The Daily Egyptian - November 9, 2022

Meet the new paws waiting for you in the Dawg Lounge

Jamilah lewis | @Jamilahlewis

Rex and Jethro are the new Dawg Lounge support dogs waiting to see you on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the SIU Health Center.

According to the SIU website, the Dawg Lounge is a place for students to destress and relax including massage chairs, art, light therapy, yoga, meditation and the most popular support dogs.

Jethro, the pitbull, is the dog of Medical Lab supervisor Nikki Probst, who’s had Jethro since he adopted the dog from a shelter in 2015.

“I had been looking for a dog for a while and it was just I kept going back to his picture and there was just something about him that just spoke to me,” Probst said. “When I went to go meet him, they [were] like ‘oh, yeah, he just hangs out the office all day he doesn’t do anything,’ like, he’s just he’s a very chill laid back dog. So I thought, okay, I’m gonna take him and they let me bring him home that day. I was not prepared.”

Probst said it took Jethro about six months to feel at home but only a few weeks to feel comfortable with her.

“The first day I got him, I immediately had to take him up to Petco to get a flea and tick bath because he was just covered,” Probst said. “While he’s doing that, we’ll get all the stuff he needs and he adjusted pretty good, but it just takes, it took him a bit to get adjusted. So but yeah, he now, he’s been a good, good

boy to have.”

Last year, Probst said she saw the janitor’s dog Kevin in the Dawg Lounge and wondered how she could do that for Jethro.

“Well, how do I get, like, I’m like this would be perfect for Jethro, because he, he’s such a people dog and he just loves people,” Probst said. “So they were like, ‘oh, we have to talk to wellness because they’re over it.’”

She talked to Interim Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Services and Marketing Shelly Ridgway about getting Jethro in and agreed to do a trial run with him.

“He came in a couple of times just for a trial run to see how he would do and because he didn’t, he does, he’s not super vocal or anything like that,” Probst said. “They’re like, yeah, he’s working out great, so if he wants to continue coming, he can continue coming in. So he really, he’s loved it.”

Probst said she’s heard that Jethro has a bit of a following and is very loved by everyone.

“Everybody’s always giving me compliments of how sweet he is and well-behaved. . . I’ve done absolutely no training with him. He just came like that,” Probst said. “When I come to pick him up at the end of the day, there’s, there are times that there are just, I call it, he has like a harem of girls that just surrounded him while he’s, like, laying on the floor and they’re all petting him. So he’s in seventh

heaven here.”

Probst plans to bring Jethro as long as she can and as long as they let him come in.

“A lot of people ask if he’s an emotional support dog. He is not a registered emotional support dog or registered service dog of any kind. He’s just, he’s very intuitive,” Probst said. “He can tell when people, you know, when people don’t feel well, he can tell and he’s very much he’s just such a snuggler.”

“My wife and I both grew up with dogs and we just love the concept of wanting to have a dog,” Riffey said. “It’s like, you know, it’d be a good thing and we have a son and at that time, he was little and it’d be a good time for him to be able to learn how to help take care of an animal.”

“He’s energetic, [and] loves everybody. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him meet a person or another animal he did not like,” Riffey said. “Loves to play, but is also very gentle when he needs to be. We’ve seen him play with kids as little as one year old.”

Rex, the Goldendoodle, is the dog of Medical Chief of Staff Dr. Andrew Riffey who has had Rex since he was a puppy.

Riffey said Rex worked out with him and his family even though he was supposed to be a mini Goldendoodle, but they didn’t mind.

Jethro leaning against his owner Nikki Probst in the Dawg Lounge in the Student Health Center in Carbondale, Ill. Photos provided by Student Health Services’ Marketing Director Mary Stoffel

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Kappa Alpha Psi closes Kappa week with its Black Diamonds event

Janiyah Gaston @DEJaniyah

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To wrap up Kappa week, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. hosted its Black Diamonds event in the Student Center Ballroom D on Nov. 5.

Throughout the week, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. hosted a variety of events to give back to the school, promote the fraternity and bring the Black student community together.

Timothy Caldwell, the Keeper of Records for the Gamma Upsilon chapter of the Kappas, said the fraternity’s week gives them a chance to show what Black Greek Fraternities are about.

“The weeks are always, like, to celebrate that fraternity; show the campus that that fraternity is active. It’s a way for us to throw events so the campus can come meet us, know who we are, use us as resources. So we try to have different, informative events,” Caldwell said.

He said the group hosted a variety of events including resume workshops, community outreach and social activities.

Caldwell said, when he was a freshman, the Kappas always went out of their way to help students, especially freshmen, find their way around campus.

“They were a resource to me if I needed a tutor and they showed me to the tutors. If I needed anything,

needed to go to the Rec Center for something, they always knew where to send me,” he said. “We’re all here trying to get a degree and the Black fraternities and sororities, they help with connecting you with people in your program.”

Grace Gunn, the coordinator of Black Affairs Council (BAC), said BAC sponsored the event because the main job of the group is to give Black Registered Student Organizations and Black Greek Organizations the resources they need to put on events for students.

