Salukis mourn Williams Sr., page 4
Southern Illinoisans brace for SNAP delays as funding route remains unclear
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will not be funded going forward as the United States enters its second month in a government shutdown. There are many questions surrounding what will happen to those who rely on these programs for support, especially here in southern Illinois.
Jackson County has over 10,000 people who utilize SNAP benefits, and will need to find some other source of food without federal assistance.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ordered over $20 million in state money to assist food banks across the state to offset the lack of funding coming from the federal government amid the shutdown.
In this executive order, Pritzker also outlined a plan for how the Illinois government will assist in other ways, like surveying food deserts and ensuring that concerned individuals can have their voices heard on a government level.
The United States has a SNAP contingency fund worth $5 billion;
this is how SNAP has continued to function during previous government shutdowns.
The Trump Administration stood against using this fund, stating that the reserve in place should only be used for disaster relief, which is funded by the same resources as the SNAP benefits.
Several judges from across the country have ruled that the government must sustain funding for regular SNAP benefits. The Trump Administration has
@lyleegibbsphoto
Court dates have been set for the two individuals involved in an Oct. 1 altercation at a Turning Point USA booth on the campus of Southern Illinois University.
SIU student Carmella Cesario is being charged with damage to property and has a court date set for Nov. 7. Nathan Myers, who is not an SIU student and is a member of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, is being charged with battery. His court date was initially set for the same day as Cesario’s — but Myers has since motioned to
plead not guilty.
According to Judici, defense attorney Michael Burke of the Southern Illinois Law Center will be representing Myers in court during his new date of Dec. 5. Burke is an SIU alum and earned his juris doctorate degree from the SIU School of Law.
Cesario and Myers will each appear in court via Zoom in front of Jackson County Judge Jonathan Mitchell.
In video footage of the altercation obtained by the Daily Egyptian, TPUSA and CFACT pamphlets, posters and papers can be seen strewn across the Lawson lawn, which Myers
said Cesario had done, prompting the altercation.
CFACT, the organization that Myers represents, is a conservative nonprofit that advocates for freemarket solutions to environmental issues, and often partners with TPUSA on college campuses.
In videos released by SIU TPUSA on Facebook and Instagram, Cesario can be seen taking items from the booth and throwing them in the trash. Myers is then seen rushing over to prevent them from doing so, which is when Cesario is initially taken to the ground. Myers alleged that it was Cesario
Carbondale City Council member flips off constituents at meeting
carmen J. tapley ctapley@dailyegyptian cOm
The week’s Carbondale City Council meeting was full of flaring tempers and flying fingers after city constituents expressed concerns about the recent sweeping of a homeless encampment and were called “LARPers” by Council Member Adam Loos, who then flipped them off as they stormed out on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
A majority of the attendees were people who had shown up in solidarity with the homeless community as a response to the East College Street encampment being bulldozed earlier this month, as ordered by the property owners
who first started to get physical, but Cesario claims otherwise.
“Whenever they (TPUSA) show up, I take all their papers, and usually they don’t stop me, because I assume they aren’t supposed to physically assault people,” Cesario said in an interview following the altercation. “But this time when I took their papers, as I was turning away, one of the Turning Point people, a man with a maroon shirt and a beard (Myers), grabbed my bag and threw me to the ground.
I started grabbing some more of their signage, and he grabbed me and threw me down again. And when I tried to get up and grab some of the things I
of that land, and carried out in conjunction with the Carbondale Police Department.
Erik(ah) Buleer, a homeless person who was displaced by the encampment closure, began the discussion about the sweep during public comments. She said that bulldozing the encampment did nothing but scatter the homeless community to other areas of the city. She was told that the bulldozing was due to the amount of refuse that had accumulated on the property, but stated during her speech that “the truth of the matter is the garbage they came to clean out was us – we were the trash that those bulldozers
dropped, he threw me down again.” Videos taken from multiple angles show Myers slamming Cesario to the ground as the two argued. Footage shows Myers grabbing Cesario’s arm from over their shoulder as the pair were picking up flyers from the ground, then throwing Cesario onto the sidewalk.
“There’s a cut on my face,” Cesario said the night of the incident. “I have several scrapes and bruises on my hands and forearms, and I just want there to be a paper trail, because initially I was arrested as the person who did battery … I did not put my
Beau Hanshaw, dressed as Ghostface from the Scream franchise, lays on the lawn of John and Linda Huffman’s house surrounded by the fog of dry ice as he trick-or-treats along Glenview Drive Oct. 31, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs |
LOOS
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leave and were subject to arrest.
to achieve praise,” he said.
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were meant to clear.”
In her speech, she also explained to the city council that she had experienced a Carbondale police officer respond to the homeless community’s question of “where do we go?” with “not Carbondale.”
“I’m pleading, crying out to anyone with authority to do anything. Where do we go? How much taxpayer money is wasted every year in the asinine harassment and dislodging of unhoused people?” she asked the council.
Victor Ludwig spoke after Buleer, identifying himself as a neighbor. In brief comments, he said deconstructing the encampment solved nothing.
“It claws at the soul of all involved,” Ludwig said. “No more encampment sweeps, because in the lack of a comprehensive plan, we can at least have comprehensive compassion.”
The council then proceeded with comments from the council members.
City Council member Nathan Colombo said during the meeting that he is taking ideas, feelings and concerns into consideration to develop a proper homelessness action plan for Carbondale and that restructures the city’s inactive Human Relations Commission, which was an advisory board to the City Council on human relations issues. He asked that anyone with ideas to fast-track development reach out to him promptly.
Adam Loos followed with a request for City Manager Stan Reno to clarify the operation of bulldozing the encampment.
