The Daily Egyptian - September 8, 2021

THE

Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.

DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

VOL. 104, ISSUE 22

Please see SIU VS SEMO | 8 James Ceasar (2) holds the wheel with his teammates after defeating Southeast Missouri State University 47-21 Sept. 2, 2021 at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Illinois schools submit COVID safety plans to avoid loss of state funding and accreditation William Box | @Willian17455137

Woodlawn school district, Hamilton County school district, and 40 other schools submitted plans to comply with an Illinois State Board of Education mandate, avoiding potential loss of accreditation and state funding.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) implemented a safety mandate in schools to combat COVID-19, and placed at least 60 schools on probation for noncompliance.

Reasons given for probation

included failure to implement full-day indoor mask mandates for in-person classes and social distancing procedures for students.

Failure to comply with the ISBE mandate would have resulted in a loss of accreditation, loss of state funding, nonrecognition by colleges and universities and ineligibility in junior high and high school sports postseason events, Woodlaw Superintendent of Schools Eric Helbig said.

Following the ISBE mandate, instituted via Executive Order

Number 18 by Governor J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 4, a list of 60 schools were placed on probationary status due to inadequate COVID mitigation policies as of Sept. 3.

Travis McCollum, the assistant superintendent of Hamilton County Unit 10 school district said, after meeting with ISBE, schools had 60 days to comply with the mandate or be placed on probation.

“We were never totally against wearing masks,” McCollum said.

“They were allowing them to remove their masks when they

got to their destination. So we approved our plan, the ISBE came and told us that it still did not meet the mandate. So we had that conversation and changed our plan to comply with the governor’s mandate.”

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in all indoor facilities as well as practicing social distancing of a minimum of six feet and receiving vaccinations whenever possible.

The resistance to masking and social distancing prescriptions

has become a matter of political contention since the beginning of the pandemic.

Proponents of CDC policies argue the regulations reduce the likelihood of COVID transmission among the general population, whereas opponents argue such policies take away the freedom to choose whether they are appropriate for themselves and their family.

Helbig participated in the meeting between his district and the ISBE. Please see SCHOOLS | 6

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Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Contact Us

Email: editor@dailyegyptian.com

Faculty Managing Editor: Annie Hammock ahammock@dailyegyptian.com Editor-in-Chief: Oreoluwa Ojewuyi oojewuyi@dailyegyptian.com Design Chief: Chloe Schobert cschobert@dailyegyptian.com Photo Editor: Sophie Whitten swhitten@dailyegyptian.com Multimedia Editor: Chris Bishop cbishop@dailyegyptian.com News Editor: Jason Flynn jflynn@dailyegyptian.com Sports Editor: Ryan Scott rscott@dailyegyptian.com Business Manager: Lyn Sargent lsargent@dailyegyptian.com Business Office: Arunima Bhattacharya 618-536-3305 Chloe Schobert | @chlo_scho_art

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.

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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.

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acknowledgements The design and artwork provided in this publication are supported by a Windgate Scholarship Charitable Foundation scholarship awarded by the School of Art and Design, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

SIH staff quit in response to vaccine mandate

SIU returns to record-level COVID cases Jason Flynn | @dejasonflynn

At least ten employees at Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) have resigned in response to the mandate making COVID vaccinations a requirement for employees, Communications Coordinator Rosslind Rice confirmed.

The resignations came as SIH hospitals experienced near-record high numbers of patients admitted with COVID. Rice said in an email, “at noon on 8/31/2021, SIH once again had 70 patients hospitalized with Covid at SIH Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and SIH Herrin Hospital.”

Addison Mandrell, a former SIH employee, said in a previous interview with the Daily Egyptian she’d heard hospital employees had quit the same day Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced the vaccination requirement for healthcare workers.

“It just got approved by the FDA,” Mandrell said.

“In some eyes, some people’s minds, it’s still too new for us to trust it.”

Mandrell said she worked at SIH Memorial Hospital from December 2019 through May 2021, through the last peak of the COVID pandemic, and many staff members were apprehensive about taking an unapproved vaccine that caused flu-like symptoms for up to a week in some cases.

“The vaccine mandate makes sense in a hospital setting, but at the same time, we’re so understaffed, not only at SIH but everywhere,” Mandrell said. “If you’re forcing this on the people, and they’re just not wanting to work because of it then what can you really do you know.”

Nearby, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale reported an increase in positive COVID cases every

week since the start of in-person classes.

According to SIU-C’s COVID database 31 students and two staff members tested positive from Aug. 2329, tying the second highest number of COVID cases since the university began recording cases.

Staff reporter Jason Flynn can be reached at jflynn@ dailyegyptian.com, by phone at 872-222-7821 or on Twitter at @dejasonflynn.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

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Members of SIT Service Dogs and Saluki Service Dogs take turns speaking about the program at the RSO fair Aug. 25, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Co-president of the Saluki Service Dogs, Megan Thomason, said, “[Saluki Service Dogs] is a good educational tool. It teaches [the students] a lot about service dog etiquette and how to behave when you see a service animal.” Alayna Hinman | @ahinman_photos

SIT and Saluki Service Dogs provide aid to those in need

Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

The Supporting Independence through Teamwork (SIT) Service Dog program recently celebrated 12 years of providing the community with mobility assistance and medical alert service dogs. The program has partnered with SIU for the past seven years to give students an opportunity to work with the dogs on campus.

Lex Dietz, the program director at SIT Service Dogs, was approached by SIU students seven years ago, with the hope of creating a registered student organization (RSO) where they could interact and work with the animals. Since then, according to Dietz, the program has grown substantially into one of the largest student service dog programs in the United States.

Dietz said the RSO accomplishes a wide range of training with both the students and the dogs. The students begin shadowing trainers and attending lectures about basics of the program, such as the American Disabilities Act and how to teach a puppy to sit.

“Most other universities that have [service dog programs] have one or two dogs that are on campus and there’s maybe four students that work with them.” Dietz said.

“Last semester I had 38 students, 32 of which were junior and senior trainers, and we have 27 dogs in training.”

Next, Dietz said the

students move into a hands-on apprenticeship. The students take a test to qualify them for training.

Students take a dog in public and are graded on how they handle the situation. The students are interviewed and explain how they will take on the responsibility, like balancing school work.

Dietz stated the program began with the goal of providing more dogs to the local area but has developed into a team of students helping each other and their community “We get to see students become these amazing, self confident people who have changed someone’s life in a very tangible way,” Dietz said.

According to Dietz, the dogs must go through 1,250 hours of training and exercises to be able to provide multiple services including neurological and medical alert assistance.

