The Alestle Vol. 77, No. 6

alestle THE

insidE:

Student Senate votes down bylaw revision proposals twice

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Campus furries share stories of judgement and growth

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Thunder in the stands?

SIUE Redstorm on the horizon

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Softball swings a couple of wins over the weekend

Freshman infielder Jenna Little swings while teammates watch from the dugout and prepare for their turn at bat.

| Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

SG constitution revision still contentious

FRANCESCA BOSTON lifestyles editor

Over the past month, Student Government has voted against bylaw revisions twice, including revisions that would no longer require the executive board to attend Senate meetings.

Senior Mackenzie Richards, student body president and vice-chair of the Constitutional Revision committee said while there are more revisions than just the attendance of executives at the Senate meetings, they are mostly internal changes. She said that the committee will be working throughout the year to propose various changes to the constitution.

“Those were just some initial changes that we wanted to get through, including adding an Internal Affairs Committee, adding an election commission committee officially to our bylaws because it was not there before,” Richards said.

At the most recent Senate meetings, the committee proposed two major changes to a vote. Richards said the first is the attendance of executive members at meetings and the second is the addition of vice-chairs to the committee. Vice-chairs would be members of the Senate who would be able to report the committee news to the Senate meeting, rather than needing an executive member available to

present the information.

“We added a vice-chair position [to a number of committees] and then the final one was to change the requirements of our executive board members so that they would not have to attend every Senate meeting,” Richards said.

Sophomore Brenden Auerbach, senator-at-large, is one of the Senate members of the Constitution Revision Committee. He said having Senate members in vice-chair roles provides them with a more impactful role in Student Government.

“With the vice-chairs being a part of the Senate meeting now, will give us senators more of a voice than we already did,” Auerbach said. “It will give us more of an impactful role in Student Government than we have had in prior years.”

Richards said the initial reason for limiting executive board attendance at Senate meetings was the simple fact that with the addition of over a dozen new senators, there would not be space for the executive board. She said as they began to break down what the new attendance policy would mean, it would allow the executive board to focus on their workload rather than meetings, as they are only paid for nine hours a week.

“Because our Senate meetings can sometimes run long, especially because we do have our

executive meetings right before Senate meetings. Executives are getting the same information over and over again, just two meetings back to back, talking about pretty much the same things. Their salary comes out of student fee dollars. And we were wondering how we can make the time that they’re spending as Student Government employees more effective, especially when it’s student fee dollars,” Richards said.

Graduate student Lauren Harris, student trustee and member of the revision committee, said she was also part of the executive board last year and there were several times where half her hours were limited because of her attendance at Senate meetings.

“Every time we’d have a Senate meeting, I would take about five hours out of my time for the week, because our meetings ran long last year,” Harris said. “My minimum was eight and my maximum was 10 [hours per week]. I didn’t have the opportunities to do what I wanted to do with the position because I just didn’t have the time. Or I would end up doing work that I could have been paid for free, which eats into the fact that I’m a college student and have to pay rent.”

At the past two Student Government meetings, concerns were raised by senators about how the changes would affect

Student Government as a whole.

One of the specific concerns raised was the lack of communication and clarity that may exist between the executive and Senate, if the executive doesn’t attend meetings.

Richards said she understands that concern, but she is not worried about either group being out of the loop or missing information.

“The good thing is we have meeting minutes.” Richards said. “I have the ability to take notes. I’m in very consistent contact with my exec board. I have one-on-one meetings with them very regularly.”

Graduate student Kaia Ford, chair of the Constitutional Revision Committee said there is, and should be, communication happening consistently throughout the week in the Student Government office.

Another concern raised by multiple senators was how it would impact the cohesiveness of Student Government as a whole. Richards said she believes creating team bonding through social events is a more effective way to build connection among the Student Government members.

“I feel that is a better way to connect our Student Government members and build connections between them and have them get to know each other, than having them [crowded] around the little Goshen lounge,” Richards said.

Kevin McCarthy ousted as speaker, Washington in chaos

ERIN B. LOGAN CAMERON JOSEPH Los Angeles Times (TNS)

A handful of Republicans joined with Democrats on Tuesday to make Kevin McCarthy the first speaker of the House in history to be ousted by a vote of the chamber, throwing Washington into chaos.

The revolt against McCarthy was led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, (R-Fla), and a small group of conservative Republicans who have complained that the speaker worked across the aisle too often. The 216-210 vote made clear that the GOP’s right wing will not tolerate leaders who compromise with President Joe Biden and his party.

Eight Republicans and 208 Democrats voted to dump McCarthy.

The result plunges the House even further into crisis, with no clear sign of who — if anyone — can muster enough votes to become the next speaker.

“We’re in uncharted waters,” Rep. Jim Costa, (D-Calif), told the Los Angeles Times shortly before the vote.

Gaetz and his allies will likely demand significant concessions in exchange for supporting a new Republican speaker. Democrats could also attempt to extract concessions in exchange for supporting a consensus speaker, though such a deal is unprecedented in modern U.S. history

The speaker’s defeat will

have ramifications beyond his personal political career. Gaetz cited McCarthy’s Saturday decision to work with Democrats to keep the government open as one of the reasons for his coup, and McCarthy’s defeat sends a clear signal to whoever replaces him that the far right of the Republican Party will not tolerate compromise.

