The Alestle Vol. LXXII No. IX

T H E

ALESTLE

thursday, 10.17.19

The Student Voice Since 1960

vol. LXXII no. VIIII

A parade of protesters walk to the anti-abortion rally outside a proposed Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights, Illinois, last Wednesday. SIUE Students for Life joined other community members to voice their disapproval of the clinic.

– page 2 SIUE THEATER AND DANCE face monsters on stage – page 4

WOMEN CAN CHOOSE careers over children – page 6

TENNIS dominates at Cougar Invite – page 7 | Elizabeth Donald / The Alestle

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SIUE Students for Life speak at Fairveiw Heights protest ELIZABETH DONALD copy editor

Madison Reynolds, president of SIUE Students for Life, was nervous when she stepped up to the podium at a rally outside the new Metro East Planned Parenthood clinic last week, but she spoke anyway.

Reynolds, a junior nursing major from St. Louis, joined with other anti-abortion groups and at least 250 individuals to

protest the new clinic in Fairview Heights, Illinois, on Oct. 9.

Planned Parenthood constructed the clinic without announcing what it was.

Reynolds had never spoken to a group this large before, she said. But she said she wanted to send the message that there can be support for women facing unplanned pregnancies, including students at SIUE. It’s a personal message for Reynolds, who said her own

mother raised all four children while still attending college. She sees the mission of SIUE Students for Life to support women who may be struggling with an unexpected pregnancy while attending school.

“Women don’t need to be told that they can’t,” she said in her speech. “Instead, women need to be showered in support and love and told that they can.”

Reynolds said Students for Life has a “Pregnant on Cam-

Madison Reynolds, junior nursing student from St. Louis and president of SIUE Students for Life, speaks to the crowd at the rally on Oct. 9. | Elizabeth Donald / The Alestle

pus” initiative to help pregnant students with emotional support, financial and housing resources and other assistance.

Supporting Reynolds at the rally was Austin Tuttle, a recent graduate of SIUE who used to work with SIUE Students for Life.

“It’s really important to show that there’s not just one option — women and families that are in really difficult situations don’t just have one choice,” he said. “There’s a better way, and that’s to choose life.”

The protest included speakers and demonstrators from both sides of the river, including Illinois state Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) and U.S. Rep. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro).

Several priests were in attendance, and signs included statements like “I am the pro-life generation,” “defund Planned Parenthood” or “pray to end abortion,” along with one sign featuring graphic images of a dismembered fetus. Many of the signs called upon the Fairview Heights city council or mayor to shut the clinic down before it opens, and some speakers accused Planned Parenthood of advocating abortion for financial gain.

Missouri state Sen. Bob Onder, who is a medical doctor, stated that “abortion is not healthcare” and called for more strict laws against abortion services.

“Pregnancy is not a disease and a baby is not some tumor that needs to be removed from a woman’s body,” Onder said in his speech.

There were no apparent counter-protesters at the rally, which took place on a steep hill outside the clinic’s security fence on Wednesday evening.

Police officers had set up temporary barricades to keep the rally from spilling into the roadway, which is a frontage road along Interstate 64, and were present during the rally, but there were no incidents of violence or altercations.

Reynolds and Tuttle said they knew their beliefs might not be popular on campus.

“We want people to hear what we believe and have a conversation about this difficult topic,” Tuttle said. “Lots of people have strong feelings, maybe some very much in favor and some very much against. But what SIUE Students for Life is all about is showing love for other people, and trying to end this practice of ending the lives of our most vulnerable citizens.”

Reynolds said she knows people have passionate feelings about the issue.

“I want to invite them to just have a dialogue with us,” Reynolds said. “Let’s just have a conversation about it, understand why we believe the things we do and where we’re coming from.”

New speech pathology organization aims to increase minority representation MADISON LAMMERT editor-in-chief

After a period of inactivity, members of SIUE’s National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing chapter are revamping the organization in hopes of bringing more minorities into speech-pathology.

SIUE’s NBASLH leadership saw the importance in reactivating the chapter, as there is great underrepresentation of minorities in speech pathology.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, about 3.5 percent of certificate holders in solely speech-language pathology in 2016 were black or African-American. Of those certified in both speech-language pathology and audiology, only 2.6 percent were black or African-American.

However, chapter president Nydraisha Geeters, a senior speech-language pathology student of Rockford, Illinois, said the field needs representation from all minorities — not just African-Americans.

“We need more minorities in the field, whether they’re black or not,” Geeters said. “We need Hispanics, we need Indians, we need Asians because we need those people and we need their skills from their languages.”

In fact, ASHA reported while 92.2 percent of those cer-

tified solely speech-language pa- Vernacular English, she will ask thology in 2016 were white, only an African-American professional 0.3 percent were American Indi- if they could help her because she an or Alaska Native, 2.5 percent knows she doesn’t understand it were Asian and 0.2 percent were and wants to know if it’s an actuNative Hawaiian or Other Pacif- al speech problem or if it’s just a ic Islander. Only 5.1 percent of dialectal [difference].” those identifying with Hispanic For Jamison, this is one of or Latino ethnicities were cer- the many reasons why she’s proud tified solely in speech-language of the work done in NBASLH. pathology.