“That’s our whole job, to have a collective meeting for all Black RSO and Greeks and most of the Greeks are some of the first founders of Black RSOs here and it is our job to make sure everything goes smooth,” Gunn said.

DJ Knowledge was the entertainment for the night. During the event, students were seen dancing and talking all throughout the ballroom.

Malik Hill, a graduate student and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, said being able to have an on-campus party of this size, for the first time in a while, is a great way to get rid of that stigma about on-campus parties.

“We are having the first on-campus party in five years, basically to provide a safer environment, not only for the SIU schools but the people of

Carbondale in general,” Hill said. “It’s been many disparities in Carbondale dealing with parties and we really want to take a different approach this year, by making sure everybody can be safe to have an enjoyable time.”

Teeriy Roseland, an alum of SIU and member of the Kappas, said it is important to celebrate Kappa week because members get to celebrate all their accomplishments and acknowledge the struggles they have overcome.

“So we’ve been rolling since 1950, so that’s seventy years, so we like to celebrate that and it’s really a history. It’s a part of Black History, it’s part of Carbondale history, Kappa is a part of American history since 1911,” he said. “Our founders overcame a lot of crazy odds, thinking about the time the KKK was founded in 1911, that was fourty or fifty years after slavery it’s something to be celebrated.”

Later in the evening more people started flowing in. Members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Sigma Gamma Rho and Delta Sigma Theta took to the dance floor and had fun together.

“It is just a great way to end the weekend before people have to wake up tomorrow and Sunday and do their homework and study,” Caldwell said.

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

Richard Lawson member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity spins Fraternities Kane in Student Center hallway Nov. 5, 2022 at Sothern Illinois University Carbondale, Ill. Janiyah Gaston | @DEJaniyah

Letter to the editor: Campus and Conservatives

isaac LuDinGton isaac LuDinGton@siu EDu

To begin, I would like to thank the DE and their reporter, Daniel Bethers, for taking the time to focus on campus political involvement in the lead up to the midterms in last week’s frontpage article, Poaching Elephants. The upcoming elections could not be more important, and it is essential that students are aware and informed about the state of politics on campus and across Southern Illinois. Regrettably, though almost certainly due to no fault of the DE, it appears that no members of our Democratic party affiliated groups on campus were able to provide input on the record.

To begin, I would like to note my agreement with many of those quoted in the article. Political violence and inflammatory rhetoric have become too commonplace in our political sphere and that this is increasingly carrying over to our social lives such as on campus.

Violence, threats, intimidation and the shutting down of respectful discourse have no place in our campus or society. We should all try to understand our opponents as people, not pawns.

However, some language used by those quoted include allegations that “college campuses haven’t been allowing (a) voice to conservative students,” and the article mentions that conservative students have less opportunities for political involvement on campus.

In spring 2019, I re-established our College Democrats chapter on campus after a multi-year hiatus. The opportunities that have been brought to students on campus, such as this year’s visit from congressional candidate Chip Markel, would not have been possible but for our student members’ willingness to join, assist in those efforts and to take over leadership this year after the founding members graduated. Our students made it happen.

Conservative students

on campus have the same opportunities to establish an RSO, host candidates for their membership and organize for campaigns, provided they can recruit the membership and put in the work to do so. Campus and state policies do not inhibit this any more than they do so for liberal or left leaning groups. This is evidenced by the fact that a Republican RSO is in the process of being formed at present. Students can create their opportunities.

As for the social backlash to conservatives on campus, students are understandably upset seeing asylum seekers treated as less than human, the rights of their trans peers targeted, the 14th amendment right-toprivacy revoked for abortion and protections for minority groups such as the Voting Rights Act being undermined. These students have a fundamental right to be upset at others who advocate for such positions or support those who do. This does

not excuse violence or vitriol against conservative students, but it puts the duty on them to fix their image in the eyes of their peers rather than expecting that others should simply accept the disagreement. I hope the upcoming College Republicans chapter will take this to heart and find ways to reach out to students, prove the generalizations wrong, and create change within their party.

Lastly, my experience in classrooms matches the points noted above. At no point in my 3.5 years as a Political Science student at SIUC have I observed a professor shut down a conservative student in class on the basis of disagreeing with their viewpoint. Open class discussion was common and did sometimes result in one-sided debates with less conservative viewpoints expressed, but this is more likely a result of the inequality in party identification for college students and young people, not some plan of the university

Paws

Rex is not a big fan of the rain and loves to destroy his toys at home. He also is very attached to his family.

“He’s most relaxed and has the most fun when we’re all home. If one of us isn’t home, he’s a little on edge,” Riffey said. “He just mopes around for a while, because it’s sad that everybody left, so I think his personality is just fantastic. He just wants to be a part of the family and be a part of everything.”

Riffey thought Rex would be good for the Dawg Lounge at a time when the number of dogs they had were decreasing.

“I knew how much students enjoyed coming in and they enjoy coming and seeing the dogs. I also knew Rex’s personality,” Riffey said. “Rex is getting older and I thought well maybe this would be something for him. It might help him feel younger, maybe even help him live a longer, more fulfilled life, really, to be honest.”

