The Daily Egyptian - April 14, 2021 by Daily Egyptian

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DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM APRIL 14, 2021 VOL. 104, ISSUE 13

Jackson County vaccination numbers continue to climb

World’s Largest Gun Show

Diksha Mittal | dmittal@dailyegyptian.com

Illinois is on a vaccination spree as the number of vaccine doses administered continue to grow every day. According to a Tweet from the Illinois Department of Public Health, over 7 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The CDC recommends vaccines to all Americans who are age 16 or above. JCHD has administered 55,000 vaccinations, with 32,000 of those being given to Jackson County residents, according to Paula Clark, the division director at the Jackson County Health Department. They are providing vaccinations from Monday to Saturday at the SIU Arena or Banterra Center and the Carbondale Civic Center. Among the vaccines offered, Clark said there is no single type that is more popular than others, though some people may have preferences when they come in. “There is not a more popular vaccine. Some people have a specific preference, while others prefer Johnson and Johnson because it is only one shot,” Clark said. On April 13, the Jackson County Health Department announced it would be pausing the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to FDA recommendations. Use of the vaccine will resume with the state’s permission. Two gun sellers inspect a revolver at the world’s largest gun show, the Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show. The show was a two day event and took place on April, 10 and 11, 2021, at Expo Square in Tulsa, Okla. More than 25,000 people participated in the show. Monica Sharma | @ms_clicks

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DCFS reports over 1,000 child deaths in Illinois over last decade Courtney Alexander | @___Courtney_alex23____

The Office of the Inspector General, with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, released its annual 2021 report to the Governor and General Assembly. Although there’s been a decrease in the number of child deaths, the deaths over the decade left a mark. There have been 1,122 child deaths since 2010, and the deceased children had connections with DCFS within a year of their deaths. Lester G. Bovia, Jr., the interim inspector general of DCFS, said OIG investigates child deaths that occur each year, according to the report. “OIG’s most important work is our review and investigation of child deaths that meet OIG’s criteria for case opening – that is, child deaths where DCFS had contact with the family within the preceding year,” Bovia said. A death can be investigated by OIG, but the cause of death may be from other causes that have no relation to DCFS, Bovia said. “A child’s death may have met our criteria for case opening does not necessarily mean DCFS has any culpability for it,” Bovia said. “Sometimes, tragedy strikes due to external or natural causes having nothing to do with DCFS.

Nevertheless, child death case numbers are one metric OIG tracks for a snapshot of the state of the child welfare system.” The total number of child deaths is categorized each year by youth in care, natural causes, accidents, homicides, suicides, or undetermined causes. On average, there have been 105 deaths per year since 2000-2019, and child deaths have decreased by 17% since the 2020 annual report. Dana Weiner, a senior policy fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, said systemic influences create barriers that contribute to DCFS child fatality cases. “The report explains them better than me, but cultural factors, operational factors, and structural factors are systemic factors. There were some pervasive behaviors and attitudes among front-line staff that would and wouldn’t be taken seriously by the court,” Weiner said. “There were also blind spots where children could potentially remain in families where they were risks, and the families weren’t receiving services.” Making improvements to DCFS programs that are already established can also prevent child deaths. “I was asked by the governor to review the functioning of the intact family services program, after a couple of deaths of children who remained with their parents after an

investigation by DCFS. Intact is a preventive program that families are involved in when they are investigated,” Weiner said. The public can help support children and families by engaging in more community-based activities, and this also helps spread awareness about services that are available, Weiner said. “Child welfare systems are increasingly acknowledging the role of community and the larger community context in both creating risks, but also helping to support families so that they can have the protective factors that will keep children safe,” Weiner said. “I think the work that’s taking place in the area of prevention, tries to build capacity to deliver preventive services, but also to raise community awareness about services that are available.” Courtney Alexander can be reached at calexander@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at ___Courtney_ alex23______. See graphic on page 12

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Biden administration announces executive actions on gun control George Wiebe | gwiebe@dailyegyptian.com

Six executive actions were announced April 7 targeting gun violence following the mass shootings in Boulder, Colo. and Atlanta, Ga. President Joe Biden described the recent acts of violence as an “epidemic” and “embarrassment” to the country. Executive actions, often confused with executive orders, do not carry the weight of the law, but are instead informal proposals, or a call to action on the part of Congress. The actions proposed include: A proposed ruling by the Justice Department to “help stop the proliferation of ‘ghost guns’” which are self built/assembled firearms that lack commercial serial numbers. A proposed rule by the Justice Department to “make clear when a device marketed as a stabilizing brace effectively turns a pistol into a short-barreled rifle,”. These braces are used to increase the accuracy of a firearm, and notably was used by the shooter in Boulder, Colo. last March. A model for “red flag” laws published by the Justice Department, which would allow families or law enforcement to petition for a court ordered restriction on “people in crisis” to access firearms. Investment in “evidence-based community violence interventions,” a strategy that pritoritizes the prevention of gun violence through targeted interventions, treating the issue as a public health crisis rather than a criminal one. An annual report on firearms trafficking by the Justice Department as a means of supplying state and

Vaccine

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local policy makers with “information they need to help address firearms trafficking today.” Finally, the nomination of David Chipman to serve as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, where Chipman has served as a special agent for 25 years. Since the announcement of the executive actions, observers on both sides of the gun control debate have criticized the Biden administration. Some Republicans believe this to be an overreach by the President aimed at infringing on their second amendment rights. “I am deeply troubled with Joe Biden’s decision yesterday to pick David Chipman to lead the ATF,” Congresswoman Mary Miller (R. Ill-15) said in a press release. “The ATF has tremendous power and authority, and we all should be very concerned about how Chipman intends to use that power.” Meanwhile, gun control activists have expressed concern that executive actions are not a strong enough response. In 2016, former President Barack Obama issued 23 executive actions on gun violence, which did nothing to lower firearm related deaths. In 2016, more than 33,000 firearm related deaths occurred and in 2019, that number was nearly 40,000. “He needs to move forward with legislative changes today, now, because what’s at stake is real human life,” Kris Brown, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said. Staff reporter George Wiebe can be reached at gwiebe@ dailyegyptian.com

Clark emphasized their goal to push the vaccine to students as much as possible for their safety. “We are encouraging students to come in and receive their vaccination prior to leaving campus for summer. This will ensure a safer and healthier summer, while also assisting in a safe return to campus in the fall,” Clark said. According to IDPH, 56.5% of women have been vaccinated in Illinois compared to 43% of men. As of April 11, 4,057,681 women have received vaccination as compared to 3,088,511 men in Illinois. Demographically, the white population is the largest to be vaccinated at 66.6%. This is followed by 10.8% of Hispanics or Latino, 8.82% of the African American population and 5.9% of Asians. Receiving a vaccination from Jackson County Health Department is free of charge and your insurance is not billed. However, some locations bill insurance companies. The IDPH reports that 9,001,105 doses of vaccines have been administered in Illinois. According to Reuters, 187-million-doses-of vaccines have been administered nationally in the U.S. Staff reporter Diksha Mittal can be reached at dmittal@dailyegyptian.com.

