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Now that Black History Month is upon us, Black Registered Student Organizations (RSO) are hosting a variety of events all months to get people involved in the celebration.
NaTrel Williams, the public relations chair for Black Affairs Council (BAC) said it is great that different Black RSOs are hosting a wide variety of events throughout the month to celebrate.
“A lot of people have a lot of events that [are] included for everybody, so I feel that [it] was a good thing [...] it’s giving everybody the platform and the space to do any event that they feel fit for Black History Month,” Williams said.
He said while it is important Black RSOs come together during this month, it is even more important that they come together all year.
“[Black RSOs] They want to celebrate us. But I feel it’s no different than any other month because we always try to support [...] We celebrate [Black History Month] all throughout the year,” Williams said.
Williams said, for the Black student population at SIU, Black history cannot be all packed into one month because there is so much regarding our history that needs to be talked about.
Ameera Fowler, a third-year student and a Member of Essence Fashion Models said, her RSO is all about allowing people to express themselves through fashion.
“Essence fashion models is a modeling group that is all about inclusion and freedom of expression when it comes to fashion and anything that has to do with that,” she said. “A lot of times we make our own clothes, style people and model people. We also have people on our team that [do] other things such as lashes, hair, nails, and a wide variety of things.
Fowler said for Essence’s Black History Month event they are still working on it, but it will be a free event where people can come and get together and meet new people.
She said with SIU being a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) it is a good thing to see
all the Black RSOs on campus celebrate our history.
“I love to see because at the end of the day, being black and going to a predominately white school a lot of times we get overlooked and under service so, I think when people are taking that initiative to do things, it reflects positively on everybody,” Fowler said.
No matter what your race is, people should take part in this month because they can learn new things about a culture and how to be involved with different groups, she said.
Black RSOs, Greek Organizations and more will be hosting Black History Month events throughout the month of February from discussions, movie nights and more.
“I just love Black History Month because it’s just a time where everybody actually gets together,” Williams said.
Staff reporter Janiyah Gaston can be reached at jgaston@dailyegyptian. com or on Instagram @janiyah_ reports.
Students of SIU got a late start to their classes on Wednesday after heavy snowfall that occurred the night before, forcing classes to start at 10 AM on Sept. 25, 2023 in Carbondale, Ill. Trevor Reaman | @photos_from_trev
Students who partied during Polar Bear enjoyed a day of bar hopping and frat parties, which has been a long standing tradition of SIU and the Carbondale community, on Sept. 28, 2023 in Carbondale, Ill. Trevor Reaman | @photos_from_ trev
Crew and friends of Alt.News 26:46 meet up in Buckwater Brew Works and Whiskey House to watch the live television premiere of their longrunning show on Sept. 28, 2023 in Carbondale, Ill. Alt.News 26:46 is in its 24th season of production and has become a fixture of the College of Arts and Media. Trevor Reaman | @photos_from_trev
Kaleb Stull and Cheyenne Bristol build a snowman from the heavy snowfall that took place on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2023 in Carbondale, Ill. Trevor Reaman | @photos_from_trev
Newly released White House figures show 26 million people either applied for student loan debt relief or had already provided sufficient information to the Department of Education to be deemed eligible for relief. Over 16 million of those borrowers’ applications were fully approved by the Department and sent to loan servicers.
President Joe Biden wants to provide debt relief to borrowers with incomes below $125,000 a year, or households with incomes below $250,000 a year - $10,000 in federal student loan forgiveness with an additional $10,000 will be forgiven to those who received federal Pell Grants. The plan is on hold while lawsuits challenging it are decided.
Three recent graduates of Southern Illinois University say that the new forgiveness plan is helpful but won’t really impact them like it will the younger generations.
Lauren Stoelzle, an office support specialist, said she received her bachelor’s in 2011 and went back to get her MFA in 2019. During her time enrolled at SIU, she has racked up over $100,000 in student loan debt.
While she was in school, Stoelzle was worried about the debt she would have when she graduated and wished it wasn’t a burden
she would have to carry.
“I have had confidence in my purpose and goals. However, it would mean the world to be able to actively fight for a brighter future without the weight of debt due to choosing education,” Stoelzle said.
