The Daily Egyptian - September 22, 2021

THE

Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.

DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

VOL. 104, ISSUE 24

COVID-19 exposures impact education Janiyah Gaston | @janiyah_reports Teachers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are making adjustments for students missing in-person classes due to COVID-19 exposure.

Christivel Zulu, a teaching assistant (TA) in the English department, said she has six students learning virtually from her English 102 classes and has set up a Zoom feed to the classroom to accommodate them.

Zulu said SIU-C should implement procedures that will help students who are missing class because of COVID, such as having advisors coordinate requests for work extensions and excused absences.

Morgan Perdue (left) helps Rose Calhoun (right) dress in their wizard robe for work Sept. 13, 2021 at 9 3/4 Espresso in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

After only a year of business, 9 ¾ Expresso is already leaving an impact on the community in a very unique way.

The small cafe under the stairs is head-to-toe Harry Potter inspired, complete with baristas dressed in wizarding robes, a floating broomstick and plenty of potions and tonics to choose for drinks.

The cafe is in a bright, open room in the building, but getting to it required a walk through a small dark closet that was dubbed the “Harry Potter Closet” at the E. Clair Beauty salon, owned by Elizabeth Strusz.

The hallway that now connects the cafe to the salon was not in the original design of the building, so the team had to walk through a break room and then that closet before they could reach the elevator.

“Every time you walk through this dingy, scary closet, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, it’s a Potter closet’ because you just ‘poof!’ and you’re in this beautiful, sunny area,” Strusz said.

During the pandemic, Strusz bought the building and took out part of the wall, creating a hallway and making the room easily accessible to the salon.

“Once you take out a brick wall and you have a Harry Potter closet and you realize people like caffeine and you’re a huge geek, you marry all that together and you wind up with 9 ¾ Expresso,” Strusz said.

Once the idea of the cafe was formed, Strusz partnered with Jen’s Joe to supply the coffee beans for the cafe.

“Originally, Jen’s Joe had coffee here, starting four years ago, and she got the opportunity to move over to Buckwater,” Strusz said.

Morgan Perdue (left) and Rose Calhoun (right) wave their wizarding wands Sept. 13, 2021 at 9 3/4 Espresso in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Please see LOCAL CAFE | 8

“I’m disappointed in the leadership to a certain degree.

I wish that it hadn’t taken a governor’s mandate to spur them into action.”

- Dawn Roberts Graduate Assistant

“It will help students to continue catching up with their own work if they are not attending class,” Zulu said.

Gov. JB Pritzker issued an executive order on Sep.19 requiring healthcare workers, pre-kindergarten through grade12 staff, higher education staff and students to get the COVID-19 vaccine. While this mandate has been put into place, students are still missing out on class because of COVID-19. According to Zulu in the beginning it was a struggle to get students who were exposed caught up with class.

Remote or hybrid options haven’t been limited just to students in quarantine as a result of COVID exposure.

Dawn Roberts, a 52 year-old graduate assistant in public health, said she was able to move her program online to avoid risks associated with taking classes in person.

A long time Carbondale resident and Saluki graduate student, Roberts said she understands SIU-C administrators had a difficult decision to make in balancing student safety, and academic success for students that face structural obstacles in remote learning situations.

“I’m disappointed in the leadership to a certain degree. I wish that it hadn’t taken a governor’s mandate to spur them to action,” Roberts said. “ I think the balance could have been better achieved by not squashing access to remote or hybrid courses this semester.

I think that was a mistake.”

Roberts and Jessica Allee, an editor at Reader Supported News whose husband is an SIU-C professor, were part of a group that circulated a petition demanding the university institute a vaccine mandate and more remote work options before Gov. Pritzker’s mandate was announced.

Please see COVID-19 | 3

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Wednesday, September 22, 2021

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Despite decreased enrollment, SIU has largest freshmen class in five years

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About Us

The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of Southern Illinois University Carbondale on a weekly basis. Fall and spring semester editions run every Wednesday. Free copies are distributed in the Carbondale, Carterville, and Springfield communities. The Daily Egyptian can be found at www. dailyegyptian.com or on the Daily Egyptian app!

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

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

Copyright Information @2021 The Daily Egyptian. All rights reserved. All content is property of the Daily Egyptian and may not be reproduced or transmitted without consent. The Daily Egyptian is a member of the Illinois College Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, College Media Advisers Inc. and the College Business and Advertising Managers Inc.

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

Anika Svancarek | asvancarek@dailyegyptian.com Joel Kottman | @JoelKottman This fall, SIU has experienced a 4.5 percent increase in enrollment of new students leading to the largest Saluki freshman class in five years.

While freshman enrollment increased for the second year in a row, overall enrollment continues to slightly decline.

In a SIU press release, data showed that 75.5% of last year’s freshmen returned this fall and the number of new transfers increased 3.5% over last year to 1,175 students.

Compared to SIU data in 2016 less than 660 freshmen returned for the fall semester and fewer than 16,000 students were enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs. This marked a 7.6% decrease from 2015, yet enrollment for Fall 2021 seems to have stabilized.

Chancellor Austin Lane said it was thanks to faculty, staff and students going above and beyond that SIU was able to change the downward trajectory.

“I want to personally thank each of them for rallying around enrollment, and working tirelessly to show the unique opportunities future Salukis have,” Lane said.

Kim Rendfeld, chief communications officer at SIU, said that SIU no longer requires SAT and ACT test scores. The university launched the Saluki Commitment for graduating high school seniors and the Saluki Transfer Commitment for community college transfers, which are two programs that close financial gaps in tuition for Illinois students who qualify.

Lane said, despite the challenges and obstacles faced by COVID, the campus community persevered.

“The students followed safety protocols, and many became vaccinated,” Lane said. “Because of their diligence, we were among the first universities to hold in-person fall classes and activities, and we have kept that promise.”

Rendfeld said that SIU has taken several measures to increase enrollment including forming a task force, reinstituting scholarships, offering financial aid earlier, and reaching out to admitted students via phone calls and hundreds of handwritten postcards.

Kayleigh White, a freshman majoring in Chemistry with a focus on Biochemistry said that she heard about SIU through a college fair at her high school.

“The admissions coordinator had a table set up and really sold my friends and I on this school,” White said. “All three of the people that went up to his table that day are here at SIU now.”

White said SIU sent quite a bit of swag including emails, phone calls and merchandise.

