The Daily Egyptian - [September 28, 2022]

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Mathematics professor caught up in “China Initiative” speaks out

innocent omissions that in the vast majority of cases are resolved in civil court, not with a federal criminal indictment,” Benyas said.

Community members submitted 27 letters of support for Xiao at his sentencing hearing Monday.

“Judge Yandle’s sentence definitely indicates that she recognizes Ming’s outstanding character, his support from the community, and his dedication to his family and his students,” Benyas said.

But, Benyas said, it’s important to remember the government made Xiao a convicted felon.

“This was undoubtedly a xenophobic and prejudicial prosecution of an upstanding Chinese American citizen who loves his country,” Benyas said. “And the government doubled down in the sentencing phase, asking the judge to send Ming to prison for a year and to pay a fine of over $50,000… This entire ordeal is a travesty of justice.”

There is more work left to be done, he said.

The applied mathematics professor caught up in a “xenophobic” government sweep of Chinese academics will not be serving any jail time.

Mingqing Xiao was sentenced to one year probation and a fine, with court fees, of about $2,300.

Xiao’s friends and colleagues say the emphasis now will

be getting Southern Illinois University (SIU) to take him off paid administrative leave.

“His union attorney, union representative, the SIU Faculty Association, the SIU Faculty Senate, his Math department colleagues and many of us will continue to work to get Ming back in the classroom doing what he does best,” said music professor Ed Benyas.

Xiao was one of dozens of

U.S. educators arrested as part of the Justice Department’s “China Initiative,” ostensibly designed to weed out academics who may be selling intellectual property to the Beijing government. Xiao was cleared of all charges related to such activity, but was found guilty on a minor tax charge because he did not check a box indicating he had a foreign bank account.

That account had been set up by a Chinese university to cover Xiao’s expenses during teaching and recruiting visits, which were interrupted by the COVID pandemic. Xiao told investigators he never considered the money his.

“The tax charges that the government added on the eve of a trial that they were not ready for, in an effort to get him to plead guilty, reflected

“Let’s also not forget: Ming still has an enormous legal bill to resolve. And he still has to fight to get his job back,” Benyas said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Xiao cover those legal expenses. It is at just a fraction of its $350,000 goal.

Students work to get peers registered to vote

And they all looked like Laura Ingalls

Africana Theater Lab hosts first-ever Masquerade Ball

Tough start to the season still brings a big win for Salukis

Faculty Managing Editor Annie Hammock can be reached at ahammock@ dailyegyptian.com

Annie HAmmock AHAmmock@dAilyegyptiAn com

Photo of Professor Mingqing Xiao provided by Kara Benyas

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Solar Tour highlights alternative energy in Carbondale

Jamilah lewis | @Jamilahlewis

The Illinois Solar Energy Association hosted its annual Solar Tour on Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. showcasing local solar energy panels on community homes and buildings.

According to the Illinois Solar Education Association website, you can learn how certain people in the communities utilize solar and clean energy reducing fossil fuels.

Lauren Becker, sustainability coordinator and dual role planner at the City of Carbondale works with ISEA and her colleague, Mark Bollman, to coordinate the tour in Carbondale to make it as interactive as possible.

“These folks reached out to me and said ‘hey, you know, we’d be interested in showing off our city sites,’” Becker said. “Then from there and through conversation with community members who have solar on their homes, we heard the reflection that we’d like to go a little bit bigger than providing kind of an open house tour.”

Becker said it was a decision to make it a culture-building event giving people in the community an opportunity to get to know each other while educating them on solar energy.

a company that’s been around since 2006 serving the St. Louis and Illinois areas.

Al Parr, an elder and financial steward at the church, is a part of its green team.

“We had a group known as Faith in Place [FIP] in the state of Illinois, which is an affiliate to interfaith Power and Light,” Parr said. “Which is a nationwide organization that wants to ‘green’ churches.”

Parr said a representative from FIP contacted them about what they can do to be more green with most of the church’s congregation on board.

“We were able to figure out that we could have solar that the state would help us pay for it through a state law known as FEJA,” Parr said. “It was the Future Energy Jobs Act. And that act-people would install solar and then apply for a rebate from the state. And we got about almost 50% of the installation cost paid as a rebate from the state.”

There are 84 solar panels installed, generating 25 kilowatts combined. The price was $70,000 with the state paying for $34,000 in quarterly increments over five years, Parr said.

electricity.”

Charlie Howe, a Carbondale resident since the 1950s and an environmentalist for most of his life, had his solar installed by StraightUp Solar.

“I am the first person on the block to put solar on my house,” Howe said. “As soon as I bought the house, the realtor was friends with the solar guy, and I got a call the next day. ‘Hey, how about solar in your house’?”

“The guy who was with StraightUp was friends with a realtor guy and they were in the same organization called Business, Networking International or BNI,” Howe said. “So they each refer business to the other if they think, you know, they have a fellow business person who can take advantage of that.”

Howe said he had the money and was keen on solar power. It’s also helped him save a lot of money on electricity since getting it installed. His electricity bill is usually $40/ month.

He said he’s big in ecology, and green politics and was a part of the Green Party for 20 years.

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“We want to be providing [sic.] an opportunity for community members to [...] be speaking directly to their neighbors, neighbors who are considering solar energy, neighbors who have gone beyond just solar energy,” Becker said. “Having that peerto-peer communication, that peer-to-peer interaction is really crucial.”

It’s the first time the City of Carbondale and the ISEA were able to conduct a more cohesive tour than they’ve had in the past.

“It is a bit of a long day you know, kind of nostalgic of those field trips that folks took in elementary school,” Becker said. “You’ve got your brown bag lunch, and you’re sitting on a bus with all of these other people that are also excited about learning, learning more about the topic at hand.”

