YES, HAPPY NEWS DOES EXIST! pages 4 & 5
thursday, 04.23.20
T H E
ALESTLE
OPINION: IT’S TIME TO FINALLY CHANGE YOUR LOOK page 6
vol. 73 no. 28
The Student Voice Since 1960
News in brief
Alternative commencement plans announced
throwing caution to the wind A discarded surgeon’s mask sits in the grassy knoll at the intersection of West Schwarz and Pine Street in Edwardsville. The CDC recommends covering one’s nose and mouth with similar masks when going out, however, it appears not everybody is taking such precautions. I Dominick Oranika / The Alestle
Businesses stand their ground during stay-at-home orders ISOBEL ABBOTT-DETHROW reporter
An empty parking lot beside SIUE’s outdoor recreational sports complex denotes campus closure, however, a sign warning of enforcement gives visitors an added warning. I Dominick Orainka / The Alestle
While some local restaurants and shops are closing down during Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stayat-home order, many are continuing operations and making sure their customers know they are in good hands. Extra precautions have been put in place, such as glove and mask wearing and around-the-clock sanitizing. SIUE Police Chief Kevin Schmoll said he has not witnessed any businesses violate Pritzker’s lockdown policies. In the case of a business violating these policies, it is usually a one-time offense. “There are statutes in place where you can write a city ordi-
nance violation, or there’s actually an arrest that can be made,” Schmoll said. “That’s a last resort, that’s the last thing law enforcement wants to do, is arrest someone over this. Usually through educating the business owners [about] the executive order, that’s all it usually takes. Maybe one time we have to encounter that, we have to shut it down. I don’t know of any of them that have had to make an arrest at this point.” There are still ways for local food businesses to remain open, such as curbside pick-up, delivery and carryout. 222 Artisan Bakery owner see STAY-AT-HOME on page 2
Textbook returns yield controversy
Summer at SIUE goes virtual
As the spring semester nears an end, SIUE has to collect textbooks for the start of the summer semester. It has been decided that students must either drop them off in a designated box behind the library, or they must ship them back at their own expense. The news became official on April 17 when Textbook Service sent out an email with a link that detailed their plan. It specified their mailing address and explained how students could get a discount by mailing through the
The current state of the world has made current SIUE students and incoming freshmen unsure about how they will continue their education. At SIUE, there is hope for in-person classes to resume as early as the second five-week term of the summer session. According to Director
JOHN MCGOWAN reporter
Postal Service’s “Media Mail” option. Students who disagree with the decision have been proposing solutions of their own, including senior applied communications major Jay Johnson, of Decatur, Illinois, who said she never got her graduation ceremony fee back, so she’d like to see that money go to shipping expenses. “I feel like I see TEXTBOOKS on page 2
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ISOBEL ABBOTT-DETHROW reporter
@thealestle
of the Office of Retention and Student Success Tyler Phelps, one thing that is for certain is that onground conferences and classes will not take place in May or June. Phelps said the first half of summer courses have been transitioned to an online format. For the long term, Phelps said SIUE is looking into an online degree completion program. “[SIUE] was already starting to create some degrees that would be offered in an online format,” Phelps said. “As much as I hate seeing everybody get
The Alestle
see SUMMER on page 3
SIUE announced Wednesday the Spring 2020 commencement ceremony will take a different form. SIUE has scheduled a virtual commencement ceremony that will go live on the website at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 9. Graduates may expect to receive an email with the appropriate links on May 7. The ceremony will include remarks from Chancellor Randy Pembrook and Provost Denise Cobb, among other recognitions. An in-person commencement ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 7-8 on campus, contingent on public safety regulations at the time. Spring graduates are asked to provide mailing addresses via Cougarnet to ensure all documents are delivered to the correct address – including diplomas. Updates will be sent via SIUE email and posted on the commencement website and Facebook event. Each graduate may submit two photos and a short message thanking friends, family, faculty and staff. Content must be submitted to socialmedia@ siue.edu by noon on April 29. Send questions to commencement@siue.edu.
Refund Recap ALEX AULTMAN reporter
With emails regarding refunds flooding student inboxes, it can be hard to keep track of all this new information. Here are the basics:
parking passes Chancellor Randy Pembrook told The Alestle students with annual parking passes would be receiving a 10 percent refund. Depending on the type of hangtag, students will be receiving between $8 and $19. These will be sent Friday, April 24 with student and course fee refunds.
student & course fees Students will receive a 7.4 percent refund on their student fees for the Spring 2020 semester. Students may receive a partial refund on their course fees depending on what materials haven’t been used due to the campus closure.
Housing & Meal Plans Residents of Bluff, Prairie and Woodland Halls will receive a 50 percent housing refund. Residents of Evergreen Hall and Cougar Village will receive a 40 percent refund. Students with a spring meal plan will be refunded their remaining balance and a portion of the 60 percent that accounts for the fixed dining costs. Pembrook said these refunds are currently being distributed.
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