Where are you living next year?
Smashed glass, boarded-up windows and overgrown paths sit just off campus buried back in the trees. Eleven years ago marked the first announcement of the demolition of Southern Hills. Now, the old graduate housing complex is run down and a community hazard that keeps getting moved down the university’s demolition to-do list.
Southern Hills, a nearly 70-yearold set of campus housing, still stands as a shell of its former life of housing over two hundred students. The complex sits off of South Wall Street and functioned from 1960 up until its demolition announcement in 2012. At the time of the announcement, most of the buildings had been cleared out and closed other than a final few.
The housing outgrew its use and was moved to the campus demolition list in 2012 after students were fully moved out. Facility and Energy Management begins the long process of demolition early on as buildings get to their ‘end of life’ status.
“So we have several buildings on the demolition list that are not torn down yet,” Director of Facility and Energy Management Mark Owens said. “There’s quite a process to go through to demolish a state building.”
The criteria on deciding what buildings make the campus demolition list are factored in on cost, state laws and more.
“When the cost to get that building up to date and safe with life safety exceeds the cost of what it is to either utilize a different facility or the cost to build new and so to bring that up and have it safe for students to live in that cost gets too high to where we just have to move that operation somewhere else,” Owens said. “So a building goes on the demolition list if you decide okay, this building’s not worth this investment, it’s better to take that money and spend it over here and move this operation over here.”
Facility and Energy Management work through the campus ‘Master Plan’ as a deciding factor on buildings and their functions. The Master Plan is run by a committee and makes the deciding factors on the school’s buildings and their functions. The last plan was curated in 2000 and is still being operated with.
“So I think a lot of these buildings that are on this demolition list [are] kind of waiting for prioritization of how to use our funding to start that process and that will be guided by the master plan,” Owens said. “It’s definitely going to be a big part of that plan is, you know, that demolition list and where do we get started? Where’s the most important place for the campus?”
The housing no longer is viable to hold residents but is still being utilized despite the impending demolition down the road. Some of the complex buildings are used as storage for the university’s crafts such
as plumbing, electrical and more.
“So some of them have some equipment stored in and some of them and some of them have shops where they kind of, you know, stage equipment,” Owens said. “So if they get a call out, you know, though they’ve got their equipment close on site that they can grab and go out.”
The rundown space not only is an eyesore, but also serves a notable hazard to the campus community. With the possibility of hazards to physical health and financial issues, abandoned buildings can host numerous problems just by their existence.
According to the Center for Community Progress “Failure to address problem properties just like ignoring a leaking faucet, costs more in the long run and causes more harm over time.”
Living in or near vacant, abandoned and deteriorated (VAD) properties can cause residents to be exposed to harmful toxins such as mold, lead and other dangers. This in turn increases the risk for diseases and health risks. According to Erwin de Leon of Columbia University and Joseph Schilling of Urban Institute, living in the vicinity of VAD properties can cause higher rates of chronic illness and promote violence.
The harm of VAD properties pushes well past the physical aspect
early years growing up curious on what the buildings were and why they were such a mystery.
“It was abandoned, there were never really cars going back there, it was overgrown but it was still kept up, in a way it was weird because you would see trucks driving in
“Southern Hills was our “first” home...”
- Ed Didrickson Saluki alum
and steps into financial strain on communities. The Center for Community Progress states that homeowners often are charged higher in their insurance for living in close quarters to an abandoned home. In Cleveland, Ohio, homeowners found that their property loses 9.4 percent of its value if it is within 500 feet of a vacant and abandoned building.
Not only do they present financial and physical problems, abandoned buildings attract the curiosity of younger generations all throughout the community. The complex resides near the campus and Carbondale schools.
“So when you grow up in a place like this, it’s not very big,” SIU Student James Baltz said. “Like there’s areas that just sort of stick out to you. You know you hear about it over time. You eventually wander into all the nooks and crannies of the town.”
The Carbondale native spent his
and out,” Baltz said. “But I mean really, the short answer is it was just mysterious.”
The housing sits just off a main entrance to Carbondale and despite how far back it sits in the trees on a narrow road, it sticks out like a sore thumb to those passing by on a routine drive or even eerily greets first-time visitors on their drive to the college town.
“I mean, it’s literally it just looks like a motel sort of,” Baltz said. “So you go up the stairs and the doors are locked, but on the inside, there was a few that were open and like the windows were busted, but on the inside. It was like being used as storage for old desks and tables and chairs like each room. I’m sure there were some empty rooms, but from what I can remember each room was just full of stuff.”
While he visited in the day to take photos as a hobby, Baltz found himself and his friends exploring the complex at night to amplify the
experience. On a New Years Eve evening in 2020, the then 18-yearold was asked to leave by workers on the property.
“There’s a guy in a white truck and I mean the truck was stamped, so it wasn’t like you know, some rando,” Baltz said. “But it was a white truck and it said Southern Illinois University on the side and I remember we were up in the second floor. I was taking pictures and looking in and he just drove by and he was like, ‘Hey, you’re not allowed to be back here and you need to leave.’”
Despite the curiosity, Baltz weighed in on the potential issues of the complex remaining upright nearly a decade later and the risk of nearby school kids gaining the same curiosity.
“There’s jagged edges from the railings rusting off and the glass being broken,” Baltz said. “And I guarantee you that there’s high school kids going in and out there all the time…
I’m sure if I had kids. I would want it torn down just to eliminate the risk of them potentially sneaking out and going in there. So honestly, with everything into consideration, it probably should be torn down.”
