The Daily Egyptian - April 27, 2022

THE

Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.

DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2022

VOL. 105, ISSUE 15

In memoriam

Vigil held for Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna

Students and community members raise a candle in memory of Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @sophiewhitten_

A photo of Pavan Swarna sits on display a the vigil in memory of him and his fellow SIU graduate student Vamshi Krishna Pechetty April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @sophiewhitten_

A woman looks at a photo of Vamshi Krishna Pechetty at the vigil held for him and Pavan Swarna April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @sophiewhitten_

Community members bring light candles in memory of Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna, SIU graduate students who passed away in a car accident, April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @ sophiewhitten_

Women lay flowers in front of photos of SIU graduate students Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @ sophiewhitten_

Community members gather to mourn the loss of SIU graduate students Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @sophiewhitten_

p. 3

p. 10

So close, yet so far: A look at college student burnout

SIU storms Hollywood: Alums make their mark in showbiz

p. 11

Q and A with softball star as she adds new chapter in SIU history books

p. 13

J.T. Weber is having a historic season, but his eyes are on the team’s success

1, 2, & 3

BEDROOMS (618)549-0335 | (618)549-0895

AVAILABLE Grab a roommate for $300-$350 per person!

805 E. Park Street

News

Page 2

Contact Us

Email: editor@dailyegyptian.com Faculty Managing Editor: Annie Hammock

Student Managing Editor: Jason Flynn

Editor-in-Chief: Oreoluwa Ojewuyi

Sports Editor: Ryan Scott

ahammock@dailyegyptian.com

jflynn@dailyegyptian.com

oojewuyi@dailyegyptian.com

rscott@dailyegyptian.com

Design Chief: Dustin Clark

Business Manager: Lyn Sargent

dclark@dailyegyptian.com

lsargent@dailyegyptian.com

Photo Editor: Sophie Whitten

News Editor: William Box

swhitten@dailyegyptian.com

wbox@dailyegyptian.com

Digital Editor: Megan Kern

Assistant to the Editors: Janiyah Gaston

mkern@dailyegyptian.com

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

In memoriam

Vigil held for Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna

jgaston@dailyegyptian.com

Student Ad Manager: Hannah Combs hcombs@dailyegyptian.com

Students and community members gather to mourn the lives of SIU graduate students Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill.

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.

A woman burns a candle at the vigil in memory of SIU graduate students Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill.

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 @2021 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

Women arrange flowers for the vigil in memory of SIU graduate students Vamshi Krishna Pechetty and Pavan Swarna April 22, 2022 at Becker Pavilion in Carbondale, Ill.

spring.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

News

Page 3

Seth Martin | @seth.mart

So close, yet so far: A look at college student burnout

Carolyn Dickte | carolynd@dailyegyptian.com

With the end of the school year and warmer temperatures arriving, the stress of the season triggering a lack of motivation to complete school work starts to creep in for students leading to burnout.

The World Health Organization website defines burnout as: a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: • Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.

• Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job.

• Reduced professional efficacy.

“Burnout is a state of complete mental and physical stress and exhaustion. It’s an aching pain that starts off slow, like not attending class every day, but it grows into a roaring beast that consumes everything in your life not just school,” computer science major Avery Leveque said.

The struggle to not only keep up with classwork but to also keep up physical, mental and emotional health is something Leveque said she is familiar with. “[In] high school I didn’t even have to try, it came naturally and, if there were struggles, the teachers were understanding. Here the professors are not as helpful and there is hardly

“Burnout is when I work hard for a certain amount of time in order to succeed in a specific area but end up jeopardizing my mental health in the process, thus making it harder to succeed past that.”

- Izzy Burkhardt Art education modifier

any personal connection to the professors in any course and sometimes it’s really demotivating,” Leveque said.

Pressures like being a first generation college student and having an important scholarship combined with a fear of failing classes are what’s keeping students motivated to go to classes and do assignments, she said.

“My friends are my biggest motivator though. If it weren’t for them, I’d probably drop out and run away to live in the woods,” Leveque said.

She said another large motivator is looking forward to summer activities. Instead of just quitting school when the end of the semester is nearly here, the better mentality is to think that we can enjoy those activities once we don’t have to worry about school.

“A lot of STEM professors aren’t compassionate unless something major happens

to you, but since switching to computer science from computer and electrical engineering, the professor I’ve had this semester has been more understanding and open with her students, especially me,” Leveque said.

Art education major Izzy Burkhardt said the workload is a lot in her program because of projects and hands-on learning as classes are geared toward what students will be hopefully doing in the future.

“Burnout is when I work hard for a certain amount of time in order to succeed in a specific area but end up jeopardizing my mental health in the process, thus making it harder to succeed past that,” Burkhardt said.

Because of the depletion of motivation, falling behind in assignments and not attending class is a lot easier to fall victim to at the end of the year or semester than at the beginning, Burkhardt said.

Music education major, Jasiah Draper said, “I’d say burnout is just not caring about how you’re doing in a class, whether you’re doing well or not. You just want to get it done.”.

Fear of having the lowest grades of my class and being bullied by my classmates as well as disappointing my parents with bad grades are huge motivators to continue to show up and do assignments, Draper said.

“My college workload is a lot more consistent than my high school workload. Along with that, the assignments are generally longer,” Draper said.

As easy as it is to just give up, we’re almost there, so finishing strong will be much more rewarding than quitting right before the end, Leveque said.

Staff reporter Carolyn Dickte carolynd@ dailyegyptian.com.

Page 4

News

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

‘The Final Countdown’ Student destress as finals week approaches

Janiyah Gaston | @DEJaniyah

Final exams are usually the last grade of the semester and can be worth a large amount of your final grade. With the school year coming to an end and finals fast approaching, students are scrambling to find time to study and, for some the stress is building up.

Denae Cantreall, a second year electrical engineering student said when it comes to big, important tests, stress can really throw off college students.

“We took a midterm, and the highest grade was an 81. I know he probably is going to curve at the end, but [I’m] still kind of nervous whenever it’s a really hard test like that,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell said she thinks the stress of the midterms in her linear controls class was a big reason why the class did not do so great.

Students should make an effort to take breaks when they are studying so they do not burn out.

“If you get really overwhelmed, you can take a time off to go play a game on your console or go on a walk,” Cantrell said. “Just have some sort of outlet just to help you take your mind off of what you’re doing so you can go back to it later with a calmer mindset.”

Kourtney Sims, a second year student majoring in biomedical science, said when it comes to studying students should study in a way that makes them feel comfortable.

“I definitely am a visual learner. So, I always like to look over the PowerPoint slides and stuff. I also find it really helpful to kind of reword lecture notes and stuff in my own terminology,” Sims said.

Sims said students should focus on just doing their best when it comes to taking tests.

“I would say, at least in my experience from taking the exams and stuff in college, just do the best that you can. Be confident, and if you do end up failing and getting anything wrong, don’t beat yourself up over it,” Sims said.

Riley Sanders and Amber Moore, both fourth year students majoring in communication studies and disorders are also team leaders at the tutoring center in Morris Library.

Sanders said if students are having trouble reviewing their class notes, they should break it down in a way they understand.