Gaetz, after months of threats, filed a motion to oust McCarthy late Monday night, taking advantage of chamber rules that allow any lawmaker to force a quick vote to boot the speaker. McCarthy lost a vote to table Gaetz’s motion early Tuesday afternoon, 218-208.

After the procedural vote, Gaetz’s fellow Republicans appeared to refuse to allow him to deliver his remarks from their side of the House floor, forcing him to speak from the Democratic side of the chamber.

Democrats had made clear before the vote that they were not interested in bailing out McCarthy.

“We are ready to find bipartisan common ground,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, (D-N.Y.), wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, late Tuesday morning. Our extreme colleagues have shown no willingness to do the same. They must find a way to end the House Republican Civil War.”

The Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy were Gaetz, Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Tim Burchett of Ten-

nessee, Bob Good of Virginia, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Ken Buck of Colorado and Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

The House has been in disarray for much of the year, with GOP hardliners demanding concession after concession in exchange for supporting McCarthy’s agenda. To win the speaker’s gavel in January, McCarthy restored rules that made it easy for any member of the House to move to overthrow him — the same rules that led to his defeat Tuesday.

After his election as speaker on the 15th ballot, conservative Republicans continued to complain about McCarthy’s supposed willingness to break bread with Democrats. Earlier this year, he worked with Democrats to suspend the nation’s debt ceiling so the United States can pay its bills. On Saturday, he relied on Democratic votes to avert a government shutdown.

In both cases, McCarthy initially tried to pass measures with only GOP votes. He only worked with Democrats after those efforts failed.

Still, Gaetz depicted McCarthy’s actions as a betrayal and proof that McCarthy was not fit to lead the GOP. Gaetz also alleged McCarthy made a “secret deal” to help Biden deliver funding to help Ukraine in its war against Russia, which McCarthy denied.

Shortly before the vote to remove the speaker, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma chided his party’s rebels, saying that Mc-

10.01.23

A student showed up to class without the proper equipment. An officer advised the student to leave after the instructor asked him to.

10.01.23

The SIUE PD assisted the Edwardsville PD in locating vehicles that were believed to be drag racing, but they couldn’t be found.

10.01.23

A person was running down Circle Drive naked. An officer stopped them and gave them clothes before escorting them off campus

Carthy over the weekend “put his political neck on the line knowing this day was coming to do the right thing,” he said. “He showed he can function in a time of crisis.”

Cole implored Democrats not to side with Gaetz.

“Think long and hard before you plunge us into chaos,” Cole said. “Because that’s where we are headed if you vacate the speaker.”

Many Republicans are incensed with Gaetz and his allies.

“You’ve got to see the grift for what it is,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) told The Times. “It’s just a group of people that don’t want conservatives to win.”

Former President Donald Trump, who had previously made clear that he supported a government shutdown, weighed in on the crisis in Congress Tuesday afternoon.

“Why is it that Republicans are always fighting among themselves, why aren’t they fighting the Radical Left Democrats who are destroying our Country?” he posted on his conservative social media website, Truth Social.

But leading Democrats expressed few concerns about McCarthy’s troubles.

“The Speaker of the House is chosen by the Majority Party,” Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday morning. “In this Congress, it is the responsibility of House Republicans to choose a nominee and elect the Speaker on the Floor. At this time there is no justification for a departure from this tradition.”

PAKISTAN

Two suicide bombings killed 57 people last week in Pakistan’s Mastung District. The first occurred during an Islamic procession, and the second occurred in a mosque.

ITALY

A bus full of tourists drove into a Venice canal, killing 21 people. It is believed that the driver of the bus fell ill prior to the wreck, causing him to eventually lose control.

THAILAND

A 14-year-old killed two people at the Siam Paragon Mall in Bangkok. The teenage suspect was arrested at the mall and reportedly used a modified blank-firing pistol.

KENYA

Planned relief efforts to Haiti are in debate within Kenya’s parliament. Kenya would be sending police to Haiti in an attempt to curb rampant gang violence.

MEXICO

State police raided a house in Teocaltiche, Jalisco, which reportedly contained a bomb-making workshop. The bombs were made specifically to be used with drones.

Information courtesy of Reuters / AP

Make sure you know who you’re kissing: The bug you’ve never seen

tany Peterson said these bugs are the only indicator for what these professors can expect in the future.

sequences if left untreated, the disease itself is relatively rare in the United States.

Due to climate change, a small insect known as the kissing bug has begun to migrate northward, and they’re bringing a disease with them to campus.

Professors on campus have been tracking the bugs, allowing them to monitor the incoming threat. Native to Mexico and regions of South America, kissing bugs are known for their infectious bite, which can cause humans and animals to contract Chagas disease. This disease causes bumps at the site of infection, as well as a fever.

Catherine Santanello, a professor in the School of Pharmacy, said Chagas disease can be relatively innocuous if caught in the early stages.

“Kissing bugs will bite around the mouth or eyes … usually somewhere on the face,” Santanello said.

Very few kissing bugs have been spotted on campus. While the lack of bugs means the lack of Chagas disease, assistant professor of biological sciences Brit-

“The citizen scientist program has been our only luck. We’ve only gotten about a dozen over two years,” Peterson said.

“The fact that our efforts to capture them are unsuccessful is actually a good sign. We’ve had good luck with individual scientists serendipitously finding them, but it’s definitely not tons and tons of them.”