While younger generations view it as a fascinating evening activity, the older generations remember the complex and what it used to be.
“Southern Hills was our “first” home,” Saluki alum Ed Didrickson said in the comments of a past Daily Egyptian article on the complex. “Moved in 3 days after marriage in 1965. Had a king-sized bed that you could only get into front the foot end since it was as wide as the bedroom. Loved our neighbors. Was a great place to start a life together.” The complex will live to see more seasons until the university circles back to the words “Southern Hills” on its Master Plan and decides it’s time to see through on their promise of knocking the now storage units to the ground.
Southern Illinois University tenure professor Scott McClurg died April 13 after a long battle with brain cancer. “Scott was a very good person. Very nice and considerate. Always positive and encouraging. His long fight with his illness was heroic. He will be dearly missed,” said Dong Han, an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Advertising.
Growing up in the St. Louis area, McClurg often swam in Coldwater Creek, which is now known to be contaminated with nuclear waste.
During the time of the Manhattan Project, Uranium for the first nuclear bomb was refined in downtown St. Louis and the leftover radioactive waste was dumped near the creek. Many who played in the contaminated water or came in contact with it have had health concerns, including identical cancers.
While concerned activist group leaders in the area are working toward a resolution on a national level, there have not been any bills passed providing families with compensation for their struggles with the issue.
“I remember Scott once forwarded a
news story on the nuclear dumping and the health problems of his high school class,” Han said.
Vicki Kreher, senior lecturer in the school of Journalism and Advertising said, “I sincerely hope something is done for the families of those who were affected by the Coldwater Creek contamination.”
McClurg held a Ph.D. From Washington University, a joint appointment with CAM’s School of Journalism and Advertising, CoLA’s School of Anthropology, Political Science and Sociology. He began his career at SIU in 2001 and became a full time professor in 2012.
Professor McClurg served as Interim Director of the School of Journalism and Advertising as well as Interim Chair of Political Science.
He is most recognized for his application of social network analysis to the study of political communication, with a particular focus on social influence.
Many of his colleagues are deeply feeling his loss.
“This is very sad. Scott provided great guidance to many of our students and was amazingly able to keep up his spirits burning his long and difficult illness.
He was a treasured colleague,” William Freivogel, a professor in the School of Journalism said.
In a ten question interview with Southern Illinois in 2011, McClurg
was asked what he would like his gravestone to say about him. He responded with, “why are you reading this, McClurg’s dead already. Go live, would ya?”
In Carbondale, there are multiple options to choose from when looking for a place to live. There are several popular apartment complexes that offer housing for students as well as members of the community. This article features reviews from the residents themselves.
University Village located at 800 E. Grand Ave. offers townhouse style apartments with one to four bedroom options.
“I honestly love it at University Village. The pool’s nice, they keep the yard nice and maintenance guys always come the same day. They’re always throwing us free dinners and stuff for finals week. They treat us real well. They do goody bags for any small holidays for us and have free printing,” Keegan Montgomery said.
Residents of University Village are able to pay their rent and request maintenance through an app called Resident Center. On the app, announcements are posted for residents to see as well as their current balance due.
“The maintenance upkeep is good, they come the same say and it is userfriendly to request maintenance on the app,” Montgomery said.
According to residents living at UV, there is not a lot of crime that occurs there. They feel safe and don’t worry about anything bad happening to them..
“There are occasional crimes here, the occasional gun shot here and there but it’s never at UV. It’s always around UV. It’s no different than any other college apartment complex that students are in,” Montgomery said.
Located in the clubhouse is the management’s offices where residents can go and speak with them during business hours. There are also amenities offered to residents such as a gym, computer lounge and pool.
“If you’re first living here, straight out of the dorms, I feel like it’s one of
the better places to live finanically. You can still get the college experience but off campus. We have the clubhouse, which has free printing, free computer usage, pool table, shuffle board and public bathroom,” Montgomery said.
“It’s newly remodeled and always kept up nice and clean. We also have a free tanning bed and an outdoor lounge and pool area.” Montgomery said.
Mountain Valley Properties’ Creekside Location, located at 711
S. Wall St. offers two to four person apartment options.
“I feel like it’s a good distance from campus and I feel like it’s a good price for the place. I just feel like overall it’s a good spot,” Hannah Taylor said.
Taylor said maintenance responds quickly and is easy to get in touch with.
“The maintenance upkeep is very, very good. With all the air filters, air conditioning, smoke detectors, the maintenance guys for Mountain Valley come over. We get a text sent out that says, they’re coming in to change it and they do it quick and
easy. If there’s ever something else, tell the landlord or send in a request and it’s changed,” Taylor said.
At Creekside, residents have not reported many complaints about crime occuring though some people have their worries. The location is very close to Levels Nightclub and ground level apartments have sliding doors with small patio spaces that can be accessed from the outside.
“I actually had an incident the other night, it was 3:30 p.m. and I had just gotten out of the shower. Someone had opened the screen part of the sliding door to my bedroom. They opened it and closed it. But other than that, Levels is right across the street, so I worry about drunk people sometimes and then shootings but they haven’t been bad this semester,” Taylor said.
Though Creekside does not offer many amenities, residents have positive things to say about the management and the space that is offered to them.
