SIU Carbondale announced on Feb. 13 that the university has met the requirements to become an R1 university, meaning it meets benchmarks in research activity and expenditures as measured by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
The classification measures universities by research expenditures
and research doctorates awarded.
While institutions used to be considered in 10 metrics for R1 status, for the 2025 Carnegie Classifications there is now a clear threshold for them to meet. R1 schools are defined by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Higher Education as institutions that typically “spend at least $50 million on research & development and produce at least 70 research doctorates in a year.”
In a December interview with Newsradio WJPF, SIUC Chancellor Austin Lane said that the university was on track to join the other 146 institutions that are classified as an R1 doctoral university.
“Being R1 recognizes our commitment to research at the highest level. It puts SIU in elite company,” Lane said. “It makes our programs more attractive to prospective students and increases the
visibility of the incredible work that is already happening at Southern.”
Dozens of university officials and supporters gathered at the DunnRichmond Economic Development Center to celebrate the university’s elevation to R1.
“It’s a big deal for our faculty. Our faculty are doing amazing research,” Lane said at the event. “It propels our university, it pushes into places that are with the upper echelon
Fandoms collide, communities thrive at Saluki Con 2025
of universities. There are only 187 R1s. think about the thousands of universities that are out there – to have a regional university here in southern Illinois be designated as such is just amazing.”
Staff reporter Mylee Walker can be reached at mwalker@dailyegyptian.com or through Instagram @myleewalkerwrites
SIU Hall of Fame coach
‘Itchy’
Jones dies at 87
lylee gibbs ryan grieser lgibbs@dailyegyptian coM rgrieser@dailyegyptian coM
Former SIU Baseball Hall of Fame coach Richard C. “Itchy” Jones died on Monday, Feb. 17 at age 87.
According to a Saluki Athletics press release, Jones coached 39 years at the collegiate level, 21 of those being at his alma mater, Southern Illinois University, where he led the Salukis to five Missouri Valley Conference titles and 10 NCAA tournament appearances. He retired as one of college baseball’s top-20 all-time winningest coaches.
Fifteen years after his retirement, Jones ranks 27th in NCAA history with a record of 1,242-752-6.
“It’s also kind of cool that he’s in Carbondale, right?” Jennifer Emery asked her daughters. “That Carbondale would bring your hero here? Usually, you have to go to St. Louis or Chicago to see your hero, right? But right here, you got to see somebody you look up to and admire, so that was really cool.”
Nervous and shaky, the mega fans said they enjoyed listening to Astin speak at the event beforehand. Astin answered audience questions and
Saturday night on Feb. 15, local middle schoolers Catie and Annie Emery met Sean Astin, an actor and filmmaker famously known for his roles in “The Goonies,” “Lord of the Rings” and “Stranger Things,” among others. Astin was in Carbondale Saturday for Saluki Con 2025, an annual pop culture convention held at Southern Illinois University. Although Astin did not appear on the con floor, he spoke to a packed Shryock Auditorium about his life and career for the “Special Saturday Night Speaker” event.
shared words of advice with the crowd, including, “People will root for anyone who shows them their heart.” Jennifer said that Annie, who wants to be an actress and author, cried the entire time.
“It was neat to hear everything he had to say, and we learned a lot about him we didn’t know, didn’t we?” she asked.
Saluki Con 2025 took place Feb. 15 and 16. As a celebration of science, technology, arts, humanities and comics, the event brought together an array of fans, many of whom mentioned
how welcoming the environment was.
Tina Kitchell drove around two hours from Roxana, Illinois to attend the convention. She brought a stuffed animal along — a red ruffed lemur she calls Reggie — which is a tradition she said she started as a joke around five years ago. Since then, she’s been to around 100 comic cons, which she loves because “people don’t judge here,” she said.
“I’m 45 years old with a stuffed animal. I mean if people are gonna
Jones, for whom the SIU baseball stadium is named, was an icon who immortalized the No. 1 during his decades in Carbondale. He presided over the program from 1970 to 1990 and achieved a career record of 738345-5, which is still the program record. Jones coached 18 Salukis to the major leagues and guided the Dawgs to five College World Series appearances. He is the only coach to bring SIU to such an appearance.
A celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date according to the press release.
Editor-in-Chief Lylee Gibbs can be reached at lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com
Sports Consultant Ryan Grieser can be reached at rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com
Cosplay contestants sit on stage during a costume contest hosted at Saluki Con Feb. 16, 2025 at SIU Student Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Deangelo Handley | @_deevisuals4
Carbondale City Council delays vote on amendments to city housing code
Morrigan Carey MCarey@dailyegyptian CoM
The Carbondale City Council voted in its Jan. 14 meeting to postpone the vote to approve amendments to the housing code detailed in the Carbondale code of ordinances and has released a public survey for residents to give feedback on the amended ordinance.
The revision was first discussed by city officials early in 2023 and has officially been underway since Feb. 13, 2024, but was delayed several times amid attempts to establish a working commission of Carbondale landlords and tenants to provide input, which failed due to a lack of volunteers to participate according to the city.
The survey will be open until Wednesday, Feb. 19, and all residents of Carbondale are encouraged to give feedback. Much of the work revising the code was undertaken in part by City Attorney Jamie Snyder.
“If you look at the survey, you’ll see that most of the questions are very vague,” Snyder said. “The goal is to release a second survey with more specific questions based off of the responses to this one. We currently have about 80
responses. I’d prefer closer to 2,000, but that would be a lot to ask for.”
The original intention was for the amendments to be written under the advice of a working commission made up of equal parts landlords and tenants, but after multiple attempts to establish one, the most recent of which had three volunteers out of the required 11, the amendments were drafted by city staff instead.
“A lot of our announcements ended up in people’s junk mail, and a lot of the responses we did get ended up in general emails that do not get checked often enough,” Snyder said. “We did get a good few responses, but not as many as the city had asked for.”
Snyder worked closely with Councilperson Adam Loos in drafting the amendments to the city code.
“What we want to do is not to affect those (landlords) who are all doing the right thing, but to give us the tools to reign in those who aren’t doing the right thing,” Loos said at the Jan. 14 City Council meeting.
Loos later repeated this sentiment, adding, “You’ve seen the boarded up buildings. If we had this 40 years ago,
we wouldn’t have those today, and a few people in this room would not be in business.”
The amendments would require landlords to have an explicit reason outlined in the lease to withhold a tenant’s security deposit, such as damage to the property. The revised code would also require landlords to give an advanced notice of at least two days before entering the residence to perform maintenance, and would put a greater amount of responsibility on the landlord for their tenants’ well-being in the case that their unit is declared uninhabitable. The new code also reorganizes the chapter to group all tenant rights to a habitable unit in one place for easier reference, according to Snyder.