Becker said she could see this becoming an annual event and maybe in the future help local transit districts get funding for electric vehicles also. Organizers wanted to showcase how accessible solar energy can be.

“Now we’re seeing that, especially in Illinois, I’ve been astonished by the opportunities that we’re providing across the board,” Becker said. “Regardless of my socioeconomic status, regardless of my background, or education surrounding renewable energy, there are avenues that are available to me.”

The First Christian Church is one of the sites on the tour and has had its panels installed since the summer of 2018.

The company that installed the solar panels was StraightUp Solar,

“The state was also in, through certain suppliers, were able to reduce the costs of LED lighting so we put in LED lighting all through the building as well,” Parr said. “Since we’ve installed the solar and [put in] the LED lighting since 2018, we’ve paid $18 for

“The earth is now in its hugest trial ever as far as we humans are concerned,” Howe said. “Every time we get in the car we’re adding a little bit more to the [in]ability of this planet to keep us going. So I’m honored to do my part.”

Staff reporter Jamilah Lewis can be reached at jlewis@dailyegyptian. com or on Twitter @jamilahlewis

Lane Frost | lfrost@dailyegyptian.com

Students work to get their peers registered to vote

Daniel Bethers DBethers@Dailyegyptian com

A torrent of students cram through the hallway near the north entrance of the Student Center, the din of conversation nearly drowning out the generic pop music sounding from the speakers above. Nearby, poised to take full advantage of the lunch rush, sit a handful of people with laptops, forms, QR codes and candy. They cheerfully greet the hurried Salukis one group at a time:

“Hey ladies, are you registered to vote?”

Every now and then, they manage to break students away from the herd, deftly guiding them through websites or paperwork. In less than a few minutes, a brand new Illinois voter is on the books.

Thanks to the efforts of the College Democrats RSO as well as the student and Carbondale branches of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) an estimated that 100 to 150 students registered to vote on Tuesday. College Democrats President Vivian Walker helped lead the voter drive took place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. with student and community volunteers working nonstop to make a difference.

“So many people come up to the table because they just have questions about, you know, ‘I did this but I’m not sure if I can vote here or there.’ They just have questions that it’s hard to find that information and being able to just have someone they can walk up to and ask that question to is, I think,

really helpful. That’s probably more of what we’re doing today,” Walker said.

As Nov. 8 and the midterm elections approach, there couldn’t be a better time for students to get involved in politics. Despite recent increases, SIUs student voter participation statistics from previous years certainly show room for improvement. The National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, is a study dedicated to increasing student and school engagement in politics. Its numbers show SIU Edwardsville’s total voting rate was 37.3% in 2018, 1.8% lower than the national average. The Daily Egyptian tried to acquire voter registration data for SIU Carbondale, but the administration did not release the information in time for publication.

“I feel like so many people are discouraged about it and I wanna be able to get out there and show young people that this is a really important part of the world that we live in,” Walker said. “Casting your vote - it changes things. I feel a lot of people are really disillusioned now by politics and it’s really discouraging. Especially politicians seem to have lost their professionalism now. That doesn’t appeal to very many people. They want to be able to vote for people that they can look up to.”

Last week, Chip Markel’s campaign manager reached out to the College Democrats directly to ask them to participate in his campaign. This election cycle brings lots of challenges for Democrats like Markel, who is not only running

against a Republican incumbent Mike Bost, but doing so in a historically red Southern Illinois.

Still, the importance of Carbondale as an oasis of blue isn’t to be underestimated. Some of the biggest issues of the century are up for debate in congress currently. The midterm elections also include the race for the governorship in Illinois

“As a woman following the summer’s events of Roe v. Wade I think it’s especially important to be registered to vote now, I think it [the voter registration drive] helps a lot with community outreach and making sure everyone’s voices are heard,” said Natalie Rossi, a volunteer at the event.

Elections are also coming up on the tail end of the largest Federal student debt relief effort in recent years, Biden’s partial student loan forgiveness plan, with bills such as the Income-Driven Student Loan Forgiveness Act in the works to forgive even more debt.

Still, many students remain indifferent or even unaware of elections. Walker says there were many students that needed convincing.

“I said, ‘Oh, well, we can register you right now.’ And she goes, ‘Why should I vote?’ And just looked at me and was like, ‘Why would I do that? You know, like, what’s the point?’ And she wasn’t the only one to ask questions along those lines, but that was the most point blank. Like, ‘tell me why I should.’ And to be honest, people ask that question because they… genuinely want an answer. They want to know

what’s on what’s important about the ballot, why should I get out there and cast my vote? And we have different answers for different people.”

As is especially obvious watching the majority of students pass the voting registration tables by, students’ lives are busy, and not just in the sense that they’ve got friends to have lunch with, and classes to go to. A surprising number of students are actually already registered to vote, 74.7% as of 2018, in fact. 74.7 % of students at SIU Edwardsville were registered to vote, but less than half of those registered actually voted in 2018. Even that figure is a dramatic increase from 2014, when only 24% of registered student voters cast a ballot. Could it be that students are so alienated by the implacable movements of federal politics that they think their votes make no difference? Or are there other, more sinister reasons?

Rossi thinks students’ reluctance isn’t entirely self inflicted.

“I think it’s systemic, I think there’s a lot of barriers to voting, especially in minority communities, whether it’s polling places that are really isolated from towns and districts or really long lines or, you know, state specific laws that kind of bar voting whether that’s voter ID laws or anything like that,” she said. “I think that it’s a systemic thing and I think that it’s intentional.”

Recent increases in voter turnout are actually because young people and minorities are becoming more

represented in politics by figures such as Rep..Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-New York), Rossi said.

According to SIU NAACP Vice President Jeremiah Denham, what students need is leadership and a chance to express themselves freely.