“Even if the professor doesn’t provide a study guide, I can make my own, and go through the chapter touching on the big things that might possibly be on the test, and then maybe doing certain aspects of it,” Sanders said.

Amber Moore, a fourth year student also studying communication studies and disorders said students should try not to overexert themselves when they study for finals.

“If you’re constantly studying and stressing

“I think it has to be a daily practice, like how we tend to brush our teeth. It should be a regular mental hygiene as well. We should normalize this.

Everyone needs this right now. We see a lot of stress all over the place. And it’s time we should normalize Mental Hygiene and self care.”

- Kailash Yelasani SIU Sky Happiness Retreat

about your finals, you’re more likely to do worse on the finals, because you’re not fulfilling other aspects of [your] life, like self care,” Moore said.

“I would really say balance and make sure that you’re studying but also maybe going out to lunch with a friend.”

Sanders said the center has a lot of people in their program to help students better understand their courses.

“The overall purpose is to get students to not need tutoring anymore and to learn how to study by yourself, learning to do a problem that you don’t know,” Sanders said. “I think that a lot of tutoring coaches’ strategies are that way [so] they may not need it for a future class.”

Moore said the tutoring center offers more than just tutoring for students.

“SIU offers a lot of different Saluki Cares type of events and we host study jams that happen,” [...] Moore said. “People can come get free tutoring, free academic coaching, get snacks and have an environment where they can ask for help if they need it, [tutoring can] also be individualized if they need it.”

Moore said the tutoring center will be hosting another study jam April 27, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Students can attend sessions where they can learn tips and skills to practice better study habits.

Hoyt Linsey, a third year student majoring in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and computer science, said although he is not too concerned about his finals he still plans on studying for them. He said students should do their best on their finals and not let the stress consume them.

“They don’t ask for a GPA except for once in your career. And it really is just like if you pass the class, that’s good enough, if you get a B or C if you tried your hardest, that’s the best you could do,” Linsey said.

Diksha Mittal, a senior majoring in communications said when she first came to Southern Illinois University (SIU) as a transfer student she had a hard time adjusting and finding people to help her with her transition from India to SIU. “I became very homesick, the curriculum

here is very overwhelming and, as an international student, we’re supposed to do everything on our own all right,” Mittal said.

“So I was facing all of that from the outside.

I was smiling, but from inside I would miss home everyday [and] I would cry every day.”

Mittal said she overcame this struggle by practicing the Sky Breathing Technique.

According to her, after practicing the technique she felt more confident and relaxed and thought it would be good to have it at SIU. The Sky Breathing Technique came from the Sky Happiness Retreat program. The retreats do not take place at a certain place, but over zoom.

The first study done on students was at Yale University. The eight week retreat focuses on deep meditation and breathing and is geared toward helping students maintain their stress levels.

Mittal said while practicing the exercises she felt she could communicate better and was able

to finish her assignments.

“I noticed that at the Sky Happiness Retreat I was able to be more present with whatever is in front of me with the people, I could finish my assignment in half the time because the focus increased so much,” said Mittal. “I feel more confident about communicating and talking with students of different cultures and different nationalities.”

Kailash Yelasani, an alumnus of SIU and a founding member of the SIU Sky Happiness Retreat, said because students have so many stressors in their lives it is throwing them off mentally.

“Practicing these breathing techniques for sure 100 percent, will help us to regain those concentration levels and focus levels which [are] required to excel in academics,” Yelasani said.

Yelasani said although students cannot control everything that goes on in their life, they can control how they manage their stress.

He said people should make more of an effort to actively make mental health a part of their routine.

“I think it has to be a daily practice, like how we tend to brush our teeth. It should be a regular mental hygiene as well,” Yelasani said.

“We should normalize this. Everyone needs this right now. We see a lot of stress all over the place. And it’s time we should normalize Mental Hygiene and self care.”

Staff reporter Janiyah Gaston can be reached at jgaston@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter @ DEJaniyah.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

News

Page 5

Dustin Clark | @dustinclark.oof

Senators announce funding for six rural Illinois health care providers

Ethan Braun | ebraun@dailyegyptian.com

On April 13, the office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin announced as an extension of the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan, they would be providing over $3 million in funding for six healthcare providers in rural Illinois.

According to Durbin, the intended goal of the round of funding is to assist the public in accessing COVID-19 vaccines, testing, food assistance and other healthcare services.

“Across Illinois, rural hospitals and health care providers are the backbone of their communities, providing essential access points to care and anchoring the local economy,” Durbin stated in a press release. “Yet, many grapple with financial vulnerabilities that have only increased during the pandemic.”

In the same press release, Senator Duckworth made clear her intentions in helping pass the funding measure.

“Illinois’ rural healthcare providers are critical to extending reliable and accessible care to Illinoisans and providing jobs in communities,” Duckworth said. “Democrats intended for the American Rescue Plan to serve working families and by supporting healthcare access across our great state, we’re able to help do that.”

One of the organizations included in the line of funding is Arrowleaf, a nonprofit that provides dozens of programs for behavioral health, developmental services and community collaboration across southern Illinois. Sherrie Crabb, CEO of Arrowleaf, said the intended use of the funds will be to renovate an Arrowleaf building in Cairo, Illinois.

“This building really needs an upgrade,”

“Illinois’s rural healthcare providers are critical to extending reliable and accessible care to Illinoisans and providing jobs in communities.”

- Tammy Duckworth U.S. senator

Crabb said. “It’s not had any major improvements since it was built in the early 2000s to late 1990s. [...] We requested $362,900 from the federal government and we are matching 25%, so we’ll end up sharing the cost. We’ll put another $120K-121K into the project and the total renovations are going to be a little more than $483,000.”

Crabb said that she believes the location in Cairo will provide a positive impact on the community as a whole.

“We’re just really excited for a new building in Cairo to be invested in and be a shining light,” Crabb said. “If you or anybody else has been to Cairo, there’s a lot of dilapidated buildings and buildings that are just vacant or half-burned, and so to be able to kind of bring that focal point and light to the main road there in Cairo, I think it’s going to be hopefully a good thing.”

Another hospital set to receive funding is Illini Community Hospital in Illini, Illinois. This hospital will be receiving nearly $900,000 for a new drive-thru clinic, which will provide COVID vaccinations, testing and treatment. Kathy Hull, CEO of the hospital, said the goal of the new clinic was

to decrease potential exposure.

“In case there is another spike,” Hull said, “we would be able to use the drive through as a testing location as well as a potential treatment for lower level care needs without unduly putting people at risk for exposure to sicker patients.”

Hull said the Illinois Senate making some changes to Medicaid and Medicare would be beneficial, in her opinion.

“I would love to see some legislation governing Medicare and Medicaid replacement plans,” Hull said, “as it seems there are some that are very willing to deny every claim on the first try with not a lot of justification, and this just adds to the cost of healthcare overall.”

Another organization receiving funding from the plan is the Salem Township Hospital in Salem, Illinois. The hospital is being provided with nearly $800,000, which will be used to finance construction and fund new equipment like video monitoring systems, disinfectant chemicals and incubators. Alexander Nazarian, the CEO of Salem Hospital, said a significant portion of the funding will be used to upgrade their current airflow system.

