Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
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Student trustee candidates share goals for semester
DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief
Four candidates have thrown their names in the ring for the student trustee position, now open after the sudden resignation of former Student Trustee Kaia Ford. Each has different ideas and goals that, if elected, they aim to fulfill in just a few short months.
Megan You
Running under the slogan “You for You,” You has served as a senator on the Diversity Council since April 2024. The Diversity Council is a group of five senators tasked with ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion are considered in Student Government’s actions.
You said she hopes to communicate updates from her position to the student body via student-published media, such as The Alestle and a potential Student Governmentbased newsletter.
“I would love to create … a newsletter talking about what we talk about in each board meeting. Not a lot of students know what trustee is,” You said. “It’s such an important position, yet not a lot of students know about it, which I find a little alarming.”
You also wants to provide funding to more organizations.
“I would love to be able to use my platform to provide single-semester allocations to some of these organizations that maybe aren’t really receiving anything from the Kimmel [Belonging and Engagement Hub],”
You said.
“I have so many thoughts to implement in only three months,” You said. “That’s scary — it really is — but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have the resources I’ll have.”
Mo Abuzaneh
Running under the slogan “Mo for More,” Abuzaneh has served as student wellness and equity officer since April 2024.
“Students feel disconnected from the decision-making process,” Abuzaneh said. “They don’t feel like they’re making a difference on campus.”
Abuzaneh has been a member of Student Government since 2023 and feels he has had a lot of time to get to know the people he would be working with as student trustee.
Abuzaneh currently serves on the Parking and Traffic Committee in Student Government, where he gets insight into issues like the cost of parking passes.
“We can try to get the parking department more aid from the state or from the SIU System without them having to rely on the tickets and passes.”
Abuzaneh wants to gather student opinions before meetings as well to inform his vote on certain subjects.
“I’m running because I wanna make a difference,” Abuzaneh said.
Kaelyn Cupil
Cupil is a senior nursing student who served as student wellness and equity officer last year.
“I really want to emphasize the problems or plight of Edwardsville students towards the SIU System,” Cupil said. “Since I was so active on campus, I feel like I have a good ear to the ground for what students may want from higher-ups.”
Cupil said she thinks she could enact a good amount of change in the short amount of time she would have as trustee, citing her background as the student diversity officer during the presidency of Rahmat Salau.
“I came on as student diversity officer in the middle of the term, and I was able to really clean up the student diversity officer role,” Cupil said. “I was able to accomplish a lot in the previous role before. When I’m committed to making something happen for the students, I can follow through.”
Nina Harris
Running under the slogan “A New Voice with Nina,”
Harris currently serves as the senator for military and veteran affairs and is pursuing her master’s in higher education.
Harris said she feels students are not being kept in the loop on university processes they should have a say in.
“Students have a lot of grievances, and I feel like they aren’t being heard, and things aren’t being done. They hardly ever see anything done about it,” Harris said. “Think about the situation with dining when the fridges were down.”
Harris said she always has an open mind to suggestions and feedback and believes she will have support from Student Government and administration during her tenure.
“I am already heavily involved on campus. I feel like I’d just be more than welcome to explain,” Harris said. “If you wanna talk to me, come talk to me. I’ll still be me.”
“Even though it’s a bit of a short period of time, I feel the support of peers and mentors all the same,” Harris said.
The election began at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22. Voting will close at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 24. The winner of the election is expected to be finalized at the Senate meeting on Monday, Jan. 27. Voting is currently open on Get Involved.
‘DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BLACK FRIENDS?’ Professor to premiere re-education doc on race in February
CHLOE WOLFE lifestyles editor
When professors take a sabbatical year, they gather research that is usually published in an academic journal or as a book. Timothy Lewis, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science, spent his sabbatical researching, writing, directing and producing a documentary analyzing the social formation of “race.”
Lewis, who is also the chair of the Department of Social Work and the director of Black Studies, said the documentary is meant to encourage conversations about race — a social construct that categorizes people based on perceived physical traits, according to the American Psychological Association.
“There’s a lot of stuff about race that people don’t know, so this documentary is designed to give them an upfront and truthful conversation primer about race,” Lewis said. “It does so by interviewing transgenerational Black Americans. These are Black Americans who’ve been alive since before we were integrated. That means they lived across at least two legalized racial systems, and so by that experience, they understand race more holistically.”
Other SIUE employees and students also worked on the documentary. Cory Byers, an instructor in the Department
of Mass Communications, helped record and edit the documentary.
“I always like to work with students when I can on projects, just because it’s a great learning experience for them,” Byers said. “On their own projects, [students are] always in charge of producing, which has a lot of stress. Whereas if they’re on the crew, they can just focus on one thing and learn a lot while they’re there.”
Before taking on her current role, Director of Communications Nicole Franklin produced, wrote and directed several documentaries. Lewis credits her as the inspiration to make a documentary out of the research that he was originally only planning on writing a book about.
The documentary will premiere at a reception celebrating Black research at 6 p.m., Feb. 19 in the MUC Conference Center.
In essence, it’s like a clap back against the social political movement against ADEI.” “
The event, BLACK — A Celebration of Black Research, will also feature research by other SIUE professors, including a book written by Associate Professor Tisha Brooks in the English Department and another documentary produced by Assistant Professor and Graduate Program Director Candace Hall in the Department of Educational Leadership.
Timothy Lewis Associate Professor of Political
Science
“[Franklin said], ‘The book is great, but what about a visual mode of getting your research out?’ And I thought that was an amazing idea,” Lewis said. ”And so the concept of a documentary came to life, and we’ve been working on it for about the past seven or eight months.”
“History, if you read it, is one thing, but to see it and hear it adds so much more,” Byers said.
“In essence, it’s like a clap back against the social political movement against ADEI — anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion — by honoring those who research race, specifically the sociopolitical impacts and actions of Black people,” Lewis said.
Following the premiere, Lewis hopes to show the documentary at the National Conference of Black Political Scientists in March. Lewis said he is also working on bringing the documentary to a streaming platform or YouTube and working with Franklin on submitting the work to film festivals.
Aside from producing a documentary and writing a book, Lewis has also been doing other research with Interim Chair of Political Science Laurie Rice. Their research has focused on Black Lives Matter, “value-driven consumer activism” and generational divides in boycotting through consumerism.
“Gen Z was at the forefront of [Black Lives Matter] protests in 2020,” Rice said. “They played a key role in organizing protests across the country via social media … So we were really curious to see Gen Z’s involvement in it, because consumer activism can be costly, especially if rewarding or punishing a company means going to somebody else that’s more expensive.” Their research found that Millennial Black Lives Matter supporters were more likely to boycott and “buycott” — reward a company for perceived “good behavior.” Gen Z was as willing to boycott but less willing to “buycott.”
“This [event] is to show, to broadcast, to publicize and to advertise, that studying race is actually a real thing, and that it produces real knowledge that society needs to move forward and to progress,” Lewis said.
For more information about the BLACK celebration, visit their Eventbrite. The trailer for Lewis’ documentary is available on YouTube.
ABUZANEH CUPIL
HARRIS
YOU
Students dedicated to incorporating ADEI into their careers can earn certification through new program
BRANDI SPANN opinion editor
In an effort to expand exposure to anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion, students can now earn an ADEI Leadership Certificate from the Kimmel Belonging and Engagement Hub.
The SIU System grants the certificate as recognition that the student is dedicated to the incorporation of diverse perspectives in their respective field and in their life. The certificate is earned after 40 hours of engagement with new perspectives, developmental programming, self-assessments and various activities and events.
Inclusive Education and Training Coordinator Bolton Morales organizes the day-today operations of the program. He works with students to make sure that they find the program fulfilling and manageable.