Loos requested in the Jan. 14 meeting community feedback on regulations surrounding “contract for deed” agreements, a type of contract that functions similarly to a mortgage, where the tenant takes much more accountability for the property and pays the landlord in fixed installments until a specified amount is reached, at which point ownership of the property is transferred to the tenant.
Under the current code, and the amendments that were in the draft at the time, defaulting on payments in this type of contract could be met with eviction regardless of how long the tenant has lived in and cared for the property, a decision that Councilperson Clare Killman expressed her concerns with.
“I work as a mediator in Illinois’ 1st Circuit doing mediations between landlords and tenants in eviction dockets throughout the lower nine counties of Illinois and I have an issue, personally and professionally, with the concept of contract for deed,“ Killman said.
She said that equity is lost and there is a decimation of sweat equity that tenants put in the property in belief they have a semblance of ownership. She said she would prefer provision indicating that normal foreclosure procedures are followed.
Several members of the community were present at the Jan. 14 meeting to make their opinions on the amendments known, predominantly landlords who own or manage property in the city.
One citizen in attendance, SIU alumnus Connor Sullivan, urged the council to speed up the process.
“I honestly think that this focus group is something of a red herring,” Sullivan said. “It sounds to me like there were only three (volunteers) and all three were from property owners. There wasn’t any interest from tenants, and I haven’t heard a plan to solicit input from tenants… Eleven months is more than ample opportunity,” he said. “We’ve got to get this done, especially since this is not even the last step of the council’s plan to address this issue, and there are other ordinances and measures waiting in the wings that can’t move forward until this does.”
Rolf Schilling, owner of Schilling Property Management, a Daily Egyptian advertiser, and a member of Commercial Realty Associates, expressed frustration with the attempts to assemble a working committee.
“I know several landlords made applications, surely there should be along line of tenants who should have applied, if they have a big enough gripe,” Schilling said. “Why are we even doing this if the tenants aren’t there to request representation or to be on the committee? The legal department stated that even after advertising on Channel 3 TV
HOUSING CODE 5
Rising costs, bureaucratic delays slow Illinois college construction
Ryan GRieseR RGRieseR@dailyeGyptian com
Rebuild Illinois promised major new construction projects to regional universities across the state. Five years later, there’s little to show for it.
In 2019, Illinois launched its $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital plan to improve public infrastructure statewide. New buildings at regional universities were top priorities, as these campuses struggled with deteriorating infrastructure and billions in long-neglected repairs.
Illinois had gone nearly a decade without a capital bill before lawmakers passed Rebuild Illinois in 2019, funding it with expanded gambling and new taxes. Construction and repair needs mounted across the state, including on college campuses, and the $2.9 billion allocated for higher education offered hope for much-needed improvements.
The excitement was palpable. In 2021, the mayor of Charleston—also a biology instructor at Eastern Illinois University—called the anticipated new science building a “blessing” for the entire community. Eastern had first requested a new science building in 2004, but the funding had never materialized until passage of Rebuild Illinois.
Gov. JB Pritzker hailed the investments as transformative for the state’s higher education system. At Southern Illinois University Carbondale in January 2020, Pritzker said a complete overhaul of the school’s 1960s-era Communications building, with updated classrooms and a state-of-the-art student newsroom, would give students the tools to “shape their own futures.” That renovation project has also been in the pipeline for at least 15 years.
But five years into the six-year Rebuild Illinois program, little has changed. Of 14 projects outlined in the original legislation, only four have moved to the construction phase. The other 70% remain in limbo in various stages of planning and review.
“It’s been slow, and it’s been frustrating at times,” said Matt Bierman, vice president of business affairs at EIU.
A potential reason for hope is on the horizon though; in its fiscal year 2026 budget, the Illinois Board of Higher Education “is advocating for ‘rapid’ release of the projects already appropriated and expedited design and construction for the projects that have been released.” According to Jose Garcia, the director of strategic communications for the IBHE, this is being done to ensure that critical projects, including those that are a part of the Rebuild Illinois program, are completed within the initial six-year timeframe.
Even with these rapid or expedited practices, rising costs in the construction sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, an overwhelmed state agency and local squabbles over how to stretch funds have left projects stalled.
Amid wage hikes and supply chain disruptions, construction costs shot up nearly 40% by 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors. These rising costs forced universities to scale back their plans, as the allocated funds were no longer enough.
“We lost about $30 million in buying power,” said Mark Luer, dean of the College of Pharmacy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. “We just couldn’t get everything we wanted in the original concept.”
SIUE had hoped for a brand-new health sciences building for its College of Nursing and School of Pharmacy. Instead, it had to
downsize and expand an existing structure with the $105 million it received from Rebuild Illinois.
“We started making tradeoffs, like ‘Well, we really need this. If we’re going to cut back, let’s cut back in these areas,’” Luer said.
Edwardsville’s project is one of the few to have made visible progress.
Southern Illinois University leadership, hoping to preserve plans for a fully renovated Communications building in Carbondale, requested additional funding from state lawmakers, according to Hong Cheng, dean of the College of Arts and Media. “By the end, we were informed that we didn’t get any additional funding, but we cannot wait any further.”
A lifeline has been thrown to SIUC though; an additional _____ in funding, appropriated from the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s $575 million dollar recommendation in fiscal year 2025 to help schools that had lost buying power. It is expected that other schools with pending projects will also receive this kind of support.
Before these additional funds were announced, Carbondale campus administrators began working with the state Capital Development Board and an architecture firm to design a smaller plan for the Communications building. This shift introduced new challenges, and the addition of an extra ___ will also introduce more design changes.
Since the project’s announcement, SIUC has undergone changes, including the creation of the College of Arts and Media in 2021 under a broad campus reorganization that brought together programs like music, theater, journalism, advertising, radio and television. This expansion forced a reevaluation of the building’s needs.
Additionally, leadership turnover for the College of Arts and Media—Cheng is the third dean since 2020—along with other personnel changes, complicated efforts to assess the needs of all departments, causing delays in planning and the design phase, university officials said.
Once the plans are finalized, expected in July, the project will go out to bid for general contractors. Susan Simmers, a vice chancellor at SIUC overseeing financial matters, said construction is expected to take 36 months, with a target completion date of December 2028.
Promises to ‘beef up’ staff
The state itself has also posed challenges to completing these projects. The Capital Development Board, Illinois’ construction management agency, oversees all major projects to ensure contractors, designers and builders stay within budget and meet state requirements. But the agency’s staff is overwhelmed by the surge of projects created under Rebuild Illinois.
“There’s a lot of projects … and they can’t be accomplished all at once, because it’s got to go through the CDB,” said Bierman, the EIU administrator. The university has faced delays in redesigning the science building to match the new funding reality, as the state lacks the resources to move quickly, Bierman said. He expects EIU to complete the project by 2029— a full decade after the state passed Rebuild Illinois.