“It’s a good size kitchen, living room, three-bedroom, twobathroom, laundry room. The landlord is great. I love going in and just talking to her when I go to pay our rent. The place is nice and compared to a lot of other apartments, on Wall Street, as opposed to Grand. It is ran by a very good person and it’s a good company,” Taylor said. The Reserves at Saluki Point has
On the day I moved in at Southern Illinois University, I was given keys to a sauna.
Well, at least it felt like one. It was August and blazing outside, and the windows of my dorm room were closed and the AC would only blast hot air. Our one choice was to leave the door open and hope the hallway would provide some circulation, but by the time the task was finished, my family and I were drenched in sweat.
I moved into my dorm one week before school started. After decorating it with fake lavender flowers to match my bedspread and photo collages of my friends from home, I wasn’t able to sleep there for another three nights. I moved in early so I could attend Dawg Days, SIU’s New Student Retreat.
Okay, but when will I move in?
New students have two options of when to move in: they can come on the “official” move-in day (the Wednesday before classes start), or they can attend early move-in. Early move-in is reserved for members of SIU Athletics and Marching Salukis, as well as those attending Dawg Days. Dawg Days, as I mentioned previously, is a retreat for freshman and transfer students. You move into your dorm on Sunday, take a bus to Touch of Nature’s Outdoor Education Center and spend four days participating in team-building and camp-related activities.
If this applies to you, I highly recommend going to the retreat. I am not a huge fan of camping, but it’s a great way to meet friends before school starts, or at least get practice with making new ones.
You may not meet “your people,” but you’re guaranteed to meet someone new. Between small groups and cabinmates, you can expect to walk out knowing at least a few familiar faces on campus. As far as I know, nobody in my cabin knew each other before that Sunday. Come Tuesday night, we had all dragged our mattresses to the floor for a mini sleepover. (Shoutout to Cabin 14hope you guys are doing well).
While I was spending my nights in an air-conditioned cabin, my roommate moved in and had maintenance replace our AC. Although we still had to blast fans and leave the windows open at all times, we were finally able to breathe, and enjoy our start to the school year.
So are the dorms nice?
Where should I live?
I’ve heard countless complaints about dorm rooms, and admittedly, I’ve taken part in them. “East Campus is too loud and too far away.” “West Campus isn’t close enough to the REC.” “Trueblood’s food is awful.” “Lentz’s food is awful.” You get the gist of it.
However, even while sitting in dorms older than your parents, it’s important to recognize how lucky we truly are here. The rooms are a decent size. I have friends at other
universities living in rooms the size of closets. And I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t survive a full year in communal bathrooms.
East Campus and West Campus are the two residence hall areas. East Campus is composed of three 17-story high towers: Mae Smith, Neely and Schneider, and is located across from the Student Recreation Center. West Campus is located near Campus Lake and has 11 three-story buildings: Abbott, Bailey, Baldwin, Bowyer, Brown, Felts, Kellogg, Pierce, Smith, Steagall and Warren. East Campus dorms tend to have more space, while West Campus dorms have more storage. Both dorms offer single and double suite-style rooms, so ultimately, it comes down to your personal preferences.
Here’s some points to consider when choosing a side of campus:
East Campus Dorms
• Close to the student recreation center, student health center and downtown Carbondale, but you have to cross the skybridge to get to classes
• Has laundry rooms on each floor
• Offers kitchenettes
• Close to Trueblood Dining Hall (bonus points for the Mongolian Grill)
• Singles and doubles available
West Campus Dorms
• Most classes are on this side of campus, but it’s further from the rec and health center
• Only one laundry room
• Does not offer a kitchenette
• Close to Lentz Dining Hall (bonus points for their breakfast)
• Singles, doubles, and super-singles (which are particularly large) available
I’ve picked my side of campus. Is there a specific dorm you recommend?
At SIU, students have the opportunity to stay in a Living Learning Community. LLC’s are divided into different colleges, so you can room with people who are studying similar things. Of course, this is completely optional, but if you want to be surrounded by people with guaranteed shared interests, you should check out the list of LLC’s online.
I have spent my first year in an LLC, but what’s unique about mine is that it is for the University Honors Program. Instead of being surrounded by students in arts and media, I live in a building full of people pursuing diverse areas of studies. My roommate is studying Japanese and International Trade. My suitemate is majoring in biology. I have friends in aviation, political science, physiology and so much more.
Being in the LLC has also given me the opportunity to meet people from a variety of places and backgrounds. My hometown is only a couple hours away from campus, but I’m neighbors with people who come from as far as Colorado and South Dakota.
How can I find a roommate?
What if I want to live alone?
From an outside perspective, the college dorm experience is scary and weird. We’re expected to move away from home, in with a stranger, and trust that we won’t get murdered or anything.
My sister and I have always shared a room back home, so for a while I
considered what it would be like to get a single. A room all to myself? Not having to share a sink or bathroom? Count me in. It sounded amazing in theory, but it also seemed very isolating. I wanted the full college experience, and I truly believe having a roommate is part of it.
Like many others, I headed over to the SIU Class of 2027 Instagram page. I was terrified of having a random roommate, so I shared photos of myself and a short bio, hoping to find someone I would instantly click with. I met so many amazing people, ones who I still talk to today, but when the time came to choose a room, I ended up getting paired randomly with a girl named Ashlyn. We spent the summer messaging each other via Instagram DMs, coordinating a color scheme and picking decorations that, as you can tell from the photos, put the Property Brothers to shame.
Ashlyn instantly became one of the closest friends I’ve ever had. We’ve traveled to five different states together in just the short time of knowing each other, and even now that we’re so busy with our classes, we still try to make time to grab breakfast and catch up every once in a while. We have also already signed up to be roommates again next year.