“We have to know that they’re not only going to do their specific skill set, whether it’s a diabetic alert dog or a seizure response dog, but we have to know they’re going to be able to do that in what we call reactive environments,” Dietz said.

Dietz said students replicate the kind of situations where a dog may need to alert their owners while under stress or in public spaces.

“There’s [a video] on our Facebook page of Natalie, who is a senior trainer with us, and she is

having what looks like a meltdown,” Dietz said. “She’s shoving the dog away, she’s crying. She has self harming kind of behaviors, all part of what we would see in autism spectrum disorder.”

She said placing the dog in situations similar to those they may be put in after training is all part of assuring the dog’s capability of providing alert services.

According to Dietz, part of the success of the program is thanks to the help and support the community has given over the years. Local businesses are supportive of service dog training in their buildings and make regular donations to the program during fundraising events.

“This is the absolute best place on earth for a service dog program,” Dietz said. “The local community and businesses are fantastic to us. This community is so supportive of this that I hope we give back.”

Anna Wingert, a junior at SIU and the secretary for the Saluki Service Dogs, said that the program has given her a new perspective on the average tasks she does in her daily life.

Wingert has been working with the program since she was a freshman and said she believes people experience disability because most of the world is designed by able bodied people.

“A person who is in a wheelchair can be perfectly self-sufficient,” Wingert said “It’s just that the

world isn’t built for someone who’s sitting down all the time.”

In her experience working with the dogs, Wingert said many people are often distracted by the service dogs in public when they should focus on the person.

Megan Thomason, the copresident of Saluki Service Dogs, agreed with Wingert. “As an able bodied person it’s really cute and it’s fun to see a dog doing its job and out in public, but they really are a medical tool,” Thomason said.

Thomason said the trainers ask community members not to touch or play with the dogs because it could distract them from doing their job and could cause them to miss an emergency for their owners.

“Those dogs really do serve a purpose and we’re not trying to be rude if we asked you not to touch them,” Thomason said.

According to Thomason, though the program has its challenges, it is also incredibly rewarding.

“It’s just a life changing opportunity to know that, as a service dog trainer, I’m fundamentally changing someone’s life,” Thomason said.

Thomason said the dogs help a person become independent where they might otherwise be dependent on others to do things that seem easy to able bodied people.

“These dogs are trained to do tasks that help some of these people to go to school for the first time or get to live on their own for the

first time [...] knowing that you get to have that impact on someone is a really cool responsibility,” Thomason said.

Thomason said she has had the opportunity to attend several service dog graduations where the dogs complete the program and are finally given to their owners.

She has even had the chance to train a dog from puppyhood to graduation.

According to Thomason, she started working with a puppy her freshman year of SIU and got to see her graduate the summer before her junior year.

“To see her go from a young puppy who didn’t really know how to walk on a leash and could barely lay down through class to a full blown service dog that did what I asked her to before I even said anything was incredible,” said Thomason.

The Saluki Service Dogs said they welcome new members from any major or background and encourage people to check them out.

“There are so many people from so many different walks of life, so many different majors,” Dietz said. “I love that we get to be a part of their journey, that they get to be a part of some family’s journey, and that I hope we helped them in some way achieve something.”

Sophie Whitten can be reached at Swhitten@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @swhittenphotography.

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Entertainment

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

SIU hosts Diversity Week to highlight unique campus experiences Janiyah Gaston | @janiyah_reports

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale hosted its annual Diversity Week, where students, faculty members, and others organized five days of events centering on inclusion and diversity.

O.J. Duncan and Dr. Sandy Pensoneau-Conway kicked off the week with a Zoom training on proper uses of LGBTQ+ terminology, followed by a military culture seminar from Veterans Services Coordinator Paul Copeland, a meet and greet with Chancellor Austin Lane and a performance by dance company Infinite Flow.

Marisa Hamamoto,the founder of Infinite Flow, said she started the dance company after a stroke left her temporarily paralyzed in college.

“It was clear to me that people with disabilities do not have equal access to dance as well as other things,” Hamamoto said. “I just felt destined to do something about the dance aspect of that because dance is my passion and I think dance belongs to everyone and dance should be accessible to everyone.”

The Diversity Week performance

was Infinite Flow’s first at SIU-C. “Everytime I dance I try to express my passion for life and for living,” Hamamoto’s dance partner Adelfo Cerame said. “Even though life has its ups and downs life is beautiful and you should cherish it for as long as we are here.”

In the days that followed, Diversity Week organizers hosted events online and in person that covered topics such as obstacles faced by women at SIU-C, how to make hiring practices more inclusive, a water balloon fight, inclusive design and a variety of arts-focused presentations.

“It was wonderful. Good energy, beautiful theater, beautiful campus… It was great that people from the community came, not just from the campus,” Hamamoto said. “There are all these silos and divisions, but at the core we are human beings and we have the ability to connect and relate to one another.”

Staff reporter Janiyah Gaston can be reached at jgaston@dailyegyptian. com or on Instagram at @janiyah_reports.

Marisa Hamamoto (right) and Adelfo Cerame (left) dance with the audience during Diversity Week Aug. 30, 2021, at SIU Shyrock Auditorium in Carbondale, Ill. “Just the audience alone from their questions and just from being here, just shows that SIU is an embracive community,” said Adelfo Cerame. Sophia Rogers | srogers@dailyegyptian.com

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

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Kanye West is back to making great music on ‘Donda’ Nick Karpinski | nkarpinski@dailyegyptian.com Score: 8/10 While preparing to write my review on Kanye West’s 10th studio project, ‘Donda,’ and after proper due diligence — listening to it on my headphones, through a speaker and occasionally in my car — I read several other reviews.

Many of those reviews came less than 24 hours after the project’s release, which, for something that’s packed with 27 tracks, that publication turn-around is simply preposterous. Even two days after the release would be questionable.

Three? Maybe, but even then, I don’t know… the thing has 27 songs!

My point is that something with that much content takes more than a day to digest. Not that ‘Donda’ is the most complex piece of work in the world. It’s not like reading Kierkegaard, or literally any other person you want to associate with painfully complicated work, but it does, just on a practical level, take time to consume.

So, I overlooked the all-toocommon clickbait manner of putting out content, one that satisfies news sites’ hunger to always, and without any trace of doubt, be first. I thought it was important because an album’s audience reaction and context is somewhat critical. It’s not critical

to my opinion on the project itself but it is critical to the overall cultural effect the project has.

Also, selfishly, I wanted to know what people were thinking.