The Capital Development Board is working to “beef up” its staff, according to Tamakia Edwards, its executive director, though there is only a single job listed as of February 12. The board currently employs roughly 160 people who handle the legal, planning and financial aspects of hundreds of projects.
Chicago State University Nursing Lab and a simulated hospital
Eastern Illinois University
Governers State University
Illinois State University
Northeastern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Western Illinois University
Southern Illinois UniversityCarbondale
Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville
University of Illinois - Chicago
University of Illinois - Springfield
Univeristy of Illinois - Urbana
University of Illinois - Urbana
Illinois Math and Science Academy
New Science Building
Academic Building E
Milner Library
Carruthers Center and performing arts building
computer science, health informatics and technology center
Science Building
Communications Building
Health Sciences Building
Computer design research and learning center
Library learning student success center
math, statistics, data science collaboration center
Building for quantum information sciences and technology
Residence Halls
In Construction
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Not active CBD project yet
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Near completion of Construction
Near completion of Construction
Under internal CDB/CPO review
In Construction
collaborative grant agreement between the CDB, UIUC and the University of Chicago
Planning Stages
Infographic by Peyton Cook | @cookmeavisual
“We have 658 (projects), in all phases of project delivery,” she said, including “planning, design, construction and close out.”
Edwards, who was appointed executive director in May at the retirement of her predecessor, said she and her staff are looking for ways to ensure projects stay on track.
“We’re constantly looking at process improvements, how to do things better and faster, and how to mitigate risk. Those are constant conversations I’m having with our team,” Edwards said.
The pandemic created workforce challenges, she said. But Edwards cautioned that even under the best circumstances, projects take a long time to complete.
“It’s not like funds are appropriated on Monday and then we’re out the gate in 30 days doing the project,” she said. “There are also unforeseen challenges and design and scope development and prioritization changes. There’s a lot of things that are happening behind the scenes throughout the life cycle of a project.”
Edwards noted that while the projectplanning process can often be lengthy, construction has moved quickly once projects go to bid. Luer, who is overseeing the project at SIUE, found this to be true.
“The pandemic slowed the design phase of it, but it didn’t slow the construction,” Luer said. “Once we got to the point of putting it out for bid, it all moved really quickly.”
Luer said he anticipates the project will be complete in late spring, with the renovated building hosting classes beginning in August.
The SIUE School of Pharmacy, which has been in temporary facilities since its formation in 2004, will finally have a home once the new building opens.
Luer said it’s been a long haul and he and others on the Edwardsville campus are eager for the project’s completion.
“I’m just looking forward to what we can imagine we’re going to be able to do with facilities that were actually designed for the purposes that we’re going to be able to use them for,” Luer said.
Shifting priorities
Southern’s Carbondale campus and Eastern Illinois will have to wait several more years to see their plans turn into reality.
While Bierman said Eastern Illinois University is grateful for the project, it’s also been a challenging process.
“We asked for a science building 20 years ago, and in that same time frame, maybe our priorities changed,” Bierman said.
EIU, like many regional universities, has experienced substantial enrollment declines over the past 25 years. But Bierman said the process for requesting state funding for building renovations and repairs isn’t flexible. Once a project is identified as a priority, he said, it’s difficult to change plans. While universities can shift priorities before selection and appropriation, they can’t reallocate funds from one project to another.
Going forward, EIU hopes to focus on renovating existing spaces rather than building new ones.
This underscores the need for more consistent capital funding for universities in addition to these substantial new construction or full renovation projects targeting only a handful of buildings, Bierman said. When projects take decades to come to fruition, he said, they end up lagging behind modern needs.
“I don’t know how much longer they’re going to stay ahead of the curve in terms of getting something designed that’s going to meet today’s needs,” Bierman said.
Sports Consultant Ryan Grieser can be reached by rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com
VA Secretary announces the firing of over 1,000 VA employees
Jackson Brandhorst JBrandhorst@dailyegyptian com
On Thursday, Feb. 13, the United States government announced the firing of over 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees across the country.
The firings are a part of a government-wide Trump administration effort to cut costs and limit spending within federal agencies.
The firings are effective immediately and have been communicated directly to each employee, according to a Thursday VA press release.
Those fired include non-bargaining unit probationary employees who have served less than a year in a competitive service appointment or who have served less than two years in an excepted service appointment, according to the release.
According to the VA, of its 371,000 employees, 43,000 are probationary,
the vast majority of which are exempt from being fired because they serve in “mission-critical positions” or are covered under a collective bargaining agreement.
“At VA, we are focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins said in the release. “We thank these employees for their service to VA. This was a tough decision, but ultimately it’s the right call to better support the Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve.”
“To be perfectly clear: these moves will not negatively impact VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries,” Collins said. “In the coming weeks and months, VA will be announcing plans to put these resources to work helping Veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors.”
House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost, a
Republican from Murphysboro who represents Illinois’ 12th District, released a statement on Friday saying that he trusts the actions taken by Collins and Trump.
“I trust that my friend Secretary Collins is doing the right thing for veterans and taxpayers to effectively right size and reorganize the agency to work better for the men and women it serves,” Bost said. “As Chairman, that is my number one priority. I take Secretary Collins at his word when he says there will be no impact to the delivery of care, benefits, and services for veterans with this plan. I am looking forward to working with the Trump administration to continue to make necessary improvements and efficiencies at VA to put veterans at the center of everything VA does.”
It is currently unclear whether or not Bost’s southern Illinois constituents are being affected by the firings.
The region has VA clinics in
both Carbondale and Marion, and the Daily Egyptian was unable to receive local comment Friday about potential local impact of the federally issued firings.
The firings, however, did not go without criticism from other members of congress.
In a social media statement on Friday morning, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Florida, called the firings “indiscriminate” and an “assault on veterans.”
“The VA Secretary’s indiscriminate firing of 1,000 public servants, including veterans, at a time where VA hospitals and clinics are already short staffed, is a direct assault on veterans and their families,” Schultz said. “In fact, the VA just notified our committee of a $6 billion shortfall –all of it needed to staff the growing need for health care.
“Firing 1,000 VA staff will clearly do nothing to better help serve our
veterans, instead instilling chaos and uncertainty in a system that is already short staffed and complicated to navigate.
“Massive layoffs of VA employees – including nurses, doctors, and positions already facing critical shortages nationwide – is nothing more than an attempt to balance the budget on the back of veterans,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut said. “It is reprehensible to target recently hired federal employees – particularly those who have chosen to serve veterans.”
The DE expects to receive more information about the local impact of these firings early next week and will update this story as that information is obtained.
