Summer 2020

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On the Inside 04 Letter From the Editors 06 Flash Five 16 News 34 Feature: Black Lives Matter 38 Arts & Entertainment 42 Sports 48 Opinions 54 Feature: COVID Blogs

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After publishing the Spring Marquette Journal last semester, we knew we needed to do more to capture this unprecedented time.

The issue, “Our Chance to Change” was published in late April, just at the beginning of quarantine. As the coronavirus began to spread further and at a rapid pace, the academic year started to wind down to its end. Goodbyes wanted to be said but could not. Graduation was postponed.

Friends distanced. Classes finished with the click of a logout button. It was more than just a virus. It was more than just two weeks inside. Day after day, new information came about of events being canceled, more people were dying and more infected. Hope was far from sight.

Favorite local businesses have changed. Annual celebrations that are beloved traditions have been canceled. Baseball and basketball have changed forever. The Democratic National Convention — which Milwaukee has spent months preparing for and even adapting to as the pandemic loomed — was postponed and ultimately moved to an online format. Cleaning practices have ramped up in the preparation for the school year to resume. Landlords have changed and adapted to their tenants’ unemployment. On top of the effects of the virus, a massive social justice movement swept the globe, with people of all different races, nationalities, identities, all fighting for racial equality after the death of George Floyd.

The summer of 2020 was more than just three months away from school. It’s been a movement.

A revolution and a revelation. A time of need. A time for hope.

Together, we decided co-manage this special magazine together as a way to not only cover all the possibilities, but to transition into the new year with new roles. As we start our senior year at Marquette, it will look different than the last three years we’ve spent here. Classes will be smaller and more spaced out. Group projects won’t look the same and visiting with friends will be different than all the other times we’ve called them up to hang out. Masks will hide our smiles when we reunite for the first time in months, but we know that it’s all for the health and safety of ourselves and others. In case you needed another reminder, wear your masks!

There’s no question about it; the summer of 2020 has been one for the history books. We hope you pick up this magazine and hang on to it. These past few months were not what anyone expected, but it will be important to remember the summer Milwaukee was empty.

Managing Editor of the Marquette Journal Kelli Arseneau

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Executive Director of the Marquette Wire Natallie St. Onge

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Executive Director of the Marquette Wire Natallie St. Onge Managing Editor of the Marquette Journal Kelli Arseneau EDITORIAL

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Executive Editors Shir Bloch, Lelah Byron, Zoe Comerford, Skyler Chun, Alex Garner

General Manager of Marquette University Television Aimee Galaszewski

Assistant Editors Aminah Beg, Charlotte Ives, Nick Galle, Molly Gretzlock, Alexa Jurado, Amanda Parrish, Benjamin Wells Copy Chief Nora McCaughey Copy Editors Kendra Bell, Grace Kwapli Contributing Writers Matthew Choate, Maria Crenshaw, Grace Dawson, Jenna Koch, Ariana Madson, Annie Mattea, Hope Moses, Max Pickart, Beck Salgado, Matt Yeazel

ADVERTISING Sales Manager Audrey Roth

General Manager of Marquette University Radio Reese Seberg Executive Producers Margaret Cahill, Shane Hogan, Alex Rivera Grant, Vanessa Rivera Assistant Producers Andrew Amouzou, Cal Gessner, Ryan Hagan, Tyler Peters, Sarah Richardson, M’Laya Sago, Assistant Radio General Manager Bella Lazarski Audio Producers Joseph Bearid, Randi Haseman, John Leuzzi ART Design Chief Grace Pionek Executive Photo Editor Zach Bukowski Designers Kayla Nickerson, Marissa Provenzale Photographers Katerina Pourliakas

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To pass time, many take to recreational activities, including skateboarding.

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A butterfly enjoys the summer day on a bed of flowers.

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Many have taken up hobbies during their time at home, including painting.

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The Milwaukee Art Museum glistens in the sunset.

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Students Con Matthew Choate

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ith COVID-19 causing quarantine and lockdowns across the country, many Marquette students found their summer jobs and internships canceled.

Alexandra Solecki, a senior in the College of Engineering, was offered an internship at Pentair, a water solutions company, for the summer.

However, she found out it was canceled in May. Solecki, who studies mechanical engineering, says the internship would have offered her valuable experience.

“I would have b e e n work-

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ing alongside a mechanical engineer in helping redesign and analyze systems the company used to improve filtration devices,” Solecki says in an email. “It would have been a combination of walking the floor of the manufacturing plant and learning to recognize areas for improvement, as well as doing office work and assisting the lead engineers.”

Solecki says she was contacted by Pentair HR in the first week of May to let her know the job had been canceled.

“One by one all my friend’s jobs were dropping like flies as soon as companies realized the economic and logistical toll they were going to be facing,” Solecki says.

Jaileen Diaz — a 2020 alumna who graduated in May — said she had an internship at the Wisconsin Governor’s Office which was canceled in late March.

As a pre-law student, Diaz says she assisted constituents or Wisconsin citizens who contacted the office in need of any information. She also handled Department of Corrections concerns and even had the opportunity to attend an event with Tony Evers at Northwestern Mutual regarding economic development in Milwaukee.

When she found out, Diaz says she was “extremely bummed out.” However, she says she was expecting the cancellation because of Governor Tony Evers’ stay at home order which took place in late March.

Yuliana Ruiz Marquez — a 2020 alumna who graduated in May — says she had both a job and an internship before the coronavirus pandemic, both of which she intended to continue in the summer. She was a receptionist and interpreter at CORE/El Centro, a nonprofit organization that offers natural healing and wellness services. She had an internship with Legal Action of Wisconsin, a non-profit law firm providing services for low-income individuals.

Both were canceled in March, Marquez says.

“I was disappointed but hopeful that things would be back to normal and assume by end of April,” Marquez says. “I quickly realized that wouldn’t be the case. It was devastating to lose the only source of income ... I was also disappointed to leave my internship since I had been with Legal Action of Wisconsin since the beginning of the fall semester.”

Marquez says she was hoping to gain legal experience before attending law school at the University of Wisconsin in the fall.

Francisca Klebba, a junior in the College of Engineering, had an internship lined up for the summer in which she would be working to create vaccines to cure cancer at the immunology lab at Loyola University.

Klebba says it was “iffy when everything first

tinue to Work shut down if the internship would still go on.” Her internship was officially canceled in March.

She says she was asked to be an unpaid volunteer when the internship was canceled, but she decided not to do it, as she would have had no chance to do lab work.

As the coronavirus outbreak grew, Klebba says she expected the internship to be canceled. Still, she says she was “a little sad because I had secured the internship a year ago. I had been looking forward to it for an entire year.”

Ultimately, Klebba says it made sense because the internship would not have been safe with COVID-19.

Diaz says her internship recently started back up in a virtual setting.

“We work on coding emails that are sent to the governor’s office,” she says. “Also, we help individuals who are having a hard time receiving unemployment. We communicate with the workers in the Department of Workforce Development. They then contact the individual seeking help.”

Diaz says she will continue this internship until she graduates in the spring, but she is unsure if it will be able to continue in person.

Marquez says after her job and internship were canceled, she couldn’t try to find a different job because she moved back home with a high risk family member.

However, she says she still keeps in touch with both her job and internship for future opportunities.

“I recently started working reduced hours from home for

CORE since we opened back up, and my internship supervisor and I are trying to figure out a plan for me to continue the internship in some form as well,” she says. “Unfortunately, I have limited resources at home so it’s been difficult.”

Klebba decided to take the summer off since her internship was canceled. She says all medical field jobs and volunteer positions are closed or suspended — she wasn’t even be able to volunteer at a hospital.

Klebba says she hopes to do an internship next year.

After her internship was canceled, Solecki says she “tried like crazy” to get a different job.

“I scoured the internet applying to any remote position I could find, only to find out later that most of those positions had been canceled anyways but just never taken off the website,” she says.

After searching, Solecki says she finally found a small job working for a professor in the College of Engineering. She helps make solution manuals for exercises in SOLIDWORKS — a graphic modeling software.

“I feel so grateful to have something to do, and it’s even something I might be able to put on my resume,” she says.

Solecki says she may or may not got back to Pentair.

“While it was obviously disappointing, I do believe in ‘when one door closes’ mentality,” she says. “Maybe not being locked into anything this summer will end up helping me look for something more meaningful or interesting next year.”

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Cleaning the University Kelli Arseneau

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s Marquette starts reopening following the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent closures of residence halls and university buildings, the university is working to clean, disinfect and ensure the safest opening they can.

Amid a global pandemic, facilities services have to change.

Mike Jahner, director of facilities management, says the biggest change the facilities department made this summer was with the chemicals they use. He says they worked with the Marquette Medical Clinic and physician’s assistant program to review different products and find the best chemicals they had available to clean and disinfect.

Chris Bartolone, assistant director for facilities services, says they reviewed the list of cleaning products approved to be effective in fighting the spread of COVID-19 that was released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The custodial staff is training and educating themselves on new practices, Bartolone says. He says the university has acquired and is being trained on electrostatic equipment, which disinfects through an electrostatically-charged mist that adheres to surfaces.

Additionally, Bartolone himself has taken a class on how to properly disinfect during the coronavirus pandemic, which he is then teaching to his staff.

“It’s a lot of education … There’s a difference between disinfecting and cleaning; you still have to clean, and then we go through and disinfect.

So now it’s like a two-step process for us,” Bartolone says. “And the chemicals and the new technology that we’re using are all best practices in the industry.”

Aside from ensuring they clean with chemicals that can help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the facilities department has also adjusted hours and given employees different assignments.

Every summer, Jahner says, the university does what they call “project work,” which is the deep cleaning of university buildings that the facilities team cannot do easily while school is in session, like waxing floors and cleaning windows.

This summer, the facilities department elected to not hire contract labor for some projects the way it typically does. This is because the department had some extra time with the university closing in March and because they wanted to prevent custodial staff being furloughed.

“When COVID hit, all the students went away. We made a decision, as a university ... to try to keep all our people working,” Bartolone says.

Bartolone says due to the volume of work each summer, the custodians in residence life buildings usually operate separately from the custodians in the academic buildings. Contractors are typically hired for help like painting walls in the residence halls. However, by bringing employees together doing some jobs outside of what they typically do, the facilities department was able to keep all its full-time employees working.

Jahner says figuring out staff, hours and adjusted shifts has been “a big puzzle” and a learning experience.

“We’ve never done it this way before.

In the past, residence life has a fantastic system down, they are like a machine in the summertime, they know where to go when to go how to do it,” Jahner says. “… we went ahead and just flew about 80 employees over there that had never (worked with residence life) before.”

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summers, some aspects of summer work were reduced.

Moira Arcuri, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, was working this summer as part of auxiliary services. Commonly known as “summer staff,” auxiliary services is a job offered every summer for students. They work to clean and prepare residence halls for summer guests as well as for the coming school year.

Arcuri has two older siblings who graduated from Marquette and also did the auxiliary services summer job. She was on summer staff last year as well, which she says was comprised of 40 to 50 student employees. This year, she says the number is 22.

Arcuri says during “a normal summer,” residence halls are available like hotel rooms for guests to rent out, often for conferences. The students working on auxiliary services fill a role equivalent to hotel frontdesk receptionists that can answer questions and provide supplies if needed, she says. In addition, they work to prepare the residence halls for the school year.

However, residence hall rooms were not available for the general public to rent this summer. She also says summer staff usually has the job of moving furniture in dorm rooms away from the walls and then washing the walls in preparation for a contracted cleaning crew. This summer, full-time university employees and seasonal student employees all did the furniture moving, wall washing and painting themselves.

Still, aside from those changes, Arcuri says her role this summer has been largely similar to last year with things like checking if lights work and if a toilet flushes.

While there were not regular conferences throughout the summer, summer staff did have to prepare some of the residence halls for guests to the Democratic National Convention, which was held Aug. 17-20.

Arcuri says this “conference set-up” includes making beds and providing soap, towels and plastic cups in each room.

Bartolone says working to clean the university and prepare for guests and students has taken a lot of teamwork.

“Marquette, the administration really put forth a great effort to keep Marquette employees working,” Bartolone says. “And you know, it’s not easy those dorms, it’s not air conditioned. It’s a lot of hard, heavy work and we were asking people to do jobs out of their comfort zone and I think it’s a total team effort and I think everyone’s doing a great job.”

The new cleaning procedures adapted over the summer will carry into the fall semester.

“We’re going to be cleaning less for appearance and more for disinfection,” Jahner says. “So we’ll be doing less sweeping of the floors and … cleaning dusty shelves off, but you’ll see custodians with a rag and a glove on and a bottle of chemicals wiping down handrails and door handles and light switches and all those high touch points, just to make sure if something is on there that we clean it as soon as possible.”

Jahner says his biggest piece of advice for students returning to campus in the fall is that they should wear their mask, respect safety precautions and be aware.

“Our student age group isn’t necessarily a vulnerable population, but your professors are,” Jahner says. “So we’re trying to figure out the best way to make sure that we do what we need to do to make sure that we keep everyone safe.”

Small Business, Big Changes Shir Bloch

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pening their coffee shop in August of 2019, Colin and Emily Whitcomb never foresaw a pandemic sweeping the world several months later, slowing the growth of their new business.

2020 has not courted gratitude, and was no different towards the Whitcombs’ shop, Canary Coffee Bar on Old World 3rd Street. Like other small businesses in Milwaukee, Canary Coffee was hoping to benefit from the economic boost that accompanies the Democratic National Convention. *final interview from the Whitcombs tomorrow morning* B e g i n n i n g March 15, Canary Coffee Bar only allowed one barista to work at a time in order to maintain proper social distancing standards and keep its staff and customers healthy. They also reduced their business hours.

However, they have tried to create “sustainable staffing patterns” to maintain “critical income for our baristas,” according to their Facebook page.

They also enabled a contactless ordering option to allow customers the chance to purchase without risk of infection. what do these contactless options include? curbside? payment?

Canary Coffee Bar was featured in the Heroes Project of Milwaukee, which has documented the stories of certain community members which have inspired the group’s next mural downtown, pic? titled “The Hero in You.” Another new business in Milwaukee is Saint Kate - The Arts Hotel. (I think this was built in preparation for the DNC, double check that tho) “Saint Kate is a unique, boutique arts hotel created by artists for artists,” according to its website. link “From the professional business travelers looking for a co-working space in downtown Milwaukee, to local creatives seeking a source of inspiration for their next project.”

Named after the patron saint of artists and creativity, the hotel allows guests to showcase their work or

explore their passions. any art pieces worth noting?

However, due to COVID-19, many areas of the hotel are temporarily closed, such as guest rooms and the Aria Cafe and Bar, and masks are required in all public spaces. Certain spaces on the first floor are still open with enhanced sanitation, such as the Galleries and Proof Pizza. Artists still perform at the Bar, such as Peter Mac, a classic rock inspired solo guitarist.

When the Democratic National Convention comes to town, cities usually stand to benefit from the significant influx of consumers needing places to stay and food to eat. Many often explore the city’s attractions, boosting the tourist economy. However COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented shift in the originally planned DNC, with most of the events happening online.

According to the Badger Institute, the city of Philadelphia, which hosted the 2016 convention, had an economic impact of $230.9 million because of the convention, and Miami, which hosted the 2012 convention, experienced $163 million in economic benefits. was there an estimate of how much Milwaukee was going to benefit?

Hotels have been hit the hardest, losing thousands of guests while still having to pay upkeep and any other hotels besides st kates? maintenance costs, according to a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee radio podcast with Val Sibilkov, an associate professor of finance at UW-Milwaukee.

