The Alestle Vol. 80, No. 25

FRESHMAN PITCHES SIUE SOFTBALL’S SEVENTH PERFECT GAME

MEET THE SG ELECTION CANDIDATES

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alton — east st. louis — edwardsville

vol. LXXX no. XXV

Associate Vice Chancellor search brings UMSL administrator MATI BARRON copy editor

Left to right: Haley Zink, Rep. Lacy Clay, D-Mo., Damen Alexander, Lauren Malloy, Morgan Lowe and James Pollard march with a sign that says “March for Our Lives,” along with the logos of gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety at Saturday’s March for our Lives protest in St. Louis.

I Bre Booker / The Alestle

SIUE students join nation in march for gun control BRE BOOKER copy editor

Thousands of people marched through the streets of St. Louis and all over the world Saturday, urging lawmakers to take action on gun reform.

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, inspired the country to participate in March for our Lives after 17 of their classmates’ lives were taken on February 14. There were over 800 sister marches to the foundational march held in Washington D.C. The march in downtown St. Louis filled the streets with over 10,000 people of all ages. As they marched, the crowd, led by local students, shouted: “Hey, hey, NRA, how many kids did you kill today?”

“This is what democracy looks like!”

“Vote them out!”

“The NRA has got to go!”

“They think it’s a game, they think it’s a joke!”

On stage, in front of thousands of people, SIUE senior sociology major from Chicago, YaqKeha Witherspoon, opened up about her own gun violence tragedies.

“I’m only 21 years old, and my life has been plagued with gun violence,” Witherspoon said.

Witherspoon said that the problem is everywhere, not just in public places.

“America has a gun problem, not only because of what happened in Florida, or any of the other mass shootings that have happened in the history of the U.S.,” Witherspoon said. “Those

things were tragic and horrifying, She explained that the drills but this problem is not only in they had practiced were not our schools, our movie theaters enough to save 26 lives. or our churches. It’s in our neigh“I held my colleagues and borhoods and in our homes.” students as they cried in fear that Witherspoon shared her this might happen again. And firsthand experience facing crimes then it did happen, again and perpetrated by guns. again and again — all across our Witherspoon’s father was country,” Fressola said. shot and is now paralyzed from Fressola said she felt powerthe waist down. less after the shooting at Sandy “My whole life, I have Hook, but, now, with the help watched him struggle to do the of Parkland students, she has simple things in life, that people learned how to use her voice. take for granted, but very rarely ask for help.

All I remember of my father, or ever will remember of my father, is him being in a wheelchair due to a gun,” Witherspoon said.

Witherspoon realized she could not escape the YaqKeha Witherspoon gun violence that senior sociology major affected people she was close to, so she instead decided to fight to put an end to it.

“The students of Parkland “I realized that I would nev- have shown us the way. They’ve er actually be safe until I take a shown us how to be empowered stand. My friends would nev- and strong in the face of tragedy,” er actually be safe until I take a Fressola said. “I’m asking you tostand. So I’m standing here be- day, all of us … to stand with the fore you asking that we all say no students in Parkland and call for more,” Witherspoon said. “No real common sense solutions that more senseless deaths. No more puts students’ lives first.” taking money from the NRA, In order to keep the citizens and no more standing by while in the U.S. safe, Fressola urged people around us are dying.” the crowd to take action.

Sandy Hook Elementary “We need to end this now,” teacher and shooting survivor Fressola said.

Liesl Fressola spoke with tears Missouri State Representain her eyes as she declared, “Col- tive of the 78th District Bruce umbine should have been the last Franks Jr. praised the young one.”

Parkland students for changing

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“I realized that I would never actually be safe until I take a stand. My friends would never actually be safe until I take a stand.

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the script of this movement by making it about gun violence everywhere in the country.

“So, what the young people did, they said we’re gonna march for our lives; every single one of these lives that are affected by gun violence,” Franks said.

Franks addressed the issue of gun violence all over the country as he spoke of his firsthand experience with gun violence.

“As I speak, I’m not speaking as a state representative, I’m speaking as the little kid… while two men were arguing, my brother was outside playing, he was nine years old, one pulled out a gun, the other one picked my brother up, and, as the man who pulled up the gun shot, the other one held my brother up and used him as a shield,” Franks said.

“I’m talking to you as that grown man who has been to 167 funerals, most of them being from gun violence.”

Franks encouraged the crowd to be understanding of anyone who might not be on the same page concerning gun safety.

He welcomed anyone to become involved with the movement.

“All too often, we will alienate people when they’re just now coming to the party, when they’re late to the party. Well, I thank you for coming to the party,” Franks said.

March for our Lives St. Louis posted on their Facebook page that the next step to take is registering to vote, and then voting.

BRE BOOKER

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The search for a new associate vice chancellor for student affairs has begun, and candidate Miriam Roccia took the floor March 21 to present her plans for SIUE to the search committee.

Currently the assistant dean of students at University of Missouri St. Louis, Roccia has always had a passion for making sure every student feels like they matter, and she hopes to carry that over to SIUE. Making sure each student feels like they matter and belong at the university, no matter where they are in life is her priority. She plans to take into account any renovations being made to SIUE to ensure every new bathroom is both gender inclusive and contains mother’s nursing stations.

“Being a student-ready college has to start somewhere — and, for me, it starts with mattering and belonging,” Roccia says.

Among other past successful events and series, Roccia spotlighted a program she set into motion at UMSL called Tiny Tritons.

She explained how implementing a bi-monthly children’s experience helped students who were also parents feel like they were a part of the school.

SEE SEARCH ON PAGE 3

Student Government holds Q&A for aspiring candidates DARIAN STEVENSON reporter

A Student Government Q&A allowed voters to gain insight into potential future Student Government members and gave those running for a position the chance to voice their ideas and opinions last Friday.

New candidates and current Student Government members running for new positions were asked a series of standardized questions and questions by attending students.

Mackenzie Rogers, a sophomore biological science major from Marshall, Illinois, and a current senator at large, is running for student body president. She was happy students were more involved with asking questions this year compared to the year before.

“It was really nice [that] students were actually active and asking us their personal questions, instead of standardized questions,” Rogers said.

When asked about a major issue that Student Government must address in the upcoming year, Rogers said her goal is to encourage students to ask for help when they need to. Rogers wants to use her platform to bring awareness to mental health.