“That did sway my decision slightly during my decision making process because it made me feel like SIU wanted me

here, and that I could make it through college successfully,” White said.

Monika Fudala, a Masters student in Communication Studies said there has been a lot of emphasis on self promotion for SIU. “One example was when our chancellor was driving people around on a go-kart to class,” Fudala said. “This was a very personal gesture to get to know the chancellor, and it can help retain current students and stand out to prospective students,” Rendfeld saidthe pandemic posed many challenges both on and off campus including restrictions in response to COVID-19 that prevented recruiters from visiting high schools and community colleges.

Fudala said SIU has changed over the last four years because her first year as a junior seemed the most lively, pre- COVID and her second year was depressing since her classes were online due to the pandemic.

“My third year has seemed to pick up a little bit, and I can tell people feel way better being back in person, but the overall mood still seems dampened because of the Delta variant,” Fudala said.

Despite the pandemic, Rendfeld said SIU is committed to providing fun, safe extracurricular activities that are compliant with current health and safety protocols.

These include Weeks of Welcome events to get new freshmen and returning students involved in the campus community.

Many of these activities range from Light Up the Lake, an evening of glow-in-the-dark fun and Dawg’s Night Out at the Student Center all the way to the RSO Involvement Fair and the Saluki Sprint where Saluki freshmen and new transfers sprint across the football field before the game.

“I did the Saluki Sprint when I transferred here in Fall 2019 which was very memorable,” Fudala said. “I also enjoy getting involved in clubs and going to events SIU has, like the Bob Ross Paint Night that COLA hosts every year.”

Fudala said the decrease in enrollment at SIU was due to SIU stopping their advertising.

“SIU stopped advertising a while ago and people only hear of our school and programs offered through word of mouth. I think that has had a huge impact on the decrease of enrollment in the last decade,” Fudala said.

Despite these obstacles, Rendfeld said SIU is focused on the future.

“SIU is truly the place to be. I’ve met a lot of really cool people here, and the general energy of the campus is really awesome,” White said.

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

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Page 3

Abortion providers brace for threats, restrictions in wake of Texas ruling

Jason Flynn | @dejasonflynn Jamilah Lewis | @jamilahlewis

Alison Dreith, the deputy director of Hope Clinic for Women, has faced threats from anti-abortion organizers for years, some in the form of legal attacks aiming to restrict access to the medical service, and others threatening her life.

“I got one [death threat] by one of the people that was arrested at the [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh hearing,” Dreith said.

“Then, I started to get threats at my house instead of at work, and so I was like, ‘okay, it’s time to go. They found our address’.”

Dreith, said many older abortion providers who have experienced past trauma from anti-abortion extremists still live in fear of terroristic retribution.

In 1982 Dr. Hector Zevallos, the director of Hope Clinic at the time, and his wife were kidnapped by extremists in the group Army of God, according to the New York Times.

Dreith said another doctor at Hope clinic, who has been working since 1995, now in his 70s, still fears speaking to the press.

However, a younger generation of advocates are working to reverse the national climate of abortion stigma, Dreith said.

Qudsiyyah Shariyf, the 24 yearold program manager at Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF), said it’s more productive to describe the fund’s work and views as proabortion, as opposed to pro-choice or other language that obscures structural issues in accessing abortion services.

“We’re actually a part of a coalition with other reproductive health and justice organizations in Illinois, and we’re working on pursuing our policy agenda that is grounded in reproductive justice,

and not just reform,” Shariyf said.

“Really creating sustainable and systemic change that creates the possibilities for people to make choices.”

CAF, one of the oldest abortion funds in the country, has rapidly increased its support directly funding abortions for the last three years. Shariyf said the organization funded 183 people in 2018, over 800 people in 2019, over 1600 people in 2020 and has already passed 1600 people two-thirds of the way through 2021.

needs an abortion can get one.

“We also don’t think that anyone owes us an explanation for why they need that support,” Stern said.

Dreith grew up in Alton, Ill. and was a student at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU) in 1999.

“You know, [I] flunked out in my first year,” Dreith said. “I remember there was a group of retired women that would drive patients from Carbondale and southern Illinois up to Hope every Saturday.”

well as childcare and language interpretation,” Stern said.

Those obstacles have become more acute in Kentucky, Stern said, as the supermajority of Republicans in the state legislature, “have reiterated every year since [2017] that restricting access to legal abortions is top priority for them.”

Since then, Stern said she’s kept a contingency plan for what KHJN would do if abortion were banned in the state and the last clinics were forced to close.

“I got one [death threat] by one of the people that was arrested at the [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh hearing” - Alison Dreith Deputy Director of Hope Clinic for Women

Hundreds of requests for support come to CAF from outside the state, most often Indiana.

“In July, we had over 340 requests for support, and pretty much month to month, we’re seeing somewhere between 250 and over 300 calls,” Shariyf said, and the fund has so far filled every request.

Meg Stern, the abortion support funds director at Kentucky Health Justice Network (KHJN), said the network has supported over 5,500 callers since it launched its help line in 2013.

Midwest Access Coalition (MAC), another practical abortion fund, provided over $223,000 to pay expenses for people seeking abortions around the country.

Dreith, Shariyf and Stern are part of a web of staff, volunteers and donors organizing nationwide to ensure anybody who wants or

After about six years in Carbondale, Dreith said she spent about 12 years organizing for abortion access in Missouri.

Dreith started at Planned Parenthood in 2009, the day after Dr. [George] Tiller, a Kansas physician and abortion provider was murdered.

“That was close to home from Missouri,” Dreith said. “Dr. Tiller was a person who physicians were friends with, were colleagues.”

The following year, in 2010, Stern said KHJN conducted a statewide survey to determine the biggest barriers to abortion access.

“We learned what we would have guessed, which was that the five biggest barriers to abortion access were funding, transportation or travel, lodging for overnight accommodations for those who have to travel out of town, as

Most people seeking abortions and funding would be directed to independent clinics, such as Hope Clinic for Women, located in states where abortion access has been legally protected.

“Because of people being emboldened by what happened in Texas… we suspect many more states can go,” Dreith said. “Hope is well prepared to take on that patient load. Our building was built to see about 10 thousand patients a year, and we’re only seeing half of that, so we can see a lot more patients.”

For now, though, the abortion restrictions upheld in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt case at the end of August have yet to make abortion illegal, even in Texas, Dreith and Stern both said.