When she first heard about Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, Stoelzle was comforted. She felt the weight start to lift until she discovered the amount they were able to receive.
“I was relieved when hearing about it,” Stoelzle said. “But for those who have the amount that I do, it is only a penny towards the total and interest.”
After graduation, Stoelzle didn’t have the plan to manage her debt. She did what she needed to do in order to get a degree, a vehicle and a place to live on her own.
Stoelzle hopes in the future that total forgiveness will soon become an option for those with overwhelming amounts of debt. She said if total forgiveness ever happens, she would be able to get a house and a new vehicle. She said if she didn’t have to worry about the debt while in school, she would’ve been able to pick up another major.
Stoelzle was raised by her mother, who was a first-generation student and single parent. She is also an alumna at SIU and received her masters here. She said that being able to experience watching her mother go through
college on her own made her hope that she would receive more help.
“I wish there was more help for single parents. Childcare only covers 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and I hope that my children have more freedom. I am a single parent and have worked for nonprofits for over three years, but not for 10,” she said.
In the near future, with this forgiveness plan coming into action, Stoezle hopes to gain back her confidence and financial freedom.
The Assistant Director of Digital Services at WSIU, K. Ellen Stackhouse, earned two degrees at SIU and is currently pursuing a third. She received her bachelor’s in 2005, her master’s in 2011 and hopefully, her second master’s very soon.
With her almost three degrees, Stackhouse has over $120,000 in student debt to pay back
“From the beginning, I sought to find a position that qualified for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness program,” Stackhouse said. “I knew it would mean a lower salary for 10 years but it was worth it to eliminate my student loan debt.”
When Stackhouse received news of Biden’s forgiveness program, she was very happy. She knew it wouldn’t make a huge difference to her, but some help was better than none.
“I was happy to know that $20,000 of my $120,000 debt would be wiped away, but honestly it’s a drop in a very, very, very deep bucket,” she said. “While it is a manageable burden at present, I try not to worry about the debt because I am three years from meeting the terms of the Public Student Loan Forgiveness program. In theory, my debt should be eliminated by 2025, allowing me a fresh start at the age of 45.”
In the near future, she hopes the government will allow changes to the Income-Driven Repayment plan, which will cut monthly payments for student loans in half.
“The plan will allow folks like me to put those funds towards a mortgage or other savings goals. I’d like to see legislation
aiming to control the amount of interest on these loans,” Stackhouse said. “The interest is keeping many repayors in a vicious cycle where they are paying monthly but can never put a dent on the principal of the loan.”
Stackhouse said future generations should have the option to take free community college courses in high school or even right after to be able to transfer the credits to all four-year universities.
While in school, Stackhouse was fortunate enough to receive scholarships, assistantships and a fellowship, but still acquired huge amounts in loans. If she didn’t have to worry about the loans, she would have pursued a career in corporate America to earn more and better support her family while saving for retirement.
Melanie Hammond, the Program Coordinator for the Business Intelligence and Technical Services at the SIU Foundation, agrees. She maxed out her student loans in order for her to earn her two master’s degrees.
“The loan forgiveness doesn’t really affect me at all. I’m in negative amortization,” Hammond said. “Which is where interest accumulates faster than any payment I can reasonably make and still pay my mortgage and feed my children.”
Hammond is also taking part in the same program Stackhouse is. She hopes it will grant her the total relief she needs for financial freedom.
“Unless the current administration was to forgive the total balance, it doesn’t positively impact my life at all. My only real hope is that I am taking part in the Public Student Loan Forgiveness program and in three more years, I hope to be free of the student loan debt burden,” Hammond said.
Biden’s forgiveness plan impacts everyone with student loans in higher education, positively and negatively. Many hope other courses of action are soon inherited into the government’s plan to manage student loan debt.
Guest contributor Kamaria Harmon can be reached at kharmon@dailyegyptian.com
On West Main Street, down the road from Thai Taste and Castle Perilous, sits a vintage thrift store known as Electric Larry’s. The titular Larry is said to spend his days “traveling through time and space to bring you the weirdest things he can find from decades past.”