“A large portion of these funds will be used to upgrade our private patient rooms to negative air flow,” Nazarian said. “This means that the contaminated air is safely vented outside and does not pose danger to the rest of the building. This will double our bed capacity to admit COVID patients and reduce the shortage of staffed beds that becomes an issue at every outbreak.”

While the funding will certainly aid the hospital, Nazarian believes there is more the Illinois Senate should be focusing on in the realm of public health in the future.

“COVID has exposed quite a few vulnerabilities in the health care delivery continuum,” Nazarian said. “We are fortunate in Illinois to have healthcare coverage for the majority of our population.

I think in the long term the Senate needs to look at how this coverage is applied. We are seeing a proliferation of insurance coverage such as high deductible plans or managed care Medicaid or Medicare plans that discourage patients from seeking care until it’s too late.”

Staff reporter Ethan Braun can be reached at ebraun@dailyegyptian.com.

Entertainment

Page 6

Zaden Dennis zdennis@dailyegyptian

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Everything Everywhere All at Once review

It’s not very often that we get to experience something that is truly new and unique, whether it be in film or in the world in general. When it comes to the world itself, we are often the barrier between seeking out these new experiences for ourselves.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is in direct conversation with this sense of complacency and stagnation in our day to day lives, and it battles these feelings with an aggressive onslaught of hilarious, heartbreaking, heartwarming, jawdropping and, most importantly, original images.

There are so few moments in film history where an off the wall film like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is released, that it’s hard to imagine how it even got made. Despite this, it’s gotten a wide release and has received nearly unanimous praise in an era where many film fans have become jaded with the current studio blockbuster turnstile,which loves pumping out movies that simply copy the ones before it.

The superhero genre has especially become the target for much criticism when it comes to this assembly line style of filmmaking. But, in a surprising turn of events, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” uses a device that has become part of the common vocabulary because of

these films, the multiverse.

While the multiverse is a concept that has long existed outside of comic book films, films like “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and the upcoming “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” have and will continue to play a heavy role in its rise in popularity. But “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is quick to turn lemons into lemonade with something that you’re probably already tired of hearing explained to you.

While the film does get into some heady sci-fi territory, it never feels overwhelming or exhausting.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” uses the multiverse simply as a jumping off point to have some truly insane plot devices while staying light on exposition with its devil-may-care attitude. Not since a film like “The Matrix” have concepts so complicated felt so easy to understand and relate to.

The genius of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” comes in the message of the movie, rather than its sci-fi logistics. The film follows our main character, Evelyn Wang, played by actress Michelle Yeoh, dealing with connecting with her husband and daughter who have become increasingly despondent with her. Her life has become so hectic and busy that when we meet her, she has very little time to spend with them. Between taking care of her father, managing multiple

businesses and worst of all, filing her taxes she never has a single moment to slow down.

It’s in this chaos that our journey begins, and things only get more insane as you go down the multiversal rabbit hole of wasted potential, kung-fu, talking racoons and neglect. The heart of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is the connections you make with your loved ones and how easy it can be to take those things for granted. Evelyn sees firsthand all the different permutations that can come out of the consequences of her actions, some good and most bad.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a film I think a lot of us need right now. One that forces you to really look at yourself and your effect on those around you. It puts a magnifying glass on all the selfish acts that Evelyn does everyday and by extension, puts one on the audience.

Very rarely have I seen a film that can really make me think about my own relationships and want to be a better person, while not also feeling corny, manipulative, forced or selfpitying. These are all the markings of a truly wonderful film-going experience that I think everyone should have for themselves.

It’s also a film that could speak uniquely to every person who views it, based on their own experiences. Although, I would

struggle to imagine anyone having a negative experience with it.

I found myself bouncing back and forth between bursting out in laughter and then tears, often within a few minutes of each other or even at the same time.

Although it is a film about family, it is worth mentioning it is still an R-rated film mostly aimed at adult audiences.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” flexes the power that films can have in a truly masterful way. The almost unprecedented talent for it was wielded effectively by the two directors, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, in their second feature together, with their previous work being 2016’s “Swiss Army Man.” The film shows complete control and expertise with an endless stream of filmmaking styles and techniques.

The diversity ranges from Pixar spoofs to arthouse cinema in the way of visual references to Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai.

On a technical front, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” shows chaotic precision.

The camerawork is energetic but always accentuates the scene. The editing is next level, with certain sequences that I genuinely can’t imagine how they pulled off and undoubtedly caused some carpal tunnel. Its score, from American experimental band Son Lux, boasts a wide range,

Peyton Cook | @pncook02

from orchestral work, electronic, traditional Chinese instruments and its excellent melancholy central track “This Is a Life” featuring musicians Mitski and David Byrne.

The acting is similarly excellent, where it’s even hard to single out any performances as literally everyone involved brings their A game. But, out of a long list of great actors, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis are the standouts. Yeoh and Quan’s dynamic is the heart of the film, and never failed to warm or break my heart. Curtis also brings a hilarious performance which is one that will surprise even her most diehard fans.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a collection of things that all work perfectly in tandem, representing the order among chaos. It’s always an exhilarating experience when you can feel that something is an “instant classic,” which is exactly how I felt even just halfway through the film. I implore everyone to catch this on the big screen if you can, as you’ll likely not experience anything else like it this year, or maybe even this decade.

Staff reporter Zaden Dennis can be reached at zdennis@ dailyegyptian.com and you can find his other reviews at letterboxd.com/ Zadenator.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Fashion

Page 7

Anika Svancarek | @sw.an.ika

Marching to the beat of your Docs Aaron Elliott | @aaron.elliott_

Flowers are coming up all around us, the skies are gray with a hint of blue here and there and birds are chirping all around. Spring has officially sprung in our beautifully scenic campus and students are finally able to enjoy some outside time. The cold concrete feel of winter in Carbondale is starting to fade, and we can see a glimmer of hope through it all. We are starting to shed the ever so heavy layering we must have to survive our indecisive climate, and bring out more colorful simple pieces.

The rainfall we get at this time of year always

influences our day to day outfits. Raincoats and windbreakers become our best friend and keep us dry on the rainiest days of this April.

Quite often here lately, I have reached for my trusty rain boots. I bought them from a resale shop. They are brown and rather drab, but serve the purpose of what they were purchased for nonetheless. In these I can stomp around and splash in any puddles when nobody is watching. Childlike wonder and play is always what comes to mind whilst I frolic about in my galoshes. They make me feel silly and gay (gay being used as both happy and Cher loving). I trust rain-boots more than most.

As a child my mother always told me this quite jarring story of how a lightning strike came down on her yard, and her rubber boots saved her life. She even has the rubber boots as a keepsake. I love my mother, but I do not believe this story a single bit. I do find this amusing though. So that is why I think of rubber boots when I think of a boot off of the top of my head. They are what I am attracted to with my eye. Recently, as I look around campus searching for another soul that shares childlike glee through rubber boots, I am noticing a trend now turned closet staple to most of the world.

The rise of the infamous Dr. Martens has been a long oncoming trend, making a worldwide mega resurgence as 1990s grunge and goth fashions make their way back into closets. I also don’t only want to address the grunge fashion trend and the influence that punk and rock had on fashion that is usually the only thing credited for today’s trends. I want to credit the goth community and their contribution as well.