And half of what people were thinking in their reviews, particularly in the mainstream publications I read, was the fact that Kanye West has put his fans through absolute hell.

Whether it was aligning himself with Donald Trump, saying that slavery was a choice, running for president of the United States and many other past endeavors of which there’s not enough time to detail, it’s been rough to watch the past few years. And that’s not to mention his more

“So, the common thematic threads of love, spirituality and power pour through this record and produce some of the most ambitious content I’ve heard from West in years, since ‘ye’ and ‘KIDS SEE GHOSTS.’” - Nick Kaprinski Graduate contributor

recent actions. Particularly in the ‘Donda’ rollout, West was at it again in his not one, not two but three live-streamed album listening parties. Mind you, fans expected the record to drop immediately after each one of them, and well, it did not.

During the listening events, West collaborated with many fellow artists, most of whom I took no issue with. Some of them just made me cringe. Two in particular made me say, ‘what in the world are you thinking, Kanye.’ I didn’t actually say that, but the words I did say are unprintable.

Regardless, the first artist was Charlotte rapper, Dababy, who in the past few months blatantly spewed homophobic rhetoric during his Rolling Loud set and subsequently decided to doubledown on that rhetoric. The second artist, Marilyn Manson, is facing a slew of sexual assault allegations.

As I said, it’s been frustrating to watch this firestorm of deplorable decision-making. All the reviews I read were correct to contextualize ‘Donda’ with all of this information. It’s necessary to know in order to formulate an opinion on the project and it’s cultural significance.

However, contrary to what a lot of reviews did after this contextualization, I can’t bring myself to echo the belief that this project is a bloated, incohesive mess with 27 tracks of disorganized thrown-togetherness.

Because listen, ‘Donda’ is a thoughtful construction of performance art that encapsulates West’s love for Donda, his deceased mother, West’s newlyfound spiritual journey and West’s familiar opposition to the authoritative systems which make up the United States.

So, the common thematic threads of love, spirituality and power pour through this record and produce some of the most ambitious content I’ve heard from West in years, since ‘ye’ and ‘KIDS SEE GHOSTS.’ It’s obviously not enough to overlook his past insensitivities, but the high points of this project make me want to give it the parise it deserves.

And to clarify, I say “performance art” because the ‘Donda’ performances, showcased in the listening events, acted as a display of collaboration and gave added meaning to the whole host of artists who are featured on this project. In other words, West is the director of the ‘Donda’ experience and his collaborators are the supporting cast.

And West does a hell of a job to elevate that cast. Right out of the gate, the song ‘Jail’

has a beautifully desperate and liberating sentiment.

West screams out “guess who’s going to jail tonight” in the midst of blaring guitars, followed by JayZ’s veteran ability to always bring exceptional word-play.

‘God breathed’ then heightens the project’s energy with clear ‘Yeezus’ influence. The haunting scream-like sounds in the background remind me of ‘I Am a God (Featuring God,’ which is one of multiple ‘Yeezus’ ego trips.

The energy only increases when ‘Off the Grid’ comes on next.

West adapts to featured artist Playboi Carti’s style, and Fivio Foreign, the other collaborator, doesn’t hold back in the slightest.

He brings some of the best rapping on the album.

The vocal performances on ‘Hurricane,’ ‘Jonah’ and ‘Moon’ are angelic. The Weeknd, Vory, Kid Cudi and Don Tolliver elevate these tracks with what are incredibly intimate vocal displays. In particular, Vory, on ‘Jonah,’ sings the project’s most powerful hook.

‘Donda’ doesn’t come without flaws, though. There’s bound to be some duds with 27 tracks.

‘Junya’ is the lesser of the Playboi Carti songs. Where West seamlessly adapted to Carti’s style on ‘Off the Grid,’ he’s trying just a bit too hard on this one.

‘Remote Control’ gets a bit too repetitive for me, even though Young Thug delivers a strong verse. ‘New Again’ is a bit on the corny-sounding side followed by ‘Tell The Vision,’ featuring Pop Smoke, which adds nothing whatsoever to the project. I also don’t particularly care for the bonus tracks, or part 2’s, at the end. They’re not in any way better than the ones that came before.

But when tracks like the psychedelic ‘Heaven and Hell’ and heart-wrenching ‘Come To Life’ fill those gaps, I find it easy to ignore various shortcomings.

That’s not even to mention ‘Jesus Lord,’ which I believe to contain West’s most raw verse since ‘Violent Crimes,’ which was a beautifully personal track off of West’s 2018 album ‘ye.’ And Jay Electronica, wow, he just flows so nicely throughout ‘Jesus Lord.’

It’s a masterclass in technical rapping ability.

So, ‘Donda’ is by no means my favorite album from West.

However, it’s a sign that he can still bring a unique fire and energy, along with an interesting contemporary sound that pairs well with modern collaborators.

It makes me excited to see what he has in store down the road.

Nick Karpinski can be reached at nkarpinski@dailyegyptian.com.

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Wednesday, September 8, 2021

‘Ohhh! They found her!’

Little girl reacts with glee to returned Barbie doll

Joel Kottman | @JoelKottman

Three-year old Rowan Adams and her mother, Brittany Adams, were out on a hike Sunday on Trillium Trail in Giant City State Park when Rowan’s Barbie doll fell out of her backpack.

Rowan had just got the doll for her birthday, and with it being a few years old, her mother couldn’t find a replacement. It was seemingly lost forever. “[Rowan] wanted us to go back, but she was way too tired to hike through the trail again to find it,” Brittany said.

Brittany said her daughter refused to get out of the car once she realized the doll was gone. So, Brittany turned to social media, seeking help in a Facebook group called “WTF? Carbondale.” She posted a photo of Rowan with her Barbie hanging out of her backpack and the community responded enthusiastically.

“It is now my duty to find this Barbie! This is one of my favorite trails!” Nina Symone, a group member, commented.

Another member of the group, Carol Aronsen, said she hoped Barbie was found and that she could tell Rowan about her adventure.

Yet another group member, Lauren Reynolds, made sure the search expanded.

Reynolds said she had shared the post in a couple of SI hiking groups and hoped that Barbie would be found soon.

Adams said she was nervous about posting online at first because it was just a Barbie, but told her daughter she would ask to see if anyone could find it. She couldn’t go back on that promise. Brittany said she was

Brittany Adams posted this photo to the Facebook group WTF? Carbondale after her daughter lost her Barbie on a trial at Giant City State Park. Sunday. Photo courtesy Brittany Adams

Catherine Porter found Rowan’s lost Barbie Wednesday and posted to WTF? Carbondale saying the doll was “missing her little girlfriend.” Photo courtesy Catherine Porter

amazed at the outcome and was not expecting such a response.

