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04 Letter fro 06 Flash Fiv 16 News 26 Projects 30 Feature: 40 Sports 49 Feature: 54 Arts & En 63 Opinions Cover photo by Claire Gallagher 2

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Letter from the Editor Throughout my four years at Marquette, one message has been repeated time and time again: You will find members of the Marquette community wherever you go. At first glance, a university with just under 8,000 undergrad and fewer than 12,000 total students does not seem like it would yield that repeated message. But I’ve seen it in the fervent basketball fan base, the vast network of alumni connections, the smiles of recognition from passerbys in cities when I wear one of my many Marquette University T-shirts. While I have personally never travelled outside the United States, I’ve heard stories from people who have randomly come across Marquette alumni, students and fans abroad and bonded over their shared connection. There’s no denying it: Marquette has a community. A community that spans across the globe. The word ‘global’ carries a new meaning this year. We are just a little over one year since the world shut down due to COVID-19. Few things can affect the entire world like a global pandemic. As vaccines continue to be administered – something that seemed so far at this point in time last year – and nations, businesses and schools relearn how to open again, hope glimmers on the horizon. But the effects of this pandemic, both short and long term, are something everyone around the world has only begun to understand. In this issue, we tackle topics like the effects of the pandemic on international Marquette students, including a graduate student from Bangladesh who lost his father to COVID-19 and was unable to travel home to the services; an open discussion and first part of a series discussing the role of Jesuit missionaries in colonization; and an opinions column shedding light on injustices happening to Muslim communities all around the world. We also have some lighter stories, like athletes to watch out for in the 4

upcoming Summer Olympics delayed from 2020; student memories from experiences studying abroad; upcoming 2021 fashion trends and advice for finding positivity in a year of chaos. I never expected my senior year of college to look the way it has. If I’m being honest, I have very little idea of what comes next; both for myself, and for the world. But I do know one thing: I will always cherish my four years at the Marquette Wire. And I have been blessed this past year to serve as the managing editor of the Marquette Journal. We produced three in-depth magazines in the midst of a global pandemic. That’s a pretty big accomplishment, if you ask me. As always, this issue would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the Marquette Wire staff. Thanks to executive director Natallie St. Onge for her advice, guidance and support; to Mark Zoromski for his constant encouragement; to the design team led by design chief Gracie Pionek for bringing this vision to life; to the copy desk and every editor that I asked to do edits and reads at all hours of the day; to the hardworking

Kelli Arseneau, Managing Editor of the Marquette Journal Photo by Zach Bukowski

team of writers and producers that created the content found on these pages and online; and to you, for reading the words on this page. Thank you. To Skyler Chun, the upcoming Journal managing editor for the 2021-22 academic year, I know I’m leaving the Marquette Journal in good hands, and I cannot wait to see what you create. I hope the stories told in this magazine help make the world feel a little bit smaller. In the words of Maya Angelou: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” Sincerely,

Executive Director of the Marquette Wire Natallie St. Onge Managing Editor of the Marquette Journal Kelli Arseneau EDITORIAL Executive Editors Lelah Byron, Zoe Comerford, Skyler Chun, Alex Garner, Benjamin Wells Assistant Editors Aminah Beg, Charlotte Ives, Claire Driscol, Nick Galle, Molly Gretzlock, Amanda Parrish, Mason Stebnitz, Megan Woolard Copy Chief Nora McCaughey Copy Editors Kendra Bell, Kim Cook, Emily Reinhardt, Bailey Striepling Contributing Writers Julianna Abuzzahab, Sam Arco, Maria Crenshaw, Grace Dawson, Quinn Faeth, Bryan Geenen, Jackson Gross, Mary Hanna, Jenna Koch, Jack Lewandowski, Ariana Madson, Annie Mattea, Natalija Mileusnic, Hope Moses, Max Pickart, Lucia Ruffolo, Beck Salgado, Tommy Shaffer, Matt Yeazel

DIGITAL General Manager of Marquette University Television Aimee Galaszewski General Manager of Marquette University Radio Reese Seberg Executive Producers Shane Hogan, Alex Rivera Grant, Vanessa Rivera Assistant Producers Andrew Amouzou, Cal Gessner, Ryan Hagan, Autumn Hirchert, Kristin Parisi, Tyler Peters, Sarah Richardson, Kaylee Staral Assistant Radio General Manager Bella Lazarski Audio Producers Joseph Beaird, Randi Haseman, John Leuzzi ART

ADVERTISING

Design Chief

Sales Manager

Gracie Pionek

Audrey Roth

Executive Photo Editor Zach Bukowski Designers Mariam Ali, Kayla Nickerson, Marissa Provenzale, Lily Werner Photographers Isabel Bonebrake, Claire Gallagher, Joceline Helmbreck, Nathan Lampres, Katerina Pourliakas

All photos in this issue have had filters applied for design consistency in line with our theme. These photos were not otherwise altered in any way.

FLASH FIVE Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada August 2016

Photo by Claire Gallagher

FLASH FIVE Arachova, Greece January 2020

Photo by Katerina Pourliakas

FLASH FIVE Epcot Ball at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida March 2019

Photo by Joceline Helmbreck

FLASH FIVE St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands March 2018

Photo by Isabel Bonebrake

FLASH FIVE Henry Maier Festival Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin February 2021

Photo by Zach Bukowski

Far From Home NATALIJA MILEUSNIC

WHEN GLOBAL TRAGEDY STRUCK, INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS HAD TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS

Romael Haque, a Marquette graduate student from Bangladesh, lost his father to COVID-19 in July. His parents had purchased airplane tickets in January to visit their son in Milwaukee over the summer. They had to cancel their trip when the pandemic hit. “It was painful to see that when my father was supposed to be here with me,” Haque says. “We were supposed to be enjoying the summer.” Due to travel restrictions, timing and the likelihood of getting behind in his coursework, Haque was unable to make it home for his father’s burial. “As an international student here, every moment counts,” Haque says. “We cannot just lose one semester, we don’t have that. ... that six months is very precious for us.” Haque traveled back to Bangladesh in December 2020 to be with his mother in person for the first time since his father’s death. When the world shut down in March 2020, international and foreign exchange students across Marquette’s campus found themselves far from home, uncertain what travel restrictions and quarantining guidelines would mean for their ability to see loved ones. Lars Gysbrechts, a senior and foreign exchange student from Belgium, attended Marquette during the fall 2020 semester. “After the first time I read the email sent out last March, I was on the verge of canceling or postponing the exchange

program,” Gysbrechts says. “When we came close to the deadline, I didn’t really cancel anything yet.” Gysbrecht says that he did prior research online before his semester started to ensure that his foreign exchange experience at Marquette would not be significantly altered by COVID-19. Sahara Adhikari, a Marquette graduate student from Nepal, describes her transition to Milwaukee since she arrived this January. “The first month was me trying to adjust to the new environment, especially the new culture,” Adhikari says. “Everyone was wearing a mask, so it was hard to have a conversation.” Adhikari says her advisor, Dr. Yong Bai, provided additional support to her arrival on Marquette’s campus. “My professor and advisor have been sup-

portive by asking me if I’m okay, or feeling fine, and if I need any help,” Adhikari says. “The culture adjustment was hard because everyone is in their own space here and you don’t know if you should have a conversation with someone.” Henry Yang, a senior in the College of Business Administration, is finishing out his degree from his home in China. He lived and studied at Marquette for two and a half years before the pandemic hit. Yang did not plan to return home immediately after classes switched to an online format in March, because the international trip and time difference would make his studies difficult. He did, however, eventually get a ticket to his home in China, where he is spending his senior year. Yang says that while he was still on campus, his friend group started following the social distancing guidelines on campus before it became enforced. “We intentionally reduced frequency of going out and didn’t meet each other as often as we were before much earlier than March,” Yang says. Andree Angulo, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences from Bolivia, was on spring break visiting his girlfriend in Mexico when Marquette announced its transition to online learning. With only his bags for his Mexico trip

packed, Angulo returned to Bolivia. The remainder of his belongings sat in his dorm room in Milwaukee. “I was a sophomore at the time, living in Straz, and I had to plan out what I was going to do with my stuff,” Angulo says. “I was away and it was going to be difficult for me to come back up here, so I decided to go back to Bolivia straight from Mexico.” Angulo paid a business to pack and store his belongings at Marquette until he could retrieve them when he returned to Milwaukee in August for the fall 2020 semester. Yang says that every day tasks were changed drastically because of the pandemic.

“We were

supposed to be enjoying the summer.

”

-Romael Haque Graduate student

“It was nice to have so much personal time at the beginning but finally, loneliness drove me a little crazy,” Yang says. “My life was not regular as it was before. Since gyms were finally closed and not many students were left on campus, I pushed myself to run in the morning.” Originally from Belgium, Gysbrechts says that Mitchell Lawson, a foreign exchange coordinator at Marquette, contacted all foreign exchange students that were currently on campus to offer any assistance. Angulo says Marquette provided additional support to students from outside the United States. “Marquette sent out some emails saying that if they needed more time, they would provide some accommodations for international students,” Angulo says. “They did that for a few students, but not for me since I didn’t really need it and wanted to be at home with my family.” While he was still on Marquette’s campus, Gysbrecht says he followed the Center for Disease Control’s social distancing guidelines.

Town West apartments that helps foreign exchange students adjust to their new surroundings, assisted students like Gysbrecht during uncertain times. “What surprised me the most was how many of the people from the Global Village, which was where I lived, still tried to make it worth our while when we were still there,” Gysbrecht says. Yang says that his apartment complex on 14th St. enforced students to cooperate with the social distancing guidelines. “They sent us emails a few times and put up a notification on (the) wall to ask everyone for cooperation and keep social distancing,” Yang says. “The landlord made disinfection of hallways a few times also, which was pretty good.” Kelli Arseneau contributed to this report.

“The experience with wearing masks was quite the same as it is in Belgium,” Gysbrecht says. “When we were in busy places, just around campus, when we had a big space of meeting, or being in a group of a lot of people, my friends and I just wore them anyway to be safe.” Global Village, a community in Campus

Romael Haque (third from left) smiles with his family in January 2020. Photo courtesy Romael Haque

Enrolling Internationally JULIA ABUZZAHAB fore the pandemic coincides with a general trend of lessening interest in English language programs. There are currently 360 international students enrolled at the university, according to Marquette’s student enrollment/full-time equivalency interactive report. In spring 2016, there were 547 enrolled. The report, which includes data as far back as fall 2005, has shown a steady decrease in international student enrollment since that number hit its peak in 2013, with a total of 621 international students. Vice President for Enrollment Management John Baworowsky says having a diverse student body is a top priority for Marquette, and the university is always working to grow its number of international students. “We are always working hard to grow the number of international students this fall and beyond. Our international numbers have always been modest, so the revenue impact on Marquette is minimal,” Baworowsky says in an email. Susan Whipple, assistant director at the Office of International Education, says the pandemic has already significantly impacted international student enrollment and will continue to do so for years to come. “Any decrease in international student enrollment impacts the classroom experience,” Whipple says in an email. “Students can’t be prepared for a global world if they aren’t learning about different experiences or different perspectives from their international student classmates or developing friendships that will last into their professional careers or provide the personal learning of the ‘other’ that a Jesuit education requires.” Adjunct assistant professor and English as a Second Language (ESL) program coordinator Caroline Oas says that the decrease in enrollment impacts cultural and language diversity at Marquette. “Being able to teach, learn and live with students from all over the world provides Marquette with the best opportunities to meet our university vision,” Oas says in an email.

Baworowsky says the declining international student enrollment at Marquette even be-

Whipple says the recent decline may be a result of many factors such as how welcoming the United States is viewed, crime rates, economic factors and, most recently, COVID-19. She says that international student enrollment has fluctuated over the past years, but was especially lower in fall 2020 and spring 2021 due to the pandemic. Whipple says the pandemic has influenced international student enrollment more than enrollment for domestic students. For example, factors like borders being closed due to the pandemic in some countries, flights being cancelled, visa appointments not being available and families losing jobs that would have helped pay for education all affect international students’ abilities to be at Marquette. Baworowsky says that Marquette relied on Education, Language, and Skills English Centers to send students after they completed their English studies, yet the popularity of coming to the United States for English language training has drastically declined throughout the past five years. Baworowsky says that Marquette would see around 30 or more new students from ELS each year, but now that number has dropped to less than five per year. ELS English Centers are programs where students can learn English and experience an English-speaking culture all across the United States. “We have seen declines in graduate business students, and – as mentioned – a decline in students coming for English language programs,” Baworowsky says in an email. “Our enrollments from China have increased each year. The pandemic has slowed this down but we expect a turnaround in Fall 2022. We also have a more favorable environment in Washington D.C. due to the change in administration.” Baworowsky says that this is because when former President Trump took office, international enrollment decreased in America. He says that Trump’s rhetoric and policies discouraged students from coming to the U.S. for higher education. Further, he says when the pandemic hit, many international parents stated that they were unhappy with

how the US handled COVID-19 and elected to keep their children at home. He says Marquette is hoping for a rebound due to the new presidential administration being more open to international students studying in the United States. Oas says Marquette is also feeling more hopeful for increasing international student enrollment due to the promising vaccine rollout. Throughout the pandemic, recruiting international students has looked a little different. Baworowsky says since the pandemic began, Marquette has relied more on email and their website to attract students, as opposed to staff members traveling. Prior to the pandemic, Marquette sent teams to China, Vietnam, Latin America and the Middle East to recruit students. He says that China does not have many high school college counselors, so families go to agencies for college advice. The Office of International Education has also held many virtual events for the Office of Undergraduate Admission’s virtual open houses. Despite the decrease in numbers, The Office of International Education has many initiatives in place to increase international enrollment. Some of theses initiatives include Marquette expanding the number of Chinese agencies it works with and conducting virtual fairs in Latin America and China. The OIE developed a partnership with an agency in Oman, and the Undergraduate Admissions Office is connecting with international students in U.S. high schools. Marquette also has partnered with the company Amerigo, which places international students into Catholic high schools, to send Marquette staff members go to these high schools to talk about the university, Baworowsky says. “Despite the loss of key employees due to the reduction in force we hope to continue the same strategies for enrolling and retaining international students, but this has yet to be determined,” Whipple says in an email. Photo by Isabel Bonebrake

and domestic students come together can lead to growth and opportunities for both parties.