In reality, Electric Larry’s is run by Meagan and Randall Majors. Opening in October 2020, the store offers a variety of products aimed at tapping into the nostalgia of customers, with an emphasis on buying and selling pre-owned items.
“Part of the concept of the store is to not add new things out,” Randall Majors said. “You’ve got that threetier ‘reduce, reuse, recycle.’ We’re doing the reduce and reuse part.”
The name comes from several different sources. It was previously the name of a band that Randall Majors was in; it’s the name of a character in the 1983 film “Get Crazy;” it’s part of the title of a Butthole Surfers album. The alliterative name adds to the mythos of the store and its eclectic nature.
The store is described on its Facebook page as selling “pop culture and vintage items for your funky retro souls.” Most of what is sold at Electric Larry’s can be linked to the pop culture of the 1980s and ‘90s, with bits of the decades before and after mixed in as well.
Walking into the store might be a bit of a sensory overload at first, given the range of items available. Along the right wall, one shelf holds baskets of Star Wars, He-Man and X-Men toys, while the next shelf houses video games for old consoles like the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox. At the end of the wall is a shelf of cassette tapes and crates of vinyl records.
Meagan and Randall Majors moved to Carbondale in March 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Randall, like many others, lost his job during the economic downturn.
“Originally, we moved here with remote jobs,” he said. “Mine got laid off, and I just decided I was gonna try to use my severance package to do something different rather than just finding another job.”
This isn’t the first time Randall Majors found himself on the wrong end of an economic crisis. He also got laid off during the 2008
recession. Having experienced that multiple times at no fault of his own, he decided to take a new path instead.
“Every major economic downturn since I was like 20, I’ve been in a corporate job that I’ve done a great job, made growth for the company, and then some kind of economic risk has hit and they start laying people off and I’ve lost my job,” Randall Majors said.
Instead, he and his wife Meagan Majors decided to create their own business. Electric Larry’s began as one of several stores in a shared building next to Traxx on South Illinois Avenue. After a year in that spot, it moved a few blocks over to its own building next to Castle Perilous on Main Street in September 2021.
“We had talked about doing a similar type of store as a retirement plan,” Meagan Majors said. “We had this money unexpectedly come into our lives. We thought about doing something responsible like paying off the car, something like that. Like getting another corporate job. But ultimately, life is too short to just do something that makes you really unhappy.”
On the wall above the toys, a small television is mounted. Any given day
it could be playing a classic episode of “The Simpsons” or “X-Men: The Animated Series.” As it plays in the background, it further enhances the nostalgic atmosphere that Electric Larry’s brings.
“My favorite thing is listening to people walk around the store, and they’ll see something from their childhood, and they’ll laugh and tell us a memory about it,” Meagan Majors said.
Since many of the products found at Electric Larry’s are out of print and no longer sold by major retailers, it is difficult to find them outside of yard sales, auctions, or on resale websites like eBay. As a collector, Randall Majors saw that process firsthand even before opening up the store.
“It’s something that I’ve always done, even when I was working for somebody else,” Randall Majors said. “I was always thrifting stuff and buying stuff, and then reselling it.”
Meagan Majors added, “He is a huge collector of things anyway, so when we started the store, we put a lot of our own collections into the store.”
Because of Electric Larry’s business model, they rely on those sources for products. It allows them to work within the community to find new
things that other stores wouldn’t offer.
“We’re not giving money to some distributor in some random state,” Randall Majors said. “We’re buying stuff from local people. We’re going to auctions and yard sales and buying stuff there.”
In the back of the store, a wall of DVDs, Blu-rays and VHS tapes wraps around the right side of the room. Beyond that, are shelves of books ranging from Steven King novels to science fiction stories and everything in between. On the other side of the room are bins with Marvel and DC comic books, and a display of old magazines such as National Lampoon and Sports Illustrated.
Decorating the store are prints, stickers and other works from local artists. Electric Larry’s does consignment with artists, allowing them to set their own prices while Larry’s only takes a small percentage.
“I’m a musician, she [Meagan Majors] does art,” Randall Majors said. “We like to support other people who are doing artistic pursuits.”