“Overall I’m just so grateful for everyone who looked for her, and shared it with others to keep an eye out,” Adams said. “I really was amazed, and also proud of all the people in this area.” A hiker, Catherine Porter, eventually found Rowan’s doll along the trail and posted a photo of it, still intact.

Barbie is back to civilization,” Porter wrote. “She misses her little girlfriend.”

grateful for all the follow ups to the saga.

“Thanks for being a bright spot in dim times. I sure appreciate it!”

Simpson-Abel said.

Len Rogers, another group member, said this is one of the top stories of why he loves Carbondale.

“This post right here shows why I love Carbondale and Southern Illinois,” Judy Simpson, another member of the group, said.

Adams said Rowan is working on drawing a thank you card for Porter.

Porter had seen Adam’s post and quickly joined in the search to locate the beloved doll.

Once Barbie was home, Adams posted an update to the group, saying “My kiddo is so happy I can’t even describe it.”

The group immediately cheered.

“YAY! That is so awesome!” said Dawn Roberts, an administrator of the group.

Joanna Simpson-Abel, a group member said the entire storyline brightened her day, and she was

Rowan and that doll have been on multiple trail hikes together and the family is planning a major outing soon.

“If it continues being one of her favorites, it’ll go with us on our eventual thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in a few years,” Adams said.

Staff writer Joel Kottman can be reached at jkottman@dailyegyptian. com on Twitter @JoelKottman and on Snapchat @joelkottman.

Illinois Schools continued from

1

“Well, the board president and I met virtually with a representative from the ISBE, and they basically explained to us what possibly could happen,” Helbig said. “They determined that, whether it’s today or three or four months from now, the school district was going to have to comply at some point in time. So, they figured why push it off any longer.”

Both school districts serve communities with few alternative schooling options for their students ,and the majority of the funding for these schools comes from the state rather than local property taxes, McCollum said.

“We rely on the state of Illinois for a good chunk of our funding,” Helbig said. “If we were to lose that state funding it would put a heavier burden on our taxpayers.”

McCollum said the school would likely have been able to finish the school year, likely would not have the funding to continue for another year.

“We don’t have multiple units in our county, so I don’t see any other options for us other than private school and homeschooling,” McCollum said. “I’d say state funding is maybe 80% of our funding.

Helbig said the Woodlawn school district applied for relief funding from the state through the ESSER III grant.

The grant is a part of the American Rescue Plan Act and is funded by a $122 billion package for schools as supplemental funding to provide adequate educational opportunities while maintaining COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

Rich Miller, the owner and editor of the Capitol Fax political blog, reached out to the Governor’s office for clarification

on masking policies in early July. On July 13 he published the response given to him by the office via email which said schools should work with their local health departments to come up with prevention strategies and to monitor infections and transmissions.

“The question comes down to liability,” Miller said. “If schools don’t follow the guidance and something bad happens, then the schools could be opened up to lawsuits. It’s the chance you take.”

Helbig said this change of policy was a factor in the backlash within his district against the mandate.

“That did not sit well with my community and some of the board members as well, so they were like, ‘let’s at least make a statement’,” Helbig said. “I think that is what they were trying to do at the time.”

Neither Helbig or McCollum believe there are any schools around them that have decided to completely reject the mandates as the potential to lose state funding could lead to closures.

“Several of our neighbors have done the same thing as well,” Helbig said. “Vandalia, Carlyle and a couple of other school districts eventually had to give in to pressure from the state.”

McCollum said the broad impact of being placed on probation is felt not just by the school board as a whole or the students, but also by the individual teachers as well.

“As an educator, each year you get a year of creditable service and you get [Teacher Retirement System] that’s paid,” McCollum said. “That’s all revoked if you’re not compliant

with this mandate.”

McCollum said there are a lot of components and people that would be affected by the decision to refuse to follow the ISBE mandate.

“The way it affects our community is that they lose their school,” McCollum said. “You’re in a position where you can’t win and those schools can’t keep their doors open without funding from the state.”

Both districts chose to follow the protocols to remain open, and provide their students with the education and extracurricular activities they desire.

Helbig said, “there were other factors involved in the decision to follow the mandates, but the board said they didn’t want to see any students lose out on extracurricular possibilities.”

McCollum said, as an educator, his beliefs don’t matter in this politicized environment. He said what is best for the students is to provide the opportunities face-to-face instruction brings compared to remote instruction and to allow them to participate safely in extracurricular activities.

“You can argue if masks work, don’t work, that part doesn’t really matter,” McCollum said. “But what masks provide us is the opportunity to get our kids in front of us for a full day of instruction 5 days a week and provide them as many opportunities as we can provide them with.”

Staff reporter William Box can be reached at wbox@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @William17455137.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Sports

Page 7

The team reacts to Alex Washington, middle, after she came from the back row to complete a kill during SIU’s 3-2 comeback win against UT Martin during the Saluki Bash tournament on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 at the Banterra Center at SIU. Jared Treece | @bisalo Below: Nsia Gittens goes up for the spike during SIU’s 3-2 comeback win against UT Martin. Gittens had 10 kills during the game vs. UT Martin during the Saluki Bash tournament on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 at the Banterra Center at SIU. Jared Treece | @bisalo

Middle hitter Margherita Giani goes up for the spike during Friday’s game vs. UT Martin. Giani had 16 kills and 8 blocks in the comeback win for SIU during the Saluki Bash tournament on Sept. 4, 2021 at the Banterra Center at SIU. Jared Treece | @bisalo

Freshman setter Anna Jaworski, left, reacts after a scoring play by Tatum Tornatta, right, during SIU’s 3-2 comeback win against UT Martin during the Saluki Bash tournament on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021 at the Banterra Center at SIU. Jared Treece | @bisalo

The SIU Women’s Volleyball team lost 3-1 to Oral Roberts University in the Saluki Bash championship game on Sept 4.

Saluki Volleyball managed two wins in the tournament prior to the championship, beating Alabama A&M 3-0 and University of Tennessee-Martin 3-2 on Sept. 3.

Headlining the tournament for the Salukis was Junior Outside hitter Nataly Garcia with 38 total kills throughout the tournament.

Also making an impact was Freshman Setter Anna Jaworski, who broke a Saluki record with her 72 total assists in the team’s win over UT Martin. Jaworski finished the tournament with an impressive 139 assists throughout the weekend.