Since the 1990s, the “combat boot” style has kind of always just been there. Not always in demand, but still there for the communities that enjoy them. The clunky boot has been equated to what is now known as “alternative style”, which can be and is enjoyed by many now. I find something about this a bit off putting, though. Growing up, the kind of people who wore Dr. Martens for fashion were the kind of people that got made fun of or called weird.

I remember people wearing boots and them immediately being judged by their appearance and being written off as artsy or even hipster.

Of course, neither of these traits are bad, but they are perceived as out of the norm. It was so odd, as boots of that nature are all just a more refined and advanced version of what our ancestors were wearing. Except most of the time it was less about fashion and far more about the use of the boot itself.

In the past this style of boot was a utility boot. Tight to the foot and quite stiff, they obviously aren’t built for comfortability and lounging around the house. They are meant for working. They go by a lot of names, and I’ve heard them called so many of them by family, friends and my instructors: hiking boots, stompin’ boots, shovelin’ boots and shit kickers.

If you know a country phrase for boots I have probably heard it muttered in my life.

Boots are a necessity to everyday life before anything else. I have come to a new appreciation for boots over the last five years or so because I no longer look at them as just an accessory. Most blue collar working jobs require boots as a part of the uniform. As safety

precaution, most of these boots have a steel lining. My stepfather is a union carpenter and wears these boots to work on a daily basis. He is tall and broad, and already has a walk with a bit of southern weight, too. It is in his nature to stomp a bit, but when the boots are on you can hear him walking from a mile away.

Boots always demand the attention of a room, though. A person wearing boots will always make me look up and raise my brow not with judgment, but with attention. I feel that instilled within me, not only by boots being widely perceived as masculine and my societal instincts make me look up, but also because they are incredibly fashionable, and I need to see the rest of the outfit.

Most of my friends and confidants wear them. Of course I am friends with mostly blunt women and homosexuals and of course I observe their fashion taste and styles. I like to equate myself with well dressed individuals. I don’t mind what style you have, just as long as you are wearing it well. I will also experiment and tag along for some, but sit out most.

Surprisingly, I have never owned a pair of Docs. I have always appreciated the style, but it has never made its way into my wardrobe.

Shocker, I know. I had never really desired a pair, until now.

While walking through the ghost town that we call a mall here in Carbondale, I saw them: Sitting pretty on a shelf in the Journeys shoe store were a pair of Dr. Martens in a Mary Jane style. I gasped. My inner Catholic school child leapt with joy. I am a sucker for anything that resembles the fashions that I wanted as a child.

I remember looking around my childhood classroom, and being jealous of the little black shoes and frilly socks that my peers would wear. Seeing these adult sized version of my childhood dream shoe made me fill with all sorts of emotion and happiness. After coming down from the excitement, I had to think financially.

The one downside about Dr. Martens is that they are a bit on the pricey side. That is always the hard part about comfortable and sturdy well made shoes. $130 was hard for me to justify, and I cannot put them on Carrie Bradshaw (that’s what I named my credit card).

I made the decision to walk out of the store empty handed filled with sadness.

I will buy them eventually, and join the parade of my friends that enjoy them. I will one day soon join the proud people of so many backgrounds that march to the beat of their Docs.

Staff Writer Aaron Elliott can be reached at aelliott@dailyegyptian.com and on instagram at aaron.elliott_

Page 8

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Letters to the Editor In the following segment we, Leonie, Simon and Tom, three German students of journalism, will talk about impressions and thoughts on differences between German and American news media we gathered during our 3 week stay in New York and Carbondale. We participated in an exchange program, organized by the RIAS Commission in order to strengthen transatlantic relationships and understanding. They invite students and professional journalists, preferably from the Eastern part of Germany (the former German Democratic Republic) and the Midwest for the United States and let them gather experiences and broaden their horizon on the respectively other side of the Atlantic ocean, so they can hopefully come back and be a more open minded, globalized and thereby ultimately stronger journalists. All three of us work for broadcast stations (TV and radio).

RIAS Berlin Commission students on ERP program Leonie von Randow, Tom Wagner and Simon Lanzerath (from left) visit WSIU TV news station in Carbondale, Illinois. Photo provided by WSIU TV news station

Freedom of the press and fake news One thing that really struck us as interesting is the fact that freedom of speech is protected even more here than it is in our home country. For example, unlike in America, denying the Holocaust is a criminal offense there. Also, freedom of the press goes further in the U.S. than in Germany: There, it is perfectly normal to send the shortened and edited transcript of an interview to the interviewee for authorization before publishing. That way, they can check whether the final print version of the interview stays true to what they meant to convey in the actual conversation. If interviewer and interviewee disagree, however, the interviewer still has the last word on what to publish. This procedure is not a legal obligation, but common practice.

We were surprised to learn that this is utterly unusual in America. (Here, however, some journalists might refrain from publishing certain parts of an interview for fear of facing lawsuits. That, too, might impact freedom of the press.)

Like in the U.S., fake news have been on the rise in the past few years in Germany.

Especially during the pandemic, many people started to distrust public broadcasters. Even though public TV and radio stations strive to be as politically independent as possible, they are often accused of reporting in a way that is too uncritical of the government.

Commercial broadcasters, on the other hand, have a different credibility problem: In order to be able to compete with the heavily-funded public news outlets, headlines and push messages of many private media companies are becoming increasingly lurid. By appealing to the readers’ and viewers’ sensationalism, some hope to get more subscriptions or higher ratings. This is very dangerous: Many people do not read the entire article or watch

the entire video, but only see the headline.

Thus, without meaning to, television stations and newspapers can contribute to negatively influencing public opinion and dividing society.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, however, many viewers turned to commercial broadcasters, who are not funded by the German government. Some assumed that their reports might be more independent.

And, indeed, many commercial news outlets were not afraid to criticize the federal government’s decisions regarding pandemic response, some of them rather harshly. In a democracy, it is essential to have a variety of opinions and independent news sources to draw from.

However, many people who were critical of the government’s crisis management began to look for alternative information and news on social media. A lot of them, among them vaccine skeptics and conspiracy theorists, gathered on the messenger app Telegram to share dubious articles and studies. While big tech companies like Facebook or Twitter are legally required to flag and/or remove false information, the German state has so far had no recourse against Telegram. The company is based in Dubai. Several attempts by the government to contact the operators of Telegram failed. The fact that more and more people are looking for alternative news on these platforms instead of relying on quality media poses a massive threat. Both commercial and public TV broadcasters as well as radio stations and newspapers must fight to win back the trust of this group of readers. Otherwise, our democracy may be at stake.

Leonie Von Randow Reporter at all-news TV station WELT

Public Broadcast: completely funded, less dependent During our time in the United States, we spoke to several journalists, producers and other people in the broadcasting department. One major issue we repeatedly heard about was how polarization in American society has changed and accelerated bias in news and vice-versa.

Opinion segments get better ratings and consequently run at prime time, while objective coverage appears harder to find.

For us who grew up watching German television, such a development seems logical but at the same time easy to avoid. While the US heavily relies on private networks such as MSNBC, CNN or FOX who try to please their respective audiences and thereby create and reinforce already existing echo chambers, the German media landscape is much more strongly influenced by public broadcasters.

