Marquette Tribune I March 5, 2024

The Marquette Tribune

Delivering on campaign promises

Bill will provide period products around campus

By Mia Thurow mia.thurow@marquette.edu

Marquette University Student Government President Abbie Moravec and Executive Vice President Tommy Treacy are looking to support students’ health and wellness as much as possible before their term ends in May.

When Moravec and Treacy were elected in March of last year, their campaign was based on three pillars: social justice, sustainability and health and wellness. Before the semester ends, they are hoping to pass a bill under their health and wellness pillar that could help make period products more accessible to Marquette students.

“We were thinking about ways that we could uplift as many students as possible, and one great way to support all female students on campus is by providing period products,” Treacy said.

The bill is currently in a one-year pilot program with free and accessible period products in the

Alumni Memorial Union, Straz Gym and Raynor Library. If the bill passes, Moravec said money will be allocated from the MUSG reserve fund to allow for the removal of outdated period product dispensers and the purchasing of

Promoting

MUBA hosted "A Night of Magic" performance

By Gabe Mannion

Marquette University Bhangra Academy held its first “A Night of Magic” performance on March 1 in the Alumni Memorial Union ballrooms to provide an opportunity for students to embrace Punjabi culture.

“A Night of Magic” was MUBA’s first performance of the year and it was the group’s first time incorporating props into their routines.

Over 150 guests attended the event and partook in traditional and modern

new products.

“Depending on how students see that as helping or not, we’re going to try to extend to other buildings in the university, like bigger academic buildings,” Moravec said.

Moravec said MUSG has

$12,000 ready to go toward funding the bill after her and Treacy’s term expires.

“From the COVID years, the budgets largely went unspent because there was nobody here on campus to take advantage of them. So, we have quite a bit of money

backlogged in our reserve fund,” Treacy said.

Moravec said the bill will be presented to the student senate sometime next week, where she expects it to move on to the university administration and hopefully pass

Punjabi dances that ranged from high energy to slow and reserved movements, music and food.

The food consisted of samosas, rice, naan, dal makhani and paneer butter masala. Additionally, a photo booth and dress-up booth were available for attendees to use.

The event began with a performance by MUBA and then attendees were invited to the dance floor to join in the celebration of Punjabi culture.

Jasleen Kaur, a first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences and MUBA Public Relations Executive, said “A Night of Magic” was created to bring people together through Bhangra dance.

“Bhangra is a very

Marquette Wire Stock Photo

MUSG President Abbie Moravec, (left) and Vice President Tommy Treacy (right) hope to bring period products to campus locations.

Photo by Katie Craig katharine.craig@marquette.edu

Marquette University Bhangra Academy incorporated props into their routines for the first time.

PROMISES: MUSG hopes to pass bill

Continued from page 1

before her graduation.

Moravec said she had spoken to the Marquette Board of Trustees as well as the Committee on Student Life and Mission about the bill in December, and they were in favor of her and Treacy’s idea.

“There’s lots of popular support from students and senators, so we’re very excited to actually get [the bill] in front of people and get that approved,” Treacy said.

Under her and Treacy’s campaign pillar of health and wellness, Moravec said this period product bill is one of the most prioritized large action items.

“One big thing I’ve seen throughout my years in student government is that the pillar of health and wellness hasn’t been touched on as much as I had hoped,” Moravec said.

Both Moravec and Treacy also said period poverty is a major concern of theirs,

as they said some students feel forced to products at the Walgreen’s on campus that are more expensive than those at similar stores. Moravec said their bill seeks to help take the financial burden of having a period off these students.

“Following through on the promises of Marquette, we’re not just here to provide a quality education. We’re also here to care for the whole person, like the phrase Cura Personalis says,” Treacy said.

Moravec said she took inspiration from other Jesuit universities across the country with accessible period products, such as Xavier University and Georgetown University, to formulate the MUSG bill. While some schools have provided greater accessibility to these products, she said she feels the subject is still taboo at many universities including Marquette.

“At college campuses

everywhere, I feel like [period care] is not being prioritized at all,” Moravec said. “Administration is a lot of men from what I’ve seen, and they understand what it is, but they don’t have to go through it, so they don’t understand how expensive it is or how accessible the products are.”

Moravec began the period product bill as a passion project of her own but said it has become something greater as it has developed. She said MUSG has received support from the Marquette maintenance department, the student senate, and some members of university administration in developing and fine-tuning their project. Treacy said formulating this legislation is a landmark project that involves and uplifts everyone.

“That’s the beauty of being able to support people in this way. It’s shameless, it’s not stigmatized. It’s simply there for people who need

it,” Treacy said. Now Moravec and Treacy will just have to await the passing of their bill through the student senate and university administration. Moravec said she is excited about how the bill could be implemented in the next year and help relieve the financial stress of future generations of students if it passes. She and Tracy said

they believe the pilot bill could lead to bigger university-funded legislation and overall greater accessibility to period products in many locations around campus.

“It’s an easy way to extend a hand without [students] having to ask. Obviously, period products aren’t going to solve all of their issues, but you know what? It’s a start,” Treacy said.

Coming together to promote heart health

MU groups collaborate for "Pink goes Red"

By Mimi Sinotte huamae.sinotte@marquette.edu

The Marquette Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and African Student Association hosted their “Pink Goes Red” event in the Henke Lounge in the Alumni Memorial Union Feb. 28.

Kennedy Truevillian, President of Alpha Kappa Alpha and senior in the College of Nursing, said she took off the AKA sorority color pink, and wore red for the day.

“It’s just when we stand in solidarity with those that have cardiovascular disease or any other heart problems so for the day, we take off our pink and we wear red to show support,” Truevillian said.

ASA and Alpha Kappa Alpha collaborated on the event to also bring awareness to the importance of heart health through two cultural dances taught by members of ASA.

The goal of the event was to present an informational session on the importance of fighting against heart disease to improve women’s health.

Members of ASA and AKA who attended participated in an African-style dance to the Nigerian Afrobeat song, “Ijo (Laba Laba)” by Crayon. “Ijo” urges listeners to join in dance. “Laba Laba” means spider in Yoruba and “Ijo”

means dance.

Carmelo Knight, a member of ASA and year in the College of Arts & Sciences, said he was in the ASA cultural dance show and likes the components that go into African dance.

“I enjoy many different types of dances, but African dance is definitely one of the more motioned ones. Like, there’s a lot of movement in every step that you do,” Knight said.

Natan Fessahaye, Vice President of ASA and a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said he was excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with Alpha Kappa Alpha for a good cause.

“It’s just an organization to show off the culture,

traditions, heritage of people of African diaspora but it’s just open space where we can be ourselves and celebrate our cultures and teach it to other people as well,” Fessahaye said.

After students learned the first dance which was taught by two members of ASA, they learned a second dance. It was to the beat of the street pop song, “Abracadabra” by Rexxie, Naira Marley and Skiibii.

After both dances were learned, members tried it on their own without the instructor’s help.

