The Daily Egyptian - May 8, 2024

THE Daily Egyptian

Zavala | yzavala@dailyegyptian.com

Yarauseth

Congradulations DE

Brandyn Wilcoxen

Student Managing Editor

6th Semester at the DE Dream Job: Space Cowboy Fireman

See Page 9 for full story

Joei Younker

News Editor

4th Semester at the DE Dream Job: Reporter for Cosmopolitan or the New York Times

“The DE has been on of the best parts of my four years at SIU, I’m sad to leave, but I can’t wait to see what the next few years hold for the DE!”

Lane Frost

Lead Ad Designer

4th Semester at the DE Dream Job: Father Favorite Typeface: Cooper Black

Makena Masterson

Ad Chief

6th Semester at the DE Dream Job: Owning my own Interior Design/Architecture firm

“I’m so blessed with the opportunity to work at The Daily Egyptian, it’s helped get me out of my comfort zone and have an appreciation for local businesses.”

Will Guthrie

Sales Representative

2nd Semester at the DE Dream Job: a traveling food critic!

Editors

Cole Daily Editor-in-Chief

Jamilah Lewis Sports Editor

Joei Younker News Editor

Lylee Gibbs Photo Editor

Peyton Cook Design Chief

Bhavya Sri Billuri Digital Editor

Brandyn Wilcoxen Student Managing Editor

Makena Masterson (not pictured) Advertising Chief

Designers

Peyton Cook is a junior majoring in marketing at SIU. This is her sixth semester at SIU and she plans to graduate in spring of 2025. Peyton is the design chief of the Daily Egyptian. She is also a member of the Marching Salukis. Her interests include hanging out with her dog, color guard and making tons of lists.

Lane Frost is a senior majoring in psychology at SIU. This is his last semester and plans to continue his education at SIUE. Lane is the lead ad designer at the Daily Egyptian. He has many interests in music, philosophy, fitness, gaming and spending time with friends. Yarauseth Zavala is a senior majoring in communication design with a minor in television stuides. This is her sixth semester at SIU and plans to graduate in Fall 2024. Her hobbies include drawing, gardening and collecting shiny things.

Day Starr-Fleming is a sophomore majoring in radio, television, and digital media and minoring in art at SIU. Day plans to use his design skills to secure a position as a storyboard artist or animator. In his spare time, he enjoys watching animated shows, photographing mushrooms and drawing.

Photographers

Lylee Gibbs is a sophomore working on a major in photojournalism. She is the photo editor of the Daily Egyptian. Her hobbies include photography, watching sports, traveling and playing with her dog Adelaide.

Dominique Martinez-Powell is a senior at SIU majoring in psychology and studying journalism as a minor. Her hobbies include reading, photography and plants.

Simeon Hardley is a multimedia journalist and reporter who specializes in sports photography and videography. He is a journalism major who is currently attending SIU and is projected to graduate in December 2024. His favorite hobbies include running, playing basketball, video games, watching comic book movies and listening to music.

Enan Chediak is a senior who transferred to SIU to study photography. His hobbies include art, music and basketball. He began working at the Daily Egyptian to broaden his work experience with photography.

Libby Phelps is a freshman at SIU studying photojournalism and sociology. She has plans to graduate in 2027. Her hobbies include hanging out with friends, reading and photography.

Jason Isele is a junior at SIU majoring in photography and minoring in television studies and plans to graduate in 2025. His hobbies include running, reading, video games and boxing with a punching bag.

Daylin Williams is a freshman majoring in zoology from Flordia on track to graduate in 2027. He loves all kinds of music, sports to stay in shape and socializing for fun.

Mallory Wagner is a freshman majoring in cinema.

Alexis Lessman is a junior double majoring in musical theater and zoology. Some of her hobbies include streak running, wildlife photography, and hiking.

