The Daily Egyptian SERVING THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY SINCE 1916
WWW.DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020
VOL. 103, ISSUE 20
Play that funky music:
The Deciders bring music to Carbondale Bethany Rentfro | @BethanyRentfro
Illinois flushes out bathroom discrimination with new law Erin Denae Douglas | @cornbab
Juniper Oxford | @JuniperOxford
All single occupant restrooms in Illinois must now be marked as gender neutral. The Equitable Restrooms Act, Senate Bill 556 was passed by Gov. JB Pritzker and came into effect Jan. 1. This act requires that “Every single-occupancy restroom in a place of public accommodation or public building shall be identified as all-gender and designated for use by no more than one person at a time or for family or assisted use.” It specifies that the signage should indicate that the restroom is marked as a restroom, that it is single-occupancy, and that it “does not indicate any specific gender.” Vernon Cooper, SIU’s LGBTQ Resource Coordinator, said Illinois passed what was already supported by the International Plumbing Code, which was updated in 2018 to include specific signage requirements. “SIU has recently passed, or agreed upon, standard signage that, I believe, it says ‘restroom’ and has the accessibility symbol and has signage to indicate that it’s accessible by all genders,” Cooper said. The process for making the signage standard to law on campus is underway, but not yet completed. Cooper said all single-occupancy restrooms on campus are currently for any gender, despite any outdated signage that says otherwise. “Once we became aware of the legislation last fall, or I guess when it passed last spring or last summer,” Scott Keith, Supt. of Building Maintenance, said. “It was effective Jan. 1, 2020. Last year, last fall, we started doing a survey of campus facilities to determine how many restrooms fell into
the definition of the new legislation.” Keith said a total of 84 were found across campus that required updated signage in order to comply with the new Illinois law. The signage is currently on order and, when it comes in, will be installed on those restrooms. “It looks as if it is supposed to happen as soon as possible. We expect to have it completed in the next month or two,” Keith said. “The legislation is very specific and the legislation specifically says that the signage should be replaced with text either noting either ‘Restroom’ or ‘All Gender Restroom’” The Equitable Restrooms Act is just one of the few laws that affect the LGBTQ Community that went into law on Jan. 1 and Cooper said progress should not stop there, nor should it ever. “You should never be satisfied that you have done enough,” Cooper said. “You should continue to look for and double check that the things you set up five years ago are still the best option.” Refuge is an app available on the Apple app store that shows nearby gender neutral, single-occupancy restrooms using your location and their map. For SIU students who feel most comfortable using a gender neutral, single-occupancy restroom, Refuge will be able to assist. Reporter Juniper Oxford can be reached at joxford@dailyegyptian.com or on Twitter at @JuniperOxford.
The Deciders are a Carbondale band with a relaxed attitude and a funky take on jazz and blues Band members Chris DiBiase, Robert Russel and Jimmy Beers are three friends who share an interest in making music. DiBiase, bass player of The Deciders, said one thing that makes their band unique is they don’t operate on an organized schedule. They know how to let loose and have fun. “We often get kinda loose in this band,” DiBiase said. “Other bands are a little more regimented, you know. We are working on a loose band. We have fun with it.” The band is working on their first CD and will be releasing it at the Varsity Theatre. The release date is still unknown, but the band members said it might be out by this spring or summer. DiBiase said he got his first bass guitar at the age of 14 and has been playing ever since. Russell, lead guitarist and singer for the band, said his grandmother bought him a guitar when he was 9 years old. Beers, drummer for the band, graduated with his master’s in music performance from SIU Carbondale and performs with several bands in southern Illinois. Beers talked about his musical background and how he landed in that field of study. “When I came to college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Beers said. “I started in Mass Comm and then in theatre, and ended up getting involved with the music department. I continued to play with bands in town and I still do that.” Both Russell and DiBiase said they started off as a duo and played together for about two or three years. Beers eventually joined the band and they’ve been performing as a trio ever since. DiBiase said they struggled to find a permanent drummer for their band before Beers joined. Both band members said Beers has been a great addition to their group. “He’s a great drummer,” DiBiase said. “He has a master’s in performance and he plays in almost every band in Carbondale. We’re lucky to have him when we do. Out of the 30 years I’ve been here, he’s the best. He’s really good.” The band said the most unusual experience they’ve ever had at a gig was when they played at PK’s in Carbondale during a rugby reunion. “They were really drunk by the time it was over,” DiBiase said. “It was kinda nuts.” Both Russel and DiBiase described the style of their music as an interesting combination of jazz and blues. “We do a lot of different things,” Russel said. “There’s a lot of original music and we try to stay away from 12-bar blues.” The members of the band said they enjoy Please see DECIDERS | 3