The Alestle Vol. 74 No. 19

HOW TO CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY SAFELY THIS YEAR page 4

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The Student Voice Since 1960

New employee listserv policy aims to keep discussions civil DALTON BROWN copy editor

The Revival sculpture, as well as the rest of the campus, was covered in snow during the coldest week so far this year.

I Alex Aultman / The Alestle

Unusual activity on Wall Street sparks students’ interest in investing JOHN MCGOWAN reporter

After AMC and GameStop (GME) stocks skyrocketed in January as a result of a short squeeze, students at SIUE are excited about investing despite seeing mixed results with their investments.

When a forum on Reddit called /r/wallstreetbets discovered hedge funds had been short selling AMC and GameStop stocks – essentially betting against a company’s success – they decided to perform a “short squeeze,” which meant they got thousands of users across the internet to invest in the companies and raise their stock prices.

In the span of a week, GameStop’s price grew from $40 to $370 a share and AMC’s grew from $3 to $19 a share. Economics professor Alicia Plemmons said she doesn’t think anything like this has happened before.

“It’s a play that hedge fund m a n a g e r s use against each other all the time.

T h e difference is that this is just your average sort of pers o n

that’s doing it this time. It’s not multimillionaires sitting in an office, it’s students,” Plemmons said.

On Reddit, and eventually most other social media, phrases like “eat the rich” were thrown around. Many posters said they were intentionally investing to interfere with the Wall Street professionals profiting on the companies’ failures.

Freshman undeclared major Lucas Hollenkamp of Highland, Illinois, said he invested because he was mad about the state of the market.

“The markets always seemed like it’s always been one-sided, it’s always working out for the people that are already in power. It was more of a middle finger – jumping in on it,” Hollenkamp said.

Economics and Finance Professor Jie Ying said there were a couple of reasons the internet was so quick to collectively invest in GameStop.

“There’s a kind of rebellion … This is kind of a behavioral emotional consequence. Or it is also related to a form of nostalgia regarding GameStop, because many of the users grew up with GameStop,” Ying said.

Plemmons said while many are interpreting the actions as hostile, those who invested are doing nothing wrong.

“A lot of people are treating this almost as a hostile move, but really it’s a novel market strategy,” Plemmons said.

Though many are still holding and buying shares hoping for another spike, GameStop has dropped to $60 a share and AMC to $6 a share. Economics Instructor Laura Wolff said this should have been expected.

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“The reality of it is that they overpaid for something. In the end, stock prices do have to reflect the underlying values of the businesses, and GameStop’s business is in big trouble,” Wolff said.

While some profited off the stocks, others ended up losing money.

“People were making it sound like that Friday, the hedge funds were going to be forced into having to buy back their borrowed shares and it would spike the number up to $2,000 … It just kind of collapsed. I sold at $85 I think, so I lost, like, $500 of my money,” Hollenkamp said.

“I sold [GME] at the beginning of the spike and made a good amount of money off of that, but then it skyrocketed even more beyond what I could even imagine,” sophomore economics and finance major Jack Crum of Rochester, Illinois, said.

Despite all that, the students are still happy to be investing.

“The /r/wallstreetbets Reddit forum that did all this – I’ve been a part of it for a while – but I never really got into anything that they were doing because it was straight gambling, but now they have so much power. If they’re getting into something, you could definitely make some money off of it,” Crum said.

Hollenkamp said he has lost interest in individual investing after the event.

“It’s gotten me more interested in mutual funds, but I’ve definitely lost my interest in using apps and doing individual investing like that,” Hollenkamp said.

Those interested in investing can check out the School of Economics and Finance and /r/wallstreetbets.

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After a heated faculty exchange resulted in the temporary shutdown of an employee discussion listserv last summer, a committee was convened to review the listserv’s purpose and draft possible solutions. Now, the committee has revised University Policy 6B3 with measures aimed to prevent similar incidents in the future.

According to Chancellor Randy Pembrook, the original exchange was uncivilized at best and considered racist at worst.

“We got to a situation in July and there was an exchange, and there were some people that felt like the quality of the conversation … maybe wasn’t as civil as it needed to be — at minimum, that was what it was. Some people perceived it went beyond that and was actually starting to have elements of racism in it,” Pembrook said.

The exchange and temporary shutdown may have been influenced by a number of factors, according to Director for Equal Opportunity, Access and Title IX Coordination Jamie Ball.

“With the stressors of the pandemic and the social justice reckoning and everything else that’s been happening, I think the temperature is sort of heating up a little bit, and that created a good opportunity to kind of push the pause button and reflect on …

how can it be used constructively so that people can share questions and ideas in a way that’s not sanitized completely of controversy, but is not harmful?” Ball said.

This review process would be led by a group of campus constituents who met over the Fall 2020 semester to suggest revisions to the listserv policy — one such revision, now part of the official policy, is the need for employees to opt themselves in rather than opt themselves out. Professor of Applied Communication Studies Diane Hayes said every employee should do the former.

“Please, opt in,” Hayes said.

“Please let your voice be heard.

Please don’t shy away and think that this listserv is not for you to engage in the democratic process of free speech and exchange … but the thing that we’re asking is, [you] do it civil, [you] do it with all perspectives in mind, back up your arguments and please don’t sell your wares.”

Employees will soon receive instructions from ITS on how to opt in if they so choose.

