Marquette Tribune I April 23, 2024

The Marquette Tribune

Cara Consuegra takes over as new WBB head coach

By Trevor Hilson trevor.hilson@marquette.edu

Cara Consuegra was introduced as the seventh head coach of the Marquette women’s basketball program Thursday at the Alumni Memorial Union.

“I think this is the best women’s basketball job in the country,” Consuegra said in her introductory press conference. “We are so thrilled to be back here to be able to pour into the university and community.”

Here are three highlights from the presser: Consuegra’s return to Marquette

Consuegra knows her way around the Al McGuire Center.

She was an assistant coach under former head coach Terri Mitchell from 2004-2011, with a focus in player development.

“It really is a full circle moment,” Consuegra said on being back in Milwaukee. “I realize how lucky we are to be back here at a place that we love so much.”

She was key in the development of Krystal Ellis, an Associated Press All-American, Angel Robinson, who was selected as an AllBig East honoree for four years, Tatiyana McMorris and Carolyn Kieger, former Marquette head coach.

“During my time here [as an assistant] I really grew up,” Consuegra said. “I learned from Terri that it all comes down to values. She taught me that no matter what happens, you have to be

grounded in who you are.”

Not just a basketball coach

Consuegra places a high level of importance on relationships.

“Relationships mean more to me than any trophy we would hoist or any tournament bid,” she said. “The relationships are why I do this.”

She went on to talk about the importance she places on developing her players off the court.

“I would say I build people,” Consuegra said. “Coaching is my dream. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. But ultimately for me, it is a vehicle to help me help young people grow, learn and prepare them for life.

“Ultimately, that’s what I care about, preparing young people for what is next. And for what they can be.”

Mitchell, the winningest coach in program history, said Consuegra placed an emphasis on the relationships she had with players as early as her time at Marquette.

“Nothing is below her in everything she does, she’s always had an open door,” Mitchell said. “When you care about the off-court stuff first, the on-court stuff takes care of itself.”

The roster Consuegra has her hands tied with the roster shortages. Before her presser, she met with the team, which was only six players.

Along with the depleted returners, two of the three class of 2024 commits reopened their recruitments after former head coach Megan Duffy’s departure to Virginia Tech.

“It’s easier than it used to be

MarqEats: recovering campus food Dean

because there’s the transfer portal as most people probably know in here,” Consuegra said. “We’ll certainly be active in there to determine who could be the best fit for us as we move forward, as we continue to evaluate the young women that are on our team right now. “Again, we want to bring in the best players we can bring but we want to bring in the right people as well. Consuegra will utilize their relationships and culture as Marquette ventures into the transfer portal and recruitment to complete its roster. “It’s really important that the foundation we set in our first year will set the culture we want to propel us forward,” Consuegra said.

Dean of the College of Business Administration, Tim Hanley, will retire at the end of this semester.

Hanley is a Marquette alum who graduated in 1974 from the accounting program.

“My degree from this program gave me the foundation for a wonderful career. I’m glad to see it still going strong,” Hanley said in a statement in Marquette Today.

Hanley highlighted the executive-in-residence program, as he helped build it from the ground-up throughout his time as Dean. He also thanked the accounting department for giving him a foundation for his career.

“Thank you to everyone who has made my time as dean such a joy. Although I am entering a new stage of my career, this college will never be far from my thoughts,” Hanley said.

Andrew DeGuire, who currently serves as Vice President of corporate strategy for Northwestern Mutual, will become the new Dean beginning July 1.

By Trinity Zapotocky trinity.zapotocky@marquette.edu

Food redistribution efforts have been making contributions to Marquette and the Milwaukee community through programs like the Food Recovery Network, and now the implementation of the latest contribution: MarqEats.

Launched in fall semester of 2023, the MarqEats program took several months to get started, but now has over 1,000 students signed

up to receive alerts. With MarqEats, students can turn alerts on in CheckMarq to receive notifications that extra food is available from Sodexo Catering in the Alumni Memorial Union, and any student at Marquette is welcome to sign up.

Christine Little, Manager

of Campus Food Recovery and Assistance, said the idea began with brainstorming between herself, Student Affairs, Marquette Dining Services and Marquette University Student Government. She said they picked up this idea from similar programs at other

“I look forward to leading Marquette Business and continuing its tradition of preparing its students with the knowledge to succeed, the principles to lead and the confidence to connect what’s good for business with what’s good for people,” DeGuire said.

There will be a retirement celebration for Dean Hanley on May 9 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union.

Photo courtesy of Marquette University

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics

Consuegra's introductory press conference was held last Thursday in the Alumni Memorial Union.

Lambda Alpha Upsilon joins MU's campus

Fraternity promotes latino community

By Sophie Goldstein sophie.goldstein@marquette.edu

Marquette’s Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity hosted their probate to welcome “F5 R.Y.A,” the founding class, on April 11.

Fernando Torres, president of LAU and junior in the College of Engineering, said LAU is a Latino–oriented Greek fraternity that promotes the principles of brotherhood, scholarship and community service.

“Lambda Alpha Upsilon, is a fraternity that supports not just Latinos — in terms of ourselves — but everyone else in the pursuit of higher education,” Torres said.

Mario Lopez Saldana, secretary and public relations chair of LAU and sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said their main goal is to also unite the Latino community.

“We want to invite a strong solid base for Latino culture,” Lopez Saldana said. “Supporting each other personally and academically, while establishing a professional manner and expanding our brotherhood to an international level.”

The probate that occurred on April 11, consisted of skits — that were specific to LAU mentors — and guitar and a-capella performances to help showcase LAU.

“We wanted to show the new incoming line for LAU and allow them to get to know us and see who we are,” Dorien Vazquez, social media and marketing chair of LAU and first-year in the

College of Arts & Sciences, said. “We wanted to show where we are from and who we represent.”

Edwin Miranda, treasurer and events coordinator of LAU and sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said the main goal was to truly showcase LAU’s values as a fraternity.

“We also wanted to present our cultures separately,” Miranda said. “We have one Guatemalan and four Mexicans, we wanted to express that in our new member presentation. We also kept it very traditional, and invited other organizations on campus to come in order for more people to know about us.”

“F5 R.Y.A,” was the line name chosen for this founding class. Torres said a lot of

compromising and communication goes into picking the name.

“We wanted to really think about how we wanted to be represented,” Torres said. “’F5 R.Y.A,’ means ‘founding five and raíces y alas’ which means roots and wings in Spanish.”

Angel Serna Romero, vice-president of LAU and sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, said Marquette’s LAU chapter came to be with the help of an academic advisor in the Educational Opportunity Program.

“We are all a group of friends, and we thought ‘this is something cool and new we can bring on campus,’” Serna Romero said. “We know that they have been wanting to bring LAU

to Marquette before COVID, but we really picked up this motion last semester. It has definitely been a long journey.”

In order to become a member of LAU, Lopez Saldana said the key part is dedication and consistently upholding the values that LAU has, especially community service.

“I am passionate about a lot of things, and being able to put my passion in LAU has been great, especially because I really care about community service,” Lopez Saldana said. “Being a member and having a platform will definitely help me achieve that at a higher level.”

Now that the five members are officially in LAU, Torres said the future will be

to continue to work to build a strong foundation.