If located, these nocturnal visitors can leave large bumps where they bite. However, if this tell-tale sign is missing, it may cost you your life.

“But if you don’t have a bump in the spot, you might not know you have it, and you’ll only have flu-like symptoms,” Santanello said. “If [the disease] goes undiagnosed and gets into the chronic stage, which is a decade or 20 years later, it can be very dangerous. Not that you can’t die from the acute stages, but in the chronic stage it is much more lethal — a person can die from cardiovascular complications.”

Despite having severe con-

“It happens mostly in South American countries, because that’s where it’s thought to be endemic,” Santanello said. “It’s only when you get infected with multiple strains that your probability of getting that chronic of an infection goes up.”

Peterson said the United States has the potential to become a common place for these bugs to be found.

“With climate change, we’re seeing a lot of things migrating further and further north than we’ve seen before, and so we would rather be out ahead of it, and that’s why we’re doing this project and trying to get an idea of who’s here and the relative threat level,” Peterson said.

Peterson said the bugs are about an inch in length and are related to other insects that infiltrate our homes during the winter months.

“Unlike stink bugs, kissing

bugs are blood-feeding,” Peterson said. “Look out for a red and black striped bug. That’s the biggest tip-off.”

Despite their relative rarity in this area, kissing bugs have been found on campus. These bugs have a strikingly familiar appearance, which makes it hard for inexperienced people to locate them accurately, said Peterson.

“As much as we publicize this, we haven’t gotten very many. 50 percent of the bugs we receive are kissing bugs, and the other 50 percent of bugs we receive are lookalikes: things like boxelder bugs, milkweed bugs and wheel bugs that do have a striking resemblance,” Peterson said. “We are still happy to receive these things, as we count them as negative controls in our study.”

Even with various similar-looking insects, kissing bugs are elusive. The people in the program have set up traps for the bugs, but these traps have been unsuccessful.

“We just want to do an

initial screening and see what the population is like and if we can find this protozoan,” Santanello said. “While we cannot definitively say that none of the bugs collected do not have Chagas disease, we can confirm that no humans have gotten the disease.”

This project was made possible with a Meridian Society grant that allows it to continue to raise awareness about the migrating bugs. Recently, both Santanello and Peterson have spoken at the St. Louis Zoo to the employees to discuss the importance of these insects, as it could mean life or death for many compromised individuals.

“[The speech] is not open to the public, but it’s to raise awareness and try to get interest to see if they’ll collaborate with us. Part of the reason is because there was an Allen’s swamp monkey that was infected with Chagas disease and had to be euthanized,” Santanello said. “We’ve been collaborating with the humane society and with treehouse wildlife sanctuary just because those places are more likely to see the disease.”

‘Larger-than-life’ former professor, Riley Maynard, dies at 76

Former SIUE Mass Communications Professor Riley Maynard, 76, of St. Louis, Missouri, died Sept. 28, surrounded by his family.

Mass Communications Department Chair Musonda Kapatamoyo described Maynard as a “larger-than-life” professor.

“He was a lovely person to work with and a remarkable teacher-scholar whose passion and dedication left an indelible mark on his students,” Kapatamoyo wrote in a letter to the SIUE Mass Comm community announcing Maynard’s death.

He had a 33-year career at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville — his teaching style filled with professional stories and sarcastic wit made him well-known across the university community. He and his students won awards, honors and scholarships.

He had many accomplishments in the fields of media and academia.

Maynard was born Jan. 24, 1947, in Matewan, West Virginia — a town of less than 1,000. He was the youngest of the six children of the Rev. Nathan and Hester Maynard.

He was a proud graduate of Matewan High School in his hometown where he worked on the school newspaper, The Green & White Echo. While earning two journalism degrees at West Virginia University he was a member of the journalism honorary society – Kappa Tau Alpha – and president of his fraternity –Phi Kappa Sigma. During his senior year, he worked as a radio reporter for the local NBC affiliate.

After his college graduation, he was a reporter/anchor for WCHS-TV-AM-FM in Charleston, West Virginia, as well as the program director at TelePrompTer Cable TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

After working as a producer and staff announcer for the PBS station in Nashville, WDCN-TV,

for three years, Maynard began his academic career at Troy State University in Alabama. He taught at Oklahoma State University and Virginia Commonwealth University before making the move to SIUE in 1981.

He earned a Ph.D. in American Studies at St. Louis University and then was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach as a visiting professor at the University of Latvia in Europe.

Not content to only teach, he also started his own media company, Aardvark Communications. For the last 25 years of his career, he worked six jobs simultaneously — professor, writer, producer, announcer, model and actor. He was also heavily involved in pro bono work for numerous charities in the St. Louis area.

Maynard was a widely published author, including a college textbook on the fundamentals of video production. He wrote dozens of articles for professional publications and academic journals. He also gave technology presentations in England, Spain, Honolulu and the University of California Berkeley during his academic career.

He retired in 2014 but stayed active in the Mass Comm Department. To recognize his

dedication to the department and accomplishments in academia and media, the department’s faculty unanimously agreed last year to name a scholarship in his honor — the Riley Maynard Excellence in Media Award.

Maynard was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Ray, sisters Ardath and Judy and his beloved wife of 35 years, Barbara.

He is survived by his son, Nathan, and daughter, Meredith Mallon (Tom). He also has a special daughter, Kendra Holsey of Phoenix. Maynard was also grandfather to granddaughter Lilah Rose Mallon and grandson Riley James Edward Mallon.

