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Sounds from the Closet: Vol. 1 Watch rapper Eshe Bhairavi's performance online at dailyegyptian.com for the first installment of “Sounds from the Closet.” The idea of “Sounds from the Closet” is to strip down artists from various genres and let their music and or words be the focus while literally performing in a closet.
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Daily Egyptian MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015 VOLUME 99 ISSUE 32
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Sorority hosts baby shower for pregnant students Austin Miller
@AMiller_DE | Daily Egyptian
Giving birth is one of the hardest things for a woman to go through, and two students had their journeys made a bit easier. The SIU chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority hosted a baby shower for two pregnant students Sunday in the Alumni Lounge of the Recreation Center. Chasity Jones, vice president of the sorority, said this is third year of the event “Shower Me Blue,” which brought in diapers, wipes, lotions and toys. “Expecting mothers in college are trying to balance school, work and having a baby, so if they have additional support, it’s easier for them to finish school,” Jones said. All financial issues hit expecting mothers the most, Jones said. So she was excited to keep the event going and provide a little relief. Aseedaw Deal, a clinical instructor with the rehabilitation department, said the shower goes along with the national Stork’s Nest Initiative for Zeta Phi Beta, which has supported needy, typically young mothers since 2010. More than 20 women have been helped by the movement in the last five years, Deal said. “We look for college-aged women to provide support because they are typically between 18 and 23 years old,” Deal said. “We want to show them that the community supports them.” Brandy Dix and Ricki Gary, both moms-to-be, were helped by Zeta Phi Beta on Sunday. The women said they were thankful for the help, but wished the university were more understanding of their situation. Gary, a senior from Chicago studying community health, said she has had several professors who would not adjust or accommodate the issues she had while pregnant.
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d aily e gyptian
Brandy Dix, a senior from LaVergne, Tenn., talks with her friends Sunday evening at the Shower Me Blue event hosted by Zeta Phi Beta in the Alumni Lounge of the Recreation Center. “We just want them to feel supported, that’s the main thing. We want to donate something to them to help get them started,” said Chasity Jones, one of the coordinators of the event. Donations went towards Dix, who is expecting a baby girl July 15, and senior Ricki Gary, who is expecting a boy April 21. The event aimed to support women through their pregnancies while attending college. “It’s difficult, but you need to keep pushing through it because it’s not just you anymore, it’s your child,” Dix said. “Don’t give up.” Dix said the degree was not just for her anymore, but for her baby girl too. “She’ll be literally graduating with me while I cross that stage,” Dix said.
“I had a professor say, ‘A pregnancy doesn’t stop anything,’ and if I’m sick, I need to bring crackers to class,” Gary said. “When I was late to class because I was waddling to get up stairs, she would ask why. Well, because I’m carrying 20 extra pounds.” Gary, who also works a receptionist at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, said she was surprised by the teacher’s reaction, but understood everyone has his or her own opinions.
Dix, a senior from Lavergne, Tenn., studying paralegal studies, said she had not had any faculty be as direct with her, but had many problems balancing everything during her first trimester, before she knew she was pregnant. She said she was extremely exhausted and often sick, causing her to miss class frequently. Having to deal with the changing of her body and hormones, especially without any family around her, Dix said extra support means
everything. She managed to keep her grades up and began an internship with the Williamson County Public Defender’s Office this semester. “We’re seniors and we’re doing this,” Dix said. “This was not going to stop us from anything. We are graduating with our degrees in May.” Along with that, Dix is also the president of the Real Talk Registered Student Organization, which brings together students with
different backgrounds to tell their experiences, and is a babysitter for the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services. “Nothing stops,” she said. “You have to keep pushing through. We’re bringing life into the world. This is a miracle.” Both women were determined to finish their degrees, even with the added challenge of having a baby. Dix is expecting a baby girl named Lily in April, and Gary a baby boy in July named Kaiden.
Eggemeyer has worked with SIU for 15 to 20 years, including on the renovation of Trueblood Hall. Mark Dillon, president of Eggemeyer, said the company assessed what changes needed to be made by visiting the dining hall when it was busy, and watching how students move through space and how food is served. Then they made recommendations to dining services and worked with them to come up with the new design. According to a University Housing press release, Peggy Connors, associate director of university housing, said the
reasons behind the renovations are poor layout of service stations and equipment that has not been updated in 25 years. She said with the large number of customers, the dining hall’s traffic flow can become congested. Alex Nagy, a sophomore from Aurora studying anthropology, said he noticed congestion in Lentz, at noon everyday, and when the hall is serving popular foods. “Typically on specific days, like chicken nugget day, there is a large amount of congestion that flows all the way out of the building,” he said. The press release also states the
renovated dining hall serving areas will include new food serving stations such as a bigger salad bar, deli and dessert station, pizza and pasta counter and a cook-to-order station. There will also be a self-service pantry in the serving area that will offer a variety of cereals. Instead, Veronica Kleber, a sophomore from Grayslake studying mechanical engineering suggested University Housing make use of the amount of usable food stations the dining hall already has. “In one of the dining rooms, there used to be another food serving
station that had a small salad bar,” she said. “Even something like that would open it up a little bit more.” While there will not be any changes to the meal plan, “The newly renovated dining hall will significantly improve the quality of undergraduate housing for SIU Carbondale students on campus,” the release stated. Connors said during the renovation, business will continue as usual. However, some students say the work is disruptive and won’t solve student dining concerns.
Renovations underway for Lentz Hall
Tierra Carpenter Daily Egyptian
Lentz Hall renovations, which began in February, are expected to be completed by fall, university officials say. Lentz is undergoing $1.4 million renovations paid for by University Housing, which is “operated through room and board funds,” said Crystal Bouhl, University Housing assistant director of marketing. Eggemeyer Associates Architects in Carbondale are the designers for the project, while the SIU Physical Plant will carry out the plans.
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