If you think the roommate experience is for you, you can do what I did and join SIU’s class of 2028 Facebook and Instagram, but I would also recommend making a profile on the housing portal. You can fill out a form listing living preferences, such as if you want to stay in an LLC, what time you go to bed, what temperature
you like in your room, whether or not you smoke, etc. You can also choose to have a randomized roommate, of course, and if you’re certain you want to live alone, that’s fine as well. I’ve filled out my housing contract and I’m ready to move in. Is there anything else I should know?
My number one piece of advice I can give to incoming freshmen is go to everything. I was fortunate enough to find a group of friends at my dorm within the first month of college, but that probably wouldn’t have been possible to do without attending all of the dinners my Resident Assistant planned for us (shoutout to Skylar!).
And now for a speed round: Go to the weeks of welcome events, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Branch out and meet someone new. Get involved but make time for yourself. Respect your roommate’s boundaries but make sure to set your own. Chances are you’ll only get this experience once, make the most of it.
One last thing: if you’re curious about what to bring to school, check out University Housing’s packing list. Yes, I agree that it’s better to be over prepared than under prepared, but I’ve learned from experience that your closet will not fit all of your clothes from home. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll just end up alternating between the same six crewnecks every week anyway.
In SIU’s housing scene, one option stands out: Living-Learning Communities. These locations are redefining the traditional college dorm experience, emerging as a top choice for students seeking places of academic and social integration on campus.
On campus, there are nine different academic LLCs, each affiliated with a different college or program within the university. These LLCs serve as specialized living environments tailored to the academic interests and goals of their members, providing opportunities for collaborative learning, mentorship and community engagement within specific academic disciplines or fields of study.
Additionally, there are four themed LLCs available on campus: Campus Pride, Hope Chicago, Men of Color and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). These themed LLCs cater to specific interests, identities, or affiliations within the student body, offering support and resources to their members.
Natalie Eves, a first-year student in the Honors LLC said, “My experience in an LLC has been amazing. I think it’s really beneficial and I believe that
other students should try LLCs…Not only are you surrounded by those in your major, but a lot of times you will meet your best friends.”
The University Honors Program LLC is a specialized housing option designed specifically for students who are part of the Honors Program. These students are immersed in a more rigorous academic environment, characterized by a more challenging workload and enriched learning experiences.
“The honors dorm has been really great,” Eves said. “I think what sets it apart from other LLCs is that we aren’t all from the same majors, although a majority of us still end up in honors classes together. The fact that we are from different majors allows for us to get a well rounded world view and allows us to have friends from a variety of majors.”
The diverse academic backgrounds within the Honors LLC fosters the exchange of ideas and perspectives, enhancing the overall learning experience for residents.
“The honors dorm is a very welcoming community. No matter what time you walk through the dorm or what floor you will see students studying together or hanging out. It really facilitates friendships while
still emphasizing the importance of studying,” Eves said.
Luke Kaldor is a freshman automotive student who chose to live in the Health and Human Science LLC.
He said, “It has been very beneficial to be in an LLC because it allows you to make friends with others that are in your program outside of class. It also makes it easier to have study groups.”
For automotive students, this includes the opportunity to collaborate on projects, share study materials, and engage in discussions related to their field.
Kaldor said he would like for the LLC to have access to practical resources within their living environment.
“I wish that the automotive LLC was still allowed to keep an engine in the LLC as well as an electrical board on each floor of the LLC for practice for freshman automotive classes,” Kaldor said.
These resources would provide hands-on more opportunities for students to gain valuable experience and practice relevant skills outside of the classroom setting, he said.
These dorms are not just focused on academic success. They also offer social opportunities with a number
of extracurricular activities. Students can enjoy a well-rounded college experience that combines academic excellence with memorable moments with friends.
“There’s been an abundant amount of floor- and dorm-wide activities throughout the school year, from ice cream socials to movie nights,” Eves said. “I would highly recommend LLCs to anyone who is interested in staying in the dorms.”
LLC living is primarily recommended to incoming freshmen.
Kaldor said, “If you have the opportunity you should at least live within your LLC for a year.”
Eves said, “I also think LLCs are extremely important for first year students. It definitely helps them to get acclimated to college life with the support of others. LLCs produce tight knit groups of students who have the same interests and goals in life. I think that being in an LLC matters a lot; the peer support you get from an LLC can’t really be found elsewhere.”
Alberto Juarez, an RA in Brown Hall, echoes similar sentiments, and said, “As a freshman, it does help going into an LLC just because you get in with people that…have the same end goal. They are all graduating with the degree that you’re possibly
graduating with.”
He adds, “After freshman year, it’s not as needed. I feel like if you’re really really enlightened by the major it would be beneficial to stay, that way you can really enjoy the major and make it not as scary for people that are coming into it, but freshmen definitely should use the opportunity.”
There are some LLCs that specifically focus on the needs of first-year students. These dorms provide a structured environment where students with similar academic interests can connect and support each other as they adjust to life away from home.
One of these options is the Saluki Success Initiative LLC. This LLC is designed to offer academic assistance to a specific group of students demonstrating potential for collegelevel studies. Without this avenue, these individuals might not have access to university education.
Freshmen business students are also required to live on campus in Brown Hall, which houses the College of Business and Analytics LLC. This is the only college that requires freshmen to live in a specified LLC.