Staff reporter Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@ dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram at @jacksondothtml
Illinois’ historic college campuses are crumbling as repair needs pile up
ryan grieser rgreiser@dailyegyptian com
Illinois’ public universities face more than $7 billion in repair needs for aging classroom buildings and dormitories. It’s a crushing, silent crisis – one that is worsening amid declining enrollment and budget cuts.
Deferred maintenance: it’s becoming an increasingly heavy burden on Illinois’ college campuses. It refers to the growing backlog of repairs and upgrades that can’t be made due to a lack of funding. This problem—leaky roofs, outdated electrical systems, defunct elevators, mold, mildew, and infestations— continues to worsen as universities struggle to maintain their aging campuses amid declining enrollment and years of budget cuts.
According to the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s fiscal year 2025 budget, public universities have over $8.3 billion in deferred maintenance projects. These aren’t the flashy new buildings, construction projects or high-profile renovations; instead, they
involve essential but unremarkable fixes— leaks, mold remediation,heating and cooling repairs and fixing problems that balloon when old buildings are left to deteriorate for too long. Many of the buildings on these campuses are 50 years old or older, and while they are historic, they are increasingly becoming barriers to recruitment.
Illinois universities are, on the whole, experiencing declining enrollment and have been for years. The reasons are complex and myriad, but part of the challenge is the state of the facilities. Aging dorms, outdated classrooms, and spaces ill-suited for modern teaching are all factors that affect recruitment, college officials say. That’s because recruiting students isn’t just about offering a solid education—it’s about presenting an environment that feels inviting and modern.
Northern and Eastern Illinois universities have about $500 million in repair needs each. Southern Illinois University’s three campuses in Carbondale, Edwardsville and
Springfield face a whopping $1.5 billion in deferred maintenance costs. This figure is despite SIU spending more than $850 million from its own budget over the past 20 years to address the issue, according to SIU President Dan Mahony’s testimony this fall before the Illinois House Higher Education Committee.
The situation is exacerbated by inconsistent capital funding from the state, minimal federal support, and declining enrollment, with nearly half of Illinois high school graduates opting to attend out-ofstate universities.
“We do need help from the state. … Our first item I would note is a regular funding stream,” Matt Bierman, vice president of business affairs at EIU, said in an interview.
“A capital bill that has passed every 10 years makes it very difficult from a planning perspective to invest in our facilities. More reliable funding streams for capital needs would be a large help for us.”
Without a steady and reliable funding source, universities face an uncertain future when it comes to addressing the billions in deferred maintenance.
Though the issue is complicated, EIU’s Bierman and others stress the crucial need for consistent capital funding to help Illinois’ public universities.
“Anytime our elected officials deem it important and necessary to put money in our infrastructure, specifically as it relates to our higher ed institutions, I think that’s a win for our state,” said SIU system vice president of administration and finance, Brad Edwards.
IBHE’s FY 2025 budget outlined $650 million from the 2019 Rebuild Illinois program for capital renewal at public universities, which has helped to address deferred maintenance needs across the state. They also recommended that investing $450 million per year would keep the deferred
maintenance total from growing.
The roots of this problem stretch back decades. Universities like SIU Carbondale, NIU and EIU expanded rapidly in the mid-20th century, driven by the GI Bill after World War II and the influx of Baby Boomers. In the 1960s and 70s, new buildings were constructed to accommodate the growing student body. Now, many of those long-neglected, decades-old buildings are showing their age and left wanting for major repairs.
Across Illinois, university leaders say they are looking for ways to preserve the historical value of these aging buildings while ensuring they remain functional for future students. But without more reliable funding, the future of Illinois’ public universities remains in jeopardy, they say.
At EIU, plans to try and be mindful of this value while confronting other maintenancerelated problems are already underway for whenever the next round of capital funding comes through.
“We want renovation dollars. We want to fix what we have, instead of a building that somebody can put a shovel in the ground for a press release. We want something that’s practical, which is renovate the facilities that we have,” Bierman said.
Tamakia Edwards, executive director of the Capital Development Board, the construction management for the state, acknowledged the “reality” of the aging infrastructure, and noted that there is near constant discussion and strategizing about how to address the problem.
“We have some rich history in our buildings across the state, and we want to preserve that history and take care of our assets,” Edwards said.
Sports Consultant Ryan Greiser can be reached at rgreiser@dailyegyptian.com
Local community speaks out as Black History
Month recognition fades from Pentagon
jasmine thompson jasminethompson@dailyegyptian com
On Jan. 31, the Department of Defense announced in a statement that it will not use official resources, such as staff time, to hold celebrations for cultural awareness months. This decision affects events for National African American/ Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month and National American Indian Heritage Month.
Pamela Smoot, an assistant professor at SIU who specializes in African American history and archival administration, spoke at a black history event on Feb. 3 at SIU, stating, “But guess what? We are going to continue to celebrate African American contributions in this country.”
“The Journal of African American History was established by associated publishers in 1921 when white publishers refused to acknowledge the scholarly works of African Americans,” Smoot said.
This refers to the systemic exclusion of Black scholars from mainstream academic publishing, reflecting the broader racial barriers of the early 20th century.
In 1937, Carter G. Woodson established the Negro History Bulletin to provide middle and high school educators with resources and lesson suggestions for teaching African American history in their classrooms, Smoot said.
“Following his tenure as principal, he was the dean of the School of Liberal Arts and head of graduate faculty at Howard University,” Smoot said. “He later served as the dean of West Virginia College Collegiate Institute, now Western Virginia State University.”
In 1922, Woodson stepped away from his teaching career to focus on writing about race and its historical context. As Woodson established the groundwork for the study of African American history, he introduced “Negro History Week” in 1926, according to Smoot.
“Negro History Week occurs in February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass,” Smoot said.
“In 1976, U.S. President Gerald Ford designated Black History
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and in local newspapers for volunteers. It seems like the public, who all of you represent, are not very concerned about the revised housing ordinance.”
Adam Ashby, a representative of the Southern Illinois Democratic Socialists of America attending with a handful of other members, responded to Schilling’s concerns.
Week as Black History Month, extending the celebrations.”
“Black History Month is celebrated not only in the United States but also in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and even the Netherlands,” Smoot said.
“Most recently, there has been a movement to eliminate African American history from curriculums across the United States.”
Carbondale NAACP President Linda Flowers and Vice President Melissa McCutchen, also shared their thoughts on the issues in an interview.
“Slavery is what the country was founded on, and even the founding fathers shouldn’t have the declaration where they said all men are created equal. They didn’t mean all men: they meant all white men.”
The White House announced on Jan. 31 that Donald J. Trump, the President of the United States, officially declared February 2025 as National Black History Month.
He exercised his authority under the Constitution and U.S. laws to make this proclamation. In his announcement, he encouraged public officials, educators, librarians, and all Americans to recognize the month by hosting various programs, ceremonies and activities.