He inquired to Ridgeway about bringing Rex in and she agreed. They brought Rex in for the trial run, and everyone loved him.

“He’s always waiting for the next person to come in the door,” Riffey said. “He hears the door open over there by the dawg lounge and he’s already looking out the window to see ‘are they coming to see me or not.’”

When someone comes in, Rex greets them happily, grabbing a toy to play with them, Riffey said.

Graduate assistant for Student Health Services Kennedy Rawlings works in the Dawg Lounge in the afternoon, looking over the dog that is in for the day.

“Since I’ve been here we’ve had quite a few different dogs, like, the dogs we have this year are new compared to last year,” Rawlings said. “Last year, we had a dog named Kevin and Lola and they were really popular with a lot of the students, but a lot of their families had transitioned out of student health services.”

Rawling said Jethro is calm, gentle and supportive; Rex is more outgoing and the dog to play with. She loves seeing students come in and interact with the dogs.

“That’s probably my favorite part of the job is just seeing students kind of creating space for themselves to destress and to find, like, therapeutic interventions that work for them. A big part of that being dog therapy,” Rawlings said. “That’s probably the most popular thing people come in here for.”

Rawlings said the dogs usually attract more dog lovers or people who miss their dogs at home.

“Maybe they can’t have a dog because of housing restrictions, or they just are interested in getting to know the dog,” Rawlings said. “I definitely think it adds a more relaxing environment because it kind of takes away any awkwardness of coming in, you know, you come in and you directly have something to focus on.”

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

or professors, who themselves would often intervene if debate became too hostile.

To conclude, I hope to note a few things. Firstly, everyone should work to lower the vitriol. We may disagree on fundamental issues, but we are all just working with limited info-sets to do what we think is best. Secondly, remember that other people have a right to get upset at your views. If they do, you can only control your response and the views that make them upset. Take a moment to deeply and truly reassess what you advocate for, even if you still conclude at the end that you were right. Lastly, act for the change you want to see. Conservative views and candidates are less likely to be heard on campus if conservative students don’t advocate for them. The same was true for Democratic students before we began organizing.

Isaac Ludington can be reached at isaac.ludington@siu.edu

Humans of SIU

Delta Phi Epsilon set up their fundraising outside Lawson Hall Nov 4, 2022 at Lawson Hall in Carbondale, Ill. Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

Natasha Tomasek waits for her order at Starbucks in the student center Nov. 3, 2022 at SIU Student Center in Carbondale, Ill. Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

Taha Alam and Cristian Boudreau study together for their class outside Morris library Nov 3, 2022 at Morris library in Carbondale, Ill. Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

An SIU student skateboards to his next class Nov 3, 2022 outside at SIU in Carbondale, Ill. Saba Saboor Rooh Mofrad | @ssaboor_

E-Games: Fighting for their space

Daniel Bethers | DBethers@Dailyegyptian com

At 6 p.m. on a Saturday, the Student Center is quiet, and empty. The wide corridors stretch out to either end of the building, like gaping holes in what is usually a bustling, vibrant space. Some students are doubtless at home, studiously preparing for the final week of classes before Thanksgiving break grants them a long awaited reprieve. Many others are with their friends, living it up before Thanksgiving break deposits them in the middle of finals, but, for more introverted students who aren’t inclined to party, weekends off campus can make it difficult to connect with other students.

Chaotic school schedules in addition to long work hours can make it inconvenient to get involved with RSOs that are active during the week, especially if those RSOs deal with heavy academic, or political matters. Students need spaces to relax, and cool off after a long week of molding new information into their minds.

SIU’s eSports Club serves as a safe haven for all students interested in gaming, whether it be casual or competitive. Though it has meetings nearly every day of the week, including dedicated gatherings for Overwatch, Call of Duty and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate just to name a few, the eSports Club always has Fighting Games Club on Saturdays at 6 p.m.. Though the term “eSports” and the prospect of playing fighting games with no prior experience both can be off putting, for interested students, the reality couldn’t be further from the most common gamer stereotypes.

In the eSports Center, which can be entered through the bowling alley, the fighting games meeting was more like a small party. Everyone was cheerful, and quick to invite new players over

to join the fray. The “fray” being a simple game of jackbox with several friends, and friends are what they feel like after a couple rounds of jokes.

“The community seems to be very friendly, accepting…they welcome anyone in with open arms and they’re willing to teach, so it’s really friendly,” said Stephan Wright, a sophomore who joined the club a month ago.

Nothing breaks the ice like playing a simple

game with some genuinely good natured humor, something that many online gaming communities struggle with, in part due to the lack of empathy that not interacting face to face can breed.

“I think a good community definitely needs to have a welcoming environment and an in-person aspect, because right now our club is primarily online,” said Nolan Mense, the president of the eSports Club. “People like to stay at home and play games rather than come here, which we’re trying to improve by having events like these.”