Neighboring Cultures

MEGAN WOOLARD

Campus Town West houses a group of domestic and international students known as Global Village. The program was started back in 2001 through a collaboration between the Office of Residence Life, the Office of International Education and the International Business department. “These three offices discovered that the international students studying at Marquette were having a difficult time adjusting to the campus environment and so they wanted to provide a space where the international students can receive support as they navigate Marquette, Milwaukee and the U.S.,” Uriel Robles, graduate assistant of diversity and inclusion in university apartments, says. The program places international students with one or more Global Village ambassadors. They then live together in Campus Town West. These ambassadors are Marquette students who help international students adjust to the U.S. and help to ensure that they have a successful experience at Marquette. Global Village ambassadors go through an application process that occurs in the early months of the fall semester. If selected, the ambassador will live in Global Village with an international student the following year, starting in the fall semester. James Ogunbola, a senior in the College of Communication, is the community assistant for Global Village. He says his job is similar to that of a resident assistant but “a lot less hands on,” as many of the individuals in Global Village are over 21 and need less guidance. “My job is to make sure that the relationship between the (international) students and ambassadors is smooth. I also relay important information to ambassadors and students,” Ogunbola says. Having an environment where international

“(Living in Global Village) has been such a rewarding experience for me,” Ogunbola says. “I’ve learned a lot about my leadership style and it’s given me a lot more confidence in my ability to communicate in intercultural relationships.” Daniel Ham, a student ambassador and senior in the College of Education, says he got involved in Global Village after studying abroad in Italy. While studying abroad he mostly met with other American students and did not have as much direct contact with international students. “I wanted to give what I was never given in Italy. I wish there had been a program like Global Village when I was studying abroad,” Ham says. While living in Global Village, Ham has been able to learn what international students think of Americans.

Living in Global Village has provided Strumpf the opportunity to make many memories while in the U.S. Since Strumpf has lived here, there has been both a pajama party and a Superbowl party. “We don’t act like neighbors, we act like a family,” Strumpf says in an email. Learning from different groups of people is just one advantage to living in Global Village. Both international students and ambassadors live in Campus Town West for a discounted rental price. However, bringing together people from all over the world can lead to some challenges, especially when trying to communicate with people from very different backgrounds. “Your cultural competency is definitely challenged. It can sometimes be difficult to adapt but with enough time and patience those differences can be spoken

“Apparently we’re very overreactive in the way we gesture. And we also eat way more often. Snacking is a lot more common here,” Ham says. In addition, Ham says that he’s learned to communicate a lot through body language and has discovered “a universal sense of humor.” Ham also says that it’s fun to partake in different American drinking games with the international students. Anouk Strumpf, an international student from Luxembourg and a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, wasn’t sure at first about living in Global Village. “Although I did not know what to expect at first, I must say that I truly love living in Global Village,” Strumpf says in an email. Strumpf says Global Village has become more than just a living space. “What I enjoy most is that the entire GV-area of the floor feels like we’re all indeed living together: people rarely lock their doors, you encounter people on the floor, and everyone goes to each another’s place to hang out,” Strumpf says in an email.

Photo by Joceline Helmbreck

about and understood,” Ogunbola says. Yet, even through the difficulties that may come, Ogunbola says that living in Global Village is ultimately a great place for both the international students and the ambassadors. “It’s a beautiful exchange of cultures and just good times. There’s beauty in the process of coming together.” Ogunbola says. 19

Piloting through a Pandemic BRYAN GEENEN THE AIR TRAVEL INDUSTRY HAS TAKEN A SEVERE BLOW FROM COVID-19 Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the flight industry was set to have another one of its best years in history. For the past two decades, the number of flights each year had been steadily increasing. In 2019, before COVID-19 was introduced to the world, there were almost 39 million flights globally in the airline industry each year. In 2020, post-COVID, that number dipped to a shocking 16 million, according to a Statista study. For many in the airline industry, the idea of a lockdown on travel was incredibly scary. Mike Heck, the vice president of supplier solutions at Fox World Travel and Marquette graduate of the 1985 class, works to set up airlines, car rentals, hotels, cruises and all sorts of travel-related plans for companies in the United States. His first reaction was similar to many in the travel industry. “At first, it was a little bit of disbelief,” Heck says. “Honestly, we left the office early March last year, I just thought I’d be gone for a couple of weeks, they’d have to come in and clean the offices a little better and we’d be right back at it. But it just spiraled so quickly into a permanent, complete shutdown with the exception of essential travel.” Just an hour and a half north from Marquette’s campus, Patrick Tracey, the Appleton Airport marketing manager, says in a smaller market, the impact was immediate. 20

“We were gearing up back in March, literally one year ago now and we were looking at exceeding our best year by 20%. On a good day, we would be doing 1,800 people flying out of here a day. We went down on April 19. We had 19 people fly out. That was our low. It was like the water got turned off,” Tracey says. For a larger market like Milwaukee, Stephanie Staudinger, the marketing coordinator at General Mitchell International Airport, says the changes needed to be made immediately so that once the lockdown was lifted, the airport staff would be ready to fly travelers safely. “A lot of what I had to do in the beginning and during 2020 was listening to the messaging that would come down,” Staudinger says. “Whenever a new man-

“

It was like the water got turned off. -Patrick Tracey Appleton Airport Marketing Manager

”

date or a new ruling or anything came out on masks or things like that, we would have to go with whatever came down and things would change so rapidly.” The airlines also had to follow mandates, including a mask mandate on all flights. Now, every airline and airport practices social distancing among other tactics to keep travelers safe. A back-to-front boarding process has become increasingly common among airlines. Many airport managers work with other airports to implement new ideas to stay safe, Tracey and Staudinger say. Before the mandate, however, one Southwest flight attendant says some of his work included flights that had little to no people. “For my experience, I did operate probably three or four (flights) that had nobody. So we basically moved the airplane from point A to point B. There were quite a few flights that had between one and 10 people,” the flight attendant says. “It didn’t register to me that this was going to be something that continued as long as it did.” Despite the quick adaptations all sides of the travel industry have made, the impact has been felt all across the board. An account executive at Delta Airlines says one of the biggest changes has

been moving all meetings with clients to a virtual environment. “It’s definitely the interactions with my clients, being face-to-face, and making an actual connection. At the end of the day, though Zoom and Teams calls are helpful, I think a lot can get lost, not being face to face. I actually have a face-to-face meeting on Thursday with a client. That’s my first, maybe my second meeting face to face since last year,” the account executive says. “I think the reason I got hired is because I’m a people person. It definitely sucks, to put it simply.” Both the Southwest flight attendant and the Delta account executive requested to remain anonymous for the protection of their jobs. The Marquette Wire granted these requests. The industry is so much more than just the airlines and the airports, Heck says. “The ripple effect is incredible. Taking a taxi or an Uber or Lyft, the parking facilities, the companies that make uniforms for pilots, the aircraft parts, the hotels; it’s just an incredibly big industry and fundamentally, the industry is literally the backbone of the business economy in the U.S.,” Heck says. While the industry has seen a significant gain in flights, a return to the previous trends will be difficult to re-attain.

Travelers greet loved ones and wait for their flights at Milwaukee General Mitchell Airport. Photos by Isabel Bonebrake

Friends in Far Places

Photo courtesy Sandra Whitehead

ANNIE MATTEA

Adjunct instructor of journalism Sandra Whitehead was familiar with online classes long before the COVID-19 pandemic.

to other classes she teaches at Marquette besides her class on international reporting.

During the spring of 2009, Whitehead, who has been teaching at Marquette since 1988, took a graduate-level course at Marquette focused on facilitating online classes. Afterwards, she continued taking classes on the topic through Marquette’s Center for Teaching and Learning.

Whitehead says teaching these classes requires a lot of collaboration between professors.

She then moved to Lebanon and taught in person at Rafik Hariri University from 2009 to 2016, while simultaneously teaching media writing at Marquette virtually. Since 2010, Whitehead has incorporated international collaboration projects in her classes, giving students the opportunity to engage with others across the globe. During the 2016-17 academic year, Whitehead was on sabbatical from Rafik Hariri University and returned to teach in person at Marquette. In spring 2017, she taught a class on international reporting at Marquette for the first time. In Whitehead’s international reporting class, she takes students virtually to Lebanon, where they talk with students at Notre Dame University, a Catholic university in Lebanon not affiliated with the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Even if a semester is taught in person, Whitehead’s classes still interact with the students in Lebanon using an online format. “At Marquette, we’re right in the middle of America, so the rest of the world is so far away or feels so far away, but our local news, our national news ... they’re all globally intertwined,” Whitehead says. Whitehead says she became interested in the subject of stereotypes on an international level partially because she has an Arab American family and she taught abroad in the United Kingdom and Japan after college. “I was always interested in how people could know the realities of somewhere else,” Whitehead says. Whitehead’s collaborative projects connecting with students in Lebanon extend 22

In order for the projects to go well, both professors in each project must adopt each other’s approaches to make sure everybody stays on task. Whitehead’s most recent international reporting class at Marquette was in fall 2020. “This last semester was awesome. ... There were some people in class who were planning to work internationally ... they were more invested,” Whitehead says. While Marquette allowed in-person classes that adhered to social distance policies during the fall semester, Whitehead had to teach the class in a fully-virtual setting, because she was stuck in Saudi Arabia visiting her daughter, unable to return home to Milwaukee due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. She eventually was able to return to Milwaukee around the time of the election in November.

Sawlani was referring to the explosion in August in Beirut, where nearly 200 people were killed and more than 6,000 were injured. According to the Wall Street Journal, the explosion “occurred when a fire at a warehouse—Hangar 12—on the city’s waterfront ignited a cache of ammonium nitrate, an explosive material that had been stored at the site for more than six years.” “There was one student ... who showed us the artwork he made as a way of channeling his emotions from the blast,” Sawlani says. She says it was different to get a first-hand account, rather than just read news about the subject. Following the Facebook group, the students used the knowledge they gained and wrote an international reporting story. Sawlani wrote about arts and culture. Jack Ryan, a senior in the College of Communication who also took Whitehead’s class last semester, says the reporting projects helped him learn how to write for a global audience. “It did a really good job of showing individuals ... particularly at Marquette, different cultures,” Ryan says.

In the class, students engaged with other students in Lebanon through a Facebook group, where they discussed issues of the pandemic and what they were experiencing.

Ryan also says that the Facebook group was really insightful following notably difficult summers in both countries. Ryan mentions that it was an incredibly interesting to hear about how students went about their lives in a different country after dealing with trauma.

Sanya Sawlani, a senior in the College of Communication, took Whitehead’s class in the fall.

He says he really enjoyed learning how journalism was different in Lebanon and the United States.

“It was cool because we obviously are very different, but our lives as students in a pandemic were very similar,” Sawlani says, referring to the similar social distancing restrictions and expectations for life after COVID-19.

“It’s really important for every journalism student to have exposure to international reporting,” Whitehead says.

Sawlani also says it was particularly interesting and emotional to discuss issues with students in Lebanon because the explosion in Beirut was very recent when they were all in the class.

Kelli Arseneau contributed to this report. Sanya Sawlani and Jack Ryan previously were employees with the Marquette Wire. Neither had any role in the reporting or editing of this story

BENJAMIN WELLS

Immersing in Service

Marquette’s mission is founded in service. There are a variety of global service groups at Marquette. Some of these include Global Brigades, MARDI GRAS, Marquette Global Ambassadors and the International Marquette Action Program. These groups send Marquette students all over the world to extend stewardship and service that are embedded with Marquette’s Jesuit tradition. Sometimes service to others around the world needs to mainly involve one simple task: immersion. The International Marquette Action Program, known as IMAP, takes this approach in its trips. “It’s about being able to do our work in the global world,” assistant director of campus ministry and IMAP coordinator Ann Mulgrew says. “Our work equals the values and ideas of what Marquette is and how we engage with each other in the world.” IMAP is an international service group that focuses on immersive experience worldwide. Mulgrew has been a part of global outreach at Marquette for 15 years. IMAP has been to many countries in Central America, including Belize, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, as well as across the Atlantic to Cape Town, South Africa. Marquette also has a local version of IMAP, called the Marquette Action Program (MAP), which takes place in local communities around the United States. But after the first couple of service trips to Belize and Ecuador, Mulgrew says she realized that the service work they were doing in the area was “becoming unhealthy.” “We made … moral decisions to back away from those programs because our footprints were not creating the best … environment for the community,” Mulgrew says. Mulgrew noticed these unhealthy effects when she was attending a small, local church service in one of the countries. She noticed that there were more white

volunteers – including her own group – than actual members of the community they were trying to help. Mulgrew says that with having a presence that big, it’s easy to forget why you’re even there. She says volunteer work isn’t supposed to be like a vacation in a new place, but instead becoming one with the community you’re in. “With immersion, you’re creating a relationship and understanding with these people not only (at that) moment in time but in the bigger scope of effect,” Mulgrew says.

Difference in Gulf Regions and Areas Surrounding” and focuses on disaster relief. Global Public Health Brigades is a volunteer group that specializes in working actively alongside community members in health settings. “The biggest thing to me is … the community-based approach,” Susla says. “It’s not super difficult to really make a change and be part of a change is that’s what you’re part about. It just takes people who were willing to work for … a positive change.”

Senior in the College of Business Administration Aidan Miano went on his first IMAP trip during the spring break of his first year at Marquette. “In the time that I was there … I was really moved by the support Ann gave me and the support the friends that I made there gave me,” Miano says. “It really allowed me to consider justice in a different way.” Mulgrew says IMAP’s goal is to “walk with students” as they immerse themselves in a culture they may have never been a part of before. This learning and immersion experience is all to connect what is back at home. Miano says that he originally looked at justice as something of pure charity or of material work, but he says it goes a lot deeper than what mission work may typically look like. “It’s been a really awesome journey to grow and learn in that,” Miano says. Miano, who has gone on trips with both IMAP and MAP, says his experiences with the service groups have been inspirational. Class of 2020 Marquette graduate Jack Susla has also been involved in his fair share of global volunteer work during his time at Marquette, including working with Global Public Health Brigades and MARDI GRAS. MARDI GRAS is a program at Marquette that stands for “Making a Real Photo by Claire Gallagher

121 Million Shots

feels very “Itrewarding,

being able to work in a hospital and be looked at as a healthcare hero.

”

-Katie Meyer Sophomore

CLAIRE DRISCOL THE UNITED STATES IS ONE OF THE LEADING NATIONS IN ROLLOUT OF THE COVID-19 VACCINE In an effort to defeat COVID-19, the United States stands as one of the leading nations in its speed to administer the vaccine, as more than 121 million shots have been given. Although Israel is at the forefront of vaccine administration, with an average of 6% of its population vaccinated per week, the United States trails close behind with an average of 1% of the population vaccinated per week. At this pace, the United States is expecting a majority of the population to be vaccinated within the next six months. However, President Joe Biden predicts a majority of the American people to be vaccinated before this six-month mark, as he said at a March 2 press conference that the United States is on track for every adult to be vaccinated by the end of May. In comparison to the other leading countries in vaccine administration, the United States stands as the ninth fastest country with around 13% of its population fully vaccinated, whereas Israel is first with 51% of its population being fully vaccinated. Behind Israel is Seychelles, with 29% of its population being fully vaccinated. Lynda Connor, a staff nurse at the Marquette Medical Clinic, says the distribution process is difficult due to the un24

predictability of vaccine requests from the state. “Every week you have to send into the state how much of the vaccine you want for the following week, but that doesn’t guarantee you’re going to get that vaccine,” Connor says. “What’s been difficult is: How do you make appointments for people?” Dissimilar to large-scale vaccine distributors, Connor says that the Marquette Medical Clinic is unable to administer shots daily. Because of this, the clinic administers all of its vaccines the day after they are received from the state. This occurs on either a Monday or Tuesday, leaving nurses unable to plan their clinics for the following week. However, unpredictability is only one of the many obstacles surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine, as Connor says the protocol for distribution is far more complex than the average flu shot. Unlike the flu shot, the COVID-19 vaccine was pushed out to distributors using an Emergency Use Authorization, meaning the FDA made the product available to the public based on the best available evidence. Ultimately, an EUA has less substantial evidence than an official FDA approval.