“It made me happier that we Minority representation is had this organization started benecessary as speech pathologists cause I feel … we could educate serve a wide variety of clients, even our peers when we get into Geeters said. the workforce on what is a differ“The clientele that we serve ence and what is an actual disorare diverse,” Geeters said. “We der,” Jamison said. don’t just specifically just help people of our own [backgrounds] — like, you can help anybody.

That being said, you don’t always help people who are from the same NYDRAISHA GEETERS background as you, and senior speech-language pathology student so you have to be able to step out of your comfort zone.”

Men are also strongly underOften, dialectal differences may be mistaken for speech represented in speech-pathology. problems, and this is something 2016 data from ASHA states of speech-language pathologists those certified in speech patholomust be aware of in their practice, gy alone, 3.7 percent were men. vice president and senior speech Geeters said this can be problemand language pathology major atic when considering cultural Kiersten Jamison, of Springfield, views.

“That’s another thing that’s Illinois, said.

“Dr. Sauerwein … was a problem for us because some talking about if she has a ques- cultures don’t look at women as tion about a certain dialect, she professionals,” Geeters said. “So, will go and ask that specific pro- that becomes a barrier. They want fessional [from that group],” a male professional; well, we have Jamison said. “So say she has a a shortage of those.”

ASHA creates baseline diagquestion about African-American

nostic tests with native English speakers in mind, so speech-pathologists must create new tests for those who are not native English speakers. Because of this, Geeters and Jamison stressed the importance of having multi-lingual professionals in their field.

“If I’m working with a kid from a different language background, the tests that we have will not suffice because our tests are specifically for English speakers,” Geeters said. “So now I have to either find someone who knows this language and can help rewrite this test to actually give a sufficient test or I can’t test this kid, because if I test them, obviously the results are going to be false.”

Treasurer of NBASLH and sophomore speech-pathology major Jeanette Peebles, of Carlyle, Illinois, said she is minoring in Spanish in part so she can help serve more children in her field.

Peebles said after graduation she plans to obtain a bilingual certification.

“Being able to speak another language besides English in my field will be very helpful,” Peebles said. “It would kind of help broaden the different aspects of children I can help with the speech pathology disorder they have.”

The group hopes to travel to Houston for an NBASLH convention, and are currently working on fundraising to get there.

“We need more minorities in the field, whether they’re black or not

Geeters said the convention will include speakers discussing black professionals in the field, networking opportunities and will provide other experiences that will help the chapter members apply for grad school.

Because SIUE does not provide clinical experience for undergraduate speech-language pathology students, Geeters said the conference will be an especially valuable experience.

“Some schools will offer clinic in undergrad, our program does not offer clinic in the undergrad, so we won’t start clinic until grad school,” Geeters said. “Right now, we really don’t have any type of hands-on experience. So, we could have a really good experience [at the conference] just to ask questions, network and get to know things.”

Geeters and Jamison said they hope to bring knowledge from the conference back to campus for both students interested in their field and those exploring different major options.

“Hopefully, when we come back we’re going to try to put together a big presentation, not just for the speech path students, but … we’ll try to put something together for undeclared [students] who don’t know what they want to do yet and just do a really big presentation and just show what we experienced and what we encountered,” Geeters said.

MADISON LAMMERT 650-3530 @madison_alestle mlammert@alestlelive.com

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Faculty Association selects next union president 10.07.19 An officer took a report of tires being slashed while a vehicle was parked in Lot A.

10.12.19 Martin Vargas was charged with driving under the influence on University Park Drive near North Research Drive. Vargas was transported to the SIUE PD where he was processed and released after posting bond. A citation was also issued for disobeying a stop sign, and warnings for following too closely and speeding were issued.

10.15.19 Shelby K. Jamison was arrested for driving under the influence on North University Drive near New Poag Road.

Jamison was transported to the SIUE PD where she was processed and released after posting bond and her driver’s license. A citation was also issued for failing to report an accident to the police.

ELIZABETH DONALD copy editor

Now that the SIUE Faculty Association has a new contract, there’s also a new union president.

Former union president Kim Archer stepped down a few weeks ago to hand the reins over to Mark Poepsel, an associate professor of mass communications.

The Faculty Association was formally organized as a union in December 2016, and nearly three years later, the first full contract was ratified in August 2019. Archer led the union through its negotiations, which occasionally became contentious with informational pickets last year.

“I think we’ve made tremendous strides toward shining a light on a previously unchallenged culture, where a corporatized administration openly does not prioritize faculty’s livelihood or morale,” Archer said.

Now, Archer said, the goal is to implement that first contract.

“Enacting the changes that both sides agreed to is actually changing a whole culture, and that’s a considerable challenge,” Archer said. “We’ve proven that when we work together, we can, in fact, pressure management to do the right thing and live up to its promises. I’m looking forward to seeing how good a place like SIUE can be made even better

now that administration must consider faculty’s input and work with us as equal partners.”

Poepsel is currently on sabbatical from the mass communications department as he begins his seventh year at SIUE. This past summer, he led a group of students to spend a month in Buenos Aires, Argentina, learning investigative reporting and Latin American history through the lens of journalism.

