Federal funding freeze presents challenges for SIU researchers
A freeze on federal funding issued by the White House on Monday, Jan. 27 briefly suspended payments for federal grants, loans and specific educational programs, causing widespread confusion and concern across the country and at SIU before being quickly reversed the next day.
As of Jan. 29, the White House announced that the Office of Management and Budget had rescinded its directive to pause federal grant payments and other programs, reversing the freeze just a day after it was announced.
However, the administration clarified that while the original memo calling for the freeze had been reversed, the broader effort to review federal spending would still proceed, according to reporting by NPR.
Even though the freeze was short-lived, it created anxiety for institutions like SIU, particularly in research areas reliant on federal grants. Researchers now face lingering uncertainty about how federal funding policies may continue to change in the coming months.
According to an email sent to SIU faculty on Jan. 28 from Constantinos Tsatsoulis, vice chancellor
for research, the freeze would have affected a wide range of activities related to federally funded awards. Federal advisory committees, panel reviews, new award issuances and the distribution of funds under open awards would all be paused as agencies undergo an administrative review.
After the reversal, SIU Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Jeff Harmon, wrote in an email to the Daily Egyptian, “SIU Carbondale leadership continues to monitor the executive orders, meeting daily to examine their impact. We have not received direct information or guidance
From the house to The Island: New escape room captures Carbondale’s attention
Forest Palais poses for a portrait Jan. 31, 2025 at The Island escape room in Carbondale, Illinois. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @d.martinezphoto
About a year ago, Forrest Palis, owner of the new downtown Carbondale Island Escape, made an escape room for his little cousins. They enjoyed the escape room so much that he decided to start building the business he owns today.
“They inspired me to come find a place to rent,” Palis said. “About a month later. I found a spot to rent.”
The escape room is located right next to Blend Tea and Crepe Lounge and is right above Project Human X at 715 S. University Ave. Suite 2B Carbondale, Illinois. Palis started building it about a year and a half
ago. He turned an open space into an office and two areas with multiple rooms for different escape rooms. Pallis also had a part in building the yoga studio, which is also located at The Island.
He went to multiple escape rooms around the state while he was planning his own.
“I felt like there were escape rooms around
Spring marks 5th semester of enrollment increase, university says
lgibbs@dAilyegyptiAn com
The spring 2025 semester marks the fifth consecutive semester of enrollment increase at SIU Carbondale following a fall semester that saw the highest boost of student enrollment in 33 years, according to a Jan. 30 press release from the school. SIU saw a 3.3% enrollment increase – the second year in a row that is over 3%.
Currently, 10,869 students are enrolled, slightly short of fall semester numbers due to December graduations, according to the release. Of the total, 8,362 students attend SIU on campus while offcampus enrollment is 2,507 according to director of communications Kim Rendfeld.
“I personally thank everyone in Saluki Nation for all they have done to attract students and help them succeed from orientation to graduation,” Chancellor Austin Lane said in the release.
This is the second year in a row of an enrollment increase trend – the first time since 2000.
From 2024, undergraduate enrollment increased by 3.6% while graduate enrollment increased by 2.5%, according to university data. Fully online enrollment increased by 24% and continuing students increased by 11%. The freshman class enrollment increased for a fifth consecutive year. Of the students enrolled, over 7,800 are Illinois residents.
“In recent years, we have made concerted efforts to red carpet the Southern Illinois region, and they continue to pay off. Enrollment from the region rose 18%,” Lane said in the press release.
The university’s goal to enroll 15,000 students by 2030 is on track, as envisioned in the Imagine 2030 strategic plan, according to Lane.
Editor-in-Chief Lylee Gibbs can be reached at lgibbs@dailyegypitan.com or through instagram @lyleegibbsphoto
from any federal agency regarding the executive orders. Even though OMB Memorandum M-25-13 has been rescinded, we still need more information. If students or employees are directly affected, we will communicate with them. We appreciate Salukis’ patience as we continue to watch the ever-evolving situation.”
According to Harmon, the statement was on behalf of both SIU Chancellor Austin Lane and Tsatsoulis, neither of whom responded to individual requests for comment.
While this freeze could have affected many programs, student loans and Pell Grants were to remain unaffected by this policy change, according to reporting by the New York Times. These forms of financial aid for students will continue without disruption.
The freeze would have caused significant challenges for researchers at SIU, particularly in fields heavily dependent on government grants.
Chris Stantis, an assistant professor at SIU in biological anthropology, shared how the freeze has affected her ability to continue critical research in archaeology and forensic anthropology.
With training in archaeology, anatomy and chemistry, Stantis primarily focuses on analyzing bones and teeth to understand how ancient peoples adapted to their environments. Her research, which includes forensic
anthropology and stable isotopes chemistry, relies on grants from major federal agencies like the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Institute of Justice.
“These are just the largest kinds of pots of money for doing archaeological research,” Stantis said on Wednesday, after the freeze was rescinded. “There are other options, like state-level funding, or maybe very specific private endowments, but they’re often limited to very specific research questions. Generally, we need federal funding to do our work.”
For researchers like Stantis, federal funding does more than just support research but also helps fund students, postdoctoral researchers and even their salaries.
As someone who recently started on a tenure track, she explained the added pressure, and said, “Right now, it’s been suggested to me by senior professors to maybe put these cancellations and pauses in my tenure folder, to perhaps use this evidence. But that doesn’t feel as good as actually having grants.”
Stantis noted that she became an anthropologist for the love of research; however, the freeze, though only temporary, still presented a real threat to her ability to continue her research.
“I’m not an archaeologist or an anthropologist for the money or the fame. I do this because I’m passionate about these research questions, and so it’s really frustrating to possibly know that there will be a pause, a pivot, or
even a complete breakdown of my ability to do something that I would be really excited to do,” Santis said.
The uncertainty surrounding the freeze has left many researchers unsure of their next steps. The impact goes beyond just Stantis’ work. National Science Foundation panels were scheduled to take place on Monday, but due to the freeze, approximately 60 grant review panels were canceled and have yet to be rescheduled.
“Every grant review panel is a few professors who put in a few dozen hours to read over those grants, to talk about it, and you think about those hundreds of random hours that are lost,” said Stantis.