“Even in Texas, people can get abortions before six weeks,” Stern said. “And there’s a lot of support

COVID-19 continued from

for people that need to leave Texas.”

Cindy Buys, a law professor at SIU, said there are already legal challenges at the federal and state levels to the Texas case that will take a long time to work through the courts.

“The Department of Justice has sued in the state of Texas to block the implementation of the Texas law. They’re scheduled to hear the first oral arguments on that on October 1,” Buys said. “There is a lower federal court in Texas that already has prevented one of the

1

Allee said while she understands many faculty members asked for a return to in person classes, SIU-C administrators should have been more proactive in accommodating faculty members who wanted remote or hybrid options.

“I think the problem is that we’re in the semester now,” Allee said.

“The shortsightedness of the university and not having had a stronger protocol around this set in place before we start the semester is the real problem.”

Zulu said that providing students a more flexible way to catch up would help reduce stress while waiting for a COVID test.

Ryann Willard, a Theater TA, said that there have been about eight to ten students missing out of every Theater 101 due to quarantine protocols.

“For me it is almost impossible to do Zoom and class at the same time because we do so many activities,” Willard said. “That’s why I upload all of my powerpoints so students can see what I taught on that day and keep up that way, and then I let them know what pages in the book to read,” It is stressful to keep track of who is recovering from COVID, and make sure they get their homework, according to Willard. She said SIU-C should help more with the process.

“It usually takes a couple days for me to get an email from someone

letting me know that [they’ll be absent],” Willard said. “It falls on the teachers to help them.”

Willard said the administration is doing a poor job of communicating with teachers about how long students will be out, and it’s hard to figure out whether or not students should be sending assignments because teachers do not know how sick students are.

With the lack of communication from the administration about students’ conditions when it comes to COVID, it has become difficult to keep up with who is not turning in their assignments because they are too sick or they just do not feel like doing it Willard said.

Teachers and students have a hard enough time trying to stay safe and avoid getting COVID, but the lack of communication between administration and teachers is adding more stress to the current situation.

“I think that this is kind of the university administration showing its true colors... And the university is choosing to placate and play to what the students are most concerned with, but not necessarily the faculty,” Roberts said.

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

pro-life groups from being able to sue Planned Parenthood in Texas, under the law.”

Dreith, Shariyf and Stern said that while their organizations have been preparing for a world in which abortion access is extremely restricted, it will take a larger movement to reverse course.

“We need the rest of society and our allies to come on board because, as I mentioned, I think other marginalized groups will certainly be next,” Dreith said.

“This is all just, you know, a big build up to the death rattle of White supremacy. So, we’ll keep on fighting.”

Staff reporters Jason Flynn and Jamilah Lewis can be reached at jflynn@dailyegyptian.com and jlewis@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter @dejasonflynn and @jamilahlewis.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Page 4

SIU to address long standing racial disparity in punishment Janiyah Gaston | @janiyah_reports Jason Flynn | jflynn@dailyegyptian.com

The Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) office at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, which reviews student conduct violations at Southern Illinois University, developed a new process for handling minor infractions which administrators hope will reduce the racial disparity in administrative action reports.

In previous years, Black students at SIU received 39.6 percent of all disciplinary actions from Jan. 2015 to Jan. 2021, though Black students only made up 13 to 15 percent of the student population, according to university records obtained in a Freedom of Information Act Request.

White students, who made up 62.7 to 64.6 percent of the student population, accounted for 39.8 percent of disciplinary actions.

Brian Beccue, assistant dean of students at SRR, said this “restorative justice conversation” is intended to provide an informal path for handling code of conduct violations, such as noise violations, underage alcohol consumption or cannabis use, that would previously

be formally added to students’ permanent records.

“We’d be looking at doing more of a conversation with the hall director about the alleged student’s impact to the community,” Beccue said. “And that wouldn’t be part of their student conduct record.”

While other groups restorative justice frameworks involve addressing or repairing damage in past incidents, Beccue said the new SRR procedure is only applied to cases from the Fall 2021 term forward.

The process is similar to one implemented at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Beccue said.

Justin Brown, associate dean of students at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said there, cannabis offences are treated similarly to incidents of underage possession of alcohol, which are typically processed through an informal resolution process before disciplinary action is taken.

“I think our procedures give us a lot of leeway to correct their behavior before facing formal disciplinary actions,” Brown said. “There is a workshop called challenging alcohol attitudes positively workshop we

refer students to, and then for marijuana there is a marijuana information class.”

Brown said the UIUC administration does look at data for race and ethnicity to make sure there are no patterns or issues with harsher punishments being passed on because of race.

Although UIUC allows student and faculty input in policies, it does not get rid of all possibilities of discirmination on campus to African American students, Brown said.

“I certainly have talked to African American, Latinx and other students who have reported discriminatory treatment at various points in their time at the university and in town and in regard to police and with security at local establishments,” Brown said.

In a November 2019 story, the Daily Egyptian reported twice as many Black students at SIU had been referred for cannabis offences in 2017. In 2018, 77 Black students were reported to SRR compared to 29 White students.

In a December 2019 story, Ben Ruddell, criminal justice policy director at the ACLU of Illinois, said it was disturbing but not surprising

that students of color were bearing the brunt of enforcement of marijuana infractions on campus.

“Although people of different races use marijuana and other drugs at similar rates, there is a long and ongoing history of disproportionate enforcement of drug laws against Black and Brown people,” Ruddell said.

John Dunn, SIU’s interim vice chancellor at the time, said in 2019 a working group was appointed to, “take a deeper dive into the data to understand the drivers, since referrals come from multiple sources, and we need to fully understand the correlations.”

A report from the working group, which Beccue said was lead by Lori Stettler, the vice chancellor of student affairs at the time, was not available at the time this article was published.

Aujalee Gordon, an SIU alumni, said she was involved in multiple incidents where campus police were called to investigate a cannabis infraction.

Gordon said she was ticketed after her roommate reported her to a Resident Assistant (RA) for smoking in the dorm room. The RA in turn brought in campus police. Gordon

said the lead officer was a Black man, and she felt he must have empathized with her.

“He just had seen pictures of my mom on the wall, basically knowing she is a single mother, started telling me don’t disappoint your mother,” Gordon said. “After that I never smoked on campus ever again.”

After the incident, Gordon said she changed dorms and would smoke only off campus, but faced repeated issues when RAs smelled lingering cannabis smoke on her clothes and called campus police to investigate.

