The Alestle, Vol. 77, No. 16

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Here are some new Illinois laws to keep in mind for 2024

New organization seeks Morehead State takes to connect those a win and a loss from with chronic illnesses Cougar basketball

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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

THE student voice since 1960

Thursday, January 18, 2024 Vol. 77 No. 16

City, church, citizens locked in debate over warming location for people without housing DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief Opening their doors to people without housing in the dead of winter brought Edwardsville’s First Baptist Church both praise and criticism — enough that the local government stepped in.

First Baptist is hosting an Overnight Warming Location, also known as the “OWL,” to provide shelter for people experiencing homelessness from the bitter cold of the Midwestern winter.

However, a number of policies and opinions have drawn attention to the service as of late. The City of Edwardsville imposed a fine on First Baptist, and several residents in the area have expressed their concerns about people without housing using a facility near a school.

STRONG OPINIONS CROP UP

From a policy standpoint, the controversy stems from the parameters of the special use permit. Michelle Babb, secretary of the Glen-Ed Ministerial Alliance, said First Baptist was granted a special use permit “to operate as a church” in 1969.

“While overnight warming shelter/ location is not specifically listed [as an approved activity], the city considers such a use to be similar or consistent with a hotel use, adult and child daycare, assisted living or group assembly,” a Jan. 13 press release from the city said.

Additionally, a Nov. 27 letter from City Attorney Jeff Berkbigler to Drew Patton, senior pastor at First Baptist, said the original permit was not sufficient to cover the activities associated with an overnight warming center.

“The operation of an overnight

warming shelter at the location exceeds the permission of the original special use permit as it is an increase in use with different conditions involving overnight stays at the location that were not considered in the original application,” Berkbigler wrote.

Babb said the equating of a warming center to a hotel is inaccurate, and that the organization maintains its position that it is operating as a church.

“It’s going to open every night that the overnight low temperature is forecast to be 20 or below,” Babb said. “We’re talking 10 to 20 nights, which is not quite like a hotel. [It] functions more like an emergency service. It’s going to be activated unpredictably. It’s not going to be announced at the beginning of the season how often it’s going to be open.”

The city wrote in its Jan. 13 press release that it had been in contact with the organizers of the warming center for quite some time.

“City officials have been communicating for months with the organizers of an overnight warming location at 534 St. Louis Street to help them navigate zoning processes that would apply to many property uses in that zoning district,” according to the Jan. 13 press release.

In addition, City Administrator Kevin Head offered to dismiss the $700 application fee if a certain deadline was met, according to the press release.

In regards to communication between First Baptist and the city about the special use permit, Babb said First Baptist has been very aware of the requests to submit an application, and that it was a conscious decision not to apply.

“Yes, the City has been consistently

telling us to do that, and we have been consistently and repeatedly deciding not to do it,” Babb said. “It’s not defiance, it’s that we don’t think we need it. What they’re asking for the special use permit for is because of the type of people coming in. It’s not a different activity.”

FIGHTING THE STEREOTYPE

Babb said the idea for the warming location stemmed from community members wanting to provide for people experiencing homelessness in their community.

“Most of the churches are tired of thoughts and prayers and handing out coats when it’s five degrees. That just seems very frustrating and insufficient,” Babb said. “We had a guy who had been attending First Baptist … He got caught out in that arctic freeze around Christmas Eve of 2022, got frostbite of both feet and has had bilateral amputations.”

Babb said the First Baptist congregation voted to allow the use of their space as a warming location in late October. Almost immediately, complaints came from several in the neighborhood. Warming center volunteer Sabrina Trupia said the complaints stem from negative perceptions of people without housing. “[The complaints are] that we’re bringing in bad elements from other parts of Madison County, that in the morning, they are concerned about their children walking to school and meeting unsavory characters,” Trupia said. “Never mind that the county jail is very close to here, and there are actually registered sex offenders all around this area too.”

Avie Schoeneberg used an overnight

the OWL controversy — a timeline — Oct. 26 – The Glen-Ed Ministerial Alliance hosts a meeting to discuss plans for the Overnight Warming Location at First Baptist Church. The City of Edwardsville provides a special use permit application for the warming center to be approved.

Nov. 13 – The deadline to submit the special use permit application passes, as well as the city’s offer to waive the application fee.

Nov. 27 – City Attorney Jeff Berkbigler sends First Baptist Minister Drew Patton a letter specifying the details of a special use permit and outlining the $750 fine per violation.

Dec. 18 – First Baptist activates the warming center for the second time this winter.

Dec. 19 – The city sends First Baptist Church a cease-and-desist letter for operating the warming center without a special use permit, signed by City Planner Steve Stricklan. The letter says a special use permit application can be submitted by Dec. 29 for inclusion in a Feb. 24 Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.

Dec. 29 – The deadline mentioned in the cease-and-desist letter passes.

Jan. 11 – The city says the warming center operators notified them of their decision not to apply for a special use permit.

Jan. 13 – The city issues a press release clarifying its position on the controversy.

Jan. 16 – The city issues another press release rescinding its citation and affirming support for the warming center and other humanitarian efforts. The hearing scheduled for Jan. 18 is cancelled.

see OWL on page 2

Former SG president resigns from senator position due to scheduling conflicts have to take to graduate on time — or whatever the scenario may be — sometimes, the requirements for your duties as Graduate Senator Rahmat Salau has a senator can’t be kept due to a change in resigned from her post due to her class your schedule from semester to semester,” schedule not permitting her attendance at Jess said. “It happens every year.”

Jess said he worked with Salau to Senate meetings. Salau was Student Government president last academic year, when try and find a schedule that would work the Senate expanded to better represent so she could remain a senator, but there was no plausible way to do so. Jess said student constituencies.

“One of the requirements of being Student Government will sorely miss on the Senate is being able to attend any Salau’s knowledge base, especially since she served as president the meetings, because our votes matyear prior. ter,” Salau said. “My class sched“I’ve asked her questions ule doesn’t allow me to attend about my job personally, as a senSenate meetings, because I have a ator,” Jess said. “It’s a weird thing class that runs on Mondays from 6 — she was my president when I to 9:30 [p.m.].” was a senator, and now I’m her vice Salau said this scheduling conflict only occurred after the Rahmat Salau president. It’s a bit of a flip of the positions, but I’ve always held Rahcancellation of one of her classes, after which she had to work out a new mat with lots of respect.”