“As a community we need to know what is right and what is wrong, so for us to have the opportunity to vote - we didn’t have the right to vote at first so I think it is a big change and I think more colored people are coming out of their shell because they want to make a change and a change needs to happen,” he said. “I’m glad to say I’m a part of an organization that can push that change out to happen because it needs to happen.”

When it comes to voting, students need roots and they need the ability to express themselves. Everything that a person needs to engage in a healthy democracy can start right here at SIU, where communities like the College Democrats, the NAACP, and the Paul Simon Public Policy institute work tirelessly to provide students with a voice and a community to grow it in.

“When it’s time to vote, I feel like professors should be saying it, TAs, students that know about voting should be saying it to one another, restaurants should, everywhere around that you can go people should be encouraged that they have a right to vote,” Denham said.

Staff reporter Daniel Bethers can be reached at dbethers@ dailyegyptian.com

Africana Theater Lab showcases Black theater with first-ever masquerade ball

Janiyah Gaston | @DEJaniyah

The Africana Theater Lab hosted its first masquerade ball, on Friday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Student Center. During the ball, masked people put on a variety of performances.

The vice president of the Africana Theater Lab, Dwyane Freeman, announced they would reveal their identities at the end of the night.

Up first was Heartfelt Gemini, who sang a few songs. He said he was invited to the ball by Freeman after Freeman heard him perform. Ilzarrazl said the event was a good way for people to come together and enjoy music.

The Man in Red was up next and sang “I’ll Be” and “You Found Me.”

MJ Smothers, a third-year student majoring in animation, heard about the event from her roommate. Smothers said students should enjoy events like this one because it’s a nice change of pace.

“To me, it’s just something that’s gonna push them out of their comfort zone and where they get to dress up and feel confident in space with different people,” she said.

Events like the masquerade ball are designed to get more people interested in coming to more events on campus.

Maryjean Taylor-Hutt, a secondyear student majoring in biomedical science, said the ball was a great way for students to get out and dance and wear the prom dress they probably did not get to because of the pandemic.

After an intermission, Lady Blue gave a monolouge called “Black Girls Learn to Love.” Then Gennesis sang “Before I Let Go.” Heartfelt Gemini and the Man in Red gave the crowd another dose of their singing talents. Lady

Blue gave a short monologue from Shakesphear’s Rome and Juliet and Gennesis performed a bit from the movie “Fences.”

Destiny Drake, Colby Wallin and Edgar Garcia said they decided to go to the ball because of a mutual friend, Drake, a second-year student majoring in linguistics, said she and her friends have always wanted to go to a masquerade ball, and this was the perfect opportunity.

Wallin, a second-year student majoring in compter science, said such events are really important to the SIU community.

“I feel like it’s a good time for the Saluki community to really, be united and feel like one,” he said.

Wallin said the ball and events like it can make first-year students feel welcome here on campus.

Garcia, a third-year student majoring in automotive technology, said first-year students can feel a little out of place, and having a night where students can come together and meet new people is good.

The night concluded with the masked performers revealing who they were. Lady Blue was reveled as KJ Fitz, a fourth-year student studying psychology. Ashley Hinton, a second-year student studying psychology, was Gennesis. Jalen Ilzarrazl a second-year at Shawnee, was Heartfelt Gemini, and finally the Man in Red was William Box, a fourth-year student studying journalism (who is the news editor for the Daily Egyptian).

Staff reporter Janiyah Gaston can be reached at jgaston@dailyegyptian. com or on Twitter @DEJaniyah. To stay up to date with all your Southern Illinois News follow the Daily Egyptian on Facebook and Twitter.

Guests listen to a monologue at the masquerade ball hosted by the Africana Theater Lab Sept. 23, 2022 at the SIU Student Center Ballroom in Carbondale, Ill. Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

Ashley Hintlon stands in front of the Africana Theater Lab flag at the masquerade ball Sept. 23, 2022 at the SIU Student Center Ballroom in Carbondale, Ill. Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

Guests enjoy food and refreshments at the Africana Theater Lab’s masquerade ball Sept. 23, 2022 at the SIU Student Center Ballroom in Carbondale, Ill Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

Guests socialize at the masquerade ball hosted by the Africana Theater Lab Sept. 23, 2022 at the SIU Student Center Ballroom in Carbondale, Ill. Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

Guests listen to a monologue at the masquerade ball hosted by the Africana Theater Lab Sept. 23, 2022 at the SIU Student Center Ballroom in Carbondale, Ill. Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

From “The Office” to SIU: Baumgartner and Nuñez talk about their milestone show

Carolyn DiCkte CarolynD@Dailyegyptian Com

Brian Baumgartner and Oscar Nuñez, actors who played Kevin Malone and Oscar Martinez in the popular show “The Office,” came to Southern Illinois University on Thursday Sept. 22 for a meet and greet with students and community members.

“First of all, I want to thank all of you, you know, I’ve always been a Saluki fan. I’m not joking, this is absolutely my favorite college in Southern Illinois,” Baumgartner said.

Outside of being in The Office, Baumgartner is an Emmy winning author, the New York Times bestselling writer of “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office,” the host of three podcasts, and the author of a new book “The Seriously

Good Chili Cook Book.” Nuñez is an Emmy winning actor who has performed in many shows and movies as well as the co-star of the podcast series, “The Bystanders.”

Baumgartner had originally auditioned for the role of Stanely, but after a so-so audition for that role, the casting director called him back in to read for Kevin and everyone could see that this was the role Baumgartner was meant to play, he said.

There are so many scenes in the show that are hilarious, but one in particular was when the characters Michael Scott and Oscar Martinez kissed. Nuñez said Steve Carrell, the actor who played Scott, completely improvised that scene because he thought it was flat and he needed to add something extra to make it funnier.

When researching the making of “The Office” for his book and podcasts, Baumgartner discovered there was a time when the show had to make budget cuts and NBC producers suggested that the only way was to cut some cast.