Another revision created a dedicated five-member panel for monitoring reported messages considered in violation of listserv policy. Pembrook said monitoring was actually a part of the original policy which simply hadn’t been enforced until now.

“One of the things that that group found out in reading the see LISTSERV on page 2

Ward 6 election to be decided in April; city’s layout and social issues on the table NICOLE BOYD copy editor

As the Edwardsville Ward 6 City Council election approaches, SIUE professors discuss how the election could affect the future of Edwardsville.

Trish Oberweis, professor of criminal justice studies, said city council members plan how a town will look.

“The city council plans for the allocation of services around the city, stuff like paving roads and fixing sidewalks and putting in stop signs and speed bumps and all of those kinds of things, but they also plan for the use of space in the future,” Oberweis said. “Because Edwardsville is growing, they make lots of decisions about what kind of a personality the town will have.”

Oberweis said Edwardsville is currently facing questions about its future, such as whether to have lots of chain restaurants like Fairview Heights, Illinois, as well as social issues.

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“There’s lots of pedestrian paths that are proposed or partially underway. There’s lots of parking questions. There’s questions about the unique vibe, particularly of Main Street, but of the town more generally. Should we invite more chain-type restaurants into Edwardsville?” Oberweis said.

“There’s also some more sensitive issues that are on the table, things like the relocation of the statue of Ninian Edwards, [and] support or opposition to the anti-racism task force that the mayor has put together.”

Andrew Theising, professor of political science, said since city council candidates do not campaign on a party platform, they must focus on more local issues, although they may speak out on issues that align with a larger party platform.

“Even though these individuals may have some kind of Democratic or Republican preference, they don’t campaign as members see ELECTION on page 2

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Edwardsville restaurants resume indoor dining for first time since October KRISTINA JOHNSON reporter

Metro-east restaurants are opening their dining rooms to customers again after being closed to indoor dining since Oct. 28.

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced that restaurants can reopen as of Feb. 3 after weeks of being restricted to curbside and carry out service only.

As winter continues, restaurant owners and employees are getting a break as they are now allowed up to 50 percent capacity indoors. In addition, there are size restrictions on parties of more than 10 people.

For Sugo’s Spaghetteria, the new guidelines mean they will open inside but are hoping to continue their high curbside sales. General Manager Micah Hopkin said their curbside service revenue was good, something that he said other restaurants didn’t have as much luck with.

“We’ve been very fortunate and have been a little higher [compared to others],” Hopkin said. “Our regular clientele and the community’s support has allowed us to stay open.”

Hopkin said they are open indoors, although more than 25 percent of their profits are still coming from curbside. He said the pandemic has created a new business opportunity for his restaurant.

“It’s intense because it’s tough on [the kitchen staff],” Hopkin said. “You have the dining room and now we’ve built up this new business [with curbside]. I hope it stays and we can just prepare for it.”

Sugo’s hours of operation are Monday through Thursday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for indoor service and curbside.

Foundry Public House, located on Edwardsville’s Main Street, decided to stay open indoors in violation of restrictions that were in place for restaurants in late October. A move that a select few restauLISTERV I COVER

original documents, which went back years and years, was that there was actually supposed to be a monitoring process which had kind of fallen along the way,” Pembrook said.

According to a recent email sent from a separate announce listserv, the discussion platform will be “monitored” but “unmoderated,” a decision Hayes said was based on the maturity of the participants.

“I think the working group, we felt that we are well-educated adult scholars, staff, employees … all of us have four-year degrees and beyond. Keeping that in mind, we feel like we at least have the respect for one another that we didn’t need someone to be a principal,” Hayes said. “That’s why we went to that approach, we’re grown.”

Ball said under this monitored system, messages would be reviewed only after they’ve been reported — messages will not be reviewed before they are allowed to go out to the listserv. According to Ball, if an employee’s messages are repeatedly found in violation of the existing policies, there is a procedure in place to respond.

“Generally speaking, we would just be undertaking that inquiry, saying, ‘Okay, what happened? Was this consistent or inconsistent with our established policies relating to harassment and discrimination?’

And then, ‘What are we going to do about it?’” Ball said.

Hayes said there will be three levels of discipline depending on the severity and repetition of offenses.

“The first thing of the three-tiered system, number one, you will receive a warning,” Hayes said. “The second level is, ‘We’re going to give you a two-week time-

rants opted to do.

Server and bartender Ellie Kayser said they allowed indoor dining with limited seating, but their carry-out orders came in steadily. She said carry-out helped the restaurant enough to make it worth their while.

“For us servers, not very much [money came from carry-out], but for the restaurant it was decent,” Kayser said.

Kayser said she admits people eating in restaurants during the pandemic may not be the best route, but she believes people are ready to.

“Yes, it’s still a little scary, but I think more people are ready than not [to go out and eat]. We are still trying to figure out our hours of operation right now,” Kayser said.

Kayser said the temporary hours of Foundry Public House is open Monday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Around the corner, Dewey’s Pizza has begun indoor service too. The once-busy pizza joint saw a difference in customer traffic since the pandemic made them shut down indoor dining as well.

Server Julann Scheibal said she and her fellow employees are excited to be able to open doors to their customers once again.

“This weekend has been such a great weekend because we have all missed seeing customers, especially our regulars, serving [tables] and the customers missed being able to just get out and eat pizza and have a beer,” Scheibal said. “It’s been nice, to say the least.”