Jess also said Salau’s experience as schedule to take the necessary classes for president gave her a unique perspective as her program.

“When I registered for classes, that a senator.

“I’m the supervisor, if you will, of the conflict wasn’t there,” Salau said. “That was just the only class I could take to still senators in the Senate, and I lead the Senmeet my business analytics specialization ate meetings, but nobody on [the Executive Board] actually votes,” Jess said. “It’s within the school.”

Vice President Jared Jess said most only the Senate, and having that amount semester transitions bring unforeseen of knowledge that she holds on the Senate to talk about big discussion pieces scheduling conflicts with them.

“Depending on what classes students during the meetings that she may be

DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief

the most knowledgeable … in the whole room because of things that she got done as president.”

Jess said he credits Salau as one of the driving forces behind last year’s Senate expansion, an initiative Salau said is probably her proudest moment in Student Government.

“When I go into the office as a senator, I’m so happy to see that there’s a diverse body of senators,” Salau said. “I think that all that time that was spent really led to fruitful conversations that have made the Senate less polarized, because in the past … a lot of decisions were made because of political friendships or stuff like that.”

Salau said these “political friendships” often led to close-minded cliques that hampered progress in Student Government. “[They were] based on personal experiences or demographic, usually towards one certain side very heavily,” Salau said.

“But now, when I listen to conversations in the Senate, I notice there are huge groups of different people having diverse thoughts, thinking about different topics from different perspectives and in different ways. I really hope that that never dies out.”

Salau said her career as a graduate senator has mostly focused on col-

laboration with the senators for international students and the Career Development Center.

“A huge percentage of grad students are also international students,” Salau said. “One of those issues was international students mentioning that like when they attend career fairs, a lot of those companies present at career fairs are not willing to hire international students.”

Jess said he will likely open the position for graduate senator once he knows which other senator positions will be opened up so they can all be dealt with at the same time.

“It’s every year, but I’m basically waiting until all the kinks get worked out from break,” Jess said. “We’ve had a senator that has moved up to [the] Executive Board, we’ve had two senators graduate … so we’ve got a handful of Senate seats that are either open now or potentially going to be open.”

Salau said she would consider running for Senate again when the next election cycle comes around later this semester.

“I think I’ll just see how this semester goes for me,” Salau said. “I still very much love Student Government, I love the discussions we have [and] I love being like a voice for the student body. I would definitely consider rejoining Student Government if my schedule allows.”

Thursday, 01.18.24

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KNOW YOUR vote: Will Christensen

Vashanti Reynolds

Th i rd-yea r dental student Will Christensen has the challenge of communicating the needs of one campus to another.

“The dental senators have a unique situation because we don’t have offices in Edwardsville,” Christensen said. “We’re here for the issues that relate the dental school to main campus — which are few and far between, but still important to take care of if the need arises.”

Christensen said gathering thoughts and feelings from his constituents can be tough, given the distance between the two campuses.

“Some dental students live as far as Collinsville or St. Louis, and they commute here to Alton every day,” Christensen said. “So it’s a challenge getting a gauge on what everyone is thinking.”

Regardless, Christensen said he wishes to voice the concerns of the dental students and represent them as well as possible.

“I wanted to be an accurate mouthpiece for the dental students,” Christensen said. “I think I’ve got a decent head on my shoulders.”

Christensen said his hobbies include working out, rock climbing, making music, playing guitar and stand-up comedy.

The student athletes of SIUE make up their own constituency within Student Government, and junior criminal justice major Vashanti Reynolds is the one responsible for representing them.

Reynolds said her vision is to merge student athlete’s life with “regular life.”

“Sometimes it can feel as if we aren’t regular students,” Reynolds said. “[Students] can approach me … so we can build a strong community, and that can help us in the end with attendance at games and meets, and just to have a friendlier environment on campus.”

Reynolds said much of her job revolves around communicating with not only student athletes, but also the Athletics department.

One of her top priorities during her term has been addressing the mental health situation among student athletes.

“We have a huge mental health crisis,” Reynolds said.

“Mental health is something that we’re trying to now prioritize due to … the mental health for athletes being very, very low.”

Reynolds said athletics are still very present in her personal life as well.

“The biggest one is, of course, [is] track and field. Other than track, I like to sing. I like to dance,” Reynolds said. “I just like to have a very free spirit.”

Senator for the School of Dental Medicine

Get to know your elected student officials

by Dylan Hembrough

01.09.24 Feminine hygiene products in a MUC men’s restroom were destroyed yet again, just two days after the last incident.

Senator for Student Athletes

01.11.24 An officer responded to a request that a person be escorted from a basketball match at the Student Fitness Center. The subject left without incident.

01.14.24

An officer responded to a report of a person banging on an apartment wall in Cougar Village.

The person was playing a video game and agreed to be quieter.

Sylvie Kessler answers questions from Student Government at their meeting on Jan. 8. The meeting brought in Kessler and Brodie McIntyre as new students in the Election Commission. | Bruce Darnell / The Alestle

Edwardsville rescinds citation against First Baptist Church ple’s heads,” Schoeneberg said.

“There are thousands of other warming center last winter and people out there just like me that has shared her story with the have the same kind of stories. organizers of the First Baptist [They] couldn’t afford to live in warming location to help dispel a house, and now we’re fighting just to have stereotypes surwarming rounding peoshelters open ple experiencing because peohomelessness. ple are afraid “What I’ve of homeless People who been reading a people, being lot is that peo- oppose this, the blunt way ple are afraid of to put it. homeless peo- I think they are Tr upia ple,” Schoensaid they volbeing cruel.” eberg said. “I unteered affell in really bad ter seeing an luck and beinvitation on Sabrina Trupia, came homeless Warming Center Volunteer their front myself. [I] lost door. Trupia both of my paragreed with ents and had a really bad breakup, Schoeneberg in that the fear of all at the same time, so I became people without housing does homeless in the dead of winter. more harm than good.