Currently, there are three different COVID-19 vaccines available: Pfizer BioNtech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. There are a few key differences between the three vaccines, most notably that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine require two doses where Johnson & Johnson only requires one. “When we plan these, it’s not like getting a flu shot,” Connor says. “We have to do a lot of teaching before we even administer the vaccine, which is a whole 10-minute process prior to even getting the vaccine.” Lynda also says that there is a 15-30 minute waiting period after receiving the vaccine to monitor for side effects, which is a challenge due to the lack of available space. “Classes are taking up a lot of the AMU now,” Connors says. “It’s become like a chess game.” Katie Meyer, a sophomore in the College of Nursing, says she already received both doses of the vaccine due to her work as a nursing assistant where she occasionally encounters the COVID-19 unit at a nearby hospital. Despite the consistent stress of hospital work amid the pandemic, Meyer says she

Photo by Zach Bukowski

wouldn’t want to have any other job. “It feels very rewarding, being able to work in a hospital and be looked at as a health care hero,” Meyer says. Although Meyer has yet to distribute any COVID-19 vaccines, she says being a recipient didn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary. “It sounds cooler than it felt because it just feels like a regular shot,” Meyer says. “However, knowing that I’m saving myself, while others, (is) a very cool thing and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

as effective in decreasing transmission of the virus from one person to another.” Wolmer says resistant strains of COVID-19 from other parts of the world have also entered into the equation, potentially leading to new challenges for vaccine manufacturers. However, “only Wolmer says.

time

will

tell,”

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 24% of the state’s population has at least one dose of the vaccine. This ranks Wisconsin 22 in the nation for the percentage of its population partially vaccinated. Although these statistics may signify a light at the end of the tunnel, Keli Wolmer, the executive director of Marquette’s Medical Clinic, says there is still a plethora of uncertainty regarding the vaccine. “We don’t know as much about this vaccine as we have with previous vaccines developed for other infectious diseases,” Wolmer says. “It may be effective in decreasing the severity of the illness, but not 25

BECK SALGADO UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE GLOBE ADJUST TO A DISTANCED EDUCATION

Learning to Adapt

As Marquette students are enduring the third straight semester altered by the whims of COVID-19, much has changed. Classrooms are spaced out, dining halls have moved to primarily takeout and some residence halls have closed sporadically in response to outbreaks Davenport says that her education for the on campus. remainder of the spring 2020 semester Marquette is far from alone in these was completed online. As the pandemchanges. For just over a year now, uni- ic continued into the fall 2020 semester, versities around the world have found Davenport’s university elected to stay themselves having to make unprecedent- fully online. ed decisions regarding classes, student 5,416 miles away in Monterrey, Mexihousing and more. co, Heidi Peralta, a junior at TechnológiFor Marquette, the transition from in-per- co de Monterrey, similarly recounts the son classes to online learning began fol- moments when she first realized that lowing spring break 2020. On March 23, COVID-19 would have a significant im2020, the university announced classes pact on her life. would continue remotely for the remain“My universidad said that we would der of the semester. not have classes and I found that very During this time, Victoria Davenport, a strange,” Peralta says. “Then they said graduate student at Alcalá University in that we should be closing for two weeks Madrid, Spain, was in the hospital with and I became very scared because I didn’t COVID-19 — a virus that Davenport, like know how bad COVID-19 would be.” many people at the time, thought would As time passed Peralta says that Technever touch her. nológico de Monterrey announced inten“I ended up getting sick a few days after tions to hold their fall 2020 semester onour lockdown started, and I was by my- line. Marquette University elected to take self and that’s when I was like ‘OK this is a different approach, deciding to allow real.’” Davenport says. “I had to get anti- hybrid classes. A number of COVID-19-rebiotics at the hospital because my asth- lated outbreaks and residence hall lockma was acting up. So after recovering downs on Marquette’s campus ensued from that, my feelings towards COVID-19 throughout the fall 2020 and spring and other things started to change.” 2021 semesters. As cases in Spain started to spike in As a biotechnology engineering major, March 2020, Davenport says the Spanish Peralta says that being online posed spegovernment decided to initiate a partial cific problems for her normally in-person lockdown March 14. This was a central- labs that coincide with her studies. Peralized federal decision that contrasted how ta says these labs usually include experindividual states in the U.S. handled lock- iments involving machines that students down in the same month. Moreover, by use to collect data. the end of March, the United States had 199,353 cases to Spain’s 165,084.

ing classes online given the current situation,” Felton says. In other countries across Europe, opening up schools has been more common, for example, Germany, England, France and Italy — all countries in the top 10 for total COVID-19 cases.

Peralta says it is harder to do these kinds of experiments in an online setting, and at times the university was not adequately prepared. “Sometimes the teachers did not have the tools or all the information about how to do the experiments online and that made it more difficult for me,” Peralta says. By the end of November 2020, Mexico was working to handle its then 1.1 million cases. At the same time, the U.S. was facing 14 million cases. Peralta says her 2021 spring semester was also announced to be fully online. Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, made the same decision. Timmy Felton, a first-year student studying business administration at Aalto University, is experiencing his classes fully online. “The transition phase was hard because lectures had never been recorded before, but I feel they are doing a good job of do-

Students study at tables in the Alumni Memorial Union, following the university’s social distancing guidelines. Photos by Isabel Bonebrake

Felton says that because of COVID-19, he feels the social aspects of being in college have been less fulfilling as bars, restaurants and classrooms are all closed. However, he says that the restrictions are worth it to keep everyone safe. Felton says the culture around COVID-19 in Finland is very serious among students, particularly since the country implemented stricter rules in March in order to combat the new U.K. COVID-19 variant. At the time of writing, Finland has battled 60,200 cases total as opposed to the U.S. which has faced 29.5 million, including 535,325 deaths related to COVID-19. To give an idea of how the unique populations of these countries are being affected, the number of cases above represent what would be 8% of the U.S. population versus what would only be 1% of the Finnish population. When asked about when classes would fully return in person, Felton says there is no current timetable but that his university said they aim to return “after 60% of students and faculty had been vaccinated for COVID-19.” Peralta echoes this, saying that, as it currently stands, universities would not return in person until a certain amount of students have been vaccinated. She says with the order and availability of vaccines in Mexico there seems to be little hope for an in-person 2021 fall semester at the moment. Marquette University President Michael Lovell announced March 1 that the university intends to conduct a fully in-person fall 2021 semester. The email sent out had no stipulations concerning the percentage of students or faculty being vaccinated.

Conflicts and Crises GRACE DAWSON HOW HAS THE WORLD’S SHUTDOWN AFFECTED INTERACTIONS BETWEEN NATIONS?

Although COVID-19 has caused much of the world’s activities to stop, international conflicts continue to occur, with nations’ responses to the pandemic highlighting pre-existing issues of equity and an instinct toward focusing on domestic responses during times of crisis. Across the board, Marquette international affairs professors say that most of the changes that have occurred during the pandemic can be seen in the responses, rather than in the types of dynamics that play out between countries. Additionally, the pandemic is amplifying existing issues, particularly inequalities between nations. In terms of international armed conflict, Mark Berlin, an assistant professor in Marquette’s political science department, says the pandemic has not changed much. “There was an attempt at the U.N. to call for some kind of global ceasefire to help kind of reduce the spread of the virus, but I don’t think there was much of an impact of that call in general,” Berlin says. “The wars that have been going on have been continuing to go on.” A new war between Armenia and Azerbaijan that broke out in late September 2020 as a result of a decades-long conflict is another point Berlin uses to show how he believes the pandemic has not had much impact on the what he says are the “dynamics or patterns of armed conflict.”

Additionally, Berlin says tensions and nonviolent conflicts – including foreign

policy battles – that previously existed now have an added dimension of struggles as a result of the pandemic. As an example, he points to relations between the U.S. and China – in particular, the ideological battle that has been occurring since the Cold War, which now has extended to the pandemic. China, Berlin says, has been able to attribute their quick, decisive response to the pandemic as a value of their nondemocratic model, while the U.S. points to the lack of transparency from China surrounding COVID-19 case numbers and response as a value of the democratic model, which provides information more freely. While both nations track case numbers, outside of China there has been discussion about the possibility that the Chinese government has been underreporting new cases. Dr. Richard Friman, a professor for international studies and director of the Center for Transnational Justice at Marquette, notes that the initial impulse of countries when the pandemic began was to look inward on how to combat the virus, isolating themselves from the rest of the world. Berlin echoes this sentiment, also stressing the lack of vaccine equity. “The U.N., WHO and Gates Foundation are working on making sure that developing countries are getting vaccines, but that’s most of the effort being made,” Friman says. COVAX, an initiative by Gavi and the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide vaccine access and equity, has identified

For international affairs students, Friman says it will be integral to have knowledge of the world outside of the U.S., combating the notions of isolationism that have arisen. He also says the importance of foreign language expertise is ever-present, but Marquette is making the acquisition of these skills more difficult by cutting programs and reducing funding for these areas of study.

Photos by Nathan Lampres

Hannah Schaefer, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in international affairs, notes that much of her coursework has included discussions of the pandemic and its relation to many global issues of both the past and the present. Schaefer’s coursework also changed based on the pandemic, with one course including a unit about how pandemics affect international security and relations. “I think politics classes will continue to incorporate COVID-19 into their curriculums as it will continue to be relevant for many years,” Schaefer says. Along with this, Schaefer states that the pandemic has shown how global crises can uncover different governments’ strengths and weaknesses. 92 lower and middle-income economies that will be participating in this market exchange program. Although he thinks there will be more focus on equitable access to vaccinations in the coming months, Friman sees the potential for a lot more damage to developing countries in the meantime because of new variants and changes in travel and regulations. He notes that a strategy that emphasized equity at the outset may have been able to reduce this issue. Going forward, both Friman and Berlin say they see an outcome where vaccine equity increases. “The optimistic view would be that, as vaccines become more available and as vaccination becomes more prevalent and stays ahead of mutations, there is a much better chance for countries to get back on track,” Friman says. Berlin also notes the possibility of using the pandemic response as a future model for combatting other globally affective issues, such as climate change. “It shows you that when governments do have the political will to do something like that, that you really can achieve unprecedented innovation and change,” Berlin says.

Schaefer says this has amplified her desire to study international affairs. In terms of the job market, Berlin notes an apparent short-term detriment in the availability of jobs and internships due to the lack of travel, which is integral for many international affairs professions. When looking to the future, Berlin says it is hard to predict what market trends might be, a reality the pandemic has highlighted in every aspect of the global economy. Schaefer says it can be difficult to remain optimistic in the face of a pandemic. She notes that the global disease has revealed and highlighted underlying issues in countries throughout the world. “It has caused significant upheaval and confusion that will perhaps take years for certain states to recover from, especially those who were not prepared to combat COVID-19,” Schaefer says. “The economic implications will continue to burden the lives of many people and challenge state security on multiple levels.” In spite of this, Schaefer also finds a source of optimism, similar to Berlin and Friman, in the potential of the COVID-19 pandemic to inform governments about how to deal with pandemics in the future.

Inquiring Ignatius: The Duality of Jesuit Missionaries AMANDA PARRISH

WHAT ROLE DOES RELIGIOUS MISSIONARY WORK PLAY IN COLONIALISM?

Photo by Zach Bukowski 30

Throughout the past year, the world has learned – arguably more than ever before – the importance of historical reflection and recognition of systematic societal inequalities. As a Jesuit institution, Marquette is grounded in ideals of “cura personalis,” justice, education and service, concepts well explored in classes. But these same ideals were also utilized in early missionary work that contributed to colonization in communities around the globe. Conversations about the history of missionary work by any religious order are complex, especially when considering the ways in which approaches have developed since early missions centuries ago. Questions of morality of actions, as well as one’s purpose and place in the world emerge. Navigating these questions both in context of global religion, as well as on Marquette’s campus, in no way yields easy answers given its intricacies. HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuit movement in Spain in 1534, and together with six of his students took vows of poverty and chastity as they pursued their plans for converting Muslims. The Turkish Wars kept them from traveling to Jerusalem, and instead they found themselves on their way to Rome to seek permission to form a new religious order from the pope. Pope Paul III approved the order in 1540, and the Society of Jesus was founded. The Order of Jesus was later dissolved in 1773 by Pope Clement XIV as it was suppressed as nationalism rose in Europe. Nearly 40 years later the order was re-established under Pope Pius VII. The Society of Jesus sent missionaries around the world in hopes of converting people to Catholicism and played an integral role in the Counter-Reformation. Ministries traveled to India, Brazil, the Congo, Ethiopia, China and the United States, among other countries. The Jesuit order was just one among many religious sects to travel the world for missionary work. Jesuit missionaries’ efforts were particularly effective, says Lee Palmer Wandel, professor of history with an emphasis in Christianity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She says Jesuits moved by “propagating faith” and began their missionary work in the lowlands of Germany and England, “restoring” European Christians during the Counter-Reformation.

“People hear

The Jesuit order saw their missionary work as saving souls, and saw Christianity as the true religion, Wandel says. What gets lost in many narratives, she says, is that the Jesuits never saw missionary work as a political move, whereas other sects did.

Early Jesuit missionary work differed from other missionary efforts in many ways. Most notable, perhaps, was the Jesuits’ efforts to get to know the communities in which they were working. Missionaries made efforts to take on the hardships of those they were working with, and particularly in Indigenous communities of the U.S., missionaries took the time to learn the language and customs, says Father Michael Maher, associate professor at Marquette and pastoral minister in Wells Street Hall. The guiding principal to Jesuit missions is the aim to bring people closer to God, and without this principle a mission can’t truly be Jesuit, Fr. Maher says. “The ultimate goal of a Jesuit mission is how do we understand creation in so far as it helps us move towards God,” Fr. Maher says. “Individual missions, then, are adapted to how well we can understand and talk about that task in different societies.”

different things, but they all feel they have heard the truth.

”

-Lee Palmer Wandel History Professor at UW-Madison

based in any religion, are deeply tied to colonization, and in the case of the U.S., to the genocide of Indigenous people.

Jesuit missions operated with the Spiritual Exercises as its core, Wandel says. Every missionary was trained in these exercises, in an effort that was much more intense than other orders. This core served as a connection between all missions, even if they looked different within countries around the world.

In many cases of religious colonization, conversion was involuntary, often times forced and in violent ways, says Bryan Rindfleisch, assistant professor of history at Marquette. However, Jesuit missionaries were quite unique, he says, in their efforts to learn Indigenous languages to communicate and integrate into native communities. In this way, Jesuits were able to convince Indigenous people, rather than force them, to give up their identities and lives.