SEE Q&A ON PAGE 12

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Creating a campus climate change JORDI DELGADO MORA reporter RYAN BIERI editor-in-chief

KENDRA MARTIN managing editor MIRANDA LINTZENICH lifestyles editor

TRENT STUART sports editor BRIDGET CHRISTNER opinion editor

ALLISON GREGORY multimedia editor KALLI MORRIS social media editor

CARLTON DAVIS JORDI DELGADO MORA CORINTHIA JORDAN DARIAN STEVENSON reporters

KAIT BAKER JUSTIN BRISTOL CHRISTAL SAMPSON photographers

MATILYNN BARRON BRE BOOKER HANNAH MILLER copy editors JOANN WEAVER graphics manager KATERINE PATE AMRI WILDER DELENA STOKES office secretaries ANGIE TROUT office manager TAMMY MERRETT program director Have a comment?

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

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The Create Change event helped students express themselves through artistic dialogues in an effort to improve the campus climate at SIUE. Campus climate is defined

by Pennsylvania State University professor Susan Rankin as “the current attitudes, behaviors and standards of faculty, staff, administrators and students concerning the level of respect for individual needs, abilities and potential.”

At SIUE, a group of students studying art therapy and social work along with student poets wanted to improve SIUE’s campus climate by using creative dialogue, so they decided to promote the Create Change events.

According to Kay Guyer, art therapy counseling graduate student of St. Louis and one of Create Change’s student organizers, the students made the event in response to “recent hate crimes on campus.”

“The idea originated from a group of students who recognize the power of art to create change and want to create platforms for other students to do that on campus as well. So, it was a collaborative idea among the group,” Guyer said.

Mahdi Gourdine, a freshman electrical engineering major from O’Fallon, Illinois, took part in some of the activities offered at the event. She thinks the attitudes and beliefs on campus are mixed.

“We are in Southern Illinois, and I am from Southern Illinois so you basically know you are going to have some people with

CORINTHIA JORDAN reporter

The Illinois Groundwater Association awarded an SIUE senior with funding to support an antibiotic contamination in groundwater research project.

Under the advisement of chemistry professor Kevin Tucker, senior chemistry major with a specialization in forensics Danielle Smith, of Collinsville, Illinois, is conducting research that focuses on the efficiency of the water treatment plants.

Smith is a nontraditional student and Tucker’s second undergraduate who has been externally funded for a research project. He said proud of her accomplishment.

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Create Change is an event that aims to improve campus climate at SIUE through art. | Photo courtesy of Kay Guyer

kind of event is very meaningful for me to create a safe space for me.”

Create Climate will hold three events. Their next event will be held Thursday, March 29, where a drama-based exercise will be used to come to understand each other and create art to reflect participants’ experiences.

Their third event on April

3 will be based on poetry. The event will welcome small groups to share their own experiences at SIUE and, while sharing, students will be able to turn those stories into poems.

forward to taking the study to a larger area. The team is prepared to examine six counties around Madison county, including 10 wells per county.

Smith and her colleagues use a process called solid phase extraction filters in which cartridges attract the antibiotics and let everything else flush through the water supply.

The research group tests the water samples, as they come in and as they go out to see how much waste is removed.

The issue with antibiotic presence in water sources is that it builds resistance within our bodies, according to Tucker.

“I’ve been doing work related to antibiotics and different waters because of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria problem, and, so, trying to track down in what waterways and also in soils where all we see antibiotic presence and then also looking at levels, those antibiotics are able to contribute to the formation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” Tucker said.

The research group collected samples from several mediums in Madison and St. Clair counties such as rivers, streams, lakes, wastewater treatment plants, groundwater and eventually soils for antibiotics and metals.

The team has also collected samples from seven wastewater treatment plants in Alton, Highland, Granite City, Caseyville, Collinsville, Belleville and the Environmental Resources Training Center on SIUE’s campus.

“I think it’s really interesting, and that’s why I joined this lab, because we’re testing the water

that’s around here. This is something that is in our area, it’s not something, like, far off that you can’t really get a grasp on and nobody cares about. This is something that’s close to home,” Smith said.

The amount of antibiotic waste from groundwater can be reduced by proper disposal and decreased consumption, according to Smith. The goal of this project is to raise awareness about water contamination.

“Hopefully, we can bring it to more forefront of awareness. If people start talking about it, then we start to see change, then we start to see them implementing stricter regulations on how they’re treating the waste water at the treatment plants and things like that, so, hopefully, it’ll move that in the right direction,” Smith said.

This research project will spread awareness and benefit SIUE and the surrounding communities, according to junior biology major Anna Simmers, of O’Fallon, Illinois.

“I think her research project is very interesting, and I’m thankful that she’s doing it because I think it would help SIUE become more aware of what we’re drinking and our community in general,” Simmer said The results of this experiment will be published in the summer of 2019.

JORDI DELGADO MORA

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Funding granted for antibiotic-contamination research project in Metro East’s water supply

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more conservative attitudes. It’s also a college, so maybe people with strong liberal attitudes, so you kind of get some clashing with that. You also have some racism on campus, and you have some sexism on campus … so it’s a mixture of everything,” Gourdine said.

Gourdine thinks events like this is the first step to changing the climate on campus which could start a dialogue between students. “[Campus climate would be better] if we didn’t have people painting the Confederate flag on the free speech rock. And people who felt that they didn’t have to do that to terrorize groups would be nice,” Gourdine said.

Gourdine also said that coming together as a community will help lead campus climate in the right direction.

“In general, I think we just [need to] come together and do some initiatives on campus,” Gourdine said. “You really can’t change people, but at least we can all come together and do something productive for the city of Edwardsville.”

Art therapy counseling graduate student Unhye Myong, of Seoul, South Korea, has mixed feelings about campus climate, but events like these help her feel safe about voicing her opinion in an open space.

“I don’t really feel comfortable going to a discussion where professors talk in their microphones. I’m too introverted to talk on microphone, but I would love to have more spaces like this that I can create art and talk about it,” Myong said. “This

Danielle Smith

| Photo via Facebook

“Danielle was a single mom when she was writing the grant — she’s since married — but, for an undergraduate student, to be a single mom and working through college alone is a feat, but then to take on the additional responsibility of writing the grant and then having the grant funded is quite an accomplishment for her,” Tucker said.

Smith was granted $500 from the Illinois Groundwater Association, which helps provide research tools such as cartridges, test tubes, specialized chemicals, filter paper and pipe head tips.

According to Tucker, 90 percent of people in the U.S., are supplied clean drinking water from their municipal source, and 10 percent rely on well water. The EPA regulates municipal water, but there are very little funds available for well-water sources.

“Having programs or research like this where you’re going out and looking at things that are not only the regulated heavy metals, but also some of the larger contaminates that are unregulated still, serves as an important community outreach in addition to research where we’re able to impact the community around us and provide meaningful information to them,” Tucker said.

The waste water treatment plants are good at eliminating solid waste from water, but are less efficient at removing antibiotics, caffeine and other materials not easily absorbed by our bodies, according to Smith.