Nonetheless, Sibilikv believes that Milwaukee’s economy is strong enough to recover and hopes that the virtual convention will still boost the city’s reputation to encourage future tourism.

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The Helping Hand Benjamin Wells

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ervice. It’s one of Marquette’s four pillars. The university’s mission is “to develop men and women who will dedicate their lives to the service of others, actively entering into the struggle for a more just society.”

Needless to say, engagement within the community is a major part of Marquette’s culture. But what happens when that engagement is thrown a curveball in the shape of a global pandemic?

When the COVID-19 outbreak forced Marquette to transition to an online format, student and campus-run volunteer programs had to reassess how to continue their community support.

“Once we moved to online school, I had to give up all my service,” David Chrisbaum, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, says.

Chrisbaum is also a Burke Scholar.

The Burke Scholarship Program is a four-year undergraduate scholarship given to first-year students that “have a passion for social justice and a commitment to others”, according to the program’s website. The program has its students committed to 300 hours of service per year.

Before the pandemic, Chrisbaum worked with local area daycare centers with groups of about 15 kids. It was determined unsafe to continue after cases in Milwaukee began to rise after Marquette switched to an online format. As a result, the Burke Scholar administration has been at work compiling a list of places that would be safe to volunteer at.

Marquette’s Women & Youth Supporting Each Other was one student-run Marquette volunteer group affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

WYSE is a mentorship-based program that reaches out to young women in the urban Milwaukee Community. They teach subjects to middle school-age children that may not be covered in a typical classroom setting, like female empowerment, healthy relationships and sex education. WYSE has been working with The Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education, a middle school North of Milwaukee, as of this last year.

Erin Cook, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and WYSE’s executive director says there were plans to expand to other middle schools. But unfortunately, the outreach was cut short when Marquette students were sent home for the remainder of the 2020 spring semester.

“WYSE only operates during the school year, so luckily we didn’t lose much,” Cook says.

However, since WYSE depends on in-person relationships with the individuals they reach out to, there was no chance to say goodbye to the students they had been with for almost a full school year.

When Milwaukee Public Schools announced that their fall semester would be fully virtual, WYSE had a plan to ensure that they could still reach out to the Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education by moving their meetings to an online format.

“This will be a challenge, but I know my WYSE girls are up for it,” Cook says.

This new online format will not only just include Zoom meetings, but will also include an online blog that mentees can access to ask anonymous questions about topics discussed that week, which is an essential part of the WYSE program.

Cook says the group has high aspirations for this semester. Inspired by recent anti-racist movements across the country, WYSE intends to add a sense of black empowerment to their lessons.

“We want our mentees to feel empowered not only as women but as

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Black women,” Cook says.

Marquette’s service learning classes are feeling the impacts of the pandemic as well. The service learning program offers classes that work with over 100 programs in the greater Milwaukee area including local schools, hospitals, criminal justice and re-entry programs and adult literacy programs.

Through the program, students have the opportunity to fill roles as tutors, serve food at shelters or provide translation assistance to individuals who speak Spanish.

However, when the university decided to transition to an online format, students had to be pulled from these roles because of health and safety concerns between them and the community. Some online-based volunteer opportunities remained the same, such as work on social media campaigns.

For the upcoming semester, the service learning program has been working on moving to a more virtual setting and having project-based opportunities that could be done remotely.

“We plan to have some new opportunities in virtual tutoring, friendly phone calls with isolated seniors, and we will continue to work with our partners who have been able to move aspects of their programs online,” Kim Bohart, director of the service learning program, says.

During a time where face-to-face volunteering may not be possible, Bohat also encourages other students to educate themselves about social justice, racism, the city of Milwaukee, their social identity and unjust policies.

“Face to face, place-based engagement is more difficult when you can’t always be there in person, but now is the time to creatively work together to address the gritty realities,” Bohat says. “As a Jesuit institution it is central to our mission, our pedagogy, and our identity that we share our resources, our gifts, and our time through service and community engagement.”

Democratic N a t i o n a l Convention Turns to Dust MILWAUKEE WAS SET TO BE THE HOST SITE FOR THE 2020 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION. BUT AFTER THE CORONAVIRUS HIT, THE CONVENTION WAS AMONG THE MANY THINGS THAT NEEDED TO CHANGE. Benjamin Wells

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ilwaukee is quiet.

An occasional passerby walks past Fiserv Forum, peering into the closed of concourse. Restaurants space out their patrons, already a limited number. Conversations are hidden behind masks. People stay inside.

The Wisconsin Center, a convention and an exhibition center down the street from Marquette University, sits idle with large metal fences surrounding its perimeter.

Milwaukee, the city expected to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, is quiet.

Once set to be the nation’s center stage and welcome more than 50,000 guests at Fiserv Forum, the Brew City is empty as people are asked to stay at home and self quarantine to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The DNC was set to take place July 13-16, but with no improvement in COVID-19 cases slowing down, the historic event was pushed to August and downsized to the Wisconsin Center.

Yet as August approached, the event further transforms to an online event. State delegates are instructed not to travel to Milwaukee, casting their votes remotely. Hours of live television coverage has been decreased lessened.

Former Vice President Joe Biden accepts the Democratic presidential nomination in his home in Delaware. He was to travel to Milwaukee in August, but decided against. Speeches are made by the likes of Gov. Tony Evers, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, along with Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton and Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris.

As the event turns to virtual and attracts viewers across the globe, bars, restaurants, the Deer District, Fiserv Forum, the Wisconsin Center and the Summerfest grounds are all reminiscent of what was to be of the DNC.

PHOTOS BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

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THE WISCONSIN CENTER. Set as the venue for the downsized event, the Wisconsin Center remains quiet as the DNC moves to an online platform.

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BEER GARDEN IN THE DEER DISTRICT. Tables at the beer garden sit empty for the health and safety of others.

CANARY COFFEE IN DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE. Close to Fiserv Forum, Canary Coffee would have served as a great place for morning fuel.

THIRD WARD IN MILWAUKEE. Naturally, restaurants in the Third Ward would have been packed with convention goers.

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Homelessness in Milwaukee: Securing Shelter and Health Safety Shir Bloch

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very night, approximately 1,000 people sleep on the streets of Milwaukee without proper shelter or protection, according to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. They face harsh winters, hot summers and now, a pandemic. Often staying in crowded locations and without resources for sanitation and protection, the homeless are at a great risk during the COVID-19 crisis.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has listed resources on its website for the homeless population, but the struggle remains.

These resources include guidelines for reopening shelters and testing, frequently asked questions and training for shelter workers.

The CDC guide states that while sleeping outdoors allows for increased

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social distancing, there is little protection from the environment.

“Some people who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness may be at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 due to older age or certain underlying medical conditions, such as chronic lung disease or serious heart conditions,” the guide says.

The CDC encourages social distancing but notes that this may be especially difficult when people are gathering to access different supplies, such as food, water and hygiene products.

“Lack of housing contributes to poor physical and mental health outcomes, and linkages to permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness should continue to be a priority,” the guide says. “The

balance of risks should be considered for each individual experiencing unsheltered homelessness.”

Milwaukee Rescue Mission is a shelter with programs for men, women, children and families. Its mission revolves around caring for those poor in mind, body and spirit by sharing God’s love, according to its website.

“On any given day, homelessness here in Milwaukee is heartbreaking, tragic and overwhelming. But now it is even more so given the threats presented by the Coronavirus pandemic,” Patrick H. Vanderburgh, President of the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, says in a blog post.

Vanderburgh says that many of the struggling people who come to the Milwaukee Rescue mission have diverse backgrounds, ending up the streets because of poverty, hunger, abuse, trauma and more.

“Under the threat of this virus, those who are homeless or struggling are even more vulnerable. As public places and meal sites have had to close or reduce their services, these precious souls have less access to the vital food, resources and care they need to remain healthy and safe,” Vanderburgh says in the post.

“There is already some evidence that various types of inequality are increasing from the pandemic, and this would be in line with the effects of past pandemics,” Roberta Coles, a professor of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette, says in an email.

She references a study that shows how “COVID-19 will raise the inequality if past pandemics are a guide.”

Coles says that COVID-19 has taken advantage of existing inequalities that have been around for over 50 years.

“COVID has directly affected certain populations, e.g. African Americans, Latinos (x), and indigenous peoples, with higher rates of poverty, higher placement in essential jobs, less access to health care, and higher likelihood of living in multigenerational households,” she says.

“They have experienced higher case and death rates of COVID. That means they will also face higher medical bills. Combine that with lessening ability to pay rent and mortgages, and the growing possibility of eviction, we could likely see an increase in homelessness.”

Additionally, Coles says that, anecdotally, she has noticed more people begging for food or money on the streets, which is in line with what research shows would happen.

The Guest House, Milwaukee’s largest publicly funded homeless shelter that proves shelter and programs for homeless men, including veterans and recovering individuals, has also been working to help the homeless during the pandemic.

This homeless shelter is program-based, differing from the common perception of homeless shelter with lines out the front door, Amy Rowell, director of development, says.

Both places have suspended in-person volunteer opportunities and are in great need of donations.

Rowell says that some public places and meal sites may have closed, but the needs of Milwaukee’s homeless have not budged as they face continued and increased hardships during this pandemic.

The Guest House needs nonperishable foods, hygiene and safety supplies, essential clothing items and activity supplies, such as adult coloring books and puzzles.

“We have been slowly resuming some of those engagements but haven’t yet resumed within-building volunteering,” Rowell says. “Our number one priority is resuming our internship placement.”

Rowell says they get volunteers from local colleges, such as Waukesha County Technical College, and hope to resume their internships as

quickly as possible, especially with the impending start of the fall semester.

“We have definitely seen an increase in inquiries and awareness of community knowing we need more and different things,” she says.

“The community sees basics needs are a priority and people are responding.”

She says donations have been very well received. The Guest House has an Amazon Wishlist that some community members have been consulting, and has also been putting out calls for donations through social media.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “$11.5 billion is necessary for 400,000 new shelter beds needed to accommodate everyone who is unsheltered and to ensure appropriate social distancing, and the creation of quarantine locations for the sick and exposed.”

The Homeless Research Institute also says that 23% of the homeless population is over the age of 50 and thus at greater risk for catching the virus.

“Though we don’t have good numbers on the homeless, we already know that homeless populations are being affected in various major cities,” Coles says. “Back in May, a CDC report found that about 1/4 of homeless in some shelters in Boston, Seattle, San Franciso, Atlanta, had already contracted COVID. The homeless (and the staff) in shelters may be at more risk than those who live on the street and outdoors, though this will change when cold weather sets in.”

In March, the Guest House immediately transitioned half of its approximately 100 staff to remote work, and those whose work required them to be on-site had staggered shifts to maximize distancing, Rowell says.

They also broke the meal service into two shifts and have transitioned one of their dorms into an isolation area in case clients test positive.

“To our knowledge, we haven’t had any spread within the shelter,” Rowell says. “We did have a few individuals with symptoms but no positive cases.”

The Guest House’s total building capacity is 86 adult men. However, as clients have left their programs, Rowell says they have been cautious in refilling spots, without turning clients away, to maintain better social distancing. They also shifted beds in the dorms to alternate direction, maximizing distance between clients’ heads when they sleep.

“We were so diligent and so forward-thinking early on, even requiring mask-wearing within the building before the mandate,” she says.

“What has always been important to us is not only being client-centered but also person-centered – employees and volunteers as well. We knew if we were going to offer PPE, it would be to staff and clients equally.”

Rowell, a Marquette graduate, says she appreciates that Marquette is mission-driven and looks at the big picture. She says that it is important to know that homelessness is not a result of blame or shame and doesn’t mean someone is lazy and taking advantage of the system.

She urges people to have more compassion and think more broadly and says there might be a shift in the face of homelessness because of the pandemic’s economic impacts.

“Things are going to get worse and will require more innovative approaches,” Rowell says. “At Guest House, we are ramping up our prevention and outreach programs to meet people in the community with a goal of avoiding shelter stays ... if all goes according to plan, we will be able to keep people housed or transition them to alternate housing – all while avoiding actual homelessness or shelter stays.”

25.

Intertwined

Maria Crenshaw

“

Considering what has been going on the past couple of months, you just feel concerned walking out as a Black person. You have no idea what is going to happen to you...It doesn’t matter what your status is, anyone is at risk as a Black person.” says Chima Korieh, professor of Africana Studies at Marquette, about the importance of America addressing race issues that continue to exist today.

In addition to essential work, the CDC website also cites more crowded living conditions in minority communities, discrimination in the healthcare system, access to healthcare and wealth and education gaps as factors that put members of minority and Black communities at higher risks of contracting COVID-19.

These socioeconomic injustices can correspond to healthcare inequality through a lack of insurance, absent education on sympCedric Burrows, an assistant English professor at Marquette, says the Black toms, poor representation in the field, minimal access to testing and Lives Matter movement is closely tied to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. inadequate care as a result of not being able to pay for treatment.

In Wisconsin, 8% of Black people are uninsured or had inadequate health insurance all of last year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. This is double the percentage of uninsured individuals in the total state population. If an uninsured Black person were to contract the virus, not only could they be at higher risk because of already existing health conditions, but they might not have the resources to pay for treatment that is necessary. This forces Black paBarriers to receiving proper healthcare treatment directly affects tients to make a difficult choice: wait to receive care when their condithe disproportionate rates with which African Americans con- tion is severe or risk getting inadequate care due to an inability to pay. tract COVID-19. According to Milwaukee County’s website, as of August 7 Milwaukee city and county had 20,734 positive cas- Rhiannon Torres, a senior in the College of Nursing, says that afes of the coronavirus. 5,763 Black residents tested positive and fordability can make a huge difference in how professionals 5,729 white residents tested positive. Milwaukee’s African Ameri- with existing biases interact with their patients. Torres, during can population is about 41% according to the United States Census. her time as a nursing student, has had clinicals at St. Joe’s hospital in Milwaukee in the maternity ward. Nurses and doctors Historically, African Americans have suffered at the hands of might be less inclined to give full care to someone who cannot pay the healthcare system. Such injustices include: Dr. J. Marion and that comes from a different or difficult background, she says.

Sim’s experiments where he conducted research on Black slave women without anesthesia in the 1840s and the Tuskegee ex- “You kind of get the sense that some nurses or medical professionals periments in the 1930s where hundreds of black men were inject- have a negative association with some of the clients at St. Joe’s. You get ed with syphilis and not given effective care so that researchers people of all different types of backgrounds … especially when those could track the disease’s full progression, among other examples. are minority mothers or people of color, you kind of see that negative association among the nurses at some point,” Torres says. “It’s never a “People from some racial and ethnic minority groups are dispro- good look to be talking negatively (about) your patients. It just shows portionately represented in essential work settings such as health- how you feel towards them and it can definitely affect the level of care.” care facilities, farms, factories, grocery stores, and public transportation,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website Victoria Houle, a junior in the College of Nursing, says she understands says. These are jobs where individuals cannot work from home, that it is difficult to tell a community that is suffering to advocate for themforcing them to decide between a paycheck and their safety. selves and question the authority around them, but that it is important that people do not remain silent when they experience medical racism.

He says the movement is pushing for access to testing, research on specifically how COVID-19 affects Black people’s jobs and health, and continuing demands for adequate healthcare for the Black community. Racial injustices that existed before the coronavirus are being brought to light as the pandemic has exacerbated medical racism within the healthcare system.

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wards,” Torres says. “It’s a very individualistic culture we live in.”