Seriously. Get out from under there! Stay informed!

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

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Chicagoland Amazon employees walk out ahead of Alabama union vote

Supporters of a unionization effort at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama pose outside of an Amazon Go store during a Day of Solidarity on March 20, 2021 in downtown Chicago, Ill. Jason Flynn | @dejasonflynn

Jason Flynn | @dejasonflynn

Amazon workers in Chicago, Ill. staged a walk-out on April 8 protesting “megacycle” shifts a day before a union vote loss at an Alabama Amazon facility which garnered national attention. “We have so many stories of our lives being disrupted by Amazon’s national change to the megacycle,” Amazonians United Chicagoland (AUC) said in a written statement. “Mothers now struggle to care for their families, so many of us wake up feeling like zombies every day.” Mark Balentine, a community navigator with Warehouse Workers for Justice, has worked with Amazon employees attempting to organize for better workplace conditions. “These ridiculous rates that they give people to hit every day in order to keep a job is just outrageous” Balentine said. “You want somebody to pick 2,500 boxes a day.” Balentine said many of the complaints he’s heard from Amazon warehouse workers have been related to break times, injuries and wages. “They give them a 20 minute break, but the break room’s 40 minutes away,” Balentine said. “These warehouses are the size of Soldier Field, two Soldier Fields put together. It takes time to walk to one side of the building, and if they’re a little late, they’re getting written up.” Balentine said many families can’t afford to make ends meet on their income from Amazon, even after working 10 hour shifts that include overtime pay. The two most productive facilities near Chicago, in Monee and Joliet, aren’t accessible by public transportation, Balentine said, so city residents have to add car payments to their other expenses like rent, food, and clothes which are already burdensome for anyone with kids. The National Labor Relations Board announced on April 9 that Amazon employees in Bessemer, Ala. lost a vote to unionize 7381,798. The result was disappointing for Balentine, but he said he looks at the loss as beginning for a larger organizing drive.

“Amazonians down in Alabama, they stepped up and said, ‘hey, look, you might retaliate against us, you’re gonna do all these different things to discourage us to do this, but we’re gonna do it anyway’,” Balentine said. The sentiment was reflected by AUC during their walkout. “Amazon thought they’d get rid of our union by shutting down DCH1,” their statement said. “All they did was piss us off even more, and help us spread from being at one location to now growing our union at multiple Chicagoland sites.” The Retail, Warehouse, Department Store Union (RWDSU), which Alabama Amazon workers were attempting to organize, will contest the results. “We are formally filing charges against all of the egregious and blatantly illegal actions taken by Amazon during the union vote,” Stuart Applebaum, president of RWDSU, said in a statement. According to Payday Report, many of the people who voted against the union in Bessemer were younger, and didn’t have much experience with organized labor. Balentine said it’s a typical tactic for warehouses to target younger people. “They don’t understand the struggle, they haven’t been out there living on their own.” Balentine said. “I’ve talked to some of the young guys here. They say, ‘well I just started man and it’s good money to me’.” Warehouses also take in people that don’t have many other alternatives besides staying at the warehouse. “It’s an issue [for] the 19 and the 20 year olds that have kids, that [are] out here struggling, [that are] paying child support, that [have] been to jail,” Balentine said. “In places like Amazon, they feed off of that type of subject.” Staff reporter Jason Flynn can be reached at jflynn@dailyegyptian.com, by phone at 872222-7821 or on Twitter at @dejasonflynn.

Supporters of a unionization effort at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama march on the sidewalk for a Day of Solidarity on March 20, 2021, in downtown Chicago, Ill. Jason Flynn | @dejasonflynn

Melissa Vozar, a member of the Chicago Teachers Union, gives a speech during a Day of Solidarity at Federal Plaza in Chicago, Ill. on March 20, 2021. “Just like the spark that CTU ignited in 2012 that set off the start of teacher strikes across the US, a win and Alabama can set the stage for Amazon workers to unionize throughout this country,” Vozar said. Jason Flynn | @dejasonflynn

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Revolutionary groups foster political education through community service programs Jason Flynn | @dejasonflynn

Community service programming that blends revolutionary political education is seeing a revival in cities all over the United States. “You can’t be a revolutionary if you’re starving. You can’t be a revolutionary if you don’t have any clothes on your back,” said Koba, the secretary of For The People Chicago. For The People is part of a political party called the Maoist Communist Party Organizing Committee (MCPOC), though it’s not a political party in the typical use of the term The MCPOC doesn’t run political candidates or propose legislation, and only exists to provide structure to chapters around the country. For The People (FTP) has chapters in Carbondale, Cleveland, Chicago, Boston, Bloomington, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia and more. The Chicago chapter began organizing community aid programs in the north side neighborhood of Albany Park in January 2020, beginning with an emergency food program in response to a reduction in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. “Every Sunday of the week, rain, snow or shine, we make sure to have a food distribution,” Koba said. “We serve about 60 families in that community every week with bags of canned food and fresh produce.” Since last year FTP - Chicago has expanded their community program to include hot meals, clothing distributions, safe smoking kits to prevent overdoses and medical check-ups through a partnership with The Night Ministry. The organization also operates a storefront that they operated as a warming center over the winter. Koba said FTP doesn’t start community programs just for the sake of being charitable, but also hopes to find new neighborhood leaders by involving community members in the assistance programs. “When we start these ‘serve the people’ programs they’re to address a vital need of the community, and also to capture the imaginations of the masses,” Koba said. Sundiata Keita Cha-Jua, an assistant professor of African American studies and History at the University of Illinois, said there’s a long history of community assistance programs among revolutionary groups, especially in the Black community, like the Universal Negro Improvement Association, the Nation of Islam and the Black Panthers. “You have to have things that attract the people, and you have to try and meet their concrete needs,” Cha-Jua said. “That’s been a way in which these groups, one, recruit, but also try and lighten the burden on the community.” Black Men Build (BMB), an organization focused on organizing Black men while challenging traditional notions of class and masculinity, started about a year ago. Tef Poe, a co-national field director for BMB living in St. Louis, said the group started in response to an open letter from women organizers calling for more active participation from men. “A certain class of Black men have not found themselves at the table in political conversations or joining political organizations or feeling as if they’ve had a political voice,” Poe said. “They found homes in some very unhealthy spaces, and we wanted to envision what a healthy space for