Karen Villanueva is another RA in
two to four bedroom apartment options and is located at 500 Saluki Blvd. The location makes it difficult for residents to walk to campus or town.
“I like the Reserves because the grills they have out there. Every now and then, I’ll invite some friends over and we’ll cook out. Something that is negative is having to drive into town all the time and if you go out to the bars then you need a DD [designated driver] or have to stay in town,” Leif Barmann said.
Similar to UV, the Reserves uses an app so people can pay their rent and make maintenance requests. Residents have said that maintenance comes quickly and keeps the property looking well most of the time.
“The maintenance is pretty good, even now and then they should mow a week earlier but it’s not that bad,” Barmann said.
Residents of the Reserves said they feel safe and it is easy to get in touch with management.
“I’ve had a few questions for them and they’ve usually been pretty quick to reply. I’ve heard other people have had issues with management but those issues were with their roomates and management might have not been the best solution for solving that,” Barmann said.
The Reserves has amenities in their clubhouse and around the property that are offered to their residents. “They have a little store where
you can rent VRs, gaming consoles and stuff like that. They have a pool table, shuffleboard, the pool, ping pong table and a tanning bed. They also have a computer lab and a dog park,” Barmann said.
Along with the amenities Barmann listed, the reserves also has a full computer study room with free printing that is open 24/7, a sand volleyball court as well as a gym.
Each bedroom has its own bathroom, a spacious living room and kitchen, washing machines in each until as well as spacious balconies attached to each apartment.
Located at 1101 E. Grand Ave. is Aspen Court Apartments. The complex offers one to three bedroom apartments and four bedroom townhomes.
“I’ve lived here for three years now and I like it. It’s got dumpsters close to most apartments so it’s not far to take the trash out and it has good maintenance staff,” Paul Schrader said.
Residents at Aspen said the maintenance staff is easy to get in touch with and come within a few days to resolve any issues.
“Maintenance upkeep is pretty good, we have people come and sweep our hallways once or twice a month. They usually do a pretty good job of keeping the grass mowed and stuff like that. I’ve never had any complaints about that,” Schrader said.
At Aspen, there have been some occurrences of dangerous activity and crime.
“I had a neighbor come down and threaten me and my roommates with a gun one time. Other than that, it’s pretty safe. That’s about the only incident I have ever had,” Schrader said.
Aspen has become a popular spot for college students to sit by the pool and relax on sunny days. The complex offers other amenities as well, including free tanning and a
cardio room.
“I would recommend it because they keep the pool nice. It’s a good place to hangout with people and party when you need to take a load off. There is a business center, gym, the pool, basketball courts and cornhole stuff. It also has free wi-fi which is nice,” Schrader said.
University Village, Mountain Valley Properties, The Reserve and
Aspen Court are just a few housing complexes in Carbondale. Each offers in-unit washer and dryers and other amenities for residents. For more information on each complex you can find their websites online.
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600 W Freeman St. & 716 S. University Ave.
For most Americans, electricity comes from a company who they pay to keep the current flowing to their house each month. However, there may be a more cost effective and sustainable way for nearly everyone to get power.
Solar panels have been around since the 1950’s and, since the 1980’s have recently been put to use powering homes, campsites, even entire towns around the world.
Green, renewable energy has been the topic of debate surrounding climate change. Solar and wind have been at the forefront of these conversations. Everyone who’s lived in the Midwest has most likely seen the massive wind turbines that cover farmlands. These turbines are great for producing large amounts of electricity for small towns, but wind has difficulty being used practically for most consumers. While it’s not impossible to use wind at home for power, there is a much easier and reliable way to get cheap, green, renewable power into homes.
Illinois produces about 3.9% of the total power production in the United States, 51.7 percent of that power is produced by nuclear power generators, another efficient energy source. However, according to ChooseEnergy, Illinois only produces about 2.3 percent of solar energy.
While nuclear provides energy to most of Illinois, solar panels can be used effectively to cover the rest of the power production for residential homes especially when few green alternatives are available.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2022, nearly 40 percent of solar power generation in the U.S. was from rooftop solar panels while 60 percent of the power generation was from utility scale facilities.
tax benefit for having a solar system installed is about 30 percent. On a $20,000 setup, that’s $6000 in tax benefits on the following year’s taxes.
Over the past 15 years, the cost of solar panels has dropped about 90 percent. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), since 2003, the price has dropped from around $3.46 per watt to just 35 cents in 2017. This price drop continues into other costs such as installation and maintenance.
Solar panels are also becoming more reliable. On average, after about 25 years in operation, solar panels will produce 80 percent of their original power output. Solar panels installed after 2000 have had a median failure rate of 5 panels out of 10,000 yearly. David Shoppe, an Illinois resident in Oswego, had a 6 kW solar system installed on the roof of his residential home in 2018.
The life and maintenance of the solar system was also a concern for the Shoppe family as it would be a large investment in a relatively new trend at the time.
“We have not had any trouble with the panels, every once in a while we will have them cleaned, usually after winter, but the rain does a good job at keeping them clean,” Shoppe said.
He admits however that solar power is “not for everyone.”
“We have no plans of moving any time soon so we figured it would be a good idea to make the investment,” Shoppe said.
Residential solar installations have been growing over the years but it doesn’t stop at just powering homes. Solar panels have made their way into many town public works, where
to use solar electricity everywhere possible. You’ve likely already seen the solar arrays around the Carbondale police station as well as in a few other places around town.