Many states, including Wisconsin, decided to reopen over the past three months. In some states, the choice to lessen restrictions resulted in a spike of cases, forcing some states to close again and enforce heavier restrictions to combat the increase.

The New York Times has a map of updated restrictions by state.

“Use your voice. Don’t be silenced by a system that might be corrupt at times.

Don’t be afraid to speak about how it makes you feel or how it has impacted you, your friends, or your community,” Houle says. “Voices have power.”

One medical student-run organization that is supported by the Black Lives Matter Movement that has recently gained momentum is White Coats for Black Lives. This group’s main goals are to increase representation of people of color in healthcare professions and provide equal care to all patients despite background, race or ability to pay. The push for equal representation in the health profession is particularly important in building trust and comfort between patient and doctor.

Burrows says that in his research on the Black Lives Matter movement, he found it is crucial to consider whose lives have historically mattered in society and whose lives have been considered disposable. When looking at different historical events where the Black community suffered at the hands of healthcare workers, Black people were dehumanized and experimented on for the progression of the health of others, and this made clear whose lives were valued at the time, Burrows suggests. Burrows continued to highlight how this heightened value for certain members of the community may still inadvertently exist today.

“In the beginning [of COVID-19] there was talk of how the disproportion of the people dying were Black people and then we started seeing how things were to open up again,” Burrows says.

He felt that the media may have affected certain communities feeling safer to go out and return to normal. If the media just states that African American communities are being heavily affected, other communities might think that they will be okay; that it isn’t their group that is at high risk so they shouldn’t worry.

Korieh is living in Milwaukee during the pandemic. He says he was disappointed when the city lifted its quarantine order, because it appealed to communities that felt safe returning to normal at the expense of vulnerable communities.

In Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court struck down Gov. Tony Ever’s stay-at-home order on May 13th. The court sided with Republican lawmakers who argued that Gov. Tony Evers’ administration should not have the power to act unilaterally when making decisions about public health during the pandemic, which they felt the stay-at-homeorder did. This sudden lack of universal, state-wide restriction, despite the continued existence of the coronavirus and a lack of a vaccine increased risks of infection, especially among communities that lack resources, such as proper health insurance. With no COVID-19 policies in place, bars, restaurants, and other businesses were allowed to open unless local officials implemented their own restrictions.

As of July 14, the City of Milwaukee issued a mask ordinance which requires people to wear masks when in public. With this ordinance, four locations around the city provide free masks to the public, including the Milwaukee Department of Health and Southside Health Center. There are also several free testing sites around the city, including free testing provided by the Wisconsin National Guard, regardless of symptoms, in south and north city. These steps are incredibly important to ensure all people have access to resources to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Houle has been working with isolated COVID-19 patients this summer at St. Joe’s where she gives patients their medication, documents full body assessments, checks lung function and brings them their food. She says it is important to recognize the coronavirus for what it is: a medical issue.

“Medical professionals know what they are doing, they know what they are looking for, so we really need to include them in decisions regarding this pandemic,” Houle says. “Why are we leaving it up to politicians who aren’t even sure of what the disease process is or how impactful it is?”

Korieh similarly says he thinks the pandemic has become too political.

“I think that the issue in the United States is that, more than any other country in the world, COVID had been looked at through the lens of politics and it is important to understand that this disease, or any other disease, does not think about ideology and it affects everybody whether you belong to the left or the right,” Korieh states. “It is important that the U.S. speaks with one voice and that we listen to the doctors and we make decisions based on facts and science.”

We are seeing the cases rise in Milwaukee as a result of premature opening, which has of course increased the crisis in the most challenged population which is the Black community.

“People went to court to try to get the state to open up when the crisis had not gone away, it was appalling,” Korieh says. “We are seeing the cases rise in Milwaukee as a result of the premature opening, which has of course increased the crisis in the most challenged population which is the Black community.”

Torres also comments that people use their privilege to ignore precautions that protect not only themselves, but also the most vulnerable and at-risk communities during the pandemic.

“I think the overall culture of people in the U.S. has been pretty back-

27.

Finding Long Term Care Lelah Byron and Amanda Parrish

W

hen Amy Newman came to the difficult decision to move her mother into an assisted living facility, she felt completely alone.

“There is no continuity of care for older adults,” Newman, assistant professor of nursing at Marquette, says. “I feel like I’m on an island.”

Even before the coronavirus outbreak, Newman struggled to find the right living arrangements for her mother. Marilyn Rasmussen, 73, initially resided in an assisted living facility, that cares for seniors who can no longer live alone but can maintain an active lifestyle. This differs from skilled nursing facilities, which are for seniors who require medical assistance and 24-hour care.

But in the late winter of 2019, Newman’s mother experienced a number of falls. She was taken to the hospital and, during that time, she experienced a “significant alteration in her mental capacity,” Newman says.

After receiving treatment for hallucinations, Rasmussen was discharged to a senior behavioral unit. She stayed for one month. As she prepared to return to her assisted living facility, the family received troubling news: the facility no longer felt able to care for her.

“They didn’t think she could safely go back to her apartment, and they didn’t feel like she was a candidate for their memory care,” Newman says. “So we were in a little bit of a bind.”

Then the coronavirus “really hit,” and with it came the complete restructuring of communal life. State governments imposed pandemic guidelines, including a mandatory stay-at-home order.

Newman would have to find a new home for her mother without even touring facilities in-person, a difficult task with coronavirus cases rising.

Five characteristics may significantly increase the probability of having a coronavirus case at a facility: larger facility size, urban location, greater percentage of African American residents, non-chain status and state in which the facility is located, according to the American Geriatrics Society.

“In today’s day and age of COVID-19, most families will simply need to ask lots of questions on the telephone,” Stacy Barnes, director of the Wisconsin Geriatric Education Center, says.

While conducting online research, Newman quickly found her options were limited.

“All the long-term care facilities, all the residentials and all the senior living communities were pretty much shut down and not accepting new patients,” Newman says.

Newman was eventually able to find a hospital in Milwaukee that was willing to accept Rasmussen into their memory care program.

“We feel very fortunate for the place she’s at, but … we just didn’t have any options, honestly,” Newman says.

Due to the frailty of older populations, nursing homes are susceptible to serious and potentially fatal coronavirus outbreaks. Internal operations at facilities drastically shifted to accommodate new safety practices. Most have adopted a no-visitation policy, and tours were suspended, as outlined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Franciscan Villa, located in South Milwaukee, is one such long-term care facility impacted by these changing guidelines. The first day on the job at Franciscan Villa was an immediate jump into the middle of communication about the coronavirus for Christine Wasserman, director of communications. Franciscan Villa is part of the larger Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) Living Communities, with 13 campuses among seven states, which made communication a challenge while trying to coordinate with different state‘s officials, says Wasserman.

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Franciscan Villa is one of 15 long-term care communities that have been under investigation for cases of the coronavirus, according to the Wisconsin DHS. To be under investigation, a facility must have two or more confirmed cases among residents or staff, Wisconsin DHS also notes.

Communication about the number of cases has been difficult, Wasserman says. Numbers have to be reported to public health officials, but by the time the numbers from one day are processed and released, the number of cases at Franciscan Villa might have already changed.

“It becomes a sticky wicket, if you will, because … people sometimes become frustrated and the misperception is that we are not being transparent,” says Wasserman. “That we’re trying to, if you will, hide information. That’s not the case at all. We just want to make sure that we are respecting the jurisdiction of public health officials.”

Like the speed with which she was wrapped up into the coronavirus communications, Wasserman says as soon as the seriousness of the virus became clear and guidelines were released, Franciscan Villa followed all suggestions by public health officials. Universal mask wearing, restricted visitation, no community dining, no group activities and isolation procedures for suspected and confirmed cases are just some of the changes made to daily routines at Franciscan Villa.

Wasserman says that Franciscan Villa was proactive from the beginning and that, procedurally, it moved along like clock-work.

Because older adults are at high risk for infection and mortality, the tendency for most institutions is to ensure residents are self-isolating, Barnes says. Shared activities such as movie nights, religious services and mealtimes have become smaller or even completely solitary events.

“All of those (activities) are great to promote engagement and interaction among the residents,” Newman says. “But in the context of a pandemic, it potentially supports the spread of the virus.”

While it is important that older adults are able to mitigate the risk of infection through isolation, residents must also remain physically active and socially engaged, Barnes says. This results in a dangerous balancing act.

Communicating these changes with families has been one of the hardest parts, emotionally, says Stephanie Chedid, CEO and president of Luther Manor, a long-term care facility in Wauwatosa. She recalls a family that was traveling out of town to visit the children’s grandmother in the rehabilitation center just as the seriousness of COVID-19 was becoming clearer. They were supposed to stay in one of Luther Manor’s guest units. As the family was driving, the facility went into lockdown, restricting the family from seeing the grandmother and from staying at Luther Manor. Unable to reach the family, Chedid says it was not until the family members arrived at the property that they were notified of the sudden change.

“That was one of the hardest conversations I’ve had to have in a long time,” says Chedid.

There are other psychological impacts of extended isolation, Barnes says.

“Family and friends provide social connectedness that not only gives joy to our lives, but also helps address issues like depression, anxiety … and dementia,” Barnes says. “Can we expect residents to give up human touch or seeing family members?”

Isolation is especially demoralizing for her mother, Newman says.

“She feels like she’s losing some of her mental capacity … because of a lack of interaction,” Newman says. “I actually see her mentally and physically deteriorating.”

Newman has not been able to visit Rasmussen in person for over five months. The facility does allow window visits and telecommunication, however. Newman has tried both, and neither can replace the overwhelming power of touch, she says.

“It’s not the same as being able to give your mom a hug or to give her a tissue when she starts crying,” Newman says.

To help maintain that connection with loved ones and other residents, Franciscan Villa has brought in tablets and laptops to allow residents to video chat with loved ones and has been streaming such things as chapel services.

“I think for all of us it’s just heartbreaking that we know we’re doing the right thing,” says Wasserman. “What we need to do, we must do, to safeguard our residents and yet it is so heartbreaking because you see elderly, frail people who don’t have direct access to their loved ones.”

Some residents, Wasserman says, depending on their mental ability, are even left wondering why loved ones haven’t been there to visit.

Barnes echoes Wasserman’s sentiment, adding that even when residents are able to visit loved ones virtually, the technology itself can be difficult for those with memory trouble. “(The resident) may not be engaged with the family member, or they may be confused about why the family members are on screen as opposed to there in person,” Barnes says. “Using a video conferencing format works best if people are cognitively intact.”

Newman says she is fortunate that her mother remembers who she is.

But other families struggle to maintain a connection virtually.

“I worry about a friend of mine who has a mom in a facility in Iowa,” she says. “She has Alzheimer’s and is already struggling to remember who my friend is.”

Families are being asked to resolve an ethical dilemma, Barnes says.

“Do they prefer to increase the risk of their loved one for COVID-19 by conducting in-person visits, by actually hugging them? It’s not recommended, but maybe they’d prefer to take that risk if it would lead to a higher quality of life in the short term,” Barnes says.

While struggling with this dichotomy, Newman found herself responsible for communicating with each subspecialist involved in the treatment of Rasmussen.

“My mom has a neurologist to manage her Parkinson’s. She has a geriatric psychiatrist that she works with. Then she has her primary care provider,” Newman says. “They don’t necessarily communicate well.”

Newman’s geriatric psychiatry appointments are exclusively over the phone, but the system does not have the capacity for both Newman and Rasmussen to be on the call at the same time.

For Newman to get a recap from those virtual visits, she must engage in a complex game of telephone.

“The last time my mom met with (the psychiatrist), he called me after the visit to talk about a plan and I missed the call,” Newman says. “I called his office back and they had nurses and other officials that tried to answer all my questions before I could actually get to the psychiatrist.”

But Newman says she never was able to talk to the psychiatrist, because it was difficult to contact him directly. The miscommunication makes her feel uncertain about what care her mother is receiving.

“It’s just tricky. This is tricky,” Newman says.

What poses a bigger issue for some facilities is handling questions and coverage from news outlets, suggests Chedid.

Like Franciscan Villa, Luther Manor has also seen coronavirus cases in the facility. The first one came in early March, with a resident that had acquired it from a doctor’s appointment the day before Luther Manor had gone into lockdown, says Chedid. Within a few weeks, the resident was healthy and able to return to Luther Manor. She is doing well and no other residents contracted the coronavirus from her.

Luther Manor learned of the resident’s illness at 1:30 a.m., created a plan regarding her recovery by 2 a.m. and devised a 20-point checklist on a notification process by morning. Over the next 20 hours, Luther Manor worked with the Department of Health. In addition to each of these steps, the facility also had to create a press release to get ahead of any news coverage.

While she understands that reporters are doing their job, Chedid says she feels that the skilled nursing world has been demonized, and efforts to clarify the situation take away from caring for residents. She emphasizes that just because a facility has an outbreak it doesn’t mean it’s a bad facility and added that the key is whether you are able to stop the spread.

“We don’t want to rush to judgement,” Barnes echoes. “It does not mean (health practitioners) are delivering poor care, it means these facilities are being challenged by the disease itself.”

Chedid says that because Luther Manor is experienced and have pro-

tocol already in place for contagious illnesses, the procedure for handling cases and communication allowed for a smooth handling of the first case of coronavirus. While the coronavirus and guidelines surrounding it continue to change, Chedid says it has become routine.

Although guidelines remain fluid, they are not arbitrary.

Luther Manor began putting guidelines and communication into action in early March. A 20-person COVID-19 response team was quickly assembled, dedicating their time to daily conference calls, reading notices and problem solving in order to ensure everyone was up to speed on every change, says Chedid.

“When we first got together as an executive team I said, ‘you know, what can we control right now?’” says Chedid. “‘We have no control over this virus, have no control about rules that are going to be coming down on us, certainly there are a lot of other things, but the one thing we can control is communication.’”

Communication is imperative because so many have felt that they were in the dark, says Chedid. She has focused on nightly family subscription emails, an updated daily hotline, messages at the beginnings of calls and a new website that gets continually updated.

Communication with staff has also been prioritized. Chedid says she began sending out updates to staff on a weekly basis, then increased frequency of communication to every other day.

Chedid says she can’t emphasize enough the remarkable work of the employees who are putting themselves at risk every day, being flexible in, and often adjusting, their roles within Luther Manor.

The greatest risk to older adults, however, remains the staff that come in and out each day, Barnes says. Therefore, caregivers must be both attentive and health-conscious by practicing social distancing, Barnes says.

“The virus is likely to infect the majority of nursing home staff and residents due to the highly vulnerable population and congregate living situation,” Barnes says. “The concern is increasing daily.”

As people continue to socialize in larger numbers, return to work and go to restaurants, experts worry that asymptomatic spreaders of the coronavirus will infect older adults, Barnes says.

Morgan Holt, a senior in the College of Nursing, is no stranger to safety precautions. Holt has taken five COVID-19 tests as part of a routine mandated by her work, she says.

Each morning before she clocks in to work at Saint Camillus nursing home, Holt gets her temperature checked. She then answers questions about coronavirus symptoms. Both of these safety measures, she says, are entirely expected, considering the population she works with.

“It’s kind of unique because each week it feels like there’s a new COVID-19 test we need to take,” Holt says, referencing the proliferation of new and moderated safety protocols at Saint Camillus.

The coronavirus pandemic may force the long-term care industry to change permanently. Aside from safety guidelines, Barnes says she hopes more attention is paid to raising wages and increasing benefits of healthcare practitioners.

