The Daily Egyptian - February 16, 2022

THE

Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916.

DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2022

VOL. 105, ISSUE 6

Red Cross facing worst blood shortage in ten years Janiyah Gaston | @DEJaniyah

The American Red Cross is experiencing the worst blood shortage in 10 years according to a press release on Jan 11.

There has been a 10% drop in blood donations since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another statement, released on Feb. 7, said recent winter storms prevented over 17,000 blood donations from being collected.

Morris Library at SIU hosted a blood drive on Feb. 11 to help combat the blood shortage. Gary Shepherd, the senior library specialist, said the library has been hosting the blood drive for years.

“This is actually something we’ve been doing for many years now.

We usually hold one once a semester, so two or three times a year,” Shepherd said. “It’s a good central location and a lot of people visit the library, so it’s a good place to pull in foot traffic.”

Dustin Clark | @dustinclark.oof

Shepherd said, because the library has a tradition of exceeding the blood donation goal and encouraging people to donate, it will help people in the long run.

“We have regular people, like ones that work in the library, who come every time,” Shepherd said.

“We always encourage new donors and try to get people into the habit of giving blood.”

Shepherd said if people are able to donate blood, they should, because they would not only be helping combat the blood crisis but saving a life as well.

Beth Elders, the executive director for the Red Cross for the St. Louis area, said as last year and the pandemic went on the need for blood continued to increase.

Elders said there was an increase of blood donation in 2020.

“We saw through 2021, as people returned to work, and returned to school, and started traveling more, blood donations and that desire to unnecessarily help someone through giving blood fell off of

“Blood donation makes a difference in the lives of others. And it’s something that they can do in 30 minutes, 45 minutes or less than those times to really make a difference in somebody else’s life.”

- Beth Elders St. Louis Red Cross executive director

their radar,” Elders said.

Elders said while the pandemic has contributed a big part to the recent blood crisis, when less and less people decided to donate blood, that caused a serious drop in blood donations.

Elders said the blood shortage is not only affecting them, but hospitals as well.

“If they have a trauma victim come in, and they need numerous units of blood, we may or may not have it on the shelf,” Elders said. “It also means if there are patients, like sickle cell patients or other patients who receive regular

blood transfusions, they may have to have those blood transfusions rescheduled [..] because the blood is not available for use.”

Some hospitals now are having to prioritize surgeries based on the patient’s blood needs, Elders said.

Sharon Watson, the regional communications director for the Red Cross in Missouri and Arkansas, said,while donations have gone down a bit in the past with people traveling and planning for the holidays, this type of decrease was unexpected.

“Some of that we typically see around the holiday season as we go

into Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and people begin to travel more,” Watson said. “But, this year, with the pandemic, it was a lot worse, and the pandemic has really impacted so many different things related to blood donations. That’s why we believe the shortage has gotten as low as it has.”

Watson said, last month, they did see a slight improvement in regards to the blood shortage, but they are still struggling.

“We definitely need to continue to see that improvement and continue to have more donations to be able to get us back on track

and get us beyond this shortage,” Watson said. “We like to have at least five days’ blood supply on the shelf, and unfortunately, we’re still seeing somewhere roughly around a day’s supply.”

Watson said because the weather has caused many blood drives to be canceled, they encourage people to reschedule and help them get the blood supply back to where they need it to be.

According to Elders, donating blood can make a big difference in so many lives and does not take that much time.

“Blood donation makes a difference in the lives of others.

And it’s something that they can do in 30 minutes, 45 minutes or less than those times to really make a difference in somebody else’s life. It’s an easy way to make a difference,” Elders said.

Assistant to the Editor Janiyah Gaston can be reached at jgaston@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter @ DEJaniyah.

1, 2, & 3

BEDROOMS (618)549-0335 | (618)549-0895

AVAILABLE Grab a roommate for $300-$350 per person!

805 E. Park Street

Page 2

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Contact Us

Email: editor@dailyegyptian.com Faculty Managing Editor: Annie Hammock

Student Managing Editor: Jason Flynn

Editor-in-Chief: Oreoluwa Ojewuyi

Sports Editor: Ryan Scott

ahammock@dailyegyptian.com

jflynn@dailyegyptian.com

oojewuyi@dailyegyptian.com

rscott@dailyegyptian.com

Design Chief: Dustin Clark

Business Manager: Lyn Sargent

dclark@dailyegyptian.com

lsargent@dailyegyptian.com

Photo Editor: Sophie Whitten

News Editor: William Box

swhitten@dailyegyptian.com

wbox@dailyegyptian.com

Digital Editor: Megan Kern

Assistant to the Editor: Janiyah Gaston

mkern@dailyegyptian.com

jgaston@dailyegyptian.com

Student Ad Manager: Hannah Combs hcombs@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!

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

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

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

Submissions Letters and guest columns must be submitted with author’s contact information, preferably via email. Phone numbers are required to verify authorship, but will not be published.

Students must include their year and major. Faculty must include rank and department. Others include hometown.

Submissions should be sent to editor@dailyegyptian.com

Green Roof Team designing a better future in competition

Jamilah Lewis | @jamilahlewis

Southern Illinois University’s Green Roof Team recently became finalists in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar District Cup Collegiate Design Competition.

Taking place through the HeroX platform, the goal of the competition is to “design and model a solar-plusstorage system for a district that maximizes energy offset and financial savings over the contracted or useful life to the system,” according to the HeroX website.

The Green Roof Team consists of SIU students and students from other universities and different major programs to use their skills together to design the solar energy system.

Team members include leader and mechanical engineering senior Nelson Fernandes, electrical engineering senior Olivia Sapp, computer science senior Stephen Schulte, electrical engineering junior Aron Taylor and mathematics senior Tomas Copher.

Members not from SIU include SIU alumnus Gustavo Felicio, who’s currently working on his doctorate at the University of Texas at Dallas and Hein Htet Aung from Case Western Reserve University.

“In the fall semester, we focused on designing a gridconnected photovoltaic system or PV system,” Fernandes said. “Essentially, in this setup, you have […] solar panels on buildings or in areas, and they’re wired directly into the grid.”

Fernandes said since the university is in a clean energy area, this is the perfect competition and opportunity for learning while staying close by.

“They had a specific course that they provided every competitor on heap spring, which is the most popular course platform for solar installers, so anyone who wants to become a solar installer, every contractor, they take a course,” Fernandes said Fernandes said the main contribution relies on engineering analysis.

“My main role is to focus more on the impact analysis side,” Fernandes said. “Then just overall, ensuring that everyone has resources at their disposal and no one has many obstacles in their way and maturing that in terms of project management.”

The team has a weekly webinar with professionals focused on the use of software and other advanced features, goes through uses and limitations, and discusses them.

“That’s part of one of the best parts of the competition,” Fernandes said. “Their focus on the educational side and having weekly webinars, where they tackle a different part of the project, and being super responsive by email and having office hours throughout the week.”

Sapp said the team is designing the PV solar system for Ohio State University’s medical campus. “[It] involves everything from project management to designing the system on a building like sizing it,” Sapp said.

“Choosing which modules we want to do because solar is a really big renewable energy these days.”

There’s also the financial aspect of the system, where you take into account the cost and zoning codes to comply with any region building limitations, and learn the process of designing the system, Sapp said.

“Is it going to be reliable and how much rate of return they’re going to have?” Sapp said. “Is it going to benefit them [people] both by providing them energy and saving them money?”

Sapp’s main contribution is conceptual design, she said.

“So we’re using a software online called Aurora Solar,” Sapp said. “In there, you can design the system visually, input a module on a building, size it and […] you simulate it to see how it runs, how much energy is it producing, how much that’s going to save you cost-wise because it gives you the option to input cost per watt.”

Sapp said she has also been working with team member Felicio on conceptual and getting more into the financial aspect of the competition.

“This next competition phase includes battery storage,” Sapp said. “Not only are you producing energy, but you’re

going to be able to store that energy and then use it at night.”

Sapp said being able to get help from professionals by being in this competition has been a good learning experience for her and her team members.

“The feedback helps from submitting our progress deliverable in the fall,” Sapp said. “They told us[…] what we could tweak to make it better and more reliable, and the webinars are definitely helpful.”

Sapp said the webinars lean toward topics focused on things in the competition like the distribution system impact and battery storage.

The director of SIU’s School of Mechanical, Aerospace & Materials Engineering, Dr. Kanchan Mondal, was the person who helped the Green Roof Team get involved in the contest.

“I actually go out looking for student competitions all the time […] national student conference(s) so that I can get our students to participate,” Mondal said. “What we have is amazing students. Sometimes we [are] a little low on funding, but I know they are resourceful enough to use whatever they have and still come up on top.”

Mondal said he regularly looks for competitions for students in the department and college. Whether it’s a cyber competition or a robotics competition, he takes his information and sends it to the proper school director.

He said he brought the solar competition to Fernandes’ attention, also recommending he have an interdisciplinary team for it.