Reno stated that the relocation of the homeless community was an order from the private land owners on which the encampment was located. The police department was contacted to assist with bringing in equipment and accessing the land for removal of structures. The department also issued trespass warnings to individuals who did not
“The city did not initiate the removal of anyone, the city provided notice so that everyone had an ample opportunity to know that the property owners were coming in there to do that work, and they decided based on the conditions of their property that that’s the response they wanted to have,” Reno said.
Loos said that he is aware that city-initiated homeless camp sweeps happen in other cities, “but not here.”
He said he appreciates how much people enjoy “cosplay and LARPing,” — or Live Action Role Playing — but a city meeting is not the place for it.
He received vocal disapproval from the crowd, with an array of boos and curses while the attendees who were present to discuss the homeless issue walked out.
Loos asked the crowd to be louder with their boos, but Mayor Carolin Harvey asked Loos not to encourage that behavior. Loos then held up his middle finger in the direction of the audience and laughed as they exited.
Council member Dawn Roberts then talked about the time and resources that it takes to develop a partnership across the city and county lines. The Southern Illinois Coalition for the Homeless and Veteran focused organizations like Project Diehard, a mental health resource and research advocate, are developing partnerships that require a taskforce.
“Homelessness does not stop at borders, and neither should our compassion or planning,” she said.
Loos told the Daily Egyptian that his comment was not directed at the homeless people but rather directed at what Loos describes the “lifestyle left,” which he said are left-leaning people who are focused on posturing and emoting rather than achieving change.
He said as far as he knows, not a single person who was present to speak on the homelessness concerns are homeless themselves.
“It’s an unfortunate thing that happens when people think that politics is a way to meet their emotional needs for social acceptance
“If your primary goal is just to cosplay because it makes you feel good, then you behave erratically, so you might get up and storm out, shouting at the person who’s done more than anyone else to move Carbondale to the left,” Loos said of the people who departed the meeting after his comments.
He said people who align with the “true left” are those who have done the work.
“If you could see that there’s injustice and unfairness in the world, that you don’t like and you won’t change it, then you have an ethical duty to look around you at any given time and figure out what are the systems of oppression and cruelty that I can change and maybe win,” he said.
Loos said that it’s good to reach for something, but you have to figure out what you can change.
When asked for a solution to how people should approach the council with issues, he said, “You should come up and talk to people, but you also shouldn’t blow up relationships that take a long time to build and that you can’t really recover from.
“So, don’t act like a spoiled child. Build relationships, both with people in office and not in office,” Loos continued. “Consider running for office. When you do that, that kind of forces you to confront the reality that not all the things you want to do are popular yet, and you can make them popular. It takes some time, and you have to be committed to it. It has to be more than emoting or cosplaying.” Loos has since issued an apology for his actions, and said that he does not stand by his middle finger gesture, and wishes he would’ve handled it differently.
The full recording of Tuesday’s meeting can be found online. The interaction begins around the 16-minute mark. Staff reporter Carmen J. Tapley
Carbondale City Council member Adam Loos holds up two middle fingers at constituents during the City Council meeting Oct. 28, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Photo courtesy of City of Carbondale Live Feed.
responded, saying that the government will be providing half of their funding for SNAP this November.
It is unclear how soon assistance will be available. Although details are still emerging, it is clear that SNAP benefits will be delayed.
Meanwhile, it has fallen to local food pantries to sustain those in the community who relied on SNAP benefits.
“We are calling upon the good Samaritans of our community to provide assistance to their neighbors in need as SNAP benefits are paused due to the government shutdown,” Patty Mullen, the executive director of Carbondale food pantry Good Samaritan Ministries, said.
Other food pantries, like the Victory Dream Center, a church and a food pantry, have seen record numbers of people in recent weeks, even before the SNAP benefits were set to be paused.
Theresa Craig, a volunteer for Victory Dream Center, has worked at food pantries in Illinois and Indiana for over 15 years.
“A lot of people were here last week, there was no place to sit,” Craig said. “It was right after they announced there would not be SNAPs available this month.”
“It is incredible to see the level of need and then to wonder whether you will have to turn people away,” Victory Dream Center director Nathan Cherry said. “These are our neighbors and many of them are in significant struggle.”
Victory Dream Center alone has contributed over 10 million pounds of food to the community since 2010.
However, as demand continues to rise, they’re beginning to rely more heavily on the purchase of food rather than donations to feed those who need it.
“This is not sustainable for us in its current form,” Doug Cherry, pastor of the center, said. “Our client load has increased about 25% over the last few months – before the current SNAP crisis started. More resources are needed.”
“This is a big crisis the public can see but it’s been happening for a while,” Lisa Cherry, the administrative pastor at Victory Dream Center, said.
Food pantries, and those who rely on them, are feeling the strain of limited resources.
A press release by the Neighborhood Co-op, a grocery store in the city’s Murdale Shopping Center, emphasized that food insecurity is a shared reality across the southern Illinois community, and that even those who make the Co-op run every day are navigating the same challenges.
“For those who rely on these programs to access groceries, even a short disruption can mean difficult choices about food, bills and other essentials,” the release read.
“It’s been hard. If I didn’t have someone helping me, I don’t know how I would’ve made it,”
Amber, a woman who comes to Victory Dream Center, said. “I didn’t know how to ask for help.”
Amber had relied on SNAP benefits long before the uncertainty began, and depends on food pantries like the Victory Dream Center for assistance.
Rayann Northam and her mother, Wyndy Michaels, went to college for Veterinary Technology and found themselves in frequent use of food pantries.
Northam visits the Victory
Dream Center every weekend.
“I’ve eaten more ramen in the last month than I did in my entire college career,” Northam said of the uncertainty around SNAP benefits.
One of Michaels’ cousins had to leave their home in Florida and move in with her due to the SNAP cuts.