Her own projects have also seen setbacks.
Stantis said, “I just submitted something last week and now, those panels for the NSF were all canceled on Monday. Who knows when they’ll meet next. It’s going to throw everything back, so even if the money starts flowing again, will we be able to meet our target dates?”
Adding to the confusion, federal agencies are handling the freeze in different ways.
“We don’t know right now what will come back or when,” Stantis said. “Each federal funding body is doing their best to act according to these very confusing memos and executive orders, and there isn’t a lot of time to communicate, which adds more confusion.”
In particular, Stantis cited the NSF’s typical guidelines, especially
regarding the broader impacts of grant applications.
She said, “NSF grants are based on two criteria, generally: intellectual merit and broader impacts. But now, the NSF is telling you to avoid things like DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and ‘wokeness,’ which creates an impasse for researchers who’ve already written grants with those broader impacts in mind.”
The uncertainty extends to other funding bodies as well, with some, like the National Institute of Justice, removing all current grant opportunities from their websites.
“At the moment, we don’t even know what we can apply to or what’s happening,” Stantis said. “The National Institute of Justice has just removed all grants from their site. Unless you’ve saved copies, you don’t know what’s available.”
With millions of dollars at stake, she and her colleagues are now left wondering whether to pause, adjust or abandon projects.
Stantis said, “I had an upcoming grant I was working on with colleagues from across the United States—it was going to be a ballpark of $600,000 worth of research money. Do we keep working on this grant, assuming it will open back up? Or do we pivot to smaller pots of state-level or private funding, or abandon the project altogether?”
Beyond the personal frustrations, Stantis highlighted the far-reaching consequences of the freeze for the scientific community as a whole.
“Federal funding is just so important for asking big questions, for doing what’s known as ‘blue skies research,’ where there’s a higher risk but also a higher reward,” she said. “These are things that smaller pots of money often just can’t support. So when federal funding like this gets interrupted, it’s bad for American science as a whole.”
The funding freeze, compounded by administrative confusion and delays, has researchers across the country questioning their next moves.
“This is a lot of uncertainty for a lot of people, and when it’s that mix of both our passion and our vocation and our salary, that’s extra stressful,” Stantis said.
She added that there are farreaching consequences of impulsive decisions made at high levels of government, where hasty or poorly communicated actions can lead to prolonged uncertainty and disruption, are apparent in the fluctuating status of the freeze.
Stantis said, “I think this is a good example of something that we should be taught as, like children, right, that our words matter, and when we say things out of pocket, the chaos and the disruption that it causes can be much more than the short amount of time you took in saying something that makes it well thought, and this just scales massively when it’s a White House memorandum.”
Staff reporter Annalise Schmidt can be reached at aschmidt@dailyegyptian.com
National DEI changes lead Carbondale to monitor inclusion goals
Jasmine Thompson JasmineThompson@dailyegypTian com
President Donald Trump recently canceled a key executive order signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 designed to prevent federal contractors from discriminating against individuals based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin. This decision has reignited discussions around diversity, equity and inclusion programs, particularly in government and public services.
The White House asserts that this change is driven by the belief that DEI policies can undermine the significance of individual skills and hard work. However, critics argue that removing these protections may hinder efforts to cultivate an inclusive environment.
At Southern Illinois University, Chancellor Austin Lane emphasized the university’s ongoing commitment to DEI efforts. “We are keeping an eye on these changes to DEI policies,” Lane said. “So far, none of the changes require us to alter our current DEI initiatives. We remain committed to promoting diversity on campus.”
Lane highlighted the Dr. Seymour Bryson Future Scholars Program, which supports diverse students. “This program includes students from various backgrounds and focuses on supporting their journey from orientation to graduation.” He added, “Our priority is to treat everyone well, regardless of their background.
Dr. Paul Frazier, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, stands for a portrait outside of Anthony Hall Jan. 28, 2025 at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Photo by Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
A welcoming campus is about how we treat each other.”
Paul Frazier, vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion,
echoed these sentiments: “My daily work hasn’t changed. I’m focused on helping students and faculty, not defining myself by race or culture.”
Lane also said that the university employs diverse hiring practices and has established councils to ensure representation in hiring committees.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to supporting all students. Lane said, “Our goal is to help students succeed, no matter their background,” while Frazier said, “We strive to ensure everyone feels they belong.”
In contrast, the City of Carbondale is focused on maintaining diversity in its workforce. Mayor Carolin Harvey and City Manager Stan Reno said that having a diverse team enhances teamwork and productivity.
Mayor Harvey said, “Right now, we are waiting to see what the federal government decides and how it will affect us. Nothing has been finalized yet.” She emphasized the importance of DEI initiatives in city projects, stating, “We have a DEI position in our city dedicated to ensuring we involve minority contractors in our projects, whether it’s road repairs or building new facilities.”
Regarding hiring practices, Harvey said, “We are always looking for the most qualified person for the job, not just minority candidates. However, I believe DEI is necessary due to historical inequalities.”
Reno expressed his views on the recent changes, stating that he has been with the city for nearly 28 years, mainly in the police department. Now that he is city manager, he oversees all city government functions and is working toward the positions
of the city council and mayor. Reno indicated that the city would continue striving for equal opportunities for underrepresented groups. He said, “We will keep our goals to ensure equal opportunities through city government while monitoring how these new federal guidelines might affect us.” He also said, “The city will comply with whatever federal or state guidelines are set. My role is to ensure that we follow the law.”
He acknowledged that DEI issues are not only local but also national concerns. “These concerns are common nationwide,” he said. “We want to provide equal opportunities and comply with federal guidelines. Achieving diversity is still a key goal for us.”
When asked about specific DEI efforts, Reno said, “We have set goals for including a certain percentage of minority workers on projects, but some of those goals are being reviewed in light of legal challenges. We want our city to reflect diversity in its workforce, businesses and residents.”
As discussions about DEI continue, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to inclusion. Harvey noted no decisions have yet been finalized, while Reno said, “We will maintain a diverse and inclusive workforce no matter what the federal changes may be.”