“One of the things that I’ve really appreciated in my time developing material for the certificate is emphasizing communica-
tion and our personal identities and how those influence our ability to be leaders on campus or in the world,” Morales said. “We really want students to look at themselves and where they come from and learn how that can impact their time here.”
Students who have completed the program receive a digital and physical certificate, a LinkedIn badge and recognition on their transcript. Morales said that the program currently has about 150 active student participants.
Third-year French international student Inès Chakir earned her certification in a single semester.
“I feel like the program was very helpful for me to get a grip on what it meant to be part of a minority and, even if you don’t understand, you can ask questions, but in a respectful way. It gave me access to some tools to be able to express myself with minorities,” Chakir said.
Chakir appreciated that she could earn hours at her own pace, and she knows that what
she learned will be applicable to her future legal career.
“Honestly, I am someone with a lot of bias. I think we all have a lot of bias regarding people. And I feel like I realized that some of what I thought was actually bias and not actual fact. I listened to a very interesting podcast on disabled people and disability in general,” Chakir said. “They are people that have their own identity beyond [their disability].”
Senior psychology student Nicholas Young completed his ADEI leadership certificate over six months.
“It’s really important in the line of work that I’m in,” Young said. “It offers a much more holistic approach to [clinical psychology] and also improves the therapeutic alliance, as I would be more understanding of seeing where [people are] coming from.”
Earning the certificate benefits students in their future careers, current jobs, education and their personal lives.
“Educating yourself and
learning really helps make you feel like you’re more at home in the world. You feel like you belong alongside various other people,” Young said.
Young said that one of the most influential events he attended for the certificate was a Palestinian poetry night with American poet and writer Zeina Azzam.
“She was really informative. She talked about a lot of serious stuff in her work and spoke openly. There were some tears that were shed that night. It was really powerful,” Young said.
“A lot of people think equality is what you want — you want to treat everyone equally. But, a big part of that difference with equity is that not everyone has the same circumstances, the same baseline,” Young said.
Students can earn hours towards their certification by participating in on-campus events that explore things like national heritage months, sustained dialogue, leadership personalities, conflict resolution, bias, disability and many other areas of interest.
SENATE SCOOP THE
Monday, January 13, 2025 - Mississippi/Illinois Room
The program is coordinated through a Blackboard page where students can submit their events for consideration and credit, write and turn in reflections on their experiences and track their progress.
While the program has technically been around for two years, it really took off in the Fall 2024 semester.
Morales said the goal is to eventually expand the programming to include faculty, staff and the broader community, as the work is important to the university. However, it will require ongoing efforts to maintain and refine the program in its current form
“It’s work that I’ve seen on the east to west coast of the country. It’s work that is starting to grow internationally. It’s really great that, here at SIUE, we have such a program,” Young said.
Learn more about the certificate program on the SIU System website.
Student senators meet new police ‘pawfficers’
DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief
The Student Senate kicked off 2025 by calling an emergency election to replace former Student Trustee Kaia Ford, who resigned over winter break. Also, SIUE Police formally introduced the police department’s two new therapy dogs, Max and Chase, to the senators.
The reasons for Ford’s resignation are still unknown to the public. Head Justice Brenden Auerbach is leading the Emergency Election Commission to find a replacement for Ford.
The emergency election began at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22. Voting will close at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 24. Auerbach said results will be publicized and finalized at the Senate’s Jan. 27 meeting.
This is Auerbach’s first election as head justice, a position formed last year that took on the duties of the election commissioner. Associate Justices Landon Winkelman, Addison Sutzer and Drew Evans are also overseeing the election.
Senator for the School of Engineering Peyton Lovel also resigned after being called into active duty. According to Student Vice President Lucia Knapp, Lovel was no longer a full-time student and did not meet the requirements for being a senator.
The SIUE Police Department made an appearance at the Senate meeting, with Chief David Goodwin and colleagues introducing the senators to the police department’s two new dogs. Max and Chase, who Goodwin referred to as “pawfficers,” are both part of the police department’s new therapy dog program — an idea that Officer Curtis Schwartzkopf brought to the table in November.
“It’s a great initiative for when we deal with [crisis] calls. When we’re in full uniform, we can be intimidating at
Senator Megan You enjoys the company of Chase, a husky-Pomeranian mix, after the new dogs were introduced to all of Student Government. Chase is one of two new therapy dogs with SIUE Police.
times. We can take the dogs in and not be so intimidating when we approach these issues,” Schwartzkopf said. “Mental health is a major thing in the country today, [and] sometimes it’s neglected. Just having the dogs around will help … bring calm to victims of sudden crimes.”
Goodwin and Schwartzkopf said the dogs are also to help with the police department’s community-oriented policing efforts.
“Everybody loves dogs. You see people’s eyes light up. It’s not a typical police dog that looks aggressive — he’s a big fluffball, and he will lick
| Gavin Rask / The Alestle
you,” Schwartzkopf said. “The other thing is officer wellness. We deal with stressful calls from time to time, and dogs are there to love on you and make you happy.”
Max and Chase both came from Tails of Redemption, a program in Cook County, Illinois, that allows people in custody the opportunity to train shelter dogs.
“One out of 50 dogs that come through their program, they select to be part of the therapy dog program because of their demeanor,” Schwartzkopf said. “[Max and Chase] both got a second
chance at life through that program.”
Student President Barrett Larkin announced during his executive report that, starting this semester, anyone can author a Senate bill or resolution. Previously, this ability has been limited to members of Student Government.
The change is meant to facilitate student engagement with Student Government.
“If a freshman comes to you and says, ‘I have this idea,’ and it’s really fleshed out, you can work with them to develop it,” Larkin said. “They don’t have to be a student — literally anyone — [but] it has to be sponsored [by a member of Student Government].”
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Miriam Roccia also announced that SIUE was awarded a $290,000 grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education for its mental health initiatives. Some of the money will be put toward funding Student Government initiatives focused on mental health.
Roccia said this process is part of a “Mental Health Incubator Challenge,” where senators are encouraged to submit initiative proposals related to mental health. A select number of those senators will be chosen to “pitch” their idea to judges, who will determine which proposals are the best and award funding to them.
“Our goal is to fund as many initiatives as we can, but what we want you to think about is the initiatives with the broadest amount of reach to students,” Roccia said.
Four senators and one officer were absent with excuses. Senator Nicholas Yuhas was initially marked tardy, but did not attend the meeting.
The next Student Senate meeting will occur at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, in the Mississippi/Illinois Room of the MUC.
Volunteers from all walks of life come together to support people left to the cold without housing
DYLAN HEMBROUGH
editor-in-chief
The Edwardsville Overnight Warming Location is back this winter as temperatures fall below freezing once again, highlighting the housing crisis in our own backyard.
Fighting the cold
There are three overnight warming locations, or OWLs, in Madison County. Michelle Babb is the assistant site director at the Edwardsville location.
According to Babb, roughly 100 people are staying the night across the three locations at First Baptist Church in Edwardsville, the Deliverance Temple in Alton and the newest OWL, Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Granite City. The warming centers open their doors every night that the temperature is forecasted to drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Edwardsville location functions on a rotating threeteam basis made up entirely of volunteers. Every night the locations activate, one of the three teams is called in to help. However, without a robust volunteer team, any location can get overwhelmed.
Babb said the Granite City warming center in particular has become overwhelmed and needs more support, even with donations from the American Red Cross and the Edwardsville and Alton warming locations.
Salvation Army Captain Cassy Grey has been working with the Alton warming center, helping provide shelter for unhoused people in Alton during the day.