Sophia Rhoda Akosah, a member of ASA and year in the College of Business Administration, said she was also part of the ASA culture and dance show which mo-

tivated her to attend “Pink Goes Red.”

“It was definitely really fun and when it comes to African style dancing it’s a lot of rhythm and it’s really fun once you get into it, it’s definitely energetic,” Akosah said.

The event encouraged dancers to push themselves into learning dances to increase their heart rates and immerse themselves in a new dance style.

“Events like these where it raises awareness but then also introduces something that you can do particularly for that awareness, like today it was for hearts and then we did a cardiovascular exercise. So, it helped out to get someone started on doing it,” Knight said.

Fessahaye said he thinks it is important for Marquette students to attend events such as these.

“It’s good to experience other cultures and just learn about other things outside of Marquette, and I think this was a good opportunity for that,” Fessahaye said.

Truevillian said Alpha Kappa Alpha typically hosts three or four events a month and will continue to host this specific event every February.

“We want to bring awareness to problems, and then also create an inclusive space on campus with other people that are college students,” Truevillian said.

The new bill was inspired by the actions of other Jesuit institutions.

Marquette Wire Stock Photo

Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and the Marquette African Student Association collaborated to plan the cultural dance performance Feb. 28.

Photo by Shannyn Donohue shannyn.donohue@marquette.edu

The MarqueTTe Tribune

News Briefs

GOP primary update

Former President Donald Trump, Republican front-runner, won the caucuses in Idaho, Missouri and Michigan. He’s now won the first five Republican primaries.

On Tuesday, he won the nomination in Michigan with 39 out of the 55 GOP delegates, although, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley, was popular in the college town of Ann Arbor, and suburbs surrounding Detroit and Grand Rapids.

In Idaho on Saturday, Trump collected 33,603 votes to Haley’s 5,221 along with gaining 32 delegates. In Missouri the same day,

Trump gained 51 of the 54 delegates and 100% of votes.

Trump now has 244 of the 1,215 delegates needed for nomination and Haley trails with 24. With Super Tuesday today, 15 states and one territory will vote which adds up to 874 of the 2,429 Republican delegates. Haley also won the District of Columbia with 19 delegates.

After Haley lost in her home state of South Carolina, she vowed to stay in the race until at least Super Tuesday. She said she wants to stay in the race until the Republican National Convention in case the Republican Party has second thoughts about Trump.

Trump still on ballot

The Supreme Court voted unanimously to keep Donald Trump on the presidential ballot after a Colorado decision ruled he was not to run for office because of the case against Trump surrounding his involvement in the Jan. 6 2021 attack at the Capitol.

The rationale was keeping Trump off the ballot would cause chaos for certain states to deem Trump ineligible to run for office while other states keep him on the ballot.

The unanimous ruling said that he should be kept on the ballot, but the liberal majority justices said evaluating whether or not Trump violated the 14th amendment with his involvement

in the insurrection at the Capitol should be left up to Congress.

The decision came just one day before Super Tuesday, keeping Trump the Republican front-runner on each ballot. Although The Supreme Court has a conservative majority, the three liberal justices wrote that the decision was a way for the majority to protect Trump from having to deal with future issues relating to his ability to be on the ballots.

Although the decision was made in regards to the Colorado court decision, this ruling applies to any state that challenges Trump’s name being on the ballot.

Clark breaks record

University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark shattered yet another record Sunday by passing Pete Marovich’s NCAA alltime scoring record of 3,667 career points set in 1970.

Clark is now the all-time leading scorer in all of NCAA history with 3,685 points. This game was a special one for Clark as it was her last regular season game and Senior Night.

Clark started the game against Ohio State just 18 points short of beating Marovich’s record. She broke the record on a free throw to finish off the first half and finished the game with 35 points.

This isn’t the first record Clark has broken over the past few weeks. First, she passed up Kelsey Plum’s

NCAA women’s all-time scoring record of 3,527 points. On Wednesday she blew past Lynette Woodard’s 3,649-point record from before women’s basketball was recognized by the NCAA.

Maya Moore, former WNBA MVP, and Lynette Woodard herself were in attendance at the historic game. With fans of all ages lining up as early as three hours before the game, Woodard told USA Today she hopes Caitlin’s record impacts generations to come.

“(She is) drawing in so many different people from different walks of life,” Woodard said. “Not just the sporting world, not just the fans, but I guarantee you every household out here knows Caitlin Clark’s name.”

Jill Biden in Waukesha

After visiting Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, First Lady Jill Biden made a visit to Waukesha’s Expo Center on Sunday, gathering a crowd of 100 women voters to talk about how the 2024 presidential election is affecting abortion rights.

Other speakers involved were U.S Sen. Tammy Baldwin, licensed therapist Krystal Judah and Milwaukee County Board Chair Marcelia Nicholson.

Biden mainly talked about abortion rights, stating that Roe v. Wade being overturned by the U.S Supreme Court in 2022 was

Trump’s doing, because the Supreme Court became a conservative majority while he was in office. During his time in office, Trump was able to appoint multiple Supreme Court candidates, such as Amy Coney Barrett after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing. Her visit concluded the “Women for Biden-Harris” tour.

Biden won Wisconsin by less than one percent in the 2020 election, so the tour aims to gather voters to reelect President Joe Biden in November.

Trader Joe's facing recalls on multiple items

The US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced a recall Saturday for more than 60,000 pounds of Trader Joe’s 6-ounce “Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings” for foreign object contamination after consumers were finding remnants of hard plastic

in their meals.

The plastic was believed to be from a permanent marker pen. The store issued a warning for over 160,000 stores in America.

Initially produced in December of 2023, the dumplings affected are labeled with the lot codes 03.07.25. C1-1 and 03.07.25.C1-2.

Trader Joe’s urges customers to check their freezers for the product and to throw it away immediately, as they want to be as cautious as possible and prioritize consumer safety.

Anyone with the dumplings can return them to their nearest Trader Joes for a full refund.

This recall followed warnings from Trader Joes concerning four different products, the Cilantro Salad dressing, Elote Chopped Salad Kit, the Southwest Salad and Chicken Enchiladas Verde, after there was a concern about listeria in products sold by various grocery stores.

Chinese Culture and Charity Club is back

The organization hosted a Lunar New Year event

By Ruby Mulvaney ruby.mulvaney@marquette.edu

Marquette’s Chinese Culture and Charity Club is making a resurgence on campus with their kickoff event to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The event was held on Feb. 27 in the Lalumiere Language Hall. It was open to all Marquette students and everyone was invited to join the celebration which lasted from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The Chinese Culture and Charity Club previously existed on campus but went away during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This year it was restarted with help from their new president, Kong Cheng Her, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences.

This year, Lunar New Year began on Saturday Feb 10. Lunar New Year

celebrations usually last around 15 days.

In order to celebrate the Lunar New Year, the club provided a variety of traditional Chinese foods, played informative videos that explained some parts of the Lunar New Year and had entertainment like calligraphy practice and a competition to see who could use chopsticks the best.

