The Alestle Vol. 77, No. 27

alestle THE

CONTAMINATION, COMPENSATION, COMMUNITY

St. Louis residents continue the 80-year fight for acknowledgment of dumped atomic waste

WOLFE lifestyles editor

LENHART photographer

St. Louis residents are fighting for inclusion and acknowledgement as the clock runs out on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

St. Louis is an often forgotten factor in the development of the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project. The government has left St. Louis — and Missouri as a whole — out of legislation compensating people affected by radiation poisoning.

In 1990, the U.S. government passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. It originated as a way to compensate individuals either directly or indirectly involved in atomic bomb testing from 1945 through 1962.

The act compensated those who worked in the uranium mines and those who were down wind from testing, among other reasons.

The act only covers 12 states.

What was left out of the compensation was St. Louis — a crucial uranium refining point through the Mallinckrodt Chemical Company was based in St. Louis. After World War II and the Cold War, Mallinckrodt began dumping its waste in a condemned area behind Lambert International Airport in northern St. Louis.

The waste was kept in metal barrels that began to rust and decay over time, allowing the materials to leak into the ground and nearby Coldwater Creek, which runs through several communities.

Eventually, the waste was sold to Continental Mining and Milling Corporation in 1966. They moved the waste to another location in St. Louis — Latty Avenue — where it was left to sit in the elements before some of it was sent to Colorado, and some of it was dumped in the nearby West Lake Landfill.

Karen Nickel grew up in Hazelwood, Missouri, near Coldwater Creek. She would ride her bike around the neighborhood, play in the creek and eat fruit and vegetables grown in the area. Neither Nickel nor her family knew about the contamination.

“My parents saved for a long time to purchase our home in this neighborhood. It was perfect,” Nickel said. “It had two parks on either end of the street [and] lots of kids. It was a dead-end street and a great school district. They had no idea that they had moved their children into a neighborhood contaminated with atomic bomb waste.”

Rep. Chantelle Nickson-Clark calls on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to extend and expand the RECA program during Congresswoman Cori Bush’s recent press conference. As Nickson-Clark talks about being a two-time breast cancer survivor, Bush and other community members become emotional.

Nickel said she learned about the role St. Louis played in the Manhattan Project in the late 2000s after watching a news story saying there was possible contamination in the creek. She began making a list of people she knew from the neighborhood. After reaching out, she found that several had that several had either passed away due to rare cancers or were dealing with autoimmune diseases like her.

Nickel is a founding member of Just Moms STL, which started out as a Facebook group to “educate the community about the potential hazards and health risks surrounding the West Lake Landfill,” according to their website.

“When I learned about the creek and

| Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

what I was exposed to, and then about the landfill, I knew at that point I would have to go to the ends of the earth to protect my own children,” Nickel said. “No one protected me — my parents couldn’t. They didn’t even know they needed to.

Edwardsville High School student donates more than

300 items in support of growing need at Cougar Cupboard

CIARA FOLKERTS reporter

Amid growing concerns about food insecurity on campus, junior Edwardsville High School student Landon Dykes-Sadowski partnered with the SIUE Police Department for a successful food drive and donated 300 items recently.

The Cougar Cupboard has been in need of donations as their shelves are feeling the strain of the surge in demand.

“The demand has really gone up since January,” Student Care and Advocacy Coordinator Lealia Williams said. “We’ve had more students visit the Cougar Cupboard than we did last semester.”

According to Williams, over 2,800 students have used the cupboard within the past year,

with many of them being transfer students and international students. As the school year comes to an end, Williams has found that the Cupboard struggles in receiving donations at this time.

“Right now it’s really hard,” Williams said. “Our economy and food has gone up [in price]. It’s a number thing — food has been more expensive than it’s been in the past.”

In response to this issue, junior EHS student Landon Dykes-Sadowski worked with Detective Sergeant of the SIUE Police Department Dave Baybordi to organize a food drive, collecting over 300 donation items to support the college food pantry.

“I’ve done work with other food drives in the past,” Dykes-Sadowski said. “It’s a moral thing for me — help others the way you help yourself, treat others the way you want to be treated. What you put out is what you receive, in a way.”

Baybordi

initially heard about the increase of students utilizing the cupboard and the concerns surrounding the demand through a conversation with Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Miriam Roccia.

“It was just kind of an idea that I’m like, ‘Hey, you know, it’s a good cause on campus, so let’s see if we could make some phone

calls,’” Baybordi said. “All I did was just call around to a bunch of different people [and send] out some emails.”

One of the contacts was Holly Sadowski, a member of the Junior Service Club of Glen Carbon. She informed the sergeant that her son, Landon, would be able to organize the food drive.

“I knew the need was more immediate,” Sadowski said. “That’s when Landon was able to chime in and kind of took it over for me because I really didn’t have an idea, since I couldn’t reach out to the [Junior Service] Club and get that working as quickly as I wanted to.”

Dykes-Sadowski raised awareness posting to Facebook about the food drive and receiving several donations from people around his neighborhood, as well as his mother’s coworkers.

“It was really exciting to see

how the neighbors responded and the people that he asked to donate,” Sadowski said. “It’s a big ask right now with the way that the economy [is going] … It was really nice that people really gathered together for him, and I think that it was just nice to watch him get excited about that too.”

According to Williams, this was one of the biggest donations that the Cougar Cupboard has received since she started in Fall 2023.

“He is [an] amazing student. We need more students like him, more people like him giving back to a community,” Williams said. “It’s so important to see a young person giving back and caring and actually listening. He didn’t just hear somebody say this — he actually took action and did something about it.”

