepped down from the running shortly before the results were announced last week due to scheduling conflicts, according to Richards.

Richards and Jess said they are optimistic about the new year, and have already been in conversation about how to navigate the unexpected partnership.

04.18.23

A bicycle was stolen from the Prairie Hall bike rack. The bicycle was found at a different rack.

A report was made of an individual using excessive profanity in the SIUE Credit Union lobby. When the officer arrived, the individual had left.

A parking pass stolen from a vehicle in Parking Lot A7 on the Alton campus.

04.19.23

A wallet was found in Parking Lot A.

04.20.23

A traffic accident was reported in Parking Lot B.

A ring was found in Founders Hall. The fire alarm in Prairie Hall was activated due to an unknown reason. No smoke, fire or damage was reported and the Edwardsville Fire Department cleared the scene.

04.21.23

The fire alarm in Prairie Hall was activated due to an unknown reason. No smoke, fire or damage was reported and the Edwardsville Fire Department cleared the scene.

04.22.23

A wallet was found in the MUC.

A debit card was found on the 500 side of Cougar Village.

04.24.23

A debit card was found in the MUC.

ACCESS broadens support for deaf community by adding ASL interpreters

WINTER RACINE photographer

SIUE has developed comprehensive deaf services, despite a national shortage of American Sign Language interpreters in higher education.

“According to the National Deaf Center, 53 percent of deaf and hard of hearing students say that disability services offices aren’t listening to them and their feedback,” director of ACCESS Dominic Dorsey said. “With us hiring staff interpreters, we’re actually taking all of that information into account.”

Dorsey said that he wants SIUE to be a college where students who are deaf or hardof-hearing feel welcomed and included intentionally, and not just invited to attend, but actually are engaged with and are looked at as a valued member of the community.

“These are things that we’ve done in small doses with having contracted interpreters, but that’s reactive. With this approach we’re being proactive,” Dorsey said. “Having staff interpreters allows us to be a bit more intentional in terms of actually scoping out what Deaf Services looks like for the average college student.”

The National Deaf Center reports that colleges and universi-

ties nationwide are encountering growing challenges in delivering support services to students who are deaf. This challenge is attributable to a shortage of trained ASL interpreters.

According to Dorsey, interpreters can be requested via the ACCESS website. They are available for classes, events with keynote speakers, open access events, and more.

ASL interpreter Taylor Bodenbach said that having staff interpreters is important because it provides stability for deaf or hard-of-hearing consumers.

“We can’t get jobs covered. Deaf people are going without access,” Bodenbach said. “To provide consistency for deaf consumers, it’s important to have someone available.”

Bodenbach said that the overall goal of Deaf Services is to make sure that the deaf community feels that they are equal to their peers, and that they are given the same experience as everyone else at SIUE.

“A lot of times I think deaf and hard of hearing students feel like they are just present, but they’re not fully included,” Bodenbach said. “The goal is to

take down any barriers and give them access to whatever they want to be a part of, to empower them to engage with their peers, to empower them to get involved and enjoy their time here.”

ASL interpreter Amy Miller said that the decision to add staff interpreters is a good step toward inclusivity on campus.

“Any time there’s a need for something to be accessible, SIUE is ready to make that happen,” Miller said. “Our focus in the ACCESS office is to break down any barrier that any student who happens to be deaf has before they even get here.”

Miller said that by introducing staff interpreters ACCESS can extend its services to individuals who are frequently marginalized and offer them a greater sense of freedom.

“We’re trying to create a learning environment that is inclusive,” Miller said. “This is a culture that can be so enriching to everyone and not just the deaf community.”

Miller said that thanks to the addition of staff interpreters, interpreted performances will be available on the Friday night theater shows in both Metcalf and Dunham.

… the jazz department will be sorely missing them.”

Brian Henderson, an associate professor in the English department as well as secretary of the faculty union, said his department is struggling from a lack of assistants.

“Right now, we have teaching assistants who were with us last year, and [the university] told us, ‘We could not guarantee that they would have a second year of their assistantship,’” Henderson said. “We’ve always given them two years … but a student who’s already here now loses that. And, in my experience, a lot of graduate students are not independently wealthy. So, we’re playing games in some serious ways with their lives.”

Henderson said that losing assistantships would impact the English department in a powerful way, since the workload is now being offloaded to fewer people.

“We teach the first-year writing courses, which are some of the most taught on campus,” Henderson said. “And so our scheduling becomes more challenging, and [the university] hasn’t been replacing tenure track faculty. So, we have to hire non-tenure track faculty, who then get paid less. The university seems to be on a path to create the most exploitative system that harms both the faculty and students.”

Henderson also said that one of the things he would like to see is a transparent budget, which would show accurate data and expenses of the university, as well as an itemized budget for proposed expenses.

