2023.03.01

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The Daily Eastern News is produced by the students of Eastern Illinois University. It is published weekly on Wednesday, in Virden, Ill., during fall and spring semesters and online during the summer term except during university vacations or examinations. One copy per week is free to students and faculty. Additional copies can be obtained for 50 cents each in the Student Publications Office in Buzzard Hall.

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Women leads student population

By Chandler Smith Campus Reporter | @DEN_news

Eastern Illinois University in total has more women than men on campus with over 5,000 students being female and over 3,000 students being male according to the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s website.

“The percentage of those living on campus reflects the gender breakdown of our enrollment,” Mark Hudson, executive director of housing and dining said. “EIU has long had a larger female enrollment, often credited to the reality that education has been our largest major and there are more women in that profession than men.”

Men take up 58.2% of the population and men take up 41.8% of the population

With this comes the main reason students overall live on Eastern’s campus

whether they are female or male.

“In a recent survey both men and women residents said that convenience was the primary reason for living on campus,” Hudson said.

The question becomes whether men are just as interested in college or not.

“Another factor is that young men historically have chosen other paths after high school like joining the military or going to trade school at a higher rate than young women,” Justin Tierney, director of enrollment support said.

The academic programs at colleges or universities have changed the percentage of women and men on campus.

Some colleges including Eastern have recently added academic programs like engineering and criminology.

“Those are two fields of study that have historically enrolled a higher percent-

age of males than females, though that is changing, thanks to very admirable and much-needed efforts to ensure those fields of study are more inclusive to women,” Tierney said. “Also [Eastern] just recently added a four-year nursing program, which, historically, nursing programs have enrolled more females than males,”

The additions to the academic programs will impact female and male demographic over the years to come.

The overall goal has not changed for Eastern’s diversity and demographics.

“Our goal at EIU is to always attract a diverse community of learners and to support all of our students in an equitable way, no matter their background or who they are as individuals,” Tierney said.

Chandler Smith can be reached at 581-2812 or at cbsmith5@eiu.edu.

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Sororities bring female students together

By Katja Benz Student Government Reporter | @DEN_news

Greek life has certain stereotypes that do not always hold true.

Some may include girls being mean girls to each other, lots of drama and too many spray tans.

However, one of the goals of Eastern’s Panhellenic Council (PHC) is to uplift other women, not only in Greek life on campus, but elsewhere as well.

Kylee Keele, a junior special education major, joined Greek life this past fall after transferring from a community college.

She thinks that many of these stereotypes are not true.

“Honestly, I never realized how Greek life was here like it’s not as stigmatized as you see on TV where you think it’s all super crazy,” Keele said. “Everything is very laid back and that’s why I joined. I never saw myself as a sorority girl, but I realized I was very chill and more accepting and non-judgmental. It wasn’t anything crazy. It feels like it’s very laid back. I don’t get stressed out by being in it. I think people just maybe just think of the words for the girl and then just have those assumptions from those movies from the TV shows. And like even the bigger colleges you know, like down south, they take it very seriously. Whereas here, it’s definitely just not that perception. I don’t think anyone’s going to really get away from that, like perception until they experience it themselves.”

“ Honestly, I never realized how Greek life was here like it’s not as stigmatized as you see on TV where you think it’s all super crazy. Everything is very laid back and that’s why I joined... I think people just maybe just think of the words for the girl and then just have those assumptions from those movies from the TV shows. And like even the bigger colleges you know, like down south, they take it very seriously. Whereas here, it’s definitely just not that perception. I don’t think anyone’s going to really get away from that, like perception until they experience it themselves.”

- Kylee Keele

dered that experience.

While many might not think that community service is an important aspect of Greek life, each Panhellenic organization, or sorority, has an organization that they do community service or charity work for.

This is called a chapter’s philanthropy, and some philanthropies include Girl Scouts and Polar Plunge.

Keele enjoyed doing community service in high school, and wanted to continue in college, but the COVID-19 pandemic hin-

However, in her role as the Vice President of Community Service, Keele gets to empower women with her love of community service.

“COVID definitely made community service really not be as much [work],” Keele said. “I was very much into community service when I was in high school [in a] small town, there’s not much to do. So definitely the connections and being able to branch out more for my chapter and

the other people in the Greek community was a great step up. And that’s kind of what I wanted. I didn’t want to be just excluded or just be known as that. I want other people to know me and it helps with sororities, too, because you don’t really get to communicate a lot with [of the other sororities]. The frats and sororities mostly like will talk and whereas like sororities don’t really [talk during] Greek Week. You’re paired with the fraternities, you’re not paired with another sorority. So you don’t get that but like in PHC, there’s more interaction. I feel like with all of everyone, not just fraternity and sorority,”

As a special education major, Keele ends up being pretty busy between her schoolwork, homework and this position. However, she tries to empower others in Greek life, especially sororities, to go to events. The biggest way she tries to embody that is bu going to events herself

“I go to events when I can,” Keele said. “I am very busy being in being a special education major. So well, I get a lot of volunteering [opportunities] with people with individuals with disabilities. I feel like I like as I’m telling people about other volunteer opportunities. I am attending them like the Martin Luther King service day. I went to both of those sessions and made sure others knew about that. I definitely help go out when I can.”