“I talked to Nelson and told him ‘you have to have an interdisciplinary team, not some people who are good with the materials for that particular project.’ Some people who know the theory [behind that] project electrical engineers would be able to contribute. [...] I asked him to basically put up a team together and his go to team was the green roof team,” Mondal said.

Mondal said the team doesn’t have a faculty advisor, but he does keep up with the team’s progress and helps them with energy management.

Fernades said he feels good about the team’s progress towards the next phase of the competition with the help of feedback they get for their design.

“We’re using that feedback along with addition of energy storage to help improve upon it,” Fernandes said. “Between their feedback and us asking great questions to the right people and having a lot of support behind us, we’re looking well and are confident in a great final product.”

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

winter.

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Page 3

Anika Svancarek | @sw.an.ika Carolyn Dickte carolynd@dailyegyptian.com

Each of the towers on Southern Illinois University’s (SIU) east campus has one wireless access point on each of the 17 floors. On the 9th story of Mae Smith at the end of the hall, furthest away from the access point, the internet connection fails at least twice a week for short periods of time.

This creates a problem when students

Value A $16.99 $ .99 Y 13 FOR ONL

need to access the internet for their daily work and are unable to do so at times, from their dorm rooms.

“Whether it’s FaceTime with their friends, or calling mom and dad on a video chat or streaming Netflix films, you know, those sorts of things are going to be so much easier and more responsive when the infrastructure’s upgraded,” Wil Clark, director of technology services at

SIU, said.

Network upgrades, data jack installation and network infrastructure installation are all part of an upcoming project that will take place over the summers of 2022 and 2023.

Each individual room in the towers is going to have a wireless access point, meaning students can access the Wi-Fi from that point without sharing their access points with residents in other rooms.

“It is, by far, the largest [wireless] access point project we’ve had thus far,” Clark said.

One of SIU’s objectives for the coming years is to increase sustainability, and the technological team’s renovations will bring the dorms in line with this plan.

“What we’re working toward [...]is to begin a regular upgrade cycle,” Clark said.

The task includes installing approximately 1,500 wireless access points and removing old cable in about 1,300 rooms in the towers, Olinda Hubbs, the director of communications and client relations, said.

Technological teams will also replace the ethernet switches.

“So, for us, a router is a big switch. It literally routes traffic, and these are more on the end of directing traffic within a particular building, and they’re called ethernet switches,” Troy Wiseman, a network engineer, said some of the cabling from when the towers were placed roughly 60 years ago is still used in the towers today, and the devices used now are over 10 years old.

Vendors typically give the school a 5 year warranty, so the new equipment is planned to last at least 5-7 years before being upgraded and replaced, Wiseman said.

The upgrades on equipment are expected to improve academic performance, and make students feel more comfortable during their leisure time alone or with friends. “[The renovations are] going to reduce the number of times where students find that the bandwidth isn’t available, whether they’re streaming a video from their online class or watching a lecture,” Clark said.

2011 was the year when SIU installed the current wireless access points in the towers, according to a Daily Egyptian newspaper article from February of that year.

West campus got its wireless access points relatively recently, so the cabling and infrastructure are the only things that need attention on West campus, Clark said.

Clark said the housing staff decides when the projects will take place and who sets the budgets in accordance with the rest of the school.

“We did some preliminary work and a proof of concept over the winter break, where we were able to get two or three floors done,” Wiseman said.

Clark said the worst case scenario is only seeing one and a half towers done each summer, but after the “test-run” over winter break, the team feels like they can finish it in one summer. He said the project is expected to last two summers but the team is optimistic that the work will be finished before then.

“Troy [Wiseman] and his team have done an excellent job of getting ahead of getting components and getting ahead of the delivery of the global supply chain, because that directly affects technology components. He saw that coming and has decided to prepare” Hubbs said.

One of the most important components for this project is student feedback, Clark said, and during the first few weeks after move-in, feedback from students will be vital for the technological teams whether there are issues or not.

“Unlike your home, this is really a community network,” Clark said. “You know, as a resident of a dorm, you’re part of the university community to begin with, but you’re also a citizen on the dorm network, and there are some things that students can do inadvertently to degrade the quality of the network for everybody in a particular dorm on a floor.”

Clark said Salukitech wants students to alert Salukitech when there’s an issue with their device, so it doesn’t affect other students’ activities.

Any student seeking help with technology can reach Salukitech through the phone number 618-453-5155, https:// oit.siu.edu, or visit the desk at Morris library for any kind of assistance with setting up and maintaining technological devices on campus and in the dorms, Clark said.

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

Page 4

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

RSOs helping student get involved in campus politics

Ethan Braun | ebraun@dailyegyptian.com

Southern Illinois University (SIU) has a multitude of political registered student organizations (RSO) for students to get involved in that support their interests, provide networking opportunities and allow them to interact with their local community.

Students looking to get more involved in politics can join some of the most prominent RSOs on campus to engage in political activities including protest, discussion, volunteering, education or other forms of activism.

Isaac Ludington is president of the SIU College Democrats (College Dems), a sizable group of students that align themselves, ideologically and politically, with the Democratic Party and its constituents.

Since Ludington refounded the group two years ago, the College Dems have organized various campus events on campus, including hosting guest speakers like former mayoral candidate and political activist Nathan Colombo.

“In general [our goals are] twofold,” Ludington said. “It’s firstly to get younger people more interested in politics and help them be able to get involved. But then secondly, it’s to advance the ideals of the Democratic Party.”

Ludington said students wishing to make connections beyond SIU and Carbondale can come to him for assistance.

“Through the College Dems, I’ve been able to help connect members with internships up in Springfield, so they’ve been able to go position the caucus up there,” Ludington said. “We’ve also done a good amount of connecting people here with the local Democratic Party so they can get involved as precinct committee people if they want, as well as helping with local campaigns.”

The Model United Nations (UN) offers an opportunity for members to participate in a simulation of the United Nations Conference at dedicated events around the midwest, Ryan Jurich, president of the RSO, said. Each group represents a country that is picked out by the organizers of the conference.

Jurich said the most recent simulation that the SIU group attended was the Chicago International Model United Nations conference (CIMUN), where SIU members represented the Netherlands. Representing the country presented a whole host of interesting situations and opportunities, Jurich said.

“The Netherlands was pretty cool[...] It’s in the [European Union] (EU) block. It’s got close ties with America. It’s got a well developed industry and economy” Jurich explained. “So it was a little bit of fun to sort of poke around the room and be able to say ‘Hey, we’ve got this connection with you guys. What are you guys working on over here? How can we get involved?’”

Jurich said he believes the experience of participating in a UN simulation is particularly gratifying, whether it be for gaining experience, networking or socializing.

“If this is what you’re interested in or if this is what major or field you’re looking to go into, I think it’s a really interesting experience,” Jurich said. “If you want to put the kind of work in that some people do, and actually try to pass resolutions, and get something out of it, it can be a lot of fun because you meet tons of different people who are trying to do the

“I think it’s very important for people to talk to other people from other parties that have other ideas. It really helps all of our members to kind of understand where they’re coming from as well, no matter what party they’re a part of.”

- Emily Buikema Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Ambassador RSO president

exact same things.”

Janine Armstrong, president of the Organization for Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, said she believes that the organization serves to promote two tenants: education and direct action.

“One of the things we’ve been trying to do is have more conversations, to kind of do something that is more theoretical-building and helping people understand different concepts, as well as go out and be more active,” Armstrong said. “So last fall we did a march to kind of talk about reproductive rights, and we did that in [collaboration] with the Women’s Center.”

Armstrong said she believes that students or other people are often afraid of engaging in gender and sexuality for identity-related reasons. She said fear shouldn’t be a barrier to getting involved.

“A lot of people will say like, ‘oh, well, if you’re sexuality-and-gender-studies-related, then you have to be either gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer in some capacity or a woman,’” Armstrong said. “Gender affects all of us; sexuality affects all of us. So everybody has some role that they can take ,and [...] we can have those conversations.”

The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Ambassador RSO serves as the student branch of the Paul Simon Institute, a nonpartisan political think tank dedicated to public policy and bettering politics. President of the Ambassadors organization Emily Buikema described the group as an overall hub for education and improvement.

“Overall, our goal is just to [...] inform students about nonpartisan political issues and government, and kind of bring things along to them in [...] a nonpartisan way,” Buikema said. “You don’t have to know a ton about policy or government in order to be a part of our group. We’re just really here to inform students about things that they might not know about in the world of public policy.”

Buikema said non-partisanship can be a difficult policy to hold on to in an increasingly polarized political climate, but she believes that it’s essential to the RSO’s longevity.

“I think it’s very important for people to talk to other people from other parties that have other ideas,” Buikema said. “It really helps all of our members to kind of understand where they’re coming from as well, no matter what party they’re a part of.”

The Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) is a student branch of the broader Democratic Socialists of America party. RSO member Luke Herron-Titus describes the goals of the YDSA as being aligned with those of particular current members of the Democratic party.