“Without that, I’m skeptical that we’re in any kind of budget shortfall,” Henderson said. “They’re claiming that we don’t have money, but when I look at the SIU system budget that’s officially published, it says we’re fine. So, there seems to be a disconnect between public information and what the SIUE administration is telling us.”

Anthropology Instructor Michele Lorenzini said the lack of funding means that classes will start to get bigger, and instructors will not be able to maintain the close relationship between them and students. She also said this makes it difficult to maintain correspondence with students.

“If I’ve got 200 students in a semester, that’s going to make it a lot more difficult for me to know who you are [and] what your situation is,” Lorenzini said. “If you email me back two weeks later go-

ing, ‘Hey, do you remember when I emailed you about …,’ [I have to] go dig through all my emails and refresh my brain and then get back into the conversation.”

“So, as our student enrollments are increasing, because there aren’t enough teachers, you guys aren’t getting the time that you should get,” Lorenzini added.

Navarre said that while things are certainly slow and frustrating, he does see some progress being made in negotiations.

“What was offered today tells me that there’s some kind of willingness to keep negotiating,” Navarre said. “But there’s a great distance to go in terms of getting a proposal that, if it needs to be contingent, is something that the faculty have control over or is practical.”

The turnout on April 13 was heartening to Navarre, as it shows that the process of bargaining represents real people who are affected by the outcome.

“I’m very thankful to students for showing up,” Navarre said. “This is an issue that affects both students and faculty, and I’ve tried to talk to students. In the fall, we had an event to talk to students about how inflation affects them, and every one of them immediately recognizes that it affects faculty too.”

BSWs STRUGGLE TO DEAL WITH INCREASING CAMPUS SIZE AT MINIMUM WAGE

Building service workers, the staff who maintain cleanliness of buildings, are also negotiating their contract.

Anthony Fearon is the president of AFSCME Union 2232, which is currently negotiating the building service workers contract. They picketed on April 18 in front of Rendleman Hall to call attention to what they are hoping to accomplish.

Their demands include more competitive pay, starting new workers above minimum wage. They are also pushing for more maternity and paternity leave than guaranteed by the federal Family Medical Leave Act, which only guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid time off.

“When I started in 2017, I was making $11.79 an hour, and that was a decent wage back then,” Fearon said. “That was better than minimum wage. Minimum wage was $8.25. Now, minimum wage is $13, and the lowest wage that people are getting here is $13. I get the perception that people want to pay janitors less, but our

jobs aren’t just cleaning. Even if it was, we still deserve to make a livable wage. It’s a very physical job.”

The BSWs also set up events, do pest control and maintain the buildings on campus.

Rebecca Halford, the treasurer of Union 2232, is a building service worker who recently had a baby. She had to take time off due to sickness during her pregnancy, which resulted in a C-section. According to Halford, she and her baby had to stay in the NICU for seven and a half weeks. Due to the fact that she ran out of FMLA time, she had to come back, otherwise she said she would have lost her job.

In 2019, the building service workers’ starting wage was nearly $4 higher than minimum wage. In 2023, new workers will start at Illinois’ minimum wage of $13.

Due to this, Fearon said they are losing workers at a fast rate, and the remaining BSWs are having to pick up the work of multiple people. From January 2022 to January 2023, Facilities Management lost 16 building service workers and only hired two to replace them, one of which was a returning worker, according to Tyler Waters, the vice president of union 2232.

“We were at approximately the same staffing level as we were in the year 2000,” Waters said. “And there is over 600,000 additional square feet to cover today because of all the extra buildings. We can’t do it. We try to run ourselves ragged for extra money [doing overtime work], and we can’t cover.”

Understaffing of building service workers does not just affect them — it affects everyone on campus and even recruitment. Liz Weeks, a building service worker, is one of those who cleans multiple buildings.

“I had a coach tell me today they’re bringing new students in to possibly recruit them, and, when they’re walking around the buildings, the buildings are sometimes a disaster,” Weeks said. “We don’t have the people we need to keep them up. There are some times I’ve gone to four different buildings during the day, just because there’s nobody to do it.”

As the building service workers continue their negotiations, they have not been successful in receiving any of their demands.

Tyler Toussaint, the vice president of AFSCME Local 2232, de-

scribed one of these meetings.

“On April 10, we approached the bargaining table expecting some sort of progression towards a competitive wage solution for our demands,” Toussaint said. “When we showed up, [Human Resources] was late to the meeting.”

Toussaint said that when Human Resources did show up, they didn’t have anything to offer saying that they were still waiting on a specific communication applying to an aspect of the negotiations. After leaving the meeting, the union sought federal mediation.

