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COVID-19 surges It’s Biden Following long wait, projections for president are in By Benjamin Wells
benjamin.wells@marquette.edu
After three days of key swing states counting their ballots, the United States finally has an answer to who the next president and vice president are: former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris. Harris will go down in history as the first woman vice president, as well as the first woman of color to hold the position. “While I may be the first womPhoto by Benjamin Wells benjamin.wells@marquette.edu Students are seen frequenting bars near campus and holding large social gatherings as COVID-19 cases rise. an in this office, I won’t be the last,” Harris said in an acceptance speech. “Every little girl watcha carrier touched it and now I tined earlier this week due to poing tonight sees that this is a have (COVID-19). Thank god for tential off-campus exposure. The country of possibilities ... Dream hand sanitizer.” Marquette Dental Clinic has yet with ambition, lead with convicLast week, Marquette re- to comment on the outbreak. tion, and see yourself in a way ported the highest number of The university has also changed that others might not see you, cases in a single day this week, its alert level from “moderate” to simply because they’ve never twice. A grand total of 178 cas- “high.” This now limits previBy Benjamin Wells seen it before.” benjamin.wells@marquette.edu es that week alone, following ous in-person gatherings to only The presidential race was called Halloween weekend. meet virtually unless supervised Nov. 7 after major news networks There were 9 new cases report- by a staff member. “I feel like I am in a constant had called the state of PennsylvaThe Marquette University Postate of fear,” Komal Khatri, ed yesterday, the first time the nia and its 20 electoral votes for a sophomore in the College of number has been in single digits lice Department will also be in- the former vice president, flipcreasing its presence in order to Health Sciences, said. “Even since Nov. 1. ping it from red to blue from the A group of second-year dental when pushing an elevator button, previous election. I’m scared that someone who is school students were also quaranSee COVID-19 page 3
School of Dentistry quarantines, MU moves to high-alert
Biden has attained 290 electoral votes against incumbent President Donald Trump who has 214. North Carolina and Georgia still remain too close to be called. For several days, experts had projected that Biden’s path to victory had narrowed after flipping the states of Wisconsin and Michigan, creating a Midwestern “blue wall” that paved Biden’s path to victory. President-elect Biden had secured the highest number of votes for a presidential candidate in American history, securing nearly 75 million votes in the process, about 50.6% of the popular vote. President Donald Trump has called for recounts in multiple swing states and made claims of voter fraud, all of which have been debunked by political fact-checkers. “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT,” he tweeted. Trump’s campaign has also refused to concede the election, despite it being impossible to secure an electoral college victory based on current projections. Milwaukee residents celebrated the victory for the president-elect in Zeidler Square, near where the location of Milwaukee Central Count is. Caravans also paraded See BIDEN page 2
Suspect enters off-campus apartment complex Armed individual forces residents to evacuate building
By Megan Woolard
megan.woolard@marquette.edu
Shots were fired near N. 24th St. and W. Kilbourn Ave. Monday
afternoon. Following the incident, Marquette University Police Department sent out a safety notice at 12:21 p.m. The suspect and one victim then went into an apartment building on 15th St. between W. State St. and W. Kilbourn Ave. Milwaukee Police Department evacuated the
INDEX
MUU TV
COVID-19 TRACKER........................................3 MUPD REPORTS.............................................3 A&E..................................................................8 OPINIONS......................................................10 SPORTS..........................................................12
apartment building. Izzy Melia, a sophomore in the College of Education, lives near 15th St. “There were just a lot of cops outside so I went out to throw out my trash and see what was up, and the cops were arming themselves,” Melia said. Both subjects ran into an
NEWS
apartment building on 15th St. near Melia’s building. Milwaukee Police Department is still investigating the incident. “We do not have any additional information to the safety alert communications sent earlier this afternoon. Marquette University Police Department was an assisting agency and Milwaukee
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Students share holiday plans, discuss COVID-19 impact
Trump spreads hate and lies during presidency, 2020 election
Protest in support
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Faculty demonstrate outside Zilber for Brooke McArdle
Police Department is investigating this ongoing matter,” Kevin Conway, associate director of university communication, said. There have been no further updates on the incident as of 10 p.m. Monday.
The President failed PAGE 11
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News
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
BIDEN: Celebrations held across Milwaukee Continued from page 1 around downtown, one of which passed through M a r quette’s campus. T h e City of Milwaukee had o v e r 300,000 votes for Biden, a number that pushed the vote for the state in Biden’s favor, which secured it for the former vice president. Following the announcement of his projection to win the presi d e n c y, Biden gave a speech from his h o m e state of Delaware, the same place where he celebrated his announcement of accepting the Democratic nomination back in July. “The people Photos by Vanessa Rivera vanessa.rivera@marquette.edu of this Multiple car parades proceeded through areas around campus and down Wisconsin Avenue in support of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s projected victory Nov. 7. nation Biden, and his children and President Emmanuel Macron. not to divide, but unify. (I) don’t president-elect. h a v e grandchildren for the sup“It’s the honor of my lifetime “Indeed, across the world, there see red states and blue states, but spoken,” Biden said. “They’ve port they gave him over the that so many millions of Ameridelivered us a victory ... for we is an outpouring of joy, renewed only the United States.” campaign trail. cans have voted for me for that faith in tomorrow that brings a Biden’s campaign was built on the people.” Both Biden and Harris will be vision. And now, the work at World leaders congratulated better day,” Biden said. “I am the grounds to “fight for the soul sworn into office at their inaugumaking that vision is real,” Biden the newly elected president, in- humbled by the trust and con- of the nation.” A sentiment he ration Jan. 20, 2021. said. “It’s the task of our time.” cluding Canadian Prime Min- fidence you’ve placed in me. I drove forward in his acceptance Biden thanked his wife, Jill ister Justin Trudeau and French pledge to be a president that seeks speech alongside Harris the vice
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020
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COVID-19: Some classes move online Continued from page 1 monitor off-campus gatherings. Miranda Hunt, a sophomore in the College of Communication, will have spent up to a month in quarantine in total this year after she’s done with her second two weeks of isolation, the previous happening earlier this semester. She is now in the Ambassador Hotel. Hunt said she feels as though the university’s testing is not doing enough. “We can only get tested if we have symptoms or a known positive contact, that means if I’m indirectly exposed I can’t get a test, which I feel is super dangerous,” Hunt said. Hunt said because of COVID-19, she doesn’t feel safe in terms of the spread and feels frustrated by the continuation of students going to bars and parties, which doesn’t give her much power to stop the spread if she still needs to go to class. Even when she’s trying her hardest to stop the spread, she still ended up in quarantine. “It’s like (Marquette) students don’t see this as a real pandemic. The university is being frustrating, yes, but the students have a responsibility in this moment to be as safe as they can,” Hunt said. “ I know it’s difficult to avoid hanging out with friends, but there has to be a hard limit to social settings. Hanging out with the same few friends in an apartment is not the same as seeing several groups of people at a bar or party.” Piper McCaffrey, a junior in the College of Communication, was put into quarantine at the Ambassador Hotel last week. She also expressed her frustrations with the university’s response to the pandemic. “I feel like Marquette is doing the bare minimum. If they actually cared about minimizing
COVID they would’ve made more procedures to stop the spread at the beginning of the school year,” McCaffery said. “It’s upsetting that the university only offers testing if you have symptoms.” McCaffery said the university should enforce mandatory testing and MUPD should have a stronger hand in shutting down off-campus parties, where most of the spread seems to be happening. “I’m deeply disgusted with the lack of care and immaturity displayed on campus,” McCaffery said. “I don’t think the whole student body understands the consequences of hosting parties and social gatherings. Not only is the school affected, but the Milwaukee community as well.” In response to the increasing number of cases in the state of Wisconsin and the United States as a whole, the University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to expand its testing of the campus population. The plan includes all students and employees who utilize campus spaces to be tested twice a week starting in January. Ryan Nolan, a sophomore at the UW-Madison, works for isolation housing at the university. His job entails helping students who test positive transition from their normal dorms into designated isolation dorms or hotels off campus. “As a student, I’m slightly annoyed to see that there’s still a number of cases increasing exponentially on campus,” Nolan said. “But as an employee who sees the numbers every day, I’ve seen first hand that the increase in the frequency of testing can have a significant impact on the number of positive cases because there is less time for a student to have the virus and be spreading it to others without knowing it.” Nolan said he supports the movement to increase testing as a whole throughout campus and
feels as though other universities across the state and country can follow the lead UW-Madison is setting. “The student population is larger so it’s hard to compare the numbers, but in general I feel like our process is working the way it’s supposed to,” Nolan said. “I think given ample resources, all
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I feel like Marquette is doing the bare minimum. If they actually cared about minimizing COVID they would’ve made more procedures,” PIPER MCCAFFREY A junior in the College of Communication
universities should be testing as frequently as possible.” According to Madison’s coronavirus dashboard, the university currently performs a little over an average of 1,500 tests per week, while Marquette has an average of less than 100 per week. 2.7% of the student population at Madison who have gotten tested have come back positive over the past seven days, as compared to the 32% positive tests at Marquette. In terms of testing at Marquette next semester, Vice President of Student Affairs Xavier Cole said that the university is in the process of determining
NOVEMBER 6 MUPD responded to a noise complaint at a residence located in the 2000 block of W. Wisconsin Avenue and occupants were found to be consuming alcohol and violating social distancing rules. Occupants were issued citations by MUPD. Unknown subject entered an MU student’s unsecured and unattended
vehicle parked in the 900 block of N. 15th Street and removed property without consent. Unknown subject caused damage to an MU student’s vehicle while it was parked in the 500 block of N. 20th Street. No property was removed from the vehicle. NOVEMBER 7 Two subjects attempted
The Marquette Tribune EDITORIAL
the best course of action. More information will be available after the university is closed after Thanksgiving. Because of the increased alert level, some professors have been deciding to transition the remaining portion of their in-person classes to fully online. Bryan Rindfleisch, an assistant professor of history, sent in an email to students that they would no longer be meeting in person. “Frankly, I’m appalled at the extent that this university administration has blamed students ... for the massive spike on campus, and nothing else,” Rindfleish said in an email to his early American history class. “It is worrisome, and personally, to protect my newborn girl and my other girl, I know my family will feel much safer away from campus.” In the past week, there have been 4,157 cases in Milwaukee County, a pattern of increasing cases that is parallel with the spike at Marquette. “The university is aware of an increase in overall cases on campus and in our neighborhood, which is congruent with increases we are seeing in the state and Milwaukee County,” Chris Stolarski, university spokesperson, said in an email. “We are monitoring the increase in community spread, rather than distinct clusters. Through aggressive contact tracing efforts in coordination with the City of Milwaukee Health Department, the Marquette Medical Clinic is closely monitoring the situation.” Stolarski said the university continues to encourage all students to be vigilant in making sure they’re following proper health and safety guidelines set in place by the Milwaukee Health Department and the university itself. Natallie St. Onge, Kaylee Staral and Alexa Jurado contributed to this report.