When Dewey’s couldn’t have customers inside, Scheibal said they continued doing curbside and carry out. She said that without the locals’ and customers’ support, she and her coworkers wouldn’t have been able to make it.

“If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have made a whole lot of money to live off of, but the weekends and special holidays were generally pretty good,” Scheibal said.

“Weekdays, especially mornings, were pretty bad just because most people want to eat in if they’re going to get a more expensive meal than fast food.”

Scheibal said they are taking extra precautions by following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines along with continuing to wear masks, and enforcing all customers to wear them until they are seated at their table, cleaning the tables after every guest and using pre-packaged condiments.

Dewey’s Pizza is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Sugo’s Spaghetteria will being opening on the insdie, but are hoping to continue their curbeside delivery services | Damian Morris / The Alestle

out, let’s cool out’ … you’re not kicked off, just a timeout. The repeat offender, number three, that’s where we come and make a decision — we’ve done the warning, we’ve done the two-week timeout, doesn’t seem like it’s working, our recommendation is that this person needs to be suspended from the listserv, possibly permanently … we make that call and then shoot it to the [Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion].”

Section III of the new policy states that employees who wish to be reinstated after facing discipline may file an appeal to Ball, the Director of Human Resources and the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, once someone is named to that position. According to Hayes, the criteria employees would have to meet to be reinstated under these circumstances is still being determined.

While the events of last summer were tense, Hayes said they resulted in a positive opportunity for employees to resume discussions, albeit with some assistance.

“This panel would’ve never came to its inception had we not had that exchange last summer, and that says that there are issues on the campus … that we are working to resolve,” Hayes said. “We are excited about the changes that Chancellor Pembrook is putting in place, but we need everyone to support this. We need everyone to opt in and not be afraid … This is your opportunity to have a voice. We’re just there to help you along in the process, that’s all, just in case it gets heated.”

To learn more about the circumstances behind the listserv’s initial suspension, see The Alestle’s past coverage on this topic.

For the policy in its entirety, see University Policy 6B3.

01.31.21 Officer responded to a report of a female subject yelling at the 500 side of Cougar Village. Officer advised there was a domestic disturbance between a male and female subject. Officer advised the female subject left the area when asked to leave.

02.01.21 Person was arrested for Resisting Arrest. State citations issued for Driving Under the Influence, Fleeing/Attempted Elude of Officer, Speeding and Driving on a Revoked Driver’s License.

Subject was also issued a misdemeanor complaint for Possession of Cannabis.

Subject was transported to the SIUE PD where he was fingerprinted, photographed, processed and taken to the Madison County Jail on a felony hold.

02.02.21 Officer took a report regarding a student stating that her ex-boyfriend tried to file a claim on her insurance.

Officer took an informational report and advised her to contact the police department in the venue where the incident took place.

Person was arrested on a Collinsville warrant for Failure to Appear on Retail Theft. Subject was transported to the SIUE Police Department where he was fingerprinted, photographed, processed and released after posting $3,000 bond (10 percent) applies. State citation issued for Driving on a Suspended Driver’s License. Warnings issued for Disobeying a Traffic Control Device, No Rear Registration Light and Possession of Cannabis by the Driver.

bond issue. Young people, a lot of them, are not starting their families yet, and so they’re of a political party, and they just campaign not paying attention to school quality like on their positions. And that’s good, at a lev- others might be,” Theising said. el, because it keeps the tone and the debate Dylan Gossett, a junior political scia bit more localized and a bit more issue-fo- ence major from Carterville, Illinois, said cused, but it also keeps a lot of that political he was not aware there was an upcoming party money out,” Theising said. election in Edwardsville, but has recently Oberweis said just because candidates started paying more attention to local poliaren’t officially affiliated with a political tics in his hometown. party doesn’t mean their worldview won’t “With everything that was going on influence their decisions. during the summer, when it was COVID “That doesn’t mean that people who and the height of the George Floyd, Breare more conservaonna Taylor protests, tive in their orien- “I don’t know how much of there was a lot more tation won’t bring attention towards those same conser- a presence local policy or what can be done vative principles to local elections really have in local communicity governments. ties like Carbondale, Things like support … on social media, but I which is extremely for businesses … for close to Carterville,” example, whether think that would help peo- Gossett said. we could have more said ple like me especially be moreGossett parking for busiyoung people nesses versus using more involved. may take an interspace for a bike path est in local politics or using funds to DYLAN GOSSETT if candidates had a build a park,” Ober- Junior Political Science major, from greater social media weis said. “A conser- Caterville, Illinois presence. vative person will “I think it would see that question differently than a liberal be more helpful for local [politicians] in person might see the same question.” general to kind of get their word out on Theising said young people tend to things, like [elections] would be more of a have a lower voter turnout in local elec- focus on social media. I don’t know how tions, which he said makes sense because much of a presence local policy or local electheir economic situations disconnect them tions really have … on social media, but I from certain local issues. think that would help people like me espe“I think having more voters is always cially be more involved,” Gossett said. a good thing. But at the same time, young The Ward 6 election is to take place people are not homeowners yet in large April 6. Early voting begins at the Madison numbers, and so they’re not seeing their County Clerk’s Office in Edwardsville Feb. mortgage payments go up with every new 25.

ELECTION I COVER

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With no breaks this semester, take care of yourself THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

It’s possible that this is the last pandemic-semester we will have to face, but it could also be one of the worst for some. With a new semester comes new worries, so it’s important to remember to take care of yourself, and use the resources available to you.

