Welcome to Fall 2020 Hello Readers, Welcome to the new weekly Bridge magazine. It’s a cliche to say at this point, but this past year has been crazy. We’ve been adjusting to the new way of providing you content, and we’re excited for this new format. In addition to the weekly magazine, we’re hoping to bring more online content. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out thelcbridge.com. We hope your Fall semester has been going well so far. If you’re on campus, stay safe, wear your mask and remember to keep social distancing. If your classes are all digital, we hope you’re adjusting well. It will probably be a while till things are fully normal, so for now just keep adjusting and be sure to ask for help when you need it.
Alex Johnson Editor-In-Chief
The Bridge is... Alex Johnson
Gary Chapman
Anthony Brown
amjohnson@lc.edu
gchapman@lc.edu
abrown@lc.edu
alane@lc.edu
Editor-in-Chief
Entertainment and Technology Reporter
Podcaster and Illustrator
Photographer
Nathan Tucker
Hannah Kahl
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Andrew Agney
Ashtyn Britt abritt@lc.edu
Associate Editor Krystie Morrison kmorrison@lc.edu
Web Editor and Social Media Manager Jenna Shelton jshelton@lc.edu
Ad Manager and Writer Dillon Neibel dneibel@lc.edu
Lead Reporter
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hkahl@lc.edu
Copy Editor Caroline Hussey chussey@lc.edu
Writer Moreena Hall mhall@lc.edu
Illustrator and Cartoonist Madeline Critchfield mcritchfield@lc.edu
Illustrator and Cartoonist
Adrienne Lane
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Sports Editor
Graphic Designer and Writer
Zack Bussman
Lakyn Gardner
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Illustrator
Web Specialist
Mary Curvey
Maria Martinez
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Illustrator and Cartoonist Lindsey Becker
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Graphic Designer and
Web Specialist
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Louise Jett
Writer and Graphic Designer
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Advisor
Table of Contents Opinion, pg. 4-8 -Should We Be Going Back to School Yet? One Mom’s Perspective -Diagnosis: COVID-19?? -Alton’s Farmers’ Market Slowly Growing Again -Leet Tech — From TikTok to Fortnite: What Trump’s Executive Order Might Affect
Product Reviews, pg. 10-11 -Organize Your Semester with Productivity Apps
Sports, pg. 12 -Almost Certainly The End: Saint Louis FC’s Future In Doubt
Weekly Zodiac, pg. 13 -Zodiac Signs as Tarot Cards
Photo by Krystie Morrison Page 3
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Should We Be Going Back to School Yet? One Mom’s Perspective By Jenna Shelton jshelton@lc.edu
Like all of you, I sat at home with bated breath, waiting to find out what Lewis and Clark would be allowing for the Fall 2020 school year. I can tell you that I am insanely proud of how this college, its students, staff, and faculty have handled this pandemic, especially in a time in which L&C was going through the process of interviewing and selecting a new President. I couldn’t agree more with the plans that have been put into motion for a great number of students to remain in a virtual/distance learning scenario with only those who absolutely have to be on campus for a hands-on course such as the nursing program or those that require lab hours. I know that if I have to be on campus, I will feel very secure in the knowledge that our school has done its very best to ensure that my risk of contracting COVID is very low as long as I follow precautions put into place.
What I am not pleased with is the idea that my teen daughter, who is starting high school next week will be at more risk than I, since she goes to one of the only schools in the area that has not chosen to be completely remote/distance learning. Of course, I have for YEARS told my daughter about how great high school will be.
The opportunity to control your class schedule with courses that actually interest you were just too good to be true. Along with a huge choice of clubs and groups, the opportunity to experience and learn and grow has been the mantra we have told her all through middle school. With a rough middle school/ junior high experience, she has been incredibly excited to become a high schooler.
about my concerns, she decided she wanted to try the hybrid option, which allows her to go to school for just over five hours only two days a week and remote learning the other three days in the week. They even broke it down so that students with last names A-L alternate with students with the last name K-Z, so there will be even fewer students in attendance at once, with all students learning from home on Fridays. As much as I wanted to just say, “Nope, you are doing 100% remote learning”, something she said made me stop and reconsider. She told me that no matter what we do going forward, things are changed forever and she cannot live her entire life in fear of contracting a virus. At the same time, she said that she also cannot just act like everything hasn’t changed and is aware that changes have to be made to get back to some kind of normal.