But while conducting research on his sabbatical project this fall, Poepsel accepted leadership of the Faculty Association.

He has previously served as secretary and then vice president during the union’s earlier years. He said that the lengthy negotiations did become contentious, but that they are contentious by nature.

“The union is not the most surgical tool; it’s a blunt instrument to wield,” Poepsel said.

“They’re not a genie and they’re not going to make all your dreams come true.”

He said that the faculty thought it might not be as contentious at SIUE because they had worked with the administration to help the university get through the lengthy budget crisis when the state partially shut down for lack of a budget in a stalemate between then-Gov. Bruce Rauner and the legislature.

“We were maybe naive to

think they would give us extra consideration because we helped get all of us through this, but there’s a standard bureaucratic response when the faculty organize,” Poepsel said.

The eventual contract guaranteed a 2.75 percent raise each year for the next three years, which Poepsel said will help make up for years without raises.

“You get a cut in pay when inflation happens and you’re stuck at the same salary,” he said.

Future issues will include equity pay, comparing what professors at SIUE make in certain departments compared to national and state data.

“Our tactic is basically who is egregiously low for their field,” Poepsel said.

That will have to happen gradually, Poepsel said.

Other discussions will involve implementing the contract provisions as negotiated, working conditions, workload and salary.

“I’m not going to make everybody happy, but it’s not all my concern,” Poepsel said. “We’re going to talk in open forums and have an open dialogue. We don’t want the union to get in the way of necessary change. We’re not just here to say no … unless it has to do with working conditions and workload, we don’t need to have a say in something like curriculum.”

That’s the area for the SIUE

Faculty Senate, among others.

The Faculty Senate also has a new leader: Jocelyn DeGroot of the applied communications studies department. DeGroot said she looks forward to working with Poepsel as they figure out how the Senate and the union will work together to advocate for faculty members and education on campus.

That includes the Faculty Senate’s welfare council, which has historically handled the grievances and salary equity issues now handled by the union. However, it is staying in place, DeGroot said, because there are still non-represented faculty on campus who will require its services.

“We’re all adapting, because everything changes,” DeGroot said. “But we are problem solvers.”

For her part, Archer said she was happy to hand the job over to Poepsel, who she said has been a leader in the union since before it was certified.

“Whenever we’ve needed someone to step up, he’s been there,” she said. “Mark has my complete faith and trust, and I’m very glad he was willing to step up yet again. The FA has a lot of challenges ahead, ensuring that the administration adheres to the agreement they signed. Mark is exactly who we need to lead this next phase of the union’s evolution.”

Schnucks closing Edwardsville store that opened in former Shop ‘n Save location TERI MADDOX Belleville News-Democrat (TNS)

The Schnucks supermarket that opened in Edwardsville’s former Shop ‘n Save location a year ago will close next month.

The company essentially let customers decide whether they liked that location or the original Schnucks location on the other side of Governor’s Parkway, said spokesman Paul Simon. Sales showed they preferred the original, which is nearing the end of a major renovation.

There was a similar result in St. Peters and O’Fallon, Missouri, where Schnucks stores that opened in former Shop ‘n Save

locations a year ago will close next month.

“After we acquired Shop ‘n Save stores from SuperValu, we said our customers would ultimately decide which stores would be successful,” Simon said. “And after a year, [their preferences] became very clear.”

The Schnucks store in the former Shop ‘n Save location at 2122 Troy Road in Edwardsville will close at 6 p.m. Nov. 10. Pharmacy prescriptions will be transferred to the original Schnucks location at 2222 Troy Road.

Schnucks Markets bought 19 Shop ‘n Save stores in Missouri and Illinois last year, including those in Edwardsville, Belleville, East Alton, Wood River and Al-

ton, Illinois. Several were less than a mile away from existing Schnucks stores.

In a press release Friday, the company gave “poor sales” as the reason for closing stores in Edwardsville, St. Peters and O’Fallon. Roughly 190 employees will be offered transfers to other Schnucks locations at the same rate of pay.

“Our customers have overwhelmingly chosen to visit neighboring Schnucks stores much more frequently than these locations, and as difficult as it is to have to close a store, we simply cannot operate locations that are not profitable,” stated Chairman and CEO Todd Schnuck.

In Belleville, the company

converted its newly-acquired Shop ‘n Save location into a Schnucks store in October and closed its Carlyle Plaza store down the road in March.

“Our lease was expiring at the original East Belleville location, and we preferred the other location,” Simon said.

In East Alton, the company converted the Shop ‘n Save location into a Schnucks store but closed it in August because of poor sales and the high level of investment needed for improvements, Simon said.

In Alton, both the original Schnucks location and former Shop ‘n Save location are operating as Schnucks stores. In Wood River, the company is operating a

Schnucks store in the former Shop ‘n Save location.

The company owns the former Shop ‘n Save building in Edwardsville, Simon said.

“We are currently looking for a tenant for that location,” Simon said.

Schnucks leases former Shop ‘n Save buildings where stores are closing in St. Peters and O’Fallon.