Katja Benz can be reached at 5812812 or at kkbenz@eiu.edu.

Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz,

a history professor, has a one-to-one meeting in her office with one of her students on Feb. 27.

‘Women’s history needs to be understood’

Professor Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz is one of those at EIU teaching courses on women’s history

By Cam’ron Hardy News Editor | @DEN_news

Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz is a professor of history and runs the history with teacher licensure program. She is also affiliated faculty with women, gender and sexuality studies.

Laughlin-Schultz said she has been interested in women’s history before she even understood that women’s history was something to be studied.

Growing up, she read a series of books with female protagonists overcoming obstacles.

Laughlin-Schultz passion in this field is from 19th century American history.

When she first attended college, at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., it was during a time when women’s history classes were first being offered. With the help of her advisor, Wendy Amber, whom was a women’s historian, she was able to obtain more assistance with earning her PhD.

For her dissertation, Laughlin-Schultz wrote about the family of abolitionist John Brown, who was an American in the 1850’s that opposed slavery and believed that it was okay to use violence to end slavery. He had 20 kids and two wives.

Brown and his group of 21 men raided a

federal arsenal to obtain weapons, but they all ended up dying, Laughlin-Schultz said. She also said that he became a famous abolitionist symbol in 1859, and inspired people.

“I was like ‘Okay, what is it like to be the wife or to be the daughter and the descendant of [Brown],’” Laughlin-Schultz said.

Laughlin-Schultz wrote a book titled ‘The Tie That Bound Us: The Women of John Brown’s Family and the Legacy of Radical Abolitionism’ which came out in 2011.

Before coming to Eastern in 2012, she taught general history courses in high schools.

When she came to Eastern, she was greeted by other teachers who were teaching the women in American history classes.

“They were super awesome to let me start teaching it because sometimes, un-

derstandably, people have a class they teach, love and don’t want to give it” Laughlin-Schultz said.

Laughlin-Schultz recalled receiving the email that she was going to be teaching the course and said she was “so excited.”

Laughlin-Schultz believes that people to understand modern history, people must understand U.S. history.

“So much of modern American is steeped in our history, and to really understand the present, you need to understand the past,” Laughlin-Schultz said. “To that, I would also say a lot of times when you teach a women’s history class, it’s mainly young women who sign up for it, and sometimes they see the usefulness because it’s about them.”

Laughlin-Schultz believes people should take more history courses. She under -

stands that people can/should take whatever classes they want but thinks that taking history can be beneficial to everyone.

Laughlin-Schultz gave an example about the Roe v. Wade case and how to fully understand the importance and meaning of the case, people need to go back and research the history of the case.

Laughlin-Schultz believes her passion of teaching stemmed from her passion of history and she feels like she is doing something useful when she is teaching it. Both of her parents were teachers and that was another source of her enthusiasm for teaching.

“I saw them having a huge impact on students, not just in the subject matter that we teach, but sort of their ability to help students,” Laughlin-Schultz said. “I like how being a college professor, you can combine your love of research with your love if teaching and bring that sort of more specialized classes.”

Even outside of the classroom, Laughlin-Schultz said she is involved in this area. She writes and does research on women’s history.

The end goal she wants for her students is for them to have a better concept of the world.

“I hope they leave my classroom with a better understanding of the current world around them, a better understanding of the past as well and even a better understanding of themselves and their own communities,” Laughlin-Schultz said.

Cam’ron Hardy can be reached at 581-2812 or at dennewsdesk@

BY ASHANTI THOMAS | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

CAM’RON HARDY

Jeannie Ludlow: Being a feminist while teaching women’s history in higher education

By Cam’ron Hardy News Editor | @DEN_news

Jeannie Ludlow, a professor English and director of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies said that she gained interest in women, gender, and sexuality studies because she was simply born at the right time.

With being born in the late 1960’s, there was always coverage of the Civil Right Movement around her, as well as feminist and LGBTQ+ Rights Movements.

She said that she always saw the Black Panther Party and what women were accomplishing on the news, which initiated her interest in women’s history.

The women in her family also contributed to her interest.

“The women in my family were very strong willed, strong bodied and stubborn, one might say,” Ludlow said. “So, to me, it never made sense to think that women should be weaker or protected. It didn’t track with my life in any way.”

Ludlow grew up on a farm close to Danville, Ind., and saw all her family members doing the same thing, which opposed the typical stereotype of what a man/woman’s job entailed.