While there are private companies running TV channels in entertainment and news, the two big Public Broadcasting Channels ARD and ZDF lead the overall ratings and ARD`s main News-Show “Tagesschau” has around 12 million viewers every evening (of Germany’s 83 million inhabitants).

Besides these two national public channels, there are regional outlets, as well as smaller stations that produce and support more niche and newer programs.

Deutsche Welle, an international TV station that is also quite popular here in the U.S., is also part of the ARD/ZDF network. In addition, cross-media podcasts, YouTube channels, social media presences and apps, that fulfill a certain educational mission are supported financially

or by providing staff and space. The regional outlets are especially known for investigative documentaries that often, but not exclusively, arise from cooperation with privately-owned newspapers.

All of this is financed with the help of a mandatory monthly levy of 18.36 euros for every household. All in all, the public broadcast receives around 8 billion euros per year. The system is not free of criticism, of course. Representatives of the outside political spectrum feel they are not sufficiently represented and accuse the Public-Broadcast of lack of independence from government. Fans of the private stations criticize the competitive advantage and demand a freer market. For instance, some politicians prefer giving live interviews to public broadcast channels, knowing that they can reach a larger audience.

Nevertheless, the good ratings of most important programs show that a large part of society is satisfied with the system. For us personally, apart from the extraordinarily high-quality journalism, one of the most important advantages of fully financed public broadcasting is the opportunity to give a platform and space to young and lesser-known people with progressive, new or untested ideas that would not be profitable on the free market without public support.

Our time here has once again shown us how grateful we can be for independent and unbiased German news coverage.

Tom Wagner Student at Humboldt University Berlin, working student at German TV channel ZDF

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Page 9

Local Journalism: Somehow different, somehow the same In New York and Carbondale, we visited different local TV stations, radio stations and we came into contact with different media makers to find out that local journalism in Germany and the US is different but also very comparable.

Germany and the U.S. have one main similarity in local journalism: local newspapers suffer from decreasing readers’ demand. Less people are willing to pay for local news, some

take them from social media users, no matter if this kind of news is reliable or not. We see newspapers dying in Germany like in the US, although they have an important role in giving citizens the facts they need to be responsible participants in a democracy.

However, there are also differences: in contrast to the US, local TV stations are not as common in Germany. Public broadcasters serve the different

states (e.g. BR serves Bavaria, WDR serves especially North Rhine-Westphalia) and they put together their programs completely independently. But these stations do not serve local areas. Newspapers operated by smaller or bigger publishing companies or local radio stations serve these areas.

With regards to TV journalism, the US with its local tv affiliates might have adopted a system with a stronger local focus. But we can

find comparable structures also in the German radio. For instance, in North Rhine-Westphalia, the local radio system is based on 45 independent radio stations which broadcast their own local program for some hours. Outside of these local broadcasts, they take over the statewide program of “Radio NRW”, so they are more or less like an affiliate to Radio NRW, like local TV stations in the US are towards ABC, NBC etc. These local radio

stations altogether reach the highest number of radio listeners among all stations in Germany.

So even if we see differences in local media between the US and Germany, local journalism in the US and Germany has one thing in common: It can still reach a lot of people, it’s just that the platforms for doing so are changing.

Simon Lanzerath Reporter at local radio station Radio Erf

Editor-in-Chief Sophie Whitten

Sophie Whitten swhitten@dailyegyptian.com

Page 10

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

SIU storms Hollywood: Alums make their mark in showbiz

Sandy Edson-Bowers

Southern Illinois University (SIU) Mass Communication graduates are making their mark on Hollywood. Each year for many decades now, a group of fresh graduates take a huge risk by moving to the media hub of the world to try to break into showbiz. Many of them succeed with help from other SIU alums who went before them.

2020 graduate Hayley Walsh first connected with SIU alum and alt.news creator Michael Cioni when he visited campus in 2017.

“I had just changed my Facebook saying ‘moved to L.A.’ and he immediately hit me up,” Walsh said from her Los Angeles apartment.

“He knew that I did alt.news and I think… that definitely helped, the fact that having that connection, having met him a few times prior definitely aided in that.”

Walsh was hired as a production coordinator for a six-week project at Cioni’s production company.

“I was working, like, a part-time serving job at the time, too,” she said. “So, I would work nights and then wake up and work those morning hours and then I’d go back and do my serving… but it really helped because I got to go on a few shoots and do a lot of things.”

Shortly after, Cioni’s company hired Walsh as a full-time production assistant. The company was then acquired by Adobe.

In addition to the alumni connection, Walsh also credits her SIU studies for her Hollywood success.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t, you know, branch out and join the extra curriculars and meet those people, because that’s what drove me the most – the people I was working with and the group and community aspect of learning and how to get scrappy,” Walsh said.

2013 SIU graduate Savannah Steiner dreamed of working in film.

“I drove from SIU to Hollywood. I truly left SIU with all my stuff and went straight to Hollywood, “ Steiner said. “I think it was actually when I was driving through Colorado, and my car could not make it up the mountain. I had a really old car, and I just felt like, I’m going to break down and I’m going to be stuck in Colorado.

Then, I had this feeling of…I’m free! I have this whole life ahead of me. If I get stuck in Colorado, I’m gonna figure out how to get to Hollywood!”

Steiner made it there and began waiting tables to support herself when an alum reached out and helped her get her first job as a production assistant/office assistant for the SYFY Channel.

“I also did a lot of low budget, free work and I was doing art department and costumes for literally like two years…and this is the advice I give to everyone – talk about what you want to do because you never know who knows someone, especially when you’re in L.A. It’s like, people who don’t know you want to help you,” Steiner said.

Steiner was waitressing when a man asked her what she wanted to do.

“He says oh, my friend owns this studio and he gave me her direct email,” Steiner said.

She emailed the name on the card, Kelli Bixler, owner of animation studio Bix Pix Entertainment. They didn’t have any openings at the time but Steiner followed up every other week with an email until she was hired. The company hired her as an intern and eventually began giving her small assignments until she had proved herself to be a dedicated animator.

While at SIU working on her Cinema and Photography degree, Steiner took an animation course led by Professor Michelle Torre.

“Taking her animation course really helped me think, ‘wow, this animation could be

Tim Wilkime meets with actress/SIUC alum Melissa McCarthy and actress Allison Janney on the set of “The Late Late Show With James Corden.” Photo by Terrance Patrick.

Madelyn Wilkime, working as an assistant art director in Feb. 2022, posing with a house model she made for Sherman’s Showcase Season 2. Photo by Ben Gojer.

anything’ and she showed all these amazing films that were very artsy and it felt like ‘I can do this,’” Steiner said.

Steiner also credits other SIU professors with helping to shape her as an animation artist.

“Antonio Martinez, I took a stop-motion class with him and he…was really, really into story and learning to shape the story.”

Cade Bursell convinced Steiner to create animation for her final film project.

“She kind of pushed me to do a stopmotion…a crazy story,” Steiner laughs. “I did not know anything. I had to, like, learn all myself. Yeah, it’s not the cleanest, like all cleaned up and beautiful and shiny, but people still love it because of the story and the crudeness of stop motion animation is sometimes why people love that medium.”