““Every Sunday of the week, rain, snow or shine, we make sure to have a food distribution. We serve about 60 families in that community every week with bags of canned food and fresh produce.” - Koba Secretary of For the People - Chicago

brothers would be.” BMB has grown to include eight “hubs” in cities around the country. Each hub hosted a national day of service in December 2020, which included a children’s coat drive in St. Louis, a bike assembly in Miami, distributing Personal Protective Equipment in Detroit and a healing circle in Houston. Though they’ve done community service programs, political education is the main focus of BMB. “The reason some of these vanguard groups were so good for the public in the past is because they didn’t stray away from political education,” Poe said. The group publishes a magazine called “Wartime,” aimed at reaching primarily Black men in ways that reflect their personal experience. “I think we have to really consider remodeling political education, and thinking about things more concretely in terms of folks’ ability to digest information, where people are grabbing information from, how are people processing information [and] the type of lives that people live,” Poe said. “We’re all trying to figure out a way to steal some time back from capitalism.” Koba and Poe both see past organizations, like the Black Panthers, United Front, the Young Lords and others, as an inspiration for their current work. “I would be lying if I said we didn’t have high

motivations and aspirations to eventually become our own millennial version of the Black Panthers,” Poe said. “But also I realize folks romanticize and crystallize groups in the 60s way too much.” These numerous organizations are attractive, according to Cha-Jua, because of a distinction between a tradition of protests, where people challenge unfair treatment, and a tradition of organizing, where people build or take control of community institutions. “The most seminal innovation of Black Power, and what makes it different from the civil rights movement is not self defense, it’s institution building,” Cha-Jua said. “It’s building Black controlled institutions.” Poe and Koba both said their organizations aim to learn from past work and evolve. “We want the resources of the community to be controlled by the community, and, [for] the community to be able to have full command over what happens within the space of the community,” Koba said. Staff reporter Jason Flynn can be reached at jflynn@ dailyegyptian.com, by phone at 872-222-7821 or on Twitter at @dejasonflynn.

Jacqueline Boyd | @jacqueline.ciera

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

International Feature

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SIU’s International Festival Talent Show showcases gifts from around the world

Arunima Aindrila performs a traditional Bangledeshi dance Saturday, April 10, 2021 at SIU. Aindrila submitted two different dances as her entry for the International Festival Talent Show, which was held virtually this year. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Nico Sánchez-Barberán and Gloria Inés Orozco Dorado play a duet Saturday, April 10, 2021 at SIU. Sánchez-Barberán and Dorado are professional musicians and play duets under the name The Two of Us. The duo has played in Mexico, the United States, and Columbia. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Students gathered to share who they are by showcasing the most unique expressions of their cultures from around the world. The International Festival has many events, one of which is a talent show featuring SIU’s most talented international students. This year, the event was held virtually Friday, April 9, 2021, allowing students to submit their entries by video or perform them live on Zoom. The range of talent was vast. So was the diversity of participants who came from countries in Latin America to Bangladesh to China. The talent show was organized by The International Student Council (ISC) and the Center for International Education (CIE) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Many of the students who participated were from one of these organizations. Gloria Inés Orozco Dorado performed a duet with Nico Sánchez-Barberán playing Bolero, a musical genre from Spain. “To share our culture and our music is important to us, because it’s part of our heart that we can with other people,” Sánchez-Barberán said.The duo won second place for their performance. Joel Kottman, a senior at SIU and talent show participant from Georgia. Kottman read a piece called The Angry Ladybug and the Very Polite Spider by Cathy Kramer. Kottman is currently riding out the pandemic at his grandparent’s house in Georgia and expects to return to Carbondale in June. A virtual talent show allowed for Kottman to participate. “I think that having a virtual talent show was a great idea, but I’d hoped it could be in-person. Maybe next year if it is, I can participate in-person,” Kottman said. Daniel Rodríguez won first place in the talent show, creating a music video along with the Latin American Student Association. Rodríguez is the president of the association and created it to showcase students from Columbia, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Honduras, Venezuela and El Salvador. Rodríguez has participated in the talent show for the past three years, doing dance performances when the event was in person. In addition to showcasing their cultures and talents, participants used the talent show as a means of self-expression. Ashley Zhao sang a worship song, Neng Bu Neng, in Mandarin, translating to Can I Stay. “Christians in China are kind of marginalized, but being Christian and being Chinese are both significantly important identities to me,”Zhao said. Staff photographer Chris Bishop can be reached at cbishop@dailyegyptian.com, or on Instagram at @quippedmediallc.

Daniel Rodríguez takes a photo Saturday, April 10, 2021 at SIU. Rodríguez is the president of the Latin American Student Association at SIU, winning first place at the talent show with a music video the association created.Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

SIU College of Arts and Media searches for new interim dean Diksha Mittal | dmittal@dailyegyptian.com