Sophomore Middle Hitter Margherita Giani led the Salukis in Blocks with 12. Sophomore Outside Hitter Alex Washington led the Salukis in Aces with 5, and Senior Defensive Specialist Katy Kluge led the Salukis in Digs with 47 throughout the tournament.

The Salukis got off to a hot start in the tournament against Alabama A&M, sweeping the Bulldogs in quick fashion. The Salukis never let the Bulldogs get more than 15 points in any of the sets and only lost the lead for the first point of the third set throughout the match.

The second match on Friday against UT Martin wasn’t as smooth, but ended with the result the Salukis were looking for. SIU quickly found themselves down 2-1 and facing a loss late in the fourth set, but a comeback was brewing and the Salukis won set 4 with some extra time on a score of 28-30. They later won

set five to secure a spot in the championship match Saturday afternoon.

The championship match began well for SIU, winning the first set 19-25. However, Oral Roberts learned from their mistakes in the first set and won the next three, with the Salukis keeping it competitive throughout. The Golden Eagles beat the Salukis 25-16, 25-20, and a nail-biter in set four at 25-22, winning the Saluki Bash championship.

Although the tournament didn’t end how the Salukis wanted it to, SIU matched and eclipsed their win total from last season just in the past two days, a sign of brighter days to come for Saluki Volleyball.

Saluki Volleyball returns to Davies Gym Tuesday afternoon in a match versus Saint Louis University with a start time of 6 p.m.

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

Page 8

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Baker’s Big Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001

Headlined by Quarterback Nic Baker and Wide Receiver Avante Cox, SIU captured a win in their first game of the season against close rival Southeastern Missouri.

The night was ruled by the connection between Baker and Cox. Baker completed 25 passes on 34 attempts for a staggering 460 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Cox was responsible for 187 of those yards, which included a record-setting 99-yard touchdown catch and run on the first play from scrimmage.

Senior Wide Receiver Landon Lenoir, Freshman Wide Receiver Izaiah Hartrup, and Junior Tight End Tyce Daniel also had a touchdown catch themselves.

Sophomore Running Backs Justin Strong and Javon Williams Jr. highlighted the ground game. Strong rushed for 61 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown and Williams rushed for 29 yards on 11 carries and also added a touchdown.

The defense contained SEMO’s offense fairly well with four total sacks, seven QB hits, six tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery.

Senior linebacker Bryce Notree commented on their ability to get so much pressure on SEMO’s offense.

“We have depth, especially at the defensive line, linebacker, and in the secondary. The most stifling thing right now is knowing that we’re able to put the pads on and really rush the quarterback,” Notree said.

Senior linebacker Qua Brown spoke on the Salukis reaction to the win.

“It felt great, but obviously there’s a lot more we could have done out there. We had one takeaway, and we were looking to have more in this game.

We just need to lock in and find ways to get more next game,” Brown said.

Brown said the game plan going in was to disguise their coverages.

“We knew they were a big team as far as attacking deep down the field, so we were trying to do a pretty good job at disguising coverage pre-snap and then moving to our spots quickly post-snap so the linemen can get their pass-rush on,” Brown said.

Southern Illinois’ defense had a big stop to start things off at the SIU 36 yard line to keep SEMO out of the endzone. The drive included a touchdownsaving tackle by Senior Safety Qua Brown to keep SEMO from getting a quick score. Three plays later, SEMO was forced to punt from the SIU 36 yard line.

The punt backed SIU’s offense all the way to the 1-yard line, but that wasn’t too tall of a task for the Saluki offense.

Baker hit Cox in stride for a 99-yard long touchdown pass, a new SIU record. The touchdown put SIU up 7-0 right away and set the tone for the offense the rest of the way.

SEMO came right back with a score of their own from Junior Quarterback CJ Ogbonna and Graduate Wide Receiver Zack Smith to tie things up 7-7.

A touchdown catch late in the first quarter by Daniel put the Salukis up for good and made the score 14-7.

By the end of the first half, the Salukis were already up 28-7 after a touchdown catch by Hartrup and a rushing touchdown by Strong. Baker finished the first half already with an impressive 14 catches on 18 attempts for 294 yards passing and 3 touchdowns.

Cox also finished with an impressive first-half stat line with four catches for 142 yards receiving and a touchdown.

The Salukis received the ball to start off the second half. That drive led to a 28-yard field goal by Senior Kicker Nico Gualdoni to make it 31-7.

Photo by Chris Bishop | Design by Chloe Schobert

Left: Avante Cox (11) receives a ninety-nine yard pass from Nic Baker (8) to score the first touchdown in a game against Southeast Missouri State University Sept. 2, 2021 at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Page 9

g Day: SIU wins War-of-the-Wheel A rushing touchdown by Williams and a pick-six from Nic Baker put things at 38-14 at the end of the third quarter. The pass went in and out of the hands of a Saluki receiver and ended up in the arms of Junior Linebacker Mike Matthews of SEMO and walked into the endzone for their second score of the day.

Baker kept cooking with yet another touchdown pass to Lenoir to start the fourth quarter. After that, Baker got the rest of the night off and was replaced by Freshman Quarterback Stone Norton for the last three SIU drives of the night. Norton led the offense to a field goal on the next drive to make the score 47-14.

SEMO managed to score with under two minutes left on a touchdown pass from Junior Quarterback Christian Perez to Junior Wide Receiver Garrett Todd.

This made the score 47-21 which ended up being the final score of the night.

The Salukis continue their season Saturday in Manhattan, Kan. against the Kansas State Wildcats with a 6 p.m kickoff time.

47 21 vs.

“Baker hit Cox in stride for a

99-yard long touchdown pass setting a new SIU record.”

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

Top left: Justin Strong (5) runs the ball into the end zone to score for the Salukis in a game against Southeast Missouri State University Sept. 2, 2021 at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Strong’s touchdown put the Saluki’s ahead of the Redhawks, 28-7. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Top right: Tyce Daniel (3) receives the ball in the War for the Wheel game against Southeast Missouri State University Sept. 2, 2021 at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Bottom left: Landon Lenoir (17) celebrates with Jerron Rollins (4) after scoring a touchdown Sept. 2, 2021 at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Page 10

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Get Involved: Sports RSOs happy to return after year of COVID-19 restrictions Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001 With a new school year up and running again, many sports Registered Student Organizations are back and better than ever.

RSOs across campus were affected immensely this past year with a large number of restrictions placed on activities and gatherings limited to a certain number of people. Specifically with Sports RSOs, since there is so much physicality involved in sports, many of these clubs were extremely limited with how they could continue their clubs.

