The Daily Egyptian

The Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916

WWW.DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

WEDNESDAY, october

21, 2020

VOL. 103, ISSUE 32

Region 5 enacts stronger

COVID-19 mitigation measures

Kallie Cox | @KallieECox

conditions, younger people are getting Starting Thursday Region 5, which affected, they are getting infected and includes most of southern Illinois, will they are also dying.” increase COVID-19 precautions, including Pritzker said he will once again be the temporary closure of indoor dining and a holding daily COVID-19 updates. ban on gatherings of 25 or more people.

Dr. Craig Davis, a doctor with the The region has maintained a sustained Southern Illinois Healthcare system, said positivity rate above 8% and now sits at a in recent weeks, he and his colleagues rolling positivity rate of 9.1% according to have watched admissions to their Gov. JB Pritzker.

COVID-19 units triple.

“Nearly every region in the state has seen “My colleagues and I have witnessed an increase in COVID related hospitalizations the agony of our patient’s families as over the last week,” Pritzker said during they wait for news of recovery and the his visit to Murphysboro Ill. on Monday. devastation they feel when their loved “Thursday we set a record high of cases ones succumbed to the virus,” Davis identified in one day and then we beat that said. record on Friday.”

Davis said it is time to look inwards.

Pritzker said Illinois’ new surge of cases “What remains most alarming to me as takes place on a national landscape of Gov. JB Pritzker gives a COVID-19 update Oct. 19, 2020, in Murphysboro, Ill. “If you are getting tired and a physician and father, is the you’ve let your guard down now is the time to pick it back up again,” Pritzker said. “Things are getting increasing positivity rates and Illinois’ border complacency I see in some of our worse, now is the time to wear a mask wherever you go, get your flu shot, forgo unnecessary trips states, Indiana and Missouri, have been called or gatherings and take extra care to stay six feet away from each other especially in public.” Pritzker community members and the polarization out as national hot spots. over some simple prevention methods, announced stricter COVID-19 mitigations for region 5 at this update including the temporary closure of “We can’t wall off Illinois from the surge, indoor dining and a ban on gatherings of 25 or more people. Kallie Cox | @KallieECox especially surrounding masks and social but we can take extra precautions and do distancing,” Davis said. better than others at following the mitigations that slow the wherever you go, get your flu shot, forgo unnecessary trips Davis said he urges everyone to stay the course and to spread,” Pritzker said. “Ours will not be one of the states that or gatherings and take extra care to stay six feet away from continue to take precautions against the virus, despite the takes no action in response to rising cases, hospitalizations each other especially in public.” mental, physical and emotional fatigue everyone is facing. and deaths, public health recommendations will bring our Illinois Department of Public Health Director Ngozi “COVID is a healthcare crisis. We are losing family numbers down and save our economy and let more of our Ezike said today the state is reporting 3,113 new cases of members, friends and neighbors to it and my appeal to each kids go to school.”

COVID-19 for a total of 347,161 confirmed cases and 22 of you is simple and straightforward,” Davis said. “Wear Pritzker said experts have predicted the possibility of a additional lives lost for 9,236 total deaths. a mask, pause large gatherings, practice social distancing, new wave of COVID-19 due to the cold weather and more “Every week we report dozens of COVID-19 deaths wash your hands often, consider all of these short term indoor activities, he said it looks like this new wave is upon here in Illinois,” Ezike said. “Yes the majority of these sacrifices for the long term greater good. The enemy is the state of Illinois. individuals are over 70 years of age, but every week we disease, not each other.”

“If you are getting tired and you’ve let your guard down are also reporting the deaths of individuals who are in their now is the time to pick it back up again,” Pritzker said. 20s, 30s and 40s. This is not a virus that only attacks older Editor-in-Chief Kallie Cox can be reached at kcox@ “Things are getting worse, now is the time to wear a mask individuals or only attacks individuals with chronic health dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @KallieECox.

State’s attorney and coroner’s races could impact future of Molly Young case Keaton Yates | @keatsians

The death of Molly Young has made its way into local political discussions once again as voters will select a new Jackson County state’s attorney and coroner on Nov. 3.

Joe Cervantez and Alex Crawshaw are attempting to unseat the current Jackson county coroner and states attorney, Thomas Kupferer and Mike Carr, both of whom held office when Molly Young died in 2012.

Larry Young, Molly Young’s father, uses the Facebook group “Justice for Molly” which has over 22 thousand members to campaign on behalf of Crawshaw and Cervantez. Green and white signs are still up in people’s front yards saying “Justice for

Molly” with the website URL to her father’s website.

“Vote Joe Cervantez for Jackson County State’s Attorney & Alex Crawshaw for Jackson County Coroner. They both are part of the solution,” Young says at the top of the page. “Incumbents Mike Carr and Tom Kupferer are part of the problem.”

In 2012, 22-year-old Molly Young was found dead in her exboyfriend Richard “Richie” Minton’s apartment in Carbondale.

Thomas Kupferer was called to the scene and Carr was assigned to the case.

Molly was shot around 4:45 a.m. according to Kupferer.

Minton said he did not wake up when the shot went off and called 911 four hours later when he woke up.

There was a massive gunshot at the top left side of Molly’s head at a downward angle, Young said At 9:03 a.m. Minton called 911 and reported Molly as dead due to a drug overdose. At 9:10 a.m. Minton called back and told Amber Pellegrini, a dispatcher, to send a sergeant to his apartment because he discovered Molly had been shot.

In the Cause and Manner of Death document, Molly’s death was decided undetermined and an accident by Dr. Kupferer, who was under the jury, usually about 12 people chosen by the coroner out of a larger group of people to decide a verdict.

Continued on pg. 3

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Contact Us

Email: editor@dailyegyptian.com Editor-in-Chief: Kallie Cox (618)536-3397 kcox@dailyegyptian.com Managing Editor: Rana Schenke rschenke@dailyegyptian.com Desk Editor: Brooke Buerck bbuerck@dailyegyptian.com Desk Editor: Tāmar Mosby tmosby@dailyegyptian.com

Photo and Multimedia Editor: Leah Sutton leah.sutton@siu.edu Student Advertising Chief: Hannah Combs hcombs@dailyegyptian.com Design Desk Editor: Chloe Schobert cschobert@dailyegyptian.com Business Office: Arunima Bhattacharya (618)536-3305

About Us

The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale 43 weeks per year, with an average weekly circulation of 12,000. Fall and spring semester editions run every Wednesday.

