Lab Science program cut
gram should remain intact.
Despite the effort to keep it afloat, those in the program were informed June 13 of the termination in a letter from the dean of the College of Health Sciences.
meeting. “There’s no direct line to see an increase in that, so the program has been terminated.”
ter Spring 2029.
Flood
Marquette Crew loses rowing dock, equipment
By Lance Schulteis lance.schulteis@marquette.edu
By Mia Thurow mia.thurow@marquette.edu
Marquette Crew, the university’s club rowing team, woke up to find over $30,000 in damage to program equipment following the historic flooding in Milwaukee Aug. 9-10. With a sudden overnight rise of the Menomonee River, the club’s ramps were left either destroyed or missing, and the dock was hanging mere feet above the water.
Without the dock, Crew said, the team can’t get on the water to train and will be stuck on indoor machines.
“On August 10th, flooding in Milwaukee took away something so central to our team–a dock that’s been part of countless launches, early mornings, and shared victories,” Crew’s Instagram account posted Aug. 11.
By Lance Schulteis lance.schulteis@marquette.edu
After 90 years, the Medical Laboratory Science major at Marquette is closing its doors.
The termination of the program is part of Marquette 2031: Securing Our Future Plan, which aims to reduce spending by $31 million by 2031 and reinvest 40% into the university. The committee behind the strategic plan proposed to eliminate or modify 15 programs, recommending the MLSC program in a September 2024 report.
In March, students and faculty lobbied for the retention of the program by attending a University Academic Senate meeting in white lab coats and gave testimony as to why the pro-
“Please know that the decision to sunset the MLSC program does not reflect a value judgment on the medical laboratory science profession or its faculty and students,” the letter said. “Rather, the decision concerns financial realities identified through an extensive process of research and analysis.”
The final recommendation for cancelation went to Acting Provost Sarah Feldner. After spending time reviewing all the notes and prior recommendations, Feldner said, she decided to move forward with the termination of the major despite calling it important.
“I looked at all the pieces in terms of enrollment trends,” Feldner said in an Aug. 25 Academic Senate
The initial projection from the College of Health Sciences shared a savings of $512,944 from 2026-2031 if the program was eliminated.
For students currently enrolled in the program, as well as incoming students, a plan is in development that would allow for the completion of degrees over the next four years.
The program includes four faculty and staff members, who instruct students to collect, analyze and report data on tests taken in doctor’s offices as medical lab scientists. This fall will represent the final incoming MLSC class, as the program will stop accepting new students in 2026. Following the graduation of the incoming class, the Bachelor of Science degree or certificate in MLSC will no longer be offered af-
The letter also shared that the program is still accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences. Students will remain eligible for the appropriate certification and/or license examinations upon successfully completing the required curriculum.
The NAACLS currently accredits eight programs in the state of Wisconsin, and of the four recognized as competition to Marquette, none have direct admittance into clinical placement sites.
Current students will retain their access to clinical sites at Marquette’s partner locations and will continue their placement.
“We remain committed to ensuring that our current and incoming students continue to receive an outstanding education and can complete their MLSC degrees within the standard (four-year) curriculum,” the letter said.
Now, the club is asking for help from the community to replace what was lost. How can the community help?
Marquette Crew launched a GoFundMe campaign Aug. 11, seeking support to keep the team alive. In two weeks, the fundraiser eclipsed $20,000, covering two-thirds of the program’s goal.
Funds received through the campaign, “Help Keep Marquette Rowing Alive,” will go directly toward replacement and repair, including a towing effort to retrieve the suspended dock.
Crew is asking the community to spread the word on social media to help reach more supporters. The club is also seeking sponsorship for a deck replacement.
“Your support means everything to us, whether it’s donating, sharing, or simply cheering us on,” Crew’s Instagram account said.
What is Marquette Crew?
Marquette Crew was established in the spring of 1990.