The Metro East shows low levels of antibiotic contamination in several wells, and Tucker looks

CORINTHIA JORDAN

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Search for Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs continues | SEARCH FROM PAGE 1

“Using events like these … they aren’t high cost. It isn’t like we are spending a ton of money.

We make arts and crafts with the kids, but they are such high impact,” Roccia said.

Paying attention to the growing demographic of nontraditional university students is a specialty of Roccia’s, along with making sure traditional students have support, as well.

Roccia took responsibility for adjusting UMSL’s freshman orientation program in 2011,

focusing on students who were worried about academics. Compared to the old program, which emphasized involvement in student organizations, the new program saw success. From fall 2013 until fall 2014, UMSL saw a 4 percent growth in retention and transfers after making changes to their program.

Roccia said, although her job is stressful, she often finds time to relax with her family.

“I invested myself exclusively in my career for the first 12 years of my adult life. Now, I hang out with my five-year-old, go on road

Assistant Dean of Students at University of Missouri-St. Louis Miriam Roccia expresses the purpose of knowing how student demographics have and will change for SIUE Wednesday, March 21, during the Student Affairs lecture series. Roccia explains her ideas on how universities should be more prepared for students instead of the other way around. | Allison Gregory / The Alestle

trips and cheer for sports teams,” Roccia said.

The Office of Student Affairs is responsible for upholding the SIUE standards of citizenship, excellence, inclusion, integrity and wisdom.

Junior political science major and member of the College Democrats of SIUE, Zack Nunn, of Granite City, Illinois, thinks the new associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs should focus on implementing new ways to make the different organizations on campus more accessible to students.

“I hope he or she will be looking for new ways to get students more involved on campus,” Nunn said. “There needs to be a better way to find all of the activities that are available to them.”

Although taking on the responsibility of overseeing the student body of an university would be difficult, Roccia believes she is up to the task. Her extensive career in education is her passion, and she hopes to bring her new, fresh ideas to make SIUE better.

“Every day [working with students] is different, and that’s truly what I love about it,” Roccia said. “We have different students, different staff, but every interaction is different.”

MATI BARRON

650-3527 @mbarron_alestle mbarron@alestlelive.com

03.26.18

03.25.18

An officer issued a written warning for speeding on North University Drive near North Research Drive.

An officer issued a state citation to Dillon A. Howard on Northwest University Drive near Circle Drive.

An officer responded to 414 Cougar Village for an active fire alarm. The alarm was activated due to cooking and was restored. There was no fire, smoke or damage.

An officer issued a written warning for speeding on South University Drive near University Park Drive.

An officer responded to Woodland Hall after a subject reported that somebody had entered his room and stole his electronic gaming device.

An officer issued a written warning for improper display of registration on South University Drive near Stadium Drive.

An officer issued a written warning for an expired registration on North University Drive near P2 Road.

An officer responded to 527 Cougar Village for an active fire alarm. The alarm was activated due to cooking and was restored. There was no fire, smoke or damage.

An officer issued a written warning for improper lane usage on Lot A near Circle Drive.

An officer issued a written warning for speeding on Northwest University Drive near Circle Drive. A written warning was also issued for driving without a license.

An officer issued a written warning for speeding on Northwest University Drive near Lot 11.

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

An officer issued a written warning for speeding on South University Drive near University Park.

An officer issued a written warning for improper lane usage on North University Drive near North Research Drive.

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Meet your candidates

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Elections are Tuesday, April 3 and Wednesday April 4.

Check your SIUE email for a link to vote.

Unoffical results will be posted Thursday, April 6.

With the exception of the president, vice president and student trustee seats, all candidates are running for senator positions within their schools or at large.

Jakob Potts Student Body President

Mackenzie Rogers Student Body President

As your Student Body President, I will dedicate myself to bettering Student services, improving out reach to students, advocating for student needs, and transparently representing all students on the administrative level. My goal is to better the student educational and amusing college career.

I will strive to be an active voice for what is right even if it proves difficult, while being an approachable leader on campus. This school saved my life, and I want to ensure that all students have the same experience while feeling at home at SIUE.

Matthew Butler Student Body Vice President

Sadie Spears Student Body Vice President

While in office as a student body vice president, it would be my goal to provide unity, encouragement, and advocacy for every student at SIUE. With my past experience in student government and with the help of the students, I am confident we can make 2018-2019 our best year.

As Student Body Vice President, I aim to serve as an open-minded voice for all students to better benefit the SIUE community and environment. My vision is to improve SIUE in areas of diversity and inclusion, student involvement on campus, mental health resources, and sustainability.

Molly Smith Student Trustee

Landon Montgomery Student Trustee

Christian Heck Student Trustee

As student trustee, I can bring a passionate approach in the efforts of improving SIUE. We are relevant and growing as a school and I am excited to portray that to the SIU system. I love SIUE and only want the best for the university and its student body as a whole.

I hope to form a stronger connection between the board and SIUE as I act as liaison the two.

While in office, I plan to advocate for our school in the SIU system and our values of citizenship, excellence, inclusion, integrity, and wisdom. I will stand up for all SIUE students and their right to have an overall good academic experience while in the SIU system.

If elected Student Trustee, I will bring my experience, knowledge, and passion of higher education to the SIU Board of Trustees to make sure that our voices are heard from a strong presence at the system level. I will be that strong presence.

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Rahime Aliu College of Arts & Science People and Culture As a student senator, I will ensure to expand student opportunities and enhance the environment of the SIUE community. I believe that the student body is the machine of the university.

SIUE students deserve more resources to supplement their education such as increasing library hours and providing healthier food options.

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C. Lucas Altenberger Graduate Senator

Christian Arcelona College of Arts & Science Sciences and Math

Caleb Culbreath Nursing

As a student senator, I will be sure to make graduate students feel as if they are a part of life on campus and not excluded for activities and events. Part of embracing inclusion and diversity is welcoming them and facilitating their participation for an active role on campus.

As your elected official, I will actively communicate with students and organizations within my constituency to ensure that all voices are heard. I promise to take any actions necessary to further the success of students and the SIUE community as a whole.

Hi, my name is Caleb Culbreath.

If elected senator for the School of Nursing, I will make an effort to hear each and every one of your questions and concerns. In doing so, I will strive to ensure that your voice is being heard and that your questions are answered promptly.

Randall Dietz College of Arts & Science People and Culture As a student senator, my goals would be two-fold. First, I want to promote bi-lateral communication between the student body and the student government to clearly establish the current wants and needs of the student body. Second, I wish to bring exciting opportunities to campus, such as mock-trials for Pre-Law students.