Free copies are distributed in the Carbondale and Carterville communities.

The Daily Egyptian can be found daily at www.dailyegyptian.com for the most up to date news.

Mission Statement

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

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

Copyright Information ©2020 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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Letters and guest columns must be submitted with author’s contact information, preferably via email. Phone numbers are required to verify authorship, but will not be published. Students must include year and major.

Faculty must include rank and department. Others include hometown.

Submissions should be sent to editor@dailyegyptian.com.

SIU offers pass/ no pass grading option for fall SIU will once again be offering a pass or no pass grading option for the fall 2020 semester, due to ongoing challenges associated with COVID-19, according to a release from the provost’s office.

“It is very important that you have a full understanding of the potential impact of opting for a “pass/no pass” grade,” The release said.

“For this reason, students will be required to consult with their academic advisors or program coordinators or directors before making the decision. You are also encouraged to discuss possible implications with the financial aid office.”

Choosing a pass or no pass grading option can impact a student’s GPA, financial aid, scholarships and applications to graduate schools.

SIU has also increased the amount students are allowed to owe on their bursar accounts while still being eligible to register for classes in the spring.

“Previously, if you owed more than $200 on your account you would not be able to register,” The release said. “Continuing a temporary change made for the current fall semester, we have raised that amount to

Ronan Lisota | @r_lisota

$1,500 to minimize barriers to registration for spring.

In other words, as long as you owe no more than $1,500 on your account, you will be able to register for Spring 2021 classes. This is a temporary measure in recognition of the extraordinary circumstances caused by the pandemic.”

The Daily Egyptian’s News Desk can be reached at 1-618536-3328, by email at editor@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @dailyegyptian.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

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State’s attorney and coroner’s races could impact future of Molly Young case continued from

1

It reads Kupferer said there was no blood present.

Carr decided not to prosecute Minton and Molly’s cause of death remains undetermined.

Since Molly’s death, Young has demanded answers from Carr and Kupferer but received none, which is why he said he is campaigning for Crawshaw and Cervantez.

“I will never never forget state’s attorney Mike Carr telling me on July 1, 2013 ‘if you keep pushing this I will close this case’,” Young said.

“According to this ISP letter I received dated July 15, 2013 ‘the Jackson County state’s attorney closed the case’.

After overwhelming public outcry, State’s attorney Mike Carr then held a press conference and denied he told ISP that.”

Cervantez said if he were in the position of the state’s attorney at that time, from what he knows about the case, he would have prosecuted Minton because of probable cause.

“I would have prosecuted him,”Cervantez said. “I think it’s clear that there was probable cause for an arrest.”

Carr said in a Sept. 24 interview with the Daily Egyptian he cannot speak on Molly’s case because he’s been recused from that case and did not want to use it to campaign, and Dr. Kupferer said that much of the investigation was out of the jurisdiction of his office.

“I had no input after [cause of death determination], it was the jury’s decision,” Dr. Kupferer said.

Young said the case is still open and is waiting for further evidence to surface, and there has not been a grand jury convened in her case.

“Cervantez and Crawshaw will [do their job] because they have no conflict of interest as Carr and Kupferer apparently do,” Young said.

Young said he is endorsing Cervantez because he is a fair person.

“I didn’t realize there would be a refusal to due process like it’s supposed to be done, especially when we have the records, the proof and the facts of the case and they still won’t do the right thing,” Young said. “I believe Joe Cervantez and Alex Crashaw will do the right thing.”

Staff reporter Keaton Yates can be reached by email at kyates@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter @ keatsians.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

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Redistricting will likely cost Illinois a congressional district Danny Connolly | @DConnollyTV

Illinois will likely lose a congressional district after the results of the 2020 census come out.

Redistricting is a process every state goes through to make sure that each congressional district represents roughly the same number of people.

After all 50 states are given one seat, the Census uses a formula called the Method of Equal Proportions to hand out the remaining 385 seats.

“The apportionment machine rates the population of the states according to the Census. Then the machine starts giving out seats.

After each seat is distributed, the machine reranks the states based on the formula, until all seats are distributed. This ensures that each congressional district, from Maryland to California, has roughly the same number of people,” The United States Census Bureau said in a video called “The U.S. Census and the Amazing Apportionment Machine.”

Illinois has been steadily losing congressional seats since the 1970 census, where it had 24 congressional seats.

This has also been affecting Illinois’s power in the Electoral College to elect a president.

According to John Jackson, a professor of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, the most likely district to be cut is the 15th, because the current representative, John Shminkus, is not running for reelection.

“Redistricting always starts by trying to protect the incumbents.

So it’s going to be hard not to look at the 15th as most vulnerable, to be folded into parts of the 12th, 13th and whatever else it takes,” Jackson said.

The two candidates for the 15th district representative are Republican Mary Miller and Democrat Erika Weaver. The 2020 election will take place in the 15th district normally like all other congressional races, but the winner of the race may not have a district to campaign in the 2022 election.

The Illinois state legislature will be drawing the map once it receives data from the U.S. Census Bureau on March 31st, 2021.

“Our districts are going to be big.

The question is, how do they get cut up,” Jackson said.

“Do they come out looking, what’s called compact and contiguous, do they take care to watch for county boundaries or city boundaries, or do they make sense, when you look at the map, when the new map is drawn.”

A bill to establish an independent redistricting commission, called the “Fair Maps Amendment” received bipartisan support in both the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate, including from state Rep. Terri Bryant of Mt. Vernon and state senators Dale Fowler of Harrisburg and Paul Schimpf of Murphysboro.

The Illinois legislature did not convene in the spring session to vote

Danny Connolly | @DConnollyTV

on the Fair Maps Amendment or anything else due to COVID-19.

Staff reporter Danny Connolly can be reached at dconnolly@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @DConnollyTV.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

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Four LGBTQ heroes who made history

Ronan Lisota | @r_lisota

Amber Koteras | @AmberKoteras

police raiding the Stonewall Inn, a gay club.

In the midst of LGBTQ history month, the Daily Egyptian wanted to take a look backwards and delve into the lives of those who helped drive the movement to where it is today.