Electric Larry’s also hosts events, such as SECRET CINEMA, a series of movie nights celebrating lesserknown horror films throughout the month of October. More efforts are
being made to ensure that Larry’s serves the community just as much as it serves its customer base.
While they are relatively new to southern Illinois, the Majors are familiar with the area and culture, having both grown up in Kentucky. They are both Kentucky Colonels, the highest honor given to a civilian by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Meagan Majors grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky, a town of 60,000 people. However, she described the town as missing the small business atmosphere that Carbondale has.
“They could have a really unique city, but it’s just like people only trust Applebee’s and Texas Roadhouse,” she said.
Electric Larry’s is just one of several small businesses littered around Carbondale. Between retail stores and restaurants, the college town provides a unique experience for visitors and residents alike, while also creating opportunities for people to start their own businesses like Randall and Meagan Majors did.
Staff reporter Brandyn Wilcoxen can be reached at bwilcoxen@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @BrandynWilcoxen.
Other than Valentine’s Day, the month of February is also known for Black History Month. The meaning most commonly associated with it is to celebrate all the achievements Black Americans have made throughout history. For some people, Black History could have a deeper meaning than that.
Grace Gunn, the Registered Student Organization (RSO) coordinator for Black Affairs Council (BAC), said when she was a child, she was told that Black History Month is a time to look back and reflect on Black American history.
“I remember people saying how it was just important to recognize our history so that we can understand how to move forward. I think that was the significance being shared to me as a kid,” Gunn said.
She said this month is not only about reflecting about our history, but to also take a step back and look at how Black people fought for their freedom.
“Black history is American history and it’s a vital part of the construction of our country. So without it, we’re nothing and we have to understand it, to know how to operate within it,” Gunn said.
Being able to see all the Black RSOs on campus celebrate our
history is a great thing because when we all come together, we show that we are unified and want to see each other thrive, she said.
Shelly Page, a law professor at SIU’s School of Law, said Black History Month is not only a time to reflect on the contributions African Americans have made as a community, but to look and see what we can do better.
“What’s lacking? What are we missing? What are the things we still need to do?” she said.
Page said there is an “unwritten check” America has yet to write on behalf of people of African descent.
“So we still need to look at what else we need to do to meet the goals of our ancestors to have true equality and equity in the United States of America,” she said.
When political leaders go out of their way to try and limit the extent of which African American history is taught, Page said, it does a disservice to students who want to learn more about it.
“African American AP study should be a course offered to students, just like any other course that is offered. I think it’s a shame, so I think it behooves universities across America to make sure that history is taught in its full scope [...] and whether that history makes people uncomfortable it’s their problem. History is history. The
truth is the truth,” she said.
When it comes to American history specifically, there will be uncomfortable truths that we will have to face from the slaughtering of the indigenous community, the mistreatment of African Americans and other racial groups and trying to hide that truth does more harm than good, Page said.
Charah McKinzie, the Women’s Resource Center coordinator, said it is important that African Americans know their history because not knowing it could cause problems down the line.
“You get in certain situations, you don’t know what to do,” McKinzie said. “If we take some time and read books, and we’ve taken some time and study some of the techniques and strategies that our ancestors used, I think it will benefit us in the future.”
She said knowing about the different aspects of African American history is important because Black people could learn new things about our culture that could possibly help us now.
Seeing Black RSOs on campus celebrate our history is amazing to see because it shows how, when Black people come together, they can create amazing things, Mckinzie said.
“I feel proud because I think as a community. We must find
ways to work together. I think as a community, we must seek some type of unity. The thing is when we are unified and organized, there are amazing things that we can accomplish,” Mckinzie said.
Nakeya Smith, a third-year student, said while having an entire month dedicated to celebrating Black Americans’ accomplishments, it can feel limiting at times.
“I feel like it makes us small because [of] the fact that we have to celebrate Black History Month in one month and [...] I feel like they just gave us a month [so] that we won’t complain,” she said.
Smith said, although it does feel that Black history has been reduced to one month on the calendar, Black people should still take the time to celebrate it.
Dennis Galloway, a senior lecturer in the College of Arts and Media, said when it comes to a handful of “non people of color” and Black History, their knowledge is limited.