The precautions her school has put in place give me some kind of comfort but what really comforts me is the fact that I have raised a daughter that is conscious of the fact that we need to follow these precautions to try to lessen the risk of exposure. Thankfully her cousin, who is in the same last name bracket, is a junior and recently got his driver’s license and will be able to take her to and from school on the two days; this calms my nerves about her being stuck on a bus with someone who hasn’t had their temperature checked yet since as of this moment they are only checking temperatures before coming in the school building and not when they get on the school bus.
Since her school gave the option of a hybrid half in-person half online choice or the option of all online, as much as I wanted to immediately say “ONLINE”, I couldn’t make that choice by myself. I try to teach my daughter to make choices and stick to it, whatever happens, take responsibility for the choices you make and deal with the repercussions, and ALWAYS know that I am here to help or talk.
Don’t get me wrong, I think that they will have exposure within the first week and within the first month, they will be going completely virtual as influenza season kicks in. I truly hope that is not the case but schools that started throughout the country only two weeks ago already have over 2000+ students in quarantine, it shows that we just are not ready to be back completely unless we absolutely have to. I just hope that my daughter or her two cousins that also go to this school will maintain their precautions and will not come down with it.
After reviewing the plans in place for the hybrid learning option with my daughter and a long talk
Please stay safe, stay home unless you have to go out, wear a mask, and keep your distance from others!!
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Opinion
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Diagnosis: COVID-19?? By Jenna Shelton jshelton@lc.edu
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If you are anything like me then recently every ache, sniffle and cough makes me think maybe I might be coming down with COVID-19. Even when I am totally aware that I am simply choking on a drink of water, in the back of my mind I quickly go over the signs and symptoms of the coronavirus to convince myself that I need to call my doctor.
Don’t worry, I don’t actually call my doctor because I swallowed water incorrectly, if anything I am doing all I can to stay away from “hotspots” where I could be potentially exposed to the virus. Except for this week, I had to go in for my annual checkup or I would not be able to continue with the regular maintenance medications that I have taken for years.
Of course, the doctor’s office has precautions in place to avoid possible exposure to the virus at this time so when I arrived I was met with a sign on the door informing me that I needed to call and tell them I was there. After the customary 5-10 minute wait of the lovely song “Last Christmas” by the 1980s band Wham! that they have been playing year-round since Christmas 2 years ago, I finally got through and was put on hold again to wait for the intake nurse to ask if my personal details were correct and if I had symptoms or been around any suspected or positive cases of COVID.
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After all that I was finally admitted to the building but could not go farther than the vestibule before my temperature was taken. Obviously, since I have kept myself squirreled away at my house in the country and am avoiding going in public, my temperature was normal. I was immediately taken into an exam room, bypassing the waiting room completely.
Honestly, it was the fastest I have ever gotten into an exam room at this office and would happily go through all these precautions again to make sure that I don’t bring any germs home to my family. After going through all the regular motions of my checkup I brought up the fact that earlier this year my family and I were extremely ill and questioned if that could have been coronavirus. My doctor was sure that because of how early in the year we were sick, it was a slim chance that we could have been infected as the virus wasn’t in this
Opinion
area at that time. But then I informed him that we had spent weeks in Chicago and came home literally days before they started with cases in Chicago, only to get sick within a week of coming home. Along with the symptoms that we had and the fact that we had multiple tests for influenza and strep throat that were always negative, and that our illness lasted almost 2 months solid, my doctor felt that it would be a good idea to have an antibody test done. Antibody tests for COVID test the blood to determine if there was ever a presence of the SARSCoV-2 (COVID-19) antibody IgG. I had my blood drawn in the room and was told that my antibody test would be back in 24-72 hours, depending on how busy they are.