This month of recognition was founded

by Rodney Wilson in 1994 and is used to celebrate icons who stand proudly within the community.

“LGBTQ+ History Month is an occasion to spotlight the history, achievements and setbacks of LGBTQ+ persons throughout history,” Wilson told SEMO news in a 2019 interview.

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (Born 1940) Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, referred to as Miss Major, is a notable transgender figure in the LGBTQ community, and has been an advocate for people of color for many years.

Miss Major faced much adversity in transitioning to express her gender identity.

She was expelled from various colleges for expressing herself, and relied on the black market for her hormones.

With time, Miss Major found her place within the LGBTQ community provided by the Stonewall Inn. This led to her being one of the leaders of the Stonewall Riots that occurred in New York City in 1969.

Her work extends beyond the riots, however, as she is highly involved in work with HIV/AIDS. Miss Major worked as an advocate for communities with high rates of these diseases.

She also started her organization, House of GG, and the TGI Justice Project. The House of GG is a historical center that hosts the Griffin-Gracy Education Retreat. This retreat acts as a permanent home for those who are transgender and gender nonconforming to feel safe and at home. The TGI Justice Project, is a group formed of people of many genders, incarcerated or not, who form a family for each other.

In a 2020 interview with Jaimee Swift from Black Women Radicals, Miss Major said, “The thing that makes us radical is we don’t accept what is handed to us. We don’t accept that.”

Gilbert Baker (1951-2017) Often referred to as the “gay Betsy Ross,” Gilbert Baker is a gay icon within the LGBTQ community. He is known for creating the original Pride flag, also called the Rainbow Flag.

Baker worked making flags over the span of about four decades, including designing for many major personnel. He translated this work of flag-making into his political efforts when, in 1978, he created the Rainbow Flag.

The Rainbow Flag was first publicly displayed for San Francisco’s pride day held in United Nations Plaza on June 25, 1978.

“The rainbow is a part of nature and you have to be in the right place to see it. It’s beautiful, all of the colors, even the colors you can’t see. That really fit us as a people because we are all of the colors. Our sexuality is all of the colors. We are all the genders, races and ages,” said Baker in a 2012 interview with CBS Chicago.

There is assigned a meaning to each of the eight colors that are represented in the flag.

The Gilbert Baker Foundation lays out each meaning: hot pink color portrays sex, red portrays life, orange shows healing, yellow is for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic and art, indigo for serenity, and violet for spirit.

While the first flag flew 30-by-60 feet and was handsewn by Baker, he went on to create a flag over a mile long. This flag was marched through New York’s streets in a show of remembrance and pride of the 25 anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

The Stonewall Riots were a movement defined by a sequence of demonstrations by the LGBTQ community as a response to the

Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) Marsha “Pay it no mind” Johnson is known as a leader of the Stonewall Riots and an advocate for trans people of color.

Johnson was known throughout the community for essentially parenting many of the younger members of the LGBTQ community within her time in New York City.

“If you wanted to feel like New York was your home as a young gay or lesbian person, you really needed Marsha’s blessing, in a way,” said David France, who made a documentary over Johnson’s life, and knew her personally.

With the help of Sylvia Rivera, another Stonewall revolutionary and fellow sex worker, Johnson was able to establish Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, or STAR. She created this group in 1970 to support homeless, transgender youth. The group also

supported general transgender and gender nonconforming activism.

She was a known sex worker among the members of the Stonewall Inn community, and she fought hard for rights and a cease to violence against sex workers. Johnson was very open about her labor, and used the funding to open her first STAR house.

The first STAR house was a trailer that sat in a parking lot and acted as a shelter for sex workers and LGBTQ youth. Upon finding the trailer, which was full of sleeping community members, being towed, Johnson and Rivera opted for a permanent home instead.

During the days, the two women would teach the children and take care of them; at night, they would return to sex work in order to keep up on rent.

At the age of 46, Johnson’s body was found in the Hudson River after the 1992 Pride celebration. Although there have been reports saying Johnson was being chased the night she died, and close friends said she was not suicidal, her death was initially written off as suicide.

The public pushed back on this decision, with activists asking for a more thorough investigation for months after her death.

Due to this public pressure, the ruling was eventually changed from suicide to undetermined.

Johnson’s legacy is played out through today’s Marsha P. Johnson Institute. The institute’s website states their vision, “We were created to elevate, support, and nourish the voices of Black trans people. Our community is made up of Black trans people and those committed to undoing white supremacy in all of its forms. Our space is intended for the sole purpose of bettering the Black trans community across the diaspora.”

Leonard Matlovich (1943-1988) Leonard Matlovich is known best for being an openly gay soldier during the Vietnam War. Matlovich was closeted for much of his life, and, despite

the military’s ban of gay soldiers, he followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the U.S. Air Force. He earned both a Purple Heart and a Bronze star for his service in the war.

Although he was closeted through his military career, he is well known as a soldier.

His gravestone, which lies with him in Congressional Cemetary in Washington, D.C., famously reads, “A Gay Vietnam Veteran.”

His gravestone also reads, “When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”

The quote comes from a reader of the Time Magazine article that brought major attention to Matlovich. He debuted on the September 8, 1975 cover of the magazine, with the quote, “I am a homosexual,” in bold accompanying his portrait.

This magazine garnered a range of responses ranging from the defamation of his name as a soldier, to the quote displayed on his grave.

His story started a movement that led to a much more inclusive military. Matlovich often told reporters, “Maybe not in my lifetime, but we are going to win in the end.”

Staff reporter Amber Koteras can be reached at akoteras@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @ AmberKoteras

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Dustin Clark | @dustinclark.oof Jacqueline Boyd | @jacqueline_ciera

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

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Early voting numbers exceed expectations in Jackson County

Kallie Cox | @KallieECox

The number of early voters has nearly doubled for the 2020 election in Jackson county and the number of mail in ballots has tripled.

In 2016, the county saw 1,436 early voters and 974 vote by mail ballots, in 2018 it saw 1,471 early voters and 1,328 vote by mail ballots, and as of publication it has seen 2168 early voters and 3490 vote by mail ballots, according to Jackson County Clerk Frank Byrd.

Early voting and mail in ballots have both been highly encouraged in Illinois since the start of the pandemic.