Schnucks is a family owned business that was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

After the three closures next month, the company will be operating 112 stores, including 82 in the St. Louis metropolitan area and others in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa.

Study abroad trip to El Salvador approved by university JORDYN NIMMER online editor

In order to address the decline in teachers certified to teach students learning English as a second language, SIUE has recently approved the Lane Exchange program with the Universidad Gerardo Barrios in El Salvador amid safety concerns.

The exchange program allows students to partner with teachers from the Universidad Gerardo Barrios and collaborate with them to teach students English. The 10 students selected for the trip will receive between three and six credit hours of English Second Language and English Language Learners coursework and 100 practicum hours.

Due to the current climate in El Salvador, the administration

has taken action to ensure safety precautions are put in order before the trip.

According to Barbara O’Donnell, a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, the trip has been upgraded to a level two travel advisory which requires increased caution.

The university has been working closely with the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador.

One of the main precautions is access to the city at night.

“There’s security [at the hotel] — you buzz in and buzz out. We’ll all be staying there,” O’Donnell said. “Just for our safety, if we go out at night, we go in UGB vans and we’re accompanied everywhere.”

According to O’Donnell, the exchange program will help develop a relationship between the universities.

“It’s important that we go because it will start this partnership,” O’Donnell said. “This is an [Excellence in Undergraduate Education] grant. Whoever goes down has a small group of companions that are their students.

You become close with three or four students and one of those students comes here. They’re going to be here the whole month of September. They’re going to be seeing our campus and going out to schools in this area and working with ESL/ELL students.”

The students selected for the trip will be staying in a local hotel and will be commuting between the hotel and the university according to O’Donnell.

“There are 14,000 students on this campus,” O’Donnell said.

“This a good-sized university for El Salvador. They have so much fun. They have a recycling initia-

tive and many cultural events for students to participate in.”

Among the applicants who have already been selected, junior elementary education major Karlee Stapf, of Hampton, Illinois, looks forward to gaining the experiences in El Salvador.

“After college, I plan on teaching at a school-of-need and will most likely have ELL students in my classroom,” Stapf said. “I want to be better prepared and more understanding of where they are coming from and how to adjust to their specific needs. This experience will help me gain an indispensable set of knowledge and skills that I could not learn anywhere else.”

While some students cannot attend, there are others who see the value in the exchange program and in the Spanish language.

Junior biochemistry major Mara Keller, of Troy, Illinois, is passionate about reducing language barriers in her future job.

“I am pursuing knowledge in the Spanish language and Hispanic culture in addition to my pursuit of medicine because I want to be a doctor that can communicate clearly and compassionately with all of my patients,” Keller said. “I want to be able to encourage, comfort and communicate clearly with all of my patients despite cultural and linguistic differences.”

The university and O’Donnell are currently working through the logistics of another grant application which will benefit STEM students at SIUE and UGB. To learn more about or apply to the study abroad trip, visit https://bit.ly/32lXjOp.

NEXT WEEK ONLINE: ‘ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP’ REVIEW page 4

contact the editor: lifestyles@alestlelive.com 650-3527 alestlelive.com

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‘She Kills Monsters’ brings the fictional world of Dungeons and Dragons to life MADISON LAMMERT editor-in-chief

Larger-than-life special effects, elaborate costumes and brave heroines fighting monsters are all defining points of the play “She Kills Monsters.” In the midst of all the action, the production tackles the difficult themes of loss and coming out.

Senior theater performance major Kayla Bush, of Chicago, who plays Kelly/Kaliope Darkwalker, a fictional elf in a mythical Dungeons and Dragons game world, said the theme of coming out and all its hardships is central to the production.

“It definitely goes about showing the struggles and the trials and tribulations of being someone who is gay and trying to come out to your family and how hard that is,” Bush said. “Sometimes you really don’t know what your family and friends are going through at the time … you don’t really see what’s going on on the inside, and I think our director has done a really good job of showing that on stage.”

The play follows Agnes Evans as she grieves the loss of her younger sister Tilly by diving into Tilly’s mythical D&D game scenarios. Throughout this process, she discovers she didn’t really know much about her sister — including Tilly’s hidden sexuality.

For Tilly, Dungeons and Dragons allowed her to cultivate the brave person she wished to be in real life. According to the show’s director theater education coordinator Tress Kurzym, Tilly’s fictional world allowed her to come out to Agnes in a courageous way.

“I think that we all know people who feel like they can’t be who they are for a multitude of reasons, and so Dungeons and Dragons allows for wish fulfillment because when you’re holding onto that secret … from what I know from my friends and family who have spoken to me about it and I’ve listened, you feel like it’s eating you inside when you have this secret, and you can’t really be the fullest, most amazing version of yourself,” Kurzym said. “So for Tilly, the game allowed her to be brave and bold.

In the game, she gets to come out in a very brave and bold way to her sister, in a way she didn’t get to in life.”

Agnes discovering her dead sister’s sexuality through the intimate realms of the game scenario guarantees an emotional reaction from the audience, according to junior technical theater major and

assistant costume designer Riley McDade, of Millstadt, Illinois.