“YDSA is a social justice organization that organizes around broad social democratic politics that one might hear from Bernie Sanders, or [...] [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] AOC, Ilhan Omar or Cory Bush,” HerronTitus said. “We’ve always tried to show solidarity with local community struggles and community issues, going out to different protests and voice our support for community struggles and things on campus.”

The YDSA generally splits their time between education, activism and volunteerwork, Herron-Titus said. He said the YDSA works and volunteers with a variety of organizations to further various charitable

and humanitarian causes.

“Most recently, we had some of our people go out to the Carbondale Warming Center to just shovel their sidewalks. They do a lot of good work in taking care of our most vulnerable community members. [We’re] trying to do [...] more volunteer work with other community organizations,” HerronTitus said.

Herron-Titus said he believes it’s important to inform people about the YDSA’s goals and to disseminate any misunderstandings that come from a lack of exposure.

“We also hope to teach folks about the leftist movement broadly, because [...] they don’t really like to teach the history [of working class organization] in schools,” Herron-Titus said. “So, I think [...] we get a lot of calls for political education when we have new members.”

Editors’ Note: Daily Egyptian staff made attempts to contact College Republicans and Turning Point USA, but did not receive a reply by publishing time.

For anyone interested in joining these RSOs or any other non-political RSOs at SIU, check the Student Organization page on the SIU website.

Staff reporter Ethan Braun can be reached at ebraun@dailyegyptian.com.

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Page 5

Students, local residents voice concerns about off-campus housing

Kamaria Harmon | @QuoteKamaria

Some students move off-campus because the rent might be cheaper than living on campus. What they fail to realize is the living conditions off-campus might be worse.

A Carbondale resident who graduated from Southern Illinois University (SIU) in 2014 said, for the last three years of staying at Home Rentals properties, they have seen an increasing disregard when it comes to the residents.

Members of these residentials communities have complained about the units being unbearable and not livable. They have said they have seen bugs, old appliances, drain issues and more.

“Home Rentals, overall I would say, they helped me in a starting point when I was really looking for somewhere to live,” they said. “After living here, I’ve discovered that there are things that take a long time to get done, like maintenance.”

Even when the resident contacted the city, there was no action taken

by Home Rentals to improve the conditions.

“They just completely took a 360 into pure slumlords,” they said.

“They rarely keep up their property.

I have had to call the city on them multiple times, we went weeks without garbage pickup.”

Because the city was unresponsive, the resident had to call garbage services to address the overflow of trash. They also said, since there has been so much garbage piling up for so long, it caused an increase of bugs in their area.

“I had to call the garbage department, they told us Home Rentals allow their bills to remain so large for a certain amount of time in which they’re going to stop the garbage services. They said, “We no longer have Terminix services’… of course if you have garbage piled up, you’re going to have bugs that start to come.”

Residents of Home Rentals have increasingly complained about the maintenance. They said they start to feel unsafe when Home Rentals hires “dangerous” people to come and fix their units.

“They hire any and everybody as far as maintenance, so you never know who is coming to your unit, if they’re sober or if they’re clean,” they said. “It’s almost to the point where you don’t want to call for maintenance.”

Robyn Ollison, a recent resident of Home Rentals, said she experienced the same problems.

“We have put a couple of requests for maintenance to come in and fix our washer and dryer, and they never came,” she said. “They came a month right before we were about to move out, and I put in the request right when I moved in in May 2021.”

Ollison said when maintenance claimed they were fixing something, it never was fixed. She said when reaching out to the property

The Pointe at SIU sign stands outside of an apartment building Feb. 12, 2022 at the Pointe in Carbondale, Ill. Dominique Martinez-Powell | @ dmartinez_powell.photography

manager, she received no response until the last minute.

“They came to fix it, but they left; they said they were going to come back and never came back,” she said.

“We tried to contact the property manager, and [there] was just no response until we were ready to move out.”

Brylon Moore, another tenant at Home Rentals, who has lived there for more than a year, said he has had a broken bedroom window since before the snowstorm in the beginning of February. Moore said he had to keep his heat on high to keep his house warm.

Moore said Home Rentals allegedly paid people under the table to do upkeep and maintenance for the property.

“They are out here paying ‘tweakers’ to do their dirty work,” Moore said. “They hire meth heads off the street. My old roommate was one. His ‘tweaker’ homies used to come to my house. I saw them driving their truck. I [saw] them working and cleaning out apartments.”

Moore said Home Rentals did not complete a background check on him or his roommate and that he doubts they ran a pre-screening on the workers. He said all they asked him for was a security deposit and first and last month rent.

The marketing specialist at Home Rentals, Chase Cheatham, said Home Rentals does require prescreening assessment before move-in.

“Our application process begins with our general application, as reasons for denial generally lie within previous evictions,” Cheatham said.

He said tenants relay their maintenance calls to their office, and he passes the information to maintenance staff.

“If anything arises during their stay with us… They give us a call, and we relay that to our foremans, and they distribute the work orders according to our maintenance staff,” he said.

The Pointe at SIU is popular for student housing; tenants only cover their own lease, but they are shared apartments. They come in two or three bedrooms, with a private bathroom and shared living space.

The Pointe also has a pool where tenants are allowed two guests and a clubhouse with amenities.

Anaiyah Agee, a junior at SIU majoring in Communications, said when living at the Pointe, she ran into many problems, specifically with the maintenance and the managers.

Agee said, when throwing a surprise party for her friend, some confetti got into the hall, and they were threatened with a fine, while there was already trash that maintenance had left in the hall.

“Maintenance was horrible, and they don’t get held liable by the managers,” she said. “The maintenance replaces furniture and leaves old furniture in [the] hallways.

They had trash in the hallway and tried to fine us for my friend’s confetti.”

Agee said she believes the Pointe needs to focus more on the safety of the residents.

“Downstairs buildings are broken to the point where fobs aren’t needed,” she said. “They

[maintenance] put in old appliances in the apartment and take a while to fulfill complaints.”

Agee said, when moving her friend in the Pointe this past semester, they noticed unlivable conditions as soon as they arrived.

“The apartment looked like it had never been cleaned,” she said. “We moved her in [and] it had roaches.

We had to tell maintenance she needed to relocate and she did.”

Tyvion Dove, first year law student at SIU and resident at the Pointe, said his maintenance request has yet to be resolved since October.

“I put in a maintenance request because my sink wasn’t letting the water down,” he said. “They did end up coming, but they didn’t fix it.”

Dove said maintenance or building staff didn’t notify him before they came to his apartment.

“They notified me after they left; they never told me when they were coming though. Just personally I don’t like people in my space when I don’t know they [are] coming,” Dove said.

Anna Bailey, the accounts director at the Pointe, said the maintenance is on-site with other 24 hour programs.

“We have maintenance on site; all a resident has to do is call the office here and hit the maintenance option,” she said. “We also have 24/7 security and 24/7 courtesy.”

Bailey said the Pointe accepts applicants all the time and tries to do its best to accommodate everyone.

“We can accommodate someone that needs to move in immediately, and we use a roommate matching form to get the best combination of people living together.” Bailey said.

Lori Crenshaw Bryant, director of Student Legal Assistance, said she and her office give preventative legal education presentations, some discussing landlord and tenant issues.

She said she encourages students who are looking for a place to talk to tenants of apartment complexes and ask questions about the area.

“Before you sign a lease, you make students aware that a lease is a binding contract, talk about when they start looking, encourage students to try and look at the exact unit and not a model unit,” Bryant said. “The landlord tries to show a model and it might not be what you want to live in.”

She said she motivates students to not waste time when looking for somewhere to live, you should try to start as soon as possible.

“I suggest students should start looking early, don’t sign but start looking,” Bryant said. “If you’re a quiet person, you go to a private neighborhood, you go there in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening. People might be at work in the morning so you come back in the evening and make sure the neighborhood is still how you like it at all hours of the day.”

SIU provides many resources for students looking for off-campus housing, visit the Legal Assistance website for more information on what to do. https://studentlegal.siu. edu/renterinformation/index.php Staff reporter Kamaria Harmon can be reached at kharmon@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @ QuoteKamariaa.

Page 6

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Black History Month: Understanding hip-hop culture Kamaria Harmon | @QuoteKamariaa

On February 8, from 5-7 p.m.

Student Affairs, the Vice-Chancellor and Black Resource Center collaborated on a Black History month event Understanding Hiphop Culture at the John C. Guyon Auditorium.

Charah McKinzie, coordinator of the Black Resource Center, started the event with an introduction of a DJ and keynote speaker Jason Rawls aka J Rawls.

Rawls is a member of the DJ crew Usual Suspects, based in Columbus Ohio.

Rawls teaches at the University of Ohio at the College of Education, teaching students how to interact with their teachers through music.

He is co-writing the first Hip-Hop based education program (H.O.P.E) in a college of Education in the United States.

He began by interacting with the audience and making sure they interacted with him. He said he has spoken at many workshops and enjoys doing it.

“I have been doing it for maybe six or seven years now,” Rawls said.

“All over different universities. I love doing that. That’s part of the fun because most young people don’t know.”