I was warned that even if my test came back positive, meaning that I had COVID at some point, there was not enough information on this disease and that I would still need to take precautions; just because I had it once, it did not mean I couldn’t get it again and infect others. The very next morning I was notified that I was negative, I had not had COVID, even though I was sick as a dog in the spring, it was most likely some other virus going around at that time. While I was extremely relieved, considering some of the horrific long-term effects that are being discovered as people start to recover, I was still a bit disappointed. I know that sounds completely crazy, why in the world would I have wanted COVID? I guess in my mind, the same mind that tries to stay away from current COVID news otherwise I will have a hypochondriac fit, I think of COVID the same way one would think of chickenpox. Once you’ve had it, you can’t get it again but I know that we don’t know enough about this pandemic to say that with anything less than 100% confidence. I truly am grateful that we have not contracted the coronavirus and will continue to do whatever I can to ensure that we stay as safe as we possibly can while trying to start the fall semester as normally as possible. Stay safe and make sure to wash your hands, please wear a mask and keep your distance from others! Page 5
Growing Growing Alton’s Farmers’ Market Slowly Growing Again By Jenna Shelton jshelton@lc.edu
I don’t know about many of you, but when I was a kid I either loved or absolutely hated the farmers’ markets and there was no in-between at all! Depending on the weekend and which vendors were there, I could find treasures and treats that I would hide from my two sisters since they often didn’t come to market with my parents and I. On a bad weekend though, I would pout and stomp around if my parents wouldn’t carry me, absolutely determined to never come back again.
Locally grown fruits, vegetables, basically any kind of produce you can imagine are sold along with pastries, loaves of bread, meats, macaroons, smoked pretzels and non-edible items like renin or wood artwork, paintings and other items that can be handmade. Not only are you helping local artists and farmers continue their profession, some of which have been in business for decades, but by shopping at the market, you help those who have government benefits like food stamps and WIC (Women, Infants, Children) provide fresh produce at a great deal.
Now as an adult I find immense humor in the fact that I now have a daughter who is exactly the same as I was when it comes to weekend markets. One such market that I often make time for on a weekly basis is the Alton Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market that is held every Saturday morning - rain or shine - from 8 a.m. to noon at 501 Landmarks Blvd., Alton, IL, 62002. It is normally held every year from May until October, with an additional Night Market offered on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Unfortunately, this year COVID-19 threw a wrench in normal plans and the Wednesday markets are not open, but never fear dear reader, the non-profit group Alton Main Street that normally hosts the market got to work to come up with inventive ways to allow consumers to shop and vendors the opportunity to continue to earn an income. Initially, they came up with a drive-thru type plan that involved the vendors allowing pre-orders online along with paying online, and then the customers could literally drive through the market and pick up their order. Once the restrictions started to ease, they phased into allowing the market to work in the traditional sense with booths spread out along with other significant changes that allow everyone to stay as safe and healthy as possible. Another thing that I treasure now that I am an adult is the fact that I am helping small, local businesses and vendors, as one must grow or make any item sold at this market. So no, there will not be any Scentsy, but if you are looking for something like that I have a person! What you will find is the nectar of the gods in both coffee form and honey form. I literally cannot survive without my daily Bunkhouse Joe’s infusion and thank goodness they are always there to stock me up every week. There are a couple of different vendors that offer locally sourced honey which is great if you’re like me and allergic to everything outside. A little trick to help with outdoor allergies is to have a bit of local honey in order to build a tolerance to those pesky little allergens.