The John Hartford Foundation, American Geriatric Society and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement recently identified the “Four M’s” — mobility, mentation, medication and matters most — of age-friendly healthcare practices.

“This is not unique to long-term care facilities,” Barnes says. “This is really about good geriatric care for any person.”

Newman says she hopes her mother will regain mental acuity as society continues to reopen, but she admits it will be “a long time coming.”

“I don’t know how we will recover from this,” Newman says. “I think some older adults won’t.”

29.

Mental Health or Good Grades?

Students are Divided over Doing their Best while Feeling their Best 30.

Beck Salgado

I

n the early months of 2020, the world begins to bend to the novel coronavirus. A catalyst of a new normal appears with masks across faces in public places, distance divides close visits with friends and dining room tables serve as new offices. In a pandemic ridden world, everything has the capability to change, including one’s mental health.

Katey Angelo is a senior in the College of Business. She has depression and social anxiety, something she says that when she first started to acknowledge, it was “extremely hard” to balance with school work.

Her mental health struggles impact her motivation.

Angelos says it has been years trying to improve the balancing act between work and mental health, but with the fall semester approaching, she is left with plenty of uncertainty as Marquette University plans to have in-person session during a pandemic.

“It feels like Marquette might penalize me for wanting to be safe, so I am definitely struggling with how I will balance my mental and physical health while still trying to get good grades, ” Angelo says.

Angelo says she envisions a compromising situation in which professors being strict about attendance policies, like some have been known to do in the past, end up peripherally punishing students for trying to stay safe during a pandemic.

“Things may work at first but if they get bad as the semester goes on what happens if I don’t want to go to class?” Said Angelo.

With her social anxiety, Angelo struggles with trust. In a back to school system that is depending upon the trust and accountability of students by having them fill out and submit a form each day before class that screens their symptoms if any, Angelo is uneasy. Even with the use of a system that Marquette is using to allow students to screen their symptoms Angelo worries what help that would be if people are not honest or don’t use it. Not only that, but students must abide by distancing guidelines designed to keep everyone safe.

When Marquette transitioned to online classes to finish out the 2020 spring semester, Angelo says she was challenged to adapt to the sudden shift. Her reoccurrence of a lack of motivation affected her learning.

“Online classes are harder to engage with nd also, being stuck in my room behind a computer every day can be very difficult for me especially when I am used to education being a social experience,” says Angelo.

As a result, the prospect of going online again for the upcoming year has only caused Angelo to be more unsure about how she will be able to achieve that work-mental health equilibrium.

Even though Angelo knows that Marquette has given her the decision to choose to go fully online, making this decision has her feeling vexed. She knows that being scared get sick on campus would affect her mental health, but she also knows that being in person would benefit her ability to achieve the grades she is striving for. Inversely, she knows that she would not be as anxious if she were doing classes online, but again this would leave her worried about her ability to stay motivated each day.

Mathew Martinez, a sophomore in the College of Communication, says that before the pandemic, he always felt like he was generally an anxious person, but once the coronavirus became a part of everyday life, he found himself confronted with the effects of his anxiety more, especially when it came to his class load.

“When I heard that we weren’t going back after spring break, I just got super stressed and didn’t know what to do because I knew things would get a lot harder for me,” says Martinez.

Martinez has not been diagnosed officially with anything relating to mental health.

As positive COVID-19 case numbers continue to grow in Wisconsin, Martinez faces the reality of going back to school in-person. Along with the mental impact the pandemic has on him, Martinez also struggles with asthma and fears that because of that getting sick could be much more dangerous for him.

“Knowing what the research says about how it is more dangerous for people with asthma, it just makes me more nervous to be on a college campus right now.” Said Martinez He says he feels an immense amount of anxiety about the possibility of a large outbreak happening on campus. That, paired with the usual stress he feels, will just “multiply (my) anxiety by two.”

Like Angelo, Martinez says that he feels he has to choose between his academic success and his health, and while this is “extremely unfair” it is just the reality. He says he feels that going online is not worth the money for the educational experience he would have, but also that it would make things harder for him, and while he does want to stay safe, given the fact he has asthma, he feels he as to do in-person classes in order to succeed in the way he would like to this semester.

Nicholas Jenkins, counselor and coordinator of mental health advocacy at the Marquette Counseling Center, says he and his team are preparing to go fully online for this upcoming semester.

Using Microsoft Teams, Jenkins says that the counseling center will be able to provide free online video counseling for Marquette students in the fall semester. Jenkins says the decision to go online for counseling was to prevent big groups of students from forming in the waiting room as can often happen during a normal school day.

Another resource that the Counseling Center is excited to introduce during the fall semester is the Silvercloud app. The mental health app is used at a variety of other universities across the country and allows users to participate in therapy modules that are geared to help individuals who suffer from an array of mental health issues.

Despite the app and the Microsoft Teams meetings, Jenkins says there are nerves within the Counseling Center as they hope they can keep up with the possible demand in an unprecedented semester. He says that the center saw a 12% increase in patients last fall, in which he says tested the center’s ability to keep up with demand.

For the upcoming year, Jenkins says the Counseling Center is able to add another staff member that will hopefully arrive in the fall.

As we live through such an unpredictable time, tending to ones mental health is more important than ever, and while Marquette looks to have taken the steps needed to accommodate this the practice of what this semester will look like are yet to be seen. there was a previous comment about the budget stuff being off topic, and I kinda see that, but when talking to students that seemed to be something they were quite worried about. They wanted to know that Marquette was taking the proper steps to fund their mental health resources. My idea was to assure all students that Marquette was committing itself to funding these things. That’s just my case for keeping it but if you feel otherwise I get that.

31.

Paying Rent and Keeping Up Grace Dawson

S

hutdowns in major industries due to the coronavirus pandemic has led to furloughs and layoffs, leaving people financially insecure. Housing insecurity, as well as issues with renting agreements and paying rent are major ways in which this has manifested. According the research done by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, eviction filings rose 42% from the levels in 2019 during the first two weeks of June. This data comes following the expiration of the ban on evictions by Governor Tony Evers, which expired on May 27th.

Rachel Tepps, assistant director for Marquette University Apartments, says that all leases were honored in the spring semester, with students who had financial concerns being directed to Marquette Central for additional help. Additionally, Tepps says that students were able to stay in their university-owned apartments during the safer-athome order that took place in Wisconsin, which was in effect until May 26th, with different counties now in various phases of the reopening plan.

The pandemic has not changed the rates for Marquette-owned apartments because the rates for Spring 2020 were set in the Fall of 2018, with rent rates for this upcoming academic year having been set in Fall of 2019,

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PHOTOS BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

says Tepps.

Outside of the university, no additional information has been given on how leases may operate if another shutdown were to occur, as the decision is up to the COVID-19 response team and the Finance Office. All of these updates will be given on Marquette’s COVID-19 response website. An announcement by the university on August 3rd has stated that juniors and seniors who choose to go fully online via the university’s new options can be released from their leases at Marquette-owned apartments, but those with leases at the Marq and non-university apartments will need to work with their landlords if they wish to get out of the lease.

Tim Martin is a landlord in the Riverwest area of Milwaukee, who owns and operates four 2-4 tenant units in the Riverwest neighborhood, about a ten minute drive from Marquette’s campus. Including two units that Martin manages for his sister, he oversees a total of 17 units. Martin has worked with two of his tenants who have been experiencing employment setbacks, as well as one tenant who gave a partial payment, to come to solutions regarding their housing.

“For the two units impacted, one has had positive communication and due to that we have been able to be flexible in working

with them and they remain there,” says Martin. “They are still a month and one half behind in payments but they stay in close touch and that helps us be able to work with them.”

For the other impacted unit, Martin notes that the communication has not been as clear. Martin initially excused the tenant for five months of rent, but ultimately decided not to continue the lease with them and allowed them to keep their unemployment money to get ahead on their next apartment.

“Allowing the lease to end without renewal was a way that I could avoid an eviction for them and me, as I do not ever want to evict but try to work something out if I can,” says Martin, adding that this individual has since been able to find another place to rent that is more manageable for their budget.

While rent control is not commonplace in Milwaukee, Martin says that he tends to be careful at raising rates when tenants stay on and re-sign annual leases continuously.

“It is more valuable to me, them and the neighborhood when we have a continuity of residence,” Martin says. “Long-term rental

tena n t s who are productive and contributing members of a neighborhood are a bit of a tradition in Riverwest and one I also value.” This continuity is integral to building and maintaining the community of the neighborhood, which Martin says is important to both him and to the Riverwest neighborhood.

Regarding vacancies in his units, Martin says that although he thought it might be difficult to rent during this time, he has found that to not be the case. In his four open units, an advertisement he posted resulted in four to six qualified applications and 10 inquiries for each open spot within a day.

In terms of the future, Martin notes that until a vaccine is developed, it is imperative that federal and state governments assist tenants who are unable to pay their rent. While Wisconsin state did have a ban on evictions from March 27th to May 26th, this order has ended as the pandemic and its repercussions continue to go on.

“In m y view, t h e long-term costs to communities when you do not provide transitional aid especially in a pandemic —impact on schools and the education of children, foreclosures, uptick in domestic violence and possibly crime, further neighborhood disinvestment—far outweigh the shortterm costs for providing such transitional assistance,” Martin says.

While uncertain about what exactly the future holds, Martin notes that his tenants will mostly fare okay if lockdown continues due to their sectors of employment. For those who will struggle in this situation, Martin says that they “will try to continue to work with them provided they remain in good communication with us.”

Martin notes that the pandemic has caused him to work on being adaptable and interact-

ing with tenants and technology in new ways.

“Communication with all involved is key--this was true before but has become ever more important,” says Martin.

Going forward, Martin plans to continue utilizing the policies and procedures he developed during shutdown regarding the use of technology, screening and placement in his units and relationships with his tenants.

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DESIGN BY GRACE PIONEK

ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD For eight minutes and 46 seconds, a Minneapolis police officer kneels on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man. It’s May 25, 2020.

Floyd pleads for help. His cries are ignored.

He dies in the hands of police officers.

Following his death, cities across the United States — and the world — are sites of Black Lives Matter marches, rallying for change and justice for those who have lost their lives to police brutality. Across the country and the world, people fight for change. They march — even during a pandemic.

The Marquette Wire takes a look at how the Black Lives Matter movement resonates with some on campus.

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C H A N G E F O R C A L L 36.

Annie Mattea

S

tephanie Rivera Berruz, an assistant professor of philosophy, wrote an open letter to Marquette University to address racial injustices in the Marquette community June 17.

The same day, Rivera Berruz spoke at a Marquette virtual town hall to address racial injustice, where she read the open letter out loud. The letter was also shared across various social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

The letter calls on the university to provide further support for communities of color and show that social justice is racial justice.

Rivera Berruz says she became inclined to write the letter because she was feeling angry and disappointed by what she had been seeing from the administration in the past few months and in her time at Marquette along with the recent protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Remind yourselves that the history of your social justice mission can do more than generate profit,” the letter reads. “Do better, a conversation is not sufficient, a town hall is not sufficient, implicit bias training is not sufficient, a dialogue is not sufficient, symbolic gestures are not sufficient, personal narrative is not sufficient, a statement will not be sufficient, more committees and commissions will not be sufficient, we need collective action.”

Rivera Berruz provides some necessary changes for Marquette to make in order to fulfill these goals in the letter. She says Marquette needs a curriculum that focuses on anti-racist struggles on a global scale and needs to prioritize further funding of offices such as the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Center for Engagement and Inclusion, Center for Urban Research, Teaching and Outreach, Center for Peacemaking and the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, among others.

“Do not tell me there are no resources, because our campus, our buildings, our administrative salaries me a different story,” the letter reads. “Rather, tell me how you are going to re-funnel those resources with a mission to actually serve our student body as an institution of higher education.”

Rivera Berruz says that the adjusted curriculum is not one size fits all, but concerns how education is oriented.

Last fall, the university combined numerous offices under the Center of Engagement and Inclusion, and she says that that absorption made it obvious the university was not prioritizing the offices and was not giving the staff and faculty involved with those offices enough resources.

She also addresses issues of underrepresentation at the university and says Marquette needs to take action to change this in the letter.

According to the letter, Marquette has 8,515 students, and 2,383 are students of color. Of those students, 333 are Black, comprising 3.9% of the entire student population. There are 715 full-time faculty at Marquette, of which 130 are people of color and 31 are Black.

“This means that students can make it through their college education and never cross paths with faculty of color, and those that do, gravitate to (faculty of color) for support every single time the university fails them, and it fails them far too often,” the letter reads.

She says that Marquette needs to have more faculty and staff of color across racial, ethnic and gendered lines.

“Our faculty should reflect the place we live and the students we vow to serve,” the letter reads. “Where is the racial diversity of Milwaukee represented in your faculty?”

Rivera Berruz also says Marquette needs more resources to prepare students of color for success, and also needs a redefinition of community engagement.

She says that the university uses its status as a Jesuit institution to promote service but can also promote an idea that Marquette is in a “savior” role.

Instead of giving resources to communities Marquette intends to serve, they extract resources through community service, ulti-

mately benefiting students instead of the communities, she says.

She says a large issue in the way Marquette engages with the community is the lack of communication with the community. She says Marquette should ask what the community wants from them.

“The conversation needs to start from the bottom up, not top down,” Rivera Berruz says.

She also calls for white faculty and Jesuits to show their support in the letter.

“We are outnumbered, we are screaming, what are you doing to turn up for your students of color who are screaming and hoping for a world where professors do not, as they report, ‘use the n-word in class’?” the letter reads.

The letter says the university needs a reorientation of what it means to serve a Hispanic community that centers on poly-ethnic experiences and the struggles of undocumented students.

She also says in the letter that knowledge should not be a privilege of the few.

Following these changes, Rivera Berruz says that she should not have to tell the university what needs to be done.

“The resources are there, the question is whether the university as a collective can reckon with its active practices that continue to ensure that the student body, faculty, and staff at Marquette (do) not reflect the city that it has settled,” the letter reads.

Rivera Berruz closes with a statement concerning Marquette’s ideal of “being the difference.”

“I am still left wondering, from a university that profits from a marketing campaign of social justice and difference what that difference really looks like because in this moment it really sounds like a prayer aligned with white supremacy,” the letter reads.”I hope I am wrong.”

Rivera Berruz says she has gotten an outpour of support following the letter, but she is sure there are people who are upset or disturbed. She says time will tell with what happens with the letter.

Madeline Sporina, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, was shown the letter from a friend and felt very connected because Rivera Berruz was her philosophy professor.

Sporina posted the letter on her Snapchat and Instagram stories because she felt the message was important. She says some people responded and said Rivera Berruz was an inspiration to them and that they wanted to share the letter as well.

Rivera Berruz says that she received emails from both University President Michael Lovell and Provost Kimo Ah Yun thanking her for her words.

“The entire university community benefits from the open letter written by Dr. Rivera Berruz, which she also had the opportunity to read during a recent virtual town hall event on racism and racial injustice,” university spokesperson Chris Stolarski says in an emailed statement. “That Marquette has faculty, students and staff alike who are passionate about and willing to fight for issues of justice, equity and humanity that shape us as a university community and as a society only serves to strengthen the Catholic, Jesuit mission that remains our bedrock. The university can only begin to change and heal when its community members lay bare the problems we face.”

Stolarski says the university is committed to three imperatives: an institutional support for advocacy on racial justice, the production of knowledge that is inclusive of new ideas, and the transformation of the Marquette community toward a more diverse population.