Though their Saturday meeting had a good turnout for the club, about 7 people out of the clubs 60 due-paying members, many of the gamers in the club prefers to meet up online due to the limitations of the computers provided by the school.

At first glance, the computers in the eSports center are a gamer’s dream: sleek tall towers with fans purring and LEDs gently pulsing along their edges. There are over a dozen in the eSports center, with several hooked to large flatscreens plating the walls. But, especially in gaming, a few years make the difference between a max settings capable contender and a mid to lower tier machine.

“They have i7s. 8700ks [processors], Mense said. “Which is an alright processor, but now they’re about 5 years old, maybe even older. They’re really showing their age. Alienwares have a reputation for not being the best, just based on how they’re engineered. These have very poor airflow, so there’s a lot of performance left on the table [inadequate cooling systems can cause PCs to lower their performance to avoid damage].”

Oftentimes, members of the club have their own modern gaming PCs at home, but students are prohibited from bringing their own devices into the eSports center, which charges students three dollars an hour to play on the school’s devices.

“At one point I was told the statistic that if one dollar was added to every student’s tuition, students could use this space for free, but the administration said no,” Mense said. “I’m guessing the three dollar fee is to either generate revenue or pay off what this space cost.”

While this could discourage casual gamers or students just looking to try out gaming, that’s what the eSports club is for. Students that are general tier members of the club are allowed to come and play fighting games, Smash, Rhythm, and others for free. Students that are active tier members pay a five dollar fee once a year in exchange for hours in the more competitive

Lane Frost | lfrost@dailyegyptian.com

titles, such as Valorant, Rocket League, and Overwatch, for which the club only buys hours for teams. The eSports Club gets a special rate of $60 for 42 hours per player, usually paying $2000 to $4000 dollars of hours a year. The club also occasionally sends teams up to Edwardsviles to play in tournaments against the other branch of the University. Competitive Rocket League is even streamed on twitch at MattM_Gaming.

Though more competitive gamers might have a need to be picky about the performance of the school computers, many casual gamers in the club take full advantage of access to the relatively fast computers in the eSports Center. Without the ability to rent out a high powered computer, it can cost thousands of dollars to buy a decent gaming computer.

“I think the eSports computers are very good, very high tech,” Wright said. “I left my rig at home so I have to rely on the eSports computers.

[...] It’s just a way for me to relax when I’m not studying. I’ve met many friends through the eSports arena and all we do is play fighting games and discuss video games.”

It’s easy to underestimate the social power of gaming, especially when many games are so complex and time intensive that few of the uninitiated will ever take interest in them, but many games are as simple as board games, and twice as fun because there’s no arguing over the rules when Uncle Davis cons little Billy out of Boardwalk again. No one has to play the part of the computer, calculating player outcomes and deciding what’s allowed. At the end of the day video games are often at their best when they’re played in in-person groups, despite the great freedom and comfort that many gamers enjoy when playing online from the convenience of their home.

It’s for that reason, among others, that the eSports club currently has a petition with over 150 signatures toward having their own space on campus, where students would be free to set up their own hardware and meet free of distractions.

“The hardware isn’t the best in here, we pay for hours to use it,” Mense said. “Sometimes we can’t get in here because if there are classes or events they have precedence over us. [...] even other sports clubs, they use the stuff that the Rec [Recreational Center] provides. They just fill out a time slot and they can use it. Why do we have to pay?”

Daniel Bethers can be reached at dbethers@ dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram at commonitem6damage.

Communications Department Ends October with a Bang

Mo Collar MCollar@dailyegyptian CoM

The communications department here at SIU hosts its annual CMST Day on the last day of October to get one last hurrah in for Halloween with fun and games ranging from Jenga and bean bag toss to decorating mini pumpkins. They also took this time to educate others about what the communications department has to offer, welcoming all students whether or not they are majoring or minoring in the field.

There has been a growing trend of many student organizations and clubs receiving less recognition for a couple of years now because of the pandemic putting restraints or stopping these groups altogether from participating in their selective activities and events. This ended up causing many organizations on and off campus to hit a declining point or closing down permanently. Now that the threat and severity of Covid-19 has been lessened, RSO’s, campus major representatives, and faculty now get the chance to reignite the flame that is student involvement.

The students, faculty, and staff were all very excited to be able to have the opportunity to hold this event once again after Covid-19 hit and halted many campus events, including CMST Day, from being properly enjoyed. “Educating others about us whilst giving students the chance to take a load off is really what we are all about,” faculty advisor Dustin Greenwald said.

The event attracted many people from across the campus and each station got their chance to contribute, but the bean bag toss game ended up becoming the fan favorite rather quickly. Not only did passerbys engage in this game, but the event organizers did as well and really added to the lively atmosphere outside Faner Breezeway, and at one point in time, a small competition began to see who had the best knack for bean bag toss.

The idea of making the event occur on Halloween was similarly enjoyed by everyone because they were able to feel comfortable dressing up without the discomfort of prying eyes in classrooms or the workplace. Many students and faculty came dressed up and even held a photo booth with props for Halloween costumes so everyone had the opportunity to enjoy themselves and get into the spooky spirit one last time.