Best of: News

UIC March 7, 2024 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

| @lyleegibbsphoto

Petty holds a photo of the bugs that accumulated in her dorm room over winter break Jan. 30, 2024 at Smith Hall on West Campus at SIU in Carbondale, Illinois. “[The roaches] got solved kind of right away but not really because I had been not sleeping in my dorm for four days because I was like ‘what am I supposed to do while there’s roaches in my room?’ So I slept in other people’s dorm rooms,” Petty said. Due to the maintenance request being put in right before the weekend, maintenance was not able to immediately fill the requests made by Petty. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

Head coach Bryan Mullins speaks with Saluki basketball in a media timeout as the Salukis face the Flames of

Lylee Gibbs

Newly hired men’s basketball coach Scott Nagy addresses the media following his introduction to the public March 29, 2024 at Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto

A heavily used accessibility button sits outside of the front of the Communication Building on campus Jan. 29, 2024 in Carbondale, Illinois. Simeon Hardley | @simshardphotography

New Dawg Pound President, Corey Crombar, stands next to former Dawg Pound President, Dylan Chambers April 13, 2024 at Saluki Stadium Suite in Carbondale, Illinois. Daylin Williams

Justyce

Zavala

Frost Peyton Cook Best Design of:

Pro-Palestine Protests Continue

Protestors get the Palestinian flag drawn on their cheek April 30, 2024 at Morris Library in Carbondale, Illinois. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

Police officers watch

Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @LyleeGibbsPhoto

Lylee Gibbs @LyleeGibbsPhoto

Best of F e a

Forest Palis sits upstairs in the escape room that he is working on Wednesday Feb. 14, 2024 in the Island in Carbondale, Illinois. Enan Chediak | @enanchediak

Diamante Jackson organizes his office desk Feb. 20, 2024 at Southern Cremation And Burial Service in Murphysboro, Illinois. Simeon Hardley | @simshardphotography

Jabari Burguess (left), Darius Gunn (center) and Dwayne Freeman Jr. (right) stroll on the dance floor at the third annual Ebony Ball March 23, 2024 at the Garden Grove Event Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

Emma Bardolosa and her father Olin Bardolosa from Peoria, Illinois, look towards the solar eclipse with their glasses April 8, 2024 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. Alexis Lessman | alessman@dailyegyptian.com

Lumber Jill lip syncs and dances for the crowd Feb. 16, 2024 at Surplus Gallery in Carbondale, Illinois. Daylin Williams dwilliams@dailyegyptian.com

Joshua and Jack Glays lean their heads on the side of a storage unit that their brothers are playing inside of as their dad, Brent, talks on the phone while working in the garden April 12, 2024 at The Flock Farm in Anna, Illinois.

Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto

Letter from the Editor: To my college best friends

Brandyn Wilcoxen @BrandynWilcoxen

In the past couple of years, I’ve been in my head about what I call the “rock band documentary” phenomenon. Essentially, it seems cliche for a rock band documentary to begin with a group of folks who met in college and started making music together.

Entering my senior year, I felt I still hadn’t met my metaphorical bandmates yet. Perhaps I hadn’t looked hard enough, or maybe I simply wasn’t going to find that kind of connection. After all, they only make documentaries on the bands that make it big.

Twelve months ago, I was beyond burned out. I was limping into the finish line, practically counting down the days until the end of my time as a major contributor at the Daily Egyptian. I had thrown my hat into the ring for Sports Editor, but even that felt like something I would coast on while I finished school and simply moved on with my life. In the year since then, I’ve had my job title change three times. I’ve

worked in five different states. I’ve had two offers for full-time jobs in the industry.

But most importantly, I feel like I’ve finally met my bandmates.

There are several people at the Daily Egyptian without whom I would not have survived this past year. To try and name everyone who has contributed to my growth as a journalist and a person since I began this journey would take enough time for me to get my Master’s degree.

I’ve said a lot of goodbyes recently.

I try to remember that it’s not goodbye, just see you soon. But I know I won’t be in the office every day anymore. I won’t be working late nights and weekends with the staff anymore. I won’t be hanging out in an office we have truly tried to make ours anymore. And that is difficult.

I don’t have to explain to anyone why graduating high school in May 2020 was a bad idea. Those months after March 16, 2020, were long and lonely. I had lost my chance to truly say goodbye to the life I had made in my hometown. Of course, I’ve had

opportunities since then, but I will never get that high school senior year back.

Today, I get a chance to say goodbye on my own terms. I feel like I’m leaving people worth missing, and that’s beautiful to me.