“They said, ‘you know, one of the easiest ways to do it is to cut some cast’ and Steve Carell was in the room and he said, ‘no, no, no, no, no, that’s not happening.’ And it was never brought up again,” Baumgartner said.

His character, Kevin, is known for his chili, which, in one episode, he spills everywhere, on the carpet and on himself. Not only was this a hilarious scene that viewers still talk about, but it inspired Baumgartner to make a chili cookbook, he said.

“Yeah, look, let me be very honest,

if you had told me 10 years ago that I would still be talking about chili. I would never, ever believe that.” Baumgartner said.

Baumgartner spilled the chili and did the scene in only one take, but his hands were stained a dark orange and smelled like chili for a couple of days.

There’s a lot of scenes in the show when the audience can start to realize that, even though all the characters in “The Office” are mean to each other, they’re still like family.

With Nuñez’s character being gay, he often gets people who come up to him and tell him that his character inspired them to come out and sometimes people get emotional, but Nuñez is honored to have this impact on so many people, he said.

“Some people get really emotional, oh boy, so yeah, it’s great,” Nuñez said.

Not only do Nuñez and Baumgartner have friendship chemistry on stage, they are just as comedic and loving outside of the show as well.

“The funniest person I know is Oscar Nuñez. On the show, he’s not so funny, but off set, he’s the funniest, he makes me laugh harder than anybody else,” Baumgartner joked.

This event was sponsored by the Student Programming Council and was free to students and community members and held in the ballrooms of the student center.

News Reporter Carolyn Dickte can be reached at carolynd@ dailyegyptian.com.

LOVE HEELS: WALKING A MILE IN THEIR SHOES

President of the Interfraternal Council, Matthew Sebalja, leads the run “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes” on Sept. 23, 2022, in Carbondale, Ill. Trevor Reaman | treaman@dailyegyptian.com

The various fraternities of SIU assembled in Faner Plaza to run in the “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes” fundraiser held on Sept. 23, 2022, in Carbondale, Ill. Trevor Reaman | treaman@dailyegyptian.com

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes was an event held by the Interfraternal Council on SIU campus as a fundraiser for survivors of sexual assult, taking place on Sept. 23, 2022, in Carbondale, Ill. The fundraiser was based off of the nationwide movement “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.” Trevor Reaman | treaman@dailyegyptian.com

Members of SIU Greek Life got together to run a mile in high heeled shoes outside of Faner Plaza for a fundraiser that took place Sept. 23, 2022, in Carbondale, Ill. The run was a joint effort between the Interfraternal Council here on campus and the Survivor Empowerment Center. Trevor Reaman | treaman@dailyegyptian.com

“Walk a Mile in Their Shoes,” inspired by the national movement “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” was organized to raise money for Survivor Empowerment Center who provides support for survivors of sexual assult, held on Sept. 23, 2022, in Carbondale, Ill. Trevor Reaman | treaman@dailyegyptian.com

SALUKIS WIN BIG DURING SIU FAMILY WEEKEND

Avante Cox (11) holds out the ball as he crosses into the endzone, scoring a touchdown Stadium in Carbondale Ill. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphotography

Quarterback Nic Baker (8) passes the ball to Running Back Romeir Elliot (1) during the family weekend home game Sept. 24, 2022 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphotography

Friends, family, students, and fans pack themselves into the Saluki Stadium in support of the Salukis during the family weekend home game Sept. 24, 2022 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphotography

Jacob Garrett (43) stands in the endzone holding his arms out to the crowd celebrating his touchdown against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks for family weekend Sept. 24, 2022 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale Ill. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphotography

touchdown helping the Salukis take the victory over North Dakota during family weekend Sept. 24, 2022 at Saluki

The Marching Salukis perform during halftime of the family weekend home game against North Dakota Sept. 24, 2022 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphotography

If you’ve been thinking about karaoke, just duet!

Breanna GallaGher BGallaGher@dailyeGyptian com

When thinking about karaoke, most people tend to have the impression that you have to be a good singer in order to have fun or else what you’re doing is embarrassing. However, that is simply not the case.

Most of the time karaoke is fun no matter how good - or bad - you are at it. This misconception is why it can be so nerve-wracking. The Daily Egyptian decided to take you along for a night of karaoke to show you it’s not so bad. And at Hangar 9, they have karaoke every Thursday at 9:30 p.m.

Karaoke at Hangar 9 has become a time honored tradition, especially because the bar has been doing it for over 10 years now so there has been many people who have come across the Hangar stage.

To get a good perspective on just how much karaoke affects the community we went straight to the source and asked Hanger 9’s entertainment director Blake Bledsoe for his opinion.

“I think any sort of recurring event that can bring people from all walks of life together helps to create a sense of community,” he said. “Karaoke does this well because everyone who attends has a common connection of loving music, singing, etc. and people often find that they are able to create connections with people they may not have had a chance to in other aspects of their life.”

Bledsoe also said karaoke is something that can be fun for everyone and that combined with drink specials, and a relaxed atmosphere help to make it a night where everyone can feel comfortable and have a good time.

“Musically speaking we have access to 45,000+ songs so there is also something for everyone there,” he said. “I’ve seen everything from R&B, rock, showtunes, country, and jazz standards all in one night.”

There is a clear sense of community with a diverse demographic. By having this environment, it feels easy to get to know people and feel welcome, because no matter your age or music taste you are bound to find someone with something in common.

Everyone we talked to was friendly and supportive. You could feel everybody there is just as nervous as you and probably has just as much talent level so nobody really cared about how well they were singing or if they were perfectly in tune. They just wanted to have some fun with friends and sing their favorite songs.

Although the environment is kind, it can still be somewhat nerve wracking to get up on stage so we went to the experts, the regulars at Hangar 9 karaoke and asked their advice for a newbie in the karaoke world.