The Lunar New Year is a celebration of the new year in accordance with the lunar calendar. The lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the moon’s phases. Many use the time to gather with extended family.

Typically these celebrations typically consist of lots of food, firecrackers and dancing. Her said a common tradition is for adults to pass out red packets full of money to children and unmarried adults.

Her said they decided to make this their first event since the Lunar New year is important to their culture.

Her said that the old executive board had graduated which left him and other members with the task of reviving the club.

Her said that all of the new e-board members were in Chinese language classes together and their professor suggested that they restart the official club since they were all interested in the culture and the language.

The club has a young e-board, who are majority sophomores, which means they have to learn how to run the club, and see what events they will want to continue hosting.

“It’s all our first time being on e-board…we were pretty scared and nervous about what to do, and this is our first event,” Her said.

Her said this event was a trial run to see how things might go.

Henry Lawrence, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, serves as the executive event organizer for the club.

“I guess that’s why we are all here, to have fun,

get people to come and talk and eat food and learn more about Chinese culture,” Lawrence said.

As indicated by the name, the purpose of the club is more than just sharing Chinese culture. It is also a philanthropy club.

Lawrence said that the group is in the process of finding a charity that they want to contribute to. He also said that looking forward the club plans to host more cultural based events

and grow their presence on campus.

Nathan Shannon, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, is the treasurer for the club. Shannon said that it has been hard figuring things out so far, but that they are optimistic for the future of the club.

“Hopefully this event is a breakthrough and we get a lot of hype around Chinese. It ‘s a really cool language,” Shannon said.

Celebrating tradition, culture through dessert

Innnovation Kitchen hosts

MU community

Marquette’s Innovation Kitchen and Center for Engagement and Inclusion partnered together on Feb. 28 to have a sweet ending to Marquette’s Black History Month events through “Joyful Desserts.”

Students were invited to indulge in sweet potato pie prepared by Theresa Holifield, kitchen supervisor of The Union Sports Annex. They were also given ingredients and instructions on how to prepare their banana pudding to take home in mason jars.

Alecia Conway, the program coordinator for cultural engagement and inclusion, said that CEI partnered with Innovation Kitchen to host this event because it ends the month on a joyful note.

“A lot of times when we think about this great month there’s a lot of conversation about the transatlantic slave trade, Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement and not really focusing on how joy came to be then and now,” Conway said.

Conway said that the main theme that Black History Month events centered around this year was showing joy towards Black staff members on campus as well as understanding

the “Joy of Blackness” in the United States.

Holifield said she has been cooking for over 25 years, and that every cook has their own different ways that they prepare these two recipes.

While students indulged in the sweet potato pie, a video detailing the process of making sweet potato pie played on TV screens in the background for students to learn how the pie was made and that it was culturally significant because it is a dessert many families enjoy for holidays like Thanksgiving.

Conway said banana pudding and sweet po-

tato pie are two desserts that are historically and culturally known in the Black Community.

Conway said that sweet potato pie was originally a mix of sweet potatoes, molasses and spices known as sweet potato pound and is very similar to Native American dessert fried bread. The desserts have evolved over time due to resources becoming available. During the Great Migration, many people who moved out of the Deep South into northern cities like Chicago and Detroit took their family recipes with them.

After the video was

over the students shifted to the ingredients in front of them to make banana pudding.

“Yams originated in West Africa while sweet potatoes [one of the ingredients used] were brought over by the Spanish traders around 1600,” Conway said.

Conway said that bananas are also a native fruit to Africa and that their existence can be traced all the way back to the year 650.

“These are a few fun facts about the historical context of bananas and sweet potatoes in the past with the intention for you to learn, but also to get a better understanding

of the desserts we enjoy,” Conway said.

Olivia Wang, a senior in the College of Health Sciences said she frequently attends Innovation Kitchen events and has learned a lot from this one in particular.

“I think events like these are important because food brings people together,” Wang said. “Especially that it’s a big connecting point with family traditions.”

Wang said that since food is the center of many cultures, it helps create an environment to learn.

Photo by Katie Craig katharine.craig@marquette.edu

The club made this their first event due to its cultural significance.

Photo by Keifer Russell keifer.russell@marquette.edu

The students watched videos and presentations on how to make sweet potato pie and bananna pudding to take home with them.

Kolek out for rest of regular season

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

King sits fifth in points and second in assists at MU

By Sophia Woods sophia.woods@marquette.edu

She’s the only player in Marquette women’s basketball history to have over 1,700 points and 500 career assists.

She’s fifth all-time in points (1,785), second in assists (590) and second in games played (153).

Her blue and gold jersey features the number 23, one of the most iconic numbers in basketball.

And the name written on the back of it?

King. Jordan King.

The Rockton, Illinois native came from Hononegah High School where she was a two-time captain. She led her team to two conference titles, three regional titles and one third-place finish in state.

King committed to Marquette in 2019 and from there, her career only went up.

King made her impact

Tyler suffered an oblique injury versus Providence

By Jack Albright jack.albright@marquette.edu

Marquette men’s basketball senior guard Tyler Kolek will miss the final two games of the regular season with an oblique injury, the program announced Monday morning. He will be re-evaluated before the Big East Tournament.

Kolek suffered the oblique injury in the Golden Eagles 91-69 win over Providence last Wednesday, and didn’t

Leaving a legacy

on Marquette the moment she stepped into the Al. Not only was she one of only two players to start every single game as a first-year, but she did far from just rack up minutes.

That year she was ranked second on the team and eighth in the Big East for her 3.2 assists per game average and recorded 18 points as her career-high at the time.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short. Flash–forward to her senior year, and King had the opportunity to use her extra season of eligibility, which she did.

“I’m really excited to be able to take advantage of the opportunity, and to put the Marquette jersey on and play it here at the Al again for one more year is really exciting,” King said during a preseason media availability. She has played 4,926 minutes across every game the

"It's amazing being blessed with that opportunity and being blessed with players looking up to you."

Jordan King Women's basketball guard

Golden Eagles have played in the past five years.

Most recently, King was named to the 2024 Women’s College All Star Game Watch List, along with her teammate, senior forward Liza Karlen. The event spotlights the country’s elite players and gives them a place to showcase their talents before the WNBA draft.

fly with the team to Omaha for its game at Creighton on Saturday.

Marquette’s home finale is Wednesday against No. 3 UConn, where Kolek will be honored for Senior Night.

Then the Golden Eagles play their final regular season match at Xavier Saturday at 4:00 p.m. CST before the conference tournament next Thursday.

Kolek is one of the nation’s most impactful point guards and is an All-American candidate. He leads the nation with 7.6 assists per game and contributes 15 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 48.6% from the field.

King is also on the Cheryl Miller Award top 10 list, which is presented to the best women’s basketball small forward in the country.

Head coach Megan

Duffy and King have won over 100 games together at Marquette, and the coach-player relationship runs a lot deeper than just basketball.

“Obviously you’re not allowed to have favorites, but what she’s done for this program on and off the court has been absolutely terrific,” Duffy said after Marquette’s 56-50 loss to St. John’s last Tuesday.