“Money’s been tight,” Northam said. “That’s why she tagged along.”
Good Samaritan and Victory Dream Center are both in need of assistance as the shutdown continues. Many food pantries don’t have enough products to sustain the people who need them, which
is why they must rely on donations and volunteers.
“All kinds of people rely on food pantries, with many different story lines,” Lisa Cherry said. “The dollar doesn’t spend the same anymore.”
“Every can, every box, every drive matters,” Mullen said. “Everyone can make a difference”
“Community donations and food drives will be critical to ensuring none of our neighbors go hungry,” Mullen said.
Local businesses, organizations, faith and student groups can partner with Good Samaritan to
host food drives by contacting Mullen at goodsam@mchsi.com.
For more information about how to contribute to or volunteer at Victory Dream Center, Nathan Cherry is available at 618-525-2025. To give online, go to victorydreamcenter.org.
“Together, we can uphold our cooperative values by centering compassion, equity, and community when and where it’s needed most,” the Co-Op’s press release concluded.
Staff Reporter Orion Wolf can be reached at owolf@dailyegyptian.com or orionwolf6 on Instagram
Carbondale grocery tax replaces Illinois state levy starting Jan. 2026
Trevor John TJohn@dailyegypTian com
Carbondale residents will continue paying a 1% tax on groceries despite the elimination of the statewide grocery tax starting Jan. 1, 2026.
The Carbondale City Council approved an ordinance, replacing the state tax with an identical municipal tax on groceries, that will take effect the same day.
The city tax is expected to generate between $800,000 and $1 million annually, according to Jeff Davis, the finance director for the City of Carbondale.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 3144 in August 2024, repealing Illinois’ 1% statewide grocery tax effective Jan. 1, 2026.
Carbondale is one of 656 Illinois municipalities that enacted local grocery taxes to replace revenue from the eliminated
state tax, according to the Illinois Municipal League. That represents approximately 56.5% of municipalities in the state.
Nearby municipalities, including Du Quoin, Cobden, Herrin and Anna have enacted their local grocery taxes. Marion, Jonesboro, Caterville and Murphysboro have not publicly disclosed their ordinance filings or may still be under review.
Mayor Carolin Harvey said after a City Council meeting on Oct. 28 that the decision maintains existing revenue streams.
“The 1% was already there,” Harvey said.
She said municipalities with fewer grocery stores may choose not to enact the tax because limited retail activity would generate minimal revenue.
The collection process will remain
the same despite the change in legal authority, according to Davis. Under the previous system, the state collected the tax, and the Illinois Department of Revenue distributed 100% of grocery tax revenue back to the municipality where the sale occurred.
“Before, the state would collect the tax, enacted by the state,” Davis said. “It was a state tax.”
Under the new city ordinance, retailers will continue to remit the tax to the State of Illinois, which will act as a collection agent before dispersing funds back to Carbondale.
“Cities’ 1% takes its place,” Davis said. “None of the distribution methods and models are going to change at all.”
The grocery tax revenue is deposited into the city’s general fund, which has revenues of approximately $31 million and expenditures of $31.5 million out of a total city budget
of approximately $80.1 million, according to Davis.
Losing the grocery tax revenue would necessitate budget cuts or tax increases elsewhere.
“You either have to reduce your expenditures,” Davis said. “Or you’d have to cut salaries, you’d have to cut employees, you’d have to cut benefits –you could cut anything. You could delay repairs and maintenance on facilities.”
The alternative would be to raise other local taxes to fill the gap, he said.
Francis Murphy, the general manager of Neighborhood Co-op Grocery, said in an email interview that the state tax elimination prompted municipalities to enact their own taxes.
“While I’m generally a big fan of Governor Pritzker, the elimination of the state grocery sales tax feels like a political ploy,” Murphy
wrote. “More than half of Illinois municipalities, or approximately 56.5 percent, have voted to impose a local grocery sales tax to compensate for lost revenue.”
Murphy calculated the annual impact on a family with a weekly grocery budget of $300 as $156 per year.
“I don’t think that’s a tangible difference in most families’ budgets,” Murphy said.
The 1% tax will apply to food for human consumption sold off premises, excluding alcohol, soft drinks, candy and foods prepared for immediate consumption. The tax is collected at the point of sale and appears as a separate line item on receipts.
For a $100 grocery purchase, the tax adds $1 to the total cost.
News reporter Trevor John can be reached at tjohn@dailyegyptian.com
A volunteer at The Victory Dream Center food pantry, Theresa Craig sorts through a box of fruit Nov. 1, 2025 at The Victory Dream Center food pantry in Carbondale, Illinois. Riley Sembler | @riley_sembler
SIU remembers the life, wisdom of coach Herman Williams Sr.
Saluki Media ServiceS
Herman Williams Sr., a longtime presence at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and a former assistant coach for the Saluki men’s basketball team, died Thursday, Oct. 29. He was 81.
“Herman is a legend in the halls of Saluki Athletics,” SIU Director of Athletics Tim Leonard said. “He set an example that we strive to follow today. We are beyond thankful for his contributions to our basketball programs, athletic department and university. He will be greatly missed.”
Known affectionately as “Chief,” “Big Herm” or simply “Coach,” Williams joined SIU in 1974 and served as an assistant basketball coach until 1978. He then followed head coach Paul Lambert to Auburn University in Alabama. Lambert tragically died in a hotel fire before
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hands on the other person.
The only things I touched were physical objects. I did not harm the other person. He attempted to coerce me into hurting him. He was trying to make me mad, but he did throw me to the ground at least three times.”
Cesario previously admitted to the DE that they have taken TPUSA papers from their booths
coaching a game at Auburn. Williams remained at Auburn until 1981, when he returned to SIU — a move he described as a thrill.