“There’s so many people that are not people of color, who don’t really know, they just know about Martin Luther King Jr. and a few other inventors and things like that. There’s so much that needs to get out there which will help overall in relationships,” he said.
While it is great that Black
history can be taught for the entire month of February, after the month is over, there are not a lot of chances to learn about it, Galloway said.
“I am concerned about, [...] the de-emphasis of the teaching of Black history. For example, with Governor Ron DeSantis, how he is demonizing critical race theory. It’s not being taught in grade schools. It’s not being taught in high schools,” he said. “It’s being taught primarily in colleges, and people like him, de-emphasizing it’s not necessarily criminalizing it but putting it in a negative light is bad for everybody because Black history is something that needs to be taught to everybody.”
Galloway said, when lawmakers essentially try to ban histories of racial groups, specifically African Americans, they make it seem as their history is not fit to be taught in schools
Smith said, “If you’re a Black person or a person of color period, just come out to all the events that the Black RSOs are doing because it is something positive to do for the month of February and even though [...] it’s the smallest month of the year, we should still celebrate it.”
Candy man will have you hooked.
With Jordan Peele dominating in the horror industry right now it’s only fair to shine a light on some of his work in the past few years. It’s clear that he’s been bringing a new viewpoint to the genre that was much needed. Especially when one of the most common tropes in horror is to kill off the first minority character you see.
Many claim Peele’s approach when taking on these movies has brought back a mainstream interest in political horror while also bringing in more representation and room for people of color to be heard.
Both the original Candyman (1992) and the new Candyman (2021) have very similar topics that they touch on, showing that this is nothing new for the genre. With focuses on gentrification, exploitation of black creators for monetary gain, mentions of police brutality and lynching all topics that affect people of color disproportionately more than white people.
Some other similarities between the two are that both main characters try getting to the bottom of the urban legend of Candyman and how he came to be and how his story relates to the Black experience.
However the biggest difference seen between these two movies is the way they
approach the myth of Candyman. The original focuses more on Helen’s views as a White woman studying mythology living in a building that was originally supposed to be the housing projects known as CabriniGreen in Chicago.
Peele’s approach was from the point of view of Candyman and his story spanning over generations with a focus on the different atrocities that have faced the black community. Seeing as now we can have a much more open conversation about these issues where there wasn’t as much of a reality when the first one was released.
This approach was obviously well received by many because not only did it aid in making the viewer take a second look on the demonization of people of color but it also added a fantastic new perspective into a classic horror film.
When it comes to remakes and sequels, many viewers go into it with a comparative view especially with such large gaps of time in between. By having a different point of view this somewhat eliminates expectation but also allows for the creator to have their own approach be seen and respected instead of held to a standard set by the original.
Staff reporter Breanna Gallagher can be reached at bgallagher@dailyegyptian.com
Here at SIUC, our school mascot is the sleek Saluki and many of us show our school spirit as proud members of the Dawg Pound. It makes sense when you stop to think; dogs are human’s best friend, after all. I have talked to many of my fellow students who have told me they’ve sadly had to leave their beloved pets at home when they came to SIU. That breaks my heart because I understand the deep bond between a human and their doggo.
In the spirit of puppy love, I would like to share my little dog, Rufus, with the Daily Egyptian readership in a new weekly column, Daily Dawgs. Here you will hear about his life, his shenanigans and all things dog from his perspective with the occasional tidbit of interesting information from myself. Without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce Rufus.
Hi guys! My name’s Rufus, as my mom already mentioned. Her real name is Erica, but to me she’s just Mom.
Where to start?
I’m seven years old, going to be eight in May, we think. My mom’s friend found me in her yard when I was just a tiny puppy, so we don’t know what day I was born. Mom says I was “little bitty,” and I just take her word for it. Mom’s friend couldn’t find out where I came from, so she put my picture on Facebook, and that’s where my mom first got a peek at all the handsomeness I have going on. But I got off topic.
I’m 21 pounds of solid muscle and adorableness with mostly white fur, patches of brindle and the
cutest little floppy ears. At least, that’s what my Mom says. She can be embarrassing sometimes. I only own up to the solid muscle part. Well, I’m adorable, too. And believe me when I say, I use it to my advantage!