Despite the fact that a federal mediator will cost the union thousands, union leaders said that it’s necessary because they do not believe the university is listening.

“What we’re trying to add is an outside voice that has no stake in the negotiations to see how reasonable our position is and how unreasonable theirs is,” Fearon said.

Despite all the troubles they are facing at SIUE, many building service workers still do not want to leave.

“We’re here to serve the students, faculty and visitors,” Fearon said. “The school matters to me. My kid’s a junior here. I care what happens here, and, you know, a lot of us care.”

FOOD SERVICE CONTRACT SETTLED, UNION REP. SAYS ALL NEEDS HAVE BEEN MET

Food service is one of the few unions that, as of now, has settled with the university regarding a contract.

Eugene Luster, one of three union representatives of SEIU Local 73, said they settled in January after being in negotiations since September. He said all their needs were met.

Luster said they received a pay raise as well as more money on their meal plan, and now they have to use less sick days for extended sick leave compared to before.

Sick days are earned each pay period in the form of half a day. Similar to the meal plans for on-campus students, food service workers receive a meal stipend to be used at the university.

CLERICAL WORKER UNION HOPES FOR HIGHER PAY, MORE RESPECT

While many workers at SIUE have been forced to take on higher workloads, one of the hardest-hit

groups has been clerical workers.

Julie LaTempt-Brazier, president of AFSCME Local 2887, said her job at SIUE is often overwhelming. In addition to organizing plays and productions as secretary of the Department of Theater and Dance, LaTempt-Brazier has to order textbooks, enter class information and oversee the creation and adjustment of contracts.

“You have to be the queen of multitasking,” LaTempt-Brazier said. “There’s so many different things that go on all at once. And I’m in the process of doing 50 different contracts.”

LaTempt-Brazier also said that it has been difficult to find people to train in her department, which she also said has shrunk considerably.

“When I was here years ago, an office used to consist of two to three office [workers],” LaTempt-Brazier said. “Now they say each department will only have one office worker. So, if I get up and leave, no one knows how to do my job. They don’t know what we do, and it’s too much. It’s overwhelming. They couldn’t sit down in the chair and do what we do.”

Despite cutting the number of workers, LaTempt-Brazier said SIUE is also failing to keep up with the increasing minimum wage in Illinois. The Illinois minimum wage is currently $13 per hour, and will increase until it reaches $15 per hour in 2025.

“This January, we had three employees that were below minimum wage, and they had to bring them up a little bit,” LaTempt-Brazier said. “It’s kind of hard, because it seems like they’re trying to take away benefits instead of helping us make this a great place to work.”

LaTempt-Brazier said she continues to work for the university because of her personal connection to it. As a graduate of SIUE, she said she does not want to leave for a new job, but will if her wages are not livable.

“I can leave this university tomorrow and go within the town of Edwardsville and get an office manager job for $15,000 to $20,000 more than what I’m making with less responsibilities,” LaTempt-Brazier said. “And what keeps me here? I love this university. I am a graduate of this university. I love this place. I don’t want to have to leave it, but I will if I have to.”

Anthropology chair Julie Zimmermann holds up a sign at the informational picket held Thursday April 13 while talking with Mark Poepsel. | Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

With finals upcoming and students graduating, The Alestle staff took it upon themselves to find the Tex-Mex place to celebrate with your friends and family. From queso to tacos, and following a few simple guidelines of taste, appearance and price, we rated eight local restaurant to find your best fit.

Taqueria Maya offers classics and experimental dishes

Taqueria Maya offers the classics, but I went for something different this time: birria ramen.

To clarify, I’ve been to Taqueria Maya a few times, so I can also vouch for some of the classics. For example, they make a pretty good taco. This time I mixed it up and went for a very different option, and I was not left disappointed.

Before the birria ramen, I ordered some guacamole with my chips, which was pretty enjoyable. It had a nice, fresh taste to it.

The texture of the birria ramen was impeccable. The meat had just the right level of tenderness, and so did the noodles. The hard-boiled eggs added a nice touch, though generally I feel soft boiling is better for the sake of ramen.

I think the broth could have been a bit more flavorful, but I’m not disappointed. It had a nice savoriness to it, but was altogether very mild; I hoped for a bit more spice.

I spent about $15 on the ramen and $5 on the guacamole, which isn’t a bad price for either. It wasn’t the best meal I’ve had at Taqueria Maya, but I’d still recommend it for those trying to mix it up.

El Maguey is a great spot if you have no where else to be

AUDREY O’RENIC copy editor

El Maguey in Edwardsville serves as a popular dinner spot for SIUE students, and with popularity comes longer wait times.

Once seated, I ordered a lunch special that came with one taco, one cheese quesadilla and a side of Mexican rice. My server took my order by ear and didn’t write it down. So when the time came for me to eat, there was bound to be some error.