In 1997, Rawls said he put out his first professional record and has been excelling ever since. He made music for numerous musicians including the Beastie Boys and Aloe Blacc.

Rawls emphasized to the audience those beats are the backbone of hip-hop and what helped build it today. Rawls described DJing to be ‘The Genesis’ of hip-hop, because without DJing people wouldn’t know how to mix music.

He also explained the start and construction of hip-hop, saying that in early Jamaica, they would have big speakers and turntables and ‘toast’ on the beat.

“Toasting is a Jamaican term, they MC, they toast the party [meaning] they keep the party going, they hype the party up,” said Rawls.

Rawls introduced DJ Kool Herc as the father of hip-hop. He explained how he was based in the Bronx and his hit trend the Merry Go Round, where he took out the instrumental breaks in songs and put them on one track. Rawls described that as being the “Break Beat of Hip-Hop.” After the presentation, Rawls asked the crowd to break into groups and touch the “Tools of the Trade,” he called it.

The audience was able to construct music with the turntables and with a Digital Audio Workshop keyboard.

Co-speaker Richard Jones is the Southern Illinois University (SIU) Track and field coach and fellow member of the DJ crew Usual

Marvin Jefferson tries scratching on a turntable Feb. 8, 2022 at the Guyon Auditorium in Carbondale, Ill. “[The presentation] made me more interested in sampling. Learning the background and where it came from and how they used to do it back then,” Jefferson said.

Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

Jason Rawls demonstrates how to use digital beat-making equipment Feb. 8, 2022 at the Guyon Auditorium in Carbondale, Ill. “The DJ is the essential piece to Hip-Hop and I wanted to allow everyone to get that experience, to touch the turntables, to push a button, to actually feel like making a beat,” Rawls said.

Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

An attendee at the hip hop seminar tries using the turntable Feb. 8, 2022 at the Guyon Auditorium in Carbondale, Ill. “Anytime I do a seminar or speak to people I want to give you an experience. I want you to feel something new, so that was the point,” Jason Rawls, speaker at the ‘Understanding Hip-Hop Culture Seminar’ said.

Dominique Martinez-Powell | @dmartinez_powell.photography

Suspects. Jones played samples for the audience alongside Rawls’ presentation. Jones, whose stage name is Rich Nyce, said he has been a DJ for over 25 years.

“The tech has changed but [the] skills, process and art is still the same,” said Jones.

Jones played several familiar samples, with some featuring the same beat, like Future’s Mask Off and Tommy Butler’s Prison Song.

David Milley, University Honors assistant director attended the event and said the hands-on experience was the most informative part of the night.

“Having the hands-on is different. We can sit here and watch DJ Rich,” he said. “When you’re

turntables they have now,” Killins said.

Killins said DAW (Digital Audio Workshop) allows artists to make different kinds of music.

“They use this to create music, make beats, and you can also record into these DAWs, you can also sample some instruments and some sound effects from them,” he said.

Steven Gary, a Graduate Assistant in Counseling, participated in the hands-on workshop and had the benefit of mixing the turntables.

“I listen to a lot of music, that’s another reason I was drawn to this. The most informative part was learning about the backbone of hip-hop,” Gary said. “I engaged

standing behind him and seeing everything from his perspective, that’s pretty illuminating.”

Milley said the event caught his eye because it was something he knew little about.

“I’m not usually involved with hip-hop, it’s one of those things [that] expands your horizons,” he said.

Daniel Killins, a senior at SIU majoring in music business said he loved the seminar because it taught him more than he knew about how hip-hop began.

“It’s also very informative. We get to learn how hip hop was made.

How they would use a music DAW nowadays because the turntables back in the day [are] not the same

with the buttons. It was pretty cool.”

Rawls said he hoped to give people that attend a new experience.

“The DJ is the essential piece of hip-hop. I wanted to allow everybody to get that experience [to] touch the turntables, to push a button, to feel what it is like to make a beat,” he said. “Anytime I do a seminar, I want you to feel something new.”

DJ Rich Nyce closed the event with a mix of hip-hop music.

Staff reporter Kamaria Harmon can be reached at kharmon@ dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @QuoteKamariaa.

Page 7

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Convalescent Care exhibit highlights Black people in STEM

Jamilah Lewis | @jamilahlewis

University Museum at Southern Illinois University at SIU held a presentation from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00p.m. with guest speaker Dr. Wendell O’Neal for their Convalescent Care exhibit to highlight Black people in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

O’Neal’s presentation displayed his family origins in Tennessee and subsequent move to Carbondale, where he finished secondary education at Attucks High School. He attended SIU starting in 1960 for five years, majoring in pre-med and chemistry.

O’Neal attended an American Chemistry Society meeting while looking for a job in the field where he met Dr. William Mason, from the University of Rochester, who opened O’Neal up to the world of medical chemistry, he said.

“He (Mason) said, verbatim, ‘I’m looking for a supervisor for our medical chemistry laboratory,’” O’Neal said. “That was the beginning of our conversation in April [and at] the end of May I was in this lab as a graduate student at the University of Rochester.”

O’Neal said the field consists of basic sciences mainly developed from research.

Convalescent Care followed a group called The Flying Black Medics, who came to Cairo, Ill. in Feb. 1970 during a time when there was a lot of police and White vigilante violence

“My cousin, who runs a women’s engineering program at UCLA, made the point… For decisions that are being made, we need to be at the table when they’re done so that our concerns are taken into account.”

- Dr. Wendell O’Neal Convalescent Care guest speaker

within the Black community.

The exhibit showcased medical equipment and aid used and given by the medics as well as documents and statements they gathered from their time here.

The descriptions of documents on display said most black people who lived in Cairo during that time faced discrimination with healthcare services and usually had to drive up to 30 miles out to find a place to assist them.

One of the documents showed findings from a survey the medics performed with 200 patients they had helped. After analyzing these patients they found cases of congestive heart failure, glaucoma, respiratory infections, chronic bronchitis, etc.

The survey showed that almost all of the child patients had dental cavities. They later found the three dental services in town did not allow Black people for their first 20 years.

SIU SCHOOL OF THEATER & DANCE

THE 10TH ANNUAL BIG MUDDY NEW PLAY FESTIVAL

The Curious Case of Agatha Christie

By Lavinia RoBeRts Directed by Susan Patrick Benson

Feb. 24-27, 2022 Thursday - Saturday @ 7:30 pm & Sunday @ 2 pm MCLEOD THEATER

ADULTS $18 • STUDENTS/CHILDREN $6 CALL 618-453-6000 VISIT THEATER.SIU.EDU

FREE STAGED READINGS OF NEW WORK SAT. FEB. 26TH - MCLEOD THEATER

Tickets not required. There will be a talkback after the friday night performance and each staged reading.

10 AM - The Dead Women of Jackson County Written & Directed by e.k. doolin 1 PM - A Shore of Abundance Written by Pearl Moore & Directed by Mercedes Mendoza 4 PM - Behind The Times Written & Directed by Cameron S. Noel

Follow us @SIUTheater

“This event was a result of research that was conducted and it started out with me researching black doctors in Selma, Illinois,” said Charah McKenzie, coordinator for the Black Resource Center at SIU. “I came across some information […] with Dr. Leonidas, where he got a group of doctors and nurses and different medical practitioners together to provide access to health care in Cairo.”

McKenzie said after receiving the information, she contacted Dr. O’Neal, who was a part of the group.

“I think that [the presentation] provides the culture that we need,” McKenzie said. “It provides information that I feel like in a sense was […] buried.”

McKenzie said one of the things Black people continue to advocate for is better access to healthcare.

“No one wants to go to the hospital,”

McKenzie said. “But when you do go, you want to make sure that you’re getting the proper care and it’s helpful to see someone that looks like you.”

McKenzie said she hopes this will be only one of many future events to come that shine a spotlight on Black doctors in the region and show how they are doing their part to provide better access to healthcare.

“There are other options to either move toward other STEM areas that are very heavily practice-oriented,” O’Neal said. “STEM activities are increasingly interdisciplinary, so building collaborative skills is very important.”

Dr. O’Neal was asked what advice he had for Black students who might be hesitant to go into STEM because they aren’t familiar with seeing people that look like them in the field during the Q&A. “All the more reason you need to be there,” O’ Neal said. “My cousin, who runs a women’s engineering program at UCLA, made the point… For decisions that are being made, we need to be at the table when they’re done so that our concerns are taken into account.”

Convalescent Care is open to the public until March 26. More information can be found on the SIU Museum webpage.

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

Page 8

Letter to the Editor

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Russo-Ukrainian crisis requires nuance

While reading the February 9, 2022, print edition, I was interested to see coverage of a local demonstration by the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois against U.S. involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian crisis.

While I have had the pleasure of joining the PCSI for protests in the past and thank them for their advocacy for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, I worry that the coverage of their demonstration lacks important nuance.