Steiner’s advice to those students who are thinking of a career in animation: “Make your own films, make your own stuff…there’s a wealth of information online, like, there’s no excuse. Like, you can totally make your own little stop motion thing. All you need is a light, a table and a camera. And you can do anything ‘cause stop-motion, you can animate a rock. You know?”

Steiner is currently an animator on “Pinocchio” which is set to be released on Netflix in December of this year.

In the spring of 2010, SIU Cinema and Photography student Madelyn Wilkime traveled to Hollywood to do a photojournalism piece on a group from alt.news that went out to Los

Angeles for the Student Emmys. She graduated soon after and followed a group of SIU graduates who relocated there.

“I started cold-emailing places in Los Angeles and started answering ads…I ended up finding a fashion clothing company called Pin-Up Girl Clothing and got the job.”

Since then, Wilkime has been busy learning all she can about being a production designer by working on both union and non-union television and film projects.

“I am working on being a full-time production designer, but since I’m still a bit younger and since I didn’t go straight to school for that, there’s a few technical things I’ve been learning over the years to fill out my background and make me a better designer.”

Wilkime currently works two jobs.

“I work as a production designer and I also work in the set decoration department in television and film…I’ve also worked on music videos, commercials and a myriad of internet projects”.

Wilkime recently worked in a different capacity as a set decoration buyer for the 2022 movie “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” starring Jamie Lee Curtis. (See our review on page __).

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with reaching out to alumni and saying, ‘hey, I’m interested in this field you’re working in, what can you tell me, can we have a phone call’ or ‘hey, we’re in the same city, can I buy you a cup of coffee and pick your brain?’”

Wilkime stresses that, not only should SIU

students and alumni not be afraid to reach out to other alumni, but reaching out to others you want to be involved with is a reasonable and smart thing to do.

Wilkime’s husband, Tim Wilkime, is also an SIU graduate. Wilkime moved to Hollywood after his graduation in 2009.

“It was a simple decision to land in Los Angeles over say Chicago or New York because being a part of alt.news, the whole alumni base was, as far as I knew, based in Los Angeles,” Tim Wilkime said.

But unlike most people, he hit the ground running in showbiz.

“In college, I had a sketch comedy group that was making sketches for YouTube and through that work we were making, we actually kind of got some offers, some work through the work we’d been doing,” he said. “So, by time I moved out to L.A., I was kind of already making, continuing to make sketch comedy for various brands and websites around town”.

Tim Wilkime made sketches for a show called “CollegeHumor,” which led to him becoming a staff director for the show. He then directed the sketch comedy information show “Adam Ruins Everything,” which allowed him to branch over to making sketches for “The Late, Late Show With James Corden.” Most recently, Tim Wilkime served as a temporary second director on “The Jimmy Fallon Show” while the staff director was out for a few months.

“I think that 100 percent, the line that is from college to now, it’s like this unbroken connection…so here I am, whatever it is, 12, 13 years later doing it on a bigger platform, which is exciting you know – a dream. Had I known I’d be doing that in college, I wouldn’t have believed it.” he said.

Tim Wilkime’s best advice is: “Treat your time in college as though it is also a part of your professional career, treat the things that you’re making outside of school as something that could lead to work down the line. Make as much as you can while you’re in school, be as involved as you can in extracurricular or find one club that speaks to your interest and just dedicate as much time outside of classes, ‘cause I think the majority of your learning kind of comes through your extracurricular, ‘cause you have so much more time and freedom and less limitations to like really kind of find your voice as a storyteller, as a filmmaker, at least that’s what worked for me.”

Graduate Assistant Sandy Edson-Bowers is a guest writer for The Daily Egyptian.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Page 11

Q and A with softball star as she adds new chapter in SIU history books Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001

Coming off their conference championship in the 2021 season, the Saluki softball team looked to continue that type of success with many of the original starters returning as well as bringing in a lot of new faces.

As the oldest member on the roster, second baseman Jenny Jansen, has the most experience of any returning member on the 2022 Salukis, with four full seasons already on her resume. She became one of the most important players in Saluki softball history during the 2022 season.

In their March 19 game against Northern Iowa, Jansen hit a threerun single in the second inning setting her at first in the all-time RBIs at SIU, passing. Two weeks later, she hit a single down the line for her 224th career hit, surpassing Jen Feldmeier’s record for career hits of 223 at SIU. All of this was accomplished following a tough coaching change that saw Jen Sewel take the reins as head coach for SIU. The Daily Egyptian was able to sit down and hear from Jenny Jansen herself on her eventful season and what she makes of the season so far, her record-breaking moments as well as what she’ll miss most about the team once her last game is finished this season.

Q: You’ve broken a couple of records this year at SIU including the all-time hits and RBI leader for SIU. What does all that mean to you to be able to put your name into the record books now?

Jansen: To me, I just think it’s a lot of years of hard work. Some people might think that because I came back for my fifth year, then that’s why I got those records, but since we had the shortened Covid season, if you take the game totals from each it probably would have added up to four years. I’m just really grateful to have been able to come back and break those records but at the end of the day that wasn’t what I was here for, I was here for wins and it takes playing with really good people to break records like that so I’m just grateful.

Q: Was this something you realized you could even get to before the season started? Or even when those specific games started that you broke them in?

Jansen: No, I really wasn’t even thinking about it. At the beginning of this year, they posted on Twitter that I was in the hunt for some of these records, but before that, I really didn’t even know. It wasn’t ever really a goal of mine, I just kinda made it happen I guess.

Q: I’m sure you had a nice celebration about it after the game as well. How great was it to be able to share that with some of your teammates?

Jansen: It was a super special

thing to do. You don’t really make things like that happen without having good teammates and good people around you. It was just fun to be able to share it in the moment with them and I think we even won the games I did them in so that made it even better.

Q: Speaking of great performances, you’re currently in the middle of a 27 game-on-base streak, and leading the conference in that. Do you just have a really good sense of the strike zone at the moment? What type of adjustments did you make earlier this season to continue that streak?

Jansen: I’ve just been trying to have fun these last couple of games and up until this point with it being my last year, I just wanted to go out and give it the best I can and leave it all out there. I think just going up there with the mentality that I’m either going to get a hit or a walk has really helped me do that and hopefully I can keep it going.

Q: I wanna talk about how versatile you’ve become as well.

You’re mainly a second baseman, but you’ve also played first base, shortstop, third base, center-field and even pitched a couple of times throughout your career. Is all that something the coach really coaxed you into doing? Or is this something you brought up wanting to try other positions?

Jansen: I kinda came in here as a utility player. In high school I pitched and played shortstop, center field and third base, so I’ve always done a little bit of everything.

Coming here my freshman year I wasn’t really sure what hole I would fill, but I was willing to do whatever to be on the field and ever since then I’ve kinda been that chess piece that moves wherever I’m needed to go.

I’m really okay with it. I don’t feel like I’m spectacular at any of them but I’m good enough to just get the job done.

Q: You’re also I believe the oldest or one of the oldest players on the team from what I know, so you just have a lot of experience. How big will that be in this last push at the end of the season?

Jansen: I think at this point in the year is just where it gets hard.