“Just do it because after the first time you perform and get all your nerves out by the end of the song you can barely even remember how nervous you were in the first place,” Erin Shukis said.

Charlie Rogan weighed in, “If you’re nervous my best advice is come early, sign up for a late spot and have a few

drinks.”

Alec Green said, “Play songs that people know. It helps everyone get more into the performance if they also know the lyrics.”

Marshall Anderson added, “Nobody is a professional. Just go out there and have fun.”

Ed Sorrels, who sings under the name Speaker Boy, said, “Bring a friend, it’s always nice to have guaranteed support.”

Bledsoe said participants have nothing to lose or gain.

It’s simply a great way to have fun, meet new people, and enjoy a new and different experience,” he said. “In short.. bring a friend, grab a beer, and hit the stage! You might just find your new favorite way to pass a Thursday night!”

Staff reporter Breanna Gallagher can be reached at bgallagher@ dailyegyptian.com

Charlie Rogan sets up the stage Sep. 22, 2022 at Hangar 9 in Carbondale, Ill, Diangelo Kwasny-Black | @strangeasangels

“Speaker Boy” Ed Sorrels performs Roundabout by Yes Sep. 22, 2022 at Hangar 9 in Carbondale, Ill. Diangelo Kwasny-Black | @strangeasangels

Mannie’s Fire Feast Review: 17th Street BBQ

mannie henderson ehenderson@dailyeGyptian com

For this edition of Mannie’s Fire Feast review, I was in pursuit of some great-tasting BBQ in Southern Illinois. I traveled several miles down the road, and all signs led me to 17th Street BBQ in Murphysboro.

The restaurant is located at 32 N. 17th St. and it has both dine-in and takeout options. 17th Street BBQ has developed a reputation as one of the region’s premiere BBQ places. So without further ado, let’s see how much fire the restaurant could bring for this review.

Food Flavor 2.5

Before I stepped into the restaurant, I knew I wanted some good brisket. I ordered half a pound of it. The menu describes it as certified sliced Angus beef that is dusted with seasoning.

I ordered brisket-flavored green beans, macaroni and cheese, and a sweet potato with butter and brown sugar for the sides.

The restaurant also has homemade barbecue sauces that are available at every table. Those sauces are High on the Hog, Original, A Little Kick and 17 St. Red. The 17 St. Red is a Kansas City-style bbq sauce, while the original is mild, and A Little Kick has moderate spice. The High on the Hog is a vinaigrette dressing sauce. Of course, I had to try all of the sauces with my meal.

The brisket was fairly seasoned and had a good smoke taste to it. However, it was also very dry. I tried all the BBQ sauces to see if

they would help coat the dry meat. The only sauce that was enjoyable was the original bbq sauce. The remaining sauces had a strong vinegar taste, which overpowered the pallet.

The sides all tasted great. The sweet potato’s cinnamon butter spread is out of this world, which gives you a sweet potato pie taste. The green beans had an excellent brisket-smoke taste to them. Finally, the macaroni and cheese was made, simply put, to perfection.

I’m giving the food flavor two and a half flames. The sides alone carry the score because the brisket did not hit the mark.

Food Texture 2.5

The brisket was not tough, but it also wasn’t tender. I love a good brisket to be juicy and have fatty pieces. Neither of which was true of this brisket. Its texture is closely linked to dry Thanksgiving turkey meat.

The sides, however, were all digested pretty lightly and tasted good. The food texture would also have to get two and a half flames.

Food Presentation 5

The restaurant follows a simple but efficient plateware model. Instead of traditional plates, tin trays covered with butcher paper house the meat. The sides are then placed inside carnival-style paper food trays.

The silverware is simply wrapped up in a paper napkin. I am giving the food presentation a total of 5 flames. Sometimes

less is more, and the restaurant follows the industry standard of tin trays.

Customer Service 5

I arrived on a pretty slow Wednesday evening, in which there was only one other party

there dining. As soon as I entered the door, the waiter eagerly greeted me.

The waiter walked me to the table and explained the menu and sauces on the table. It took less than 10 minutes for the food to arrive once I placed my order. The waiter also checked on me several times to make small talk and ensure the food was to my liking.

It would’ve been easy for the waiter to do the bare minimum on a slow night, but he went above and beyond. For that, I am giving the restaurant a total of five flames.

Value/Price 2

17th Street BBQ is an a la carte restaurant, which means all its food items are sold separately. The sides were each roughly $4 a piece. The half-apound brisket was roughly $17. The total for everything was around $37.

If the restaurant implemented lunch or dinner specials, the value of the food would improve. However, the food prices are overpriced. I am giving the food value/price a total of two flames.

Cleanliness 5

Up next is the restaurant’s cleanliness. I did my usual eyeball scan of the restaurant and saw some great things.

There was a hand sanitizer dispenser near the front entrance. The bar was clean, and the venue had a fresh smell. The silverware was also pretty clean. I am giving the cleanliness criterion five flames.

Convenience 3.5

I arrived at 17th Street BBQ on a Wednesday evening around 7:30 p.m. and dined with a friend. The restaurant does have a private parking lot, but on this night, it was not accessible in preparation for a cook-off competition later that weekend.

I drove a few blocks down and parked on a residential street. The walk wasn’t too bad on a beautiful night. I am giving the convenience a total of three and a half flames. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been able to park in the lot, so I will not be unfair. But the parking lot is a bit undersized.

Overall Score 3.5

The overall score 17th Street BBQ will receive is three and a half flames. They have excellent customer service and a lovely venue but must improve the food texture of their meat.