Gov. JB Pritzker said in his COVID-19 update in Murphysboro on Monday his administration has worked with the State Board of Elections as well as the Association of County Clerks to prepare polling places and keep voters safe, but said voters are safer voting early or by mail.

“This is a year when you should take this moment to do something different and not do it on election day and we’ve made that opportunity available to everybody in the state,” Pritzker said. “You still have the opportunity to get a ballot if you want to vote by mail and of course there are early voting locations that are open.”

Extra precautions have been taken, Pritzker said.

“We’ve encouraged all of the county clerks to follow these rules and again the State Board of Elections has made extra money available to the counties to make sure they are following those [regulations].”

Byrd said all polling places are still scheduled to be open and he will contact the voters if anything changes with their polling place.

Three polling locations in the county are changing.

Carbondale 21 and Carbondale 25 are moving to Grinnell Hall at 275 E. Park St. in Carbondale and Murphysboro 2 is moving to the Jackson County Farm Bureau 220 N. 10th st. in Murphysboro at the back entrance to the facility.

Byrd said the deadline to request a mail in ballot is Oct. 29 voters can cast their ballots early at the Carbondale Civic

Jacqueline Boyd | @jacqueline_ciera

Center on Oct. 21, 23, 26 and 27 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. or at the SIU student center Oct. 28, 29, and 30 from 10-5.

If voters wish to bring their own pens because they are worried about COVID-19, they can do so Byrd said, but they need to make sure the ink is black. He said poll workers will be given instructions on sanitizing the polling stations to ensure voter safety.

Byrd said if voters opt to use the vote center and the curbside

voting option both located in the lobby of the courthouse, they need to be prepared to wait while poll workers verify their information.

More information on the Jackson County election and voting options can be found here.

Editor-in-Chief Kallie Cox can be reached at kcox@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @KallieECox.

Carbondale announces Halloween safety guidelines

Gus Bode | @GusBodewashere

The City of Carbondale is discouraging door to door trickor-treating following Gov. JB Pritzker’s announcement on Monday and the stricter COVID-19 mitigations placed on region 5.

According to the release, the City of Carbondale is encouraging anyone who still wishes to observe the holiday to follow the guidelines below from the Illinois Department of Public Health: Anyone participating in trick-or-treating, including those passing out candy, should maintain 6-feet of social distance and wear proper face coverings.

Consider leaving individually wrapped candy (spaced apart) on a table in driveways or in front of walkways, sidewalks, or any outdoor space where 6-feet of distance can be maintained.

A Halloween costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask. Ensure that breathing is not impaired if a cloth mask is worn under a costume mask. If so, discard the costume mask.

Trick-or-treat in groups with household members only.

Candy collected during trick-or-treating should not be eaten until after handwashing.

“The City asks residents to find creative ways to safely hand out candy while maintaining social distance, i.e., candy slides, goody bags on a string, etc.,” The release said. “We also ask that both trick-or-treaters and those handing out candy wear face masks during all interactions.”

Trick-or-treating hours are from 5 p.m.-8p.m. on Oct. 31. As an alternative to trick-or-treating, the city is hosting three virtual Halloween contests community members can participate in.

These contests include a pumpkin carving contest, a home/business decorating competition and a face mask decoration contest.

To enter the pumpkin carving contest, send photos of your completed creation to contest@explorecarbondale.com

by October 26. Make sure to include your name and phone number, according to the release the winner of this contest will

Ronan Lisota | @r_lisota

receive a Halloween gift basket.

For the Halloween decoration competition, there will be a residential and business category, to submit an entry, email pictures of your display to contest@explorecarbondale. com, entries must be submitted by Oct. 26 and according to the release, will be judged on creativity, scare factor and originality. The prize for both categories is a $50 gift card to Ace Hardware.

To enter the face mask decorating competition, contestants

can decorate a homemade or premade mask, the only requirement is that it can protect against the spread of COVID-19. The winner will receive a Halloween gift basket, to submit an entry, email photos of the mask to contest@ explorecarbondale.com by Oct. 26. The winners will be announced on the city’s Facebook page at noon on Oct. 28.

Staff reporter Gus Bode can be reached at editor@dailyegyptian.com.

Wednesday, October 21 , 2020

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Political science faculty members discuss key topics for upcoming election Janae Mosby | @MosbyJ

Eight political science professors from SIU Carbondale and Edwardsville held a virtual discussion on Oct. 19 to discuss the upcoming election.

The panel consisted of four professors from SIU, associate professor Benjamin Bricker, associate professor Scott Comparato, professor and department chair Tobin Grant and professor Virginia Tilley.

It also consisted of four professors from Edwardsville, professor and department chair Ken Moffett, professor Laurie Rice, professor Andy Theising and associate professor Sophia Wilson.

The panel discussed foreign affairs, Congress and the Supreme Court.

The seminar started by discussing the polls of this election. Polls have shown Joe Biden is in the lead, but polls have also shown that most Americans think that Donald Trump will win.

Rice said these polls are similar to the ones during the 2016 election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

“The first thing we need to realize is that polls aren’t designed to predict the outcome, they are designed to show us where the race is at any particular point,” Grant said.

In this election, Biden is up by nine percentage points and, in the competitive states, Biden is up by six percentage points in Pennsylvania, seven points in Michigan and eight points in Wisconsin, Grant said.

“The election polls were not bad last time and if things break in a similar way this time we should see Biden win the election, unless something happens between now and election day,” Grant said.

The panel also discussed why foreign policies should be covered more in this election.

The president has more power when it comes to directing foreign affairs than domestic affairs, Rice said.

“While some presidents have supported an active role in foreign affairs, others like President Trump have promoted more of an isolationism strategy,” Rice said.

Tilley went into more detail about the isolationism strategy that

has been used by President Trump.

“This has been a long standing controversy in American politics, it goes way back through the 20th century,” Tilley said.

It has been President Trump’s view that an America first position is going to help the United States and that is not going to happen, Tilley said.

President Trump views jobs abroad as being jobs lost for the United States. His approach was to put tariffs on China.

The results of these tariffs have had a negative impact on lower income people because the cost has amounted to $800-1,000 per consumer, Tilley said.

“There are several other areas in which President Trump’s policies are having this effect, the loss of US prestige abroad and treaties broken,” Tilley said.

The global opinion of the United States is low and this means that other countries will cooperate with the US less on global interests.