Firstly, while I share the desire to see a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, I feel that those quoted misrepresent the situation in regard to who is the aggressor. Those quoted in the story request that the reader consider how NATO is, quote, “gobbling up more former Eastern Bloc countries into their alliances.” I believe this is a dangerous misrepresentation, as the expansion of NATO into former Eastern-Bloc countries has been done at the request of those countries and primarily so due to perceived or real threats of Russian aggression.

Ukraine has formally requested to join NATO of its own volition and has been denied largely due to concerns of a Russian reaction. This is not sufficient evidence of U.S. aggression and instead provides credence to the legitimate concerns of eastern European states towards Russian expansion.

Secondly, those quoted express the belief

that “The United States is slowly involving themselves in a dispute that does not concern it.” This represents a severe exclusion of information, most notably being the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, in which Ukraine (among others) agreed to return Soviet era nuclear weapons to Russia under assurances from Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States that its territorial integrity and political independence would be maintained.

Any potential Russian invasion would mark a violation of the treaty and a failure of the United States to attempt to uphold it would severely degrade international trust in America to fulfill its promises.

While I share the Peace Coalition’s concerns about past abuses in American foreign policy and believe war should be avoided whenever possible, it is fundamentally unfair in my eyes to imply that the United States is unjustly involving itself in the conflict on behalf of Ukraine. There should be legitimate discourse as to the degree to which the U.S. should involve itself, but it should be done with nuance and correct acknowledgement of who is the clear aggressor. Doing otherwise gives credence to an authoritarian state which has little respect for the sovereignty of its neighbors, and risks enabling future conflict.

— Isaac Ludington

Injuries aren’t scheduled.

But relief can be.

No referral? No problem.

Request an appointment today!

Benton Carbondale Marion Mt. Vernon West Frankfort

618-439-3399 618-529-3201 618-997-9497 618-242-1100 618-937-6200

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Page 9

Love for crocheting leads to farm of over 30 alpacas Sophia Rogers and Sophie Whitten sophia.rogers@siu.edu @sophiewhitten_

In nearly a decade, Morgan Stevenson and her mother, Judy Hoepker, have grown the Rolling Oaks Alpaca Ranch in Makanda, Ill. from a herd of three alpacas into a farm of more than 30 alpacas, attracting thousands of people to visit the animals and purchase the many different handmade items made from their alpaca fleece.

“The alpaca farm started in 2011 because I learned to crochet two years before and I wanted softer yarn,” Stevenson said. “So, I started with three alpacas and I asked mom if I could put them here on her property.”

Hoepker agreed to house the animals, but a new problem began to arise: caring for alpacas was very different from typical Southern Illinois livestock.

“We had goats, we had horses, cows, and a donkey, but [alpaca] needs are so different from any other livestock [...] We did a lot of research through seminars we went to and a lot of books. We tried to get all the education we could, learning how to care for the animals properly because they are not native to North America,” Stevenson said.

Because the temperatures are so cold, Hoepker and Stevenson keep their older alpacas inside, so every morning they go down to the stalls and let them into the pastures for the day before feeding and watering the alpacas. During the winter months, they keep the alpacas close to the house, but in the summer they will open up different pastures for the herds to explore and roam in.

Once the alpacas are in the pastures, Hoepker and Stevenson spend the day fixing fences, hanging gates and rotating the animals into different pastures.

In the evenings, they bring in

Judy Hoepker pets an alpaca Jan. 27, 2022 at Rolling Oak Alpaca Farm in Makanda, Ill. Sophia Rogers | sophia.rogers@siu.edu

the animals for supper and their daily ration of grain. Along with the daily care for the alpacas, the animals also receive a monthly vet check to ensure the herd is happy and healthy.

“This is everything to us. We are a fiber farm as well as raising the animals [...] All the animals were bought because we wanted the materials we could get from them. We’re fiber artists and we use every bit of fleece that they give us to make products,” Hoepker said.

“When we’re not [on the farm], we are making products year round.”

In addition to the the products in the store, such as leggings, rugs and scarves, Rolling Oak Alpaca Ranch offers private tours, photo shoots with the alpacas and seasonal events like the Valentine’s Day event that took place on Feb. 12, 2022.

“Getting to know the alpacas and their personalities, working with their fiber to make stuff, opening it up to people to come and enjoy the alpacas, and the travel that has opened up for us, going to shows, working for other farms, meeting other people who are raising alpacas too, that’s all a

A group of alpacas approach to get their picture taken Jan. 27, 2022 at Rolling Oak Alpaca Farm in Makanda, Ill. Sophia Rogers | sophia.rogers@siu.edu

lot of fun,” Stevenson said.

When Covid-19 began to shut down the country, the farm felt the impact of the pandemic. Hoepker and Stevenson had to close the farm to the public for the first half of 2020; however, their farm did not suffer from the lockdown for long.

“We actually saw a rise in business and private tours because we are an outdoor business [...]

People had nothing else to do when [covid-19] first hit, so our business really took off because people could be outside and doing something,” Hoepker said.

Looking toward the future, Rolling Oak Alpaca Ranch is working to expand both the product and service aspects of their business.

“We have a lot of products we are playing with right now that we need to perfect. We have event goals, new events and new ways to structure events. We have a classroom being built and we have herd goals for specific females and a specific male. We are trying to improve our herd and the breed itself through how and who we’re breeding,” Hoepker said.

Though the classroom isn’t open yet to the public, Hoepker and Stevenson currently offer beginner sessions on weaving, spinning and crocheting, ranging from preparing raw alpaca fiber to crocheting a scarf.

“Our biggest current challenge right now is growth and we make a lot of our own products. Finding time for us to do all the handmades and focus on the things we have planned for our goals for growth and product research for things we want to do, that’s why there’s not enough hours in the day,” Hoepker said.

Along with the expansion projects, the alpaca farm remains dedicated to community involvement, holding frequent events to welcome the local area to visit the animals and learn from them, too. “[One of our favorite memories is] our first Christmas event. It was tiny, we had not even seventy people come, and it was exciting for us, but now we have a thousand come through in two weekends,” Hoepker said.

Staff photographer Sophia Rogers can be reached at sophia.rogers@siu. edu. Photo Editor Sophie Whitten can be reached at swhitten@ dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @sophiewhitten_.

Products hang in the gift shop Jan. 27, 2022 at Rolling Oak Alpaca Farm in Makanda, Ill. The gifts in the giftshop were all handmade. Sophia Rogers | sophia.rogers@siu.edu

Page 10

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

SIU Football celebrates National Signing Day with 14 new players Cole Daily | @cdaily_de

Southern Illinois University signed a total of nine freshmen and four transfers on Feb. 2 to a Salukis team that has won a playoff game in each of the last two seasons, and was ranked as high as third in the country last season. This is Head Coach Nick Hill’s seventh recruiting class at SIU. National Signing Day is a major event for college football programs. Coaching staff across the country watch their dreams come to fruition as the recruit they have spent months pursuing finally chooses his next home.

Hill said he enjoys the thrill of it.

“Signing Day is always an exciting day for your program. This is our seventh class that we’ve signed here. It’s crazy how fast those go,” Hill said, “It really hits home when you watch those guys who are now all the way through your program, and you remember their signing day.”

For SIU, the program pulled in five players from the increasingly popular transfer portal.

This includes players from schools like Memphis, Texas A&M and James Madison.

One of those players, former Memphis defensive back La’Andre Thomas, said he cannot wait for the new opportunities he will have at SIU. “It’s clear that this is the best conference in the FCS and I love the competition level,” Thomas said, “The coaching staff let me know I was wanted here and I feel like I can help us win a championship.”

These days, recruiting in the transfer portal is just as important as recruiting high school athletes. SIU received major help last season from transfers like freshman cornerback David Miller, junior safety Clayton Bush and senior running back Donnavan Spencer.

Just like last season, the Dawgs have done most of their recruiting in the transfer portal to help supplement its need for defensive backs. Hill said he is thrilled about Thomas and cornerback Mark Davis Jr. from Buffalo.

“Adding those guys was really big for us,” Hill said.

Thomas said he has talked with defensive coordinator Jason Petrino and Hill. The fact Thomas and the coaching staff are on the same page was a major factor in his commitment.

“I really like what he [Hill] and Petrino are doing right now. I think I’ll be able to fit in perfect to the defensive scheme we have right now,” Thomas said.

Of course, it’s not just transfers who decided to make SIU their next home. The Salukis haul in an impressive lineup of freshmen as well.

“You see these new guys coming in each year and you think about what they can be [...]

Once they get here, it’s about the hard work and overcoming things,” Hill said.

In fact, defensive lineman Jaylen Banks and offensive tackle Jimmy Lansing both rank in the top seven of SIU recruitment all-time. It’s safe to say Southern Illinois will have some interesting practice duels over the next four years.

Charles Young III is a freshman defensive back.

Young just led his high school, Lutheran St. Charles, to its first ever Missouri State Championship over Lamar, 37-33.

Young said he brings a winning mentality to SIU in his ability to win by example.

“I definitely feel like my actions do the talking. I try my best to lead by example and my teammates in high school really [fed] off that,” Young said.