The club rows on the Menomonee and Milwaukee Rivers and practices in Humphrey Hall. Rowers race throughout the Midwest and take annual trips
Photo by Clay Ellis-Escobar clay.ellis-escobar@marquette.edu
Professor's federal research grant terminated
By Mia Thurow mia.thurow@marquette.edu
A Marquette University professor’s project focused on developing education in Milwaukee is losing grant funding under President Donald Trump’s administration.
In 2023, Melissa Gibson, professor in the College of Education and director of MKE Roots: The Democratizing Local History
Project, received a $1.27 million grant to provide professional development to teachers at public and private Milwaukee County schools.
The project, run through Marquette’s Center for Urban Research, Teaching and Outreach, focuses on implementing local history and civics curriculum into Milwaukee classrooms with an emphasis on marginalized communities. Programming consists of a weeklong summer training institute for 25 teachers who apply, as well as additional classroom assistance throughout the year.
MKE Roots also has an online educational ecosystem where educators can view resources and lesson plans about Milwaukee.
In 2025, Gibson’s project, which was supposed to last through September 2026, was cut short. She re-
ceived a letter in June from a U.S. Department of Education political appointee saying funding for MKE Roots would be discontinued Sept. 30. The department said the program no longer served the priorities of the federal government and provided a list of potential reasons for discontinuation.
Gibson said she didn’t believe her project fell under any of the cited reasons for termination. Some of these reasons included mismanagement of funds, failure to meet targets, harm to students and violation of a federal civil rights law.
“I would love for the government to tell us specifically what we did to be discontinued,” Gibson said. Though not provided specifics by the Department of Education, Gibson said she suspects her grant is being discontinued because
of the project’s focus on marginalized communities, like the LGBTQ+ and refugee communities.
Gibson said it’s hard to serve Milwaukee learners without talking about these groups, based on the city’s demographics and history.
“We wanted to fill in the gaps for students, given that Milwaukee Public Schools students are predominantly students of color and low-income students,” Gibson said. Some similar projects losing funding are a St.Louis-area program that trained teachers in civil rights education and a Florida program that examined the slave trade and discussed Indigenous peoples.
The Joe Biden-era history and civics grant that served MKE Roots and other projects, and sought to help low-income
and underserved students, is considered illegal diversity, equity and inclusion programming under the Trump administration.
The Marquette Wire reached out to the Department of Education’s media hotline for comment and was met with a message saying the press center is temporarily closed. The Wire left a voicemail and did not receive a response. MKE Roots’ roughly $400,000 of annual grant funding covers all staffing costs, compensation for presenters, cost of materials and more, Gibson explained.
If the project doesn’t secure another funding source by the time the grant expires, Gibson said, she will lose her entire staff. The team comprises a program
President Ah Yun talks capital projects, goals
The proposed science district still without funding source
By Mia Thurow mia.thurow@marquette.edu
Marquette University President Kimo Ah Yun summed up the first-day-of-class buzz with one word: energetic.
Ah Yun spent part of his morning on Aug. 25 behind the Sendik’s on 16th Street, handing out breakfast items like donuts, fruit and energy drinks to students before their semesters began.
The breakfast handout is an opportunity for students to come together at the start of a new year, and Ah Yun said his biggest priority for the academic year is to retain students by making them feel supported and successful on campus.
“We’re really focusing on that right now, because that’s that entry point to
be able to get them here to their senior year and graduate them,” Ah Yun said. Recent years have produced the two highest first-to-second year retention rates in Marquette history; 91% for the Classes of 2022 and 2023. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 also dipped below 80% for the first time since 2016.
The Marquette Wire was able to speak with Ah Yun about the upcoming academic year. Here’s what he said.
Campus spaces and upcoming projects
Ah Yun said he has two goals for the year regarding capital projects.