“The impact of all of this is going to hit in the next few years and somebody is going to be left holding these pieces. It is going to take a few

years to repair it,” Tilley said.

Congress has become more diverse in the last couple of years than it has been before. Moffett discussed the benefits of this diversity and the implications it has.

“Congress is more diverse now than it has ever been before, which is striking considering how overwhelmingly white and male Congress is now relative to the public at large,” Moffett said.

Some benefits that diverse legislatures bring is that minority policies interests are getting more effectively represented and articulated.

As Congress diversifies, we see more racially inclusive policies and there is more attention on civil rights and social welfare issues, Moffett said.

Theising discussed how people can get information on local elections and he encouraged people to pay attention to what is on their local ballet.

“One of the great things about getting information on local elections is that there is a lot of local media and there are plenty of media resources in all cities,” Theising said.

The last topic that was covered by the panel was the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Comparato and Bricker lead the discussion about the nomination.

Comparato said the Supreme Court is going to get significantly more conservative after Barrett’s confirmation.

The conservatives will have a six to three majority on the Supreme Court, Comparato said.

Court packing has been discussed in the Supreme Court due to the conservative majority. Court packing is a plan to expand the Supreme Court.

Barrett’s confirmation came so close to the election and that has caused some debate.

“Democrats are upset. Their own election year nomination in 2016 was stalled purposely for a year and now this nomination is being pushed through very quickly,” Bricker said.

Staff reporter Janae Mosby can be reached at jmosby@dailyegyptian. com or on Twitter at @mosbyj.

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Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Trump train faces counter-protest in Carbondale on Saturday

On Saturday, a “Trump Train” drove from Marion to Murphysboro, in response, there was a counterprotest in Carbondale, Ill.

Photos by: Emma Deeter

@emma_deeter

Protestors march down a street in Carbondale, Ill. chanting “Black Lives Matter” in a counter-protest to the passing Trump supporters Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Carbondale, Ill. Emma Deeter | @emma_deeter

Black Lives Matter protesters rip a Trump flag that was stolen as the Trump Train passed Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Carbondale, Ill. Emma Deeter | @emma_deeter

Left: Leonard Bean, flies a Trump flag behind his motorcycle during the Trump Rally Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Carbondale, Ill. Emma Deeter | @emma_deeter

Trump flags fly on cars at a parking lot in Marion, Ill. at the Trump Train Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, in Carbondale, Ill. Emma Deeter | @emma_deeter

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

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Blood drives continue during pandemic and may help COVID-19 patients Jamilah Lewis | @jamilahlewis

Despite limitations on public gatherings, blood drives have continued with the help of local businesses and people within the community.

Mindy Hendrix, donor recruitment account manager for Red Cross in the Carbondale area, said one of the biggest differences during COVID-19 has been the planning of blood drives.

“Blood drives used to be planned six months in advance. There would be a ton of promotion, a lot of people would get postcards and things like that,” Hendrix said.

“We didn’t have that many cancellations and now post COVID-19, that’s every day. We kind of work a month out maybe, and that’s been elongated. So a blood drive pops up with a lot shorter notice than what they used to.”

Hendrix said the Red Cross had been taking safety precautions since March 17, including extra cleaning between every donor, having hand sanitizer, wearing gloves, requiring face masks, providing more space between every donor station, and taking temperatures.

After receiving blood donations, the Red Cross sends them to their laboratories and tests them for disease and COVID-19 antibodies. If an individual tests positive for antibodies, the Red Cross will contact them to see if they will donate convalescent plasma to help critically ill COVID-19 patients Hendrix said.

Donors who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the two weeks of donating have their blood stopped.

The staff that worked with them have to quarantine for two weeks, but this has only happened twice and none of the staff have ever gotten sick, Hendrix said.

Hendrix said the same amount of business the Red Cross blood drives receive has slowed down due to COVID-19 restrictions like social distancing.

“Our bloodmobile, for example, we used to be able to push through 60 units on a five-hour drive,” Hendrix said. “ Now we’re lucky to get 20 because of social distancing requirements. So that’s probably one of the hardest [differences].”

According to Hendrix, Red Cross is usually low in blood in the winter months with schools on break and 20 percent of blood donations in the nation come from students.

But they surprisingly had a lot of people wanting to donate and help.

“We had to push appointments because if not we couldn’t maintain social distancing, and we were having to tell people they couldn’t donate if they didn’t have an appointment because our appointment slots were full and we can only take so many people per blood drive. So that was really rocky at the beginning. Trying to figure out how many people to send to blood drives and what blood drives worked and which didn’t just because of the unknown of how many people were going to come,” Hendrix said.

Hendrix said her and the Red Cross staff were pleasantly surprised by the turnout.

They had a great group of support, but don’t know exactly how it actually evened out since they had so many blood drives canceled versus

The American Red Cross held a blood drive on Oct. 20 2020 at the SIU Student Center Jared Treece | @bisalo

Genevieve Wetterhus, a sophomore at SIU studying English and Paralegal studies, glances at others donating blood at a blood drive event at SIU held by the American Red Cross. “I can donate and other people can’t, so I might as well do it,” Wetterhus said. The blood drive took place Tuesday Oct. 20, 2020, at the Student Center. Jared Treece | @bisalo the ones that we got to replace them.

Hendrix said she is thankful to the Jackson County community for being active in helping with blood drives when needed the most.

The IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health) released an online Blood and Plasma Collection Guidance on June 17th stating, “It is essential to continue collecting blood and blood components to support health care delivery.”

The guidance also lists a number of safety precautions that all blood drives must follow.

It gives a set of steps to further educate staff and volunteers on how things should operate during COVID-19 including evaluating any staff/volunteers for symptoms, educating them about COVID-19, and making sure donors are six-feet apart.

Jennifer Freeze, district manager for donor recruitment in southern Missouri, southern Illinois, and northern Arkansas for the Red Cross,

said the biggest change is finding businesses that will allow them to have blood drives.

According to Freeze, schools are crucial to blood donations.

“I know in the Carbondale area, a lot of [students] are all virtual so we’re having to find replacement blood drives for some of those high schools that are having to cancel their blood drives,” Freeze said. “Now since COVID-19 hit with all the safety requirements that places have, some of the hospitals have visitor restrictions [...], we’ve had to cancel blood drives at some of the hospitals just because they don’t want outside visitors coming in to keep everyone safe.”