Never in a million years did I “People who oppose this, I think I would be in a place where think they’re being cruel and I I would need somewhere warm believe they are afraid of someto go.” thing that doesn’t exist,” Trupia Schoeneberg said the warm- said. “If they led with kindness ing center she used gave her shel- instead of leading with fear, it ter and security — and a sense would serve all of us better. It’s a of peace that was previously no- worthwhile endeavor.”

Babb said she has distributwhere to be found.

“Not everybody is a drug ed papers calling on members abuser, not everybody is go- of the Edwardsville City Couning to try to rob you. I want cil to support the warming cento make sure the stereotypical ter, as well as specifying the homeless person gets out of peo- First Baptist’s position on the OWL | COVER

“

special use permit.

“Operating ‘as a church’ involves worship services, shared meals, street ministries, youth lock-ins and hosting meetings of outside groups such as rotary, scouts, and AA,” Babb wrote.

“These are all ways in which people of faith are called to put their beliefs into practice. The activities of the OWL are no different from many activities that have been permitted at churches for many years.”

THE CITY RESCINDS THE CITATION First Baptist was scheduled to appear in a municipal court hearing regarding the matter on Thursday, Jan. 18. However, another city press release was issued Tuesday, Jan. 16, rescinding the citation.

Edwardsville Mayor Art Risavy is quoted in the press release saying that the city did not intend to prevent the warming center from operating, but was to ensure that it was a safe location for anyone who uses it.

“I want to reassure you that the City Council members and I know there is a need for these types of services for our most vulnerable citizens,” Risavy said in the press release. “I have been working with urgency to try to resolve our issues of concern with the shelter at First Baptist Church.”

The Jan. 16 press release specifies that warming centers are in fact included as an activity that would require a special use permit, alongside prior comparisons such as hotels and daycares.

“The City has said a special use permit would be applicable for any hotel, overnight warming location, adult or child day care facilities or other such uses that are not specifically included in this zoning district, and helps to ensure appropriate life safety measures and operations are in place,” according to the Jan. 16 press release.

Regardless, Risavy thanked the church and the volunteers at the end of the most recent press release, as well as affirmed his and the city’s support for humanitarian efforts such as this one.

The Alestle could not reach Berkbigler, City Planner Steve Stricklan, or Ward 4 Alderman S.J. Morrison for comment on the situation.

The warming center will be active from 5 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. whenever overnight temperatures are forecast to fall below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a flyer distributed by First Baptist.

The city also said in its Jan. 13 press release that it would open the lobby of its Public Safety Building at 333 S. Main St. to act as shelter from the cold.

NORTH KOREA Kim Jong Un said that unification with South Korea is now an impossibility and will no longer pursue reconciliation.

YEMEN Houthi rebels have now been declared a terrorist group by the U.S. The Houthis have been blockading the Red Sea since November in response to the war in Palestine.

PALESTINE Israel and Hamas have reached a deal to allow for medicine to be delivered for hostages. This is the first deal the two have made since November.

ECUADOR César Suárez, the prosectuor investigating the recent T.V. station attack in Ecuador, was shot and killed while driving a car in Guayaquil.

THAILAND Thailand has decided to ban recreational cannabis use after their previous decision to decriminalize it just 18 months ago.

Information courtesy of Reuters / AP

16 ILL NOIS Thursday, 01.18.24

new

alestlelive.com

by Grace Gentemann / reporter

— HB 1541 — Stay cool this summer

— HB 2123 — Personal porn protection

For Illinois residents, days with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit, heat advisories or warnings will not have gas or electric services cut off due to unpaid bills. Chicago saw record high temperatures this past summer, with many lower-income residents being more susceptible to services being turned off.

This is a law protecting victims from what is referred to as “deepfake porn” — those falsely portrayed in sexually explicit videos or images.

This law is an extension of previous laws providing protection for victims of revenge porn.

— PA 101-0001 — Rise of minimum wage

— HB 3203 — More fentanyl precautions

Tipped workers’ pay will increase to $8.40 per hour, non-tipped workers will see an increase to $14 per hour and underage workers working less than 650 hours per year will receive $12 per hour.

Pharmacists, as well as retailers, are now permitted to sell fentanyl test strips over the counter for people to use to test for fentanyl.

— HB 3559 — Enhancing emergency safety in schools

— HB 2431 — Don’t video conference and drive

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LAWS

for 2024

— 820 ILCS 192 — Paid leave for all

Employees in Illinois will be given paid leave for any reason, only needing a minimum 7-day notice. Extenuating circumstances (unplanned absences) will just need to file a request as soon as possible. It is no longer the responsibility of the employee to find a replacement for their leave.

— HB 2789 — Back off book bans

As a national first, HB 2789 prohibits any libraries that are state-funded from removing or banning books due to religious disagreement or partisan disapproval. Legislation was signed in June by Governor J.B. Pritzker in response to adverse reactions in many local school districts against controversial books.

— HB 2493 — Days off for families of victims E-cigarettes are prohibited withof violence — HB 1540 — No more vapes in public places

in 15 feet of building entrances and banned within public places.

Criminally-violent deaths of family members or household members will grant employees two weeks unpaid leave.

— HB 3705 — DCFS aims for permanent homes

— HB 2500 — Veterans can adopt pets for free

This law enhances the safety precautions for emergency situations in school buildings. When planning for these circumstances, these plans must include plans for law enforcement to quickly enter the building.

Drivers are not just prohibited from accessing social media or texting while driving — a new addition prohibits drivers from video conferencing while driving.

This changes regulations with the department of children and family services, stating that one of the main purposes for their services is to provide permanent living situations for children.

Animal control, as well as animal shelters, will waive the fee for veterans to adopt pets in Illinois.

— HB 3592 — Safety for testifying against teachers

— HB 3428 — Opioid prevention on school grounds

— HB 2418 — Hope for victims for human trafficking

— HB 2217 — Watching out for radon

Victims of sexual assault or misconduct by a teacher will be prohibited from testifying in the presence of a teacher or witness if the victim is or was under the age of 18 when the misconduct occurred.

All schools — private, public or charter — in all school districts will be required to have an opioid antagonist in a secure location. This will inhibit drugs in a person’s system in order to prevent overdose.

Victims of human trafficking may petition for expungement of permanent record or vacation if they are convicted and serve for crimes related to human trafficking.

