SIUE taking millions in salary money to pay off university debt
DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief
BRANDI SPANN opinion editor
Between January 2023 and January 2025, more than $15.4 million has been taken from departments by administration. Transactions called “salary sweeps” were ordered by Chancellor James T. Minor and are part of an administrative plan to target university debt.
The swept money consists of lapsed salary dollars — money that a department is not currently using to pay a salaried position that was originally budgeted. According to an email from Director of Business Operations Paula Garcia obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, these funds are being moved into a series of “strategic initiatives” accounts, some of which are being used to repay the university’s debt. Garcia declined multiple Alestle requests for comment.
In a Feb. 21 statement, Director of Communications Nicole Franklin said that SIUE’s structural deficit — the difference between its spending and revenue — has not been reduced. While true, millions in salary dollars are being put toward the debt each fiscal year as a temporary measure to equalize the deficit and prevent further debt increase.
A deficit is the difference between revenue and expenses, while debt is the total amount of money owed.
As of July 2024, SIUE had taken $5.4 million in salary dollars and put them toward the General Operating Budget. In a Jan. 10, 2025, email obtained
through a FOIA request, former Budget Director Bill Winter, who did not respond to The Alestle’s request for comment, said $5.4 million in salary dollars were “entirely used to help cover the structural deficit.”
That number has since increased to $7 million and comes from a number of units and departments around campus. The overall deficit, however, will not change unless administration continues making drastic changes — taking these allocated salary dollars out of department budgets permanently.
“To conclude FY24, there is no reduction in the structural deficit because the savings that we realized [through salary sweeps] went back into your budgets for FY25,” Minor said at the September University Budget Update. “But, in order to realize and to reduce the structural deficit, this has to be taken out of those budgets permanently so that the savings are recurring.”
Minor’s university budget update held on Sept. 25, 2024, addressed the widening structural deficit. FY24 began with a $6.4 million deficit, and he said that his budgeting team projected implementing salary expense decreases to counteract this. They beat their recovered salary money goal by $100,000.
“For those of you who are still asking, ‘What’s happening with my swept or lapsed salary dollars?’ — they are being used to cover structural gaps in the budget,” Minor said.
“The biggest source of revenue for the university is tuition and fees, which is why the focus on enrollment and retention is so prominent in our discussions about the budget,” Minor
At
the 2025 State of the University address, Chancellor James T. Minor updates attendees on enrollment figures and assures the campus community that all of the changes SIUE is facing are for the best.
said. “Biggest expense for the university? Salaries.”
Minor said that SIUE is operating under a $327 million budget, and $150 million — about 47 percent — goes to salaries.
Swept salary dollars have been taken from dozens of units and departments around campus.
While no student fee dollars have been used for paying off the deficit, more than $1.3 million in student fees have nonetheless been swept and placed into their own strategic initiatives account as of January 2025.
No plan for swept student fees
Student fees — including tuition — are used to fund student services such as courses, resources and student organizations. They are also used to pay salaried positions.
While the university has not used any of the swept student fees for the deficit, several departments and organizations have still lost tens of thousands of dollars to this process.
There is more than $1.3 million in student fees sitting untouched in its own account, and the administration has no plan for how to use it. According to a March 13, 2025, email statement from Franklin, the Chancellor’s Council will develop an “annual list of priorities” to put this money toward, but that has not happened yet.
“The priorities will consider how lapsed salary dollars swept from student fee accounts and revenue bond accounts can be reallocated to maintain categorical fidelity to the purpose of the fund account,” Franklin wrote in the statement.
In previous years, departments would have the ability to
determine other financial priorities in-house and reallocate those funds for those purposes. When asked why the university would not allow individual departments to reallocate their own salary funds now, Franklin did not answer.
| Tahzive Avi Islam / The Alestle
process requires chancellor approval and was not implemented until after $5.4 million was spent on the deficit.
The Alestle asked Franklin if this process allows the university to prolong appeals approvals to collect more salary dollars. Franklin did not answer the question, instead saying the university had answered The Alestle’s previous questions as accurately as possible.
At some point, you cannot cut your way to prosperity. The cracks are gonna start to show, and they kind of have in various ways and various places.”
Joe Kohlburn Librarian
According to Alestle FOIA requests, the Career Development Center, Counseling Services, Information Technology Services, Athletics, the Campus Activities Board, Student Publications and Textbook Service have all had salary dollars swept and relocated into this account.
In his initial email announcing the salary sweeps on Jan. 23, 2023, Winter said an appeals process would be developed for departments to request their money back. Garcia also said the process was in the works in March 2023.
“My directions are to sweep lapsing salaries,” Winter wrote in an email. “Then we can have follow-up discussions regarding the need to transfer the swept salaries back on a case-by-case basis.”
“A process is being developed by which an appeal could be made to have some [or] all of the funds returned,” Garcia wrote in an email. “If the funds are not returned to the unit, they need to be spent within the purposes of the entity from which they were swept.”
Franklin said in her Feb. 21 statement to The Alestle that an appeals process had gone into effect Jan. 1, 2025. The appeals
The only department to receive any funding back has been University Housing, which lost $1.1 million in Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024. None of which was student fees.
Besides Franklin’s Feb. 21 statement, all Alestle requests for information regarding this appeals process have been ignored by administration.
Falling off the demographic cliff
According to the Fact Book, between Fall 2021 and Fall 2024, SIUE’s total enrollment dropped by 1,117 students. At the September budget update, Minor estimates that this equates to a revenue loss of around $10 million.
College recruiters in 2025 are now faced with a smaller number of 18-year-olds applying for college. This is widely known as the “demographic cliff,” an issue facing higher education nationally.
As flagship institutions
Signs of crime? Union protesters threatened with arrest at State of the University address
DYLAN HEMBROUGH
editor-in-chief
During Chancellor James T. Minor’s State of the University address, a group of AFSCME Local 2887 union members who came with signs to protest were told by SIUE Police that if they allowed their signs to become visible inside the Meridian Ballroom they would be arrested per campus policy.
‘The budget is a Minor problem’
President of AFSCME Local 2887 Amy Bodenstab said she approached the Meridian Ballroom with two signs she had made for a silent protest, but was advised by a police officer that signs were not allowed in the room during the speech.
Other union members were gathered outside the ballroom, having been told the same thing.
“We’re not upset with the police in any way, but how is holding a sign so disruptive?” Bodenstab said. “I’m not blocking anybody’s view, and I’m not causing a problem, except for the fact that the chancellor might see us. It seems a little domineering.”
The protestors entered the ballroom with their signs covered, but were approached again by SIUE Police.
“[The union member] did reference his First Amendment rights,” Bodenstab said. “The police officer said, ‘You guys need to understand that you’ve been warned. If the signs come out, you’ll be arrested or be required to leave.’”
The threat was based on SIUE’s Policy on Expressive Activity, adopted during Minor’s administration, stating that peo -
ple must obtain prior approval to display signs at an indoor gathering. This policy, last updated in September 2024, was not enforced at the open forum on
the elimination of the Physics Department on March 17.
The signs prepared for the address said, “The budget is a Minor problem.”
Ariel Kallisto, people chair of AFSCME Local 2887, said she was surprised by the amount of security at what is normally a peaceful event.
“I was surprised by the amount of police presence there in the first place. Not to say there shouldn’t be some security around campus, but there were several people there in full gear,” Kallisto said. “It’s not like there’s a history of violence or aggression at these events. It really gave a weird energy.”
Bodenstab said she understands the police are just doing their job and is not upset with them, but rather at Minor’s administration for concentrating power.
“No single person should have that much power. Unchecked power corrupts — there is no other result,” Bodenstab wrote. “There is no check and balance in the university system. The fact that we cannot even hold signs stating truth is more than enough proof of that.”
“It gets a little disconcerting that you can’t even hold up a sign to state your opinion about something,” Bodenstab said. “We didn’t come in and make noise. The majority of this happened before [Minor] even took the stage.”
Interim Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Catie Sheehan confirmed in a written statement that the police officer shared that “arrest could be possible” with the union members.
“The goal of the SIUE Police Department is always to seek voluntary compliance, whenever practical, before taking any other formal action,” Sheehan wrote. “We are pleased to share
that everyone who attended followed the rules, and we appreciate the cooperation.”
Minor talks enrollment, budget, program cuts
Updates on enrollment changes, the budget and the recent academic prioritization process occupied most of the presentation, with Minor saying that SIUE needs to continue to evolve to stay competitive and relevant.
“Some people will go, ‘Why would you do such a thing?’” Minor said in reference to the academic prioritization process. “To refine and focus our academic programs to support our mission and vision, align planning and budgeting with our collective academic priorities, support our academic programs by assuring that they have the resources to support their goals and activities and support programs that have unrealized potential.”
Minor said SIUE was having serious talks about program cuts 10 years ago, but after 10 months of data analysis, no action was taken.
“Today, we reintroduce academic prioritization,” Minor said. “It is something that any responsible university should be doing on a continuous basis. It is important that, for an institution like SIUE, if you are going to grow or add academic programs, unless you have a billion-dollar endowment, there are tough choices to be made about where we discontinue.”
Minor said he is not trying to argue what should and should not be part of the curriculum, but that the process of academic
see ADDRESS on page 4
Salary sweeps leaving vacant positions with lasting impact on current staff
SALARIES | COVER
like University of Michigan and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign reach lower into their pool of applicants for admission into their institutions, smaller universities like SIUE are compelled to offer their applicants competitive scholarships and lower tuition prices. Because of this, the net tuition revenue brought in by current students is less than it was in years prior, and colleges have begun to reanalyze spending habits as a result.