Executive Director of Marquette Wire Natallie St. Onge (414) 288-1739 Managing Editor of Marquette Tribune Annie Mattea NEWS News Editor Benjamin Wells Assistant Editor Alexa Jurado Reporters Natalija Mileusnic, Charlie Pineda, Megan Woolard, Julia Abuzzahab PROJECTS Projects Editor Lelah Byron Assistant Editor Amanda Parrish Reporters Grace Dawson, Maria Crenshaw, Aspen Ramos, Beck Salgado ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Arts & Entertainment Editor Skyler Chun Assistant Editors Charlotte Ives, Mason Stebnitz Reporters Quinn Faeth, Ryan Lynch, Ariana Madson, Tommy Shaffer OPINIONS Executive Opinions Editor Alexandra Garner Assistant Opinions Editor Aminah Beg Columnists Jenna Koch, Hope Moses, Max Pickart, Lucia Ruffolo SPORTS Executive Sports Editor Zoe Comerford Assistant Editors Nick Galle, Molly Gretzlock Reporters Sam Arco ,Bryan Geenen, Jackson Gross, Matt Yeazel, Matthew Valente COPY Copy Chief Eleanor Mccaughey Copy Editors Kendra Bell, Grace Kwapil, Emily Reinhardt, Kimberly Cook VISUAL CONTENT Design Chief Grace Pionek Photo Editor Zach Bukowski Sports Designer Kayla Nickerson Arts & Entertainment Designer Lily Werner Opinions Designer Mariam Ali Photographers Katerina Pourliakas, Claire Gallagher, Joceline Helmbrek, Isabel Bonebrake ----
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COVID-19 TRACKER
MUPD REPORTS to steal an MU student’s vehicle parked on the street at N. 18th and W. State Streets. Subjects were located by MUPD. One subject was taken into custody by MUPD and charges were referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
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CUMULATIVE CASES - MARQUETTE 786 NEW CASES - 11/4-11/10 146 CUMULATIVE CASES - MILWAUKEE 49,829 SEVEN DAY AVERAGE - WEEK OF 11/8 629.9
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The Marquette Tribune
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Faculty support senior cited for conduct McArdle hearing is held, protest outside Zilber Hall By Benjamin Wells
benjamin.wells@marquette.edu
A sign outside of Zilber Hall Nov. 5 read “Brooke got into good trouble” in support of Brooke McArdle, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences. McArdle received two student conduct violations, after organizing a sit-in inside Zilber Hall in support of faculty and staff members threatened by potential layoffs and budget cuts proposed by the university. After hearing that McArdle was facing these violations a social media campaign called, “#MarquetteSaveBrooke” started making its way around Instagram, which then led to a protest outside of Zilber Hall Nov. 5. Although McArdle was in her apartment while her hearing was taking place, staff members and students stood outside Zilber where members of Marquette’s administration were on a virtual call with her. McArdle has yet to receive any verdicts from her hearing. “I am sincerely grateful for those who have supported me during this conduct process. To have the backing of not only my family and friends but also Marquette alums, faculty, and staff is wonderful,” McArdle said. “This process has been enormously stressful and a clear demonstration of Marquette’s attempt to suppress a student’s voice. I am thankful that others have recognized this egregious and arbitrary execution of administrative authority and I hope that these charges can be removed.” Devon Wiensch, a junior in the College of Communication, and Riley Ellison, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, both attended the protest. “We’re all here to just show our solidarity for what (McArdle) is saying,” Ellison said. Wiensch and Ellison were present at the sit-in that McArdle had organized Oct. 21 in support of other staff members. “The administration is not standing by what it needs to be nor is it standing by what it claims to be,” Wiencsh said. “We’re kind of just trying to make sure they hold on to their word and stand by it.” Beyond the issues of staff members potentially being laid off, Wiench also expressed her dismay that the university was trying to silence student voices.
Photos by Benjamin Wells benjamin.wells@marquette.edu
A protest in support of Brooke McArdle, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, took place outside Zilber Hall Thursday Nov. 5.
“It’s terrifying,” Wiench said. “Censorship in any form is wrong and shouldn’t happen. … Speaking your mind, you shouldn’t be scared to do it. Especially if (Marquette) teaches you to be men and women for others.” Both Wiench and Ellison said they were also frustrated with the university’s lack of transparency on all levels. “It’s really kind of setting a really scary precedent for students that want to speak up about
things, which we’re already encouraged to do, to be the difference, to do social change,” Ellison said. “This is a Catholic Jesuit institution that is claiming to create men and women who serve the community. The fact that they’re … calling somebody out on something like this is really worrying.” Matthew Neuhjar, professor of theology, attended the protest along with other staff members. “The administration putting her through this is kind of
ridiculous. It’s clearly not because of any great wrong thing she did but instead to send a message to students that they shouldn’t speak up, that they can’t express their opinion,” Neuhjar said. “I think that’s wrong.” Although the idea of McArdle’s First Amendment rights being threatened is in question, Neuhjar said he felt that it is a Jesuit value in and of itself to speak up against opposing positions — something that McAr-
dle is now being punished for. “I find it hypocritical,” Neuhjar said. “It demonstrates cowardice on the behalf of the administrators to make an example out of an undergraduate student. … It feels really wonderful to know that there are students out there that care about their professors, that care about their staff here at Marquette, and are willing to speak up for us. … We are deeply appreciative and want them to know we have their backs as well.”
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020
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Recruitment changes for Class of 2025 Incoming first-years to use virtual events, small tour groups By Megan Woolard
megan.woolard@marquette.edu
The admissions office at Marquette has had to make changes to the way it recruits students in order to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “Marquette has responded to the pandemic with a robust virtual tour, hundreds of videos created by our faculty, staff, students, and alumni, and a socially distanced daily tour program that brings a limited number of students to campus each day,” John Baworowsky, vice president for enrollment management, said in an email. In addition to the extensive video content, Marquette has also presented at numerous virtual college fairs. Brian Troyer, dean of undergraduate admissions, said the admissions team developed campaigns through videos and virtual event programming. He said Marquette has participated in close to 100 virtual college fairs and panels that didn’t exist in a virtual format last year. Even with the additions to online and virtual content, getting students on campus is still a
goal for admissions staff. “We know that if we can get a prospective student on our campus, it will vastly improve the likelihood they will enroll at Marquette,” Troyer said in an email. “This campus and our community are special; we know when families are able to experience the Marquette community firsthand, they are consistently impressed by the cura personalis extended to them by our outstanding student and professional staff in Admissions.” While campus tours are still taking place, there have been extensive changes made. These changes include requiring visitors to wear a mask at all times on campus, staying six feet apart from all staff and other visitors and completing a COVID-19 screening questionnaire. In addition, the university is no longer offering walk-in tours. Prospective students must schedule a time and are advised not to arrive on campus until 15 minutes before their time. Tour groups consist of one tour guide per family group. The tour is mostly outdoors to help with social distancing and prevention efforts. But families and prospective students are still able to have some indoor interaction. “We’re now showing a vacant showroom in either Ab-
botsford or The Commons, ensuring that both the family and tour guide are comfortable,” Andrew Hirsch, campus tour guide and senior in the
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Our fall goal is 1,770 first-year students. This is higher than the 1,645 who enrolled last year. However, Marquette typically sees 1,800 or more students,” JOHN BAWOROWSKY Vice president for enrollment management
College of Education, said. Despite having to follow social distancing and safety guidelines, Hirsch believes that tours have still been successful in attracting
future students. “Now it’s only one tour guide per group or family so it’s even more individualized and we’ve been able to have more personalized conversation,” Hirsch said. “I know for myself, as well as talking to other tour guides, overwhelmingly families have been impressed that Marquette has tours.” Many other institutions are no longer holding in-person tours such as the University of Michigan, or have limited tours to in state residents, like DePaul. Even though Marquette has been making adjustments to recruit students, there are still difficulties that arise. For example, many dates for the ACT or SAT tests have been postponed or cancelled entirely. Because of this many institutions such as University of Wisconsin- Madison and the University of North Carolina are becoming test optional for the 2021 fall class. Marquette is test-optional but this still provides an obstacle in recruiting students. “While Marquette doesn’t require a standardized test for admission, we do get names from the testing agencies and send promotional messaging to them. Names gathered from the testing agencies usually make up a large part of the first-year class,” Baworowsky said in an email.
With all these efforts, Troyer said Marquette has received thousands of applications from prospective students. “I’ve already signed quite a few acceptance letters,” Troyer said in an email. Despite all the new technology and resources available to attract new students, Marquette still expects a lower rate of enrollment next year. “Our fall goal is 1,770 first year students. This is higher than the 1,645 who enrolled last year. However, Marquette typically sees 1,800 or more students. So we do anticipate ‘lower than normal’ enrollment,” Baworowsky said in an email. With changes to recruitment efforts, Troyer says he is grateful for the Marquette community’s continuous support in attracting future students. “Beyond the truly outstanding staff we have in Admissions, we are deeply appreciative of the investment the entire Marquette community – faculty, staff, current students, alumni, and even parents of current students – makes in recruiting future students,” Troyer said in an email. Baworowsky and Troyer will be holding a virtual coffee chat Nov. 16 to talk further about university enrollment efforts.