The search for the new interim dean is underway at the College of Arts and Media. Three candidates are being considered for the position. Meera Komarraju, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, is in direct contact with the deans and other departments of SIU like the Center for Teaching Excellence, and honors programs. “I meet with all of my direct reports [deans] once a month. In addition, each academic dean has a monthly meeting with me one-onone,” Komarraju said. Komarraju oversees the academic mission of the university as the chief academic officer. Apart from that, in the case of any emergency or critical issue, she is available to meet with the deans to resolve issues. “When the pandemic happened,[…] we had to make some very quick decisions and end the semester in as smooth a way as possible and had to plan for fall and spring,” Komarraju said. Her expectation for the new interim dean is to be the leader of that college. “They are responsible for anything that pertains to the college,” Komarraju said. “That includes delivering all the academic

programs, making sure they are done well, that the students are getting what they sign up for in terms of the scheduling of the courses, making sure instructors are there and that the program delivers what it is supposed to deliver in terms of the curriculum, outcomes and so on. That is the academic side.” She said the dean is also expected to manage the budget and expected to do some sort of fundraising to find additional resources to support the college. This could be done through alumni donations. “Currently, the focus is on enrollment. So the deans are asked to increase enrollment,” Komarraju said. She said the dean’s role at SIU is also related to the marketing of the program and figuring out which programs attract more students. All the three candidates in the race for the interim dean position have focused on collaboration and restructuring the department, the importance of enrollment and necessity of increasing the scale of research in the department. Each candidate has had prior administrative experience and has been involved in important research work in the recent years. H.D. Motyl, Associate Professor of Radio,

Television and Digital Media and the current interim dean of MCMA, listed reorganization of the department, collaboration and innovation, and celebration as important guiding principles in his leadership within the college. “The most important part of this is to really build a culture of what we want this college to be and create a foundation,” Motyl said. He proposed collaborating on year long, multiple projects across campus like producing a sitcom. Another candidate is associate professor of architectural studies,Craig Anz. Anz has a background in urban studies, architecture and environmental design. He has served as an associate dean for academic affairs at two separate colleges. One of the colleges is CASA. He also spent a year away on an educational leave serving as a guest associate dean for the Virginia Commonwealth School for the Arts. “My leadership style is typically Aristotelian, just like a teacher who walks beside [his pupils]. I believe my leadership is about leading and serving,” Anz said. “I believe in creating a culture and community where we work together on teams, and as an

architect, I’m also project oriented so I believe in goals and developing the right teams for it.” Segun Ojewuyi is the chair of the department of theater and professor of directing. He said besides addressing the problem of enrollment, he teaches students collaboration in theatre which is a useful skill that he can apply to his leadership style. “I’ve also walked outside of the academy, learning the ropes of arts administration and management, and especially networking, which in the university we call multidisciplinary partnerships, and interdisciplinary partnerships,” Ojewuyi said. Ojewuyi said his goal would be direction of both financial and human capital in the college and effect and enhance faculty-student research efforts. He also placed emphasis on an approach that promotes diversity and antiracism, not in terms of identity but ideas. “We do our best to make sure that the process is fair, objective and everybody gets a chance. If they have put their name in, they have a chance to get selected,” Komarraju said. Staff reporter Diksha Mittal can be reached at dmittal@dailyegyptian.com.

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

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Harvey and Sanders seek more diversity in Carbondale Government Nicolas Galindo | @ngalindophoto

With Carolin Harvey securing her third term on City Council and newcomer Ginger Rye Sanders getting a seat at the table, the two women seek to invoke changes with diversity and inclusion in all levels of the city’s government to better reflect the diversity of the city itself. Sanders comes to the council with a background in community activism and starting the organization Women for Change, Carbondale: Unity in the Community. “I wanted to do more at a level of government that would really affect change,” Sanders said. Women for Change was created to give a stronger voice to citizens in the northeast side of town after having a meeting with city officials Sanders had after an incident involving her grandson. “I was laying in the bed and all this noise, this ruckus,” Sanders said. “I woke up and I went outdoors [...] and all these people were running down the street, my yard was full of people and my grandson was being escorted by police.” According to Sanders, a man was shot and killed by another man and her grandson was walking through the parking lot where the incident happened and went to check on the man who was shot. “I was so upset and outraged. I said, ‘how in the world could this happen in the neighborhood that I grew up in,’” Sanders said. Sanders attempted to arrange a meeting at city hall, however, they were unable to arrange a meeting. As Sanders was drafting a letter to introduce herself, explain what happened and to arrange a meeting, she talked to community members.

“In my outrage, I talked to a few people in the community and the only people that I could get to hear me were women,” Sanders said. “I told the preachers, I told everybody, but nobody heard me but women.” On election night, Sanders initially thought she lost her bid for a seat on the city council as she watched the results come in at the Jackson County Courthouse. “I was looking at the monitors, which I did not understand, since they had Jackson County here, another county over there,” Sanders said. “There was a lady from the school board I knew, Mrs. Waters, she said, ‘Ginger, you’re in third place.’[...] I said, ‘third place? I’m going to lose.’ I had not even thought about the process.” Carolin Harvey, who went to the courthouse later that evening, let Sanders know she had one of the three available seats on City Council, according to Sanders. “I know I have lots of work to do. I’m glad to be a voice for communities that have been underserved and underrepresented. I don’t say that as a cliche. I say that because I am one of them, so this is personal for me,” Sanders said. Sanders hopes to be able to push more diversity and inclusion within city government. “I’m working on something I like to call ‘Project 42,’” Sanders said. “Project 42 is something that I would like to see in Carbondale in that it deal with diversity and inclusion and the demographics, which say that there are 42 minorities, but none of the percentages reflect that across the board.” It is Sanders’ goal to have the city commit to more representation in city government.

“I just feel that there should not be a city government that has 82% of individuals that are White,” Sanders said. “I just think that that’s a problem, all by itself.” Harvey, who has won reelection for a third term, agrees with Sanders that there should be more diversity and inclusivity with the city. “Carbondale is a very diverse town,” Harvey said. “That’s one of the main draws to Carbondale is all that we offer through Southern Illinois University, with people from all over the world being here in Carbondale and that needs to be represented accordingly. No matter where you’re from, you should be able to relate to someway, somehow, to those people who are making decisions that affect your life on a personal, day to day basis.” While Harvey doesn’t come back to council with any set agenda, aside from “do what the citizens of Carbondale want me to do,” one of the issues she would like to see be addressed is providing relief for the city’s homeless population. “If there’s a way that we can get some of our local landlords, or even […] property owners, who have vacant properties to in someway donate or give those to an organization or to the city so the house one be rehabbed for homeless or low-to-medium income families, I would be eternally grateful,” Harvey said. Another pursuit Harvey would like to pass in council is to provide relief for local businesses affected by the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. While it’s not a city council issue, Harvey would like to see the city’s children go back to school, full-time in the fall for next year also.