Growing up on a farm close to Danville, Ind., Ludlow went to a “very conservative church” and recalls contributing to a debate in high school defending an anti-abortion stance, because that was what the church taught her, she said.

While that may not be the same mindset she has today, she still took some inspiration from the church.

“I don’t agree with everything that

church taught, I believe that my commitment to justice and fairness is the same as what I was taught in the church,” Ludlow said.

While attending college at University of Indianapolis, formerly known as Indiana Central University, Ludlow started majored in music. She intended on becoming a music teacher, which was one of two options if someone was a music major, the other being a performer.

After taking her first education class, the head of the department called Ludlow into his office.

“He called me into his office, and he sat me down and he said ‘You cannot teach high school. You will never be a good enough high school teacher. You’re too small, your voice is too high and you never have the authority in the classroom,’” Ludlow said. “…I wanted to be a band director and it kind of broke my heart and it kind of broke my spirit a little bit.”

uate.

Currently, Ludlow is teaching Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, Intro to Women and Gender Studies, Feminist theories, and Queer Theories. Next semester she will teach a class in Ecofeminism. Ludlow said that she has two answers that she wants her students to take away from her classes: the one she’s supposed to give and the one she wants to give.

“The answer I’m supposed to give is that we are working to teach students to see gender as a significant category analysis in our society and to see that, everything that we do is shaped in part, not completely in part by gender,” Ludlow said. Opposingly, the answer that she wanted to give was very different from the one she is “supposed to give.”

“Deep down inside, I want [all the students] to be feminists when I’m done with them,” Ludlow said. “And they all know that it’s politically incorrect for me to say it, but I mean, why else would I do this work?”

aware of that, but as a woman, she said that she does not have the same privilege as a man does.

With these topics, Ludlow said that she has to be conscious with how she delivers the message of empowerment of women and people in different races and ethnicities.

At the beginning of last semester in her Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies course, Ludlow started the first day with a poem about meditation on breath, which was also compared with Eric Gardner’s death.

She spoke on a previous experience she had earlier in the semester when one of her students came to her to talk about being able to gain comfortability with talking to her about the topics, which may not have been there the first day of classes.

She said that she still needs to work on some things to make a more comfortable environment in her classes.

Overall, she said that there are some things that need to be changed in the world, in particular with abortion, which is her main focus.

“The Supreme Court should not get away with taking away people’s rights to make decisions about their bodies, including whether trans people can have medicine or not, including whether someone who’s pregnant and cannot have that baby is allowed to not have the baby,” Ludlow said. “And so what we really need to do is keep pushing on that power.”

Ludlow was already double majoring in English and Music, but decided to drop the music major to a minor her senior year since it would be the fastest route to grad-

She said that she thinks about how everything she does is tied into social power.

As a white person, she said that she has supremacist power and she needs to be

Cam’ron Hardy can be reached at 581-2812 or at dennewsdesk@gmail. com.

PHOTO BY ROB LE CATES | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Jeanie Ludlow (left), a member of the University Professionals of Illinois chapter for Eastern, talks with EIU-UPI President Jennifer Stringfellow before the group delivers, according to the Union, around 1000 signed postcards in support of increasing contract raises to University President David Glassman’s office Feb. 27.

Pantherettes can be an outlet for growth, expression

By Ashanti Thomas Assistant Photo Editor | @ashantilaraee

To be a Prestigious Pantherette is not just about being a dancer or a performer, but about embracing and expressing oneself while also taking the time to learn from others and making room to grow.

The Pantherettes are an all-women dance team on campus and a fairly new organization, with it being approved last semester in November 2022.

Kyia George, a junior exercise science major, created the Prestigious Pantherettes herself because, while being on campus and away from home, she felt like something was missing in her life.

“I chose to create the Prestigious Pantherettes dance team because I felt like I was missing a part of me while being away from home,” George said. “I have always danced my whole life and when I noticed that I wasn’t happy here at Eastern and instead of looking for somewhere else to go, I decided it was time to create a space here for me.”

George built a space where she could have that therapeutic outlet for herself to be able to dance while also allowing others to share that same passion and create a fun community together.

“I decided to share my passion in a way that people could enjoy it too, but also feel satisfied when watching it, that’s why I push for us to bring diversity and showcase the balance between hiphop in our generation while using dance as a therapeutic outlet” George said.

Alicia Barnes, a senior criminology and sociology major, is a part of the coaching staff and is the secretary treasurer for the Pantherettes.

For Barnes, unity is a big aspect to being a Pantherette.

“It’s all about unity because being in a [predominately white institution], black women don’t have a lot of things that we can do to express ourselves,” Barnes said.

“I felt like the dancing was a great way to bring some of our culture back to the campus and make some people here feel like they have a place, whether it’s something small like dancing or helping manage the team like I do, or just being a part of something here.”