Tenants will now have the ability to use third-party radon tests, which they can use to contest against landlords as well as reduce the threat of radon.

Biden administration finalizes prior authorization changes JESSIE HELLMANN CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

The Biden administration on Wednesday finalized a rule aimed at streamlining health plans’ use of prior authorization, fulfilling a priority of physician groups and many members of Congress.

The rule would require Medicare Advantage organizations, Medicaid and other government-sponsored health programs to respond to prior authorization requests faster and include specific reasons for denying requests.

“When a doctor says a patient needs a procedure, it is essential that it happens in a timely manner,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

“Too many Americans are left in limbo, waiting for approval from their insurance company.”

Specifically, beginning in 2026, the rule would require

that Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program managed care and fee-for-service plans respond to non-urgent requests no later than seven calendar days.

Those plans, as well as plans on the federally facilitated exchanges, would have 72 hours to respond to urgent requests.

The rule allows for extensions in some circumstances.

The timelines are the same ones proposed by the Biden administration in 2022.

Currently, Medicare Advantage plans have up to two weeks to respond to non-urgent requests. The 72-hour response timeline for urgent requests remains unchanged.

Provider groups had pushed for a 24-hour timeline for urgent requests and 72 hours for standard requests.

Still, they seemed happy with the final rule.

Medical Group Management Association Senior Vice President of Government Af-

fairs Anders Gilberg said the final rule “is an important step forward” toward his organization’s goal of “reducing the overall volume of prior authorization requests.”

“Only then will medical groups find meaningful reprieve from these onerous, ill-intentioned administrative requirements that dangerously impede patient care,” Gilberg said in a statement.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated the rule would save $15 billion over 10 years.

The rule would also require payers, by 2027, to allow patients to access health information including claims, clinical data, laboratory results and information about prior authorization.

Plans would also be required to create prior authorization application programming interfaces that would allow providers to determine whether prior authorizations are required for a certain item or service and

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra testifies during a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the President’s supplemental request for the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security. | Courtesy of Stefani Reynolds what kind of documentation is needed.

Providers have complained that it is sometimes unclear when a service will require prior authorization, resulting in delays

to care.

Payers will also have to publicly report metrics about their prior authorization processes, which CMS said will improve transparency.

NEXT WEEK: CREATIVE MINDS COME TOGETHER FOR NEW CREATIVE WRITING CLUB PAGE 4

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contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com (618) 650-3528

Thursday, 01.18.24

New organization strives to bring together and support chronically ill students MICHAL KATE CASTLEMAN online editor After noticing a need for community and support amongst fellow SIUE students who have experiences with chronic illnesses, sophomore mass communications major Winter Racine and junior mass communications major Leah Foster came together to form the new organization Chronic Connection.

Racine is the current president of Chronic Connection, and Foster is the vice president. Both Racine and Foster are also senators for students with disabilities in Student Government. They are both active in New Horizons, with Racine being the vice president of the organization.

Racine said the idea of a support group for students with chronic illnesses originated when Chronic Connection’s advisor, Leighann Fuller, noticed a number of students struggling and falling behind in school.

Foster said she also sees chronically ill students dropping out or struggling in school due to lack of support.

She said Chronic Connection wants to do as much as they can to prevent this from happening.

“New Horizons specifically targets disabled people,” Racine said. “We’ve noticed that a lot of people who are disabled consider themselves chronically ill, but in my experience a lot of people who are chronically ill aren’t always comfortable calling themselves disabled.”

Racine said the idea for Chronic Connection was to reach a wider audience, specifically targeting those with chronic illnesses. However, she also said one of Chronic Connection’s goals is to be as inclusive as possible.

“This isn’t just for those with a chronic illness,” Racine said. “It’s also for those who love someone with a chronic illness, it’s for people who experience chronic illness on a personal level every day — [whether it’s their own body or not.]”

Racine said Chronic Connection’s goal is to connect people with similar experiences and create a space where members can be open about their struggles. She said

Chronic Connection wants to help people find their voice.

“I think you’re most empowered when you are with people who relate to what you’re going through,” Racine said.

“We want to be that space.”

Foster said the group will be hosting bonding events for members of the organization.

“It’s a matter of support and making sure that the people who are facing chronic illnesses are reassured that they’re not alone,” Foster said.

Foster said support is the basis of what Chronic Connection wants to accomplish, as those with chronic illnesses can often feel alone. She said community is very important to those with chronic illnesses and disabilities as a whole.

“Chronic illness can be very lonely — you feel like you’re the only one in the world dealing with these issues and people aren’t believing you,” Foster said.

“But, whenever you’re around people with chronic illnesses, it’s kind of like a sense of, ‘Oh, I’m not alone in this and there’s someone out there going through the exact same thing as me.’”

Racine said Chronic Connection will hold events both online and virtually, as it can be challenging for those with chronic illnesses to meet.

“Meeting up with chronically ill people can be difficult because we all have illnesses that prohibit us from leaving the house sometimes and it’s often very unexpected,” Racine said.

Racine said the group identifies with Christine Miserandino’s spoon theory.

According to Chronic Connection’s Instagram, the spoon theory “explains life with a chronic illness by using ‘spoons’ as units of energy.”

“Those with chronic conditions often call themselves ‘spoonies,’” the post said.

“We decided to embrace this identity in our logo as many of us resonate with the theory, using it to explain how our condition affects us.”

The post said that healthy individuals may have more “spoons” than those with chronic illnesses. Each task throughout the day can deplete these “spoons.”

“The impact of energy levels varies

individually; what deducts two spoons for one person might deduct three for another with the same chronic illness,” the Instagram post reads.

Racine said the organization will be holding “bonding events” rather than meetings. She said some of the in-person bonding events can include ice cream socials, Kahoot! nights or board game nights.

“We’re trying to be very meticulous about the way we do that so that it’s not just ‘You have to come to campus at 6:00 at night,’” Racine said.

“Because for some people that’s just not accessible … There’s some things that need to be done in-person and a lot of things that don’t need to be done in-person.”

Freshman biological sciences major Brynna Allen said she looks forward to making new friends who have had similar life experiences as her.