First-Generation Week celebrates journeys Second year of event allows community bonding, reflection By Julia Abuzzahab
julianna.abuzzahab@marquette.edu
First-Generation Students’ Week celebrates those who distinguish themselves as the first person in their family to attend college. National First-Generation College Celebration occurs Nov. 8 to honor the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965. HEA was implemented to help “level the playing field” that was weighed against Americans from minority and low-income backgrounds. HEA also created federal grants and loan programs to help students finance their education, and invested in institutions of higher education. At Marquette, the Center
of Engagement and Inclusion hosted various events the week of Nov. 2-6 in honor of MU faculty, students and staff that identify as the first person in their families to go to college. Center for the Engagement and Inclusion states that approximately 22% of the undergraduate population at Marquette are first-generation students. This is the second year Marquette has celebrated FirstGeneration week. The CEI hosted events such as storytelling, paint night, personal essays and made care packages for first-gen students to help them throughout their new journey and to celebrate being a first-gen student. Clara Dwyer, a staff member for the Center for the Engagement and Inclusion, has been extremely involved in the process of making sure this week ran smoothly. Dwyer said the purpose of Marquette’s First-Generation Week is “to celebrate and recognize the achievements of our first-gen students who are
changing the trajectories of their lives and for many of them, the trajectory of their family’s life.” F1RST, a student organization, is led by first-generation students to provide opportunities for other first-generation students to get together to discuss their similar identity. This allows first-generation students to come together and help each other navigate college. F1RST celebrates the excitement of being a first-generation student, and creates a community of other first-gen students to help each other not only through college, but through life as well. They also host events every firstgen student at Marquette can be involved in to learn more about what they are going through and to meet others who are experiencing similar situations. On their Instagram, @Imfirstmu, they upload videos of first-generation students discussing their background being a first-gen and bits of advice and resources others can utilize. They also upload information and events that other first-generation students can
be involved in. As a result of First-Generation Week here at Marquette, Dwyers hopes that all first-generation students feel welcome and be portrayed not by their challenges, but by their aspirations throughout university. “We know that our first-gen students are extremely resilient,” Dwyer said. “They come with a strong foundation and will to graduate, however, we also want to ensure a full and fulfilling college experience that will offer opportunities to develop networks and other cultural capital with which to enter the work world. This is very much a part of the Jesuit educational experience in caring for and developing the whole person.” Ashley Renee, first-year and first-generation student in the College of Nursing, understands the significance of First-Generation Week, and believes it is extremely beneficial resource for every first-generation student at Marquette to take advantage of. “It’s really nice to be recognized for being a first-generation
student, and it introduces me to other people in the same situation as me so I know I’m not alone throughout this process.” First-generation student and sophomore in the College of Communication Zoee Arreguin believes that First-Generation Week is extremely important to support students like her. “FirstGen Week is important to me because is I think it’s important to acknowledge the setbacks that students like myself face in college. It’s a very unique experience, so it’s nice to be supported. They (Marquette) do a good job of acknowledging the challenges, yet not making this group of students feel marginalized or different. It feels like a celebration.” Marquette University ultimately celebrates First-Generation week as a way to help first-generation students through unknown territory by providing them with organizations, events and resources to ensure their success.
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The Marquette Tribune
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Parties, social gatherings continue off campus Some claim that rules are not being enforced by MUPD By Aspen Ramos
aspen.ramos@marquette.edu
Like 20% of universities throughout the country, Marquette chose to bring students back to campus this fall. While students have been adjusting to the “new normal” of a mixture of online, in-person and hybrid classes, restructuring their social lives has been a point of contention. Despite safety guidelines, some students have continued to throw
parties or host large gatherings. The university cautioned against students’ Halloween weekend parties, which may be culpable for a steepening of the coronavirus curve — the Marquette COVID-19 dashboard data, showing the week following Halloween weekend, concludes there was a spike in COVID-19 cases on campus: 40 students and two faculty members tested positive. “Students have been afraid of on– campus gatherings because of the risk of getting in trouble, and, since blocks away, bars, restaurants, hair salons, stores and other businesses are open many students have been conflicted with the message sent by Marquette University,” said a student who wishes to remain anonymous, due to being an attendee of
these gatherings. Another student, who will remain anonymous with the same rationale, echoed these thoughts and said they felt that the expectations surrounding social gatherings and potential punishments have been unclear. Marquette sent out an email Nov. 6 with revisions made to the COVID-19 alert level. The guidelines listed in regard to social gatherings state “MUPD will increase enforcement related to off-campus parties,” but there is no information to gather how this will be enforced and what consequences are to be faced if Marquette guidelines are not followed. “I feel like since starting school, we have not had a clear outline of the rules we have to follow when
off campus. Can we go to a friend’s house to study? Can we have small gatherings? There were never straight-up rules lined out for us other than ‘practice social distancing,’” the first student said. Before classes had officially begun in August, several members of the Marquette community reported a large gathering of unmasked, nondistanced students near 17th St. and Kilbourn Ave Aug. 22. In the last weekend of August, Jeff Kranz, assistant chief of Marquette University police department, shared MUPD received over a dozen reports of more than one outdoor gathering near campus. Kranz said MUPD has implemented specific tactics in which student gatherings during the pandemic may be regulated. Kranz, along with Lora Strigens, vice president for Planning and Facilities, is part of the recovery subcommittee of Marquette’s COVID-19 Response Team. “Primarily, (we are) educating students on the dangers of having gatherings right now at this time of the pandemic,” Kranz said. “Initially, we were handing out a flier that had some information on COVID-19, but a lot of it is just discussions and the officers talking and kind of providing some guidance on social distancing and the importance of wearing a mask and the dangers about getting together.” Since the initial arrival of students back on campus, the police department has seen a “marked decrease” in social gatherings on campus and in off-campus housing, Kranz said. But he acknowledged students may gather in large groups off campus. “I cant speak on behalf of what the students are doing if they’re not gathering on campus,” Kranz said. According to the Marquette University coronavirus dashboard, two students reported they had tested positive for the coronavirus while zero faculty had reported positive cases Aug. Coronavirus Dashboard 24. Forty students and two faculty members Graphic by Amanda Parrish tested positive Nov.
Growth of COVID Cases
Total Positive Cases Since Halloween
178
Average Daily Cases Since Halloween
22.25 Source: Marquette
5 — the highest single-day total this fall semester. That number dipped down Nov. 8, with seven positive student cases and two positive cases among faculty. This brings the total case count to 678 positive tests between students and faculty. With campus’ risk level rising from moderate to high alert over the weekend, gatherings were cited as the driver of increased case numbers in a COVID-19 update on Marquette Today’s page. The update was also sent in an email. While the update states “To be clear: none of these cases on campus are due to transmission in classroom or laboratory settings,” transmission in the classroom remains a concern. The School of Dentistry secondyear class was placed on a cautionary quarantine over concerns of a COVID-19 exposure that occurred off campus. MUPD is responsible for handing out citations to students who are found attending large gatherings. MUPD may either be notified of a gathering through a reporting system or find gatherings while on patrol. Some students, however, feel as though MUPD could be more diligent in both dissolving large gatherings and issuing citations for breaking student conduct guidelines and city regulations. “I feel like (MUPD) haven’t been around very much,” the first student said. MUPD does not, however, directly have the jurisdiction to punish students for social gatherings, Kranz said. Once citations are handed out, the case goes into the hands of Student Conduct. It is unclear what form disciplinary action might take. Student Conduct declined a request for comment on the consequences associated with Student Conduct citations. Other universities have issued interim suspensions for students that attend large social gatherings without wearing face masks and abiding by social distancing guidelines. Ohio State University issued over 200 interim suspensions for off-campus parties between Aug. 19 and 23, although about half of the suspensions were lifted after students proved they had not attended or hosted unsafe gatherings. According to CDC guidelines, the gatherings which pose the highest health risk are large, in-person events where it is difficult for attendees to remain six feet apart and individuals travel from outside the local area. The lowest risk are virtual-only events. This is the second of a series in which the projects desk takes a look at MUPD’s range of responsibility and relationship to students and staff in context of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2020
The Marquette Tribune
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MUPD’s silence after crimes seen as concerning Some impacted by robberies feel officers did not help By Beck Salgado
beck.salgado@marquette.edu
Emily Smith, a senior in the College of Business Administration, was watching a movie when she heard the meek rattle of the doorknob at the front of her house. As invading moonlight slipped through the blinds and forced its way onto the walls and floor of the living room, Smith turned from her position, expecting to greet her roommate. Instead, she was met by two armed men with masks on. As the reality of her situation flooded over her, she became paralyzed with fear. “Not again,” she thought before being tied up. This was the second breakin to Smith’s residence within two weeks. She was present for both robberies. The first time Smith was robbed, two men broke in through the window and started stealing items. She did not interact with the men. After the intruders had exited the house, Smith said she called the Marquette University Police Department immediately. “I called MUPD and they showed up within five minutes and just asked for names, general information, and what items had been stolen and that was it,” Smith said. Days later, officers called to inform her about mental health resources she could use to handle any anxiety she might have. But after that initial contact, Smith said she heard nothing more. Smith wanted to continue contacting MUPD but didn’t want to “feel like a nuisance,” and instead figured that they were probably busy. However, two weeks later, her apartment was broken into again. This time one of her roommates was home as well. Nicole Tetzlaff, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said that she and Smith were tied up in the second robbery and were forced to give up their valuables and sensitive information, such as credit card PINs and account passwords. After an hour of intimidation and fear, the robbers finally left, and the pair of roommates called MUPD once again. Just as before, the students were questioned. This time, both students said they felt especially challenged and antagonized by investigating officers. “Multiple officers asked us