Mom also says that I’m her emotional support Rufus, and whew - that’s a big job! But we’re great at it, and one time my Mom told me why! Something about stuff that some scientists were doing to learn more about how dogs and humans bond. My mom teaches me lots of cool stuff all the time! I don’t remember the details about this thing, so I’ll let her tell you and then we’ll get back to me.
Research scientists have been studying the relationship between humans and their dogs more and more in recent years.
One scholarly review of recent research into the human-dog bond, published in partnership between the University of Sydney and La Trobe University in Australia, said, “In particular, both positive attitudes and affiliative behavior seem to contribute to a strong dog–human bond, as is apparently confirmed by hormonal changes that emerge in both dyad members. This illustrates the benefits that can ensue from successful dog–human relationships and should inspire the cultivation of such relationships.”
In a 2009 special issue on comparative cognitive studies, the Japanese Psychological Research journal published an article on the attachment between humans and dogs with the following finding, “These results indicated that presenting the owners as stimuli activated the autonomic system in dogs more than when strangers were presented; this suggests that dogs can not only discriminate between owners and
strangers, but also exhibit emotional responses when reunited with their owners.”
Ok, now back to me.
Where was I? Oh, jobs! I have lots of jobs. We live out in the country, so it’s my job to patrol the property and enforce security measures. It’s one of my favorites!
See, being out in the country with lots of trees means tiny woodland creatures and neighbor dogs pass through our yard.
Oh, the smells! I can’t even begin to describe them. I’ve smelled rabbits, cats, deer, lots of different kinds of birds, frogs, flying and hopping insects. Do you guys know about lighting bugs? The ones with the light-up butts? They’re the coolest! I like to try to catch them in my mouth!
More recently, we’ve had an intruder that my mom calls an armadillo. I’ve never heard of it, but I know what it smells like! The battle for my turf is ongoing, so more on the armadillo another time.
I also check my correspondence several times a day during my security patrols. I don’t have e-mail
or Instagram, but I do have p-mail and scentagrams. See, my mom’s mom, I call her Maimie, has dogs too, and we leave messages to each other around the yard. That’s how dogs do social media. The neighbor dog also leaves messages, which is irritating, and I always respond in no uncertain terms to stay off my lawn! But he keeps coming back! More on that another time.
Another job I have is as a sanitation engineer. If someone drops food, I clean it up! It’s that simple. My mom’s dad, I call him Poppy, is a mechanic, and he has a gigantic shop in our backyard. Mom says it’s the size of a barn, but you couldn’t prove it to me. In his shop, he works on big tractors and other farming stuff, and sometimes I help him turn the wrenches. That’s mechanic lingo for: fix the problem.
I’m out of time right now, but next week I want to tell you about the day I met my mom. Boy, that was a great day!
Love, Rufus
Fifth-year senior Jacob Garrett cemented his name into Saluki football history forever with two touchdown catches in a 31-24 victory over Northwestern on Sept. 17. The fullback had entered the season with just 10 career receptions in 37 games played for Southern Illinois.
Having set career rushing records at Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg, Indiana, as well as contributing to the passing game, Garrett knew he had what it took to play a more visible role in the 2022 Saluki offense. What he may not have realized is how successful that transition would be.
Garrett tallied six receiving touchdowns in 2022 and added one more on the ground. The statistical production combined with his typical work as a blocking fullback earned him a second-team All-American nod by Phil Steele/Draft Scout, making him the first Saluki to do so at his position.
“To see that come to fruition with the All-American award… is pretty cool to see after the work I’ve put in,” Garrett said.
Since 2018, Garrett served as the lead blocker for Southern’s offense, which reached great heights during his stay. In 2019, the team featured two 1,000-yard rushers in Javon Williams Jr. and D.J. Davis, and ranked 12th in the nation in rushing yards.
The next year, the Salukis led the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in total offense, first downs and third down percentage. It was
during that season when SIU football marked two milestones in what would be a program resurgence.
After his 2021 was cut short by injury, Garrett returned for his final season in 2022. His performance against Northwestern served as a breakout game of sorts, which he followed up with another two touchdown catches against North Dakota in the Valley opener. Those two games sparked a five-game winning streak for SIU.