Williams coached the Salukis until 1986, then transitioned to Recreational Sports and Services, where he worked until retiring in 2007. That same year, the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association honored him with the People of Color Distinguished Leadership Award for his dedication to students.
Before his time at SIU, Williams played basketball, football and baseball in high school and earned a football scholarship to Dillard University in New Orleans. He received a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education and later earned a master’s degree from the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
multiple times in the past, and has filed no official motion for representation nor have they indicated how they plan to plead to the property damage charges.
“(Cesario) decided to come and tear everything up and rip things out of the ground,” Myers told the DE the day of the incident. “So I went to reclaim our property — which had not been given to her. She didn’t even say anything when she walked up, she just walked up
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A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Williams coached the basketball team at his alma mater, A.H. Parker High School, to two state championships and a third-place finish. He also served as an assistant football coach.
Williams was a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and helped re-establish the local graduate chapter.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Yvonne Williams; two children, Kesha and Herman; and two grandchildren, Taylor and Herman III.
Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to noon on Friday, Nov. 7, a New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 803 N. Robert A. Stalls Ave., in Carbondale. Funeral services will directly follow at the church. Services will be livestreamed on the church’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ NewZionMissionaryBaptistChurch.
and immediately started trashing the table. So it got a little physical, unfortunately. I didn’t want it to, but I had to defend us and defend our stuff.”
In a statement released after the incident, the SIU TPUSA chapter condemned the actions of both Cesario and Myers.
“Their behaviors do not reflect the values we uphold, nor did they conduct themselves properly,” the statement read.
Both cases are being handled as municipal ordinance violations, not state criminal prosecutions.
Ordinance violations are filed by the City of Carbondale Attorney and not the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Under Carbondale’s home-rule authority, local ordinances mirror Illinois statutes such as criminal damage to property (§13-28) and criminal battery (§13-27), but carry civil penalties such as fines
or community service and rarely result in jail time.
In some court documents, Myers’ name is spelled “Meyers,” which is not how he spells it in his professional profiles online.
The Daily Egyptian will continue to follow this story as it develops.
News Editor Jackson Brandhorst can be reached at jbrandhorst@ dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @jacksondothtml
Photo provided by Jackson funeral home.
Frights and Delights from Halloween in Carbondale
Frights and delights filled Glenview Drive on Halloween evening as hundreds of trick-or-treaters, adorned with a variety of costumes, quested for candy.
Characters from different movies, books, TV shows and universes — from “Star Wars” Storm Troopers to clowns — all walked the streets of Carbondale for the night.
Carbondale residents Macklen Makhloghi and Jamie Gray sat in their driveway, wearing matching striped sweaters, as the final pieces of candy quickly left their bowl. The pair moved to Carbondale two years ago from Los Angeles and found themselves in a bustling street of trick-ortreaters.
They bought 750 pieces of candy this year, starting to hand out candy at 4 p.m., and by 7:30 p.m., their candy bowl ran dry. Kane Jackson, a young trick-or-treater dressed as an alien, grabbed the last piece of candy from their bowl and hoisted it high in the air.
“We thought we were prepared last year; we were warned it was going to be a mob scene,” Makhloghi said. “We ran out of candy halfway through trick-or-treating, embarrassingly. We stocked up this year, and we are still going to run out it looks like.”
Many houses along the route were decorated with spider webs, gravestones, jack-o’-lanterns and a plethora of frights.
John and Linda Huffman, along with their family, turned their driveway into a layer of fog as wisps of smoke unfurled from buckets of dry ice around trick-or-treaters. They began decorating at 11:30 a.m. on Halloween, setting up skeletons and hay bales.
They moved into the house in 1975, and said Halloween has gotten bigger and bigger every year since.
Trick-or-treater Beau Hanshaw, dressed in a Ghostface costume, laid in the grass rising up from under the layers of smoke as his friend, Tage Green, dressed as Scooby Doo, wafted the mist back over him.
Curtis Vaughn and his son Felix dress up as Storm Troopers as they trick-or-treat along Glenview Drive Oct. 31, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Alysh Oetzel, dressed as a clown, hands a handful of candy to young trick-ortreater Quinn Clutts Oct. 31, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Halloween house decor sit along Glenview Drive Oct. 31, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Trick-or-treaters take candy from a bowl as they trick-or-treat along Glenview Drive Oct. 31, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Lylee Gibbs | @lyleegibbsphoto
Artist vs. algorithm: How local artists are grappling with AI
Mariah Fletcher MFletcher@dailyegyptian coM
The cursor blinks on a poet’s blank page and the paintbrush of an artist remains still all while machines generate art. We are in a world where algorithms are mimicking human-made creativity. Some creatives use AI as a tool to help them grow businesses and others see it as a creative competition.
Creative writers have been admired for decades because of their original thoughts and authentic story telling. How will creative writing change when anyone can put a prompt into a machine? Now, anyone can create stories with the help of AI programs. All that is required is a simple prompt for AI to generate a storybook.
Preslee Sutherland is a freshman at SIU studying English and works as an editor for Grassroots Magazine, an undergraduate student-led magazine organization. Sutherland said she is concerned for the future of literature as AI takes major advancing steps.
“I think AI makes it really easy to cheat. You have somebody doing the hard part, which is reading and writing,” Sutherland said.
Programs like ChatGPT and OpenAI can summarize an article for a student and write an essay on any given topic.
“People don’t have to read anymore. Macbooks have Apple intelligence where you can highlight texts and it will summarize it for you. That is why people are not reading anymore.” Sutherland states.