The Saluki Food Pantry: Lending a helping meal Riley Hemken | rhemken@dailyegyptian.com

The Saluki Food Pantry is an on-campus organization striving to help food insecure students. The pantry has had a large impact on SIU, especially during COVID-19; when faced with the epidemic, the pantry created “summer emergency food packs for those in need,” Kent Epplin, associate director of the Student Center said. Between March 2020 and the fall semester, the Food Pantry gave out over 1,000 emergency food bags to those in need, using almost all of their supplies due to the lack of food drives. Typically the Food Pantry has a food drive over Thanksgiving; however, this year the drive has been moved to April 29 from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the south side of the Student Center. This food drive is to allow staff and students to get involved and donate. The pantry started around three years ago, according to Epplin. The pantry is located in the student center and is open from 10 a.m. to 1

p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Food that the pantry gives out is free to students, and individuals receive enough food for every family member living in a household to last for three days. “To acquire most donations, food drives are done either by the pantry or organizations such as Greek life, or RSOs,” Epplin said. Donations that are accepted include canned goods such as beans, tuna, fruit, vegetables, rice, noodles, and toilet paper. To find out more about what is accepted at the food pantry or volunteer, contact them at foodpantry@siu.edu. Staff reporter Riley Hemken can be reached at rhemken@dailyegyptian.com.

“Hopefully, they will be able to be back in school full-time with their friends and teachers come Sept. or August, whenever school starts,” Harvey said. Harvey is looking forward to settling the issue with merging the park district with the city, as was voted on last year. “I’m ready to see some progress being made on that as far as if we are going to merge certain functions of the park district with the city,” Harvey said. “In my head, that only makes sense.” With the city having an accounting department and lawyer, it saves the park district time and money in having to hire an accounting agency or accountant and keeping a paying retainer fees to a lawyer. “At this point, in theory, I’m fully supportive of merging some of the functions,” Harvey said. “I say in theory because it would depend on two things: one what the final draft or final proposal would look like and two is that what the citizens would actually want when they see that final proposal.” Both Harvey and Sanders want to see the Eurma Hayes Center become a place in the community for citizens to obtain resources for aid. The current proposed plan has the Carbondale police department occupying a space in the center, which citizens have railed against. However, both Harvey and Sanders are in support of having the police have a presence in the center. “I see that as a very positive thing because it would be a resource center, not a police station,” Harvey said. “Hopefully there would be some interaction with police

who are not necessarily there to investigate or deal with a negative situation.” Harvey acknowledges the ongoing conversation about having the police department represented as one of the potential resources available to the citizens at the center, however emphasized her responsibility to the citizens. “If the citizens voice to me that they don’t want it then if I have something to say about it, then my vote is ‘no,’” Harvey said. “If there’s enough people who want it and support it, of course, I would vote for that.” Sanders views having a police presence in the Eurma Hayes Center as means to help bridge the gap between the community and police. “There’s a real big gap between community and police,” Sanders said. “How in the world can you have community police reform if we don’t want the police in the community? I think children should see someone that looks like them as a police [officer].” The goal of the current Hayes Center board president is to provide resources for the community to use, according to Sanders. “If there’s anything that we can help to be a resource to help the community, I am all for it,” Sanders said. Managing Editor Nicolas Galindo can be reached at ngalindophoto@ gmail.com or on Twitter & Instagram @ngalindophoto.

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Local dress boutique business Sara Wangler | @sara_Wrangler Southern Illinois is home to various family owned and operated businesses, from restaurants to garages to dress shops, many of which have struggled to keep their doors open because of the pandemic. Owner and operator of Joyce’s Bridal, Michelle Holmes, faced issues at the beginning of the pandemic but through keeping the bridal side of the business open, she was able to keep her doors open. “Joyce’s is not only a prom and pageants store, we carry bridal gowns as well,” Holmes said. “Weddings didn’t stop, people had small weddings in their backyards and small gatherings.” January is when most of the inventory for the store is ordered, Holmes said. Holmes and her employees had to stay open for customers who had already paid and had dresses altered. “While in lockdown, I was able to obtain two payroll protection loans, which helped me keep two of my employees paid throughout the whole pandemic,” Holmes said. Holmes said the first three months of 2020 were amazing for business. But then come March, the shop closed its doors with a ton of inventory still for purchase. “We didn’t know when we could open or when this would all end,” Holmes said. “We were worried that girls who had dresses in layaway weren’t going to be able to wear them.” Luckily Holmes, her employees and various other businesses were able to give students whose prom has been canceled a chance to wear their prom dresses and tuxedos. “We called it SI Prom 2020 and it was held at the Pavilion in Marion,” Holmes said. “I enlisted help from sponsors and the city of Marion to make it possible.” A total of 300 tickets were sold for SI Prom 2020. The money collected went back to students in scholarship money. “Every senior that attended was eligible to sign up,” Holmes said. “Each senior that did attend received a scholarship of around $1,500.” Holmes said the event went really well and she was happy she could bring a bit of normalcy to students in Southern Illinois. “It was a mixed group,” Holmes said. “We had students from all over the area but it went really well and there were no issues.” As of now, Holmes is seeing more business since it’s the middle of prom and wedding season. “In March we’ve sold the most dresses so far,” Holmes said. “Schools are just now allowing or scheduling dances. Some schools are combining prom and homecoming making it “prom-coming.” Other schools are just having coronations or handling it in another way.” Holmes says her team will keep being open for the community. They want to do what they can in a time like this. “We’re open six days a week,” Holmes said. “Typically we would be open seven days a week, but I just don’t have the staffing anymore.” Joyce’s Bridal isn’t the only dress outlet in Marion that faced issues during the pandemic. Melise’s Boutique owned by Melise Oakley has also struggled in staying open, paying employees and supplying the community with formal wear needs. “Owning your own business is challenging,” Oakley said. “You get thrown curve balls and you’ve just gotta figure it out.” Oakley said it’s been hit or miss with her store being open and operating. “I have a full time job with Southern Illinois Hospice as well, so keeping that job and running a business has been all because of the grace of God,” Oakley said. Oakley is the fifth person in her family to own a business in Marion. “My father always told me if I had good people around me that I could do anything, and I believe I’ve got the best people working with me,” Oakley said. Owner of Mr. Tuxedo and Bridal Teresa Hubbs has worked in the industry for 30 years, 15 working for Mr. Tuxedo and Bridal then 15 owning the business. “Mr. Tuxedo and Bridal started out as a chain, I was lucky enough to receive ownership before the chain fell through,” Hubbs said. Hubbs has seen a lot in her 30 years of working in the wedding and prom dress industry, but nothing like a pandemic. “Like many dress shops in the area, I had new inventory for the upcoming season last year,” Hubbs said. “Then right when business normally picks up, the world stopped. I decided this year to not buy any new prom dresses and sell the ones I got last year for 50% off.” Hubbs is gradually getting back to normal sales and business hours. As of now, Mr. Tuxedo and Bridal is extremely short staffed. “It’s normally just me through the week,” Hubbs said. “I have help on the weekends and an in-house seamstress. But I’m keeping my payroll down until I can get back to normal.” Hubbs said in the first four months of this year, business has picked up. “During prom season we are pretty well busy all the time,” Hubbs said. “I’ve been selling a lot of prom dresses since selling them at 50% off. A lot of people are trying to save and hold on to money at a time like this; at half price, it’s more affordable.”