He is also survived by his sister, Jeananne, and brother, Dan.

A memorial service is planned for 2-5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21, in the Dunham Hall TV Studio.

In lieu of flowers, his family suggests contributions to the SIUE Department of Mass Communications Fund #3340 to support the Riley Maynard Excellence in Media Award.

Please mail contributions to: SIUE Department of Mass Communications Campus Box 1775 Edwardsville, IL 62025

THEA WELTZIN illustrator

Maynard talks to Mass Comm alumni and supporters at the department’s 2022 Alumni Night about a scholarship being named after him and shares some of the stories he’s well-known for. | Photo courtesy of Nathan Maynard

Riley Maynard shows off one of his smiling grandchildren at an SIUE Mass Comm event.

| Photo courtesy of Nathan Maynard

Maynard is seen here with his daughter Meredith Mallon.

| Photo courtesy of Nathan Maynard

NEXT WEEK: ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ — FIRST THEATER SHOW OF THE SEASON OPEN

lifestyles

Pawsitive impact: Students use both service and emotional support animals in academics, personal lives

MADISON SAMPLE online editor

Students living with both physical and mental health conditions can use animals in many ways to help them thrive on campus.

The more traditional role of animals on campus is that of service animals — animals who are professionally trained to perform a task for students with disabilities.

Junior nursing major Sydney Allen said she utilizes her diabetic alert dog, a golden retriever named Finney, to help her manage her type 1 diabetes by alerting to changes in Allen’s blood sugar.

“I have had Finney since high school and he alerts me to high and low blood sugars very reliably,” Allen said. “He knows when my scent changes, so when my blood sugar is high I smell sweet and when my blood sugar is low I smell bitter. He will alert me by smacking me with his paw and if he can’t get my attention he will get stubborn or go find someone else to paw.”

Allen has lived on campus since her freshman year and said she hasn’t had many issues with housing.

“Housing has been really great,” Allen said.

Allen said she has faced a few issues with other members of the SIUE community wanting to interact with Finney while he is working.

“Sometimes other students attempt to interact with Finney and there are two ways to approach that situation,” Allen said. “You can ignore people and be on your way or you can educate people. I do both, sometimes I just tell people not to pet the dog because he is working or sometimes I completely ignore them and keep walking.”

Allen is currently complet-

ing her nursing clinical rotations and said both the School of Nursing and Barnes-Jewish Healthcare have worked with her to alleviate any issues that have arisen regarding her service dog.

“It was a brand new challenge for the School of Nursing,” Allen said. “The school placed me in the BJC system and they have been really awesome. Finney is allowed to go anywhere the general public or nurses are allowed. The only places he cannot go are the neonatal intensive care unit or the operating room. He lays under the nurse’s desk and sleeps while we do our stuff. Most of the patients love him.”

According to Director of Accessible Campus Community & Equitable Student Support Dominic Dorsey, the university does not manage the use of service animals on campus due to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Service animals are not managed through the ACCESS office as they are protected to go into any public space,” Dorsey said.

“If someone with a service animal wants to enter a public space on campus, that animal is permitted. If a service animal is being disruptive, that animal may be asked to leave by whoever is in charge of that space. The person would be allowed to return to the space without the animal in that case.”

Another way in which animals are utilized by students on campus is through the role of an emotional support animal. Senior psychology major Paige Garcia lives on campus with her ESA cat George.

“My therapist worked with me and we decided that an ESA could help me with my depres-

sion,” Garcia said. “I have a hard time motivating myself to get out of bed sometimes, so having the motivation of having something to wake up for and having something to care for has really helped me.”

Associate Director of Housing Operations for University Housing Dann Rosner said that

Kansas who places service and therapy dogs, and in my training we were taught to fear ESAs,” Allen said. “We were taught that because there is no regulation on their behavior that ESAs are unreliable and a possible danger for my service dog. I know people who have been in public and had their service dogs attacked by ESAs. This can make the service dog scared to work and have to go back to training.”

Allen also said there is a concern that untrained and unregulated ESAs could harm other people living on campus.

“My freshman year I lived in Woodland and in my hall there was an emotional support dog,” Allen said.

“The dog ended up biting one of the RAs in the middle of the semester and was kicked out.”

According to Rosner, other concerns include the safety of the animals and of possible damages to housing facilities.

with students through the process of getting an ESA approved to live on campus.

“Many students come to us just seeking an emotional support animal accommodation,” Dorsey said. “We like to have a full conversation with the student to see what other accommodations could help to alleviate their symptoms, while also helping provide the ESA accommodation.”

According to Rosner, once an ESA accommodation is approved by ACCESS, Housing works with the student to approve the animal from Housing’s end.

“We don’t review any medical documentation in our process because ACCESS and their staff are truly the experts,” Rosner said. “From a Housing and student success perspective, I meet with new ESA owners to go over the emotional support animal agreement. We work hard to balance individual students’ needs with the needs of the overall community.”

an increasing number of students living in housing utilize ESAs and that their usage is protected by law.

“Emotional support animals are legally covered differently than service animals,” Rosner said. “Service animals are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, whereas emotional support animals are specifically covered under the Fair Housing Act, and around 2014 the FHA was extended to cover universities.”