Hill agrees, as he said he knows exactly what he’s getting from players like Young.

“Charles Young won a state championship in Missouri and made a huge play in that game. We’re always looking for winners that come from great

Seth Martin | @seth.mart

programs,” Hill said, “We’ve found they know the level of expectations and what it’s going to take to work.”

Young has shown a unique ability in keeping his man in front of him when making a tackle, but is also someone you can feel comfortable with dropping back in coverage. This is what makes Young such a highly touted prospect.

However, Young said he understands his game isn’t perfect, and part of the reason he came to SIU was to hone his skills on the field.

“The thing that I really want to improve upon is my zone coverage. I feel I’m good at it, but I know that I can be great at it,” Young said.

It seemed the players’ admiration for Hill played

a large part in the signing of this initial class.

Both Thomas and Young raved about their first interaction with the head coach.

“When we sat down and talked he let me know that if there was anything that I needed from him, he could always help me out,” Young said, “I feel like Coach Hill is a real down-to-Earth guy who’s really understanding.”

While all players in the recruiting class chose Southern Illinois for the experience, it’s clear that winning is on the front of everyone’s mind. Young said he’d put his life on the line to help the Salukis reach its full potential.

“I’m willing to do anything and everything that I can to help our team reach its goals. Anywhere

they need me I’ll do it and give it my best,” Young said.

Needless to say, Hill said he is very excited about this year’s signing day.

“We’ve proven that we can recruit at a high level and develop guys. There’s a checklist that goes into (recruiting) and these guys met that criteria and we’re excited about them,” Hill said.

Salukis aren’t done yet, Hill said publicly that the Dawgs expect to sign more student-athletes as the signing period continues.

Sports Reporter Cole Daily can be reached at cdaily@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @ cdaily_de.

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Page 11

Women’s basketball finds rhythm despite Coach Stein’s last season Joseph Bernard @Jojobernard2001

The SIU Women’s Basketball team has been on a roll as the Salukis head into the final stretch of the season. At 15-7 (10-2 in conference), the team sits in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, behind Illinois State (15-9, 11-2 MVC). The Salukis have already beaten them once before on Jan. 20, 56-47.

The Salukis have six games left, all against fellow MVC opponents before they head into the conference tournament. With each game being crucial for the standings, the team could use every win possible to boost its ranking in the conference.

This season will definitely be one to remember for Stein, especially considering this will be her last season coaching before retirement. Earlier this past summer, Stein announced that,after a long time of contemplating, she will be retiring after the 2021-22 season with the Salukis.

The team recently just finished a long stretch if games that you don’t see very often due to some covid rescheduling. From Feb. 4-13, the Salukis played a total of five games in

ten days, with two road trips in the middle to Missouri State and Indiana State. They went 4-1 during the stretch, but Coach Cindy Stein said there’s plenty more l basketball left to be played.

“It’s been a great ride so far but, gosh, there’s just so many games. You do it by playing one game at a time and that’s what we tell our kids. I think they’re excited about playing this many games because they’d prefer to play a game over practice. We just got to make the most of it,” Stein said.

Only having one day of practice in between games during their recent stretch, the players have had little time for their bodies to recover between games. Graduate student forward Gabby Walker said they have their own method of recovery when there’s such a short turnaround between games.

“We have lighter practices between games sometimes to get our bodies recovered. Ice baths are really important for us, too, as well as stretching. Just making sure we’re taking care of our bodies when we’re not on the court or in practice. We try to make sure we get to bed on time and eat well and get as much treatment as we can,” Walker

said.

The women have won five of their last six and hope to increase that number in the next couple of days. They already have more wins than they had the previous season and matched as many conference wins they’ve had in the last four seasons, but Stein said it’s the player’s competitiveness that has kept them on this run.

“I just think our kids play hard.

They’re an extremely competitive team. From any board game or video game, they’re just really competitive.

There’s a saltiness out of this group that we haven’t had before and I think it’s special,” Stein said.

Even a team as successful as Missouri State will have to start taking notice of SIU’s record this year. In a conference that Missouri State has dominated the past four seasons, they now sit in fourth place, just behind SIU and UNI after splitting a home and home against the Salukis; one in which they were blown out by double-digits, and one in which they barely held on for the one-point win at home. It’s fair to start thinking this Saluki team has that something extra,

Stein said.

“I’ve always said this group is special. I said it last year but we only had four of them play the entire schedule. It’s nice to actually have this group be able to play together and this is what we thought we had last year. You learn a lot through COVID; how to persevere and how to take advantage of situations,” Stein said.

Walker said Stein is making it all about the players this season despite it being the Coach’s last “It’s honestly not really something we’re thinking about too much. She made it a big talking point for us to not focus on that this year. It’s been more focusing on the seniors and the girls playing here rather than our coach,” Walker said.

Stein and Walker have an intriguing connection that actually dates back before Walker’s time at SIU. She had previously been in contact with Stein about joining the Salukis right out of high school, but instead went with a DII school at first. Stein even went to a couple of her DII games to check in on Walker and as soon as she entered the transfer portal, SIU was one of the first places Walker wanted to go

to because of the connection she had with Stein.

“She’s been a whole new opportunity to me. She’s taught me a couple life lessons that I’m extremely thankful for and it’ll be tough to see her go, but I’m just glad some of us are walking out the door with her,” Walker said.

Walker is in a group of four different graduate students that will also be leaving SIU at the end of the season. Graduate student forward Abbey Brockmeyer is also a part of that group and said she’s really appreciative of the opportunity to go out with Stein with a strong record.

“It’s amazing. It’s my last year too, just like coach and I’ve been here all the years she’s been here. So going out together especially on a high note is really special for all of us. We’re enjoying it and not dreading that it’s ending. We’re just living in the moment,” Brockmeyer said Brockmeyer has been with SIU, and Stein, all five years of her collegiate career, so Brockmeyer has definitely gotten her fair share of what Stein has to offer to the team.

Please see BASKETBALL | 13

PAUL SIMON PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE INTERNSHIPS

presented by

Real-world experience in government, public policy, politics, social work, and more.

• Most internships are paid.

• Opportunities are available for undergraduate and graduate students of all majors.

• Placement is determined by your interests. Interns have worked in Springfield, Chicago, and southern Illinois.

• We help students find housing for internships outside of Carbondale.

• Some internships offer preference to minority students.

APPLY BY APRIL 1!

PAULSIMONINSTITUTE.ORG/INTERNSHIPS

Page 12

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Pandemic recovery provides a revenue boost for Saluki athletics Brandyn Wilcoxen @Brandyn_2020

Entering the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, athletic programs across the country are beginning to see a recovery in revenue from 2020 to 2021.

The NCAA released its financial records in early February, announcing $1.15 billion in revenue for 2021. This was described as a return to normal for the association and its member schools, including Southern Illinois University.

“That was a good sign,” SIU interim athletic director Matt Kupec said. “I think that’s always a good indicator when the NCAA is seeing that, that means that’s good for all of us.”

According to Steve Berkowitz of USA Today, the NCAA distributed to its member schools “just over $246 million in fiscal 2020, compared to $611 million in 2019 and $613 million in 2021.”

Much of the NCAA’s revenue comes from the NCAA March Madness Tournament, which was outright canceled in 2020 and limited to the state of Indiana in 2021.

As for Southern Illinois, it has seen its own athletics revenue grow since 2020 due to fans returning to games. It is estimated that 40% of revenue for the athletic department comes from fans filling seats.

“It’s not just the ticket sales, it might be a donation that comes with that. It might be the concessions,” Kupec said.

Kupec also said attention has been paid towards improving the fan experience, not just the play on the court or field, but everything else from concessions to tailgating.

“I’ve seen this particularly in football; we build a big weekend around it,” Kupec said. “The game is just part of it. It’s all the things that go around being fun to be here.”

FCS football played its spring 2021 season with a very limited capacity. In the fall season, it became one of the first sports to play without fan restrictions, and Saluki Stadium saw an attendance increase of 20% from 2019 to 2021. Part of this can be attributed to Saluki football making back-toback playoff appearances for the first time since 2009, but part of it is the ability for fans to return to the stands after a year-long absence.

Kupec provided an anecdote of a couple loyal Saluki fans he met recently who were not so eager to return to the Banterra Center, despite the doors being open.

“They love coming to ballgames, but due to COVID, they just don’t want to take any chances,” Kupec said. “That’s why it’s been really frustrating with COVID and the Banterra Center, because we think it’s held fans back.”

The most recent update from

Seth Martin | @seth.mart

the Illinois Department of Public Health reports Jackson County has a positivity rate of 15%. Because season ticket holders and other regular fans of college athletics tend to skew older, they are at a higher risk of serious symptoms if infected.

Another symptom of the continued pandemic has been the semi-frequent cancelation and

“To shut down like we had to do would change the nature of intercollegiate athletics as we know it,” Kupec said. “We were able to withstand one big hit, one year.”