Taylor Hoffman organizes dresses at Melise’s Boutique April 3, 2021, in Marion, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Sheila Pepmiller embroiders a shirt at Melise’s Boutique April 3, 2021, in Marion, Ill. Pepmiller has been embroidering with the boutique for eight years and said that one of the biggest challenges with COVID-19 was the inconvenience the restrictions

Staff reporter Sara Wangler can be reached at swangler@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @sara_Wangler.

were to the customers. “It was easier just to come and get something, do it as a gift and take off and now it’s not convenient like that,” Pepmiller said. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

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slowly returns since pandemic

Nicole Miskelley helps fit a client for a dress April 3, 2021, at Melise’s Boutique in Marion, Ill. Miskelley entered into the formal wear business in 2019 and said it was difficult to begin her business during the pandemic. “We were shut down March of last year up until about October [...] so it’s been really hard, especially it being my first year in business, trying to get everything going,” Miskelley said. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Allison Spence fits a client for a tuxedo at Melise’s Boutique April 3, 2021, in Marion, Ill. Melise’s Boutique is a dress shop that provides formal wear as well as an embroidery service for the community. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

News

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

SIU celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage

Elena Schauwecker | eschauwecker@dailyegyptian.com

In the midst of rapidly increasing oppression against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders all across the country, SIU has chosen to recognize national Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month to celebrate the cultural heritage of its AAPI students and faculty. On March 16, research released from the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center showed 3,800 reports of racist incidents against AAPI individuals across the country in the last year, 68% of the victims being women. These incidents included shunning, slurs and physical attacks and represented a sharp increase from the 2,600 incidents which took place the previous year. These hate crimes have been fueled by COVID-19, as some have held Asian people to blame for the pandemic. One of the most recent

instances took place in Atlanta, Ga. on March 16, where six Asian women were killed in massage parlors. Though SIU has celebrated AAPI heritage month for many years, these events have made it more important than ever for the university to show appreciation for its AAPI students and faculty. Todd Bryson, the associate chancellor for diversity, told SIU News, “Nationally, Asian American and Pacific Islander Month is celebrated in May, but SIU decided long ago to move the celebration to April because it’s very important that we dedicate a full month to celebrate the nation’s tremendous Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.” A new event that SIU has introduced into the festivities this year is a candlelight vigil, a display that will be up for the remainder of April in the Student Center Art

Gallery where the community can pay their respects to the victims of these attacks. The heritage month kicked off on April 1, when SIU’s associate director for study abroad, Ramesh Neupane, shared his story over a Zoom meeting, talking about his journey from Nepal to Nebraska and finally to SIU, where he received his doctorate in educational administration and began working closely with international students. There is also a reading list available at Morris Library featuring AAPI authors and an International Cooking Fest, which can be found on Facebook. On April 30, the Center for International Education will be hosting a socially distanced International Coffee Hour. Such social events allow students to be able to connect and make friends, since the pandemic has limited the connection and interaction between

diverse cultures which is normally present on campus. Amber Ngan, a former business major at SIU who is from Vietnam, questioned whether a month was enough. She said while the Multicultural Student Resource Center offers services for Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ and female students, there is no specific center for Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders. “I surely hope there would be more resource centers for Asians, not only in SIU, but also more and more universities everywhere in the US. That’s essential. There are more and more young students coming from other countries to learn and live in the US with goodwill and full of hope. Why would people turn them down, showing that this country is not as ‘free’ as the label of a ‘land of freedom?’” Ngan said. Despite her desire for more

resources, Ngan said she rarely experienced racism at SIU and always felt welcomed by her teachers and classmates. She said she appreciated that SIU was not afraid to address the violence against people of her nationality, and she hopes that in the future AAPI culture will be celebrated in all months. Ngan said she would like everyone who worked to make AAPI heritage month possible to know how grateful she is for their efforts. “Overall, I have experienced a great time at SIU, one of the most safe places in the area,” Ngan said. “You have been doing great and even better now. Thank you so much. I know all the good things I have seen there are a part of your efforts.” Staff reporter Elena Schauwecker can be reached at eschauwecker@ dailyegyptian.com.

SIU Theater Department returning to the stage Jamilah Lewis | @jamilahlewis

The SIU theater department is returning in fall 2021 with a new name and a new schedule of shows after shutting the lights off on stage and working on themselves the fall and spring semesters. Associate professor of musical theater and dance Darryl Clark, said one of the things students can look forward to from the theater department is the full schedule of shows for the next school year and the update to the school of theater. “We are getting a new name. We are going to be known as the school of Theater and Dance come July 1, 2021,” Clark said. “What that means is there will be a minor in dance that existed once upon a time but was deactivated for a little while, but now it’s going to be reactivated.” Pre-pandemic, the department was very active, rehearsing for ensembles and musicals for long hours and for about a month to six weeks, Clark said. Most of Clark’s involvement is during the rehearsal period working with the cast, stage management and the director, Clark said. When the fall came, the department questioned producing anything at all this year before Tuck Everlasting was confirmed. “[We] rehearsed from Oct. 2020 to when we ceased on-campus classes on the 20 of November,” Clark said. “Then it came back to rehearsal at the end of January and picked back up and ran through the rehearsal process for another four weeks after that. Twice the amount.” Associate professor of theater, technical director, and production manager Thomas Fagerholm said the department made a COVID-19 reengagement plan under the guidelines set in place by the university. “In the spring of 2020 when SIU shut down, we were in the middle