“The biggest things ahead of us are becoming an official student organization on campus, working with both Greek and non-Greek organizations, participating and volunteering. We are ready to hit the ground running, and to put ourselves out there,” Torres said.

Torres also added that joining LAU was something bigger than just joining an organization on campus.

“Joining LAU in a way is tapping into another community and making sure that I can also put back into the world what I have been given. I want to be that person that members can come to me for anything.”

FOOD: catering leftovers made available

Continued from page 1

universities as a guideline to beginning Marquette’s. Little said Information Technology Services had to build the alert system into the app, and then train catering on how to use it.

The timeframe between alerts sent out and when students can go grab food is determined by approved catering staff after an event who then text details of where the food is, what the food is and how long it will be available.

Little said they follow food safety standards to determine timeframes. She said the longer the food is left to set out, the higher probability of bacteria can grow, which is why they keep the timeframes generally shorter, around 15 minutes.

“Since you don’t know when an alert will be sent out, it makes it fun to be like, ‘Hey, I am here, and

I can grab a sandwich for lunch!'” Little wrote in an email.

An example of the text from April 17 when it was sent: “MU Marq Eats: Enjoy chips, dip, veggie platter and sliders, available at AMU 163 now until 7:20 p.m.”

“I hope it continues to make people aware of the food waste and what a huge issue it is. Seeing the leftovers from an event laid out and knowing that it would otherwise get thrown out is sobering,” Little wrote in an email.

“If food waste was a country, it would be the world’s third largest producer of carbon emissions, right behind the U.S. and China.

Food waste is a huge issue globally, and right here in the U.S.”

Little said she has gotten really positive response from the campus community from the introduction

of this system.

MarqEats is not the only program dedicated to the distribution of food on campus, as the Food Recovery Network has also made an impact, recovering over 10,000 lbs of food since 2019. The Food Recovery Network is partnered with college campuses across the U.S, including Tulane University and the University of South Dakota.

The Food Recovery Network works with Marquette Dining Services to recover surplus food. They have shifts throughout the week at scheduled times with each dining hall and the AMU Brew. From there, the delivery van collects the food and brings it to the Neighborhood Kitchen in Mashuda, where it is repurposed into meals for food insecure populations. Adam Noon, a senior in the College of Engineer-

ing joined FRN during 2020, and FRN was one of the only clubs able to have active volunteers during COVID. Now, Noon is on the leadership board and responsible for all dining hall managers. He participates in around three shifts per week. FRN has around 20 volunteers working around eight different shifts, using their own van and community service vans. Noon said his favorite part about being involved is knowing that he is helping his community. He said he loves getting to know the different dining hall managers and employees. “We overproduce and it’s easier to toss it then find somewhere that can take it. We also don’t understand expiration rates either-It’s in the best interest of the manufacturer to get you to toss food and buy more. Those dates really refer

more to perceived quality rather than safety,” Little wrote in an email.

The Food Recovery Network is hosting an end of the semester collection from the Residence Halls called “Move out for Hunger”. The bins will be located in the lobby of each dorm during finals week for students to drop off un-opened, nonperishable food items that they would otherwise throw away.

Little said the Food Recovery Network is recruiting for the fall semester, and anyone interested can reach out to Christine. little@marquette.edu to get connected.

Anyone Marquette student can join. Students interested can email mufoodrecoverynetwork@gmail.com if interested in becoming a volunteer or shift lead. Students can also participate through events like “Move Out for Hunger.”

Angel Serna Romero (far left), Edwin Miranda (left), Mario Lopez Saldana (middle), Fernando Torres (right), Dorien Vazquez (far right). Photos courtesy of Dorien Vazquez

News Briefs

Steering Committee

After being nominated by the University of Academic Senate, six members have now been officially approved by the UAS on April 8, joining the 20 members of the committee across the university.

Rosemary Stuart, member of the UAS and professor of biological sciences was nominated and approved alongside Liz Angeli, an associate professor of English, Margaret Hughes-Morgan, associate professor of management, Joseph Schimmels, Greenheck Chair in Design and Manufacturing in mechanical engineering

and Robert C. Greenheck Endowed Chair in Design and Manufacturing.

After the co-chairs were asked to bring on a representative from the College of Education and Raynor Library, Elisa Coghlan, associate librarian and University Faculty Committee on Budgets and Financial Planning and Leigh van den Kieboom, associate dean and professor in the College of Education were selected.

However, the question of membership being extended to students is still left unanswered.

Ford Recall

Bronco Sport and Maverick owners should check their car models as Ford just issued a recall for 456,000 of these models due to a battery detection fault. Over 400,000 Bronco Sports models 2021-2024, and over 50,000 Mavericks from model year 2022-2023 are potentially at risk.

The issue at hand is that these cars may not be able to detect when the car has low battery, which can lead to sudden stalling or failing to restart. In order to fix this, owners of these vehicles can get their power and train modules fixed for free at local Ford dealers. Owners will be notified from a letter being mailed out

THIS WEEK

Earth Week

MKE Bus Crashes

A 29-year-old driver, reportedly speeding, crashed into the Milwaukee County Bus at around 9:30 p.m Saturday night, leaving one dead and nine injured. The driver is in custody and was transported to the hospital for life-threatening injuries. While the 54-year-old bus driver did not have any injuries, a passenger was declared dead on the scene despite life-saving attempts.

Another 33-year-old passenger was transported to the hospital for life-threatening injuries, amongst the other passengers who were transported for minor injuries.

The crash happened when

May 13.

This recall is only a week shy of Ford’s last recall regarding Bronco Sport and Escape SUVS due to gas leaks that can cause potential fires. Ford also recalled over 100,000 F-150’s over a worry about the rear axel hub’s stability back in January.

Those with questions can contact Ford’s customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 24S24.

Ford isn’t the only dealer with recall issues, as Hyundai and Kia recalled over 100,000 U.S electric vehicles due to damaged charging units back in March.

TikTok ban

A potential U.S. ban on Tik Tok is closer to becoming a reality. Over the weekend the House passed a bill targeting Tik Tok as part of a wide ranging aid package for Ukraine and Israel.

The bill resembles an earlier version passed last month that would require Tik Tok to find a new owner quickly, or the app will be banned from app stores.

April 24

Denim Day Guest

Speakers

Details:

- 2-5 p.m.

- Marquette Hall 100

Denim Day Fashion Show

Details:

- 8 p.m.

- Weasler Auditorium

Analysts give the bill a high chance of passing in the Senate and President Biden has said he will sign the legislation if it reaches his desk.

If passed, the bill would give Tik Tok 270 days to find a new owner with an option for a 90 day extension from the White House if progress towards a sale is made.

April 25

MU Radio Spring Concert

Details:

- 7 p.m.

- Eckstein Commons (SHAMU)

Sustainability Farmer's Market

Details:

- 12:30-3 p.m.

- Eckstein Commons (SHAMU)

the bus was going east on West Wisconsin Avenue and North 35th Street, where just days earlier another fatal crash happened on North 35th Street involving a Milwaukee County Bus.

Around midnight on April 18, a Ford holding multiple passengers ran a red light which led to the collision with the bus carrying three passengers. The bus driver and one passenger were transported to the hospital and are expected to make a full recovery. The driver of the Ford was declared dead at the scene, with all three passengers being transported to the hospital.