Though ESAs in on-campus housing are protected by law, Allen said there are still major concerns surrounding the presence of these animals on campus.

“Finney came from a nonprofit company based out of

“It’s important to us that as students are making the decision to care for an animal, they are acknowledging the responsibility,” Rosner said. “We want to make sure that approved animals living in University Housing are safe and cared for. Students are also financially responsible for any damages their animal may cause.”

According to Garcia, students who are looking to have an ESA must first consider the well-being of their animal before bringing it to campus.

“George gets lonely if I am not there,” Garcia said. “He was used to living with two other cats and my mom works from home so he was used to always having others with him.”

Dorsey said that as long as these concerns continue to be addressed, ACCESS can work

Allen said that, though she was taught to fear ESAs, after coming to campus and seeing how emotional support animals are utilized, she is now a bit less afraid.

“As I’ve gotten on campus I’ve been able to kind of see both sides,” Allen said. “I definitely understand the reasons behind having an ESA. A legitimate ESA is absolutely amazing. I support them and think they should be allowed in housing.”

Garcia said having George on campus has greatly helped her in her therapy and thinks ESAs could benefit other students to do the same.

“I love living with George and having him as an ESA as part of my treatment plan,” Garcia said. “He is just part of my life that I am never going to give up. I think that — de-

Bowling Club rolls into new future after loss of Cougar Lanes

SAMUEL MUREN reporter

The loss of Cougar Lanes is bringing changes to the Bowling Club and other potential bowlers at SIUE.

This year brought some changes to the MUC. The former Cougar Lanes was closed and became a repurposed space for Textbook Services. Most students learned this on day one attending classes back on campus, including junior computer science major David Dupuis, the president of the Bowling Club.

“I pretty much found out when I came to class on day one, and the bowling alley was closed,” Dupuis said.

Dupuis took over as president of the Bowling Club this year and said he was never officially notified but had heard rumors of Cougar Lanes closing. Club Sports Coordinator Joe Carrillo confirmed this, but said he was not involved in the discussion around repurposing Cougar Lanes.

“This move was between the Morris University Center and Textbook Services,

so I can understand why I was not included,” Carrillo said.

With Cougar Lanes being closed, the Bowling Club went on to look for a new practice location. Junior history major Austin Mendenhall, vice president of the Bowling Club, said Camelot Bowl in Collinsville was the best of a handful of locations.

“Camelot was most preferred out of everyone,” Mendenhall said.

Camelot brings both positives and negatives for the club. Mendenhall said the biggest downside is Camelot is not as convenient as Cougar Lanes.

“Being on campus in Cougar Lanes, a lot more people showed up because it was on campus,” Mendenhall said.

Driving is a major limitation for some students on campus. According to Dupuis, the club has tried to work around this drawback.

“We provide rides. My car is always open,” Dupuis said. “And of course, we encourage our club members to make their vehicles available to other club members if possible, and oftentimes they do.”

Aside from the distance, Mendenhall said adapting to a new location can be a struggle.

“We’ve had a little struggle in the beginning with understanding, but it’s been good,” Mendenhall said. “I would say it would be an upgrade. It’s definitely more maintained and a newer bowling alley,”

Even though the club has moved locations, they are not planning on changing its identity.

“Basically, it’s still the same concept. You don’t have to have any experience in bowling. You come try it out. If you enjoy it, just keep coming. We don’t have any requirements really,” Mendenhall said.

While the concept of the club may not be changing, members said they are still looking to grow as a club. As of this year, the club has seen some growth. This rise in attendance has encouraged Dupuis to dream big for the future.

“What I personally want to do eventually is get customized jerseys for everybody,” Dupuis said.

Reaching these ambitions would require money. By continuing to grow in

size, Dupuis said they may be able to persuade a higher allocation of funds to the club, which could be put to valuable use.

Dupuis said his hope for the future of the club is to grow it as much as possible. The move to Camelot Bowl could be a ticket for this growth to take place. Another big goal is to have the ability to be competitive and earn respect as a club.

“I think that it would be cool to have a group of people that we could send to tournaments … Maybe if we’re able to do that eventually it will gain respect as an actual athletic sport,” Dupuis said.

There is no clear answer if the MUC is going to reopen Cougar Lanes, and it appears that there will be no other location on campus the club has to look forward to.

“I am not aware of if or when Cougar Lanes will reopen and do not foresee any new location on campus that will house the Bowling Club. For now, the club seems happy with bowling off-campus,” Carrillo said.

Find more information on the Bowling Club, visit their GetInvolved page.

“He is just part of my life that I am never going to give up. ”

Senior Paige Garcia

GRACE GENTEMANN reporter

For many women, getting into the gym can be incredibly intimidating. The Lifting Club for Women at SIUE aims to form a community with members to allow them to feel safe and get active.

The Lifting Club for Women started in September, and is now starting to take off. Sophomores

Nahomy Martinez and Emalie

TY HICKS

reporter

Spending time around the MUC and Quad, students may have noticed a big increase in colorful, mascot-like figures roaming the area, many of whom have stories of overcoming judgment to share.

According to sophomore computer engineering major and furry Seth Litthisack, furries are simply fans of anthropomorphic characters, or animals with human characteristics. Anthropomorphic characters in pop culture include Mickey Mouse and Sonic the

New weightlifting club gives comfort, community for women lifters

Mosher, who are the founder and co-founder, said they felt a need for this club because many women they knew were scared to start going to the gym.