SIUE does not have endowments equivalent to prestigious colleges that can counteract this shift. Changes in spending habits of the university are critical to the future of our institution and the preservation of current cash reserves.
In 2023, Minor kicked off the 283 retention campaign, representing the additional number of first-to-second-year students SIUE would need to retain in order to reach Minor’s goal of a 90 percent retention rate.
“When we reach 90 percent, I guarantee you we will have national media outlets on our campus asking, ‘How are you all doing this?’ This goal, although ambitious, is not unattainable,” Minor said.
In March 2024, SIUE had a 72 percent retention rate. In order to reach 90 percent, the new number for FY25 to FY26 is 216 more students. Minor said this goal is manageable if individual departments take on the mission of retaining just a few of their students.
Minor’s Feb. 26 Budget Update email to the campus community noted expected enrollment decreases and warned that
changes would have to be made before the end of this fiscal year to stay ahead of the increasing structural deficit.
He listed four major changes SIUE will make to enter FY27 with a structural balance: academic program prioritization, an early retirement incentive program, organizational restructuring and updated budget reporting processes.
“The budget is in service to the mission of the institution — not in service to me, not in service to you, it’s not in service to your particular department, it’s not in service to a particular collective bargaining agreement — it’s in service to the mission of the institution,” Minor said at the September budget presentation.
According to the SIU Board of Trustees in their Sept. 12, 2024, meeting, the budget of the chancellor’s office alone increased 13.4 percent from FY24 to FY25 — from $2.9 million to $3.3 million. The academic affairs budget, meanwhile, decreased by 3.5 percent — from $112.9 million to $108.9 million. Additionally, Minor’s base salary is $345,392 per year.
Vacancies taking toll on remaining workers
Hiring people into salaried positions became more difficult after the university introduced the Strategic Position Alignment process, or SPA. SPA reviews and approves or denies new hires for salaried positions.
While the SPA process has slowed down position approvals, it has also eliminated 58 positions since its creation, according to an email sent by Minor on Feb. 26.
“We launched the Strategic Position Alignment (SPA) process, and since 2022 have reduced our staff numbers from
2,082 to 2,060 and our faculty from 638 to 602,” Minor wrote.
According to Franklin, this process can take up to two months. During those two months, the university still sweeps those salary dollars.
“When a position becomes vacant due to resignation or retirement, any resulting lapsed salary funds are recovered centrally until the position is filled,” Franklin wrote in the statement. “For the two months that the position is vacant, the salary dollars allocated for the position each month will be recovered (or swept) centrally.”
As long as a position remains unfilled, the university will continue to sweep those funds. As of Feb. 26, this is the case for 58 positions — and this number will only grow. This also applies to employees out on workers’ compensation.
“In the weeks ahead, the Human Resources Department, along with vice chancellors, will assess opportunities to reorganize. This will involve the consolidation, reduction or elimination of some positions,” Minor wrote in his Feb. 26 email.
Tenure-track professors of African American literature, Asian studies, criminal justice policy, immunology, physical chemistry, health psychology and software engineering have been eliminated through the SPA process. Building service worker and office support specialist positions have also been eliminated.
These vacancies have already had an effect on the workers remaining. As positions are being eliminated, their responsibilities fall on those who remain employed at SIUE.
Minor’s September budget update
emphasized that SIUE’s retention strategy must be an “institutional effort.” He said that faculty and staff must affirm current students, intervene when they are struggling and connect students with the resources SIUE provides. This strategy places retention responsibilities on faculty and staff.
“For those of you who have direct contact with students, it is amazing to me how fragile [a student’s] decision to persist or depart [is],” Minor said in September.
Joe Kohlburn, a librarian at Lovejoy Library, said that the cuts can only go so far to improve the budget situation.
“The program prioritization, that’s tragic for the university as a whole,” Kohlburn said. “Inevitably, at some point, you cannot cut your way to prosperity. The cracks are gonna start to show, and they kind of have in various ways and various places.”
Department of Teaching and Learning Office Support Specialist Ariel Kallisto agreed, saying she wondered how the university could reconcile being a student-centered institution while engaging in these hiring practices.
“I try to give people as much of the benefit of the doubt as possible. I understand there’s a lot that has to be considered, and it’s hard to prioritize all of it,” Kallisto said. “I think things are already starting to fall through the cracks … You’re not gonna have a student-supportive environment. It’s just not gonna work like that.”
Department of Teaching and Learning Office Manager Amy Bodenstab said
AFSCME Local 2887 President Amy Bodenstab, left, speaks with Office Administrator Vicki Daggett outside the Meridian Ballroom after the State of the University address. Bodenstab and other union members were not allowed to display their signs during the address.
| Tahzive Avi Islam / The Alestle
Mass comm student tops in NPR podcast competition
BRANDI SPANN
opinion editor
For the first time, an SIUE student is a top 10 finalist in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge.
Fourth-year student Kaylee Bauchens’ podcast episode entitled “Relief of Getting a Goodbye” earned her a top spot as a candidate for the $5,000 cash prize.
The podcast was an assignment in Advanced Audio Production last fall. Instructor Tom Atwood encouraged his stu-
“ Being top 10 is very meaningful for me. It’s intimate, because this is a story that some of my close friends know about.”
Kaylee Bauchens Mass Communications Student
dents to explore topics that were unique to them, and he presented the NPR College Podcast Challenge as an opportunity for students to consider.
“What they’re looking for are voices
of college students — stories from college students about college students,” Atwood said. “You’re an expert on your own life and experiences, so I think that puts you in a good position to tell a story well.”
In 2018, Bauchens’ mom was arrested. She wanted to tell the story about that day and the relief she felt when she realized that her 16-year-old self had thought to be kind that morning before school.
“Whenever I was getting out of the car, I just had this voice in my head … Tell your mom you love her,” Bauchens said. “[At school] I get a text, ‘I’m getting arrested. Your grandpa’s gonna come pick you up. We have to let your brother know what’s going on.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, thank God you told her.’”
“I got [my mom’s] permission to tell that story, and I was going to interview her. I think I know the circumstances around what happened, and I can kind of put some pieces together, but I don’t want to know everything,” Bauchens said.
Bauchens said she was excited after receiving the email announcing her placement in the top 10.
“Being in the top 10 is very meaningful for me. It’s intimate, because this is a story that some of my close friends know about. It’s a very personal story for me. It makes me feel pretty vulnerable, but in a good way,” Bauchens said. “It’s just a very exciting experience to know that all of these people have seen my name.”
“The first line of her podcast is what got me,” Atwood said. “And I’m going to guess it’s what got the judges at the NPR competition.”
“The day that my mom was taken to jail, the morning started out rough,” the podcast begins.
“I really enjoyed having Kaylee as a student,” Atwood said. “On the grade sheet, I told her that this was the most compelling and interesting podcast that I’d ever had in this class. And that was true.”
Bauchens said that Atwood has been encouraging and confident in her work.
“He’s the most supportive,” Bauchens said. “He’s the reason that this happened.”
Janet Woojeong Lee, producer and writer at NPR, was involved in the creation of the NPR College Podcast Challenge eight years ago. The competition is meant to encourage students to invest in their craft and celebrate their skills.
Lee said that they received more than 300 submissions this year. The judges look for quality storytelling, structure and production.
“I think [Bauchens’ podcast] is a really good example of a personal story
podcast. We get a lot of family stories every year, and this one really checked off a lot of the boxes for me in terms of storytelling and structure. It’s also a theme that’s relatable for many of us — the idea of goodbyes and getting a goodbye from family members,” Lee said.
Lee said that Bauchens has an impressive understanding of audio and a powerful leading sentence.
“I think we also like hearing in her voice — the way she wrote and recorded this — the emotions that [she was] going through. Being able to hear that through the student’s voice is really powerful. And I think it was a smart idea to choose this topic to tell her podcast, being able to capture that in audio,” Lee said.
The final winner of the competition will be announced in early May.
Administration reluctant to speak to media about inner workings of sweeps
SALARIES | PAGE 2
the SPA process effectively halted hiring and has left many positions scrambling to cover the leftover responsibilities.
“The SPA process wasn’t an official hiring freeze, but that’s in many ways what happened. Many positions have not been refilled,” Bodenstab said. “Somebody will retire, they won’t fill the position, and suddenly, somebody is being asked to take on the workload of that person.”
Kohlburn said his qualms with the SPA process are that it leaves little support for a large variety of positions on campus.
“[The SPA process] makes it either take a super long time to hire people or it leaves all of these vacancies. It’s like a game of Jenga. You’re just pulling those pieces out, and eventually, it’s going to become structurally unsound,” Kohlburn said. “I don’t know exactly when [it reaches] that point, when the whole thing comes falling down, but we’ve pulled a lot of pieces — everything from HR, the library, buildings and grounds, various departments — you see it everywhere.”
Bodenstab, who also serves as president of AFSCME Local 2887, said clerical workers at SIUE have long struggled to gain the respect of administration for critical university work.
“The important thing for people to know about the unseen work of people like clerical and building service workers and IT … that work may not be something that you notice tomorrow if it doesn’t get done today, but in two years, things won’t be functioning,” Bodenstab said.
Bodenstab has also been a critical part of the unions’ fight for cost-of-living adjustments and salary increases. Kallisto said it is a well-known fact that the same work at a different institution would pay more.