“Every time the police came I let them search because they always say if you aint got nothing to hide or whatever it shouldn’t be a problem,” Gordon said.

The later searches were conducted

by White officers, Gordon said, and one officer in particular often threatened to get her kicked out of school.

“After that, I just started changing my clothes so I wouldn’t have any trouble,” Gordon said. “It was always a shock when I told people how many times the police came to my room.”

Please see DISPARITY | 5

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Page 5

Menstrual hygiene products in bathrooms: Ending period poverty

Carolyn Dickte | carolynd@dailyegyptian.com

A bill signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in August requires all Illinois colleges to make feminine hygiene products freely available in campus restrooms.

Many students at SIU haven’t seen the bill come to fruition on campus.

Amber Koteras, a sophomore, said she has never been to a school restroom that has provided tampons or pads for free and is frustrated when she isn’t able to provide the products for a friend or herself.

“It definitely brings the question of, ‘how willing is my school to meet my basic needs?’,” Koteras said.

Koteras said hygiene products, such as tampons, pads and panty liners are expensive for college students with limited incomes.

“We don’t have a lot of money,” Koteras said. “It makes it hard for people who are financially struggling to get what they need.”

Janine Armstrong, president of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Resident Student Organization at SIU, said people in need of menstrual hygiene products often have to ask others in the restroom if they have extras.

Otherwise, people lacking those menstrual hygiene products might have to take significant time out of their day

to shop at an off campus store or pick something up from their home.

Tracy Williams, an SIU resident assistant (RA), said other schools she attended in the southern Illinois area had hygiene products available, but she hadn’t seen them in many restrooms at SIU. SIU had made menstrual hygiene products available on a trial basis in 2019, according to The State JournalRegister, but the administration decided it didn’t have the financial resources to keep up with the high demand.

Armstrong said she’s happy these products will be added to women’s restrooms on public university

campuses, as it could reduce students’ financial burden by thousands of dollars over their years at school.

“I think it’s going to take away from the shame because that product will be right there,” she said.

The bill does have a blind spot with regard to menstrual hygiene among trans people, Armstrong said, and universities should also make those products available in men’s restrooms.

“Trans men and gender nonbinary people who won’t go in the women’s bathrooms, and maybe won’t have access, and maybe get a fuller stigma for having to find a way to get what they need,” Armstrong said. “Maybe even having some more gender neutral

spaces on campus where those are plentily available can help with that issue of giving access.”

Since there are few unisex bathrooms on campus, the issue of trans men and gender nonbinary people having a safe place to get menstruation products still exists.

“So maybe even having some more gender neutral spaces on campus where those are plentily available can help with that issue of giving access but also adjusting for the fact that we know we don’t live in a perfect world” said Armstrong.

Beccue said, and DPS would handle the referral, which would be reviewed

by SRR. Students did not have to be found in possession of cannabis to face disciplinary action, Beccue said, there just had to be a preponderance of evidence that a violation occurred.

According to past reporting by the Daily Egyptian, the most common reason for cannabis referral was the

odor of cannabis being present.

Beccue said DPS no longer handles cannabis referrals, and the odor of cannabis was discarded as a reason for referral in 2020. In 2020 there were 42 total cannabis related referrals, according to university documents, down significantly from previous years, though Beccue said part of the decline is likely due to circumstances surrounding the COVID pandemic.

“The goal, holistically, from Student Rights and Responsibilities, but also when we train hall directors when they do these cases, it’s to educate the students about the policy, about the situation that took place,” Beccue said.

“What I’m hoping with the restorative justice conversations is to provide the ability to still do that, but not have the structure of, ‘okay here is, here’s your sanction, and it’s on your Student

Conduct record.’”

SIU policy states that records of code of conduct violations are expunged after seven years, excepting suspensions and expulsions.

Staff reporter Carolyn Dickte can be reached at carolynd@dailyegyptian.com.

Disparity 4 continued from

Beccue, who has worked in SRR since 2018, said part of the reason for the racial disparity is the referral process, which SRR does not control.

The vast majority of referrals come from SIU housing, most often RAs, and the Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Before cannabis was legalized in Illinois in January 2020, RAs would report cannabis violations to DPS,

Staff reporters Janiyah Gaston and Jason Flynn can be reached at jgaston@dailyegyptian.com, jflynn@ dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram at @ janiyah_reports.

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Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Look Ahead America calling for justice for Capitol insurrectionists Jamilah Lewis | @jamilahlewis

The “Justice for J6” rally took place Saturday Sept. 18th at 12:00 p.m. in Union Square, in Washington, D.C. with a lower turnout than expected, and a small lineup of speakers talking about Americans’ constitutional rights.

According to D.C. police, there were around 400 attendees Attendees gathered to listen to scheduled speakers, and no violent incidents were reported.

Matt Braynard, whose organization Look Ahead America co-organized the event, said the purpose of the rally was to highlight the alleged mistreatment of participants in the Jan. 6 rally after which supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol Building.

The first speaker, who was identified only as Kelly, is the girlfriend of Jonathan Mellis, who was detained for participation in the Jan. 6 riot.

“Last night for dinner they were served four pieces of white bread, a cookie and a packet of tartar sauce,” Kelly said. “According to them, that’s a nutritious meal.”

Kelly said the treatment of prisoners should be a nonpartisan issue. Jeffery Zink, whose son Ryan Zink was arrested in February, said his son lost his job and home after being incarcerated for six weeks.

“When the FBI came to my doorstep and interrogated me for an hour and a half,

they cleared me of any wrongdoing… they couldn’t find one ounce of evidence to hold me,” Jeffrey Zink said. “However, my son on February the fourth, had his door kicked in by 15 FBI agents, flashbang him and his dog, and put him on the floor, and handcuffed him, and dragged him out of his house.”

Jeffrey Zink said the cells in the jail where

Proffitt’s letter goes on to explain that this could happen to any of them if they don’t accept America’s status quo.

Republican candidate for Georgia’s U.S. House of Representatives District 10, Mike Collins, said the people arrested for nonviolent crimes should be able to go on trial for their crimes.

Representatives District 3 Joe Kent, who was endorsed by Trump, described the participants of the Jan. 6 riot as political prisoners, and compared their treatment to foreign Iraq war prisoners.

“It’s Banana Republic stuff when political prisoners are arrested and denied due process that happens overseas all the time,” said Kent.