Duffy was a point guard when she played at Notre Dame, and King is Marquette’s point guard, which helps their relationship. But they also talk about non-basketball things.

“Jordan (and) I have a relationship where we can text about a WNBA game, we can text and talk to each

other about family stuff, and then it can move quickly back into ‘I need her to be able to do this defensively and score this way,’” Duffy said. “We are very comfortable with each other. We’ve been through a lot with each other.”

Her time at MU has gone beyond the lines at the Al.

“I’ve talked a lot about the way Marquette and Coach Duffy and everyone that’s crossed my path across these five years have impacted the person that I have become,” King said.

While King has accomplished more than enough on the court, her dedication to impact her community might be the biggest accomplishment of all.

She’s working with children in the Milwaukee area as a school counselor while she pursues her master’s degree in counseling psychology.

And during games, the stands of the Al are frequently filled with young kids wearing ‘King’ jerseys, anxiously waiting to meet her and get an autograph.

“It’s amazing being blessed with that opportunity and being blessed with players looking up to you,” King said. “I was that little boy or girl at one point, and they are out there wearing the jerseys and I think it’s so special to see one but also being able to connect with them.”

King said she aims to inspire not only her team, but those around her.

“Getting to sign a jersey or a poster makes a kid‘s day, and honestly makes mine, so I am really grateful for that opportunity to be able to have an impact,” King said.

Photo by Forster Goodrich forster.goodrich@marquette.edu

Marquette senior guard Tyler Kolek leads the nation with an average of 7.6 assists per game.

Marquette Wire Stock Photo

Marquette Wire Stock Photo

Jordan King is the only player in program history to have over 1,700 points and 500 assists.

THIS WEEK: MCPHERSON ON MLB Rule Changes

Slow, long and boring are three words that many would use to describe the current state of baseball. Formerly thought of as America’s pastime, baseball has been on the decline since the 1980s. The MLB seems to be losing traction across the country with less young people tuning in than ever and should attempt to revitalize its popularity before irreversible damage is done.

Under Commissioner Rob Manfred’s leadership since 2014, the MLB has implemented numerous reactionary changes, including banning defensive shifts, altering ball dynamics and adjusting uniforms and sponsors, in a bid to address declining public interest.

In 2022, pitchers, fans and analysts around the league started to take notice of balls traveling much further than before and an increased home run rate around the league. 2022 broke records for home runs hit in a season and for the first time ever, over 15% of hits recorded went out of the park. At first glance, this may seem like a good thing, but it leads to a more boring product overall.

A new strategy taking over baseball is the three true outcomes tactic. Three true outcomes is a strategy that relies on home runs, walks and strikeouts to focus on runs but this has led to far fewer baserunners which directly leads to less exciting games.

With the adoption of the pitch clock in 2023, the MLB has attempted to speed up the pace of play. Unfortunately, the less runners and balls in play there are, the less the fans are interested.

Lower batting averages are leading to less exciting games as players aim for the fences. Going into 2022, the league-wide batting average dropped to .243, third lowest in history behind .239 in 1908, and .238 in 1968, not exactly fresh competition.

This lack of batting led to an overcorrection of hitters trying the three true outcomes; More home runs and fewer balls in play, leading to a more boring product for fans. The MLB wanted exciting home runs, but they proved to be out of touch as this resulted in the ball being out of play more than ever before.

From 2009-2018, the amount of balls in play has been declining by about 1,000 per season. The average per game has dropped from 27 to only 24. With

these continuing trends, the fleeing fans are predicting a more boring experience than ever before.

Baseball has been extensively covered in the news due to its declining fan interest, they should stick with the basics on how to get their audience back. Through the pitch clock, shift changes and juicing the balls to speed the game up, it resulted in a watered-down product that was less exciting for fans.

The MLB should stick to their roots, keep the old rules and what fans used to love. The MLB has survived through lockouts and world wars, a small decrease in viewership shouldn’t force the commissioner to attempt to completely change the rules.

The MLB has a lot of options for future plans. Instead of trying to overcorrect the apparent issue, they should maintain their rules and shift their focus to branding and trying to reach out to new fans.

With so many stars like Shohei Ohtani or Ronald Acuña Jr. and super teams like the Braves or Dodgers, the MLB should have no problem pushing these stars online and inviting fans to watch these legendary players perform at the highest level.

Little League baseball is one of the most popular sports in the country so there is no reason that the MLB should have such a tough time advertising their product to kids across the country.

In 2023, the MLB World Series drew in an average of 9.11 million viewers per game, whereas the NFL season boasted a whopping 17.9 million viewers per game, nearly double the MLB’s numbers. While the NFL dominates in all sports viewership, it’s not fair to use it as the ultimate standard; instead, the MLB could learn from the NFL to reach its full potential nationwide.

The MLB is full of historic players and historic fanbases that are some of the most loyal in the country. Instead of trying to change everything to gain interest, they should simply stick with their guns, don’t try and juice the balls, don’t make new rules to satisfy non-fans and don’t change the game for people who don’t watch. The MLB is a legendary league and the fans will remain if you keep the game what it once was.

Conor McPherson is a sports columnist. He can be reached at conor.mcpherson@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @ConorMcPherson_

MU fencing club uses tournaments as recruiting tool

By Mikey Severson michael.severson@marquette.edu

The thrill of fencing is dodging your opponent’s attacks and finding the gap to strike your opponent while adrenaline rushes through your veins during the bout.

"Through filming our competitions, we physically and numerically see improvement."

Amaya Ibanez-Baldor Fencing club president

Marquette club fencing looks to foster this same feeling in its members through competing and building strong relationships through shared experiences.

The club meets in Humphrey Hall’s practice space on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 6-8 p.m. The club provides protective gear and swords for all its members, but individuals are welcome to purchase their own equipment.

Having lost a fair number of competitors from previous seasons, recruiting new members has been a priority for new coach and Marquette alum, Eric Nassos, who fenced for Marquette’s club during his time as a student.

“The goal has been expansion for years. There

was a very large senior class that graduated in 2023, so I think that roughly 80% of the club left in that graduating class,” Nassos said. “That only left a few people, one is traveling overseas to study abroad, a couple are injured. It really hurt our numbers for this semester, but we’re still looking pretty good in terms of how we’re competing.”

Additionally, the intrigue of the sport itself and encouragement from friends led Grace Kay to try her hand at fencing; and she has also appreciated the group’s welcoming atmosphere.

“I thought it was interesting, but my friends actually pushed me to sign up,” Kay, a first-year student in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, said.

“I’m very close friends with everyone in the group, and they’re basically like family to me. It’s a very tight-knit group and love the community aspect.”

Club president Amaya Ibanez-Baldor said although she enjoys fencing, she also makes it a personal priority to spend time with her teammates outside of practice.

“I got the opportunity of social chair my first year here, I always wanted to be a part of a club that hung out outside of practices. I was able to do that, get my feet wet in different leadership roles, and grow through fencing,” Ibanez-Baldor, a senior in the College of Engineering, said.