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The “What Wood Kevin Do” stand, operated by Kevin Jeffreys, offers handmade wooden items. All items at the Alton Farmer’s Market must be homemade. Photo by Adrienne Lane. Yes, you read that correctly, those who have EBT Food Stamps can use them at the market. Not only that but they get a grant from the government and for every dollar that someone uses on their EBT, they get a free dollar back up to $25 per day. So basically you get $50 to use at the market but are only charged $25 on your food stamp card! This “money” to spend is traditionally little wood chips or special pieces of paper and cannot be used anywhere else but can be saved to use the next time you come so you don’t have to spend it all in one trip. With the price of produce, especially for organic, which is easily found at this market, that is a great opportunity. Especially for those who are in need of making sure that their EBT benefits last without having to buy the preservative-filled processed junk foods that are priced just right and makes it easy to make those EBT bucks last. For more information on the Alton Farmers’ & Artisans’ Market please check their Facebook page, call Alton Main Street at 618-463-1016 or email them at sara@altonmainstreet.org.
Opinion
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From TikTok to Fortnite: What Trump’s
Executive Order Might Affect
On Thursday, August 6th, President Trump signed two executive orders banning transactions between the US and Bytedance, who are the owners of TikTok, and Tencent, a multinational conglomerate who owns the popular WeChat app.
Whoever is going to buy those assets better have the cash for it. Tencent also has a hand in making Hollywood blockbusters with them producing “Kong: Skull Island”, “Venom” and the upcoming “Top Gun: Maverick”.
The executive order cites concern over the apps collecting data that “threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information…. And [the] proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives.” the executive order cites censoring Chinese issues like Tiananmen Square and treatment of Muslims
Tiktok is not taking the executive order sitting down, however, as they issued a statement on the 7th of August.
The executive order will block “transactions” between U.S. citizens and requires the two companies to sell to a US company like Microsoft, who had shown interest in purchasing TikTok. When it comes to Tencent, its assets might be a little more extravagant. Tencent has a hold in a lot of tech things, including owning Riot Games, which makes the highly popular MMOs (massively multiplayer online games) “League of Legends” and “Valorant” and owning 40% of Epic Games, who make “Fortnite” and “Rocket League” to an extent, buying the developer Psyonix in 2019. Tencent also has a small stake in Activision Blizzard who owns “Overwatch” and “World of Warcraft”. Page 8
The statement asserts that the White House did not follow due process, stating that “For nearly a year, we have sought to engage with the US government in good faith to provide a constructive solution to the concerns that have been expressed” and that “The text of the decision makes it plain that there has been a reliance on unnamed “reports” with no citations, fears that the app “may be” used for misinformation campaigns with no substantiation of such fears, and concerns about the collection of data that is industry standard for thousands of mobile apps around the world. “ Tech YouTuber/Commentator Mutahar Anas stated his thoughts on the subject saying that, “...I would have banned this on government cell phones….” but in regards to the average citizen, he said that we should have the freedom to install whatever we want, citing that data collection will happen anyway. The question is what precedent will be set for this action, and the answer is I do not know. Opinion
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Organize Your Semester with Productivity Apps By Alex Johnson amjohnson@lc.edu
Sometimes balancing classes, work, personal responsibilities, and even just getting a meal can be a challenge for college students. Taking advantage of the many, and often free, productivity tools that are available can help put some order to all the chaos life as a student (or life in general) can have. There’s no “right way” to organize your schedule. Some people like to write things, some like an app (or multiple apps), and some people seem to thrive in the chaos and take things as they come.
We’re one week into fall and I’m sure, like myself, many of you are already feeling overwhelmed. If you’ve never tried a productivity manager or your current one isn’t working for you, now is a great time to get into a new task-management routine. But where do you start? Don’t get discouraged if none of these work for you. Productivity software has been around since some of the earliest personal computers. That means there’s hundreds if not thousands of choices out there, each tailored for different needs. If you haven’t yet, try out some organizational apps and see if that makes this semester go better than the last.
Microsoft Outlook You Already Have It
My Study Life Built for Students
Did you know that your L&C email is based on Microsoft’s Outlook 365? If you log into your account (or sign in to the Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS Outlook app) you’ll notice a small calendar tab.
If you like to maintain some sort of separation between your school, work, and personal life then My Study Life might be for you. My Study Life is built specifically for organizing your classes and classwork.