As of late, with an increased number of vaccinated students, restrictions have lightened and activities have resumed once again. RSOs such as the Climbing and Gymnastics clubs have seen growing numbers in the past year and especially now with students returning to campus and many restrictions being lifted.

Barhaug said the club has expanded, gaining nearly four times the number of members that there was last year.

“It was a lot smaller then and there were very few regulars I saw,” Barhaug said. “I think there were maybe around 15-25 people then. Now we boast about 95 people, so it’s definitely swelled since then.”

Climbing Club President Madeleine

Barhaug said she balances several different tasks in order to keep the club running.

“It’s not just welcoming everyone as the face of the club, it’s social media, PR, tracking the input and output of our funds, and doing a bunch of different safety checks and safety tests, especially with climbing because it’s inherently dangerous,” Barhaug said.

Gymnastic Club Vice President Matthew Ruiz manages his club in the actual practice field, rather than office work like Barhaug would have as president.

“I focus on the floor work rather than the office stuff. The president focuses on going to meetings and making sure everyone knows what they’re doing. I teach gymnastics and thats my main focus on it,” Ruiz said.

Gymnastics Club also experienced a large increase in membership, according to the Vice President Matthew Ruiz.

“When I was a freshman and joined, we had around 12 people in the club and now we have upwards of 30 members,” Ruiz said.

“I’m proud of everyone in Gymnastics Club bringing it together to make it what it is now, which is breaking into the competitive side.”

The president and executives of each club have their own method of funding and promoting the clubs. Grace Durocher CoPresident of the Women’s Volleyball RSO

said her club has found success with apparel fundraisers among other things.

“We have done an apparel fundraiser where we’re selling shirts and sweatshirts that say Women’s Club Volleyball. This semester we’re thinking of a food fundraiser, and then just kind of like sharing that with our friends and family on social media, Durocher said.

Durocher said the executives of the club have had to build an almost entirely new team from last season.

“We only had four returning girls . . .but we have a lot of girls that are coming out so I think we’ll have plenty of players,” Durocher said.

The Women’s Volleyball Club was one of the RSOs that was unable to operate during the 2020 school year due to COVID-19 Restrictions.

“Just with all the restrictions and everything, they decided that it would be safest and best if we didn’t play just with it being so hard to play with a mask on and then we were going to have to sanitize balls and equipment and everything,” Durocher said.

COVID-19 took away an outlet for many students in athletic clubs Durocher said. Many students join these clubs for a large variety of reasons.

Durocher said most students join to

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“You get in such a rhythm with your classes where you’re just going to class and doing homework, it’s just draining. So it offers a space to just do something that’s fun and that you enjoy doing and to relieve stress and hang out with people who also enjoy playing,” Durocher said.

Ruiz said most students end up joining Gymnastics Club because of the quality of the people involved.

“People think it’s interesting because of the flipping aspect of it, but students join because of the people in it,” Ruiz said. “The people aspect is probably more important than what we’re actually doing. I could be doing anything, but I’d have a great time just being around the people that are fun to be with.”

Sports RSOs like the ones mentioned can be a great tool to get student’s bodies moving, according to Ruiz.

“My main goal with teaching them this isn’t to get them Olympian level,” Ruiz said. “It’s to get them more comfortable with their bodies and get them to move.

I think of it as in an Apocalypse and who would survive. My goal is to make them understand what their body is capable of.”

RSOs can also be an extremely useful

tool for new and returning students to get to know some of their peers. Barhaug said one of the purposes of putting the club together is to get people to try activities they might be unfamiliar with.

“It’s bringing people of the same interest together and getting people who have never tried something to try something new,” Barhaug said. “Freshman and sophomore year is stressful for some people because it’s a new place and you don’t know anyone. It gets you meeting really awesome people and if you enjoy it then that’s something for you to do outside of school.”

The importance of getting involved is something Ruiz said will get student’s minds off of the difficulties of studying all the time.

“The more involved you are, the happier you will be,” Ruiz said. “Doing nothing but school sucks. Doing something to get your mind off of it can reset you to get more work done in the end.”

You can begin the search for an RSO of your own liking, or start your own RSO at getinvolved.siu.edu.

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

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Page 11

Women’s Golf finishes tenth at Redbird Invitational

Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001

SIU’s Women’s Golf team finished tenth overall out of 16 teams at the Redbird Invitational in Normal Illinois over the Holiday Weekend.

The tournament took place over two days, with two rounds occurring on Sunday and a third and a final round on Monday afternoon.

The Salukis finished with a score of 49 over par, while the winners of the tournament Eastern Kentucky University, finished with a score of 3 under par.

Participants for Southern Illinois included Junior Megan Breslin, Graduate Student Moyea Russel, Freshman Kylee Vaughan, Junior Ayanna Habeel and Sophomore Janie Samattiyadeekul.

Breslin led the way for the Salukis, with a score of 10 over par throughout the Invitational and placing 25 overall. Russel finished 39th, Vaughan finished 48th, Habeel finished 55th, and Samattiyadeekul finished 62nd overall out of 89 individuals.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis fifth-year student Amelie Svejda finished first overall with a score of -8 under par.

SIU will continue their season at the Hoover Invite in Hoover Alabama Monday, September 20, and Tuesday, September 21.

Then SIU sophomore, Amelia Lawson, drives the ball toward the green during the match against Bradley University March 14, 2021, at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Erica Kerr tees off at the Battle Between Southern and Bradley March 14, 2021, at Hickory Ridge Golf Course in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

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

Page 12

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Saluki Shakers ready to perform this Fall Cole Daily | cdaily@dailyegyptian.com

The Saluki Shakers are SIU’s primary dancers who perform during halftimes and timeouts for various men’s and women’s sports as a part of the Saluki Spirit teams, they’re gearing up to perform this fall. Junior dancer Ashley Lyon says the Shakers are an integral part of the university’s sporting events and she has enjoyed every year she’s been a part of the team.

“I feel like it’s given me lots of opportunities over the years to be a part of many different events whether it be football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, really everything,” Lyon said.

Even for incoming first-year dancers like Chloe Day, it has been an amazing experience. She said she’s made new friends and gets to continue participating in the sport she loves.

“I really like being on the team because dance has always been a passion of mine and I get to continue that in college,” Day said. ”We’ve been practicing since June so I’ve made a lot of friends and we’ve had a lot of fun together performing at these events.”

Junior Serena Williams is in her second year as a Shaker and said her favorite parts about being a dancer are the relationships she has built during her time with the team.