“The key to putting the word out

there about stuff like this is finding a way to make it fun and that’s what they did here… I didn’t even know about how much the communications department even did until I found myself here,” attendee Matthew Bower said.

The main goal for this event was to explain what a communication major or minor has to offer and how it can implement future career opportunities and paths one might seek out. Another was to point out just how diverse communication studies are and are including but not limited to journalism, public relations, education, marketing, broadcasting and much more. “A communications career has so many paths someone can take and can work for any kind of person who’s willing to put in the time,” Dustin Greenwald said.

Hundreds of students ended up passing through and taking part in the festivities throughout the day as well as stopping by to inquire about the communications department whether to learn more about it for future reference or simply to educate themselves on another part of the campus.

Staff reporter and photographer Mo Collar can be reached at m0.alexander on instagram or mcollar@dailyegyptian. com.

Zoe Freedkin decorates mini pumpkin outside Faner Breezeway Oct. 31, 2022 at CMST Day in Carbondale, Ill. “I love making things like these,” Freedkin

Students play Jenga outside Faner Breezeway Oct. 31, 2022 at CMST Day in Carbondale, Ill.

Student guesses how many candy corn are in a jar outside Faner Breezeway Oct. 31, 2022 at CMST Day in Carbondale Il. Mo Collar | @

Students decorate pumpkins outside Faner Breezeway Oct. 31, 2022 at CMST Day in Carbondale, Ill. Mo Collar | @m0.alexander

Zoe Freedkin decorates mini pumpkin outside Faner Breezeway Oct. 31, 2022 at CMST Day in Carbondale, Ill. Mo Collar | @m0.alexander

Molding creativity:

SIU’s annual iron pour

A guest of the SIUC iron working the Iron Pour event in Carbondale, Ill. Will Giess

Ashley

Foundry like this good creative

SIU student dumps unmelted iron into the chamber Nov. 5, 2022 at SIU Foundry Complex in Carbondale, Ill. Dominique Martinez-Powell | dmartinez-powell@dailyegyptian.com

Iron Pour event workers pour the hot iron into the mold Nov. 5, 2022 at SIU Foundry Complex in Carbondale, Ill. Dominique Martinez-Powell dmartinez-powell@dailyegyptian.com

A guest of the SIUC iron pour shakes hands with an SIU student working the Iron Pour event Nov. 5, 2022 at SIU Foundry Complex in Carbondale, Ill. Will Giess | @Willgiess

A guest of the SIUC iron pour shakes hands with an SIU student working the Iron Pour event Nov. 5, 2022 at SIU Foundry Complex in Carbondale, Ill. Will Giess | @Willgiess

iron pour shakes hands with an SIU student event Nov. 5, 2022 at SIU Foundry Complex

Giess | @Willgiess

Alright (left) and Josh Hawkins (right) prepare their scratch block Nov. 5, 2022 at SIU Foundry Complex in Carbondale, Ill. “I just think it’s pretty awesome for us to have an event where everyone can come out and you know, do their own thing… Yeah, just have a creative outlet and fun things to do on the weekends.” Josh said Will Giess | @Willgiess

Iron Pour event workers pour the hot iron into the mold Nov. 5, 2022 at SIU Foundry Complex in Carbondale, Ill. Will Giess | @Willgiess

Thank you Crab Orchard

AAron Elliott | AElliott@dAilyEgyptiAn

Not far enough in the past, a boy taught me a valuable lesson…well, multiple lessons, but the one that seems to have served me the most joy instead of grief would end up being a peaceful pastime of mine from time to time. “Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime,” he said while baiting a hook, perched on a bed of rocks tucked away in a cove of Crab Orchard Lake.

I had been fishing before and played coy as if I wasn’t the brightest at it, knowing good and well that I am pretty alright at casting a line. Aiming directly for a clearing among the lily pads, I whipped my pole and threw a quite fabulous back-cast, plopping neatly in the water. I tried passing it off as beginner’s luck, but when that fish bit my

hook, boy did I show off. Reeling in the fish as if I were my profession, I pulled it out of the water to find a bluegill. I then proceeded to remove it from its hook and release it back into the lake, all while he sat a bit quiet to the side.

The lesson he taught me wasn’t really the wise fable he muttered out; it was that I needed to get in touch with a side of me that was begging for attention.

Wildlife has been a part of my life ever since I was born, as I usually spend my summers tending to not only my own garden, but also the gardens of multiple old women. Pulling weeds and having my hands in the dirt during that time of the year is vital to me. I cannot explain it, other than that it feels ancestral. If I sit on the side screened-in porch at my grandmother’s

home, I am staring into a forest of mature vegetation, all on Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge property. Every year, the trees go from green with the ground filled with wildflowers and grasses to leaves and branches of crimsons to browns.

It took me a long time to appreciate nature, and I am embarrassed to say that. Although I was outside quite a bit as a child, I wasn’t paying attention. I was too busy acting as if I was living in colonial times, pretending to do laundry or make “soup” (I was extremely odd). I wasn’t looking up and around, appreciating what was surrounding me. Now that I am old enough to sit still, I appreciate what beauty nature has to offer and am astonished every day by what I see.