When my food arrived, I was mistakenly given a steak quesadilla. They apologized and returned to the kitchen after I kindly corrected them. Once they came back, they gave me the same steak quesadilla — only this time, it was drenched in a thick layer of queso. The server returned to the kitchen again, and meanwhile, my taco

and fried rice had been sitting on the table, untouched. Finally, after about 15 minutes, I had my plain cheese quesadilla.

Because I had to take a photo of the full meal for this review, I had to wait that full 15 minutes before I could touch the rice, and when I did, it was cold. Despite this, it tasted delicious — a blend of tangy and savory flavors topped with tomato and onion. The taco, thankfully, was still warm. The crunch of the taco shell and lettuce perfectly balances with the juicy, sweet beef. There was nothing too special about the quesadilla, and I wish I would’ve taken the steak quesadilla in the first place and given it to a family member at home.

For a total of $12.12 including tip, El Maguey is a great place to get a meal with friends, if only you have nowhere else to be afterward.

La Casa is great food but can be very busy on the weekend

ELIZABETH DONALD copy editor

La Casa Mexicana has a wide menu of the kind of restaurant Mexican food we’ve all come to love, but you might pick a less busy time to go.

We visited La Casa Mexicana on a Sunday at lunchtime, and the servers were speeding about at a high pace. No one could argue they weren’t working hard, but it was pretty difficult to flag them down for soda and chip refills.

And we needed those refills, as both the mild queso and guacamole we ordered as appetizers were delicious and flavorful. I usually require a chunky, chewable guac and my husband prefers very spicy queso and salsa, but these were terrific enough that we were happy outside our usual preferences.

We both ordered beef chimichangas, which come with a platter of rice, beans and a square of sweet cornbread. Again we ran into the crowd issue – the server misheard my husband and brought us both the lunch plates when my husband ordered the full size. We didn’t mention it, though, because the place was so busy and the servers so rushed that it seemed futile. The chimichanga was delicious, though the lunch size will be a bit small for husband-sized appetites, and if you want guacamole on your chimichanga you’ll need to order it special.

Entrees start at $12 and some items run as high as $20, so it’s not quite as cheap as a college student budget might prefer.

I’d definitely recommend it as solid mid-range Mexican fare – but not on a Sunday.

EMILY STERZINGER editor-in-chief

I Emily Sterzinger / The Alestle

I Audrey O’Renic / The Alestle I Elizabeth Donald / The Alestle

Viva la Fiesta ensures a high-quality meal for a bargain price

DYLAN HEMBROUGH reporter

Viva la Fiesta is truly a gem within Edwardsville, and something that anyone who likes Mexican food should experience.

I decided to go with the classic order of three tacos as my main dish, and not only were they brought out quickly, but they were presented well and tasted even better. I get the soft-shell beef tacos there, and the standard taco comes topped with lettuce and cheese. One thing I have always loved about their tacos is the simultaneous warmth of the beef and coldness of the cheese and lettuce — it truly makes for a

dynamic dinner. After the tacos, I decided to try a dessert I had never had before: flan. Milk, eggs, and sugar come together to make the sweet delight that is flan, topped with caramel for good measure. If you have a sweet tooth, this is the perfect dessert for you. My only qualm with the flan was that it made my Mountain Dew taste like water after the amount of sugar I ingested.

I love every visit to Viva la Fiesta, not only are the servers friendly and accommodating, but the atmosphere is just perfect for a relaxing night out. I generally don’t give a rating of 15/15, but Viva deserves that honor.

Oaxaca is the best local go-to spot for good, classic tacos

GABRIEL BRADY managing editor

Despite a somewhat funny realization about the menu, Oaxaca proved to be a great spot for tacos near campus.

To help my fellow uneducated English speakers with pronunciation, a few times on the menu, the name of the restaurant is misspelled. Instead of “Enchiladas Oaxaca,” the menu says “Enchiladas Wahaka.”

I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t order single tacos of each kind, and could only go for three of one kind. I settled for an order of tacos al pastor, which is marinated pork, pineapple and the

Chava’s

taco classics, cilantro and onion. Tacos al pastor often come with a bit of the marinade from the pork on the side. The pineapple was in fairly big pieces, but I didn’t mind. The pork was a bit tough, but that’s par for the course with marinated meats. For $11, each taco individually was about $3.60, which is reasonable, but a touch more than expected

My biggest gripe was one tortilla per taco. I’ve been to other restaurants that put a second tortilla beneath the first, as a sort of reserve for when one inevitably falls apart. I think fighting to keep those tortillas together was well worth it, considering the flavor.