his car. “The second time that my car was getting broken into I called MUPD and started following the people who had broken in ... once they came they seemed to be not taking it seriously and I was trying to tell them where the person had gone but they did not seem to be interested,” Hadzima said. This tendency to not pursue leads for theft crimes is not unique either, as Sophie Bolich, a graduate student at Marquette, described a similar experience that she had with MUPD. Bolich had her apartment broken into on one occasion and her bike stolen on another. On both occasions, Bolich was able to find the stolen items and reported this to MUPD, but neither time was she able to retrieve these items. “We traced the Internet IP address of the TV that got stolen to an address, and then we told MUPD and they said they would check it out, but I never heard back from them,” Bolich said. On the occasion when she found her bike Bolich said that she spotted her bike on campus and waited to confront the person who had stolen it. “It was an old Walmart bike from 2006, how many of those could there be in Milwaukee, plus I knew it was my bike because the right brake was broken,” Bolich said. Once she called MUPD to the scene she referred to the right brake and make and model, all of which were found on the incident report that had been filed, and pleaded with MUPD that it indeed was her bike. “I told the officer that this person had stolen my bike and the guy I confronted said he didn’t and the cop basically just ended up saying that it was his word against mine,” said Bolich. In both cases, Bolich said that she was continuously reaching out to MUPD to get updates to no avail and that she would describe the bar of communication as “good at first but after that, it seemed that they did not care after the first talk.” The Marquette Tribune reached out to MUPD multiple times telling them that they were working on a story centered around communication resources offered to students on campus. Each time MUPD either did not reply or said that they were too busy to comment for the story. This is the third of a series in which the projects desk takes a look at MUPD’s range of responsibility and relationship to students and staff in context Marquette Wire Stock Photo of COVID-19 and the Black Some students feel the Marquette University Police Department is not helpful in certain emergency situations. Lives Matter protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd. like eight to 10 times if we had locked the door,” Tetzlaff said. Smith echoed the sentiment. “Multiple cops looked me in the eye after I told them I locked the door and said ‘you didn’t lock the door,” Smith said. Despite the perceived pressure from MUPD, both Tetzlaff and Smith confidently maintained that they did indeed lock the door — they communicated this idea a multitude of times to the officers, they said. MUPD usually sends safety alerts via email or text to all students that seek to inform the recipients of the details of particular crimes that happen on campus. In spite of what the Tetzlaff and Smith told MUPD, the email that was sent out about their second break-in read, “Two suspects entered an unsecured residence,” which both girls told the officers was not true. The email also questioned whether the suspects were armed, stating: “One of the suspects implied they possessed a weapon, but did not display one.” The email also did not mention that the girls had been tied up. Tetzlaff and Smith said that the troubles with communication did not stop there. “My work laptop had been stolen, and so I called multiple times to get a police report for insurance ... It was just frustrating for me because I had to wait like three weeks to get something
I felt could have been in a day,” Tetzlaff said. This sentiment about communication was echoed by Smith, as she said that she was consistently calling MUPD to no avail and even left up to three voicemails before giving up on staying updated. “Our case was handed to a detective and since then I still haven’t been about to get in contact with them ... I’ve asked for updates on the case and every time I’ve contacted the liaison for the police department they said the detective was not willing to talk,” Smith said. Personal possessions are one thing, but peace of mind is another. The latter was hard to find for the roommates after two breakins and no communication with the police department that was investigating them. Both girls felt so unsafe that they moved from the apartment. “We did not spend a night in that apartment after the second robbery, we had to move to Emily’s parents’ house for the time being,” Tetzlaff said. Eventually, all four girls who lived in the apartment moved out weeks after the incident and before their lease was up. After a couple of days away from his car, Zach Hadzima, a Junior in the school of engineering, came back to his vehicle, parked on 20th St. and Kilbourne Avenue, to find that everything in
it was either scattered or stolen. Hadzima decided to call MUPD. “I called MUPD and of course they asked me what had happened, they started asking about description of items and I felt like it was going well and they gave me a case report and said that they would follow up and they never did,” Hadzima said. After waiting for updates that would never come, Hadzima realized that his fate was not uncommon, as just in his building he knew of multiple other people who had either had their car broken into or stolen. “Multiple times I would see people trying to open the doors of cars on the block of the break-ins and so I would call MUPD. If they came, it was too late as the people trying to break into the cars would run off,” Hadzima said. A Pew Research poll indicated that for property crimes, only 18.9% of theft cases are ultimately solved. For burglaries and motor vehicle thefts, the statistics drop lower: 13.9% for burglaries and 13.8% for motor vehicle thefts. Hadzima acknowledged that these crimes, as frequent as they may be on his particular street, are hard to solve, but he dovetailed off this by saying that the lack of communication that MUPD consistently has is what is most discouraging. On top of this, Hadzima did have a second incident happen in
The Marquette Tribune
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Arts &
Entertainment
Page 8
Netflix adds seven classic Black sitcoms to its collection Some shows include ‘Moesha,’ ‘Sister, Sister,’ ‘The Game’ By Charlotte Ives
charlotte.ives@marquette.edu
In recent months, Netflix has been leading other media and entertainment platforms at the forefront of racial justice activism. The company’s efforts in this area have manifested in a variety of forms, such as the new Black Lives Matter category on Netflix, which features shows like “Dear White People” and “Malcolm X.” Netflix also pledged $5 million to Black creators, youth organizations and businesses in June according to an article published by Variety. Additionally, the company has been making an effort to increase cultural and ideological diversity on the platform in order to better represent its diverse consumer base. This is can be particularly good news for people with a Netflix account, or a friend’s Netflix password, because it means they officially have unlimited access to a variety of classic Black sitcoms. Netflix announced on its @ stongblacklead Twitter account that it would be releasing seven Black sitcoms from the 90s and 2000s July 29. The first to be released was “Moesha” which debuted on Netflix Aug 1. Then followed seasons 1-3 of “The Game,” “Sister, Sister,” “Girlfriends,” “The Parkers,” “Half & Half” and “One on One,” which were both released Oct. 15. “Moesha” “Moesha” is a 1996 sitcom starring singer and songwriter Brandy Norwood. Over the course of six seasons, it follows a sassy teenager named Moesha Mitchell as she navigates the trials of her young adult life. Mo is a high schooler in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles living with her father, Frank, her younger brother, Myles and her new stepmom, Dee. The show kicks off with Mo learning how to coexist with her new stepmom as well as how to keep her new boyfriend a secret from her overprotective
Photo by Zach Bukowski zachary.bukowski@marquette.edu
‘Moesha’ is a classic coming-of-age tale about a sassy teenage girl as she navigates the trials of her young adult life and the drama that comes with it.
father. As she continues to move forward with her life, and into more drama, she has a couple of boy-crazy best friends, Kim and Niecy, to help her along the way. The show, which stopped airing in 2001, eventually inspired a spin-off called “The Parkers” which was released to Netflix Oct. 1. It follows the family of one of Moesha’s best friends, Kim Parker, as Kim’s mother decides to go back to school and graduate alongside her daughter. Anyone interested in a classic coming-of-age narrative intertwined with a lot of sass and drama should log onto Netflix and take a look at “Moesha,” and if you like it, try giving “The Parkers” a shot. “The Game” Brandy Norwood appears again in this show, which was released to Netflix Aug. 15, as a bartender who eventually becomes a recurring character. “The Game” is a 2006 show starring Tia Mowry as Melanie
Barnett, a medical student dating a rookie professional football player named Derwin Davis, played by Pooch Hall. The story follows the couple and their relationships with other football players on the fictional “San Diego Sabers” and their significant others. It stretches on for a lengthy nine seasons, and in that time, many plot changes take place. Namely, Melanie and Derwin make their exit as the show’s primary characters. However, the three seasons that are available on Netflix stay true to the original arch of the plot. They chronicle Melanie’s experiences as she studies her way through medical school while managing her relationships. This wildly popular show is actually a spin-off of “Girlfriends”, a show released to Netflix Sept. 11. In this series, Melanie Barnett was introduced to the world in an episode called “The Game.” The episode was
received so well by audiences that it was picked up as its own show. This is a good sign that “The Game” is worth giving a watch. “Sister, Sister” “Sister, Sister” premiered in 1994, starring “The Game” lead actress Tia Mowry and her real life twin sister Tamera Mowry. The six-season series follows two adopted teenage twin sisters, Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell, who were separated at birth. Due to a stroke of luck, they stumble across each other to discover, to their pleasant surprise, that they are sisters. The girls’ parents are just as surprised as they are, but not nearly as thrilled. Lisa Landry and Ray Campbell, both single parents, dislike each other from the get-go. However, strange circumstances result in both families living under the same roof. The show follows these two families as they learn to live with each other while the twins cope
with the ups and downs of their teenage years. “Sister, Sister” is a good option for anyone looking to become emotionally invested in a witty and heartwarming coming-of-age story. Social justice activism comes in many forms. It can involve public displays and marches, posts on social media or a variety of different forms of political art. In Netflix’s case, it comes in the form of increased representation on its platform. And this step taken by Netflix may enable others to move in the direction of promoting social justice. For some, these shows are cherished childhood classics, now available to them to enjoy all over again. For others, however, these shows may be completely new. As a result, they may create a new and fun opportunity for them to familiarize themselves with and appreciate those who are different from them.
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Arts & Entertainment
The Marquette Tribune
9
Artists draw attention to movement against social injustice Anderson .Paak, H.E.R., Meek Mill sing for change By Quinn Faeth
quinlan.faeth@marquette.edu
With the many shootings of Black people like Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake and George Floyd by law enforcement in 2020 alone, the Black Lives Matter movement has gained momentum and proved to be a key topic in the 2020 election. People around the country are out protesting, creating conversation and fighting against systemic racism. But there’s another platform that is bringing light to this important issue: music. Artists have released songs in response to these shootings as they protest the injustices in this country. As a result, both Spotify and Apple Music have released “Black Lives Matter” playlists, dedicated to the movement. Not only does this give artists a platform to fight for social justice, but it allows their listeners to think about current issues at hand. Here are some of my favorites that I think are worth a listen. Lockdown – Anderson .Paak Anderson .Paak (Brandon Paak Anderson) is one of the most soulful artists of modern music, so it’s no surprise that he’s on this list. He has been very vocal
in fighting against police brutality for Black Americans, and that’s exactly what this song is about. “’Cause they (the police) throw away Black lives like paper towels,” Anderson raps. “Killed a man in broad day might never see a trial. We just wanna break chains like slaves in the South.” This song was released on Juneteenth, which is a holiday celebrating the liberation of slaves June 19, 1985. The cover art for this song has a list of people who have been killed at the hands of the police with the caption “Rest in Power” over the names. One thing that Anderson did a great job of in “Lockdown” is sticking true to his style as an artist while also incorporating a meaningful message. I Can’t Breathe – H.E.R. Coming from the words of Eric Garner and George Floyd before they were killed, H.E.R., also known as Gabriella Wilson, titles her song something we’re all too familiar with. These were the last words of the two men right before they were choked to death by the police. Wilson offers up a lot of questions in her song, asking why cries for equality have gone unanswered for so long. “What is a gun to a man that surrenders?” Wilson sings. “What’s it gonna take for someone to defend us? If we all agree that we’re equal as people, then why
Photo by Katerina Pourliakas katerina.pourliakas@marquette.edu
In ‘Otherside Of America,’ Meek Mill speaks from personal experience.
can’t we see what is evil?” “I can’t breathe” is now one of the most common chants at BLM protests after the deaths of Floyd and Garner. Like Anderson, Wilson released this on Juneteenth to draw attention to the struggles Black Americans have had to go through. Otherside Of America – Meek Mill This song might be my favorite of the three. Meek Mill, also known as Robert Rihmeek Williams, starts off with a quote from Donald Trump. In that
recording, Trump talks about the poverty Black people live in, the poor schooling they have, and the high unemployment rates. This, according to Williams, is “the other side of America.” He has a much more narrated approach to this song compared to Wilson and Anderson. Meek speaks from personal experience in prison and on the streets of Philadelphia. “Uh, we was starvin’ for a thousand nights, livin’ like we tryna die tonight. Glock .40 sound
like dynamite,” Meek raps. He goes on to talk about the life of crime he lived as a kid and the struggle of growing up without a father. But on a bigger picture Williams is upset with the lack of care from the government. Areas like the neighborhood where he grew up were ignored by the police and disregarded from the rest of the country, as he said toward the end of the song. This song was released June 5 in response to the death of George Floyd. Creating conversation and drawing attention to an issue like police brutality is important in working to fix it. These songs are just a glimpse into how the music industry is doing just that. As Bono, the lead singer for U2, said, “Music can change the world because it can change people.”