Freeze said the Red Cross has been working closely with places in Carbondale who’ve opened their doors and allowed them to hold blood drives.

“Southern Illinois University has been wonderful. They’ve still continued to let us have blood drives at the Student Center,” Freeze said. “Then we’ve got some local churches in the area that have been really great about opening their doors up to let us in and have blood drives. Just some community centers, the city of Carbondale has let us use the big auditorium that’s attached to city hall.”

Hendrix recommends downloading the Blood Donor app to get updates about new drives and test results. The Red Cross is having another blood drive at the SIU Student Center on Oct. 20th with the goal of 100 pints of blood. If the goal is met, blood can be given to 300 hospital patients in the area.

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

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Page 11

Trump, Biden microphones will be muted during parts of final debate The Plain Dealer, Cleveland

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Hoping to avoid the chaos of the first debate, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced changes for the final debate that includes muting the candidate’s microphone while the other is speaking.

In a statement Monday, the commission said the move is designed to “ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues”-- something that didn’t happen at President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden’s initial meeting in Cleveland on Sept. 29.

So, at the start of each of the six segments, both candidates will be allowed to speak uninterrupted for two minutes. The remaining time will be used for open discussion during which their mics will be open.

In a statement, the commission said the moderator, NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker, will make sure each candidate is given roughly equal amounts of time to speak over the course of the 90-minute debate.

“We realize, after discussions with both campaigns, that neither campaign may be totally satisfied with the measures announced today,” the commission wrote. “One may think they go too far, and one may think they do not go far enough. We are comfortable that these actions strike the right balance and that they are in the interest of the American people, for whom these debates are held.”

Trump called the changes “very unfair” to reporters, but his campaign manager Bill Stepien said the president will indeed participate after refusing to take part in a virtual town hall meeting with Biden last week.

“President Trump is committed to debating Joe Biden regardless of the last-minute rule changes from the biased commission in their latest attempt to provide an advantage to their candidate,” Stepien said in a statement.

Earlier, Stepien complained about the topics selected by Welker-- fighting COVID-19, American families, race in America, climate change, national security, and leadership. The campaign urged the commission to switch the focus to foreign policy, which would give Trump an opportunity to talk about the leak of Hunter Biden’s alleged emails. The New York Post’s controversial report has become the campaign’s No. 1 talking point since it was published last week.

“The campaigns and the Commission agreed months ago that the debate moderator would choose the topics,” Biden press secretary TJ Ducklo responded. “The Trump campaign is lying about that now because Donald Trump is afraid to face more questions about his disastrous COVID response.”

Biden has called the story about his son “another smear campaign.”

The final debate will air Thursday at 9 p.m. on all the major broadcast and cable news networks. (c)2020 The Plain Dealer, Cleveland Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Chloe Schobert | @chlo_scho_art

CALL 6185366621 TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT.

Page 12

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Last week’s answers: BIRCH CHURN NAPKIN JAGUAR

Most of the bats were flying out of the cave, but a few decided to - HANG BACK.

Page 13

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Exploring SIU’s sustainability mission

Dustin Clark | @dustinclark.oof

Oreoluwa Ojewuyi | @odojewuyi

SIU has implemented various sustainability initiatives on campus to help the environment but there is still a long way to go to create an environmentally conscious and friendly society.

Faculty, staff and students on the SIU campus recognize the importance of sustainability. From composting, local farms, refillable water bottle stations, and recycling SIU continues to shape an environmentally conscious environment.

Leslie Duram, professor of geography and the director of environmental studies at SIU, focuses heavily on environmental sustainability in her courses.

“Sustainability is balancing the economy, society and the environment to provide for the future of the people and the planet,” Duram said.

Karen Schauwecker, the sustainability coordinator in Sustainability at SIU, spoke on the history of the student initiated sustainability program, the Green Fund.

“They reached out to a wide variety of stakeholders to build momentum support on campus. They brought it to the student body for a vote and of the students that voted over 70 percent voted in favor of the Green Fee,” Schauwecker said.

The Green Fund started with a few initiatives and motivated students who were passionate about the environment according to Schauwecker. Students like Brenna Whitley have worked on other sustainable projects on campus like recycling at athletic events.

Whitley expressed interest in promoting sustainability at athletic events that produce a lot of waste, specifically football.

“From 9:00 a.m. until after the football game, there are opportunities to connect with fans as well as athletes to talk about how we can be more sustainable at athletic events. We would hand out bags to all the tailgaters prior to the game,” Whitley said.

The Sustainability at SIU has built relationships with grounds and physical service operations to make sure every trash can was matched by a recycling bin at football games.

“During the game we would station ourselves at the recycling bin and educate with fans as they were throwing away their trash, what was recyclable and what wasn’t,” Whitley said.

SIU housing pushed sustainable initiative by providing students with the choice to recycle, Schauwecker said.

“John Shaeffer proposed to buy small blue bins for the

residence hall rooms in Thompson Point.” Schauwecker said.

Schauwecker said a student group wrote a Green Fund grant proposal to purchase blue recycling bins for the Wall and Grand apartments and east campus towers as well.

SIU sustainability initiatives go beyond implementing recycling bins. Gavin Edwards is an SIU student and manager of the SIU farms compost center.

“In the morning the dining hall brings out the food in trash cans,” Edwards said. “What I do is recycle the food by mixing it with manure from our equine center and adding other ingredients to the compost mixture to get the best compost possible.”

Edwards said there is no cost to making the compost.

Everything that comes into the compost center comes from another part of SIU and goes back into the campus he said.

“At the end of every day the dining hall separates food from waste and puts it into these green trash cans. Early in the morning the grounds crew picks up the trashcan and brings them to the compost center,” Edwards said.

There are many benefits to using compost materials, Edwards said.

“It is reused and doesn’t let food or manure go to waste, another benefit is once it is spread around campus it gives plants the inventive to grow because of the natural chemicals that are in the food breaking down,” Edwards said.

He said he carefully searches for and removes foreign materials when making compost.

“Anything that can’t be broken down like plastic, rubber, tin foil I need to make sure it doesn’t get into the mixture because it’s not safe for the environment,” Edwards said.

According to Duram, although recycling and composting reduce greenhouse gas emissions, plastic creates a complex environmental issue.