“The work that I do, if I did it at a state agency, I would be paid more. I know that working at a university, I get paid less for the work that I do than I would somewhere else, but I believe in university work,” Kallisto said. “I know that’s a sting that has caused some people to leave. I want this university to run, [and] I want it to run well, but there’s a certain degree of sacrifice that comes with it that I don’t think is fair.”
Alongside Bodenstab as office manager, Kallisto is the only office support
specialist in her department.
“Apparently, [the Department of Teaching and Learning] used to have two or three office support specialists, which, considering the workload, does make sense. I handle all of the textbook ordering for our department, [and] I handle a lot of the scheduling,” Kallisto said. “I know with Amy’s job, there’s a lot more added to it because a lot of the positions above are not filled. There’s a lot of delay. When other offices aren’t staffed, that delays me getting responses, that delays work getting done on time. If one office is staffed and another we’re in communication with is understaffed, that work gets slowed down.”
Kohlburn said doing multiple jobs at once is commonplace at the library as well.
“We certainly have had positions that we were going to fill that we were not able to fill. We certainly have positions that have been changed, that maybe once were tenure-track and now will not be,” Kohlburn said. “Many of us are wearing a bunch of different hats. I think this is something that’s true across campus. I think everyone’s doing two or three jobs.”
Kohlburn said while his position is technically a newer creation, it was born out of multiple different positions.
“Before I started here, no one had my job. What my job is now is three things that got stuck together, and then they hired one person to do it,” Kohlburn said. “In a bigger institution, my job would be at least two, maybe three people, [but] I think that’s every librarian.”
Tonya Wagner, an office manager in the Department of Chemistry, helps oversee and coordinate 20 faculty members. With the proposal to eliminate the Physics Department and relocate those faculty to the Department of Chemistry, her workload could double.
Bodenstab questioned Minor’s concern for the budget and said his actions are not matching the administration’s words.
“If it’s really that big of a deal, why is it we keep creating new jobs at the higher levels? [The SIU Board of Trustees’] omnibus vote covered giving permission to the chancellors and President [Dan] Mahony to create any job in administration, hire whoever they want without oversight and increase any salaries without oversight,” Bodenstab said. “Why would that be something that needs to happen right
now? If we really need to worry about salaries, why are we opening up the floodgates of money for the upper levels that are already full?”
“The chancellors have delegated authority to take final action of employment administration for SIUC and SIUE employees, including any compensation funded from a University Related Organization, except as otherwise provided by Board policy,” the omnibus bill said.
“The insane amount of money that we are spending on flashy stuff that is not gonna sustain us as a university … It’s very disconcerting when you say we’re so broke we can’t give salary increases [and] we can’t hire people,” Bodenstab said.
Administration denies interview requests
Administration has repeatedly ignored, declined or redirected Alestle interview requests on this subject.
The Alestle reached out to Director of Business Operations Paula Garcia three times, each time resulting in either no response or a redirect to Director of Communications Nicole Franklin. Garcia told Franklin in a Jan. 10, 2025, email obtained by FOIA request that she was “not comfortable responding on this topic.”
The Alestle also reached out to Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Miriam Roccia to comment on how the sweeps were affecting departments in Student Affairs. Roccia scheduled an interview, but canceled the day before and did not
respond to later requests to reschedule. Roccia eventually redirected The Alestle to Franklin and advised The Alestle against reaching out to department heads.
None of the heads of the top 15 departments that lost the most money to salary sweeps granted an interview. Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin, Director of the MUC Kelly Jo Hendricks and Director of University Housing Mallory Sidarous all redirected The Alestle to Franklin. Director of Health Services Penny Raburn said she had no comment on the matter.
The Alestle also reached out to former Budget Director Bill Winter and received no response.
The Alestle did secure an interview with Franklin, but Franklin canceled a few days beforehand. Despite attempts to reschedule the interview, Franklin sent a statement regarding the salary sweeps instead, saying her colleagues preferred not to be interviewed live.
Senior System Counsel Phyleccia Cole redirected The Alestle to Franklin. Cole said she would “not be providing any further response” to questions asked about the legality of the sweeps.
The Alestle twice attempted to reach Chancellor James T. Minor for comment on the sweeps, but he did not respond.
Lifestyles Editor Chloe Wolfe contributed to this article.
Minor assures attendees change may be necessary for future success
ADDRESS | PAGE 2
prioritization and evaluating the necessity of certain positions should be accepted if a university wants to continue to grow.
“What I am trying to do is normalize the process of regularly assessing our academic programs,” Minor said. “We will undergo the process. For those of you who are commenting, read the proposals. Some people who have spoken to me about academic prioritization, it is clear they have not read the proposals. And we do welcome your feedback during the open forums.”
“If we’re gonna be successful, we have to evolve. We may have the elimination of some positions, but we may also have the creation of new ones,” Minor said.
One of those new positions is the vice chancellor for enrollment management, now occupied by Andy Benoit.
“This is much more complicated than simply admitting students and waiting for them to show up. Our strategy has to change,” Minor said. “From an enrollment management standpoint, what worked just three years ago does not work today. Almost everything about the strategy has to change if you’re gonna be competitive and successful.”
Several graphs charting SIUE’s enrollment journey over the past few years were included in the slideshow presentation, showing that while SIUE is among the lowest-cost public universities in the state, it still has competition from public schools out of state like Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Arkansas.
Additionally, Minor said SIUE is working to bring in the population of students who apply and are accepted to SIUE but do not enroll here.
“A year or two ago, [the president and chancellors] were all trying to fig-
ure out this population of students who applied to college [and] were admitted to college, but didn’t show up,” Minor said. “Some of that was attributed to COVID, but not all of it. Some of it is this public narrative that we’re hearing about the value of a college degree. There are some real concerns about affordability.”
The enrollment management team included several statistics in the presentation comparing this week this year to this week last year. These statistics showed that, while SIUE is at 84 percent of the number of admitted students it was this week last year, it is up 63 percent in deposits and 12 percent in enrollments.
Minor also restated the university’s goal of a 90 percent fall-to-fall semester retention rate. Currently, that rate sits at 76 percent.
“Preview Day is April 12. We’re expecting 500 students and their families to be here. Some of them are committed to being here. Some of them are still deciding. Some of them arrive with incomplete applications that you can complete on the spot,” Minor said.
“The reason I’m making us aware as a community of Preview Day is that they will park on campus, they will eat on campus, they will wander through academic buildings, some of them will be lost [and] some of them will be late,” Minor said. “There is no way we’re gonna have a winning strategy if we assign enrollment management strictly to one team. We have to recruit students as a university. We have to retain students as a university. It’s our chance to convince students who are interested in SIUE that this is a great place for them to go to college.”
As for the state of the budget, Minor said the university had underestimated the number of students who would enroll, giving the university a bump in revenue. However, SIUE also underestimated the cost of salary negotiations and utilities.
“Any of us who have made a budget, you know there are fluctuations throughout the year,” Minor said. “When you take it all together, we’re now forecasting a $7 million gap, which is a $3 million improvement.”
Minor also repeated his refrain about SIUE not being in a budget crisis.
“The $7.4 million we’re expecting only represents 2 percent of our budget. We’ve been working hard to try and separate that talking point from the ‘sky is falling’ budget crisis conversation,” Minor said. “It’s 2 percent of our budget that we have to manage, and the 2 percent is caused by structural imbalances in our budget that we wanna reconcile over time.”
Minor also said the current overhauls in university financial priorities were done to avoid decreasing department budgets by 2 percent across the board.
“We’ve talked as a leadership team, and we said we could easily erase the structural deficit with a 2 percent budget reduction,” Minor said. “Who wants to take 2 percent out of your budget? Nobody.”
Two proposals are set to be presented to the SIU Board of Trustees at its April meeting. One is a fee increase, and the other is a 2 percent salary increase for nonrepresented workers.
“We have heard the calls across our university community about doing everything we can to keep pace in terms of salaries. For 2024, there are a couple groups that did not receive salary increase — we all know who those groups are,” Minor said. “It will add roughly $1.3 million to our operating budget, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Besides updates on enrollment and budget, Minor shared some of the university’s plans for the near future.
“I’m warning you now we are gonna repaint the water tower, so save all
James T. Minor SIUE Chancellor
your angry emails,” Minor said. “For those of you who may misinterpret this as a branding exercise, I was completely shocked by how much it cost to paint a water tower. The original estimate was $600,000. We were able to get a bid for $435,000 to paint the water tower, which we accepted.”
There will also be banners strung up on the faces of several buildings on campus, such as the MUC and Lovejoy Library, advertising the campus to onlookers. In addition, bench toppers will be placed on the seating areas in the Stratton Quadrangle to make it “a much more inviting place to sit.”
Finally, Minor gave updates on the new equipment being installed in the mass communications studio and the nearing completion of the Health Science Building, including $12 million recovered from the original project for use on equipment inside the new building. There were no questions at the end of the address.
Mass comm studio control room renovations underway
TORRE JOURNEY reporter
The master studio control room in the Mass Communications Department is currently undergoing renovations to update equipment and is set to be finished by late June.
The new studio includes an updated broadcast console, sound booth, and audio and visual equipment.
Suman Mishra, chair of the Mass Communications Department, said there are many new features and updates to come.
“Some of the big things that will be done include new floors and ceilings, along with the new technology we are bringing into the control rooms. A lot of things are being updated, including the old curtains in the TV studio, bringing in new technology for students and the control room, which is being turned into more of a broadcast and production space,” Mishra said.
Theresa Pauli, a broadcast engineer who helps oversee the production studio, said new technology has led to a reduction in physical storage space.