“We’re going to stand up, and continue fighting for these people.”

- Matt Braynard Look Ahead America

his son was held had black mold, and his son wasn’t allowed to speak to his attorney or family members.

Cara Castronuova, a co-organizer of the event, read a letter from Nichole Proffitt whose husband is an insurrection detainee.

Proffitt said her husband was put in the ICU for eight days with a lack of care for his health, religion and his civil liberties.

“The false narrative of January 6 being an insurrection when not one person has been charged with this crime is doing nothing but tampering with a potential jury pool and perpetuating fear when in reality, the only thing for fear of being complacent,” said Castronuova, reading Proffitt’s letter.

“I don’t want to pretend to know who’s innocent and who’s guilty, but I’ll tell you what I do see. I see people who are being held for nonviolent crimes, and they deserve that day in court,” Collins said. “They deserve to have their sixth and eighth amendments upheld otherwise they are political prisoners.

They are being used to suppress law-abiding American citizens from expressing their first amendment rights.”

Collins said President Joe Biden’s administration is pushing a narrative that people held in connection to the Jan. 6 riot are being treated the same as left-wing protestors.

Candidate for Washinton’s U.S. House of

“Our enemies are those that will deny people their constitutional rights, and then take the narrative that labels all of us as terrorists or insurrectionists for just questioning things.”

According to Look Ahead America’s website, there are 17 more rallies slated in various states through October.

“You cannot have a two-tier justice system based on what you believe,” said Braynard.

“I don’t care what your political strife is. It’s intolerable, and we’re going to stand up and continue fighting for these people.”

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

Page 7

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

International communities help expat students combat cultural isolation

Nation Adhikari | nadhikari@dailyegyptian.com

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIU-C) has students from more than 175 nations.

Amrit‌‌Bhusal,‌a‌ civil engineering graduate student from Nepal, said local expat communities set up welcome programs to help newer international students adjust to life in Carbondale. “[The] Nepalese community gives the welcome program to the incoming Nepalese students,” Bhusal said. “It also organizes different programs on various occasions to promote brotherhood and unity.”

Various international communities at SIU-C organize festivals and games to provide a home-like atmosphere, Bhusal said. “‌Despite‌ ‌all,‌ I strongly miss ‌their‌ ‌local‌ cuisine‌‌ ‌ here,” Bhusal said. “We play soccer at the evening. We are a bunch of students playing so it really creates a friendly environment. Gathering on various occasions, and playing together makes me feel at home in this foreign land.’’

Abed Sanad Aziz, a graduate student from Jordan, said international students with a variety of distinct backgrounds often band together in new groups.

“It is always interesting to interact with people here and learn about their communities and backgrounds,” Aziz said.

“Students need to confront different ways of thinking and doing in the United States.”

Every year in April, the Center for International Education (CIE) organizes the International Flag Parade for students and staff. ‘‘SIU has a unique program to represent diversified international students,” Aziz said.

“It is really a joy to wave a country flag in an international platform with a sense of unity and belongingness.”

In his spare time, Aziz said he’s taken time to enjoy Carbondale’s access to lakes, parks and concerts.

“We‌ ‌can‌ ‌also‌ ‌go‌ ‌fishing‌ ‌after‌ ‌having‌ ‌a‌ ‌license,‌ ‌as‌ ‌many‌ ‌come‌ ‌fishing‌ ‌during‌ ‌the‌ ‌evening‌ ‌to‌ ‌relax,” Aziz said. “There‌ ‌are‌ ‌concerts‌ ‌at‌ ‌different‌ ‌times‌ ‌during‌ ‌the‌ ‌evening.‌ ‌I‌ ‌really‌ ‌enjoy‌ ‌it‌, ‌and‌ ‌believe‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌wonderful‌ ‌place‌ ‌to‌ ‌interact‌ ‌with‌ ‌different‌ ‌people.”

What he likes here is, people are very much polite and helpful, he said.

“I have made many friends and it is nice to learn about their culture and taste their food as well,” he continued.

Amrit Bhusal, an international student from Nepal, stands in front of a sculpture Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021 at SIU in Carbondale, Ill. “The main reason I came to SIU is most of my professors studied for their masters here at SIU. They told me a lot of good things about SIU: friendly environment, good professors, and good research opportunities. So I decided to come here,” Bhusal said. Sophia Rogers | sophia.rogers@siu.edu

“Gathering on various occasions, and playing together makes me feel at home in this foreign land.”

- Amrit‌ ‌Bhusal Civil engineering graduate student

When asked about the reason for being in the United States, Aziz and Bhusal said American universities provide a higher quality education and skills compared to their home countries.

Bhusal said teachers at SIU-C are practical and concise, and have motivated learning environments.

“Lectures are not difficult to understand,

and professors focus on making the students understand the concept of the topics,” Bhusal said.

Elsnousi Bushra, an SIU-C student from Sudan, said undergraduate international students can face financial hardships, especially those from developing countries.

By percentage, international graduate students are the most likely to seek emergency assistance from the Saluki pantry, according to University records.

“SIU has been very much supportive in giving international students opportunities and internships in the form of scholarships and assistantships,” Bushra said.

Bus services have also been critical for international students, Aziz said, for commuting or managing daily chores.

“We‌ ‌do‌ ‌not‌ ‌have‌ ‌a‌ ‌car‌ ‌as‌ ‌soon‌ ‌as‌ ‌we‌ ‌come‌ ‌here,” Aziz said.

International students also often have to overcome social isolation, Bushra said, and COVID restriction amplified that isolation.

“COVID-19 has affected gathering and interaction, so I urged everyone to reach out to each other more and try to form a strong connection,” Bushra said. ‘‘International students have been involved in various events like Bingo games, coffee hour, concerts, poetry club, etcetera, organized by the student center and the Center for International Education. I liked the poetry club the most.”

Aziz, Bhusal and Bushra said SIU-C should place more focus on helping new international students find other students who went through the same experience, by providing an online resources page with contacts from different communities to reach out to.

Staff Reporter Nation Adhikari can be reached at nadhikari@dailyegyptian.com.

Page 8

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Katie Day (left) and Layla Daugherty (middle) receive their drinks from Morgan Perdue (right) at 9 3/4 Expresso Sept. 13, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

“At that point, she was looking at two places and I said, ‘Hey, I want to run with this idea, but I still want to use your beans. I love your flavor and I love what you do, so I want to work with you but run it just a little differently.’”