While COVID-19 cases have started trending down, they peaked recently in late January. Along with managing testing, soon the university will have to deal with managing and distributing vaccines to students, faculty and staff.

Zoom classes are as hard as they have ever been, and we still have to practice social distancing and stay home when possible.

To top it all off, spring break is canceled. While departments

can schedule days off, no one will be getting that long, relaxing week we all so desperately need halfway through the semester. Now more than ever, it’s important to consider your mental health.

For many, the traps of depression and stress are easy to fall into. It’s hard to blame anyone for becoming overwhelmed with college life, regardless of all the added stressors we’re facing now. We know many who are already struggling to keep up with coursework this semester and are instead turning to procrastination of any form to distract themselves from everything that’s going on.

There are others who might be tempted to throw themselves into their work — ignore sleep, diet, exercise and break time — to convince themselves they have

some sense of control over their situation. Neither of these routes are healthy. There’s no right way to handle all the garbage that life is throwing at us right now, but it’s always best to try and keep balance in your life.

Please, don’t forget the resources available to you. Though the early-pandemic fads of parking-lot dates, Zoom watch parties and plenty of other trite-sounding activities aren’t trendy anymore, they are the best option right now for those who are trying to social distance.

Remember the on-campus resources available, too. If you’re one of those people who thought they didn’t need to get academic help from a place like the Writing Center or thought they could handle their mental health issues without assistance from Counsel-

ing Services, now is the time to swallow your pride and do what’s best for yourself.

Of course, most importantly, do not break social distancing guidelines. This semester has already been tough, and it’s going to get tougher, but no one should be using that as an excuse to spread a deadly virus.

All of those at universities need to view this semester as a last hurrah — if all goes well, this may be the last pandemic-semester any of us have to deal with. Embrace the awkward Zoom classes, the countless nights alone at home and the endless hours of Netflix.

It’s going to be demanding, but if we take care of our mental health and do what’s best for us with what we have, we can make next semester one to celebrate.

shouldn’t care about politics because that would be irresponsible. You can care about politics by staying informed, voting and taking part in protests, but there’s a line between that and worrying about politics and the future of the country almost every single day and hour. If a person checks the news multiple times a day, that’s a problem. That person would be watching a never-ending conveyor belt of tragedies, controversial acts by D.C. officials and the disappointment they bring.

I’m not saying worrying about politics should be frowned upon. It’s only natural to worry about how your way of life is going to change for the worse or how it’s going to affect the lives of your neighbors. But when you can’t control what happens there’s no point.

That amount of negativity can be awful for a person. The best thing to do would be to take a break from paying so much attention to it. A person should pay attention to it, but there’s a point

where a person should just worry about themselves rather than the thousands of problems that affect this country.

A common person can’t really control the decisions that the government or the general public make. Why worry about something if the only thing you can do is worry about it? It could be really hard to try to not worry, so I would recommend getting into a new book, game, movie, show or hobby.

This action won’t get rid of the worrying thoughts completely, but it will make you think about them less and have a place to focus your energy on. The worries will never go completely.

I still stay up late at night, worrying about the end of society. But I quickly realize that I have no say in the end, or if there is an end.

Focus on the worries that you have control over and that you can dominate. They can be things like getting in better shape, reading more, writing more, being a better friend, a better spouse. Fo-

cus on being better every day.

Weightlifting, running, combat sports, yoga and hiking can be great hobbies to get into for a person that is worried about so many different things. Reading a great book, or getting into a certain fandom can be beneficial for a stressed person because they are surrounding themselves with a community of people that have the same interests as them.

That is the only way to condition the mind to pull yourself away from the uncontrollable worries. The person with a conditioned mind won’t worry about politics as much as the person with an unconditioned mind.

Worrying about politics will bring unnecessary stress in life and avoiding it for the most part will make life a bit easier. Avoiding it can be hard, almost impossible at times, but whenever your mind starts to dip into the darkness of political anxiety take some time to focus on work or progressing in a hobby. Focus on what you can control, not what you can’t control.

Stop spending so much energy worrying about politics

THOMAS DRAKE reporter

Life is filled with things to worry about and we all worry about something every day, and it’s usually things that we have some control over, like test scores, job performances and physical fitness.

But it’s not uncommon for us to start worrying about things that are out of our control. This can range from if it’s going to rain today, to the ending of a TV show to death, but it can and often will go to politics as well. Worrying about politics can be one of the worst things a person can do to themselves.

Worrying about the nation’s politics will bring unnecessary stress to your life and it never ends. Whatever political issue is worrying you today will likely not be solved in your llifetime, be that nuclear war, the economy or the actions of the current president. It is useless to spend so much energy on being worried about it.

I’m not saying that you

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six covid-safe valentine’s day dates

Love is in the air, but germs don’t have to be. Our copy editor Nicole Boyd and photographer Khoi Pham spent the weekend coming up with cute (and safe) date ideas for you and your partner(s) to enjoy this Sunday without having to worry about safety. The only thing you should be catching this V-Day is feels, not COVID-19.

2. GO TO BUILD-A-BEAR PRICE: $12 - $44

1. BLINDFOLDED BAKING PRICE: $10 - $20

Choose a dessert to bake, then decide which of you will be blindfolded. The other person has the task of guiding their partner through the steps of the recipe. For an extra challenge, don’t allow either partner to touch the other.