“From the 1990s to 2017, the US would ship our recycled plastics to China. China took about 50% of all recycled products,” Duram said. “They stopped accepting our recycled plastic because it was causing pollution in China.”

Whitley said plastic can only be recycled one or two times because it breaks down each time it’s recycled.

“The only things that we can recycle on our campus are 1 and number 2 plastics. Only thirty percent of new plastic products can use recycled plastic,” Whitley said.

The other 70% is created by oils and fossil fuels, Whitley said. Shauwecker said that recycling is ultimately a business.

“It’s all based on your local material recovery facility.

Southern Recycling doesn’t recycle the items, they bundle the items and sell them to buyers. The buyers then take them to recycling plants to sell them again,” Schauwecker said.

Since there is so much uncertainty surrounding plastic recycling, Schauwecker, Duram and Whtiley all agree that consumers should make conscious decisions about the products they buy and corporations should make more conscious decisions about the products they produce.

“Reduce comes first and ultimately I think that is one thing that people can do if they really care about plastics in our environment,” Schauwecker said.

Whitley said she believes that a sustainable lifestyle isn’t accessible to everyone. It’s the fault of not only the consumer but the corporations to make more environmentally conscious decisions.

“I think that the corporations have a lot more responsibility for addressing climate change and other sustainability issues because they have been perpetrators of environmental issues,” Whtiley said. “While we can make significant influence as individuals we need to encourage business and corporations and institutions such as our own at SIU to make better choices.”

Shauwecker said that when the responsibility of saving the environment is placed solely on the consumer, the sustainability movement can become classist.

“We need to address waste at a systemic level. If you go to the grocery store and everything you want to buy is covered in plastic it doesnt give the consumer the feeling that they are empowered to make an environmentally conscious decision,” Schauwecker said.

Duram said that everyone can have an environmentally conscious mind.

“Sustainability is not just for one type or person on campus,” Duram said.

Reporter Oreoluwa Ojewuyi can be reached at oojewuyi@ dailyegyptian.com or on twitter @odojewuyi.

Page 14

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

SIU, other Illinois colleges abandon local food goals Jason Flynn | jflynn@dailyegyptian.com

Illinois colleges fell far short of a legislated goal to purchase food from local farms.

The Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act, which passed into law in 2009, set a goal for state-funded institutions such as public grade schools, hospitals and child care facilities to purchase 10% of their food locally by 2020, and for state owned facilities such as public colleges and correctional facilities to purchase 20% of their food locally by 2020.

Karen Schauwecker, the sustainability program coordinator for SIU, said many schools track the progress of their sustainability initiatives through the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System, or STARS program.

Many colleges whose STARS reports showed they pursued a local food program in the past have either discontinued or severely curtailed their efforts.

Zero Illinois colleges reported pursuing a local food purchasing program after 2017.

The Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act was intended to expand the local farm economy throughout Illinois.

A study published in 2009 by the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Task Force that made legislative recommendations reported that only 4% of food consumed in Illinois is purchased locally even though about 80% of the state is farmland.

The other 96% is imported from other states or countries while farm products in Illinois are shipped out of state.

Chuck Paprocki is on the Carbondale Spring Food Autonomy Initiative Board of Directors, and contributed to the task force.

“Our farmland is being wasted,” Paprocki said.

In the early years of the local food buying program, Southern Illinois University seemed to be on track to meet the 2020 goal.

William Connors, the former executive chef for SIU University Housing, was a member of the task force that was formed in 2008 and made sustainability and supporting local food systems a priority.

Connors told the Daily Egyptian in 2015 that SIU was already purchasing 15 to 17% of dining hall food locally.

In some years before 2015 SIU had purchased 24 to 25% of food from local sources according to Connors.

“We found that when we submitted our report for the 2019 version of STARS, we were not going to meet that 25% or 10% or anything close to 10%,” Schauwecker said.

Of the 59 public schools in Illinois, 13 have a STARS profile to publicly self-report their sustainability efforts.

Only seven schools reported pursuing a local food purchasing program at any point since the local foods legislation was passed.

Based on the reports the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign, Joliet Junior College, and SIU were the most successful Illinois colleges when it came to local food purchasing.

Leslie Duram, the director of environmental studies at SIU, also contributed to the task force.

She said the statewide initiative was, “suggestive rather than actionable,” and beset by problems from the beginning.

To get the measure passed it couldn’t require additional funding from the state, which meant there was almost no money for programming.

The legislation also couldn’t be a binding resolution because most public institutions couldn’t afford to buy or process local food without additional funding.

Paprocki said he and Duram had meetings with Carbondale Elementary School District 95 to explore the possibility of getting local food into elementary schools.

Paprocki said he was told the schools “couldn’t have someone peel apples all day.”

Duram said another

part of the problem is that schools are limited by state regulations requiring schools to purchase the lowest cost foods and USDA subsidies that favor a few select distributors.

On top of everything, Illinois schools had to cope with a massive funding crisis during former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s tenure, and had little-to-no state funding for sustainability programming.

“It was dire straits to be honest,” Duram said.

Dave Bishop was the president of the Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council, which was formed as a result of the legislation.

“When we got into the Rauner administration, he didn’t really have much interest in it,” Bishop said. “He didn’t really attempt to use it for any sort of advice as it was intended. So it kind of trended downhill.”

Paprocki and Bishop are skeptical when it comes to renewing enthusiasm for the local food initiative or passing new legislation after their experiences on the taskforce.

“I think it’s more viable to build the system and pay for it locally,” Paprocki said. “Personally, I have no trust in the state.”

Bishop said a local food project in Lincoln, Ill. could serve as a model for future programs.

“Lincoln Elementary District 27 decided they were very much interested in getting local food in the cafeteria.

They had no idea how, who would advise them to retrofit the cafeteria, who would pay for all that,” Bishop said.

In 2019, the school district got a grant from a local hospital to rework their facilities, retrain staff, and begin purchasing food locally.

Now, “around 40% of the food being served in the cafeteria is being bought locally. Our farm [PrairiErth] is one of the suppliers,” Bishop said. “That is a bigger success story than this government program ever got done.”

Duram and Schauwecker are hopeful that SIU can get back on track.

“SIU housing did care, does care about local sourcing,” Duram said.