“On one hand, (Trump) promotes National Black History Month, yet on the other hand, he cuts all funding from all federal programs
“Since the first proposal of these amendments, we have been canvassing and soliciting signatures in support of it,” Ashby said. “We currently have a little over 150 tenants who have signed on to a statement saying that they agree with the amendments and support them fully.
Ashby had heard of potential fear that landlords might seek retaliation if spoken out against, which he said
and pushes through harmful legislation. This approach inevitably impacts those who are already struggling, particularly people of color who are disproportionately affected in this country. I believe the core issue revolves around voting. We can point to many of his promises, especially regarding the deportation of undocumented immigrants and other hurtful actions he has taken, and it’s evident that he is following through on a lot of those commitments,” Flowers said.
Flowers told the Daily Egyptian that Black History Month would never stop, and neither would Juneteenth. Carbondale will continue its week-long celebration of Juneteenth and its history.
“In Carbondale, we already had a Black History Month plan before the inauguration on Jan. 20, and so we can’t listen to him. We can’t trust him,” Flowers said.
Flowers express concern over the recent actions and statements made by Trump that appear to undermine the importance of Black History. McCutchen then goes on to say what Black history means to the people.
“I believe that Black History Month is a time to celebrate the significant contributions that African Americans have made to both the United States and the world,” McCutchen said. “It allows us to reflect on our local communities as well as the broader society. This
could be the reason for the lack of tenants present at the meeting.
A public meeting will be held to discuss the issue further once the survey has concluded, but a date has yet to be announced. A date for a future vote to approve amendments to the ordinance has also not been announced.
Staff reporter Morrigan Carey can be reached at mcarey@dailyegyptian.com.
communities that cherish their history and contributions, regardless of official acknowledgment.
McCutchen said, “Black History Month was established by Carter G. Woodson in the 1920s to make note of the contributions of African American people because they were excluded…Celebrating people’s victories is a beautiful thing.”
Councilperson Nancy Maxwell made statements as well about Black history in an interview with the Daily Egyptian.
month serves as an opportunity to recognize the progress that has been made over time—from the challenges faced in the past to the advancements achieved in the ongoing struggle for equality and justice. As for DEI, I don’t think that it stops anyone who has made up their mind that they’re going to be successful. It may make it more difficult, but it doesn’t stop them.”
“When people are resilient, they know how to continue to move forward and respond when faced with adversity,” McCutchen said.
Celebrating Asian American or Hispanic Heritage Month also recognizes those who have contributed to American history and kids in the educational system may not be aware of contributions made by people of their ethnic background because it is excluded from curriculum, she said.
McCutchen said Juneteenth has been observed for many years prior to its recent designation as a national holiday.
“I don’t think people will stop celebrating it, even if it’s not recognized at the national level unless if it were made illegal, that would be a different scenario,” she said. “People in the military might not get accommodations, but those in the community who value their heritage will continue to celebrate,” McCutchen said.
She highlights the resilience of
She highlighted the extreme and unjust barriers that were put in place to suppress Black voters, particularly through literacy tests designed to be impossible to pass. These discriminatory practices were a hallmark of the Jim Crow era, a period of legalized segregation and systemic exclusion in the American South. Under Jim Crow laws, Black citizens faced numerous obstacles to voting, including poll taxes, intimidation, and absurd literacy tests like the one mentioned— tactics deliberately crafted to uphold white supremacy and deny fundamental rights.
“Even if you are racist and you don’t feel something, then something’s wrong with you. They had the voting booth and if you can pass this test, you can vote but the questions were kind of like impossible how many bubbles is in a bar of soap? That’s one of the questions,” Maxwell said.
Traditionally, attention has primarily been given to a select few holidays, such as the Fourth of July, while occasions like Juneteenth, Black History Month and the months honoring LGBTQ and Hispanic communities have received minimal recognition according to Maxwell. However, these observances have started to gain more visibility in recent years, particularly in the wake of George Floyd’s death during an interaction with a white police officer.
There has been a wave of evolving recognition of diverse histories and identities.
Maxwell said, “Now, there’s a push to dismiss this historical context, suggesting that people shouldn’t be concerned with their past. This trend is quite troubling.”
Staff reporter Jasmine Thompson can be reached at jasminethompson@dailyegyptian.com
Illustration by Day Starr Fleming | dstarrfleming@dailyegyptian.com
judge, that would be something to judge about,” she said. “But instead everybody wants to have fun.
Everybody will take the idea of like what I do with Reggie and they go with it, and they just love it, and it’s something positive. And there’s a lot of positive things out here. And on top of that, you have all these great people, all the great vendors and all the different things that everybody sells. You may not even find some of this stuff anywhere else and it’s great to come see.”
The event featured vendors, interactive panels and workshops, gaming, contests and special guests.
“Getting to meet all the great people and everything makes it worth it,” Kitchell said. “And then on top of that, you get to meet some famous people that you’d never meet anywhere else either.”
Among the special guests were Dan Payne and E.G. Daily, both of whom spoke with the Daily Egyptian. Payne is an actor who has starred in several
Hallmark films and is also known for his roles in “Watchmen,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “Descendants.” Daily is an actress and singer commonly known for voicing Tommy in “Rugrats” and Buttercup in “Powerpuff Girls.”
Payne said networking was part of what brought him to Saluki Con. Mandi Jourdan, the Saluki Con committee’s cosplay contest organizer, is a friend he met a long time ago at a convention in Chicago, he said.
“Just by relationship, I got to come and hang out here this time. So (it’s) kind of just the cool part of making connections through conventions and work,” Payne said.
To Payne, human connection alone is part of what makes conventions so special. “I feel like that’s the one thing that, for the most part, Covid took away. Even in our industry, our auditions aren’t even in person anymore,” he said. “You send tapes. You miss that human element. So for me, this specifically, conventions, are a great place for people to come and be able to express themselves however
they want, free of judgement. You can be vulnerably yourself here and enjoy it. And then it’s also a really cool way for people to just meet and connect…
So it’s kind of cool that just by that alone, you just make friendships and relationships over shared interests and similar likes.”
He encourages people to start attending conventions so that they can build these relationships.
“Connection is a fuel for life,” he said. “And I think the truest connection you get is in person.
So yeah, come on. There’s only so much you can do through a screen or through digital, and there’s nothing that can replace eye contact and being in front of somebody. So get out and connect.”
Daily said the people she came across at Saluki Con were “awfully sweet” and “accommodating.” Like Payne, she said her favorite part about attending conventions is getting to meet new people.
“It’s just very sweet to see the reactions from people and just to know people from somewhere else,
their world,” she said. Daily also spoke with the Daily Egyptian about the upcoming Season 3 of the “Rugrats” reboot. “It was really exciting to do, and to see the Rugrats in CGI is really cool,” she said.