“My own personal perspective is that it’s an emotional experience, as I’ve been through the whole coming-out phase and the familial loss, but I know some people haven’t, and I feel like this [play] puts it in a certain light that really pulls you into the emotional experience with Agnes,” McDade said.

Kurzym recognizes each LGBTQ+ individual’s coming-out story is unique, and Tilly’s story will not directly resemble that of others. She said she believes discussing these experiences hones in on the mission of theater.

“Theater at its core is about empathy and understanding,” Kurzym said. “There are so many different types of stories to tell when you’re talking about coming out stories ... Coming out in the LGBTQ queer community presents its own challenges, and so I think that having people talk about this in any way is a win.”

Though the narrative deals with the hard topics of coming out and grief, McDade said the show’s humorous nature provides the audience relief, while at the same time not turning the intense topics into objects of jokes.

“This play managed to balance those two things without the two colliding,” McDade said.

“There are no jokes being pointed directly at the heavy subjects. It’s something I’ve found by going through other people’s writings is sometimes hard to avoid.”

McDade said he appreciates this, as coming out during the time period the play is set in was not something to make the object of jokes.

“When it comes to something as serious to someone coming out, especially in the ‘90s when this is happening, it was a big deal and it’s not something you really joked about,” McDade said. “I feel like it would be inappropriate to pick fun of something like that when it’s such a serious topic within the play, but they do manage to get some good comedy in there without affecting the emotional subjects.”

As the story switches between real life and Tilly’s D&D world, Kurzym said she needed to dive into the game in order to tell Tilly’s story. In preparation for directing the show, she played the game with her family in addition to seeking serious members of the D&D community through different friend circles. She also attended D&D Saturdays at Heroic Adventures.

Left to right: Sydney Martin as Lilith, Clara Parker as Tillius and Kayla Bush as Kaliope Darkwalker in SIUE Theater and Dance’s production of ‘She Kills Monsters.’ | Mackenzie Smith / The Alestle

Kurzym said through her research she found the game brings together many different people, just as the original playwright Qui Nguyen had said when talking about the show.

“I think that Dungeons and Dragons is a great equalizer of people,” Kurzym said. “So people that you wouldn’t expect to play do play or have played … because it is that great equalizer, [seasoned players] love to find new people to teach the game to and pass on that tradition and love for the game.”

The dice used in the role-playing game also lend symbolism to the story, Kurzym said.

“I think that what the playwright’s intention is, and certainly how I’ve addressed it as the director, is that we only have people with us in our lifetime for as long as really luck, or whatever you want to call it, will have it because I also think that’s what the part of the dice is in Dungeons and Dragons is: they represent the randomness of life. So, you can ask for all these wonderful things, but sometimes life gives you a bad roll,” Kurzym said.

“She Kills Monsters” saw its first performance Wednesday night, and will continue to run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday in the Dunham Hall Theater. Sunday’s matinee performance will be held at 2 p.m. in the theater.

Garron Orozco as Orcus lounges watching TV and eating Easy Cheese. | Mackenzie Smith / The Alestle

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Second Diversity Day aimed to be more inclusive SHANE WHEATLEY copy editor

Diversity Day returned to campus Tuesday, this time adding some changes to expand to a larger community.

The Alton and East St. Louis campuses were more involved in the planning of activities and guest speakers, which included panels of students and professors who have immigrated to the U.S. The panels allowed these individuals to talk about their experiences and why diversity is so crucial. SIUE is hoping to make Diversity Day a signature event that expands and grows every year so that our campus can be at the forefront of diversity and inclusion.

Diversity Day hopes to get the conversation started in a climate where not everyone feels comfortable discussing these difficult topics. Venessa Brown, associate chancellor for the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclustion, said she wants to make sure that everyone can be a part of the conversation and increase the knowledge of people who might not be as knowledgeable about diversity.

“We want to pay homage to what’s happening to us as a community when it comes to all of us, not just diversity,” Brown said.

“We want to make sure everyone is included in the conversation, and find out what’s culturally appropriate or not appropriate.”

In keeping with that mission statement, Brown said that they wanted to reach as many members of the community as possi-

ble to involve more people in the conversation. While the Alton and East St. Louis campuses are both part of the Cougar family, Brown found that a lot of students simply couldn’t make it to the Edwardsville campus because of tight schedules, but still wanted to be involved. Including events at those campuses allows more students to get involved without needing to make as many sacrifices, according to Brown.

Samantha Dickens, program adviser and PEACe coordinator, thinks that including everyone they can is extremely important to a college campus.

“I think it’s actually really vital,” Dickens said. “Just because people are coming to a college campus doesn’t mean they’re getting a diverse experience. We have a tendency to find people like us because it feels very comfortable, so we get locked into our routines and habits. Diversity Day creates an educational atmosphere.”

Dickens said she wants people to know there is a place for everyone in Diversity Day, no matter what their comfort levels are when talking about tough topics such as diversity.

Dickens said the committee took some feedback from last years sessions and included a new way to choose a level of involvement with four different “tracks” to get involved with, ranging from awareness or enhancing knowledge all the way to activism.