CHLOE

MAXIMILIAN

04.17.24

An officer responded to a report of a person looking into vehicles in Lot A. The person had left class and was going to their car.

04.22.24

An officer responded to a noise complaint where someone was stomping and yelling in Cougar Village. The person said they were studying for their exams.

04.22.24

An officer responded to a report of a dog being locked in a car in Lot A. The officer advised the windows were cracked and the dog had a bowl of water.

UNITED KINGDOM

A group of five migrants drowned attempting to cross the English Channel into England. The deaths came hours after a migrant deportation bill was passed.

PALESTINE

Mass graves containing hundreds of dead Palestinians have been found near Nasser Hospital and Al Shifa. Israel has denied these claims, calling them unfounded.

ARGENTINA

Hundreds of thousands of protestors took to the streets in opposition to Argentinian President Javier Milei’s extreme budget cuts to universities and other public ser-

NORTH KOREA

North Korean officials are visiting Iran. The pair are not in an official alliance, but it is suspected that they are exchanginginformation relating to weapons programs.

UKRAINE

The United States is sending a $61 billion dollar aid package to Ukraine. The package includes military aid such as missiles, ammunition, vehicles and other weaponry.

Information courtesy of Reuters / AP

Radioactive

contamination left unresolved for

decades; community fights for compensation, acknowledgement

| Maximilian

ery community is restored.”

RECA | COVER

But there were people in the federal government, and they knew in 1949 and every year after that. Here we are in 2024, and there are still no signs along that creek [warning of contamination].”

On April 5, Missouri Rep. Cori Bush held a press conference in St. Cin Park in Hazlewood, Missouri, less than 100 feet from Coldwater Creek. The park is one of the few areas that has been cleaned of contamination, which was done in 2015. Bush and several other local representatives who grew up in the area were present, as well as community members who were adversely affected by the contamination.

Bush, who is on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said she brings up the expansion of the RECA Act as often as possible.

In 2022, the RECA Act was extended until June 7, 2024, by President Joe Biden. Recently, Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill that would extend the time the RECA Act is in effect and add states and territories like Missouri, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alaska and Guam.

Before returning to St. Louis, Bush spoke about the issue on the House floor, urging those present to help pass the bipartisan bill.

“We have just a little over 60 days to get this done … Extend and expand RECA now,” Bush said. “It also bears mentioning that within this timeframe, the House is only in session for 28 days — only 28 legislative days to pass this bill before time runs out.

The clock is ticking. We will not rest until justice is served. We will not falter until every single voice is heard, until every impacted person is compensated, until ev-

Other legislators present included Missouri State Rep. Doug Clemens, Missouri State Rep. Tricia Byrnes and Missouri State Rep. Chantelle Nickson-Clark. All described the need for action and the affect the contamination had on them personally.

“When I talked to Dawn [Chapman, cofounder of Just Moms STL] the first time, she was the one who told me that thyroid cancer was rare. But I thought it was a rite of passage in North County that when you got to a certain age, you happen to have that surgery,” Byrnes said. “We’ve lost aunts, cousins and uncles.”

Christen Commuso, a community outreach specialist with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, also spoke at the press conference.

“As a cancer survivor who grew up playing in Coldwater Creek, and later lived close to the West Lake Landfill, this work is not only very important to me, [but] it is also very personal, and it hits quite literally close to home,” Commuso said.

She read a letter that the Missouri Coalition for the Environment sent to the Army Corps of Engineers in 1985 demanding they acknowledge and clean up the waste.

“MCE worked with the community and Just Moms STL to demand a safer, more permanent solution at the West Lake Landfill,” Commuso said. “However, it has been almost four decades since this letter was written, and we are still surrounded by the radioactive waste left behind by our federal government’s early nuclear weapons program.”

Community members held signs and were invited to speak at the press conference. Many brought photos of loved ones that had passed away.

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Stacey Schimpf brought a photo of her mother and spoke about her family’s experience with rare diseases. She said that not only do they need compensation, but they need doctors who understand the effects of the radiation that exists in the area.

“My last appointment, my doctor looked at me and she said, ‘I don’t know what this is. All I can do is treat your symptoms. I know you grew up in Coldwater Creek. I know that you were exposed. But I don’t know what to do for you,’” Schimpf said. “So now I take drugs trying to treat a symptom that we don’t know what the root cause is. This is

not just me. This is [the case for] many people in our community … So please, please pass RECA.”

Pushback on the RECA Act extension is centered around its financial costs. According to Bush, the cost of the extension is worth it due to the effects the contamination has on human lives.

“The cost is death over and over and over again. The cost is the huge bills that people who are still with us have to endure because of what the federal government has done and did not do,” Bush said. “The cost is more generations of people who will continue to be harmed … The cost of that is the cost to human life.”

Rep. Tricia Byrnes mentions conversations with Just Moms STL co-founders Karen Nickel and Dawn Chapman (right). Before speaking with them, she was unaware thyroid cancer was rare.

Lenhart / The Alestle

A photo poster highlights the stories of affected people in the St. Louis area. The people shown only represent a fraction of local Manhattan Project victims.

Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

Crooked Creek Government neglect contaminates community

| Maximilian

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| Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

Community member Stacey Schimpf talks about her family experiences with radiation and how complicated the process of finding appropriate treatment can be. In her hand, she holds a photo of her mother, who died due to lupus and Hashimoto’s disease.