CNN reports that reading levels after COVID-19 reached historic lows. A Stanford University study used an AI detection tool to check writing assignments and found that 11% showed signs that at least 20% of the writing in the submitted assignments was written by AI. Sutherland, like many others in creative fields, expressed concern
work this semester, but it is a huge concern,” Sutherland said.
“We know to look for it, but sometimes it is well-hidden. I see it all the time on social media. It is getting harder to tell what is real and what isn’t, especially with writing.On the opposite side of the spectrum, I could write with a semicolon, or a grammatically correct sentence. People would say, ‘that is AI-generated,’ now because of the proper grammar.”
Artists in other fields are also worried about the potential impact of AI tools. Gracie Harrawood is an SIU alum, art teacher at Zeigler Royalton Highschool and a traveling makeup artist. She has expressed concerns within both of her creative fields, but also the strengths that AI can provide.
“There are positives and negatives to AI being so accessible across the board,” Harrawood stated.
“Creativity is defined as the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work. In an area where machines can create anything we ask… we can learn how to not rely on AI but… use it as a tool.”
Harrawood also said some programs can make her teaching job easier as a new teacher. Some algorithms can help Harrawood with lesson plans and grading rubrics.
“I love the experience of pen and paper, the imagination and planning that go into each project,” she said.
Harrawood said she understands why teachers use algorithms for lesson planning, noting that burnout and sickness may prevent them from closing out an idea.
AI in the classroom has been a huge concern for many teachers around the world. According to Education Week, between 60% and 70% of students admitted to cheating using AI-generated work in any classroom.
there being at least a tiny flaw.”
She said she shows her students how to use AI software like ChatGPT as a tool to find inspiration, ideas or themes.
“ In an area where machines can create anything we ask… we can learn how to not rely on AI but… use it as a tool.”
- Gracie Harrawood Art teacher and makeup artist
for the future of creative writing. She said she worries about the potential use of AI-generated writing submitted to Grassroots Magazine.
“I haven’t received any AI
“When I think of AI art, I think of unrealistic or almost… too realistic art,” Harrawood said. “Humans, animals, and nature are usually very organic. This is hard to find in AI without
“I do not teach students how to make AI images or art,” she said. “But, I do talk about activism, plagiarism, authorship and inspiration. Do we make art that looks exactly like the ‘Starry Night?’ No. But we love and create impressionist art.”
Harrawood is not only an art teacher, but also a traveling makeup artist for weddings and events. She said she struggles with clients asking for achievable looks retouched with AI.
“I could probably draw out the same four photos I receive as inspiration,” she said. “Unrealistic eyes, blurred smokey eyeshadow, freakishly smooth skin. Not a
pimple or a wrinkle in sight. No amount of skin prep or primer can achieve AI. How do I tell my client I do not do Botox or facelifts?”
Harrawood said AI-generated photos have changed her clients’ expectations, and she now refers them to Facebook or Instagram for makeup look inspiration.
“Real skin, real people,” she said. AI has been an issue in the film industry as well, with Eline Van der Velden’s AI-generated actress, Tilly. Tilly is an AI generated actress that many film corporations want to make movies with. Tilly is a thin, white, completely generated character with unrealistic features.
Many concerned women have commented on how AI will impact the unrealistic beauty standards already held for young women worldwide. In an article published by the Huffington Post, researchers
examined how AI defines a “beautiful woman,” often depicting her as young, slender and white. Harrawood explained that AI tools can be useful to the business administration side of the beauty industry. Harrawood said she tries to post onto her business social media accounts twice a week.
“A few months ago, I leaned on ChatGPT-generated graphics and captions… my social media plummeted,” she said. “The worst stats I have ever seen behind my posts on social media. Say what you want, but I can pick out a Chat GPT caption or even better, an AI headshot from a mile away now. It feels disconnected, too rigid, and unauthentic.”
Staff Reporter Mariah Fletcher can be reached by emaile at mfletcher@dailyegyptian.com
Dena Rendleman | @dena.rendleman
yahri
SIU aquarium remains one of campus’ best-kept secrets
edMond yedMond@dailyegyptian coM
Tucked away inside Southern Illinois University’s McLafferty Annex is one of the university’s best-kept secrets: a fully functioning aquarium and aquaculture research facility that few students even know exists.
“It’s been here since 2013 — that’s well over 10 years. Why does nobody know about this place?” said zoology senior Ashlynn Shea, who serves as the lead student manager of the aquatic facility.
The aquarium is home to a range of freshwater and saltwater species, including native Illinois river fish and vibrant coral systems. Tanks with shovelnose sturgeon, largemouth bass, clownfish and various coral species offer opportunities for students to gain hands-on research experience in aquaculture, toxicology and aquatic behavior studies.
“These are river species,” Shea explained while gesturing toward a tank of sturgeon. “They’re native to our rivers around here. They’re very ancient — these guys have been around since the dinosaurs, and they’ve never evolved.”
Shea began working at the aquarium shortly after transferring to SIU, where she was immediately offered a research position by James E. Garvey, professor of zoology, fisheries and aquaculture.
“That day I met with him, he offered me a job,” she said. “He asked, ‘Do you want to be my coral expert for the next two years?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”
Since then, Shea has been responsible for maintaining the tanks and managing the facility’s growing number of volunteers through the Saluki Coral Reefers Club, a registered student organization that supports the aquarium’s mission.
“The club is tied into the aquarium,” Shea said. “We have a ton of people who are interested in volunteering … but working with live animals takes training. We have to ensure that they’re not going to harm the system.”
Beyond its day-to-day care, the aquarium also supports innovative research. Shea’s current project focuses on aquaponics, a sustainable system combining fish farming and plant cultivation.
“I’m growing cannabis in a greenhouse, but since I work here, I decided to do aquaponics versus hydroponics,” she said. “It combines my two interests — fisheries and plant science.”