Mosher said she felt that it was vastly important for women who are wanting to go to the gym to feel as if they have a community.

“[A lot of the girls were scared] because of the lack of girls there. It is easier to create a community outside of the gym

and then progress its way into the gym rather than forcing people to go out of their comfort zone,” Mosher said In this way, the club is designed to be a support system for women who are wanting to lift. Mosher said that many times role models in the gym are usually male figures so having other women to look up to and lean on is what they aim to do.

“I looked up to my brothers but having a female role

model that is more on my level was something I was wanting,” Mosher said.

Martinez said many girls may feel intimidated by men in the gym or even the space itself. Moreover, the club is hoping to make that intimidation go away so women can feel comfortable in the space as well.

One of the goals of the club is to help girls who may have never lifted weights be able to learn alongside other women

who want to lift them up and encourage them along the way.

The club is still in the beginning stages but plans to have meetings with new members shortly and allow for the community of female lifters to decide their plans and goals for the club as a whole.

For more information on the The Lifting Club for Women check out their social media @tlc.siue or GetInvolved Page.

Hedgehog.

According to Litthisack, just about every furry has their own made up character. Many dub these “fursonas.” These characters are often meant to represent the person in an anthropomorphic animal form.

Litthisack said these characters are often given attributes or personality traits that the person behind it wants to have in their real life. Using these fursuits, furries can comfortably grow into, or simply be, the person they want to be without ridicule or judgment.

“It’s like having an online avatar in real life — a way to express parts of your identity without showing your face,” Litthisack said.

From mythical creatures such as centaurs, or even talking dogs, the concept of giving animals human-like properties is not a new

concept.

“My fursona is Wesley, a coyote. He is a way to be myself around others. It’s more comforting to me than saying, ‘I’m Seth, I like weird [stuff],’” Litthisack said.

Litthisack said that while going out dressed up is not required for one to consider themselves a furry, many still enjoy bringing their characters to life.

Chinu Hultz is a senior undergrad computer science major and said she is a very avid fursuiter. She, as her character “Chi,” has been making rounds on campus.

“Being a furry to me means that I can be part of a community of unique people,” Hultz says. “It’s very inclusive for all … Anybody can create a character and join.”

Hultz said the suits can get very hot, but she also said that fact doesn’t stop her from venturing out to the Quad, hoping to brighten other people’s day.

“I love seeing people’s genuine reactions. I’m glad I can be something unique and interesting for someone on campus who might be having a bad day, or tough time with schoolwork,” Hultz said.

According to Hultz, the process of getting your own fursuit is not an easy task. There are many different small businesses that create them per request, which can cost someone anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 depending on style, type or material.

Litthisack said he made “Wesley” by hand using upholstery foam and thread, costing him around $200 dollars for the materials. This was a partial fursuit, or one that is in parts (a head, feet, hand-paws) instead of a full body suit.

Junior medical technology major Ethan Metcalf said he has been a part of the furry fandom for almost eight years of his life, but has yet to bring his snow leopard character to life with a fursuit.

Metcalf said his main reason for refraining from owning a fursuit is purely monetary. They can be quite pricey, and it is not something that is currently on his radar. Metcalf said he is still very active in the online community.

“Being a furry means different things for everyone, and those things can change over time, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Metcalf said.

Something that Hultz, Lit-

thisack and Metcalf all have in common is their love for what they call “furry conventions”.

Conventions are hosted all over the world in many different areas during any part of the year.

St. Louis hosts their own by the name of “Gateway FurMeet”.

While many of the attendees will be in their fursuits, it is not a requirement. Many opt for wearing a small badge of their character instead, such as ears or a tail, or even just their regular attire.

These conventions are usually weekend events where furries come together to meet, attend panels and sell custom-made merchandise and art

“Just be bold. There’s nothing wrong with being different. We’re all a little weird,” Hultz said.

‘Furries’ around campus share tales of personal growth through embracing being bold and ‘a little weird’

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Students have lives outside of school, so being told to work harder whilst already drowning in homework and quizzes from multiple classes is not the answer.

Having too much work is something every student has encountered. Tasks pile up and eventually things get out of hand.

This applies even more so to students who work take up the precious time that could be spent finishing up assignments.

Many professors are considerate about this and will be lenient when it comes to granting extensions or otherwise. Some, however, are extremely strict and inconsiderate.

These professors may say that it isn’t their problem that we can’t do all the work, and will instead encourage us to do more and work harder.

The plight of the student is often ignored as we are primarily

students. However, some plainly ignore the other aspects of our lives, which take up just as much time — if not more.

The average student takes 15 credit hours per semester, which totals to around five classes. This means a student has to keep track of assignments from five separate classes with different professors and teaching methods, which is added on to whatever job they work as well as attempting to have a social life.

This is perfectly manageable for most people. The problem arises when some professors say that we must cut into other parts of our lives in order to make the class work.

Students should be able to live their lives outside of school and should not be expected to dedicate all their time to school work. Professors across campus already plan their assignments in a way where most are able to finish it in their own time set aside for school.

students

Some professors may lose perspective on the amount of time assignments take to finish because of automatic grading. There may be times when a student spends hours finishing an assignment, which is then instantly graded for the professor.

There should not be a scenario where a professor has to say to a student that they must spend a dozen hours doing individual assignments; if there is, then there is simply too much work and the professor should reassess their course material.