Lenhart / The Alestle

A Republic Services container deteriorates on the banks of Coldwater Creek next to St. Cin Park. The company operates the West lake Landfill which stores radioactive material dumped by Cotter Corp. in 1973.

| Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

Local resident Shirley Alexander talks about her sick nephew who was diagnosed with a malignant gastrointestinal neuroectodermal tumor, a rare form of cancer. Exposure to radiation has been linked to a variety of dreadful diseases. Alexander is comforted by Karen Nickel, right, and Dawn Chapman, far right, co-founders of Just Moms STL.

Attendees of Congresswoman Cori Bush’s RECA press conference demand the installation of signs along Coldwater Creek. To this day, the public is not being actively warned about the contamination resulting from atomic waste. A photo poster of St. Cin Park’s 2022 flooding demonstrates how easily radiation can be spread during severe weather events.

Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

Students advocate diversity amidst hiring problems in history dept.

CIARA FOLKERTS reporter

SIUE students are demanding more diverse professors within the history department due to the loss of three non-Western history professors within the past five years, causing a shortage of academic resources.

History students Nicholas Muppidi-Fowler and Makayla Mallon have garnered over 150 signatures to advocate for more diverse associate professors in the SIUE Department of History.

The retirement of associate professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic studies Steve Tamari will mark the third non-Western associate professor to be leaving the Department of History within the past five years. Non-Western studies encompass regions outside of Western Europe and North America.

“This administration at SIUE is very much trying to cut as much as they can, and I just want to make it clear that the students are feeling this,” Muppidi-Fowler said. “We are feeling this, and it’s not good. We care about our professors. We care about our education … We have important careers that we are going into, and we need these professors here to help us with it.”

According to Chair of the Department of History Allison Thomason, the department has lost history professors — primarily people of color — in the past due to various reasons such as retirement, other competitive job markets and professors getting appointed to administrative positions.

Steve Tamari, History Professor “

Quad Conflict

Audrey Silberman speaks to campus police after an argument with a man nearly turned physical on April 24, 2024

Silberman is a paid petitioner for Robert Kennedy, Jr. She is trying to get him on the ballot for Illinois.

Silberman put her hand in between the man and a student during an argument about the campus preacher’s speaker.

Silberman said she was telling the man to stop yelling. He asked her to get her hand away from him, to which she said she’d slap him.

The man, who wished to remain unnamed, said the students believed he was on the side of the preacher.

The man later apologized to Silberman for the situation and left the campus shortly after.

for over a decade.

“I would’ve loved to have taken Latin American history,” history master’s student Olivia Perez, who is of Latin American descent, said. “I think it would’ve been a cool experience to learn about my history — to learn about Mexican nationalism … I would’ve really appreciated to have had a Latinx professor.”

The second request, following Christienne Hinz’s retirement, sought a specialist in Asian history but was also denied. Thomason now seeks approval for a tenure-track professor to potentially fill one of the three non-Western associate history professor roles.

I think it’s brilliant. I think students should be demanding more.”

With Tamari entering retirement this summer, the history department will officially have lost Native American, Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern and Islamic studies in Fall 2024.

our dean has been placed under financially that make it very difficult to replace faculty,” Vongsathorn said. “[But] it’s frustrating for me because I see a future where if this continues, I don’t know if I would want to be at SIUE, frankly – if I was the only one especially. Even as one of two [non-Western professors], that’s still quite worrying.”

In response to the concerning decrease in diverse coursework, Muppidi-Fowler and his colleagues have been promoting students to advocate for more diversity amongst faculty and also within their coursework.

Muppidi-Fowler and Mallon, alongside other history students, have been working on a petition since January 2024.

They have taken the initiative to visit classrooms and contact students, spreading awareness of how the decrease in non-Western professors may impact current and prospective history students.

“I think it’s brilliant. I think students should be demanding more, and I think the university should get used to it,” Tamari said. “I think students are going to be demanding more as more and more resources disappear and as our student body becomes more diverse.”

Amid decline in religiosity, Gen Z still wants to have a dialogue

DYLAN HEMBROUGH editor-in-chief

Though the younger generations tend to be less religious overall, students still seek meaningful dialogue about truth and the world around them, either through a religious lens or otherwise.

Matt Schunke, a professor in the Department of Philosophy, said religion is difficult to define to begin with. Regardless of the presence of religion, people tend to seek meaning in life.

“It definitely affects the diversity of our faculty here in history, and you add on to that fact that we are in this budget crunch at the university,” Thomason said. “Hiring tenure-track faculty is extremely difficult and limited, especially in the liberal arts fields.”

“If you take a look at SIUE’s history department, you are looking at predominantly white individuals,” junior history and mass communications student Caroline Colgan said. “That is very frustrating for me, and I say that as a white person, because you are losing someone’s connection to a culture that they could share with individuals firsthand.”

According to Thomason, the department had submitted two Strategic Position Alignment process requests in 2022 and 2023, which determines whether the department is granted a search to fill empty positions, but both were denied by administration.

“I respect my administrative bosses. I think they have reasons for making their decisions, just those reasons aren’t always apparent,” Thomason said. “Overall, when we have had things that need support, the College of Arts and Sciences dean has supported us very much.”

In 2022, Thomason requested a search for an associate Latin American history professor to replace Thomas Jordan, who left about 10 years ago due to administrative appointment, but was denied by administration. Since Jordan’s absence, the history department has been without Latin American history courses

“I’m the only person that teaches Islamic history,” Tamari said. “In a region of study [Islam] that’s very critical for our own era, I think it’ll be a big hole in the curriculum – not because I’m important, but because I think the region is very important.”