NICOLE BOYD opinion editor

Fried tacos are hard to come by in Edwardsville. That’s why I was so excited to try Chava’s tacos fritos con frijoles, or fried tacos with beans. They didn’t disappoint.

The meal came with two tacos filled with refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and a sprinkle of cheese, served with a side of rice. It came out to be around $9.

The tacos were absolutely deli-

cious. They weren’t too oily or soft, although I would have preferred them to be just a bit crispier.

The beans and toppings had great flavor, albeit a little lacking in spice. I could even see the marks where toothpicks held the shells together to be fried all the way at the top, to get as much filling in as possible.

In addition to the tacos, Chava’s chips and salsa are notably good. Their salsa is made with large chunks of tomatoes and cilantro, which I personally really like.

La Fonda’s Mexican food was deliciously authentic

JANA HAMADE copy editor

The restaurant, located in a strip mall in Edwardsville, is unfortunately nestled in an easy-to-miss spot. I had been to that area many times before but had never noticed the place, and I was very glad that I got the chance to try it.

To start, we were served chips and salsa, which both tasted very fresh. The chips were warm, and the salsa did not come out of a jar. I did need to add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to it to give it a bit more depth of flavor. For our main courses, we ordered a mixed platter of an enchilada and chimichanga, as well as a chicken and steak fajitas

plate. Both dishes came with beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce and pico de gallo.

My fajita was brought out on a sizzling skillet and smelled delicious. It came with three tortillas that could be used to make your own mini tacos. The portion size was extremely generous, and everything was cooked perfectly. The Mexican rice had some veggies in it, which you don’t see often but were a great touch, and the sides all tasted delicious. The main menu prices were already not bad at all, ranging from around $11-$15.

Overall, I had a great experience at La Fonda’s, where every box was checked: great service, delicious food and a fun atmosphere.

Taqueria Z has the best Mexican street food in the area

UDIT NALUKAKA photographer

Options at Taqueria Z are impressive, at really good price.

The burrito, taco, quesadilla and chaco all are served with limited yet filling options. The sides are adequate. The seating plan is that of an outdoor cabin, and music playing in the back, to be honest, I like outdoor seating.

They have three types of meat: chicken, pork and beef. Mushroom and tuna are also offered as fillings. Salsa comes in three variants: mild, hot and extra hot.

I got a quesadilla with chicken and salsa to go as my first order. The flour tortilla was stove made, filled with cheese and seasoned with onion, cilantro and lime. The

salsa which I ordered was extra hot, and it turned out to be an excellent option. The $11.50 price was reasonable. The quesadilla is a little greasier from normal, but it made sense as the menu was all street food. I also got tacos with chicken, Mexican rice and tortilla chips on the side. I felt the rice was a little undercooked, but the corn tortilla and everything else was great. The quesadilla and taco are both served with onion, cilantro and lime seasoning, all of which, for six dollars, is affordable for college students. The house margarita with salt rim was best for sunny days to come.

In my opinion, this will be a perfect place to taste Mexican street food in the heart of downtown Edwardsville. Overall, it is an experience that makes food taste much better.

I Jana Hamade / The Alestle

I Dylan Hembrough / The Alestle

fried bean tacos are fresh, authentic and filling

I Nicole Boyd / The Alestle

I Gabriel Brady / The Alestle

Viva la Fiesta ensures a high-quality meal for a bargain price

DYLAN HEMBROUGH reporter

Viva la Fiesta is truly a gem within Edwardsville, and something that anyone who likes Mexican food should experience.

I decided to go with the classic order of three tacos as my main dish, and not only were they brought out quickly, but they were presented well and tasted even better. I get the soft-shell beef tacos there, and the standard taco comes topped with lettuce and cheese. One thing I have always loved about their tacos is the simultaneous warmth of the beef and coldness of the cheese and lettuce — it truly makes for a

dynamic dinner. After the tacos, I decided to try a dessert I had never had before: flan. Milk, eggs, and sugar come together to make the sweet delight that is flan, topped with caramel for good measure. If you have a sweet tooth, this is the perfect dessert for you. My only qualm with the flan was that it made my Mountain Dew taste like water after the amount of sugar I ingested.

I love every visit to Viva la Fiesta, not only are the servers friendly and accommodating, but the atmosphere is just perfect for a relaxing night out. I generally don’t give a rating of 15/15, but Viva deserves that honor.

Oaxaca is the best local go-to spot for good, classic tacos

GABRIEL BRADY managing editor

Despite a somewhat funny realization about the menu, Oaxaca proved to be a great spot for tacos near campus.

To help my fellow uneducated English speakers with pronunciation, a few times on the menu, the name of the restaurant is misspelled. Instead of “Enchiladas Oaxaca,” the menu says “Enchiladas Wahaka.”