Among orders, missions differed based on their ideas of holiness. For Jesuits, their missions were based off of Franciscan ideals, such as charity, benevolence and selflessness. This is where Jesuits drew their commitment to taking on poverty, Wandel says.

“The Jesuits, still in the endgame, they demanded that you become Christian on their terms,” Rindfleisch says. “But at the same time, learning the language, ingratiating yourself with the community, was a very different way of missionizing than all of the other sects.”

She says that these fundamental differences in the Jesuit order, as opposed to other orders, largely comes down to when the order began.

Fr. Maher says the job of a missionary is to align human experience with the insights of faith. Some missionaries – across faiths and sects – he says, did a good job of this while others simply threatened, and missionaries often fell along a spectrum.

“The Jesuits were founded after Europeans had set foot in the Western hemisphere, so they were conceived in a radically different way,” she says. MORAL QUALMS THEN AND NOW While the Jesuit order made efforts to integrate themselves into the communities that they converted, this does not remove them from the implication of colonization. These missions of conversion hold a complicated history. Missions,

It is important to note that this place on the spectrum, Fr. Maher says, is not a problem of missionaries, but rather a universal problem of human pride and stubbornness. “We can’t look at missionaries as one type of person that is trying to push an idea, while everyone else is neutral,” Fr. Maher says. 31

something that is true, and I will get you to see that truth.’ And that’s where criticisms come in,” Wandel says.

Often when talking about such topics like colonization, there is a push to view historical events as a product of their time. However, Rindfleisch says, the moral qualms we see and have today are just the same as they were back then. While some missionaries had ill intent, many felt they were truly helping. But, through his experience reading historical documents, Rindfleisch says he can see that missionaries still struggled with the morality of what they were doing. Wandel echoes this sentiment, saying that there was always a choice of actions. Between and among orders, there were both people that fought with and against acts of violence or injustice. While missionaries at least saw communities they interacted with as essentially human and thus fought for them, many missionaries may still have seen them as “savages” or primitive, she says. “Some chose to ally with colonizers and some chose to actively resist,” Wandel says. Wandel does note that among the Jesuit order, while some signed onto brutalities such as slavery, not many did. The Church, of course, very much can be a source for social justice, she says.

Marquette’s Dr. E.J, O’Brien Jesuit residence is located between the Alumni Memorial Union and Schroeder Hall. Photo by Zach Bukowski

These issues, Wandel says, in some ways come from the multitude of ways that the Bible can be interpreted, which speaks to the richness of the text. In theory, everyone has the same text, and yet there is such a spectrum within and beyond the Catholic Church of what people get from it, she says. From those interpretations, people can find support for a range of actions. “Those who want to take up the sword, it’s there. Those who want to work through God’s love, it’s there,” she says. “People hear different things, but all feel they have heard the truth.” Wandel notes, also, that the controversy of missions in some ways stems from their basic motive. “Missions are built in this idea that ‘I have

Missionaries generally aimed to strip native populations of their identity and culture, which has left a long-lasting impact, says Rindfleisch. Native populations could be persecuted in the U.S. for practicing their own religion until 1978. Religion is deeply rooted in language, and as the number of people that can speak native languages continues to decrease, many religions are on the boarder of becoming extinct, he says. With this continued impact on native populations and the relative recentness of many liberations of these populations, reconciliation is a long and painful road. And with the added long history of white supremacy in the U.S., as well as the country’s unique distaste in addressing its past, Rindfleisch says he isn’t confident the U.S. will ever see reconciliation. “Something that the United States just has about itself, I don’t want to say it’s peculiar to the United States, but there’s an aversion to the truth of the past,” Rindfleisch says. Other countries, such as Canada, have started this path to resolution and in places like New Zealand, other Indigenous communities have been brought to the forefront. But with the historical erasure of Indigenous people in the U.S., reconciliation has not really begun. “Those communities have more aboriginal presence both in the history textbooks, the education system, but also in politics and visibility that you don’t see in the United States, because we don’t really want to confront what happened,” Rindfleisch says. Reconciliation and rehabilitation, says Rindfleisch, takes years and years of painful dialogues. This is the first installment in the Marquette Journal’s series “Inquiring Ignatius.” The following installments will appear in the Marquette Tribune and on Marquettewire.org.

Encouraging Inclusivity MARIA CRENSHAW STUDENTS SHARE THOUGHTS ON THE UNIVERSITY’S ENVIRONMENT When looking back at their time at Marquette University, twin sisters Siham and Nawal Samara have always felt students and faculty have taken an interest in learning about their Honduran heritage. “I’ve never really met anyone from here that’s like ‘oh you’re from a different place’ or ‘oh you have different thoughts or beliefs than me, I don’t want to be friends with you,’” Siham states. “Everyone has always been really interested in getting to know more about where we come from or where the hell it’s located. It’s really nice, people are really nice – I like it.” Siham and her sister Nawal – seniors in the Colleges of Engineering and Communication, respectively – are currently completing their final semester at Marquette. Both chose to study in the United States because their older brother studied in Tampa, Florida and they have been visiting the States since they were children.

The Office of International Education (OIE) is often the first contact international students have with the school, and it is a resource that stays with them throughout their education at Marquette. Aditii Wakhlu, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences from India, was the first of her family to study in the United States. Wakhlu chose Marquette for its neuroscience program, as well as scholarship awards she received. She says that international students have a lot of additional paperwork they need to complete to study in another country and navigating this process can be daunting, which is why programs such as OIE are so impactful. “They are awesome … they have always been super helpful with things like applying for Social Security and any questions you can have,” Wakhlu says. “We love OIE.”

Nuestro Hagar is a Spanish-speaking living learning community in Straz Tower that celebrates and builds a community around Latinx culture. Photo by Claire Gallagher

Caroline Oas, adjunct assistant professor and coordinator of the English as a Second Language Program (ESLP) at Marquette University, understands that in her career she is not only teaching international students, but is also always learning from them. “The value that our international students bring to campus, both in-person and virtually, is immeasurable,” Oas says in an email, explaining the importance of intercultural competence in a globalized world. As of fall 2020, 157 undergraduate international students study at Marquette University. According to the Marquette University Common Data Set from 2016, this number has decreased by 109 undergraduate students. The number of undergraduate international students has been consistently decreasing since 2016.

Jovanni Herrera, a sophomore in the College of Engineering from Honduras, transferred to Marquette this fall. Herrera chose Marquette because of its engineering program, its Catholic roots and because his friend’s brother had attended the university. When comparing Marquette and the community college in Lake County, Illinois he previously attended, Herrera says one major difference was the community he was embraced by at Marquette. “ … OIE does that. They try to meet people from the same country. They try to get them to meet each other so they can share experiences,” Herrera states. “If they didn’t already know each other from back home, now they do.” Herrera attended a gathering hosted by OIE that led him to meet more and more people and find his community at Marquette. Susan Whipple, assistant director of the Office of International Education, says that OIE hosts ‘Welcome Back’ events on the first Friday of each term. These events serve as an opportunity of returning and new students to connect. The event was virtual in fall 2020 and spring 2021. Outside of the Office of International Education, other programs on campus exist to cultivate a welcoming environment, not only for international students, but also for students whose first language is not English. An example of one of these programs is Nuestro Hogar, a living learning community for Latinx students located in Straz Tower. Latinx students that are a part of this community participate in different activities together such as cooking meals, attending weekly community nights, organizing and attending cultural events on campus and finding a home through the floor community. Edwin Arrollo, a sophomore in the College of Engineering from Illinois, has been a part of Nuestro Hogar for two years. Arrollo says his experiences as part of the LLC have affected his time at Marquette for the better, particularly before the pandemic. Despite his happy memories, he expresses having a twinge of guilt from his experience.

“I really enjoy the floor. I feel like something that needs to get going is other people getting a learning community, like other minorities,” Arrollo says. “I definitely do feel a little unfair that we get one and they don’t because I know a lot of them would really appreciate that and they would feel more at home and more comfortable in a learning environment like that … ” Arrollo says he feels a lot of ethnic minority communities on campus that don’t have access to learning communities like Nuestro Hogar constantly have to go out of their way to find a space where they can gather and work together. In addition to adding new learning communities, other international students vocalized ways they believe the university could help international students feel more comfortable and accepted at Marquette. Wakhlu, who is actively involved in research on campus and hoping to attend medical school, has worries about how smoothly her application process will go. “That’s a general theme, of just taking into consideration the needs of international students and how they can be different from people who have citizenship,” Wakhlu says. “Even with things like advising, I’ve noticed a lot of people aren’t aware of the limits of your visa status … I wish there were more people in departments who were aware of that extra thing that we might need sometimes. … I feel like that’s not something everyone knows and it’s a little hard when people are supposed to be advising you and they don’t know.”

Wakhlu says that OIE is helpful with issues surrounding visas, for example, but the office is unable to help students with other questions like applying for graduate school and medical school. She says this is where advisors often fall short for international students. Michelle Gomez, a sophomore in the College of Communication from Guatemala, says students and faculty need to take an interest in steps the school is taking to promote diversity and inclusion on campus. “It is just hard to get used to a community when there are so many things going on regarding social issues and justice. Overall, Marquette is great, they just need to get more out there and actually come up with programs that people are going to show some interest in,” Gomez states. “(Marquette says) a lot of things about how diverse campus is but we don’t see it. We don’t see any change.” Gomez originally planned to attend medical school in Guatemala, but decided she wanted to apply to schools in the United States. With the help of scholarship, Marquette financially stood out to Gomez.

The Alumni Memorial Union displays a variety of flags from countries all over the globe. Photo by Claire Gallagher

In light of recent events regarding diversity and inclusion on campus, it is clear Marquette has work to do. According to Marquette University’s Composition Dashboard from fall 2020, there are 5,506 white students, 2,291 people of color, and 157 international students making up the undergraduate student body. In all categories that make up the dashboard, this trend can be seen. Currently, Herrera, however, finds hope in the student body’s reaction to recent events. “I like that people unite in support… of certain people that are being mistreated…” Herrera states. He says he feels it is important that students are aware of issues on campus and work to raise awareness. Michelle Gomez previously was an employee with the Marquette Wire. She had no role in the reporting or editing of this story.

A New Type of Study Abroad LELAH BYRON STUDENTS STUDYING OVERSEAS DURING THE PANDEMIC FIND A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

Ireland in the springtime offers an abundance of traditional tourist fare. Americans abroad may patronize pubs, revel in Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations or take day trips to neighboring nations. Throughout the past year, however, the bars have gone quiet, the parade was called off and leisure travel has dwindled. The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t just affected tourism. Kierney McGrath, Justyna Bochenek and Elizabeth Hall — all juniors in the College of Nursing — are three of 10 nursing undergraduates who have elected to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland throughout the 2021 spring semester. But the classes they attend are all virtual, and the nation is in the midst of its third lockdown. “We didn’t really know what we would be able to do or where we would be able to go,” McGrath says. International travel has become a labyrinth of late-stage lockdowns and pandemic protocols. Weeks before the students departed for their trip, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin announced a Level 5 lockdown which will remain until at least April 5. Under the current Level 5 restrictions there is a significant decrease in face-to-face teaching at universities, a ban on all household visits and all nonessential retail stores are shut down. Most restrictive to McGrath, Bochenek and Hall is the five kilometer limit on travel, which was imposed to curb surging infection rates while also giving residents a chance to exercise. While there are

exceptions for work and other purposes deemed essential by the government, residents are not allowed to leave this roughly three-mile radius. Because they are housed in on-campus apartments, downtown Dublin is barely within bounds for the students. “We can just go up to the city and see the main streets, but that’s kind of our limit, and then we have to go back to campus,” Bochenek says. Despite the limited opportunities afforded under lockdown, the roommates have found creative ways to explore local culture. For the first month they were in Ireland, Mcgrath, Bochenek and Hall “were 100% green,” they joke.

Marquette students Kierney McGrath, Justyna Bochenek and Elizabeth Hall are three of 10 nursing undergraduate students studying abroad this semester in Dublin, Ireland. Photos courtesy Elizabeth Hall

“We used no public transportation, nothing. We only biked or walked, which is pretty impressive,” laughs Hall. “We’re not free-roaming around Ireland, but we’ve been to all the neighboring towns and really gotten to know Dublin.” In a normal spring semester, the Office of International Education (OIE) averages 150-175 students in study abroad programs. In the 2020 spring semester, for example, 164 students travelled abroad, according to the OIE. But the pandemic caused an unprecedented suspension of numerous trips last year. By mid-March of 2020, six students had withdrawn, 11 had decided to remain abroad and 150 had come home. The students that came home completed the semester virtually. Kelly Ells, a senior in the College of Nursing, says she feels like she left Dublin with unfinished business. Ells and her roommates departed Ireland just days before Saint Patrick’s Day, having only spent two months abroad for the 2020 spring semester. “I hadn’t even gone on half the trip, and I hadn’t finished any of the things I wanted to do.” Ells says. “I was so sad.” Festive outfits she and her friends had purchased for the Saint Patrick’s Day parade went unworn, tucked into carry-ons and suitcases for the premature return flight. The abrupt halt to the Dublin program was disappointing but understandable to Ells, who had spoken with other Marquette students in Milan that also went home. “All of Europe was shutting down,” she says. During the 2020 fall semester four undergraduate students were abroad — two in Ireland, one in Spain and one in France. While the OIE expected around 40 undergraduates to participate in study abroad programs during the current spring semester, less than half of that ultimately committed. In addition to the ten students in Ireland, there are seven in Greece, Thailand and Spain, according to the OIE.

Although students are traveling in lower numbers than in years past, Karli Webster, director of study abroad, says the office is committed to continuing programs. “Participating in an education abroad program is recognized as a high impact cocurricular practice that many participants have described as life-changing,” Webster says in an email. In order for students to continue to safely pursue these experiences, Webster and the OIE considered dozens of factors, including health and safety guidelines, which partner institutions and host countries were still accepting incoming students and whether embassies were open to provide visa documents. McGrath, Bochenek and Hall agree they feel safer in Ireland than they did in America, although some locals they’ve spoken with voiced confusion at their presence in the country. “It’s safer here knowing things are closed down,” Bochenek says, adding that none of the roommates are worried about COVID-19. “When we meet Irish students, though, they’re like, ‘isn’t everything open in America? Aren’t your bars open? Why wouldn’t you stay?’” Although the 2021 spring semester trip to Dublin has been unconventional, McGrath, Bochenek and Hall say they appreciate the challenge. “You just learn and gain so much from being thrown into this whole experience where there are so many unknowns,” Hall says. “You have to figure it out and make the most of it.”