This constant threat of further lost revenue has created some pressure on programs across the country to complete their seasons, but Kupec noted that Saluki athletics isn’t

As revenue looks to return to pre-pandemic levels, Kupec has set a target to not only get back to normal, but to further grow from there.

“I would say the goal is to have the appropriate budget to make championship investments,” Kupec said.

Even before the COVID-19

“We are playing, and we are open, but we are very aware of the health and safety of our players and our fans.”

- Matt Kupec SIU interim athletic director

postponement of games. While it hasn’t been near the level of spring 2020, when the entire NCAA season was canceled, athletic competitions can still be easily wiped out in short notice.

necessarily trying to get games in at all costs.

“We are playing, and we are open, but we are very aware of the health and safety of our players and our fans,” Kupec said.

pandemic derailed the regular sports schedule, Southern Illinois was facing some serious issues financially. In 2020, a report came out that the athletic budget was to be cut by $9 million.

“We were facing a pretty significant deficit, even before the pandemic,” Kupec said. “We had to look at our budget and make some decisions and it was all coming to light when the pandemic hit. We had to make a decision: do we cut sports, or do we cut across the board?”

The decision was ultimately made to keep all Saluki sports intact in favor of making cuts in other areas, such as the operating budget. Although several jobs were eliminated, Saluki athletics has maintained its sports offering through the financial crisis.

Now that revenue is trending back up, Kupec has indicated that steps will be made towards undoing some of those tough decisions, and investing in the future of the athletic department.

“We’ve identified a plan that has personnel hirings, with revenue, we can bring some of these things back,” Kupec said. “We’ve learned to do some things better, more efficient.

When we have revenue, we’ll be able to make these investments.”

Kupec’s title as athletic director is temporary while the school searches for a replacement in the coming months, but while he holds the position, a top priority is to focus on revenue generation for a program that is not only navigating a pandemic but reeling from budget cuts.

“Part of my role here is to find ways to generate revenue, be accountable in terms of what we spend and to look to grow that pool of dollars coming in, so we can then create to make championship investments,” Kupec said. “So you’ve gotta have the discipline, but then you’ve gotta find the money, and if you can get the money, that allows you to make investments.”

With the target date set for March, a potential new athletic director would be inheriting a Salukis athletics department that has set its sights on building towards the future.

“When that time comes, and that baton is passed, I think it’s gonna be a good place for whoever that person is,” Kupec said.

Kupec has frequently stated he is bullish about the future of Saluki athletics. The department is approaching a major crossroads, awaiting the hiring of its sixth athletic director in the last four years.

With external conditions stabilizing, it could be an opportunity for the new leadership to take the program to the next level.

“I think it’s gonna be a program that is truly gonna be one of the best in America,” Kupec said. “And there’s no reason why we will not.”

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

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Page 13

Eberle throws a no-hitter as softball splits the Trojan Classic 2-2 Brandyn Wilcoxen @Brandyn_2020.

The reigning Missouri Valley Conference champions took the field for the first time in 2022, going 2-2 on Friday and Saturday in the Trojan Classic in Troy, Alabama.

The highlight of the weekend was sophomore Madi Eberle throwing the 33rd no-hitter in school history — and the first since Brianna Jones in 2019 — in an 8-0 five-inning victory Saturday morning over Purdue-Fort Wayne. A walk and a hit batter were the only things

standing between Eberle and a perfect game.

SIU’s other win over the weekend came in their first game of the season, when they came out swinging to the tune of six runs in the first inning on their way to an 8-2 win over the College of Charleston on Friday morning.

Both days saw the Salukis play a nightcap against the host Troy Trojans, who like SIU also made the NCAA Tournament in 2021.

Friday evening’s contest was a pitcher’s duel. Outfielder Jenny Jansen turned a first-inning 13-pitch at-bat into a sacrifice fly

for SIU’s only run of the game, as Troy’s Leanna Johnson held the Salukis to just two hits on their way to a walkoff 2-1 win.

Eberle pitched well in her first start, only giving up three hits in the first six innings, but two extra-base hits to lead off the bottom of the seventh were all the Trojans needed to take the victory.

Their second contest with Troy came shortly after Eberle’s no-hitter against Purdue-Fort Wayne on Saturday. Once again, the Salukis had no answer for Johnson who held them to just

three hits. This time, it was junior Sarah Harness who was pinned with the loss despite only five hits allowed in six innings.

Of those five hits, three of them were home runs as the Trojans prevailed 4-2.

Senior Ashley Wood led the team with four hits and three walks in the Trojan Classic. She reached base multiple times in three of the four games.

Despite going 2-for-12 over the weekend, Jansen racked up six RBIs. Three came during Saturday morning’s Purdue-Fort Wayne win, while two more

came in a game-tying sixth inning home run later that day against Troy.

Saluki softball will head down to Starkville, Mississippi next weekend for the Bulldog Classic hosted by Mississippi State.

They will open both Friday and Saturday against Georgia Tech, and have nightcaps against the host Bulldogs on Friday and Central Arkansas on Saturday.

Brockmeyer said.

Brockmeyer can attest to how special she feels the team is this year. She said she feels like they’ll be pretty hard to handle considering they’re at full health now.

“With COVID last year, we kinda had a bad taste in our mouth with how it ended. A lot of players didn’t get to play a lot, I didn’t get to play a lot, we had people out

here and there, and never had a full strength lineup so we feel like this year with being at full strength nobody can stop us,” Brockmeyer said.

Walker has one final message for the season and said she’s asking for as much support as the team can get.

“I just know these girls have been working really hard and we’d love to

see more people come out to games.

Especially because we talk about having historical [beginnings] and this has been an amazing one so far, but it’s not so surprising for the ones that come and work hard day in and day out and for people to come out and show their support would be really nice, she said.

The next home game for the Salukis will be on Thursday, Feb.

24 at 6 p.m. against the Indiana State Sycamores, looking to keep their winning ways going. They’ll hope to have a good standing in the conference by the end of the season before the conference tournament on March 10 in Moline, Illinois.

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

Basketball continued from

11

“Coach Stein is a good friend.

She’s a very understanding coach compared to other coaches. She’s willing to give second chances. She definitely understands what we’re going through as college athletes ‘cause she’s been there. It’s been special playing for her. I enjoy being around her. We make each other laugh and it’s just been a great five years with her for sure,”

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

Page 14

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Salukis Women’s Basketball avoids scare from Northern Iowa at home Cole Daily | @cdaily_de

The Salukis defeated the UNI Panthers on Friday, Feb. 11 in the Banterra Center. This 64-60 win splits the season series between the two teams.

The first points of the game came at the hands of senior guard Caitlin Link with a three from the top of the key. The Salukis scored two more quick buckets to put the panthers under, 7-0.

Not wanting her team to fall behind, the Northern Iowa coach called a timeout in an effort to stop the run with 7:40 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers scored its first points with 6:40 left in the quarter.

After the score, the Salukis continued its hot streak. Senior forward Mackenzie Silvey went to work, helping SIU extend their lead, 14-4, by the first media timeout of the game The Dawgs held a 19-8 lead heading to the bench after the first quarter. Link opened the second quarter with a beautiful backdoor pass to freshman forward Laniah Randle.

The Salukis held a 25-12 lead with 4:56 left in the first half. Senior forward Abby Brockmeyer knocked down multiple jumpers to help the Salukis maintain its sizable lead.

Southern Illinois began to cut the UNI defense up like paper, leading to a 33-16 lead with 1:50 left in the half.

The Dawgs managed to only give up three points as the rest of the half transpired. SIU held a solid 33-19 lead heading into the tunnel.

Senior center Gabby Walker scored the first points of the second half for the Salukis with just less than 8:30 left in the third quarter.

Unfortunately, on the next drive down the court, Walker was issued a technical foul for aggressively running into the opposition. It seemed to be a case where she was taking her anger out on the court after struggling throughout the game.

This led to a UNI-comeback, as the Panthers managed to crawl its way back into the game.

Southern Illinois only held a 35-28 lead with 6:01

left in the third quarter.

The Salukis managed to get the lead back up to double digits, 42-32, after the Saluki offense began to revolve around Silvey. By the end of the third quarter, Southern Illinois held a 46-39 lead.

Every time the Panthers tried to sneak back into the game, the Salukis pounced on them, pushing the lead back up to double digits. UNI would need to consistently stop the Dawgs from getting a bucket, which they were not able to do.

With 2:20 left in the game, Walker was ejected after committing yet another technical. Per NCAA rules, two technical/flagrant fouls means automatic ejection.

Head coach Cindy Stein said she wasn’t aware of what caused Walker’s frustration.

“Does she need to be smarter? Absolutely. But I need to go back and look at it. I’m sure they were poking the bear, and sometimes the bear pokes back,” Stein said.

Just like that, the 57-46 became 57-50, with the Panthers getting the ball. They converted the extra possession into two points, making it 57-52 with just under two minutes left.

Buckets from Brockmeyer and Silvey helped maintain the advantage. Inevitably, the Salukis won the contest 64-60.

Silvey and Brockmeyer led the game, each with 16 points. Brockmeyer also contributed seven rebounds and two blocks to her stat line.