Based on comfort level and how involved and connected students are to diversity and inclusion, participants can choose their levels of

Freshman nursing majors Christian Telford, of O’Fallon, Missouri, and Helen Nelson, of Florissant, Missouri, make buttons representing their fraternity and sorority at an Art Hives craft table during Diversity Day. | Mackenzie Smith / The Alestle

engagement with the subjects so that they feel most comfortable while still being exposed to different cultures.

While the goal was to include as many students as possible, Diversity Day this year also wanted to include as many different communities as possible. This year they’ve expanded to different communities, including a speaker for the deaf community and a panel on LGBTQ+ to make sure that every student could have a panel that felt related to them.

Tammie Neathery, an SIUE alumna and advocate for the deaf

community, had her own panel to talk about her experience when she was on campus as being only one of two deaf students out of the thousands of students on campus.

Neathery thinks while our campus has made great progress with diversity, we still have some work to do for the deaf community.

“There’s a lot of diversity — Native American, European, women,” Neathery said. “But it’s not diverse enough in my perspective because of the challenges in education, employment and healthcare. In my perspective, it’s not quite there yet.”

Neathery wants people to know that just because a person is part of a specific culture, it shouldn’t take away their individuality. Everyone is unique and has their own diverse perspectives based on themselves as people, not as a culture.

“Outside of being a deaf person, I’m an advocate,” Neathery said. “I’m an advocate with the goal of changing the world through diversity.”

For more information on future Diversity Day events, reach out to Venessa Brown at vbrown@siue.edu.

‘El Camino’ gives fans what they did not know they wanted BROOKE HILL copy editor

While “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” does not stand on its own as a feature film, but it acts spectacularly as a reward for longtime fans who preferred the tone of the series’ earlier seasons.

The world of “Breaking Bad” is as dark and absurd in the film as it ever was. The audience is reminded at every opportunity of the quirky and endearing residents of the fictional Albuquerque, New Mexico, and their underlying ruthlessness. True to the series, crossing any ethical boundaries for money is the status quo here.

“El Camino” follows Aaron Paul’s Jesse Pinkman after the events of “Breaking Bad,” as he tries to escape from Albuquerque undetected. Fans of the show may have been content to believe he simply drove to Mexico, but the additional scenes provided by the movie allow him a more entertaining send-off. Nothing up to this point has gone the way he had intended, so why should his departure be the exception?

With Jesse’s arc having concluded over the course of the series, he does not receive significant character development during “El Camino,” nor is there a strong plot carrying viewers from one

scene to another. However, most scenes are gripping in their own right, and it’s a lot of fun to watch the interactions unfold between characters.

Many fan-favorite characters from the original are reintroduced and further developed, most notably Jesse Plemons’ Todd Alquist and my favorite, Skinny Pete, played by Charles Baker. The most memorable cast members that couldn’t be gracefully included in “Better Call Saul” are all here.

This level of coincidence may not be realistic, but it is consistent with the world in which it takes place; the film is aimed almost exclusively at an audience that has already watched Bryan Cranston rob a train with an electromagnet.

New antagonists are also introduced, and they would fit in well among the minor villains from the show’s original run.

They lack the overpowering presence of the major characters, but they act as very entertaining obstacles to Jesse’s escape.

The dialogue and acting are interesting and convincing without exception. The lighting and cinematography have the consistent quality fans of the show have come to expect, which is well-above average for a television series.

Calling “El Camino” a movie does raise the standard quite a bit,

Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in the Netflix Original ‘El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,’ which began streaming Oct. 11.

Photo by Ben Rothstein/Netflix/Ben Rothstein - © 2018 Vinton Productions

however, and some small details become more noticeable. For instance, every floor in the movie is too clean, and the clutter is always concentrated around waist-level, even when it shouldn’t be. This did become distracting in a few scenes, such as when Jesse is ransacking Todd’s apartment for hid-

den money.

While the series finale felt very conclusive, the ending of “El Camino” does not feel like an ending at all. Combined with the lackluster plot, this has caused many viewers to reasonably question why the movie exists at all.

The real answer to this ques-

tion, of course, is money, but that does not mean “El Camino” is an unwarranted piece of media.

There were not many loose ends left to tie at the end of the series, and as such, the movie is not the conclusion the entire series led up to, but to a long-time fan of the show, it’s still quite good.

opinion

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Organizations should stand up for freedom of speech THE ALESTLE STAFF editorial board

Many have recently spoken out in support of those protesting in Hong Kong, but doing so has caused undue trouble for some.

The Hong Kong protests began in June in response to a bill that would allow Hong Kong citizens to be sent to mainland China for trials, which many feared would endanger the city’s relative independence from the rest of China, according to the BBC. The bill was withdrawn in September, but the protests have continued and escalated, with police firing live rounds and protesters being assaulted by masked, stick-carrying men who police failed to stop.

Protesters have responded by attacking officers with poles and throwing petrol bombs. According to The New York Times,

a homemade bomb was detonated for the first time during these protests earlier this week.