This might be a good way to improve your communication within your relationship, or at least let you see how your partner acts under pressure. Then when you’ve finished baking, you’ll have a tasty treat to enjoy together.

If you and your partner are comfortable going to a mall, making Build-A-Bears together could be a fun way to put a spin on the traditional stuffed animal gift. Together, pick out stuffed animals, and have fun making them as a couple. You can also make the bears (or whatever animal you choose!) talk by recording messages. To be extra cute, take advantage of this feature: have your partner’s voice in your bear, and your voice in theirs. You’ll have a stuffed animal to remind you of not only your partner, but the time you spent together. For a twist, don’t let your partner see their stuffed animal until you’re done and vice versa.

Just remember to bring hand sanitizer, wear masks and keep a safe distance from others.

3. MAKE A BLANKET FORT PRICE: FREE Sure, you could just watch a movie together, but why not make it special for Valentine’s Day? Use some chairs, boxes or anything else lying around to prop up some blankets, then fill your fort with pillows and more blankets. For bonus points, add some stuffed animals, fairy lights or LED candles to decorate. Then, grab a laptop and put on a movie. It may not seem like the most thrilling date, but your Valentine will certainly appreciate you doing a little something extra — and the extra privacy.

Diversity and inclusion concerns raise calls to change local high school KRISTINA JOHNSON reporter

Days before entering his junior year of high school, Henry Lu watched as protests erupted just 30 minutes away in Ferguson, Missouri. Even though Mike Brown’s death was the talk of the whole nation, Lu and other Edwardsville High School students were told to keep quiet.

“I remember in 2014 when the Ferguson protests happened,” Lu said. “The administration actually told us we were not allowed to discuss it in class, which I think was a huge lost opportunity in my opinion.”

Asher Denkyirah, 2015 EHS graduate and SIUE graduate assistant for the School of Business’ Department of Management and Marketing, said this was not the only time the school was silent on issues of race. “[One year], the school hadn’t done a single thing for Black History Month at all and I was concerned about that … So I emailed the principal and he was apologetic. Then, the next day, I get called down to his office. Basically he was like, ‘Thank you for bringing this month to my attention, but do you want to lead the Black History Month,’ and I was like, ‘Wait, what? …

This isn’t my job as a student to do this,’” Denkyirah said.

Experiences like these inspired Lu, who graduated from EHS in 2016, Denkyriah and other alumni to advocate for EHS to create a diversity, equity and inclusion coordinator position. Lu said this was in hopes of not only empowering Black and Indigenous students, but also to create more student allies.

Denkyriah also said she hopes the new position will improve the experiences of minority students who attend EHS. “We were wanting [the district] to work on being more inclusive …. having a

What’s the racial/ethnic representation within area educational settings?

Full-time teachers in District 7

Edwardsville High School Students

White Black Hispanic Asian American Indian Two or More

American Indian 0% Pacific Islander 0%

Hispanic 0.7% Asian 0.5%

American Indian 0.5% Pacific Islander 0%

| Summer Bradley / The Alestle

Sourced from Illinois Report Card

system that minority students have a racial and equality and equity officer or administrator that has the tools and understanding to combat those kinds of [uncomfortable situations] on school grounds,” Denkyirah said. “One of the concerns that [minority students] had [was] that they would have to deal with those things at Edwardsville High School and then go to the administration and they wouldn’t do anything.”

According to the 2019 Illinois Report Card, District 7 schools were made up of students that were 79.77 percent white, 7.65 percent Black, 4.10 percent Hispanic, 2.67 percent Asian, 5.50 percent two or more races and 0.07 percent Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Of those 7.65 percent of Black students, roughly 6.70 percent of them have dropped out. Considering this data, Denkyriah said a DEI coordinator would be especially valuable at EHS. “There was nothing celebrating the diversity of our country and of course EHS is

predominately white, but there are sprinkles of minorities in [the] school systems … We could at least get that chance for a minority to feel like, ‘Oh wow, they’re recognizing me,’” Denkyriah said.

Lu said that DEI coordinators are fairly common within primary and intermediate schools.

“I worked a little bit in Nashville public schools and they have a racial equity, diversity and inclusion person. I know that most schools in the Chicago district have it as well, because they are a larger school district … They are able to tackle these issues more head-on,” Lu said.

Kristen Dowell, 2014 Edwardsville graduate and academic coordinator for Wichita State Athletics, said the group felt they were closer to reaching their goal after a meeting with the school board. In the meeting, they voiced their concerns to Jason Henderson, superintendent of District 7, and he responded that he wanted to bring a DEI coordinator to the district.

However, Dowell said there was later talk of budget concerns.

“As time went on … all of a sudden we heard that there were going to be budget restrictions and [the school board] didn’t know if they could put this position in place,” Dowell said. “So that is really when we became even more active because District 7 saying that there [are] budget issues and not hiring someone for diversity, equity and inclusion is very on-brand.”

However, when The Alestle contacted Henderson, he said that currently, the budget is not a primary constraint.

“There is really not any budget concerns, we have had the plans to do this position pretty much the entire year,” Henderson said. “It’s just a matter of timing, [and] the [school] board has been supportive of it.”

Doris Houston, interim assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion see EHS on page 5

thursday, 02.11.21

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page 5

Do you know an SIUE student who is doing something cool? email our lifestyles editor at lifestyles@alestlelive.com to let us know!