Despite its promise and educational potential, the aquarium faces persistent challenges, particularly with funding and visibility.
“The main challenge is just funding,” Shea said. “It’s not even on our website!”
SIU’s Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, which oversees the facility, is the only program of its kind in Illinois. Students and faculty emphasize that its mission, breeding and maintaining fish populations in controlled environments, plays a critical role in sustainable aquaculture, a field essential to preventing overfishing and species decline.
“Aquaculture is the future,” Shea explained. “Every lake is stocked with fish that are bred in captivity, then released into the wild. It’s how we maintain populations. Without it, everything would decline.”
The facility has already proven its worth in shaping student careers.
Ashlynn Shea discusses the personalities of two clownfish, Nemo and Emo, in one of the controlled live tanks Oct. 28, 2025 at the McLafferty Annex in Carbondale, Illinois. Amilia Estrada | aestrada@dailyegyptian.com
“We’ve had people who worked here and landed their dream job right off the bat,” Shea said. “One of the guys I trained worked here for a year and then got hired at an aquaculture facility. It’s helping people down the road.”
Still, Shea hopes to see the aquarium expand and gain the recognition it deserves.
“Right now, it’s really me, a postdoc and the volunteers,” she said. “I want it to expand to more employees and include students from other majors. It shouldn’t just be for fisheries majors — it should be inclusive.”
In addition to her work in fisheries and aquaculture, Shea also holds minors in chemistry and cannabis production, which she has uniquely integrated into her research at the aquarium. Her latest study examines how fish can supplement cannabis plant growth in an aquaponic system, blending biology, chemistry and sustainable farming techniques.
“This is kind of my new study right now because I have a cannabis minor,” Shea said. “I’m growing in a greenhouse, but since I also work here, I decided to do aquaponics versus hydroponics.”
Shea’s experimental setup uses juvenile largemouth bass, a native and popular sportfish, to observe how nutrients from fish waste can enhance cannabis growth in waterbased systems. “It’s how the fish can supplement the plants for growth,” she explained. “It combines my two interests, and I’ve learned a lot since doing it.”
As Shea prepares to graduate, she is already training underclassmen to take over. “When I first came in, it was kind of a mess,” she said. “Now that I know what I’m doing, I want to teach other people that as well. I just want to make sure it’s in good hands.”
The SIU Aquarium remains one of the university’s most unique, underpublicized spaces — a symbol of scientific curiosity quietly thriving beneath the surface of campus life. For Shea and her team, the hope is that one day, everyone at SIU will know it exists.
“It’s a sustainable form of farming, it’s the future, and it’s right here in Carbondale,” Shea said.
Staff Reporter Yahri Edmond can be reached by email at yedmond@dailyegyptian.com
Hydroponic garden grows marijuana Oct. 28, 2025 at the McLafferty Annex in Carbondale, Illinois. Daylin Williams|@photosbydaylin
Inland silverside fish on display in clear habitats Oct. 28, 2025 at the McLafferty Annex in Carbondale, Illinois. Daylin Williams | @photosbydaylin
Salukis ravage Racers in the rain, win 27-7
Will Elliott WElliott@dailyEgyptian com
Southern Illinois University traveled to Murray, Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 1 to face off against Murray State University, returning SIU quarterback DJ Williams to his former stomping grounds. After a 27-7 victory, the Dawgs handed Murray their 18thloss in a row – during the Racer’s Homecoming.
SIU won the coin toss and made a 23-yard return from the SIU 5-yard line. SIU drove up the field with Murray getting an offsides penalty on their own 2-yard line, just before Williams rushed the ball in for a touchdown.
Murray got their chance to play, starting on their own 25-yard line. Murray quarterback Jim Ogle threw up the middle to wide receiver JK Carter and advanced to the SIU thirtyyard line, Murray later turned over on downs.
Running back Chandler Chapman rushed to the right for a gain of 13 yards to the SIU 29-yard line, which was pushed back 5 yards due to a false start. After two back-to-back incomplete throws, SIU punted the ball.
Ogle passed to Racer wide receiver Jalen Richmond for an 8-yard gain. After a one-yard setback, Ogle completed a 3-yard pass to Carter, for a first down. Ogle passed up the middle for 19 yards to Carter, ending the first quarter with a first down on the SIU 41st yard line.
The second quarter started as Ogle passed to the left for 4 yards to Carter who caught and advanced to the SIU 39 for a first down. A 15-yard penalty on the SIU defence for pass interference moved Murray up to the SIU 32. The ball was picked off at the SIU 10 as SIU safety CeJai Parson ran up the field for
54 yards before being brought down on the Murray 36-yard line by Richmond. SIU sprinted with a 6-yard rush to get to the Murray 30-yard line. During their second play, Williams pushed up 12 yards before being shoved off to get to a first down. Williams then rushed again for 13 yards to the Murray 5-yard line. After a no-gain rush, Salukis called for a timeout.
After a field goal, Salukis led 10-0 against Murray as the Racers started their third drive of the game at the Murray 20-yard line. The drive did not last long before Murray decided to pull
out their punter, who punted the ball away SIU’s fourth drive of the game saw the Salukis on fourth and 3. A timeout was called by coach Nick Hill before Williams faked the run, passing the ball 39 yards to running back Lem Wash. Williams rushed into the endzone, helping SIU secure a 17-0 lead.
Murray drove up to the SIU 20 line, with SIU receiving another 5-yard penalty. Murray took a timeout while they were fourth and 1, just before getting the first
down on the SIU 19. Ogle passed to Carter to secure a Murray touchdown making it 17-7 at the half.
Murray started their drive on its 27-yard line and made two yard gains before they were forced to punt.