The artwork includes everything from a Lego Hedwig to the painted stairwell that the cafe sits beneath.

“I think the part that I love the most is, while this is in theory my idea, it has so much written from everybody else,” Strusz said.

The post is one of the many ways the cafe helps every person who walks in the shop feel welcome.

“I was heavily bullied as a kid and bullied for stupid reasons,” Strusz said. “So one of the biggest things that we have worked on is making sure that we’re inclusive to everybody.”

According to Strusz, inclusion doesn’t stop at the pride flags hanging on the walls but continues through caring for the community when they need help and support.

“One of the coolest things that has happened so far is a woman from Cape Girardeau sent me a private message saying her kid just

welcome and that you have a place to come to [...] Everybody has a seat at our table,” Strusz said.

Morgan Perdue, an employee of the cafe, said the best part of working at the cafe is the sense of inclusivity in the building.

“I’ve never had an environment so accepting of not only LGBT+ but also with your own personal mental health days. If you need that, we allow that here,” Perdue said.

Rose Calhoun, another employee of 9 ¾ Expresso, said they came from working in the fast food industry to the cafe and immediately felt the change in the

cafe as soon as they tried on their wizarding robe.

“I was like, ‘I’m really working in a wizard costume right now’ and I just felt so comfortable and I felt like I was my own person,” Calhoun said.

Strusz reiterated that the baristas play a major role in the inclusivity of the cafe.

“Every barista that works here puts so much work into the magic that you can’t help but feel loved when you come in,” Strusz said.

Strusz encouraged the community to stop by to visit the cafe and take part in the magic and wonder of it.

“I knew from the second I walked in that this place was an accepting place and I felt comfortable in the environment. Even if I’m just working as a barista, it feels like I’m more than just a barista, I’m part of a family.”

- Rose Calhoun 9 3/4 Expresso Employee

Jen’s Joe gave Strusz their blessing and they continue to work together to create coffee for both 9 ¾ Expresso and Jen’s Joe. After the cafe secured its source of coffee, the entire team of employees came together to take part in designing the artwork that encompasses the building.

“Everything that you see in here has been created by the people that have worked here,” Strusz said.

“I’ve said, ‘Here’s my idea, now put your flavor on it.’”

One piece of artwork that serves as both a decoration and a method of bringing magic to the cafe is the owl post, where customers can take and leave letters of encouragement for other customers visiting the cafe.

“The owl post is awesome because somebody, while they’re waiting for their coffee, might have something inspirational to pass on to the next person and the next person comes in and they can take it with them,” Strusz said.

came out to her as trans and didn’t know where to go,” Strusz said.

“We’re just a coffee shop, but the fact that you can reach out and ask me where to take your kid is super cool.”

Strusz said the 9 ¾ Expresso team is consistently working to improve the diversity of the community by making the cafe accessible to everybody.

“As long as you’re nice and kind, we really want to support you and we want to make sure that you feel

environment.

“I knew from the second I walked in that this place was an accepting place and I felt comfortable in the environment,” Calhoun said. “Even if I’m just working as a barista, it feels like I’m more than just a barista, I’m part of a family. I’m able to be who I am and everybody is super accepting of it.”

Calhoun said they had to wear a strict uniform in their last job so they felt a difference in the

“We’re definitely not just making drinks here, we’re wanting to sell the experience of being here and wanting to open a welcoming environment. If you don’t feel as accepted at your own place or your home, you have a place here you can call family,” Perdue said.

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

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Page 9

A Lego Hedwig rests on a bookshelf at 9 3/4 Expresso Sept. 13, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Morgan Purdue pours a drink Sept. 13, 2021 at 9 3/4 Expresso in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Rose Calhoun receives their order from 9 3/4 Expresso Sept. 13, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Letters wait to be written and received by customers at 9 3/4 Expresso Sept.

13, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Page 10

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Annual Apple Festival returns Sophie Whitten |

@swhittenphotography

After cancelling the 2020 Murphysboro Apple Festival due to Covid-19, the festival returned to Southern Illinois for fall 2021.

Kelly Stuart (left) and Bob Hall (right) wait on customers at the Kiwanis Club of Murphysboro stand Sept. 17, 2021 at the annual Apple Festival in Murphysboro, Ill. Hall is the co-chair of the grand parade and has been working with the stand for the festival since 1974.

“I have too many favorite memories to count,” Hall said. Sophie Whitten | @ swhittenphotography

Apple festival attendees enjoy their food during a game of bingo at the Apple Festival Sept. 17, 2021 in Murphysboro, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Sarah Dorau, an SIU alumnus, sells her artwork, candles, and pottery at the annual Apple Festival Sept. 17, 2021 in Murphysboro, Ill. Dorau made her candles from upcycled glass yogurt cups as a way of reducing waste. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Kim Mathis pulls a funnel cake from the fryer Sept. 17, 2021 at the annual Apple Festival in Murphysboro, Ill. It is Mathis’s 5th year with the food stand at the Apple Festival and she said she enjoyed how friendly the community is during the festivities. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Kira Marks spins wool into yarn at the Cedar Ridge Farm booth Sept. 17, 2021 at the annual Apple Festival in Murphysboro, Ill. Marks learned to prep fiber for spinning and can now process raw wool for spinning and weaving from her Pygora goats. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Page 11

Deborah Woods brings handouts and treat bags to participants of the Women for Change rally Sept. 18, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

Signs reading “Shooting makes you a victim too...” and “Return peace to our community!” sit in front of the Women for Change rally Sept. 18, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

March for Unity brings southern Illinois community together Janiyah Gaston | @janiyah_reports

Women For Change hosted their annual March For Unity Parade, which went from Rock Hill Baptist Church to Attucks Park on Sept. 18.

Women For Change is an organization dedicated to helping the Carbondale Community through food gardens, entrepreneur programs and other projects. Ginger RyeSanders, the organization’s president, said this parade is the organization’s biggest event of the year.

“We network with a lot of organizations in town,” Sanders said.“We come together to march for change in Carbondale.”

According to Sanders they did have to make the celebration at Attucks Park smaller due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the message of the parade was the same.

“We are all a part of the same community, and need to come together to make a difference,” RyeSanders said.

The event had many different organizations from Shawnee Group Sierra Club, Spirit of Attucks, Attucks Service Board and Church Women Unite come to support Women For Changes cause by participating in the motorcade parade.