A President’s Commission on Racial Equity, a group assigned a task by the President, was announced at the Racial Injustice Town Hall. It has begun meeting to form a plan regarding these imperatives, Stolarski says.

Stolarski also says there are initiatives underway that will be completed soon, including the search for a Black counselor for the counseling center and a diversity hiring toolkit for search committees, among some other initiatives.

Defining Defunding the Police

Alexa Jurado

A

fter a worldwide outcry against police brutality and racial injustice in this summer after the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Milwaukeean Joel Acevedo, many are calling not just for reform, but for the police to be defunded or abolished.

In 2013, Wisconsin Act 265 authorized Marquette University to create its own police department. In 2015, this vision came to fruition. Formerly a Department of Safety, the Marquette University Police Department was then able to enforce state and federal laws with the same authority as other law enforcement.

MPD standard operating procedure 230 provides that Wisconsin law enforcement agencies may assist another with “law enforcement efforts within the requesting agency’s jurisdiction.” This includes the use of specialized equipment, facilities and trained personnel.

An example of this was when MUPD responded to the Molson Coors shooting in March.

In June, the Marquette Academic Workers Union signed a petition calling universities to cut ties with police departments. This followed the announcement that the University of Minnesota would be cutting ties with the Minneapolis Police Department.

In Minneapolis, where the death of George Floyd took place at the hands of four police officers, the City Council announced its plan to defund their police department and to create a more “holistic” public safety force, according to National Public Radio.

Similarly, the Milwaukee Public School Board of Directors unanimously voted to end more than 25-year-old contract with the Milwaukee Police Department, according to the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. The contract, enacted in 1993, allowed MPD to aid in running the Truancy Abatement and Burglary Suppression program.

What is MUPD’s place in all of this?

MUPD’s Policy and Procedure Manual has a section regarding “Fair and Impartial Policing.” The policy prohibits the department from racial profiling and other bias policing, such as factors based on gender, religion or financial status. The actions of MPD do not necessarily reflect those same values.

In 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union reported data that showed Black and Latino minorities are targeted by police more than their white counterparts — specifically by the Milwaukee Police Department’s stop-and-frisk practices.

Those who have been killed by police officers in southeast Wisconsin have also been overwhelmingly people of color. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported 18 deaths at the hands of officers over the past 20 years. Of those 18, 11 were under the jurisdiction of MPD. Of the 2020 General Fund for the City of Milwaukee, over 45% went towards the police department.

From 2015 to 2017, the Journal Sentinel reported that police misconduct in Milwaukee cost taxpayers at least $17.5 million in legal settlements. This forced the city to borrow money — bringing $17.5 million to $21.4 million including interest.

Eric Rorholm, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and chair of the Marquette College Democrats had been protesting police brutality for over a month.

“I think defund the police is a really neat movement because even though it’s a really flashy headline, deep down, it’s a fight

over a municipal local government budgets,” Rorholm says.

Rorholm says he hopes that the city will take some of the “boundless” money given to MPD, and instead invest it in health services, housing, transportation and eliminating things like environmental racism and food deserts.

“Reinvesting away from the police into the community is going to be really helpful, I think,” he says.

Kalli Noll, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences and a member of the conservative student group Young Americans for Freedom, described the movement as “kind of crazy.”

“The police exist for a reason, and while there may be some issues, at the end of the day they can save people in life or death situations,” Noll says. “These crimes will not stop if police were to be abolished, and it would be left up to us to protect ourselves in dire situations.”

However, Rorholm says that defunding the police does not mean abolishing public safety, rather removing militarized equipment.

“It means removing responsibilities from the police that they’re not equipped to handle and instead, equipping professionals and organizers and social workers to do the work that — for a long time — we’ve sent police to do, that, quite frankly, isn’t fair for citizens or for police,” he says. “We expect them to deal with everything, from parking tickets to car crashes to somebody who’s mentally unwell having an episode on the street, and it really was a recipe for disaster from the very beginning.”

He describes the current state of the police an “organizational failure.”

Both Rorholm and Noll say the conversation surrounding defunding the police is especially poignant in the context of Milwaukee, a city of minorities that are often the victims of bias.

“I understand that police can be bias, and that is not OK. However, police aren’t the only bias people in the world, There are biased teachers, students, nurses, doctors, firemen, lawyers and everything in-between,” Noll says. “Milwaukee should look at their police, but also other professions that make important decisions for the city to have the most well-rounded policy that is best for its citizens.”

While Rorholm doesn’t support MPD, as a campus safety student employee, he sees how MUPD is run firsthand.

“In my mind, MUPD is what a defunded, stripped-down police department would look like,” he says. “MUPD is designed strictly to protect students and they excel at that ... they are not bogged down with the issues that usually plague police departments.”

“I think MUPD and MPD should work together to understand the people who they are protecting more,” Noll says. “Getting more involved in the community would be a good option for them. But, this is a two way street. The police need to understand the people, but the people also need to understand the police. If we as citizens can work to understand each other, I think things would be a lot better.”

The MUPD Advisory Board declined to comment. MUPD and MPD did not respond for comment.

37.

Traditions Canceled Ariana Madson

O

ne of the first of many celebrations canceled was St. Patrick’s Day. The cancellation of big events didn’t stop there and has made its way up to the Fourth of July. With so many activities canceled, many had to find new traditions to partake in this year.

Adam Pink, a senior in the College of Engineering, recalls what his memories of Fourth of July are typically like with his family.

“There was a fireworks display in Hartland and the parade … It was always a big deal and we would want to get enough curbside spots, so we would go two days ahead of time with ropes and blankets to lock down spots,” Pink says.

Pink also explains how he has, in the past three out of five years, attended the well-known Veteran’s Park fireworks in Milwaukee.

He remembers it being big celebration with an immense amount of people present.

“As far as the crowd, every square inch of grass seemed to have a blanket and half a dozen kids on it,” Pink says.

Pink says he stayed back with his family and neighbors and cooked out instead of going to the local fireworks display due to concerns surrounding COVID-19.

Despite staying back from the fireworks display, Pink says he still had an enjoyable Fourth of July.

Cassie Laibly, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, explains how her Fourth of July plans didn’t change too much from previous years, however there was some concern when seeing the lack of social distancing.

“It felt normal but it stressed me out long term because I saw all these people partying on the lake and then I was anxious about how many other cases would surge which we are starting to see now,” Laibly says.

Even though her plans did not change greatly, the fireworks she normally watches were canceled. Despite festivity cancellations, Laibly says she thinks the pandemic didn’t stop people from being social.

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PHOTOS BY ZOE COMERFORD

“I think people don’t want to believe in the pandemic, it drove people to celebrate harder and not think about it,” Laibly says.

Despite cancellations of festivities, Laibly and her family still did what they normally do, but they stuck more to the outdoors.

For Vincent Stoll, a senior in the College of Business Administration, festivities were a bit different this year. While his extended family typically gets together at his uncle’s house and celebrates within the cul-de-sac, they had to split up this year.

“This was the first year it was canceled in over 30 years ... it was so sad to not do that,” Stoll says. “Instead, we divided immediate families and our family went to Door County and we stayed at a resort.”

While in Door County, Stoll says he noticed the prominence of people wearing masks, especially while out to lunch and dinner.

He was also surprised by the amount of people out walking.

“We had gone there the end of March and it looked like a zombie apocalypse and then we got there for the Fourth and there was barely walking room on the sidewalk,” Stoll says.

Stoll says that while at his uncle’s house, they would normally let off fireworks. This year he says he did not notice any huge firework shows, only noticed individual fireworks being set off.

Though big events were canceled such as Veteran’s Park fireworks, there were still some activities that had not been halted.

For example, Cedarburg canceled their parade and celebration at the Cedar Creek park. However, they kept a fireworks show that was open to the public, encouraging people to watch from home.

Summerfest? More like Bummerfest Charlotte Ives Milwaukee is known as the city of festivals, and not without good reason.

In the summer months alone, the city typically hosts over 60 festivals, each unique in its own way. And every year, millions of people come from all over the city, state and country to enjoy all that Milwaukee’s festivals have to offer. Those who participate in these events get to experience art, culture and fun, as well as a place in Milwaukee’s community. At least, this is ordinarily the case.

But this has been no ordinary summer.

Although Milwaukee is the city of festivals, the COVID-19 pandemic has seen to it that practically all of those festivals which Milwaukee has become known for are either canceled or postponed. Among these festivals is the Milwaukee Highland Games.

The Milwaukee Highland Games, first held in 1867, is one of the city’s oldest festivals. It is held in Hart Park and showcases a variety of Scottish traditions including highland dancing, pipers, athletic events and Scottish food. Though the administrators did not wish to cancel the event, there were no alternatives, says Dave Berger, a member of the board.

“We didn’t have another option,” Berger says, “You can’t really social distance at a Highland Games.”

And this unfortunate cancellation could prove to be harmful to the community at multiple levels.

Berger says the Milwaukee Highland Games prioritizes having a positive impact on the local area.

“We try to make sure all profits go to the community. Of course, this year that’s not gonna happen,” Berger says.

At least 25% of all profits go toward charities such as Fisher House or Ronald McDonald House. And attendees are encouraged to bring non perishables to donate to the Wauwatosa Food Pantry.

With the festival’s cancellation, however, the Milwaukee Highland Games has only so much to give back to the community. Considering the detriment to the community and the loss of entertainment, Berger laments the “summer without kilts.” The Milwaukee Highland Games has been rescheduled for June 5, 2021.

The cancellation of the Milwaukee Highland Games and the negative impact it could have on the area demonstrates the many effects of Milwaukee’s festivals on the community. This includes creating jobs, as well as supporting charities and even entire industries.

Kristin Settle, director of communications for VISIT Milwaukee, says in an email, “the pandemic has had a devastating effect on the city as a whole – and has hit the tourism industry particularly hard.”

Milwaukee’s festivals attract people from all over the country. However, with fewer things to draw them to the city this year, tourism in the area has faced a major decline. And this decline could be extremely harmful to Milwaukee’s economy.

Settle says tourism in Milwaukee supports 53,000 full-time jobs and is a $5.9 billion industry. Between the State Fair and Summerfest alone, Settle says “there is a combined economic impact of over $400 million.”

Nonetheless, she expresses optimism.

“Milwaukeeans are resilient and we know that 2021 will be better,” Settle says. “Summerfest will return, State Fair will come back and all of our favorite events will be ready to welcome us again.”

Considering many of the statements recently released by festival direc-

tors, this appears to be more than true. Most of the festivals that have been cancelled or postponed have already begun rescheduling for 2021. Foremost among them is Summerfest, possibly the most highly anticipated festival in Milwaukee.

Located at Henry Maier Festival Park, Summerfest is the city’s largest music festival. And this summer marks its very first cancellation since it began in 1968.

In a statement made by Don Smiley, president and CEO of parent company Milwaukee World Festival Inc., every effort was made to preserve this 53-year tradition.

“With five decades of festivals, countless legendary performances and millions of memories, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. explored numerous options to ensure the Summerfest tradition could continue in 2020 in a safe and healthy manner,” Smiley says in a statement published on the Summerfest website.

Despite the hard work done by staffers, sponsors and vendors, the necessary accommodations to allow Summerfest to take place this year simply could not be made. And its cancellation may have repercussions for the community.

Summerfest has an economic impact of $186 million and creates thousands of seasonal jobs in areas like vending, contract, and construction. Nonetheless, the board decided to “choose the side of safety” and instead begin preparations for a comeback in 2021.

Dates for Summerfest 2021 are to be released soon. Meanwhile, some artists for next year have already been secured, including Halsey, Khalid, Blink-182 and Guns N’ Roses.

But Summerfest’s cancellation will not be the only thing keeping Henry Maier Festival Park vacant this summer. A variety of festivals are held on the Summerfest grounds, all of which have been cancelled or postponed. Among them is PrideFest Milwaukee.

PrideFest has been taking place for over 30 years and, according to its website, is the “world’s largest LGBTQ festival with permanent festival grounds, owned and operated entirely by volunteers each and every year.” It draws in tens of thousands of attendees annually, and is continually growing.

As the first festival held at Henry Maier Festival Park - this year originally being meant to begin on June 4 - its parent organization, Milwaukee Pride Inc., set a precedent by deciding early on to postpone the event due to health and safety concerns. The final decision to postpone was announced by the board on March 18.

In an email, Wesley Shaver, president of Milwaukee Pride Inc., says, “being the first festival on the Henry W. Maier festival grounds, people were looking to us for our thoughts and concerns.”

Shaver says the chief concerns when deciding to postpone the event were the financial impact a postponement would have on the community as well as the safety of attendees and festival team members.

Choosing to postpone the event would have a negative economic effect on the community, says Shaver, but safety had to be put first.

In the email, Shaver says he was “proud of our decision.”

Despite these reluctant postponements and cancellations, statements from a variety of festival board members suggest that Milwaukee’s festival coordinators are eager to showcase an enthusiastic

PHOTO BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

39.

Hobbies Skyler Chun

L

iving in a new normal — with limited outdoor activities and social distancing orders in place across the nation — many students found ways to make the most of their extended time at home this summer.

Cal Papineau, a senior in the College of Engineering, ended up going viral on the popular social media app TikTok after posting a video of an obstacle course he and his sister made from everyday items lying around the house.

“It was actually my sister’s idea to make one of these courses,” Papineau says. “She saw a couple videos on TikTok (like this one) and thought it was pretty cool. She showed me and asked if I wanted to make one with her.”

Papineau says he agreed and helped his sister gather items around the house.

“When building the course we used anything we could find — mostly wood from the basement, fans and golf clubs,” Papineau says.

Papineau said building the course took much longer than expected.

“It took two to three hours to build and then another couple of hours to get it right,” Papineau said. “I think we started around 6 p.m. and went until midnight.”

Although he and his sister initially made the video to post on Tik Tok, Papineau says he was hesitant to post it.

“I was very unfamiliar with the app, instead I just posted the video on my Snapchat story,” Papineau says. “After multiple friends viewed my Snapchat story and suggested I post it on TikTok, I posted it the next day around dinner time.”

The video proved to be a success, gaining thousands of views in just a couple of days.

“When I went to sleep it had around 10k views,” Papineau says.

“I was surprised by this, but thought the video was dying down.

When I woke up the next morning it had over 100k views and continued to gain hundreds of views every couple of minutes for the rest of the day.”

The views and likes eventually started to die down, and Papineau says he found other ways to keep busy beyond social media, including interning with the Department of Transportation and golfing.

The Marquette Naturals, an all-male a capella group at Marquette, also turned to social media to stay connected and raise spirits during the months of quarantine with their “It’s not unusual: quarantine edition” music video. The video, which was shared with students through Marquette’s social media accounts, was created using footage from a zoom call as well as separate footage of members doing their own hobbies at home.

Carl Wacker, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and president of the Marquette Naturals, says making this virtual video brought new experiences for everyone in the group.

“We were seeing many of (our) favorite artists posting videos with fun and uplifting songs, and (so we) decided to do one ourselves,” Wacker says in an email.

He says their music director, Perry Kreiss, came up with the idea for this music video.

Wacker says preparing for the music video was difficult, especially since it was something they had never done before.

“There was quite a bit of preparation needed for this kind of video because we are not professional producers and videographers,” Wacker says in an email. “Perry, along with help from alumni and the rest of our Executive Board, put together a plan for a fun and simple song to perform that would bring happiness to those needing it in this crazy time.”

He says the biggest learning curve to making the music video was editing the audio. “(Our music director) took on this task and learned quite a bit about slicing audio and layering the various parts to make it absolutely perfect,” Wacker says in an email.