“When you have chronic illnesses, it’s hard for able-bodied people to understand some of those struggles in a regular friendship,” Allen said. “A lot of people get really frustrated with not being able to be present and hang out because chronic illness is so unpredictable.”

Allen said it is comforting to her to communicate with people who have had experiences with doctor’s visits, issues with professors and navigating college, while also suffering from chronic illnesses.

Allen said she hopes Chronic Connection can advocate for accessibility on SIUE’s campus, no matter what someone’s issue may be.

Racine said one of the organization’s bonding events will include making signs to remind people on campus to be gentle with the handicapped doors.

“We’re bringing everyone together so that we can create awareness,” Racine said.

“So people can advocate for their own chronic illnesses and their own disabilities, but also as a whole and as a collective.”

Allen said an issue she has come across while at SIUE is the lack of education for professors and instructors regarding students who are chronically ill. She said of-

tentimes professors are not aware of what they can legally ask for from students.

“I’ve had a handful of professors ask me for doctor’s notes,” Allen said. “I asked ACCESS and they said [professors] can’t legally ask me for documentation.”

Allen said she knows SIUE has many professors, but an email or newsletter sent out every once in a while could help educate those who interact with students daily.

Racine said she believes SIUE meets the bare minimum of accessibility for students with disabilities and chronic illnesses, but the university does not go above and beyond to listen to their students.

“My goal for this group is to show the university that there are so many chronically ill and disabled students — we are not scarce, we’re here,” Racine said. “There’s a lot of us and you can’t look at us and assume we are not disabled or chronically ill.

Most of us look fine, but the reality is that we’re not.”

Foster said SIUE needs to improve in the aspect of making people feel like they’re a worthy part of campus.

“We deserve to have the same experience as other students,” Racine said. “I think that if your students cannot safely get to their classrooms because of the elevators and the sidewalks, then how can you expect them to walk the stage at graduation?”

Racine said before the application was submitted for a petitioning organization, 15 people had already expressed interest in the group. Now, even with minimal marketing, Racine said Chronic Connection now has 25 members.

“I think with the opportunities we’ll have in the upcoming semesters to market ourselves, we’ll be a very successful organization,” Racine said.

For those interested in joining Chronic Connection, check out their Instagram or GetInvolved pages.

Help alleviate symptoms of seasonal depression with these tips MATTHEW WOLDEN copy editor Sometimes life gets hard and things get in the way, especially during the colder months of the year with seasonal depression afoot.

Seasonal depression is a form of depression that occurs during the winter season. It is thought to be related to the change in daylight. Here are a few tips to lessen the burden of seasonal depression.

Make a schedule

Feeling in control often helps ease anxiety. It also helps improve sleep, which can alleviate the symptoms of seasonal depression.

Journaling Journaling can help you understand yourself more. Whether you use it as an outlet for your emotions or to track what’s going on in your personal life, it allows you to write it all out. It has been found to help you understand yourself.

Exercise Excercise and moving helps stave off many forms of depression. Even if it is cold outside, you can try going to the student fitness center or just follow along with YouTube videos in your own room. It takes your mind off of problems and you can get out of the cycle of thinking of negative thoughts. It also releases endorphins, which reduce pain and stress.

Talk to people you care about Talking to people you know can help reduce depression. It helps you feel less lonely. It is easy to stay indoors when it is cold and miserable outside, but that just won’t help. Try to call family or friends or play games over Discord. Being isolated from others does have a negative impact on people. Not only can it increase depression and stress, but also a number of other health problems.

It is important to have people you can talk to and hang out with.

Get sunlight

Go outside. If it’s too cold, let the sunshine inch into your home. One reason this helps is because of its aid in helping regulate circadian rhythm. Another reason is that it provides vitamin D, which does

seem to have some kind of relation with depression. Of course, you can take supplements, but there is a chance of poisoning from vitamin D toxicity. That is only in really high doses, though.

Therapy Therapy is important. This article might be able to give you tips and help alleviate some of your issues, but it might not solve your problems. If there are underlying problems, this article won’t find them. SIUE has an on campus center for counseling and other great services for any students in need. Visit the counseling services here at SIUE for more help or check out their website for more information.

Who knows, you might discover something new here.

Thursday, 01.18.24

PAGE 5

REVIEW: ‘All Of Us Strangers,’ confronting a displaced, haunting past BRANDI SPANN opinion editor Andrew Haigh’s film “All Of Us Strangers” tenderly approaches unresolved grief, the fickleness of time, heartache and irresolution.

Like most cinephiles would, I decided to clear my schedule and drive to Chicago to see a select U.S. theater showing of Director Andrew Haigh’s “All Of Us Strangers.”

Starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, Haigh’s film focuses on Scott’s character Adam as he grieves for his parents and learns to embrace love. The script was based off of Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel “Strangers.”

A writer living alone on the outskirts of London, Adam returns to his childhood home in Sanderstead to find his parents living just as they had been right before they had died 30 years prior. Presented with a chance to say the things that he never got to say, Adam recounts the feelings and memories that stuck with him after they had passed.

Adam shifts back and forth between this childhood home — experiencing abstract, hyper-realistic daydreams reminiscing with his parents — and his present apartment building, where he is sensitively exploring his sexuality, something he’s deeply ingrained in himself as forbidden and wrong.

Out of the love that family members carry for one another, they have the power to do the most damage,

leave lasting impressions and instill feelings such as the shame that Adam’s father made him feel for crossing his legs when he sat. Haigh observes generational pain and one of the strongest cultural time periods of homophobia.

Harry (Mescal) lives in Adam’s building and after a chance encounter during a building-wide alarm, Harry shows up at Adam’s door, wasted and flirtatious. Adam politely declines his advances, exhibiting a hesitation to connect with another person and give in to his desire.

Slowly but surely, this changes, and the two of them begin to fall for one another — a simple, strange and intimate endeavor.

Early viewers of this film raved about how stirring Scott and Mescal’s onscreen chemistry was — and they were absolutely correct. The dramatics of their eye contact, the movement of their hands and their soft-spoken line delivery is a recipe for the sweetest, purest love. It is through the potential of this relationship with Harry that Adam discovers just how unsure of himself he has been after spending the past 30 years navigating life and love alone.

The following is my personal favorite interaction, and the lines that I think speak to the true intention behind this film.