Students share plans for celebrating Thanksgiving holiday Traditions may look different due to COVID-19 this year By Ariana Madson
ariana.madson@marquette.edu
With the Halloween season behind us, the holidays are now being pushed to the forefront, with radio stations beginning to play Christmas music and Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas movies already up and running. The resurgence of holiday themes has students remembering past Thanksgiving traditions as well as discussing what this holiday may look like this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grace Marchello, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she is unsure as to what her family will be doing to celebrate Thanksgiving during the pandemic this year. “I know my grandpa won’t be able to (be with us) because he’s still in lockdown at his nursing home,” Marchello said. With the cases rising, Marchello
said she doesn’t know if her extended family will or should come over. However, she said she remembers the fun traditions that they’ve had, even if they look different than when she was growing up. Marchello said her family always had the tradition of getting up in the morning and making a turkey and other foods while having the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on. They would also watch the National Dog Show. “Every year, we always root for the yellow Lab or a Labrador retriever in general because that’s the dog we have,” Marchello said. Marchello said her traditional role when it comes to preparing food is to make the cheese and sausage platter along with the fruit salad for the meal. Bryce Laurin, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, said his family also has food-related traditions, though he is not in charge of preparing the food himself. Every year for the holidays, Laurin’s grandma makes a special dish. “My grandma is from Poland and she has good recipes …
every holiday, she always puts it out (sauerkraut and spare ribs),” Laurin said. Laurin said that his family’s Thanksgiving traditions have remained unchanged throughout his life. He said they would always go to his grandparents’ house on his dad’s side and get together with other family members to eat together. He also said they’d watch the football game televised on Thanksgiving. “They’re all Packers fans, but I’m a Steelers fan… I remember the Packers and Lions played,” Laurin said. Emily Udell, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she and her family have participated in and watched the Turkey Trot in her hometown. The Turkey Trot is a footrace that occurs on Thanksgiving Day. “There’s the Turkey Trot in my neighborhood and the trail runs right past my house so every year we’d sit in our front window an wave to people as they’d run … the past years we did the Turkey Trot together twice together,”
Udell said. Udell said that on Thanksgiving, her mom makes a family recipe called cranberry fluff that’s been passed down through generations. Udell said that she loves Thanksgiving, even if this year will look different. She said she doesn’t know what her family’s plans are. “I love Thanksgiving and I love food like comfort food, and my family makes the best comfort food at Thanksgiving … I always remember getting way too full because I don’t know my limits and my night would end up with me and my cousin falling asleep on the couch right after dinner,” Udell said. She said her cousin may come this year, but she thinks it will be more of a smaller gathering this year. Meeting up with family was a big part of Thanksgiving for Udell just as it was for Laurin. “It’s kind of interesting being that with family is my favorite part (of Thanksgiving) because this year it might not happen,” Laurin said.
Photo by Katerina Pourliakas katerina.pourliakas@marquette.edu
The Marquette Tribune
Opinions
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
PAGE 10
Editorial Board
Natallie St. Onge, Executive Director Annie Mattea, Managing Editor Marquette Tribune Kelli Arseneau, Managing Editor Marquette Journal
At the Marquette Wire, we knew we needed to do our part and cover the most historic Election Day the country has ever seen. Faced with persisting racial injustice across the country and a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, we knew it was important we talk with voters, especially students, to see what issues they cared most about on Election Day. We gathered our crew and headed down to the Alumni Memorial Union, the polling site for Wards 190 and 191, two wards in which students vote most in. Upon arrival, reporters were greeted with a sign that read, “Due to COVID precautions, the AMU is closed to media on Election Day.” To not allow the media into the AMU to observe the process of voting is irresponsible. It is the opposite of what Marquette begs to be transparent. Marquette has been advocating for students to use their voices and vote in this election. Over the course of the last few weeks,
Alexandra Garner, Executive Opinions Editor Aminah Beg, Assistant Opinions Editor
Ben Wells, News Executive Zoe Comerford, Sports Executive Skyler Chun, A&E Executive Lelah Byron, Projects Editor
Eleanor Mccaughey, Copy Chief Grace Pionek, Design Chief Zach Bukowski, Photo Editor
Julia Donofrio, Social Media Executive Aimee Galszweski, Station Manager MUTV Reese Seberg, Station Manager MURadio
STAFF EDITORIAL
Marquette was wrong
Marquette has asked students to engage in respectful political conversations with friends and families who may not share the same views as they do. The university has said they “believe that a key part of the college experience is to become civically engaged and to discover the issues about which you are most passionate.” They even implemented a walking buddy program that allowed for students to safely walk to their voting sites. To exclude media as the only members to not be allowed into the AMU is absurd. To say it is because of COVID-19 protocols is ridiculous. You cannot refuse media access because of a pandemic while the university continues to hold in-person classes as cases across Wisconsin, and campus, continue to rise. Just this weekend, the university switched from ‘moderate’ to ‘high alert’ level as the campus has seen more than 100 cases in three days. Inside the AMU, there was no limit for the amount of people allowed inside. Students could come and
go. People voting could come and go. There were no other limitations for people to stay safe inside the AMU besides social distancing and wearing masks. Only media members were kept out and kept out of the AMU only “on Election Day,” as the sign said. It is irresponsible to request the media stay out and excuse it because of a pandemic. University spokesperson Chris Stolarski said media were asked to conduct interviews and stand-ups outside to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus on campus. Yet, that is not what the sign said. If the university wanted media to do interviews and stand-ups outside, that much could have been transparent to media members, but rather, the university opted to keep media out overall without sharing their requests until they were questioned about their decision. Additionally, media members are not the only people who could potentially spread the coronavirus. Alluding to that fact through the
sign insinuates that only media were the ones who could spread the virus inside the AMU on Election Day. To only exclude the media from the AMU is adding to the country’s narrative of distrust towards the media. While the country discusses voter fraud and illegitimate voting, allowing the media in to observe the process of voting at polling sites would have proven to those who distrust the process of voting to see that it was, in fact, legitimate. We understand voter access is the priority, as Stolarski told us. However, the right to observe the process of voting is allowed and cannot be denied. As student journalists, we follow COVID-19 protocol every day. We social distance in our newsroom. We wear masks. We wipe down equipment and computers after use. We would have followed all COVID-19 protocols inside the AMU as we have been doing as students, attending classes, in order to stay safe and mitigate t he spread. While we were later allowed
into the AMU after the City of Milwaukee asked Marquette to take down the signs, we should have been allowed in all along. After speaking with the Milwaukee County elections director, Julietta Henry, and Ray Dall’Osto, a lawyer who practices constitutional rights, they both said the polling place is public, and it’s public work, even though it is on private property. Dall’Osto told us that the only rule media, and anyone, has to follow at a polling site is to not take pictures of voters before or during voting. Marquette was wrong in their decision to hang the signs up. They were wrong to explicitly say that media was not allowed into the AMU on Election Day because of COVID-19 protocols. While Stolarski added that other media members who tried to get into the AMU were respectful regarding their decisions, we were too, but we have to hold the university accountable on one of the most important days in American history. Marquette, be better.
Keep broadcasted children’s shows on television Lucia Ruffolo Movies and television shows, especially educational shows for kids, must remain on public broadcasting networks, because providing information is an essential governmental service that should remain free. It was announced Oct. 21 that the beloved “Peanuts” holidays specials like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” would no longer be airing on ABC. These specials have been aired on broadcast television since the 1960s. Instead, this year it will be moved exclusively to the Apple TV+ streaming service. Fans of the show were reasonably upset over this decision, as watching “Peanuts” specials with family has been a common holiday festivity for
decades. “Peanuts” is a historic part of American culture, and by airing on network television, it was widely accessible to Americans. Airing them on Apple TV+ takes a universalizing show and makes it exclusive to people wealthy enough to afford various streaming services. Apple TV+ is $5 a month, not factoring in how expensive a smart television is. This showcases yet another example of taking an accessible activity and selling it to tech monopolizers like Apple, which already has a great deal of control of over technology and entertainment in society. The children’s show “Sesame Street” was also moved from PBS Kids to HBO in 2016. Sesame Street is an educational show originally meant to educate and entertain kids from all socioeconomic backgrounds. It teaches
kids colors, shapes, sounds and morals in an inclusive, wholesome setting. Sesame Street has been aired on PBS Kids since 1969. Removing it from its original network diverts it from its original purpose, which was to teach all American kids, not just kids with parents who can afford HBO. PBS has risked losing funding in the past, with some citing the need to lower the federal budget. However, PBS makes up less than 1% of the federal budget. PBS has provided educational content for kids and adults alike for years, providing the public with interesting, thought-provoking shows and helping kids with school readiness, particularly in regards vocabulary and reading. Americans uphold the importance of PBS, rating it second only to military defense in terms of value to taxpayers when surveyed.
Public broadcasting gives fair and unbiased information to the public. It allows television shows to exist in their own right and not solely for profit. It promotes the idea that all Americans have the right to access informational and interesting shows at no cost. People may take up ills with public broadcasting because society seeks for everything to generate capital and make money. Some might view federal funding for television shows as frivolous, or argue that only those who can pay for certain shows should be able to watch them. However, this position fails to recognize the societal benefits of public broadcasting, such as increases in math and literacy scores. Rarely does anything exist simply to maintain the education and welfare of the public, and when things do,
people sadly seek to either eliminate or transfer the content to some place where it can make money. This sharpens the educational class divide by only allowing those who can pay for educational content to view it. Doing this will most negatively impact the poor and the marginalized, those who do not have the luxury of Wi-Fi and smart televisions, as 6% of Americans do not have access to internet service. PBS exists for everyone, not just the more privileged members of society. The rich control many aspects of American life but we must not allow them to control the content that educates our children and brightens the lives of so many families. Lucia Ruffolo is a first-year student and is undecided. She can be reached at lucia.ruffolo@marquette.edu
Opinions
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
The Marquette Tribune
Presidents must act presidential
Max Pickart
conspiracy theories and spread misinformation about the election process. Trump and his campaign, as well as Republicans across the country, alluded to the fact that Sharpies, mail-in ballots and counters rigged the election
This is yet another example of Trump’s inability to be presidential. His refusal to accept defeat ultimately shows his inability to be an honorable, respectful man. Full transparency, honesty
Photo via Flickr
President Donald Trump prematurely declared victory of the presidential election before votes were counted.