Wacker says singing in a group through computers is more complicated than singing in person.

“When singing in person, we are better able to make quick adjustments to volume, tone and pitch on our own to achieve the iconic Naturals sound,” Wacker says in an email. “Now this has to be done electronically and may take a few times to get just right ... but also gives us great creative freedom to make sure the audio and video are perfect.”

The Marquette Naturals have also come up with a second virtual music video titled “Talk Too Much.” To watch both videos — or to stay up-to-date with the latest from the a capella group — visit them on Instagram @munaturals.

Wacker says he has personally taken up biking around Milwaukee in his free time. “(Biking) has let me get outside and get some fresh air when I need it most,” Wacker says in an email.

He says his fellow members of The Naturals have been keeping in touch through social media and video calls, and have been working on their own hobbies this summer – including cooking, exercising and, for one member, trying to memorize every line of every video game he can find.

Aside from using technology as a way to connect, during this time of social distancing, some students have found new interests in art.

Ashley Castañeda, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, says she recently decided to start painting during the second semester of last school year.

“I’m not a professional at it, it’s just something I do to distract my mind or when I have free time,” Castañeda says in an email.

“My favorite thing about painting is how relaxing it can be. I just paint away and even if I mess up, there’s always a way to fix it.”

Among some of her paintings so far are the four seasons of the year and Forky from Toy Story 4 with regular acrylic paint Aside from painting, Castañeda says she has been practicing carving as well, particularly with linoleum. She says her carvings are made from pictures in her camera roll. She currently has a carved picture of her boyfriend’s family, and two pictures of her and her boyfriend, but is working on making more.

Castañeda says painting and carving are stress relievers for her during busy times. During finals week, she says she would work on carvings as a break from exams. Focusing on her art proved to be a good way to pass time during quarantine.

“I didn’t have anything to do during quarantine and being on my phone was getting boring,” Castañeda says in an email. “It helped me leave my phone and social media and do something that’s really cool. Time went by so fast when I would do carvings, I would sleep around 4 a.m. just so I could finish.”

Castañeda says she hopes her art will help her continue to learn and grow more.

at Home

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PHOTO BY KATERINA POURLIAKAS

A Bus Card Ariana Madson

W

ith COVID-19 changing the world as we know it, it is no surprise that many cities have seen changes, not only in local business, but in transportation too. In Milwaukee, different transportation companies, such as the Milwaukee County Transit System and Bublr Bikes, have been striving to increase usage numbers as restrictions are lifted. Both stayed in service throughout the pandemic, increasing cleaning precaution as well as limiting users specifically in the case of the Milwaukee County Transit System.

While both companies have seen declines in usage of their services, both have guidelines in place as they continue to navigate the pandemic.

Kristina Hoffman, director of marketing and communications for MCTS, says when the pandemic first hit the United States, MCTS kept tabs on national transit systems in cities on the East and West coasts, where the first cases of the coronavirus in the United States appeared, to see how they handled the public health emergency.

“We knew (the pandemic) would be coming eventually,” Hoffman says. “We saw our ridership decline 60 to 70% right off the bat.”

The decline occurred when COVID-19 hit Milwaukee itself.

Hoffman say ridership has begun to increase as Milwaukee County starts to open up more.

“The good news is the ridership declines have been decreasing,” Hoffman says. “As Milwaukee County starts to open up, we start to see people riding the bus.”

When the pandemic first hit in March, the buses took necessary precautions, such as closing the front bus entrance and keeping all entrance onto the bus at the rear end. They have since switched back to entering at the front of the bus, but are limiting rides to 10 passengers at a time. Face masks are now required along with the recommendation of using hand sanitizer.

Bublr Bikes have taken similar precautions to MCTS. Bublr Bikes, Milwaukee’s bike share program, first came to the city in 2013 as B cycle, another bike company. After seeing success in Milwaukee, it became Bublr branded, becoming specific to the Greater Milwaukee area.

James Davies, the executive director of Bublr Bikes, says the

company saw a large drop of usage in the spring, especially since many of the riders were college students.

“In March and April, we saw our usage drop dramatically.” Davies says. “Since June, we’ve seen a rebound.”

In trying to keep everyone healthy and safe, Davies says Bublr Bikes has been encouraging riders to use the app to checkout bikes rather than card payment. The company also also encourages riders to wash their hands and not touch their face. Bublr Bikes staff cleans touch points on the bikes as well.

Davies says he has noticed is that bike usage has become more popular among residents within the Milwaukee area as opposed to visitors.

“I haven’t run a full analysis, but my guess was we had more unique riders as our ridership picked up. We look at local zip code riders and we have a higher percentage of zip code riders and less tourism,” Davies says.

Davies also says he hopes to see an increase in ridership as time passes.

“When (the pandemic has) passed, when things go back to ‘normal,’ I expect our ridership to go back to normal,” Davies says.

As for transportation on campus, the LIMO services are still running as they normally do, everyday from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m, though during the Black Lives Matter protests when the city was under curfew, they did not.

Karina Falcon Gonzalez, the student employment coordinator for the LIMOS as well as a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, says she has not noticed a huge drop in summer traffic as compared to other summers.

“Summers are typically slower anyways, so I wouldn’t say that we have had a decrease because of COVID-19,” Falcon Gonzalez says. “People are still readily using the LIMOS.” Since the start of the pandemic, the LIMO service recently implemented a COVID-19 policy that begins at the dispatchers all the way to drivers.

Dispatchers ask callers if they have experienced any symptoms, traveled outside the state within the past two weeks and if they have come in contact with anyone who has had the corona virus.

Additionally, only one rider is allowed in the LIMO at a time, and they are heavily enforcing the rule only allowing riders with an MUID. The LIMOs also keep track of the names of riders, where they are picked up and where they are dropped off.

And

A Mask

PHOTO BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

41.

What's Summer w

Matt Yeazel

T

he bat cracks. Cleats shuffle in the dirt. The ball hits the glove.

The 2020 baseball season is back. For the most part and for now, at least.

Just as spring training was underway, the coronavirus pandemic hit. Despite precautions planned since the postponement began, issues still remain. Unlike the NBA and the restart of their season in Orlando, the MLB chose not to do a “bubble” format and rather allow teams to play in their home ballparks.

As the season geared up, positive cases postpone many games, including the Brewers entire home-opening series at Miller Park due to multiple St. Louis Cardinals players testing positive.

Milwaukee Brewers’ reporter for Fox Sports Wisconsin and Broadcast & Digital features content director, Sophia Minnaert, says that even though challenges persist, “We’re playing baseball, it’s what people desperately wanted.”

Minnaert says people crave normalcy and entertainment so the fact that baseball is back to some capacity after a long anticipated wait, it provides a distraction too.

“We had no control over the timing, and we had no idea how long it was going to last,” she explains. “The hardest part was just not knowing, and not being able to prepare for what was

42.

next.”

The uncertainty of what is happening and not knowing the outcome is the source of many hardships across the country in these unusual times. Sports, particularly baseball, who have an entire season to account for, is no exception.

The Korean Baseball Organization was one of the first sports leagues in the world to get back to action, leading many to clamor for MLB to follow suit.

Negotiations went on between the MLB Player’s Association, and going back and forth about the terms, most notably the salary of the players, the result came in the form of a 60game season.

Along with shortening the season are multiple rule changes.

A three-batter rule for relief pitchers, extra innings starting with a runner on second base and the designated hitter being utilized in the National League for the first time.

With the goal of limiting travel due to COVID-19, teams will only play games against those in their region until the playoffs start. The Brewers, who are in the NL Central division, will only play teams in the NL Central and American League Central divisions.

The playoffs are also much different. They were expanded to eight teams in each league — 16 total — similar to the NBA. This means the top two teams in each of the six divisions, plus two wild-card teams, make the playoffs.

For the Milwaukee Brewers, among the expanded 30-man roster for the shortened season, only half of those players

without Baseball?

were on the team the previous season. Most notable among the many departures being Yasmani Grandal, Mike Moustakas and Eric Thames.

All of these changes were also happening in what is the 50th Anniversary of the Milwaukee Brewers. A re-made logo and new uniforms were debuted in celebration.

“There was a lot of turnover from the roster a year ago, and a lot of questions about what the team would look like,” Minnaert says. “Lots of things were planned and cancelled for the 50th anniversary, but everyone was still motivated by just wanting to play baseball.”

Teams head to their ballparks and have a second spring training, or “Summer Camp” in the middle of July. Intra-squad scrimmages are streamed online and excite fans for the return of baseball.

On Opening Day the Brewers take a familiar trip to Wrigley Field, only this time there was nothing familiar about it.

“It was extremely different from any Brewers-Cubs series, there was that certain kind of intensity and excitement that just wasn’t there,” Minnaert describes. “Everyone was thrilled to have baseball back, but you can’t understate how different the atmosphere is for everyone.”

The atmosphere has no fans in the stands. To fill the void, the MLB collaborate with the producers of the video game, MLB The Show, to play crowd noise through PA systems.

Minnaert says most players enjoy the noises rather than the silence of an empty stadium.

Brewers season ticket holder, Rocco Frievalt, is one of those fans not able to do what he loves over the summer month. He enjoys experiencing baseball from the stands at the ballpark.

“Like any season you come into it’s really excited, and then everything got shutdown right before it started and we were left waiting for any type of positive news,” he describes.

“Now, even though I’m sad we can’t see them in person, the fact that they’re playing gives us something to look forward too.”

Without fans in the stands, teams handle the empty space in their stadiums differently. Some teams put tarps over the seats, but many place a bunch of cardboard cutouts of fan’s faces in the seats in order to have it appear that fans are there.

“Stadiums are being utilized like we’ve never seen before,” Minnaert said. “I don’t think the players will ever get used to it and it will never feel like normal, but everyone’s doing their best to try and normalize it.”

Minnaert knows the meaning and the impact of what the baseball players along with her broadcast team are doing during these challenging times.

“Knowing what it means to the fans is motivating, and we all love what we do,” she said. “Just the fact that we’re able to get back to doing that is a great thing for everyone.” doing that is a great thing for everyone.

F PHOTO BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

all

2019

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o t s t i u r Rec s u p m Ca

Nick Galle

I

n the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marquette athletic programs have been searching for new and innovative ways to train and build team chemistry. This reigns especially true when it comes to the incoming athletes that will be spending their first year in their respective program.

According to the City of Milwaukee Health Department, there have been 14,318 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 259 deaths in the city as of July 29.

The BIG EAST announced on July 16 that fall sports schedules will not include any non-conference opponents. Plans for winter and spring sports have not yet been made. Marquette Athletics is also delayed the “start of voluntary and NCAA-permissible organized workouts indefinitely.” All athletics facilities will be closed for the time being.

The Golden Eagles will add over 80 incoming first-year and transfer athletes among their 14 men’s and women’s programs for the 2020-21 athletic seasons. With the pandemic altering Marquette athletics, these student-athletes have had to find training alternatives, as well as a way to become accustomed to their new team.

Alan Kim is an incoming first-year for the men’s soccer team.

To become more comfortable with teammates and coaches, communication with his new team has been primarily happening over Zoom.

“All last month we had a Zoom call for each position,” Kim said.

“I’m a winger, so I’d have Zoom calls with all the coaches and all the wingers that are going to Marquette.”

There were also team meetings once or twice a week over Zoom.

Coaches have also been providing both incoming and current players with updates on the virus and how it could affect the season.

Kim said first-year men’s soccer players will go back on Aug. 10, get tested, and will be eligible to start practicing on Aug. 12 if they do not test positive.

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PHOTOS BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

As for training, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa native has been following a summer workout provided by Marquette soccer. Despite the unusual circumstances, Kim said he feels ready for when he gets to campus and knows what to do once he arrives at Marquette.

Forward Cristian Gennaro will also be entering the men’s soccer program after spending two seasons at Ottawa University in Arizona. Gennaro currently lives in Arizona and has decided to make a drive to campus that will take him over 20 hours due to the current travel conditions.

“I already plan to drive there in order to not get on any planes,” Gennaro said. “I think it will be the best for me.”

Gennaro said that coaches are putting health above everything else and making sure that everyone is safe. Players will practice in small groups to start. The hopes are that they will then be able to work in a larger, team setting.

For the new additions on the men’s soccer team, online communication has been the primary source of interaction and team bonding, so these small groups will be the first chance to build team chemistry in-person.

Without access to their new teammates, Marquette’s newest additions have often found ways to train on their own at home.

Men’s basketball Associate Head Coach Dwayne Killings said that everyone’s situation has been different and necessary workouts might be more challenging to find, but incoming first-year players have adjusted to find efficient routines.

“Justin Lewis, he’s hit us up, and he just got done running hills in Baltimore, but then he’s going across town to a gym to go work out,” Killings said. “Osa (Ighodaro), he has a facility he can go to where he can lift weights and play. Dawson (Garcia), sometimes he’s outside at a park and other times he’s in a gym.”

Due to the pandemic, changes in recruiting have also needed to be made. Having conversations over the phone and on Zoom have become a common occurrence to build strong relationships with recruits. Programs such as the men’s basketball team have also utilized virtual tours of campus to give these future student-athletes a feel for the Marquette community. Coaches are also trying to allow players to get the feeling of what it is like at a game.

“We’re trying to be really intentional about focusing on building our relationships with our recruits and really get to know them on a different level,” Killings said. “I do think that this pause in the world gives us all an opportunity to build relationships, dig deeper, have longer conversations, and although we’re not face to face, it’s a different conversation doing it on Zoom versus doing it over the phone.”

Killings said these types of calls can be an advantage in some respects if one is good at building relationships and is able to have the right dialogue.

While some NCAA conferences have cancelled fall sports for the 2020 season, the BIG EAST still plans to have a fall season with the new regulations in place. The NCAA is advising athletes to maintain a social distance of six feet, use hand sanitizers regularly, avoid touching of the face, and to sanitize all equipment before and after use.

As new athletes make their way to the Marquette campus in just a few weeks, they will have their first chance to meet their new teammates in a personal setting. Health and safety will remain as the top priority to ensure that these incoming first-year and

A t h l e te s Ad j u s t to N ew T ra i n i n g Molly Gretzlock

C

OVID-19 has disrupted collegiate sports schedules across the nation. With these sudden changes in athletics, Marquette's student athletes have to adjust to a new training schedule this fall.

For the cross country, soccer, and volleyball teams, their schedules are much different than normal.

For volleyball, their conference consists of two divisions, the East and Midwest. They have 16 matches, which is two short of a regular-season schedule.

“It is not going to look the same when you walk into the Al McGuire Center,” volleyball head coach Ryan Theis says. “I don’t think it is going to be the same for the players walking out of practice, and even in the locker room. There are going to be some spatial restrictions.”

With these changes, the team has been unable to have preseason training in-person over the summer.

“This is not going to be a normal season for the team,” Theis says. “It is going to be a learning experience for everyone as well as having to adjust to virtual training seasons and training on their own.”

Many people are aware collegiate athletes are not getting the type of training necessary on their own, and they know that it will be a process to get back into competitive form once back on campus. “(When they come back to campus) they won’t be in the same condition,” men's soccer head coach Louis Bennett says. “We have been working with them via Zoom calls and the coaching staff has put together packages for them, so we hope they come back in some sort of shape.”

Women’s soccer head coach Frank Pelaez mentions his gratitude for the conference administrators being so persistent in allowing teams to play, even if things are different.

“It is great that people are thinking of the safety of the players, coaches, and everyone else involved,” Pelaez says. “Everybody is thinking of everybody’s well being.”