Public opinion in democratic countries has largely fallen in favor of the protesters. After Liu Yifei, a Chinese-born actress who is starring in Disney’s upcoming live-action “Mulan” remake, expressed support for the Hong Kong police, the hashtag #BanMulan began trending in both Hong Kong and the United States, according to CNN. Despite public support, controversy has surrounded some individuals who have chosen to speak out in support of the protesters. The NBA has been navigating a strained relationship with China following a tweet from Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets, expressing support for the Hong Kong protesters.

Backlash to the tweet was immediate, with the Chinese

consulate in Houston releasing a statement and sponsors beginning to cut ties with the Houston Rockets and the NBA as a whole.

The tweet has since been deleted, and Morey has posted an apology.

The NBA has also released an official statement in response to the tweet and another one when the first was criticized for not taking a stance. In the second statement, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver states that the league values freedom of expression and “will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues.”

Video game developer Blizzard Entertainment has also been surrounded by controversy after the suspension of Hearthstone player Chung “blitzchung” Ng Wai after he made pro-Hong Kong remarks during an interview. Originally, Ng Wai was suspended for a full year and near-

ly $10,000 in prize money was withheld from him, but Blizzard has since returned the lost winnings and reduced the suspension to six months, according to their statement.

The suspension sparked a boycott, and the company responded with a statement claiming “China had no influence” on their decision. However, backlash over the suspension has continued.

While the United States and U.S.-based organizations cannot control China’s reaction to individuals expressing support for the Hong Kong protests, they should stand by the rights of those affiliated with them to use their freedom of speech and voice their opinions.

It is our responsibility to hold these organizations accountable by boycotting and speaking out when they do not uphold the value of free speech.

Stop expecting career-driven women to have children ERICA GREEN podcast producer

Fans of Rihanna, they know she is booked and busy with her multiple business ventures such as her makeup line, Fenty Beauty, her clothing line, SavageXFenty and her music (although I’m still waiting on the new album).

In a recent Vogue interview with Anna Wintour, she was asked a multitude of questions including whether she “hoped to have a baby soon.”

Rihanna seemed slightly flustered and responded “I don’t think about stuff like that … but I look forward to the pregnancy rumors after this interview.”

Rihanna is a celebrity and celebrities are often asked these questions, but it raises the topic

of why women who do not have kids are constantly asked whether and when they will have kids.

Like many young women, Rihanna is busy hustling and working to advance her career.

Having kids may be in the back of her mind, but right now she is probably more focused on building an empire and having something that she can either pass down to her future kids or just enjoy herself.

Young women are always asked whether and when they are going to have kids and frankly, it needs to stop.

Some women may want to wait until they have hit certain milestones in their careers before having kids.

I’m not saying that women can’t have families while having

careers, but it is a lot harder.

From the difficulties that come with pregnancy, caring for a newborn and dealing with the everyday stress of raising a child, women have to make sacrifices that are not generally asked of men.

A man can simultaneously have a career and a family, but a woman would most likely have to give up her career, or at the very least cut back and not get to do everything that she wanted to do within her life and career because she had a baby.

If a child gets sick, has extracurricular activities they need to get to or simply needs more attention, the mother most likely will be expected to make sacrifices to tend to her child.

I am not saying the father

does not want to or will not make sacrifices for his child — I am simply pointing out that in most cases a woman will have to adjust her life in a major way once she becomes a parent.

With all that said, leave women alone and stop asking them when they will have children.

As women, we know our lives will change when we have kids and we know that it will be harder to balance being an ambitious career driven woman and a mother.

That is why some women choose to have kids later in life or not at all.

Let women go after their dreams without the pressure of having kids and don’t judge them if they don’t want them at all.

contact the editor: sports@alestlelive.com 650-3527 thursday, 10.17.19

sports

page 7

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Tennis dominates Cougar Invite, excel in doubles MADISON LAMMERT editor-in-chief

TRACK TENNIS’ PROGRESS NEXT WEEK

in doubles play. On Saturday, three SIUE doubles pairs went undefeated — Lambrechts and Reinicke, Tupper and Vizcardo, and Adams and Thibault.

Albertsen said seeing each of these doubles pairs succeed was particularly gratifying, as the team went into the tournament with their eyes on improving their doubles play.

their final doubles match with a 7-5 win. Lambrechts said she believes focusing heavily on her doubles play at practice contributed to the University of Dayton, Western Illinois win.

University and William Woods University “I think we just have to keep in mind that were all no match for the Cougars this weekwe play our game and stay focused on that and end. All nine SIUE players picked up at least do the things we learned during practice beone victory at the Cougar Invite. cause we worked a lot on our doubles,” LamFriday’s combrechts said. petition opened “We did a lot with singles of doubles drills against Dayton. to make sure we At the end of the got improveweekend, the Coument, and I think gars closed the we saw improvetournament 14-3 ment already.” in singles play.

Lambrechts According said she saw imto Head Coach provement in Adam Albertsen, her serves, while freshman Jill LamReinicke said brechts’ comeshe saw overall back in her singles improvement in match against their movement, Dayton’s Paige just as Albertsen Kompa was one had noted. of Friday’s many “Our movehighlights. ment was much “A huge highbetter. For examlight was Jill’s sinple, we have to gles match against look at the right No. 1,” Albertsen person when we said. “She startplay doubles, ed down 0-5 and and we’re always just looked like ready,” Reinicke she was in a hole, said. [then] came back The Cougars and was able to will play next win that set 7-5 at the ITA Reand pulled out the Maria Thibault, a sophomore from Peachtree Corners, Georgia, returns the ball in a doubles match with her partner Callaghan Adams. gional beginning whole match.”