“What we’ve been able to continue to do is be open as a warming location during the day, help those who come in to get out of the elements [and] coordinate getting them to the overnight warming location here in Alton,” Grey said. “We are so grateful. It’s been an absolute privilege to work with them — talk about many parts of
one body.”
Grey said the Salvation Army, which is also volunteer-based, provides as much aid as they have the means to.
“Being able to provide necessary support, whether it be with food, clothes, bus tokens — it’s absolutely an honor,” Grey said. “What [the OWL volunteers] are doing is truly life-saving and life-giving.”
Fighting the stereotypes
Babb also addressed accusations that the warming centers were “bringing in” people without housing from outside of the community.
“The guests at the Edwardsville OWL are Edwardsville residents,” Babb said. “Contrary to popular belief, we are not manufacturing or importing homeless people. We are finding them.”
“they’ve never experienced it,” Banner said. “The majority of people only have about $500 in savings. We’re all one paycheck away from being in the same circumstances.”
“Nobody just wakes up one day and becomes unhoused. There’s a lot of things that happen before someone gets to that point,” Banner said. “The problem most people have is they have nobody to support them. The more you lose support and you lose love, it’s really hard to get out of that.”
Being able to provide necessary support, whether it be food, clothes, bus tokens — it’s absolutely an honor.”
Banner’s own story highlights the need for support and love. After a childhood of parental abuse and being introduced to drugs like cocaine and hydrocodone, Banner found herself in an abusive relationship.
Cassy Grey Salvation Army Captain
Babb spent much of her speech to the Board emphasizing that people without housing are not inherently dangerous people.
“We’ve met a lot of elderly people, we’ve had people with disabilities … We’ve met a lot of young people,” Babb said. “These are people who are not dangerous — they’re in danger.”
Jessica Banner, a resident of Swansea and recovery coach at Chestnut Health Systems, was unhoused in Chicago for five years. Banner met Babb through her work at Chestnut and said the idea that unhoused people are dangerous is a dangerous idea in itself.
“I think that is an old myth, and it was meant and designed to put fear onto people who don’t have an understanding of a population of people if
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I didn’t have a phone. I didn’t have anything.”
Banner was found and invited to go to a rehabilitation center in California, where she was given the time and resources to start living her life again.
“I got into this beautiful longevity program,” Banner said. “I got eight months of not having to work, and I got to work on me, learn tools and learn how to acclimate back into society. I’ve been in my house for four years now.”
Fighting the system
While Babb, Banner and Grey are all happy to provide the short-term solutions that the OWLs are meant for, they recognize that there is not enough systemic support for unhoused people.
that have Narcan or fentanyl and xylazine test strips,” Banner said. “I get to connect people to resources. I’ve been able to be a vessel to help people go to treatment. It’s the best gift … to give someone that hope back.”
“You don’t have to give money, but you also don’t have to treat people terribly,” Banner said. “If we could have a little bit more empathy and try to find more manageable solutions, I think we would have better outcomes.”
Grey said she is amazed by the community, especially when younger people donate their time to volunteer.
“I think because I’m a queer person and it was by another female, I don’t think the police took it as seriously as they would have a straight partnership,” Banner said. “I started getting beat up all the time … My partner broke into a house I was sheltering in for the night, and she beat me and stabbed me and left me in a bathtub to die in Collinsville.”
Banner spent some time in a domestic violence shelter before taking a train to Chicago. She was in her mid-thirties by this point and struggling with heroin use.
“I was literally sleeping in the bushes or at a bus stop. When it got really cold, they opened a warming center, but I found those to be a little bit more scary, because they just opened the door to whoever,” Banner said. “In 2019, my mom put out a missing person flyer on me. I didn’t know that, because
“It seems like the system is designed to ignore homeless people,” Babb said. “We need to keep up this public press. We need to get people elected and give people cover when they say they wanna do this.”
“It’s really good to give people water and food and that stuff, but we need long-term solutions,” Banner said.
Today, Banner works at Chestnut Health Systems, spearheading a program funded by opioid settlement funds distributed to Madison County.
“I call it ‘Boots on the Ground Madison County,’ [and it’s] one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me,” Banner said. “I now go out with the Collinsville police, [and] we look for people that are unhoused, people who are struggling, maybe people who are calling 911 more frequently … We give them backpacks that have different things [and] bring them food [and] phones.”
Banner also works directly with people who are unhoused to combat the opioid epidemic in an empathetic way.
“I’m in a lot of libraries, [and] sometimes I set up tables
“We partner with Marquette Catholic High School, and they help us out a couple times a year. This year, we were able to partner with some homeschooled families. They came and helped us get everything ready for distribution for Christmas baskets,” Grey said. “It’s awesome to see all of these men, women and kiddos coming in and wanting to make a difference.
Grey said fostering this kind of community is important to people who may feel alone in their journeys through life.
“When our friends are able to come in knowing there’s going to be a safe place they can relax, they can be warm, get some snacks or a meal, have conversation and fellowship and community — it’s huge,” Grey said. “Whenever we’re going through a difficult time, it can feel like we’re all alone.”
According to Banner, empathy and kindness are crucial to approaching these issues, and that through this work, people who lost hope can gain it back.
“If we don’t have hope, if we don’t have dreams, we can’t thrive,” Banner said. “Treat people how you wanna be treated, and remember that everybody is somebody’s child. We all deserve love and respect and kindness.”
Inaugural postdoctoral program launches to attract scholars
BRANDI SPANN online editor
Six postdoctoral fellows began their fellowship in the Fall 2024 semester. After the inaugural semester, the fellows are taking advantage of the resources and opportunities that SIUE offers.
The Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is the first of its kind at SIUE. The position is a two-year, nonrenewable contract in which fellows teach in their respective departments and continue developing the research they began during their PhD programs.
“Our hope is that we can retain them beyond the two-year postdoc program and support their transition into tenure track faculty positions,” Vice Chancellor for Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Jessica Harris said.
As an extension of SIUE’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion pillar, the fellows uphold the mission to diversify and expand efforts for inclusive excellence.
“It’s about attracting scholars who will add to the breadth and depth of our academic programs and who are committed to student success and supporting retention graduation for our diverse student population,” Harris said.
The program is unique in that it balances teaching and research. Tenured faculty have institutional and departmental commitments like advising, serving on committees, attend-
ing conferences and publishing books. For postdoctoral fellows, their emphasis is solely on research and teaching.
“This is a great opportunity, because we don’t have to do all of those things yet,” Postdoctoral Fellow Treasure Shields Redmond said. “I feel like the postdoctoral program was a great way for [the university] to get a pipeline of new talent and to ensure that the teaching faculty was well-qualified and also committed to the institution, because they’re auditioning us and we’re auditioning them.”
Redmond taught creative writing for the English department last semester, and she will be teaching Black women’s literature for the Community-Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars program, commonly known as CODES, this spring.
“My dissertation was about sound. I looked at the recorded performances of Black women poets, and I thought about how they use sound to work toward liberation,” Redmond said.
Redmond’s father, Eugene B. Redmond, is a poet and academic who donated his archives, photos and collection to Lovejoy Library, forming the Eugene B. Redmond Learning Center.
“I have always known about SIUE, and it’s always been in our family. So, when I moved to this area full-time from Memphis back in 2009, I had always considered SIUE out of the corner of my eye as a place where I might find a home as a professor,” Redmond said. Redmond said that she
feels fortunate to have access to the university’s resources while she continues her research. She found the English department to be collaborative, collegial and friendly.
“When the postdoc came up, it seemed like a perfect way for me to lean into my interests and serve students in an institution that had a good reputation in my family,” Redmond said.
Postdoctoral Fellow Evelyn Malinowski is leaning into their interests teaching in the John Martinson Honors Program. They have a PhD in cultural studies and philosophy.