Staff reporter Jasmine Thompson can be reached at jasminethompson@dailyegyptian.com
New City Manager Stan Reno talks Carbondale projects, police force updates
Jackson Brandhorst JBrandhorst@dailyegyptian com
Last week, the city of Carbondale announced that Police Chief Stan Reno would be dropping the interim tag from his city manager title and would assume the role full time.
On Jan. 29, the Carbondale City Council voted to approve the employment agreement between Reno and the city, making his full-time role official.
Reno had been simultaneously holding the titles of police chief and city manager for the last nine months, and will continue doing so until the end of June, which is when it is expected that the city council will have found his replacement for the chief of police position.
Until then, Reno will continue holding both titles, however, the duties of police chief will be passed along to a deputy.
On Friday, Reno and the city council announced that Deputy Chief Anthony Williams had been appointed as the acting chief of police, alleviating some of the responsibility previously placed upon Reno.
In his new role, Williams will assume increased day-to-day duties while the city conducts its nationwide search for Reno’s replacement.
“Deputy Chief Williams is an outstanding leader who has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Carbondale community throughout his career,” said Reno in a press release. “I have full confidence that he will continue to guide the department with integrity and professionalism as we work through the process of a transition in leadership.”
Now, as Reno turns his focus to the role of city manager, there are a plethora of projects on his plate.
The city manager role varies from market to market, but no matter where you are, the responsibilities placed upon those in the position are profound.
As Reno put it, the city manager is essentially “the CEO of the government entity,” and his experience in the interim role and his time as the city’s chief of police has helped him prepare for this position.
So, what exactly does this position entail when assumed in Carbondale?
According to Reno, quite a lot.
“The city manager makes sure that the daily operations of the city continue offering services to our community members and visitors of Carbondale,” Reno told the Daily Egyptian, while adding that it will also be his responsibility to ensure that the city has a proper budget in place to support those services, the proper staff in place to support those services and the will to carry out the goals and objectives of the elected officials – such as the city council and the mayor.
Despite the complexity of the position, and on top of his duties as police chief, Reno has had plenty of time to prepare.
Reno said that getting more involved with the different initiatives in Carbondale has helped him see a side of governing that he had not previously encountered as police chief.
“These last eight to nine months really gave me an opportunity to work closer with city staff in other areas of city governance outside of law enforcement – the space that I’ve spent 28 years of my career in,” said Reno.
“Learning more about our city staff and the work that they’re doing has really just prepared me to, you know, continue to move that work forward and provide them with the support and the resources they need to get that important work done,” he said.
Reno has long been aware of the work being done in and around the city, and has a very extensive history in enforcing the law in Carbondale.
He was born and raised in Carbondale and graduated from both Carbondale Community High School and Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in political science and the administration of justice.
Reno joined the Carbondale police force in 1997 and has since won awards for leading narcotics investigations, including two conspiracy cases that solved cold-case homicide investigations.
In similar fashion to his succession as city manager, Reno was named interim chief of police in 2020 and assumed the
into a broader spectrum for all city services, city-wide,” said Reno.
As for his replacement in the chief of police position, the city of Carbondale has already begun working on the process of conducting their nationwide search.
“Yes, we’ve started the initial steps of the process of determining what that [the search] is going to look like,” said Reno. So, what exactly is it that they will be searching for?
Again, according to Reno, safety is the focal point.
“I want somebody who is focused on the safety of the community and the success and future of Carbondale,” said Reno. “Someone making sure that we’re providing support resources to our law enforcement officers and civilian staff at the police department, so that we are providing the best services to the community,” he said, adding that the city would also be focusing on things like officer wellness and officer training.
In the meantime, the projects unfolding around Carbondale won’t be stopping –including those that seemingly have, like Hangar 9.
“So, with Hangar 9…it’s for sale, and we are, as a city, trying to assist in that sale,” Reno told the DE.
“We want to see the business continue. Hangar has been an important part of the Carbondale community for many years and it’s been an important part of the music scene for many years. So we really want to see a good operator come in and continue that success and provide that entertainment opportunity
“As far as downtown is concerned, that is going to continue to be a focus of ours”
- Stan Reno City Manager, Carbondale IL
full-time role in 2021.
“Being the police chief in an interim status and then a permanent status for almost five years has really given me an opportunity to develop as a leader and to understand how to manage an organization and the staff within it to set goals and objectives,” Reno said.
When asked what aspects of law enforcement he will bring with him into his new role, Reno said his top priority is ensuring the safety of the Carbondale community – just as it has always been.
“As the police chief, I’m really focusing on the public safety and the safety of the community and just the best interests of the community. So, just carrying those same priorities and same type of focus over
for the city,” said Reno.
“But specifically, the city’s not involved with the real estate sale or anything,” Reno said, “but we’re certainly assisting however we can to make sure that the right people know it’s for sale, and to help make sure that we can find a good buyer and operator for it.”
That being said, the status of Hangar 9 isn’t the only thing in limbo.
Downtown Carbondale, specifically the Strip, has been the focus of development plans on city officials’ desks for years. According to Reno, those plans are soon slated for an update.
“As far as downtown is concerned, that is going to continue to be a focus of ours,” said Reno.
“We’ve done a number of improvements over the last several years to the downtown and we’re not finished. We’re continuing that work and getting ready to develop a downtown master plan – an updated downtown master plan – that will give us some vision on branding and really just the aesthetics of downtown, to include things like way finding and working with the university on some things…you know, having a seamless transition between downtown and campus and recognizing that relationship between the city and the university,” said Reno.
A key part of those plans is, of course, the construction of the new Amtrak station on the east side of South Illinois Avenue, which is officially referred to as the Southern Illinois Multimodal Station – or SIMMS for short.
“Obviously, the multimodal center is a huge cornerstone project that’s been underway for quite some time now,” said Reno, adding that it’s getting closer to completion.
The SIMMS building is expected to include space for a café and market to support travelers, bike sharing for students, residents and tourists as well as office space for Amtrak, Greyhound, Jackson County Mass Transit, Rides Mass Transit, the SIU Welcome Center and more.
Once the SIMMS building is finished, Reno and city staff will begin getting the services up and running, which will include the flagship Amtrak operation and the addition of a co-working space that will include all of the other means of transportation, like the city buses.