Staff reporter Mannie Henderson can be reached at ehenderson@ dailyegyptian.com

Green beans cooked with brisket meat sits on a table at 17th Street BBQ Sept. 21, 2022 in Murphysboro, Ill. Mannie Henderson | ehenderson@dailyegyptian.com

Smoked brisket, macaroni & cheese, collards, and baked sweet potato with cinnamon butter spread sits on a table at 17th Street BBQ Sept. 21, 2022 in Murphysboro, Ill. Mannie Henderson | ehenderson@dailyegyptian.com

“The Woman King” battles with its lost potential

Zaden dennis Zdennis@dailyegyptian com

2022 has become an increasingly exciting and optimistic year for film. With a multitude of original and innovative films doing well at the box office and seeing theater attendance finally climb closer to what it was prior to the pandemic. “The Woman King” is another film that has seen a large attendance in its first week, during a traditionally slow period.

“The Woman King” was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and stars Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch and John Boyega. The film is a historical epic set in 1800s Africa, following the Dahomey tribe and its elite all-female unit of warriors.

The film deals with the complicated issues of the African tribes selling people from other tribes to the European slave traders. Although the film is considered an “alternate history” take, where a lot of the history is not completely accurate, the film portrays the Dahomey tribe breaking away from the slave trade out of moral obligation by the end of the film. But this was not true in history, as the tribe continued to prosper from selling slaves until 1852.

Despite this, the film does make great strides in educating its audience in this subject, which is not often depicted in mainstream media. The complicated politics and moral issues are certainly developed, although slightly convenient in their resolution.

The film is also highly progressive in that it is a story about Black women, with a dominantly Black female cast, directed by a Black woman. You don’t even see a single White actor until about an hour into the film. “The Woman King” is a big moment, as it is being positioned as a major release, with a sizable budget and is performing well at the box office despite not being part of an established franchise.

Although “The Woman King” can be viewed as a net positive for the industry going forward, it is not without its issues. The film has seen a large amount of controversy concerning the liberties it takes with its historical inaccuracies, as well as the fact it was written by two White women, but this is not to say that a large majority of similarly historically adjacent films don’t take similar liberties as well.

The film’s script is undoubtedly heavy handed, as it is host to plenty of melodramatic tropes and cheesy dialogue. The first half of the film, which is largely focused on the warriors themselves, felt genuinely enthralling. The second half becomes far more derivative, introducing a mostly unnecessary love interest for our main character, Nawi, as well as retreading ground that many historical dramas centered around the slave trade have covered.

When concerned with the Dahomey tribe directly, the film is at its strongest. Once it ventures further away from that, it starts to feel like a generic awards season film. A dramatic reveal later in the film, concerning our two leads, felt

Brooke Nicholas | bnicholas@dailyegyptian.com

especially uninspired.

For a film that hinges on combat sequences, which emphasize these warriors’ ferocity and competence, they also fell a bit flat. It often uses the Hollywood standard “shaky-cam” which obscures a lot of the action and makes it hard to follow. The fight choreography also felt underwhelming, with fight sequences losing steam quickly and feeling stale.

The editing further emphasized these shortcomings, cutting far too often during scenes of high tension, taking power away from the action or performances. There are multiple moments with beautiful cinematography and composition that felt neutered by being cut away from

prematurely.

But this is not to say the film is bad, as some exceptional performances and direction choices shine through. Viola Davis further solidifies herself as a force to be reckoned with, showing absolute control and ferocity throughout the entire runtime. Her performance as Nanisca demands complete attention from the audience as well as her co-stars. She truly sells her position as “The Woman King,” with my audience cheering with glee once she claims her crown. Not many actors working today hold the same kind of screen presence.

Lashana Lynch also proves to be an exciting newcomer, with this being one of her only leading roles, following

smaller turns in films like “No Time to Die” and “Captain Marvel.” Her screen presence is similarly captivating, with excellent chemistry with the cast and an infectiously charismatic attitude. The future seems bright for Lynch and hers will certainly be a compelling career to follow going forward.

Gina Prince-Bythewood also shows a strong sense of control in her direction, being a relatively seasoned director, having been directing features since 2000. The compositions are highly visually interesting, emphasizing the beauty and power of our main cast as well as the excellent set design. She clearly has a great shorthand with her crew and actors, as everyone feels fully confident in their roles.

“The Woman King” overall can feel a bit frustrating, as there are genuinely great aspects of it that make it feel like one of the great historical epics of our time. But its shortcomings are far too frequent and distracting to say that the film is completely enjoyable.

There is a conflict at the heart of “The Woman King” between something truly progressive and triumphant and the regressive missteps that similar films have fallen prey to, but the film undoubtedly still serves a step in the right direction.

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

Dawn Lester | dlester@dailyegyptian.com

And they all looked like Laura

Gunne Sax or Gunny Sack?

aaron elliott aelliott@dailyegyptian com

Target has been making us look like a Morman cult since 2018, and I am finally ready to speak about it. The prairie dress has been coming in and out of style for decades, but in recent years it has become more of a staple in closets across the globe, whether the consumer really chose so or not.

While sketching up some designs for class, I got completely in the zone. As a designer, there is no telling where my mind and hands will take me when I am doing what I love the most. Sketching away at my oversized notepad, I whipped up quick designs to see what the vibe of my designs would be for my mini line that is to be finished by April. One by one, I drew out the garments and colored them in, with little attention to what I was creating. After getting a rough idea of what every outfit and ensemble will look like, I laid them all out on the table and stepped back. I noticed something quite worrisome but also a bit humorous to me, they all looked like Laura Ingalls.

Sometime in the late 1960s during the free love movement, instead of conforming to the

modern fashions of the time, hippies took inspiration from the past and began wearing prairie dresses and popularizing them among younger age demographics. People across America were going ape for anything that might have resembled a bit of Americana in all aspects of their lives. At this time there was a transition from the sleek plastic feel of the 1960s, to a more earthy and natural feeling that seemed to linger on through the 1970s. With the growth of more natural looks and an excess of excitement for the United States bicentennial, western American early life aesthetics took off.