Jane Cogie, the chair of the Shawnee Group, has been a part of March for Unity since it started in 2016.

The Shawnee Group’s goal is to help the environment through various activities such as planting gardens and city clean ups.

“We want to work together to help change the community, make it healthier, and afford things for folks to do, especially young people,” Cogie said.

The Shawnee Group helped clean up the campus lake the first time

President of the Women for Change organization, Ginger Rye-Sanders, sings a song during the introduction of the Women for Change rally Sept. 18, 2021 in Carbondale, Ill. Sophie Whitten | @swhittenphotography

“The message I would want to send to others is that we must come together, and collectively be people that will change what is going on in Carbondale.”

- Ginger Rye-Sanders Women for Change president

the problems with blue green algae affected how safe the lake was for people.

Abdul Haqq, president of Attucks Service Board, said Women For Change is doing excellent work to spread awareness to the community.

“We share their goals for trying to reduce violence, and have grassroots efforts to empower the members of the community to find solutions among themselves, as well as to be united,” Haqq siad.

Attucks Service Board has programs similar to those Women For Change offers, providing meals to kids, and trying to end violence in Carbondale, Haqq said.

“The march helps the community because of Women for Change’s efforts to keep the community focused and aware of the importance of coming out, and supporting the diversity, and supporting programs, and that can help change their lives,” Haqq said.

Spirit of Attucks is made up of alumni from Attucks highschool.

They provide scholarships to people in the community. Carlton Smith, president of Spirit of Attucks,said this march is an important way to show the community that people are here to help.

“It is just a physical indication of unity,” Smith said.. “There is a whole cross section of people involved and it is just a physical deal of the fact that we are just trying to pull the

community together.”

Church Women United is made up of different churches and denominations from around Carbondale who fight against hunger in the community.

Martha Ellert, the president of Church Women United, said her organization is proud to be a part of Women for Change’s effort in bringing the community together.

“It is a way of showing that various parts of the community are united and want the best for the community,” Ellert said.

Leatreasa Lilly-Madison and Susan Harper said this event brings a lot of people together.

“God has graced us five years to do his will and his way for our community because we are supposed to be out doing ministry, and we do it through Women for Change,” Harper said.

Women For Change means a lot to the people in the community and inspires them to help.

“It brings about awareness. If you see me, and see that I am wearing this shirt, and see me holding a sign it makes you think. ‘What am I doing, and what can I do to help out in the Carbondale community’,” Madison said.

This event means a lot to so many people in this community because it spreads awareness and change through different programs such as gardens for the community, food drives and entrepreneur programs.

“The message I would want to send to others is that we must come together, and collectively be people that will change what is going on in Carbondale,” Sanders said.

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

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Sports

Margherita Giani jumps for a spike Sept. 17, 2021 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Chris Bishop | @ quippedmediallc

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Nataly Garcia dives for the ball Sept. 17, 2021 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. SIU lost to Southeast Missouri State University 0-3. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Saluki volleyball loses first two matches of Redhawk Invitational

Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001

The Saluki Women’s Volleyball team lost both of their Friday matches at the Redhawk Invitational in Cape Girardeau. SIU played the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears at 1 p.m, losing 3-1, and finished the night against the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks at 7 p.m, losing 3-0 as well.

Headlining Friday’s affairs for the Salukis was sophomore outside hitter Nsia Gittens, leading the Salukis in kills with 26 throughout

both matches. Freshman setter Anna Jaworski also made an impact, with 72 total assists throughout both matches, leading the Salukis.

Senior defensive specialist Katy Kluge led SIU in digs on the day with 33. Freshman middle hitter Averi Vanderzille led the Salukis in blocks with two. Sophomore defensive specialist Ryan Rednour and sophomore middle hitter Margherita Giani shared the lead in service aces with three a-piece.

SIU lost a heartbreaker in their first set with Central Kansas, tying things late at 24 all, but

lost the set 26-24. The Salukis dominated the second set with Central Kansas, winning 25-16 with a .367 hitting percentage to even things up at one-all.

The Sugar Bears rose to the challenge in set 3 with a dominant win of their own to take the lead at 2-1. The Salukis lost a close one in set four on a score of 25-20, losing the match against the Sugar Bears.

SIU looked to bounce back against the Redhawks in the evening but failed to earn more than 18 points against the Redhawks in

three sets. SIU lost 25-17 in the first set, 1825 in the second set, and 11-25 in the third set to finish the day off.

The Salukis will look to bounce back from a rough Friday with a match against the University of Tulsa Hurricanes on Saturday with a 12 p.m start time to finish the Redhawk Invitational.

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

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Page 13

Salukis thrilled to be back home before a big crowd

Brandyn Wilcoxen | @Brandyn_2020

Saluki Stadium allowed the maximum 15,000 fans for Saluki football’s home opener against the Dayton Flyers on Sept. 18, marking a return to full capacity two years in the making.

Southern Illinois was coming off a 31-23 defeat at the hands of Kansas State, dropping their record to 1-1 on the year. Meanwhile, Dayton won in its season opener last week 17-10 over Eastern Illinois.

While the Salukis impressed against FBS competition the previous week, even leading at halftime, head coach Nick Hill stressed the importance of not underestimating any opponent.

“This (Dayton) isn’t a lower-level opponent by any means,” Hill said in his weekly press conference. “They have had more success than us in the past 10 years so they’re a team that fully expects to win their league and be in the playoffs. They expect to win.”

While eyes are on the on-field product, the impact of fans returning to the stands did not go unnoticed.

“Our team is excited playing at home. It’s been two weeks on the road and we’ve played in different environments and we’re excited to

“Our team is excited playing at home.

It’s been two weeks on the road and we’ve played in different environments and we’re excited to play in Saluki Stadium.”

-Nick Hill Head coach

play in Saluki Stadium,” Hill said.

One player who looked forward to the home opener is Saluki was quarterback Nic Baker, who was playing at a full capacity Saluki Stadium for the first time since winning the starting role.

“I get a little nervous before games like these, but once we’re out there in front of the fans I’ll be good to go,” Baker said.

Baker’s history at Saluki Stadium includes minimal playing time in 2018 and 2019, an upset against No. 1 North Dakota State in his first career start last season, and a seasonending injury against Northern Iowa two weeks later.