Trump trial update

On Monday morning, a hearing for Trump’s New York Criminal trial resulted in agreeing to a $175 million dollar bond, which lead to the former president ranting on X regarding New York Judge Arthur Engoron. By Judge Arthur Engoron approving this bond for the appeal, it prevents New York Attorney General Letitia James from taking hold of Trump’s assets or freezing his bank accounts while he fights the judgment, according to Axios.

There are several conditions that Trump and Knight Specialty Insurance Company have to meet in order for the cash funds to remain available.

This means that the agreement can’t be amended without court approval and that the Knight Speciality Insurance Company will maintain control of the $175 million account, while Trump has to prove there are enough cash funds for the bond by supplying a monthly account statement.

Relief package passed

The House passed a $95 billion relief package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan yesterday after it was stalled due to discontent in the Republican Party. The package could pass through the Senate as early as next week.

The bill passed 366-58, and the opposition included 37 Democrats and 21 Republicans.

The package will go to each of the following things:

April 26

Charity-Movie Show

Details:

- Chinese Culture and Charity Club

- 6 p.m.

- Cramer Hall 004E

Career Center Open House

Details:

- 11-1 p.m.

- Holthusen Hall

The money going to Ukraine would improve U.S. resources and weapons, fund Ukraine’s Security Assistance Initiative, improve Ukraine’s security, fund other U.S. military and intelligence operations and help pay Ukraine’s government officials’ salaries.

The money going to Taiwan would replenish U.S.’s missile deliveries.

Improving Israel’s missile and rocket defense systems, advancing weapons providing humanitarian support to Gaza.

Weekend

A.O. Easy Mac

Details:

- Saturday April 27

- Alpha Omega Epsilon

- 7 p.m.

- Sigma Phi Delta House

Dancing in the Stars: Dance Inc. Showcase

Details:

- Sunday April 28

- 10:30 a.m., 5 p.m.

- Helfaer Theatre

Lovell hosts 'Fit2Be Cancer Free Challenge'

Milwaukee CEOs and Marquette staff attended

By Mia Thurow mia.thurow@marquette.edu

Rain was not going to stop Marquette President Michael Lovell, a group of Marquette employees and local CEOs from walking to promote cancer prevention last Thursday morning.

While the weather did force the event inside to the Al McGuire gym concourse, Lovell and the Marquette community were still able to get their steps in at the Fit2Be Cancer Free Challenge kickoff walk.

The Fit2Be Cancer Free Challenge is a virtual competition that sheds light on cancer prevention, promotes healthy workplace activity, and raises funds for the American Cancer Society. It is hosted each April by the Wisconsin chapter of CEOs Against Cancer, which Lovell is a member of.

Lovell said the money raised from the walk goes to the American Cancer Society and is then split into two parts by the Wisconsin CEOs Against Cancer chapter, one to support

services for individuals battling cancer who need help with everyday tasks and the other half to sarcoma research.

including himself, to compete for most steps within the first 24 hours of the competition.

“They've very graciously put [money] toward something that's near and dear to my heart.”

Michael Lovell Marquette University President

Sarcoma is a rare form of cancer that can affect either bones or soft tissue, and it is typically treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy and/or surgery. Lovell has been battling sarcoma since his cancer diagnosis in 2021. “They’ve very graciously put [money] toward something that’s near and dear to my heart,” Lovell said.

Lovell’s walk at Marquette served to kick off the Fit2Be Cancer Free Challenge by providing an opportunity for various CEOs,

“Last year, I wasn’t in treatment, and I didn’t have a really busy day, so I was able to cover about 50 miles,” Lovell said. “Today, we have a little more going on … Plus, I’m in treatment so I probably shouldn’t push myself that hard, but if I got 25 or 30 miles in today, I’d be pretty happy.” Lovell finished 18th in the CEO competition across all companies, taking a total of 66,756 steps and walking 32.36 miles on Thursday. While the opening day competition is specifically for CEOs across Wisconsin, the challenge lasts until May 9 and allows all members of a participating organization to get involved and track their movement within those three weeks.

“The idea is that Marquette University will be competing against some of the other institutions within the state to see who gets the most steps in, so we always try to invite members of our community to be part of our team so that Marquette can win.” Lovell said.

This is Lovell’s third year hosting the kickoff walk for the Marquette community, but he said this is the first

“It's a great way to showcase our university, but it's also a way to say we care about standing and fighting against cancer.”

Michael Lovell Marquette University President

year it took place directly on campus instead of at Fiserv Forum.

“We’re really happy this year to host it at Marquette. It’s a great way to showcase our university, but it’s also a way to say we care about standing and fighting against cancer,” Lovell said. “We want people to be healthy on our campus and have a community to embrace this challenge.”

Lovell said that he encourages all members of the Marquette community to get involved in the Fit2Be Cancer Free Challenge while it is going on.

“We all stand up for something that we all believe in, and think is important. We’d love to ultimately find a cure for cancer someday so that no one has to battle this disease and be impacted,” Lovell said. “So today is hopefully one step in a longer journey for us to find a cure for cancer.”

Panel discusses the future of AI in banking

It can be utilized to help workplace efficiency

By Gabe Mannion gabe.mannion@marquette.edu

The Marquette University Commercial Banking Program and College of Business Administration brought banking professionals to the Alumni Memorial Union Ballrooms on April 18 to discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence in banking.

AI is already being used in the banking industry to manage time more effectively. Speakers agreed the presence of AI will help create more time for innovation and creative work. Students, faculty and commercial bankers attended the event and enjoyed a light breakfast.

“The presence of AI in banking is exciting but scary,” Kent Belasco, professor of finance and banking, said.

The importance of AI Belasco introduced the featured keynote speaker, Nathan Lasnoski, Marquette alum from the class of 2002, and Chief

Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Concurrency who spoke on the future of banking for current and rising bankers.

“Using AI is not about data science,” Lasnoski said. “Rather, it’s about re-awakening creativity in banking.”

Lasnoski said the adoption of AI is about skills, not roles, and implementing it requires a growth mindset by challenging yourself to be more. He said knowing how AI functions and works is important for using it in the workplace.

Tom Eck, the senior vice president of digital transformation at Fiserv, said AI is a great tool because you get the answers whereas with search engines, you have to filter through search results and websites to find what you are looking for.

Lasnoski said AI is exponentially filtering into companies and businesses. He said technology has driven productivity since the Industrial Revolution and all the way through to the internet, smartphones and now AI.

AI in Banking Today Lasnoski said AI in banking is already here.

“In our company (Concurrency), we are working with a personal bank organization that is currently using automated loans for their homeowners in California,” Lasnoski said. He said it shows that banking companies can adopt

“In banking, AI is going to take away repetitive work for us allowing for lots of extra time...”

Nathan Lasnoski Chief Technology Officer of Concurrency

technological tools like AI to power up and multiply the work they do.

“In banking, AI is going to take away repetitive work for us, allowing for lots of extra time that we aren’t used to having,” Lasnoski said. “With that extra time creative work can happen.”

Lasnoski said the “creative work” will allow companies to realize what is special about them. AI will be able to help companies express what is special about them and their mission to the world in order to stand out from other commercial banks. Future use of AI in banking

Lasnoski said AI can automate the analytical work, admin tasks and information gathering for bankers allowing more time for discussion and active engagement with customers. He said asking AI questions is basic instruction, but it will be useful because delegation can be transitioned to AI by telling it to perform tasks in a specific area such as automated loans and knowledge bases.