Reno noted that, despite convolution
concerning the disbursement of federal funding following the implementation of several executive orders from President Donald Trump, the city of Carbondale has been in contact with the federal government to ensure that the BUILD grant awarded to the city to fund the SIMMS building will not be interrupted.
Reno also noted that Man-Tra-Con, a federally funded workforce connection service in southern Illinois, is committed to having a space in the building to help people in the Carbondale community find jobs.
A project update posted on the city’s website earlier this month said that the interior and exterior of the SIMMS building are nearly complete and that concrete work and landscaping will continue as weather permits.
Reno added that the city is also working on the beginning steps of the stage for the Downtown Entertainment and Events Plaza that he says will “really enhance that entertainment opportunity on South Washington Street.”
Last week, Carbondale Mayor Carolin Harvey told the DE that she’s looking forward to working with Reno on completing current projects, like the SIMMS building and entertainment plaza, as well as bringing on new ones that will “help the city grow and thrive.” Reno said that being honored with the responsibility of city manager means a lot to him and that he’s excited about the work ahead.
Staff reporter Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@dailyegyptian.com
Photo provided by Stan Reno.
here that were kind of lacking in the beauty of escape rooms, because they should be more immersive,” Palis said.
Immersion is his main goal when building the mystery cabin escape room and for future projects. “...they have puzzles, which is great, but there wasn’t that immersion,” Palis said of other local escape rooms.
The theme of the escape room is Cabin Mysteries. When the door first opens, it feels like a portal to a different place. The initial step through the door immediately piqued interest and excitement for the Daily Egyptian staff who experienced the room on Friday. The first half of the puzzles required some comfort with the dark and limited lighting – both of which added to the immersion aspect.
The ideal number of people for the escape room is somewhere between two to eight people, Palis said. The recommended number is above two.
“It’s just that people with two people don’t usually finish this one,” Palis said.
Once one puzzle was solved, the energy in the room sparked and propelled the group to move on to the next section. Some puzzles promote teamwork and are great for team building and bonding for two or more.
As you move through the rooms, a story is built based on the clues throughout. With every new piece you lay your eyes upon, a story puzzle is also revealed alongside the physical puzzles.
Palis described the largest challenge being the motivation to continue building the room. “Every time I looked at it… I was like, oh my god, it is gonna be a lot of time,” Palis said. He said it was worth it once it was completed, though.
Palis’ dedication can be seen in how much work he has put into making sure the experience is captivating and engaging
for everyone involved.
At the grand opening in November 2024, he had a number of people interested in trying it out in the first week.
“My first customer, they called me on the day of opening… they had found it was they just Googled an escape room… and mine popped up,” Palis said.
Since opening, there have been roughly 100 visitors, according to Palis, two of which have found their way around certain puzzles, one being a member of the Daily Egyptian staff. This did not ruin the fun of the room, however.
The puzzles were just as clear as they were engaging. Unlike other escape rooms that have a common practice of limited hints, Palis provides those doing the escape room with unlimited hints to quell potential frustrations.
Other goals he has includes increasing name recognition. The first weekend of February 2025, Palis plans to go downtown and pass out flyers and has some ideas to promote on campus in the future.
Cabin Mysteries is just the start to the business. Palis is currently building a second room that is planned to open a year from now. This upcoming room will have a recommendation of two to six people as it will be a little smaller.
Several paintings lining the lobby clue into the museum of the next room Palis is building.
“People have asked me, will there be an island theme? And no, but there will be sand… involved in the next one,” Palis said.
Design chief Peyton Cook can be reached at pcook@dailyegyptian.com or through Instagram @cookmeavisual.
Student managing editor Dominique Martinez-Powell can be reached at dmartinez-powell@dailyegyptian.com or through instagram @d.martinezphoto
Light shines within an electric lantern used for lighting dim places in the escape room, Jan. 31, 2025 at The Island Escape room in Carbondale, Illinois. Photo by Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
Forest Palis shows his progress on his escape room that he is working on Wednesday Feb. 14, 2024 in The Island in Carbondale, Illinois. Photo by Enan Chediak | @enanchediak
Informational business card for the escape room rests on a mantle Jan. 31, 2025 at The Island Escape room in Carbondale, Illinois. Photo by Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
Photo provided by Forest Palis.
A tale of two halves as Salukis falter against Drake
As winners of five of their last six games, including a comeback win over Valparaiso earlier in the week, the Salukis came home with the mission of upsetting a 19-2 Drake squad. The wheels started to fall off for the Salukis around the eight minute mark in the second half as the Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run over the next four minutes, pushing their lead into double digits, putting SIU well out of reach with a final score of 75-65.
The Dawgs jumped out to an early lead, but a 9-0 run flipped the court back in favor of the Bulldogs.
Drake was able to stretch their lead to as high as seven in the first half on 42% shooting from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc.
Before the end of the half, SIU was able to pull it back to a one point game behind Ali Dibba’s 10 points and holding the Bulldogs to eight points in the last 10 minutes of the half.
Out of the break, the two teams started to match each other, with neither team leading by more than three for the first 10 minutes of the half.
“We had a simple game plan and in the second half, we just didn’t execute.” head coach Scott Nagy said.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Salukis were led by Kennard Davis Jr. and Dibba. The pair dropped 22 and 20 points
respectively and Davis made all four of the Saluki triples in the game.
As a team, the Dawgs shot 14 for 21 from the field in the second half, but it still wasn’t enough due to their poor defensive showing.
“You lose by 10 points in the second half while shooting 60%, that’s how bad we were defensively.” Nagy said.
Defensively, SIU couldn’t contain Drake’s Bennett Stirtz. The junior finished the afternoon with 30 points on 11 for 17 shooting, including three threes, and five assists in 40 minutes on the court.
The Bulldogs also got a lot of production from Tavion Banks off the bench, with 21 points and five rebounds.
The Salukis were shooting themselves in the foot all afternoon, with 16 turnovers by the time of the final buzzer. Drake took advantage of the mistakes and scored 20 of their points off of turnovers.
“They’re killing us. We’ve had two games in a row where all we do is turn it over,” Nagy said.
The Salukis moved to 10-13 on the season with the loss and 5-7 in Missouri Valley play. SIU will be back in action on Wednesday, Feb. 5 with a road game against the Purple Aces of Indiana.