Jett Durr Business

C. Cole Egland Business

While in office, I would like to gauge the opinions of students from my respective constituency and take steps to accomodate their wants. I want to put on more events for the students as well.

Create a bridge between students and the faculty for the school of business. In the process, including individuals with a variety of ideas & backgrounds. Promoting iversity & differences to further better the school of business.

Oceona Garrett College of Arts & Science Arts and Communication

Shawn Gilles Engineering

Jacob Graham Senator at Large

Catherine Jakich College of Arts & Science People and Culture

I will take the initiative to get more student voices and opinions heard. Many people are not involved in Student Government and feel their opinions won’t be heard. I want to change that by involving people more and showing that we all have a voice in what happens here at SIUE.

SIUE engineering deserves a louder voice. As your senator, I will work to make engineering more popular among the student body, increase study and education resource availability, and promote the many unique STEM-related clubs and organizations on campus.

If elected to be Senator at Large, I would use my position to effectively communicate with students to promote and execute change for the university as a whole while promoting transformations to benefit students on an individual level as well.

My goals as Student Senator are to work with and assure students that their needs and interests are heard. As learned from the past, student body unity is essential for a conducive learning environment. As a representative of the student body I will strive to unite what is currently damaged.

Michael James Business

While in office I plan to try to help incoming freshman be more aware of the majors offered by student gov, as well as the new school of B students. I also want to get school of B alumni back into involvement with the students.

Stefan Jones Senator at Large

Persistence, patience, and philanthropy. I will bring this along with a fiscally conservative approach and bridge the diversity gap. Student Government has initiated an amazing program of inclusion and I would love to continue that by proliferating awareness, involving everyone and exhibiting transparent behavior. I’m listening and willing to work! #BLM

Kyle Kinder College of Arts & Science Sciences and Math

As a student government senator, I will continue to improve the outstanding department of sciences and math. I will use my leadership skills and outgoing personality to be a voice for the students.

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Mckenzi Mitchell College of Arts & Science Sciences and Math As a student senator, I will be dedicated to this organization. I am a very organized person who also possesses good leadership skills. In high school, I served as a student government officer, and I always put my best effort in to follow whoever was in charge. I always am willing to bring in ideas on certain ways our club could get more involved with the community, and I will be open to others ideas too.

Kalli Morris College of Arts and Science People and Culture

It is my hope to represent my constituents and provide them a platform to express their needs. I will act as the bridge between the students and the administration to ensure that every member of our community will have the resources to exceed academically and socially at SIUE.

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K. Nzingha Okalanwa Student Senator - SEHHB

Jacob Roberts Senator at Large

As a non-traditional student, I would bring more diversity to the student government committee. My goal is to be a supportive, inclusive, and understanding student senator.

All the students have a voice, as a senator it will be part of my duties to make sure that those voices are heard.

I plan to encourage the exploration and questioning of everyone’s innermost beliefs while expanding opportunities for involvement and inclusion for people of all ideologies.

Disclaimer: Kalli Morris is an Alestle employee

Payton Rusch Nursing

I will promote a more involved and inclusive environment for the School of Nursing to encourage a meaningful experience at SIUE. Additionally as a nursing school representative, I hope to aid them in building connections that will benefit their future endeavors.

SUMMER SESSI N 2018

Play in the sun, and shine in class!

• Nearly 1,000 courses including general education, upper-division and graduate courses • More online options than ever before • Many classes meet for five weeks or less Jakhari Watson Senator at Large

If I were to be elected to the student senate, I would ensure that the voices of all students that speak to me about certain issues are heard. I have listened to many students whom have expressed dissatisfaction with various things at SIUE. I look to voice their concerns and help make life for all SIUE students better.

Chelsie Zajac School of Education, Health and Human Behavior

As previous senator for my constituency, I understand the importance of voicing ideas and concerns on campus. If elected as senator for the School of Education, Health, and human behavior, I will continue to strive to better promote campus life, while focusing to further implement mental health awareness on campus.

Lighten your class load for fall, stay within your course sequence and benefit from smaller class sizes. You’ll be one step closer to graduating and reaching your next big goal.

Register Now! siue.edu/summer

READ THIS WEEK’S HEADPHONE JACK AT ALESTLELIVE.COM

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lifestyles

contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com 650-3527

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Tunnel of Oppression Graphic | Photo via Student Government

Student Government lines the black panels with items designed to raise awareness on stigmas surrounding medicine. Other examples included a wall on the Free Palestine movement and “Active Minds” movement on fighting stigmas. | Photo via Student Government’s Facebook

N U U N T N T NEELL V G G N N I I V D D I I I I SSIIO O O ON V V N A A Student Government provides mirror experience with Tunnel of Oppression event DARIAN STEVENSON reporter The upcoming Tunnel of Oppression event is designed to provide an insightful view into different cultures, religions and backgrounds that are subjected to injustices and mistreatment alike.

Impactful displays will be put together by organizations for diversity on campus to raise awareness for important problems occurring globally and close to home.

SIUE community members can walk through the maze-like tunnel to experience what it is like to walk in another person’s shoes.

Organizations such as the Muslim Student Association, Black Girls Rock, the Students for Justice in Palestine, New Horizons, the Hispanic Student Union, Sagarmatha (Nepalese Student Association), the Department of Diversity and Inclusion and the Alliance of Students Against Poverty will showcase a display of oppression.

Junior psychology student from Edwardsville Ramsha Durrani is the president of the MSA. She said the organization’s goal is to put people in the shoes of those oppressed through having to leave their homes and countries.

“The MSA is showcasing a display for the refugee situations Muslim countries have been facing and how that is oppression to the people and the Muslim world, and our question for the people is ‘How would you feel?’” Durrani said.

Durrani said the MSA has partic-

tually felt like their true selves because of ipated in the Tunnel of Oppression for oppressions that they’ve faced,” Massey the past three years and wants to consaid. tinue to show the importance of underMegan Gooch, a senior business standing oppression this year. administration student and the student “This presentation is important bebody vice president from Herrin, Illicause many of us don’t realize why or nois, has volunteered with the setup of how it is when people have to flee their the Tunnel of Oppression before she was countries because they are asked to leave a part of Student Government in years for the sake of their own safety,” Durrani past. She gets more of an inside view this said. year as a member of Student GovernEthan Massey, a senior applied comment than she did last year. munication studies major and external “I think just seeing all of the hard affairs officer for Student Government, work and pasfrom Masion behind all rine, Illinois, the student orsaid Student ganizations and Government the purpose of will add an the event to entrance and see the world exit with mirthrough these ror papers for oppressed comstudents to munity’s [eyes] see their reis really interflections. esting,” Gooch He said said. trying to Gooch said make the the Tunnel of event interacOppression is tive has been one of her faone of Stuvorite events dent Governon campus.