Additionally, Lasnoski said AI can function as a “team member” and gather research and do meeting prep and portfolio analysis.

“I can take AI and tell it, ‘Research this possibility for my customer’ and it will help find the next best action for my customer,” Lasnoski said.

Lasnoski said with customer support, AI will

help prompt missed items, create drafts, graphs and presentations.

The Verdict Research from EY-Parthenon highlights three key areas of change with AI that commercial banks note.

Bankers agree that AI is enabling greater productivity by automating sales-related activities, enhancing existing technological capabilities and accelerating broader innovation.

“With implementing AI, we should be fearless but not reckless,” Eck said. “Otherwise, we will run into the common AI concerns: data privacy, data validation, hallucination, human displacement and bias.”

Lasnoski said AI is not just for scientists or engineers, it is for everyone to use to better express the mission of their business.

“Each person has a unique God-given quality to be the best version of themselves,” Lasnoski said. “AI gives us the ability to express that uniqueness about who we are in the world. It (AI) multiplies our abilities and helps make us the best we can be.”

Graphic courtesy of Marquette Today

Creating a space to celebrate Eid on campus

The MSA event served pizza and milkshakes

By Ellie Golko ellie.golko@marquette.edu

Pizza, milkshakes, music and conversation filled O’Brien 150 on April 18, when Marquette’s Muslim Student Association celebrated Eid Mubarak. Eid is a celebration for the end of Ramadan, a 30-day period of fasting. This year

Eid al-Fitr fell on April 10.

Yazeed Abushanab, a junior in the College of Health Sciences and president of MSA, said that many people were busy celebrating Eid with their families, but it was still important to have a belated celebration with the student community at Marquette.

Abushanab said that the Eid celebration was a social event that catered pizzas from Milwaukee

Classic Pizza and featured a homemade milkshake stand. He said that the event didn’t necessarily go as planned because it started a bit later than was scheduled and they did not get around to participating in the Islamic trivia he had arranged for.

“We saw that people were just having fun together talking, so we’re like you know we don’t want to force the trivia, it looks like you’re already having enough fun right now,” Abushanab said.

Abushanab said he also helps coordinate brothers and sisters events to bond the community as well. He said it is important that the brothers have a strong sense of brotherhood and the sisters have a strong sense of sisterhood.

Nooreen Ahmed, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences and events coordinator of MSA, said that Ramadan is about more than just fasting from food. She said it is a period of time for

Muslims to give up their bad habits and grow one’s character in a way that will go beyond the 30 days.

“For me specifically, I was trying to make sure I prayed my five daily prayers on time and read more from our Holy Book called the ‘Quran,’” Ahmed said. Ahmed said that after the 30 days are over, Muslims have a 3-day celebration, with the main celebration on the first day.

“It’s kind of like a reward from God because he knows how hard it is for us in those 30 days and he wants us to celebrate. It’s actually forbidden to fast on that day,” Ahmed said. Abushanab said celebrating Eid at college is a lot different than at home and MSA provides a great sense of community, especially for those who are unable to celebrate Eid with their families.

“We make sure that if there’s someone new that they’re interacting with more people, that

we’re talking to them and bringing them in,” Abushanab said.

Ahmed said that many people celebrate Eid by going to the mosque early in the morning to pray as a community and listen to a lecture before having a meal with their family.

Yusra Khaja, a junior in the College of Health Sciences and vice president of MSA, said that celebrating Eid looks different for her at Marquette, but MSA provides a great sense of community.

“I went to an Islamic High School, so in my high school we had days off for Eid,” Khaja said.

Khaja said that Campus Ministry has also been helpful with organizing events for MSA and obtaining things like decorations, space, and food.

Khaja said that every Ramadan Muslims focus on praying for the poor and those who are suffering.

Khaja said that this Ramadan changed the way she prayed to God, she

said she now focuses her prayers on the needs of others rather than her personal needs.

“I feel like before when we would pray to God, we were sort of like 'Make my life better, make my education better, give me A’s or like help me with whatever difficulties I am going through,'” Khaja said. Khaja said much of the Muslim community came together and shared this realization that it is important to pray for others over yourself as well.

“But then this Ramadan, with what’s happening in Palestine, we just sort of came together as a community and pray for Palestine instead of ourselves,” Khaja said.

Ahmed said that MSA is a community that is supportive and loves each other.

“Even though it’s Muslim Student Association, it’s not just Muslims who are invited. Anyone is welcome,” Ahmed said.

MU class plans event to serve the community

Students can donate shoes through April 29

By Ruby Mulvaney ruby.mulvaney@marquette.edu

A group of students on Marquette’s campus are set to host a Sneaker Ball, where students are encouraged to wear formal to semi-formal clothing and wear their favorite sneakers. The students were connected to this project as a result of a shared class.

The Sneaker Ball came to life in a class called “Topics in Communication: Product Realization,“ taught by the Dean of the College of Communication, Sarah Feldner and Chris Navia, vice president for inclusive excellence. The class encourages students to plan events like the Sneaker Ball.

At the event, there will be bins where people will be encouraged to bring in old sneakers that will then be donated. However, sneakers can be donated throughout the month of April on the second floor of the AMU right now outside of room 245.

The group is partnering with “Stan’s Footwear” and will be distributing the sneakers to local shelters at the end of the month.

The ball will be held on April 29 from 6-9 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Union ballrooms. No RSVP is necessary.

Sebastian Rios, a sophomore in the College of Communication has been involved in the planning that will make this event possible. The whole class is divided up into subgroups and each group has a different role in planning the event.

Rios said that for entertainment, the ball is set to have lots of food, dancing, a photo booth, a basketball hoop and a place where students will be able to customize sneakers. There will also be a red carpet for attendees to show off their sneakers.

“She (Felder) wants to get student leaders, especially minorities, who have a deeper understanding of the community and who could bring new things to the table that aren’t always highlighted,” Rios said.

Nan Sullivan, a senior in the College of Communication, said that planning the event has pushed the students to new limits, and that a lot of people have displayed leadership in putting the event together.

Rios said that when planning the event, they decided to make it a casual event, meaning no specific dress code is required.

“We want to build community here at Marquette, we feel like there are a lot of clubs that are geared towards certain communities, and again that’s good because we keep it multicultural, but with this one… we thought that at the end of the day having

it be universally applicable to all the Marquette students, we wanted to make it as broad as possible,” Rios said. Sullivan said that she hopes the event will have a high turnout. She said that since Marquette does not have a homecoming dance that this event can offer something similar.

Rios said that while the goal of the event is to have an impact on the Marquette campus, they are also hoping that it will have an impact on the greater Milwaukee community.

“Even just a few shoes can help, they can help a little girl who doesn’t have shoes, or even a family who is less fortunate than us,” Rios said.

Graphic by Evan Hunter Blyden

'I won the match of my life'

Wong overcame rare brain tumor in high school

By Kaylynn Wright kaylynn.wright@marquette.edu

Feb. 11, 2020 was the day Teddy Wong’s life changed forever. Just three weeks prior,

Teddy — a sophomore in high school at the time — had experienced a grand mal seizure in the middle of the night and was rushed to the hospital.

After several tests, it was his mother and father who received the news first — a benign tumor was found in Teddy’s brain, pressing on his optic nerve and requiring surgery.