With last season’s home games being limited to 20% capacity due to COVID restrictions, the Dayton game was Baker’s first home game in front of a full crowd since his time at

Rochester High School.

The fans themselves were just as excited to get back to the stands as the players are to see them. Dawg Pound President Dylan Chambers couldn’t wait for his first experience with full stands. Chambers is a sophomore, so while he attended all Saluki football home games last year, none were at full capacity.

“You can see it in pictures, and you can see it when it was filled.

You’d feel like ‘wow, that’s what it used to look like’,” Chambers said.

SIU football’s official Twitter account promoted the hashtag #PackThePound. The hashtag was also adopted by the Dawg Pound in an effort to drive turnout for the game.

“We want to be that student section that everybody wants to see on ESPN. We’re here to leave a

mark,” Chambers said.

With all the excitement surrounding the return of fans, just as important was the preparation of the Salukis themselves. Dayton canceled its 2020 season, and its scheduled week 1 game against Robert Morris was derailed by COVID issues, so SIU only has one game to analyze from the past 2 years ahead of Saturday’s contest.

Coach Nick Hill said he believed the lack of film won’t be a problem.

“You’d like to have more, but it’s just like playing a team the first week of the season and just like playing Kansas State with only one game through the season,” Hill said.

Baker agreed with Hill, also comparing Dayton to Kansas State in terms of SIU’s ability to prepare.

However, he mentioned that, even

with the high turnover that comes with college athletics, Dayton’s defensive scheme is similar to years past.

“They’ve been running the same defense for a few years, so we can look at past game film,” Baker said.

The last time Baker played a full game at Saluki Stadium, it ended with him earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week honors. After receiving the same award in week 1 against Southeast Missouri State, Baker looks to continue with another good performance.

“We want to get a winning streak going, build some momentum going into our conference schedule,” Baker said.

Not only is the football team focused on building momentum, but the Dawg Pound is also looking for a good showing as the season progresses.

“Everybody’s excited about it.

Everybody’s got high expectations, especially the sponsors,” Chambers said. “They want the Dawg Pound back and I said ‘challenge accepted’.”

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

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Sports

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

All Dawgs: Salukis crush Dayton Flyers in home opener 55-3

Ryan Scott | @ryanscott134 Joseph Bernard | @Jojobernard2001

The SIU football team (2-1) cruised to a relatively easy win Saturday Night against Dayton. The Salukis were favored by roughly 30 points to win and certainly lived up to expectations with a 55-3 final score.

The Salukis were strong in all areas throughout the night. On offense the Salukis were led by sophomore quarterback Nic Baker. Baker put up 235 passing yards with 16 completions on 21 attempts and threw three touchdown passes. Freshman quarterback Stone Norton also came in for relief during the fourth quarter to throw a touchdown pass of his own with two completions on four attempts.

The offense was extremely sound in the run game tonight as well, with a staggering 426 rushing yards and on the night. Sophomore running back Javon Williams Jr. led the running back room with 123 rushing yards

on three attempts, including a 73 yard rush for a touchdown late in the first quarter to kick things off for the Salukis.

Sophomore running back Justin Strong said he credits the offensive line for how well they were able to run the ball.

“It starts with the O-line. You got to give credit to the big boys. Opening up the holes, all week on film we said that these plays were gonna hit, that’s exactly what happened. All we have to do is go out on the field and execute and listen to the coaches,” Strong said.

Saluki wide receivers were in on the action too, with four coming up with touchdown catches. Senior Landon Lenoir, Junior Avante Cox, Junior Hunter Milligan and Senior Jerron Rollins each had a touchdown catch on the night.

The defense also did their job for the night, only allowing three points, coming up with three sacks, and creating seven tackles for loss on the night. Junior linebacker Makel Calhoun, who had four total tackles on the night with one for a loss, said gameplanning for Dayton quarterback Jack Cook helped the defense perform the way they did.

Scan the QR code to see the video associated with this story.

Justin Strong runs to the end zone for a 12 yard touchdown Sept. 18, 2021 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. The Salukis defeated the Dayton Flyers 55-3 in Saturday’s game. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

“While I was studying or watching film, we noticed that he was a real slippery quarterback, and some of our coaches even referred to him as Baker. We didn’t really know how slippery he was going to be but we did a good job of containing him in the pocket,” Calhoun said.

Saturday’s game was also the first time fans were able to come back to Saluki stadium in a full capacity. Calhoun said he was happy to see the Dawg pound back to its original form.

“It was amazing just seeing how you guys packed the pound and our fans coming on and supporting us with our first game.

Due to COVID, it was limited last season, but now we saw those similar faces and the band, and we got the stands rocking, So that gave us good energy, and that made us want to just put on a show in front of you all,” Calhoun said.

The Salukis earned the lead early in the first from senior kicker Nico Gualdoni to make it 3-0 and SIU didn’t let up for the rest of the game. By the time halftime came, SIU was already leading 38-0 and the Flyers never found a way to turn things around.

Baker already had two of his touchdown passes in the second quarter, a six-yarder to Lenoir and an eight-yarder to Rollins with 12 seconds left of the half.

Dayton received their only points for the night in the third quarter from sophomore kicker Sam Webster. His field goal stopped SIU from shutting out the Flyers, but SIU still led 48-3 at this point.

The Salukis put in Freshman quarterbacks Zach Zebrowski and Hunter Simmons late in the fourth quarter in relief of Norton and Baker. The Salukis finished the night with the final score being a whopping 55-3.

Head Coach Nick Hill said he was excited about the win and everything that was put into it.

“Excited to win, excited about the approach our team had all week in practice coming off a disappointing loss and coming back home. I felt like our attention to detail and I felt like our leaders led and our guys played with passion and energy,” Hill said.

Page 15

Donnavan Spencer, running back, rushes towards the end zone in a game against The University of Dayton Sept.

18, 2021 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Sports reporter Joseph Bernard can be reached at joseph.l.bernard@siu.edu or on twitter @Jojobernard2001 Sports editor Ryan Scott can be reached at rscott@dailyegyptian.com or on twitter @ryanscott134 Justin Strong rushes past Dayton’s defenses Sept. 18, 2021 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Javon Williams Jr., running back, pushes through the Flyer’s defenses Sept. 18, 2021 at Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill. Following this play, Jerron Rollins scored a touchdown making the score 31-0. Chris Bishop | @quippedmediallc

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Study Break

Page 16