Sports Reporter Nick Pfannkuche can be reached at npfankuche@dailyegyptian.com.
Carbondale rainbow cafe hosts rally in support of trans rights
Enan ChEdiak EChEdiak@dailyEgyptian Com
More than 30 people from Carbondale and around southern Illinois came to the Rainbow Cafe Jan. 30, 2025 to take part in the Trans Unity Rally in Carbondale, Illinois.
“What do we want? Trans rights! When do we want it? Now!” and similar chants were shouted by protesters as they marched from the cafe to Carbondale’s City Hall. SIU student El said “I just wanted to stand up for what is right.”
Benito Goff who led the protest said, “A couple of days ago, I noticed online that some of the organizations I follow were spreading information about a national movement for a transgender unity rally, which is what we’re hosting tonight.”
Goff said that the unity rally was an outlet for the trans community in Carbondale to express their feelings on what has happened in the first few days of Trump’s administration. “I think a lot of people are very excited about today because they have a lot of rage that’s built up over the past 10 days between the passport, between the Medicaid, between the military ban and everything else that is
to come over the next two to four years,” Benito said. “They want an outlet to speak their minds.”
Goff said that he has been involved with the Rainbow Cafe Rainbow for nine years.
“The Rainbow Cafe LGBTQ Center has been around since 2000,” Goff said. “I started coming to Rainbow Cafe when I was 16.”
Goff said that some local Carbondale churches started the Rainbow Cafe as a youth group that was a safe place for LGBTQ+ teenagers.
“Eventually that grew into the nonprofit we have today,” Goff said. The cafe offers community services and behavioral health and wellness services, Goff said. “We provide mental health counseling, STD testing, HIV case count management as well as support groups.”
In addition to this, the cafe offers youth programs for people between the ages of 9 to 25 and programs for polyamorous individuals, queer adults, and queer elders as well.
Photo editor Enan Chediak can be reached at echediak@dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram at @enanchediak
Sophomore Guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) goes on offense against Drake Junior Guard/Forward Tavion Banks (6) Feb. 1, 2024 at Banterra Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Jason Isele @iselephotography
Redshirt Freshman Guard Drew Steffe (21) dribbles the ball around Drake Junior Guard Bennett Stirz (14) during a conference match.
Junior Guard Damien Mayo Jr. (10) attempts a layup against Drake Graduate Student Guard Mitch Mascari (22). Senior Guard Ali Dibba (6) dribbles the ball against Drake Graduate Student Guard Mitch Mascari (22).
Trans flags sit on display at the Rainbow Cafe, the starting place of the Trans Unity Rally Jan. 30, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Photos by Enan Chediak @enanchediak
Protestors hold signs on the Carbondale City Hall steps in the rain and cold.
Protestors stand in front of city hall to listen to a speaker at the Trans Unity Rally in Carbondale Illinois.
A police car waits in the alleyway across from the Carbondale City Hall while Benito Goff speaks to the group of protestors that gathered for the Trans Unity Rally.
Salukis come back, survive late-game scare vs Valpo
Ryan GRieseR @RGRieseR@dailyeGyptian com
The SIU men’s basketball team was nothing short of perfection down the stretch.
Kennard Davis Jr. helped complete the comeback on Tuesday, Jan. 28 when he hit a three with 1:54 left to play. Valparaiso tied it back up and forced a loose ball, but Jarrett Hensley recovered the ball and slammed it home to take a 71-69 lead that the Salukis wouldn’t relinquish.
Sheridan Sharp and Damien Mayo Jr. both made two free throws in the last minute, and Davis Jr. hit four to help ice the Salukis 79-75 win, marking a perfect eight-for-eight from the line.
for the rest of the game until Davis Jr.’s three, and the Dawgs got the job done.
Up to this point in the season, the Salukis had not won a game in which they trailed at halftime.
“The good teams I’ve had figure out ways to win games when they’re not playing well. Our guys did that tonight,” Nagy said.
Davis Jr. led the Dawgs with 19 points,
improvement from his 16.7% mark on the season.
“Mostly just proud of him as a man… probably the one player we had that hasn’t gotten a fair opportunity this year up until the UIC game,” Nagy said. “When we put him in, he was ready. How do you stay ready, how do you not give in to discouragement… It says so much about him, and I’m so happy for him.”
The Beacons held about a 5-point lead for the rest of the game until Davis Jr.’s three, and the Dawgs got the job done.
“There were big free throws there that they made,” head coach Scott Nagy said.
It didn’t look like the Dawgs were going to get the chance to come back. After taking an early lead, Valpo came back and held a narrow lead for most of the first half before opening it up to a 34-29 lead.
Valpo came out of the half hot and increased their lead to 40-29 before a quick Saluki run, driven by 3-pointers by Ali Dibba and Davis Jr. cut the lead to 42-39.
The Beacons held about a 5-point lead
including a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line, though he only shot 3-12 from the field.
Four Salukis finished with 13 points, including Hensley and Dibba. Dibba and Hensley had two offensive rebounds a piece, and Dibba also had two steals. 13 points matched Damien Mayo Jr.’s career-high, and set Jorge Moreno’s.
Moreno played 14 minutes and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 50% from the free throw line, a large
Moreno helped to fuel the Salukis’ 46 points in the paint, which helped to offset their poor performance from behind the threepoint line.
“That’s been our deal here lately, We’re not a great shooting team, we know it, so we want to take less threes, get to the paint, get to the free throw line and muck up the game,” Nagy said.
Davis Jr. and Dibba continued their trend of playing heavy minutes; Dibba, who played 38, eclipsed 34 for the seventh consecutive game, while Davis Jr. was over 35 minutes for the sixth game in a row.
Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at rgrieser@daillyegyptian.com.
Photo provided by Saluki Athletics.
Saluki baseball has high expectations for the 2025 season
Nick PfaNNkuche @NPfaNNkuche@dailyegyPtaiN com
Saluki baseball is right around the corner, with only a week and a half until the first series in Edinburg, Texas against the Vaqueros of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) .
After finishing the year with a 12-15 conference record, and 33-27 overall, that left a sour taste in the clubhouse, SIU eyes to be much more competitive in the Missouri Valley Conference this season.