“There are plenty of ways that solar panels can be incorporated into everyday things that would otherwise use power from the grid,” said Naperville public works director Dick Dublinski.
Over the past 17 years, Naperville, Illinois, has begun introducing environmentally friendly ways of keeping their city accessible in the modern age without putting unnecessary stress on utilities by using solar powered lights, charging stations, and large solar arrays to power public buildings.
“One of the easiest and most convenient places to put solar panels is on park pavilions. People can charge their phones, plug in speakers, whatever they want!” Dublinski said.
panels are difficult to recycle, but it’s not impossible. The first big wave of solar installations happened around 10 to 15 years ago, meaning those solar panels will be reaching the end of their service in about a decade. It’s commonly misstated that solar panels can not be recycled because of how difficult it is to deconstruct the tightly glued together panels. Companies like SolarCycle in Odessa, Texas, are figuring out ways to recycle entire solar panels. By separating the glass from the solar cells using specially made machinery, panels are able to be reduced to bare materials through a special process of deconstruction. What’s left is bare materials such as aluminum, silver, copper, and other valuable metals that can be recycled.
For obvious reasons, recycling a solar panel is more expensive than trashing one. The labor, transport and deconstruction involved in recycling a panel will run about $15
to $25 dollars per panel. The cost to trash is only about $5, but those metals and glass that could have been sold and reused after recycling is lost. Not only is this a waste of valuable materials, it also means more carbon emissions will be produced making new materials from mines.
After the life of the solar panels, about 25 years after installation, most homeowners will need to replace their
Tony, an energy tech from All Energy Solar said, “The cost to recycle is $20 per panel, and most homes in this area will have about 15 to 20 panels. The used panels get sent to a recycling plant in Wisconsin.”
Damaged panels also get recycled the same way used ones do. It’s not likely that modern solar panels will be damaged from normal use. Standard panels can survive high winds, hail and other debris that can be blown around in a storm.
New panels are designed to withstand 120 mph wind and can withstand 60 mph golf ball sized hail. It’s likely that if a panel is damaged from a storm, the rest of the roof is damaged as well. For most homeowners it would all be covered under insurance.
Solar panels, while not a new technology, have come a long way since the first iterations.. The transition to solar power offers an increasingly viable and sustainable alternative for households seeking cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy solutions.
While Illinois predominantly relies on nuclear power, solar energy has the potential to play a significant role in meeting growing residential power needs. The nearly 90 percent drop in overall solar power costs over the past 15 years and the increasing reliability of solar technology contribute to its growth as a viable renewable energy source.
Government incentives, such as the 30 percent tax benefit in Illinois, alleviate some financial costs associated with solar power in residential areas. Solar power has grown not only in residential areas but in public areas as well.
From street and path lighting to pavilions with solar powered outlets, solar energy has made its way into most people’s lives without them noticing. As researchers find new ways to recycle and produce more advanced solar systems, the world will continue to grow into renewable green energy sources. Solar may not be the only way forward but it’s demonstrating its ability to compete as a viable resource in the new world.
Softball hosted the Belmont Bruins this weekend for a three game series between the top two teams in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Saluki ace, Maddia Groff, was in the circle for the series opener on Friday night and twirled a gem. Groff pitched a complete game shutout, gave up five hits, and sat down eight Bruins on strikes in the winning effort.
Rylie Hamilton and Bailey
Caylor drove in the two SIU runs in game one. Hamilton plated Jackie Lis with a sacrifice fly in the first and Caylor brought Emma Austin in from second with a triple in the second, her first hit in a three for three performance.
Madi Eberle got the start in the Saturday meeting and delivered a strong outing. Eberle went six innings while surrendering three runs on six hits and two walks and punching out five.
Jackie Lis was a key contributor in the contest, getting home twice in
the contest, once on a home run that provided the first spark to the Saluki bats and once. Bailey Caylor also came up clutch in the sixth with an infield single that drove in one with another run scoring after an error on the play, giving the Dawgs the late lead.
Maddia Groff pitched in relief in the seventh, setting the Bruins down in order, earning the save and capturing the series win.
Groff got the starting job yet again in the Sunday finale and delivered one of her best performances of her
already stellar season. She went the distance while blanking the Bruins for the second time on the weekend. Groff also got 14 outs via the strikeout, was perfect through fourteen outs, and didn’t give up a hit until there was one out in the seventh.
Emma Austin got the scoring started in the fourth with an RBI infield single and would later score on a double steal. Rylinn Groff contributed with an RBI single and Jackie Lis notched her 13th long ball of the year With the sweep over the Bruins,
SIU improved to 33-8 (17-3 MVC) while Belmont fell to 27-15 (138). Belmont also fell to third in the Valley as Northern Iowa swept their weekend set against UIC, improving to 24-15 (12-5) and taking control of second place. SIU will take on Missouri State (13-28, 9-11) at home on Wednesday before traveling to Terre Haute for a three game series with Indiana State (18-24, 6-11).
Sports reporter Nick Pfannkuche can be reahed at nphannkuche@dailyegyptian.com
Only one word is needed to describe Celia Pulido’s 2023-2024 season: historic.
The junior from Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, added to her exemplary swim legacy with her dominant performances this year. The only time that she finished under second in the 100 or 200 yard backstroke was at the NCAA championships, when she swam personal bests in both events. Pulido’s trip to nationals was highlighted by her performance in the 100 yard backstroke. In addition to it being a personal best, the time of 50.73 seconds shattered the SIU program record, was the fastest midmajor 100 yard backstroke ever, and earned her a seventh-place finish in the entire country.