MEGAN GOOCH ment’s goals.

“Coming “It is goSenior business administration major from a small ing to be a & Student Government Vice President town, we didn’t sort of mirror experience for students, and they can have a lot of diversity where I grew up, sign their name if they have ever looked and coming to college, obviously, is a into a mirror and seen themselves as huge new pond of different people, difsomebody different or they have not acferent ideals, and it’s helped me appreci-

“

It’s helped me appreciate the struggle that a lot of people have to go through, and then also recognize my privilege that I don’t necessarily have to go through those things.

ate the struggle that a lot of people have to go through, and then also recognize my privilege that I don’t necessarily have to go through those things,” Gooch said.

Massey said that Student Government played a behind-the-scenes role in this year’s Tunnel of Oppression.

“Our job was to reach out to organizations and see which ones would like to be involved, and making sure everything stays on task, stays on time, putting the whole thing together, and getting supplies for the organizations,” Massey said.

Massey has more of an inside view to the Tunnel of Oppression this year, but he doesn’t know what each showcase is going to entail.

“I told [the organizations] that I only wanted a tiny idea of what they wanted, what they were going to do and what their supplies were because I want to be just as open to what people are seeing as everyone else,” Massey said.

The Tunnel of Oppression will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, on the Stratton Quadrangle.

“I am very excited to see how people will react and take these displays and see how people walk away from this experience and what they get from it,” Massey said. “It’s one thing to just walk and look at a display or at a piece of art, but it’s another thing to actually sit there and learn about what it is representing and what the backstory behind all of it is.”

DARIAN STEVENSON 650-3527 @dstevenson_alestle dstevenson@alestlelive.com

page 8

alestlelive.com

thursday, 03.29.18

where to be at the ‘e’ MONDAY, APRIL 2

SASS Session 5 - 6 p.m., MUC Maple/ Dogwood Room

Wednesday, APRIL 4

TUESDAY, APRIL 3

Women’s Studies Department Speaker 5 - 7 p.m., Mississippi/ Illinois Room Student Government Election

Student Government Election

Thursday, APRIL 5 FRIDAY, APRIL 6

Lyceum Club Meeting 5 - 7:30 p.m., MUC Meeting Room A

Tunnel of Oppression 12 - 5 p.m., Stratton Quadrangle

SATURDAY, APRIL 7 MONDAY, APRIL 9

SIUE Gospel Choir Reunion Concert 5:30 - 11 p.m., Mississippi Room

MUC: Goshen Showcase 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., MUC Goshen Lounge

TUESDAY, APRIL 10 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11

CAB: Cougar Craze 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., MUC Goshen Lounge SASS Session 5 - 6 p.m., MUC Maple/ Dogwood Room

Silent Protest 12 - 4 p.m., Stratton Quadrangle

THURSDAY, APRIL 12

CAB Late Night 6 - 11 p.m., MUC Goshen Lounge

FRIDAY, APRIL 13

University Dance Organization Spring Dance Concert 7:30 - 10 p.m., Metcalf Student Experimental Theatre CAS Honor’s Day 11 - 11:45 a.m., MUC Wabash Room

MONDAY, APRIL 16 TUESDAY, APRIL 17

Q&A with the Chancellor 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., MUC Oak/ Redbud Room

Earth Day Springfest 2018 Kickoff 8 - 9 a.m., Stratton Quadrangle

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18

Springfest 2018: Student Organization Expo 8 -9 a.m., Stratton Quadrangle

THURSDAY, APRIL 19

The Dept. of Theater and Dance Present: “The Great Divide” by E.M. Lewis 7:30 - 9:30 p.m., Dunham Hall Theatre

FRIDAY, APRIL 20

Springfest 2018: Upside Down Party 8 - 9 a.m., MUC Goshen Lounge

SATURDAY, APRIL 21

SIUE 1st Annual Splash and Dash 9 - 11:45 a.m., VC Indoor Pool - Room 1231

MONDAY, APRIL 23

Student Government Senate Meeting 6 - 8 p.m., MUC Goshen Lounge

TUESDAY, APRIL 24

CAB: Finals Massages 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., MUC Goshen Lounge

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25

Rainbow Graduation 4 - 5:30 p.m., MUC Meeting Room A

FRIDAY, APRIL 27

Esports Club Smash Bros Tournament 6 - 11 p.m., MUC Mississippi/ Illinois Room

TAKE OUR POLL ON CAMPUS RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS AT ALESTLELIVE.COM

opinion alestlelive.com

thursday, 03.29.18

share your thoughts: opinion@alestlelive.com 650-3527 page 9

alestle view

SIUE needs more promotion of mental health resources Student Government released a video to promote their upcoming Mental Health Awareness Week on March 21. SG and Phi Kappa Psi have teamed up to advocate mental health for the week of March 26-30, using the hashtag #IHaveAReason.

This is one of the many initiatives SIUE has offered for students. Along with this campaign from SG, SIUE provides an abundance of mental health resources that are readily available for students, faculty and staff.

Unfortunately, while our institution is making strides in mental health, many of these resources go unnoticed or are not known by individuals on campus.

We at the Alestle believe in advocating for the health and wellness of everyone in the SIUE community, and we also believe SIUE does a good job of providing the resources and materials

students need. However, in order to make these more well known, the school needs to work hard to promote these resources to the community.

Mental health is a hot topic among college students. According to Active Minds, it’s estimated that 26 percent of Americans ages 18 and older live with a diagnosable mental health disorder. These disorders range from anxiety, substance abuse, depression, eating disorders and many more.

As any college student knows, this is a very demanding and difficult time in our lives. Most of us are away from home, hoping to get our degree, land a job and become a fully recognized “adult.”

The stress alone can be enough to drive some students over the edge, and this doesn’t even include whether some may already have a preexisting condition.

This is why campus resources are so important.

SIUE provides a large range of resources for students, faculty and staff. Most of these can be found through Counseling Service’s website. A variety of links connect individuals to information regarding substance abuse, bullying, dating violence and 15 other topics.

Therapist Assisted Online was recently introduced in the fall.

TAO is a program that provides students with expanded access to counseling for anxiety, depression and other behavioral health concerns.

This mental health initiative has also sparked the creation of iCare and Active Minds, student organizations dedicated to spreading mental health awareness across campus.

Along with Fresh Check Day, which provides students with an

opportunity to learn about various mental health conditions and resources on the Quad, these organizations sponsor other events.

The next upcoming event hosted by Active Minds will be the screening of “Suicide: The Ripple Effect” at 7 p.m. Monday, April 9 in the Meridian Ballroom.