I really shouldn’t name names, because people will inevitably be left out, and the people I would list already know who they are. I wish I had the space to truly express my gratitude to the dozens of people, past and present, who have helped me along the way. But it’s getting late, and I’ve spent enough late nights with this paper. It’s time for me to move on.

But I will never forget my time here. The Daily Egyptian will always have a special place in my heart, and it has been a joy spending my college life with all of you.

You are my bandmates. Now rock on.

Go to dailyegyptian.com for an unabridged version of this letter. The author thanks everyone who picks up the paper every Wednesday, and encourages you to keep supporting student journalism.

editor@dailyegyptian.com

Faculty Managing Editor: Annie Hammock ahammock@dailyegyptian.com

Editor-in-Chief: Cole Daily cdaily@dailyegyptian.com

Design Chief: Peyton Cook pcook@dailyegyptian.com

Photo Editor: Lylee Gibbs lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com

News Editor: Joei Younker jyounker@dailyegyptian.com

Sports Editor: Jamilah Lewis jlewis@dailyegyptian.com

Digital Editor: Bhayva Sri-Billuri bsri-billuri@dailyegyptian.com

Business Manager: Jessica Guthrie jguthrie@dailyegyptian.com

About Us

The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale on a weekly basis. Fall and spring semester editions run every Wednesday. Free copies are distributed in the Carbondale, Carterville, and Springfield communities. The Daily Egyptian can be found at www.dailyegyptian.com or on the Daily Egyptian app!

Mission Statement

The Daily Egyptian, the student-run news organization of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is committed to being a trusted source of news, information, commentary and public discourse, while helping readers understand the issues affecting their lives.

Publishing Information

The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and functions as a laboratory for the School of Journalism in exchange for the room and utilities in the Communications Building. The Daily Egyptian is a non-profit organization that survives primarily off of its advertising revenue. Offices are in the Communications Building, room 1259, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Ill., 62901.

Copyright Information

@2024 The Daily Egyptian. All rights reserved. All content is property of the Daily Egyptian and may not be reproduced or transmitted without consent. The Daily Egyptian is a member of the Illinois College Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, College Media Advisers Inc. and the College Business and Advertising Managers Inc.

Submissions

Letters and guest columns must be submitted with author’s contact information, preferably via email. Phone numbers are required to verify authorship, but will not be published. Students must include their year and major. Faculty must include rank and department. Others include hometown. Submissions should be sent to editor@dailyegyptian.com

Ad Chief: Makena Masterson mmasterson@dailyegyptian.com

Student Managing Editor: Brandyn Wilcoxen bwilcoxen@dailyegyptian.com

From left to right: Design Chief Peyton Cook, News Editor Joei Younker, Student Managing Editor Brandyn Wilcoxen, Sports Editor Jamilah Lewis, Photo Editor Lylee Gibbs and Editor-in-Chief Cole Daily on Feb. 6, 2024 in Carbondale Illinois.

Photos Behind the Lens

Enan Chediak (right) sits on a boat prepared to take photos for The Cardboard Boat Regatta April 20, 2024 in Carbondale, Illinois. Peyton Cook | @_peytoncook_

Dominique Martinez-Powell (left), Molly Parker (middle) and Jamilah Lewis (right) sit and moderate the NAACP candidates forum April 25, 2024 at the Cairo High School in Cairo, Illinois. Julia Rendleman | @juliarendleman

Lylee Gibbs lays on the road to take a photo of people viewing the eclipse April 8, 2024 in Makanda, Illinois. Joei Younker | @JoeiYounker_DE

Daylin Williams stands with Governor JB Pritzker as he covers the solar eclipse from the rooftop of Saluki Stadium April 8, 2024 in Carbondale Illinois. Photo provided by Chancellor Austin Lane.

Simeon Hardley stands on the sidelines of an outdoor basketball court to take photos of community members and kids playing basketball April 26, 2024 in Cairo, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @LyleeGibbsphoto

Dominique Martinez-Powell takes a photo of guest speaker Anna Rose Layden who spoke about the Women Photojournalist of Washington and their work Feb. 22, 2024 at Sharp Museum in Carbondale, Illinois. Layden spoke at the opening reception about their traveling exhibit which made a stop at SIU for the spring semester. Julia Rendleman | @juliarendleman