Nassos said he hopes the team continues to take the next steps to improve under his watch. With this mission in mind, Nassos had the team join the Midwest Fencing Conference, which consisted of 19 collegiate fencing clubs across the region.

“We’ve already had

two that qualified for the conference tournament, we should be getting everybody on the team through that at the next tournament, possibly even nationals this year. If not this year, definitely next season,” Nassos said.

The group has partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s fencing club to fill certain events come competition day.

“We only field part of the team, we show up with only enough people to fill the men’s and women’s epee event,” Nassos said.

“Because there are three events in fencing — ‘epee, foil and sabre’ — we lean on some of the UW-Whitewater team to fill in some of the gaps, especially (in the sabre event),” Nassos said.

The club socializes through team travel to and from tournaments, and especially looks forward to tournaments. as they get to further gel with each other socially. The team drove down to Nashville, Tennessee and stayed in a large Airbnb vacation home for one of last year’s tournaments.

“Tournaments are my favorite part, and the (Nashville trip) was a blast,” Ibanez-Baldor said. “We have five competitions a year for the Midwest Fencing Conference, we travel to different schools and spend one to two nights there.”

Joining the Midwest Fencing Conference has provided an incentive for club members to improve their skills from one competition to the next.

“Through filming our competitions, we physically and numerically see improvement. This has really encouraged people to get better at fencing,” Ibanez-Baldor said.

Photo by Mikey Severson michael.severson@marquette.edu

The Marquette fencing club practices in Humphrey Hall three times a week from 6-8 pm.

O'Grady, Stegman and Woodward all set program bests

By Matthew Baltz

matthew.baltz@marquette.edu

Offensive coordinator Bo Lori can still recall the first time that Bobby O'Grady's talent caught his eye.

"It was one of his first practices in the fall of his freshman year," Lori said. "We were doing a drill we like to call the Farley drill."

The Farley drill involves quick transitions with a lot of chances to score. Lori said that O'Grady's performance in that drill alone was an indicator of things to come.

"Bobby must've scored 8-10 goals in that five-to-seven-minute drill," Lori said. "From that day on, I knew that he was special in terms of his goal scoring ability."

O'Grady wasted no time showing off his ability to find the back of the net, scoring 88 goals in his first two seasons. Those 88 goals were good enough to place him second all-time on Marquette's goals list heading into his junior season, just 14 shy of tying former

Setting a new standard

attacker Ryan McNamara's all-time record of 102 goals.

And considering that O'Grady scored an average of 44 goals in his first two seasons as a Golden Eagle, the question wasn't if he would break the scoring record, it was when. That day finally came Feb. 24 in a 20-12 loss against then No. 13 Michigan.

As time was expiring in the second quarter, O'Grady jumped up and caught a lengthy pass from graduate defenseman Noah Verlinde, then fired into the back of the net to officially solidify himself as one of Marquette's all-time greats.

"It's really cool," O'Grady said. "My family was very happy for me, the guys around me were very happy for me.

"You could probably count on one hand how many of those were unassisted, so the credit is all to my teammates. Guys like Stegs (Jake Stegman), Dev (Devon Cowan), they just help so much and have supported me through it all."

More history was made earlier this season when graduate midfielder/attack Stegman passed former attacker Conor Gately's program record 63 assists in a

22-8 win over Detroit Mercy Feb. 13. Stegman broke the single-game assist record at Marquette that same day as well, tallying six in the win.

"That's the unique thing about an assist," Stegman said. "The pass is only 50 percent of it, and the other 50 percent of it is the person who puts the ball in the back of the net. Obviously,

"We might be breaking these records, but the guys before us, they just left the perfect example of what it meant to be a Marquette lacrosse player."

Bobby O'Grady Men's lacrosse attacker

MEN'S LACROSSE

a lot of those statistics and milestones that I've reached wouldn't be possible without some great players around me."

After only tallying 25 total assists in his first three seasons with the Golden Eagles, a switch flipped for Stegman during his senior season.

"I really felt last year a switch really flipped for him in terms of what film could do for his game, he really committed to it." Lori said. "From there, he started to get in a rhythm of finding guys, finding our great finishers."

"He worked hard to build chemistry with those guys and has become a really efficient lacrosse player because of it."

Stegman shattered the single season assist record previously held by Gately (20), assisting on 32 goals last season on his way to being named to the all-Big East second team.

Graduate defenseman Mason Woodward also recently joined the record-breakers club with Stegman and O'Grady, as he set the new

career ground ball record in a 16-5 win over Lindenwood Feb 9.

“I feel incredibly blessed to be able to break this record,” Woodward said after the win. “Liam Byrnes is such a great player, and I’m just extremely blessed to break his record, and to do it on a win.”

While these three Golden Eagles have set a new standard for these respective stats and accomplishments within the program, they are hungry for more than just individual awards.

"We might be breaking these records, but the guys before us, they just they left the perfect example of what it what it meant to be to be a Marquette lacrosse player," O'Grady said. "Guys like McNamara, Gately and all those guys, they were awesome players, and they were the hardest workers you could think of.

"They've got something we don't, they've got a ring or two. So we're chasing that, and it's all about the team success."

Comeback falls short in 9-8 loss to Utah

By Matthew Baltz matthew.baltz@marquette.edu

9 8

Marquette men’s lacrosse couldn’t claw all the way back.

The game was tied twice, once at 0-0 and again at 8-8, but the Golden Eagles (3-3) never led in their 9-8 loss to Utah (2-3) Saturday afternoon at Valley Fields.

“Didn’t put enough to way to win the game,” Marquette head coach Andrew Stimmel said. “It’s just stuff that we’re going to have to work through.”

The Golden Eagles had 18 shots that were on target compared to the Utes’ 21. Utah was led by the efforts of junior attacker Tyler Bradbury, who had a game-high four points on four assists.

Creasor shines

Graduate student goalie Caleb Creasor was just one save shy of his career-high on Saturday. Creasor tallied 12 saves in Marquette’s opening match of the season against Air Force Feb. 3.

“With Caleb you know, he’s someone who has had limited college experience,” Stimmel said. “He really hadn’t started a college

game until this year so I’m really happy with him and how he bounced back from last week.”

Creasor stopped 11 of the 21 shots that he faced on the day.

Defensive effort keeps the game close Utah was the third consecutive squad that Marquette faced that made the NCAA Tournament last season. Playing three teams with the offensive capability that these teams can take a serious toll on your defense.

Marquette’s defense impressed on Saturday though, as it was able to

hold a Utah offense that averaged 16 goals a game last season to just nine.

“I mean I think our defense did a great job,” Stimmel said. “I think ultimately they (Utah) made a couple of big time plays, and that’s why they are who they are.

“They just made one more play than us, we had plenty of opportunities but that’s what it’s going to come down to in playing these types of games against really good teams.”

Marquette found itself down 7-4 with three minutes to play in the first half and then found itself down 8-6 halfway through the

third quarter, but the defense stood tall and gave themselves a chance to win it.