This film shares the story of Kevin Hines. At age 19, Hines jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempt to take his own life. Miraculously, he survived, and he now shares his story with others in an effort to educate individuals on suicide and the effect it has on others. The screening is free to students, but they must register before attending.

These resources are readily available to students, but, unless students do research beforehand, it’s unlikely they will find these programs, especially during times they may need them most.

Compared to others, SIUE is not a large campus. With about 14,000 students, the university has the advantage of a medium-sized community to advocate and advertise various events and services on campus.

To make students, faculty and staff more familiar with all they have to offer, SIUE can extend their use to multiple platforms, including regular emails, social media posts and even signs on campus. Informing individuals about these resources can’t wait. Instead of being reactive, SIUE needs to be more proactive.

Providing constant updates and announcements regarding mental health and mental health awareness on campus is vital, and, until SIUE steps up and takes on a larger role, all these great programs and initiatives might as well be for nothing.

We need to talk more about eating disorders KAIT BAKER photographer

For four long, miserable years, I struggled with bulimia.

This was arguably the darkest time in my life.

Thankfully, I got help and entered recovery just over two years ago. However, to this day, I still wrestle with the stigma surrounding eating disorders when I tell my story.

Movies about eating disorders such as “To the Bone” and “Starving In Suburbia” portray underweight, young white women struggling to overcome anorexia. While they do bring awareness to the disorder, they

still paint the stereotypical picture of what it means to have an eating disorder, adding to the stigma.

The reality is that a person of any gender, race or age can suffer from an eating disorder.

Furthermore, not everyone with an eating disorder is struggling from anorexia — in fact, there are seven eating disorders recognized by “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition.”

Instead of being treated like actual mental illnesses, they are sometimes treated as lifestyle choices, or sometimes, they’re even romanticized. Those experiencing an eating disorder are por-

trayed as vain and just want to be skinny, instead of seriously ill.

People think they are self-imposed and that those suffering can just snap out of it.

However, just as someone doesn’t choose to be depressed or have anxiety, someone with an eating disorder didn’t just choose it. They cannot magically snap out of it and become better.

It’s usually not even about being skinny; rather, it’s often the product of underlying issues or past trauma. Just like any other mental illness, they can take years to overcome.

Such stigma adds to the already stressful situation of having an eating disorder and caus-

es concerns about concealment.

This added stress can lead to a worsening of the disorder itself.

The fear that your request for help could be rejected creates barriers for people who really need help.

This creates a very dangerous situation. Eating disorders have the highest rate of mortality of any mental illness, with someone dying from complications caused by an eating disorder every 62 minutes.

Eating disorders aren’t rare, either. Up to 30 million people in the U.S., or 1 in 10 people suffer from some form of eating disorder.

These people are from all

walks of life, and you probably encounter someone with an eating disorder on a daily basis.

Given that eating disorders are so common, they need to be addressed more, and more openly.

All it takes is a few minutes on Google to gain an understanding on eating disorders and how to help. It is highly likely that, one day, such knowledge will come in handy and make someone’s already difficult situation a little easier.

KAIT BAKER 650-3527 @kbaker_alestle kbaker@alestlelive.com

page 10

thursday, 03.29.18

alestlelive.com

Letter to the editor: Does SIUE have enough mental health resources on campus? Support our heroes

alestle asks

ALLISON GREGORY photographer

“I personally do not think so because my friend was Noah Hays, the kid that killed himself first semester, and I don’t think there were good enough resources for that, and I think they should just let people know their counseling services are more open because I feel like they do have a lot [of] resources here that would be good and valuable.”

Keegan Goodman freshman social work major, of Waterloo, Illinois.

“Well, to be honest, I’m not really sure if they do or not because, right now, I’m in a depressed state, and typically, I don’t talk about it to anyone and usually my fraternity, which is an organization on this campus, I usually talk about that with them. I don’t talk about it with anyone else.”

Jake Sill freshman marketing major, of Edwardsville.

“No, [not] at all. [SIUE could provide] better counselors, more support groups, more information. I’ve done the counseling sessions [and] I don’t feel like the counselors … they just sit there and let you talk, which is technically half the job, but I just don’t feel like they gave me any feedback or anything. I stopped going because I felt like nothing was changing. They weren’t asking me [questions]. None of them were, and I went to three different ones.”

“I feel like we provide pretty adequate mental health resources. You can go down to the SSC and get any counseling services.

I think they offer 10 sessions for free, and then after that they still provide resources for you to go to.”

Hannah Townzen freshman psychology major, of Edwardsville.

Moriliat Ibrahim senior biology major, of Chicago.

“I think they have the resources, but I don’t think they make them well known that they have them. They’ll send out an email once-in-a-while about it, but mainly it’s when something happens. They need to broadcast it more often.”

Kelsie Stendeback freshman nursing major, of Godfrey, Illinois.

“The thing I know about it is health services, the counseling thing, so I guess that’s kind of enough but maybe it should be more support groups or something. I’ve been going here for four years now and I only know about it because I went to Health Services a couple weeks ago.”

“I’ve seen some advertisements about mental health, but I don’t think there’s enough because a lot of people don’t know about the resources that are offered.”

Tamryn Williams freshman industrial engineering major, of Chicago.

“Yeah, [SIUE should advertise their mental health services] like the little boards in the MUC and posters around campus.”

Jon Meadows senior history education major, of Jerseyville, Illinois.

Ashley Barrett senior early childhood education major, of Chicago.

Video games are often violent — and that’s a good thing RYAN BIERI editor-in-chief

Video games have plenty of violence in them. Most popular games, whether it’s “League of Legends,” “Fortnite” or “Call of Duty,” revel in their violence. In some ways, it’s a draw for them.

Games often fulfill a power fantasy — save the world, win the fight, be the mythical hero — so it’s no surprise they turn to guns and violence. It’s a lot easier to make a player feel powerful by exerting power over another character than to make them feel impressive for solving a puzzle.

But, games are capable of much, much more.

When President Donald Trump called upon leaders in the video game industry to visit the White House to talk about the role games play in gun violence (spoiler, none, according to the American Psychological Association), an 88-second reel of hyper-violent video game clips was shown.

In response, Games for Change, a non-profit organization which aims to use video games to help enact social changes, released their own 88-second video depicting nonviolent scenes from modern games.

Both of these videos miss the point of video games as a medium entirely.

Games are not killing simulators or peaceful nature walks.

They are not simply good or bad.

They’re an art form, the same as music, movies or words.

Every game is unique and different. Some are powerful, gripping stories. Some forgo a narrative altogether, instead choosing to just throw players straight into the gameplay. Some try to strike a balance.