SIU pushed down the field with their momentum, stopping at Murray’s 41-yard line. Williams threw a completed pass to tight end Aidan Quinn, who was forced to fumble the ball by Shadon Shannon, giving the ball back to Murray on the Murray 29-yard line.
With their newly possessed ball, Murray pushed down the field for a first down. After the first down, Ogle missed two throws, and the ball was punted back to SIU.
SIU started their drive with a 22-yard pass to tight end Miles Marshall, which lined them up to move 22 more yards over three separate plays. After a zero-gain rush and an incomplete pass from Williams, SIU kicked a 35-yard field goal.
Murray put coal into the furnace at the beginning of the drive as running back Jawaun Northington moved them 33 yards, but the fire didn’t last long as Murray punted the ball to SIU to end the third quarter 20-7.
The fourth quarter began with SIU on its 31-yard line with a 6-yard rush by Williams. Running back Edward Robinson rushed up
the middle and moved the ball 17 yards to the Murray 47-yard line. Williams made a deep 21-yard pass to Wash for a rushing touchdown.
Murray got the ball on their own 29-yard line. During their first play of the drive, quarterback Baxter Wright rushed for an 8-yard gain before he was forced to fumble by SIU defensive end Caden Reeves. Williams failed to complete a pass to wide receiver Fabin McCray on the Murray 10, forcing them to punt..
Murray got the ball to their own 45-yard line before quarterback Kaleb Bailey rushed down the middle for 16 yards, placing Murray in SIU territory. Bailey threw down the middle to the warm, welcoming arms of SIU Safety Cejai Parson as he returned the ball 15 yards to the SIU 20yard line.
SIU used its possession of the football to drive up the field before kneeling down to end the game 27-7, marking a vengeful win for former Murray State QB DJ Williams and the 18th straight loss for Murray State.
SIU moves to 6-3 on the season and 3-2 in MVFC play. The Salukis stay on the road for a matchup against Youngstown State (5-4, 2-3) next Saturday, Nov. 8.
Staff Reporter Will Elliott can be reached at welliott@ dailyegyptian.com or on instagram @cameramanwill06
Photo provided by Abby Harris with Saluki Athletics
Photo provided by Saluki Athletics
Dominant De Schutter drives his way into SIU golf history
Noah Petschke NPetschke@dailyegyPtiaN com
If you are familiar with Missouri Valley Conference golf or have spent time perusing the SIU golf page, you have encountered the name Anthony De Schutter. He is a fifth-year golfer from Bree, Belgium, who has cemented himself in the Saluki record books and looks to continue making SIU history in his final year.
De Schutter has played for three schools throughout his collegiate career, but has called Southern Illinois University home for the last two seasons under the guidance of head coach Justin Fetcho. The 2024-25 season was his first as a Saluki, and he was already making his presence known by winning the MVC Newcomer of the Year award, being named to the All-MVC Team, and achieving the fourthlowest single-season scoring average in SIU history (71.91).
De Schutter did not want to stop there, however. He has now claimed three individual titles throughout the fall portion of the 2025-26 season, making him one of two SIU golfers to accomplish such a feat.
“When you come back for a fifth year and get that opportunity from Coach to come back, one of the goals I had was just to win one,” De Schutter said. “I was never really thinking about being the guy with the most, but that’s definitely something I am looking at right now.”
To begin the season, De Schutter
and the SIU golf team traveled to Manhattan, Kansas, for the Wildcat Invitational, where he took first place and claimed his first title.
“My goal was to win a college event; to be able to do that was amazing,” De Schutter said.
Coach Fetcho has seen a major improvement in De Schutter’s mentality from his first to his second season at SIU.
“The jump that he has made from last year to this year has been impressive,” Fetcho said. “More so in his mental game, the way he conducts himself, the way that he is more professional and his attitude at practices… I think it has paid off for him in the long run.”
Along with Fetcho, De Schutter attributes his leap to the stronger mentality he has developed.
“I think that was kind of the missing piece,” De Schutter said. “My confidence levels, my thought process, the things I have 100% control over — I make sure that those are absolutely perfect because you can’t hit every golf shot perfectly.”
De Schutter’s teammates have also played a big role in his success.
“We have an extremely talented group of guys. It’s awesome to be surrounded by guys who have the same goals as you and want to get better every day; it’s amazing,” De Schutter said.
Fetcho, who has coached at SIU for 10 seasons, said that everybody’s trying to push one another to be their best.
“I think that’s what’s made this
group and this start of the season so much different than any others,” Fetcho said.
De Schutter has been a Saluki for the past two years and praised the SIU golf program and Fetcho’s coaching style.
“I think the way we work is just completely different,” De Schutter said. “A lot of it is Coach. The way he sets up his practices, the way he pushes us, it’s a lot better in my opinion than other programs.”
When SIU traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana, for the Purdue Invitational, De Schutter felt extra motivated to win his record-tying
third title.
“He just did his thing,” Fetcho said. “It’s a tough golf course; other people fell a bit, and he made some birdies coming down the stretch… ultimately, he’s walking down the last hole with a one-shot lead.”
That victory stood out to Fetcho due to De Schutter’s determined approach.
“He didn’t have to go and be someone he wasn’t; he didn’t have to go chasing anything down; he didn’t have to be any more aggressive in certain spots… what we’re seeing from him is just an emotional maturity that we haven’t seen in a while,” Fetcho said.
Overall, De Schutter has benefited greatly from an additional year with the team and under Fetcho’s mentorship.
“I just feel it when I’m playing, a completely different person; a completely different mindset. It definitely helped me to come back and work with Coach for another year,” De Schutter said.
Anthony De Schutter will play in his final semester starting Feb. 8, 2026, in Puerto Rico for the Palmas Del Mar Collegiate.