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to think. I was 15 years old, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy,’” Teddy said. “I didn’t really know how to react to it because nobody wants to hear that at all, especially at a young age because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The tumor — specifically

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

Another loss

MU still winless in Big East play after four games

By Raquel Ruiz raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu

12

The streak continues. Marquette men’s lacrosse (4-9, 0-4 Big East) came into Saturday’s game looking for it’s first win in conference play this season, but fell short at the hands of Villanova, 12-6.

“Our guys never quit,” Marquette head coach Andrew Stimmel said. “They fight to the last second, and I’m just proud of the effort they had today.”

Despite the 13 mph winds, the Valley Fields stands were lined in blue & gold as friends and family gathered to honor the Golden Eagles’ 19 departing seniors and graduate students, alongside their two team managers.

“They’re a coach’s dream,” Stimmel said. “It’s been an honor to coach those guys, they’ve definitely made this place and left their impact on it.”

Marquette came out sluggish, going down 5-0 in the opening frame and giving up a sixth before junior midfielder Nolan Garcia put the Golden Eagles on the scoresheet. He finished with a team-most two goals on the day.

Marquette then scored three straight in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 7-4, but three goals

was the fewest the Golden Eagles would trail by after that.

Villanova (8-5, 2-2 Big East) then closed the match with three unanswered goals to put Marquette’s game — and postseason chances — to an end.

The Golden Eagles were outshot 37-30, but they could only put 12 shots on goal compared to the Wildcats, who put 25 of their 37 chances on target.

Turnovers hurt Golden Eagles

Marquette fell sick with the turnover bug.

The Golden Eagles coughed up the ball 20 times, which caught up to them quick.

“That’s kind of been Villanova’s MO a little bit,” Stimmel said. “We kind of knew it was coming, at the end of the day, they were kind of forcing us into making those plays on offense.”

Despite Marquette taking advantage of the extra-man opportunities — scoring twice on advantage — and earning more saves than Villanova (136), the controllable things were different.

“They (Villanova) are great in the middle of the field so they pressure you,” Stimmel said. “That margin for error is so tight at any given moment, so just have to give the credit to them.”

Up Next

Marquette will travel to Denver, Colorado next Friday as they take on the Pioneers as they close out the regular season. The game is set to start at 8 p.m. CST.

Marquette plays annual 'PanCan' game

WLAX raises awareness for pancreatic cancer

By Benjamin Hanson benjamin.hanson@marquette.edu

Valley Fields during Marquette women’s lacrosse’s game against Georgetown April 13 was a sea of purple.

The players wore a purple ribbon around their hair or on their shoelaces and fans in the stands repped purple bands, bags, water bottles and pins.

This color coordination wasn’t to support a team — it was to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer. The women’s lacrosse program has partnered with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to play an

awareness game every year since head coach Meredith Black founded the team in 2011.

Only two months before Black created the team, her friend’s mom had passed away from pancreatic cancer.

“I had never heard of it until my friend’s mom had it,” Black said. “When she told me, her mom was young and healthy and I thought ‘No, she’ll be fine. We’ll fight this.’ Then a week later, I learned it was a really like aggressive type.

Still, I thought she was going to be fine because she’s perfectly healthy.

“It gets people quickly who are diagnosed with it because unfortunately it’s often not caught until very late.”

The team organizes

activities such as raffles and tabling sessions in the weeks leading up to the game, but fifth-year attacker Hannah Greving said their purpose is more than just raising money.

“Being able to spread awareness about it is the biggest focus and why we do it as a team,” Greving said. “If we happen to be raising money, that’s great, but the main thing is having people be aware of it and know about it because the prognosis of the disease is not that great.”

This year, the sophomores were in charge of setting up the informational table and spending their time telling people about their efforts. Goalie Ava Sprinkel was the one in her class to make See

courtesy of Kylie Bridenhagen

Teddy Wong was hospitalized after suffering a siezure and was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Photo courtesy of Shelly Wong

MARQUETTE vs. Villanova 6

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

GAME: Team partners with PCAN

Continued from page 6

QR codes for the table and message her teammates to remind them to volunteer.

“I wanted to make a difference because the team always talks about leaving a legacy here and how you can be a leader,” Sprinkel said. “I really wanted to take initiative and I wanted to focus my efforts on this because it’s such a good cause and I know it’s such a painful thing for other people to go through.”

During the week of the PanCan game, Black had contacted Pancreatic Cancer Action Network representative Sally Severson to come and speak to the players. Severson talked about how her family had been stricken by pancreatic cancer multiple times, which Black said made what she communicated so much more impactful.

“The girls were so invested in what she was saying and I’m so glad we did that. We’re going to do that every year because it really

helps them,” Black said. “No one ever questions donating to cancer research or playing for cancer, but when you actually know more and can talk to people that are doing this and living through it, you think ‘Wow, it makes it so much more personal.'”

Instead of focusing its efforts on awareness-building around one game a year, it’s become a season-long endeavor for the Golden Eagles.

“It is really great that we have this platform and that we can share it and spread awareness,” Greving said. “It’s great because we use it to spread information when we can, and the more that we can start the conversation and keep those conversations going, the more people have it present in their mind.”

Sprinkel said the entire team is on board because it’s become so personal.

“It’s something that you really buy into,” Sprinkel said. “The whole idea is such an amazing cause

that you want to feel a part of it and you want to help support in any way possible. It’s become so close to our team whether you know someone [that’s gone through it] or not.”

The former is something that both Sprinkel and Greving said was close to home. For Sprinkel, it was a friend’s family member and for Greving, it was a family friend and her

MEN'S TENNIS

boyfriend’s father.

The team honored these people and kept them in remembrance when they went to the Purple Light Vigil put on by PanCan. At this event, names were read and when it was someone you knew, you would snap a purple glowstick to ignite it.

The room was completely lit up by the purple glow, signifying the memories

of those that had lost their fight to pancreatic cancer.

Black said that with the team’s help and the work of PanCan, the fight against the disease is one that won’t stop anytime soon.

“As long as I’m here,” Black said, “we’ll continue to raise awareness and do the PanCan game every year.”

LIFE: Teddy returned to court after six weeks

Continued from page 6

known as a Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young — is rare, and Teddy was just one of 20 children and young adults in the world to receive the diagnosis.

Three months later, he had surgery to remove the mass, just after his 16th birthday. But that was only the first hurdle.

“The next morning, he had a brain bleed,” Shelly, Teddy’s mother, said. “And they had to go back up and open him up to stop the brain bleed. So, he had two brain surgeries in two days.”

Despite the multiple procedures, Wong was back on the court six weeks later, being cleared to play in a high school boys tennis tournament.

“All my friends were playing in it, and I was like, ‘I really want to play in it because I just want to show everybody like I just had surgery, but I can still play,’” Teddy said. “Obviously, it wasn’t a good idea because it was six weeks after and I was just sitting around all day eating food, so I wasn’t ready for it at all. But I just really wanted to play and still compete because I just love to compete.”

Even though the surgery was successful, Teddy is still considered epileptic and takes two medications each day as a preventative measure.

Through the tests, the

diagnosis and the recovery process, Shelly said what remained the same was Teddy’s upbeat attitude. “He was amazing,” Shelly said. “He cried one time. Only one time through the whole thing… With Teddy not getting down, none of us got down.”