While President Donald Trump has a right to ask for a recount in states that have results within recount margins, it is completely unpresidential of him to assume voter fraud when there has been no evidence to substantiate his claim. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris were projected and later declared the 46th president and next vice president of the United States Nov. 7. Biden secured 290 electoral college votes to defeat Trump, with Pennsylvania pushing him pass the 270 threshold. Not only did President-elect Biden secure 290 electoral college votes, but he also won the popular vote by over 4 million votes. Trump has asked for a recount in Wisconsin, and he has filed several different lawsuits in battleground states like Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia, all of which went to Biden. While Trump has the right to ask for a recount, it is a completely different thing to form
Statement of Opinion Policy
The opinions expressed on the Opinions page reflect the opinions of the Opinions staff. The editorials do not represent the opinions of Marquette University nor its administrators, but those of the editorial board. The Marquette Tribune prints guest submissions at its discretion. The Tribune strives to give all sides of an issue an equal voice over the course of a reasonable time period. An author’s contribution will not be published more than once in a four-week period. Submissions with obvious relevance to the Marquette community will be given priority consideration. Full Opinions submissions should be limited to 500 words. Letters to the editor should be between 150 to 250 words. The Tribune reserves the right to edit submissions for length and content. Please e-mail submissions to: alexandra.garner@marquette.edu. If you are a current student, include the college in which you are enrolled and your year in school. If not, please note any affliations to Marquette or your current city of residence.
process, prompting him to lose the election. This past Thursday, Nov. 5, as swing states such as Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Georgia began to favor Biden, Trump said that there were illegal votes that were counted, which ultimately allowed the Democrats “to steal the election.” In actuality, these “illegal votes” were mail-in ballots. He expanded on this claim, explaining that all Americans are entitled to an equitable and honest election, but this plea for an honest election is factually inaccurate. Neither Trump nor his campaign have presented any evidence of illegal ballots being counted. Furthermore, Trump said that when several different news networks, such as FOX News and NBC, projected Biden as the winner, it was yet another example of forces working against him. After Biden and Harris’ victory on Saturday, it seems as though Trump will refuse to concede, ultimately undermining the transfer of power and continuing to pursue legal action against the alleged voter fraud, which, again, lacks any evidence of ever occurring. Trump’s attempt to discredit the integrity of the presidential election results, as well as his hopes to ultimately use legal action to block the completion of vote tallies, has not only raised fears among the American public but also his own aides. Trump’s associates and aides have also expressed that Trump is extremely unlikely to concede the race, no matter the regard, in a traditional way, such as a concession speech and phone call to President-elect Biden.
and accurate representation of where votes were cast is necessary to the American democracy. The people deserve to know the actual winner. This election, contrary to Trump’s falsities and claims, was one of equity and fairness. Whether Trump and his supporters like it or not, it is time for this country to unite under President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris. Between Trump and Biden, it was clear who was acting like a president throughout the entire election process. In the final presidential debate, Joe Biden recognized that institutional racism plagues the U.S. He could not be more spot-on with this analysis. It is a real problem, one that disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous people of color. The least anyone can do is recognize how detrimental institutional racism is to American society.
claimed that he was the “least racist person in the room.” This is a lie. Trump has a history of racist ordeals. Prior to Trump’s presidency, he was sued by the Department of Justice for not renting to black individuals. He has also refused to condemn white supremacists several times, both in the 2016 election and the 2020 election. Trump also questioned whether or not former president Barack Obama was born in the U.S. When referring to different demographics, minorities specifically, he enjoys using the term “the” before referencing a certain group, such as saying, “the Blacks” or “the Muslims.” He has condoned violence against Black Lives Matter protestors. Simply put, President Donald Trump is a racist. Furthermore, Trump also shared a video of a man chanting “white power” on his Twitter account. Again, it is clear that Trump failed to condemn racism and prejudices that are so prevalent in America, which makes it impossible for him to be the “least racist person in the room.” That is one of the most important differences between Biden and Trump: Biden at least recognized institutional racism and made verbal commitments to take action against it. Trump, however, has not recognized the existence of institutional racism but rather has condoned and emboldened other racists. The past four years are evident of his inability to put his country before his own wants and ego. The president of the United States must be an individual who is committed to serving all people, not just people who look like and support them. Biden aims to unite, while Trump aims to divide. America needs unity, leader-
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being elected into office, he expressed the importance of healing, unity and passion to create necessary change, equality and equity. He also stated that he is not in office to only represent the Democrats, but rather he is in office in order to best represent the American people, no matter their party. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who is on track to be America’s highest-ranking woman in the history of the country’s existence, also added her hopes for women in America, “while (she) may be the first woman in (office), (she) will not be the last.” As celebrations erupted across the U.S., it was clear that the people’s choice for candidate were elected, and rightfully so. These celebrations make it clear that Biden and Harris have the opportunity to unify a country that has been polarized and divisive four the past four years. Biden and Harris are for and with the people. They will do the exact opposite of the Trump administration by promoting unity among all people in the U.S. This election will be one for the history books. It is fair to say that I was forever proud to wear red, white and blue Nov. 7. The American people elected the candidate who would best unify this distraught nation. Yet, I understand that this is only the beginning. Change and love must be infused into our nation, its people and its systems so that unjustly disenfranchised communities in our society get justice and equity. As an American people, we must call Biden and Harris to pursue change and work against unjust, inequitable institutions. The time starts now. Let’s get to work.
Photo via Flickr
Democrat Joe Biden was declared the President-elect of the 2020 presidential election Nov. 7.
Meanwhile, Trump was too set on his ego and his personal gain, and instead of taking time to recognize and call out persisting racism, Trump instead
ship and hope right at this very moment. Biden and Harris are the only candidates that could provide those necessities. In Biden’s first remarks after
Max Pickart is a first-year student studying accounting. He can be reached at max.pickart@marquette.edu
Sports The Marquette Tribune
MU VOLLEYBALL ALUM GWYN JONES WRITES CHILDREN’S BOOK SPORTS, 15
Tuesday, November 10, 2020 PAGE 12
Athletics announces no fans at basketball
Photos by Zach Bukowski zachary.bukowski@marquette.edu
Neither the Al McGuire Center nor Fiserv Forum will allow spectators until at least January. The teams are just returning from a mandatory quarantine after a positive test in each program.
Fiserv, Al McGuire remain empty until end of 2020 By Nick Galle
nicholas.galle@marquette.edu
The Marquette men’s and women’s basketball teams will not have spectators at home games for the remainder of the calendar year due to COVID-19, Marquette Athletics announced in a press release Nov. 5. The announcement comes just two days after 31 students tested positive for the coronavirus, the highest number of cases reported in a single day since the beginning of the semester. Both basketball teams just
returned from 14-day quarantines Nov. 4, after having one positive test result per program Oct. 21. Season ticket holders for both programs will be given more information regarding refund options. If ticket opportunities become available in the future, they will be sold on a single-game basis. “Unfortunately, given the current conditions relative to the pandemic, and after evaluating various scenarios, we have reached the conclusion that we will not be able to accommodate season tickets for the 2020-21 men’s and women’s basketball seasons,” vice president and director of athletics Bill Scholl said in the release. The situation will continue to be monitored and evaluated closely to see if spectators will be allowed at any games in 2021.
2019-2020 Season Average # of Fans Men’s Basketball @ Fiserv: 15,145 Ranked 2nd in BIG EAST for average home attendence
Women’s Basketball @ Al McGuire: 1,694 Ranked 2nd in BIG EAST for average home attendence
Sports
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
The Marquette Tribune
13
MEN’S SOCCER
Mallace starts as assistant coach at Northwestern Former midfielder discusses return to collegiate soccer By Nick Galle
nicholas.galle@marquette.edu
Statistically, less than 2% of collegiate athletes find themselves playing their respective sport professionally. However, former Marquette men’s soccer midfielder Calum Mallace was able to work his way into that narrow percentage. The Torphichen, Scotland native was selected by the Montreal Impact in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft following his career with the Golden Eagles from 2008-2011. He would then go on to spend time with Minnesota United, Seattle Sounders FC, Los Angeles FC and Austin Bold before retiring at the end of the 2019 season. Mallace said the professional standard he was accustomed to at Marquette prepared him for the next level. “I had that experience under Louis (Bennett) at Marquette since day one, and honestly I think that’s what was able to get me into the pros,” Mallace said. “I definitely wasn’t the greatest player. I definitely wasn’t the most athletic player. But what most coaches knew of me,
getting into the MLS, was my work ethic.” The 2011 BIG EAST Conference Midfielder of the Year played in 69 career matches with the Golden Eagles and started in 62 of them. He cemented his name in the Marquette men’s soccer record books, as he ranks fifth all-time in career shots with 197 and is tied for second all-time with Jose Itarte, Chris Lee and C. Nortey in game-winning goals, with eight. “Calum always led by example. He was always the first to training, the last to leave,” head coach Louis Bennett said. “Calum led because he was all in. He was obsessed with the game, he was obsessed with getting better, obsessed with winning.” Bennett also said he noticed Mallace further his development in leadership skills during his time with the Golden Eagles. He told Mallace he should wear the captain’s armband in his final year because players followed him and admired the standards he set both athletically and academically. Mallace told Bennett he would be willing to wear it, but did not necessarily need it in order to lead. “Calum wasn’t about separating players, he was about bringing guys together,” Bennett said. “Once he handled his own business really, really well and had a balance — school, soccer and our culture, social culture — then he became a leader. He didn’t
even have to wear a captain’s armband, but if anyone said who was the leader, who was one of the most significant people … you would’ve said Calum Mallace.” In addition to helping Mallace go professional, the skills and mindset he developed at Marquette eventually helped him begin his coaching career. After serving as the director of player development, he was hired as an
all professional all the time … has really been a help to our program,” Lenahan said. While Mallace has brought his professional soccer background to the men’s soccer team at Northwestern, he has also been able to understand what players are going through in classroom environments. “The first thing I heard when I got to Marquette, and then the first
Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Mallace (left) stands with two young fans at Fan Fest Aug. 16, 2008.
assistant coach this past summer for the Northwestern men’s soccer team under head coach Tim Lenahan. Lenahan said the former Marquette midfielder adds a new dynamic to the coaching staff that allows him to connect with the current players. “The ability for him to relate to guys who talk about being professional, but maybe not act
thing I heard from Coach Lenahan when I got here at Northwestern was, ‘we’re student-athletes,’ and there’s a reason that student is put before athlete,” Mallace said. “I can really relate to the guys and say, ‘hey, listen, I wasn’t the greatest student, I didn’t love going to class either,’ but as I mentioned, there’s a reason it’s called studentathlete first.” In addition to academics, the
first-year assistant coach also realizes the importance of staying focused on the field. “I want the guys to be able to have fun and enjoy their time at Northwestern University, but we’re here for a reason, and our reason is to win the Big Ten,” Mallace said. “So the guys gotta understand that soccer comes first in that aspect as well.” With a collegiate career and professional career in the rearview mirror, and a long coaching career on the horizon, current Marquette men’s soccer players hope to replicate Mallace’s path. “Oh that motivates us a lot,” junior forward Lukas Sunesson said. “With the coaching staff here, with the culture, the area — everything just motivates us knowing that it’s possible and that it’s just up to us to believe in ourselves and anything can happen.” As his former coach and now future opponent, Bennett said that he has been happy to see what Mallace has been able to accomplish in all aspects of his life. “It brings me such great joy to see a guy that needed, and wanted, and you know his love was to do certain things, and he’s been able to achieve it, and he used Marquette as a springboard,” Bennett said. “But he didn’t take, just take, take, take. He gave, he also gave back. You know, he gave a lot.”