A rainbow appears over University College Dublin’s campus. Photo courtesy Elizabeth Hall

NICK GALLE

Tokyo 2020

OLYMPIANS PREPARE FOR GLOBAL GAMES POSTPONED ONE YEAR There seems to be only one event in the world where over 200 countries put their differences aside and come together in spirit of sport and competition, and for the first time since 1940, more than 10,000 athletes had a slight change of plans. The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time that the Games did not happen during their scheduled year since World War II derailed society over 80 years ago. The Summer Olympics were pushed to the summer of 2021 in hopes that the pandemic would be contained by then. As of now, the Games are still anticipated to take place, and a sense of optimism has once again began to course through athletes and fans across the globe. Below are some athletes that have qualified for the Games to keep an eye out for this summer:

UNITED STATES — JACOB RILEY (TRACK AND FIELD) In the third grade, Riley participated in a school race where the top 10 finishers qualified for a city race. The future six-time All-American at Stanford University finished sixth in the school race and went on to win the city race. From there, the rest is history. Riley, who is now 32 years old, says his Olympic aspirations were something that came to fruition later on in his running career. “I think for a long time it was like ‘oh that would be cool,’ and then I had a lot of success towards the end of my high school career which got me into a very good college program,” Riley says. “So then it became a little bit more realistic, but still there’s a big difference between being a good collegiate runner and being world-class enough to make it to the Olympics.”

Riley took home second place in the Olympic Marathon Trials to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with a personal best time of 2:10:02. He says it was special to see all of his hard work pay off. “I got here through just over a decade of putting work in and it’s sort of like a validation of all of those kinds of things,” Riley says. “It’s just incredibly gratifying and just makes me really proud and excited and happy. … The thing I have the most to look forward to is … being able to actually stand on the start line, look up and down and know that I’ve made it.” UNITED STATES — STEPHANIE ROBLE (SAILING) A native of East Troy, Wisconsin, Roble’s greatest accomplishment came in 2014, when she was named U.S. Sailing Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. Roble, who is 31 years old, has been on the 49erFX campaign trail with Maggie Shea

Photo by Joceline Helmbreck

Olympians to Watch since 2016 and has won two 49erFX bronze medals in 2014 and 2020. She also won a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. The training schedule is pretty vigorous: The spring and summer tend to be loaded with events, while the fall and winter are usually less hectic. “Typically we’re on five days a week, we sail about 20 days a month,” Roble says. “Honestly it really just depends on where we are and where we’re at with how much racing we’re doing, but typically five days a week with the weekends off is pretty standard.”

2010 World Junior Championships, 2011 European Junior Championships, 2017 European Indoor Championships, 2017 World Championships and 2018 World Indoor Championships. Mayer is currently the official decathlon world record holder, with a score of 9,126 points that he scored during the Décastar in France. He qualified for Tokyo Dec. 19, 2020 after posting a score of 8,552 points in the decathlon, topping the Olympic qualifying score of 8,350.

medal winner at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships. Since his 2016 medal in Rio de Janeiro, it has not be an easy road for Jianguan. In an interview with Jianguan posted on the Olympic Channel, he says doctors told him he would not be able to box after sustaining injuries to both eyes. Jianguan says that after rest and medical treatment, he recovered, and doctors claimed it was a “small miracle.” He will look to take things a step further this summer and bring home more hardware in his second Olympic stint.

The thing I have the “most to look forward to

Roble and Shea won the U.S. Olympic Trials in February 2020 to qualify for Tokyo. Roble is now searching for her first medal in Olympic competition.

“Our whole team’s mission is to leave no stone unturned, so we really put a lot of thought and energy into everything that we do,” Roble says. “But that being said, the actual moment when we qualified for the Olympics was just absolutely incredible. It felt kind of surreal and like a massive weight off my shoulders and I was just so proud of my team.”

is ... being able to actually stand on the start line, look up and down and know that I’ve made it.

FRANCE — KEVIN MAYER (TRACK AND FIELD) Mayer, who is 29 years old, has been a decorated winner in both the decathlon and heptathlon throughout his career. He earned a silver medal in the 2016 Summer Olympics and has earned gold medals in the 2009 World Youth Championships,

-Jacob Riley U.S. 2020 Olympic Marathon Athlete CHINA - HU JIANGUAN (BOXING) Jianguan started boxing after watching Mike Tyson on television. In his first Olympic appearance in 2016, the 27-year-old Jiangxi, China native won a bronze medal in the flyweight division. He qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games after winning a match in the men’s 52kg division against Kazakhstan’s Saken Bibossinov, who was a bronze

”

CANADA - KYLIE MASSE (SWIMMING) Masse won a bronze medal in the 100-meter backstroke during the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The 25 year old finished with a time of 58.76 seconds, which was a national record. Masse also became the first Canadian woman to win a world title in swimming when she won gold in the 100-meter backstroke at the 2017 FINA World Championships. She finished with a world record time of 58.10 seconds.

According to her biography page on Team Canada’s website, the Windsor, Ontario native started competitive swimming at 10 years old after spending time on a summer swim team with her siblings. Masse won gold again in the 100-meter backstroke during the 2019 FINA World Championships, making her the first Canadian swimmer, male or female, to win backto-back gold medals in the same event. Come this summer, Masse will look to continue her dominance and make her way to the podium in Tokyo.

The Start of Sports

JACKSON GROSS

Sports are a global entity. All over the world, for centuries, athletes have competed against other athletes. With games and competitions so heavily ingrained in so many cultures, it is easy to forget that the sports we know so well today all had a beginning. Below is a brief look into the origins of some sports played today at Marquette: BASKETBALL Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith. According to History.com, Naismith, a native of Canada, created the sport in Massachusetts as part of the YMCA where they played with a soccer ball, trying to get it through a peach basket.

Nowadays basketball is played worldwide, with some countries having their own professional leagues, such as China, the Philippines and Spain, to name a few. Those leagues along with the youth programs in those countries have produced players that have made their way to the NCAA and the NBA, including Luka Doncic, Pau and Marc Gasol, Pascal Siakam, Yao Ming and Hakeem Olajuwon. As of 2018, according to NCAA.com, 78.5% of college teams had at least one international player on their roster and 105 of them have at least three international players. In total, 663 total international players were on scholarships before the 2018 season began, coming from 82 different countries. That international growth has also spread to the pros, as there are 108 players from 38 countries currently playing in the NBA. As of the 201920 season, the Dallas Mavericks had the most international players on one NBA team, with seven foreign-born players. TENNIS Tennis has professional tournaments all around the world, including France, Australia and the United States. While tennis has expanded to many other countries, the sport was invented nearly 500 years ago in England.

Photo courtesy Marquette Athletics 42

According to the book “Sports and Games of the 18th and 19th Centuries,” tennis was developed in the 16th century in a format where instead of a racket, players would strike the ball with their palms. The sport was modernized in 1873 in England by Walter Clopton Wingfield, who in-

troduced rackets to the game. Four years later, the first Wimbledon Championship was held. Tennis eventually reached true international status when it became part of the Olympics in 1896, more than 20 years after its modern invention. The sport did depart from the Olympics in 1922, but returned to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. SOCCER Soccer, or football as it is known around most of the world besides the U.S., is widely considered the most global sport and is played competitively in over 200 countries. The earliest record of soccer dates back to second century B.C.E. China. There are stories that soccer went further back to ancient Greece from 2500 B.C.E, in a game called Greek Episkyros. While a variety of soccer-like games existed for centuries, the modern version of soccer was not created until 1863 by the Football Association in England. LACROSSE The sport of lacrosse was developed by different Native American tribes and then adopted by Europeans – in particular, a group of French Jesuit missionaries – in the mid-1600s. According to World Lacrosse, games could have massive numbers of players – between 100 and 100,000 – and were considered major events that lasted days. The game was partly seen as preparation for war. Players decorated their bodies and sticks with paint and charcoal. William George Beers, a Canadian dentist, is credited with being the “father” of modern lacrosse. He created the modern rules and replaced the deerskin ball with a hard rubber ball, shortened the length of the game, redesigned the sticks and reduced the number of players on the field.

Virtual Fans SAM ARCO

On Nov. 5, 2020, Marquette Athletics announced that there would be no fans allowed to attend Marquette basketball games for the rest of the calendar year, but Marquette students still remained hopeful to be back in Fiserv Forum by the end of the season. That news left the Marquette community not only disappointed, but curious as to how they would support their favorite team from outside the stadium this year. Many students and Marquette basketball season ticket holders, such as juniors Daniel Dunn and Jack Cyganiak, had the challenge to find different ways to “ring out ahoya” this season. “At first I was pretty upset to hear about the news because I’ve been going to games ever since I was little. My parents also attended Marquette,” Dunn says. “I feel like it’s a Marquette staple to attend the basketball games and being in that environment, but from a safety aspect I totally understood.” Growing up in Milwaukee, Cyganiak has also attended Marquette basketball games his whole life, watching games from the Bradley Center to Fiserv Forum, so the news also came as a dismay to him. “It was obviously very disappointing to hear the news and find out the city of Milwaukee wouldn’t be able to support the local team in the stands this year,” Cyganiak says. “The games are always fun to go to, rooting on the team in a competitive conference every year.” Since fans had to watch the Golden Eagles through the big screen this season, students like Dunn and Cyganiak spent different ways showing their support for their school. “My friends and I have gone out a couple of times to watch the games, but most of the time we’ve just put it on the TV at home,” Dunn says. “It’s been nothing too crazy and definitely doesn’t compare to being at the game in-person, but it’s about supporting the team that matters.” As for Cyganiak, he’s taken this opportunity to watch the games downtown at restaurants such as Brat House and Uncle Bucks on Third while maintaining social distancing in a safe manner.

“Usually for the weekend games I’ve been going out with my friends and enjoying the games downtown,” Cyganiak says. “It’s been pretty manageable all around thanks to the COVID-19 guidelines enforced at the restaurants, so I’m glad we’re still able to do that, but it’s definitely not as fun as going into Fiserv Forum and cheering in person.”

A select number of fans were allowed into Fiserv Forum on National Marquette Day. Photo by Zach Bukowski

Hope for a return to normalcy came March 6, 2021 when the university allowed as many as 1,800 fans back into Fiserv Forum to watch Marquette take on Xavier on National Marquette Day. For some students such as sophomore Andrew Forowycz, the opportunity to get back into Fiserv Forum on National Marquette Day was too good to pass up. “It just felt so surreal to be back at Fiserv,” Forowycz says. “Nothing can compare to getting a much needed win on National Marquette Day while enjoying it with your friends.” The university also announced on March 1 that it is planning to have fully in-person classes starting in the 2021 fall semester, which could lead to the decision of bringing more fans to Fiserv Forum come October. Just the thought of attending Marquette basketball games in person again for soon-to-be seniors such as Dunn and Cyganiak is inspiring. “I just think simply getting back into Fiserv Forum would mean the most to me,” Cyganiak says. “I think it will not only be a great feat for the Marquette community, but a feat for the entire country in general. The fact that people are going to start coming back into stadiums is a huge accomplishment, especially for the Marquette community who has been missing out on games this year.”

Universal Games MATT YEAZEL

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ATHLETES SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES ON AND OFF THE COURT For some students in Marquette’s athletic program, the opportunity to play a sport at the Division I level brings them thousands of miles away from their homes. While some Marquette athletic teams have more international athletes than others, a common goal for many coaches is to help their foreign players acclimate to the environment and culture of Milwaukee. For Lara Kaiser, a first-year women’s tennis player from Vienna, Austria, Marquette was a perfect fit for her both in terms of the city and the team she was joining. “I wanted a smaller campus, but I wanted to stay in a city. I couldn’t imagine myself in a countryside type of place,” Kaiser says. Of the nine players on the women’s tennis roster, six of them are from outside of the U.S., ranging from Canada all the way to New Zealand. Kaiser says her teammates sharing the experience of traveling from another country was one of the main reasons she came to Marquette. “I looked into other schools and they almost all had only Americans,” Kaiser says. “The first time I met them (my teammates) we had a connection. They were a huge help to me in the first few weeks.” Kaiser says having people to relate to in terms of being from another country and learning the ways of Milwaukee immediately made her experience of moving overseas easier. Another player who had connections to Marquette before stepping on campus is Sam Thornton, a redshirt junior forward on the men’s soccer team. Thornton is from Rotherham, England, and joined a team with a head coach in Louis Bennett and two assistant coaches in Sean Hughes and Graham Shaw, who are both from England. The roster currently also has two other players 44

Julianna Okosun takes a shot during a pre-game warmup. Photo courtesy Marquette athletics

Lara Kaiser plays in a tennis match against Northern Illinois University Feb. 28 at Helfaer. Photo Courtesy Marquette Athletics

from England: sophomore defenseman Harvey Read and redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Chandler Hallwood.

experience of being the only foreign player on her team: first-year forward for the women’s basketball team, Julianna Okosun.

“I had a great relationship with the coaches from the start,” Thornton says. “They know where I’m from and they expressed what it would be like to come here from England and made me feel at home.”

From Copenhagen, Denmark, Okosun played for the Denmark U-16 and U-18 junior national teams and has since been named to the country’s women’s national team.

His coaches also were able to acclimate him to the style of play in the United States and the BIG EAST, which Thornton says is much faster and different due to the level of interest in the sport in America versus England.

I don’t think “they always

The 6-foot-4 forward says that despite being the only player on her team from outside the U.S., her teammates and coach-Julianna Okosun, es have been MUWBB first-year a huge help forward in welcoming her to the team and the city.

realize how far away Denmark is.

“Back home soccer is the main sport, sometimes people kind of just go through the motions,” Thornton says. “Here, the sport is on the come up in general but at Marquette every practice feels like a final. There’s a competitive edge and an intricate, direct style of play.” One athlete who is new to Marquette this year is going through the

”

“I don’t think they always realize how far away Denmark is,” Okosun says. “They’ve all been super supportive though, and the coaches in particular have helped a lot since some of them have experience playing overseas.”

she was in an airport in Denmark with her national team and people approached her to ask what team they were. Even some Denmark residents did not know the country had a national basketball team. Aside from the difference in popularity of basketball, Okosun says there are many similarities between Milwaukee and Copenhagen. “I speak English and the culture is similar in many aspects, which helps me a ton,” Okosun says. “The size is roughly the same but one difference is that there are much less people on the streets here because more people choose to drive.” Okosun says her comfort with campus went a long way in her adjustment to Milwaukee and Marquette. Being comfortable at Marquette is something Kaiser struggled with at first, but she says it is one of the biggest accomplishments so far in her short time in Milwaukee. “It was difficult at first because I was used to seeing my parents and family every day and suddenly that was just gone,” Kaiser says. “Talking to my mom everyday on the phone helped, my teammates helped and now I truly feel like I belong here.”

Okosun remembers one time when 45

Global Competition

Over the years, Marquette basketball has been known for its development of professional talent. From Doc Rivers to Dwyane Wade, the school has prepped some of the game’s biggest stars at the highest level. In 2019, Marquette sent through its first woman to the WNBA, as Natisha Hiedeman broke the glass ceiling for the Marquette women’s program. Amidst the talks of Marquette greats such as Travis Diener, Steve Taylor Jr. and Allazia Blockton, many seem to forget about the players who go on to represent the university overseas after graduation.