“Last year, we didn’t meet the expectations we put on ourselves,” first baseman Matt Schark said.
The lineup will look a lot different for the Salukis this season, as only one of the regular starters from last year is back for another go around, Jordan Bach.
In 2024, Bach played in 58 of 60 contests, posting a .299 batting average and an .845 on base plus slugging (OPS) over the course of the season.
Bach isn’t the only experienced bat that will return for another shot.
After a 2023 where he put up a .930 OPS and 11 home runs in 52 games, Schark missed most of 2024 due to a torn labrum which was a tough ordeal to face.
“Knowing I couldn’t help out, it was kind of difficult,” Schark said.
With another year of eligibility, Schark returned to SIU excited to use his two years of experience to be a leader in the locker room.
“It was pretty exciting to come back and try to help the new guys,” Schark said.
Schark also believes that his ability to hit for power, with 19 extra base hits in 2023, was sorely missed last season.
“We were missing that extra base hit in some situations last year,” Schark said.
Now in year in Carbondale, Schark says that there is a fire in the eyes of the 2025 squad that he has not seen before.
“This group is the most determined that I’ve ever seen since I’ve been here,” Schark said.
With 25 roster spots to fill, the year head coach Lance Rhodes and the rest of the coaching staff had to undergo their yearly process of filling out their roster with the players and positions that they needed through the transfer portal.
“We were looking for position specific stuff. We were looking for left-handed bats,” new hitting coach Seth McLemore said.
Schark and McLemore both sang their praises for two players in particular that they see being big contributors this year, John Lemm and Mason Schwalbach.
McLemore also said that they wanted to get guys who could play multiple positions, as they believe that there are advantages that come with that skill set.
“That athleticism carries over to the batter’s box,” McLemore said.
McLemore does believe that his guys will have to make some adjustments with the jump from Junior College to Division 1 baseball, but he wants to see them compete and succeed.
“I have very high expectations for the whole group,” McLemore said.
Unlike the position players, the pitching staff will be more veteranheavy in 2025. Five pitchers from last year’s team return, most notably, Al Holguin, Cole Koonce and Alec Nigut. Holguin and Nigut each tossed over 50 innings in the 2024 campaign and Koonce made 24 relief appearances, the second most last year.
Pitching coach Austin Tribby said he thinks that experience will be
valuable in the upcoming season.
“Anytime you can get a season of Division 1 baseball under your belt, there’s a lot of positivity that comes from that,” Tribby said.
Another main trait the coaching staff looked for during the recruitment process was southpaws.
“Left handed pitching is a hot commodity and we got four really good ones this year,” Tribby said, referring to Holguin, Night, Gavan Wernsing and Jordan Huskey.
They were also looking for guys who had experienced previous success at the collegiate level, like Wernsing, who, over two seasons at Southwestern Illinois College, compiled a 16-1 record and was named All-Conference in both years.
“Being a winner speaks,” Tribby said.
But most importantly, they were looking for players who would mesh with the team they were building.
“You have to make sure you get the right fit,” Tribby said.
Nowhere is that more important than between the pitchers and the catchers. With just Bach, who only caught six games being the only returning catcher, work was needed to build the necessary chemistry. For his part, Tribby feels they have come together quite well.
“We have a great group of catchers and they really try to lead the pitching staff,” Tribby said.
The Salukis will kick off their season with a swing down in Texas on Feb. 14 for a three- game series at UTRGV. They will be at home for the first time on Tuesday, Feb. 18 against the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Sports Consultant: Ryan Grieser rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com
Digital Editor: Bhayva Sri-Billuri bsri-billuri@dailyegyptian.com
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Saluki baseball huddles together in a practice Jan. 24, 2025 at Itchy Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.
‘It’s as good as it’s ever been’: SIU softball
expecting to pick up where they left off
Ryan GRieseR @RGRieseR@dailyeGyptian com
Despite a big turning over of the roster, head Saluki softball coach Jen Sewell thinks the team will be just as dominant as ever.
“I think we got what we needed and we filled the holes quite quickly,” Sewell said. “Per usual here, the next class is always ready to step up, so I think it’s as good as it’s ever been.”
Coming off of one of the best seasons in program history, the Salukis lost eight seniors, including Maddie Eberle, Sidney Jones, Rylie Hamilton and Elizabeth Warwick, the latter three of which appeared on AllMissouri Valley Conference teams.
The Dawgs also lost MVC Freshman of the Year Maddia Groff and her twin sister and catcher, Rylinn.
However, Sewell is confident in the roster that she and her staff have in place, which was bolstered by a big transfer class.
Transfer senior Mckenzie Newcomb and sophomore Kiana McDowell will be counted upon to stabilize the rotation, and a number of freshmen will be counted on alongside them.
“If I were just a fan, I would pay attention a lot to the transfer class.
Mikaela Coburn from John A. Logan (College) is the real deal,” Sewell said. I think the SIUE (Maleah Blomenkamp), the Austin Peay (Charley Pursley) transfers, Emily Williams from Morehead State… are going to help us.”
Sewell also thinks that the key to the Salukis’ success will be their defense behind their “great pitching.”
“It would be how well we can play defensively… we lost that framework that made us feel good defensively, a lot of seniors on the field. So I’m looking forward to some juniors and probably sophomores filling in defensively,” Sewell said.
Emma Austin, a senior outfielder coming off of two consecutive second-team All-MVC seasons, is especially excited about how that defense is taking shape.
“That’s where I think the majority of the new people are… and of course me, being in the outfield, I have loved taking on kind of like that motherly role and watching them kind of find what they’re good at,” Austin said.
“I’m excited about our arms… I’ve been noticing that more and more, everyone’s getting stronger. Our speed, our arms in the outfield. I think it’s really going to set us apart,” Austin said.
Austin didn’t forget to mention how the infield will look this year though.
“I’m really excited about the infield, because even though there’s a lot of veterans out there, there’s a lot of new faces coming into that, and I’m excited to watch them morph into kind of the crazy infield that we always have,” Austin said.
One returning player that fans may have forgotten about is also set to once again be a mainstay behind the plate and reassume a much larger role.
“I think the backbone of this team is Anna Carder. She’s caught a lot, and she did us sort of a favor last year and (played designated hitter) a little more and caught a little less with the twins being around,” Sewell said. “I expect her to go right back to some of the numbers that she put up, especially her freshman year.