Brockmeyer said it feels great to stay undefeated at home.

“I feel like every time we win, more and more people come out. It feels great when we have our crowd behind us. We love being at home and we feel like we can do things our way,” Brockmeyer said.

SIU will play its next game against Drake on Sunday, Feb. 13 for its second straight home game. The contest will take place at 2 p.m.

Sports Reporter Cole Daily can be reached at cdaily@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @cdaily_de.

Mackenzie Silvey shoots a two-pointer at the women’s home basketball game on Feb. 11, 2022. Tiffany Young | @photographybytiffa

Gabby Walker pivots around the other team on Feb. 11, 2022. Tiffany Young | @photographybytiffa

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Page 15

Saluki women ride Love’s career-high 24 to road win Brandyn Wilcoxen @Brandyn_2020.

Sophomore guard Quierra Love dropped a career-high 24 points as Southern Illinois (13-7, 8-2 in MVC) cruised past the Indiana State Sycamores (10-11, 5-5 in MVC) by a score of 79-55 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Love’s 24 was complemented by a combined 36 from fifth year forwards Abby Brockmeyer and Gabby Walker. They picked up much of the slack offensively as leading scorer Makenzie Silvey had an off night. Her 4-17 shooting on Wednesday was her worst since November.

“My team needs me to score more besides the big three that we have on our team,” Love said on the Saluki Radio postgame. “I just took what I was given, they made great passes, and I made it for them.”

After Silvey hit a jumper 21 seconds into the game, SIU never relinquished the lead.

The team jumped out to a quick 15-3 lead in the first four minutes of the game. Although the Sycamores would climb back into the game, the Salukis held on and eventually pulled away, hitting 10 of 14 shots in the fourth quarter to finish it off.

“I thought we got a little loosey-goosey, especially in the first half,” head coach Cindy Stein said on the Saluki Radio postgame.

“But I thought the second half was very strong.”

Much of the Saluki offense came courtesy of their defense and rebounding. They converted 20 Sycamore turnovers into 27 points and turned 16 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points. Brockmeyer alone pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds,

four of which were offensive rebounds that were turned into eight total points.

The win on Wednesday keeps the Salukis in the thick of the Missouri Valley Conference race, as they remain just half a game behind Northern Iowa (16-6, 9-2) and Illinois State (13-9, 9-2) for the top seed in the conference.

The schedule won’t get much easier, however, as SIU will defend its unbeaten home record as it hosts Northern Iowa on Friday, followed by Drake (12-10, 4-7) looking to play spoiler on Sunday. Northern Iowa is one of the Salukis’ only two losses of the year.

A concern heading into that pivotal matchup will be potential fatigue. Sunday’s Drake game will be the team’s fifth in ten days as SIU plays its most taxing stretch of

the season thus far.

“We’ve said this all along, it is what it is,” Stein said. “We’ve just got to go on to the next.”

Last week, two games in three days resulted in a split against Missouri State (165, 7-3). Another loss in this stretch may be the difference between the Salukis getting the top seed in the MVC Tournament or not. The way they played on Wednesday seemed to indicate that the team is still firing on all cylinders, but this weekend will be the toughest test yet.

Tipoff for Friday’s Northern Iowa game is 6 p.m. from the Banterra Center. The Drake game on Sunday will tip off at 2 p.m.

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

Men’s Basketball Second half comeback falls short against Northern Iowa Joseph Bernard @Jojobernard2001

CENTRALIA

POLICE DEPARTMENT

The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners of the City of Centralia, Illinois announces testing to establish an eligibility register for the Centralia Police Department.

Applications may be picked up at the Centralia Police Dept, 222 South Poplar, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday beginning Monday, January 10, 2022. All applications must be returned to the same location no later than Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 4:30pm.

Application packets may be downloaded online at www.cityofcentralia. org. All forms must be printed and returned by the Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 4:30pm deadline. No online submissions will be accepted.

After getting back in the win column Saturday against the Redbirds, the same couldn’t be done on the road last night against Northern Iowa for the Salukis as the Men’s basketball team lost 44-53.

Highlighting the Salukis was point guard Lance Jones, who was the only Saluki on the night to reach double-digits in points with 13. Jones also tallied three steals off 36 minutes of play. Junior forward Marcus Domask was second in points with nine while leading in assists with four. Senior guard Ben Coupet jr was the leader in rebounds with eight off 33 minutes of playtime.

A three-pointer for the Panthers started the game off, but Coupet responded with a three of his own. From there the Panthers scored the next 12 points in a row to take a 15-3 lead midway through the first half.

It went back and forth for a while until the Salukis started to get some momentum going. A Kyler Filewich layup started a 10 point run for the Salukis to get them within four, but UNI finished strong on the first half and went into the locker

A mandatory orientation meeting, physical ability test, and written test will be held starting at 1:00pm at the Centralia High School football field on Saturday, February 26, 2022. You will be advised of the time and location of the written test at that time.

Applicants must be 20-34 years of age at the time of testing, unless • • •

You provide proof of employment as a constituted police officer in Illinois or any other state Proof of employment as an auxiliary police officer for a minmum of 5 years and are under 40 years of age.

Age requirements may be extended for candidates with prior military service.

Applicant must be a high school graduate, or have a GED equivalent, and be a U.S. Citizen. Additional restrictions will be discussed at the orientation meeting.

APPLY TODAY AT

WWW.CITYOFCENTRALIA.ORG

GUS SAYS to Scan this QR CODE FOR A Scandalous SURVEY

room up seven at 26-19.

SIU got things within three points after a J.D Muila layup and a Steven Verplancken jump-shot in the paint. But UNI kept going strong and held that lead.

At 33-26, layups by Marcus Domask and Dalton Banks got things within three yet again to set up a Marcus Domask three that tied things up at 33-all.

Two possessions later, SIU actually ended up taking the lead after a Trent Brown three-pointer at 36-35. However, a 7-0 run for UNI got them back in the lead quickly at 42-36. Some quick shot attempts for the Salukis got it back within three at 44-41 then at 47-44. But the Salukis would fail to make another basket from here on out and the Panthers took the win at home over the Salukis with a 53-44 final score.

The Salukis will look to get back to .500 for their winning percentage when they come home to face the Evansville Aces Saturday night with a 7 p.m first tip.

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

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Page 16

Shop Your Local Co -op Local, organic and fair trade • Where everyone can shop Wellness • Bulk • Grocery • Deli • Fresh Produce • Beer & Wine

$0.69 ea

$1.50 ea

Navel Oranges

Large Ripe Avocados

$6.99 lb

February 22

Co-op Poor Man’s Caviar Reg. 8.99 ea

$4.49 ea

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Select varieties • Reg. 6.79 • 1 pint

$6.99

Tine Ski Queen Gjetost Goat Cheese Reg. 8.99 • 8.8 oz

This Tuesday, the The Co-op will join supermarkets and food manufacturers nationwide in celebrating the second annual National Supermarket Employee Day for the work they do in feeding families and enriching lives, especially during times of crisis.

A big THANK YOU to our CO-OP STAFF! We appreciate all you do!

$6.49 lb

Co-op Lebanese Salad Reg. 7.99 ea

TAKE AND BAKE IN OUR DELI FREEZER CO-OP PIZZA

2 for $7

Daiya Cheese Style Shreds Select varieties • Reg. 4.99 • 8 oz

$4.79

Enjoy Life Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

$3.29

Made in-house with all-natural ingredients!

Select varieties • Reg. 5.49 • 8 oz

Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8.49 ea

Blake’s All Natural Pot Pies

Reg. 5.79 • 8.8 oz

Deluxe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.99 ea Vegan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.99 ea

new 2 for $5

$3.99

Reg. 4.49 • 32 oz

Reg. 5.99 • 4 oz

R.W. Knudsen Juice Blends

CO-OP GF LASAGNA

Fan favorite, our gluten free lasagna is made with all-natural mozzarella, whole wheat brown rice noodles and a delicious roasted tomato sauce.

4 Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . $14.99 ea

NEW! Sahale Snack Mixes

CINNAMON ROLLS

Oven ready, these Co-op rolls are crafted with organic and Fair Trade certified ingredients.

Try Something New!

2 Rolls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.49 ea

SATURDAY, FEB. 19

From 11am - 1pm, we will be sampling all flavors of Synergy Kombucha and Koia Protein Drink.

2 for $5

$3.29 ea

Reg. 2.99 • 16 fl oz

Reg. 4.79 • 12 fl oz

GT’s Synergy Kombucha

Koia Protein Drink

- Sales good through Feb. 22, 2022 -

Neighborhood Co-op Grocery Murdale Shopping Center 1815 W. Main St. Carbondale IL (618) 529-3533

www.neighborhood.coop Phone: 618-529-3533

COMPANION MAPLE PECAN BREAD PUDDING

Creamy bread pudding infused with crunchy pecans.

20 oz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8.99 ea We accept cash, check, and...

& DEBT DAWG!

Open daily 8 am - 9 pm