“They died just before I was twelve,” Adam says.

“I’m really sorry,” Harry replies.

“Oh thanks, it was a long time ago,” Adam says.

And in response to this, Mescal delivers the most striking line of this script.

Copyright: Searchlight Pictures “Yeah, I don’t think that matters.”

An experiment in time, connection and the plasticity of memory, Haigh sketches a fight for closure, an undoing of learned beliefs and the resulting devastation in loss and loneliness.

The weather outside is frightful, but a cozy Saturday is so delightful The mug has the quote, my book as a bonus. I read “You like coffee?” on one side, about 150 pages before deand the response, “Only with ciding to stop reading, or my oxygen” on the other. The else I would finish the book Normally, my Saturdays consist of going out to bookquote makes me laugh, so it’s that day. stores, date nights and hanging out with friends. This usually the mug I go for first.

Winter is my least favorSaturday, however, the weather had other plans for me.

My roommate was in ite season, but I am grateful Instead of my typical outings, I had to come up with my the living room reading her for days like this. The feeling perfect Saturday — but completely from the comfort of book, so I decided to join her of being snuggled in a blanmy own home. with my book. I am currently ket, reading a new book and I’m not one to sleep in, but since I had nowhere to reading “Ruthless Vows” by drinking a fresh cup of coffee be, I stayed in bed until 10 a.m. My boyfriend came over Rebecca Ross. is unmatched. On days like around 11 a.m. and volunteered to make us both breakfast.

“Ruthless Vows” is a sethis Saturday, it truly is the I was craving an egg on toast, and he made it perfectly. My quel to the novel little things that make the boyfriend is a wonderful “Divine Rivals,” a day magnificent. cook — he just doesn’t book about two riAt the end of the day, show it off or admit val journalists who my roommate asked if I it often. are connected by would like to watch “HarMy boyfriend and magic. The book ry Potter and the Prisoner I do not live together, deals with themes of Azkaban” with her. My so I savor mornings like of war, romance roommates and I watch a this where he can come and a magical world lot of movies together, and over and we can do acthat isn’t too comevery movie night is like a tivities such as making plicated for readers middle school sleepover all breakfast together. to understand. over again. We make popI unfortunately do | Michal Kate Castleman / The Alestle corn, we get our candy, soda I read “Dinot have a photo of the and our blankets to watch a vine Rivals” over best eggs I have ever movie while talking over it Christmas break had, but they were dethe entire night. and devoured it within a day. Luckily, the lightful. I almost asked We changed into our pajamas, watched the film and sequel came out the day after Christmas, so him to make me two had a wonderful time. Harry Potter is a childhood favornow I am able to dive into the story again. more. He seasoned the ite of mine and in my opinion, the first three films are Annotating books is something I enjoy eggs with salt, pepper thoroughly, and I have tabs to match the the ultimate “snowed-in” movies to watch. The balance and Italian seasoning. between dark and lighthearted scenes in the third film During breakfast, he | Michal Kate Castleman / The Alestle cover of “Ruthless Vows.”

If you’ve never annotated a book, I recom- are really what make it a feel-good movie. Plus, they save and I talked about our mend it. Reading is my primary hobby and I Buckbeak at the end. plans for the day, which My completely indoor Saturday was absolutely perprimarily consisted of laying around and doing nothing at tend to forget what I read quickly after finishing a book. all. I used my Keurig to make a warm cup of coffee and When I tab scenes I love or highlight quotes, I remember fect. Despite it being a three-day weekend, I feel like I am my mug of choice was my favorite “Gilmore Girls” cup. more of what I have read, and there are pretty tabs in completely reset for the week ahead.

MICHAL KATE CASTLEMAN online editor

OPINION

NEXT WEEK: THE ALESTLE STAFF ENCOURAGES YOU TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES

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Share your thoughts: opinion@alestlelive.com (618) 650-3527 Thursday, 01.18.24

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SIUE’s break schedule: Shorter breaks are not worth one less week of classes THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

Although it may seem nice that SIUE gets out a week earlier for summer break than surrounding universities, it’s not worth it.

SIUE’s sister school, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has a different break schedule.

The differences in these break schedules are apparent during winter and spring breaks.

They had a longer Thanksgiving break, Nov. 18 – Nov. 26, 2023, compared to SIUE’s which started Nov. 20 and ended the same day as SIUC’s.

SIUC also had a longer winter break, which began on Dec. 15, 2023 – Jan. 16. SIUE got out on the same day, but went

back a week earlier.

Their spring break will go from March 9 – March 17. SIUE’s break goes from March 4 – March 10.

Even having one extra day off in the middle of stressful semesters can help us all relax and have extra time to prepare for classes or hang out with family and friends.

For those with family who also come home for winter break at different times, it is not fun. Leaving to go back to school or work a week earlier can cut quality time short.

It is difficult to have to go back to business as usual when family members get to take a longer, much-needed break.

International students are

also affected by the shorter winter breaks. Many travel to their home countries to visit family and friends they have not seen for months. Having less than a month home before having to get back on a plane to school can be difficult.

Shorter breaks can also have a financial effect on students. For those who pay their own tuition and bills, one less week of work can really affect how much money they can make to live comfortably during the school semester.

If a student works the Illinois minimum wage — now $14 per hour — for the average full-time position of 40 hours, they will make $560 a week before taxes.

Although not a lot, $500 could pay for groceries or a

bill or two, taking a little bit of stress off of students during the school year.

For students who have friends in their hometown, it is also difficult to plan trips or hangouts around different break schedules, meaning that you get to see your hometown friends even less.

Spring break is when students go on vacations together to relax and have fun. If you plan to do that with hometown friends, you’re basically out of luck because SIUE’s break is a full week ahead of most Illinois colleges.

We get all these shorter breaks just to get out one week before everyone else, but it is not worth the extra stress that it brings on all of us.

U.S. bombings in Yemen will have global consequences

BRUCE DARNELL managing editor

Yemen’s political and militant group, collectively known as the Houthi movement, has imposed a blockade on Red Sea shipping that they deem to be Israel-bound or Israeli-aligned.

The United States has responded in the usual American fashion: send in the drones until they obey.