It’s a long season and you’re tired and people are getting dinged up and injured but at this point, my message to everyone is to go out and just have a good time because this is the last couple of games we have with each other and we don’t get to do it forever. It’s not worth getting upset about losses. It’s just the time of the year to have fun and learn from what you’re doing wrong and try to get better every game.

Q: You’re doing all this dominant play immediately following a coaching change with the team as well and that obviously makes it a bit harder on you,

SIU softball player, Jenny Jansen, smiles while playing first base April 24, 2022 at the Charlotte West Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Mallory Aukland | @mallory.aukland@siu.edu

“I’ve just been trying to have fun these last couple of games and up until this point with it being my last year, I just wanted to go out and give it the best I can and leave it all out there.”

- Jenny Jansen Star SIU softball player

but what does it say about coach Jewell as well as yourself that your dominant play is continuing even through a coaching change?

Jansen: A lot of people didn’t see that before, when Kerri [Blaylock] was here, she’s more like a baseball manager. She does a lot of the administrative stuff and makes sure we’re doing all the right things outside of softball and during practice she keeps up to where we’re practicing hard. Jen kinda runs practice and does the drills and hitting and that kind of thing.

So in that aspect, coaching didn’t really change a lot. Kerri was kinda like a mom to all of us. I have definitely missed her, but Jen’s done a great job and I still talk to Kerri almost every day. We’re pretty close and even though she’s not around it

feels like she still is. I think we’re all doing okay and obviously it hasn’t been too big of a transition.

Q: Not only are you trying to be a leader on the field but as far as I know you seem to be one off the field. You were named student of the week a couple of weeks ago with a 4.0 GPA as well as an intern at the athletic department from what I understand. You just seem like a born leader, so what does all of this really take out of a person to not only do but do well?

Jansen: I think sometimes people look at being a leader as a burden, but I think it’s an honor and I think that having the ability to guide people in the right direction is something that comes naturally to me. I feel like I’m a pretty good communicator and I have a good

way of telling people hard things nicely, so it’s just something that I really do enjoy and I take pride in it.

Q: This will of course be your last season suiting up for SIU, what do you think you’re just going to miss the most about being a part of this club?

Jansen: I just think I’ll genuinely miss playing the game honestly.

That’s what I love. I could care less about all the weight room and practice and such. I genuinely love going out there on the field every day playing and just having fun.

Also, I’ll definitely miss all the free food we get whenever we travel.

Sports reporter Joseph Bernard can be reached at joseph.l.bernard@siu. edu or on twitter @Jojobernard2001.

Page 12

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Sports

Page 13

J.T. Weber is having a historic season, but his eyes are on the team’s success Brandyn Wilcoxen | @Brandyn_2020

Metropolis native J.T. Weber is on pace to shatter several school records as the fifth-year baseball player enters the back half of his final season. But with his team 10-3 in the month of April, Weber has his eyes on an even greater prize.

“I really don’t have any personal statistics with that stuff. I’ve never really done that playing,” Weber said. “I just would like to stay consistent and just play every game and help the team win.”

On April 23, Weber hit his 15th home run of the 2022 season to move into a third-place tie with himself on the single season leader-board, having hit 15 in 2021 as well. He trails Jerry Miller, who hit 16 bombs in 1980, and former teammate Nick Neville, who led the 2021 Salukis with 17.

Weber’s 30 combined home runs across two seasons is the most by any Saluki in a two-year period. The late-career power surge has allowed Weber to close in on another all-time record: home runs in a Saluki career.

The aforementioned home run against Dallas Baptist put Weber’s career total at 32, only four behind Saluki Hall of Famer, Robert Jones in the top spot. Further accentuating the incredible run Weber is on, is the fact that he is closing in on a career record, despite most of his home runs only coming in the last two years.

In the first three years, Weber donned the maroon and white, he only hit a total of two home runs, both coming in his freshman year.

Across a similar number of total at-bats, Weber has gone from averaging a home run every 157 at-bats, to just over one in every 12 at-bats. Just looking at his 2022 season, that number is even lower at one in every 10 trips to the plate.

“I never considered myself a home run hitter.

I guess the last two years it’s just seemed to kinda happen out of nowhere,” Weber said of his sudden power surge.

Because Weber was on the team when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports in spring 2020, he received an additional year of eligibility. While this did not affect his career home run total much–Weber only played 18 games in 2020 and had zero home runs–it did afford him an extra year to develop. Few players are able to spend their entire career at a Division I program, and even fewer get the chance to spend five years at that level.

“A whole extra year to see pitching that you’ve seen for four years, is just really is huge,” Weber said. “Being able to be one year older and have another year of experience. It seems like it slows the game down a little bit more. I feel a lot more comfortable out there just because I have been here for four whole years. It’s a big asset.”

While a lot of attention has been given to Weber’s home run chase–and rightfully so, considering the historical context–Weber is focused on other parts of the game, letting the baseball decide if it leaves the yard.

“I don’t worry about it too much, just try to hit the ball hard in the air and see what can happen,” Weber said.

The power aspect of Weber’s game may

overshadow the rest of his tools at the plate, which are equally as impressive. Through 37 games in 2022, Weber’s slash-line is .403/.494/.738, ranking near the top of the Missouri Valley Conference in all three categories. His slugging percentage in particular is good for sixth in Division I among outfielders.

Weber’s 58 hits is the 19th best in Division I– teammate Kaeber Rog is in seventh with 62.

“It’s been a good start that I’ve had,” Weber said. “I don’t tend to usually start off very hot.

Usually it takes me a little bit to get going. But for this season, I got off to a good start, so I’m trying to stay with it and just stay hot while I can.”

Weber has cooled off slightly in the last few weeks; most notably, he hit only one home run over a nine-game stretch between April 5 and April 22. While some regression to the mean may be in order, Weber has set himself up well to hit those records with plenty of room to spare.

“Baseball’s a game of failure and a game of ups and downs, so you never know when your time’s gonna come when you’re gonna do well or do bad, so you just try to stay even-keeled,” Weber said.

Unlike most team sports, baseball does not reward individual play as much when it comes to the team’s performance. While a great basketball player can dictate every play, and a great quarterback can elevate an entire team, baseball players can only contribute when their turn in the order is up. However, the Salukis are getting the best of both worlds.

Southern Illinois currently sits as the top team in the Missouri Valley Conference in home runs, runs scored, RBIs, hits, slugging percentage and walks; as well as second in batting average and fewest strikeouts. This is a symptom of the offense under third-year head coach Lance Rhodes, which promotes stringing together solid at-bats and having big innings whenever possible.

“The past few years, it seems to be kind of a trend that we can really just have breakout innings and get the bats rolling. And once they

get hot, everybody seems to pick up,” Weber said. “You hear the term, hitting is contagious, and I think that’s definitely true for our team.”

This prolific offense, led by Weber’s historic stretch, has allowed the Salukis to hold the best overall record in the conference at 27-10, as well as a 5-2 conference record that lingers near the top early in the Valley schedule.

For Weber, as well as many players, team success is the biggest goal of the season. The individual accomplishments and accolades will come, but all eyes are on what the team can do when the conference tournament comes in May. “Our ultimate goal is to make a Regional,” Weber said at the beginning of the year. “We’d love to win conference, win the conference tournament, and make that happen. Number two is if we could finish top 1 or 2 in conference in the regular season and then win the conference tournament. That’s what we’re looking for.”