The first is to think about moving forward on a proposed sciences district that would include labs, research spaces and classrooms. Ah Yun said he wants to come up with a definite plan. The sciences district is the only capital project on
Marquette’s $600 million campus master plan that hasn’t been completed. University Spokesperson Kevin Conway said the major projects like the science district are not presented tothe Board of Trustees until physical solutions and funding plans are solidified.
Ah Yun said his second goal is to analyze student housing and see if changes need to be made. This effort was first introduced at the end of the 2025 spring semester, but no further information
on a timeline has been announced.
Ah Yun said the university has made a lot of headway with new buildings on campus, most recently including the Lemonis Center for Student Success and the Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility. He hopes the spaces help foster community amongst students.
“When I was at move-in, I got to meet a lot of the parents and new students, and they’re just quality individuals who are looking at to be
part of this community,” Ah Yun said.
Ah Yun’s interpretation of this year’s Ignatian theme
Ah Yun said this year’s Ignatian theme, “I have called you friends,” also makes him think about community. He said it calls people to think about how they’re helping others and transforming lives.
“That’s what we’re called to do,” Ah Yun. “How do we live that out?”
MKE Roots, professor Melissa Gibson's research project, provides history and civics professional development to teachers at public and private schools in Milwaukee County.
Photos courtesy of Lauren Instenes
President Ah Yun handed out breakfast items like donuts and fruit to students on the first day of class.
Photo by Clay Ellis-Escobar
See GRANT on page 4
Photos courtesy of Melissa Gibson
The MarqueTTe Tribune
CREW: Floods
Continued from page 1
to participate in East Coast races. What were the Milwaukee floods?
Milwaukee and surrounding communities experi-
enced historic flooding Aug. 9-10. Some parts of the city received over 14 inches of rain, causing area-wide damage and prompting a State of Emergency declaration from Governor Tony Evers.
Here's what to know about the Wire
We are MU's independent student media
By Mia Thurow mia.thurow@marquette.edu
HAVE A TIP FOR US?
Have you seen something that you think should be a story? Do you have a tip about something we should be looking into? Do you have documents or other materials that we should see? We want to hear from you.
If you have documents you'd like to send us, you can send anything to wiretips@marquette.edu.
Some of you are currently taking your first steps onto Marquette’s campus while others are entering your sixth year of grad school. Despite how much – or how little – time you’ve spent at this university so far, you might not be familiar with the Marquette Wire. Maybe you’ve heard of the Wire but don’t really know what it is. That’s okay. Maybe you’ve had a negative experience with us in the past. We’re striving to learn from that. Or maybe you didn’t even know Marquette had a student media organization. That’s okay too. Right now, we’re here to tell you about who we are. So, what is the Marquette Wire? To put it simply, we’re the university’s official student media news source with four branches. The Tribune is our weekly print newspaper, the Journal is our semesterly magazine and we also have MUTV and Radio outlets. All of our work comes together on our website, marquettewire.org.
The Wire comprises nearly 100 student journalists, producers, artists, marketers and designers each year. We come from a variety of backgrounds and interests but share the same dedication to serve the community by covering issues relevant to students, faculty, staff, par-
ents and alumni. We strive to inform, engage and inspire others by creating trusted, quality content across our various platforms.
As our mission statement says, we seek to right wrongs, hold the powerful accountable, elevate all voices and inform the public. We are committed to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion in staffing and content. And despite
receiving funding and use of facilities from the university, we are an independent publication. The Wire is located on the second floor of Johnston Hall. Reach out to staff members or stop by our newsroom if you have any questions or concerns. We’d love to hear how we can better serve our audience, and that starts with building a stronger rela-
tionship with readers and community members.
So, as the student body makes its way back to campus for the beginning of a new school year, we’re excited to introduce ourselves to those of you who might not know us.
We are the Marquette Wire, and we’re here for you.