Former MUWBB player Allazia Blockton plays basketball for Osnabruek in Germany. Photo courtesy Allazia Blockton

When players from Marquette who may have led in scoring or earned conference and national accolades head overseas, they may not be as revered and loved as when they were in Milwaukee. Additionally, there are added obstacles to moving to another country to play basketball – things that could deter a player from playing at his or her full potential. Some of Marquette’s most notable names were unsuccessful in their quest of making it to the NBA or WNBA, but found comfort in the fact that their talents could be used overseas.

JACK LEWANDOWSKI FORMER PLAYERS FIND CAREERS OVERSEAS AFTER LEAVING MARQUETTE Steve Taylor Jr., who played for Marquette from 2012 to 2015 before transferring to Toledo for his final season, explains the process of deciding to play overseas after he went undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft. “Once I didn’t get drafted … you don’t think negative and that it’s over,” Taylor says. “During that time the money in the G-League just wasn’t what my agent and I thought was good, so I looked elsewhere.” Another Marquette player that ventured across the ocean was Luke Fischer, a center that played three years for the Golden Eagles from 2014 to 2017 after transferring from Indiana University Bloomington. Fischer says a key factor that influenced his decision to play overseas was his connection with a prominent Golden Eagle. “I had a really good relationship with Travis Diener,” Fischer says. “He was a great contact for me because he had a great NBA career and ended up playing six or more years in Italy.” Even with Fischer’s feeling of uncertainty regarding making the move overseas, Diener, who had a stellar four-year career with the Golden Eagles in the early 2000s, aided Fischer in his decision to play in Europe. Diener had told Fischer that there is not anything wrong with playing overseas, and that Fischer would be playing against top-level competition while making good money. One of the main differences that athletes face in all sports when venturing to play in international territories is overcoming the language barrier. This is something that former Marquette women’s basketball player Allazia Blockton has had a variety of experiences with.

“Fortunately I have been on teams where mostly everyone speaks English and only one where hardly no one did, and I had the toughest time there because a lot of the time I was confused,” Blockton says, recalling her time playing for the Club Deportivo Promete basketball team in Spain, where she had an easy time fitting in as an English-speaker, in comparison to her experience with Osnabruek in Germany where the language barrier was more restricting. A difference in dialect is not just present on the court but also in everyday life as players get accustomed to a living in a foreign community.

a player can’t sweep through a defender with the ball. Additionally, a player has to cross jab when they want to dribble, or else it is considered a travel by the referee. Also, after a shot hits the rim, players are allowed to tap the ball into the net or swipe the ball away as opposed to the NBA, where those actions would result in a goaltending call. While some players experience a new life through international basketball, for many, the ideals and lessons learned at Marquette along the way are engraved

I had “Itothink get used to ... the change of pace.

”

-Derrick Wilson, MUBB Point Guard 2011-15

“It does get a little iffy when you’re out and about and someone is trying to say something to you at a grocery store,” Fischer says. “But luckily we have Google Translate now, (so) there’s always ways to work around it.” Fischer had nothing but good things to say about the language that was used on the court. After playing in leagues such as the Spanish Cup, German Cup and Euroleague, Fischer says he found great comfort in knowing that “English is the universal basketball language.” Another difference that former Marquette men’s basketball alum Derrick Wilson saw in the way the game is played overseas was the tempo that controls the game. “I think I had to get used to … the change of pace, and also everyone’s skill and being a professional,” Wilson says. As a five-year international veteran, Wilson has played in both the Danish Basketligaen League and the Turkish Basketball League (TBL) for a different club every year. Another modification to basketball overseas is the different rules for players on the court. Wilson says some of the differing rules include the concept of traveling in regard to a player’s pivot foot, which can limit someone’s athletic ability because

Derrick Wilson drives the ball in a Marquette game March 12, 2015. Photo courtesy Marquette Athletics

within them. One thing that Blockton remembers fondly from her time at Marquette is the intensity. “I think the most important thing I learned at Marquette is how to handle adversity throughout my whole career,” Blockton says. Hard work and dedication also resonated with Taylor Jr., as he got his motivation from Marquette’s previous men’s basketball coach Brett Williams, or as many people refer to him, “Buzz.” “I’ll never forget how hard Buzz made us work,” Taylor Jr. says. “Everything was a competition … that’s one thing that stuck with me since I left Marquette.” Over the course of Taylor’s time at Marquette, he went 56-43 under coach Williams. Fischer currently has a familiar face playing beside him for Orleans Loiret Basket in Orleans, France: former Golden Eagles Darius Johnson-Odom, who played for Marquette from 2009-2012. The pair are now teammates. Although Fischer and Johnson-Odom played at different times for Marquette, they both bond over their times playing for the die-hard fans at both the BMO Harris Bradley Center and Al McGuire Center. Derrick Wilson, who was able to play at Marquette for the entirety of his collegiate career, did not realize the esteem

and appreciation that the name Marquette holds, not only the United States, but in the rest of the world as well.

Steve Taylor Jr. takes a shot at a game Feb. 21, 2015.

“I didn’t realize how much the name Marquette meant and how much it’s respected by other players in the basketball community all across the world,” Wilson says.

Photo courtesy Marquette Athletics

SPRING

Whether it be the K-Pop trends of South Korea or the minimalistic, chic vibes of France, fashion constantly transcends borders. Though many cities set fashion standards and have their own unique personalities, there are a few cities that are setting the trends for 2021: Seoul, Paris, Stockholm and New York.

Photo by Zach Bukowski

INTO STYLE

CATCH THESE CITIES’ FASHION TRENDS FOR 2021

Models: Julie Aleman, Nicole Anderson

SPRING FASHION 2021 SPRING FASHION 2021 SPRING FASHION 2021

MARY HANNA

Set in a highly fashionable region, Stockholm embodies style and practicality for its region’s weather. Draped in scarves, long coats and muted colors, the Swedes are fashion icons to watch. Featured styles include leather, structured coats, relaxed-wear jeans and blazers. The Swedes have truly mastered chicness in these layered looks.

STOCKHOLM STOCKHOLM STOCKHOLM STOCKHOLM STOCKHOLM STOCKHOLM STOCKHOLM

Photos by Claire Gallagher

Models: Hannah Quijano, Mia Tumbarello

Influenced by the roaring popularity of K-pop, Seoul fashion is comfortable, relatable and cool. Focused on street style, wearable fabrics, and practicality, Seoul fashion is what everyone wants. For a Seoul-inspired look, opt for ankle length pants, ribbed shirts, light jackets and basics like crop tops. It’s all about the balance between comfort and bold.

Photos by Zach Bukowski Models: Eric Escoto, Mia Tumbarello

SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL SEOUL 51

PARIS PARIS PARIS PARIS PARIS PARIS Hip in all areas, Paris is widely regarded as the place to be for style. This spring, the 1990s are making a comeback. Think low-rise jeans, distressed denim and dad sneakers.

Photos by Claire Gallagher Models: Hannah Quijano, Tatum Whalen

N N N N N N

Fashion hub to the United States, NYC ranks globally with its unique fashionistas. This season is all about the textures — silk, leather, latex. Colors of this season include pink and yellow hues, in both bold and subdued forms. Honorable mention: wild patterns – it’s 2021, anything goes!

NEW YORK NEW YORK NEW NEW YORK NEW NEW YORK NEW NEW YORK NEW NEW YORK NEW Photos by Joceline Helmbreck and Zach Bukowski Models: Julie Aleman, Nicole Anderson

ARIANA MADSON

A City of Cultural Festivals

EACH SUMMER, MILWAUKEE HOSTS CELEBRATIONS OF COUNTRIES ALL OVER THE GLOBE Every summer, Milwaukee dons the title “city of festivals” as a dozen different cultural festivals are held in the city to celebrate heritages. Ranging from all ends of the globe, each festival is unique. A few are listed below: POLISH FEST Polish Fest was created in 1982 by the Polish Heritage Alliance Inc. with the purpose of preserving the culture and traditions of Poland. Polish Fest is meant to showcase the country’s arts, tradition and culture. Clarice Michalski, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, has been attending Polish Fest since she was a baby. Her grandparents are from Poland and her dad is 100% Polish, so she says she grew up celebrating some of their cultural traditions. Along with attending Polish Fest every year, Michalski says she performs Polish dances at the festival as part of a group called Syrena. “I got involved with Polish dancing when I was pretty young … it’s a folk dance and it’s usually counted in threes,” Michalski says. Michalski says her favorite part about Polish Fest is having multiple performances in a day with quick costume changes in between. She also likes going around to the different booths set up. Besides live dancing performances, the festival has live bands as well as food stands with Polish cuisine like pierogis and kielbasa. There are also booths selling items like Polish jewelry and Polish dishware. This year the festival is scheduled for June 11-13. Tickets and prices can be found on their website. GERMAN FEST

German Fest began in 1981 and is held at the Summerfest grounds every summer. Each summer, the grounds brim with German heritage from live authentic bands to authentic food such as goulash, a stew made of meat and vegetables. Deb Wolf, director of advertising and promotion, has been involved in the

festival since she was 14 years old and worked in the festival’s office. “My family’s been heavily involved with the German community and German fest … my dad is from Austria and my mom’s from Germany … my dad was very much into wanting to keep the heritage and the culture alive and share it with everybody,” Wolf says.

While German Fest has been cancelled in 2020 and 2021, it is usually held annually at the Henry Maier Festival Park, also known as the Summerfest Grounds.

German Fest has a plethora of activities during the festival, including the German Fest Battle of the Mascots in which different Wisconsin mascots scrimmage in a soccer game and the Dachshund Derby and Weiner Dog Costume Contest in which dachshunds race and then are judged based on their costumes. The festival also has plenty of German foods, such as strudel, which is a pastry, and spanferkel, which is a roasted whole pig. “Milwaukee was built on a lot of German foundation … I think that resonates … because we’re based on the volunteers, we all have grown up with each other and we all know each other in some way shape or form,” Wolf says. “We’re a very close community.” Sadly, German Fest was canceled this year due to the pandemic. It was originally scheduled be July 30 to Aug. 1. On years it is held, general admission for adults is $15 and the student price is $7. MEXICAN FIESTA Mexican Fiesta is a Milwaukee summer festival that brings the culture, sound and taste of Mexico to the city. It is typically held at the Henry Maier Festival Park. The festival started in 1973 to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated annually Sept. 16. Mexican Fiesta is sponsored by the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Inc., with the goal of bringing together a community in an effort to award scholarships for young Hispanic men and women. The festival contains many different vendors. In 2019, it had a Fiesta Car & Motorcycle Show that featured classic/lowrider cars as well as motorcycles. Mexican Fiesta is set to be held in per-

really “...it’s cool to see

people who are really proud of their heritage.

”

-Angie Scavone 2019 MU Alum

son Aug. 27-29, 2021. General admission price is $18. FESTIVAL ITALIANA Festival Italiana was the first ethnic festival in Milwaukee and started about 40 years ago. It takes place at the Henry Maier Festival Park. The Festa Italiana has fun attractions like gondolas and cultural exhibits. It also features Italian

occurring this summer due to the pandemic. It was held from July 19-21 in 2019. Though it is canceled, tickets could typically be purchased at the entry gate for $13. IRISH FEST Irish Fest is one of the other large cultural festivals held in Milwaukee. It holds many different Irish cultural staples such as live band performances, dancing and food. It takes place at Henry Maier Festival Park. Sarah Jablonowski, a 2020 College of Nursing alum, says she enjoys attending Irish Fest with her family. Jablonowski has even performed with her Irish dance group at the festival.

Photos courtesy German Fest Milwaukee

“Me and my family have our certain traditions that make it special … we love the baked potatoes and then we would sit down and listen to different bands and musicians … there’s a lot to do and there’s a lot of different options,” Jablonowski says.

food such as pasta and fried eggplant strips. Angie Scavone, a 2019 College of Education alum, has attended Festival Italiana in the past. She first attended the summer going into her senior year of college just after she studied abroad in Italy. Scavone herself has Italian roots. “(We’re) Sicilian on my mom’s side … my grandpa was born in Sicily,” Scavone says. “My grandma isn’t Italian but she knows all the recipes.” After experiencing Festival Italiana for the first time, Scavone brought her mom and grandma the next year. “I think it’s really cool to see people who are really proud of their heritage. It’s very fun to see people in their element,” Scavone says. Festa Italiana announced it will not be

Along with dancing and live music, the festival has Irish foods such as bangers and mash, which is sausages served with mashed potatoes and gravy, as well as shepherd’s pie, which consists of ground meat with a crust of mashed potatoes. They also have activities like learning about the Irish sport of hurling and a canine area where you can learn about all nine of the Irish dog breeds, and meet a few of them. This year’s festival is set to take place the third weekend of August. Tickets are not yet for sale. Though these are just a handful festivals that occur during the summer, there are also a few others such the Milwaukee Highland games in June celebrating Scottish culture, the Milwaukee Dragon Boat Festival celebrating Chinese culture in July and Bronzeville W_eek celebrating African American culture in August.

Experiences Abroad

Studying abroad requires a leap of faith and every experience is different, varying based on country and program. But the global pandemic’s effect on international travel has significantly altered Marquette’s study abroad program. Natalie Landgraf, a senior in the College of Nursing, studied abroad in Dublin, Ireland, during the spring 2020 semester, when the world shut down. She says that out of all the new and unfamiliar things she experienced away from Milwaukee, getting home last March was the toughest part.

QUINN FAETH

“It took us three hours to get through security,” Landgraf says. “They would bring people into a small room to take their temperature, so everybody was taking Tylenol. It was scary because everybody needed to get home, but you couldn’t get on the plane if you had a temperature.” But for Landgraf, the positive experiences she had meeting new people and being immersed in different cultures outweighed the negative impact of COVID-19. “I was able to travel to Scotland, Spain, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Portugal,” Landgraf says. “I built friendships off of standing in line ordering coffee … At some point, I even want to live out there (in Europe) for a while.” Landgraf and other students who were abroad in the spring semester of 2020 had their time away cut in half, as they found themselves finding trips home midMarch amid lockdowns.

Natalie Landgraf (left) poses outside La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.

For some students, the pandemic prevented them entirely from joining a program.

Photo courtesy Natalie Landgraf

Jacob Rose, a senior in the College of Communication, had been hoping to study abroad somewhere in Europe during the fall 2021 semester. “I was really looking forward to the idea of spending a semester abroad and the pandemic made it tough,” Rose says. “It’s something that I’ll regret not getting the chance to do as a college student, but for those students that come after me, I hope they get the chance to do what I couldn’t.”

While being abroad can open you up to different people, it can also be hard at times. Culture shock is something many students experience when traveling internationally, whether that’s a new language or different cultural norms. Morris says she felt out of place sometimes during her time in Greece and when she stepped out and visited other places.

Kate Morris, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, studied abroad in Athens, Greece during the fall of 2019. She says she loved her time away and encourages Marquette students to challenge themselves with new experiences.

“Egypt was definitely a big culture shock because it was very different than the rest of the countries I was in,” Morris says. “It was chaotic and loud with cars honking at every minute of the night.”