5. MAKE CHOCOLATE TOGETHER PRICE: $15- $20 4. MAKE POWERPOINTS ABOUT EACH OTHER PRICE: FREE This activity is perfect for long-distance relationships, or Valentines quarantining apart this year. Make a PowerPoint presentation about your relationship, including details such as your favorite dates, favorite physical features and personality traits, funniest inside jokes and plans for the future. Whether you share your presentations in person or via Facetime, it’ll warm your heart to hear the nice things your partner has to say about you, and vice versa. This activity is especially sweet if your S.O.’s love language is words of affirmation. The best part is, this one can be adjusted to be done with as many people as you’d like, whether you’re non-monogamous or celebrating the holiday with friends.

For those with a sweet tooth, making chocolate together might be more fun than cooking dinner together. Melt some chocolate chips in a bowl, and the possibilities are endless. Dip fruit or marshmallows in the melted chocolate for chocolate-covered treats, or for a more challenging dessert, try making chocolate bars. To make your own chocolate bars, combine ¼ cup cocoa powder, three tablespoons of maple syrup, honey or agave, and three tablespoons of melted coconut oil. Mix until smooth and pour into a mold. Refrigerate until firm, then remove your chocolate from the mold and enjoy! If you want to make different flavors, add ingredients such as melted peanut butter or a few drops of peppermint extract. To take it a step further and jump on the hot cocoa bomb trend, melt your chocolate and brush it into circular molds, coating the surface of the mold. Once it’s cooled, fill one half of a mold with items such as marshmallows, sprinkles or chocolate chips, and melt the edges of two molds to stick them together.

6. COOK DINNER TOGETHER PRICE: $10+ This idea works best for those who’d prefer not to go to a restaurant this year, or for someone whose love language is quality time. Cooking together can be a great way to impress your partner with your culinary skills, or to keep your dinner a little more private. Depending on your budget, cooking dinner together can be as cheap — or as fancy — as you’d like. As a twist, try surprising your partner with a spread of ingredients, or go grocery shopping together for some additional quality time.

Transfer Talk Tuesdays aim to reach often overlooked students GABRIEL BRADY opinion editor

The Office of Academic Advising is holding virtual events for incoming transfer students to learn more about SIUE. Although the events have undergone some changes, they will continue to be available every Tuesday this month.

During the talks, representatives of different departments or programs at SIUE present information to transfer students after a short introduction from the talks’ mastermind, Assistant Director of Academic Advising Kelly Atkins.

Atkins said she works primarily with transfer students, which helped her learn what some of these students need help with while transferring.

“In working with transfer students, [the transfer students and I] identified some of the gaps that are there within the university, and ways that we could make things better for our transfer students as they transition into the university,” Atkins said.

Darien Wilson, a graduate student in higher education administration from Chicago, is Atkins’s graduate assistant and helps run Transfer Talk Tuesdays. Wilson said many transfer students feel as though the university doesn’t notice them.

“It’s important that every student has access to what they want to know about whatever college they’re attending,” Wilson said. “I believe these students feel like they’re invisible sometimes.”

Atkins also said transfer students are often overlooked, unlike college freshmen.

According to Atkins, this is a big focus of Academic Advising’s work with transfer students, as well as a personal focus of her own work.

“One of the things that I thought about was how incoming freshmen have their orientation, and their matriculation

into the university, where they’re given all of this information up front about the resources that the university has and all of that,” Atkins said. “But, none of that is really done for our transfer students. We have a transfer orientation, which is not mandatory … and so I was just thinking, ‘How can we provide this information to transfer students in real time?’”

The current iteration of Transfer Talk Tuesdays is not the first, however. Wilson said originally, the talks were not confined into every Tuesday in one month, but actually the first Tuesday of every month.

“With things being online, and as I know as a student, Zoom fatigue is real, as well as the struggle to balance things and remember when things are happening,” Wilson said. “Having it so spread out was a little problematic for students. We feel it’s important that they attend, so we consolidated it so it’s more back to back to back, and we get it all in in one month.”

Atkins said with the talks spread out across so many months, interest from transfer students attending seemed to decline as well.

“I saw that the attendance sort of began to faint closer to the end of the semester,” Atkins said. “So, this semester we decided to do sort of like a Transfer Talk Tuesday month, where every Tuesday in the month of February, we’re giving them this information.”

According to Atkins, in order to make sure these talks focus on what students want to hear, Wilson created a survey for transfer students to fill out during the talks.

Atkins also said Wilson helps advertise the talks.

“He has sort of been my foot soldier, if you will, in the advertising of the program,” Atkins said. “[He also] attends each Transfer Talk Tuesday, to sort of track attendance. He has also created an assessment to sort of ask students, after they’ve

/ photos courtesy of Unsplash, Nicole Boyd and Khoi Pham

attended, what are their feelings on the program, what should we do more or less of, just to collect that information so we’re better going forward.”

Other graduate students from different departments have also offered help, including Jessica Fulling, a graduate student in college student personal administration from Bloomington, Illinois. Fulling said she is a graduate assistant in admissions, but she offered her help to Atkins.

“I found out about the program because I’m part of a committee that helps transfer students, and I was one when I came to SIUE, so I spoke to Kelly [Atkins] to see how I could help. [Helping transfer students is] a huge interest of mine,” Fulling said.

Since Fulling usually works from a different department, she said she knows what transfer students are told by each different department.

“I help a bit with marketing and I attend each session as well,” Fulling said.

“Since I’ve worked with orientation and admissions as well, there may be some overlap with the students we’re servicing. So, I make sure we don’t cover the same thing twice.”

Atkins said there are still two more upcoming talks, with plenty of useful information for transfer students.

“Next week, we have Academic Advising. They’ll come in and discuss scheduling an appointment with your adviser, how to use Degree Works, how to use CougarNet, Starfish. Just those different student information systems that we all use at the university,” Atkins said. “And then, our last Tuesday of the month is Learning Support Services, and so that includes tutoring services, the Writing Center, supplemental instruction and all those resources for helping students in the classroom.”

For more information, see the Office of Academic Advising’s website.

EHS I PAGE 4

at Illinois State University, said that problems relating to racial and ethnic inequalities at universities often carry over from high school.

“Some of the same disparities that we are seeing at higher ed, in terms of students who [are] admitted to programs at a university level [and] the level of students who are remaining in programs, all of those disparities really start at the elementary and high school levels,” Houston said.

Additionally, both she and Henderson said having a specific position dedicated to diversity concerns ensures a school’s focus on diversity does not fall by the wayside.

“To try to have existing staff take on those roles is not likely going to happen,” Houston said. “People, when they have other jobs that they are charged with, and [although] diversity is something that is nice to do, it then becomes secondary if there’s not a designated person to oversee [operations].”

Dowell said EHS’s commitment to diversity should reach beyond obtaining a DEI coordinator.

“There is no one thing that could really bring about diversity, equity and inclusion. But a good starting point would be a diversity and inclusion coordinator for District 7,” Dowell said.

“I really feel as if [a curriculum focused on diversity training] is a good route, but also just implementing a more diverse curriculum would serve its purpose. Right now, I would say a lot of the things that I learned about being Black in America is Black history through my parents.”

Visit the SIUE Institutional Diversity and Inclusion website to learn more about diversity at SIUE.

sports

THE ALESTLE WILL NOT BE PUBLISHING NEXT THURSDAY, FEB. 18 page 8

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 thursday, 02.11.21

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Tennis improves record following weekend of home wins KRISTINA JOHNSON reporter

The Cougars played at the Edwardsville YMCA twice this past weekend, where they competed against Western Illinois University and University of Illinois-Springfield. They finished the weekend with an overall score of 13-1.

In the Cougars’ second and third match days of the season, they continued their winning streak, bringing their record to 3-0.

Redshirt freshman Jill Lambrechts and freshman Jordan Schifano won their doubles match together versus Western Illinois’ Lucky Kancherla and Maria Rybka 6-3. They continued their doubles winnings on Sunday against Illinois-Springfield’s Sina Skjelstad and Neha Mokhasi by a set score of 6-1.

“I feel like [Western Illinois] had a better team this year than last year, so we did have a lot of competition here but we didn’t really have to fight for every match,” Lambrechts said. “I feel like we did a good job at that and at the end we were really confident about it.”

Lambrechts went on to win her singles match in the number one spot against Western Illinois’ Aina Cortina-Pou 6-1, 6-0 on Saturday.

On Sunday, Schifano’s singles match was in the number

one spot against Illinois-Springfield’s Carol Quevedo. She was able to pull out a win after multiple long rallies.

“Our rallies were really long,” Schifano said. “We have similar game styles, so we kind of played each other the exact same. But I just had to stay aggressive and come to the net and finish the point.”

Right before their conference play, the Cougars were forced to finish last season with an overall record of 9-2. The team is now getting back to a somewhat normal schedule with practice and matches.

Women’s Tennis Head Coach Adam Albertsen leads the team in his third year with the Cougars.

He said he and his team are excited to get going again after the pandemic took away the end of their season last year.

“We’re lucky. We’re kind of back to normal so to say,” Albertsen said. “We had our season cut short last year … Just getting back out here, the excitement is so high. They’re really cherishing every moment.”

With a majority of his players being of freshman and sophomore status, Albertsen said this brings a different level of excitement to the court.

“I think a young team is always full of tons of energy. There is always room for growth,” Albertsen said. “That’s where we really cherish moments like this

MEN’S BASKETBALL

OVERALL OVC

For SIUE Athletics, this semester is unprecedented; due to COVID-19 delays, all sports will play their seasons within the same time frame. This raises the question of how student-athletes are being kept safe while traveling on the road for the first time during the pandemic.

Currently, all student-athletes get tested three times a week on nonconsecutive days with one nasal swab test and two antigen tests meant to detect COVID-19 antigens, indicating infection. These rules stay in place no matter where athletes are, even on the road.

Women’s Basketball Head Coach Paula Buscher said if an athlete tests positive on the road, there is a plan in place to get them home.

“If someone would test positive or have symptoms, that person is immediately isolated from the team, and they don’t travel back on the bus. We would rent a vehicle and have one staff member bring them home,” Buscher said.

The rules teams have in their hotels are just as strict as those on campus. Athletes stay in rooms of two, they stay far apart in conference rooms when meeting is required, there is a dedicated room for testing and rather than going out to eat after a game, all food is delivered.

Director of Athletics Tim Hall said the school makes sure the team is safe when they do have to meet together.

“Those rooms are cleaned extra for us, and for the time we’re in the hotel no other groups are using them but us. So, we can stay

20-1 15-6 15-4 12-7 11-8 9-9 7-10 7-12 7-11 7-14 2-18 3-14

Belmont Morehead State Eastern Kentucky Jacksonville State Austin Peay Murray State SIUE SEMO UT Martin Eastern Illinois Tennessee Tech Tennessee State

14-0 12-2 9-3 8-5 7-6 6-7 5-6 5-8 5-9 4-10 2-11 2-12

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

OVERALL OVC

Redshirt sophomore Nicole Gomez competes at last season’s Cougar Invite. | Alestle File Photo

today where we’re able to mix up our lineup. For example, we bumped Jordan [Schifano] up to a one today. That’s a freshman playing a one single today and [she] came out with a win.”

Other wins for the Cougars against Western Illinois include freshman Fabiola Perez over Lorena Castellanos 6-2 and 6-1 and redshirt freshman Melissa Vizcardo over Agatha Carbonell 7-6 and 6-2.

Against Illinois-Springfield, wins include redshirt sophomore Nicole Gomez’s match over Franca Bucco 7-5 and 6-1 and Vizcardo’s match over Neha Mokhasi

6-1 and 6-4.

Lambrechts said she believes this weekend full of wins brings a sense of confidence over everyone for the future.

“I think just overall [this] weekend we performed really well,” Lambrechts said. “Everyone got to see different players, we all played and I think that [everyone] got a little confidence for getting into the next matches.”

The Cougars competed again yesterday, losing to Illinois State 4-1. The team will take on Valparaiso University in their next match up on Feb. 14.

A look inside the rules for student-athletes on the road

JOHN MCGOWAN reporter

SIUE Standings

in that family unit,” Hall said.

While some games in certain states can be played in front of small audiences, most games are played in empty gyms. The OVC has tried to keep the games and matches normal, while coaches and media are forced to keep their distance from the action.

OVC Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Communications Kyle Schwartz said the OVC also has rules in place for when tournaments come around.

“We’re spacing the game times out a little bit, so that teams are separated. You don’t want one game ending and another team being ready to come on the court … We’re making sure the locker rooms are cleaned after every use … Health and safety is our number one priority,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz said when tackling

rules and restrictions for this semester, the Ohio Valley Conference followed the NCAA’s guidelines and made adjustments from there.

“We followed what [the NCAA] did, and then our group met and saw if there were additional things that needed to be done and clarified,” Schwartz said.

Buscher said despite everything going on, her team is happy to be playing.

“They’ve been really resilient … [COVID-19 is] part of it this year and everyone understands it. There are some inconveniences, but we’re really happy and feel blessed that we’re able to play,” Buscher said.

Those interested in checking the Cougars’ recent away games can look at the results on the SIUE Cougars website.

UT Martin Austin Peay SEMO Belmont Tennessee Tech Jacksonville State Murray State Eastern Illinois Eastern Kentucky Morehead State SIUE Tennessee State

12-4 10-5 12-7 10-5 10-6 9-6 10-9 9-10 6-10 5-12 6-12 0-16

11-2 8-3 10-4 7-3 8-5 6-5 7-7 7-7 5-7 4-9 3-10 0-14

WRESTLING

OVERALL MAC

Missouri Rider Northern Illinois Central Michigan Buffalo Clarion George Mason Lock Haven Ohio SIUE

10-0 3-1 6-3 3-2 3-2 2-5 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-2

4-0 2-0 5-2 2-1 3-2 2-4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1

WOMEN’S TENNIS

OVERALL OVC

SIUE Jacksonville State Murray State Belmont Eastern Illinois SEMO Austin Peay Tennessee State UT Martin

3-0 2-2 1-2 1-2 1-3 1-3 0-0 0-0 0-5

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

VOLLEYBALL

OVERALL OVC

Austin Peay Jacksonville State Morehead State Murray State SIUE Eastern Kentucky UT Martin Belmont Eastern Illinois SEMO Tennessee State Tennessee Tech

2-0 2-0 2-0 2-0 2-0 1-1 1-1 0-2 0-2 0-2 0-2 0-2

2-0 2-0 2-0 2-0 2-0 1-1 1-1 0-2 0-2 0-2 0-2 0-2

week in review BASKETBALL Women’s Basketball led each quarter to finish 56-35 over Tennessee State on Feb. 4. The team was defeated by Belmont two days later in a 78-33 finish.

Men’s Basketball has taken one win and two losses in their last three games. Junior guard Carlos Curtis led in two of these games, scoring 16 points against Tennessee State and 20 against Belmont.

SOFTBALL

MEN’S SOCCER

WRESTLING

TRACK AND FIELD

Men’s Soccer defeated Butler 2-1 when sophomore midfielder Oskar Lenz scored the winning goal in double overtime.

Wrestling was defeated by Missouri 353. Junior Ryan Yarnell won his 184-pound matchup against Missouri’s Colton Hawks.

The Cougars competed at SEMO’s Redhawk Invite, where freshman jumper Dakota Krone took two top-5 finishes.

SOFTBALL

GOLF

SOFTBALL

VOLLEYBALL

SOFTBALL

Redshirt sophomore Brooks Jungbluth led for the Cougars at their season opener, shooting 221 and finishing in the 43 spot.

Volleyball shut out Belmont in backto-back wins during their first two matches of the season, notching 81 kills in total.

Redshirt senior Aly Goff and sophomore Roland Prenzler led for SIUE with second- and third-place finishes respectively.

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