APRIL 2024

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2024 STAFF

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR

Tommy J Housman

Creative Directors

Madison Adams

Abbey Kyle

Mari Mueller

Designers

Allison Borchard

Nina Wilson

Ale Espana

Editors

Dani Parisi

Collin Wilson

Andrea Lenser

Maddy Webb Writers

Andrea Lenser

Laiba Bashir

Maddy Webb

Collin Wilson

Katie Mullins

Landon Amick

Myia Danek

Tiva Furshour

Chloe Campbell

Grace Burnell

Madchen Fox

Javad Deghhan

Taylor Howe

Hayden Chrapek

Mitch Brentz

Photography & Video

Madison Adams

Samantha Pelfree

Andrea Lenser

Tommy J Housman

Illustrators

Joan Clevenger

Mikayla Duffy

Tommy J Housman

CONTENTS

CRESCENT MAGAZINE

is the University of Evansville’s student magazine. It is written, edited and designed by and for UE students and published six times during the academic year. Circulation is 1,500 distributed to 18 campus locations and housed online at www.cresceent.evansville.edu

The Crescent is funded through advertising sales and a subscription fee paid on behalf of students by the Student Government Association.

LETTER SUBMISSIONS:

Crescent Magazine welcomes letters from UE students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni, but material the CMEB regards as libelous, malicious and/or obscene will not be published. Letters should not exceed 250 words. For verification, letters must include the author’s name, class standing or title and email address. Crescent Magazine does not print anonymous letters or those that cannot be verified. Letters will be edited as needed.

Studio Ghibli - 1

Self Awareness - 3

A Sure Way to Success - 5

Late Stage Capitalism – 7

Realignment – 9

Creative Writing Facing Future Afraid – 11

Visitors of the Creative Kind- 15

Intramural Field – 18

EDITORIAL POLICY:

Commentary expressed in unsigned editorials represents a consensus opinion of the magazine’s Editorial Board. Other columns, reviews, articles and advertising are not necessarily the opinion of the CMEB or other members of staff.

ESPORTS – 19

The Sports Write Up – 23

Silent Chess – 25

Queer Representation in TV – 33

Equity In Healthcare - 34

My Grandpa Was A Soldier – 35

My Own Alderaan - 36

HOW TO CONTACT US

SOBA, University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, IN 47722

Editorial e-mail: th208@evansville.edu

www.crescent.evansville.edu

facebook.com/UECrescentMagazine

twitter.com/crescentmagazi1

instagram.com/UEstudentmedia

INTHE ART OF ANIMATION:

スタジオジブリ作品 STUDIO GHIBLI

GRACE BURNELL

the media, animation is often looked down upon as an inferior art form. It is considered less mature than its life-action counterparts, and many people claim that animation is only for children. These people are ignorant. Many films and television shows have broken through this mold in recent years, offering more mature themes and receiving critical acclaim. One studio that has done this is Studio Ghibli. This Japanese animation studio has been catapulted into the spotlight and homes around the globe. Through their team's dedication, Ghibli has produced heartwarming stories filled with love, empowerment, and nature that have captured the hearts of children and adults alike.

Studio Ghibli originated in Toyko, Japan in 1985. The company was founded by directors Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki, and producer Toshio Suzuki. Each man had long careers in the animation industry under their belts as they were all into their forties and fifties when they had this idea. The success of their most recent film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), which all three worked on, was the catalyst for the creation of Studio Ghibli. Since then, the studio has produced 23 feature films with varying directors. Their style is instantly recognizable as the studio uses mostly handdrawn animation using watercolor

and acrylic paints. Their films are seen as having a cozy, kid-friendly atmosphere that draws in anyone who watches them. Their two most recognizable films to a Western audience would be Spirited Away (2001) and The Boy and the Heron (2023), as both films won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. Several others have been nominated for the same. Hayao Miyazaki is the most prolific director and animator at the studio. He has directed ten films for Ghibli but has worked as an artist since 1963. Prior to working at this studio, he animated for other Japanese cartoons and produced manga. His works are the studio’s most popular and critically acclaimed films, which shows in their merchandising and theme park. Miyazaki has attempted to retire on many occasions. The first time was after the film Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), then after what was considered his swan song, The Wind Rises (2013). He went back to the studio to direct their most recent and semi-autobiographical film, The Boy and the Heron, and the idea was teased that he would retire after that. It seems he has not followed through and continues once again to work in the studio today.Isao Takahata, another founding member, was the second most active director in the studio. He directed five films before his death in 2018 at the

age of 82. He began his career in art in 1961 and worked with Ghibli from its inception to his passing. The last film he directed was released in 2013, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. He claimed that after that film, he was done and retired. But, like Miyazaki, Takahata continued to work in the studio, holding other roles and offering creative advice. Another crucial member of the Studio Ghibli team is Joe Hisaishi. He has worked as a musician since 1975 and has worked alongside Miyazaki since 1984. Hisaishi followed him into the studio and has conducted music for nearly all his projects. He is known for over 100 film scores and his solo albums, which date back to 1981. Many cherish his music for adding to the already rich atmosphere of Ghibli’s films. Outside of its animation, Studio Ghibli is known for its stories about love and connection. Many viewers resonate with the natural connections that ebb and flow through the characters’ journeys. Not all these relationships include romantic ones; the friendships and family bonds shine just as strongly. Characters aren’t afraid to be vulnerable with each other and openly show the bad and good parts of themselves. These films explore the growth that comes from characters getting outside of their comfort zone and processing

their emotions. Love connects them to each other and helps them work through and eventually solve their problems. These bonds become personal to the viewer, leaving them with a sense of cherished attachment to them. Good examples of connections in Studio Ghibli’s films include My Neighbor Totoro (1988) and Whisper of the Heart (1995). Each character stands out as having individual personalities as well as strengths and weaknesses, especially their female characters. Since its inception, Ghibli has highlighted the stories of young girls as the central plot for most of its films. It has never been

These empowering depictions of women and girls serve as a powerful source of representation for them. This theme is especially present in movies like Princess Mononoke (1997), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), and Spirited Away.

Studio Ghibli is also known to focus on nature and the effects of capitalism and war. Nature is seen as something fragile and good, something needing protection from the human population. Many of the antagonists in their films are people who attempt to dominate nature. Their motivations typically lie within a need for political power over others, which ends up being destructive for both nature and

delusion. He and his movies, specifically The Wind Rises, have received criticism from far-right groups in Japan because of this. But, if there is one thing about Miyazaki, it is that he will never talk down to his audience or hide his true feelings. He does not treat the viewers as if they are merely children. He provides a story and shows them a lesson many adults would find enlightening. Along with that film, these themes are also found in Porco Rosso (1992) and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Studio Ghibli is something deep and personal to me. I could never put into comprehensible words how much it means to me or get

SELF AWARENESS

BY | Laiba Bashir

As an ideal college graduate, your Intelligent Quotient, or IQ, differentiates you from the bottom 90. But the truth is that Emotional Quotient, or EQ, plays a more prominent role. The book “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” underlays EQ practices that this article discusses. Emotional intelligence is essential for effectively corresponding with project management conflicts. It provides skills necessary for the economic market. EQ is divided into two categories: self-competence and social competence.

Self-competence has to do with one’s self-awareness. Selfawareness is not limited to knowing fun facts and the history of your life, going beyond being familiar with your emotional responses. Emotions have patterns and trigger points that we can recognize to understand ourselves. It also has a logic part that explains the occurrence and origin. Awareness of your emotions increases the probability of not being easily influenced. As written in Emotional Intelligence 2.0, “83% of top job performers exhibited high self-awareness.”

Self-competence also includes self-management. What you are aware of is what you can control; self-awareness leads into self-management. Self-management is determined by “what happens when you act or do not act?” In a workplace environment, our reactions are formal and composed. The intervention of robust emotional responses hinders our ability to manage. Self-management teaches control over

It is not Intelligent Quotient; it is all about Emotional Quotient because a 4.0 will never be enough

impulsive reactions and tendencies. It promotes logical overreactions. When there are more prolonged intervals between reaction and response, more self-management is involved. As written in Emotional Intelligence 2.0, “Managing tendencies over time and applying skills in a variety of situations.” Self-management gives us space to practice leadership skills such as observations and confidence, a fundamental component of EQ.

Social Competence, on the other hand, focuses on others rather than the self. Just as self-competence stems from self-awareness, social competence stems from social awareness, a necessary skill for influencing others. Notice how your role model has a tremendous amount of influence. The key to being influenced is by being involved in the happenings of daily life and circumstances. Leading and initiating situations require active listening and observing. The more you listen and observe, the more you can pick up on emotions and decide in advance how to respond and react. As written in Emotional Intelligence 2.0, “Social awareness is your ability to accurately notice emotions in other people.” It is insightful to point out how observations should not lead to overthinking and overanalyzing. No one needs to become a fortune teller to be emotionally intelligent. Emotionally intelligent people

are better at interpreting motives and actions. No element of prediction or control is involved.

Both self and social competence must be acquired to gain an elevated level of emotional intelligence. A focus shift from intelligence to emotions can be discomforting but discomfort requires not to be ignored or suppressed. We should leap into our discomfort and feel all emotions to become more self-aware. Acknowledging and feeling all your negative emotions is also one of the strategies to gain selfcompetence. It requires feeling all uncomfortable emotions in terms of recognizing them mentally but also looking for physical cues that occur subtly. As written in Emotional Intelligence 2.0, “You are physically aware of an emotion long before you mentally are.” Next time when you get triggered by unreasonable questioning or mean remarks, recognize your physical reactions by taking a closer look at your muscle tensions.

Our strengths are in our ability to respond and react efficiently to influence rather than to be influenced, which contributes to enhancing our emotional intelligence. It is not IQ that will set you apart, but more so your ability to utilize your intelligence with your emotional intelligence that will demonstrate your true potential.

A Sure Way to Success?

By: Chloe Campbell

Success after college is one of the biggest weights on student’s backs from the time they step foot on campus, to the time they throw their caps at graduation. But what if there was a sure-fire way to find that success after graduation? Would you take it?

Success is measured differently for everyone, but there are a few objective rungs on the ladder to success that can get you on your way. Networking, leadership, and social skills are all key aspects of finding success, and they’re also key selling points for collegiate Greek Life. Greek Life has been around for hundreds of years with Pi Beta Kappa being founded in 1776. Some of the most successful people in recent history have been Greek Life alumnae including Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Michael Jordan, and Aretha Franklin, and have attributed some of their success to the tremendous benefits they gained from their organizations.

Networking is a key factor in getting one’s foot in the door, and eventually climbing the ladder and reaching that top rung of success. Greek Life gives it members a great deal of opportunities to meet people and network while still in college so that when graduation comes, they will already be one step ahead for finding contacts at jobs. Statistically speaking, for someone who joins their fraternity or sorority in their first year at college and stays for all four years (assuming a small to medium chapter size like UE) their brother or sisterhood would total around

100 people. On top of that number, each member also has contacts with everyone in the national organization as well. So, for example, if you were in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at UE, you may on average have 30 members in your chapter each year, but you also have over 9,500 current active undergraduate members across the country who you also have contacts with (Phi Gam). As well as all the brothers/ sisters you will get, being in Greek Life exposes you to many different sets of people on your campus that you probably would not have been exposed to otherwise. People like the on-campus chapter advisors, Greek advisors, student engagement directors, and even the Dean of Students and President.

Along with networking, a major key to success is leadership experience, and Greek Life gives its members some amazing opportunities. Within each chapter, there are many different leadership positions that need to be filled each year. In Zeta Tau Alpha at UE, there are 32 unique positions with varying degrees of time commitment and importance. By having a leadership position in Greek Life, members are given ample opportunity to take find their leadership style, take risks, and fail while having a safety net below them. According to Dr. John Dugan, Co- Founder and Chief Research and Development Officer at the Center for Expanding Leadership & Opportunity in Chicago, “Membership in social fraternities and sororities provides a powerful platform for developing college students’ capacity for leadership”.

Along with leadership opportunities in one’s own chapter, Greek Life also gives members the opportunity to attend leadership conferences. When asked about how his leadership positions have helped him grow, Nico Borrelli, a sophomore Phi Gamma Delta at UE explained that his biggest takeaway has been patience. Nico explained that as Recruitment Chairman for FIJI, he had to deal with immense anticipation and build up and says, “it helped me develop to be more

patient so now when I am interviewing for jobs, I am used to the anticipation and the waiting.” Nico went on to explain that in his current role as Recording Secretary, he is actively learning better task management skills that will also help him in his future.

The final aspect of Greek Life that sets its members up for success post grad is the social aspect. Sororities and fraternities are known for their sociability, both on campus and in their communities. Through philanthropic efforts as well as recruitment, sororities and fraternities are seemingly always interacting with new people. This helps force growth in social intelligence, which is a major factor in success. According to Karl Albrecht in his book “Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success,” social intelligence is a key factor in how successful people are seen as. Dr. Rachel Carpenter, Dean of Students at the University of Evansville, and alumna of the Zeta Alpha chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha talked highly of the social aspect of Greek Life in the realm of conflict management. She stated that during her time in ZTA, although she never held a position, “Greek Life has helped me bring out the conflict resolution side of me that has helped in my professional career.” Dr. Carpenter has been highly successful in all of her endeavors, and thanks Greek Life for helping the parts of her that she might not have seen in herself blossom more fully.

The opportunities that Greek Life offers its members is unlike any other organization and although nothing in life is guaranteed, the experience you get when you go Greek can set you up on a path to success. If you are interested in joining Greek Life here at UE, reach out to @UEGreeks on Instagram, and watch out for the formal recruitment posts coming out soon!

If This is Late-Stage Capitalism, What’s Next?

For the past couple of years, inflation has been a heavy weight on the minds of the American people. Both food and service prices are going up, but wages aren’t following along with this trend. With the upcoming election, many people are factoring in the economic state of the world from the past few months when considering who to vote for. Many Americans are already worried about the current state of the economy, and it’s hard not to feel uneasy about the future of the economy given the state of things now.

Currently, many people are talking about many different developed nations falling into late-stage capitalism. Latestage capitalism is a term coined in the early 1900s by German economist Werner Sombart, and it relates to the cycle of capitalism. Sombart also coined the idea of having 4 stages of the economy, which span from the early Middle Ages to modern history. Now, late-stage capitalism is more commonly used to refer to corporate greed, especially at the expense of middle-class Americans. With ideas of late-stage capitalism on people’s minds, it’s no surprise that many people are

worried about what’s in store for the future of capitalistic countries.

Right now, for the first time since around early 2021, the American economy in general is going through a cooldown. The inflation rate is dropping, and the unemployment rate is near what it needs to be, but this doesn’t mean the state of things is okay. People who were suffering are still suffering, and the rich have only gotten richer. It is estimated that billionaires are now 34% richer than they were in 2020. The top five richest men in the world nearly doubled their wealth, while nearly five billion of the poorest people lost money. If the system continues to benefit the rich at the expense of the poor, it will only be so much longer until change is demanded.

However, it is unlikely that the American economic system will ever have complete failure. The business cycle, which is used to show the ups and downs of the economy, factors in that an economy will never be perfect. Recessionary periods and inflation periods are inevitable. Not just this, but the American government has fiscal policies they can implement,

By Madchen Fox

like increased taxation or government spending to give the economy a needed brake or boost. While the American government will not fall into an economic collapse anytime soon, increased longevity of inflationary or recessionary periods could be likely.

While it is undeniable that a wage increase is needed, it is not simple to implement. Wages must increase in order to keep up with constantly fluctuating prices, but that still can cause its own handful of issues. When wages increase, people spend more. Not necessarily because they want to, but because now they can buy things they needed to buy before. This increase in spending causes big corporations to increase their prices as well, since they will need to have a bigger supply. This system often traps people into their social class. They may have more money, but they are also having to spend more money, which puts them right back into their original problem.

One big issue that has led the United States to becoming increasingly aware of this problem is mass overconsumption. When stimulus checks were given to stimulate the economy during COVID-19 lockdowns, people spent a lot of money at once. People were spending much more than they were saving, which led to increased inflation rates. However, not everyone is spending, and for those who already are living paycheck to paycheck (which is around 78% of Americans according to Forbes), these increasing prices are only making these issues worse.

It doesn’t help that America also has a culture that fosters overconsumption. It is blatantly obvious to see on different social media platforms, like TikTok and Instagram, that people are being encouraged to partake and buy things for many “microtrends.” A huge example of this can be seen with the takeoff of Stanley cups in the past

few months. It was quite common to see people have many of these cups, which is very ironic because they are supposed to be reusable cups that replace the need for packs of plastic water bottles. However, people bought so many of them that the benefit of them being reusable seems to have gotten smaller. It is ironic that a product’s selling point could be so obviously thrown aside due to the trendiness of it. Now, many thrift stores are seeing an increase in these Stanley cups on their shelves.

My friends, my peers and I are worried. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford to buy a house if things stay the way they are. People with college degrees are struggling to afford rent on “cheap” apartments. Wages haven’t increased proportionately to the increase in prices like rent and groceries. If they were proportionate, the federal minimum wage would be $21.50

hours a month, which would give them $1,160. After paying rent, this person would have $260. This means any loan payments, excess bills like lighting and heating, groceries, and any other necessities would have to come out of this money. It also means this person would have to work 69,000 years to become a billionaire. It is demeaning to try to pretend that this is fair. It is cruel that the average person must work like this while many of our richest people got there by taking advantage of others. The top 1% own more wealth than the entire middle-class population, and yet we are expected to feel as though we can obtain the same amount of wealth by

Massive corporations and CEOs can line their pockets and lie to the American people; meanwhile, most people cannot afford to make mistakes. It is worrying that we can continue to see rich people benefiting from this system and call it “good” while ignoring those who are suffering. There is no reason why there should be as big of a gap between the average American and the top 1%. The gap will only continue to increase if we don’t do anything, but making larger scale changes to the American economy seems unlikely.

As it stands, it’s not like the economy will fall apart tomorrow. While capitalism in America may be unfair, it is secure, and it is unlikely for an unexpected collapse to happen any time soon. However, necessary changes that benefit the average citizen and consumer must happen, and they need to happen soon to avoid further economic strain.

according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research. In Indiana, the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. At its cheapest, the average rent for a one-bedroom in Indianapolis is around $900. A person making minimum wage ($7.25) would have to work around 125 hours (which is five straight days) to pay their rent. This doesn’t include any other expenses. If a person paid minimum wage and worked a 40-hour work week, they would have around $290 a week. This would be around 160

“pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.”

If the original goal for capitalism was to have a freer market with equal opportunities for all to make a profit, then we’ve much surpassed that.

REALIGNMENT

Then and Now • Maddy Webb

In December of 2020, the University of Evansville issued a Draft of Academic Alignment.

According to the letter, the President’s Council proposed this realignment plan to the UE faculty for review. During this time many programs, majors, and faculty were on the chopping block.

The document titled “Academic Alignment Letter” (provided by President Pietruszkiewicz) claims that this realignment of programs was to respond to the change in demographics in higher education.

To achieve this goal, the university looked at four pieces of criteria:

1.) How much support an academic program or major is receiving along with any growth to be seen.

2.) Contribution to UE’s enrollment pipeline.

3.) The current levels of enrollment within the departments/majors.

4.) The financial analysis of the departments/majors.

After looking at these criteria the draft then explains the realignment plan. Four college/schools will be merged into three: William L. Ridgeway College of Arts & Sciences, College of Education & Health Sciences, and the College of Business & Engineering.

What was concerning for many was the next few steps in the draft. The elimination of three departments: Music, Religion & Philosophy and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science along with 12 majors that are associated. Five additional majors would also be eliminated: Art History, History, Political Science, Physics, and Spanish. Not only were

these to be eliminated but many of the faculty positions would be let go, with a voluntary separation option offered. The document then proceeds to explain that the goal of the plan is to remove programs that are not performing as well as the rest and to help the university financially in preparation for a new demographic of students and increase enrollment.

When I first attended UE as a freshman, I heard about the possibility of elimination of certain programs before the draft was even released. It was my first introduction to UE which was already shadowed by the height of the pandemic. It has been almost four years since this letter was sent to faculty, staff, and students. Almost four years since the final draft was finished in early 2021. As a senior now, I decided to take a deep dive into what Realignment truly was, and what occurred during this time. I met with Dr. Pat Thomas, an Associate Professor of Archaeology here at the university, learning about how the faculty felt during this time, and whatthe effects are now throughout campus, positive or negative.

I was not finished there though, and I decided to pursue another side. I asked to speak with President Pietruszkiewicz, who proposed the plan. I wanted to know his and his teams side. I wanted to know what Realignment was, as well as the positive/negative outcomes that they see that came from this decision almost four years later. This article is not the easiest to write, so I will display all the facts/information that I have been provided, hoping that these help those understand

what happened those years ago, and can see how Realignment has affected our campus.

I first googled, which any reporter does in hopes to learn the basic information. I knew that to approach this topic I needed to be open and clear-headed about the situation. I only really knew that professors I barely got to meet were leaving and certain programs of importance were disappearing when I first learned about the situation in 2020. When researching the words “University of Evansville” and “Realignment” I found a multitude of articles, all with various yet similar titles:

“Dissecting the Tactics of the University of Evansville’s Realignment”

“Viewpoint: Damage to UE is Already Becoming Evident”

“University of Evansville Outlines New Realignment Plan”

These titles are clear in what the content is made up of. Many individuals in the Evansville area as well as alumni had strong opinions about this proposed plan. To continue, we must go back.

In August of 2020, President Pietruszkiewicz announced that him and his team was to evaluate certain programs on campus to see if they are underserving or showing little growth. The draft was clear that faculty was to be involved in this process when it was announced in December. According to the article by the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) the involvement of faculty before the draft was released did not occur. When interviewing Dr. Thomas, I asked if the faculty was aware of this proposed realignment of the university in which he responded, “Yes, well, he (President Pietruszkiewicz) dropped strong

hints and then in the fall faculty conference of 2020, he said that the university was doing some kind of budgetary study, and he then promised to share the progress of that which he did not do.”

Dr. Thomas proceeds to explain that the faculty who were possibly being let go had no warning about this. He states,“The actual announcements came out the end of the semester when final exams were over and after the students left campus, and rather than look the people in the face, whom he was planning to let go, he did it via Zoom. They had absolutely no prior warning.”

When faculty found out about the possibility of certain programs being cut, they partnered with AAUP and created Save UE, a campaign going directly against the proposed plan of Realignment.

When interviewing President Pietruszkiewicz, I asked if he expected the response from faculty and students, like Save UE. President Pietruszkiewicz stated, “I had a pretty good understanding that this was pretty impactful to people, and we weren’t the first university to propose something like this and there’s been even more after ours.”

President Pietruszkiewicz continued stating that the reactions at these universities have been similar to

ours, continuing,“The reaction was very much in line with the difficulties and the uncertainty it was creating with our faculty.”

When the draft was proposed, Save UE only amped up. Since, the letter was proposed there were meetings where the programs, faculty, and students could speak out against the proposed cuts and many banded together in protest, hoping to save some beloved programs.

The faculty that was affected by the plan was also offered a voluntary separation option which included a salary of 12 months without teaching and a one-time $10,000 payment to help with healthcare costs. There was a possibility of 39 faculty being let go when the draft was initially stated. The final and official account during the realignment year was 22. 19 of the faculty members chose to partake in the voluntary separation option, and 3 of them chose to retire early. These faculty, however, did not take this plan happily. These were well-rounded and very influential individuals who helped shaped this campus and were leaving in hopes to save their programs or other’s jobs/programs.

In my interview with President Pietruszkiewicz, I asked if the expectations of Realignment are being met. President Pietruszkiewicz proceeded to say that in a way yes, the university has been growing but that during this time it was a difficult process to do. In his answer to this question, President Pietruszkiewicz stated, “The hardest part is recognizing that there are people involved in the process and I also understand that my responsibility as a president, but that doesn’t separate from the fact that it was really hard.”

He proceeds to explain that the university is not in a different place than many other colleges and

universities stating, “We just did it a little bit earlier in the process before the demographics changed and now if you pick up the newspaper, you’re seeing what’s happening in private institutions and in public flagship institutions and the changes that they’re having to make.”

President Pietruszkiewicz also states that, “The difference with ours is that we had a group of faculty members who were willing to propose alternatives between that period between the draft plan and the final plan, in which we ultimately did not eliminate any positions. That was part of the voluntary separation incentive program, and because of a number of faculty numbers utilized that program, in which they received a year salary plus $10,000 worth of health care benefits we didn’t have to go through with the draft realignment plan as it was originally proposed”.

According to President Pietruszkiewicz, there was no eliminations of positions since these faculty took the voluntary separation option; however, this

Figure 1: Save UE Logo

Figure 2: Students wearing Save UE Gear posing on the UE sign

opinion is felt differently from others. He also proceeded to explain that many other universities are now following this route, trying to keep up with the changing demographics and student interest. There are many universities struggling with enrollment and keeping up with the changes in the higher academic world.

Especially after COVID-19 and its affects, however, this was done during the pandemic, were these changes in demographics seen then? The graph in figure 6 (provided by Dr. Pat Thomas from IPEDS and is all public information) shows the change in undergraduate enrollment from the year 20182022, comparing the University of Evansville to other universities UE compares itself to. Which UE is second from the bottom.

The Final Academic Plan was released early in 2021, and it did look different. 12 of faculty proposals were accepted, some being Ethics & Social change, History, Greek (which was part of the Religion proposal), and more. 12 majors were decided to be retained including, Music, Computer Science, History, and more. However, there were three major eliminations, Art History, Philosophy, and Religion (kept as a minor). Business was consolidated with Engineering making the College of Business and Engineering, like proposed before. 12 administrative/staff positions were eliminated. For the athletic side of the university the only changes were that all athletes with a scholarship including room and board must live on campus, as well as reduced scholarships for future student athletes in golf, swimming, and track & field.

At this point I understood what Realignment was. My next question for both interviewees was what effects are seen on campus positive

or negative, that stemmed from Realignment these many years later. I asked Dr. Pat Thomas what kind of effects did he see on campus and were they positive or negative? He responded, “Well, it’s quite obvious the negative effects. We went from over 2000 undergraduates when he

(President Pietruszkiewicz) came, to around 1500 or so, so we’ve had a decline in the number of undergraduates of around 25%.”

I then asked a similar question to President Pietruszkiewicz, asking if there has been any effect positive or negative to come out of the final draft of Realignment. He stated, “I think it has allowed us to be able to build from where we were...it impacted our faculty, our staff, our students, our alumni, their families, it’s not something I wanted to do either. Incredibly, I think difficult to not only be a part of on and for all of the university, but I do think it has allowed us to build and grow.” He continued saying, “We’ve been able to invest in new programs and able to reinvest in some current programs. That has had a pretty dramatic impact on the enrollment proposition for the university and I think that part has been successful.” Some of the newer programs that President Pietruszkiewicz mentioned are PhD in Health Professions Education and a Master of Arts in Innovative Leadership in Heritage Management. When asking both of these questions the topic of enrollment was mentioned. Shown in figure 7 is a graph depicting undergraduate enrollment, showing enrollment before President Pietruszkiewicz arrived and after to 2022 (which are all public information and also provided by Dr. Pat Thomas).

There has been a slight increase since Realignment, but nothing compared to years before. President Pietruszkiewicz did state that he does not believe strong change will be seen just yet but with these new programs, etc. there has been some enrollment changes.

This article has not been the easiest to write. Given from the statements

Figure 4: Student Protesting During a Save UE Protest

Figure 3: Dr. Pat Thomas Protesting During a Save UE Protest

Figure 5: A pug protesting wearing a Save UE Button

provided by both a faculty member, Dr. Pat Thomas, and President Pietruszkiewicz, Realignment was not an easy time for UE’s history. Many individuals were affected by these changes, and many were scared for their futures, students, faculty, and staff alike. These effects are still seen on campus today.

Departments struggling with lack of professors to teach. Some students even struggling to graduate from certain classes not being offered from lack of faculty. A distrust was created among the university towards the administration. These are not ignorable effects, and they are non-negotiable. No matter if the goal of Realignment was to help with costs of the university and to prepare for a new demographic of higher learning. Many individuals were deeply affected, and Realignment is still a hot topic today after almost four years.

When I finished my interview with President Pietruszkiewicz, I asked him if there was anything specific, he would like to say for the article and he said, “I think higher education is changing and it has been changing all around us. The world is changing, and higher education has to change with it. A big part of that is being able to work together with it. With the various parts of campus to be able to do that privately that what had been happening as part of the whole Realignment process. And I am hopeful that are faculty and our staff and our students, our alumni, and our administration can work together to make sure that we are providing the education that you expect.”

Figure 7: Undergraduate enrollment including President Pietruszkiewicz’s arrival. Courtesy of Dr. Patrick Thomas.

Figure 6: Percent change in Undergraduate Enrollment. Courtesy of Dr. Patrick Thomas.

by Collin Wilson

When I first came to UE to major in creative writing, I knew this would be as good a place as any for that – the esteemed college I saw with generous professors and skilled graduates gave me a positive impression. I could fit in here, hone my skills, and progress into life after while feeling positive about my attendance. I felt welcome, and everyone I knew – student or otherwise – had only compliments for the university. But as my second semester progressed, I began to see that, despite all the value offered here, the creative writing department is in real trouble. To gain more accurate views on the issues I had begun to consider, I interviewed our main professor, Katie Mullins; her insight will be offered generously throughout this article. However, unquoted passages do not necessarily reflect the stance of her, or anyone else, mentioned in this article, and may instead reflect my own experiences and interpretations.

In truth, creative writing does not exist as its own department anymore. As a direct result of the realignment, English and Creative Writing, two separate departments, were combined into the same; the plan also called for the removal of two of the five then-present creative writing professors. Currently, though, we only have one tenured professor—an unfortunate predicament.

“Right now, I’m an associate professor of creative writing, but I have sort-of defaulted into a Director of Creative Writing role as well. We are lucky to have Professor Clara Strong here as a visiting professor, but this department, at one time, had as many as five professors. And then after realignment we cut it down to – well, we were going to cut it to three, and then we had two other professors leave.”

Many departments and majors were affected poorly by the realignment, while some quality facets of the university were removed entirely. And although creative writing lasted through the plan itself, Professor Mullins and myself both agree that actions taken in regard to replacement faculty for those who left, separate to the realignment plan, have been concerning.

“With writing, they just never re-hired, even though there are three jobs that are now gone. [...] Anytime three people leave and you go, ‘That’s cool, the one guy left can do that all. And she’s disabled? I’m sure she’ll keep up.’ It feels a little bit like a quiet close, like, there’s no way around it. For English in general, I’m sure they saw the combination of the majors as sort-of a death knell...”

One of the likeliest reasons creative writing still exists as a department is thanks to the merge demanded by Realignment, which is the same reason we have a spot secured for the immediate future. Professor Mullins went on to reinforce this fact with a precedent revealed from a department that no longer exists: history. From what I understand, the former history department had four tenured professors, two of whom were fired during the realignment changes. What made that possible was removing the history department entirely. As Professor Mullins said it, “To fire a tenured professor, the whole department has to go.”

For creative writing to be removed as a major or department, the university would need to take one of two actions:

1) revoke one of their former decisions by splitting English and Creative Writing back into two separate departments, which is unlikely; or 2) completely remove the conjoined department, which is unthinkable. This should be an incredible reassurance to our students – our department should last for the foreseeable future. In Professor Mullins’s words: “So, creative writing is pretty much here until, I guess, I don’t know, I leave or die. Which I think will be a while, I hope.”

But acting as the sole remaining professor of creative writing, shouldering the burdens of what should be multiple professors, is far from the ideal state for anyone. It’s a stressful position,and though she has received warm, open support from the English department and its faculty, as well as help from visiting Professor Strong, she is still one person trying her best to instruct an entire department.

“So people know I’m busy and crazy and have a lot of stuff to do, but they don’t really understand. And between that, and being pretty profoundly disabled, it’s been a real challenge to kind of—and I don’t look sick in the way people want me to, if that makes sense, so they’re going, ‘Well, you’re fine, now.’”

One colleague in particular, Dr. Mark Cirino, the department chair, has fought

hard to bring in new hires necessary for allowing the department to last more than just in name. However, when contacted, he was “not able to expand on Prof. Mullins’s comments” for this article. As Professor Mullins described it, “I don’t know for sure what the university needs that we have been unable to demonstrate.” Whatever the case, the university’s reasoning in this matter remains undisclosed. Even with the department’s prolonged existence granted by its conjoining with English, a lack of replacement faculty for the professors who left by choice spell continuing danger and fear for the department and its students.

The reason any of this matters might seem clearly one-sided; and, in a slight way, it is. I’m a creative writing student, hoping for a degree from UE that will aid me for the remainder of my life. But those are merely details which allow me the position to understand and share the larger, encompassing worth of what we do. When I asked Professor Mullins during our conversation what it would really mean – for her, for the students, for the university – if the department and the major were made unavailable at UE, she explained with increasing passion and enthusiasm the base concepts which accompany creative writing. Although she gleaned her example of the moment off the chalkboard behind me, a lesson from a previous class that day, I could surmise that she had long since considered what she told me.

it was. But something about hearing ‘creative’ just kind of makes people go ‘Oh, it’s probably not necessary.’”

I have certainly experienced this bias firsthand. That itch in the brain people feel when they hear the word “creative,” the one that makes them automatically dismiss whatever it applies to as unnecessary... I posed that it was because people can’t quantify creativity or imagination; they can’t put an easy label on it like they do with so many other things. Which is true; but it’s also precisely the point.

“You can’t exactly measure it. [...] I’m okay living in an area where what we do can’t be quantified. But I think that it’s hard for—I think it is really hard, in an age where we are constantly trying to have something to assess, to deal in those uncertainties. And creative writing teaches you that uncertainty isn’t necessarily a failure, or even bad. Uncertainty is just part of life, and you learn how to deal with that, too.”

And, about the students: “They’re terrified. They’re all scared, everybody I’ve talked to. I’ve had students cry to me and ask me, ‘Will you just stay at least until I graduate?’ [...] I know some of the freshmen and the transfer students are considering other options.”

Some weeks ago, the bells in Olmsted began ringing again. They chimed the hours, but also sounded the university’s hymn at a certain time each day. Walking by, hearing it, I could not help feeling pride in this place, in my choice; I had heard it played and sung during convocation at the beginning of the year, a time of openings and brass fanfares. However, understanding the lyrics – We face the future unafraid – and contextualizing them in relation to the predicament of our department... they took on a creeping façade, becoming the selfsame “death knell” that seemed to have rung for us during the department’s merge with English.

“I don’t know for sure what the university needs that we have been unable to demonstrate.”

“I think anytime we lose classes in story, what you’re actually losing is people’s ability to tell each other what it means to be human and how it is to be human. [...] I think creative writing is the privilege we survive for. [...] And I think if we lose creative writing, we lose the ability to learn how to tell those things with empathy, with a sense of humor, and with a sense of organization. [...] And so, yeah, I think losing that loses more than anyone realizes when they look at creative writing. And in fact, if you struck the word ‘creative’ from the front, people would realize what a valuable major

Key to the effects of losing such a valuable department is the fact that the classes and concepts are by no means exclusive to creative writing majors. Theatre; literature; math; communications; archeology... Students from across the colleges enroll in writing courses with Professor Mullins and Professor Strong, and so, as was emphasized no less than five times throughout this portion of our conversation, a loss of the department would have negative effects “more than anyone realizes.” The reasoning should, by now, be obvious: expression, wisdom, self-discovery, and of course, skill in the craft. The problem remains that, despite the tenuous security of the creative writing major and the department, we still worry – faculty included.

“But the fact of the matter is, I don’t face the future unafraid here. Because what I’ve learned is, eh, it keeps being sortof a ‘Katie’ll do it’ situation. And so for me, I want to face the future unafraid. I am afraid I am facing that future alone, which means I cannot be unafraid.”

This is not the state our, or any, department should have to be in. Despite our remainder thanks to the university’s choices, those same choices have instilled fear into the students, driving valuable prospective members to pursue their education from a college they can actually guarantee a degree from; not the liberal arts college that has been effectively removing the arts, the creativity. Not hiring replacement professors for those who left voluntarily – leaving one overworked individual in place of what would be three – continues to negatively affect the creative writing department, in spite of the kindness, accommodations, and warmth generously provided to our professor by her colleagues. It is natural to fear; however, I think Professor Mullins says it best for how to behave in this situation: “So I would be sad, and then I would adapt, and I would overcome.”

Positivity and a pleasant face in the midst of adversity and uncertainty; that’s one of the finest messages to offer. It makes you think.

That’s it; it makes you think.

Making sure that students have wellrounded liberal arts educations is something that I know every professor here at the University of Evansville is constantly focusing and refocusing on. During the Creative Writing Senior Seminar I teach, I always invite guests who are living a writing life in to speak to my writers: I want them to see how people use the degree to do a number of jobs that branch off from the original major. However, a few years ago, I began realizing that introducing writing students to other writers was a limited way of teaching how to live a creative life. I’m lucky that my students have always been down to try just about anything— I’m not sure that I always deserve the trust they’ve imbued in me, but they are willing to experiment. The biggest experiment of my career so far has landed us in a wonderful place both for students, for me as a professor, and for the university at large: I can very genuinely say that there are coastal universities that don’t have some of the opportunities we’ve had in the last year or two.

Last year, I taught Editing and Publishing, and right before the semester started, I realized that we weren’t going to have a journal to publish or any real help in that area. Many of my students are involved in Student Media through The Crescent, so I wasn’t worried about them not getting any experience, but I was concerned that they were going to miss out on formative undergraduate experiences like editing for a magazine or soliciting submissions. Day one, I walked in and told them I didn’t have a syllabus and that we’d have to create one together: it was their responsibility to tell me what they wanted to learn.

By Friday of that week? They’d bought a domain for Mania Magazine and started writing submission calls. (They’re currently on their third issue online and they’ve posted the guidelines for submitting to the fourth: I have

nothing to do with it. Mania belongs to the students who created it, and that means not only are they the cofounders of a literary journal, but they have years of experience in editing.) One of the things that made that class so special, though, was that we would sometimes experiment outside of just the chosen syllabus. When the David Bowie documentary Moonage

Daydream came out, student Sam Tarter suggested we all go see it. I’m covered in Bowie tattoos and his posters and quotes litter every room I can call mine, so I thought the students were just doing me a favor. I had no idea how much all of our lives were about to change for the better.

Seeing the movie was one thing— it was a phenomenal, experimental movie that paid homage to Bowie’s love not just of music but of all art and the ways in which they interact and discuss each other— but later that night, while I was debating the merits of director Brett Morgen’s choice to leave out Bowie’s 90s era on Twitter. Surprising me, especially, Morgen (esteemed director of other music documentaries like Montage of Heck and Crossfire Hurricane) jumped into the conversation and led to the beginning of a paradigm shift in Creative Writing at the University of Evansville – he asked if I’d like him to come speak to my class. On Zoom, of course – UE wasn’t suddenly in LA, and we weren’t suddenly going on that kind of field trip. But when

By | Katie Mullins

he showed up in his bathrobe, ready to talk about not just editing and making the movie but about telling a story from found materials, to discuss the challenges of standing in for a complicated and dynamic figure like Bowie, and perhaps most exciting to me, about the conversations he had with Bowie before his untimely death in 2016, I realized that we had just had a touchstone moment that no one in that room would ever forget. Brett Morgen is a self-made creative man who lives a life where he makes whatever movie he wants to make, and he was handing my undergrads the keys to the kingdom. He wound up being nominated for twenty-plus awards for Moonage Daydream, and he won two Primetime Emmys and a Grammy. He was also shortlisted for the Oscars for Best Documentary.

This is likely not the kind of person my students thought they were going to be interacting with in landlocked southern Indiana.

After that, I just started looking around. We’re fortunate that we’ve had people like Barry Harbaugh (an alum who has worked for Amazon’s OneStory and works in various publishing jobs), Taylor Gates (an alum who writes short films and has won several awards on the short film circuit, as well as running podcasts), Rachel Ghazal (an alum who has YA books that are doing well in terms of sales and critical acclaim), and Mellinda Helmsly (who has worked in TV and writers’ rooms) who usually take time to come speak with our students and talk about the circuitous path to success. But this year, I decided to keep my eyes open. One day, I was running on a treadmill watching SportsCenter (we don’t have ESPN at home: I run a lot more than I used to), and I saw that behind the young man talking about college football was

a copy of Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life. I didn’t even have time to think how much that made me like him before I realized there was an Evansville Aces shirt on the same bookshelf. Once again, through the magic of Twitter, we connected, and Harry Lyles Jr., who wrote the definitive piece on the 40th Anniversary of the Plane Crash, spoke to my senior seminar about the ways in which he’d built a career despite not taking writing courses in college. He talked about the books he uses when he’s working on something new, and how he got used to being in front of a camera. These are skills that I think translate, but much more importantly, I think they broaden the scale of what students even imagine they can do, and that’s the most useful thing a guest can do.

This year, I’m teaching a course on How to Write About Music, and I’ve been lucky enough to have guests like The Aquarian Weekly’s James Campion before, but this year, I shot high and messaged Rhett Miller, the lead singer of the Old 97’s (who just celebrated their 30th anniversary), the man behind StageIt’s success during the pandemic, the host of a podcast on mental health and creativity called Wheels Off, the author of a viral article in The Atlantic about his experience on 9/11, and the children’s poet. I knew it was a ridiculous ask: the Old 97’s were about to go on tour for their thirteenth record, American Primitive, and I was asking for an hour of his time, not to tell me about writing or about the record itself (or even about his time working with James Gunn on the Marvel movies, though… it came up… the band played in the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas special and it’s hard not to ask about something so cool). I almost didn’t know how to explain what I wanted: I wanted him to, as an artist, tell us questions he hates answering, questions he loves, and then to pivot and talk about how he approaches interviews for his podcast.

He BEYOND killed it. Just by joining our class and being himself, Rhett brought a joy and a delight in creation that was invigorating, but he also had practical advice. He reminded students that interviews should be conversational, but they should also be vulnerable.

He allowed me to showcase what a good interview looks like, while also discussing it on a meta-level: we talked about when we were listening to each other and pivoting away from the questions we started with, and he was willing to roll with the changes. He also took questions from the students and was so generous with his time. He expressed gratitude that so many people are still interested in learning how to interview artists and engage more deeply with music. And perhaps best of all, for me, I got to show my students that no matter how used to an experience you get (I’ve done hundreds of interviews), I was still nervous— and I pulled it off, anyway. Rhett Miller has been the undisputed King of Dallas in my mind since I was in middle school, and it took a lot of nervous energy for me to approach an hour-long interview in front of a class with someone I’d admired most of my life.

But from Brett Morgen to Harry Lyles Jr. to Rhett Miller, the Creative Writing students are being exposed to auteur filmmakers, SportsCenter superstars, and journeymen rock stars, all of whom have great advice about living a creative life, saying ‘yes’ to the scary experiences, and— honestly— who are giving them an opportunity to see me, a professor with two decades of

experience in interviews, a little out of my depth and a little nervous so that they know that doesn’t just go away. In fact, I hope it never does: the nervous energy is just one way of processing the excitement over an unpredictable life full of meeting wonderful people who help widen my perspective on what ‘creative writing’ means.

COLORING PAGE

Farm Boss Fight

by: Mikayla Duffy

Dealing with anxiety in a healthy manner is paramount for maintaining mental well-being. One effective method is engaging in activities that promote relaxation and mindfulness. Coloring has been recognized as a powerful tool in combating anxiety. As individuals immerse themselves in the creative process, focusing on intricate patterns and vibrant colors, their minds are gently redirected away from worrisome thoughts. This meditative practice not only provides a welcome distraction but also encourages mindfulness, allowing individuals to stay present in the moment. Coloring has been associated with reducing stress levels and promoting a sense of calmness. By confronting anxiety through the act of coloring, individuals can gain a sense of empowerment over their emotions. I encourage you to pick up your coloring tools and brave the page by coloring the anxiety monster. Transform it into something vibrant and approachable, symbolizing your ability to conquer your fears and regain control of your mind. Through this simple yet powerful act, may you find solace and peace in the face of anxiety.

by Landon Amick

On February 14th, the University of Evansville and the University of Evansville Athletic Department announced plans for a major upgrade coming to the school’s current intramural fields. The University has shown its commitment to moving forward with the completion of several renovation projects in recent years, such as the addition of New Hall in 2022, and a brand new softball turf field at Cooper Stadium also in 2022. UE will continue its devotion to reform campus with this project being the latest improvement. The intramural fields sit in the northwest corner of campus behind the Armory building and Charles H. Braun Stadium. These grass fields have long only been utilized for intramural sporting events and other recreational activities, but that will change this coming fall. The 1.2 million dollar renovation will feature a brand new full-sized turf soccer field intended for the use of intramural sports and the men’s and women’s soccer programs. The new turf will provide tremendous benefits for both athletes and students as it will be available year-round for everyone

Intramural Field UPGRADE

and will last for around 8-10 years. The renovation was fully funded through the sale of UE’s grass field property on Division St. to Wesselman Woods back in the summer of 2023.

UE’s soccer programs have long been without a full-sized training field on campus. The game field at Arad McCutchan Stadium is not used for training to preserve the grass, so both the men’s and women’s teams would often train at off-campus sites, the Division St. property that was recently sold being one of them. UE’s Athletic Director Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried mentioned in the press release the importance of providing a new field that will improve the training experience of the soccer programs after losing the Division St. property. This project has been made possible through the collaboration of UE Athletics and the UE campus with the goal of enhancing the area for everyone. The first stages of renovation have already begun with the current fencing around the fields being torn down. Constriction is set to be complete in the fall of 2024, just in time for when students return to campus.

Esports Update April 2024

Myia Danek

The University of Evansville welcomed a new Division 1 program to the Aces roster this spring: Aces Esports. This team is comprised of passionate individuals who compete in teams that specialize in a variety of competitive games including Call of Duty, Rocket League, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., and many more.

The team has competed three times so far this season, earning a 1-2 record, which they hope to improve as team chemistry and trust continues to build. This is the first season of competition for the Esports team at the University of Evansville.

Brennan Hacker, an Overwatch 2 player on the team said, “I’ve played a lot of video games by myself, so the most challenging part is learning where I need to fit in on a team.”

“The most challenging part is the mental aspect,” said Overwatch player Kyler West. “Of course you are not going to win every game, but if you lose the first of a series of five, it’s about moving on to the next game.”

Esports coordinator and head coach Samuel Henderson was a professional Halo and Call of Duty player before taking his current position with the Aces. He credits UE for such thorough research and investment in this team prior to his acceptance. “[They] did a super in-depth analysis of the program, which is what I was first attached (you mean attracted?) to,” said Henderson. UE’s plan for this team included a four-year overview of its goals, and it was this preparedness for the program that ultimately led to Henderson’s commitment as Head Coach.

“The best thing about being involved with Esports is being able to live life with students, provide guidance, and be their support here at the University of Evansville,” Henderson said.

The mission of the Aces Esports team is to empower individuals, create meaningful experiences, and support students through academic and professional endeavors. The full mission statement and values can be found on the Aces Esports website or linked to the team Instagram page. The team competes in Schroeder Residence Hall, where the brand-new Esports center was built. Inside are state-of-theart computers, functional desks, gaming chairs, display TVs, and synchronized controllable LED lights that bring the space together.

This investment provides students a space that fosters success and collaboration. “Having this environment create the environment,” said head coach Samuel Henderson. “Having this facility that we were able to build with fun LED lights, and also being able to fill it with individuals who are passionate about Esports has been wonderful.”

Just like a traditional sport, Esports is actively recruiting new members year-round. If you are interested in joining a team, you can find contact information on the University of Evansville website, or by following the Esports Instagram page.

Student Media has also produced a video journalism piece on the Esports team. For a behind-the-scenes look at the brand-new facility, or to hear more about the players and their stories, please head over to The Crescent website at crescent.evansville.edu or use the QR code below.

Captain Player Player Player Player

Hailey Foster Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Player

Sincere Meyers Call of Duty Captain

Drew Fieger Call of Duty Manager

Luiggie Tirado Call of Duty Player

Sam Russell Call of Duty Player

Jon Htun Call of Duty Player

Nolan Scott Call of Duty Player

Evan Dartt Rocket League Coach

Aedon Smith Rocket League Captain

Eli Minar Rocket League Player

Wade Dixon Rocket League Player

Zach Worley Rocket League Player

Dylan Mofield Overwatch Captain Overwatch Manager Overwatch Player Player Player Player Player Captain Player Coordinator

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE TEAM

Our varsity program prepares, supports, and develops our students to be the best athletes, students, and people that they can become. Our teams will compete in national-level competitions against the best-rising talent in the nation. Our teams personify our mission by keeping the values of integrity, boldness, and respect.

The Sports Write

The Aces men’s basketball team has wrapped up their season for MVC play after taking a first-round win against Illinois State 59-53. This was the first year the Aces have won the opening round of the MVC Tournament since the 201516 season when they beat Missouri State. Unfortunately, the run was short as the Aces lost to the #2 seed, Drake 79-58. The Aces had a solid season and show promise to continue building their program as they are still alive and playing the 2024 Ro CBI in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Aces have won the opening round against Quinnipiac with a score of 64-63 and are set to face Seattle University for the second round on March 25th.

The Aces women’s basketball team has also wrapped up their season where it concluded at the Hoops in the Heartland Tournament. The Aces lost to Illinois State in the opening round 85-64 and did not receive any invites to post season tournaments. The Aces finished their season at 2-18 in conference and 4-28 for their overall record. The Aces were present at the 2023-24 Awards banquet before the MVC Tournament commenced where a couple Aces received honors for their efforts throughout the season. Graduate student Barbora Tomancova was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team and freshman Nevaeh Thomas was named to the All-MVC Freshman Team. The Aces look to

take a short break and hop back into things to begin preparing for their next season.

The Aces men’s golf team has had one tournament where they traveled to Tennessee Tech in Sevierville, Tennessee to compete in the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate tournament from March 17-19. The team’s efforts got them tied for 11th place out of 15 teams. The team will continue their season with match ups at USI, Butler, Indiana, and Tennessee State throughout the rest of March and April before they compete in the MVC Championships on April 21st23rd in Sun Beach, Missouri.

The Aces women’s golf team competed in the Nevel Meade Invitational in Prospect, Kentucky where they placed 10th out of 10 teams. They will continue their season with match ups at USI, Golfweek Intercollegiate, and Indiana State, before competing in the MVC Championships at the end of April in Waterloo, Illinois. Sophomore Kate Petrova will look to defend her title after her successful freshman year where she was named the 2023 Individual Champion in the MVC tournament and the 2023 MVC Freshman of the Year.

The Aces Swim and Dive teams had two divers compete at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. The divers were: sophomore Levi McKinney and senior Maddison Rollett. Rollett competed first and placed 52nd overall with a score of 194.35 and

Barbora Tomancova

Nevaeh Thomas

Kate Petrova

Write Up - April

By: Taylor Howe

was the first Ace to compete at the NCAA Zone Diving Championships since 2017. McKinney also competed at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships and placed 23rd with a score of 253.05 which was the best finish in the NCAA Zone C Championships since 2011.

The Aces softball team opened MVC play with a two-game, two-day home series against Indiana State where they split the series with one loss and one win. The Aces then started to find their bats, when they faced Valpo as they were able to sweep them for their first weekend conference series. The Aces had their first road series as they headed to Nashville, Tennessee to face Belmont for a weekend conference series. The Aces couldn’t take away a win, but competed and showed promise for the remainder of their young conference season. The Aces softball

team has been in the spotlight a couple of times this season with MVC Player of the Week honors. Senior Marah Wood was named MVC Player of the Week for the week of March 11th-16th and the following week sophomore Lacy Smith was also named MVC Player of the Week for the week of March 18th-22nd. The Aces will host UIC over Easter Break and then find themselves on the road again headed to Drake, after a midweek match up against USI for an in-town rivalry.

The Aces baseball team has found themselves on the B1G stage quite a few times this year as they have faced Vanderbilt for a midweek game and Michigan State for a weekend series. The Aces could not come away with wins but have remained competitive with the Power 5 talent as they have also faced SEC conference member Mississippi State

and nationally ranked #24 University of Kentucky. The Aces once again continue to push themselves and remain competitive in these big games in hopes for a stellar showing in conference play as they had their opening weekend against Murray State from March 22nd-24th. The Aces couldn’t come out on top but showed fight and are remaining hungry to find the win column again as they will host SIUE for a nonconference midweek game and then Southern Illinois for another MVC series over Easter Break.

The new and up running Aces esports team has kicked off their season with a 2-0 win against SIU, a 2-0 win against Belmont, and a 3-1 win against Murray State. The Aces have taken close losses to Valpo, Clarke, and Butler but remain hopeful for a stellar opening season.

Levi McKinney

Maddie Rollett

Marah Wood

Lacy Smith

The Unheard World of Silent Chess

By: Tiva Frushour

Magnus Carlsen. Hikaru Nakamura. Bobby Fischer. Garry Kasparov. Mikhail Tal. Viswanathan Anand. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. If you recognize these names, chances are you are familiar with some of the top names in chess history.

Malika Handa. Yehuda Gruenfeld. Tatiana Baklanova. Zlatko Klaric. Abraham Glasser. If you recognize these names, chances are you are familiar with some of the top names in chess history who happen to be deaf.

Chess. The game of kings. Played on a checkered board where thirty-two pieces rest poised for battle, sixteen on each side. White pieces line the first two ranks of the board and black pieces line the last two ranks. The game requires strategic planning, and being able to think two steps ahead of your opponent is crucial. There are over 1,300 possible openings in chess, and the first move can determine the outcome of the war ahead of the two people sitting at the board.

Bona FIDE Masters

The International Chess Federation, or World Chess Federation, is referred to as FIDE due to its roots. Established in Paris, France in 1924, FIDE is an acronym for Fédération Internationale des Échecs. In 1999, the International Olympic Committee recognized FIDE. Its Latin motto, “gens una sumus,” translates to “we are one family”.

25 years later, the International Chess Committee of the Deaf was founded, though originally named the International Committee of Silent Chess. Its founding came into existence not long after that year’s Deaflympics, known then as the International Games for the Deaf. In 2012, the organization changed its name.

The ranking system of FIDE also applies to how players are ranked in the ICCD. FIDE determines your ranking based on a point system. The way to earn points is by playing against opponents in official FIDE tournaments.

Points range from a general scale of 100-3200. Along with this scale, there are many titles players can earn once they rank high enough. International Grandmaster is the highest title a player can earn, while the second-highest title is International Master.

FIDE has awarded 1,995 Grandmaster titles to date, not counting three revocations. Of those 1,995 FIDEnamed Grandmasters, only two are deaf: Yehuda Gruenfeld and Zlatko Klaric.

Chess at the 2019 Winter Deaflympics

Deaf Chess made its official debut as an Olympic-level sport at the 2019 Winter Deaflympics in Italy. Teams from all over the world gathered to compete in this event, including teams from America, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Mongolia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Germany, and the host country of Italy.

The American team consisted of coach Dan DeLuca and four male players: Abraham Glasser, Oscar Petrov, Branton Stewart, and Byron Bridges. In addition to competing, Abraham also played a part in tracking down the coach and other players for the U.S. team at the event.

“It was an incredible experience,” said coach Dan DeLuca. “It was our first

International competition as a team, so I was satisfied to field a team and compete at that level--some teams had International Masters and International Grandmasters.”

But silent chess is not without its struggles.

Gens Una Sumus

Deaf chess players have their fair share of obstacles to overcome, which makes their achievements that much more incredible.

“Generally, I would say one major challenge for Deaf chess players is the communication barriers they have when becoming involved in chess,” Abraham explained. He also noted the importance of having someone to help with strategy reviews, puzzles, and conversations about chess, especially when starting out with the game. “Otherwise, a Deaf chess player has to have a lot of perseverance to push themselves to continue playing the game and learning by themselves.”

He also mentioned that going to chess tournaments presents opportunities to watch other players and pick up on their conversations and analyses, but this is very difficult for Deaf players.

“I think the greatest challenges for deaf chess players are connected with the issue of lack of community and lack of accessibility to training materials in ASL,” Dan commented. “These challenges manifest themselves when, for example, a deaf chess player searches for instructional materials online like training videos, lessons, oneon-one instruction, and other teaching materials, and finds that none are offered in ASL.”

Dan also mentioned that one of the greatest assets to a chess player for improvement and learning is playing in over-the-board, or OTB, tournaments. After a game, players have the opportunity to discuss plans, strategies, and even hidden possibilities in the game they have just finished playing.

Dan explained the purpose of what is known as the “skittles room” during OTB tournaments. “In the skittles room, players will play speed chess…banter, discuss openings, tactics, strategy, endgames, and do analysis of their own games, games in the tournament, or current or historical games played by accomplished players.”

“With barriers to communication, these resources are much more difficult to access,” Dan stated, further noting that there are nonprofit organizations dedicated to providing opportunities to overcome these barriers. Such organizations include the American Chess Association of the Deaf, the United States Deaf Sports Federation, and the International Chess Committee of the Deaf.

Dan and Abraham are two of the five members of the board of the American Chess Association of the Deaf. The organization is still relatively new, and Dan stated that its mission is “connecting deaf chess players and promoting the play, study, and competition of chess in US deaf communities.”

Dan also organizes online tournaments for members of the lichess US Deaf Chess Players team on a website called lichess.org. A Zoom link is utilized by these players so that they can use ASL to communicate with each other.

There is very clearly a lack of accessible resources for the majority of deaf chess players. Luckily, there are many people and organizations pushing past the barriers holding back these players from mastering their craft in the game of kings.

Summer’s Coming: Get Ready!

By: Nina Wilson & Ale Espana

Things To Do This Summer

Take road trips to explore.

Go out with friends.

Create DIY outdoor movie nights.

Plan late-night stargazing escapades.

The Monday Nerve is hosted by Beverley Buchanan, senior at UE, every Monday from 11am-1:30 pm. This show is centered around the band Nirvana, their personal music inspirations from the 70s-90s, and current music that came after them- inspired and molded by their sound. The Friday Nerve is also hosted by Bev, every Friday from 11am-2 pm. Since Kurt Cobain was an all-around feminist, this show is reserved for the exploration of all female punk, folk, independent, and alternative rock from the 70s to today. Note: Please don’t listen to this show if you are racist, sexist, or homophobic… we don’t need your business.

Musical Madness is hosted by Andrea Lenser, who is a sophomore at UE. This show airs from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM every Saturday and features show tunes from a variety of stage and movie musicals, such as Hamilton, Beetlejuice, Dear Evan Hansen, Six, Tick Tick Boom, In the Heights, and many more.

Caution: strong language and mature themes may appear in the songs during this show, so it is recommended for teens and up.

Listening Local is hosted by Bev Rowley, a junior at UE. This show features locally signed bands and artists such as The Chugs, Ghost Prom, The Strangers, Swamp Eyes, and more. Most bands are signed by Wally Opus, a local record label here in Evansville, Indiana. <

Queer Representation in Television

By Andrea Lenser

According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, around 8% of Americans identify as LGBTQ+ This may not seem like a large percentage, but this number encompasses at least 20 million people in the United States who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual,transgender, or another identity that falls under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.

Because of heteronormativity, which is the idea that everyone in society is cisgender and heterosexual, many queer people grow up not knowing or understanding their queerness. One way that queer individuals can see their stories get told and their identities expressed is through characters in television. Watching fictional characters with canonical queer identities in TV shows allows for LGBTQ+ people to find community and discover themselves. As a queer person myself, it is comforting and uplifting to see LGBTQ+ characters in the shows I watch because it reminds me that I am not alone in my queerness.

While there is a lot of poor representation for queer people in television or an absence of queer people at all, there are still shows out there with relatable queer characters that members of the LGBTQ+ community can identify with. In the upcoming sections, I will be highlighting three of my personal favorite queer characters from my favorite TV shows and why they are so meaningful to me.

Isaac Higgintoot from Ghosts

Ghosts is a comedy show on CBS about a couple named Samantha and Jay who inherit a haunted mansion called Woodstone in upstate New York. After Sam sustains a head injury, she gains the ability to see and communicate with the ghosts that haunt the house. One of the ghosts who haunts the mansion is named Isaac Higgintoot, who was a captain in the American Revolution who died of dysentery on the Woodstone property.

From the beginning of the first season, there are hints that Isaac is a closeted gay man who is not very good at hiding his feelings. He develops a crush on Jay and will say things like “I mean, did you see his shoulders? And that V-shaped back?” and “I watched Jay sand for hours, getting sweatier…and sweatier…”

Later on in season one, we are introduced to Isaac’s main love interest on the show, who is a British officer ghost from the Revolution named Nigel Chessum. Throughout the show, we see Isaac and Nigel navigate their feelings which eventually leads to a confession scene during the season one finale, their first kiss during the season two Christmas special, and Isaac proposing to Nigel in the season 2 finale.

What I find most appealing about their relationship is how naturally it progresses throughout the show. Since they both lived during an era where being gay was highly criminalized, it makes sense that it would take them a while to accept who they are and their feelings for each other in the afterlife. The writers of Ghosts did a good job of pacing their relationship so that they got together in a realistic manner. Isaac’s growth in particular is incredible to watch and means a lot to me as a queer person.

One standout scene with Isaac’s growth is from season one, episode 15 where Isaac comes out to Hetty, who is a Victorian ghost. The secondary plot of the episode revolves around Isaac flirting with Hetty in an attempt to appear as a straight man. Everyone else in Woodstone except for Hetty sees right through his act, but after one of the other characters is able to make a revelation about their past, Isaac gains the courage to be honest with Hetty and tell her about his feelings for Nigel.

One line that jumps out at me every time I watch Isaac’s coming out scene is when he says

“And I guess I just felt that if I ever spoke of these matters out loud, it would mean that everything that came before it was a lie.”

For many queer people, we have to hide who we are, which makes us feel like we are wearing a mask and being fake towards other people. However, queer people are not intentionally being untruthful; our environment is often too hostile and unwelcoming towards us that we feel we have to lie about our feelings. Seeing Isaac be accepted by Hetty and later by the other ghosts shows that queer individuals can be accepted for who they are, which is very inspiring to see.

Crowley from Good Omens

Good Omens is a show on Amazon Prime Video that is about an angel named Aziraphale and a demon named Crowley who must work together to thwart the start of Armageddon. The first season is based on the book Good Omens written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and the second season is a continuation of the story.

While Crowley is not labeled with any specific LGBTQ+ identity, Neil Gaiman has confirmed that Crowley is queer in a multitude of ways. For instance, while for most of the show Crowley presents as male and is referred to with he/him pronouns, there are a couple of instances in which Gaiman has confirmed that Crowley presents as

a female and uses she/her pronouns. One instance is when Crowley dresses up as a female nanny in order to keep an eye on the Antichrist child. Another instance is during a flashback to Christ’s crucifixion on the cross and Crowley is there dressed in traditionally feminine attire.

Because Crowley appears to switch genders or at least gender presentations, he is considered by many fans to be genderfluid. However, other fans consider him to be agender because of some information that Gaiman and Pratchett included in the book version of Good Omens. According to the book, angels and demons are sexless beings. This then begs the question of if they do not have a sex, can they have a gender and/ or multiple genders?

While we do not currently have an answer to that question, there is no doubt that Crowley is a queer individual. During season two, a lady says to him “You’re a good lad,” to which he responds “I’m not actually either. But thank you.” This at the very least is an indication that Crowley is not a man and is instead something else, like perhaps agender, genderfluid, nonbinary, or unlabeled. The reason Crowley is such a good representation of queer identities is because his own sex and gender is ambiguous, which allows for fans to headcanon or project their own identities and experiences onto him.

Not only is Crowley himself excellent representation, but his relationship with Aziraphale is also queer in a plethora of ways that many people can relate to. Neil Gaiman has confirmed that Crowley and Aziraphale’s story is a love story between the two of them. While there are many hints throughout seasons one and two that they have feelings for each other, Crowley eventually admits his feelings for Aziraphale and kisses him in a devastating ending scene during the season two finale. Like Crowley, Aziraphale is not a man, but rather a male-presenting being, so while the love between them appears to be gay love, describing it as queer love or just love on its own is a more accurate description.

Neil Gaiman has also confirmed that he wrote Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship as an asexual one, meaning that their love and connection with each other does not depend upon sex but rather upon acts of romance and other acts of love. Just like with Crowley’s gender, Crowley and Aziraphale’s relationship can be labeled in many ways and it is up to fans to interpret what exactly their relationship is. No matter what way it is depicted, however, it is always a queer romance between two queer individuals.

Elle Argent from Hearstopper

Heartstopper is a TV show on Netflix based on web comics of that same name. It mainly follows the love story between Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring, who are bisexual and gay respectively. However, there are other queer characters in the show who also have some intriguing storylines. One of those characters is Elle Argent, who is a transgender girl.

During the first season, we follow Elle as she adjusts to attending the girls school instead of attending the boys school she previously was at with Charlie and their friends Tao and Isaac. She mentions how hard it is to not only be the new girl, but also the new trans girl. However, eventually she meets Tara and Darcy who are a lesbian couple and they help her feel welcome at her new school.

While Elle’s trans identity is not discussed very much in the show, I think this is actually a good thing. Queer characters in TV shows are often tokenized, meaning that they are added just to say that the show is inclusive. However, these characters are often caricatures of queer people that are based on harmful stereotypes. Trans people in particular face a lot of stigma in the media and they are often dehumanized. What Heartstopper does a good job of is making Elle more than just her transgender identity. She is a fleshed-out character with problems other than just transphobia.

Despite her trans identity not being brought up very often, the times that it is are very meaningful. For instance, there is a scene where she mentions that Harry, a boy who often bullies Charlie, also used to be transphobic towards her when she was still at the boys school. There is also a scene in which Tao mentions a teacher at the boys school who refused to call her Elle. These instances address the transphobia that Elle faces without reducing her character down to “the trans girl.”

In season one, we start to see the development of a romantic relationship between Elle and her best friend Tao, but they don’t get together until season two. While their relationship appears to be a heterosexual one from an outsider’s perspective, it is still meaningful to show a trans girl in a healthy relationship with a cishet man. Just like being transgender in general, there is stigma surrounding relationships involving trans people. What I like best is Elle and Tao’s natural slow-burn romance and how it is not depicted as weird that Tao or Elle have feelings for each other because Elle is trans. Overall, the normalization of queer and trans identities and relationships in Heartstopper is what makes this show stand out in the crowd.

Why Queer Representation is Important

Seeing queer characters in the media is important because it helps LGBTQ+ individuals discover who they are and help them find community with each other. All forms of diversity and representation are important to include in shows because it more accurately reflects society. It’s imperative that people recognize that not everyone is cisgender and/or heterosexual and portraying individuals who do not fit into these categories helps to educate people on the variety of sexual orientations and gender identities. Whether you are queer or not, I highly recommend checking out the shows I mentioned above if you are interested in learning more about LGBTQ+ individuals and their journeys.

Equity in Healthcare:

Bridging the Gap for Obesity Treatment Access Through Medicare Coverage Reform

Obesity, a pervasive public health challenge, has far-reaching consequences, impacting individuals and healthcare systems alike. It stands as a formidable obstacle, affecting millions of Americans and straining healthcare systems with its associated complications. Amidst this backdrop, the emergence of novel obesity drugs offers hope for effective intervention. However, the exclusion of these medications from Medicare coverage underscores a critical gap in healthcare accessibility, particularly for older adults. Recent advancements in pharmacotherapy have introduced a new class of obesity drugs, exemplified by Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound. These medications, administered through weekly injections, mimic hormones regulating appetite, facilitating significant weight loss ranging from 15 to 25 percent. Despite their efficacy, the exorbitant monthly costs of these drugs, ranging from $1,000 to $1,300, have limited access primarily to affluent individuals, exacerbating healthcare disparities.

A significant barrier to broader access lies in Medicare’s longstanding prohibition on covering weight loss medications under Part D. Enacted in 2003, this rule reflects historical perceptions of obesity as a cosmetic issue and echoes safety concerns stemming from past drug controversies. Medicaid offers fragmented coverage for obesity drugs, leaving a substantial coverage gap for older adults reliant on Medicare. Legislative inertia has perpetuated this exclusionary policy despite the recognition of obesity as a prevalent health issue. Recent studies have highlighted the multifaceted benefits of obesity drugs beyond mere weight reduction. Lawmakers advocate for legislative amendments to enable Medicare

coverage, recognizing obesity as a complex health condition warranting comprehensive treatment. However, the specter of rising healthcare costs poses a formidable challenge, prompting cautious deliberation. While initial projections suggest a substantial financial burden, alternative analyses suggest potential long-term cost savings through reductions in obesityrelated comorbidities and healthcare expenditures. Stakeholders, including pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, and advocacy groups, have mobilized to advocate for Medicare coverage of obesity drugs. Lobbying efforts underscore the industry’s vested interest in policy reform, while advocacy groups highlight the growing evidence supporting the preventive and therapeutic potential of obesity drugs, amplifying calls for equitable access.

One notable aspect of the obesity epidemic is its pervasive societal narrative effect that often stigmatizes individuals struggling with weight issues. This narrative can lead to discrimination, bias in healthcare settings, and internalized shame among those affected, further exacerbating the challenges they face. The narrative effect also shapes public perception of obesity drugs themselves. Despite their potential to significantly improve health outcomes for individuals struggling with obesity, these medications are sometimes met with skepticism or misconceptions. Some may view them as a “quick fix” solution or doubt their effectiveness, influenced by prevailing narratives about personal responsibility and the moral dimensions of obesity.

The debate surrounding Medicare coverage of obesity drugs encapsulates broader discussions on healthcare equity, fiscal responsibility, and public health priorities. While the promise

By Javad Dehghan

of pharmacotherapy offers hope for addressing the obesity epidemic, navigating the complex terrain of policy reform requires careful consideration of economic, social, and ethical implications. Addressing the narrative effect is crucial for advancing discussions around healthcare equity and policy reform. By reframing the narrative surrounding obesity and its treatment, stakeholders can challenge stigma, promote empathy, and foster a more inclusive approach to healthcare. This includes recognizing obesity as a complex medical condition influenced by genetic, environmental, and socioeconomic factors, rather than solely a matter of personal choice or willpower. In advocating for Medicare coverage of obesity drugs, stakeholders must confront and counteract the narrative effect through education, awareness campaigns, and policy advocacy. By highlighting the scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness and safety of these medications, dispelling myths, and misconceptions, and amplifying the voices of individuals affected by obesity, stakeholders can reshape the narrative to prioritize equitable access to comprehensive obesity care. Ultimately, addressing the narrative effect is essential for creating a more supportive and inclusive healthcare system that meets the diverse needs of all individuals, regardless of their weight or health status. By challenging stigma, fostering empathy, and promoting evidence-based approaches to obesity management, stakeholders can contribute to meaningful policy changes that advance health equity and improve outcomes for millions of Americans affected by obesity.

By Hayden Chrapek

My Grandpa Was A Soldier. He didn’t like to talk about it, but he told me about it once. When I asked about it for a 7th grade paper about our heroes.

My grandpa was a soldier, but he was so much more. He taught me chess and guitar. He played a mobile game with my entire family.

My grandpa was a soldier, but he didn’t die at war. He died weak from cancer with my family all fighting around him.

By Mitch Brentz

My Own Alderaan

I knew today was coming when you blocked out the sun over the blue sky I put you in, your frustration trained on me like the barrel of a superlaser. I can look straight down it and see the remnants of a more civilized age, when we discussed things instead of whatever this is. I think to ready my ship and fight for you again, then think better of it.

I step outside, take a deep breath, and give a final look to everything I’ll lose knowing it won’t compare to anything I may find when I am freed of you. You may fire when ready.