In 1969, the Gunne Sax dress was popularized and produced by the famous and fabulous late designer Jessica Mcclintock after she made a low investment with the company, and eventually bought it out. The name comes from a mix of words, using the term “gunny sack” which is essentially an inexpensive bag usually made of “tow” textiles such as jute, and combining it with the word sexy. Many women that lived in southern states refer to an uglier dress in their closet as a gunny sack, implying that it’s cheap and

not exactly pleasing to the eye, yet useful nonetheless. Making a conglomeration of these two words that mean totally opposite things implies that any woman can wear an ugly dress and still make it sexy.

With the great jumps in patriotism at the time, even postwar, and lots of influence from cinema and the hit television drama “Little House on the Prairie,” women were dressing in apron fronts, smocks with frills, and even bonnets again. Mcclintock proceeded to design and produce gobbs of dresses throughout the ‘70s, both formal and everyday wear.

That was 1969, not even a century ago-, and we are already making our way back to this style. Actually, let me reiterate that; We already made our way back to that style in 2018, and somehow we are still lingering dressed like we should be barefoot tripping on psychedelics at Woodstock.

Observed in the past four years, we have seen such an influx of this 1970s aesthetics obsession, right down to the Farrah Fawcett layered hair and bangs, and Target has been quick to keep us bountiful in these looks. Except the fact that the designs are

downright atrocious.

I hate that it is 2022 and that I can walk into Target and see a dress that would have hung in the exact same position almost half a decade ago, and the silhouettes and necklines are more than likely going to be the exact same. Gunne Sax prairie dresses are in, the Target prairie dresses are, dare I say, out. This could be attributed to having to meet a more broad market and appease all body types, but that shouldn’t matter at all.

The big thing that designers for Target clothing brands are missing is the sexy aspect of the dresses. Their designs are both uncomfortable to wear, but also to look at. Instead of creating better designs over the years, we are still getting bombarded with modest dresses that are an uncanny resemblance to the dresses of the women of the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints governed by the false prophet Warren Jeffs.

People want to look like Mama Cass in her shapeless prairie dresses, not Michelle Duggar of “19 kids and Counting.” If we are catering to the general public, are we assuming that the general public is mostly following some sort of modesty rule?

Based on the other half of the racks in Target’s oh so inclusive clothing section, they aren’t. I mean, you hold up a tube top now that only called for half a quarter of a yard of fabric, and when you try it on, it literally only covers your nipples. So why is there no median? Why do we have to pick between “Handmaid’s Tale” and “Euphoria” aesthetics?

This wouldn’t be so distressing if fast fashion didn’t screw up the cycles of fashions, making trends and fads go in and out quicker and quicker, making it so hard for designers to get a real feel of how the next season will look. Target probably thinks that we love what we are given to choose from because we continue to buy it, and wear it until it falls apart a few months later and it’s time to go and buy another. We want quality clothing and good designs at a decent price, but at this stage in capitalism, you better just grin and bear it.

We asked for “Gunne Sax” ensembles, and they gave us nothing but “Gunny Sacks,” a bunch of ugly dresses that serve a purpose until they fall apart.

Staff reporter Aaron Elliott can be reached at aelliott@ dailyegyptian.com

Men’s basketball announces series with Oklahoma State: Cowboys coming in 2023

Brandyn Wilcoxen @BrandynWilcoxen

Just a few days after Saluki football toppled a Power Five opponent in the Big Ten’s Northwestern, the men’s basketball program set up what could be another first-in-fifteen-years moment against a Power Five school.

Saluki men’s basketball head coach Bryan Mullins announced the final additions to SIU’s 2022-23 nonconference schedule last week. The most notable matchup is Southern Illinois’s home-and-home series against Oklahoma State of the Big 12 conference.

“Top to bottom, this year’s schedule is one of the most challenging in a long time,” Mullins said. “To have multiple Quad One opportunities in nonconference was important to us and something that is not easy to achieve.”

The Salukis will go to Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Nov. 10, and the Cowboys will come to Carbondale in the fall of 2023. SIU will have one more road game against Oklahoma State in 2024 to finish out the deal.

“It’s gonna be a very, very challenging, tough game for us, but I think it’s something that is a great opportunity for this program for that

next year’s home schedule,” Mullins said.

The Oklahoma State game will be the first time Southern Illinois will host a Power Five team at the Banterra Center since they faced the Cowboys in the first round of the 2008 National Invitational Tournament. The Salukis also hosted the Indiana Hoosiers earlier that season.

Mullins was a member of that 2007-08 NIT team, but missed the Oklahoma State game due to a seasonending leg injury.

“To have a Power Five program come to Carbondale is something I have wanted for our fans and this community since I have been here,” Mullins said. “It is extremely rare in the college landscape now to have this type of home game.”

Since 2000, the Salukis have hosted three Power Five matchups: the aforementioned Indiana and Oklahoma State games in 2007-08, and a non-conference upset over Indiana in 2001 under Saluki Hall of Fame coach Bruce Weber.

The two Indiana matchups were both sellouts, something Southern Illinois has not experienced since 2016, and only twice since 2008.

“That’s what made this program so special,” Mullins said. “We used to have those types of teams here. The place was rocking and sold out, and the Dawg Pound was going crazy.”

Southern Illinois leads the all-time series against Oklahoma State 4-2, with a 1-1 record in Stillwater and a 2-0 record in Carbondale. Oklahoma State has been the opponent in some of the most significant games in SIU history.

The first game played at the SIU Arena, now the Banterra Center, saw the Salukis defeat the Cowboys 78-55 in 1964. Oklahoma State would go on to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament later that season.