The Golden Eagles gave up less than 10 goals for the fourth time this season.

Up Next

Marquette travels to Louisville to take on Bellarmine University (2-3) next Saturday, March 9. The opening face-off is set for 12 p.m. CST.

“There’s still a lot of room for us to improve, and go out there and prove ourselves these next couple of days before we get into conference play,” Stimmel said.

Photo by Forster Goodrich forster.goodrich@marquette.edu

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics Jake Stegman (14) and Bobby O'Grady (13) have the program assist and goal records.

Mason Woodward holds the men's lacrosse ground ball record.

Seniors connect through German language

Jauch and Schaad bond together as doubles partners

By Kaylynn Wright kaylynn.wright@marquette.edu

In his first three years at Marquette, senior Jan Jauch — hailing from Flüelen, Switzerland — had never had a teammate who spoke German, his native language.

That was until senior Jasper Schaadt — a St. Wendel, Germany native — transferred from Cardinal Stritch this past year.

“It’s just been great to have him as a new addition to the team,” Jauch said. “We had quite a lot of people leaving and him coming in, he brought a lot of good vibes.”

Now, Jauch and Schaadt are doubles partners, and Marquette interim director of tennis Jud Shaufler said he put them together because of their extensive experience.

“JJ (Jan Jauch) and Jasper really are two of our best

players and at that point in time, they are what I would call a little bit of a work in progress,” Shaufler said. “We’re going to need those two guys to keep growing and merging together... but they really are two of our stronger players and really need to play in that position (No. 2).”

When he stepped onto campus in the fall, Schaadt said that Jauch was one of the first people to introduce himself.

“We got along immediately,” Schaadt said. “I felt like we had a similar personality and also a lot of things in common. I remember we were talking about our favorite movies and we both had the same favorite movies, it was kind of weird. He was definitely great to have a smooth transition and to feel welcomed on the team.”

Although Jauch and Schaadt both share a love for "The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy off the court, they are two different players when they walk into a match.

“He’s (Jauch) wired a little tighter than Jasper is in terms of how he approaches his on-court stuff,” Shaufler said. “He’s a little bit more excitable, so I’m trying to help him. If I could give 20% of Jasper’s calm approach to things and give it to JJ, and give 20% of his excitability to Jasper, I would.”

While the pair is still working to improve their doubles game, Jauch said

that their chemistry is never an issue.

"It feels nice when someone says something in your mother language to push you and gives you the extra percent."

Jasper Schaadt

tennis senior

“The fact that we’re friends helps with on-court chemistry,” Jauch said. “We don’t really have to worry about having bad chemistry or not really connecting with each other... That’s a really important first step.”

Despite the rough start where they've only won two doubles matches, Shaufler said that Jauch and Schaadt have the potential to be an effective team.

“The breakdowns that I’ve

seen with them are more of an individual thing,” Shaufler said. “It’s not a question of teamwork or merging — I think all those things are in place. Some of the essential components from a tennis standpoint — finishing easy balls and putting a lot of returns in play at crucial times... With them right now, it’s more of an individual execution that’s going to pull them together.”

Schaufler said that as Marquette enters Big East play, Jauch and Schaadt need to be successful at the No. 2 position, as they are rotating players around in the No. 3 spot and haven't found their main pairing.

“We’re really relying on positions one and two to keep getting better and hope that at some point, number three starts to get a little more successful as they get more experience...” Shaufler said. “A lot of pressure is going to be on one and two, so we have to keep pushing them to get bigger, better, stronger (and) smarter.”

However, Jauch said that he is up for the challenge.

“I don’t think we’re completely satisfied with our results yet,” Jauch said. “We definitely feel like there is still room for improvement,” Jauch said. “Hopefully, once Big East matches come around, we’re going to be able to raise our level a little bit. That’s what we’re looking for."

Through the ups and downs of the tennis season, Schaadt said that his connection with Jauch through the German language is something he will always be grateful for.

“Off the court, in the van, when we drive to matches, we always talk and that’s really fun,” Schaadt said. "It feels nice when someone says something in your mother language to push you and gives you the extra percent.”

Josie Kropp

WLAX No. 11

Senior midfielder Josie Kropp was named this week's Big East Midfielder of the Week after tallying 32 draw controls. Kropp tied the single-game draw control record (17) on Wednesday and

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics

Schaad (left) high-fives his doubles partner Jauch (right) in their 4-2 win over Eastern Illinois.

Schaad and Jauch strategize with each other between points.

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics

Opinions

Milwaukee needs book stores

By Joey Schamber joseph.schamber@marquette.edu

Books are an important part of our culture, but there have been increasing fears that they will be rendered obsolete by the increasing dominance of technology. However, print books have not gone out of fashion. Global book sales have been declining marginally across the past decade, but from 2022 to 2023 there was an almost $1.5 billion rise in print book sales.

This rise is projected to continue and result in an almost $3 billion increase in book sales by 2027. Similarly, brick-and-mortar bookstores are enjoying surprising levels of success in recent years.

The Association of American bookstores found in a survey, that while bookstores initially struggled during the early days of the pandemic, respondents saw growth of over 70% compared to 2019. Bookstores are thriving across the U.S., but downtown Milwaukee has a total lack of them.

University bookstores at Marquette University and Milwaukee Area Technical College are an option as book

retailers, and we should not neglect the local used bookstore, Downtown Books Bought & Sold. However, large scale or independent booksellers are not located in the heart of downtown. Milwaukee needs more bookstores that can provide a key service to its community and foster a more active downtown environment. Bookstores serve an important purpose in cities, not only as a place to purchase books, games and toys, but as a hub for activity.

Many recreational spaces in Milwaukee typically center around eating and drinking, but a bookstore provides the opportunity to peruse and engage with material and socialize with like-minded individuals. Spaces like these allow people to interact with others and pursue hobbies they enjoy. They are referred to by sociologists as “third spaces,” recreational spaces outside of the home and the workplace.

Such places allow individuals to create identities outside of their daily task, and their purpose is to promote public relaxation and support social relationships

without the pressures presented by work and family.

Bookstores are uniquely powerful facilitators of social interaction due to the nature of the products they sell. The books someone is interested in reveal so much about their personality and can be a beneficial jumping off point for conversations. Often, bookstores also allow spaces to sit and relax with a book, which not only promotes conversation between people, but allows individual customers to relax without necessarily purchasing anything.

Additionally, bookstores, as opposed to restaurants and bars, are easier to frequent at any time of day. Restaurants and bars are usually only attended during mealtimes, and, due to their ever-increasing prices, can only be afforded a few times a week. A good bookstore, though, is a great way to pass the time without spending money, making them perfect places to spend time with friends when there is nothing else to do.

Furthermore, in a city populated by students from nearby universities, it would be beneficial to have

alternatives to their university bookstore for finding material they are interested in. Marquette’s bookstore does sell items besides textbooks and course material, but their stock is still limited compared to major book retailers. With the amount of young people these universities bring, it is especially important to have a third space for them to hang out with their friends. Money is tight enough for college students, so providing recreational spaces that do not require them to spend more than they can afford would be highly beneficial. Milwaukee’s downtown is not complete without a proper bookstore. It is about time the city responded to the recent revival of print books and one opens on its streets. Such a space would be highly advantageous to the public and would serve as a powerful tool for community development.