“I think it’s sad. We need to have [diverse courses], because how else are you going to know what you like?” Perez said. “I went to a liberal arts college, and there were only three professors, but at the same time, they offered everything, Arabic history, Asian-Pacific history … all different things. Out of all those different types of histories, I am able to at least use something — even if I am not interested in it.”

After the Spring 2024 semester, the history department will only have two non-Western professors teaching upper and lower level non-Western history courses.

“There are only two dedicated world historians, Dr. Vongsathorn and Dr. Cheeseboro, both African specialists,” Thomason said. “They can’t possibly teach the whole curriculum in world history for undergrads, upper-level and grad students. We are really in a crunch in terms of what diversity of courses we offer.”

African History Professor Anthony Cheesboro is expected to be retiring in the near future from the department, potentially leaving Kathleen Vongsathorn as the only non-Western professor in the department.

“I know that there are demands that

The petition outlines Muppidi-Fowler and his colleagues’ request for two tenure-track non-Western professors, emphasizing the need for faculty members that are a part of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) community.

According to Muppidi-Fowler, he and his colleagues had met with Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Kevin Leonard on April 23 to address their concerns and argued for their petition.

Mallon said that the dean of CAS will bring these concerns to the Office of the Provost and the Dean’s Council. He further encouraged Muppidi-Fowler and his colleagues to continue advocating for their cause and to keep in contact with him.

“I feel positive, but I’m still nervous because one conversation with the dean of CAS, while great, doesn’t promise that we will get even one faculty of color that is teaching about the global south,” Mallon said. “I feel that there is much more work to be done.”

Muppidi-Fowler said that he also recognizes how this issue doesn’t only impact the history department, but also other departments within the College of Arts and Sciences. He hopes that his petition may inspire other students to advocate for more from their education.

“If this does work, I want other students to steal it and then try it themselves,” Muppidi-Fowler said. “Our disciplines are important and we deserve to have a variety of courses to take. It’s also important, not just for history [students], but also for other students to take these courses.”

“There are lots of things that we don’t see as religious but that you could look at and say there are religious tendencies in. Sports fandom is the example that I often use — there are lots of rituals and practices, there are garbs, sacred sites, in some ways,” Schunke said. “It’s really hard to define it, and one of the interesting dynamics with the decline in religion is to also see what is filling in that space for people who are no longer religious.”

Schunke said religious faith tends to grow and falter over time, and that Gen Z is likely just a part of this ongoing cycle.

“It’s not surprising when someone says they aren’t religious,” Schunke said. “There’s less judgment about that.”

Saba Fatima, an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy as well as the religious studies adviser, said religiosity tends to wane when it becomes imposing and the journey of spirituality is lost.

Read the rest of this story on The Alestle’s website.

Group projects: The pitfalls of collaboration

THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

Group projects have become an unavoidable aspect of college life, leaving students to grapple with the stress they inevitably bring.

As a college student, you are bound to get assigned a group project regardless of the field you are studying in. Students either enjoy or dread group projects, but it is no surprise that working in a group setting can have its downfalls.

In a perfect world, these assignments have a plethora of skill benefits, such as working in a group setting, sharing diverse ideas and employing organizational skills. In reality, group projects have flaws that cause these assignments to be counterproductive and, in some cases, cause more harm than good.

Professors advocate that these assignments have an intrinsic value, meant to help students prepare for the “real

world.” Although it teaches you how to work in a group setting, it also teaches group members that they can ride off the coattails of their colleagues.

Group projects are designed with the initial idea that the work will be distributed equally in order to benefit from working with others. However, there are times when the stars don’t align and you are assigned to a group with different priorities. This makes maintaining a good grade difficult, and also unfair to those who care about the class.

Oftentimes, poor communication, lack of accountability and absence of effort are primary factors that set group projects up for failure. Group work becomes more of a stressor than a collaborative and productive environment.

Although these issues are often averted when students are reliable and have strong communication skills, group assignments still pose a burden when

trying to work with other people in a group.

For busy college students, handling group projects is like solving a Rubik’s Cube — it is difficult, time consuming and stressful.

Time is not the only tricky factor — collaboration with contrasting ideas is nothing short of simple.

People that are unwilling to listen and respect one another’s ideas only discourage other group members from not wanting to contribute to the project. Uncooperative group members force students to not only work on the assignment, but also navigate conflict — further exacerbating the stress that group projects cause.

Group projects are a commitment. Students who are committed often find that the majority of the work falls back on them, just to receive the same grade that everyone else gets —

not truly representing the disproportionate work efforts made by each individual.

What professors should keep in mind when assigning students these sorts of projects is being intentional with how they assign group dynamics, taking into consideration a student’s field of study, extracurricular activities and overall personality traits.

Additionally, professors should also consider grading people on an individual scale rather than as a collective whole. This could eliminate the threat of one student falling victim to doing the majority of the footwork and not being recognized for their individual contributions.

When executed properly, group projects can teach students valuable teamwork skills. However, professors should also recognize that group assignments are not always ideal and should avoid unnecessarily burdening busy college students.

JoJo Siwa’s rebranding: Growth or smart marketing?

AVA GALBAN reporter

“I want to start a new genre of music. It’s called gay pop,” JoJo Siwa said in an interview with Billboard.

JoJo Siwa’s rebrand has been quite a hot topic recently. From her start on “Dance Moms,” to her giant bows and neon outfits, to her current image, Siwa’s transformation has intentionally been a complete 180-degree change.