“Because of updated technology, we will be able to fit an entire room of storage terminals into the space of one. Some might ask, because of the nature of technology, if the new system will be obsolete again in five years,” Pauli said. “This time,
though, the system is something we can build upon moving forward, and it is built to handle future upgrades. We will still be able to do everything we could before, just faster and better. The system we are installing is a big upgrade.”
While members of the department have said the system is a necessary fix, some students have expressed concerns with the effect of the renovations.
Savannah Webster, a mass communications major, said that despite the benefits, it has been difficult to navigate the change.
“I am excited about the renovation, but I was anticipating it to be done before this semester instead of the middle which is very disruptive to classes,” Webster said.
“I do know they will be shutting down the EVO server soon, which is really upsetting since many students rely on it,” Webster said. “It adds a little bit of a stress factor, especially at the end of the semester, which can already be stressful.”
Tom Atwood, instructor of broadcast journalism, agreed that the renovations have affected his students.
“Unfortunately, this process has affected students as the server and equipment in the production lab was being used by students for different projects,” Atwood said. “The server may be getting temporarily shut
down, but students have still managed to use their own supplies and equipment to get by.”
According to Pauli, the renovations have not only benefited Mass Communications, but other departments as well.
“We had a lot of old wiring that ran from the equipment around the room in channels under the floor. The Theater and Dance Department actually upcycled the wires for use in a later installation, so it will be cool to see what they do with it. This new equipment also allows students to be effective in the field and on assignment,” Pauli said.
Mishra said the goal of the renovations was to better prepare students for future careers in a fast-paced environment.
“In order to stay competitive in the fast-paced technological world, we have to provide access to some cutting-edge resources. We are trying to provide the kind of cutting-edge technology that can prepare students for the challenges of the industry, as well as ensure they have the practical skills and knowledge that employers seek,” Mishra said. “In other words, making sure they are career-ready.”
The renovations have seen multiple phases. The most current renovations are set to finish in the Summer 2025 with a deadline set for June 30.
SENATE SCOOP THE
Monday, March 31, 2025 - Hickory/Hackberry Room
Student Senate recommends student fee increase
DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief
Several administrators attended the March 31 Student Senate meeting for the recommendation of a student fee increase. While the recommendation passed, the Senate urged administrators to be more transparent with university budgetary decisions.
The Fee Commission, led by Fee Commissioner Nicholas Young, met with Director of Business Operations Paula Garcia and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Miriam Roccia to discuss the increases.
The SIU Board of Trustees plans to increase general student fees by $3.25 per credit, which is projected to bring in more than $805,000 in additional revenue to the university.
Young said in his report that SIUE had not increased fees since the 20222023 academic year, despite inflation trending upward.
The commission’s report said this new revenue will be put toward mental health promotion efforts, subscription-based technologies like Blackboard and the Career Development Center.
Notably, the Career Development Center has lost $97,569 over the last few years to salary sweeps. More than 92 percent of that money came from student fees.
Young included in the report that,
along with recommending the fee increase, the Senate is also recommending reports be submitted to keep the university accountable for its spending habits.
“The other recommendations we talked about were [regarding] transparency. We propose we do mid-year and end-of-year reviews where we assess the spending process to verify if the funds are being allocated effectively and meeting the students’ needs,” Young said.
Young finished the report and spoke directly to the administrators in attendance about the need for transparency, including Roccia, Interim Vice Chancellor for Administration Bill Retzlaff, Vice Chancellor for University Enrollment Andy Benoit and Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin.
Senator Garrett Ord also addressed the administrators regarding the news revealed in The Alestle’s salary sweeps story, which had gone live roughly six hours earlier.
“I just wanna restate the importance of building an ongoing relationship between Student Government and the departments that are getting these fee increases,” Ord said. “I think it’s important for students to understand where that money is going and that it’s going where it should be.”
Ord is the tentative chair of a new committee signed into being by Student President Barrett Larkin on March 20. The Committee for Future Academic Importance Review, or the FAIR Commit-
tee, was formed in response to the news that SIUE is proposing to eliminate the Physics Department.
“This committee should serve as a reconsideration of cuts and a platform for discussions on potential new programs that better serve the evolving needs of the SIUE student body,” Larkin wrote in the order.
The order also emphasizes the need for a “collaborative environment” rather than an “adversarial” one.
Additionally, the results of the 2025 Student Government Election were unanimously approved. Head Justice Brenden Auerbach said no grievances had been filed against the election and no sanctions were filed against any of the candidates.
The Senate also approved travel requests for the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists and Alpha Phi Omega and allocations for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tau Sigma National Transfer Honor Society and Spanish Club.
The new student organization Marketing, Innovation and New Ideas in Music was also approved, and the Entrepreneurship Club had a constitutional revision approved.
Senator Jasiah Andrews was absent without an excuse, and Senators Alexis Allen and Nick Yuhas, along with Officer Aly Abou-Zaid, were tardy. The next Senate meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, April 14.
04.03.25
Officer responded to a report of cannabis located at a Cougar Village residence. Officer advised cannabis was destroyed.
04.04.25
Officer responded to a request to escort a subject off the East St. Louis campus. Officer advised subject left campus without incident.
04.05.25
Officer responded to a report of a subject outside the building at the Alton campus acting suspicious. Officer advised subject was gone on arrival.
Middle Eastern Cuisine
Happy National Arab American Heritage Month! To celebrate, we decided to check out some local Middle Eastern food spots. We reviewed local restaurants from Edwardsville and St. Louis. While the meal is the most important component, perfect food comes with friendly service and a good price. We rank based on experience, price and taste.
Majeed Mediterranean Restaurant lives up to its glorious name
Located in the Bevo Mill neighborhood in St. Louis, Majeed Mediterranean Restaurant had great food with a casual, homey atmosphere.
As soon as my friends and I walked into the restaurant, we knew it would be good. There were about 12 tables inside, and all had wide, comfortable chairs with cushions. The whole room was lit by beautiful Turkish lamps.
There were only two servers, meaning that service was a little slower than normal restaurants, but I believe that serves the restaurant’s purpose. It was wonderfully catered toward conversation with the people you come to the restaurant with. No music was playing, and the service was slow yet kind.
We spent about an hour and a half in the restaurant eating appetizers and our main courses. We ordered the most delicious falafel I’ve ever had with an even better garlic sauce.
For my main course, I ordered the chicken shawarma sandwich with a side of fries. The shawarma was not the best I’ve ever had, but it was still great, nonetheless.
My friend let me try her spicy chicken curry and rice, which was even better. The chicken was falling off the fork because it was so tender, and the rice was surprisingly refreshing.
I only ended up spending about $15 for my whole meal and the tip, which was a lot less than I was expecting for the food we got.
I will definitely be returning and trying more menu items.
Mazaj Mediterranean a smidge overpriced, but still good
DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief
Mazaj Mediterranean at the St. Louis City Foundry is a decent place for Palestinian food as long as your bank account can handle the hit.
While there were several options, my fiancée and I were surprised to see that each individual dish closed in on $20 a piece. We each decided to go with an order of loaded fries for each of us, both topped with chicken shawarma, tzatziki sauce and jalapeños. Between both of us, I spent a bit more than $50.
It was neat to see how they made the dish in real time as the chicken was shaved off a large chunk of hanging meat. The fresh food was ready within a few minutes.
The jalapeños were too much for me, but after moving them to the side, I dug into the dish. It reminded me a bit of the horseshoe — an open-faced type of sandwich invented in Springfield, Illinois, where I grew up — with a Mediterranean flair. The dish overall was very good and left a pleasant aftertaste for hours.
While I enjoyed the food and my overall experience, I don’t think I could go back anytime soon on account of the price. I did enjoy that it was a unique spin on classic Middle Eastern cuisine, since loaded fries are more of a Western food item.
The restaurant also had a sign saying it was halal-certified, so anyone sticking to a halal diet has plenty of options here.
AJ’s Mediterranean & Tanuki Cakes, authentic dishes and good service
SOPHIE HAWKINS reporter
AJ’s Mediterranean & Tanuki Cakes is a great lunch spot conveniently close to campus with friendly service, authentic Mediterranean dishes and unique desserts.
The restaurant is fairly small but clean and cute with several tables and booths.
When we walked in, we were greeted by the cashier who told us how to order since we were new to the restaurant and answered all of our questions about what food to get.
Along with serving Mediterranean sandwiches, salads, soups and other dishes, the restaurant also has a Tanuki cakes counter. The cashier said the Tanuki cakes counter had Japanese-style cakes as well as Lebanese desserts.
We were able to get our food within 10 minutes of waiting. I ordered a gyro
sandwich and their deluxe humus with flat bread, and my suitemate ordered sujuk.
The hummus and flatbread was exactly what I wanted, with the gyro meat in the hummus adding to its flavor while also making the dish quite filling. My gyro was also pretty good, but I could only really taste the meat.
When we had finished, we both ordered a pastry to go from the Tanuki cakes counter.
I ordered choclava, a chocolate and peanut butter version of baklava, which was flakey and a perfect mix of the two flavors.
I spent a total of $33. For all of the food I got, I felt the price was reasonable but a bit pricey.
Though some dishes were more expensive, AJ’s Mediterranean is a great place for a tasty Mediterranean meal and delicious dessert.
Sophie Hawkins / The Alestle
Chloe Wolfe / The Alestle
CHLOE WOLFE lifestyles editor
Dylan Hembrough / The Alestle
lifestyles@alestlelive.com (618) 650-3528
High demand for ASL classes, future advancements in courses
SOPHIE HAWKINS reporter
The growing interest in SIUE’s American Sign Language classes has led to the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature exploring paths for growth with hopes of creating an ASL minor.