I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t order single tacos of each kind, and could only go for three of one kind. I settled for an order of tacos al pastor, which is marinated pork, pineapple and the

NICOLE BOYD opinion editor

Fried tacos are hard to come by in Edwardsville. That’s why I was so excited to try Chava’s tacos fritos con frijoles, or fried tacos with beans. They didn’t disappoint.

The meal came with two tacos filled with refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole and a sprinkle of cheese, served with a side of rice. It came out to be around $9.

The tacos were absolutely deli-

taco classics, cilantro and onion. Tacos al pastor often come with a bit of the marinade from the pork on the side. The pineapple was in fairly big pieces, but I didn’t mind. The pork was a bit tough, but that’s par for the course with marinated meats. For $11, each taco individually was about $3.60, which is reasonable, but a touch more than expected

My biggest gripe was one tortilla per taco. I’ve been to other restaurants that put a second tortilla beneath the first, as a sort of reserve for when one inevitably falls apart. I think fighting to keep those tortillas together was well worth it, considering the flavor.

cious. They weren’t too oily or soft, although I would have preferred them to be just a bit crispier.

The beans and toppings had great flavor, albeit a little lacking in spice. I could even see the marks where toothpicks held the shells together to be fried all the way at the top, to get as much filling in as possible.

In addition to the tacos, Chava’s chips and salsa are notably good. Their salsa is made with large chunks of tomatoes and cilantro, which I personally really like.

La Fonda’s Mexican food was deliciously authentic

JANA HAMADE copy editor

The restaurant, located in a strip mall in Edwardsville, is unfortunately nestled in an easy-to-miss spot. I had been to that area many times before but had never noticed the place, and I was very glad that I got the chance to try it.

To start, we were served chips and salsa, which both tasted very fresh. The chips were warm, and the salsa did not come out of a jar. I did need to add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to it to give it a bit more depth of flavor. For our main courses, we ordered a mixed platter of an enchilada and chimichanga, as well as a chicken and steak fajitas

plate. Both dishes came with beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce and pico de gallo.

My fajita was brought out on a sizzling skillet and smelled delicious. It came with three tortillas that could be used to make your own mini tacos. The portion size was extremely generous, and everything was cooked perfectly. The Mexican rice had some veggies in it, which you don’t see often but were a great touch, and the sides all tasted delicious. The main menu prices were already not bad at all, ranging from around $11-$15.

Overall, I had a great experience at La Fonda’s, where every box was checked: great service, delicious food and a fun atmosphere.

Taqueria Z has the best Mexican street food in the area

UDIT NALUKAKA circulation manager

The burrito, taco, quesadilla and chaco all are served with limited yet filling options. The sides are adequate. The seating plan is that of an outdoor cabin, and music playing in the back, to be honest, I like outdoor seating.

They have three types of meat: chicken, pork and beef. Mushroom and tuna are also offered as fillings. Salsa comes in three variants: mild, hot and extra hot.

I got a quesadilla with chicken and salsa to go as my first order. The flour tortilla was stove made, filled with cheese and seasoned with onion, cilantro and lime. The salsa which I ordered was extra hot, and it

turned out to be an excellent option. The $11.50 price was reasonable. The quesadilla is a little greasier from normal, but it made sense as the menu was all street food. I also got tacos with chicken, Mexican rice and tortilla chips on the side. I felt the rice was a little undercooked, but the corn tortilla and everything else was great. The quesadilla and taco are both served with onion, cilantro and lime seasoning, all of which, for six dollars, is affordable for college students. The house margarita with salt rim was best for sunny days to come.

In my opinion, this will be a perfect place to taste Mexican street food in the heart of downtown Edwardsville. Overall, it is an experience that makes food taste much better.

I Jana Hamade / The Alestle

I Dylan Hembrough / The Alestle

Chava’s fried bean tacos are fresh, authentic and filling

I Nicole Boyd / The Alestle

I Gabriel Brady / The Alestle

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Kashish Tandon, Sophomore at School of Business from India (top right), Rojina Adhikari, Freshman at College of Arts and Sciences from Nepal (top left), students at Indian night held at Student Fitness Center enjoying themselves on April 22, 2023 (bottom). I Udit Nalukala / The Alestle

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If we want good conditions, employees need more pay

ple of years, we might lose several departments.

remain unfixed. Visiting potential students notice the lack of cleanliness.

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If our professors, service workers, food workers and clerical workers don’t get paid better wages soon, we will start to lose them. Most departments are already running with the bare minimum amount of workers.

As unions continue to fight for contracts for many campus workers, they are holding informational pickets. At these demonstrations, they have shared some concerning stories.