(From left to right) Students Mari D’Alessandro, Paige Fanning, Joe LaPointe, Aubree Jean, Uriel Achilleus, JT Atwood, and James Medwedeff stand at the ready to perform lines from William Shakespeare with professor Susan Patrick Benson Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Carbondale, Ill. Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the Theater department has had to make great concessions to accommodate its students safely. “We’re excited that we’re all getting our vaccines and we’ll be able to take these masks off soon,” Benson said. James B Allen | @skyclopsphotojamboree

of a black box show, a show in the Moe, and everything just stopped,” Fagerholm said. “We talked about whether or not it would be possible to keep assistantships on, could grads come in, could they do work on creative work in the shop [just for class], but even that seemed ultimately unsafe at the time.” Fagerholm said he was teaching a metal fabrication course when the pandemic stopped everything, but like other courses the theater department offers, Fagerholm had enough space to have in-person classes in fall 2020 while implementing the safety precautions needed. With Tuck Everlasting being the only show produced this school year, the scenic studio has been able to focus on reorganizing and maintenance

upkeep of the shop, Thomas said. “We are often moving from one show to the next with very little to no downtime,” Thomas said. “[It] takes a toll over time, so we have been using this time to rethink some of our organization strategies.” On the costume design side, associate costume design professor Wendi Cea said the regular process of designing costumes for shows had close work with everyone in the shows. Working on these shows meant designing the costumes, fittings, and getting input from the director and all of the designers on the costumes to have them best fit the shows, Cea said. “The first effect was that the shows we were working on that spring got canceled,” Cea said. “We were actually in the middle of the build process for

our playwrights festival; at the same time we were in the design process for what would’ve been our last show that season at the end of April.” Realizing the students would have to perform without a regular audience was unfortunate but was still needed to give the students the education they need, Cea said. Tuck Everlasting was a thesis project for the graduate student director, costume designer and technical director. While doing fittings for costumes, everyone wore face masks and shields and would disinfect the area after every fitting to make everything safe as possible, Cea said. They also made sure to take into account how masks would affect the performers on stage. “One thing that fell into costume laps was what kind of mask should we

use?” Cea said. “We’ve all seen there are lots of different masks out there, and which shape and style of mask would best protect everybody, but also still allow the performers the movement they needed to be able to sing and do all they have to do.” Clark said students can look forward to the renaming and the performance opportunities offered to all students. “They’re meant to be a part of the programs, but anybody can audition for these things,” Clark said. “You have to be ready to show how good you are to be able to be a part of it all.” Staff reporter Jamilah Lewis can be reached at jlewis@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter @jamilahlewis.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

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Ronan Lisota | @r_lisota

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Saluki AdLab wins district at advertising competition for Tinder campaign Nicolas Galindo | @ngalindophoto

The Saluki AdLab in the School of Journalism is making headlines after winning their district in the National Student Advertising Competition over the weekend. The NSAC is the premier college advertising competition and provides college students with real-world experience creating a strategic advertising, marketing and media campaign for a corporate client. Each year, for competition, corporate sponsors provide assignments or case studies, which outline the history of the company’s product and current challenge. This mimics a realworld marketing challenge where students must research the product, the competition, identify potential problem areas and devise a completely integrated campaign for the client. The Ad Lab’s client for the competition was Tinder. The student team of Samantha Oxford, Gannon

McCarty, Mikalyan Roach and Jacob Boehme put together a double-entendre riddled presentation pitch for their client. SIU beat other big name district school’s to include University of Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana State University, University of Illinois and DePaul. AdLab’s pitch moves on to compete in the semifinals to be held on May 6. If anyone is interested in viewing the district winning pitch, please contact Bridget Lescelius in the School of Journalism Managing Editor Nicolas Galindo can be reached at ngalindophoto@gmail.com or on Twitter & Instagram @ ngalindophoto.

Chloe Schobert | @chlo_scho_art

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

DCFS

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Jacqueline Boyd | @jacqueline.ciera

Sports

Saluki baseball looks to win first conference title since 1990

Adam Warfel | @warfel_adam

SIU baseball has now played 30 games and have 25 games left on their schedule: one game against Murray State and the rest all conference foes. The Salukis have already played eight conference games, going 4-4, but the bulk of their conference schedule will now open up against Bradley on Friday at 6 p.m. SIU has already faced Illinois State, who was picked to finish second, and the Salukis dropped three out of four games. The other conference opponent the Salukis have faced off against was Evansville, whom Southern took three games out of four from. In the preseason poll, the coaches selected Southern to finish sixth out of the eight teams in the conference with Dallas Baptist University (DBU) taking the top spot. From first to fifth, DBU, Illinois State, Missouri State, Indiana State, and Bradley were picked to finish ahead of SIU. The biggest surprise during the non- conference part of the schedule in the Missouri Valley conference has arguably come from the Sycamores

from Indiana State. Indiana State who is currently ranked number 23 in the Perfect Game top-25 poll, opened their conference slate this past weekend to take three out of four games from Illinois State. The Sycamores came into conference play with a 13-7 record, picking up wins over number 16 ranked Tennessee, and number 20 Florida Atlantic. DBU opened their conference slate going 4-0 April 1 through 3, sweeping Valparaiso in the four game set. As far as hitting is concerned for the conference favorites, the Patriots are led by sophomore outfielder River Town who is hitting for a .394 average across 25 games played. On the pitching side for the Patriots, their starting rotation is led by junior pitcher Dominic Hamel, who has a 2.90 earned run average (ERA) to go along with 64 strikeouts across just over 40 innings pitched in seven starts. SIU will not match up with DBU until the last series of the season in Carbondale on May 20 through 22. Southern’s next test in conference