In the 2005 NCAA Tournament, the two teams met in the Round of 32 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, where the AP No. 8 Cowboys overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to beat the Salukis and advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Southern Illinois’s history against Oklahoma State in the postseason makes the Cowboys an ideal opponent for the type of program Mullins has been looking to build: a contender.

“If we can build this thing the way we want to build this program, and get to NCAA Tournaments and advance

in NCAA Tournaments, and get that reputation of being a championshiplevel program year-in and year-out… then I think you might have a little bit more flexibility and get some true home-and-home series,” Mullins said.

The scheduled SIU-Oklahoma State series is what is known as a two-forone, where a mid-major team like the Salukis will play two road games, while the larger school only goes on the road once. It is seen as a necessary trade-off to get a more reputable school to play a true road game.

“With the conference realignments and all these conferences going to 20 games, and the increase of neutralsite possibilities, there’s so many less opportunities to have true home games,” Mullins said. “And so many teams don’t want to do series anymore, so a lot of it is ‘buy games,’ or a lot of it is neutral-site or [multi-team event] games.”

While the challenge ahead of them won’t be easy, Mullins believes the tough schedule will help make his team better when the Valley schedule ramps up in early 2023.

“It’s a schedule that’s gonna prepare us for a very challenging 20-game schedule in the MVC,” Mullins said.

“But it gives us opportunities to have a strong net, to play great teams, to have some Quad One opportunities. I think it’s just gonna make us a better team come February and come March.”

The Salukis will play just four “true” home non-conference games this season. Mullins added that, although none of the newly scheduled series will start in Carbondale this year, it will create a great home schedule for the 2023-24 season, including Oklahoma State, Saint Louis and Southern Indiana.

“We didn’t find any programs that wanted to start at our place this year,” Mullins said. “That’s where we were trying to look for a while, to get one more home game for the community. That’s why we felt it was important to make sure next year’s schedule was set up.”

Southern Illinois will have its 2022 home opener at the Banterra Center against Little Rock on Nov. 7, before heading to Stillwater to play the Cowboys the following Thursday.

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

@BrandynWilcoxen

Tough start to the season still brings a big win for Salukis

Joei younker Jyounker@dailyegyptian com

Coming into the 2022 season with high expectations for themselves and sights set on a national championship, the Salukis were thrown off track losing their first two games. The first loss being against Incarnate Word (64-29), and then to Southeastern Missouri State (3431).

While weeks one and two made it tough for the Salukis to keep their mentality good and their morale high, a big win came in week three against Big Ten school, Northwestern (31-24), putting them back on track. This past Saturday, SIU continued this momentum into another huge win over North Dakota (34-17).

“We had to have a win to keep our season alive, it was a tough task, but our guys found a way to do it,” Head Coach Nick Hill said.

After taking the lead and not allowing the Wildcats to score in the third quarter, the Dawgs then came out on top in the fourth, outscoring the Cats 14-10 to give the Salukis the win.

“We didn’t play a perfect game, but we played a lot more sound football than we did in weeks one and two. Coming from SEMO, where we had 13 penalties to Northwestern having four, and only three were player penalties,” senior wide receiver Avante Cox said.

In week two against SEMO, a total of 108 penalty yards were accumulated just from their penalties. The following week against Northwestern, the Dawgs dropped that total down to 42 yards, where 15 of that came off an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Coach Hill.

Coach Hill talks a lot about the three battles a team needs to win in order to notch a football game: explosive plays, turn overs, and penalty yards.

“You win 99% of your games if you do two out of those three things,” Hill said.

The Salukis won all three of those battles against the Cats. They forced a total of four turnovers compared to week two against SEMO where they didn’t force any.

“Speaking the obvious, we won the turnover battle for the first time this season. Then we won the explosive play battle,” Hill said.

“Coach says if you win two out of those three you’re most likely going to win the game and he hasn’t been wrong yet,” Cox said.

Preparation in the week headed into the Northwestern game was another reason, among many others, that the Salukis came out on top. It was a day-by-day task for players and coaches to stay on track and prepare the team for a

win.

“As a coach, recognizing what the team needs through the week leading up to a game is really important…The coach cliches are out there for a reason, it’s one day and one game at a time” Hill said.

Junior quarterback Nic Baker said that the energy around the locker room in the week before the Wildcats game was different than it had been earlier this season.

“The attitude around the building, we were not bowing our heads or taking no for an answer,” Baker said.

“The approach, the mentality, and the togetherness. I think everyone saw a team that was connected on the sideline, feeding off of each other. That is where the most growth has been,” Hill said.

Coming off the big win at Northwestern, the Salukis took on the University of North Dakota for week four of the season. As Hill said they would, the team came out of the locker room with the same high hopes and strong mentality to bring home their second win of the season.

Looking forward to the remainder of the season, the Salukis will be taking on tough opponents like #4 ranked Missouri State on the road in week six and #1 ranked North Dakota State at home in week ten for senior night Both teams the Salukis lost to previously in the 2021 season.

“We have to take it day by day, we can’t look ahead. In college football, any team can beat you. We learned that starting the season 0-2, we just have to take it day by day,” Baker said.

Going into the rest of the season, Hill says that the Salukis need to come into the remaining games the same way that they came into their week three win.

“We have to attack these weeks the same way that we did at Northwestern, with the same mentality. We have to be able to create turnovers and take advantage of those turnovers,” Hill said.

After the wins at Northwestern and home against North Dakota the Salukis are back on top of their game. With a .500 record now, the Salukis might just have the momentum they need to roll of a long win streak.

You can catch the Salukis Saturday Oct. 1, in Normal, Illinois, taking on the Illinois State Redbirds at 6:30 p.m. where they hope to bring home their third win in a row.

Sports reporter Joei Younker can be reached at jyounker@ dailyegyptian.com

Devon Moon | dmoon@dailyegyptian.com

Sophie Whitten

Sophie Whitten swhitten@dailyegyptian.com