I didn’t know as a child how important the refuge and lake are, to not only the area, but to me personally as well.

My two very best childhood friends lived just a short walk to the docks of the lake, and as children, we would merrily make our way down to the shore and have a picnic, sunbathe or talk nonsense. As a pre-teen and teen, we would walk and be angsty, skipping rocks into the water. Now that I am an adult, we still walk together when everyone is home; whether it be freezing cold or beating hot, we somehow make our way down to the lake.

That road has heard many stories and lots of laughing. It has also heard deep conversations that are only acceptable to your closest kin and plenty of tears. It’s quite therapeutic really. Now that we are grown, we stand on the docks and just stare. Not really thinking of anything in particular, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the picturesque scene before us, feeling misty. I have stared into this lake many times, feeling all sorts of feelings, both happy and sad. I stare at my reflection and the reflections of my now adult friends

and think to myself about how little I am in the grand scheme of things.

Every single time my dad sees a very large tree, he never fails to say, “Man, if these trees could talk” while patting the trunk and usually taking a drag off of his cigarette. This statement always makes me giggle when I hear it, as I now think of that quite often.

Sometimes I drive my little red car to an empty lot on Crab Orchard property and just think. I listen to my music and stare out my window, observing the world around me. When life seems gloomy and terribly unpredictable, it is best to retreat to a place that brings comfort. Although my friends live at different corners of the U.S. now, and I am still piddling my feet off a dock, I still come to the lake when I am in need of a lift.

This year, Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge is celebrating 75 years of serving the area with precious wildlife sources. Conservationists not only are actively preserving our wildlife and systems around here, but they are also providing a sanctuary for people like me, who sometimes just need a trip to the wilderness to start anew.

A solemn thank you goes out to the refuge from everyone: the lonely kids on a friday night, the college students with budding new romance, the small town long-time couples enjoying their Dairy Queen parked in the trees. I personally want to thank them for attending to a gorgeous backsplash to many of my core memories. I have learned many lessons and seen many things with the sights of Crab Orchard National Refuge land in my peripherals, and I have many emotions that still get brought on by the beauty of it today.

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

Staff

Ranger Bob Dietrich watches as two children kayak on Crab Orchard Lake at the 75th anniversary celebration of Crab Orchard Oct. 8, 2022 at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Marion, Ill. Naia McPherson | nmcpherson@dailyegyptian.com

Two children kayak on Crab Orchard Lake at the 75th anniversary celebration of Crab Orchard Oct. 8, 2022 at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Marion, Ill. Naia McPherson | nmcpherson@dailyegyptian.com

Ranger Bob Dietrich helps a girl get her personal flotation device on before kayaking during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Crab Orchard Oct. 8, 2022 at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Marion, Ill. Naia McPherson | nmcpherson@dailyegyptian.com

From left, Ranger Bob Dietrich takes passengers Rose Schultz, 9, Lorelai Schultz, 8, and Keneddy Watson, 10, on a short canoe trip on Crab Orchard Lake at the 75th anniversary celebration of Crab Orchard Oct. 8, 2022 at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Marion, Ill. Naia McPherson | nmcpherson@dailyegyptian.com

K-9 Officer Adam Rawlinson fist bumps a boy scout at the 75th anniversary celebration of Crab Orchard Oct. 8, 2022 at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Marion, Ill. Naia McPherson nmcpherson@dailyegyptian.com

From left, Rose Schultz, 9, Lorelai Schultz, 8, and Keneddy Watson, 10, enjoy a short canoe trip on Crab Orchard Lake during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Crab Orchard Oct. 8, 2022 at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in Marion, Ill. Naia McPherson | nmcpherson@dailyegyptian.com

Maximalism vs. minimalism

Aaron Elliott aelliott@dailyegyptain com

Lately, while sitting and admiring my own rather overdecorated living room, I can’t help but take my eye away from the wall. There is this empty wall that haunts me at night, as I am rather stumped on what to fill the gap with. I have held every painting and mirror from my house in its place and still couldn’t find what was tickling my fancy, until I had this marvelously weird idea. “What if I hung this chair on the wall?” I asked my friend over the phone, pointing the camera at a small chair that has made a home in my basement. If there is no room for the chair on the floor, why not move it to the wall? He promptly said, “That’ll be… interesting.” and then moved on as if what I had just said was even remotely normal at all.

My house is not decorated for leisure in the least bit. I have no time for patience, functionality or even purpose when it comes to furnishing any space that I am tasked to. Yes, it isn’t realistic for most home settings, but if I want to own a toille down feather couch covered in antique stuffed animals, I am going to have it. Something about being surrounded with stuff is so comforting to me, especially when it puts on display the brain of the individual and their life.

Every month, I sit in anticipation of two things in the mail: my copy of Vogue magazine and a copy of Architectural Digest. Both magazines bring quite a bit of joy to my life, and I like to enjoy them in privacy to be fully immersed into the homes of celebrities and aristocrats that I have never even heard of before. I usually try to imagine myself in the space, walking around, running my hand across surfaces to really take in the textures, and feeling the warmth and love that most homes just radiate with.