“No one has made this dramatic of a change yet. No one has made, in my generation, this extreme of a shift. I am the first in the generation. It is very scary,” Siwa said.

Long before her rebrand, Joelle Joanie Siwa, popularly known as JoJo Siwa, starred on “Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition.”

Later, she joined as a member of the Abby Lee Miller dance team on “Dance Moms.”

After the show ended, she began her successful solo career as a children’s performer and was

signed with Nickelodeon, where she then created a consumer product empire.

While known for her childlike personality and high energy, in recent years she has begun to remarket herself and her brand, steering away from her traditional younger audience.

Siwa’s rebranding and the release of her song “Karma” has sparked conversations about gender, sexuality and fame.

When Siwa claimed to have invented gay pop, the comment came under fire for its ignorance of the artists who have pioneered this genre.

While she credited inspiration from Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga in the interview, her statement takes away from LGBTQ+ artists such as Freddie Mercury, Janelle Monáe and Lil Nas X, all of whom have contributed greatly to the establishment of this genre.

When looking at the content and quality of the music video itself, the public was quick to uncover that the song’s rights were sold to Siwa, sparking controversy over the fact that the song

wasn’t written by her, which was the initial assumption made by fans.

She teased her new video with posts stating: “The following content is not made for children and may be disturbing or offensive to some viewers. May contain sexual themes, violence, strong language, traumatic scenarios and flashing lights. Viewer discretion is advised.”

Siwa’s rebranding attempt ventures into edgier territory compared to her previous work, but it falls short of achieving genuine maturity.

The video itself feels like Siwa is playing dress-up in edgy costumes more than a mature, coming-of-age statement.

While it seems like she’s aiming to pioneer a new genre and identity, there’s a lack of depth and authenticity, unlike those seen with other child stars such as Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato.

While other pop stars’ evolutions felt more natural and gradual, Siwa’s feels rushed and staged, as if she’s urgently trying to shed her child star image

without fully grasping or understanding her desired identity.

It’s clear that Siwa possesses talent and ambition, but her rebranding efforts could benefit from deeper introspection and authenticity.

Her experiences in the limelight since childhood have undoubtedly shaped her behavior, yet there seems to be a disconnect between her public persona and her true self.

This rushed rebrand is speculated to be a result of her age.

As she grows older, she becomes less marketable to younger audiences, leaving many to wonder if her rebrand is less of an individual shift, and more of a profit-based one.

Ultimately, while Siwa’s journey is unique and intriguing, there’s room for growth and self-discovery.

As she continues to explore her artistic expression and personal identity, taking more time to reflect upon her image introspectively could elevate her rebranding efforts to a more fulfilling and resonant level.

We

participated in the R.A.D. workshop offered at SIUE, and here’s why you should too...

AVA GALBAN reporter

TORI WATERS copy editor

Every year, the SIUE Police Department organizes rape and defense workshops, R.A.D, tailored for women on campus. These workshops are designed to provide comprehensive education and training in self-defense.

The police department first started this program in 1989, when Lawrence Nadeau, a former police officer, developed a self-defense program specifically for women. R.A.D. programs have since evolved and expanded internationally, offering training to individuals of all ages and genders.

According to R.A.D. systems, these workshops originated from the desire to provide women with the tools needed to

address not only the physical, but psychological and educational aspects of self-defense.

These workshops are offered free of charge to all participants through the university. The program emphasizes the importance of accessibility to the information provided during the training, and welcomes participants to bring friends and family along to participate.

For more information regarding the workshops, or general information regarding their scheduling, reference the SIUE Police website, or call their non-emergency number at 618-650-3324.

There is only so much information online about what this class entails. Therefore, two staff members, Ava Galban and Tori Waters participated in this year’s self-defense training to find out what this class was all about.

Wildey Theatre holds first-ever student film festival

GRACE GENTEMANN

reporter

For the first time, the Wildey Theatre hosted its own student film festival, featuring the winners of a film competition hosted by SIUE’s Department of Mass Communications.

The Wildey worked in collaboration with Edwardsville High School and the Department of Mass Communications to create a film competition for students to enter. Students were asked that their films be under 10 minutes but were given creative liberty to express themselves through their submissions. The top three winners in both high school and university were showcased at the film festival.

Freshman Gavin Milberg was the winner of the high school competition with his submission of “Outerstellar,” a stop-motion style film that tells the story of a space explorer whose journey through a black hole takes him through space and time.

With experience in stop-motion, Milberg began to expand on this talent, using a combination of both models he created and online databases. Milberg said that this competition allowed him a space to showcase his creativity.

“I have always been creative. I like drawing and art and I really like to create things,” Milberg said.

The first-place winner of the college division, grad student in mass communication Josh Groh, played more into the horror genre with his film “Reds Run.” The film follows four friends who purchase a board game, and while they start to play, it leads to a series of unfortunate events.

Groh said he had felt inspired to create this film by a show he watched in his childhood that he had taken great inspiration from when creating this work.

“I watched a lot of ‘Regular Show’ growing up, and Mordecai and Rigby are two really irresponsible characters,” Groh said. “They always get into some kind of silly situation and it always gets resolved … When I pitched this idea, I wanted to give [the characters] some lasting consequences.”

Byron Hotson, an SIUE alumnus and one of the judges of the competition, said that there were a number of different categories from which the winners were selected, from cinematography to set and sound design. There were five entries submitted from the high school level and 11 from the college level.

This was the first film festival the Wildey Theatre has done in connection with SIUE and the first time in several years that the Wildey has been able to hold such an event. With the success of this event, the Wildey plans to continue to hold this film festival for more years to come.