“We’re also planning to create a minor in ASL because the demand is high, and if we offer a minor, we’re going to be one of the very few institutions in Southern Illinois that will be able to do that,” Department of Foreign Languages and Literature Chair Olga Bezhanova said.
SIUE started offering ASL classes through the department in Spring 2024. One of the founders of SIUE’s ASL program, Deaf activist Jerry Covell, said there are goals to expand the ASL program to work with other programs at the university.
Covell has been collaborating with ACCESS with the goal of establishing an interpreting program for Deaf education. He said there was approval of this plan, but they had to start with the implementation of ASL classes.
Since being offered through the Foreign Languages and Literature Department, SIUE’s ASL classes have been on high demand. The first two classes offered in Spring 2024 filled to their cap of 18 students, with a total of 36 students enrolled in the classes.
“When they went live on Cougarnet, I have never seen in
my life sections filling up so fast. I had to do absolutely no work to promote them,” Bezhanova said.
Full-time ASL Instructor Tai Gruver said offering an ASL minor would be significant.
“There’s actually an interpreter shortage right now, so we need more training that’s being offered. Some prefer a bachelor’s degree for interpreting, and throughout the community, there’s just not a lot of people that have that requirement,” Gruver said. “So right now, it would be nice to offer that minor, because some students haven’t met all of their requirements yet, and they would like to do that [minor].”
As of now, the ASL minor is not yet approved, but Covell said the ASL program will continue to work on growing and building off of their enrollment numbers.
“Slowly, we’re trying to go through these growing pains and let the numbers speak for themselves,” Covell said. “As students continue to enroll, that means the demand will increase, but the college is aware of that. They saw the initial interest and took note of that, and the college is also aware that we want to expand the program, meaning we are interested in putting together different majors directly related to Deaf and ASL signing.”
The current semester had 10 ASL courses with a total of 99 students enrolled in the classes. Covell said the expectation for next fall is to see 160 students enrolled in the ASL classes.
President of the ASL Club and senior speech pathology
From left, Anne Schleyhan, Alyssa Miller and Savannah Webster practice signing in their ASL 3 class conducted by ASL Instructor Tai Gruver. Amid high demand for ASL classes, the Foreign Languages and Literature Department is looking to offer more ASL classes in upcoming semesters.
and psychology major Emily Mutschler said she has enjoyed the ASL courses as well as the Deaf events required by the classes.
“It’s a great opportunity to learn about Deaf culture. It raises your awareness to the things that Deaf people go through
|
that you don’t even think about,” Mutschler said.
Bezhanova said the interest and increased demand for more ASL classes and a potential minor indicate students’ support of the language.
“This shows that here at SIUE, you have a large interest
Avi Islam / The Alestle
in supporting the Deaf community and in making sure that students understand that ASL is a language like any other,” Bezhanova said.
This fall, there will be 10 ASL classes open for enrollment with three on reserve in case the prior classes fill up.
Predicting history: SIUE GeoPrediction wins first place at national competition
SOPHIE HAWKINS reporter
SIUE took home first place at the GeoPrediction competition at GeoFrontiers 2025, marking the first time SIUE’s GeoInstitute has reached the national level at this competition.
“When they called us as the first [place winner], it was just an honor — [an] honor to represent SIUE, an honor to represent the civil engineering department, an honor to represent our family too,” graduate student Aspy Bronoski Mbani Illo said.
Mbani Illo and his partner, sophomore civil engineering major Brooke Rogers, were chosen to compete at the competition as SIUE’s GeoPrediction team.
“The other two teams in the
top three were Cal Poly and Texas A&M, which have a lot more students compared to SIUE. So, it was pretty special knowing that even as a small school, we can accomplish big things,” Rogers said.
For the competi tion, the team was giv en a real-world problem to solve and pres ent through a report and presentation. This year, the problem was predict ing the flow of water in a dam based on raising or lowering the
water level.
“Our prediction came very close to the data that actually was gathered from the field,” GeoInstitute Advisor Saad Ullah said.
“I think the organizers told us our prediction was within two to three percent of difference from the data that was gathered from the field.”
The team’s accuracy in their model not only secured first place, but also earned them funding.
“The model that they created during the initial phase, it was very realistic, so they got some funding from the event organizers,” Ullah said. “If we didn’t have the funding, we would not have been able
to actually go there.”
Funding has been an ongoing issue for the club, as they have struggled to cover costs. Ullah said more funding is needed to continue competing in these competitions.
“In the next competition next year that’s going to take place, my hope is that the uni versity sees this as an opportu nity that we can contribute and bring our university’s name to prestigious confer ences,” Ullah said.
“If we have the fund ing, we can basically put our heart and soul into other competi tions.”
The club hopes to have more of their teams compete at the next national competition.
With this big win, the club was able to connect with companies about future collaboration in the geotechnical engineering field, pushing them closer to reaching their goals.
“Our goal is to basically connect with those people, expose our students to these opportunities … educate students about geotechnical engineering and what are the opportunities available [and] obviously participate in these national [and] regional level competitions,” Ullah said.
Tahzive
AUDREY O’RENIC sports editor
The student experimental theater organization, or SETO, is entirely student-led. With guidance from the Theater and Dance Department, the organization hosts improv nights, writers’ workshops, one-day play festivals and main-stage productions.
“We need a lot of help from the Theater and Dance Department, but every show, every rehearsal, every little side event that we do is completely put on by students,” senior mass communications and theater education major Haylie Gombos said.
The group puts on one show per semester in the Metcalf Theater. This spring, SETO brings “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” to campus.
Written by playwright Rachel Sheinkin, the musical is traditionally performed on a proscenium stage, like the one in Dunham Hall. As director, Gombos said the organization allowed her to take a show’s traditional style and experiment with it in a black box theater like the Metcalf.
“This [show] is the biggest challenge
Student-led theater organization fosters unexpected friendships across the university
I’ve ever put on [in my theater career],” Gombos said. “The Metcalf Student Experimental Theater itself is the challenge, and [the building] just gives you a venue to put all of your thoughts into and collaborate with everybody.”
In addition to main-stage performances, SETO also hosts semesterly 24hour play festivals. The fast-paced event gives students a day to write, design, memorize and produce multiple shows.
“We are sitting here in the Metcalf from 9 p.m. until about 3 in the morning writing scripts, and then we perform at 7 p.m. the next day,” Gombos said.
Gombos said students of any major and background are welcome to join SETO. They just have to pay an annual $10 membership fee.
“We have an engineering major, an elementary education major, a mass communications major, music majors, art and design majors, a cello player — so many different kinds of people involved,” Gombos said.
Freshman music performance major Jahlil Johnson said he got involved in the program because of the student-led experience.
“I find it a bit more intimate,”
Johnson said. “I get to be led by my peers, feel inspired by just my peers.”
Students interested in develop ing leadership skills can also ap ply to be on the organization’s executive board.
“I’ve learned a lot of leadership skills [in my po sition], but also to adjust when things don’t quite go the right way,” Vice President and junior the ater performance major Abby Turner said.
SETO opened “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” on April 9, and it will run through April 12 in the Metcalf Theater. Shows begin at 7 p.m., with an additional 2 p.m. show on April 12. Tickets are available online at the SIUE Box Office.
“Everyone just loves being here — they’re all friends now,” Gombos said.
“They were not hanging out like that whenever it first started, and now they all
Local designer creates clothing that celebrates women
SOPHIE HAWKINS reporter
With a new fashion line and third-place title from Hulu’s “Dress My Tour,” St. Louis-based fashion designer Michael Shead has been using his platform to highlight the stories of inspirational women.
“Every woman has a story, and she has a story to tell. I’m just a fan of women, and having a career where I get to tell and create these stories is just chef’s kiss,” Shead said.
Shead recently starred on the Hulu series “Dress My Tour,” where 11 fashion designers competed for $100,000. The show has the contestants compete to make clothing pieces, but with added challenges like limited fabric options and time constraints.
“You had to think light on your feet. You had to know who you were as a designer and what your aesthetic was and how appealing it was gonna be to the artist that we were presenting a package for,” Shead said.
The show aimed to highlight designers and their work in entertainment.
“‘Dress My Tour’ was really an opportunity for [the creators of the show] to show how big costume is. So when the universities and the Met and the ballets are putting [shows] on, I think it’s really cool that we continue to share the likes of stories that are unheard of,” Shead said.
Along with “Dress My Tour,” Shead has been working on his new line “Encore,” which
premiered on Nov. 22, 2024, at Mother Model Tribute Fashion Show in St. Louis as an ode to women throughout history that wore daring outfits and made lasting impacts.
“The collection started off celebrating the idea that through the times of war and the Great Depression, there were these amazing her-
good enough for them to do it then, we’re going to encore it now and bring it on back,” Shead said.
“Encore” celebrates the more than 15 years Shead has spent in the fashion industry and is an ode to the strong women who have inspired him through that time.
Shead said with this new
that appreciated women’s curves, arms, necks and legs. When creating these pieces, Shead used fabrics to tell the story, mixing leather and chiffons and adding daring cuts to the pieces worn on plus-size bodies to support the idea that women can wear these statement pieces because they have in the past.
Shead has always been in the fashion world, starting his creative journey when his grandmother bought him his first sketchbook and watercolors.
“At 11 [years old], I saw a documentary on PBS of Chado Ralph Rucci, America’s first couturier, and that was immediately when I was bit,” Shead said.