It’s an opportunity for other Black women to feel inspired and be able to join the team to also share that same outlet, as well as for other Black people to see them perform and know that they can do the same with their own

personal passions.

“I chose to be a Pantherette because being on the team gets me closer to my culture and my people,” Barnes said. “I love helping the minority in any way possible and this is my small way of doing so.”

For both George and Barnes, their moms are an inspiration to them and a woman-figure they look up to the most.

George has followed in her mom’s footsteps by creating the Prestigious Pantherettes, being their coach, and building a foundation within her team.

“Growing up we didn’t come from the best background, and she showed me a different light,” George said. “By doing that and creating her own business, putting in the work herself, stepping out of her family-owned business and starting her own, it kind of drove me to have that type of drive.”

Barnes admires her mom for being a hardworking woman who has set goals for herself and being able to achieve them.

“I would say that any woman that was able to reach her goals and was disci-

plined enough to go forward and persevere through any of the hurt and the pain and whatever it takes to get to where she wanted to go, and she did it, I admire that,” Barnes said.

Being in a leadership position and having people look up to them can be difficult, but it is a learning opportunity for both of them, and the girls.

“I love it so much,” George said. “It is obviously hard, it’s not easy but it helps me grow as a person. I learn every second that I’m with the girls. They teach me a lot about myself, they teach me to be a better leader, and to just see them how they started and the finishing product after different shows definitely makes me emotional because they’re loving it as much as I do. That’s all I ask for.”

“Some personal goals I have for the team would be learning how to be of service to other women who may need me,” Barnes said. “Personally, I feel as though our voice in society as Black women is especially limited and I want to be able to not only be a helping hand, but also make them feel safe enough to be able to talk to me about anything.”

George also wants other women to know that it doesn’t matter what other people think or say.

“I always tell myself women run the world, like the world literally doesn’t move if we don’t make it,” George said. “We give birth, we give life, so there’s nothing that nobody could ever tell us.”

Ashanti Thomas can be reached at 581-2812 or at althomas5@eiu.edu.

Si-Si Sweetz: A sweet store for a sweet tooth

By Drew Coffey Campus Reporter | @DEN_news

In small towns, local businesses can be seen as fundamental and significant staples of the community.

They must be reliable, consistent, always adapting to the times and being there for the public when they need them.

But in this shop, they are primarily there whenever customers have a sweet tooth.

This would be Si-Si Sweetz located in Charleston.

Sierra Price, who graduated from Eastern with a degree in public relations, started the business in August 2020.

The baking shop offers many sugary treats such as cupcakes, cookies, brownies, cake pops, among many more options.

Price started by earning the credentials needed to open a food business in Coles County and created a

business plan to track the process.

From there, she was able to contact many professionals and other business owners in the baking industry.

Price said choosing to start the sweet shop came from a place very close to home.

“I grew up learning how to cook and bake from my mother and grandmother,” Price said. “I get to share a few family recipes with customers [while] adding my own twist to every treat.”

She also said the decision to open a primarily dessert-styled shop was due to the lack of local bakeries in the area.

However, the road to opening was not so sweet.

“It took about 6 months to finalize paperwork to be able to sell desserts,” Price said. “I knew it was important for me to obtain these credentials so I just look at it as having a successful business is a marathon not a sprint as most people would say.”

This would not be the only obstacle Price had to face as spreading the business to the community also proved to be a challenge.

“In the beginning I had a hard time getting the name of the business out to the public, and to be recognized as a baking business that offers good quality, customizable desserts,” Price said. “Without a physical location and operating as a home-based business made it difficult to gain custom -

ers.”

Economic issues such as inflation also acted as a substantial problem for the business.

“I realized I needed to be adaptable to the economic issues we are facing,” Price said. “I did research and found new vendors and grocery stores that have the ingredients I need for fair prices.”

Inflation has caused businesses all over the United States to shut down due to pricing and supply demands.

The rise in prices in local stores and shops can turn customers away hurting the establishments substantially.

However, while Price has had to slightly raise prices on desserts, she works to keep them affordable for customers in the Charleston area.

While the road to opening and getting public word of mouth was difficult, Price said she finds the personal connection as the most exciting aspect of owning Si-Si Sweetz.

“The most rewarding part of the business is meeting customers and networking with other professionals in the industry,” Price said. “I get really great advice while building relationships as a business professional.”

Price hopes to continue growing the business and showing people the sugar-filled treats that Si-Si Sweets has to offer.

Emery Johnson: A lady in the LGBTQ+ community

By Christina Holman Campus Events Junior Editor | @DEN_news

Emery Johnson, a freshman English education major, is a former homecoming princess contests as well as a former member of Pride Club at Eastern.

Pride Club is a Registered Student Organization, RSO, for students to join regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Their purpose is to allow people to be comfortable with each other in this safe space/community.