Outlook’s calendar is fairly basic, but it allows for creating events and appointments that you can invite other L&C students or staff to. You can also set up multiple calendar categories, so you could use this for a work schedule as well. You can also import your Blackboard calendars if your professor is using Outlook for their calendar.
When you initially set up My Study Life, you’ll be able to enter your courses for the semester, including location (if you’re on campus), professor, contact information, meeting times, and notes you may want to add.
Unfortunately, Outlook does not have a to-do list, so if that’s something you need, then you will need to use a separate app. The Good: You already have access, set-up for L&C schedules/contacts. The Bad: Just a calendar.
There is a separate assignment and exam list in addition to your schedule. Each time you add something you can choose what class it’s for and the due dates will pop up on your calendar in addition to the to-do list. The homework task list also offers a completion slider to help you keep track of longer assignments. My Study Life is web-based but has an Android and iOS app. It is free and you can choose to sign up with Google, Facebook, Office 365, or just an email address. The Good: Focuses on students, very clean and modern interface, easily accessible, lots of available modifiers when setting up The Bad: Only useful for managing schoolwork (this may be a plus for some)
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Product Reviews
Microsoft To-Do Simple
If you just need a to-do list then I don’t think there are many better options than Microsoft To-Do. To-Do does one thing, but it does it very well; it organizes your to-do list. With To-Do you can create task lists and task groups. A task list is just a run-down of what you need to do for a category of tasks, and a group organizes those lists. So, for example, you can have a task group for a class with different lists for tasks that class will require; you could have an assignment list, test list, reading list, project list, etc. Each task you put on a list can be marked as one-time with or without a due date, repeating indefinitely, or repeating till a certain date. To-Do is simple to set up and adaptable to how you want to use it, so there’s not a right or wrong way to organize your lists and groups. To-Do is free to set-up (requires a Microsoft account); has Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac apps; works in a web browser; and syncs across all your devices quickly. The Good: Simple, no-nonsense todo list. The Bad: Simple, no-nonsense to-do list with very few features.
Google Calendar The Catch-All
Google Calendar is great if you need something that does a little bit of everything. The obvious, and main feature, is the calendar. The calendar offers everything you would expect; the ability to set a schedule, add repeating and non-repeating events, and have reminders emailed and/or texted to you. You can also keep multiple calendars so, for example, you can have one for your class schedule and one for your work schedule. Beyond the calendar, Google Calendar also gives quick access to a simple to-do list and a simple note-taking app. These are good for little one-off tasks (like a homework assignment for example) or writing a quick reminder or list. The biggest advantage Google Calendar offers is its portability; you can access it in a browser, phone app, desktop app, mobile browser, or just about any other device that can get online. It syncs quickly and looks pretty consistent no matter where you’re using it. The downside, the additional features are a little more basic. The note-taking app uses Keep and doesn’t offer a lot in the ways of organization, it’s best for jotting down quick notes like a grocery list. The UI is also very corporate looking, I’ve been using Google Calendar for years and it still has a very early 2000s Microsoft Outlook feel. It’s easy to get around, just very “businessman” looking. The new “Schedule” tab on the app looks a little nicer, but it’s not the most organized way to view your calendar. Good: Feature-rich, free (with a Google account), easily accessible Bad: Notes are a little basic, appearance is a little basic, you’re giving even more of your data to Google.
Product Reviews
Evernote Customize It
Evernote is a note-taking app that also offers productivity tools. Think of Evernote as a digital backpack; you can keep binders, notebooks, folders, and assorted “pages” organized and accessible from anywhere. You could use Evernote to simply take and organize class notes, but that would be underutilizing everything it has to offer. You can save entire class presentations, you can take photos of study guides and pull the text to make it editable, and, yes, you can type out notes. Evernote also offers a number of templates for building agendas and lists or, if you need more control, you can design your own. Evernote has desktop and mobile apps across all platforms and has a webapp. Evernote has a free version that is very capable; the major downsides of Evernote’s free version are you can only be signed into the app on two devices and there are no collaboration tools. Evernote Basic is $7.99 a month and offers multiple sign-ins as well as a few other features. Evernote Business, the only tier to offer collaboration tools, is $14.99 a month. The Good: Super powerful, customizable, could be your all-in-one productivity tool The Bad: May take some time to set up, can be pricey depending on what you need.