Pelaez has been very transparent with his team regarding the daily updates on the coronavirus provided by the BIG EAST. Sophomore goalkeeper Mel McNamara has given the team a lot of credit for keeping updated on current situations.

“We have Zoom calls often. It is a good way to get together and be a team while all of this is going on,” McNamara says. “Our

coaches have been keeping us updated about what is going on and what they are planning o n talking about, so they have done a really good job at trying to keep us in the loop.”

The Bethesda, Maryland native says it has been one of the longest amounts of time she has spent away from a team atmosphere.

With no other option besides training and conditioning alone, it is challenging to adjust to.

“For strength (training) with gyms being closed, it has been hard to get into the shape that we were in the spring when we were lifting,” McNamara says. “Finding bags of flour and bags of rice that were heavy. It was really hard to find weights during all this because I guess they were in high demand.”

Sophomore midfielder Alex Campana has also found the new normal to be a bit of an adjustment.

“It was definitely a tough transition going from practicing at school lifting, to being home and figuring out what to do on our own,” Campana says. “That was tough, but now I think at this point we are getting used to it. For training with soccer, I have been meeting up with some girls that I played in high school with. I have been lifting on my own, running long distances, and doing some of the fitness tests from last year."

The Natick, Massachusetts native took this time alone to push herself to new heights. She has gone back to the fundamentals of the game, in the hopes to be a reliable teammate once she gets back to campus.

“I feel that it is a challenge I am taking on to prove to (Coach Pelaez) that I am fit to play with the team,” Campana says. “This is the longest time I have not been going to practice with my team every single day. It’s weird not having a schedule and a coach, but I am trying to make the most of it and do whatever I can do to stay in shape.”

While the preseason for the soccer team was set to start on August 4, it has been postponed until further notice. The team has been finding ways to stay positive about the whole situation.

“I can’t wait until we can all be together again,” Campana says.

“I really want to be back on campus training with everyone. We all miss competing and being together.”“I can’t wait until we can all be together again,” Campana says. “I really want to be back on campus training with everyone. We all miss competing and being together.”

PHOTOS BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

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Bucks' Big Year Zoe Comerford

2

46.

020 is the Milwaukee Bucks’ year.

It is the first time since 1971 that the Bucks will win the NBA title. At least that is what fans think.

“It’s so hard to win an NBA championship, but I felt the way they were playing, the unity and execution they displayed on a nightly basis, that they were going to have as good a shot as any other team,” Marquette men’s basketball head coach Steve Wojciechowski says.

Instead, coronavirus plagued the nation and sent the league into a complete standstill.

“Everyone saw Rudy Gobert tested positive for it and then that kind of shut the whole (NBA) down,” Marquette basketball alum and Program Assistant Cam Marotta says. “It was shocking. That’s when I first realize that ‘Oh it’s pretty serious here’ and things are going to be shutting down.”

Prior to the suspension of the season, the Bucks were cruising. Milwaukee holds a league-best 54-12 record, was 28-3 at home, and is poised to be a No. 1 seed in the playoffs, which means they will host a majority of the postseason. Cam believes they were on such a roll in March that they could have swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

The future holds a much different look. The season was put on hold for four months, fans were taken out of the equation, the NBA shortened the season and moves it to Orlando, a city flooded with a steady increase in COVID-19 cases.

“People love sports, they escape through sports. They love the ups and downs of supporting their favorite team. When that was taken away, we had to give it perspective,” Marquette men’s soccer head coach Louis Bennett says. “Nothing’s more important than the health of people.”

The move to Orlando to play in the “bubble” means the Bucks lose home court privileges, something the team built off of this season.

“It is different when you don’t have fans,” Marquette women’s basketball forward Chloe Marotta says.

“At the same time, the unity that the Bucks have is

PHOTOS BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

something that they’re going to really use to their advantage.

Being in the bubble together is creating even more unity and togetherness ... I’m hoping that that really shows on the court.”

Though the Bucks lose home court advantage, they were not the only team that the pandemic impacted.

“Everybody was affected by it,” Cam says. “Every team was separated ... I’m sure it will take a while to get back to that normalcy.”

The centerpiece of the Bucks is 2019 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, otherwise known as “The Greek Freak.” Last season, alongside then-new head coach Mike Budenholzer, he led the franchise to the 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, before Milwaukee fell 4-2 to the Toronto Raptors.

“When you get a once-in-a-generation player like Giannis, it’s going to help your organization,” Wojciechowski says. “The Bucks have done a great job in surrounding him with guys who really compliment who he is as a star player.”

Chloe compares the crowds outside Fiserv Forum back in 2019 to those of Summerfest. Even Marquette volleyball head coach Ryan Theis attended a playoff game with his son.

“It’s electric,” Theis says. “You have NL MVP playing day after day and then you’ve got the Bucks in the playoffs ... I spent the decade in the city of Milwaukee and 28 years in the state and I can’t remember a more exciting spring and summer for our sports community and world than last spring.”

Historically, however, the Bucks were not always this talented.

“Growing up it was different to call yourself a Bucks fan just because people were like ‘Really? You really support the Bucks?,” Chloe says. “We’d come to each game wearing a Michael Redd jersey in hope that someday the Bucks would be as good as they are now.”

The Marottas, who are Mequon, Wisconsin natives, are a basketball family. Cam remembers cheering for the Bucks when they donned the purple and green. Cam and Chloe’s dad Marc, who was a former MU basketball player, was Chairman of the Bradley Center, so the family would go to two to three games

a week.

“Most of my life the Bucks were not good at all,” Cam says.

“Going to those games, there were not a lot of fans.”

Meanwhile Theis, who is a Madison native, recalls growing up a dedicated Bucks fan — watching his favorite players Jack Sikma, Fred Roberts, Jay Humphries and Terry Cummings — and enduring “The Big Dog” era after college.

“They were always really solid, but the Bulls dominated the East. As I got into middle school and high school, I want to say that was the Bulls’ dynasty run,” Theis says.

“They contended well, but never really got to get deep into playoff runs.”

Steven Bode, assistant women’s soccer coach and Milwaukee native, says he clearly remembers watching playoff games with high school friends. After the game, they’d go to play in the driveway and he would attempt to imitate his favorite player, Glenn Robinson.

“Jack the socks all the way up and try and impersonate (him),” Bode says. “Ray Allen, everyone wanted to shoot like him, of course none of us could ... the Bucks, their history wasn’t that strong. In that era, they made real history and turned some heads. That was a fun time.”

Bode is a true Milwaukee native. He attended Marquette High, played soccer at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and received his graduate degree from MU. “To come home and have sports teams that, in the past we have a team, but playoffs, ‘Nah I don’t know about the playoffs,’” Bode says. “You have a team that’s not only making the playoffs, but blowing teams out in the playoffs ... You feel proud to be a part of Milwaukee.”

Theis says since returning to Milwaukee to coach at Marquette, he has watched 75% of the Bucks games on DVR, is a season ticket-holder and even sat courtside for one game.

“In my house right now, if the Bucks are in the playoffs, ‘Everybody be quiet’ or you’re watching the Bucks with me,” Theis says.

In 2018, former Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo was drafted by the Bucks in the first round. Wojciechowski says he fits into the team’s culture.

“Rooting for him in a Bucks jersey is certainly easier than playing against him in a Villanova jersey,” Wojciechowski says.

There’s an even bigger Marquette connection to the Bucks after the July 2019 addition of former Golden Eagle guard Wesley Matthews. “(He) bleeds Marquette blue and gold and has attended a number of our games, has spoken to our team in

private situations,” Wojciechowski says. “It’s awesome to have a former player, especially one who represents the things that Wes represents, so close to home ... not only has he excelled in the basketball world, but he represents the best of what Marquette University has to offer because he’s a high-character guy. He’s living the dream that most of the guys that I coach want to live.”

Travis Diener, a Marquette basketball alumnus, says Matthews joining the team strengthens his fandom.

“I know Wes at a personal level and obviously he’s a Marquette guy. I cheer for guys that I have a relationship with,” Diener says. “Wes is definitely one of those guys.”

Not only are there former BIG EAST players on the Bucks’ squad, but Marquette also shares an arena with the NBA powerhouse. As a former player, Cam says the team loves sharing Fiserv with the Bucks.

“In Fiserv, you’re talking about the finest basketball arena in the United States — either pro or college,” Wojciechowski says.”The opportunity to play there in front of a passionate sports town and fan base is incredible. It’s a great experience for our players. The fan experience is elite as well. That’s why you’ve seen in our case — in the Bucks’ case — the interest be so high in terms of attendance and people wanting to come to games.”

After coaching in Milwaukee for more than two decades, Bennett says having Antetokounmpo — who is a soccer fan — around since 2013 is helping spark his interest in the Bucks. He’s even been to a few games, including Michael Jordan’s final game in Milwaukee.

“I like professional teams that are in it and on it all the time,” Bennett says. “I believe the Bucks have got a mentality of that. They’re not a first and last five minutes. They’re the total 60 minutes. When I’ve gone, I’ve enjoyed myself.”

With The Basketball Tournament successfully executing the bubble format, Diener says it provides a lot of optimism as the NBA restarts.

“If the players buy in to following the guidelines of what the bubble is and not straying from that, then it will work. If players start leaving or try to do some things they’re not supposed to be doing then it’s going to fail,” Diener says.

Despite all the adversity the team is facing with COVID-19, Bucks fans still have hope.

“With everything that’s going on, they have a great chance of winning this year,” Joe Chapman, head coach of Marquette’s TBT team, says. “The last few years it’s been great to go to games and see the evolution of Giannis and (Khris) Middleton and the core group of guys that continue to play every year.

They’re in the final step to become a champion and it’s good to see.”

47.

Wear A

Aminah Beg

I

t is another Monday morning.

Muna Beg wakes up at 6 a.m. to put on her blue scrubs just as she does on any other working day. She quickly fills her stomach with anything she can find from her pantry and closes the door of the apartment behind her as she leaves her one and four-year-old at home for the rest of the day.

She arrives at her hospital, specifically the Intensive Care Unit, as an ER doctor to check which patients are on the list for her shift. A new COVID-19 patient came to the hospital the day before, a random day in May. The patient hangs onto life with the slimmer of strength he has left hoping, praying, the doctors can rid him of the infestation that inhabits his body. He relies on Muna and other doctors present to inject him with the nonexistent cure necessary to continue living.

Muna enters the patient’s room, but there is a barrier that separates the two. She is covered head to toe in personal protective equipment knowing

48. DESIGN BY KAYLA NICKERSON

that one wrong move can cost her the lives of her loved ones.

The patient on this day was near the end of the line. Muna watched as each of his three children entered the room one by one to prevent a large exposure to the virus. Her heart broke as the siblings alternated speaking to their father, wishing there were a better way to say goodbye.

Another day, another death, another COVID-19 patient. Tomorrow, the process starts again.

Muna Beg is just one of the thousands of other essential workers across the country. She sacrifices her life and the lives of those around her every day to do the job she devotes herself to. She does her job to keep her community and society alive.

They do their jobs to keep the rest of us alive.

Over 55 million Americans, or 70% of the labor force, are deemed “essential workers,” or front line workers. For comprising such a large portion of this country’s population, they do not re-

ceive nearly enough credit, acknowledgement or simple respect.

An essential worker is an individual who works to provide an “essential service.” These are employees who are vital to the country’s backbone and serve a core function within the work force and overall economy. There is a variety of services that are categorized under the term “essential.” They range from food service staff to medical and healthcare professionals to transportation employees to government service workers.

Not only are these workers already sacrificing their lives for the rest of us, but a significant amount of them also are at a low economic level and receive low incomes. According to JAMA Network and the Center for Economic and Policy Research, around 25 to 26% of essential workers are either at the poverty line or below it. Although these front line workers originate from varying backgrounds, they, on average, receive lower wages and come from “disproportionally disadvantaged groups.”

A Mask Disadvantaged groups also include people of color. BIPOC are unequally affected by COVID-19 due to 45% of them making up the essential workforce and living in inner cities, such as Milwaukee, where there are higher reported cases of the disease.

Many essential workers not only have to worry about keeping themselves alive, but also struggle to maintain finances as they receive lower wages and come from a low economic background. Expenses such as food, rent and water are even more difficult to sustain during a pandemic.

When Trump supporters and other alt-right individuals choose to storm capital buildings with guns and hold riots to demand states to reopen, one can imagine how much these actions are a spit in the face to these workers sacrificing their lives.

Essential workers get themselves up every morning to work at the literal front lines of this disease —because of the high chance of getting infected — yet certain groups believe it is accept-

able to storm the streets because they cannot get a haircut.

These individuals scream in the face of grocery store workers and nurses who are trying their best to keep this society upright and prevent the spread of this disease. They are the ones doing the work to make sure the rest of us who can receive food, health care, Amazon orders, can face less of a risk of COVID-19. What causes an individual to believe that they cannot give these workers simple dignity and respect to listen and follow their rules?

Now, individuals will enter bars, restaurants and other public spaces without wearing masks. They interact with essential workers, yet do not see the necessity to help protect their lives while they are doing the work to protect ours. Waiters are serving nonmask wearing customers while wearing any combination of gloves, masks and face shields. Personally, I would feel embarrassed sitting in front of a worker not wearing a mask and doing the work to mitigate the spread of

COVID, but, for some reason, others do not have the common decency.

As a student who is not an essential worker, I recognize the privilege I have in my position. During this pandemic, I had the ability to sit at home while continuing my on-campus job and not worry about risking my life doing it. Whereas, my own aunt is sacrificing her life and her family to keep others alive.

This is a time where Americans must recognize their privilege. While this country’s COVID cases surpass 4 million, we must begin to question what it is we are doing wrong. When more than 35 countries have banned US travelers, do people not understand the necessity to practice dignity and respect?

If you are not an essential worker, follow the healthcare professionals’ rule.

If you did not lose your job because of the pandemic, practice decency and just behavior for others and yourself.

If you can still pay for your education during COVID, admit your privilege.

We all must use our privilege to act better. Wear a mask and save lives.

49.

COVID-1619

Hope Moses

T

here is something unsettling about the way Black names roll off our tongues like hashtags. It is because we are fluent in the language of police brutality.

Police brutality is defined as “the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians.” About 1,000 civilians are killed by police violence every year, in which 95% of these victims are men between the age of 20 and 40 years old. Not only are most victims men, but the majority of victims of police brutality are Black Americans.

Black Americans are twice as likely to be fatally shot than white Americans. Though the largest percentage of police brutality is reported in places like New Mexico, Alaska and Oklahoma, Wisconsin faces its battle with this social issue too. In Wisconsin, there are 16 shootings per million people and there have been 93 shootings since 2015 alone.

Just as we have trained our tongues to respond to police brutality, we teach our bodies the language as well. Our bodies learn to move in a way that allows us to make it home and even then, we may not. We put our hands on the dashboard. We reach slowly, but only on command. We raise our hands in a surrendering way.

No quick movements. No backtalk. Be good. Sit still. We lay lifeless against the ground, preparing for the moment that our breath is taken from us.

Unlike French, which is the language of love, racism is the language of hate. It poisons our souls. It leaves bitter tastes in our mouths. It is the reason why Black bodies hang from trees like strange fruit your parents warned you against. It is also the reason why Black bodies are only humanized when it is connected to consumerism.

It is the reason we ask ourselves: which Black body do we protest first?

These are a few effects of America’s deadliest virus: COVID-1619.

1619 refers to the year that enslaved Africans were taken from their homelands and brought to the Americas. The existence of slavery allowed for the saturation of racism into the DNA of our country. This racism created systems in which people of color, especially African Americans, could not benefit from.