“It’s about taking your college experience into your own hands. We can live such a normal life at Marquette and it’s good to experience something more than that,” Morris says. 56

But she was also able to see national landmarks like the Egyptian pyramids and the medieval streets of Edinburgh, despite not knowing much about those places.

Studying abroad can challenge students in many ways, but both Landgraf and Morris say they learned something about themselves in the process. “I feel like I matured a lot while I was there because it was very out of my comfort zone, as study abroad is for most people,” Morris says. “Whenever I was hesitant to do something, I just went ahead and did it.” “I learned that I love spontaneity,” Landgraf says. “Planning things out is so great but the greatest moments abroad were moments when I would wake up early one morning and run into the city without worrying about time.”

Milwaukee’s Global Cuisine MASON STEBNITZ

Milwaukee has long been a haven for immigrants from a wide range of nationalities. In the mid-1800s, there were so many German immigrants that the city became known as “the German Athens.” Even today, 30% of Milwaukee’s population has either German or Polish ancestry. The influence from these communities can be found in many different areas, including the great international cuisine featured locally. Some notable restaurants in the area include Three Brothers, Alem Ethiopian Village and Bombay Sweets. Three Brothers is a Serbian-style restaurant located in South Milwaukee. The owner, Milunka Radicevic, says the restaurant was founded in 1956 by her grandfather who was from Yugoslavia. “Our family was separated in WWII,” Radicevic says. “My grandfather was in a concentration camp. My father was also in a concentration camp and later in a Gestapo jail.” The restaurant initially served bar food, like nachos and wings, until Radicevic’s grandmother arrived. “The beauty of her recipes during a time when you didn’t have the availability of imported products is a testament to her skills and ingenuity,” Radicevic says. She says she believes the restaurant acted as a way for her family to hold on to their culture. “Caressing a dish into life each night alleviated homesickness and brought people together,” Radicevic says. Three Brothers’ Mediterranean influence is evident throughout their menu. “Our signature dish is called burek,” Radicevic says. “It is layers of paper-thin dough, called Yufka, that is filled with either beef, cheese or spinach and cheese filling.” For Radicevic’s family, it is clear that Three Brothers means more than just a restaurant. “The restaurant is our home. We grew up above. Our restaurant kitchen and dining room is our family’s as well,” Radicevic says. Another local restaurant serving international

cuisine is Alem Ethiopian Village, located downtown at 307 E. Wisconsin Ave. The restaurant opened in 2008, and its owner Sol Bekele is originally from Ethiopia. The restaurant is all about sticking to its Ethiopian roots. “We try to use original spices and prepare the entrees as close to their authentic taste as possible. We also have furniture and art imported from Ethiopia,” Bekele says. The food and furniture are not the only things that the restaurant keeps authentic. It also stays true to how food is traditionally served and consumed in Ethiopia. “Ethiopian food is unique and is not found anywhere else. You will typically eat out of a common plate (pre-pandemic) using your bare hands, and no utensils are provided, except for the non-initiated and the non-adventurous, and upon request,” Bekele says. Alem Ethiopian Village’s menu features mostly vegan, lamb and beef items, and has been limited due to the pandemic. Their most popular dish is the Veggie Combo, a combination of their four signature stews: split lentils, split peas, collard greens and steamed cabbage with potatoes and carrots. The restaurant has been slightly limited due to the pandemic. “At the moment we are not open for dine in and provide curbside or takeout Monday to Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.,” Bekele says. For a taste of authentic Indian cuisine, you may want to check out Bombay Sweets. Founded in 1998, the restaurant is owned and operated by Narinder Kumar. “We offer an all-vegetarian menu, serving no meat and no eggs, which is unique to the southern region of India,” Kumar says. “We also serve candy and sweets from the region.” The restaurant has many popular dishes, yet there is one that stands out. “Our most popular item is the Samosa Chat, which is comprised of samosa and chickpea curry,” Kumar says. For anyone looking to enjoy authentic cuisine from all over the globe, Milwaukee has a variety of options.

Photos by Nathan Lampres

Oh, the Places You’ll Go

CHARLOTTE IVES ALUMNI SHARE ADVICE ABOUT MOVING ABROAD AFTER COLLEGE The world is a big place, with much to explore. For many, college years and the subsequent job search are times to consider the possibilities of where to live and work. Some Marquette found themselves after graduation.

graduates have moving abroad

“I knew I did not want to spend my life purely in the States,” James D’Amico, a 2014 Marquette graduate, says. “I was always going to go on some type of adventure and it basically came down to whether I was moving to London or moving to Galway, and I chose the latter.” D’Amico’s mother is from a county just north of Galway, so he grew up visiting family in the area and has Irish citizenship. “(Galway) is a beautiful, artsy community that still has a medieval street setup,” D’Amico says. “It’s one of a kind as far as I’m concerned.” D’Amico lived there for about two years, during which he studied for his graduate degree in information systems management at the National University of Ireland in Galway.

James D’Amico graduated from the graduate program at National University of Ireland Galway Nov. 19, 2019. Photo courtesy Mary Maloney

“I think it’s really beneficial to sort of get out of just American customs and see how the rest of the world does college life, how the rest of the world does projects, how the rest of the world just views us as a country and as citizens of the United States,” D’Amico says. He says studying abroad taught him how to collaborate and work in new ways. His only regret is that he may have played it too safe. “If I had to do it again, even though I absolutely loved living in Ireland and living in

Galway, there’s a little bit of me that wishes I had got myself even farther out of my comfort zone.” D’Amico says. He says he might have liked to study somewhere like Germany or France, places he is far more unfamiliar with. Adam Waerzeggers, a 2013 Marquette graduate, found himself in that situation of unfamiliarity. A few years after graduating, Waerzeggers moved to Iwata, Japan, for his work at Showa Corporation. The city has a population of nearly 170,000 people, and he says he might have been the only American in town. “I didn’t get much socialization as far as

speaking English is concerned,” Waerzeggers, who spoke very little Japanese prior to moving, says. “But one of the perks of living abroad is you’re fully immersed in the culture and you pick up languages, you pick up diets, everything that coincides with living in a different country.” Waerzeggers says general politeness and cleanliness, for example, is much bigger in Japan than in the U.S. When he moved overseas, he noticed different practices in etiquette, such as turning on your flashers as an apology after cutting someone off in your car. “Now that I’m back in America, it’s a little weird doing stuff like that because no one else seems to care or even notice it,”

Waerzeggers says moving abroad is a great opportunity for recent graduates to consider, especially if it is for work. But he warns them against aimlessly moving overseas. “You have to treat it like a means to an end, rather than the end itself,” Waerzeggers says. “There was definitely a disconnect between people who wanted to live abroad just so they could live in a beautiful country or travel a lot.” Waerzeggers says he bonded more with those who left to fulfill a specific goal, similar to himself. Unlike D’Amico and Waerzeggers, when some Marquette graduates move abroad, they do it for good. Jim Feng, a 2004 Marquette graduate, has lived in three countries over the course of his life. He grew up in China, went to school in the U.S. and moved to Australia after graduation. He says he chose Australia because a classmate from Marquette visited the country frequently and spoke very highly of it. “I thought ‘well, I should give it a try,’” Feng says. “Once I moved here, I found it very, it’s very interesting. It’s a great country. It’s a good work lifestyle.”

Adam Waerzeggers points out a sign for Wisconsin company Oshkosh in Japan.

Feng says he was attracted to the good work-life balance he found in Australia and opted to stay. He says he also admired Australia’s landscape.

Photo courtesy Adam Waerzeggers

“It’s not very crowded,” Feng says. “So yeah, it’s like a big countryside and you see a lot of wildlife. For example, if you drive away from the major city you see more cattle and sheep than you do people.”

Waerzeggers says. “But when you’re in a different culture and you see that, it makes a big difference to you, so hopefully you can bring a little bit of something good from somewhere else back with you. I think that just makes the whole world a better place.” Waerzeggers says he misses his time in Japan. “When you’re living abroad, it’s something that’s kind of temporary, and you always keep that in mind,” Waerzeggers says. “So you live a little more adventurous and a little bit more free than you would if you know that you’re gonna be living here for the rest of your life.” Jim Feng attends the 2019 World Engineers Convention in Melbourne, Australia Photo courtesy Jim Feng

Although Waerzeggers says he enjoyed his time in Japan, he had never actually planned on moving abroad. “Be open to any opportunities that might come at you,” Waerzeggers advises. “I myself had no inclination of living abroad, ever. But it was a really good opportunity.”

He says living abroad has taught him a lot about seeing things from others’ perspectives. “It’s really opened my mind to go to a different country or even a different city, different places,” Feng says. “They take you out of your comfort zone and you have to understand and respect other cultures and people, you really learn from other peoples and cultures a lot which I think really improved myself.” After all of his time spent living overseas, Feng has one piece of advice for Marquette students and graduates interested in moving abroad. “Don’t be shy,” Feng says. “And take action. You can think about it, you can plan about it, but in the end, you should take action if you decide to move.”

vinced me to do so, and I plan on watching it with some friends in the near future because it sounds very enticing. Another international movie that has flown under the radar in America is the 1988 animated action film “Akira.” The Japanese film showcases the potential danger of a powerful government. The movie took home the 1992 Silver Scream Award at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival. Gary Weisling, a sophomore in the College of Communication, says the movie had a tremendous impact on his political viewpoints. “When watching ‘Akira’ for the first time, I definitely had the perspective of fearing a government with too much power, but looking back on the film, I realize that even as small and inconspicuous an individual might be, they can still bring about a massive change,” Weisling says.

Photo by Lily Werner

It has been a tremendous few decades for international movies. With so many great films to watch and talented directors behind the masterpieces, the list could go on and on. Most recently, “Parasite,” directed by Bong Joon-ho in 2019, has taken the cake and set the new standard for international films. The movie won four Academy Awards and caught the attention of movie-lovers everywhere. Trevor Tosto, a sophomore in the College of Communication, says he thinks “Parasite” could set the tone for a new rise in the popularity of international films. “International films have almost always been pushed aside by the American public, including the Academy. With ‘Parasite,’ it finally feels as if international films are finally breaking into American pop culture,” Tosto says. Tosto is no stranger to international films himself. One of his all-time favorites, “Oldboy,” is a 2003 South Korean movie directed by Park Chan-wook, who, coincidentally, is a close friend of Bong Joon-ho. 60

“(Oldboy) is the definition of a film experience,” Tosto says. “It’s a crazy, intense, modern retelling of the Greek story of Oedipus. I cannot recommend this film enough and, if you get me talking, I probably won’t shut up about it.” Tosto did, indeed, shut up about it, but if you haven’t seen it, I definitely would recommend carving some time out of your day to watch it, because Tosto con-

A final international film that has flown under the radar and is worth the watch is “City of God.” The 2002 film is set in impoverished Rio de Janeiro and stars Brazilian musician and actor Seu Jorge as one of the main characters. Keaton Berkes, a sophomore in the College of Communication, says he was appreciative of the opportunity to watch the film. “It was very cool to see how people live in the favelas of Brazil. It was also even cooler that it was based on a real event that happened in the 1970s from the standpoint of a photographer,” he says. Berkes says the movie is a must-watch. With international films on the rise along with an incredible recent surge of talent, there’s no telling what could happen in the next few years regarding cinematography around the world. One thing’s for certain, though: We’re in for a treat.

International Movies to Add to your Queue

TOMMY SHAFFER

Shopping Local REESE SEBERG After a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and protests for racial equality, shopping locally has become increasingly important – specifically, in support of small business owners of color. Marquette students can support these businesses and try something new by safely giving them a visit. From vintage T-shirts to art classes, Milwaukee has a wide variety of stores that not only provide consumers with new experiences but also bring a sense of community to the city. VIBEZ CREATIVE ARTS SPACE Vibez is in the Sherman Phoenix hub, located at 3536 W Fond Du Lac Ave., which features mostly Black-owned businesses. Chrishella Roché, the owner of Vibez Creative Arts Space, used art as a form of healing after spending three years in Abu Dhabi away from her family and friends back in Milwaukee. “Our goal is to be a space where the community can come together and kind of heal. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how young you are,” Roché says. Photos by Isabel Bonebrake

Vibez Creative Arts Space is a hub for art including painting, pottery and writing. In a typical year, Vibez usually offers in-person classes and parties. Right now, the business is focusing on selling work from local artists and doing virtual classes for all people, regardless of age or skill level. In fact, Vibez is the only art space in Milwaukee that does not have an age requirement. To Roché, age does not define a person’s abilities. “Art is not so subjective to just kids or just adults, you know, like it can be everybody – young people or seasoned people,” Roché says. “It’s for everybody, and it’s all in the eye of the beholder.” ALL GOODS MKE Like Vibez, All Goods MKE also values community. Located at 1411 S 72nd Street in West Allis, All Goods MKE is a modern thrift store that specializes in vintage tees and hoodies. Owner Ali Acevedo places high importance on the community and his customers as a way to bring a “good” vibe to Milwaukee. “The store name, ‘All Goods’ means a few things,” Acevedo says. “It means I have a lit-

tle bit of everything, right? But I also want people to play on the saying, you know, it’s ‘all good.’ I want people to feel good.” Just as the name suggests, Acevedo aspires to give his customers a unique experience each visit, along with fair prices. “I feel like being really generous with the pricing and just allowing people access to stuff that they normally wouldn’t have, specifically in Milwaukee as well, because we really don’t have many stores in the whole state that are similar to this,” Acevedo says. “I think of it like a modern version of, like, Plato’s Closet or Buffalo Exchange.” DEADSTOCK While All Goods favors vintage tees and hoodies, sneaker shop Deadstock is the number one place to get the coolest kicks in Milwaukee. Brothers Yaz and Mohammad Hamed opened Deadstock, located at 7009 S. 27th St. in Franklin, to supply sneakerheads with rare sneakers and streetwear. “The name Deadstock comes from the sneaker culture. It means brand new and never worn,” Mohammad says. “So when someone says a shoe is a deadstock and they post it on Facebook or Craigslist, anytime you see that word, that means it’s a brand new shoe, never worn. We aim to be kind of the most high-end of the shoe stores.” CREAM CITY PRINT LOUNGE Cream City Print Lounge, owned by Rachaad Howard, is another example of one of these novelty shops. Cream City Print is an interactive retail studio, located at 8010 W. National Ave, West Allis where customers can come and print their own T-shirts as well as host printing parties. Howard has printed for over ten years and has even had some of the store’s original prints sold in large retail stores such as Kohl’s. Howard’s printed shirts feature sayings such as “peace, love, equality” and “Black culture is not a trend” as a result of the death of George Floyd. “When the George Floyd situation happened, we decided we needed to spread the word,” Howard says. “Once that happened, Kohl’s reached out to us and said, ‘hey, can you help us get the line out as well?’ so I created a lot of those for them as well.”