Letter from the Tribune editor: Sophia Tiedge
By Sophia Tiedge sophia.tiedge@marquette.edu
Dear Marquette,
Welcome! It’s great to have you. My name is Sophia Tiedge, Manager of the Marquette Wire for the 202526 school year. As I enter my senior year, I’m excited and eager to help tell your stories. The Tribune, established in 1916, has a rich history of in-depth storytelling and watchdog journalism, and this class of staff will work tirelessly to keep that reputation alive. My path to journalism was guided by my love for reading and writing. As a child, the best feeling in the world was sitting down with a good book, ready to be transported to a different world. Authors like Shel Silverstein, Wendy Mass and John Green shaped my imaginary world and books like "The Penderwicks," "The Giver" and "Because of Mr. Terupt" all taught me lessons I’ll never forget.
My favorite part of school, was hands down, the 10 minutes per day my teachers would dedicate to a creative writing prompt. Nothing made me more excited than opening a new notebook and filling the page with life, just letting my ideas flow while everything around me slowly faded away. I loved to hear people’s stories, so my first year of high school, when I saw journalism as an option for an elective, something clicked. It was exactly what I wanted to do. Through the class, I was introduced to Woodward and Bernstein, Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters, all legendary journal-
ists. I learned that I could turn my passion for writing into a tool. A tool to make a difference. Through my time at the Marquette Wire, I’ve been able to produce stories out of nearly every corner of the university. I’ve spent countless nights in Johnston Hall helping produce the Marquette Tribune, and now, I’m honored to lead the charge. I want readers to know that preserving the integrity and reputation of the Tribune is my primary goal. Each story we publish will be written and produced with intentionality and care. Our staff will be trained in journalism safety, ethics and
how to report with respect and transparency.
This year, we’ve launched a tip form on our website where anyone is welcome to submit anonymous story ideas. We want to cover what Marquette wants to hear, so don’t be afraid to reach out. We’ve also reinstated our weekly issues of the print Tribunes which can be picked up from stands all over campus. To our readers, thank you. Our group of ambitious future journalists deserve to be seen and we appreciate you sharing your stories with us. And with that, welcome to Marquette. The Wire can’t wait to hear your story.
@marquettecrew on Instagram
Without a dock, Marquette Crew can't get on the water to train.
Marquette Wire Stock Photo
The Wire has four branches: Tribune, Journal, MUTV and Radio. All content goes on to our website.
Photo courtesy of Sophia Tiedge
Tuesday, augusT 26, 2025 The MarqueTTe Tribune
Continued from page 2
manager, four undergraduate interns and a graduate student assistant, all of whom Gibson said were devastated to learn of the grant discontinuation.
Lois Ella Dahlman, a junior in College of Arts & Sciences, worked as a MKE Roots undergraduate researcher since her first year of college, focusing on Milwaukee’s Indigenous and Latinx history. Dahlman found out in
July that she’d be losing her job for the upcoming school year.
“It was pretty disheartening to see how the federal government viewed our work as sort of disposable,” Dahlman said.
Gibson said there’s a “good chance” she will lose her staff before securing other funding. Then, the only person left on the project will be her, which means she’ll be back to square one.
“The teachers that participate in our professional development tell us repeatedly it’s the most meaningful professional learning they’ve ever done, and that it’s really transforming how they think about their work as teachers,” Gibson said. “It’s a shame that we would lose that.”
The project isn’t finished, Dahlman said, meaning years of effort could go to waste. To prevent that from happening, she said she encourages educators to use MKE Roots’ public-facing resources in their curriculum.
There’s still work to be done, and Dahlman believes the project will die out completely if Gibson can’t find a new funding source this year.
“There are still a lot of great resources, and I think it’s important stuff,” Dahlman said.
”Who knows? If lots of teachers and educators are using it, maybe there’ll be someone who sees it as something worth investing in.”
Gibson applied for a new civic education grant
focused on cultivating “citizen competency and informed patriotism” in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. She has also reached out to local nonprofits for funding but said the Sept. 30 deadline is tight.