“I spend way more time with them than I do anybody else,” Williams said. “A lot of them I have classes with as well.”

The Salukis practice from around 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on days when they have practice. They stretch then go over material that they regularly use during timeouts and other

breaks in the game. They cap off practice by working on new material. Day said the Shakers come up with new material from their coaches and other leaders on the team. ”We just had a girl learn a dance off of zoom that she came and taught us,” Day said. “The coaches help us learn the traditional stuff, the dances passed down from year to year.”

“I really like being on the team because dance has always been a passion of mine and I get to continue that in college.”

- Chloe Day First-year dancer

Coach Cydnee Totzke said dance studios like Pro Action Dance, Tribe 99, and NDA give them ideas for the dances.

These studios bring in many fresh dances that are at the forefront of the dance field.

The art of dance is something that requires a lot of perfection and chemistry from all of the dancers. Coach Totzke said that being near-perfect is essential to performing well.

“What’s really different about our sport is that perfection is expected,” Totzke said. “Trying to instill that philosophy

into the Shakers that it is one dance, one game, always going for that perfect routine.”

Lyon said that it is very important to practice and do your absolute best in a sport as demanding as dance.

“Every movement goes with a count, so you really have to practice and know the steps,” Lyon said. “Coach gets after us and reminds us that you can’t ever dance as an individual, and that we have to dance as a team.”

Lyon said it can be hard being perfect on the field, with all of the fans, coaches, and players watching you. She said her relationships with her teammates and coaches makes it easy on the field.

“Sometimes the crowd can be intimidating at first but when you get out there and start dancing that thought kinda just goes away,” Lyon said. “It’s actually funny cause I’m kind of a shy person, but dancing in front of a crowd has become really fun.”

Williams said that you can really feel the crowd when she first gets onto the field, but after the initial shock, she doesn’t let it get to her.

“Usually when I feel pressure that’s when I feel like I do the best,” Williams said.

Day said that making new friends here at SIU on her team has helped her experience at school and while performing.

“It makes coming to practice really enjoyable,” Day said.

“My friends make it a lot more fun because I’m not just there to dance, but also to have fun and good experiences.”

Sports Reporter Cole Daily can be reached at cdaily@dailyegyptian.com

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Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Page 13

Ian Walters leaps for the baseball during the game against the Evansville Indiana Otters Sept. 2, 2021, in Marion, Ill. “Wherever you’re at[...]you wanna win[...]you wanna do your best every single day and have the best possible outcome you can have,” Walters said. Sophia Rogers | srogers@dailyegyptian.com

Ian Walters wows with the Miners Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001

Soon after graduating last spring, former SIU Third Baseman Ian Walters found continued success with the Southern Illinois Miners in the Frontier League.

As of September 4, Walters has a batting average of .287 with 43 runs batted in, three home runs, and an on-base percentage of .378. Walters is a regular starter in the infield for the Miners ever since he was signed by them in early June.

Walters played for SIU for three seasons, including the 2020 season which was cut short due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In those three seasons, Walters posted a .270 batting average, 93 runs batted in and 15 home runs.

Walters said he has had success since he decided to come to the Southern Illinois area from his hometown in Paducah Kentucky.

Walters got his start at Rend Lake junior college for the first two seasons of his collegiate career. Walters batted .322 and was recruited to come to SIU as a Junior and moved to the third base position.

Walters said his recruitment to the Miners was unexpected for him, with only a couple days’ notice between talking with the team and ultimately signing a contract.

“I had no idea this was going to happen. I was just thinking I’d go into a summer league and hopefully, I would catch somebody’s eye and they would pick me up. This was definitely not in the plan and thrown on me last minute,” Walters said.

Mike Pinto, the Southern Illinois Miners’ head coach, reflected on Walter’s time as a Saluki, leading up a professional career. “[Walters] is a guy that’s coachable,” Pinto said. “He makes adjustments that are needed, he’s learning from older players, he’s competitive, but has really solid character and is a really good teammate.”

A call from SIU Baseball Head Coach Lance Rhodes changed Walters original plans.

Walters had previously planned to move out of his apartment just after SIU’s May 29 loss to Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

“I was out to dinner with my roommates on that Tuesday night and coach Rhodes called me. He told me to stay because the Miners want to sign me. I was like, ‘let’s get to work.’ It was awesome to be able to do that and stay in my apartment in Carbondale and continue my career with them,” Walters said.

to handle the atmosphere of professional baseball, it was just a matter of someone giving him an opportunity,” Rhodes said.

Something Walters said helped him handle this transition period was the standard of play that being at SIU entailed.

“Even at SIU, they had very high standards for us every day to be able to come in every day and work like you’re already a professional.

Having that aspect with SIU helped me transition into the Miners because you need to come in every day, be a professional that’s ready to work everyday, and not take any days off,” Walters said

“You’re never going to replace guys like him [Ian Walters] because they’re so valuable in so many different ways.”

- Lance Rhodes SIU Baseball Head Coach

Rhodes said the Miners wouldn’t regret signing Walters.

“I broke him down how I thought he was as a player and how he would help and I thought he deserved an opportunity with Affiliated ball,” Rhodes said. “I told him my evaluation of him as a player and said he was a great person so there wouldn’t be any issues from a character standpoint on him.”

Even with the quick turn-around from playing a full collegiate season to playing in a professional league in a matter of a few days, Walters said his transition went rather smooth.

“He was ready, the biggest adjustment with pro-ball is work ethic. He’s already got that instilled in his daily routine and there isn’t anybody that’ll outwork him. He was able

Being able to replace Walters on his days off has been a problem for the Miners.

Considering his stats, Walters has become a key component to the Miners run at a playoff spot this season.

“It’s difficult to replace his bat in the lineup and glove on the field. That’s why he plays every day. But everyone’s had a long season and it’s good to keep them off their feet as much as they can,” Pinto said.

Rhodes said it’s been difficult trying to replace Walters in the lineup as well as in the locker room.

“You’re never going to replace guys like him because they’re so valuable in so many different ways,” Rhodes said. You just hope that there are guys that carry the culture he set on and make it the norm in the locker room

and around guys.”

Walters has his eyes set on advancing his career even further than the Miners, but he wants his play to do most of the talking for him.

“I don’t know if there is anything I can say to the scouts other than go out there and continue to stay consistent and maybe I’ll catch somebody’s eyes one of these days,” Walters said.

Coach Pinto said the best word of advice to keep Walters moving forward would be to stay in the present.

“I tell players to be where their feet are.