The reason the Houthis have imposed their blockade is because of the ongoing war in Palestine. They have claimed to be in solidarity with the Palestinians and are attempting to disrupt international commerce as revenge for the war.

The attacks have been occurring since November, but recently were ramped up in scale.

The Houthis declared U.S. ships, both commercial and military, as valid targets in their attacks.

As of now, the U.S. has attempted to kill as few people as possible in their drone strikes.

The Houthis have shown no signs of stopping their blockade.

Instead, they seem to be growing more bold in their strikes on ships passing through the Red Sea. If the conflict were to esca-

late, the likelihood of a significant loss of life becomes almost certain. While U.S. military technology is advanced, drone strikes still tend to result in a large number of non-combatant deaths, which has become a trend of U.S. military action in the Middle East.

Despite international condemnation of the horrific decimation in Gaza, the U.S. has remained at Israel’s side. Even as Israel is in The Hague to defend itself against accusations of war crimes, a U.S. spokesperson illustrated the U.S. government’s support of Israel by claiming the accusations of war crimes are “without merit” and “counterproductive.”

The overarching conflict did not begin on Oct. 7, 2023 — the day Hamas attacked Israel. Rather, it started before the state of Israel was created. This latest series is another footnote in the long history of violence between the two countries.

The war has led to the deaths of 20,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. To the Houthis, who say they have been aligned with the Palestinians for some years, disrupting trade that they feel is aiding in the deaths in Gaza is something that can reasonably

be justified.

While the bombing of ships certainly must be scrutinized, it is the shipping company’s decision to continue sending ships into dangerous straits when they could instead choose to lose money but keep their sailors safe.

The diversion of ships around Africa will create higher prices for imported goods. A Reuters article has noted this rise, specifically, in the price of oil as ships are forced to avoid the Red Sea. If the blockade continues to be successful, then the effects will be felt globally. To opponents of the war, however, this isn’t a bad thing, as it will further push the U.S. to consider reeling in the Israeli government.

As things are, this is not the case, and the U.S. is attempting to stop the blockade.

However, there is a great amount of hypocrisy in the U.S.’s attempt to do so, as there are numerous crippling sanctions the U.S. has placed on countries such as Cuba — a sanction the U.N. voted to remove, but was opposed by the U.S. and Israel.

The U.S. embargo on Cuba has crippled the country severely, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, where Cuba had to create their own vaccine as they

were not able to import it due to “loss in tourism revenue” and “ferocious new U.S. sanctions.”

The goal of Cuba’s embargo, as well as many other U.S.backed sanctions, is to sway the Cuban public into accepting a regime change by lowering their quality of life.

The U.S. is attempting to take a stand and “protect … the free flow of international commerce,” as President Joe Biden said in a Jan. 11 White House statement, all the while maintaining U.S. economic blockades, which is ridiculous.

The U.S. is allowed to oppress whichever nation it pleases with impunity, while it also gets to posit itself as the great protector of freedom everywhere.

As citizens of this country, we must oppose the strikes in Yemen and, instead, call for — at the minimum — an immediate ceasefire and investigation into the Israeli government’s actions in Palestine.

Yemen’s blockade would most likely not be happening if the war in Palestine was ended, and yet the U.S. has chosen to bomb them rather than stop the killing of Yemenis and Palestinians, putting its interests in controlling the Middle East above human life.

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com (618) 650-3528 Thursday, 01.18.24

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NEXT WEEK: ATHLETICS’ EFFORTS TO INCREASE SPORTS ATTENDENCE PAGE 7

Wins and losses for SIUE’s hot and cold basketball games BRUCE DARNELL managing editor

While the men’s team were able to push out of a bad start to a consistent lead, the women’s team were unable to close in for the win against Morehead State University in the Jan. 13 doubleheader.

A cold start

The men’s teams played first. The temperatures outside were nearly below zero degrees Fahrenheit, and this seemed to put a damper on the beginning of the match as neither team was able to pull off a strong start.

Within the first six minutes of the match, the Cougars were down three points against Morehead State, but the score was only 5-8.

Junior guard Demarco Minor was able to bring the Cougars up ahead of Morehead State, scoring four points through a few consecutive layups.

Prior to the match, Minor was having personal challenges outside the court.

“I just want to thank God. I’ve been in a real dark place lately,” Minor said. “I just kept my faith and I just felt good …

I’m going to keep stacking days and keep learning every day.”

Despite the setbacks leading into the game, Minor scored the most out of both teams, eventually getting a total of 24 points.

The first player to make a three was redshirt junior guard Ray’Sean Taylor, who scored two 3-pointers for the Cougars.

“When we run offense good, shots just come towards me … Once I got a couple of easy shots, the game became easier,” Taylor said.

Morehead State’s defense tightened up as the first half began winding down, as they began blocking more shots and tried to close any openings.

However, the Cougars had secured a safe 10-point lead by this point.

Morehead State ran the clock down with the ball and attempted to make a shot at the buzzer. They missed, but were fouled by the Cougars with less than a second left and were given a free throw opportunity to close the score gap — they only made one point.

The score at halftime was 28-20. During halftime, Eddie the Cougar’s birthday was celebrated.

The match was the 14th anniversary of Eddie’s introduction as the mascot for SIUE, who replaced the previous mascot, Corey the Cougar.

Eddie, alongside mascots relating to the St. Louis Blues, the Edwardsville Tigers and more all played basketball and danced on the court.

Once halftime ended, Morehead State unexpectedly banked an immediate 3-pointer, which was responded to by junior forward Terrance Thompson, who dunked on the team.

Afterward, Morehead State was able to score yet another 3-pointer. Senior guard Shamar Wright attempted to dunk on Morehead State after this, but got fouled. He then made both free throws.

Morehead State slowly inched its way closer to the Cougars score-wise.

Near the 15-minute mark, the score was 34-30.

The closest Morehead State got to overtaking the Cougars was a two-point difference, which they were able to maintain until there were around six minutes left in the game.

The match got to 45-43 before things turned around.

The Cougars began to score relentlessly against Morehead State, bringing the difference up

to seven points in just two plays.

After this, Morehead State’s offense fell apart, and they only scored another five points in the rest of the match.

The men’s team wrapped up the night with a win.

The final score was 61-48.