“It was super cool to see my hard work kinda come to the front and being able to provide for the team like that in a meaningful game,” Garrett said. “A big FBS win, and then a big conference-opening win.”
The All-American honor came as a surprise for Garrett, who had assumed all of the 2022 awards had come out already. He heard the news from defensive end Richie Hagarty, who just happened to be walking by.
“I saw Richie Hagarty in the hallways of the facility this past week, and he kinda let me know. He said his dad saw it,” Garrett said. “If it wasn’t for him, I probably still wouldn’t know.”
On top of his feats on the field, Garrett accomplished just as much in the classroom. He was named to the Academic All-America second-team by College Sports Communicators in December, a year after earning the MVFC President’s Council Academic Excellence Award.
“I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to do here at SIU,” Garrett said. “Especially with those academic awards, I take a lot of pride in that. Getting those grades right, and
holding myself to a high standard.”
Garrett’s first season as a stat-getter on the Saluki offense will also be his last, having wrapped up his normal four years of eligibility plus a “COVID year” offered by the NCAA. Still just two months removed from the end of his SIU career, it still doesn’t feel quite over.
“I talk about this with my parents and some of the other guys I finished with,” he said. “It really hasn’t hit me yet.”
Part of that may be due to him preparing for a life in professional football, whether it be with the NFL, or an alternative league such as the USFL, XFL, or CFL. That dream became the motivation for him to develop as a pass-catcher in 2022.
“That was definitely a goal for me this year. I needed to do that to have an opportunity to pursue the next level,” he said.
In high school, Garrett scored 33 career touchdowns, including 25 on the ground and six as a receiver. With his previous accomplishments in mind, he believed that he could contribute effectively at the FCS level as well.
“I knew I had that ability in me, but I never really got to showcase it at the college level until this year,” Garrett said. “Really just focused on it in the offseason, working with [head coach] Nick [Hill], working with the coaches on what I can do to help the team in those situations.”
In preparation for professional football, he is currently training with Saluki head strength coach Meade Smith, as well as Javon WIlliams Jr. and Beau Branyan, who both recently
declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Williams noted one of his favorite memories as a Saluki coming in a 2019 game against Youngstown State, during which he threw Garrett’s first career touchdown reception.
“Just to throw that to him and be a part of that experience, that moment of him getting his first career touchdown in college. It was just so surreal, so amazing to be a part of,” Williams said.
On a team with talented receivers like twins Avante and D’Ante’ Cox, and running backs like Williams and Davis, it was a feat by itself for Garrett to work himself into the lineup and get touches that would normally go towards the big targets.
“To be able to contribute on the level with those guys was really something special for me,” Garrett said. “They always support me, and know I always support them… It was cool to see them hyping me up whenever I’m getting those touches, rather than blocking for them.”
A defining trait of Southern’s program is the culture, which fosters a selfless, team-centric approach.
“Just the amount of weapons, and the unselfishness of the whole group, offensively and defensively, I think really attributed to our success over the past few years,” Garrett said.
On February 27, 2021, the Salukis defeated North Dakota State, the No. 1 team in the country which had a 39-game winning streak entering the day. Later that season, SIU would make the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2009, defeating Weber State in the first round.
“That whole spring season itself,
just with all of the difficulties and challenges that COVID presented, and then basically playing two seasons in a sense… it was a crazy time period,” Garrett said. “So to have the success that we had throughout those two years is something super exciting to be a part of.”
Garrett credits the class before him, led by standouts like ZeVeyon Furcron, Qua Brown, Bryce Notree, Landon Lenoir and Anthony Knighton, with helping build the program back into a playoff team as it had been in the mid-2000’s.
“You could almost see, just as an outsider, the way that we were able to gel as a team,” he said. “That senior class before me… I credit them a lot with getting us to the point that we were able to achieve in this run of getting us back on the map.”
In college sports, student-athletes spend so much time around teammates that they often form inseparable bonds. Compounding that with the success that the team experienced during Garrett’s tenure, it becomes something truly special.
“I’ve definitely built friendships for life. There’s no doubt about it,” Garrett said. “Just a bunch of guys doing a bunch of great things that I’ve met through this game and through this university. It’s unreal how much of the world this game has let me see, and friendships I’ve been able to create just from this place.”