Johnson attended one or two meetings but is very active with teaching others about the LGBTQ+ community. They’re a Pemberton Panther L.E.A.D.S. historian and threw an educational event for LGBTQ history month.

In addition to being an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, they’re also a part of the community as well.

Johnson knew they were interested in girls at a young age.

“I knew I was into girls in sixth grade but I was going to a Christian school at this time,” Johnson said. “So I decided to put it off until I was older.”

They came out as bisexual in the eighth grade to their sisters and close friends. But then realized they were a lesbian once in high school.

Johnson then finally mustered up the courage to come out to those closest to them.

“It wasn’t hard to tell my dad, because he’s always been a strong ally.” Johnson said. “It was much harder to tell my other more conservative family members. I am now out to my whole family.”

Coming out to your closest friends and family is only half the battle. Then there is the aftermath of how everyone will respond to this.

Johnson said, “The first people I came out to were my sisters. We were all young but my sisters tried their best to support me.”

It’s always best to have a support system during these times. Even while navigating life as a teenager, you still have to navigate through dating.

Dating is hard in general, let alone in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s hard to find people to be in a loving relationship with.

Johnson’s first queer relationship was the reason they accepted and loved themselves.

“I had always thought being a

lesbian was something I should be ashamed of,” Johnson said. “But my relationship with my partner was and is very loving and sweet.”

When people are finally able to live in their skin comfortably, it’s the best feeling in the world. But even at this old age there are still many people who haven’t come to terms in regards to their sexuality.

You can never go wrong with getting a little advice from friends or family in this type of situation. Johnson was able to give some advice on how to tell the ones closest to you.

“For anyone finding or coming to terms with their sexuality is to be patient and loving with yourself.” Johnson said. “You’ll be alright and you will find friends who will love, support, and celebrate all of you.”

Friends and families can be your best support system at times like this. But having someone to talk to away from home can always be useful.

Pride Club meet on Mondays at 7 p.m. in the Clinical Center at the Gender and Sexual Diversity, GSD, Center.

Christina Holman can be reached at 5812812 or at clhoman@eiu.edu.

PHOTO BY ASHANTI THOMAS | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

EDITORIAL

Women in journalism numbers rising, sexist views not

The women at The News have had a myriad of experiences as women in the journalism field in our short time in the work field. We have also witnessed the experiences of other women journalists as well.

While no longer a male-dominated field with a 2021 demographic of 53.4% of all journalists in the United States being women according to Zippia, it ranges based on the format of journalism.

In November 2017, statista reported there to be a female to male percentage ratio of journalists in different fields as 37:63 in evening broadcast, 41:59 in print, 31:69 in wires, and 40:60 in internet journalism and reporting.

With an increase in the population of women journalists, the industry still has a disparity with sexism in journalism.

A note from Madelyn Kidd, Editor-in-Chief/former News Editor

When reporting for the news section, there are at times a few hurdles to cross when reporting as a woman.

Sometimes there are men, professors, administration and students, who you can tell do not respect you as much as they would a man.

Sometimes, it is only from a lacking mutual respect level, but other times a man will look at you in a way that you are not a journalist, you are a person being evaluat-

ed for your sex appeal.

It would be nice to tell you that it does not occur that often, but some days with different events or groups, that would be a lie.

However, it is mostly just a wish for a mutual respect level while getting interviews or taking photos.

Many men ask how women could possibly know a man does not respect her as much as he would if she were a man; it is survival instinct.

For our own safety, women have had to know how a man is feeling- especially about her. Almost every dangerous situation a women will ever be in will be because of a man.

Sometimes the sexism is in your own newsroom.

I have experienced multiple male reporters working under me yell, get in my face, stalk towards me, etc. when they were angry. And they were not even angry with me. Yet, when the male Editor-in-Chief at the time stepped in, those male reporters became calm and civilized while still expressing their anger to the Editor-in-Chief.

That is when I first learned first-hand how things are different in the work field between men and women.

There are still a vast majority of non-sexist experiences. For the most part when covering the news, it is obvious their

dislike for you is not because you are a woman, it is because you are sticking your nose somewhere they do not think it belongs. A.K.A. you are looking into something they want to remain hidden.

A note from Kate Stevens, Assistant Sports Editor

Being a woman student journalist has been one of the best experiences of my college career.

I have gotten to know other people, learn new things, and perfect my craft.

The biggest thing about being a woman journalist in today’s world is the joy of lifting up our fellow women in journalism.

If we are not supporting or encouraging our fellow women journalists, then what are we doing?

As hard as being a woman in this industry can be, we should not waste our breath tearing down others who are just trying to do the same thing we are.

We are here to report news and get it out to the world. We should be helpful to one another and help each other when it is needed.

My encouragement to you is to be kind, help others, and get your job as journalists done.

We need to keep the numbers of women flowing into the industry as time keeps going.