A heated opening

After the men’s match, the women had their match against Morehead State. Initially, the odds were even as both teams kept up with each other, but this only lasted for half of the first quarter.

By the end of the first quarter, the Cougars were down six points.

The Cougars had multiple points when they almost closed in the gap, such as when junior guard Sofie Lowis hit the first 3-pointer from the corner.

But these gaps never turned into leads.

By halftime, the score was 31-36.

Recently, the women’s team has had a run of bad luck, as they have only won one game since their Dec. 3 match against Northern Illinois University.

Head Coach Sam Smith said this match had more fight and energy than their last home match on Jan. 11.

“We came out and I think we had a pretty decent start,” Smith said. “So much of the game is about the little details, and if you don’t take care of those little details, then they can pile up.”

Smith said the team had been really focusing on improving their defense.

“It has been about defense for the last month or so,” Smith said. “We’ve really got to lock in and find ways to get stops and contain the [offense]. [Morehead State] had 16 offensive rebounds and 13 of them came from the first half, which gave them

Senior guard Shamar Wright attempts a shot on Morehead State during the Jan. 12 game. | Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle extra opportunities.”

Junior guard Molly Sheehan went neck and neck against Morehead State’s highest scorer, senior guard Veronica Charles, who both got a total of 18 points in the match. Sheehan also emphasized the importance of defense.

At the start of the last quarter, the Cougars put up a strong attempt at retaking the lead, but

it was eventually cut short before they could close in.

Morehead State was able to keep ahead of the Cougars, bringing the final score to 64-77.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams’ next home game will be on Jan. 27 at the Vadalabene Center. The women will play first at 1 p.m., while the men will play at 3:30 p.m.

SIUE Hockey falls short in overtime during their Teddy Bear game SAM MUREN reporter SIUE Hockey lost 3-2 in overtime against Trine University during the team’s annual Teddy Bear Night at East Alton Ice Arena on Friday.

Overall, the game was a tough battle between two very competitive teams. Given the circumstances going into the game, SIUE had quite an uphill battle.

The Cougars were not originally scheduled to play against Trine. Their original opponent, Central Michigan University, canceled their series trip south due to significant snowfall in Michigan.

“We got thrown through a whirlwind yesterday with opponents,” Head Coach Tyler Elbrecht said.

In addition to the uncertainty with their opponent, the Cougars also had to host a significant promotional night — the teddy bear toss. This

increasingly popular hockey game theme is held by many teams across different leagues and skill levels. When the home team scores their first goal of the night, fans throw teddy bears onto the ice as possible. These bears are then collected and then donated to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.

“The teddy bear toss is always an awesome game every year,” said Elbrecht.

The long-awaited goal took its time but came at a crucial moment for SIUE in the game.

Trine had scored in the first period for a 1-0 lead going into the third period.

The Cougars had a power play at the end of the second period, and they made it count early. Senior forward Elijah Defosset scored on the power play to tie the game.

Junior forward Simon Maxfield and freshman defenseman Carson Weber executed the perfect setup to give Defosset plenty of time to

snipe the puck right where he wanted it.

The crowd exploded as soon as the puck was in the net. Teddy bears then adorned the ice in celebration of the tied game.

Throughout the entire game, both teams battled in a grueling fight for the lead. Both sides saw players laying their bodies on the line. Senior forward Jakob Schreiber checked one of Trine’s players into the boards while simultaneously knocking the pane of glass out of place.

SIUE claimed their first lead of the night on their second power-play goal of the game, scored by junior forward Kaleb Harrop and assisted by Defosset.

Trine eventually re-tied the game 2-2 to send this one to extra time.

Unfortunately for SIUE, Trine freshman forward Trevor Zimmer ended the night for the Cougars and the fans with the overtime-winning goal.

Senior goalie Brendan Rasch saved 59 shots out of 62 shots on

goal despite the 3-2 loss.

It was a full house in East Alton Ice Arena, and the fans were actively engaged in every play. There was a heavy SIUE crowd to support the club team.

Alumni, the SIUE women’s basketball and many student fans came to cheer on their home team.

Even Chancellor James Minor was in attendance to take part in the action.

“So, I’ve been hearing about the hockey club for the better part of the year, and I’m happy I was finally able to get out and support the team,” Minor said.

Minor was invited out onto the ice to perform the ceremonial puck drop along with the Alton K-9 unit.

“Now the puck drop was a surprise,” Minor said. I didn’t know if we were on or off for the puck drop, and [there was] definitely some caution being exercised out there on the ice.”

Alton Police K-9 Program Coordinator and Sergeant

Mike Morelli also joined Minor on the ice for the puck drop.

The SIUE Hockey Club auctioned off special game jerseys to raise money for the Alton K-9 Program to help fund a new dog to add to the staff. “[Head Coach] Tyler Elbrecht is amazing. Tyler came to us when he heard one of my dogs retired back in June.

He wanted to do this for us.

When I told him how expensive these dogs were, he just wanted to do whatever he could,” Morelli said.

In addition to the community fans in our community, SIUE also saw support from the St. Louis Blues mascot Louie in attendance. Louie met with the players prior to the game and also took photos with the younger fans in attendance.

Even though the Cougars didn’t get the result they wanted, they were in it until the end and gave many fans a memorable experience.

PAGE 8

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Thursday, 01.18.24

Birthday Bonanza (right): SIUE mascot Eddie the Cougar celebrates his 14th birthday in the Vadalabene Center alongside the men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader game. Neighboring mascots such as the Edwardsville Tigers and St. Louis Blues join Eddie in a variety of festivities that include a pick-up basketball game and the sharing of various birthday treats. Crowd members participated in the festivities as well, with RC car races that had prizes for the winners and a hole-in-one competition that spanned the whole court. | Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

A head-spinning success (left): The SIUE dance team performs their routine at half-time during the women’s basketball game. Despite the dance team’s awe-inspiring efforts, women’s basketball loses 64-77. | Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

Winning embrace (below): SIUE Men’s basketball celebrates their victory over Morehead State University by 12 points with a group hug. | Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle

Breaking through (above): Ava Stoller, a freshman at SIUE, guards wearing jersey No. 1. Stoller dribbles past a Morehead State University rival during the women’s basketball game. | Pedro Henrique G-M / The Alestle