Beyond Carder, a lot of versatility is expected from the team this season, especially in the field.
“It’s a very unique-looking team because of how different it could look,” Jackie Lis said. “There’s so many different parts and pieces of this team that no matter what, whoever you put in the lineup, it’s going to be a good-looking team.”
This includes many of the newcomers to the team, several of whom will be immediate contributors.
“There’s a lot of freshmen that can play multiple spots, a lot of transfers that have proven that they’re good players at other schools. I just think there’s a lot of moving parts,” Lis said.
Austin echoed this thought while highlighting how diverse of a group of talents is present on the roster.
“There’s not one person on the team that does what another one does or does something better than another one does without bringing another talent to the table,” Austin said.
Having made two consecutive NCAA tournament runs, one thing that may change is an increase in pressure, both inside and outside of the program.
“Not that we don’t talk about it, but we recognize that it happened, it’s in the past, it was amazing and it was great. But we also recognize that this is a new time and things change from season to season,” Austin said.
Sewell, who has coached at SIU for 17 years, including four as head coach, included team culture being a big part of managing expectations.
“Anytime you change over 50% of your roster, you’re relying on now eight captains to sort of drip your
culture downhill,” Sewell said. “The culture will sort of take care of the expectations.”
This culture, which will stem from the leadership of a group of eight captains including Austin, Lis, Carder, Erin Lee, Addi Baker, Alexis Rudd, Chloe Scroggins and Hailey Wilkerson, will be crucial to the continued success of Saluki Softball.
“A lot of the upperclassmen that returned, we have had to step it up a little bit and kind of use the example of last year’s team on how to keep the culture and try to get everyone on the same page,” Lis said. “Definitely having eight captains to kind of set the tone and show everybody like, ‘Hey, this is how we do it. This is how we’ve always done it. This is how we’re going to continue to do it,’ also is a big step.”
The leadership and culture of the team, as well as their preparedness, will be tested early in the year. In their first month of play, the Dawgs will face off against Auburn, North
Carolina, Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Creighton, Purdue and Wisconsin, among others.
Austin is particularly excited about getting to open the season with this gauntlet of teams.
“This season and getting to play all these big teams is just really fun… you’re just playing whoever and it doesn’t matter what rank they are or anything,” Austin said. “That’s when you see those upsets, and so I think, ‘Why couldn’t we get one of those?’” For her part, Sewell is happy with where the team currently sits.
“I like where we’re at, and I like some of the progress we’ve made just in January... If we continue the work we did in the fall, we’ll be great in February and March,” Sewell said. “I don’t make a lot of predictions, but I just know what we’ve been through and I trust we’ve put in the work.”
Sports reporter Ryan Grieser can be reached at rgrieser@dailyegyptian.com.
Stalled farm bill presents obstacles for local farmers
Roy Allen Bigham’s earliest memory is of feeding calves at just four years old and he’s been farming ever since. Whether it was milking cows, baling straw or hauling manure, there was always something to do when he was coming of age and it kept him out of trouble.
“We took a few vacations, but there was always a list,” he said. “And we never got to the bottom of it.”
As he grew into a man, farming
became his passion. He earned his degree in agriculture from Southern Illinois University and spends his days tending to thousands of acres of corn and soybeans – prepping, planting, patrolling for pesky weeds and harvesting the food year after year.
Now 69, Bigham has been farming for more than six decades – the dirt lodged in his fingernails, his weathered, tan complexion a testament to his years of hard work. And he has no regrets.
“I couldn’t stand the thought of working inside a factory all day. I like to be outside. I think it is a good life,” said Bigham, the co-owner of multigenerational Bigham Farms in rural Vergennes, Illinois.
But “a good life” isn’t without its stresses. The farm bill that he relies on to sustain his business has been stalled in Congress for over a year, and it’s still not clear when it will pass. Farmers like Bigham are frustrated and disappointed. The farm bill is a critical safety net for farmers
because it includes subsidies like crop insurance, price loss coverage (PLC) and agriculture risk coverage (ARC). When there’s not enough rain – or too much – they rely on crop insurance subsidized by the farm bill to keep them afloat.
Every five years, Congress is responsible for passing a new farm bill that is crucial to agriculture policies. The farm bill covers a wide range of programs including rural development and farming subsidies. Since the expiration of the 2018 farm
bill in September 2023, Congress has struggled to pass a new version and has extended the deadline several times.
This ongoing delay from Congress threatens farmers’ stability, leaving many farmers in Illinois uncertain about the funding that supports their livelihood. Bigham Farms is one of the top 20 farms in southern Illinois, relying heavily on subsidy programs that the farm bill provides. Disagreement about which part of the
SIU softball stretches before practice on Jan. 31, 2025 at Charlotte Jones Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.
Emily Brinkman | erb_photo_
farm bill gets the most funding has Bigham speculating about the outcome for the proposed bill.
“I am worried about them writing a worse bill than we’ve already got and I think they are going to cut funding to pay for other things,” Bigham said.
Rural vs. urban
One of the reasons for the delay is the disagreement about which section of the farm bill gets funding, said Richard Guebert, previous Illinois Farm Bureau president and owner of RNK Farms. Congress has been debating over which section of the bill should get more funding. Some members of Congress want support for farmers, some are advocating for climate and conservation funding, while others want to increase the subsidy for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“If you look at the legislators in Washington today, probably about 90% of them represent populated consumers. They do not have much agriculture in their representative districts, and so that creates a challenge,” Guebert said.
Guebert worked closely with the Illinois and American Farm Bureau during the drafting of the 2018 Farm Bill. He expressed that even in 2018 that it was a challenge to define the budget and to meet all the budget requirements.
“The lack of compromise in Washington, D.C, I just think it’s just terrible; the lack of willingness. I think it’s just not satisfying a way forward,” Guebert said.
Bigham claims this disagreement comes from less agricultural representation in addition to a common misconception about farming.
“People think there’s too much profit in farming because of the price of land going up and they think we’re getting rich, rich beyond what we
deserve,” Bigham said.