Don’t worry about where you’re going. Worry about being as phenomenal as you can be where you are and they will find you. If you do really well at what you do, people will know you’re really good at what you do and the word will spread,” Pinto said.

Rhodes said just one opportunity would give Walters the ability to show what he can do.

“The one thing I know is if somebody would give him the opportunity to break into an organization, I know it would make the organization extremely happy with the way that he goes about his business every day and the professionalism he carries himself with,” Rhodes said.

Walters said he has come a long way through his career and hopes to one day make the MLB. “[SIU] prepared me to come into this situation and know what I was getting myself into. I’ve been competing the same way I did at school and I’ll continue to see better competition everyday and I’ll try to stay consistent with it.”

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

Page 14

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Saluki runners finish first in women’s cross country meet Southern Illinois competed well in a cross country meet held in Martin, Tennessee hosted by UT Martin. The Women’s cross country team came in first, while the men came in second behind UT Martin.

The SIU women were led by senior Kayla

Schiera who finished first in the women’s race. She completed at a time of 16:55.6.

She was followed by junior Rachel Anderson who finished second, junior Josie Brown who placed 5th, and sophomore Stephanie Anthonies who placed 6th.

The Men’s team was led by sophomore Dawson Smith, who placed second overall and finished with a time of 19:51.1. He was

followed by sophomore Ethan Senti who placed third, sophomore Noah McIntyre who placed 6th, and sophomore Uriah Guthrie who placed 10th.

The Salukis hope to repeat their success at Illinois State on September 17th.

Sports Reporter Cole Daily can be reached at cdaily@dailyegyptian.com

Cole Daily | cdaily@egyptian.com

The Southern Illinois women’s soccer team took on Vanderbilt in a Thursday night matchup where the Commodores won 5-0.

Vanderbilt started out the game strong by scoring 2 goals within the first 11 minutes. One at 8:50 by senior Peyton Cutshall, and another at 10:57 by senior Madi Allen.

Around 15 minutes later, at 25:36, Vanderbilt added another goal to the board scored by senior Kelly Raegan. This goal was assisted by senior Madiya Harriott.

Vanderbilt was firing on all cylinders against the Salukis heading into halftime up 3-0.

Vanderbilt added two more scores to finish the game, the first scored by Kelly Raegan and the second by freshman Hillary Schroeder.

Raegan scored two goals, and added an assist and three steals to her statline.

Cutshall led all players with 4 steals, along with her only goal of the game.

For SIU, sophomore McKinley Stiff put up 2 steals for the Salukis.

Southern Illinois was only able to get 2 shots off, while Vanderbilt put up 24. Vandy committed 11 fouls to SIU’s four.

SIU hopes to get this one back on Sunday where they play Lipscomb in Nashville, Tennessee at 5:30 PM. Sports Reporter Cole Daily can be reached at cdaily@dailyegyptian.com

IV

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Cole Daily | cdaily@dailyegyptian.com

Salukis fall to Commodores

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Wednesday, September 8, 2021

News

Page 15

SolarizeSI’s group buy effort part of plan to benefit environment Janiyah Gaston | @janiyah_reports

Solarize Southern Illinois (SolarizeSI), a Carbondale area nonprofit, extended the deadline for its collective solar energy purchasing program to October 31, according to a press release.

Saxon Metzger, program director for SolarizeSI, said the organization’s main goal is to educate people on the benefits of switching from fossil fuels to solar energy.

“It offers an opportunity for people who are interested in solar power to have a wide array of educational materials presented to them in a simple format,” Metzger said. “It also offers them a way to move forward with purchasing a solar system that is cheaper.”

SolarizeSI’s 2020 group buy program produced more than 20 solar energy projects valued at over $1 million, according to the press release.

Field Organizer Sonja Krueger said SolarizeSI began as a research project driven by a variety of community groups, including Carbondale Spring, using a model created by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to create educational information for residents.

Solarize partners with Straight Up Solar, an installation company based in Bloomington, Ill. to help install solar panel systems throughout the region.

“They have more than a thousand installations across our region… most recently they were primarily responsible for the giant system that went up for the city of Carbondale,” Metzger said.

Krueger said the long term goal of SolarizeSI is to facilitate the creation of worker-owned cooperative businesses.

“One of the models is creating nonprofits that create these funnels and funding that can assist worker cooperatives to get off the ground, and then to learn the process of nonprofits and board rules and board functions,” Krueger said.

The worker-owned company Squirkle Design launched to provide marketing and branding services as a result of SolarizeSI’s efforts, Krueger said.

SolarizeSI facilitated solar projects in Carbondale at the Public Safety Center, City Hall and Water Treatment facility, Metzger said.

Director of Business Development Erich Schnider said Straight Up Solar’s work with SolarizeSI is helping Carbondale move forward with its sustainability action plan.

“By helping them achieve their goals through high quality installations, and informing them about how it all works and maintaining a service on it... we are helping them achieve their goals with their sustainable plan,”

Carbondale Civic Center solar panels gather sunlight to power the building Sept. 2, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Saxon Metzger, Program Director of SolarizeSI said, “Last year we had an incredibly successful program where twenty-three different homes and businesses went solar, which saved approximately several thousand tons of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere with about a 2 million dollar investment in solar power in our region.” Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

The solar panels collect energy outside of the Carbondale Public Safety Building Sept. 1, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. The panels are courtesy of the Solarize Southern Illinois Program. Saxon Metzger, the director of the program said, “When you look at the math for the amount of available electricity from the sun, especially in a place like Southern Illinois, it is the most viable renewable energy resource that we have to be able to fuel the advanced economy that we have.” Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

Schnider said.

SolarizeSI is hosting events through the month of September in-person and online for home and business owners.

Staff reporter Janiyah Gaston can be reached at jgaston@dailyegyptian. com or on Instagram at @janiyah_ reports.

Study Break

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Page 16

Gus Bode’s Return Issue 1

Gus says:

You may have noticed that I have been missing lately. After last semester, I took some time to reflect on the times and get away from the news.

I even taught myself new skills, like painting 100% accurate and true self portraits. like this one!

It was great to get away and not have to worry about being the sassiest man ever.

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So since people still don’t believe in climate change even though the west coast is melting or on fire and the east coast is flooding, people still are refusing vaccinations despite the FDA approval, and Texas has decided that women’s rights don’t matter...I am back... and boy am I angry.

gus bode will return weekly

nd

But when I finally felt like myself again and checked my phone, imagine my shock when I found out all of the crazy events that have unfolded over the last four months!

Th e

I took some time to travel and enjoy a life without SIU.

rb

o