Worth your time

TORI’S POV

Entering the R.A.D. self-defense class was an overwhelming feeling. I entered the class late and was intimidated by the amount of noise in the room. Seeing people use moves that I have never seen before also frightened me.

My worries subsided after I was greeted by one of the trainers. She pulled me aside and quickly caught me up to the rest of the class.

Not only were the trainers helpful and understanding, but they also provided great advice. Each move presented was given with a scenario that could pos-

If you can ... go

AVA’S POV

Walking into this workshop, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have never participated in any kind of self-defense related activities prior to this one, so the content, people and premise were all very foreign to me.

The first thing that really struck me throughout the workshop was the overwhelming amount of support each participant offered each other. After someone would finish their turn with an exercise, there was an immediate ring of applause and positive

sibly happen in real life. It was eye-opening to think about how these specific tactics could help me or any other woman escape from dangerous situations.

One of my favorite parts about this class was the support I received from the other women in the class. After every scenario, everyone would clap and cheer for every woman who completed their scenario. It was amazing to see a group of women of all ages come together and support one another.

While the trainers were outstanding and the support provided was immaculate, there was one issue I did have with this class. Each scenario had the “attacker”

reinforcement from the rest of the group and staff.

In workshops that tackle issues such as women’s safety, establishing and maintaining a safe environment for the participants is crucial. This is something that I feel the individuals in charge did amazingly well. Throughout the workshop, the women participating felt comfortable enough to share their own individual experiences and ask questions.

With the course exclusively being offered to women, the end goal of the program is to provide the participants with defense mechanisms to better equip themselves

grab your non-dominant hand, making it easy for us to escape.

Myself and a couple other women in the room talked about the concerns of only teaching us how to use our dominant hand. In a real-life scenario, the odds of someone grabbing your non-dominant hand are unlikely.

Regardless of the little nitpick, R.A.D training is worth the time. Women should always feel comfortable and unafraid to go out in public by themselves. While that is not always the case, having R.A.D training grants women the ability to feel strong, independent and self-reliant.

as individuals with tools to navigate these scenarios.

With a predominantly female staff and all participants being women, the workshop hosted a safe place for women of all ages and backgrounds to learn without fear or discomfort.

I believe the class is an amazing way to instill a deeper level of confidence and develop skills to foster a greater sense of safety within women.

While they do not guarantee you to leave being a pro at self-defense, they provide participants with some options to choose from if they are ever to find themselves in dangerous situations

REVIEW: “It’s freezing in the palace:” Taylor Swift is exhausted by superstardom

Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album was released on April 19. Three hours after releasing the initial 16 tracks, she surprised fans with the release of 15 more songs. The result was a repetitive, drawn-out double album submerged beneath forced writing and underwhelming production.

‘Pudding Club Revamped:’ Pudding lovers and vampire enthusiasts unite

At SIUE, there are more than 250 student groups covering everything from academic honors to fun stuff like sports and culture. But Ethan Roete, a freshman pharmacy major, noticed there aren’t many clubs just for hanging out, making friends or eating pudding.

“There used to be a Discord server called ‘Pudding Tuesdays,’ which was connected to the school, and nobody was in it,” Roete said. “We were like, what if we made an actual pudding club?”

This was the birth of SIUE’s ‘Pudding Club Revamped,’ a club where students dress up as vampires and eat pudding.

But the club goes deeper than just vampire teeth and pudding.

“We thought about it for a little bit, and we thought it might be best to have an organization on campus where their entire purpose was to meet new people,” Roete said.

“We have Outdoor Adventure Club and a couple others where the entire purpose is just to get people together, but I think there needs to be more of those, because a lot of

the ones we have right now are academics-based,” Roete said.

Although the entire club is based on pretending to be a vampire and eating pudding, Roete says it’s not mandatory to be a part of the club.

“To be a member, you don’t have to like pudding, or vampires” Roete said. “There’s plenty of members who come and don’t like either, but that’s not the point of the club. We also have jello, for people who want jello.”

Roete and the rest of the club’s intentions are clear: “We just want people to come together. That’s really our main goal.”

The club meets bi-weekly at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Abbott Auditorium in Lovejoy Library.

The college experience — there’s nothing quite like it! I’ve compiled a list of a few movies that I believe encapsulate some aspects (or have important life lessons) of how multifaceted college and post-grad can be for those graduating and those who will continue to trudge along next semester. And yes, I will spare the obvious ones like “Legally Blonde” (2001) and “Good Will Hunting” (1997).

Please check out websites such as “Does the Dog Die?” to check for potential triggers and sensitive topics before viewing any movie on this list.

‘Shiva Baby’ (2021)

Director Emma Seligman

College student Danielle (Rachel Sennott) runs into her married sugar daddy and ex-girlfriend while attending a Jewish mourning service with her parents and has to confront questions regarding her future.

‘Dear White People’ (2014)

Director Justin Simien

At an Ivy League college, as students face racial tensions and struggle with their cultural identities, Sam (Tessa Thompson) spearheads a movement to expose the blatant racism on campus.

‘Like Crazy’ (2011)

Director Drake Doremus

Anna (Felicity Jones) falls in love with an American, Jacob (Anton Yelchin), while attending college in Los Angeles. The young couple is then forced apart when Anna knowingly violates the terms of her visa, resulting in her return home to England.

AVA

Whether you are reminiscing or ready to be done, the weeks leading up to graduation are an emotional roller coaster. Here are some songs that encapsulate all feelings- from excited to nostalgic that will recapture the essence of college and the emotions leading up to graduation.