“I’m really interested in science and technology. That’s sort of like the areas I’ve studied, but not as an engineer or as a mathematician. I’ve studied those fields as a philosopher, as a theorist and as an artist, so I feel like the gap is bridged,” Malinowski said.
They also said that working as a teacher at a state institution is a great way to learn about the structure of the higher education system in the states, as much of their personal higher education comes from European institutions.
Malinowski said they are grateful to work closely with their peers and the other fellows in their cohort, but they are finding it difficult to navigate the institutional barriers. Outside of the program supervisors and their peers, the university at large is expansive, and it is sometimes hard to make connections.
“I personally am getting to learn the sort of island culture,
if you will, of the university. I mean, some people call it bureaucratic, but there are all these little islands and various projects,” Malinowski said. “As far as the nation of islands, if you will, nobody knows about the work I’m doing.”
Harris acknowledged that there is more to be done to develop the program. She said that the pilot round of the program offers an opportunity for the university to ensure that the fellows and their mentors have the correct amount of support, as it may be the first time that postdocs are teaching their own courses.
“All of the postdocs have a mentor in their department, and I think that’s been going great based on the feedback I received, but I do want to make sure that there’s more support for mentors moving forward, just so that they’re clear about what their goals are and can support the postdocs,” Harris said.
Malinowski said that the goal is to attract scholars to the SIUE community so that the institution can participate in the competitive, national bowl of postdocs.
“I have a lot of opportunities, especially in an honors program, to design a course and teach it. There is an issue, though. Do I have the right audience?” Malinowski said. “I’m grateful to have the space, the opportunity, encouragement, the collegial networking to do so, and I just want to make sure that students benefit from that in the end.”
01.16.25
Officer responded to a report of loud noises from a residence. Officer advised that contact was made with residents and residents agreed to keep noise level down.
01.18.25
Officer responded to an event regarding a patron being disruptive due to another patron at the same event. Officer advised both subjects left the event.
01.19.25
Officer responded to a report of a resident finding their door open. Officer advised there was no damage to the door and nothing was missing from the residence.
Ray’Sean Taylor dribbles down the court in a tough game against the University of North Flordia on Nov. 29. Despite his efforts, the Cougars fell 73-76. | Gavin Rask / The Alestle
Graduate student takes top spot in SIUE men’s basketball D1 history
AUDREY O’RENIC sports editor
Guard Ray’Sean Taylor became the Cougars’ top career scorer in the team’s D1 program history after a Jan. 2 game against Western Illinois University.
SIUE outmatched WIU 77-66, with 23 points coming from Taylor alone. He turned the tides with the neck-andneck game and secured the first Ohio Valley Conference win for the Cougars this season.
Taylor became the driving force behind the team’s fivewin streak that ended Saturday against the University of Tennessee at Martin. Despite the Cougars’ loss, Taylor snagged another 23 points to add to his resume.
With 1,664 career points, Taylor surpassed 2024 graduate guard Shamar Wright, who previously held the title
at 1,549 points. Taylor sits at third for SIUE’s top scorer of all time.
While the Cougars rank third in overall OVC standings, Taylor comes out on top in scoring with an 18.4-point average.
This is not Taylor’s first time breaking records. Last year, Taylor led the team in three-pointers and attempted three-pointers, which ranked him second all-time in a single season at SIUE.
During the 2022-23 season, he became the first SIUE player to be selected to the All-District team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The guard also became the first Cougar to be named All-Ohio Valley Conference first team.
Taylor and the team will play against Southern Indiana University at 7:30 p.m. today in the First Community Arena.
VIEW FROM THE SIDELINES:
Cougars hit play in OVC basketball games
SAM MUREN managing editor
Students may just be returning to campus to begin spring semester, but Cougar basketball has been in full swing starting their Ohio Valley Conference games since December 19.
SIUE basketball teams have been writing vastly different stories to begin 2025. However, basketball’s OVC storyline isn’t the only one, as tennis will also kick off.
Men’s basketball has been leading the charge for SIUE sports. Tennis may attempt to steal the spotlight of success once they get further into the season. Women’s basketball needs to find some rhythm somehow, and give their fans some hope for the future.
Men’s Basketball
Despite the cold January temperatures, men’s basketball started their conference play off hot. The team is 5-3 and currently tied with Southeast Missouri State University and University of Tennes-
see at Martin for third place in the OVC.
SIUE’s three losses have been to teams they are fighting neck-in-neck within the standings. They lost back-to-back to University of Arkansas at Little Rock and SEMO in late December just as winter break began.
However, the Cougars turned things around in the new year, winning five straight games. The defense was key to those wins, but couldn’t manage UT Martin’s offensive surge. The Skyhawks ended the Cougars’ winning streak, defeating them 85-82.
Win or lose, graduate guard Ray’Sean Taylor consistently delivers for his team. Taylor posted 23 points in the team’s loss to UT Martin. He leads the OVC in scoring, averaging 18.4 and 163 points scored. Taylor is the main engine of this team’s offense.
SIUE only scored over 80 points in their last two games.
The focus for SIUE is to find other players to step up and help Taylor drive up the scoring efforts if they are to maintain a top spot in standings.
Women’s Basketball
While the men’s team started strong, the women’s basketball team has faced challenges from the beginning of OVC play this season. The Cougars dropped six straight games, sinking them to the bottom of the OVC standings.
SIUE snapped the skid against Tennessee State University in overtime with an important 76-70 win. It was the first time the team scored more than 70 points since their last win against Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
For the first time, multiple players stepped up and performed. Four players had 10 or more points. This is what the team needs and should be the expectation going forward.
However, the Cougars reverted back to losing with a loss this past Saturday to UT Martin. Scoring struggles continue to riddle this team. They are lacking consistent scoring from multiple individuals.
There are glimpses of hope for the Cougars’ offense with graduate guard KK Rodriguez taking the reins in scoring. Through eight conference
games, Rodriguez scored 106 points. She has over 40 points more than every one of her teammates.
Junior guard Macy Silvey has started to heat up though. Silvey scored 21 points in her last two games, giving her 65 points through the eight conference games.
Securing wins will rely on standout performances from Silvey and Rodriguez, along with increased offensive support from their teammates.
Tennis
For many teams, a new year is an opportunity to change the narrative. For tennis, 2025 is the year to prove they own the OVC’s top spot.
The Cougars are projected by the OVC to reclaim first in the conference. They received six of the seven first-place votes.
The journey to make those projections a reality began Jan. 18 with a 7-0 win over University of Illinois Springfield.
As long as the team can build off the foundation of success they started, it seems the projections may be correct.
The alestle Photo Contest
Theme: Friendship
Photos were judged based on:
Relation to theme
Style of photo
Ties to SIUE
No selfes
Featuring people
Johari Kimeu (left) and Josh Last (right), two SIUE jazz
SIUE Men’s basketball guard Ray’Sean Taylor, now the third-highest scoring men’s basketball player in SIUE history, shares a moment with guard Jordan Pickett during a game.
The photographer’s high
Jay Edwards
Photos were
performance majors, perform a set in front of a live audience at Global Brew.
SIUE Women’s Basketball Coach Sam Smith and guard KK Rodriguez celebrate after a tournament win in the Ohio Valley Conference.
The photographer’s high school friends Liza Stone (left) and Vee Phares (right) surrounded by strings. This photo was inspired by the poem “If We Were Weavers,” written by SIUE student Ella Young. high school friend, Thomas Schaad.
Jessica Gould
Jessica Gould
Jay Edwards
Jessica Gould
Make a New Year’s resolution that you will actually follow
THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board
A lot of us will set unrealistic New Year’s resolutions that we will drop in two months time after the new year starts. For 2025, we should focus on setting goals that we can realistically achieve by the end of the year.