I am usually all game for different home styles, as that is the dwellers personal taste and a direct reflection of what makes them happy, but every time that Kim Kardashian’s home is featured in any tabloid or television special, count me for

closing the pages or scrambling to find my remote to turn that racket off. It isn’t because everything in the house is a shade of gray or white or that it doesn’t have a sink in the kitchen (which is a whole separate thing for me to grouch over); it is because she is pretending to be a minimalist living in maximalist proportions.

Let me get this clear, I have nothing against minimalism; I just think it is tacky. Well, modern minimalism is. You see, I can get down with the mid century “minimalism” movement that swept the world in the 1960s, but I still wouldn’t even consider that as minimal at all, as there was still plenty of color, texture and lots of embellishment to go around. In recent times, minimalism has become a way of decorating to flaunt wealth.

Many years ago, furniture and home decor was a privilege that only the rich could afford the best of. If you were well off, you wanted to show that wealth through your possessions, specifically through your home

furnishings. The heavier the furniture, the better made it was, and the more ornate the detail on it was, the more money you are showing off. As time went on and these grand pieces of furniture became a bit more accessible to the middle and lower classes, rich people grew a disdain towards the maximalist style.

A transition of ornate gold frames and big persian detail oriented rugs, to sleek lines and dull colors was fully fueled by the upper class and their discomfort with anyone “below” them being able to have the same things as them. In society, if you have very little stuff in your home, it is classy and minimal when rich people do it but trashy and sad when “poor” people do it.

Let’s be honest, it was never about design innovation, as it never is when things change. The only people who actually have a say in the world of fashion and architectural design are wealthy individuals who would rather not ever be comparable to the common consumer. The

assumption that money equals taste is a crock of bologna and is really only perceived that way by other rich people with no taste.

The most frustrating part about this design divide is the upsetting loss of detail. Somewhere along the lines of the last century, things simplified and yet somehow got more complicated than ever before. While the complicated part of decor is now the manufacturing part, the simplified portion is the product itself. With the loss of skill and the death of masters of crafts, things became less ornate.

If you hold two basic pillars up in comparison, one from let’s say the Victorian era and one from today, there is a distinguishable difference. Of course, there is going to be a bit more than a hundred year difference, but they still have the same shape and the same purpose. They will not look the same, though. The Victorian pillar is more likely to be embellished with flowers and Ivy, with a boisterous capital on the top, showing weight

and structure, or even covered in bulbous spheres cascading towards the ground. Today, you would really only find the basic styles, all in tin-like metals that ring if you even brush it.

We lost detail and quality when society made a switch to minimalist home decor ideas. We lost a big portion of our past when we swapped our family heirlooms for cheaply made products pulled from the shelf at Target. Nobody wants to be reminded of the past in their decor anymore, not for reasons of embarrassment for the atrocities that the upper class has committed against the lower, but because the line between their two styles have been drawn thin.

All I am saying is that if you are discomforted by the sight of walls of books and cabinets filled with unnecessary taxidermy, don’t come over to mine.

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

Anika Svancarek | asvancarek@dailyegyptian.com

Anika Svancarek | asvancarek@dailyegyptian.com

What to look forward to in film for the 2022 holiday season

Zaden Dennis zdennis@dailyegyptian com

The November/December season is always an exciting time to be a filmgoer. While some of the biggest blockbusters are often scheduled during these months, it’s also the prime season for films going for award nominations in the early months of the next year. 2022 is shaping up to be one of the most stacked holiday seasons since the theater industry has mostly bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the side of the blockbusters, two films are seemingly reigning over their respective months and are predicted to be such box-office giants that not many other big films are being released against them, out of fear of being overshadowed in ticket sales. The two films in question are November’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and December’s “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

Both films are follow-ups to hugely successful movies that broke numerous box-office records during their release. Their respective sequels are projected to continue that trend and likely will both make their way to all-time highest grossers. Although, it should be noted that both films now fall under the Disney corporation, further highlighting the obscene monopoly they hold over the theatrical market.

The similarities don’t stop there; both films take place in imagination-capturing new worlds, Wakanda and Pandora, and both films seem to have a large emphasis on underwater and waterbased tribes. They also both have faced immense challenges in the time between their previous films.

“Black Panther” lost its lead actor, with Chadwick Boseman’s untimely and tragic death after his battle with cancer. This placed the studio and filmmakers with a great challenge in how to continue the story, while paying respects to the actor and remaining respectful to his legacy.

James Cameron also faces challenges with “Avatar” in the 13 years that have passed since the first film was released. Many audiences have voiced their skepticism in “The Way of the Water” recapturing the same attention the first did now that the blockbuster landscape and filmgoers’ interest have drastically shifted in that time.

Similarities aside, the two films have built up a tremendous amount of excitement and will undoubtedly shape a historical holiday movie going season when “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” releases Nov. 11 and “Avatar: The Way of

Water” releases Dec. 16.