‘Where’d All The Time Go?’ Dr. Dog

This song sums up the bittersweet nostalgia of graduation. It captures love for the collective experiences you’ve shared, and sadness as you bid farewell to one chapter of your lives and embrace the unknown future ahead.

‘The Climb,’ Miley Cyrus Yes, it’s cringe. But it’s a graduation classic. ‘Pursuit Of Happiness (Nightmare),’ Kid Cudi, MGMT, Ratatat Graduates, we are so happy to see you chasing what makes you happy! One might even say you’re on the pursuit of happiness?

‘Congratulations,’ Post Malone Quavo

Hopefully you haven’t worked so hard you forgot how to vacation. All we have to say is congratulations! You made it!

‘Getting Older,’ Billie Eilish Feeling sad and old? This is the song for you!

‘Dog Days Are Over,’ Florence + The Machine

You’ve dogged it out for long enough! The dog days are over!

‘You’re Gonna Go Far,’ Noah Kahan

Stepping into this next chapter in your life can feel scary, overwhelming and gloomy. You have everything you need to do well in you! You’re gonna go so far, and we can’t wait to see you do it!

‘Good Old Days (ft. Kesha),’ Macklemore

As you think back on all the good, bad and ugly times you’ve had throughout the past years, this classic 2017 banger makes it too easy to remember the good memories you’ve made.

My favorite movies about the college experience

‘The Rules of Attraction’ (2002)

Director Roger Avary

College students at an upscale university, Sean (James Van Der Beek), Paul (Ian Somerhalder) and Lauren (Shannyn Sossamon) are entangled in a complex love triangle filled with sex, drugs, violence and despair.

‘Mona Lisa Smile’ (2003)

Director Mike Newell

Newly-hired art history professor Katherine (Julia Roberts) challenges 1950s gender roles at a women’s liberal arts college.

‘Drumline’ (2002)

Director Charles Stone III

College freshman and drummer Devon (Nick Cannon) joins his school’s acclaimed marching band. However, his tendency to show off his exceptional talent creates problems with his band director.

‘Reality Bites’ (1994)

Director Ben Stiller

Valedictorian of her university and aspiring filmmaker, Lelaina (Winona Ryder) documents herself and her friends as they navigate the ups and downs of life post-college.

‘21 & Over’ (2013)

Directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore

The night before Jeff Chang’s (Justin Chon) big medical school interview, which also happens to be his 21st birthday, his two best friends, Miller (Miles Teller) and Casey (Skylar Astin), come and surprise him at school.

‘Post Grad’ (2009) Director Vicky Jenson

After graduating college, Ryden (Alexis Bledel) has big plans, but when things don’t go as expected, she’s forced to move back home to figure out her life.

Tassel tunes: Songs for our graduating students

‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’ Taylor Swift

‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’ by Taylor Swift is the ultimate graduation jam for those who got themselves here on their own. We’re so proud of how far you’ve come! You did it!

‘Time to Pretend,’ MGMT

This song is the perfect song to jump and dance to. It is the perfect song about being young and carefree with so much ahead for you.

‘Vienna,’ Billy Joel

To my overly ambitious and insanely driven graduates — yes, I’m looking at you. Billy Joel says to remember to live in the moment and enjoy the little things! The world is waiting for you when you’re ready.

‘I Lived,’ OneRepublic

You’ve lived through so many beautiful moments, both fun and challenging. Here’s to many more amazing adventures and experiences!

‘The Good Part,’ AJR

How many times throughout college did you wish you could just skip to graduation? Well, wish no more — this is the good part.

‘Kids,’ Current Joys ‘Kids’ captures the bittersweet essence of graduation and growing up. With its thoughtful lyrics, it’s the ultimate soundtrack for saying goodbye to one chapter and hello to the next.

‘Gone, Gone, Gone,’ Phillip Phillips

This song highlights the sweetness of relationships as one person moves on to the next phase of their life. As graduates move on to their next adventures, remember all the connections you’ve made and the love you’ve found in those relationships.

Find this playlist and more on the Alestle Spotify.

OLIVIA

AVA GALBAN reporter

GALBAN reporter

Women’s tennis takes OVC championship title

| Pedro Henrique G-M / The Alestle

AUDREY O’RENIC sports editor

Women’s tennis conquered the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference Championships last weekend at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis.

After the last regular season match’s 7-0 domination over Western Illinois University, the Cougars came back in full swing for a rematch in the tournament’s quarterfinal round on Friday.

The doubles point, secured by duos senior Fabiola Perez and sophomore Cydney Rogers as well as graduate student Jill Lambrechts and senior Jordan Schifano, gave an early advantage to the Cougars.

Singles victories were brought in by Rogers at No. 5, sophomore Amelia Gorman at No. 3 and Perez at No. 4 — concluding the match with a 4-0 sweep and advancement to the semifinal round.

The Cougars competed against the University of Southern Indiana the following day.

Similarly to the first round, Perez, Rogers, Lambrechts and

Schifano succeeded in gaining the doubles point for the team.

This time, singles victories were collected by freshman Paula Guillen Cerver at No. 6, sophomore Margaux Guibal Britt at No. 2 and Gorman at No. 4 — a strong 4-0 finish to the semifinal round.

The Cougars met the top-seeded Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks in the final round of the championships on Sunday.

For the third time in a row, Perez, Rogers, Lambrechts and Schifano gave the Cougars the lead in doubles.