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Between TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook and Snapchat, we are constantly viewing other people’s lives. As entertaining as it may be, there is also a level of detriment to your self-worth that is being reinforced the more you watch.
When social media users post massive shopping hauls or personal workouts, it creates a competitive environment that makes others feel worse about
not living life up to this standard.
A lot of us can relate to this feeling, and it can divert us from the path of bettering ourselves. We often spend too much time comparing our lives to others when, in reality, we should be living our own lives. This also applies to New Year’s resolutions. People often watch someone on social media who they idolize and adapt their routines in hopes of being more like them.
We shouldn’t get rid of New Year’s resolutions completely but, instead, we should set more realistic ones. The resolutions we set should focus more on bettering ourselves, not trying to be like someone else.
An example of this is gym influencers. If your New Year’s resolution is to work out more,
President Donald Trump’s promise to carry out the largest mass deportation in American history may very well start on our doorstep in Chicago, according to sources in the Department of Homeland Security. As Illinoisans and human beings, we must come together to oppose this atrocity.
According to the Wall Street Journal, sources in the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Trump will be targeting Chicago for his mass deportations in the first days of his administration. It’s no secret that deportations, especially on the scale Trump has planned, are a human rights disaster. The “party of family values” is targeting a city in which every third child has an immigrant parent. For-
don’t base your workout on a “professional.” It is clear that these people have been working out for a while and have learned what works best for them, which is exactly what you should do.
Don’t copy and paste someone’s workout because you see how they look and think that will work for you. Instead, start off by focusing on your goal and build a routine around that. Research techniques and exercises that will help you reach your goal.
It is important to prioritize yourself and learn what you need. It is okay to use someone as inspiration, but you don’t need to do exactly what they do.
If you have goals for this new year, you should take the time to sit down and think about
your resolutions and why you have chosen them. From there, make a list of things you can do to reach your goals. A perfect method for this is the S-M-A-R-T method. Make goals for yourself that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. Breaking them down into smaller milestones will help you stick to them and follow through with your resolutions. So, for 2025, don’t make another unrealistic New Year’s resolution that will be given up after February. Instead, make one that will help you to become a better version of yourself. You are an important part of your life- don’t lose that by living through others.
Illinoisans need to rally against deportation raids
tunately, Illinois is not keeping quiet about the estimated 200 ICE officers expected after the inauguration.
Gov. J. B. Pritzker has reaffirmed his support for Illinois’ immigrant community in various social media posts.
“We will always fight back against any attempts to limit the freedoms of Illinoisans,” Pritzker wrote in a Jan. 13 Instagram post.
Good guidelines to follow when interacting with ICE in Illinois include not opening the door for ICE officers — as they must have a warrant signed by a judge to enter a home — not discussing one’s immigration status and not signing anything without an attorney.
I expect Trump may stumble over Chicago in the coming days. Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan has already attempted to take back his state-
ments on the certainty of a raid in Chicago as a result of the Wall Street Journal leak. My hope is that Illinois’ resistance gives the immigrant community enough time to prepare.
Chicago is home to roughly 829,000 undocumented immigrants at risk of deportation, according to the Vera Institute for Justice. It is also a sanctuary city, meaning it has policies that discourage local law enforcement from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. Despite Republican talking points, these policies do not protect immigrants who have been convicted of a felony.
Just a few days ago, Chicago reaffirmed its commitment to its immigrant population when the Chicago City Council defeated a proposal to allow Chicago police to aid in deportations.
Though Homan said ICE will focus on people with histories of violent crimes, he made it clear that ICE will be given free reign to do as they please in the city.
“No one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem,” Homan said.
Pritzker and Johnson made their intentions clear, but the people of Chicago and Illinois must begin to rally. The right to peacefully protest is enshrined in the Constitution for a good reason. Governments throughout history have made it their top priority to terrorize their populace. People throughout history have stood with and stood up for their fellow humans to right these wrongs.
The question remains the same today: Will you stand by, or will you stand up?
BRANDI SPANN Opinion Editor
SAM MUREN Managing Editor
DYLAN HEMBROUGH Editor-in-Chief
AUDREY O’RENIC Sports Editor
CHLOE
HANNAH LEDFORD Podcast Producer
MICHAL
TAHZIVE
New Year, but the same harmful diet and health messaging
MICHAL KATE CASTLEMAN online editor
For many, January is a time of setting goals to improve habits and lifestyle choices, with resolutions involving personal health and well-being often topping the list. However, the messaging surrounding improving health in the New Year can be toxic and harmful, promoting unrealistic standards and unhealthy practices.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to eat healthier, exercise more or stay active. However, health, fitness and wellness brands often exploit their customer’s insecurities to sell or promote their products. The media surrounding these topics and brands are no different.
Many gym influencers will say unkind words about their potential viewer’s body parts to prey on those who are insecure about themselves. While this method works to obtain viewership, the audience has an issue they are worried about confirmed to them by the influencer, with extra unkind comments added to existing anxiety.
According to the Eating Recovery Center, the “curated and often unrealistic portrayals of beauty and fitness shared online can pave the way for negative self-comparisons, low self-esteem and disordered eating behaviors.”
If people see videos online where someone’s daily meals are intentionally not enough to fulfill daily nutritional needs, they may believe that they must minimize their eating to achieve
their goals.
Eating disorders are dangerous and can be a lifetime struggle. Many influencers, brands and health media professionals know this, and yet they continue to push messages they know can cause serious harm to their audiences.
The new year is also a time when health-related brands can push their products and fads on consumers. The internet can take these fads and create more elaborate insecurities that people may not normally have, such as the newer concept of a “cortisol face.”
The internet is obsessed with anti-aging and maintaining the “perfect body.” The constant posting and messaging about how people are flawed and should fix themselves to be “perfect” is unhealthy, especially for
younger consumers.
The messages that wellness and gym influencers perpetuate include comparison to others and unrealistic standards such as, “You just don’t try hard enough.” While discipline is important, these messages are toxic for people attempting to better themselves. Discouraging words can prevent people from meeting their goals.
Desiring growth and change is completely normal and admirable. However, it is wrong to intentionally make people feel guilty or anxious about themselves to gain money or attention.
It is vital to keep your mind as healthy as your body. Instead of listening to ever-changing health fads and trends, listen and take care of your body the way it needs to be taken care of.
Trump’s DEI rollback is a harmful setback for America’s diversity initiatives
TAHZIVE AVI ISLAM graphics manager
On Jan. 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to terminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs within 60 days.
While supporters argue that focusing on merit alone will create a fairer society, this rollback will undo decades of progress aimed at addressing inequality.
As businesses and schools reassess their own diversity efforts, it’s important to ask if this is a necessary move to -
ward true equality or a dangerous step backward for America’s commitment to inclusivity.
The move has significant impacts beyond the federal workforce. Corporate America, which has faced pressure from activists, is already witnessing a pullback in diversity initiatives.
A Forbes article says that companies such as Walmart have dialed back DEI efforts, and under the new administration, this trend is expected to continue.
According to CNN, educational institutions are also at a crossroads. With the federal government rescinding support for DEI programs, colleges
Point / Counterpoint:
and universities may face challenges in maintaining initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive environments. The absence of federal endorsement could lead to a re-evaluation of diversity policies on campuses nationwide.
According to The Guardian, some people argue that dismantling DEI programs undermines progress made toward equal opportunity and inclusivity. They believe that such actions may reverse efforts to address systemic inequalities in both the workplace and educational settings.
Supporters of the executive order believe that focusing solely on indi-
vidual qualifications promotes a more equitable environment.
Marginalized communities are more vulnerable to discrimination. Efforts to dismantle DEI programs are “the latest effort to dismantle systems designed to foster racial equity and progress,” the American Civil Liberties Union said.
As we move forward, it’s important to think about what this change really means. Will ending DEI programs create a fair society, or will it undo years of progress? We need to ask ourselves if this move will help everyone get equal opportunities, or if it will make it harder for some to succeed.
Should you focus on your social life or academics in college?
Point: Building friendships could be the key to success in college
CHRISTABEL ABANGA copy editor
College is often considered a breeding ground for academic success, but experts and students alike argue that true success is hidden in the bonds they form along the way.
Students are often told to prioritize grades, butatime and again, it’s the friendships and social experiences that teach lessons no textbook ever could. With deadlines, class assignments and exams constantly looming, it’s easy to see why many prioritize academics above all else.
However, focusing solely on grades might not be the best decision for longterm well-being and success. Friendships, associations, clubs and experiences outside of the classroom teach invaluable lessons in communication, conflict resolution and cooperation.
For example, participating in intramural sports or Student Government helps students develop teamwork and leadership skills.
These soft skills are essential in today’s competitive job market where employers value interpersonal skills just as much as technical know-how.
A 2021 LinkedIn study revealed that 85 percent of jobs are secured through networking. Cultivating relationships on campus — be it through peers, professors or mentors — can open doors to opportunities beyond academics.
Madison Goldstein, a junior in nursing, shared her experience balancing
academics with a vibrant social calendar.
“I used to think academics were everything,” Goldstein said. “But what prepared me for internships were the relationships I built. From networking at campus events to participating in social class activities, I have discovered my voice and confidence in ways the classroom couldn’t teach.”
Andrew Donkor, a graduate student in applied communications, said join-
“
These soft skills are essential in today’s competitive job market where employers value interpersonal skills just as much as technical know-how.”
Christabel Abanga copy editor
ing his research team introduced him to professional contacts and led to opportunities like attending conferences and receiving grants.
“These connections still benefit my career today,” Donkor said.
This isn’t about dismissing the importance of academics, but rather about finding balance. Social experiences complement academic learning, preparing students for success beyond college.
When students graduate and move onto the next phase of life, it’s the friendships, the laughs and the shared experiences that stick with them — not the grade received on a random quiz.
Counterpoint: Make time for your studies — you’ll thank yourself later
DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief
Balancing school life and social life is a constant struggle for college students. While it’s good to give time and attention to both, you won’t have much of a social life at college if you can’t keep your grades up. Especially with how much we’re spending on an education, it’s important to use your time in college wisely.
It’s easy to overextend yourself, especially at the beginning of your freshman year. Everyone else is making new friends, and you don’t want to be behind. Fortunately, friendships will form organically with time. What doesn’t form organically are your study habits.
Similar to the levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, you need to have a good grasp on your academics in order to have a functioning social life. If you flunk out of college, you won’t have a social life at college. While balancing both seems like a daunting task, there are plenty of resources to help you on your academic journey.
Figuring out what study habits work best for you is an ongoing process. It doesn’t happen overnight. Flashcards work for some, but not others. Some swear by Quizlet, others don’t see the use. While each student likely has a base of study habits to work with coming out of high school, college is a different beast.
Fortunately, SIUE offers a class called First Semester Transition, or FST
101, to help with the often-jarring jump from high school to college. I had the privilege of taking FST with my academic advisor at the time, and he offered a variety of different techniques for different learning styles.
Paying attention in this class and applying the different techniques they teach will give you a leg up on your school life and allow you to focus more on your social life as well. Learning to balance trying new study techniques is key. Allow yourself time to see results of your studying so you can learn what habits work best for you.
Just as important to active studying is keeping yourself grounded and managing your stress levels, something my adviser emphasized in FST. While some people may feel re-energized by going out with friends or partying, you aren’t truly giving your mind and body the break they need between study sessions.
Meditation is an excellent way to spend breaks between study sessions. As Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh explains in his book “Peace Is Every Step,” meditation can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Periodic, cyclical breathing exercises will help the body stabilize and relax, and your mind naturally follows.
Finding your rhythm between your academic and social life is all about balance — balancing your time, your capacities and your mind. Having a social life in college is important and necessary, but you’re here to learn. You should strive to get the most out of your educational journey.
SOPHIE HAWKINS reporter ganization provides a place where people can connect.
The Asian American Association fosters community with events like their Lunar New Year celebration this month, creating spaces for students to socialize and discover various Asian cultures.
The club’s Co-President and Co-Public Relations Officer Allen Espino said the organization aims to make their events accessible for all students.
“Since we are a social club and most of our events are free, our events are pretty easy to access,” Espino said. “Having that ease to get to our events and meet different people is really important for people that may be traveling from other countries to get to know other people on campus.”
Asian American Association Co-President Isabel Patten said that the club considers themselves a social organization.
“We are not only limited to students of Asian descent. We welcome everybody,” Patten said. “We like to host cultural events, potlucks, dinners and hangouts, and we understand that everyone’s a student here, so we try to do study workshops as well and study tables every week.”
The club’s Vice President and Co-Public Relations Officer Frankie Glaspie said the or-
A club for connection: Asian American Association creates events to bring students together
“I feel like it can help you feel less lonely in a way because sometimes even if you have friends, if they’re all white it can kind of feel isolating, so just getting to have friends that you can relate to culturally is definitely important,” Glaspie said.
For Lunar New Year, the club is celebrating with a lantern painting event from 5 to 7 p.m., Jan. 30, at Parc at 720. The event is free with all materials provided.
“We were wanting to do a painting event regardless, but with Lunar New Year coming up, we are just going to make it more thematic Lorenzzi Zappa said.
The club’s events range in theme as the organization tries to explore different Asian cultures.
“We are not just limited to Eastern Asians or the Filipino community,” Patten said. “We try to host events that are enjoyable for all types of Asian students here, and we thought lantern painting was not only easy, but a way to show your creativity as well as have something to take home.”
The club aims to have two
social events a month.
For the month of February, the organization is hosting an origami night from 5 to 7 p.m., Feb. 12, in SSC 0200. The event is free with all materials provided and open to all skill levels. Along with origami making, the club will also be showing Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and The Heron.”
The club hopes to gain more members and create a place for others to connect through their events.
“Increasing our membership is probably one of our biggest goals. We’d love to have a larger group of people to connect and have opportunities to get
to know each other,” Zappa said. “Especially [SIUE] being a commuter school, it’s a little more limited in social interactions between our community.”
Espino said the organization is thinking about collaborating with the Outdoor Adventure Club to do a hiking event to provide more opportunities for others to socialize as well as extending their collaborations to other colleges.
“I think that having connections with the other Asian associations and clubs in the area can make the community bigger, and we can hold bigger events and provide better events for our club
The organization’s push to create social events comes with an end goal of fostering community.
“In the long run, we hope to strengthen the Asian American community on campus,” Patten said. “I think SIUE does a good job at trying to include diversity, but given our location, there’s not that much of an Asian student population. So, [we’re] doing what we can with our current population, strengthening those bonds and friendships.” You can find more information on the club at Get Involved or on their Instagram page.
Snakes, lanterns and new beginnings: SIUE to ring in Lunar New Year with art and tradition
e so glow of painted lanterns will soon illuminate the SIUE Students ushering in the vibrant spirit of the Lunar New Year.
Hobbies and hats: Students continue to help out community with fber crafts, will continue in warmer months
SOPHIE HAWKINS
reporter
The Kimmel Belonging and Engagement Hub and the John Martinson Honors Program are using crafting to create a service project to keep others warm during the harsh winter months. Since our last coverage on the service projects, more accessories have been made, and there are plans to continue a scaled-down version of the projects into the warmer months.
Since December, the John Martinson Honors program has reached out to International Student and Scholar Services as well as the Cougar Cupboard and given them accessories for students who may not have received or known about them prior.
“I’m really excited to know that it’s going out into the community because there are a lot of people who have worked together to make this a success,” John Martinson Honors Program Office Manager Veronica Hoversten said.
Students can continue making projects for the Honors Program, but mate-
rials will not be available from the Honors Office during the warmer months.
“We probably won’t be subsidizing that during the warmer months. If they want to knit a scarf in May, that’s cool. I will still accept it for credit, but it would come from their own materials. That is the only real difference,” Hoversten said.
The John Martinson Honors Program is also accepting any usable and clean donations of yarn for the projects.
Students involved in both the John Martinson Honors Program and the Hub’s service project have used the project to help others with their hobby.
“Not only are you getting easy volunteer hours, but you’re really making a difference in people’s lives through your hobbies, and I think it’s just fulfilling both ways. You’re enjoying your hobby, and you’re helping someone else out when it’s cold,” junior political science major Valentine Kenyon said.
Kenyon began donating her homemade hats to the John Martinson Honors Program around two and a half
years ago. Since then, she has donated around 30 hats.
“Every time I donate the hats, or even when I make the hats, I get this warm feeling in my chest and I feel happy, because in the past, I’ve just stacked up hats, and they’ve collected dust in my closet,” Kenyon said. “It feels nice knowing that it’s finally helping somebody out, and it feels nice to give them stylish hats too, something nice for them to show off.”
Freshman biology major Dory Bielby and freshman pre-pharmacy major Taliyah Shapiro have been participating in the Hub’s Stitching Warmth service project since the start of the program.
Bielby said the project has introduced her to students with different majors from her own. She said it has become a community that she feels involved in.
“There is a community in college — no matter how big your class is, how many people go here — you will find a community. I can do things that I like to do and it also be volunteer hours, because I do like
to craft, and I didn’t think that it was possible to use that as a way to help people,” Bielby said.
Shapiro said she had always wanted to learn how to knit but had never put in the effort to do so before this project. Ashley Jones, the program coordinator for community engagement at the Hub, taught her how to loom knit, and she has since made a scarf. She said she enjoys how simple it is to get the service hours.
“I think service hours don’t have to be super complicated. What we do is just sitting down and talking, listening to music and crocheting,” Shapiro said.
Hoversten said she’s glad that the Hub is also doing a program to provide handmade winter accessories and make sure students stay warm.
“Everybody should know that they can get something warm. They don’t have to bundle up in six shirts. They can come and get real warm clothes,” Hoversten said. members,” Espino said.
THE ALESTLE STAFF
We are so happy to continue keeping you informed about SIUE in 2025! Here are some of the songs that were on repeat as we worked on stories for you. This playlist is a collection of each staff member’s favorite song of 2024.
Copy Editor Christabel Abanga: “Open Heaven (River Wild),” Hillsong Worship, Hannah Hobbes, Matt Crocker
Released in 2015, this song holds a special place in my heart as one of the frst songs I listened to when I became a believer. Its message and melody helped shape my understanding of faith, inspiring me to trust and seek a deeper connection with God.
Copy Editor Matthew Wolden: “I Can’t Make You Fall in Love Again,” Glass Animals
Apart from just loving the song for its musicality, I love how the chorus repeats itself. It feels like the singer is reasoning with themselves, trying to understand why an important person suddenly left. The chorus becomes an argument to yourself — why these events happened, why you shouldn’t regret them and why it’s better this way, no matter how hard it is to let go.
Copy Editor Olivia Whitlock: “Muted Beatings,” Albert Hammond Jr. Off his 2018 album, “Francis Trouble,” this single delivers a catchy indie rock tune with upbeat guitar riffs and high energy.
What a year! Olivia’s Corner turned one, I got Letterboxd Pro (obviously not Patron — I haven’t gotten totally lost in the sauce yet) and over 200 new movies are now fled away in the depths of my brain.
I’ll admit, I didn’t watch too many movies that dazzled me last year or that I haven’t already mentioned on previous lists. So, this will be a very strategically selected list of movies I enjoyed but have yet to discuss.
Please visit websites such as “Does the Dog Die?” to check for potential triggers and sensitive topics before viewing any movie on this list.
‘Welcome to the Dollhouse’ (1995) Director Todd Solondz Hell is a real place, and it’s Benjamin Franklin Junior High School.
The loneliness and isolation that middle school brings are perfectly encapsulated in this flm, leaving you with mixed emotions about the main character — and maybe feeling a little bleak yourself. It’s been on my list for quite some time, and I’m glad I fnally got around to watching it.
Staff picks for our favorite songs of 2024
Photographer Gavin Rask:
“Life in the Fast Lane,” Eagles
“Life in the Fast Lane,” portrays the dangers of a fast-paced life full of pressure. The iconic guitar riff, written by Joe Walsh, captures the essence of living life in the fast lane and is what makes this song truly great.
Photographer Pedro Henrique G-M:
“Die With A Smile,” Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
“Die With a Smile” portrays a passionate love story in which two people fnd solace and joy in each other’s arms, even in the face of an impending end. The song expresses a desire to “die with a smile” if it meant sharing their fnal moments together.
Reporter Sophie Hawkins:
“McKenzie,” Houndmouth In 2021, Houndmouth released their fourth album, “Good For You,” with the song “McKenzie” titled after a past girlfriend of the band’s drummer. The song was written as a fctional love letter to McKenzie.
Opinion Editor Brandi Spann:
“Never Need Me,” Rachel Chinouriri Chinouriri is an indie pop artist based in London who released her album “What A Devastating Turn of Events” in May 2024. This catchy, melodic single is a letter to someone she is growing away from in the hopes that they won’t reach out to her again. The music video features an appearance by Florence Pugh. This is a great song to play in the car or with your friends, and the chorus will get stuck in your head.
Editor-in-Chief Dylan Hembrough: “First Date,” blink-182
This 2001 pop punk hit is a blink-182 classic. Encapsulating the giddy nervousness of going on a frst date, this high-energy song reminds even those in long-term, committed relationships that they don’t have to be monotonous. Every date can be the frst date if you just remember that it’s all about having fun with the person you love.
Podcast Producer Hannah Ledford: “right where you left me,” Taylor Swift This song is a bonus track off of Taylor Swift’s ninth studio album “evermore.” It illustrates the feeling of reliving a failed relationship with lyrics like, “If our love died young, I can’t bear witness.” The repetitive structure of the chorus portrays someone spiraling out of control, which makes this song so replayable.
Managing Editor Sam Muren: “TRUCK BED,” HARDY
Released in 2023, “TRUCK BED” blares a rock-country mix in HARDY’s “the mockingbird & THE CROW” album. This is a classic country breakup song that captures the anger breakups bring, even when it stems from one’s own poor choices.
Sports Editor Audrey O’Renic: “Hot Knife,” Fiona Apple Fiona Apple’s “Hot Knife” is the closing track on her 2012 album “The Idler Wheel...” A unique blend of layered chant-like verses and intense percussion, Apple compares herself to butter and her lover to a “hot knife” to illustrate the consuming nature of romantic attraction.
Multimedia Editor Tahzive Avi Islam: “Do I Wanna Know?” Arctic Monkeys In 2013, Arctic Monkeys released this slow, hypnotic track as part of their album “AM.” The song always hits differently for me — it feels like late-night thoughts when you’re lost in your feelings. I usually listen to it when I’m thinking about someone or imagining what it’s like to be drunk and caught in an emotional haze. It’s raw, relatable and kind of haunting in the best way.
