The Marquette Tribune | October 6, 2020

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Celebrating 100 years of journalistic integrity

LIMO route changes Campus safety switches to busses to accomodate COVID-19 guidelines

Top fall sports moments Alums, coaches reflect on memorable matchups

NEWS, 5

SPORTS, 12

Volume 105, Number 7

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

WWW.MARQUETTEWIRE.ORG

2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 SPJ Award-Winning Newspaper

Young voters’ voices matter

Dining services worker retires

Wisconsin expected to be important state in election

Leola Walker leaves after 41 years at Marquette

By Benjamin Wells

By Alexa Jurado

alexa.jurado@marquette.edu

The 2020 presidential election is less than 30 days away, and the state of Wisconsin is one of the battleground states that could decide the election. The 2016 election saw President Donald Trump carrying Wisconsin by a less than one percent margin. A Republican president hadn’t won Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes since President Ronald Reagan in 1984. For the past three elections, the candidate who won Wisconsin went on to be elected to the presidency. The most recent Marquette Law School poll showed Democratic nominee Joe Biden leading seven points ahead of Trump in the dairy state, but at the same time four years ago, another Marquette Law School poll showed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton with a five-point lead ahead of Trump in the state of Wisconsin. But nationwide, college-age voters are supposedly one of the deciding factors in this election. A letter from Vote America founder Debra Cleaver said that there is an expectation to have a record-shattering debut of young voters for the 2020 election compared to the 2018 election, where 47% of the voting-eligible population participated. “I knew that it was important for me already to vote,” Morgan

After more than 41 years of working in dining services at Marquette, Leola Walker has retired. Her last day was Sept. 30. Marquette looked a lot different when Walker started working at the university in 1979. She began working in Cobeen Hall and then McCormick Hall, before moving on to work in the then newly built Alumni Memorial Union in 1990. Since then, Walker has become a familiar face at Marquette Place, most recently at Einstein Bros. Bagels. Walker said she loved her time at each of the dining halls. “I’m a people person, I love people,” Walker said. “And the students were awesome, I love the students. And I think the students loved me.” Even so, she said it was her time to retire following her birthday in September, after her sons begged her to. She said it was bittersweet. “I gave Marquette my best,” Walker said. “And now I’m gonna take the rest for me. ... It’s my time now.” Shirley Roberts worked with Walker for 28 years at Marquette Place. “(Leola) was like a second mother to me,” Roberts said. Roberts described the way Walker knew all of the students by name. Calvin McLillian has worked with Walker for six years in the AMU. When he began working at

benjamin.wells@marquette.edu

See VOICES page 4

Photo by Claire Gallagher claire.gallagher@marquette.edu

Faculty said they feel discouraged and the university does not include them in crucial decisions.

Professors disheartened by potential layoffs Marquette to face $45 million shortfall in fiscal year 2022

By Lelah Byron

lelah.byron@marquette.edu

At the beginning of every class they taught, Jones*, a professor in the College of Arts & Sciences, told their students one thing: “I have the greatest job in the world.” Jones stopped saying that this year. Jones* is a professor at Marquette University. Jones’ request to remain anonymous was granted due to the sensitive nature of this article and the risk of losing their job. Along with numerous tenured and nontenured track professors,

INDEX

MUU TV

COVID-19 TRACKER........................................3 MUPD REPORTS.............................................3 A&E..................................................................8 OPINIONS......................................................10 SPORTS..........................................................12

Jones found themself disheartened and demoralized by the announcement of 225 to 300-plus potential layoffs in the wake of an anticipated 45 million dollar budget deficit extending to the fiscal year 2022 and beyond. Roughly one-fifth of all campus faculty and academic staff could be cut. “The entire reason we became professors is for the students,” Jones said. “I get to do what I love, and work with students to do that.” But Jones said they do not love what they do anymore because of Marquette. The shortfall Marquette is facing is based on known and ex-

acerbated losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with an enrollment decline, Provost Kimo Ah Yun relayed in an email to the Marquette Wire. “We are making these decisions precisely because the future of higher education is at an inflection point,” Ah Yun said in an email. “The demographic projections have prepared us for that and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated some of the issues we were already preparing for.” Ah Yun stressed that no decisions on faculty and academic staff reductions have yet

NEWS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

OPINIONS

Students customize phone home screens

All nations must prioritize environmental issues

See LAYOFFS page 2

Flu shots offered

New iOS 14 update

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Appointments must be scheduled in advance

See RETIRES page 3

Earth first PAGE 11


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