Gibson said Marquette has been supportive, sending an appeal letter documenting the potential illegalities of the grant discontinuation. But she hasn’t heard back from the Department of Education and said she doesn’t know if she ever will.
Marquette will share information as necessary. There are no new updates following an initial July 15 report, university spokesperson Kevin Conway said.
GRANT: Program would end in September Milwaukee ranked second-best for graduates
By Sahil Gupta sahil.gupta@marquette.edu
Milwaukee was recently named the best city in the Midwest and second in the country for post-graduates looking for employment. This comes at a time when the unemployment rate for college graduates is higher than the national rate.
The study, released July 18 by payroll services provider ADP, evaluated cost of living and payroll data from over 55 million workers in their 20’s. Wages were then analyzed against housing costs and hiring rates to determine the best places for college graduates to find work post-grad-
uation. The Milwaukee metro area, which includes Milwaukee, Waukesha and West Allis, was nationally ranked second to Raleigh, NC.
The study cited an annual wage estimate of $49,208 and a 3.7% hiring rate. Those figures were then stacked against cost of liv-
ing data to determine the most affordable areas.
A number of Milwaukee based companies are drivers in employing graduates looking to enter the workforce.
Eli Lilly recently announced a $3 billion manufacturing investment in Kenosha County, which is
expected to bring 750 jobs to the area. Other notable employers in the Milwaukee area include Northwestern Mutual and Milwaukee Tool. Northwestern Mutual has been known to partner with Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee to hire recent graduates.
MKE Roots project focuses on groups like the LGBTQ+ community.
Photos courtesy of Kiley Brockway
Marquette Wire Stock Photo Companies like Eli Lilly, Milwaukee Tool and Northwestern Mutual make Milwaukee the first-best city in the Midwest for college graduates looking for employment.
ALWAYS ON ATTACK
Tom Mendoza thrives on risk, pressure and momentum — in volleyball and life
By Jack Albright jack.albright@marquette.edu
Tom Mendoza looked down and realized what he’d done.
“Oh my goodness, I am not paying attention,” he said, staring at the chessboard he keeps in his office.
“That was a big mistake.”
It’s only been a few moves, and the mid-interview game of chess he’s playing against me is far from over, but he’s already let me trap his valuable dark-square bishop with one of my pawns. I’m suffocating him, in the game, of course.
Now, his bishop’s death unstoppable, he’s left with a choice. Most people in his situation would cut their losses, trading their bishop for the attacking pawn to cede only two points instead of three. It would allow him to gain something, anything, from a losing position.
Mendoza isn’t most people.
“Losing pretty is still losing,” he says.
He leans back in his chair, rubs the hairs on his beard and rapidly scans the entire board.
After some quiet muttering on how to get out of his predicament, he settles on a plan of action. He starts swinging, a trapped piece be damned. Mendoza marches a different pawn forward, letting the bishop die for nothing. Not exactly
a sacrifice, but not far from it, either.
“If you’re in a bad situation, just counterattack,” he says with the piece in his hand. “Stay aggressive.”
He knows he is giving up more than he needs to, but that’s okay. He has another idea: gain momentum.
Truth is, Mendoza’s thought this way before.
His mentality is a big reason why he’s here, in the Marquette volleyball head coach’s office on the second floor of the Al McGuire Center on a mid-August morning, sitting at his desk in front of his prominent-placed chessboard which his wife Megan gave him before his flight to Milwaukee.
He’s been pushing pawns his whole life.
Perhaps the first one Mendoza shoved forward, much like the August one, was an actual pawn.
"Losing pretty is still losing."
Tom Mendoza Marquette women's volleyball head coach
Decades before volleyball took him on a lifelong journey around the country — from Newman University to Lewis University as a player; before Michigan State, followed by Evansville and Creighton as an assistant; before, as a head coach, bouncing from High Point to South Carolina to where he is now at Marquette, having just been hired five months ago — Mendoza was a kid from
Illinois learning chess.