“It’s really remarkable, the animation, to go from the way it was to now is pretty awesome.”
At Saluki Con, Daily spent some time walking around the con floor and checking out “a lot of cool vendors.”
“I like to see the artists that are doing their own little beautiful work,” she said. “There’s always something beautiful to look at.”
The convention hosted over 50 vendors, including Neon Tiger Tattoo, a Carbondale tattoo shop. The shop offered piercings and tattoos for those ages 18 and up at the event. Shawny Rotten, who has been a tattoo artist for seven years, said it was the first time a tattoo shop was featured at Saluki Con.
“I’m just really appreciative that we got to be here and do this,” he said.
“Neon Tiger is a new tattoo shop so it’s cool to get our name out there and I’m really excited to come back next year.”
To Rotten, tattoos are an unwavering form of self-expression, which was a common theme throughout the weekend.
“I think it’s cool ‘cause you can get whatever you want and be whatever you want, and it’s an extension of yourself. It makes you feel pretty or it makes you feel tough, you know? You can be whatever you want to be and no one can take your tattoo from you, so I like that a lot,” he said.
On Sunday afternoon, a cosplay contest was held in the Student Center Auditorium. The contest spanned over three hours, with six separate categories being judged: children, teens, adults, groups, best homemade and judges’ choice. Rheanon Bartley and Riley D., who preferred not to give their last name, won the group contest with costumes of Gabriel and Lucifer from the Bible made almost entirely out of foam.
“It’s just fun to dress up,” Bartley said. “It’s just a nice little expression of art.”
Regarding the convention, Riley D. said, “I like meeting up with my
friends and just costuming together and taking a look and seeing what all the local artists and stuff are selling around, because I like supporting small businesses, that kind of thing.”
The cosplay contest had four judges. Jourdan, the contest organizer who is also an award-winning cosplayer known on social media as MadamJigsaw, was the head judge.
The remaining judges were Josh Pay, a panelist at the con and owner of BPSFX, a cosplay business; Marz Stardust, an award-winning cosplayer; and Taylor René, a cosplayer and makeup artist known online as Nerdypinupgirl.
René said she thought the cosplay contest was fantastic, and Stardust said everyone did amazing. Both judges said they agreed there were a lot of hard choices to make.
“I’ve loved seeing everyone come together, whether it’s (the costume) bought or it’s handmade, like everyone puts their looks together amazingly, and I just love it so much,” Stardust said. The event also taught her new techniques for her
own cosplays, she said. René said, “There’s so much inspiration around here, and there’s so many different renditions and versions of your favorite characters that you wouldn’t even think of, but it’s also, again, a way for them to kind of relate to those characters, and it’s interesting to see people’s perspectives on it.”
For those who may be worried about participating in a comic con or cosplay contest, René encourages people to just be themselves.
“Like, if you think you’re gonna feel like a weirdo, everyone here is a weirdo, and we embrace it, and we love it,” she said. “That’s the whole thing about cosplays. Like, you see a lot of hate online, but when you actually go to conventions, you’ll be more likely to find a community than you would trolls. So don’t be scared. Go out, make some friends, play dress up. It’s a lot more fun with adult money.”
News editor Carly Gist can be reached at cgist@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @gistofthestory
SIU student Ashton Casey stands for a portrait dressed as Valentino from Hazbin Hotel at the SalukiCon Feb. 16, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois Deangelo Handley @_deevisuals4
Sean Astin poses for a selfie with a fan during a meet and greet following the Saluki Con Special Speaker event Feb. 15, 2025 at Shryock Auditorium in Carbondale, Illinois. Carly Gist @gistofthestory
Sean Astin autographs
First-place cosplayer in the child division poses and looks out at the crowd after their win is announced at Saluki Con Feb. 16, 2025 at SIU Student Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @d.martinezphoto
A participant in the Saluki Con cosplay contest shows off their costume as the judges take notes Feb. 16, 2025 in Carbondale, illinois
Handley
Yemisi Anderson: From cooking passion to seasoning empire
Joslyn Cole JCole@dailyegyptian Com
What started as making homemade meals for family and friends has now become a growing brand known for its flavorful and health conscious seasoning blends. Yemisi Anderson, co-owner of The JAY Effect along with her husband, had a love for cooking that she said she would have never thought to be a thriving business.
Getting The JAY Effect up and going wasn’t easy, but she overcame the challenges. Her business was chosen from over 2,200 businesses as a finalist in the SCORE competition.
SCORE is a mentorship program that works with small businesses to advise them on business topics and help them expand their business.
Anderson, a Chicago native, attended SIU, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. With a background in early childhood education, she spent years working in daycare centers as a teacher and later as a director before establishing her own in-home daycare. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led her to reevaluate her career choice.
“I enjoy feeding people,” Anderson said. “Even in college, I was in the dorm room that had the Crock-Pot and the George Foreman, making meals so
people could come and hang out. Sunday dinners became a regular thing.”
Her love for cooking grew even more when she met her husband, who shared a passion for grilling. Together, they ventured into catering and bringing flavorful meals to their community. When Anderson became pregnant with their second son during the pandemic, she became more mindful of the ingredients they were using in their food.
“We started paying more attention to what we were eating and what we were feeding our kids,” Anderson said. “At the same time, we received feedback that some of our dishes were too salty. That made me start thinking about seasonings and how we could create a better alternative.”
One day, while reflecting and praying, Anderson said she had a vision for a company that would produce seasoning blends with balanced, high-quality ingredients. What began as an upgrade for their catering business soon took on a life of its own. With an initial investment, they produced 60 bottles of their first seasoning blend, which quickly sold out within days.
“We never expected it to turn into a full seasoning line,” Anderson said. “But we reinvested every dollar we made back into the business, and it just kept
growing.”
Starting The JAY Effect, the seasoning business, was not without its difficulties. One of the biggest challenges was sourcing ingredients and packaging in the right quantities.
“When you’re a small business, you don’t have a large amount of money upfront, but you also need more than just a handful of bottles at a time,” Anderson said. “Finding a reliable supplier was difficult. Since there weren’t any local bulk suppliers, we often had to travel to St. Louis to get what we needed.”
Developing the perfect seasoning blend was a critical process of trial and error. Anderson and her husband adjusted ingredient ratios and tested their mixes at family gatherings and vendor events.
“One of our customers finally said, ‘Your food is always good, but lately, it’s been consistently good.’ That’s when we knew we had the right mix,” Anderson said.
The name The JAY Effect holds personal significance, it stands for a combination of both Anderson and her husband’s first names, Jamie and James.