Women journalists and all journalists,

keep up the good work and fight the good fight that is our amazing industry. Keep doing good things.

A note from Autumn Schulz, Sports Editor

Being a woman in sports journalism is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life.

I get to watch sports, write about them and build connections with others.

Whether it is with athletes, head coaches, assistant coaches, and fellow staff members, being a woman in journalism has brought me some of the most important people of my life.

Of course, there is always a downside to every career. I have experienced being torn down, questioned, and straight up bullied.

My advice to everyone, regardless of who you are, is to do better, but especially do not tear down fellow women journalists.

Women in male dominated fields suffer a lot as it is, and there is no need to add to the hatred because it is quite embarrassing to be on the giving end rather than the receiving.

I have never been embarrassed to be a woman in journalism, and I will never be because I find enjoyment out of lifting up my fellow women.

Women’s History Month is a time to celebrate women and there is not room for anything less.

Editorial Board

Madelyn Kidd Ellen Dooley

Kate Stevens

Cam’ron Hardy

Autumn Schulz

Rob Le Cates

Black women are the blueprint

Kyla Moton

As an African American woman, I have always grown up around Black women and girls. I was always fascinated with the way my mom, aunts, and older female cousins would style their hair, the music they listened to, and even the way that they danced.

I was introduced to Black culture pretty much as soon as I was born. The culture is so vast and we tend to be a bit more welcoming of the culture when we do not have to be. Because of this, we get people who invade the culture and try to claim our creations and inventions as their own.

Black women have been trendsetters since the beginning of time and because of this, it is hard for us to receive our followers, both in our community and in the media.

One example of this that I can think of, off the

top of my head, relates to TikTok. There was a popular dance on TikTok called the “Renegade” dance. The dance was created by Jalaiah Harmon, an African American girl from Atlanta, Georgia.

Jalaiah Harmon originally posted the dance to Dubsmash. When the dance eventually made it to TikTok, a social media platform formerly known as “Musical.ly”, it was a modified version of the dance.

It was not as complex, watered down almost, to accommodate the new platform. With the changing of the dance also came the improper credit being given. TikTok personality Charli D’Amelio was getting most of the credit for the dance from TikTok users and media blogs.

She gained lots of recognition, landing her sponsorships with Takis, a Super Bowl commercial, along with the chance to perform at the NBA All-Star game in Chicago, Illinois in 2020. It was there that an article came out, recognizing Harmon as the originator of the “Renegade” dance.

This raised one question in lots of people’s minds: did Charli know that she was the originator of the dance?

Most people are led to believe that D’Amelio was not aware that Harmon was the creator of the dance. She never bothered to find out either.

It is not known whether or not Charli knew that people thought she created the dance, but she had done the dance in certain partnerships, and there were plenty of comments under the videos of her doing the dance on TikTok where

people were trying to credit her instead or Jalaiah Harmon.

It happened many different times after the fact, especially with the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, lots of dances were being wrongfully credited.

Another example has to do with hairstyles. I know a lot of people are tired of this argument, but it is something that is still very common when it should not be. Black women’s and black men’s feelings towards this subject are disregarded so much that people do not even take issue with it anymore.

To sum up the outrage, Africans and African Americans have been culturally bound to hairstyles, such as box braids, dreadlocks, and cornrow braids. For a decent period of time, it was not only seen as unprofessional to have these sorts of hairstyles, it was also legal to discriminate against these sorts of hairstyles in certain workplace environments and school systems across the country.

The fact that these systems were in place to directly target African Americans and their choices of hairstyles, but it was even more shocking that these same hairstyles were considered “trendy” and “cool” for those who are not of African American descent.

People like The Kardashians became trendsetters when it came to these sorts of hairstyles. It is ridiculous that things that Black people created can be seen as ghetto or unprofessional to certain people, but these same inventions on a person who is not Black or African American, it is seen as a cool, new trend that has much potential. Black women deserve their flowers! Black women have been innovators and have been paving the way for the next generation of Black women. I feel as though they do not get enough credit for the many things that they have done to help our society, and in return they get the short end of the stick. We need to start thanking the Black women in our lives for everything that they do. From their generosity to their contributions to many different career fields, it is definitely time to start recognizing everything that they have done to let more Black girls and women accomplish goals in the near future.

Kyla Moton is a junior English/ creative writing major. She can be reached at klmoton@eiu.edu or 217-581-2812.

" Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women. "

- Maya Angelou Quote of the Week:

Impactful women athletes from the last 10 years

Hannah Cravens

Hannah Cravens spent all four years with the Eastern softball program and made quite an impact during her four years.

As a freshman, Cravens made 43 starts for the Panthers and was able to finish the season with a .206 batting average.

In her next season as a sophomore, Cravens’ performance led her to winning the 2019-20 OVC Medal of Honor. She started all 21 games of the season and hit .333 while also being the team leader with 20 RBIs and tied for the lead in home runs with four.