On the other side of the spectrum, many auteur directors are adding to their filmographies this season, with some of the most fresh and exciting films that will undoubtedly gain a lot of attention in prestige awards circles.

A film that walks the line with an auteur vision, but also can be considered a blockbuster after its predecessor was so unexpectedly successful, is Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”

The follow-up to 2019’s widely beloved “Knives Out” looks to continue in its devilishly witty charm, for another whodunnit being investigated by Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc. While the film is being released as a Netflix original on the streaming service, it is also getting a limited release in theaters, which is the best way to experience a film like this one, which releases Thanksgiving Day.

A film that has already been making waves since premiering at festivals is Todd Field’s “Tár” starring Cate Blanchett. The film follows a fictional character Lydia Tár, who is considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and firstever female music director of a major German orchestra. “Tár” boasts an emotionally complex story of the life of an artist and how fame can affect one’s psyche. The film has a staggered release but is slowly widening to more theaters in early November. (See our review on page __.)

Luca Guadagnino also is returning with his first feature since 2018’s “Suspiria” and 2017’s Oscar nominated “Call Me by Your Name.” His new film, “Bones and All,” is again starring Timothée Chalamet, whose career similarly skyrocketed with “Call Me by Your Name.” The film follows a love story between two young cannibals trying to find peace in their disturbing urges and comforting each other in their shared troubles. The film similarly is receiving much praise in the leadup to its wide release during Thanksgiving week.

The holiday week continues to stack up the potential, with Steven Spielberg’s latest film “The Fabelmans” releasing that week as well. The film is a semi autobiographical story loosely following Spielberg’s own life, with familial troubles and how it led to his love for filmmaking. It boasts a stacked cast, including Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Judd Hirsch and Seth Rogen. With Spielberg being one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his personal life has been long analyzed by viewers and how it relates to his work; now with a film seeming to dig

further into that past, it’s something impossible to pass up for any lover of his work.

There are many other great films that will be populating cinemas in the coming months, but even with these few, it’s simultaneously

overwhelming

and invigorating as a filmgoer.

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

Salukis axe the Sycamores

Volleyball teammates cheer after a successful kill Nov. 4, 2022 at Davies Gym in Carbondale, Ill. Photos by Mo Collar | @m0.alexander

Freshman Annabelle Sulish and Brinley Burdette and junior Tatum Tornatta get ready for a serve from opposing team Nov. 4, 2022 at Davies Gym in Carbondale, Ill. Photos by Mo Collar | @m0.alexander

Freshman Brinley Burdette runs to spike Nov. 4, 2022 at Davies Gym in Carbondale, Ill. Photos by Mo Collar | @m0.alexander

Salukis make use of bye week after two loss streak

After two tough losses in the last two weeks, the first to South Dakota, and the second to Northern Iowa University, the Salukis go into their bye week in week ten.

The Dawgs were thrown off of a five game winning streak by South Dakota University in week eight. One week later, Southern hosted UNI and lost 3736, due to a missed field goal at the end of the fourth quarter failed to clinch the come-back win.

Heading into their bye week, many members of the Salukis say there’s plenty of work ahead of them if they want to get better.

“This isn’t on one guy, or one series, or anything. There are a lot of things that we can correct and get better, and that’s what we’ll do. We’ll own the two losses in a row, and it will sting, but now it’s time to regroup, ” said head coach Nick Hill.

He said this is the latest bye week that Southern Illinois has had since he has been at Southern. This could have played a role in the outcome of the last two games.

In the first game following the bye week, the Salukis will be hosting North Dakota State University.

“We’ll take a few days to step back, and then we’ll work on some things, rest the guys that need it, and get ahead for North Dakota State and have a great week of practices,” Hill said.

Key players like twin brothers Avante and Dante Cox agreed that the players need to reconnect before they go back out on the field.

“We all need to trust the guy next to us, and do our individual jobs,” Dante said.

Players like Avante Cox, who have been playing with healing injuries all season are going to be taking this bye week time to rest up so they are ready for NDSU.

“Playing with the injury that I’ve had all season, this week I’m going to rest a bit, taking not as many physical reps, but more mental reps and watch more film,” he said.

Looking forward to the next home game the Salukis are dialing in on winning strategies.

“It comes down to, we have to find a way to win next time we step out at home,” Hill said.

In week three of the season, Avante Cox and Hill talked about how the team was playing as a unit and how the sideline and the players on the field are playing as one, not playing for themselves. This has continued throughout the season.

“We’re not doing much different, we’re still playing as a unit, the sideline is still supporting those who are on the field. I think we’re just not capitalizing and taking those little details into consideration,” Avante Cox said.

The Dawgs will take on North Dakota State University in week ten, at Saluki Stadium at 1 p.m.

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

Ro Elliot (1) runs the ball down the field as he is approached by Northern Iowa Spencer Cuvelier (41) during the Blackout Cancer game Oct. 29, 2022 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphotography

so i heard this is a green school now....

Sophie Whitten

Sophie Whitten swhitten@dailyegyptian.com