Sky glow needs to go

By Izzy Fonfara Drewel isabella.fonfaradrewel@marquette.edu

I’ve been having trouble sleeping. It’s just so bright outside my window, I can see lights going on for miles and it looks like the sky is nearly orange with their light.

Sky glow is a phenomenon where the night sky stays bright well past sunset, obscuring views of space. It’s most common in urban areas populated with traffic lights, cars, advertising and fluorescent lighting.

The sky becomes permeated with wasted light that extends day into the nighttime and causes a plethora of health problems. Photoreceptors in the eyes receive the artificial lights which inhibits melatonin production and prevents the circadian rhythm from happening regularly. Melatonin is needed for healthy sleep, strong immune systems and proper gland function, including thyroid, pancreas and adrenal.

The blue light being used in outdoor lights is the prime cause for these problems. It’s harshness and range are also hurting the animals we share our world with.

Wasted light escapes into the atmosphere, brightening and reflecting off clouds and hiding the night sky. Without the moon and starlight, many animals can’t navigate the world. Birds

use celestial bodies to migrate, but with artificial city lights permeating the night, they can veer off course and into dangerous territory.

Because the sky is lighter at night, nocturnal animals are completely thrown off their routines and now are forced to adjust in an environment complete opposite of what they evolved to do. For example, there are species of treefrogs that breed mainly during the night, but if it’s so bright they never think night arrives, then how are they supposed to continue their species?

We need to turn off all unnecessary outside lighting once it starts to get dark, and if you need to keep them on then buy lights directed towards the ground. Lights that point clearly down and

away from the sky have minimized amounts of escaped light.

Blue light is the most harmful form because of its consequences, but a return to orange-hued lights would help stop some of those problems. Orange and red lights are easier on the eyes for both humans and animals. The light is enough to illuminate the night so humans can see but won’t inhibit the nighttime routines of nocturnal animals.

Red and orange light has a longer wavelength which prevents it from scattering too far into the atmosphere. Because it isn’t going as far, it doesn’t contribute as much to sky glow and allows night to remain night.

Red light is the best option for preservation of animals

Editorial Board

Izzy

and prevention of sky glow, but it poses problems to humans. The color makes it hard for us to identify objects moving through the night, an aspect that could be dangerous if we were to use red light as street lighting. However, that’s why I’ve suggested a return to orange-hued lighting. Orange lighting has similar benefits but also allows us to see objects with clarity. Light pollution is a very real problem in our world, and if we don’t stop it then we can say goodbye to the moon, the stars and the planets. We need to open our eyes and switch off our lights.

Editor

Hope Moses, Executive Director Megan Woolard, Managing Editor of The Marquette Tribune

Phoebe Goebel, Editor of Diversity and Inclusion Kristin Parisi, Patrick Curran Marquette University Television Station Managers Sam Baughn, General Manager of MURadio Grace Cady, Managing Editor of The Marquette Journal

Online Exclusives

Find more Marquette Wire opinion columns online by going to www.marquettewire.org or scanning this QR code!

Izzy Fonfara Drewel is the executive opinions editor. She is a junior studying journalism.

The wasted light from skyscrapers, street lights, advertisements and cities poisons the atmosphere.

Photo by Keifer Russel keifer.russel@marquette.edu

Joey Schamber is an opinions columnist. He is a first-year studying journalism.

Spring Break

CROSSWORD

Spring Break

Across

2. What do you use to block your skin from the sun?

3. Spring ____

4. These help your eyes get some shade.

6. What is another word for "trip?"

7. You might stay in a ____ for a place to sleep.

9. Some families might plan an ____ to organize their plans.

Down

1. Body of water that has sharks.

3. Bradford ____

4. You use this article of clothing to go swimming.

5. To travel outside of the country you need this government document.

8. Spring Break happens in the month of ____ for Marquette.

Down:

1. Body of water that has sharks.

3. Bradford ____

4. You use this article of clothing to go

Across:

2. What do you use to block your skin sun?

3. Spring ____

4. These help your eyes get some shade. swimming.

5. To travel outside of the country you need

6. What is another word for "trip"? this government document

7. You might stay in a ___ for a place

Arts & Entertainment

Black History Month concludes with exhibit

Week-long display included posters and a slideshow

By Sophie Goldstein sophie.goldstein@marquette.edu

Throughout the last week of Black History Month, various events were held throughout Marquette’s campus, with one being the Black Joy Exhibit.

The Black Joy Exhibit was on display on the second floor of the AMU from Feb. 26 until March 1. The exhibit consisted of a slideshow display, as well as two posters that explain more about the Black Joy Project.

Maiya Sabree, graduate assistant for cultural engagement within the Center for Engagement and Inclusion, said the Black Joy Exhibit is an experience of Black joy on and off Marquette’s campus within various programs.

“A lot of the slideshow photos are from programs that happened throughout the past year,” Sabree said. “We really wanted to highlight different things that happened, specifically within Black History Month, but acknowledging that different events

have occurred.”

Alecia Conway, coordinator for cultural engagement in the Center for Engagement and Inclusion, shared that the Black Joy Project is not affiliated with Marquette University; however, the Black Joy Project was put on by the Center for Engagement and Inclusion.

“It was initially a book by Kleaver Cruz,” Conway said. “It is a book composed of photos, essays and other documents of Black Joy. From my understanding, Kleaver reached out to different people to actually create the Black Joy Project.”

On display at the exhibit was a quote from Cruz, “Black Joy is not… dismissing or creating an ‘alternate’ Black narrative that ignores the realities of our pain; Rather, it is about holding the pain and injustice… in tension with the joy we experience. It’s about using that joy as an entry into understanding the oppressive forces we navigate through as a means to imagine and create a world free of them.”

Conway said they decided to include this quote in their exhibit because it

embodied what they defined as Black Joy.

“A lot of the times when folks think of Black Joy, they think that is the only type of Joy. But Black Joy encompasses all of our students, and essentially the Black experience,” Conway said. “It is a great project which is why we decided to utilize Kleaver and the Black Joy Project in our exhibit.”

This is the first year the Black Joy Exhibit occurred, and Conway said they created this because they really wanted to end the month with joy.

“A lot of times when we think of Black History Month, we only think of slavery, the Civil War, the Black Power Movement and a lot of struggles within the United States,” Conway said. “Our intention was really creating something that displayed the joy of the now and the joy of what we’ve done throughout the year and beyond.”

To plan the exhibit, Sabree said she and Conway started by thinking about how they could display Black Love Photo Booth photos — an event held during Black History Month. She said they came

to the conclusion that they had a lot of photos from the entire month that would be worthy of being on display and they wanted to showcase them.

In addition to the slideshow and posters, there was a QR code for donations to the Center for Engagement and Inclusion. Conway said the donations would go to future programming and supporting Black students.