After the meet, Pulido was able to look back on her season with satisfaction.
“I feel great. I think it was such a good season, especially at NCAAs,” Pulido said. “We were focused on that one, that was our target, and I think…everything worked out in the end. I feel really happy with the results.”
Pulido was dominant the entire season. During the fall stretch of the schedule, her times fell at every meet, culminating in times of 51.82 and 1:55:30 in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke races, respectively, at the Purdue Invitational in November.
While she is primarily a backstroker, Pulido also competes in butterfly sprint races. She swam in the 50 and 100 yard butterfly events at multiple
meets, and even won the 100 yard event at SIU’s A3 Performance Invitational.
Pulido has been a phenomenal swimmer since she stepped onto SIU’s campus. As she has only continued to improve, she’s able to trace how she has back to one thing.
“It’s all about consistency, coming to practice every day, twice a day, every other day. The discipline you need to put into this sport is what makes you achieve your goals and all the things you want to accomplish,” Pulido said.
Head SIU swim coach Geoff Hanson adds a couple other reasons she has been able to improve.
“She’s a super hard worker, she’s accepting of coaching. She makes changes when we ask her to make changes. She’s a good athlete,” Hanson said.
Despite all of these things, Hanson also traces the swimmer’s improvement back to two things.
“It’s really through hard work and consistency. Through her first two years, she worked really hard, there were just some bumps in the road. This year was uninterrupted all the way through the summer… and then just carried that through from when we started in August, all the way through two weeks ago,” Hanson said.
Pulido’s second season ended at the Swim National Invite, where she won the 100 yard backstroke. The season, which was littered with rough patches that were “out of (Pulido’s) control”, was far from unsuccessful though.
“She was less than a tenth of a second slower than she was her freshman year,” Hanson said. “[NCAAs] is so competitive and so fast that she just missed out.”
The near miss on NCAA’s and overall disappointment was, according to Hanson, a “strong motivator” entering the 2023-24 season. It also made this year’s outcome even more special.
“It means a lot. It means trusting the process, never giving up. I had such a rough season last year, and trusting the process and just keep trusting my coaches, what I’ve been doing… it just means a lot, and all the effort that I’ve put on,” Pulido said.
The effort led to big payoffs. Pulido was the first female Saluki swimmer national finalist in 39 years, and came away from the season as All-American in the 100 and 200 yard backstroke races. She also broke the program records in those events, which she had previously held. Besides her 50.73-second 100 yard backstroke, she swam a 1:52:31-second 200 yard backstroke, both at NCAAs.
In addition to her records in backstroke, Pulido also set the program record in 100 yard butterfly at 52.75 seconds. She was also a part of program record-setting 400 and 800 yard freestyle relays as well as a 400 yard medley relay, all of which were at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship meet in February.
But even after a record-setting season like this, Pulido has her sights
A collaborative event between Booby’s Bar and Sandwich Shop and Carbondale Public Library hopes to build both collages and community. It is also just the beginning of new owner Abe Traverso’s efforts to support the arts in Carbondale.
At 6 p.m. on a recent Thursday evening, friends Elizabeth Hartman and Alee Quick cordoned off a table in the back of the restaurant and began setting out swaths of old magazines, hole punches, stickers, scissors, googly eyes, and anything else that Collage Club guests could hope to use in their artwork.
Hartman, who humorously refers to themselves as “The Lizbrarian,” has been working at the Carbondale Public Library since 2019 and currently holds the position of Programming Outreach Librarian. They oversee fun and casual events including Collage Club, poetry groups, and writing groups, as well as more informational events such as Lawyer in the Library.
“I also think it’s important to note,” Hartman said, “that those programs that seem more fun are also still serious, because a library and any organization that tries to serve people needs to serve the entire human being. And that goes from legal help to providing an outlet for people to be able to express themselves.”
The library has previously had success with events held at Hangar 9, another Carbondale bar. Hartman was especially pleased with the outcome of their Valentine’s Day activities which included card-making, “blind date
with a book,” and the opportunity to sign up for a library card. Hartman said the community response was overwhelmingly positive. “Of the books that I wrapped and described for blind date with a book, 75-80 percent of them got checked out. I made
five or six library cards. Those are incredible numbers for a community this size.”
Alee Quick, a friend of Hartman, brought the idea of a collage event to Carbondale after a trip to New Orleans. While she was visiting a friend, he began
telling her about the collage club that regularly met at a coffee shop in his neighborhood.
After seeing some of the items that her friend had been able to make with the club and getting some of her own handson experience making collaged buttons, Quick thought that this would be a fun activity to continue back at home, and found Booby’s Bar and Sandwich Shop to be the perfect venue.
“Booby’s is just reopening so I figured that they had the space to maybe host something like this. It seemed like an opportunity to have another place to do these things,” Quick said.
Abe Traverso, who reopened the Carbondale hotspot within the last year, spoke about his intentions for the future of the restaurant.
“One of the things that I wanted to do was make sure that in some way I was involved in the community, with art in general. So whether that’s music, whether it’s painting, collaging, just to kind of give Carbondale a space to express itself,” Traverso said.
Traverso and Hartman both realize that while going to the library is great, it’s a different atmosphere at a place like Booby’s, where guests can have a beer and listen to music while crafting. “Sometimes it’s better to meet people where they’re at,” Hartman said.