Staff reporter Brandyn Wilcoxen can be reached at bwilcoxen@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @ BrandynWilcoxen.
The Saluki softball team is ready to step up to the plate and do whatever it takes to produce the best possible season ahead, starting February 10.
A lot of preparation has taken place for coach Jen Sewell’s first full season as head coach. After spending two years as a volunteer assistant and the 11 years after as retired head coach Kerri Blaylock’s associate head coach, Sewell stepped into the head coach position midway through the 2022 season.
Being only the third head coach in the program’s history, Sewell said being in the program for as long as she’s been has helped her to learn the things that she would need when she moved up to her current position.
“I think I’ve benefited from being an assistant and associate head coach here because I could learn that part of the process,” Sewell said.
While Sewell wants to maintain the program the same way that coaches before her did, technology and analytics are something that she’s looking to add to the program to help it grow. Along with both of these,
Sewell said that there are new resources being brought to the program.
“We’ve added nutrition, sports performance, and recovery. We’re not looking to change the program, just adding to what we already have going here,” Sewell said.
Coming into the season, the Salukis are returning around half of their team from the previous season and the other half are newcomers. This means that the first few games are going to be figuring out where the team is at with its tough RPI schedule.
The team commenced its preseason eight-day minicamp prior to spring semester classes starting. This camp consisted of the team and coaching staff spending the majority of their days together, from meals, training and lifts to performance and nutrition work. This minicamp played an important role in the team bonding for the season, which is something senior outfielder Aubree DePron said benefited the team a lot.
“Out of my four years here at SIU, this has to be the team with the best chemistry overall. Everybody gets along with each other, everyone is equal and no one feels above another,
everyone wants what’s best for each other,” she said.
DePron said, in past years, there have been some issues with chemistry on the team, but that is something Sewell is trying to add to the program.
During the preseason, Sewell has set up multiple activities to help the players grow their chemistry. From having fellow athletes, the Saluki Shakers teach the team their advanced dance routine to doing yoga activities together, Sewell has found many ways to help the team bond.
“I think that is why we’re doing so well in our look out for the team this year, it’s really exciting because we do get along on and off the field and I think that will get us far,” DePron said.
Another thing that Sewell has put in place for team bonding is meetings with the school’s faculty athletic representative, Dr. Julie Partridge. These meetings make it so that the team can discuss concerns, excitements, or pressure and how to handle these things together.
Looking forward to the season, the Salukis’ schedule consists of 47 regular season games beginning on Feb. 10 in Fort Myers Florida for the FGCU/
Four Points by Sheraton Invitational. Following the invitational, the Salukis will travel to Mexico for the Puerto Vallarta Challenge where they will take on Kansas, Ole Miss, NDSU, and Sacramento State, which are teams that they don’t get to compete against often.
Following their week of travels, the Salukis will return home to host the Coach B Classic and the Saluki Invitational. After recent upgrades to their field, the players are excited to host, not only these two tournaments, but the Missouri Valley Conference Championship as well. The last time the championship was hosted at SIU was in 2016.
After losing to Illinois State in their first game of the championship last season, the Salukis are ready to take their home field advantage to help them advance further into the tournament this year.
SIU is looking to see quite a few opponents that were ranked in the NCAA’s top 100 RPI, four of which are MVC opponents: UNI, Missouri State, Belmont and Murray State. Sewell said the approach to these games isn’t going to be different than
any other game, but it may look different than previous seasons due to a change in lineup.
“I think we have somewhat of an advantage because we’ve really changed up our lineup. We need to win as many of these games as we can and pick up as many high RPI games as we can, we just need to be very detailed about how we do it,” Sewell said.
When it comes to things to improve on, DePron said that, in a conversation at practice, Sewell told the team she never has to worry about anyone not giving 100% effort at all times, but paying attention to the little details is something players need to focus on.
“I think sometimes we start lacking on this, after that conversation everyone has made adjustments, making sure to pay attention to the small details. Now we just need to make sure we keep that up and be consistent with it,” DePron said.
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Pets were invited too, right?