The Salukis most recently won a series on the road against a Dallas Baptist team that was ranked 23rd in the nation at the time. They have not lost a weekend series since conference play opened up at the beginning of April.

But with such emphasis on the conference tournament, still a month away, the Salukis will need to maintain this stretch of success they’ve experienced if they want to accomplish what they feel they are capable of.

“Our best baseball is still yet to come,” Weber said. “I’m just looking forward to getting into that stretch where we can get into a stretch here at the end of the season and just play our best baseball going into, throughout conference and then leading into the conference tournament.”

The Salukis will continue their chase for a conference championship as they host Valparaiso at Itchy Jones Stadium for a three-game weekend series. They will wrap up the home-stand on May 3 against Murray State.

Staff reporter Brandyn Wilcoxen can be reached at bwilcoxen@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @Brandyn_2020.

Saluki Softball ends in tie with Racers Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001

SIU Softball (20-16-1, 9-8 MVC) battled to the end against the Murray State Racers (30-11-1, 14-3 conference) on Monday, ending in a 6-6 tie after going into an extra inning.

Madi Eberle got the start today for SIU. She pitched 3.1 innings and allowed six runs off seven hits while walking two and striking out three. Junior Sarah Harness came in to finish the game off for Eberle, as she pitched 4.2 innings of shutout ball. Harness only allowed three hits, but walked six more and struck out seven.

On offense, the Salukis were highlighted by junior Aubree DePron, as she went one for four at the plate and led the team in RBIs on the day with two. Sophomore Elizabeth Warwick also added an RBI off two hits out of four at bats. She scored twice coming to home plate as well. Junior Tori Schullian had a team-best two for three at the plate today, scoring once as well and earning a walk. Three other Salukis earned RBIs as well to plate the six runs.

All did not look good for the Salukis early as they were being shut out heading into the fifth inning and were down 6-0. Sophomore

Elizabeth Huckleberry broke the shutout with a sacrifice fly out to right-center, making it 6-1.

The spark by Huckleberry kept going in the sixth as the Salukis plated five more runs in the inning. Graduate Student Jenny Jansen doubled out to left field to score a run, then Warwick’s single out to left field plated another to make it 6-3. Three batters later, freshman Emma Austin kept it going with an infield single to score the fourth run of the day and DePron came in afterward with a clutch single up the middle for two RBIs, tying the game up at 6-all.

However, no more runs would score in the inning, and Harness’ shutout ball continued to keep the game tied after the extra-inning, making for only the fifth tie in SIU school history.

The Salukis will return home this weekend for a three-game set against conference rival Indiana State. Game 1 will start on Saturday with the first pitch being at 12 p.m.

Sports reporter Joseph Bernard can be reached at joseph.l.bernard@siu.edu or on twitter @ Jojobernard2001.

Sports

Page 14

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

SIU Baseball takes two out of three against Dallas Baptist University Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001

The SIUC Baseball team (28-11, 6-3 MVC) traveled over to Dallas this weekend for a three game set against Dallas Baptist University (24-15, 5-4 conference). The Salukis took games one and two of the series on Friday and Saturday with final scores of 7-6 and 10-9, while they dropped the final game of the series on Sunday with a score of 2-10.

The Salukis were highlighted by an offensive performance from junior Kaeber Rog, who notched six total RBIs throughout the three games to lead the team. Rog went 5/11 at the plate against DBU along with three walks.

Senior J.T Weber shined bright against DBU as well, also going 5/11 at the plate while knocking in two runs and three walks.

As for pitchers, senior righthander Noah Farmer and junior right-hander Matthew Steidl earned the win in both games one and two. Farmer moved to 4-1 on the season with his game two start, going seven innings while allowing five runs off nine hits and three walks after striking out five.

Steidl earned the win in game one as a reliever. He went five strong innings, only giving up one run off three hits and five walks while striking out eight in the process.

Game one saw the Salukis take the early 1-0 lead off a double steal play when Weber stole home.

However, the Patriots stormed right back with a four-run bottom of the second. The Salukis returned the favor with a four-run inning of their own in the top of the fourth to take the lead back.

Sophomore Evan Martin doubled out to right-field to score a run.

Then, four batters later with the bases loaded, Rog cleared the bases with a shot out to center-field, to make it a 5-4 ballgame.

The Salukis tacked on another run in the top of the fifth, but the Patriots tied it up once again in the bottom of the fifth at 6-all. In the eighth, junior Ryan Rodriguez hit the go-ahead run out to left field to take the onerun lead. Steidl closed it out with two more clean innings in the

Eighth and ninth and SIU took the game one win with a 7-6 final score.

Game two yet again saw SIU take the early lead after a threerun first inning, including a homer by Rog. That helped SIU build a huge 10-2 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.

However, then came the Patriots bats. After DBU earned a run back off a single, a grand slam quickly made it a competitive game again at 10-7.

Then, in the bottom of the ninth and down to their last out, the Patriots scored two runs off three hits in a row. They had the winning run in scoring position when a fly-out to center-field spared the Salukis from blowing

the big lead. SIU hung on for the 10-9 win in game two.

Game three was not so fortunate for the Salukis, as they found themselves in a 7-0 hole early after the third inning.

SIU earned their first run in the fifth after an error by the third baseman, making it a 7-1 game briefly. In the top of the seventh, SIU earned their second run off a groundout by junior Jack Rigoni to make it a 9-2 ballgame. SIU couldn’t get their bats warmed up, and they went down 10-2 in game three.

Sports reporter Joseph Bernard can be reached at joseph.l.bernard@ siu.edu or on twitter @ Jojobernard2001.

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Page 15

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Study Break

CLASSIFIEDS $ MAKE MONEY $ GA I N EX PERI EN C E L OCA L RES TA U RA N T HELP N EEDED

Quatro’s Pizza Quatro’s is hiring for a phone person, floater, pizza cooks, delivery From dishwasher, cook, server, bartender to drivers and a curbside runner. Initial times needed are lunch hours during manager, working in the foodthe service industry is a Must the week and some evening hours during weekend from 5-10pm. be available during most of the school direct with interest or great way to learn skills breaks. such asCall punctuality, questions.

Pay rate is $13 $15 per hour. manners, good cooking not to mention meeting a Call 618-303-2199.

multitude of other people! Once you have experience and aPresbyterian solid workChild history, it’s one of the most secure Development Center Daycare PCDC Daycare is looking teachers and assistant teachers, professions in thefor world as good employees arefull and part-time positions are available.

Age groups between 6 weeks and 6 years, needed in almost every town and city! flexible hours/work schedule, paid training up to 20 hours per year, help with credentialing program, supplemental wage opportunity, healthcare assistance, paid time off, paid holidays. Call 618-529-1551.

City of Carbondale Police Department Interested in a career in Law Enforcement? The Carbondale Police Department is searching for entry level officers and lateral transfers. Your salary in only five years will be more than $64,500. Carbondale offers great benefits like health insurance, paid holidays, sick days, and personal time!

We know the importance of having a balanced life and fulfilling career. We support ongoing training to help you continue to grow both personally and professionally. Apply online at explorecarbondale.com.

Page 16