This is important to understand because racism in 2020 is not new.

We have needed help since 1619, we just are now waking up. Four hundred years later, Americans find themselves battling COVID-19, which has also disproportionately affected Black Americans.

Though 33% of Louisiana’s population is Black Americans, 70% of the state’s COVID-19 cases affect this group.

But Louisiana is not alone.

Here in Wisconsin, specifically in Milwaukee, COVID-19 continues to plague the African American community. African Americans represent a quarter of Milwaukee County’s population but account for over half the deaths caused by the virus. African Americans are three times more likely than white Americans to die from COVID-19.

These disparities are directly caused by the ongoing discrimination, which includes racism, in American cities. Many African American communities are in poor neighborhoods where there is limited access to education and housing and high unemployment rates. The housing options within these communities present substandard living conditions like water leaks, poor ventilation, dirty carpets and pest infestation can lead to an increase in mold, mites and other allergens associated with poor health.

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The communities also have less access to grocery stories and are dominated by liquor and convenience stores which only furthers health disparities.

As for America’s wake up call, that happened earlier this summer on May 25.

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota emphasizes the importance of protecting Black citizens from the teeth of racism in this country. After Floyd’s final moments circulated in the media, millions of people worldwide witnessed the seriousness of the COVID-1619 virus. Floyd’s public death proved that racism is not an issue that ended when slavery did. His death illustrated that racism is very much alive and still affecting marginalized groups of Americans today.

This realization revived the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked protests worldwide in opposition of racism, in which Milwaukee proved to be at the forefront.

Milwaukee youth-leaders and other protesters took to the streets to not only bring racial equality on a national level but on state and local levels as well. Though Milwaukee is a vibrant city, statistically it is one of the worst places in our nation to live if you are Black.

Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin incarcerate the highest percentage of Black men in the country, in which 62% of Black men have served time by the age of 34. As far as the city itself, Milwaukee is the most segregated city in our nation. It is not only segregated racially, but politically as well, and it is very clear when looking at the demographics of the city’s neighborhoods.

While protests seem ineffective, well-needed changes are happening in our city. One of the most positive changes to come from Milwaukee protests is the removal of police presence in Milwaukee Public Schools. The militarization and the excessive force police agencies exert on Black and brown kids in the MPS system is exactly why abolishing their presence will create safer school environments.

Protesting has also led to the beautification of the city though murals dedicated to George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. Using art is one of the oldest forms of protesting and helps us repurpose our pain.

Moving into the next half of 2020, it is essential to remember the words of Martin Luther King who preached that “an injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.” This calls us as human beings to recognize the hardships that our neighbors endure and assist in the efforts towards equality. Assisting in efforts could be an individual’s willingness to attend protests or public conversations, donating to or signing petitions from organizations whose mission is to help marginalized groups of citizens or even checking on loved ones.

Whether it is COVID-19 or COVID-1619, if it is affecting one — it is affecting all.

New Solutions Needed for Students Who Struggle with Mental Health Jenna Koch

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he beginning of the pandemic was a blur. Within a week, my peers and I went from looking forward to our “Corona-cation” to coming to the bleak realization our senior year of high school was over.

While my friends mourned the loss of prom and graduation, I was dealing with the reemergence of mental health issues I thought I’d recovered from. I was back to feeling hopeless, fatigued and anxious all the time because the routine and social interaction school brought me was taken from me.

During a text conversation with some of my friends, I realized for some, this break in school was not all bad. One of my friends says the break “saved her” from her heavy workload that gave her severe stress and anxiety.

For many with pre-existing mental health conditions, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mental health pandemic. For students, this issue is even more severe.

According to Active Minds, a student organization focused on mental health, 39% of college students will experience a significant mental health issue during their college career. Two-thirds of those students will not seek treatment for their issues.

Active Minds also reports in a spring 2020 survey that 91% of students experienced stress or anxiety due to the pandemic.

Although students were thrown into very difficult circumstances, they were expected to finish the semester with the same effort they’d put in before being sent home.

As students return in the fall, colleges must be prepared for not only social distance precautions, but also the mental well-being of their students.

Fortunately, Marquette’s student organizations are already looking into ways to help students in the fall. Junior and president of Active Minds at Marquette, Alex Schmidt, is working with Marquette’s administration to find socially-distant ways to combat mental health issues.

Marquette University Student Government conducted a survey of students in early July to see what mental health resources they would be interested in. However, Schmidt, the VP of MUSG, says they cannot make any direct changes to the counseling center. “(The survey is) students advocating for students,” Schmidt says.

“We’re just hoping to bring (our recommendations) to the counseling center.”

Schmidt says Marquette’s counselors are trained in doing therapy sessions over the phone and student organizations are planning mental health nights that can be done over zoom or in small groups.

However, this will not be enough to combat the student mental health crisis intensified by the pandemic. Marquette’s counselors and

student organizations are certainly trying their best, but online interactions are a poor replacement for real in-person connections.

In addition to increased online interactions, Marquette’s counseling center isn’t a completely perfect resource for students. Students have had issues with being told they have a one-year limit on appointments, according to a Marquette Wire news story. The center is also no longer able to prescribe medication to students.

While Marquette is planning to be partially online and partially in person, mental health resources and suggestions for coping mechanisms seem to be mostly online.

There is no perfect solution, or even a solution at all, for this mental health crisis. As a first year student with a history of mental illnesses, all I need from administration, professors and other students is empathy.

Telling students to continue our course work like normal will lead to higher drop out rates and lower grades. According to the higher education research firm Art & Science Group, one in six high school seniors were planning to not attend college due to the pandemic. Colleges are already seeing lower attendance rates, and will continue to if they cannot adapt to student’s needs.

Marquette’s administration must be willing to realize how difficult this is for students and address the root of our anxieties, rather than placate us with subpar mental health services.

Students will have to adjust to an entirely new way of learning and living, so Marquette’s administration and professors cannot expect students to academically perform to the same standard as we did before the pandemic.

Classes will be more rigorous than ever with Marquette’s shortened semester schedule. If Marquette does not attempt to adapt classes to these unique circumstances, students will be sent home, not due to the pandemic, but due to dropping out.

I’m concerned about myself, honestly. Finding the motivation to do school work is already an issue I deal with, and I know next semester will be challenging. With the added anxiety of the pandemic, I’m not sure how well I’ll cope with the change.

Ever since I committed to Marquette in March, I’ve been looking forward to starting my first semester. I just really hope it won’t be my last.

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Sustainable Recovery Necessary after the Pandemic Max Pickart

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OVID-19 is ironic.

Within moments it took a deadly pandemic infecting more than 17 million people and killing over 600,000 for us to recognize the immense yet understated damage that human beings continue to do to the environment.

It taught us that a fully virtual world is not something to be celebrated.

This pandemic serves as a precautionary tale worth learning from.

Although we have seen massive improvements environmentally, such as an estimated 5% decrease in carbon emissions relative to 2019, there are also immense environmental consequences due to the economic setbacks of COVID-19.

The extreme change in financial stability and consistency directly parallels consumer behavior. As our country has seen falls in income, increased levels of debt, struggles with mortgages and a massive increase in unemployment, the environment has taken a hit as well because consumers do not think about purchasing environmentally friendly products, which are generally more expensive.

With this massive economic hit to over 1 million of Americans comes a responsibility of those who can afford environmentally friendly products to do so.

In order to have an environmentally and economically sustainable recovery from COVID-19, there are 4 Sustainable Development Goals that we as an international community must achieve.

Our governments have to limit global warming. Not only is there a direct effect on the rising temperatures, but there is also is an increase in the temperature and water level of the ocean.

Human beings rely on the ecosystems of our oceans for coastal protection, medicines, food and several different sorts of industries.

Yet, with the world’s ocean heating, as well as water pollution increasing, we are ultimately destroying the things we need to survive.

With the use masks, gloves and single use plastics used for protection against COVID-19, there is an increase in water pollution on a global level.

For example, authorities in France alone just ordered over 2 billion single use masks. The French non-profit Opération Mer Propre explained that soon we’ll run the risk to have more disposable masks in the Mediterranean than jellyfish.

COVID-19 highlights the fact that single use plastics should never be our go-to, as the amount of waste produced is detrimental to our environment. As our fight against COVID continues, we must embrace reusable masks and swap other plastic gloves for hand washing.

Countries such as the United States, China and Russia have the opportunity to use renewable energy and green technology, while leading the world to a more sustainable, renewable energy.

According to a Stanford Report, if we convert the world to a cleaner, more renewable energy source, we could save 2.5 to 3 millions of lives per year while also halting global warming, reducing air and water pollution and attaining a reliable source of energy.

We must continue to make extreme improvements to our environment until and after there is a working and fully functional vaccine for COVID-19. Our push for a better, more sustainable environment cannot just end once there is a vaccine. A sustainable, renewable energy is necessary for a full, consistent recovery from the virus, both for our environment and economy.

It is absolutely imperative that, once there is a fully functional

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PHOTO BY ZACH BUKOWSKI

vaccine, we return to in-person, non-virtual human interaction for the health of all individuals.

Yes, our developments in technology have allowed us to find a way of living amidst COVID-19.

We have technology to communicate with loved ones, friends, family and peers as well as the opportunity to go to work and school virtually.

Fortunately through COVID-19, there is the opportunity to take social distance walks with friends, enjoy a skatepark with family and connect with other individuals at a safe distance through many different outdoor activities.

However, this virtual way of life, connecting over screens and in the isolation of our homes with very little opportunities to connect in person, is simply not sustainable.

When comparing environmental, economic and humanistic impacts of COVID-19, we need to recognize that all three of those aspects are tied together through the way they affect us as human beings.

At the end of the day, not all interactions from this moment forward can be made via the internet.

Studies have shown that this pandemic is directly associated with increased distress, anxiety and depression levels among both the general population and healthcare professionals. Due to the social isolation of this pandemic, health officials state that the mental health consequences “are likely to be present for a long time and peak later than the actual pandemic.”

A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that 47% of individuals who were sheltering in place reported negative mental health effects due to COVID-19, compared to 37% of individuals who did not shelter in place.

The effects of this pandemic on the mental health of individuals cannot be ignored and must be taken seriously. Isolation is unhealthy for all people.

Yes, we have to temporarily adjust to the mostly virtual way of life.

However, it is obvious that something is lost through interaction and connections made through a computer or phone screen. Social cues are lost. Body language is not read nearly as well. Joy, love, beauty and passions cannot be fully expressed. Thus, a large part of our humanity is lost.

We must take this time to adjust and learn this new, hopefully temporary way of life, and aim for a more sustainable way of life for both human beings and our surrounding environments.

We must do what is best right now for the sake of our future.

In order to return to our “normal” way of life, there has to be a vaccine or cure, and we must observe all safety guidelines and legislations and focus on a sustainable recovery.

Until then, we must follow all rules, regulations, recommendations and laws regarding COVID-19. Currently, cases and casualties in the United States are still on the rise.

Social distance. Mask up. Listen to health officials. Reach out to officials of the government to express the need for sustainable recovery goals. Buy environmentally friendly products. Donate to nonprofits that focus on environmental sustainability. Hold yourself accountable. Check in on your family and friends.

We as individuals must set aside our own wants and do what is best for our city, our state and our nation.

We Must Support Local Milwaukee Businesses A Alexandra Garner

s Milwaukee continues to combat coronavirus and mitigate lasting effects in all sectors of the city, it is essential that consumers make more conscious decisions that will prioritize and support locally-owned small businesses.

Helping local businesses in Milwaukee is essential in helping the city, its businesses and its people recover and return to financial stability.

As the United States grappled with rising coronavirus cases and deaths and new public safety measures at the beginning of the year, many businesses suffered financial losses as a result of people staying home and spending less money.

Milwaukee businesses are not excluded from this financial loss.

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors estimates at least a $105 million loss in revenue, according to a May 15 news story.

To address the economic crisis, Congress passed the CARES Act, a $2 trillion stimulus bill aimed at relieving financial hardship across the United States in March.

Large corporations like airlines were given $500 billion and small businesses were given $370 billion, both surpassing funds allocated for public health, education and safety net programs.

In the state of Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers gave $75 million to small businesses that suffered from the coronavirus shutdown mid-May. Additionally, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barret said 400 local businesses will share about $4 million in federal aid to assist in recovery, according to a July 16 news story.

This aid is part of the Department of City Development’s Restart Program, which is funded by the CARES Act and aims to help businesses recover from financial loss from the pandemic.

Although the city is receiving state and federal assistance, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce estimates sales for Milwaukee-owned businesses are expected to decline about 55% for this year’s third quarter after receiving survey responses from businesses.

With sales expecting to decrease for over half of local businesses, finding and buying locally is more important than ever. As consumers, we must make a more deliberate effort to buy from businesses that will directly benefit the Milwaukee community.

Common objections against shopping from locally-owned small businesses are that it is more expensive, less convenient and unpredictable — you don’t know what quality or type of product you will get. Significant appeals and selling points of big box retailers, like Target or McDonald’s, are that products are cheaper, you can find the stores across the nation and you know what to expect from the products you buy.

While shopping from chain retailers is sometimes unavoidable and is more favorable by the consumer, these stores often do not directly contribute to the communities they are in.

Locally-owned businesses can create more and higher paying jobs, more opportunities for innovation of new products and more opportunities for individuals to have control over their employment. Additionally, they can create community identity, increase community involvement and decrease negative effects on the environment that are associated with transportation and manufacturing.

Moreover, local businesses can avoid increasing inequalities within the business, increase tax revenue and can encourage other small business owners to pursue start-ups.

These types of businesses are better for the economy and the community.

During this pandemic, ordering takeout or doing curbside pickup for local Milwaukee businesses is a simple way to support community business owners while also maintaining health safety standards.

WISN 12 started “Operation: Shop Local,” in which the news organization started compiling a list of local businesses in Milwaukee for community members to support during the pandemic.

USA Today, Visit Milwaukee, Local First Milwaukee and the Marquette Wire’s Arts & Entertainment section have also compiled lists and resources for local businesses in Milwaukee.

Additionally, it is important during this time and moving forward to support Black owned

businesses in Milwaukee in order to support the Black community and act as an ally. Supporting Black owned businesses will also give financial support as they continue to deal with the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic as well as persisting systemic issues.

MKE Black provides resources and a directory of Black owned businesses in Milwaukee.

We are living through a very unprecedented time in which many of us are reevaluating ourselves and our place in society.

It is very easy to feel discouraged and pessimistic. Many people are feeling like they cannot make an impact or create change.

Where you spend your money can make a difference. By making the conscious decision to buy from a locally-owned business rather than a chain, you have control over where that money goes and who you support.

For example, rather than going to Starbucks, consider supporting a local Milwaukee coffee shop like Stone Creek Coffee, Coffee Makes You Black, Rochambo Coffee and Tea House, Vida Coffee, Manhattan Mocha or Valentine Coffee Co. to name a few.

It’s essential during this pandemic and moving forward that we do all we can to support the community we live in.

Though it may not be financially or logistically feasible to buy all products from local businesses, starting small now and rethinking consumer habits is what the city of Milwaukee needs.

PHOTO BY KATERINA POURLIAKAS

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Check out what the Marquette Wire staff has been up to this quarantine on our website by the scanning the QR code!

PHOTOS FROM WIRE STAFF

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The Marquette Wire would like to thank MU Law Alumnus Mike Delzer and Delzer Lithograph Company for generously printing the Marquette Journal. You made our dreams come to life.

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