“I didn’t know that I could dream and become a storyteller at such a young age, and essentially, that’s what I’ve done my entire career is tell women’s stories in ways in which she experiences everyday life in all facets of her life.”
Shead grew up in St. Louis in a poor family and was inspired by designers like his mentor, André Leon Talley, who told stories similar to his own.
“I was doing the same thing as the fashion greats and not even knowing that it was quite parallel when it came to challenging these stories and really deep div-
He continued to make his own clothing and accessories until the age of 15, when his
grandmother gifted him a sewing machine. Shead said he started to make his own garments, challenging himself by cutting things apart and creating daring hems that made him feel comfortable in his body.
“I became truly authentic to what my thoughts were, and I not only wore them, but I created them. It validated my thoughts as being enough and worthy, and I didn’t let them go. So I grew on them, I dreamed on them and I expanded them, and it’s been a journey.”
This journey has taken him around the globe, showing “Encore” at Calgary International Fashion and Arts Week and designing for various films and celebrities. Shead has also been back and forth to Paris for fashion shows with hopes of becoming more involved in the fashion scene there.
“[I’m] hoping to maybe spend six months in Paris next year — if not this year. We’ll see how the cards play out and hopefully show at Paris’ fashion week next year,” Shead said.
As his journey continues with upcoming events like a new web series, Shead hopes his brand will inspire others to buy local and sustainably, giving attention to minority businesses.
“Buy Black, buy Mexican, buy from minorities. We do exist — our brands really need the help. Buy things from sustainable brands like myself — I’m made to order,” Shead said, “We’re all gonna win if we buy and shop green and support our own local economy.”
Shead and his work can be found on Instagram.
Audrey O’Renic / The Alestle
OLIVIA
WHITLOCK
copy editor
Oh, how the tables have turned. Last semester, The Alestle asked readers to submit their favorite movies via Instagram for moi’s column. And, by no surprise, I had seen a great deal of the suggestions — but there were a few that managed to fly under my radar.
Please visit websites such as “Does the Dog Die?” to check for potential triggers and sensitive topics before viewing any movie on this list.
‘Miller’s Crossing’ (1990)
Director Joel Coen
I really don’t have any major criticisms or critiques about this film. It was great all across the board for a mobster film — strong characters, well-executed action sequences, paced decently, snappy dialogue — at times a bit repetitive with the old-timey slang — and visually excellent in terms of its moody atmosphere.
While only Joel is listed as the director in the credits, you know Ethan was there too. So, bravo to the brothers!
‘From
I watched movies suggested by readers, here’s what I thought of them
‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ (2004)
Director Hayao Miyazaki
While I’m familiar with Miyazaki and his work, I’ve only ever actually seen “Yuki’s Sun” (1972). Animation or fantasy isn’t something I’m particularly knowledgeable about, so I can’t offer many useful opinions on that front, except that I found this movie to be quite captivating and intricately detailed.
There were a few moments where I was a bit confused by the storyline, but overall, I found the movie to be very enjoyable and endearing. It had a particular charm and whimsy to it that was a nice change of pace to what I usually watch.
‘My Dinner with Andre’ (1981)
Director Louis Malle
This is certainly a more high-brow film, and I think it might be a difficult watch if you have a short attention span or need any sort of visual stimulation, well, whatsoever.
How impressive it is for something scripted to flow as naturally as real conversation. I found the shot continuity to be quite impressive. The illusion, of course, is meant to be one long unin-
terrupted conversation, and while you can catch small errors — like shifting hair placements or inconsistent drink heights — it really does come across as a nonstop dialogue to the naked eye.
The first half of the movie was a bit difficult to digest, but the second half delivered a genuine conversation between old friends living vastly different lives, along with philosophical reflections.
‘The Neon Demon’ (2016)
Director Nicolas Winding Refn
This film is a gory phantasmagoric dreamscape on the culture of “the industry” — it is certainly very hyperbolic, but we all know that when you’re in the limelight, beauty is your currency, and it’s always about the newest, youngest stars. Everyone else is left grasping onto their youth with every fiber of their being, hoping not to be forgotten, not to be replaced, not to “age out.”
The thought of a man directing a movie about woman-related topics made me raise an eyebrow though. I don’t know — when thematically exploring issues like beauty as a construct,
the fetishization and objectification of women and female rivalry are explored. I can’t help but feel it comes off a bit disingenuous or a warped reflection when told from a male point of view, even if it’s coming from a place of trying to expose narcissism and envy in the industry.
‘Office Space’ (1999)
Director Mike Judge I’ve always heard a lot of hubbub about “Office Space” and know how adored it is, but I didn’t find it particularly memorable. I know, it feels sacrilegious to say that about something made by Mike Judge, but I just can’t put up a front. It was simply fine, nothing special, but I understand why people like it. I enjoyed the scene where they got revenge on the printer in the field while “Still” by Geto Boys played, but I don’t think this movie holds a candle to what I would deem quotable comedy powerhouses like “Superbad” (2007) or “Step Brothers” (2008). Maybe that’s my age factoring in. Or maybe this is one of those movies best appreciated during “its time,” or if you’ve worked a monotonous, mundane office job. My fancy was not really tickled though.
Island to Heartland:’ Broadening cultural perspectives
SOPHIE HAWKINS reporter
On April 11, Nu’usa Fa’amoe will be giving his presentation
“From Island to Heartland: The Journey of Nu’usa Fa’amoe from Samoa to Illinois” highlighting the differences Fa’amoe has experienced between U.S. and
Samoan students with hopes of encouraging students to broaden their perspectives.
Fa’amoe’s hope is that students can learn the differences that come with living in the U.S. versus living in a developing country through his presentation.
“There’s a whole wide world out there – that’s my message.
There’s a world out there where developing countries are struggling to meet their needs, and over here we take so much for granted.” Fa’amoe said. “There’s always going to be food. There’s always going to be a job. Regardless of what job you get, there’s an assumption that there will always be a job where you can earn yourself money.”
An Important Message About Gas Safety
Natural gas is delivered to the university from Ameren IP through an underground piping system. It is used to provide fuel for clean, efficient heat to all campus buildings and residence halls. It is also used for hot water and food preparation.
Overview of Hazards of Pipeline and Prevention Measures Used
The hazards associated with the pipeline include fires, explosions, leakage, damage to the facility and loss of service. In order to prevent these incidents, the pipeline is maintaned and inspected according to state and federal regulations. Facilities employees receive ongoing training to ensure the continued safe transport of natural gas to the campus.
In order to prevent damaage to the pipeline due to construction excavations, SIUE participates in the one-call system knows as JULIE. Within 2 days of a call for a planned excavation, SIUE will mark the location of underground gas as well as other utility lines.
Recognizing and Responding to Gas Leaks
Pure natural gas is colorless and odorless. Before gas is delivered to the SIUE campus, an odorant called mercaptan is added to give gas its distinctive odor so you can smell a leak immediately. The odorant makes the gas smell like sulphur or rotten eggs.
If you smell a faint odor in any campus building, notify Facilities Management at 618-650-3711. If the gas odor is strong and/or you hear a hissing or leaking sound, you should leave the building immediately.
If the odor is strong:
• Do not use telephones, cell phones, computers or elevators.
• Do not smoke, use a lighter, match or open flame.
• Do not operate vehicles near where the leaking gas could be.
• Do not re-eenter the building to retrieve personal effects.
If you smell a strong gas smell in the air outside or you see or hear unusual occurrences such as: high-pitched whistle or hissing sound, blowing dust, dead vegetation in a normally green area or ground fires, you may be observing signs of a leak in a natural gas line. Always use caution near an outdoor gas leak and recognize the possible hazards such as fire, ignition or explosion.
In these conditions:
• Do not use any device or equipment that may generate a spark or flame.
• Do not start up or shut down motor vehicles or electrical equipment.
• Do not use a telephone or cell phone in or near the area.
Fa’amoe grew up in Samoa, where he met his wife, and they later moved to the U.S. and started a family. He has worked in education most of his life and has recently started volunteering at YouthBuild McLean County, a program that helps educationally and economically disadvantaged youth.
Fa’amoe said his first job in the U.S. was at YouthBuild, where he noticed the differences between life in the U.S. and Samoa.
cally go back to farming to help support their family.
“One of the things that I always talk about is the stark difference between my life growing up in a developing country and the way the students in the United States sort of ‘do their thing,’ and what I’m talking about [is] the way we were brought up,” Fa’amoe said. “ One of the big differences is the education.”
In the U.S., it is typical for students to go to college with a range of different grades and test scores, allowing space for failed exams or mistakes. In Samoa, however, education is taken very seriously, as the road to higher education isn’t as forgiving according to Fa’amoe.
“Where I come from, if you fail an examination towards higher education, then you might not be able to move up to college,” Fa’amoe said. “A lot of our students in the islands can not go to university, and that’s because they did not pass the examination to get into the university. It’s different today because Samoa now has its own university right now, but it’s the same problem.”
If someone in Samoa gets rejected from university, they typi-
“Farming is basically our way of life, unlike here where you buy everything in the store. Back home, you have to actually farm the land every day in order to get the food that you need for your family. You also have to fish nearly every day in order to supply your family with their needs,” Fa’amoe said. Along with educational differences, Fa’amoe has found that students in the U.S. tend to take little things for granted like free lunches.
“In YouthBuild you have lunch provided for you, and then there is the pantry that if you don’t have enough food at home, you are able to take some of the product.” Fa’amoe said. “In the islands, you won’t find that type of system, and it interests me that a lot of my students complain about having to eat the same thing, and I’m thinking back to the islands where if the students had lunch at school, that was just amazing.”