Every student has had to cut into their schedules to make time for school, but there is a line between reasonable and unreasonable expectations. If a student must spend all their time doing assignments, there will be real-world consequences, such as declining mental health or missing work.

A lot of students work to survive. Missing work means losing hours which leads to less money.

This creates a myriad of problems: paying for gas, food and tuition are just a few. How could these students be told they’re not working hard enough?

This is not intended to excuse students who never do their work, are always missing class or poorly plan out their time. Rather, it gives hard-working students a bit of padding to make college life a little easier.

Most classes run the way they should be operating. Students are given a fair deadline for turning in assignments and should something happen that requires the student’s attention and causes them to be late, such as a death or sickness, then an extension or redo is given.

If every single professor did this, then college would be a much better place for learning and growing as a person. However, there are still some professors who think it’s best to simply say that we should be trying harder.

People aren’t watching to make you uncomfortable

SAM MUREN reporter

Sometimes people-watching can be considered creepy, but people need to accept the fact that people-watching is a part of society, and it’s here to stay.

Others will go to public spaces and observe people to feel connected to others. Some people will go to the Dining Hall and eat alone at a table. They are in a social setting, but still alone.

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The reality is people will always observe others. Although people-watching can be considered weird and “stalkerish” by some, it is human nature to observe others doing their daily activities.

For some, they observe others as a hobby. At SIUE, it is easy to watch the crowds at the MUC or the Quad. People will go and observe what random people are doing simply out of curiosity.

According to SIUE Staff Counselor Dawn Schulte, people-watching can be described as “a very natural tendency for us as people to look around and get contextual information about where we are; reading the room before we engage.”

Those who struggle with social interaction may be inclined to practice people-watching for a sense of comfort in social situations. Schulte said introverted individuals default to observing others as a way to

learn how to interact in certain social situations.

If people-watching gives some a sense of social connection, then it is unfair to claim that the practice of observing people is creepy. However, there is no doubt that some people cross the line when people-watching.

The line is crossed when the person observing begins to observe someone out of a universally agreed upon public space. An example would be someone following a person home without their consent.

The fact is that most people aren’t trying to creep you out. They might just struggle in social situations and fall back

on watching others. There is no reason to think negatively about people-watching, but recently, society has denormalized it.

Social media has shifted us from people-watching in person to people-watching online. People will now look up people’s accounts to learn about them instead of going up and talking to them. This is an alternative for some who feel uncomfortable learning about people in person.

We shouldn’t judge those who enjoy the principle of learning about people in social settings rather than through a screen. Take some time out of your day, visit the Quad and observe the hustle and bustle around you.

‘Study more’ is not valid advice for tired

THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

UDIT NALUKALA Multimedia Editor

CHLOE WOLFE Opinion Editor

BRUCE DARNELL Managing

DYLAN HEMBROUGH Editor-in-Chief

Fall Fest Fall Fest

1,000 attendees, 1,000 pumpkins ring in the gourd-geous season

Oh my gourd: Revolution Campus Ministry is a religious student organization sponsored by the Crossing Church in Collinsville. The RCM hosted its fifth annual Fall Fest in the MUC Bowl Oct. 3 for thousands of students, providing free food and drink and of course, pumpkins.

The group’s advisor, Siyanbola Animashaun, said they had over 1,000 pumpkins to give away at the event. President Joyce Tawdros said that an estimated 1,000 people attended the event.

Shut Up Mark: If you were not interested in pumpkins or caramel apples, the event also had a live band, Shut Up Mark, playing popular songs like “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction.

| Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

| Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

| Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

A’Miyah Willis engages in conversation as she paints her pumpkin. Around her, several other students look for designs to paint on their own pumpkins.

Pumpkin painting:SIUE students Jack Woodward (left) and Keelin Robertson (right) paint pumpkins at RCM Fall Fest on Oct. 3.

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MATTHEW WOLDEN copy editor

SIUE volleyball played a close and riveting match against Southeast Missouri State, winning the game three sets to two last weekend at First Community Arena.

The game started off strong in the first set as Bree Schreimann, sophomore outside hitter, scored the first point of the game with a kill.

Priscilla Jones, junior middle blocker, performed a service ace that the other team failed to intercept, giving SIUE the win with a score of 25-23.

The second and third sets were won by Southeast Missouri State with scores of 18-25 and 15-25 respectively.

“You get five sets; you know, you gotta win three. They only won two and they won them pretty well,” Head Coach

Kendall Paulus said. Despite losing the two sets, Sydney Hummert, junior outside hitter, said the team was confident in their ability to still win back the game.

Hummert said, “We all felt pretty confident going into the fourth [set].”

SIUE went into the next set and pulled out a win, leading 25-21 before the fifth and last set of the game. Paulus said the SIUE fans’ cheering and rallying for the volleyball team helped the team and their spirit.

“When the crowd is standing up, rallying you, it really allowed us to have a lot of momentum,” Paulus said.

With an electrifying final set, SIUE won 15-6 after repeatedly getting point after point with some back-and-forth between the two teams. Hummert said the fans cheering them

on really helped the team give it their all.

“I think the whole gym had us going, our fans especially,” Hummert said. “It was a great experience.”

Paulus said the team is performing excellently all around. She said she was proud of the team’s efforts for how far into the season they are, but there is still more work for the team to do. Paulus said everyone played a key part in the game.