Lifestyles Editor Chloe Wolfe: “BULLFROG,” Doechii
I discovered Doechii in early October, and she has been on repeat since. Not only is her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal” a wonderful tribute to hip hop, but she brings a fresh take to the rap game with her insane fow, incredible use of double entendre and unique performances. My favorite performance of this song is at her NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert.
Online Editor Michal Kate Castleman: “Down Bad,” Taylor Swift “Down Bad” was my number-one song for 2024. With lyrics detailing a relationship that felt like an escape, or in Swift’s words, a mystical alien abduction, “Down Bad” is a catchy synth-pop hit from “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT.”
Find this playlist and more on the Alestle Spotify.
I watched more than 200 movies in 2024:
Here are my top fve favorites of the year
Think “Speak” (2004), but with a dark comedy twist.
If you enjoyed “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” check out “ Eighth Grade” (2018).
‘Frank and Cindy’ (2007)
Director G.J. Echternkamp
I typically don’t add documentaries to my lists, but what a fascinating watch this was.
A one-hit-wonder married to an eccentric older woman — both struggling with addiction — all while being flmed by the woman’s son. It’s hilarious in an “oh-my-gosh-these-are-real-people” way, but also incredibly honest. It’s essentially a home video capturing real hardships.
I also watched the 2015 remake by the same director, the son, Echternkamp, with famous actors and an added romance plot, but I wasn’t a fan. The actors were given an almost impossible task of capturing the essence of Frank and Cindy, and their performance fell short. Their cadence was lacking but, to be fair, it would be diffcult for anyone to mimic such unique individuals.
If you enjoyed “Frank and Cindy,” check out “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006).
‘Challengers’ (2024)
Director Luca Guadagnino
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m not typically a movie rewatcher, but I spent over $50 watching this movie in theaters. I don’t think I’ve even watched my favorite movie that many times (six).
This movie has absolutely no faws. It’s sultry, it’s suspenseful, it has a rocking soundtrack and stunning cinematography. Every time I watched it, I noticed something I hadn’t caught before.
OK, well, maybe it has one faw: why in the world were they sweating so much? Yeah, yeah, it was super cool with the slow motion creating sexual tension, but they spent more time staring at each other than actually playing tennis. Logically, it didn’t make much sense!
If you enjoyed “Challengers,” check out “Wimbledon” (2004).
‘Dinner in America’ (2020)
Director Adam Rehmeier
Chaos in suburbia!
An unlikely bond between a punk rocker and a misunderstood music fan makes for an unpredictable series of rebellious events as they stir up a little trouble in their town.
This was another movie I watched a few times, rewinding to my favorite parts as these two characters are such an unlikely pairing, yet their dynamic fts together perfectly.
If you enjoyed “Dinner in America,” check out “Babyteeth” (2019).
‘Party Girl’ (1995)
Director Daisy von Scherler Mayer I, too, would spiral if I had to learn the Dewey Decimal System.
This movie introduced me to a new subcategory of flm I hadn’t heard of before but had unknowingly watched plenty of: “girlfailure.” It’s pretty self-explanatory.
It’s the ’90s, it’s New York and the protagonist is a total mess, impeccably dressed and full of iconic one-liners.
There are defnitely moments that wouldn’t fy in cinema today, but overall, this was a fun, zany watch.
If you enjoyed “Party Girl,” check out “Empire Records” (1995).
Additional favorites of 2024: “The Big Lebowski” (1998), “My Old Ass” (2024), “Uncut Gems” (2019), “Bird” (2024), “Poor Things” (2023), “Captain Fantastic” (2016).
OLIVIA WHITLOCK copy editor
OFF-Campus
Parc at 720
Parc at 720 houses full unit apartments five minutes from campus. Students may also use the 22 University Shuttle to the Peck Hall station.
Each room is fully furnished with a private bathroom and closet. Apartment living areas have tables, couches and a TV. Kitchens come with an oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher, ice maker, refrigerator and an island with chairs for dining. Each unit includes a washer and dryer.
Lease terms are for 12 months, and base rent does not include utilities.
2x2 foorplan begins at $875 a month
4x4 foorplan starts at $700 a month
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THE SOCIAL
The Social in Edwardsville offers two-and-four-bedroom floor plans just four minutes away from campus. Students may also choose to get to class through bike trails to campus or by shuttle ride on the #22 University Shuttle.
Each fully furnished bedroom has a private bathroom and walkin closet. Living areas each have fully-furnished options and fully equipped kitchens. Apartments also have an in-home full-sized washer and dryer. Rent includes water, sewer, trash and Wi-Fi. Only the electricity will be split among roommates and charged based on usage.
The Social is pet-friendly and an o -leash dog park is located on-site
Two-bedroom apartment from $959 to $969 a month
Four-bedroom apartment from $849 to $859 a month
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Off-campus houses
Other living arrangements for rent within the Metro East are always available with spaces constantly updated. Costs, lease terms and amenities vary. Students may choose to live alone or with roommates to split costs.
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Where in the Habitat?
Housing
contracts are opening up for the 2025-26 school year.
Here’s your quick guide to housing in the Edwardsville area.
On-Campus
Evergreen Hall
Located on campus, Evergreen Hall features apartment-style living in a residence hall environment. Students can choose between floor plans such as a four-bedroom private suite or apartment, a two-private and two-shared bedroom apartment or a studio apartment. Room costs include all utilities such as electricity, gas, water, heat and air conditioning. Each floor plan includes at least one shared bathroom, and each room is furnished with a bed, desk/chair, dresser and closet. All apartment living areas are furnished with a sofa, chairs and co ee tables. Apartments also come with kitchens complete with an electric stove, oven, sink refrigerator and cabinets.
$3,740 to $7,000 per semester
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COUGAR VILLAGE
Cougar Village houses single students, graduate students and family residents across its 496 student apartments just five minutes from the main campus. Applicants may choose between a shared bedroom, a private bedroom, a deluxe private bedroom or a deluxe apartment bedroom under an August to May lease.
All single-student apartments are fully furnished, and residents enjoy the same amenities as residence hall students. Costs include all utilities
Residents can also take #17 Cougar Shuttle from Cougar Village to outside of Peck Hall and back for free, running every 10 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and every 20 minutes from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. Monday through Friday.
$2,675 to $5,250 a semester
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OFF-Campus
The Reserves
Located right next to Parc at 720, The Reserve is also a five-minute drive from campus. Each room is completely furnished with walk-in closets and private bathrooms. Living rooms come with chairs, co ee tables, a couch and a 55-inch HD TV. Kitchen appliances include a microwave, refrigerator, stove, oven and dishwasher.
The Reserve features community amenities like a pool, 24/7 fitness center, grilling station, virtual wellness studio, firepits, technology center, media lounge and private study lounges. Up to two pets are allowed with a $400 non-refundable fee per pet.
2x2, 3x3 and 4x4 start at $799-$899 Utilities controlled at $79 per month
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The Enclave
The Enclave apartment complex is located six minutes away from the main campus.
Base rent does not include utilities. Enclave allows one cat and one dog per residence with an additional fee.
Apartment living areas have fully-furnished options. Eat-in kitchens include a dishwasher, microwave, oven, stove and refrigerator. Kitchens are also equipped with a walk-in pantry. Each apartment has an in-unit washer and dryer.
Community amenities include a pool, fitness center, game room, clubhouse, business center and study lounge.
Scan for more info about The Enclave: a two-bed or three-bed unit with rent starting at $1,600
Cougar Village
Information by Audrey O’Renic
Graphic by Chloe Wolfe