At the staff and faculty picket, they told the story of a professor only getting paid $30,000 per year. Under university guidelines, they would be considered a needy student. If professors receive such low pay, they may leave to work at different universities in a few years.

Many professors say they are able to find higher paying jobs outside of SIUE. If we don’t see a pay raise with in the next cou-

Your ancestors

DYLAN HEMBROUGH reporter

[Editor’s note: this article contains discussion of suicide and abuse.]

Ancestors are not just the names of people who died long ago; they were real, living people who you carry with you through life.

Janitors and service workers have a similar problem. They used to have competitive wages as an incentive for them to stay on instead of going to work at places like Walmart. As inflation rises and the minimum wage in Illinois was increased to $13 an hour, many are leaving to find different places to work because they aren’t receiving this competitive pay anymore.

The service workers have a high turnover rate and are running with about half of the people they should have on staff. Traditionally, service workers work in a specific building during their shifts, and they make sure that one building is clean. Now, service workers are being sent across campus to multiple buildings a day.

This hurts our campus climate, and potentially admissions. Peck Hall, for example, smells of mold and the elevators

drama. They had friends and enemies. It’s one thing to look at a photograph of my great-grandfather from 1933 and confuse it with myself. It’s another thing to look beyond the picture and think of the individual himself.

At a picket held by the building service workers, a janitor shared the story of an SIUE coach telling them they needed to make sure the building was cleaner for when recruits came to visit. The janitor was unable to ensure this because they were being moved between four different buildings.

The lack of cleanliness is not the fault of the building service workers, but caused by understaffing. The people who currently work are doing the best they can.

Something that affects students even more is the lack of advisors in many different majors. Advisors are not able to give the amount of care to each student that they usually would due to the fact that they have many others to take care of as well. Many have left because of low pay.

Another area of campus

history are doomed to repeat it.” This logic can be applied not only to world history, but also family history. It is because of this that “family secrets” are harmful, not only to the individual, but to the family as a whole.

facing these issues is the clerical workers. They handle day-today operations around campus such as emails, phone calls and scheduling for department chairs or administration.

At a picket held by the clerical workers, they shared that they are running with half their staff as well. They also mentioned not having anyone who specifically trains new workers.

At another picket, union leaders mentioned emailing or writing to administrators, specifically Chancellor Minor, about why they think our workers should be heard.

If a letter or email is not enough, attend a picket to learn more about the unions’ causes. If you see someone handing out information about unions, read it.

If administratos want to keep students here, they need to start treating the people who keep the university running with respect or our campus will not be able to function.

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My last great-grandparent –we called her ‘Greatma’ – died in 2013, when I was 9 years old. It was only after that that I became interested in my family history. What she left behind was a journal full of names I didn’t recognize and a box full of pictures several decades old. So I got to work constructing my family tree.

What it took years for my 10-year-old self to realize was that these were more than just names. These were all people with their own lives, their own hobbies, and their own family

Once I realized this, I began to not only see myself in them, but them in myself. The more I learned about them, the more I began to connect the dots between some of my habits and theirs.

Habits can travel down family lines for centuries unimpeded, anything from malignancies like severe mental illness to fun little quirks, like the shape of an ear or the color of an eye. Generally, the fundamental ways in which you live your life are either because of or despite how your ancestors lived their own lives. Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who fail to learn from

Those who have a family history of some kind of mental illness ought to know that they are at risk, and the same goes for physical illness. Everything from schizophrenia to hypertension could be labeled as “taboo,” depending on the family. When these details are swept under the rug – intentionally or otherwise – it doesn’t allow those at risk to take steps to manage or avert these conditions.

So-called skeletons in the closet often extend beyond illness, however. Families with a history of abuse often continue these habits when they go unacknowledged and unaddressed. A child who grows up in an abusive

household needs to be aware of their trauma to avoid repeating these patterns as an adult. Similarly, if an ancestor committed suicide, there may be underlying mental health reasons for such an action. Just like abuse, if these underlying factors go unacknowledged and unaddressed, descendants are at risk of repeating history.

I have been fortunate enough to grow up in a loving family, one where my parents listen and help me out when I have problems or need advice. The strongest families critically reflect on their histories, imitating the good and working to improve upon the bad. My parents gave me a pretty good blueprint for my own future family. While not everyone grows up in those conditions, everyone should analyze their family history, both for ourselves and for the generations to come.

SIUE Cougars blow Blackburn Beavers out of the water

CAMELA SHARP reporter

The SIUE Cougar men’s baseball team concluded the game in the seventh inning and walked away with twelve more points than the Blackburn Beavers.

The game took place on April 19 at the Roy E. Lee Field stadium in Edwardsville. It began with the ceremonial pitch thrown by Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach Ariel Massengale.