Cravens’ junior year saw her draw 23 walks, which ranks eighth on the EIU single season list. Her last season as a Panther allowed her to break multiple EIU single season records such as 19 doubles, 13 home runs, 43 RBIs, etc.

Cravens also ranked in several EIU top ten categories such as 44 double, 24 home runs, and 107 RBIs.

Mariah King

Mariah King, although she currently an assistant coach under Matt Bollant, had quite the career while sport an Eastern uniform.

She was selected as an OVC Second Team member three times during her career.

She was also selected as OVC Player of the Week multiple times throughout her four seasons with the women’s basketball team.

During her sophomore year, King really made strides for her team as she was second in team scoring and fourth in rebounds. She scored in double figures in 25 games.

Junior year for King saw her have a 45.7 field goal percentage, which was only second in the OVC. During her last season, King hit a lot of career milestones.

She finished with 1,440 points, 654 rebounds, and 567 field goals made. King had 8 steals, 64 assists and 56 blocks in her career has a Panther.

Giovana Larregui Lopez has only been with the Panther volleyball program for one season but she has, without a doubt, made her mark on the program.

She appeared in 28 of 32 matches during the 2022 season, playing in 101 sets. She is one of five Panthers ever to play in over 100 sets. She led the team with 405 kills and 53 aces. Her 405 kills was the most by a Panther volleyball player since 2014.

In the OVC, Larregui Lopez led the OVC in aces per set, averaging 0.53, which ranked 11th in the NCAA. She also averaged 4.01 kills per set which ranked second in the OVC and 48th in the NCAA.

Her 1,1106 attacks were the most by and EIU volleyball player since 2014.

Throughout the season, she had 11 double-double games.

Her performance led her to winning OVC Player of the Year and getting First Team All-OVC honors.

Giovana Larregui Lopez

Sawyer says ‘it’s never too late to get involved’

By Kate Stevens Assistant Sports Editor | @katestevens25

Over the last few years, more women have gained roles in the sports industry. While there is still progress to make, women have been more accepted in the industry.

Assistant athletic director of compliance and senior woman administrator Dr. Tonya Sawyer said she encourages women to chase their dreams of working in the sports industry.

Sawyer has several things she does within her job. As the director of compliance, she makes sure the teams and athletes at EIU are abiding by the NCAA rules.

As the senior woman administrator, she aids in supporting the women athletes with nearly anything they need such as help with Title IX, with their scholarships, or with housing issues.

Sawyer is also part of different committees on campus.

After being hired last March, Sawyer was happy to become the senior woman administrator for EIU athletics.

“I was excited because for me, it gave me that next step in my career,” Sawyer said. “With that role and being able to make a difference in this position, I knew that there was room to help others grow and to be a leader, especially for the female demographic, for our department and for others.”

She said she uses her position at EIU to help empower and lead young females to help them with any level of success they are looking for whether it is academically, athletically, or in

anything else they wish to achieve.

“It’s a great leadership role,” Sawyer said. “It’s wonderful to be in a role that you can lead young females and lead other staff to be in a position to empower them to help them be more successful. To set an example is an honor.”

She said she feels privileged to hold the role of senior woman admin -

“It’s never too late and there are so many opportunities, especially from a career standpoint, to get involved.”

- Tonya Sawyer

istrator even with its challenges.

“It’s great and some days I feel like it’s also kind of daunting because there’s a lot of expectations and there’s a lot of responsibility,” Sawyer said. “And to know that there are individuals looking up to you and that need you for whatever it might be, it can be a lot, but I enjoy it, it’s a great challenge for me.”

Sawyer said she receives support from those above her so that she can support those who look for her leadership.

She said the athletic department

works as a team to support all of its athletes and staff members.

“I also have great leadership above me,” Sawyer said. “My athletic director is extremely supportive and is there for me 100%. You have to have a great team in place, you have to have a great administration on the university side as well. It takes everyone on campus to do this. It’s not just me, it’s all of us.”

In all she does, Sawyer said her favorite thing is seeing the athletes being successful in life, academically, and athletically.

“Seeing the athletes being successful and that success isn’t defined with wins and losses,” Sawyer said. “It’s if they do well on a paper, if they accomplished one of their own goals, solving a problem. I think that ultimately for me, what I enjoy is seeing their success. When they’re happy, I’m happy. It’s an added bonus when they’re winning.”

Sawyer said that it is important to empower women and that in today’s world the support and empowerment has been better than ever.

“We’re in a time, especially with celebrating the history of Title IX, the 50th anniversary,” Sawyer said. “We’re really in a great position to support one another and to showcase that we’ve come a long way in women’s athletics. You can see that day in and day out with our females in sports right now and I think they’ve really embraced it.”

She said that as more women coaches come in and there is a higher population of women in sports, things are getting better.