Perez and Rogers defeated the Redhawks 6-3 in No. 3 doubles. Lambrechts and Schifano followed up with a 7-5 victory of their own, earning the doubles point for the team.

Following the momentum gained from doubles, Schifano furthered the lead for the Cougars after a 6-2, 6-2 finish in No. 3 singles. Perez secured the third point for the team, going 7-5, 6-2 in No. 5 singles.

Rogers ultimately fell to the Redhawks in No. 6 singles, 6-7, 4-6.

In a turn-around game,

Guibal Britt did not let a 1-6 first-set loss deter her. She reached the final point to lock in the Cougars’ victory, finishing the rest of her sets 6-3, 6-3.

With a final score of 4-1, SIUE will advance to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Women’s Tennis Championship Tournament.

The Cougars concluded their season with a final 18-3 record overall. The championship victory marks their first since 2017, and third in overall program history.

SIUE women’s tennis was honored with five spots on the All-Ohio Valley Conference women’s tennis team — the most in a single season by the Cougars.

Guibal Britt, Lambrechts and Schifano were selected to the first team and Gorman and Perez for the second team.

The teams of Guibal Britt and Gorman as well as Lambrechts and Schifano were named All-OVC Doubles Team for a second straight season.

The brackets for the 2024 NCAA Championships will be announced at 5 p.m., April 29, on the NCAA website.

Softball swings, misses in tight OVC series against USI

SAM MUREN reporter

The Cougars split a doubleheader on Saturday and lost on Sunday in a tightly contested series against the University of Southern Indiana at Cougar Field.

Starting pitchers senior Sydney Baalman and USI’s junior Josie Newman opened the first inning with impressive stats, but both were unaware of the long battle ahead.

Baalman limited the Screaming Eagles to one hit in the first inning. Newman managed to strike out all three SIUE batters. Both pitchers struck out a batter in the second and held the scoresheet at zero for both sides.

The pitching battle waged on through the next two innings as well. By the top of the fifth inning, the score remained at zero, and Newman had six strikeouts. Newman then hit a double in the fifth inning.

USI then opted to have freshman pinch runner Kate Satkoski take Newman’s place at second base. Satkoski ran in the first run of the game off a hit by freshman batter Sydney Long.

It took until the seventh inning for SIUE to find the crack in Newman’s game. Senior Grace Lueke struck out for her third time of the game, but senior Emma Henderson batted a double with one out on the board.

The floodgates did not open for SIUE, but they cracked just enough for the Cougars to get on the board and tie the game. Junior Lauryn Yslava also batted a double RBI, allowing senior pinch runner Jenna Herron to make it home.

With the game all tied up 1-1 and SIUE failing to add a winning run, both

teams stuck with their starting pitchers to head into extra innings.

Both teams battled with strong, enduring pitchers and a solid defense to prolong the game through multiple innings. Junior outfielder Danielle Shuey and junior infielder Paige Rocha made multiple defensive plays to stymie USI’s offense.

Baalman also began to control the pitcher battle. She struck out five batters during the extra innings for a total of nine throughout the whole game. Newman, who had a whopping 10 strikeouts in the first seven innings, finished with 13 by the end for USI.

The action went on for 16 innings. It was the longest game for the Cougars in their Division I history. Shuey and Rocha were rewarded for their defensive efforts throughout the extra innings.

Shuey made it on base and then advanced to second after a passed ball. A hit by freshman Maleah Blomenkamp allowed Shuey to get to third. Rocha sealed the deal with a fly-out RBI, giving Shuey a chance for the winning run.

“It was a really big relief,” Baalman said. “We had been going for so many extra innings that it just felt so good and to do it as a team.”

Baalman threw a total of 250 pitches in the game.

The second game finished in seven innings and felt much quicker, but did not favor the Cougars who lost 4-2.

It was a long day for both teams that had played for a little over six hours in that one day.

“Clearly, I’m feeling it. I’m a senior now. So, I feel it a lot more. But they made sure to give me some tratment during the second game, and I’ll be okay,” Baalman said.

“We talked every inning,” Head Coach Ben Sorden said. “She said she was good, and as long as I didn’t see a mechanical breakdown, I was gonna stick with her.”

Baalman went right back to work for a rematch against Newman on Sunday. Again, the coaches trusted their starters with the whole game.

The Screaming Eagles struck twice in the second inning for an early 2-0 lead. SIUE responded in the fourth inning. Emma Henderson batted a triple, then scored on a throwing error to cut the lead in half.

Both teams battled hard to the finish, but neither could add a run before the end of the seventh inning. USI won 2-1 in the game and 2-1 in the series.

Baalman, who pitched for 23 innings during the weekend, had 14 strikeouts and only allowed three runs in her

two games.

She gave Newman a run for her money. Newman finished the series with 15 strikeouts and also allowed three runs. Given the close battle it was Newman and her team that came away with the victory.

“I thought it went well for our team. We found quite a bit of fight, and that’s really important for us,” Shuey said. “All the pieces are beginning to come together.”

The Cougars drop to 7-14 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 15-29 overall. Each game was a close contest, but the Cougars couldn’t find the offense.

“I think we need to be a little more aggressive at the plate,” Sorden said.

SIUE will play Saint Louis University at 5 p.m., April 24, at Billiken Sports Center in St. Louis.

SIUE junior infielder Paige Rocha picks up the ball to throw out a Southern Indiana player in a 1-2 loss on April 21. | Maximilian Lenhart / The Alestle

Sophomore Margaux Guibal Britt returns a serve in the final set of the regular season on April 13. The Cougars defeated the WIU Leathernecks 7-0.