The first inning began at 5 p.m. and ended at 5:18 p.m. with no points won by either team. In the first half of the inning, the SIUE pitcher was Garrett Helsel, followed by the batters Braedyn Brewer, Matthew Klein, Brett Pierson and Ole Arntson.

The second inning began at 5:30 p.m. and ended at 5:44 p.m. with Blackburn in the lead with three points and SIUE with two points. Chase Bloomer got the first point and Braedyn Brewer got the second.

The third inning began at 5:45 p.m. and ended at 5:56 p.m. In the first half, the SIUE pitcher was Taylor Bruninga. Blackburn won no points and SIUE ended up tying with Blackburn as they got up one point.

The fourth inning began

at 5:57 p.m. and ended at 6:17 p.m. The inning be gan with SIUE player Alex Scherer pitching. Each team remained tied as nei ther of them won any points.

The game picked up during the fifth inning which began at 6:18 p.m. and ended at 6:48 p.m. It began with SIUE player Gunner Millsap pitching. The Cougars consistently won points with players Spencer Stearns, Chase Bloomer, Ethan Toone, Nic Burg, Braedyn Brewer, Matthew Klein, Ole Arntson, Nick Terrell and Ethan Willoughby. By the end, Blackburn won no points and SIUE won ten.

The sixth inning began at 6:49 p.m. and ended with Blackburn up one point and SIUE up three points. It began with SIUE player Spencer Smith pitching. Klein got the first, Arntson got the second and Terrell got the third.

The seventh, final and shortest inning of the game began at 7:15 p.m. and ended at 7:19

p.m. It began with SIUE player Stearns pitching. Blackburn was up to bat and each batter got their ball caught by Arntson, striking them all out. The score was 16 - 4.

Head Coach Sean Lyons said that the game was a chance to include some players who haven’t been up to bat as much. “It was a good win,” Lyons said. “We got an opportunity to get some guys that haven’t had a ton of at-bats throughout the season an opportunity to play and they did what they were supposed to do and got some hits and produced some runs and we came away with a good victory.”

First Basemen Arntson said that it was nice to end the game early and win so well as a team.

“It’s a good team win,” Arntson said. “It’s especially nice just to get ahead on a team like that, kind of get on top and kind of put the game away early. And it was great to see guys like Spencer Stearns getting a big hit, and a home run for his college at bat and seeing some other guys get on the mound. And it’s nice to just see the team played well as a whole for guys that haven’t gotten opportunities.”

Infielder Terrell said that

it was an enjoyable experience and the batting was a great highlight.

“It was fun,” Terrell said. “Fun week to play. We got a big series coming up against Little Rock. The bats came alive today. So it was a fun time all around.”

Cougars fall just short of OVC Tennis Champions

feated Eastern Illinois’ Lauren Ellis with a three-set win at 6-0, 1-6, 6-3, securing the team’s spot in the OVC Championship Final.

The SIUE Cougars women’s tennis team competed this past weekend in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships Final in Paducah, Kentucky.

On April 22, the Cougars faced the Eastern Illinois University Panthers in the semifinals round of the conference.

Despite losing the point in the doubles matches, the Cougars made a fierce comeback during the singles matches. Junior and recently-awarded All-OVC First Team Player Jordan Schifano earned a 6-2, 6-1 win over Eastern Illinois’ Jemma Booth in the No. 3 singles. Freshman Amelia Gorman won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4 singles, and junior Fabiola Perez won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 5 singles. Eastern Illinois gained a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 2 singles over SIUE freshman Margaux Guibal Britt.

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Redshirt junior and All-OVC First Team Player Jill Lambrechts left No. 1 singles unfinished as Redshirt junior Caitlyn Sporing won No. 6 singles. Sporing de-

On April 23, the Cougars advanced to the finals, where they competed against the Southeast Missouri University Redhawks.

After dropping the doubles point once again, the Cougars regained footing going into the singles matches.

Southeast Missouri claimed victory over SIUE in the first two singles before the Cougars’ comeback began with Schifano’s win, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 3 singles. Gorman followed Schifano’s win with her own with 7-5, 6-4 at No. 4 singles.

That left the last two sets, where Perez dropped the first set, but with a hard fight, won the second. The match remained unfinished, however, as Southeast Missouri’s Teona Velkoska defeated Sporing 6-3, 7-6 at No. 6 singles and claimed the OVC Championship title for the Redhawks.

The championship ended with a 4-2 loss for the Cougars, resulting in a final 17-5 record for their season.

Pictured is catcher Piper Montgomery, a sophomore at SIUE, running from second base to third base during SIUE’s game against Tennessee Tech on the Sunday, April 23 game. SIUE won two out of the three games they played last weekend.

Kevin Allen / Contributing Photographer

AUDREY O’RENIC copy editor