Schauwecker believes a few dedicated people could turn things around.

“With anything in a university, there are ebbs and flows.

There are times when programs are at their full capacity, and then there are other times when they aren’t,” Schauwecker said. “I think Chef Bill was willing to take the time and the energy and devote some resources in order to support the local food system because he was personally passionate about it.”

Staff reporter Jason Flynn can be reached at jflynn@ dailyegyptian.com.

Dustin Clark | @dustinclark.oof

SPORTS Domask named to preseason team; Mullins speaks on upcoming MBB season

Page 15

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Ryan Scott | @RyanscottDE

SIU men’s basketball will open up play this season at a tournament hosted by the University of Kentucky.

Head coach Bryan Mullins spoke at the Missouri Valley’s media day and said SIU is planning on going to the University of Louisville’s eight team multi team event to kick off the season.

Of the eight teams that will play, so far five are named, including Duquesne, Winthrop and University of North Carolina Greensboro.

“We wanted to look for something

regionally. Louisville is 3-and-a-half hours away, and it’s a great field. I don’t know who all is contracted or committed, but it sounds like a lot of NCAA Tournament teams, or teams that won their league,” Mullins said. “It gives our guys to play some really good competition in a safe environment that is close to southern Illinois. Hopefully we will play three games there.”

This past week, the MVC also announced preseason all-conference teams, naming SIU sophomore guard Marcus Domask second team.

Domask averaged 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in a very

successful freshman season in which he started every single game.

Mullins said he expects Domask and other sophomores to continue improving this year.

Steven Verplancken Jr. transferred to SIU from Glenville State in West Virginia. The Salukis are trying to get him a waiver to play this season but Mullins said that he doesn’t know if the extra eligibility will affect his chances of getting his waiver approved.

The Saluki were voted fifth in the MVC preseason conference poll placing them behind Northern Iowa, Loyola, Bradley and Indiana State.

Missouri Valley Conference commissioner Doug Elgin spoke on the possibility of the MVC tournament being canceled.

“I don’t think we’d make a decision to postpone or cancel the tournament until close to that event,” Elgin said.

The Missouri Valley has had to plan ahead this season and Elgin said there are contingencies in place to have the most games played as possible if many games have to be canceled in the regular season.

Elgin said that the conference wanted their teams to play their non conference games in their region and not go on planes if possible.

Some conferences have altered their schedules to where opponents play each other both times in the same place and same week to limit travel, but Elgin said the MVC never really considered altering their schedule format.

“The technology, the testing protocols have really improved, the reliability, the affordability of those tests are gonna make it much easier for the Missouri Valley to reach the standard the NCAA has put forward,” Elgin said.

Sports reporter Ryan Scott can be reached at rscott@dailyegyptian.com or on twitter @RyanscottDE.

Sophomore running back Javon Williams expected to shine for southern Janae Mosby | @mosbyj

On Sept. 2, Saluki Athletics announced sophomore running back Javon Williams Jr. has been added to the Stats Perform Preseason All-American team.

“It’s an honor, but it is only a label. It is all how you take it and how you use it, I have been using it in a positive way and using that as a way of being a leader for the team,” Williams said.

Williams led all Division I freshman in 2019 with 19 touchdowns. He was Second Team All-American last year.

Williams averaged 6.4 yards per carry and passed for 160 yards, tallying two touchdowns. He finished the season with 1,038 rushing yards and 1,359 all-purpose yards.

He started his SIU football career in 2018, he played in the first four games where he had a season high of 35 yards rushing on four carries during a game against Murray State.

“It’s great having him on the team. He’s a talented young man,” SIU running back coach Nathan Griffin said.

Williams was the first player in SIU history to run for a touchdown, pass for a touchdown and catch for a touchdown in the same game.

“When I was younger I played running back, then I went to quarterback. Being a quarterback in highschool you always learn how to get your hands better, so I just trained myself to get better at catching,” Williams said.

Griffin said Williams is a great athlete and is very versatile.

“He brings a playmaker’s mentality, I mean he can make things happen. He’s a big, strong kid but he is also fast.

Growing up he played every sport, he was a great basketball player in high school so he is an overall phenomenal athlete,” Griffin said.

Williams said his favorite game at SIU was a game against South Dakota because he scored four touchdowns in the first half of the game.

Williams said he has learned a lot from the SIU football coaching staff.

“Salukis have a standard we live by everyday, to be a good man, a trustworthy man. Coach Hill helps out a lot with teaching us that [...]. Carbondale is a great program,” Williams said.

Williams said Griffin has helped him learn how to trust the gap and trust that the block is going to open up the whole.

Griffin said Williams brings laughter to practice and has good energy to be around.

“He comes with a big smile on his face, he gets along with everybody and he is full of energy each day. He’s fun to have on the team,” Griffin said.

According to Griffin, Williams is also a mentor to the younger players on the team.

“He’s got a big heart and he cares for others, he makes sure everyone is doing good. He’ll help out as far as assignments and what to do,” Griffin said.

Williams started playing football in his hometown, Centralia, for a youth league.

“I played a season and a half with the Centralia Youth Football League. I didn’t play anymore until freshman year of high school and that’s when I went out for quarterback,” Williams said.

Williams said family members taught him how to play football.

“A lot of people in my family that would help me with different strengths on the football field.

My Uncle Maurice taught me how to throw a spiral and my mom also taught me how to throw a football,” Williams said.

His father taught him several aspects of the running back position such as knowing how to use balance and footwork, Williams said.

Williams said his favorite memory from high school football is the first year his team made it to the second round of playoffs.

“When we played, it was like everything went right and I ended up having a good game. A few players had some big yards for the game and we ended up winning,” Williams said.

In high school, Williams ran for 2,395 yards, 30 touchdowns and passed for 1,967 yards and 22 touchdowns in his senior season.

Williams’ decision to come to SIU was based around his family and his hometown. “[SIU] is only an hour away from home, but I’ve always thought to play close to family. For

all of them to have the opportunity to come watch me play,” Williams said.

Williams is currently studying outdoor recreation and his goal for after college is to create inclusive programs for people with disabilities.

With everything going on right now, Williams said he is taking things one day at a time and he is sticking to the COVID-19 protocol everyday.

Staff reporter Janae Mosby can be reached at jmosby@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @mosbyj.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Page 16

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