Brown Hall. She said, “Last year was my first year on campus as a student. I was in the Business LLC, on the first floor which is the FIG (Freshman Interest Group) floor. I know not all colleges have that, but the Business School does.”
The entirety of the building is occupied by business students, with the first floor being designated for specific freshmen who have applied. Students are assigned a similar schedule as their peers who also live on the first floor. They are also given additional support and opportunities.
Villanueva said, “There were definitely more requirements that were asked of us last year. We had to do weekly faculty lunches, and we were required to go to Touch of Nature and do a team bonding thing like the first weekend we moved.”
RAs are encouraged to integrate the majors represented within the LLC and to consider the primary interests of the residents when planning events and programs.
Juarez said, “It’s the responsibility of the RA to have events planned. If you do, hope your residents are engaging, because usually, more often than not, I’ve seen some buildings that don’t have a lot of their residents going to them and the interest isn’t there. But we’ve been trying.”
Since the FIG LLC is an interest group for freshmen that really want to get involved on campus or they are interested in what they could get out of their time here at SIU, RAs must advocate for students to go out more. “It was definitely a learning experience on how to do the programming, or at least the ones that are required of the RAs. But in terms of the ones that the school will put on for the freshmen, I did take some of the new students to that where they get to meet some faculty. I like that they put that on,” Villanueva said.
During the initial semester, she took the initiative to arrange a series of “study jams” within the building.
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These gatherings were informal yet productive, offering students a relaxed setting to review course material, work on assignments, and prepare for exams. She also had snacks and refreshments
into their own swimming.”
available, to encourage participation and engagement among the attendees.
Through these initiatives, she aimed to promote academic success among her fellow residents.
“I think the College of Business has been doing a pretty decent job already, hosting events and then just kind of contacting us and saying, ‘can you guys bring out
your residents to this’? I feel like that’s beneficial. I don’t know if the other schools do that, but I feel like other schools should try to do that more often,” Villanueva said.
Drawing from her prior experience with FIG and as a business major, she said she wanted to incorporate events such as these because the group had developed a strong bond over the years, and it helped to promote a sense of unity and belonging among its members.
However, it’s important to acknowledge that some RAs may have less experience with the LLC they are assigned to, as it is not mandatory for them to have the same major as their residents.
Juarez said, “Freshman year I was an accounting major, but now I’ve switched to zoology.”
However, despite potential differences in majors, RAs can still develop meaningful connections with their residents. Each LLC possesses its own distinct characteristics and atmosphere and changes drastically from year to year.
For Juarez, even after switching majors he still felt like he had some attachment with the people there. That shows the strength of bonds made within the LLC environment, despite changes in individual academic pursuits. It highlights the importance of recognizing and embracing the individuality of each LLC, fostering a supportive and inclusive living environment tailored to the needs of each and every member.
Villanueva said, “As an RA you’re just aware of your own floor, that it’s an LLC with people that are studying business or are undecided about business. When we do rounds, you can definitely see the differences. Each LLC has a very different vibe, and that’s really good.”
For more information about LLCs visit the SIU Housing website.
set on a higher goal: representing her home country of Mexico on a world stage at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“I’m still practicing to try to qualify for the Olympic Games, these upcoming ones in Paris,” Pulido said. “That’s the main goal, to keep practicing and focus on those Olympic trials, make the cut, and have fun during the process.”
With this focus on Olympic training comes a bit of a difference in training styles. Olympic races are in meters instead of yards, which means that races are several strokes longer.
“Right now, it’s go up with the volume, up with the yardage. Yard to meters is more, so we’ll try to practice more yardage and at the same time mix it with a lot of long course and short course so we can make that balance and make it work,” Pulido said.
Pulido’s dedication to training both in and out of season is something that Hanson thinks benefits the entire program.
“It’s huge. When your best swimmer is one of your hardest workers, that sets the tone,” Hanson said. “Everybody should kind of see that and see what results comes from that kind of hard work and coachability and try to implement that
To Hanson, fellow swimmers can draw many things from top performers.
“There’s a lot to be learned, and to have that in our own pool really goes a long way in motivating, I hope, the rest of the group,” Hanson said.
That goes both ways, with Pulido citing her teammates as major contributors to her success.
“I motivate teammates, and they motivate me. We all have the same goals, we all want to make it to NCAA, we all want to win conference. We all want to drop our times, so it’s just the teamwork that we’re working on,” Pulido said.
Pulido’s story at SIU still has one more chapter left to write: her senior season. She’s not letting her success change anything about how she prepares though.
“The goal part is still the same: PBs [personal bests] next year, try to drop my time even more and of course make it to NCAAs again,” Pulido said. “The process is harder and we need to… improve more details. It’s going to be continuing to keep doing what we’re doing, and we’ll be in a good spot next year.”
Hanson has his sights set high for Pulido too.
“I think having such a big, breakthrough year can also be motivating. It makes her
hungry for more, to move up, to chase the national title. That’s kind of the next goal,” Hanson said.
Fans can rest assured Pulido’s next season will be with SIU. Even with the high level of success she has attained, Pulido has no plans of being anything but a Saluki.
“I’m really proud to be a Saluki. It was never my plan to come here and then transfer and look for better opportunities.
My goal here was ‘come and be loyal to my
team, my coaches, and just stick and trust what the coaches are doing,” Pulido said.
“I’m really happy to be here and it feels like home,” Pulido said. “I have so many friends, I like the coaches, practices, environment, the school, obviously. It’s just like, ‘I think I belong here.’”
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