Regardless of their focus, distilling the entire medium, or even just a single game, into a generalization of good or bad is a disservice to every person who helped develop it.

It would be preposterous to say that film — the entire art form

— is either morally benevolent or bankrupt.

Why do we allow our leaders to continue to waste their time and our money to make this argument about video games?

Games are sometimes violent, sure, but that’s a good thing.

Games can be violent. They can be bloody, and excessive and a pure power fantasy. Isn’t that how someone would describe any of Jason Statham’s movies, though?

Games are also capable of being beautiful and moving. For example, “Gone Home,” made me cry the first time I played it.

I regularly return to “Flower” to relax. When I played “Firewatch,” I had to play the entire game at once, because, like a great book, I couldn’t bring myself to set the story aside, even though it was incredibly tense.

Even so, I still play games primarily known for their violence like “Fallout 4,” “Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds” and “Halo.”

They often are nothing more than a fun time. They’re usually an

empty, enjoyable experience — like a summer blockbuster.

However, that’s not to say the two are completely incompatible. “Wolfenstein 2” was one of the most violent video games I’ve ever played, but it’s also one of the few big-budget games that made me care about the story in a real way.

Video games, while a relatively new medium in the grand scheme of things, are massively diverse. The idea that, no matter your feelings on violent games, they’re somehow all objectively evil is actually laughable.

So, the next time you hear someone talking about how video games are the cause of the world’s woes, I implore you to really think about everything the medium can offer before jumping on their bandwagon.

RYAN BIERI 650-3530 @ryan_alestle rbieri@alestlelive.com

HB 4345 is an amendment to the State Commemorative Dates Act; it proposes May 19 of each year be designated as First Responder Mental Health Awareness Day. This day would be observed throughout the state as a day to honor firefighters, police officers and other first responders who have lost their lives.

Throughout society, first responders are responsible for keeping our community and environment safe. A first responder endures traumatic and stressful events that occur on a daily basis. In the United States, first responders respond to more than 50 million emergency calls a year.

First responders are our loved ones and friends, and they need to know we support them. First responders, like my husband, are our nation’s heroes, we can always depend on them in our time of need.

These brave souls risk their lives every day, and, as a community, we need to show not only our support, but willingness to assist them in their time of need. This bill brings light to the long-term effects of mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

It is important to raise awareness around mental health related issues for first responders to gain a better understanding of the problems they face. Resilience training and raising awareness will empower first responders to identify their strengths as well as their weaknesses as they pertain to mental health. The awareness will help alleviate the stigma about PTSD and other mental health issues.

New research is needed to tailor mental health screenings, assessments and intervention strategies to meet the needs of at-risk individual within the first responders.

We need to directly engage first responders in conversation about their perceptions of mental health problems as well as the barriers that may prevent them from seeking mental health services. First responders can engage in conversation using qualitative methods and community-engagement approaches.

Current health care insurance only provides limited visits for counseling. However, PTSD may require longer treatment depending on the severity of the condition.

Services that address mental health issues are limited in providing the needs of first responders.

We as a society need to make sure their needs are being met by providing them with adequate mental health services.

We need to acknowledge that mental health is vital to keeping our first responders mentally fit.

HB 4345 is a step towards honoring the fallen and strengthening the metal health of our nation’s heroes.

KRISTEN KEELE senior social work major INDIRA JAMES senior social work major MARISA GONZALEZ senior social work major TARAH MARTIN senior social work major

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 thursday, 03.29.18

sports

CHECK OUT PHOTOS FROM TENNIS’ RECENT MATCHES AT ALESTLELIVE.COM

alestlelive.com

page 11

SIUE Standings BASEBALL OVERALL

OVC

18-5 10-15 10-13 15-11 14-11 14-11 12-9 9-16 5-17 9-14 5-16

8-1 7-2 6-3 5-4 5-4 5-4 3-3 2-4 2-7 1-5 1-8

Tennessee Tech SEMO Belmont Morehead St. Austin Peay Murray St. Jacksonville St. E. Kentucky UT Martin E. Illinois SIUE

SOFTBALL OVERALL Freshman starting pitcher Corrina Rivas stands on the mound between pitches during the Cougars’ 8-0 win Saturday, March 17 against Eastern Michigan University. Rivas has 32 strikeouts, a 3.32 ERA and now a perfect game in her nine pitching appearances in a Cougars uniform. | Photo courtesy of RiverBender.com

Flawless freshman

Rivas starts conference season with perfect game TRENT STUART sports editor The softball team’s first conference double-header ended on a high note with freshman pitcher Corrina Rivas throwing the seventh perfect game in SIUE softball history.

SIUE defeated Tennessee State University 9-0 following their 7-1 win in the first game.

The Cougars’ overall record improved to 11-9.

Head Coach Sandy Montgomery said the team had Rivas’ back throughout the entire game.

“It’s a team accomplishment.

The kids played well and made some plays. Rivas threw well,” Montgomery told Athletics.

Rivas had eight strikeouts in

the game. She said she was also confident in her teammates and noted that the excitement was high entering the sixth inning with a perfect game so far and a 9-0 lead.

“I knew my teammates had my back. They had it all game.

Obviously, in the sixth inning, the energy was high,” Rivas said.

The offense was a consistent complement to Rivas’ performance. The Cougars had 11 hits in the 9-0 win and tacked on runs in every inning to end the game by the run-ahead rule in the 6th.

Tess Eby and Reagan Curtis led the team with three RBIs each, which included a three-run homer from Curtis.

This powerful offense transitioned well from the first game,

where the Cougars had 15 hits, including three home runs in the 7-1 win. Tennessee State only had four hits.

The offense was led by Eby, who had two home runs, two additional hits, and three RBIs. “Tess was on fire today, no question. She came to play. She had good, quality swings on pitches. When you do that, good things will happen,” Montgomery said.

Eby was followed by first baseman Zoe Schafer, who had three hits and scored three times.

Third baseman Haley Adrian also added three RBIs. When the day came to a close, Schafer remained SIUE’s offensive leader with 19 RBIs, six home runs and a .455 batting

average.

Shafer said she and the team want to continue to “always have the same goal going in [to each game]” throughout the rest of the season to ultimately win the OVC championship.

The Cougars continued their season last night with a 4-1 loss against the University of Kansas.

Their next double-header will be at University of Tennessee at Martin on Friday, March 30, followed by the rescheduled conference double-header at Belmont University the next day.

TRENT STUART

E. Illinois SIUE Austin Peay E. Kentucky SEMO Jacksonville St. UT Martin Belmont Morehead St. Murray St. Tennessee Tech Tennessee St.