Mackenzie Smith/The Alestle Thursday, Oct. Lambrechts went on to defeat 17, at the UniWilliam Woods’ Ana Zavala in spot no. 3, win“Coming into the tournament, the big versity of Oklahoma in Norman. According ning both of her singles matches this weekend. thing we wanted to see was doubles im- to Albertsen, the team will battle some of the Senior Lara Tupper, sophomore Vanessa Reinprovement, and we just finished the tour- best players in college tennis at the regional. icke, freshman Melissa Vizcardo and redshirt nament going 7-3 in doubles,” Albertsen junior Callaghan Adams won both their sinsaid. “We saw a lot of good things — a lot MADISON LAMMERT gles matches. Sophomore Maria Thibault deof movement, a lot of good positioning — in 650-3527 feated Western Illinois’ Ericka Dawson in her our doubles teams.” @madison_Alestle only singles match of the tournament.

Lambrechts and Reinicke closed out mlammert@alestlelive.com The Cougars finished the tournament 7-3

SIUE Standings MEN’S SOCCER

OVERALL MAC

West Virginia W. Michigan Bowling Green SIUE N. Illinois Akron

6-5-1 8-4 74-1 7-3-2 5-7-1 3-8-1

0-1 1-0 0-1 1-0 0-1 1-0

WOMEN’S SOCCER

OVERALL OVC

SEMO UT Martin Tenn. Tech Morehead St. Murray State E. Kentucky Austin Peay SIUE EIU Jacksonville St. Belmont

9-4 6-5-4 6-5-4 4-10-1 8-6 4-11 3-7-3 5-5-4 3-8-2 3-12 4-7-3

6-1 4-2-1 4-1-2 2-4-1 5-1 2-5 2-3-1 3-2-3 2-4-1 0-7 3-3-1

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL OVERALL OVC

SEMO Morehead St. Tennessee St. Jacksonville St. Murray State SIUE E. Kentucky Tenn. Tech.

Austin Peay EIU Belmont UT Martin

12-8 14-5 8-11 11-7 10-8 9-9 7-13 8-11 5-15 1-17 2-19 6-14

4-2 5-1 4-2 5-1 4-2 4-2 2-4 4-2 3-3 0-6 1-5 2-4

New nutrition center gives student athletes healthy snacks JENNIFER GOECKNER reporter

The new Student-Athlete Nutrition Center in the Vadalabene Center features a protein shake and smoothie station.

Mackenzie Smith/The Alestle

The newly opened Student-Athlete Nutrition Center gives SIUE athletes quick and healthy food options.

In the Cougar Pavilion, the center is on second floor of the Lukas Athletics Annex.

Director of Athletics Tim Hall said the nutrition center helps student-athletes recover calories burned during games.

“It’s a nutrition center, but the phrase that’s very often used is a ‘refueling station,’” Hall said.

“As student-athletes, they burn a significant amount of calories.

Because of that, it’s important for them to also ingest a certain number of calories.”

The food options available at the nutrition center include fresh fruit, granola bars, Greek yogurt and bagels. The center also has a protein shake and smoothie station.

Director of Athletic Performance Mark Jamison said good nutrition is crucial for student-athlete performance and overall welfare.

“First and foremost, the nutrition center is important because it directly impacts the health and wellness of our student athletes,” Jamison said. “Our top priority is their health and wellness, which are positively impacted by athletic training, athletic performance, sports medicine and sport psychology.”

Jamison said the department has worked to address those concerns for athletes and can now add sports nutrition to that list.

Junior track and field thrower Michaela Smith said she has already seen the positive impact of the center.

“The new nutrition center is awesome,” Smith said. “It’s really beneficial, as athletes, that we train and eat properly; so, this new addition of food and supplements have, without a doubt, helped us.”

Funds for the nutrition center were donated by Dr. Paul and Carol Nativi, of Wood River, Illinois.

Hall said the Nativis are longtime supporters of SIUE — Carol is an SIUE alumna, and Paul is the team dentist for the athletic pro-

gram. The center was planned in coordination with former athletics director Brad Hewitt and Deputy Athletic Director Jason Coomer.

Hall said this is a project SIUE Athletics has been interested in for some time but needed to locate funds for. He also said the nutrition center will make SIUE more competitive when recruiting student athletes.

“They’re looking for the best academic programs, the best academic classrooms and environments, but they’re also looking for the best athletic environments.

And part of that is one that is committed to nutrition and comprehensive student-athlete welfare,” Hall said.

Day-to-day operations will be funded by corporate sponsorships and SIUE Athletics’ operating budget.

The Student-Athlete Nutrition Center is open 7:15 - 10 a.m. and 2:30 - 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday.

JENNIFER GOECKNER

650-3527 @jgoeck_Alestle jgoeckner@alestlelive.com

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