CROSS COUNTRY
First-year Gretchen Pfeiffer ready for seasonal change Texas native drawn to MKE thanks to city’s frigid winters
engineering program, so it was a good combination.” The transition from the hot climate of Texas to the unpredictable weather of Wisconsin might be
By Sam Arco
samuel.arco@marquette.edu
The cold Milwaukee winter months are dreaded by many college students. However, for firstyear cross country runner Gretchen Pfeiffer, the colder weather is actually part of the reason why she chose Marquette. Born in Omaha, Nebraska and growing up in Colleyville, Texas, Pfeiffer has been used to running in hot temperatures her whole life. “We would have to run a lot in the mornings before school started because after school the temperature would be over 100 degrees,” Pfeiffer said. “I’ve always lived in warmer weather, so the colder weather here in Milwaukee definitely drew me in, as well as Marquette’s biomedical
Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Pfeiffer is from Colleyville, Texas.
seen as a challenging adjustment, but Pfeiffer said she is ready to embrace it. “For some people it’s all about change, and I think this transition might be a good fit for her, only time will tell,” head coach Sean Birren said.
Pfeiffer was recruited by former Marquette head cross country coach Mike Nelson, who is now head coach at Monmouth University. After Nelson’s departure from the Golden Eagles, Pfeiffer continued to talk with coach Birren about running for Marquette. “After originally meeting with Mike Nelson and then talking with Sean, I knew Marquette was the right fit for me,” Pfeiffer said. “When I took my first official visit to the school with some of the other girls on the team, I felt like I got really close with them and I knew I wanted to call Marquette home.” As an All-State and Academic All-State member at Colleyville Heritage High School, Pfeiffer led the team to their first state appearances in 2018 and 2019. The team finished 13th in both seasons. On the track, she holds her school’s record in the 5k, 2k steeplechase and was a member of the fastest 4x400meter relay team in school history. As well as being one of Colleyville’s best runners in school history, Pfeiffer was a dominant
force on the tennis court. During her first year of competition, Pfeiffer placed third at state, but a couple years later she was forced to make a difficult decision to stop playing tennis and focus on running. “It was a pretty hard decision to stop playing tennis in high school because my whole family are huge fans and I loved it, but it was at the same time as cross country so it began to get tough at times,” Pfeiffer said. “Overall, I think I made the right decision as I’m happy with where I’m at today.” Both of Pfeiffer’s parents were Division I collegiate athletes at their respective universities. Her father Jay attended Marquette before transferring to the University of Colorado to play soccer and her mother Jill competed on the Creighton University women’s golf team. “They’ve always had a huge influence on me playing sports growing up and I think it’s definitely paid off so far,” Pfeiffer said. “They were also very supportive of my decision to compete at the collegiate
level by allowing to me follow in their footsteps.” Although she has to wait a bit longer than anticipated due to COVID-19 postponing the season, Pfeiffer said she is not too worried about her first collegiate season. She is taking the extra time to get more comfortable with the university in addition to aiding a previous leg injury. “Right now, I’m just focused on rehabbing my injury and putting less focus on mileage so that I can get ready for a potential season in the future,” Pfeiffer said. “I’m looking forward to running in a new environment and getting to know my team better in the upcoming months.” Despite the current season postponement, Birren said he is not worried about his first-year runner’s injury and is excited for her future. “The good thing right now is that we have a lot of time to get healthy and be prepared for a future season,” Birren said. “I’m excited to have her here as I believe she has a lot of potential when she’s fully healthy.”
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The Marquette Tribune
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Forwards overcome injuries during time in program Johnson, Sprecher, Powell reflect on battle back onto WSOC field By Bryan Geenen
bryan.geenen@marquette.edu
Injuries are almost unavoidable when playing collegiate sports. Most often, college athletes will go through some sort of injury, whether that be a sprain, break or tear. For those athletes that have sustained an injury during their college years, the road back to health can be full of struggles and setbacks. According to a five-year study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, soccer has the second most injuries among
building of the Athletic and Human Performance Research Center. Despite this, injuries still occur. Women’s soccer midfielder/ forward and junior Rachel Johnson said her injury was from an ill-timed slide-tackle early in the season as a first-year student, which led to an ACL tear. For forward Kylie Sprecher, her injury developed a little slower as she noticed pain in her foot during her first season. After playing through the pain in her sophomore year, Sprecher decided to go through surgery to deal with the injury. “I started having pain in left foot the spring of my freshman season, after our first real scrimmage against the Red Stars that year. I started having some weird pain in my big toe and in the bottom of my foot. We
coach Darian Powell, who is an alum of the Marquette women’s soccer program, went through five surgeries during her time with the Golden Eagles. All three said that despite the injuries in college, they had not had a single sports-related injury barring some minor rolls and sprains from Sprecher and Johnson. Powell, who went through multiple injuries, said there was an odd coincidence related to when she was injured prior to college. “I broke my arm in middle school or something but that’s the extent of any injury I had,” Powell said. Both Johnson and Sprecher mentioned having ankle sprains, but neither were as serious as the injuries at Marquette. After deciding to go through with her surgery, Sprecher
Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Women’s soccer’s Rachel Johnson (23) dribbles in Marquette’s Senior Night game against Xavier Oct. 24, 2019.
women’s sports, with gymnastics being the first, but gymnastics has a much smaller number of athletes across the U.S. According to the data provided, women’s soccer has an estimated injury rate of 8.4% per 1,000 athlete-exposures in the NCAA whereas women’s gymnastics has a 10.4% rate of injury. At Marquette, the university has recently added more injury prevention techniques, including the
didn’t really know what was going on, soon they decided to put me in a boot,” Sprecher said. They would find out later that Sprecher’s sesamoid bone in her foot, a bone that helps the big toe move normally, needed to be removed. The surgery was completed the December following her sophomore year. Northwestern Michigan University women’s soccer assistant
said she wanted to be back on the field. “Any athlete at this level wants to play your sport all the time to the best of your ability. I was disappointed that I would be missing out (on) getting better and playing and training and doing all of that,” Sprecher said. “When it set in that this was how it was going to be, that it would only make me better in the long run.”
MEN’S TENNIS
For rehabilitation, Johnson said the most difficult part of the process was the mental aspect. “I never really knew the mental game was that huge of it until I suffered through a serious injury, but I think the mentality and gaining back your confidence was something that was the biggest struggle for me,” Johnson said. Sprecher also said the rehabilitation process was grueling. “There were many times where I was frustrated with myself because I’m such a perfectionist and I want to get things done on the first try,” Sprecher said. “So just learning how to curl my toes in the beginning, that first week or two, I was trying so hard to get them to slightly bend and they wouldn’t move. I think in times like that where you know you can do something and you’re trying your best and it’s still not happening, I really had to take a step back and say, ‘it’s OK, it’s going to come back.’” Sprecher said after an injury, many athletes are cautious in order to not hurt themselves again. However, all three women said once they got back onto the field, everything just came back to them. “Yeah, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I was so excited and nervous,” Powell said. “When you’re coming back from injury, you’re always thinking, ‘I can’t get injured again,’ and you’re a little afraid, but once you get going, ‘oh, this is where I belong, this makes it all worth it.’ And for me, scoring those goals solidified that everything I went through was worth it.” The goals Powell talked about marked the shortest elapsed time between goals in Marquette women’s soccer history. Although Johnson and Sprecher did not set any records in their first games back, the nervous and exciting energy was still very real for them. “I was more excited than scared but obviously, just being back in a
game setting and just being back on the field at the college level, I had only gotten a hint of it my freshman year so being able to do that sophomore year was awesome,” Johnson said. Sprecher expressed similar thoughts about the first few minutes back, but had a moment after the game to appreciate the journey. “The second you get onto the field and get your first touch, your first tackle, it’s like riding a bike,” Sprecher said. “You always remember how to do it, so I think after I got my first touch, I thought, ‘look, you know how to do this’ and I kind of forgot about it. Afterward it was a very exciting moment because I realized everything I had gone through in the past year got me back to where I was hoping to be again.” Powell said that while her injuries and surgeries limited her potential as a player, she felt like she had to take a different path in her career. “I felt like physically I was never going to be where I ideally wanted to be and so that’s when I knew I wanted to coach because playing wasn’t doing it for me anymore and physically, I felt like I couldn’t,” Powell said. “Now, I can have this impact on other girls and help them become the best soccer players they can be because I didn’t feel like I fully got there.” Johnson said that for younger athletes, she would tell them to not be afraid to be vulnerable and ask others for help. “Whether you’re on crutches and being able to ask for help for food or to sit and talk or you’re struggling with anything,” Johnson said. “No matter what it is, just not being afraid of being vulnerable because at the end of the day, the support system around you, here’s it been great and reaching out anyone around you to help you out is probably the biggest thing I would take away from it.”
Serbian brings international talent to Rodecap’s squad Nikola Kijac wants to follow in Novak Djokovic’s footsteps By Matthew Valente
matthew.valente@marquette.edu
Born in Belgrade, Serbia, firstyear student Nikola Kijac has a unique upbringing compared to many students at Marquette. While he came from across the Atlantic Ocean to attend the university, one major factor for his decision was his passion and commitment to tennis. Kijac’s dad sparked his love for tennis, and he has never looked back since. “He is the one who introduced
me to tennis, the biggest influence, and is the reason I started playing,” Kijac said. Kijac’s dad was also a tennis coach, which allowed Kijac to start playing at a young age. “I started playing tennis when I was four or five years old,” Kijac said. While in Serbia, Kijac played in a lot of different tennis clubs due to the connections his dad had. “(My dad) knew everyone who is involved in tennis in Serbia,” Kijac said. “The club I am a part of now is called Djukic. I have been part of it since I was 14.” Now that he is playing for the Marquette men’s tennis team, Kijac has a difference
experience and atmosphere compared to what he was used to back home. “I don’t know how to explain it, it just is,” Kijac said. “When I (have been) competing up until now, I am competing for myself. Now I am competing for a team.” While Kijac is working on the adjustment to the United States, men’s tennis head coach Steve Rodecap is no stranger to having international players on his team. “We deal with international players all the time, we have one from Montenegro,” Rodecap said. “(He’s) a very talented player who has the potential to make an impact on the program,”
Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Kijac hails from Belgrade, Serbia.
Rodecap said. “He can adapt and he has a fast moving hand.” While at Marquette, the firstyear tennis player is eager to accomplish some goals that he has already set for himself. “My number one task here is tennis, to improve as much as I can and to give 100% on everything,” Kijac said. After he leaves Marquette, Kijac plans to stick with the sport. He has one ultimate goal: to be just like his favorite tennis player, Novak Djokovic. “I want continue playing tennis after leaving Marquette,” Kijac said. “I want to go pro after I finish college.”