Fast forward four years later, where Teddy’s positive attitude has followed him into his sophomore year at Marquette, one that marks his first year as a member of the men’s tennis team.

Interim director of tennis Jud Shaufler described

him as a “culture guy” who brightened up the locker room from the moment he joined the team.

“He’s just a really bright kid, and he’s extremely coachable,” Shaufler said. “He’d run through a wall for you… I’ve never seen him not be in a good mood. He just brings everybody up.

“You have no idea how valuable that can be, and especially coming off a couple years where I felt like our culture had taken a little bit of a hit. He’s been very much a part of bringing that back together in

a big way. All that stuff is much, much more significant than any one thing about his game.”

Sophomore Ivan Vazquez — Teddy’s doubles partner — said Teddy’s optimistic mindset has been a spark plug for the rest of the team.

“We’re in the locker room and all of the sudden, Teddy walks in, and everybody just starts laughing,” Vazquez said. “He definitely sets the tone in the room. Maybe I had a tough loss and I’m going through it. He opens his mouth and I’m like, ‘Okay,

Teddy, thank you. I can’t be mad anymore.’’’

Shaufler was not aware of what Teddy endured four years ago, but said it speaks volumes about who he is.

“He takes each day with a ‘nobody’s promised tomorrow’ attitude and ‘let’s get after it today,’” Shaufler said. “When you’ve had something like that in your life, it impacts you and makes you different.

“It reflects again in his contribution to everything that we have here from a culture standpoint because he brings that attitude of, ‘Okay, today’s a good day. I’ve got air in my lungs and I’m able to move and I enjoy what I do. I love going to school at Marquette, and I like my teammates. Life is good.’ And you know something? That’s pretty cool.”

Teddy has achieved his dream of playing Division I tennis, one that remained in the forefront of his mind even after he received his diagnosis. He said he knows that whatever comes his way, he will be able to handle it all.

“It just makes me approach everyday just differently and just blessed that I’m lucky enough to still be alive,” Teddy said. “I won the match of my life. I beat the toughest opponent. So really, I can beat anybody if I just fight. Just be confident and I’m going to be able to overcome everything.”

Teddy Wong spent just six weeks recovering from surgery before getting back on the court.

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics Marquette players sat at a table in the AMU to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer.

Photo courtesy of Shelly Wong

On Wednesday, April 17, it was formally announced that the Marquette women’s basketball team had found their new head coach Cara Consuegra.

After a brief stint in the WNBA, Consuegra became an assistant at Marquette from 2004-2011, before spending 13 years as the head coach at Charlotte and amassing a 225-169 record.

Marquette valued her history with the program in its decision. After Duffy’s departure, they were in dire need of a veteran presence that could jumpstart the rebuild.

During her 13 seasons at Charlotte, she led the 49ers in a tough conference and even won the Conference USA in the 2021-22 season. Having a coach with her wealth of experience back to Marquette will send the program in the right direction.

“I would say I build people,” Consuegra said. “Coaching is my dream. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. But ultimately for me, it is a vehicle to help me help young people grow, learn and prepare them for life.”

Her steady track record brings a sense of anticipation and optimism to the Marquette faithful. Another huge change will be joining the Big East and competing in an extremely tough division with historic teams like UConn.

Consuegra spent a lot of time in Charlotte and should be given time at Marquette to establish her system and recruiting. Marquette has a rabid and passionate fanbase who are hungry for success.

Although they may be especially eager to see instant results, they should divert their energy into supporting the squad for now and giving them time to build up a successful program with Consuegra.

The Big East is one of the best conferences in basketball and teams like UConn look ready to win yet another national championship. Consuegra has history with Marquette and the fans should get behind her and back the team through wins and losses.

Coaching a new team from scratch is no easy task and expectations shouldn’t be overly high.

As students and the rest of the fans eagerly wait for the arrival of the upcoming season, all eyes are focused on Consuegra and the changes she will implement. Marquette may need to look for more recruits late in the game as there were de-commits with the announcements of Duffy’s departure. In fact, the day she was announced, a new recruit signed to the team.

Duffy had limited success but did build contending rosters and made the national tournament multiple times. Although there was limited success near the end of her tenure, a lot of amazing players played in the program under Duffy and her impact shouldn’t be understated or forgotten.

Consuegra is now the third head coach in the last 10 years and should look to establish and maintain a successful and contending era at Marquette. Ensuring the roster is ready to compete right now is an important factor that she will have to look into immediately. The transfer portal should be key as players are already beginning to find their new homes.

Marquette lost their entire starting lineup from last season and will need to dig deep in the portal or risk the chance of starting an inexperienced youthful core. Consuegra will need to adjust fast in the Big East and push for her style or they’ll be eaten alive by talented teams.

Consuegra should try to find, or make, a star that they can look for to compete in a tough conference. Charlotte could fall victim to our robbing if Consuegra does decide to raid her former roster of her most trusted players.

The anticipation of the announcement for a new coach was huge and the team is now ready to bring their season with their new leader.

Consuegra should lead the team on and off the court and progress to a new era with her at the wheel.

A blend of past and present

Former players went to Cara's first press conference

By Jack Albright jack.albright@marquette.edu

Every seat was filled.

The entrance was lined with people on both sides of the door.

Current Marquette women’s basketball players sat in the front row, while program staff and alums stood along the back and side walls.

Everybody in, nobody out.

This was the scene at new Marquette women’s basketball head coach Cara Consuegra’sintroductory press conference Thursday.

As Consuegra walked into the room, the cameras flashed and the applause began. She was greeted with high-fives, hugs and everything in between.

It was as though a local hero who spent the last 13 years away was back home — and not a single person was going to miss the grand return.

“We have former players here that were part of this, that I coached, that I knew, that played here before I was here,” Consuegra, who was an assistant at Marquette from 2004-11, said.

Part of that community was former guard Erin Monfre, who played four years in the blue & gold under Consuegra from 200509 and got a shout-out from Consuegra herself during the Q&A.

“I opened up Instagram and two minutes prior (the announcement) had been posted and I said holy sh—. I said the women’s basketball program, they don’t know who they’re getting,” Monfre said.

“I just felt it in my heart and soul that she is the right person at the right time for this job. I couldn’t be prouder. I couldn’t be happier. I’m really excited for this season.”

While Consuegra can win — she holds the alltime program record for wins (225) at Charlotte — she’s remembered by her players for much more than what happened on the hardwood.

"For me to be here 15 years later shows the impact that she had on me."

Erin Monfre Former women's basketball guard

“It was the connection that she had with me,” Monfre said. “She worked with the point guards and so she didn’t necessarily work directly with me, I was a shooting guard. And for me to be here 15 years later shows the impact that she had on me…

“I just remember the open door policy of her. I went through the passing of my mother when I was a player here and to be able to walk into her office at any moment and just be Erin and be vulnerable. She created that space for me. So that’s a memory I carry on forever.”

Another visiting alum was former head coach and 2023 M-Club Hall of Fame inductee Terri Mitchell, whom Consuegra was an assistant for.

“I feel weird, real weird, being in your office,” Con-

suegra said with a laugh. Mitchell made sure she was going to be on campus for the introduction.

“Marquette has made the most the best choice. Fantastic,” Mitchell said. “And I just know this program is in great hands because she understands.