is the Bradley Braves, who currently sits at 9-13 and holds a 3-4 record in conference so far. On the offensive side of the ball, the Braves are led by sophomore catcher Connor O’Brien. O’Brien has a .386 average in 21 games played this season accounting for 21 run batted in (RBI). Senior pitcher Jed Moscot leads the rotation for Bradley, having pitched 30 and two-thirds innings with a 4.11 ERA and 17 strikeouts. After the Bradley series, SIU travels to Valparaiso (5-16, 0-4 MVC) April 23 through 25 to face off against the team that was picked to finish eighth in the conference in the preseason. Freshman infielder Kaleb Hannahs leads the batting for the Brown and Gold with a .286 average in 21 games played this season with 19 strikeouts and eight RBI’s. Junior pitcher Colin Fields leads the rotation for Valpo having started six games, Fields has a 4.39 ERA through 26 and two thirds innings pitched with 37 strikeouts. The Salukis then return home to face off against the Bears of Missouri State (11-10, 2-2 MVC) the

weekend of April 30 through May 2. Missouri State would have faced off against DBU this past weekend, but the series was cancelled due to positive COVID-19 tests from tier one personnel for the Patriots. Graduate senior infielder Ben Whetstone is leading the way on offense this season for Missouri State, accumulating a .342 average and 16 RBI’s in 21 games played while only striking out 11 times. Graduate senior pitcher Logan Wiley is currently leading the way for the starting rotation for the Bears. Wiley has a 3.34 ERA in six appearances and 32 and one-third innings pitched, picking up 25 strikeouts while allowing only three home runs. After the series against Missouri State, SIU gets another chance against Evansville, this time in Evansville May 7 through 9. The Aces (18-12, 3-4 MVC) are led on offense by junior outfielder Kenton Crews, who in 23 games played has a .437 average with 31 hits and 20 RBI’s. As for starting pitchers, Evansville is led by sophomore pitcher Shane Grey. Grey, in eight appearances,

has a 2.47 ERA in 47 and one-third innings pitched with 51 strikeouts. After the Evansville series, SIU gets a break from conference opponents traveling to Murray State on May 11, and then will face off against Indiana State in Terre Haute May 14 through 16. The 23-ranked Sycamores (168, 3-1 MVC) are led on offense by senior catcher and outfielder Max Wright who has a .315 average through 24 games played with 18 RBI’s and 18 strikeouts. Senior pitcher Geremy Guerrero leads the starting pitchers for Indiana State. Guerrero has a 1.31 ERA in seven games started across 48 innings pitched striking out 56 while allowing only one home run. After closing the season against the Patriots of Dallas Baptist, SIU will then host the MVC tournament at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale May 26-29 with hopes of winning their first conference tournament championship since 1990. Sports Reporter Adam Warfel can be reached at awarfel@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @warfel_adam.

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Wednesday, April 14, 2021

SIU athletes earn recognition for academic achievement

Emma Baalman (6) high-fives Hannah Becker (8) in a game against Illinois State University on Sunday March 28, 2021 in Carbondale Ill. Subash Kharel | @pics.leaks

Janae Mosby | @mosbyj

Of the SIU teams that have finished their seasons so far this year, including volleyball, women’s basketball and men’s basketball, eight have received Missouri Valley Conference Scholar Athlete team recognition. For volleyball middle hitter graduate student Emma Baalman, setter senior Rachel Maguire and libral arts student junior Katy Kluge earned a spot on the MVC Scholar Athlete Team for this past 2021 season, along with women’s basketball players senior forward Abby Brockmeyer, senior guard Makenzie Silvey and junior guard Payton McCallister. Sophomore guard Trent Brown and sophomore guard Lance Jones on the men’s basketball team earned conference recognition on the MVC Scholar Athlete Team as well. “At the end of the year we have our conference, and the NCAA will be the ones to determine who qualifies as a scholar athlete. So every semester we have somewhere

around half of our student athletes who would be considered a scholar athlete,” assistant AD in academics Hilary Wittenborn said. The criteria for becoming a scholar athlete is having over a 3.2 GPA and at least one year of competing. “I thought it was really cool to be able to do that [earn MVC Scholar Athlete recognition] because a lot of times all people see about us is that we’re just really good athletes, they don’t always see the academic side of things,” Brockmeyer said. This is Brockmeyer’s third time being recognized as a scholar athlete. Unlike Brockmeyer, this is Baalman’s first time being recognized as a scholar athlete and she said she is proud to leave SIU volleyball with that accomplishment. Baalman said one of her biggest fears coming into athletics her freshman year was being able to maintain her grades, but her coaches and teammates helped her. “Even the scholar athletes at times have trouble balancing everything. The main thing we ask of them is to communicate with

their coaches and us to make sure they are taking care of themselves,” Wittenborn said. Brockmeyer said it is difficult staying on top of classes, especially when they travel on the weekends and her biggest key to staying on top of it is managing her time. Wittenborn said one thing that scholar athletes do well is time management and communication with their professors and their coaches. “Our coach has always said that academics come way before volleyball, he preaches school all the time and we set a goal before every semester to beat last semester’s team GPA,” Baalman said. Brockmeyer said she met with her coaches every week to discuss school and when they were on the road they would have a study hall. To be successful in her classes, Baalman said one of her biggest strategies is finishing her work early and she also uses the resources provided by the athletics program and SIU, like free tutoring and the writing center. “Each athlete or each team

gets an athletic academic advisor [...] and we have study tables, it’s up to the coach how many hours you do a week and if you are doing good in classes you have less hours to complete,” Baalman said. Witten said they provide weekly check-ins for at risk student athletes, and that could be incoming freshmen, transfer students or those who are having trouble with organization and time management. “We help to remind them when assignments are due, help them organize all of their classes and organize their time around their practice and competition schedule. We help them find tutors across campus and we help them talk to their professors,” Wittenborn said. The academics department also has a mentoring program and a summer bridge program for teams that are on campus during the summer. “I feel like they’ve done a really good job, especially academically. We have plenty of resources and a numerous amount of tutors, so if you are struggling in a class they

are sure to get you a tutor,” Brockmeyer said. Some advice that Baalman and Brockmeyer has for younger athletes is to not wait until you are already failing a class to get help and don’t be afraid to get help. “If you know you are going to struggle on that first day, go get help. Ask your teammates, ask your coaches, go to the free tutoring center or the writing center. It’s better to stay on top of things rather than digging yourself in a hole, don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Baalman said. Baalmann has been accepted to the Doctorate physical therapy program at Washington University in St. Louis and plans to start in August. Brockmeyer said after she graduates she is going to be starting her Master’s degree in accounting with a specialization in audit in the summer. Staff reporter Janae Mosby can be reached at jmosby@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @mosbyj.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

last week:

Study Break

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