Fa’amoe said that students should try experiencing other parts of the world, as it is eye-opening to what others go through.
“It’s humbling to come to a place where young people work so hard to help their families while at the same time trying to do well in education,” Fa’amoe said. “That’s the only thing that I think I would try to instill into our students is that your education – while it’s not for everybody, it’s the majority – education is the key to these things.”
Nu’usa Fa’amoe
Admin more concerned with image than transparency
THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board
SIUE’s administration is pushing a narrative of transparency around the budgetary situation. However, their actions speak to the contrary, and the campus community deserves answers.
It’s telling that no one in administration felt comfortable discussing the salary sweeps besides Marketing and Communications, and even they stopped answering questions after a while.
Actions like the salary sweeps and position elimination are setting departments up for failure, and many of them are already starved for university support.
At the March 17 Student Senate meeting, Provost Denise Cobb misrepresented the situation surrounding the Physics Department. When asked by one senator if administration had sought research grants to help the department stay afoat, Cobb said the department would have to request that.
Just hours earlier, former Chair of the Physics Department
Jack Glassman told those at the open forum regarding the proposal to eliminate the department that he had put in requests for more faculty four years in a row, with no response from the higher-ups. This was happening as faculty were leaving the university as well.
This is not to say that administration has made every possible misstep along the way. Hosting presentations like the September 2024 budget update and sending emails are a good thing. The letter to the editor that the chancellor submitted is especially welcome. That sort of communication is to be encouraged.
However, even within those rare instances of carefully-crafted statements, there is a disconnect from what is being said and what is being done.
In his April 4 email statement, Chancellor James T. Minor said that SIUE “is not experiencing a budget crisis.” In the same email are proposals to eliminate several educational programs for good and pay faculty to leave the university.
These cuts are supposedly for SIUE’s long-term success,
but it’s hard to see how academics will come out on top when SIUE’s academics budget is decreasing while the budget of the Chancellor’s Offce is increasing.
Minor has also made a point of saying that administration could have implemented a 2 percent budget decrease across the board instead of the more “aggressive” process being carried out instead.
Instead of losing 2 percent of their budgets, many departments lost much more. The School of Nursing lost 15.9 percent of its FY24 budget to salary sweeps alone. Facilities Management lost 10.8 percent of its FY24 budget. The Alestle lost 12.8 percent of its FY23 budget.
In 2017, former Chancellor Randy Pembrook froze his own salary until an agreement could be reached with faculty regarding raises. Eight years later, Minor makes $345,392 per year as his base salary while faculty and staff groups struggle to get a 2 percent raise to keep up with infation.
There is also the issue of the
Chancellor’s Council, a group of administrators that are being entrusted with many of these critical decisions. According to Director of Communications Nicole Franklin, this group will decide what is to be done with the $1.3 million in student fee dollars sitting in an account untouched. Budgetary processes are complex, and there is never an easy explanation to them. SIUE’s position is not enviable, and any decision made at the top is bound to be met with some resistance.
But, at the end of the day, these decisions will affect the students. In the case of the $1.3 million in student fees, there is a lot of money sitting around that students gave to the university with the understanding that it would be spent on student services, and that isn’t happening.
If SIUE wants to be the leading school in the region, it needs to put the needs of the students frst. Right now, the top priority is the wants of the administrators, and that is not good for longterm success. HAVE
Let
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY: The editors, staff and publishers of The Alestle believe in the free exchange of
POINT: Artifcial intelligence is the technology of tomorrow — should be in the classroom today
SAM MUREN managing editor
Whether or not AI should be used in the learning process continues to be a contentious debate. There are ethical and moral concerns about absolute reliance on artifcial intelligence.
However, considering these concerns, AI is here and probably not going anywhere anytime soon. By implementing or, at minimum, allowing the use of AI, educators could give students a leg up on the technology of tomorrow.
The job of every university is to prepare students for life after graduation and to give them access to materials that will help them grow and develop.
Complete denial for any usage of AI seems to be more hindering than helpful. As with most technologies, there should be some limitations. Professors could limit the reliance on AI for certain
aspects of their class.
Professors that are willing to center assignments around AI give their students an advantage in comparison to those that may never have on those that may have never used it.
Just like anything, AI is a tool. If the tool is used properly, then the student’s work will be enhanced. However, if AI is used in malice, or even just completely relied on,the work will then speak for itself.
AI does provide suitable services for those in academics. Given the access and information AI holds, it could serve as a personal tutoring service. Students who may struggle with human interaction or just face-to-face learning may fnd AI easier to learn from.
These are only AI’s functionalities as of today. By giving students the ability to use and familiarize with it, they may be at an advantage to expand with AI as it develops.
COUNTERPOINT: AI may be the technology of tomorrow, but that does not mean it will be a better tomorrow
Along with this comes the moral dilemma that arises with AI.
Artifcial intelligence can be useful, but human negligence and reliance will ruin it.
I am not talking about all forms of AI. Some can be incredibly helpful and have minor adverse effects. Lots of search engines use AI to fnd the best search results. Algorithmic AI helps perfect our social media algorithms, but even that can cause harm, as it can be addictive.
Nothing is perfect or great for our use, but AI has the potential to drastically affect every aspect of our lives in a negative way.
Specifcally in academia, AI has the potential to harm the level of education we receive and how well we retain that information, causing students to learn passively.
What does this mean for students who aren’t using AI? Do they get worse grades for not getting all the right information but for doing the work, or vice versa?
If academia moves to accept AI, there needs to be more restrictions on its usage. Neither students nor professors should be able to use AI to do assignments or their jobs fully. But at the stage we are at in AI, this does happen.
AI can be a tool, but at what point does it become more of a hindrance? If students continue to rely on AI to do work for them, they probably won’t be adequately prepared for real-world scenarios. AI is used in a lot of jobs to get rid of menial tasks, but if AI is doing all the work, students won’t even be able to do the rest of the job.
BRANDI SPANN Opinion Editor
SAM MUREN Managing Editor
DYLAN HEMBROUGH Editor-in-Chief
AUDREY O’RENIC
CHLOE
HANNAH
MICHAL
CHLOE WOLFE lifestyles editor
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Chancellor responds to media coverage of budgetary decisions, departmental cuts
Many colleges and universities, as perience consistent with the institution’s mission. This inherently means change.
DYLAN HEMBROUGH
editor-in-chief
The Alestle’s Editor-in-Chief, Dylan Hembrough, is passionate about the national and international political scene. He will share his opinions on current events in this column every two weeks.
Measles is a serious disease that can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, blindness and death — and it’s completely preventable with a safe, effective vaccine. Even so, another child has died of the disease on U.S. soil.
As anti-vaccine sentiment spreads across the country, so does measles. It may not have the mortality rate of ebola or the pustules of smallpox, but it can still disfgure and kill. Ignoring the safety and success of the vaccine in favor of exposing your child to any disease — especially one of the most contagious diseases on the planet — is nothing short of unethical.
Measles is so contagious that it requires nearly everyone in any given community to be vaccinated against it to prevent its spread. When those vaccination rates slip — as they have in recent years — those who are unvaccinated are at risk of infection.
Unfortunately, the elimination of academic programs today is too often understood only as a sign of fnancial trouble. Although true in some cases, not in all. Undergoing regular program review and taking action remains a responsibility that university leaders must not avoid amid the noise and pressure. I am certain that there were vigorous calls to keep programs in home economics and radio technology. Today, there are not a lot of academicians who would seriously argue about bringing these academic programs back.
The point is not to debate what should or should not be a part of the university curriculum. Instead, it is important to normalize the evolution of academic programs. When most American adults attended college, majors in cybersecurity, data science, esports management, cannabis studies or health informatics did not exist. They do today as a response to the economy, the social-political environment, proximity to particular industries and student foot traffc. Each institution, as a part of their academic program review, must decide as a community the appropriate composition of majors, minors, specializations or certifcate programs based on their mission, available resources and, to some degree, their competitive strengths.
10 years ago, SIUE underwent an extensive 10-month process that involved a range of univer-
sity stakeholders. The process yielded thoughtful planning for changes to the composition of our academic programs that would include the elimination of some majors, minors and specializations. In the end, no action was taken at that time. In the ten years since, it seems as if almost everything surrounding the university has changed.
Over that same time period, SIUE has added degree programs in cybersecurity engineering, surveying and geomatics and forensic sciences. We have also added post-baccalaureate certifcates in data science, business analytics and supply chain management. We now also offer alternative digital credentials in partnership with industry that allow individuals to gain new skills that have real value in the workforce without needing to upend their life to return to college.
Just last week, we cut the ribbon to mark the opening of The Wedge Innovation Center in Alton. This signature project of AltonWorks developed in partnership with SIUE represents a transformative opportunity to catalyze the region’s digital economy by bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers and professionals in learning and coworking spaces with cutting-edge research facilities. New programs require resources as we seek to advance opportunity and innovation. The majority of university leaders, especially those without billion-dollar endowments, must make choices while maintaining fdelity to their mission, but with an eye toward the future.
In similar fashion, institutions of higher learning must not be immune to modernizing operations in search of effciencies and more effective ways to serve students.
Somehow, we are able to comprehend the elimination of jobs occupied by milk delivery men, typewriter repair technicians or elevator operators. It is far more diffcult to embrace the contemporary analog. Yet, in our daily living, it is increasingly diffcult to avoid self-checkout, and half of people shopping in the grocery store aisles are fulflling online orders. The elimination of some positions, the creation of new ones, restruc-
turing or making organizational changes should not, by default, be understood as a sign of fnancial trouble.