“I always say Marquette is ‘if you know, you know.’ And she knows. She knows it’s a place about people, about community. And she’s going to do it right.”

Consuegra was abruptly thrown back into the Marquette community she was first embedded in over a decade ago, and immediately received everything that comes with it.

“I’ve actually heard a lot [from former players], I know there’s several here,” Consuegra said. “And then several, they’ve reached out on social media and posts and things of that nature. So it was very exciting to get those messages from people I’ve cared about a lot.”

Long after the introduction was over, Consuegra went around the room to mingle with everyone in attendance.

After all, seemingly everybody she knew from her first stint at Marquette had come back to support. So she made her rounds.

“This university is special, this community is special,” she said. “And we’re just so thrilled to be back here to be able to pour into this university, in this community, because it is so dear to us.”

Thursday wasn’t the first time Consuegra has experienced Marquette — and everyone coming back to see her was a reminder of exactly that.

Conor McPherson is a sports columnist. He can be reached at conor.mcpherson@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @ConorMcPherson_

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics

Women's basketball coach Cara Consuegra held her introuctory press conference Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics

Luke leads MU in ground balls and face-off wins

By Raquel Ruiz raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu

Luke Williams never imagined it.

The idea of him being one of the most dominant faceoff specialists in the nation, but also having his name in the Marquette men’s lacrosse history books was not something he thought would happen.

“I don’t really like to pay attention to any of those things, I like to focus on the guys in the room and put them in a position to win some games,” Luke said.

But there he was, ahead of the Golden Eagles’ game against Villanova Saturday, having achieved both of those feats.

The week before playing the Wildcats, in Marquette’s matchup versus Providence, Luke passed Jake Richard — a former USILA All-American and current Marquette assistant

coach — and claimed third place in program history with a total of 204 career ground balls.

“In his (Richard’s) words, ‘What took so long?’” Luke said. “He’s been an incredible role model to look up to, and it’s definitely a big honor.”

It was also against the Friars when Luke became the fourth-best face-off specialist by winning percentage (63.1%) in NCAA Division I lacrosse — he is currently No. 5 (62.0%).

These accomplishments, among others, have stemmed from an interest in the sport that began in Luke’s younger years. His interest sparked back in 2009 when he and his big brother Ben — a former USILA All-American faceoff specialist at Syracuse — watched the Orange win the Division I Men’s Lacrosse National Championship together.

The win inspired the two to go out, get some sticks and learn how to catch and throw in their backyard.

“I remember making Luke dress up in goalie

gear,” Ben said. “I wasn’t a very good shooter, so I think I hit him with the ball a few times, and then he would want to fight me.”

The brothers grew their bond by training together every chance they got.

Luke had learned a lot from Ben about how to become an overall athlete and not just a player who specialized in face-offs. The two would use the offseason as an opportunity to improve by learning and working with one another.

Even though the brotherly competition trained them to become solid allaround players, neither of the two specialized in the face-off position until college.

"It was a lot of fun playing against some good competition, and it's been really fun getting to watch Luke go through a similar progression."

Ben Williams

Williams' brother

Ben transferred to Syracuse during his sophomore year and earned the second-most face-off wins in a season in program history (256). He then left in 2017 as the program’s all-time leader in face-off wins (669).

“It was a lot of fun playing against some good competition, and it’s been really fun getting to watch Luke go through a similar

progression,” Ben said.

Ben set the bar high for his younger brother, but Luke has proved that he can meet the standards.

Before arriving at Marquette, Luke had experience with the face-off game after watching Ben play the position, but was primarily a midfielder and attacker. When he was recruited, head coach Andrew Stimmel saw him as a player that could eventually develop into a face-off specialist, which he has proven to become.

“The best face-off guys in the country, of which Luke is one of them, find a way to make that look easy,” Stimmel said. “Anytime you can secure possession more than your opponent, you’re giving yourself a better chance to win.”

This season, Luke has won 123 of 195 face-offs for the team.

“Early on, I was kind of able to compete with him, and I don’t know at what point it was, but there was a point where he’d start annihilating me,” Ben said. “I could not win a face-off. I’d do everything, I’d try to cheat and he was just destroying me.”

Although people might look at it as an individual position, Luke said the team feeds off the energy of winning those face-offs, making it a team effort.

But Luke isn’t just a “faceoff guy.” He is also quick to grab ground balls, a stat Stimmel said holds just as much importance as anything else tracked.

Luke has picked up around 25% of the team’s ground balls this season (87) and is the team’s leader, followed by graduate student defenseman Mason Woodward with 46. He is now only three ground balls away from doubling the 45 he collected last season. It never crossed Luke’s mind that he would even be able to break records and achieve the goals he has. He said his focus is on what he can do to put his team in a winning position.

“I don’t really think anybody even knew he was really a face-off guy prior to when he got recruited here,” Stimmel said. “Now he’s become one of the best guys in the nation and is nothing short of incredible.”

Luke

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics Williams is fifth in the nation in face-off win percentage (62.0%).

Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics

By Joey Schamber joseph.schamber@marquette.edu

Marquette’s Muslim community is too large for their current prayer space, yet their pleas to increase it have gone unheard for too long.

In 2021, when Marquette Muslim Student Association began petitioning for larger prayer spaces, they sent a letter to President Lovell to intervene.

The President responded by directing other administrators to address the issue. No resolution was made, and Muslim students were left with only a promise administrators would pursue the issue further.

In 2021, MSA created a petition for this issue that garnered over 1,000 signatures. Now, Student Government’s Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice Committee is heading the movement for larger prayer spaces, and campus administrators have requested a new petition be made. It must gain at least 1,500 signatures in order to demonstrate there is a legitimate outcry among students over this issue.

Opinions

Provide Muslims a space to pray Ready for a restaurant

By Izzy Fonfara Drewel isabella.fonfaradrewel@marquette.edu

Since the closure of Sobelman’s last year, Marquette has been lacking a good sitdown restaurant spot. The university needs to do more to fill the spot that has been left behind.

Sobelman’s was a community spot here on campus with frequent customers stopping in for lunch. Students would bring in their parents for a quick meal or hunker down in a booth to watch a game for several hours. In some ways, it was the heart of campus, offering a warm environment with good food well into the night.

Unfortunately, the restaurant struggled to make a comeback after the pandemic and with the owners getting older, it was getting more difficult for them to maintain this location.

Marquette has shown that they know how to bring in good restaurants with Gray Jett Cafe and the recent opening of Gordo’s Bubble Waffles. I’ve heard raving reviews about the shakes and waffles from Gordo’s, and the Gray Jett Cafe has options for students who are vegan or vegetarian.

However, the problem with these places is there is not an option for dinner. Gordo’s is a great dessert spot, but there are no options for a full meal. Gray Jett Cafe closes at 4 p.m. every day, well before any college student is even

Administration must not neglect the needs of Muslim students any longer and they must provide them with a larger prayer space. It is about time the university takes their petition seriously.

The space Muslim students are currently designated is located on the second floor of the Alumni Memorial Union, and can hold only a handful of students at a time. However, MSA says that for several years Muslim students have had to reserve additional rooms for Friday group prayer because the space cannot hold them. They regularly have 25-30 people attend including staff and faculty.

This issue is not new for Muslim students. Before there were calls to increase the prayer space in 2021, students had been fighting for better conditions since 2009, when their space could only accommodate around four students at a time.