Sports
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
The Marquette Tribune
15
VOLLEYBALL
Gwyn Jones educates youth on voting, publishes book MUVB alum receives praise from entire Marquette community By Zoe Comerford
isabel.comerford@marquette.edu
Voting has been promoted by many sports figures across different leagues, ranging from LeBron James in the NBA to Russell Wilson in the NFL. Student-athletes even encouraged the Marquette community to vote through their social media platforms. Former Marquette volleyball middle blocker Gwyn Jones is looking beyond this election to get people, especially children, excited about voting. Along with illustrator Rachel Nguyen, Jones wrote a children’s book called “A Goat Named Vote” published in September 2020. “I said to my classmates, ‘what if I did a book using life lessons from the farm, using farm animals to portray these bigger picture messages?” Jones said. The title of the book first came to Jones’ mind at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday night when she was writing a paper for a corporate social responsibility class about kids who came together at a university, like Marquette, where a presidential debate was being held. There was an issue on campus regarding a labor dispute and the students started peacefully protesting while all of the primary candidates boycotted the debate. “That got me thinking, ‘wow, I can do that,’” Jones said. “It got me thinking about collective voices and how that’d be an important message for kids to learn that they can make change. Change was just made right here and got national news for it. … I just scribbled this down and then I’m like ‘what rhymes with goat?’ and then I was like ‘oh that’s perfect, vote.’” Jones used the story she had read as the basis of her own children’s book. According to the Butler Books website, “Vote is a goat with the same insecurities and self-doubts that humans have. Confronted with an injury that limits his physical activity and with obstacles to getting the care he needs to fix it, Vote has to find his new path forward. Can he somehow get the care he needs? Can one goat, with the help of a farmer and other goats in the herd, make a difference and be an agent of change?” The idea came to fruition when Jones was in a digital creative leadership class taught by professor in residence and strategic communication Linda Menck during the spring 2020 semester. “It really put me outside of my comfort zone and made me think in ways that I hadn’t before,” Jones said. “I knew that I had creativity inside of me and I just feel like I
didn’t have the hours in the day to sit down and be creative.” The final project for the class was to write something creative. Since Jones — who was raised on a tiny farm in Greenville, Indiana — had already written about her farm in the class before and knew Menck loved it, she posted on her class discussion board the children’s book as one of her three options for her final project. “A lot of my classmates responded and said ‘you need to do the children’s book,’” Jones said. “I started writing it and I showed it to some of my teammates on the volleyball team and they just fell in love with it.” After she turned in her project, everyone she showed it to, including
by September, after only starting production in July. “We don’t go through an agent or anything — it’s a lot of direct marketing,” Jones said. “She was very instrumental in it and would send stuff back to me and say, ‘what do you think of this?’ … She sent us like five final drafts and I’m like ‘just go for it. I trust you’ and it turned out amazing.” Jones said her book has been received well by her former coaches and teammates at Marquette. Even athletic director Bill Scholl congratulated her. “They all bought a copy and will send me videos of them reading it to their kids, which has been so awesome,” Jones said. Head volleyball coach Ryan Theis
community, have been buying it and sending me pictures of it, which has been so cool.” For Jones, politics has been a topic she has always been interested in. When she was young, she knew that voting was the right thing to do. However, she was not as invested until she joined her high school’s constitutional government team. On the team, she traveled to tournaments to debate about the Constitution and use it to discuss current events and the Supreme Court cases. “That’s when I really got into voting,” Jones said. “Just seeing different viewpoints across America. I’ve been so lucky — I grew up in southern Indiana by Louisville, Kentucky and then I went to Auburn, Alabama, which is a very red state. …
Theis said it’s a ‘great thing’ to get children in elementary and middle school talking about voting because those children are the country’s future leaders. “I bet 30 years from now you could ask our future senators and future congressmen or women and said that they read ‘A Goat Named Vote,’” Theis said. People can also purchase the book on Jones’s website for $18.95. As for when Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were announced as the 46th president and first female vice president of color Nov. 7, Jones said it was inspiring. “I was listening to a podcast the other day that was talking about this generation of kids that think that anything is possible, even after
Photo courtesy of Gwyn Jones
This is the cover for Jones’ book, “A Goat Named Vote.” She wrote it for a class in spring 2020 and it was finished in September, prior to the election.
Menck, said she needed to publish it. Prior to Jones contacting the publisher, she had many family friends look it over and make edits. “There are things you don’t think about (when) writing a book, like vowel sounds and all of that,” Jones said. When Jones’ parents asked her what she wanted for her 22nd birthday at the end of June, she said she didn’t want anything. “They said, ‘well, what about if we took your book to the publisher and we helped you get it published,’” Jones said. That’s exactly what they did. Jones brought the book to Carol Butler, president and publisher of Butler Books, located in Louisville, Kentucky. The book was finished
contacted Jones about the book and shared his excitement for it. He also read the book with his eight-year-old son. “Right when I found out about it I reached out to her (Jones), bought some copies, and I was thrilled for her. She’s an incredible person, her family is spectacular,” Theis said. “I’ve coached 20 years and I’ve never coached an author, so now I have.” The first people Jones ever read the book to were four of her teammates on a weekend trip to St. Louis. “They were the ones that really gave me the confidence to move forward with it,” Jones said. “So I sent those four a copy. A lot of people, just the Marquette
You get a lot of different viewpoints in a college town that’s in a red state. Then (I) moved up north and was in Milwaukee.” Jones said exposing herself to various viewpoints helped her learn more about voting. Especially with the 2020 presidential election, she was able to see how Milwaukee turning blue affected the whole state, which in turn contributed to President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Jones was also signed up to be on the volunteer list at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, which was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic. “I got to voting age and I would look around me and be like, ‘no, no, no, you need to vote,’” Jones said.
seeing these past four years,” Jones said. “Having Barack Obama in the White House and now having a minority woman going to the White House, it’s inspired so many kids.” 2020 has been a historical year. For Jones, voting is about making a moral decision as a human. “To me this hasn’t been politics,” Jones said. “For me, it’s just about doing the right thing as people. (It’s) standing up for the rhetoric that we want our leaders to use in this nation and the way we want to be seen on a global scale and the rights we want for our neighbors. … I was just so excited to see people chose love over hate.” Jackson Gross contributed to this report.
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The Marquette Tribune
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
VOLLEYBALL
Rose acts as tutor, role model for younger teammates Senior setter spends time off court helping other student-athletes By Molly Gretzlock
molly.gretzlock@marquette.edu
According to Marquette volleyball head coach Ryan Theis, senior setter Sarah Rose has charisma that goes beyond the volleyball court. “The coaching staff wants us to be the best volleyball players we can be, but also understands that we should have the whole college experience,” Rose said in an email. “They see me not only as a student-athlete, but as a person who should experience all (that) Marquette has to offer.” As the volleyball players are allowed to have a well-rounded relationship with the sport as as well as college life, their time on the court is made more special. Rose has even been able to utilize many different positions on the court in order to benefit the team. “At different times her match sets have been very helpful,” Theis said. “Freshman year we would intermix her with another player depending on the matchup. She has been used in a variety of different situations and has been a valuable piece to us.” Besides her composure on the court, she shows qualities that go beyond the sport of volleyball that will be seen long after her college athletic years. “She is just a remarkable
Marquette Wire stock photo
Sarah Rose (4) celebrates with teammates after a comeback victory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sept. 5, 2019. The team won in five sets.
human being,” Theis said. “She is very logical, very bright and she has incredible common sense. Nothing really surprises you with her.” The Elmhurst, Illinois native spends her time off the court helping other studentathletes with classes. “I did well in a communication course that others struggled with, so I was asked to help some fellow athletes with the material,” Rose said. “Having benefited from working with tutors myself,
I thought it was important to help out other athletes.” As her leadership skills are displayed through tutoring, she has also been using those same skills to motivate her teammates this season despite the lack of normality. “Last offseason we graduated four powerful voices in terms of leadership,” Theis said. “We brought in the seven seniors and gave them roles to take on, Sarah was in charge of the open gym. She was very level-headed
about coming up with plans. She has always been good with that throughout her career.” Once Rose steps onto the volleyball court, you can see her positive attributes that she brings to her teammates. Rose said she encourages them to work to their fullest potential everyday. “It’s important to lead by example, so I come ready to work and practice hard everyday to help make the team better,” Rose said. “Something I always try to emphasize is that once we are in
the gym it is all about volleyball and to leave everything else at the door.” While Rose enjoys being able to help teammates on the court, Theis said he cannot credit enough of her personal character for the solidarity she brings to the team. “A great person and a great family,” Theis said. “She has meant a lot to us throughout the years. COVID kind of robbed her senior season, but hopefully we can get a little bit of it back.”
CROSS COUNTRY
Older sister inspires Leonard to chose Golden Eagles Three-time state qualifier has family ties to university By Sam Arco
samuel.arco@marquette.edu
Growing up with family ties at Marquette made it a no-brainer for first-year Thomas Leonard to attend the university. However, it was the help from his older sister MaryClare that influenced him to not only follow his family’s footsteps, but also run at the college level. Leonard, a three-time individual state qualifier in cross country, always had Marquette on his mind as a potential option. With his mom and a few other relatives being Marquette alumni, along with a great biomedical engineering program, the Marist
High School graduate knew Marquette was the perfect fit for him. Born in a south suburb of Chicago called Palos Heights, the short distance from home also played a factor in Leonard’s decision to attend the four-year university. “I just wanted to stay somewhere semi-close to home and Marquette offers that for me,” Leonard said. “I’ve had a lot of family come through Marquette, which helped make my decision easier, and I really liked Marquette’s biomedical engineering program … After talking to coach (Sean) Birren, I knew I was making the right choice.” Leonard was an Academic AllState honorable mention in 2020 in addition to being named the East Suburban Catholic Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2018 and 2020. “Thomas had very good times coming out of high school and was a solid athlete, which was a
big factor in his recruiting process to Marquette,” Marquette head coach Sean Birren said. “He’s a kid who wants to train hard and get better every day, which makes him fit in just right here.” Leonard’s older sister MaryClare is now in her fourth and final season for the Notre Dame University cross country team, where she has been a great role model for her younger brother as well as an important runner for the Fighting Irish. “She’s been a great influence for me and she was very helpful when it came toward my decision to run at the college level,” Leonard said. “She’s also given me a lot of great advice on how to balance my schoolwork and running at the same time, so she’s been very supportive of me so far and I can’t thank her enough for that.” After hearing about his first season at Marquette being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
Leonard was disappointed. Despite the circumstances, he still has been trying to stay positive throughout this time. “Obviously I was upset about our season being postponed, but I’m going to use this time to get to know my teammates better and connect with my team before we can hopefully start racing again,” Leonard said. “We’ve been training in small groups so far which has helped me meet some of my teammates, so I’m just trying to stay positive about the whole situation.” With the initial setback, Leonard is still excited for his future at Marquette and ready to start his college running career. “I’m really looking forward to racing with my teammates and just getting better every day,” Leonard said. “We have a lot of great guys on the team and I love to be pushed by my teammates to make me become a better runner.”
Although Leonard will have to wait a little longer for his collegiate debut, his head coach is excited to see what the future holds for the first-year. “I believe there’s no limit for him,” Birren said. “I think he could be our number one runner by the time he leaves Marquette if he trains hard and puts in the work for it.”
Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Leonard was born in Palos Heights.