OVC

24-8 11-9 18-9 20-11 19-11 15-15 16-18 19-6 16-8 9-20 9-21 3-29

4-0 2-0 3-1 3-1 3-1 3-1 2-2 0-2 0-2 0-2 0-4 0-4

TENNIS OVERALL

OVC

9-6 8-10 5-6 10-3 1-10 9-8 4-8 10-5 0-14 5-11

3-0 2-0 2-1 3-2 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-2 0-2 0-3

Murray St. E. Illinois Austin Peay Jacksonville St. UT Martin E. Kentucky SEMO Tennessee St. SIUE Belmont

650-3527 @tstuart_alestle tstuart@alestlelive.com

SIUE battles cold weather, tough opponents at Bill Cornell Classic TRENT STUART sports editor SIUE track and field faced stiff competition this weekend at the Bill Cornell Classic in Carbondale, Illinois, but were still able to come away with solid individual results.

These results included five personal records for the distance runners along with several topthree finishes in other events.

“I think all of the athletes were looking forward to competing against high-level competition, and they all thrive doing that,” Assistant Coach Joey Pacione said.

Pacione added that the

weather was also a big factor in the meet.

“A lot of them really performed well, period, but, especially given the cold weather, [they] really encouraged us for future performances,” Pacione said.

For the distance runners, junior Allie Sweatt, sophomore Keri Burmester, sophomore Landon Skelly, sophomore Austin Woodard and sophomore Kevin Campbell all set personal bests in the 1500m. Aly Goff took third place in the women’s 1500, but did not reach a personal best.

Senior jumper Julian Harvey continued his success by winning the long jump for the second meet in a row. His jump of 24

feet 7.75 inches qualified him for the regional meet at the end of the season.

“That was a really nice accomplishment this early in the season,” Pacione said.

On the women’s side, senior Brittney Gibbs and junior Nichyria Byrd placed second and third in triple jump, respectively.

Byrd’s jump was also a personal record.

The throwers’ success was highlighted by senior Martinus Mitchell’s third place finish in the discus and senior Nick Matthews’ fourth place finish in the hammer throw. Mitchell said he was satisfied with the results considering the cold weather and strong com-

petition.

“I was expecting to go there and compete against some of the top athletes in the country and some people overall who show how hard work pays off,” Mitchell said.

Lizzie Virgl competed in discus and took sixth in the hammer throw. Virgl said she wasn’t thrilled with her performance, but the factor of cold weather showed she may come close to a regional mark by the end of the season.

“If we could have handled last weekend’s weather, I think we could handle anything,” Virgl said.

The Cougars will be back in action at the Joey Haines In-

vitational Friday, March 30 and Saturday, March 31 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Pacione said the competition will be tough once again, but he is looking forward to strengthening each athlete in their best events to prepare for the rest of the season.

“The competition should be good again, and the weather should be a little better. I’m very excited for it; I expect the kids will continue to build on what they’ve been doing all season,” Pacione said.

TRENT STUART

650-3527 @tstuart_alestle tstuart@alestlelive.com

e

alestle

thursday, 03.29.18

“I know Disability Support Services is working right now to better help for the next year, and I know when you think of Disability Support Services you think people are physically handicapped, but you don’t understand the mental handicaps people may have, illnesses or things people struggle with everyday. So, if they can ask for help, and we can help with the DSS while they are bettering their program for the next year, then we will be able to come together,� Rogers said.

If elected, Rogers also hopes to be approachable to other students. “I want to be a leader people see as approachable, and that they can talk to me,� Rogers said.

Matt Butler, a sophomore math and science major and the current student secretary for Student Government, of Alton, Illinois, is running for student body vice president.

Butler plans to use his platform to advocate for unity on campus. “One thing I think is a major issue facing the students that we need to address is a sense of unity,� Butler said. “There is a lot of disconnect on campus.

They see our faces, but they don’t really know us, and one thing that we need to encourage students to do is share their stories and their experiences, because, until someone gets to know you, they aren’t going to understand you.�

Butler plans to implement this by being present on campus and encouraging students to come to the Student Government office to better explain their wants and needs.

When asked what lasting impact he wanted to leave on the university, Butler said, “I want someone to think, after four years, the time, the effort and the life you built here that you did not leave empty -handed. Feeling like you didn’t get to do enough, you didn’t get to see enough, I want them [students] to feel like this is home.�

New candidates running have new ideas to bring to the table, and one of them is Rahime Aliu, a political and environmental science student from Cottage Hills, Illinois, running for senator for people and culture with CAS. She was eager to answer questions about changes students wanted to see. “I thought [the Q&A] went really well. I thought everyone had very good ideas, and would like to implement almost all of them, and I know that’s impossible, but everyone mentioned ideas about the library, about services to nontraditional students and to writing centers. I think those are good ideas to implement in the SIUE community,� Aliu said.

Aliu would like to extend academic resources to students and, when asked what is one area that needs the most im-

provement at SIUE, she said the library hours. “One way we could improve academic resources is by having the library open until 2 a.m., as opposed to 11 p.m.,�

Aliu said. “It would help a lot of students that don’t have access to the internet at home or are parents and unable to complete their studies at home.�

Aliu believes speaking with students and gathering their support will help legitimize extending the library hours.

Christian Arcelona, a senior biology major from Washington, Missouri, is running for senator for colleges of arts and science-science and math.

If elected, he would be new to student government, as well.

Arcelona plans to implement more resources for math and science majors after graduation. “I can see some promotions for internships and such, but I think there should be a lot more information about thinking about what you want to do after undergrad,� Arcelona said.

As a biology student, Arcelona wants to help implement fairs or informational meetings through major departments, professors and the Career Development Center. “A lot of students are banking on making it to med school, dental school, or pharmacy school, but, if they don’t make it the first year they might want to, instead, just get a general job in that field, but where do you go for that if we don’t offer these career options?� Arcelona said.

Ethan Massey, a senior applied communication studies student and the current external affairs officer, said he hopes new senators take time to put in the necessary work. “Senators do serve on committees, and, of course, everyone has a busy schedule, so it’s always trying to find that time to make things work,� Massey said. “Especially since I do a lot of the events, to have those senators to help me is really what I relied on.�

RamĂłn DeShazer, a senior music, applied communication studies and education student from Chicago, is the current student body president. He said he looks for honesty in a candidate. “I’m not a fan of those politicians that make promises that they can’t keep, and, essentially, I vote for someone who is going to cater to the needs of the people that voted for them and trusted them with those duties and responsibilities of the position,â€? DeShazer said. “I’m looking for transparency, and someone who is going to tell me the good and the bad and not just sugar coat everything.â€?

Student Government elections will be held on April 3 and 4.

DARIAN STEVENSON

650-3527 @dstevenson_alestle dstevenson@alestlelive.com

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