Marquette is a Catholic Jesuit college, but this does not mean it should be permitted to neglect students of other faiths. The university’s

mission statement claims that “we welcome and benefit enormously from the diversity of seekers within our ranks, even as we freely choose and celebrate our own Catholic identity.”

While a small minority of students at this school are Muslim, the university still has a responsibility to fulfill their spiritual and emotional needs with a larger space to pray. These spaces are necessary for students to both observe religious obligations and relax with a moment of peace and meditation.

This year, a greater number of Muslim students have had to rely on the current campus prayer space during the holy month of Ramadan and the subsequent holiday Eid al-Fitr as they have coincided with the spring semester.

Future generations of students will continue to rely on this space as it is too difficult for many students to commute to and from the nearest mosque to observe these events. Marquette should acknowledge this and accommodate these students in

accordance with its mission.

Muslim students also endure a uniquely marginalizing experience at a school like Marquette that it is predominately attended by white, Christian students. Moves to improve the prayer space may make them feel better represented by campus authorities.

MSA and Student Government have further communicated with administration and been met with a mostly positive response. For now, the most significant obstacle in the way of Muslim students getting a larger prayer space is finding the right location.

In order to maintain its commitment to diversity and justice, the university must find a place that suits the needs of these students. They should not be neglected anymore, and they deserve a larger space to pray. Online Exclusives

thinking about dinner.

While we do have options like Jimmy John’s and Qdoba, those are fast food spots. Sometimes I just want to sit down at a restaurant with my friends, get a delicious meal and make some great memories.

To those who say I can do that at the Annex, that’s true. I can do that at the Annex, but the university should seek to bring in local restaurants that are independent from them.

Additionally, a new dinner spot would offer a great new job opportunity for students.

As we can see from Gray Jett Cafe and Maki-Yaki, students are willing to work in food service to support themselves and a new restaurant would be the perfect option. Sobelman’s used to hire Marquette students, so this new restaurant could serve the same purpose. Whether

this helps sustain a student financially or just offers a new way to get some expendable income, it would be in our best interest to bring in something new.

The Sobelman’s at Marquette building is just sitting on campus, unused and unloved. It is a waste of space to not put something there. The building is still set up to sustain a restaurant and its facilities, it’s just ridiculous to not utilize what we have.

Milwaukee is home to 666 restaurants, and it’s absurd to think that none of them want to expand to our campus. A university is an ideal place for a restaurant because there is a constant stream of hungry college students around, not to mention the faculty, staff, alumni and visiting parents. It also would be remiss to not mention the two on-campus bars, Murphy’s

and Caffrey’s. It’s common practice to eat dinner before hitting the bars and this new restaurant would put itself in the perfect spot to provide that meal.

The building’s location is square in between both bars and situated near the heart of residential life on campus. Nearby you have The Commons, Humphrey Hall, Frenn apartments, Campus Town East and Campus Town West along with all the off-campus housing that’s only a street or two away.

Marquette should be actively seeking a new restaurant to fill Sobelman’s spot. It’s what the student body deserves, not to mention just how great it would be to support another small business on our campus.

Izzy Fonfara Drewel is the executive opinions editor. She is a junior studying journalism.

Sobelman's, Wells Street location, closed last May and the building has been empty since then.

Marquette Wire Stock Photo

Joey Schamber is an opinions columnist. He is a first-year studying journalism.

CROSSWORD

Song Lyrics

Across

2. You're so ____, I bet you think this song is about you.

4. I got my driver's ____ last week.

6. Hit the road, ____.

10. Whoa oh, livin' on a ____.

11. Don't go breaking my ____.

12. Her name is Rio and she ____ on the sand.

Down

1. Just stop your crying, it's a ____ of the times.

3. I threw a ____ in the well, don't ask me, I'll never tell.

5. 'Cause you were Romeo, I was a ____ letter.

7. ____ girl, she's been living in her ____ world.

8. Was dancin' to the ____ Rock.

9. I dug my ____ into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive.

Arts & Entertainment

Written & Spoken Poetry Club's final slam

Event took on 80s theme featuring self-written pieces

By Mimi Sinotte huamae.sinotte@marquette.edu

Marquette’s Written & Spoken Poetry Club tapped into their creative juices at the 707 Hub last Thursday for their last poetry slam of the semester. The night’s theme, ‘Whichever 80’s you want’, attracted a variety of self-written pieces and poems from admired writers.

Eric Seger-Pera, senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and vice president of the club, said he first joined the club his sophomore year.

“I started with songwriting, always liked writing music more than I’ve liked playing music. My parents started me on piano lessons in second grade,” Seger-Pera said.

Seger-Pera read one of his poems, ‘Dreams of the Past’, which he said was inspired by a Psychology article he read about whether humans dream in the colors of black & white.

Later on, after a brief intermission, he re-joined the stage to read two poems he composed, ‘Skater King’ and ‘Tornado’.

Members dressed up following the 80’s theme such as Brennan Wills, a sophomore in the College of Communication, who said his

favorite poem he read was the ‘Wife of Bath’s Tale’ by Geoffrey Chaucer.

“He wrote this whole thing in rhyme verse in Middle English, and it was a really good story is the thing I liked about it too, it’s just so very thorough and it’s been observed as one of the best tales of his collection and it fits with the theme of the 1380’s,” Wills said.

Members were welcome to share any piece they had been working on whether it was from five months ago to five years ago.

When writing, Wills said he consistently resonates with the idea of lyric verse.

“I feel like poetry sometimes needs to have a certain form and law to it. So, I guess what inspires my writing is mostly making sure things kind of go sing-songy and have a kind of form with them,” Wills said.

Noah Salins, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, then read his poem which focused on artificial intelligence called, ‘Artificial time’.

Seger-Pera said the group members facilitate exercises to get creative juices flowing at their weekly Thursday night meetings.

“We’ve recently started having some presentations at the start of a meeting where someone will come in with a poet they like and some poems from them and talk about it. It’s a nice way

to get exposed to some other things and give people more of a chance to get involved,” Seger-Pera said.

Matthew Manka, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences and president-elect, said he joined the club because he loved the environment.

“I think the environment is kind of similar as it always was it’s a very open, very low-stakes environment where you can just chill out with friends and take advantage of the opportunity to write when you’d like,” Manka said.

Seger-Pera mentioned

how this semester, the club has tried a new writing exercise known as exquisite corpse poetry.

“Exquisite corpse poetry which is where one person writes a line and the other person writes a line, then you fold over the paper, so the next person only sees the line before,” Seger-Pera said.

Seger-Pera said he gains inspiration from many different topics and with so many genres of poems, he said there is not one defining factor that makes a poem.

“I get inspiration from all

sorts of things, I write a fair bit about geology or places. I try to imagine a cool place and describe it or what may be going on there,” SegerPera said.

While Manka said he draws his inspiration from literary greats such as Shakespeare and Milton.

“I’m inspired by a lot of the things that I’m reading or have read or have been thinking about as a result of having read. But more broadly I think there’s a lot of great inspiration that spawns out of thinking about living in a way,” Manka said.

Photo package: BSO cultural show

Photos by Forster Goodrich forster.goodrich@marquette.edu

Club members were invited to dress according to theme during their performances in the 707 Hub.

Photos by Shannyn Donohue shannyn.donohue@marquette.edu