She also said she encourages all to take on higher positions because that

is becoming more of a possibility every day.

Sawyer said her piece of advice for any girls or women who have aspirations of working in sports is that it is never too late.

“It’s never too late to get involved,” Sawyer said. “Participate, do what makes you happy. If you have goals, if you don’t have goals, set them. It’s worth it.”

She said as sports brings people together, it’s a good place to get involved in any aspect that you enjoy the most.

“It’s never too late and there are so many opportunities, especially from a career standpoint, to get involved,” Sawyer said. “And more and more today, women are taking those roles and especially those executive roles.”

She said it is encouraging for young women and women in general to see more people like them in any role in sports, but especially the leadership roles.

There are a plethora of ways to be involved in the sports industry and women are slowly but surely making their way into these well-deserved roles.

Sawyer said any girl or woman who has dreams of working in the sports industry needs to go for it and chase what they want in life.

“It’s never too late to try something that they thought they could never do even if they can’t play the sport,” Sawyer said. “It’s not always about participating, it’s about trying something different and getting involved in that space.”

Stevens can be reached at 581-2812 or kestevens2@eiu.edu

Kate

PHOTO BY HAN BYER | THE DAILY EASTERN NEWS

Tonya Sawyer, Eastern’s Assistant Athletic Director and Compliance & Senior Woman Administrator, speaks to Eastern volleyball player, Kate Dean, in her office Monday morning.

SPORTS

2 daughters,

Contributing Writers | @DEN_Sports

“Yes I can and watch me.”

That’s what Eastern head volleyball coach, Sara Thomas, says to those who think being a single, working mom can stop you from doing what you want to do.

Thomas, who has been at Eastern since 2019, has led the team to great success in her years. She took her team to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament as the fourth seed this past 2022 season.

She also helped the program with posting the teams most wins in a season since 2015.

Thomas also coached Eastern’s third OVC Player of the Year, Giovanna Larregui Lopez, who is also the second player in Eastern’s history to earn an AVCA All-American honorable mention.

Her roster also consisted of Kaitlyn Flynn, who was selected as first team All-OVC. She also had Christina Martinez Mundo who earned a second team All-OVC player spot.

Coaching Division 1 volleyball is not Thomas’ only achievement. Growing up in Belleville, ILL, Thomas grew up playing volleyball.

“I started playing volleyball as a baby,” she said. “I don’t remember not playing.”

Thomas also mentioned multiple women in her family played volleyball as well, including her mother and her aunt, making volleyball a big part of her life.

“It was kind of in my blood.”

Thomas played volleyball at Missouri State in Springfield, MO. In her years there, she achieved first team All-Conference for the Missouri Valley Conference, went to the NCAA tournament three times, making it to the second round her junior year, and earned Defensive Player of the Year her senior year in the Missouri Valley Conference as well.

“I told my aunt when I was in high school [who was her coach], that I was going to come back and take her place as a coach.”

For Thomas, coaching was a big goal of hers.

“I knew at a very young age that I wanted to just help young women find a love and develop life skills through a sport.”

Thomas’ coaching started at Belleville Althoff Catholic High School for 10 years, which is the high school she attended, where she brought the team to winning their only state championship. She also coached at Missouri State, at USA Camps, and now coaching for Eastern.

Thomas said that she loves the job itself, so it’s hard for her to say what’s difficult

about being a single mom and working.

“No matter what your situation is, you can always overcome,” she said. “Even the people that try to bring you down.”

Thomas said that working hard is some thing she always tries to show her kids.

“[I] show them what the meaning of hard work is and valuing yourself. I can be a role model for them,” she said. “And I see those young women on my team as my daugh ters too.”

Thomas said that even though she coaches volleyball her daughters love it but they do take interest in other things as well.

Her daughters are both involved in other sports, like gymnastics, basketball, soccer, Ninja Warrior, and summer training pro grams.

“As long as they love and enjoy it, I want them to do everything they can.”

Sara Thomas is one of three female head coaches at Eastern, the other two are Tara Archibald, head coach of the Eastern soft ball team, and Erin Howarth, who coaches

“To be able to coach other women and be a role model to them and show them that I’m human.”

- Sara Thomas

Cross Country and Distance for Eastern’s track and field and cross-country teams.

“I think it’s a great honor and privilege to be able to represent EIU being one of the three. I think with that also comes with a lot of responsibility,” she said. “I want to make sure that the girls on my team are learning to be young women.”

Thomas mentioned that it’s a very fulfill ing feeling to be coaching a successful Divi sion 1 volleyball team, but that it takes her whole staff, the support from the adminis tration, and the hard work her players put in.

“It’s absolutely fulfilling, but what ful fills me more is seeing one of my girls who could be struggling in a class, at the end of the year getting an A,” she said. “They’ve learned to have a good work ethic on the court, which transfers to the classroom.”