“Most people assume it’s just my husband’s name, but it actually represents both of us and what we create together,”
Yemisi Anderson, creator of The JAY Effect, sits for portrait at the SIU Student Center Feb. 12, 2025 in Carbondale Illinois. Emily Fulk | efulk@dailyegyptian.com
Second-half Bruins ruin strong Saluki start to win 73-68
LyLee Gibbs LGibbs@daiLyeGyptian com
A 14-point lead for the Salukis in the first half wasn’t enough for Belmont who pulled ahead of Southern Illinois in the second half to seal the game with a final score of 7368. The Bruins visited Carbondale to face the Salukis at home on Saturday, Feb. 15 looking to sweep SIU for the season.
“We had no emotion to us in the second half, guys didn’t respond to timeouts or being coached,” head coach Scott Nagy said.
The Dawgs had strong momentum on both sides throughout the first half shooting 64% from the field and defensively holding Belmont to only 30%. Ali Dibba put up 17 points for SIU in the first 20 minutes including two 3-pointers.
The game remained close through the first 20 minutes until the Salukis
SEASONING
CONTINUED FROM 8
she said.
Running The JAY Effect while managing a household is no easy feat. Anderson and her husband homeschool their three children, and she also oversees her son’s entrepreneurial venture. A typical day involves homeschooling in the morning, followed by hours dedicated to business operations, including preparing orders, reaching out to stores and shipping products.
“Every day is different, but it’s always busy,” Anderson said. “It starts by us homeschooling, and then the second half of the day is work.”
As the business grew, Anderson sought resources to help scale her operations. She connected with the Small Business
began to extend their lead to a high of 14 points. A layup by Sheridan Sharp in the last minute sent the teams into the locker room with the Dawgs up 38-25 on the Bruins.
“We have to keep building on that lead,” SIU guard Drew Steffe said.
“We’ve been up like this at half and we’ve extended the lead and blew people out, and we just didn’t do that today. We let them get back in the game.”
Dibba, who played the entire 40 minutes, led the court with a total of 24 points and 8 rebounds, followed by Kennard Davis Jr.’s 13 points and Steffe’s 10 points. Jarrett Hensley led the team in rebounding with 10.
The Bruins turned the entire game around in the second half. Shooting 58.6% compared to their first half 30%, they went on a 22-4 run to surpass the Salukis and take the lead. SIU struggled offensively and only
Development Center at SIU, which led her to SCORE, a network of experienced business mentors.
“The SBDC has been helping me since before my business was even officially registered,” Anderson said. “They encouraged me to connect with SCORE mentors for guidance on scaling my business, especially since I don’t have a big corporate budget but need more than just the basics.”
Anderson’s dedication paid off when she was selected as a finalist in the national competition.
“That was nuts,” she laughed. “I never expected to be chosen. I had never pitched my business before, and it was one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve ever done.”
The experience also highlighted the
shot 30% in the second half making 11 of their 29 attempts.
“All the things that we don’t want to do, we did in the second half,” Nagy said. “A lot of defensive mistakes.”
Belmont’s Tyler Lundblade helped push Belmont ahead shooting 6-for-8 beyond the arc, putting up a total of 19 points for the game. In the second half alone, Lundblade made five 3-pointers that helped extend the Bruins lead.
“There’s plenty of blame to go around, that’s for sure, but I’ve not been more disappointed this year than after this one,” Nagy said.
The Salukis (12-15, 7-9 Missouri Valley Conference) are back on the road on Wednesday, Feb. 19 to face the Racers of Murray State (13-13, 7-8 MVC) at 6 p.m. in Murray, Kentucky.
Editor-in-chief Lylee Gibbs can be reached at lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com or @lyleegibbsphoto on Instagram.
unique challenges small businesses face when trying to expand.
“Small businesses often get overlooked, not necessarily because people don’t want to support them, but because they don’t realize how much of an impact a small investment can make,” she said. “For us, even a small boost could mean a major step forward.”
As The JAY Effect continues to grow, Anderson hopes to expand the brand’s reach while maintaining the authenticity and personal touch that started it all.
“We started with just a little, and we’ve built something amazing,” she said. “I can’t wait to see where it goes next.”
Staff reporter Joslyn Cole can be reached at jcole@dailyegyptian.com
Sports Consultant: Ryan Grieser rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com
Digital Editor: Bhayva Sri-Billuri bsri-billuri@dailyegyptian.com
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!
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The Daily Egyptian, the student-run news organization of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is committed to being a trusted source of news, information, commentary and public discourse, while helping readers understand the issues affecting their lives.
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Davion Sykes (4) drives the ball towards the basket as he is guarded by a Belmont player Feb. 15, 2025 at Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Emily Brinkman | @erb_photos_
Diverse group of approaches set to be a strength for Saluki softball
Ryan GRieseR RGRieseR@dailyeGyptian com
Even people who are good with faces aren’t likely to recognize any in the pitcher’s circle for Saluki softball this year.
Only one pitcher from last year’s team – sophomore Kiana McDowell – is on the current squad, and even she only pitched 7.1 innings over eight appearances.
Every other player in the pitching group is new to the team, and all are freshmen outside of senior transfer McKenzie “Mak” Newcomb, a former Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year at Samford University.
Alongside McDowell, Newcomb is being counted on to help bring familiarity and leadership to a group that has very little college experience.
“It took me a little bit to get acclimated to the way they do things, but once I started catching the hang of everything, I was able to kind of step in and lead a lot of the freshmen,” Newcomb said.
Newcomb is also quick to give credit to McDowell and the role she has played in helping provide a veteran presence even just as a sophomore.
“Ki(ana) has been such a big help with the leadership within the staff… I feel like me and her have worked together to kind of help get the freshmen ready,” Newcomb said. “And I’m not going to lie, the first time I met Ki, I didn’t think she was a sophomore, I thought she was a junior.”
Head coach Jen Sewell also was complementary of McDowell, and warned that fans may be surprised to see the player she has become.
“I think fans are going to be really shocked by Kiana McDowell and the work that she’s put in to become a sophomore… you’re going to see her on the mound a lot first in the game,” Sewell said. “She’s come a long way from eight to 12 innings to becoming an opener type for us.”
The new players weren’t the only change in the pitching room either. Laurin Watts, who hails from Alabama, was hired to be the pitching coach over the summer.
“Filling in with someone who really matched well with our pitching staff personalitywise, and we did that. That’s very much so a relationship position… there has to be trust between the pitchers and their pitching coach. And I think we were able to get that with Laurin Watts,” Sewell said.
When Sewell reached out, Watts was eager to come to SIU.
“The championships and the success of the program speaks volumes, and everybody wants to be a part of something great… I think that’s what was super appealing here,” Watts said.
It’s safe to say that Watts, who calls pitches for the team, has already earned the trust of Newcomb.
“She does an amazing job at it,” Newcomb said.