The Genocide in Front of AMINAH BEG FROM CHINA , TO FRANCE, TO INDIA, TO THE UNITED STATES, MUSLIM POPULATIONS FACE PERSECUTION On February 16, the president of my country, Joe Biden, decided to tell the people of the United States of America that the events currently occurring in China are because, as he says, “Culturally, there are different norms that each country and their leaders are expected to follow.” That, in fact, the country of China is victim to the powers of foreign countries when it is not unified and Chinese President Xi Jinping is rational for exerting strict control over his constituents because of this. It sounds like the man I voted and prayed for is now looking straight into my television screen during a CNN Town Hall to tell me that the beating, enslaving, raping and persecuting of the Uighur Muslims is justified and really it is China who has fallen victim to extreme forces. You have got to be kidding me. Since 2017, one million Uighur Muslims have been detained in more than 85 different internment camps within the Xinjiang region. At first, China continued to deny the validity of any claims. Yet, when video drone footage was released of hundreds of Uighur men blindfolded collectively led from a train station in 2019, China called these locations “re-education camps.” Nobody is being “re-educated.” Statements from detainees inside the camps have reported Chinese officials beating and interrogating them due to their religion. Not only were these innocent minorities beaten, but the women have been forced to abort during pregnancies and inject sterilizations to prevent

Photos by Joceline Helmbreck

future fertility as a means of population control. Children are forcibly taken from their parents and taken to unknown locations. Detainees have reported inci dents of experiencing electric shocks, being deprived of food, being shackled and being forced to remain in stressful situations for elongated periods. This is a genocide. Under international law, the acts of the Chinese government against the Uighur Muslims are without a doubt classified as a genocide. Let’s move 4,006 miles to the country of France.

Another 4,576 miles to South Asia, specifically India. Muslims in India have faced discrimination, prejudice and violence since the country gained its independence in 1947. More specifically though, since the reelection of their current Prime Minister Narendra Modi in late 2019, the government has pushed and pursued an even stronger nationalist agenda ignoring the rights of the minority Muslim population. Two-hundred million Muslims occupy the country of India, yet, according to a 2019 report by the nongovernmental organization Common Cause, it was found that half of the police showed an anti-Muslim bias. This explains the death of

It cannot be the “responsibility of

Since French President Emmanuel Macron took office in May of 2017, 43 mosques were closed and shut down. In the year 2020, hate crimes against the French Muslim population increased by 53%. In December 2020, French State Services reported that they would inspect 76 mosques in the upcoming days. All of this comes nine years after the fact that it is the first country to ever ban Islamic face coverings. (Imagine the hypocrisy when they began to mandate mask face coverings for all French citizens.) Just last month, an overwhelming majority of the French legislature signed a bill that strengthened and increased oversight over mosques, schools and sports clubs, a piece of legislation clearly centered around greater persecution for the French Muslim population.

only Muslims to help those suffering especially when the prejudice is because of the majorities.

”

your Eyes 50 people in New Delhi, most of them Muslim, in March 2020, making it the city’s worst communal violence in decades. Some politicians helped incite the violence while the police did nothing to stop the mobs of Hindus attacking Muslims. 8,046 miles west we arrive at Naperville, Illinois. My hometown. For the past three months, the Islamic Center of Naperville has conflicted with its surrounding communities over the building of a new mosque right outside my neighborhood. Intense opposition from both my white and Hindu neighbors have made the creation of this worship center seem next to impossible. The attacks and comments to the City of Naperville complaining about these plans continue to increase. Neighbors have yet to claim a justified and rationale reason for stopping the mosque, but they have expressed fears of “bombings” if the construction were to continue and called us “terrorists.” The discrimination and hate toward my religion are clear as day. I feel heartbroken and defeated knowing that children like me growing up in my neighborhood know that the families of their own peers and neighbors are in direct opposition of their lifestyle. It is not fair. It is not right that others can control my religion and the way it is practiced. It is not Muslims’ fault people are ignorant of the truth. We can’t let their ignorance come in the way of having our freedoms. These issues need awareness. It cannot be the responsibility of only Muslims to help those suffering especially when the prejudice is because of the majorities. Our politicians and government must recognize and admit the atrocities and genocides occurring to truly make a change. Vote for diverse representatives in office. Diversify your donations. Eliminate purchasing from companies profiting off inhumane Muslim labor. Support these causes. Globally in the past year the persecution against my people only continues to increase and others must do their part to stop it. Discrimination, hate, prejudice, violence. This is how others react to Islam, the religion of peace. This is a narrative written by an opinions columnist.

JENNA KOCH Racist and xenophobic ideas about COVID-19 have contributed to some of the highest rates of Asian American hate crime in decades in the United States. In order to combat this, we need short-term solutions to fix immediate harm as well as long-term goals to prevent future harm. Hate crimes against Asian Americans increased 150% in the past year, even as overall hate crime numbers have decreased, according to Voice of America. In New York City, the largest city in the U.S., this rate has increased by 883%. It is clear that these hate crimes have come from anti-Asian racism, but the reason for this hatred is very unique.

A Rise of Xenophobia Similarly, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, fear ignited a wave of hate crimes against Muslims, Sikhs and against religious minorities and Asian Americans as a whole in the early 2000s.

In all of these instances, fear about America’s safety and prosperity created a desire for a group to blame. Instead of viewing the issues as multi-faceted, some non-Asian Americans turned to hatred.

Anti-Asian racism is not new either. In the late 1800s, Chinese Americans were scapegoated for America’s declining economy and immigration from China was banned temporarily. Japanese Americans were targeted during World War II and placed in concentration camps because of the global tensions between Japan and the U.S. The complicated history of Asian American racism must be considered when talking about it in our society and nation today.

A white man was charged with the murder of eight women, six of whom were of Asian descent, March 18. The attacks took place at three Atlanta, Georgia massage parlors. He stated that his motivation was based on gender, but his choice of location and women that he shot reveals the attacks came out of a combination of racism and misogyny. The spike in hate crimes is not just due to COVID-19, but instead comes from a long history of anti-Asian rhetoric. More funding and energy need to go towards developing anti-racist curriculum in schools. Recently, anti-racist education about Black Americans has become more prevalent in conversations about systemic racism. The 1619 project by the New York Times is a prime example of that, as the initiative calls for educational institutions to recognize systemic racism as a pervasive force in the U.S. However, less emphasis has been placed on teaching Asian American history or incorporating their struggles into other aspects of learning. This recent wave of hate crimes must be a wake-up call for educators that the country is in desperate need of similar cultural or religious literacy courses that combine history and current events. The future generations of America need to be taught about the injustices going on right now and how they connect to past injustices. Slowing the spread of COVID-19 will not slow the spread of anti-Asian racism. Including Asian Americans in anti-racist education is crucial to creating a safer future for them. This is a narrative written by an opinions columnist. Photo by Isabel Bonebrake

Marginalized Communities and COVID-19 MAX PICKART The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental impact on nearly all communities worldwide, as lives have been lost and economies destroyed. However, it is clear that the pandemic has noticeably affected low-income, marginalized communities internationally at a higher rate than any other. The spread of COVID-19, as well as protection against the spread, have varied drastically based on an individual’s or country’s wealth, ethnicity and race. Two things are consistent. The first being that lower-income communities have faced greater disparities, both economically and in the health care system, in comparison to wealthier communities. The second being that Black communities, Asian communities and many other marginalized groups have faced immense prejudice and inequitable health care. When looking at international countries and the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, it is clear that lower-income countries, such as India and South Africa, are significantly less likely to receive a similar proportion of vaccines than wealthier countries such as the United States, Canada and Norway. Typically, lower-income countries are less able to purchase the expensive drugs needed to combat COVID-19. Meanwhile, wealthier countries are claiming that they deserve a large amount of the COVID-19 vaccine, resulting in a continuation of their elitism.

For example, in early March, roughly 50% of the world’s 79 lowest-income countries had not administered a single COVID-19 vaccination. By June, only 3% of these countries will have been vaccinated. Moreover, by the end of 2021, only 20% of these countries’ populations will be vaccinated. Meanwhile, American adults have been promised full vaccination by the end of May.

xenophobia, which was normalized by former President Donald Trump using derogatory terms such as the “Chinese virus” and “kung flu” when referring to the coronavirus. This type of language normalizes and welcomes racist behavior that the U.S. and international community must not tolerate. There is no place for racism.

By turning a blind eye to lower income countries, these wealthier nations are only further contributing to the health disparities and inequities that have been highlighted in the COVID-19 pandemic. Having financial prosperity should not be the deciding factor in the fight against this pandemic.

In addition, communities of color have been left behind historically as biomedical advances surge on internationally. Low testing rates in countries with a majority of non-white citizens, such as Haiti, Yemen and the Central African Republic, have struggled to understand the pandemic, as accessible diagnostics are not available.

There is no reason that COVID-19 should become “a disease of the poor.” More specifically, supplies and efforts to mitigate COVID-19 should not be concentrated in wealthier parts of the world, especially while poorer regions of the globe are still struggling to contain the coronavirus.

In an effort to combat these disparities, many lower-income countries have pushed for a waiver that lifts patent restrictions on medicines and vaccines to fight the pandemic until it is over. Wealthier nations, such as the U.S. and Norway, have blocked this request.

Instead of basing distribution off of purchasing power, it is essential to look at which countries have not yet administered a single vaccination. By providing vaccines to these lower-income countries at an affordable, fair cost, the international community would benefit and ultimately slow the spread of COVID-19.

In order for lower-income countries to fight this pandemic, the waiver on patent restrictions must be approved by wealthier nations. COVID-19, as mentioned, has already taken a toll on lower-income communities. This can be aided and combatted through a waiver of patents for vaccines and medicines.

Pre-existing racial prejudices, inequities and disparities have also persisted and even strengthened amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is an international pandemic, one that should be confronted by a unified front of international countries. Until this is understood, the pandemic will continue to surge on.

The Asian community in the United States, specifically, has endured significant and exponential anti-Asian

This is a narrative written by an opinions columnist.

Chinatown Square, Chicago Photo by Nathan Lampres

Think Global, Act Local LUCIA RUFFOLO

Right now, the world is pervaded with uncertainty and suffering. COVID-19 has killed millions, many have lost their jobs, lost access to education and faced food insecurity. However, engaging in your own community may help mend these problems as a collective whole.

inequality in the world. It is important to make clear that though individual actions of serving your community may help, they will never be substitutes for larger forms of change. Rather, real systemic change needs to be enacted by governments, to redistribute wealth as evenly as possible – and in my opinion – to create a socially owned democracy and a robust welfare state. With that being said, private charity never hurts, especially in a capitalist society that often makes it a necessity.

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed an additional 88 to 115 million people into extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is classified as living under a $1.90 a day. In the United States, the poverty rate was at a high of 16% in October.

Milwaukee, which experiences some of the highest poverty rates in the state of Wisconsin, has extreme poverty affecting 43 out of 422 neighborhoods in Milwaukee and Waukesha. Residents are left without housing after the spur of evictions taking place. Though states had barred landlords from pursuing eviction during the pandemic, Wisconsin was one of the first states to lift the halt on evictions in May, causing a surge of 1,370 evictions in July.

Children are experiencing higher rates of poverty more than any other age, as it is harder for parents of children to go back to work due to childcare costs. The child poverty rate reached a high of 21.4% in August.

The poverty rates in Milwaukee are directly connected to systemic racism in the city, with the Black median income steadily decreasing by 30% since 1979. Black residents have a poverty rate almost five times the rate of white residents.

It may feel out of our control to truly do anything about it, and in some ways, that is true. You cannot individually end the pandemic, nor can you stop the vast

It is beneficial to support organizations directly around you that perform charity work. There are a number of Milwaukee-area shelters that help house residents in need.

While the world has always been filled with vast inequality and poor conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic magnified these issues.

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The poverty rates in Milwaukee are directly connected to systemic racism in the city.

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The Milwaukee Rescue Mission on 19th Street has helped service the homeless population since 1893. Ways to help support them include volunteering, giving monetary donations or donating needed items. Another organization is the Milwaukee Women’s Center, located on 728 N. James Lovell St. The center is meant to provide services for women, men and children who are facing violence, addiction, mental health issues and poverty. They can also be supported through monetary donation, contributing items on the wish list and through volunteering.

The Milwaukee Women’s Center is located at 728 N. James Lovell St. Photo by Zach Bukowski

The Sister MacCanon Brown Sanctuary, which helps service those in need of emergency housing, on 2461 W. Center St., also has a list of basic needs, such as clothing, hygiene and household items. It is easy to acknowledge that there is a great deal of injustice in the world. Wider concepts of global inequality can be addressed in local communities by offering support where it is needed. While charity is never a replacement for change on the political level, it is a start, and helping organizations dedicated to service may aid in easing the hurt and insecurity of those made vulnerable during difficult times. This is a narrative written by an opinions columnist.

Photo by Claire Gallagher

Pursuing Positivity in a Pandemic

HOPE MOSES

The COVID-19 pandemic challenges us in ways we could never have imagined. This pandemic causes disarray and uncertainty and is now largely responsible for the mental health crisis humans are battling everywhere. Deaths related to both the coronavirus and racial inequality, record unemployment rates, the closure of businesses and schools, the postponements of events and the inability to regularly see family and friends have made this last year very difficult. This is no doubt a difficult period of time for us all, but it is exactly that: a period of time. A time that will pass. It may often feel like a hopeless situation that we have had no control over for a year, but a sense of hope is possible when we try to look at the pandemic differently and see the positive effects that have come out it. In the beginning of the pandemic, mandated quarantines forced the Earth to heal from the wear and tear of human activity. For example, the Venice Canals, which are typically dark and have murky water, were transformed into a clear, blue color for the first time in 60 years because the decrease in water traffic allowed the sediment in the canals to settle. Additionally, fossil fuel emissions largely decreased when many economies shut down. For example, China, which is the world’s largest carbon emitter, experienced a 25% decrease in carbon emissions. The COVID-19 pandemic has also forced us to rethink what constitutes a person as an “essential worker.” As of 2019, there are 55 million essential workers. This not only includes health care workers but also retail associates, grocery store clerks, delivery drivers and many others we have desperately leaned on to fulfill our daily needs, especially during the pandemic. These workers, who are the backbone of our country, finally received the

recognition they deserve amid the pandemic. This recognition pushes conversations about unfair wages and benefits for essential workers to the forefront, which will hopefully encourage legislative change in the future. The support of frontline workers also puts a major emphasis on community — something that I feel we were losing touch with before the pandemic. In the United Kingdom, five British Broadcasting Corporation radio stations invited listeners to request songs for a nationwide singalong. In Surrey, U.K., more than 16,000 people signed up to adopt a grandparent. This initiative sought to pair volunteers with care home residents who needed real connection and communication, which aids in the global mental health crisis by providing comfort to those who cannot see their friends and family.

George Floyd was the spark that brought many opposing communities together for a similar end goal: peace. Despite the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the world has seen some unexpected positive effects as well. As much negativity as there is in the world, we should strive to see the positives because when we find a way to find a balance between the negatives and positives, we will find the light at the end of the tunnel. This is a narrative written by an opinions columnist.

“In Surrey, U.K.,

One of the most impactful examples of community-building is the worldwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice. While these are ongoing issues in all our communities, the murder of

more than 16,000 people signed up to adopt a grandparent.

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