Sports reporter Noah Petschke can be reached at npetschke@dailyegyptian.com
SIU women’s basketball team looking to
After the final buzzer sounded on the Salukis’ 88-48 loss to the Illinois State Redbirds in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball tournament last March, the questions started flying. Will superstar forward Gift Uchenna transfer elsewhere? Will head coach Kelly Bond-White return? How do you bounce back from a 4-26 season?
We got some answers during the offseason. Uchenna ended up transferring to University of Wisconsin, and Bond-White is returning for the fourth year of her five-year contract. That last
question is one we can only begin to answer after the team’s season opener Tuesday, Nov. 4 at home vs. Division II foe Lewis University. It will largely be the same team trying to turn it around. Although Uchenna and five others left last year’s squad, eight players return Bond-White rounded out the roster with five new transfers from other institutions.
There are drawbacks and strengths to returning that many players from a team that didn’t perform well last season. An obvious concern is the fact those players struggled to perform last year, so why would this year be any different? It’s a valid question considering one of the people leaving is among the
most dominant players in school history, another was the senior leader, and another was arguably the most reliable three-point shooting option.
In response, an important consideration is that while there are eight returning players from last year’s roster, three of them saw limited or no on-court action last year. Graduate guard Jeniah Thompson was battling a shoulder injury throughout the campaign and only played in eight games. Senior guard Karris Allen and junior center Angela Samuel both missed the entire season with injuries of their own. If those three are healthy heading into the year, the Salukis have three weapons at their disposal they had to holster last season.
This was also an incredibly young team last year. Of the 12 players that saw action last year, half were freshmen. Not to mention guards Kayla Cooper and Tkiyah Nelson were both only sophomores. Now those players have an entire year of Division I basketball under their belts, and they’re bound to improve.
That said, Allen, Thompson, and Georgia Southern transfer forward Indya Green are the only seniors on the team. It’s still a young group , just not nearly as young as last year.
Another concern is that of the five-player transfer class, only Green and Oral Roberts transfer guard Alayna Kraus have previous NCAA experience. Guards
Kynnedi Davis and Hiba Malkawi come from the junior college level, and center Carmen Morales spent last season with Benedictine College in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Salukis are again trotting out a relatively young and inexperienced squad. Did they learn enough from last year to dramatically improve? There’s only one way to find out: wait and see, starting with the season opener Tuesday, Nov. 4, at home against Division II Lewis University at 11 a.m.
Sports reporter Eli Hoover can be found at ehoover@ dailyegyptian.com or on Instagram @hoovermakesart
Golf coach Justin Fetcho and player Anthony De Schutter who has been recently dominant the Fall league in golf breaking SIU golf records Oct. 22, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Deangelo Handley | @_deevisuals54
PUZZLE ANSWERS (puzzles
Pick of the Litter
PRSSA performs to the song Telephone by Lady Gaga at the Karaoke Cup event held by The Daily Egyptian and Hangar 9 Oct. 28, 2025 in Carbondale, Illinois. Emily Brinkman | @erb_photo_
At just 10 months old, this sweet couch potato has perfected the art of quiet companionship.
She’s not the life of the party (in fact, she probably won’t even attend your BBQ-too many strangers), but once she gets to know you, she’ll be your snuggle buddy for life.
Eden’s ideal night? Netflix, snacks, and cozying up with her favorite introvert. She may take a little time to warm up, but when she does, she’ll melt your heart with love and loyalty. Bonus: she’s dog-friendly too! For more information or to schedule a meet and greet, email rescue@ wright-wayrescue.org or call Wright-Way Rescue at 847-728-5434. Wright-Way Rescue is a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals in need
PUZZLE PAGE
Escherichia ---, potentially
bacterium
Weekly Event Calendar
Your guide to upcoming local events over the next 7 days!
Hangar 9
Carbondale
Open DJ Deck Night, 8 p.m.
PK’s (21+)
Carbondale Trivia, 8 p.m.
Booby’s Carbondale Karaoke, 8:30 p.m.
Hangar 9 Carbondale
Hangar ‘Til 9 5 p.m.
Pop Queens of the 2000s 10 p.m.
PK’s (21+) Carbondale
Tim Crosby happy hour show, 6 p.m.
Brews Brothers Murphysboro Trivia, 8 p.m.
Hangar 9 Carbondale
Funk Set with Ace.wav, Beer Garden, 5 p.m. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band with The SIU Trumpet Studio, 7 p.m.
Hangar 9 Carbondale
The Number 9 Blacktops, 11 p.m.
Route 51 Elkville Salsa Night, 6 p.m.
Little Nashville Marion
Memphis Night with The Smith-Hill Band, 6 p.m.
November
Hangar 9 Carbondale
Lucas Wayne & The Cottonmouths, 6 p.m. Latin Night w/ DJ Vortex and KVZ, 9 p.m.
Booby’s Carbondale
Exit 122, Just South of Antarctica, and TBA, 10 p.m.
Jackson County Extension Office Murphysboro Pumpkin Smash, 10 a.m.
Route 51 Elkville The Musicmen, 7 p.m.
Alto Vineyards Alto Pass
Tess Brummer, 2 p.m.
Owl Creek Vineyards Cobden
Jonny Coller 2 p.m.
Booby’s Carbondale
Metal Monday: Frontal Assault, Takacs, ILL Omen, & Kill Your Abuser, 8 p.m.
Hangar 9 Carbondale
Daily Egyptian’s RSO Karaoke Cup - 10 - 11 p.m.
Sarah Lannom Duo, 3 p.m.
Little Nashville Marion
Open Mic Night 6 p.m. Starview Cobden
Blue Sky Vineyard Makanda The Natives 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Want to see your event here? Email editor@dailyegyptian.com.