In a world of digital fnancial transactions, there are shorter lines in the Bursar’s offce and far fewer paper checks to process. The mental health counseling sessions provided to students via telehealth now extend beyond an offce building between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We will go from operating boilers and steam plants to managing solar felds and other forms of renewable energy. The biggest threat to institutions like SIUE is the inability to change in response to the trade winds that we can see heading our way.
It is important to resist the refex to attribute every development to fnancial trouble. That narrative may be easier to repeat, and that headline may invite more clicks, but it can also unfairly damage the reputation of the institution and negatively infuence the perceptions of prospective students and donors.
SIUE is not experiencing a fnancial crisis. At the beginning of the fscal year, we adopted a budget that included a planned $10 million structural defcit. This could have been easily resolved by quietly announcing a 2 percent budget cut and maintaining the status quo. Instead, we decided to manage more aggressively with the intent of introducing changes to our budgeting processes, executing a more dynamic enrollment management plan and addressing effciencies in our operations.
We have already closed the gap by $3 million, and we are working to begin FY26 in an even stronger position. The university has a strong cash position, stable reserves and ambition to grow. SIUE remains the number one producer of bachelor’s degrees in metro St. Louis and in the Metro East with an economic impact of $1.3 billion. The changes that we are making are designed to ensure that the next generation of Cougars have access to a high-quality, affordable college degree that transforms their lives.
Measles is serious, stop treating it like it’s not
The unvaccinated, in this case, tend to be children. The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, has been mandated for schooling for decades. The people who are choosing not to vaccinate their children oftentimes are, themselves, vaccinated.
It’s maddening enough on its own that people would forgo such an easy, convenient way to protect against a potentially deadly disease. The nail in the coffn on this situation, however, is that the people who stand the most to lose here are kids.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that, of the U.S. cases in 2025, 97 percent of those infected in this most recent outbreak are unvaccinated and 12 percent of those infected were hospitalized.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long cast doubt on the safety of vaccines, and he recently advocated for self-treatment with vitamins for measles. Measles is not a self-treatable infection like a cold or mild fu. It is a serious illness.
He did attend the funeral of the child who died most recently and did eventually go on record saying the MMR vaccine was the most effective way to prevent the disease. But, from Kennedy, it’s too little,
too late.
If Kennedy really wants to make America healthy again, he should step aside and make room for someone with formal medical training who actually knows what they’re talking about.
If you are hesitant about vaccinating your child, or getting vaccinated yourself, I urge you to trust the testimony of experts who have devoted their lives to this cause. Bad faith actors who have peddled conspiracies are now making health care policy, and it is leading to death and disease frighteningly quickly.
Don’t let your child be the next headline.
JAMES T. MINOR EDWARDSVILLE, IL
Changes to NCAA transfer portal affect SIUE basketball
AUDREY O’RENIC sports editor
The 2025-2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball transfer portals went live on March 24 and 25. This year, several new changes are taking place within the system.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” women’s basketball head coach Sam Smith said.
Change of pace
The transfer portal is a compliance tool to manage the collegiate transfer process and provide better transparency for coaches and student-athletes.
The portal opened a week later than previous years and no longer overlaps with the first two rounds of the NCAA Division I championship tournament. This gives the 91 percent of teams who have ended their seasons more time to weigh out their options.
Additionally, the transfer time period has been limited from 45 days to 30 days.
According to the NCAA, the shortened period will enable student-athletes to “spend more time in the recruitment process after being entered into the NCAA Transfer Portal while also providing coaches with more information about roster stability before students leave campus at
the end of the academic year.”
Last April, the NCAA approved immediate eligibility for all undergraduate student-athletes who meet specific academic requirements to transfer and compete at their new institution.
“Prior to this waiver, you would have had to sit out a season as a transfer,” Smith said.
“It was just the NCAA trying to regulate people just jumping around all the time.”
Record-breaking numbers
With the changes came a record-breaking number of names in the 2025 transfer portal. Within the first day alone, more than 700 entered the men’s basketball portal — the most recorded in NCAA history. “24 hours in, and there were 732 men in the transfer portal,” Smith said.
Currently, there are nearly 2,000 players entered in the men’s portal. SIUE junior guard Brian Taylor II is one of them.
Smith said the women’s team is also experiencing the effects of the portal’s high demand.
“We just said ‘bye’ to a kid; she just felt like she needed a different fit,” Smith said. “Sometimes those things happen, but then there’s the other [student-athletes] that are just leav-
ing because [of money].”
Though money is more of an issue in large school recruitment processes, Smith said smaller schools like SIUE are also being affected.
“Some of the men’s coaches [in the OVC] have said some guys are leaving for a few thousand dollars,” Smith said. “It’s not even substantial what they’re leaving for.”
Name, Image and Likeness
In 2021, the NCAA announced student-athletes could profit from their name, image and likeness. The athletes can earn sponsorships, endorsements and deals to build their personal brand — a significant factor in college recruitment.
SIUE has set up NIL collectives for both men’s and women’s basketball. These independently organized fund pools directly help prepare SIUE student-athletes.
“We’re excited to provide a platform for our talented basketball players to maximize their potential and pursue their passions beyond the game,” For the E, the men’s basketball collective, said on its website.
SIUE women’s basketball launched their own collective last month with a goal of strategically using donations to professionally develop student-athletes.
“We are not just giving people money. I can’t get on board for that. I am very much like, ‘Okay, let’s get them ready for life after this,’” Smith said.
With NCAA and NIL rules constantly being updated, coaches and players must be ready to adapt.
“Every spring, it seems like you have to navigate [the transfer portal],” Sam Smith said. “It’s a different world, but we must adjust.”
‘Your inner voice is the loudest:’ Savannah Bananas’ Matt Graifer returns to SIUE
to
for
Matt Graifer graduated with his master’s at SIUE in 2010. Now, he is Cast Director and Potassium Enthusiast for the Savannah Bananas, a barnstorming baseball team.
According to their website, the Savannah Bananas play a unique form of baseball called “Banana Ball.” Players, umpires, the owner and the coach perform multiple dance numbers.
Wearing a sparkly red suit, Graifer spoke to a crowd of students, faculty and staff at the
Cougar Pavilion on April 2.
His speech, titled “Your Inner Voice is the Loudest,” explored the parts of Graifer’s life that led him to his success in life and in the entertainment industry.
“I have been loud my entire life,” Graifer said. “I’m known for that loud voice … [but] there is a louder voice than the one you’re hearing over the speakers or the one in the microphone. It’s the inner voice.”
Graifer said he believes that everyone has this “inner voice,” and listening to your inner voice can “make a profound difference in your life.”
Graifer said he received his master’s degree in kinesiology from SIUE.
Graifer said he moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, after graduating from SIUE to work at Sports Network International.
Due to new challenges in his life, Graifer said he worked in admissions at a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, before being offered an instructor position at a different college.
Graifer said he felt that he wasn’t qualified to teach, but he listened to his inner voice and took the job. Later, he said he was offered a full-time position at the university, but was let go in 2015.
“I needed to find another job,” Graifer said. “I thought maybe I’d be a trivia host. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the voice had said, ‘Hey, you go try trivia,’ and I did. In retrospect now, [it] wound up being one of the most impactful things to ever happen in my entire life.”
Graifer said he became the assistant manager of a trivia company. He said during that time, he was consistently asked if he was a sports announcer.
“I eventually got tired of telling people no,” Graifer said.
“That voice started to whisper a little louder saying, ‘Well, how can you make this happen? Go be an announcer somewhere.’”
In January 2018, Graifer said he saw a Facebook post from a wrestling school promoter looking for an announcer. Graifer applied and was given the position. He said this achievement led to him listening to his “inner voice” for everything in life.
Graifer said he became the MC for a football league in Jacksonville. He then took jobs hosting and emceeing for boxing and mixed martial arts matches.
During the pandemic, Graifer said he lost all his entertainment gigs. He then became a high school history teacher.
“In 2021, the voice spoke up one more time,” Graifer said. “It wasn’t the last time, but it was one more time that would be something that was another life changer. I saw a video of the Savannah Bananas.”
After looking up the team and reading a book written by the Savannah Bananas’ owner, Jesse Cole, Graifer said he reached out to Cole on LinkedIn.
“I told him how much I admired what they were do-
ing and how much I loved the book and that I would love to come out and see what they do,” Graifer said.
Graifer said Cole invited him and his family to come to a Savannah Bananas game and offered to give them a tour. Before he went to the game, Graifer said he packed his tux. Later, Cole told Graifer the usual DJ and announcer for the team would not be present, so Graifer was invited to be the announcer for the team for that game.
“I got a chance to perform with the team,” Graifer said. “That was one of my favorite days of my life.”
What was supposed to be a one-off announcing gig turned into a job when Graifer reached out to Cole later on and asked Graifer join them on their 2022 Seven Cities World Tour.
Graifer said Cole asked him to pitch ways he could participate in the tour. Since then, Graifer has worked for the Savannah Bananas.
“My cool life comes not from my [speaking] voice, but from my [inner] voice,” Graifer said. “I was a nobody that got to become somebody because I chose to listen to that inner voice.”
Junior gaurd Brian Taylor II shoots in his first-ever trip to March Madness. After the successful season, Taylor entered into the NCAA transfer portal. | Audrey O’Renic / The Alestle
Prior
his successful career in the Savannah Bananas, Matt Graifer worked
campus recreation at SIUE in 2010.
| Photo courtesy of SIUE
MICHAL KATE CASTLEMAN online editor