The importance of subsidies Richard Guebert, previous Illinois Farm Bureau president and owner of RNK Farms, said the farm bill and the agriculture subsidies within it are critical for farmers.
“A farm bill is to give farmers certainty and is a risk management tool they can utilize and purchase at whatever level they want or need to keep their crops,” Guebert said.
Guebert believes that farmers need help from the farm bill because economic prosperity is the biggest struggle that farmers face today.
“We’re losing a dollar a bushel on corn. And $1.50 to $2 on soybeans for every bushel that we deliver. So that’s high input costs, high seed costs, and low commodity prices,” Guebert said.
One of the important parts of the bill is agriculture subsidies including the price loss coverage (PLC) and the agricultural risk coverage (ARC). Bigham explains that these programs are vital to farms because there have been times where he has faced total crop failure.
“We had a really bad crop in 2002. That was the year my dad died. My son had his stroke and then our crops failed all in one year. The corn made about 45 to 50 bushels an acre,” Bigham said.
Back to the farm
After graduating from college, Bigham returned to the family farm and worked for his father and grandfather until his father’s death in 1996. He now co-owns the farm with his brother and rents pieces of their land to other relatives with the Bigham name.
Bigham has been married to his wife, Tena, for nearly 27 years. He is a father and helps assist his son, Roy Lucas, who has a disability from a stroke at a young age. Lucas works at Bigham farms when he can, having a knack for farming like his father.
Bigham said he tries his best to be considerate and honest though he has been told he can be too critical at times. He believes in taking life one day at a time.
Bigham Farms grows corn and soybeans like many other Midwestern farms. The Environmental Working Group has created an analysis that shows that the farm bill will primarily benefit southern states who produce sugar, peanuts and cotton.
“The upcoming farm bill would overwhelmingly help farmers in congressional districts, including a few, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas,” an EWG analysis finds.
EWG estimates that farmers in Midwestern states are not likely to see significant benefits from increases in the price guarantees that have been proposed for the farm bill.
Environmental perspective
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) was created in 1993 and vowed to shine light on harmful agricultural practices. One of their main concerns about the new farm bill is it could cut funding that helps reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
“If Congress removes the climate focus, the USDA will likely revert to its previous ways, when less than one-quarter of conservation funding
flowed to practices that reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The increase in emissions could be massive,” EWG said.
Environment Illinois is a state conservation group that is working to achieve a greener Illinois; it’s part of the nationwide advocacy organization Environment America. They are hoping that the 2024 farm bill will invest more in newer environmental programs like crop coverage, crop rotation and prairie strips. They wish to see more incentive to help farmers embrace more conservation programs.
“Programs such as prairie strips and crop rotations, beyond the one to two main crops, aren’t understood on the farm by and large,” said Steve Blackledge, who has worked with Environment Illinois for over seven years.
Prairie strips are strips of prairie vegetation between crops that prevent erosion and boost wildlife. These strips are beneficial to wildlife like pollinators and birds all while still promoting crop production. Environment Illinois believes that the reasons why farmers aren’t embracing these programs is due to the lack of funding for farmers to implement them.
“Our suspicion is because the programs are newer, and there’s just not quite enough money to incentivize farmers to try these newer programs. Like planting prairie along their corn or soybeans,” Blackledge said.
Environment Illinois and EWG are both fighting for change within the bill to create healthier food and earth, but just like farmers, they are concerned about being passed over due to the size of the bill.
“The farm bill is a huge behemoth of a bill. It’s one of the challenges of finding agreement, frankly, and why sometimes lawmakers just throw up their hands and just pass a bill very similar to the previous version,” Blackledge said.
Hope for the Future
Bigham has been farming for years but he’s not ready to retire just yet.
“I want to stay busy. I may be like my dad - he didn’t retire until he was dead,” Bigham said.
But if he does decide to retire, Bigham plans to travel. As a nature lover and someone who prefers being outdoors, he plans to visit Yellowstone National Park, something he has always wanted to do.
Bigham Farms, formerly known as Bigham Brothers, has expanded continuously since 1959. It only continues to prosper with Allen Bigham at the helm. Bigham believes that the future of farming is bright and is trying to stay optimistic as Congress works on an agreement for the 2024 farm bill.
Roy Allen Bigham stands with the Bigham Farms tractor December 4, 2024 at his farm in Vergennes, Illinois. Photo provided by Moriah Snyder.
SIU Theater and Dance honors Black lives through performance
Late in the evening on the stage of Furr Auditorium, eight students and Darryl Clark move through choreography, Clark guiding his Theater and Dance students through the steps of an up and coming dance performance.
The students worked late into the evening rehearsing “New Day,” the final set of the upcoming performance of “Phoenix,” a performance celebrating
Photos by Deangelo Handley @_deevisuals4
beauty that honors Black lives lost to police violence. This performance marks the first time McLeod Theatre has held a dance concert according to Clark.
Directed by Clark, the performance blends modern and tap dance with classical music and features students, guest dancers and directors. He describes it as a ‘passion project.’
The origin of the idea stemmed from
a conversation between Clark and School of Music colleague, Dr. Rossana Cauti, who asked Clark to choreograph a dance to a piece of music she was working on.
In the midst of 2020 in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests and the deaths stemming from police violence, Clark said he reflected on these things deeply.
He read about Elijah McClain who died in Colorado in late 2019 from excessive police force. Clark learned McClain had been a violinist which connected with Clark. Through the frustrations, he wanted to give back in his own way –through dance.
The concert features 16 student dancers, two SIU BFA Musical Theatre alums and three community performers. The performances will take place Feb. 14 through 16, 2025 at McLeod Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Friday Feb. 14 and Saturday Feb. 15 and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb 16.
Editor-in-chief
Lylee Gibbs can be reached at lgibbs@dailyegyptian.com or @lyleegibbsphoto on instagram.
Photo editor Enan Chediak can be reached at echediak@dailyegyptian.com or @enanchediak on instagram.
Ty Lunn and other dancers prepares for the Phoenix performance that will take place in February at McLeod Theater Jan. 28th, 2025 at In Furr Auditorium in Carbondale, Iillinois.
Madilynn Herzog and other dancers prepare for the Phoenix performance.
Lilie Lim and other dancers practice their routine for the Phoenix performance at McLeod Theater.