“It is something we started doing this year as an opportunity for our office to — on-top of having funding from the university — get additional funding in case of emergency, or even if there are funds not allocated for an event,” Conway said.

Conway also added that a lot of the Black History Month events weren’t just hosted within the Center for Engagement and Inclusion.

“There was collaboration with many different departments and student organizations across campus,” Conway said. “So, when we think about Black History Month, it is also acknowledging that it isn’t just us doing the work, but letting people know there

are other centers here to support Black Students.”

Sabree said she hopes for students of color and beyond who maybe don’t get out as much to know that there are other people here to connect with. She also added that she hopes it will open the door for other students to get involved.

Conway said the main hope for this exhibit was for people to see their joy.

“Joy is also a part of our narrative,” Conway said. “Bringing this into light and remembering that joy is a part of this rich history. We wanted to make sure that we ended Black History Month with joy."

CULTURE: Next performance in April

Continued from page 1

energetic dance,” Kaur said. “We hope that the energy we put into the performance can translate to the audience to create happiness.”

Kaur said that Bhangra is for everyone and that the whole idea is to promote unity and conclusiveness through dance.

Gurpreet Singh, a senior in the College of Health Sciences and MUBA President, said the props used were Sapp, made of X-shaped wood that expands and collapses to create a clapping sound, and Khunda, long, five-foot sticks.

“Because this is the first time we’ve used props, we took the entire year to practice for this event,” Singh said. “We wanted to devote extra time to developing our skills so we could create a new routine with props that everyone could enjoy.”

Kaur said that the group practices for two hours twice a week, and the behind the scenes puts more work on certain weeks than others due to scheduling events or ordering materials.

The preparation work of

“A Night of Magic” consisted of getting cultural Punjabi food from Indian Delight for the event.

“One of the unique foods we had was the paneer butter masala. It’s similar to butter chicken, but this (paneer butter masala) is a vegetarian option with cottage cheese,” Singh said.

In attendance at “A Night of Magic” was Andrew Dun-Roseman, a first-year student in the College of Engineering. Dun-Roseman said he found the food interesting because it had vegetarian options that had unique sources of protein such as cottage cheese.

Dun-Roseman also works as an audio-visual technician in the AMU and got to assist behind the scenes at “A Night of Magic” in tech support.

“Knowing that I was

positively influencing the performance and providing the music as an audio-visual technician was really nice because I thought the dance turned out beautifully with it,” Dun-Roseman said. “The performance inspired me to do some research on my own about the Punjabi culture.”

Singh said she hopes students got to see how exciting Bhangra and Punjabi culture can be.

“We are a very new organization and seeing the great turnout at this event means a lot for the support of our club. We hope it helps us expand throughout the Marquette community,” Singh said.

MUBA’s next performance will be in April and the club is looking to collaborate with Hype Dance Milwaukee for a future performance.

Photo by Sophie Goldstein Cruz founded Black Joy Project.

Photo by Katharine Craig katharine.craig@marquette.edu The club performed in the AMU Ballrooms last Saturday.

Marquette Radio hosts annual competition

'Radio Roulette' featured five performances

By Sofía Cortés sofia.cortes@marquette.edu

*Editor’s note: This year, members of the Marquette Wire were on the judging panel* Marquette’s Radio Roulette competition took place at the Annex on March 1. Modeled after Battle of the Bands, Radio Roulette allows for talent of any genre to enter.

At the end of the night, one artist or band is picked to perform at at Marquette Radio’s upcoming Spring Concert. A panel of judges votes on the winner, but this year the audience also got the chance to vote through a QR code.

The panel consisted of Pat Swanson, Music Director of Marquette University Radio, Tom Oeffling, Assistant Music Director of MUR, Ian Ash, local artist and John Sparrow, the drummer for the Violent Femmes.

“I’m excited for tonight because for me, there’s a sense of giving back and being able to see music. Especially if I get a couple people that I can inspire by giving them advice aside from the judging,” Sparrow said. “I was that person up there once.”

This year, Chicago-based band, Rotundos, closed the night and also won the competition, meaning they will be back to perform at Marquette once again in the spring.

The Rotundos collectively came up with a way to describe their sound, “citypunk.” The band’s sound in general was developed and their chemistry was notable throughout their performance. They were the only band who performed amongst four other artists, and they also had a longer set than anybody else, which was a great way to end the event.

The audience was on their feet for all five artists who performed but it was evident that the energy was the highest for Rotundo’s closing set. All of the artists who performed fell into different categories of genres and ending with an engaging indie, loud, punk inspired band was something that the crowd and the judges appreciated.

“We’ve been here before, it’s our third time playing here, we love Milwaukee. People here are always friendly and warm,” José Israel, vocalist, said. “This is a crazy venue; there’s a bar, a bowling alley and a basketball court, it’s awesome.”

Indie-Soul singer-songwriter *Aya was the first performer of the night. Aya said she uses music as her diary. She never forces herself to get things done but instead lets her creativity come to her naturally when it comes to her songwriting.

“I never really got the chance to sing or make music while I was in college and I’ve never gotten the chance to perform for people my age. Usually, the people I perform for are much older,” Aya said.

For performing earlier in the night, Aya immediately took the stage and asked the crowd to come closer, making the experience more intimate during her set. She even had the crowd pull out their flashlights during her one of her slower songs.

The second to take the stage was Alternative PopPunk artist Lake. Lake makes music that focuses on themes such as mental health and relationships, using his music as a form of therapy. During his set, he jumped off stage to perform part of his songs on the same level as the audience, even getting everyone to dance with him.

“Sometimes my music starts as journaling and then I end up singing the words and it turns into a song,” Lake said. “One of my

goals as an artist is to connect with people outside of Milwaukee, I’ve been doing so many shows at local venues, and I want to make sure I expand.”

Third to the stage was Nile X Nile, alternative Hip Hop artist who draws from a wide array of genres in order to make his own unique sound. Nile said that he likes to keep his listeners guessing and pushes the boundaries of being limitless as an artist.

“I’m very involved in the Milwaukee scene, and I love all of the new energy surging. Within the last five or 10 years, we’ve been waiting for Milwaukee music to have a moment and now we’re having that moment,” Nile said.

The fourth artist to perform was H. Kain, who had also performed at Autumn Rhythm in 2023. H. Kain brought a whole different set to the table while also performing some of the tracks that were well–received last at his last performance on campus. H. Kain also ended up bringing a special guest on stage to perform with him.

“As an artist, I stay motivated through my fans, and I always try to top my previous artists. Milwaukee has been really supportive; I know we have a lot of stuff going nationwide,” H. Kain said. I try to stay in my lane as an artist and put out the conscious Hip Hop, lyrical music people like as well.”

Although the audience cheered and danced for all five of the other artists, Rotundos were celebrated the most by the audience, receiving the most votes and winning the competition.

MUR hasn’t yet announced who will be headlining this year’s Spring Concert but since Rotundos' won, they will make their return to Milwaukee to open for the headliner.