“I felt like we really dug our heels in and worked really hard to earn that win,” Paulus said.

The Cougars will play next in a doubleheader 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 and 2 p.m. in Evansville, Indiana against the University of Southern Indiana. To see other times they play, check SIUE’s webpage.

The Redstorm aims to revive the spirit of SIUE sports

MICHAL KATE CASTLEMAN reporter

Ever since the pandemic, SIUE sports have seen low student attendance numbers. The SIUE Redstorm, a student section organization, is actively working to change that.

The Redstorm consists of a few SIUE students who are the “cabinet members” of the organization.

Austin Luebbers, a sophomore computer science major, said the Redstorm was an active student section created by SIUE alumni pre-pandemic, and the current organization is picking up where it left off.

“We tried to revive it last year, but not a lot of talk was [going around] about it. So we’re trying harder [to get the word out] this year,” Luebbers said.

The Redstorm aims to cre-

ate an exciting environment around SIUE sports to bring as many students to games as possible. The group participates in student section activities such as chanting, dressing up and making signs.

“I wasn’t noticing a fan base, [and there was] a lack of drive for people to go to games,” Luebbers said. “A lot of other colleges, like Mizzou for example, have a very big sports culture. I just want to see that at SIUE.”

After the organization’s revival was unsuccessful last year, SIUE Athletics approached JD Stone, a sophomore nursing major, and asked him to lead the Redstorm organization.

“I was an active member of the student sections at my high school, and I wanted to bring that culture to SIUE,” Stone said.

Langdon Scheeter, a junior finance major, runs the Red-

storm Instagram account and said social media is the organization’s best way of reaching out to SIUE students.

Scheeter said many students may not know when games are happening and hopes the Redstorm account helps inform them.

“I know that our sports teams haven’t really had as much of a community, so we’re trying to build it up to where it used to be,” Scheeter said.

Stone said awareness is difficult to spread about SIUE sports but hopes that the Redstorm can grow by the time he graduates.

Stone also said the Redstorm members care about the sports culture at SIUE, believing sports to be a way for the SIUE community to come together.

“Going to a game is fun, but watching it with your friends is a lot better,” Stone said. “The game almost becomes the back-

ground to what’s happening in the stands. [With] a big crowd, the teams can bounce off of it. The other audience members can bounce off of it. It brings Edwardsville to SIUE.”

Stone said he thinks people do not attend the games because students believe they will not enjoy them and wants the Redstorm to make sports games entertaining for those who do attend.

The Redstorm has received positive feedback from many players and coaches and has been encouraged by coaches to continue coming to the games.

The Redstorm members agreed that they are not only seeking out an enjoyable experience for themselves, but also for the student athletes.

Lauryn Yselva, a junior SIUE softball player, said she is happy to see the Redstorm at sporting events.

“It shows us that our student body has our back,” Yselva said. “It really shows a lot of appreciation for student athletes, it hypes me up and honestly makes me proud to go to SIUE.”

Stone said the recognition from SIUE Athletics Administration and the athletes motivates him to do more in the Redstorm. He said the Redstorm members and the student athletes sitting together in a centralized section at games would be another way for the Redstorm to have a larger impact, especially since teams tend to sit apart at events.

In the future, the Redstorm members said they hope the organization will be large enough that students hear about it upon arrival at SIUE.

The SIUE Redstorm is open for anyone to join. For more information, you can find the Redstorm on their Instagram.

Softball runs home with two wins in last weekend series

MICHAL KATE CASTLEMAN reporter

During the second week of their fall off-season, the SIUE softball team dominated both games against Southeastern Community College and Wabash Valley College on Saturday.

Head Coach Ben Sorden said that during the off-season weekend games, the players are trying to learn about themselves as a team and navigate how to play together as new members join.

“We had a number of people playing in different positions,

so the goal on the weekends are more learning opportunities as well as finding the right pieces to the puzzle,” Sorden said.

During the second inning against the SCC Falcons, sophomore pitcher Rylie Pindel subbed in for senior pitcher Kelsey Ray, which helped SIUE move towards victory.

The Cougars won their first game 4-2, scoring their first run in the 5th inning. Junior Madison Kearnes was able to tie the game 2-2 at the bottom of the 6th inning.

The last run to secure the Cougars’ win was driven in by

junior Piper Montgomery.

SIUE’s second game against Wabash Valley was pitched by junior Emma Henderson. The Cougars were able to win 3-2 against the Warriors.

Kearnes and Kaylynn Saylars were able to score two runs of the game, putting the Cougars ahead of the Warriors 2-1. Freshman Amber Morgan had a bunt single later in the game.

Saylars was able to end the game with a walk-off double in the final inning.

Sorden said the team will be breaking down their videos from this game to learn for fu-

ture games as they are helpful to the team’s preparation for the on-season.

“In the second game, coming out from the 7th, and executing everything we wanted to do in that scenario, shows us that we’re not out of any game,” Sorden said.

With the two wins under their belt, Sorden said both games were total team wins with contributions from everyone.

The Cougars will play next at 11 a.m. on Friday Oct. 6 against Lincoln Land Community College and St. Charles Community College at 3 p.m.

Left to right: SIUE players Abi Banitt, Julia Treichel, Chelsey Abel and Savannah Christian celebrate in their win over SEMO on Sept. 30. | Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle