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‘Advocating for Survivors’ sheds light on realities of sexual assault
KACEY NICHOLS News Reporter | KaceyLee1997
[The survivor] talks about threatening many different ways online, threatening to hurt her sister, llinois State’s University Prothreatening to kill her cat. Her gram Board kicked off Sexual living in terror,” Clevenger said. Assault Awareness Month Survivors have lost sleep, jobs Thursday with an event that showand the feeling of being safe in cased what survivors wore when they their homes. Clevenger expressed were sexually assaulted and the jourthat another form of online harassney they have taken since. ment is through revenge porn. On the first floor of the Bone This is a tactic done with threats Student Center, there were manneof sexual photos being sent out on quins with articles of clothing from porn sites and to the public to keep women, men and children. This the victims silent and cooperative. gallery of clothing showed the raw This event allowed students to emotion students and the commuunderstand that people are availnity had when taking in the truth of able to talk about sexual assault. what the clothing symbolized. Each Registered student organization mannequin had a printed quote from Students Ending Rape Culture is those who wore the outfit. one of the many resources that These mannequins showed real ISU has to offer students. SERC emotion through visual text. A expresses the importance of supgraphic tee from a favorite band was port that students have when it one of the outfits being displayed. comes to sexual assault. “One of the worst things about this “Survivors don’t really get any is that it was a shirt that I really loved kind of spot light and so sexual from my favorite band. Now I hate assault awareness month and that band and every time I see it, it Kacey Nichols | Vidette News Reporter events like these go on throughout makes me want to gag,” the unknown Mannequins with articles of clothing from men, women and children displayed what they wore when they were sexually the year with our organization,” survivor wrote. assaulted with typed notes explaining how they feel about themselves or their outfits after experiencing sexual assault. SERC president Brendan Wall Other outfits expressed the nersaid. that is what a participant prefers. Survivors blame themselves. vousness and fear they felt during Wall went on to say that this A lot of them were very blameful of the things that they did. topic is important because it sheds light on a hard situation their experience with assault. “In the evening after my shift, I still had on my uniform. They talk about what they could have done differently. How that is usually left in the dark and that sexual assault affects At first, I thought that he was just messing around … playing they had made some sort of mistake that lead to their victim- everyone around the victim and the abuser. a game. Then I realized it was not a game and became frozen ization. They are also blamed by others,” Clevenger said. Students in attendance found it important to be open and Clevenger went on to say that the public needs to stop blam- unafraid to express the reality of sexual assault. ISU junior with fear,” another unknown survivor wrote. This portion of the event was to meant to explain that what ing survivors, no matter how they were dressed, how they public relations major Amber Rasmussen found the event to someone wears does not give someone the right to take advan- behave and how they react to the situation. Most survivors be interesting as well as informative. tage of that person, regardless of what they were wearing. live life with PTSD from the events that took place and form “It’s something that we’re not talking about very much. There These mannequins had on PJs, sweatpants, dresses and one anxieties that can be triggered by smell, touch, hearing and is such a huge stigma around who is affected by this and so I being seen. was carrying a teddy bear. think it is a really cool thing and I love that it’s out in the open Another topic that was discussed by Clevenger was online for everybody to see. They’re not hiding it behind any doors,” Although these people had gone through these events, they are survivors. Author and ISU Criminal Justice professor victimization of sexual assault survivors. This assault takes Rasmussen said. Shelly Clevenger gave a presentation explaining that victims form with online threats of harm, sexual photo distribution ISU has many resources to help those who have been vicof sexual assault are nothing less than a survivor and that they and harassment. Every survivor that Clevenger worked with timized by sexual assault. For more information of resources, had dealt with this kind of assault. tend to blame themselves. those interested can visit https://counseling .illinoisstate.edu/. “There was online harassment of the survivor and her family. “I use the term ‘survivors’ as opposed to ‘victims’ because
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BSC enters phase two of revitilization project MIKE SMITH News Reporter | @Agora_180
Illinois State University has reached the end of phase one of its Bone Student Center Revitalization Project. The Bone revitalization has been a workin-progress for the last couple of years. With a budget of about $33 million, reserve funds from the school will pay for the project. This means that no tax money will be used, nor will students compensate the cost with a rise in tuition fees. With the completion of the first phase of the project, construction workers will begin phase two, otherwise known as the “quiet phase” of the project. Phase two will focus directly on the “behind the scenes” work. This phase will not be as visible as the work done during phase one, meaning that guests won’t see much of it. “The primary focus of phase two will be relocating the catering kitchen to the first
floor and then renovating the vacated catering kitchen on the second floor to accommodate other offices,” ISU Assistant Director of Marketing, Training and Hospitality Erin Watts said. Watts has managed the project since the beginning. A substantial amount of changes that students could see occurred during phase one. Changes included enhancing the East and West building entrances, and while the East entrance is not officially opened yet, Watts said once warmer temperatures start to stick around, concrete work can be completed around the entrance. Another update that occurred in phase one was the renovation of the Brown Ballroom and the addition of a foyer to accommodate prefunction activities. Alongside this, the project completed a three-story addition on the West side, which created a new front door for the Bone Student Center and the Atrium on the third floor, a shared space for the Office of Admissions and Event Management, Dining
and Hospitality. The first phase also relocated the Barnes & Noble ISU Bookstore to the first floor of the building. The Lobby Shop was also relocated to the East side of the first floor along with a new Starbucks. The Landing, which will replace the Lobby Shop, opens in June. The addition of Qdoba to the second floor has been one of the most viable changes for students looking to grab a bite in the Bone. Lastly, phase one ended with updating the courtyard space and adding access to the Bone from Milner Plaza. Those navigating ISU’s campus will have an easier time Ali Rasper | Photo Editor getting to class without construction of the Many students have taken advantage of the newly space getting in the way, which may be the renovated spaces at the Bone. most impactful change for students thus far. “Moving forward, we are excited to open the east side of the building and see students project. and guests using the new and renovated As phase two gets underway, this portion spaces throughout the Bone Student Center in the ways we’ve planned for so many years of the project is expected to be finished in the now,” Watts said regarding the progress of the fall of 2019.
PAGE 2 | NEWS | THE VIDETTE
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ISU graduate student explores religion Nick Mullins published in the Journal for Religion, Society and Politics
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ELIZABETH SEILS News Reporter | @SeilsElizabeth
Though he doesn’t consider himself a religious person, he found its effect on culture and politics fascinating. rom “In God we Trust” to the war on “Personally, I am not religious. I do feel a conChristmas, the United States has nection to all life, being human and a had an interesting relationship product of universal processes,” Mullins with religion. said. Illinois State University’s Department “I would describe myself, if I had to put of Politics and Government graduate stua label, as an agnostic atheist.” dent Nick Mullins explores the topic of He primarily focused his research on religion in the U.S. in a paper recently using religion as a political mobilizer, published in the Journal for Religion, meaning he looked for instances in recent Society and Politics. politics that were largely influenced by Nick Mullins More specifically, Mullins studied the cultural religious identity, such as the decline in religion portrayed in the media election of President Donald Trump or in Western liberal democracies. the support of the National Front party in France. Mullins argues that respective historical expe“Many countries in the West are confronting riences with secularization and religion are growing diversity and multiculturalism,” Mulldriving cultural debates on what defines a nation ins said. “I was interested in the backlash against and national identity. these trends. “ His paper is titled, “Contesting the Secular According to his findings, the lines between West: Religio-cultural Identity Politics in West- religion and cultural identity and ethnicity are ern Liberal Democracies.” often blurred. Even without religion, “religious” His interest in religion and politics started at cultures fight against the secularization of culture a young age. as governments become unable to fulfill the needs “For a long time, probably since I was a young of their people. teenager, I've been a huge nerd for non-fiction Issues that are in popular debate today, books on secularism,” Mullins said. such as LGBTQ issues and immigration, often His time at ISU helped to solidify his interests have a large opposition from religious culin the time and pursue researching it further. tures, though not necessarily from religious
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organizations. “Religions can be both very positive and supportive of democracy, tolerance and other very good things, in my opinion, or it can be quite the opposite,” Mullins said. “There are many faith-based organizations and advocates highly supportive of democratic values like tolerance, fairness, and equality under law. “ Of course, not all political climates are made equal. There were plenty of variables and outliers that Mullins had to consider in his research, saying that was one of his biggest challenges. “It was difficult for me to narrow down which ideas, to me, were most crucial to answering this question,” he added. Mullins is hoping to continue his research and writing on the topic of political culture. His next paper submission focuses on the perceived threat of immigration in relation to speeches made by the Trump Administration during the 2016 campaign. He is also writing another work on the question of national identity as diversity and multiculturalism grow in the US. ELIZABETH SEILS is a News Reporter for The Vidette. She can be contacted at elseils@ilstu. edu Follow her on Twitter at @SeilsElizabeth
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MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2019
Blo-No braces for April 2 election MIKE SMITH News Reporter | @Agora_180
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ith the 2019 Consolidated Election around the corner, locals can expect to hear a lot coming from the candidates running in the upcoming election. Residents can cast their vote from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday in the Bone Student Center at Illinois State University or at the County Clerk’s office. The candidates running for Town Trustee are R.C. Mcbride, Dave Shields, Stan Nord, Kathleen Lorenz, Karyn Smith, Pat Turner, Alex Campbell and Joel Studebaker. Only three candidates will be appointed to the position. With early voting at the Bone Student Center concluded, the turnout showed that 195 students, faculty, staff and other locals contributed to early voting. Turnout from the Clerk’s office shows that 362 votes were cast for early voting. A collective 249 voting ballots were submitted by mail for early voting. ISU Media Relations Director Eric Jome said that the university encourages everyone to perform their civic duty as often as possible.
“We always prepare for any election that comes up, which is why the American Democracy Project has been involved for many years and helping students get information on registering to vote and encouraging voter turnout at all elections,” Jome said. “This is more of a local race,” he said. “We do see that sometimes there’s a lower voting turnout for local elections, but we encourage students to get out and vote all the same.” In order to help inform students of the coming election, ISU took many steps to prepare them for what they need to vote. “We’ve had emails going out to students about registering to vote, voter information and other useful tips,” he said. “We’ve also worked with the County Clerk’s office to prepare our Bone Student Center polling place so that we have enough people onhand to work there.” Alex Campbell is one of the candidates running for Town Trustee. He said that voters can expect a lot of issues to be addressed throughout the coming days towards the election. “There are a lot of issues that have been brought to light throughout the process of the campaign,” Campbell said. “Affordable housing, public transportation and the Trail East
project have all been hot button issues this cycle. I think, more than anything, the election has been about people looking for a voice. Many people in the Town of Normal feel their voices haven't been heard. Whether it has been speaking out against a fire station, the Trail East project or the cuts to Connect Transit, people feel like the Council isn't always taking them seriously.” Campbell also addressed the fact that students getting involved in local affairs is a primary focus of what his campaign aspires to accomplish. “In addition, I really think that student involvement is becoming a major issue. The talk of student voices being heard and how large ISU's population is percentage wise to the Town of Normal has all come out of my candidacy,” Campbell said. “I am glad to see that students are being taken seriously in this town and that residents know that we aren't just four-year commitments. We enrich the community culturally, philanthropically and especially financially. It is about time we start asking that the Town of Normal takes our perspective into account when voting. And what better way to do that than putting an actual student on the Council on April 2nd?”
Normal Town Council Candidates COMPILED BY MIKE SMITH | News Reporter @Agora_180 Elections for Normal Town Council will be held Tuesday. The Town of Normal has eight candidates running for a position on the council. However, only three spots will be filled.
Illinois State University students will be able to participate in the election by casting their votes Tuesday at the Bone Student Center. In an interview with a Vidette reporter, the candidates answered what they believe is the most pressing issue in Normal.
Kathleen Lorenz Executive Director - Leadership Illinois Lorenz told WGLT, “The town needs to be actively working on a pension funding strategy and a budget cost reduction plan to position itself for the soundest fiscal position possible. The town also should further develop policies for equitable and diverse housing stock, based on strategies laid out in the housing portion of the Comprehensive Plan.”
R.C. McBride General Manager - WGLT In his website McBride states, “Though current financial trends, changes in consumer behavior and decisions by other government entities have stressed the town’s revenue sources, we must still invest in our community to maintain its quality of life. Economic development has never been more important; it’s critical to grow and retain the talent within our community.
Karyn Smith Professor - Illinois State University “I believe the biggest issue facing Bloomington/Normal is the changed economy resulting from State Farm’s decision to develop hubs in three southern cities and cut back on expansion within their corporate headquarters in Bloomington.”
Dave Shields Normal Planning Commissioner “The biggest issue for Bloomington-Normal is to become an even more thriving environment for individuals, families and businesses; a place that fosters and enables all the personal and professional interactions anyone needs at any given stage of life.”
Alex Campbell Student “I think the biggest issue facing Normal is affordable housing. Too often the local bodies are allowing tax breaks and failing to ensure that leasing companies are paying their fair share into our community. If people can’t afford to live here, they won’t stay and contribute to this Town. We need to fight for everyone’s right to accessible housing.”
Pat Turner Executive Director - Center for Hope Outreach Program “I think the biggest issue that we’re facing right now is the lack of care and representative coverage for all of our citizens. I think our council does a great job of representing portions of the city, but there’s so many unheard voices and pockets of our community.”
Stan Nord Storage Company Business Owner “In my opinion, the mass exodus of businesses and families from our community and state is the most important issue we face. We can argue the reason why they are leaving, but it is undisputed that Illinois leads the nation in net loss of population.”
Joel Studebaker Normal Public Library trustee “The biggest issue facing BloomingtonNormal is the same as most places: inequality. We give tax breaks to Young America and First Site while students — who are already incurring debt just to go to school — pay more and more for rent.
ELIZABETH SEILS News Reporter | @SeilsElizabeth
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or those living on the west side of Bloomington, getting food isn’t a problem, but getting healthy food is. More families in need will be able to have healthy food choices when the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVDP) opens its newly expanded food and clothing pantry. The pantry is located at the former Corpus Christi Junior High building and will open to the public on April 1. Holy Trinity Catholic Church has provided a food pantry for the community for almost 50 years, but it joined with SSVDP in the last decade. Together, the organizations have helped students, senior citizens and others in need. “It was somewhat of a modest operation until a decade ago,” President of SSVDP Holy Trinity Conference Jim Tuite said. “Then we ended up growing quite a bit.” The pantry will not only provide food, but clothing items as well. They set up the pantry like a clothing store and give patrons the chance to shop for what they need. “You’ll think you’re walking through Bergner’s,” Tuite said. “So that the merchandise is displayed out on clothing racks. So that is going to be integrated for the first time with the food pantry.” In previous years that clothing had to be located in a
separate building from the food pantry. With the expansion, they can have both resources in the same place. The hours for both facilities will also be expanded. They primarily serve the west Bloomington area, which is a food desert, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to a press release from the SSVDP, the pantry serves over a thousand families a month. The expansion comes as the amount of people using the pantry’s services increases. “We’ve grown from about 100, 150 a day,” he said. “We’re up to close to 300 individuals coming through for families of six or eight. We’re typically serving over twelve hundred people a week.” In addition to providing food and clothing to the community, the pantry also plants a garden full of fresh produce. They grow several thousand pounds of vegetables and are hoping to expand with fruit trees. They also hope to build a garden area for patrons to wait in, instead of standing in the cold or heat. Moving facilities and keeping products stocked requires hours of volunteer work, and they are always looking for more people. SSVDP reaches out to the university often looking for volunteers. “One of the major groups that helps us every year is the postal workers,” Tuite said. “They do a canned food drive and we’re one of the primary beneficiaries of that.”
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PAGE 4 | THE VIDETTE
MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2019
Jen Haiden | Staff Photographer
Sophomore Sydney Ochodnicky takes part in April Fools’ festivities by pranking sophomore French education major Savanna Wilder.
Laughter is universal
April Fools’ Day festivities, traditions around the world RACHEL SCHOLLMEIER Features Reporter | @r_schollmeier
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ey, your zipper is down. No really, I’m not kidding. Also, your shoe is untied. Also, you’ve got a stain on your shirt. Come on, look … I’m being serious. Only kidding. April fools! It’s a day full of pranks, mischief and mayhem, marking the start of April. April Fools’ Day, sometimes known as All Fools’ Day, has generated a variety of responses throughout time. While tiring to some, to others, the day is a reminder to step back for a moment and focus on the joys of life. “I would say the significance of the day is to illustrate to people that you don’t have to take everything in life too seriously. It also provides people an opportunity to focus on positive attitudes, like humor and joy instead of negative outlooks,” junior business administration major Anthony Valene said. For many growing up in the West, the petty pranks of April Fools’ Day have been a staple of childhood, but a lot of us don’t really know why. The exact originations of the day remain a mystery to historians, although there are several theories. According to authors at history.com, it may date all the way back to 1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the
Gregorian calendar, leaving those who were slow to transition to the new start of the year as the butt of jokes. These people had paper fish stuck to their backs and, according to history.com, were “referred to as a poisson d’avril” (April fish), said to symbolize a young, easily caught fish and a gullible person.” Another history.com theory links the day to the vernal equinox, or first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, when Mother Nature fooled people with changing, unpredictable weather. The day of foolishness spread throughout Britain in the 18th Century. In Scotland, it became a two-day event. On the first day, people were sent on fake errands, known as “hunting the gowk.” The second day involved pinning fake tails and “kick me” signs onto people. In modern times in the U.S., pranksters have delved into the recesses of their minds for some high quality original prankage. The spread of technology and social media has allowed for these pranks to reach a broader audience. “Jokes are fun. I’ve always got a few tricks up my sleeve. My cousin posted an engagement on Facebook a few years ago and the whole family thought it was real,” senior public relations major Austin Mueller said. However, not all indulge in the lighthearted spirit of pranking on April 1st. This year, Microsoft has banned pranks in a
memo that reads, into your good “data tells us these luck. The spirit of stunts have limited pranking in Greece positive impact and parallels that of the can actually result U.S., including fake in unwanted news news hoaxes. In 1982, cycles.” a radio station in Beyond the U.S., Greece reported that April Fools’ is celethere was a pollution brated by countries emergency and called around the world, for a evacuation. The each with their own story was a hoax but take. people started actuThe tradition of ally evacuating. the April fish from In Brazil, April 1582 remains in Fools’ Day is called France to this day “the day of lies.” The Liv Richardson | Staff Photogrpaher ... the first of April is Sophomore elementary education major sprays nature of pranks is known as le poisson friends with silly string. playful and spirited. d’avril. To celebrate, Pranks and white lies they eat fish-shaped are taken as necessary chocolate figurines and continue the tradition remedies for the ills of modern world. of taping paper fish to each other’s backs and April Fools’ Day is a recognized holiday in yelling “poisson d’avril.” the UK, but it is typically only celebrated until Italians celebrate April Fools’ Day the same noon. It is considered to be bad luck if pranks way the French do, but instead, they call it continue past noon. “pesce d’aprile” which is “April fish” in Italian. Despite mixed reactions to present-day They eat chocolate fish and tape paper fish on pranks, these worldwide celebrations serve as each other’s backs as a prank. However, the testament to the unifying power of laughter. Italians also incorporate a bit of the Western Though origin stories vary, what remains is a spirit, pulling practical jokes and pranks on chance to indulge in light-hearted humor, to each other. take a small step back from the serious tasks Legend holds that in Greece, a good prank of the day and smile. will end up turning someone’s misfortune
All-time prank ‘stars’: greatest April Fools’ jokes in history Throughout history, people have taken April Fools’ Day pranks to the next level. Yet, in an era of fake news, it may be difficult to tell the difference between jokes and the truth. Here are some pranks that have tested this logic and been coined some of the “best pranks of all time.” COMPILED BY JACK ATKINS FEATURES REPORTER | @JACKATKINS_
Cacareco Rarely does a prank impact an entire country, but a few Brazilian college students made it happen in the 1950s. They created homemade ballots to run a Rhinoceros named Cacareco, or “garbage” in Portuguese, as a candidate for Sao Paolo city council. The stunt was originally done to protest government corruption, but Cacareco ended up winning by a landslide. The rhino didn’t end up sitting on the city council, but he left a lasting impact on the country’s politics.
Taco Bell Buys the Liberty Bell On April 1st, 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page ad in the biggest newspapers in the country to announce that the company had purchased the Liberty Bell from the national government to “help the national debt.” The ad urged other companies to purchase historical artifacts and stated that the bell would spend half of its time in Philadelphia and the other half at the company’s headquarters in Irvine, California. Phone calls from outraged readers immediately began to flood the National Park Service and Taco Bell headquarters, leading to the Park Service calling a press conference to declare that the bell had not, in fact, been sold. By noon that day, Taco Bell issued a statement saying that the ad was a prank, and promised $50,000 towards the upkeep of the bell.
MIT’s Giant Game of Tetris
Dumb Starbucks
Students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) came up with the idea of turning a 300-foot tall building on campus into a humungous, interactive Tetris game in 1993. Almost a decade later, it was finally done. It took an undisclosed amount of hackers four and a half years of work, but the plan finally came to fruition in 2012. Although the public’s response was disappointing, with one MIT student saying, “people thought they were Christmas lights,” the amount of effort and ambition place it among the best pranks of all time.
On his TV show “Nathan for You,” in which comedian Nathan Fielder uses absurd and unconventional strategies to help small business owners, Fielder turned a struggling coffee shop into an almost exact replica of a Starbucks. By taking advantage of parody law, which essentially allows someone to use a company’s branding as long as they are making fun of it, Fielder created “Dumb Starbucks.” The store sold items like dumb frappuccinos and dumb iced coffee sized by dumb tall, dumb grande and dumb venti, as well as CDs of “Dumb Jazz Standards” and “Dumb Nora Jones Duets” in a building set up to look exactly like the inside of a Starbucks. Fielder closed the store shortly after opening, but merchandise can still be found online.
Sir Patrick Moore’s Radio Interview When Sir Patrick Moore, one of the most respected and well-known scientists in England during the 1970s, gave an interview to BBC Radio, people had no inclination that a supposed “once-in-alifetime astronomical event” would be a prank. Moore told listeners that on April 1st, 1976, the alignment of the planets would result in Earth’s gravitational pull being lowered, and for a short while people could experience the sensation of reduced gravity. It was only a prank, but the radio show received thousands of calls over the next few days claiming they felt the reduced gravity Moore talked about.
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THE VIDETTE | NEWS | PAGE 5
MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2019
Panel to explore micro-aggressions
ISU continues diversity initiative
ISU Management professors Thompson, Dustin will discuss emotional intelligence in workplace
GABI GUERRERO News Reporter | @gabigue97
ANDREA RICKER News Reporter | @ricker_andrea
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llinois State University's Management Professors Tina Thompson and Susan Dustin will present, “Understanding Micro-Aggressions in the Workplace,” at 8 a.m., Friday, in the State Farm Hall of Business room 430. The presentation is a part of the Organizational Breakfast Series. The series is a continuing education program for managers in the workplace. The breakfast for the presentation will begin at 7:30 a.m. “Our presentation is designed to help people understand that micro-aggressions are real,” Thompson said. “They’re very real for the people experiencing them and they have real implications for people’s job performance and their attitudes and behaviors about their organization,” she said. Micro-aggressions are verbal, behavioral or environmental slight or indignities that can be either intentional or unintentional. They also make people feel ashamed of a certain demographic they are in. These can include gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, age, economic class, if you have children or not and more. “It just influences and reminds you that you are not part of the majority.” During the presentation, the two will discuss three types of micro-aggressions. These include micro-assaults, micro-invalidations and micro-insults. Micro-assaults are aggressions that everyone believes was an assault. Micro-invalidations are when people are not allowed to freely feel what they are experiencing. Micro-insults are unconsciously committed and are less aggressive then the previously two types but are still just as hurtful. There will also be an opportunity to have attendees practice fixing micro-aggressions that exist and that they might make. “I don’t like to think I’ve done it but we’ve all
Mia Riddell | Vidette Photographer
ISU professors Tina Thompson and Susan Dustin will speak on “Understanding Micro-Aggressions in the Workplace,” which will explore micro-assaults, micro-invadlidations and micro-insults as part of the Organizational Breakfast Series. probably committed a microinsult at some point. Most of the time it’s inadvertent,” Dustin said. “Our goal is to enhance people’s awareness of what microaggressions are and how to handle it when they happen.” The presentation focuses on how important it is to be knowledgeable on micro-aggression, especially in a workplace setting. “Our success as individuals is really reliant on our ability to get along with others. [Knowing about micro-aggressions] helps to build emotional intelligence,” Dustin added. “In order to work in a multi-cultural and diverse environment, you need an understanding of this issue of micro aggression.” Thompson emphasized that these microaggressions aren’t just on race, gender and sexual orientation. They can focus on a variety of groups, which can impact a lot more people.
“I hope [people attending the presentation] realize that micro-aggressions are more than being politically correct. Don’t think of it as something that should not be talked about because they have very real implications for the people who are the targets,” she said. “I want them to be able to engage on other people’s behalf and be an ally if they want to. I want them to know how to develop skills to avoid making micro-aggressions.” Those interested in learning more about the OLI Leadership Breakfast series can visit https:// secure.touchnet.com/C20868_ustores/web/ store_main.jsp?STOREID=72&SINGLESTORE =true. ANDREA RICKER is a News Reporter for The Vidette. She can be contacted at arricke@ilstu. edu Follower her on Twitter at @ricker_andrea
The Career Center at Illinois State University continues to support diversity and do what they can to help students be successful. The Career Center will be hosting its annual Diversity Employer Expo. Students get the opportunity to connect with employers. Students will also be provided with a free dinner.. The event will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Hancock Stadium Club. Students must register in order to attend. Ben Demers is from Out & Equal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving workplace equality. “Students will be able to engage in casual conversation with employers in a very relaxed and supportive atmosphere,” Career Center Director Pamela Cooper said. This gives employers a chance to talk about their careers, their companies and the resources they have available, especially those that will help students with diverse backgrounds transition from college to career. Students will have the chance to learn about diversity initiatives that exist within organization who will be attending the event. They will also have the chance to weigh industry options and analyze their current network and identify where it can be broadened through internships and full-time employment opportunities. “The goal of this event is to make it easy for students from diverse backgrounds to connect with employers interested in recruiting them,” Cooper said.
Bowden to speak on sex determination and its impact JASMYNE LEE News Reporter | @jumangi__
classactrealty.com
Jen Haden | Vidette Photographer
ISU’s G-Spot provides information and resources on a large variety of health and wellness topics, condoms and fun giveaways for students, faculty and staff. Pictured above are ISU juniors Evan Porter and Emily Wise.
during embryonic development. ISU sophomore Tomyra Jackson is excited about the
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NOW RENTING! ALL PROPERTIES ARE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF ISU!
JASMYNE LEE is a News Reporter for The Vidette. She can be contacted at jslee16@ilstu.edu
Here! s i g n i r p
S
Illinois State University professor Rachel Bowden of Ecological Physiology will give a Distinguished Professor Lecture titled, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex (Determination) but Were Afraid to Ask.” The Distinguished Professor Lecture will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, in the Prairie Room of the Bone Student Center. The event is free and open to the public. Bowden has received more than $1.6 million in funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health in support of her work on red-eared slider turtles. Her work on sex determination in red-eared turtles focuses on the notion that some species may have temperature-dependent sex determination, explaining that sex is not determined by chromosome but by the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. The talk will provide a synopsis of how sex is determined and the impact of the environment in which eggs develop
upcoming talk. Jackson explains that as a biology major, she feels compelled to learn about how different species operate with sex. “I am one to admit that I was surprised to learn that other animals don’t worry about sex chromosomes when mating,” Jackson said. “It makes me wonder why we, as humans, were designed to be dependent upon sex chromosomes and if there is a way that we don’t have to be,” she said. “There are many people in the world who could benefit from an idea like that, because some people don’t want to ‘mate’ with the opposite sex in order to have children.” Bowden is highly collaborative in her research which has given her the opportunity to mentor 15 graduate students and numerous undergraduate students in her research laboratory. She has also co-authored papers and grant proposals with 11 different faculty members within Biological Sciences.
Viewpoint
PAGE 6 | THE VIDETTE
VIDETTE EDITORIAL
MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2019
Leggings don’t cause sexual assault
O
n Monday, March 25, Notre Dame published a letter to the editor in their student newspaper, The Observer, that begged female students to stop wearing leggings. Maryann White, a self-described Catholic mother of four sons, began the letter by stating that she had “a problem that only girls can solve: leggings.” She continues to say that she was “fretting both because of unsavory guys who are looking at you creepily and nice guys who are doing everything to avoid looking at you. For the catholic mothers who want to find a blanket to lovingly cover your nakedness and protect you — and to find scarves to tie over the eyes of their sons to protect them from you!” This letter is not going to accomplish the removal of leggings from any young girl’s closet. Instead, the only thing it accomplishes is the perpetuation of rape culture and victim blaming. In an article titled “The Psychology of VictimBlaming” published by the Atlantic, victim blaming is defined as
“Any time someone defaults to questioning what a victim could have done differently to prevent a crime, he or she is participating, to some degree, in the culture of victim-blaming.” Leggings aren’t the reason that “guys are looking at you.” Guys are the reason that guys are looking at you. Telling women that they need to cover up because men can’t control their actions is telling every woman who is
a survivor of sexual assault she could have been asking for it because of how she was dressed. We need to start holding men and women equally accountable for their choices. Choosing to wear a certain article of clothing is not an act of violence; it isn’t hurting anyone. The only thing that can lead to an act of violence is the person actually committing the act of violence.
Victim blaming occurs for many reasons. In part, we victim blame to cope with hearing about a traumatic event. If we blame the victim for something they were doing, it seems less likely that that same thing could happen to us. It also occurs because we are still trying to un-learn, as a society, that women are responsible for the actions of men. That they should be docile and unassuming and do what they’re told. As we are now in the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness month, it’s important to recognize rape culture and call it out when we see it. RSO’s like F.L.A.M.E. are kicking off this week with demonstrations like The Clothesline Project to remind people that it’s not about what you were wearing, and to give survivors the chance to “air their dirty laundry.” So, girls, wear your leggings. And to all the Catholic mothers of four sons who may be reading this, there is a problem that only you can help solve: teach your children to respect women.
Editorial Cartoon by Flynn Geraghty | Vidette Art Director
EDITORIAL POLICY Editorial written by KIM LARSEN, a member of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Editorial policy is determined by the student editor, and views expressed in editorials are those of the majority of The Vidette’s Editorial Board. Columns that carry bylines are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Vidette or the University.
Where’s the yearn to learn? MY VIEW BECKY FLETCHER | Editor-in-Chief
O
n Saturday I spent the evening having a movie night with two of my good friends. After one had left, my other friend and I discussed a lot of things from traveling to the concept of money before settling on the need to learn. We talked about how we’d like to spend time learning various languages. I already speak some French and she speaks some German and some Spanish, but we ended up settling on the idea that nobody yearns to learn anymore. Pew Research Center published a study in March on people who don’t read books in America.
Right now, about 24 percent of American adults say they haven’t read a book in whole or in part, in any format, in the past year. There are several reasons for this, be it educational attainment, income, race or age. The highest percentage of non-reading adults was 27 percent in 2015. So we’ve gone down a little bit since, and that’s fantastic, but the Pew Research Center doesn’t define the why. Why aren’t people striving to learn? The American Psychological Association provided a teacher’s module on its website on how to motivate students to become independent learners. APA states that, “When students feel a sense of ownership, they want to engage in academic tasks and persist in learning.” Well, of course, but what about outside of the classroom? I often find myself doing my own research and studies on my own interests to deepen my understanding of them, be
it music, art, history, philosophy or linguistics. But are other adults doing the same as me? On an international student’s guide to American Culture, it says “A competitive spirit is often the motivating factor to work harder. Americans often compete with themselves as well as others. They feel good when they ‘beat their own record’ in an athletic event or other types of competition. Americans seem to always be ‘on the go,’ because sitting quietly doing nothing seems like a waste of time.” This starts to feel less true as time goes on, with Netflix binging and social media scrolling taking over our attention spans. One argument I can say, however, is our current forcefulness for change. The younger generations are now standing up for important causes like climate change, gun control and equality. It’s important and it’s motivating to see the youth stand up for their future, but aside from causes, are they inclined to learn about other notions
LETTER TO THE EDITOR To the Editor: I was worried when Trump hired Mick Mulvaney to not only be his budget director, but to also serve as his chief of staff. I’ve heard from several reliable sources that it is largely Mulvaney who is behind Trump’s current budget proposal which would deeply cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Mulvaney is also behind Trump’s effort to abolish the ACA. When he was a Congressman, Mulvaney was widely-known for saying that Social Security is an illegal “Ponzi scheme” and “pyramid scheme” that is unconstitutional and should be totally abolished. He was a favorite of the “Tea Party.” He also believes that the ACA is unconstitutional and should be abolished. He is an example of the growing number of conservatives who are actually far-right and radicalright and who believe in (but won’t publicly admit it) “Survival-of-the-Fittest” Social Darwinism and whose
and concepts? I’m not sure, there’s no research for me to indicate otherwise. I could scroll for days learning all I can about the world, my current fixation being Brexit and the intricacies of that idea and wanting to leave the European Union. I’m interested because it’s history unfolding right in front of me and that’s exciting. Nowadays it seems rare for people to actively go out and learn, and there’s not a lot of research for me to uphold my belief that people are feeling less inclined to independently learn, but from a personal perspective, it seems all too prevalent. My only plea, so to speak, is to find what interests you and learn all you can about it. Maybe it’ll open doors to other learning concepts and other interests. There’s so much out there for us to explore, it’s only a matter of doing your research. BECKY FLETCHER is Editor in Chief for The Vidette. Contact her at rlflet1@ilstu.edu Follow on Twitter at @becky__fletcher.
THEY SAID IT ultimate goal is to see all federal government social programs abolished. They don’t believe that the federal government should spend one cent on helping anyone (except for corporations, of course). In addition to the Koch brothers (who at least openly admit to it), other many such Social Darwinists can be found in the “House Freedom Caucus” and “The Movement Conservatives” (which includes Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz and Mike Pence). This is why there are many “liberal/progressive” Democrats like myself who do not want to see Pence become President and actually prefer Trump over Pence even though we have a very low personal and professional opinion of Trump. Sincerely, Stewart B. Epstein, Retired college professor of Sociology and Social Work at West Virginia University and Slippery Rock University.
“
Sydney [Laufenburg] threw a cannon today. For her to come out and break the school record in the first meet of the outdoor season is huge for us.” Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee on Laufenburg’s performance
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EDITORIAL BOARD BECKY FLETCHER Editor-in-Chief | @becky__ fletcher ANDREW DOUGHERTY News Editor and Columnist | @addough CINDY HERNANDEZ News Editor and Columnist | @cindlylu_7 KIM LARSEN Night Editor and Columnist | @Kimla_11
THE VIDETTE | SPORTS | PAGE 7
MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2019
Men’s, women’s track and field shines in dual meets BEN ADKINS Sports Reporter | @89634
T
he Redbirds were spread across the country this weekend, spanning from California to Mississppi. At the Mike Fanelli Track Classic at Hayward, sophomore Kevin Koski started his 2019 outdoor season with a very impressive performance. In the 10,000 meter run, Koski ran a new personal best time of 29:57.87, placing him 27th of 108. Kimathi Johnson also earned a new personal best time in the 1500 meter run. With a time of 3:50.58, Johnson has a new personal best, and was able to place fifth out of 142 students. The Redbirds showed their strength at the Stanford Invitational as well. Kyle Mattes pulled off the third fastest 10K time in Redbird history. Finishing 28th, Mattes posted a time of 29:06.89, a new personal best for him. Most of the team travelled to Oxford, Mississippi, to compete in the Ole Miss Classic. Sydney Laufenberg had a huge day for the ’Birds and even made history. Throwing 56.99m puts
Laufenberg on the number one spot in women’s discus, beating the previous record of 58.17m. Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee was very pleased with how well Laufenberg was able to perform for the school. “Sydney [Laufenburg] threw a cannon today,” Bovee said. “For her to come out and break the school record in the first meet of the outdoor season is huge for us.” Charde Golliday also put herself at third on ISU’s alltime list in the long jump with a leap of 6.10m, placing her third. Kameesha Smith placed second in the high jump, with a jump of 1.76m, which is fifth on the ISU alltime list. Coach Bovee is looking forward to the team showing off in front of its home crowd. “We are looking forward to being at home next weekend and seeing what we can do in front of our fans and supporters,” Bovee said. The Illinois State men’s and women’s track & field teams will return home next weekend to host the annual Redbird Invite Saturday, April 6.
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OLE MISS CLASSIC RECAP Women’s 400-meter 3rd – Ashleigh Wilson (55.85) 5th – Destiny White (58.17)
Women’s 60-meter Hurdles 3rd – Demetria Anderson (13.79)
Women’s Pole Vault 3rd – Ariana Cranston (3.87m/1208.25), outdoor personal-best
Women’s Hammer Throw 4th - Julia Bourke (59.98m/19609) 11th – Sydney Laufenberg (53.16m/174-05), personal-best 12th – Tayler Weaver (51.45m/168-09), personal-best
Men’s 100-meter 13th – Dion Hooker (10.70), personal-best
Men’s 400-meter 2nd – Avery Lyons (48.91) 3rd – Devon Kelly (48.93) personal-best
Men’s 3,000-meter 4th – Matt Blanco (8:52.25)
Men’s Hammer Throw
Courtesy of ISU Athletics
Kimathi Johnson (left) clocked a personal best at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic at Stanford.
6th – Zachary Gregory (53.97m/177-01), personal-best 7th – Sam Weisz (53.03m/17400), personal-best
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Sports
PAGE 8 | THE VIDETTE
MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2019
Slumping season
Poor pitching is cause for Redbirds’ recent blues
MY VIEW JON BARLAS | Sports Editor
A Ali Rasper | Photo Editor
Junior Joe Butler walks back to the dugout after a groundout in Illinois State’s win against UIC March 19. The ’Birds currently ride a six-game losing streak.
Baseball suffers seventh-straight loss at Creighton, 7-3 JAKE SERMERSHEIM Sports Reporter | @JakeSermersheim
While Illinois State experiences more mid-season misfortune, things just seem to have not been going the Redbird’s way lately. Dropping seven of their last 10 games, ISU was swept for the second consecutive weekend by Creighton in Omaha, as the ’Birds strive to overcome one of baseball’s toughest obstacles: the dreaded slump. ISU head coach Steve Holm shared his thoughts on the team’s continuous hardship after Sunday’s doubleheader loss. “We need something to go our way. Dropping seven games in a row, not much is going your way. I am a believer in making your own luck,” Holm said. “Everything seems to be snowballing the wrong way.”
Sunday (G2) | CU 7, ISU 3 In game two of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Redbirds got on the board early as shortstop Aidan Huggins led off the third inning with a
single. Jordan Libman eventually brought around Huggins off of a one-out single, while Creighton did not let the ’Birds lead the game for long. The Jays added four runs in the bottom of the third as Will Hanafan scored after back-to-back singles from second baseman Isaac Collins and Parker Upton. DH Jake Holton then did what he did all weekend: rake. Holton belted a three-run homer to left field which broke the game wide open for the Jays. An error from junior John Rave brought Jordan Hovey in to make the score 5-1. The ’Birds added a run in the sixth after a wild pitch scored Joe Butler. The Jays added another a run in the sixth after a bases-loaded walk to Hanafan. In the seventh inning, Holton notched his fourth RBI of the game after a double scored Will Robertson to make the score 7-2. The Redbirds added a run in the eighth inning after Gunner Peterson sent a solo shot over the wall, but the ’Birds were unable to tack on any more.
Sunday (G1) | CU 8, ISU 7 Stomaching a massive blowout in game one, Illinois State made the first game of Sunday’s slate a bit more interesting, taking Creighton into extra innings. Down a run in the eight inning, Joe Aeilts came through with the clutch at-bat tying the game at seven apiece. Knotted at 7-7 heading into the 11th, a back-and-forth pitcher’s duel ensued until pitcher Jacob Gilmore gave up three straight walks that drove Collins in to give the Jays the walk-off win. Holm gave praise to Creighton’s powerful offense as the Redbirds’ pitching staff seemingly had no answer for the Blue Jays’ mental toughness through the course of the game. “They have a really good lineup. We just could not seem to get through the middle part of the order without running into traffic or without them scoring,” Holm said. “That part of the order kept picking at us.”
Saturday | CU 17, ISU 3 A monstrous opening first inning paved the way for a Blue Jay blow out. The Jays jumped Redbird starter Brent Headrick for eight runs in the first, but ISU was able to break the shut out in the top of the fourth as Libman led off the inning with an infield single. An Aleilts bunt moved Libman to second base. Libman scored on a Jack Butler single to make the score 8-1. The ’Birds were only able to scratch two more runs across as Creighton ran away with this one early, scoring nine more runs over the course of fiving innings, blowing out ISU 17-3.
UP NEXT Illinois State (13-13) returns home to Duffy Bass Field Tuesday, set to square off against Eastern Illinois at 5 p.m. JAKE SERMERSHEIM is a Sports Reporter for The Vidette. He can be contacted at jerme@ilstu.edu.
Men’s, women’s tennis completes weekend with pair of wins • Cameron Petersen def. Natnael Fekadu, 6-2, 6-3 • Brandon Lew def. Panashe Garah, 6-2, 6-0
JONATHAN BARLAS Sports Editor | @janveselybarlas
Both Illinois State men’s and women’s tennis teams saw wins this weekend as the men’s team split a Saturday doubleheader, losing to Valparaiso 5-2, but bounced back against Prairie State 7-0. The women’s team came out on top after a close battle with conference rival Bradley, winning 4-3. The men hit the road to face Nebraska at noon Saturday while the women head to Valpariaso, starting at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Men | ISU 2, VALPO 5 Doubles • Ancona/Kenyatte def. Sertkya/ Lazarevic, 6-3 • Kissell/Pecyna def. Quispe/Herrera, 6-3 • Kolaric/Rassmuson def. Carvjaval/ Langston, 6-3
Singles • Igor Kolaric def. Chad Kissell, 6-0, 7-5 • Brandon Ancona def. Pol Botifoll Rius, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
Women | ISU 4, Bradley 3 Doubles
Christopher Edwards | Photo Editor
Sophomore Pol Botifoll Ruis returns a rally at home against Valparaiso. • Kweisi Kenyatte def. Jorge Adair Bartra Quispe, 6-3, 6-4 • Brian Pecyna def. Aleska Lazarevic ,6-4 ,6-4 • Diego Emilio Moura Herrera def. Gabriel Carvajal, 7-5, 2-6, 12-10 • Daniel Langston def. Egehan Sertkaya, 7-5, 7-5 Doubles: (1,3,2) Singles: (3,1,2,4,6,5)
Men | ISU 7, Prairie State, 0 Doubles • Sertkaya/Lazarevic def. Barradas/
Caleffoc, 6-2 • Quispe/Herrera def. Tura/ Slojewski, 7-6 • Petersen/ Lew def. Harrell/Granston, 6-1
Singles • Pol Botifoll Rius def. Jofre Tura, 6-3, 6-2 • Jorge Adair Bartra Quispe def. Ulises Barradas, 6-1 6-0 • Diego Emilio Moura Herrera def. Marek Slokewski, 6-3, 6-2 • Zacharias Rankloo Rassmuson, def. Renan Calaeffo, 6-1, 6-4
• Sandra Maletin/Natalia Barbery (BU) vs. Veronika Golanova/Jana Kustkova (ILST) 6-2 • Bozana Lojpur/Nikki Perlwitz (BU) def. Tara Damnjanovic/Natalia Bravo (ILST) 6-4 • Malini Wijesinghe/Lindsay Haight (BU) def. Laura Fitzgerald/Ivon Mihaleva (ILST) 6-0
Singles • Veronika Golanova (ISU) def. Sandra Maletin (BU) 6-3, 6-2 • Bozana Lojpur (BU) def. Tara Damnjanovic (ISU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 • Natalia Bravo (ISU) def. Malini Wijesinghe (BU) 6-4, 6-1 • Natalia Barbery (BU) def. Jana Kustkova (ISU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 • Laura Fitzgerald (ISU) def. Nikki Perlwitz (BU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 • Ivon Mihaleva (ISU) def. Nina Marjanovic (BU) 6-4, 6-1
t the start of the 2019 season, Illinois State made noise that was impossible to ignore, defeating the No. 1 nationally ranked Vanderbilt March 10. After that win, ISU seemingly had the confidence to win against whoever it faced, going on a fivegame tear taking single-game battles against Southeast Missouri State, SIUE and UIC as well as defeating Central Michigan in its home-opening series. What team wouldn’t start streaking after beating a two-time former NCAA College World Series champion? Sitting with a 12-5 overall record weeks before Missouri Valley Conference play, the Redbirds first road bump ultimately arrived in Champaign, where Big-10 powerhouse Illinois lit up the scoreboard in each game of its three-game set. Since then, ISU has dropped seven of their 10 last matchups, sending the team into a spell of sourness and streaking down rather than up. However, baseball is a game of twists and turns, those ups and downs and most importantly, time to kill. Rushing to piece together a winning culture takes nothing more than just the simple will to win and the patience to do so. Under first-year head coach Steve Holm, winning is not something he looks to leave in the rearview. When adversity is presented, success is bound to come around sooner or later, especially in baseball. A long season definitely presents its challenges, both on and off the field, but the Redbirds’ recent rut isn’t related to its offensive prowess, but rather its lack of dominant pitching from start to finish. While ISU currently ranks in the top-3 of every offensive category in the MVC, leading the Valley in team average at .293 and stringing together nearly seven runs per game (second in the MVC), its pitching staff plays the polar opposite, ranking sixth in runs allowed, earned runs allowed, walks allowed and seventh in hits allowed. The ’Birds amass a total ERA of 5.43, the third-worst in the Valley. Frequent series starters in Brent Headrick (1-4) and Matt Walker (14) each hold an ERA well-over 6.50 as Jeff Lindgren is the only starter collecting a sub-four ERA (3.74). Lately finding themselves down early, playing from behind can only get the Redbirds so far, lacking that strong start needed to get things going on the right foot. With a high-powered offense behind the pitching staff, hunkering down and getting back to the basics is how Redbird pitchers will ignite a different outcome in due time. It’s baseball, anything can happen. JONATHAN BARLAS is Sports Editor for The Vidette. He can be reached at jgbarla@ilstu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @janveselybarlas