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End End
The End Almost Certainly The End:
Saint Louis FC’s Future In Doubt By Nathan Tucker nrtucker@lc.edu
The St. Louis area’s lone fully-professional soccer team, Saint Louis FC, is reportedly on the outs after this USL Championship season. The team that plays its home games at West Community Stadium in Fenton, MO, is currently in its sixth USL season.
The Athletic’s Jeff Reuter reported this week that Saint Louis FC has until the end of the month of August to decide the club’s fate for next season and beyond. Sources claim “players and staff alike have come to a grave assumption that this will almost certainly be the end” as Reuter reports. The decision would leave St. Louis without professional soccer until the Major League Soccer franchise begins play, which is now slated for 2023 instead of 2022. The league pushed back St. Louis’s inaugural MLS season due to financial concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
When I spoke with Tyler Tetzlaff of Saint Louis FC earlier this year on the excitement building around MLS coming to the city, and Saint Louis FC’s potential to be an affiliate club, he gave me an answer that hinted at this unfortunate possibility. “So to be honest, as far as affiliation and everything, that’s not 100% confirmed.” Tetzlaff said to me at West Community Stadium back in February. “We don’t know what the future is going to hold for us, whether it ends in a few years or this year.”
Rumors began to rumble among fans of Saint Louis FC and the game of soccer in the area that this was potentially the last season the team would compete. With this report coming from Jeff Reuter and The Athletic, that smoke has now bore fire, and soccer fans could be left without a pro team, again.
It seemed like Saint Louis FC would be that soccer team for the city to embrace, and for years, the city did. The club brought in local soccer minds, local soccer legends, had relationships with the larger Blues and Cardinals and despite playing in Fenton, felt like a part of the city’s sports framework. What has drawn the ire of many local soccer fans in this story is that the “MLS 4 The Lou” group originally stated on their website that Saint Louis FC was an integral part of the MLS team’s plans. Saint Louis FC, and youth soccer organization St. Louis Scott Gallagher, were always slated to provide the development of players for the MLS-level team. Even more explicitly, the site expanded as to why keeping Saint Louis FC as part of the process was integral to the foundation of the MLS club. A paragraph from the MLS 4 The Lou site once read:
“Will Saint Louis FC, the existing USL team, be a part of this (MLS) process? Yes, if an MLS team is awarded. Jim Kavanaugh, who is part of our #MLS4THELOU ownership group, is also CEO of Saint Louis FC and St. Louis Scott Gallagher clubs. If an MLS franchise is awarded, our plan is to integrate these clubs into the MLS structure. Saint Louis FC has established a passionate fan base and we’re excited to include them in the process.” Somewhere down the line, that process changed. St. Louis’s biggest soccer supporters group, the St. Louligans, have been expressing their frustrations with this move on social media since the report came out.
If Saint Louis FC folds after this current USL Championship season, that would mean an over two-year wait for area soccer fans to watch pro soccer in person again. With the MLS team not slated to play until 2023, the biggest outdoor soccer team in the area is the St. Louis Lions, which play in the semipro fourth level of US Soccer, USL League Two.
“We haven’t been naive in this process, the USL team would never be able to “compete” with #MLS4TheLou.” said the Louligans Twitter account. “But we expected/hoped @SaintLouisFC would carry on until MLS started at least. To bridge the gap. Change was inevitable. Just didn’t expect it like this.”
In this humble writer’s opinion, Saint Louis FC is the reason St. Louis won an MLS franchise, and is a big reason why many in the soccer community feel St. Louis is a “soccer city” even after years without a team to call its own.
I cannot really fathom why the MLS team wants to starve the area of soccer before its launch in 2023. I suppose their theory is trying to make people hungry for soccer by taking it away. So much for growing the game.
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Sports
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Zodiac