While there is a lot of talent in the group, it seems clear that the team will see more of a by-committee approach this season.
“I think that’s the trend anyway,” Sewell said. “I don’t think we’re really going to prioritize everybody going out there and expecting the seven innings.”
As a part of this committee approach, the different skill sets of the players will be on display.
“Everybody’s got that one kind of niche that they’re good at, and I think it all kind of complements each other,” Watts said.
Newcomb’s signature is to attack the outside corners of the strike zone, while McDowell is known more as an off-speed ball pitcher.
Then come the freshmen.
“We’re going to rely on some freshmen, so that’s always scary,” Sewell said. “But I think they’re good. They’re going to make some mistakes, but I like what they can do.”
Perhaps the highlight of this group is Kaytee Dahlstrom, a righty from California who was named to Softball America’s Freshman Watch List.
Neither Watts nor Sewell elaborated on what kind of approach Dahlstrom brings, only saying that it’s a “different” look and promising that fans will want to see her perform.
Emma Gipson, who was a two-time small school player of the year in Illinois and holds her high school’s record for single-season home runs, is another intriguing arm with what Sewell describes as a “unique skill set.” Watts also said that she brings a “go-getter mentality,” and that “she’s going to attack the zone.”
Jordyn Stuessy from San Antonio, Texas, is projected by Sewell to see time in some crucial moments as well. According to Watts, Stuessy has more down ball, in which the ball drops during the pitch, and offspeed stuff to her game.
“You’ll see her in certain moments where we need some very specific outs,” Sewell said.
All of the unique approaches and different skills will play heavily into making this a highachieving group.
“We’re kind of hitting all four quadrants,” Newcomb said. “I feel like to be a big level or a great pitching staff, that’s what you need… All of us working together, I have no doubt that this pitching staff, we’ll have so much success.”
With such a diversely talented staff, it can be difficult to project or guarantee playing time. Watts isn’t concerned about how the players will take that though.
“They just bought into what we can do to make everything work better as a team… it’s just been the buy-in approach of ‘there’s been success here, I’m going to buy into what you guys are saying because you’ve been successful for a reason.’”
While they’ve bought in, there’s still a lot for the younger pitchers to learn. Newcomb says that she and McDowell have done their best to help prepare them, even with simple things.
“We try to give them small tips, and off the mound too, making sure they keep their head high no matter what happens in the inning… because the moment you get down, it’s hard to recover from that,” Newcomb said.
Watts sees them working and learning every day, and says that it’s one of her favorite things about the team.
“Working with them on a daily basis, every day they come in ready to work, ready to get better at their craft,” Watts said. “Watching them celebrate each other’s success has been huge. They know it’s going to take all of them, and they just celebrate each other.”
SIU RSO Critical Forum hosts 25th annual Love at the Glove
Enan ChEdiak EChEdiak@dailyEgyptian Com
This year marked the 25th annual Love at the Glove, an art show put on by Critical Forum, an SIU sculpture RSO, in the Surplus Gallery at the Glove Factory in Carbondale, Illinois.
Over the years, Love at the Glove has changed a lot. Each year it’s a little different, depending on what art people bring, who shows up or what performers are there.
This year, the exhibition featured artwork from a variety of SIU student and community artists, including many returning artists.
This year, local band Ultra Sex performed at the event with a punk-rock style.
Adding a taste of risque to the show, James Ferraro, a returning community artist and SIU professor of physiology, displayed photographs that featured the human form.
“I just love the human form,” Ferraro said. In his artwork, he said that he is often looking for graphic elements, contrast such as between cleanliness and dirtiness, tension, rigor and control for the artist and escapism for the model.
Suggestive artwork like this has been part of Love at the Glove since its conception.
“The student organization that I helped start invented this show as a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day,” SIU alumnus and Carterville native Bradley Bullock said. Bullock was one of the founders of Love at the Glove.
Because of the circumstances, he said that it was unlike a typical gallery space. Bullock said that when Love at the Glove was started, the space in the Surplus Gallery was storage for the university. “We actually moved everything over and hung a tarp up and just kind of threw it together in there.”
“It was very, you know, cutting edge,” Bullock said. “We were doing
it in a warehouse, and so it’s definitely grown and become a lot more I think proper, for lack of better term.”
According to Bullock, Love at the Glove was started by the club League of Art and Design, which no longer exists. Now, the RSO Critical Forum puts on the event.
Bullock is still involved with the event today, and his daughter Isabella Bullock displayed a few of her pieces in the art show on Friday. Both he and his daughter came to the art show as well.
“It’s my third time submitting. I took a couple years off, but I’m back now,” zIsabella Bullock said. For Love at the Glove, she created collages, which she said she has been into making by incorporating several mediums such as acrylic, paint markers and colored pencils.
Photo editor Enan Chediak can be reached by echediak@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @enanchediack
Visitors to Love at the Glove view artwork at the Surplus gallery in the Glove Factory Feb. 14, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
Natalie Whaley looks at artwork at Love at the Glove at the Surplus gallery in the Glove Factory Feb. 14, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Whaley is an SIU student studying studio art and said that she came to Love at the Glove to view the art. Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
James Ferraro (left) looks at his nude Shibari photo installation Feb. 14, 2025 at the 25th annual Love at the Glove art exhibition in Carbondale, Illinois. Ferraro is an associate professor in physiology at SIU who has been doing so for 18 years. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @d.martinezphoto
Enan ChEdiak @EnanChEdiak
SIU hosts Don Denoon Invite
The Southern Illinois Track and Field team competed in their fifth track meet of the season in the Don Denoon Invite on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 at the Student Recreation Center in Carbondale, Illinois.
Contestants from Southeastern Missouri State University, Murray State University and Rhodes College competed. Visitors from the southern Illinois community and from the neighboring states came to support the competing teams.
The meet featured competitions in several different categories including men and women long
jump, men and women shot put, men and women pole vault, high jump and hurdles, along with many others.
SIU placed first in 20 out of the 30 categories in the track meet.
Several SIU freshmen placed first in some categories. Freshman Andre Jackson II placed first in the Men’s 200 meter dash. Freshman Na’Kyrah Cooks placed first in Women’s Triple Jump, and freshman Makayla Winters placed first in the Women’s Long Jump.
Photo editor Enan Chediak can be reached at echediak@dailyegyptian.com or through instagram @enanchediak
Morgan Noyes, a junior at Murray State University, attempts a pole vault at the Don Denoon Invite Feb. 15, 2025 at the SIU Recreation Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
Lynn Schneider (middle) and Louis Sindle watch from the stands at the Don Denoon Invite. Schneider said that she came to support her granddaughter Katie Schneider who is a sophomore competing in the track meet for Murray State University.
Jalynn Wood runs and attempts a pole vault at the Don Denoon Invite.