Taught the game when he was little, he understood at a young age how to play. It was one piece of the puzzle that was Mendoza’s childhood; the rest filled in by a rotation of various sports, none of which included volleyball. At least not until he started going to his sister’s practices while in junior high, when he began to fall in love with the sport. He played his first match in eighth grade and didn’t look back.
“I was lucky enough to be in an area where there was high school and club volleyball,” said Mendoza, who lived in the Chicago area and attended Buffalo Grove High School.
Volleyball clicked in his brain immediately; enough for him to take his talents as a setter to the collegiate
level after only four years of in-game experience. He started at Newman University, where he kept the ball rolling — and floating. Every year ended on the all-conference team. Many weeks came with some kind of honor. One season, he was named an NAIA All-American.
Then, for his swan song, Mendoza moved up to Division I at Lewis in Romeoville, Illinois, re-integrating himself into the volleyball-rich Chicago area. The decision allowed him to connect with people who played an integral role in his life then, and still do now, decades later.
Someone who had an immediate impact was the person who gave Mendoza his first taste of coaching: Dave Bayer, the current director of the volleyball club Milwaukee Sting. At the time, Bayer was the club director of Sports Performance Volleyball in Aurora, Illinois. He was looking for a head coach for the under-15 boys team, and asked Mendoza, still playing at Lewis, if he was interested. Mendoza, who was looking to give back to the volleyball world, didn’t hesitate to take him up on the offer.
“Once he was in the gym,” Bayer said, “he really found a love for working, coaching.”
Mendoza did the job for a couple seasons, thinking
See
Newly hired Marquette volleyball head coach Tom Mendoza has spent his life taking chances, from moving states to be a volunteer to pushing a pawn in chess.
Photos courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Marquette volleyball enters newest era
By Matthew Baltz matthew.baltz@marquette.edu
Out with the old, in with the new.
No one can track when the saying started, but Marquette volleyball is a prime example of it this season.
Sure, they lost seven seniors to graduation, three players to the transfer portal and the most successful volleyball coach to ever reside in the Al McGuire Center. Sure, nobody outside of that locker room really knows what to expect, heck, even they might not.
MU is back with almost an entirely new roster, new coaching staff and new identity. With just under a week until opening serve, here’s a peek at what you might be able to expect from this new-look Marquette volleyball:
Those who departed
- The headliner move of the offseason came at the head coach position. After 11 seasons at Marquette, head coach Ryan Theis left for Florida in February, signaling the end of the most dominant decade in program history.
- Of the 1,673 kills the team amassed last season, 1,116 are not on the roster
anymore. Of course, the most notable deduction for that stat is Aubrey Hamilton. The two-time All-Big East player became just the 14th Golden Eagle ever to hit the 1,000-kill mark last season. The outside hitter scored double-digit kills in 27 of Marquette’s 34 games last season, good enough for a grand total of 436.
- Another notable and almost downright irreplaceable departure from MU was former-Big East Setter of the Year, Yadhira Anchante. Anchante was an AVCA All-American in 2024, dishing out 1,258 assists and 397 digs.
- Middle blocker Carsen Murray earned her second degree from Marquette in the spring, departing the program as the most
efficient hitter in MU history, swinging a .377 over the course of five seasons.
- Hitters Ella Foti and Jenna Reitsma both graduated as well, taking with them a combined 372 kills from last season.
- Defensive specialist Molly Berezowitz, who appeared in all 34 matches while splitting time at libero with several others before winning the job down the stretch, transferred to Kentucky in December.
New faces and new places
Tom Mendoza was announced as the head coach of the program in early March. Mendoza brings with him nine years of D1 coaching experience, most recently at the University of South Carolina and previously at High Point.
With Mendoza, came almost an entirely new roster as well:
- Isabela Haggard joins the Golden Eagles from Lexington, Kentucky. The setter was a top-100 national prospect according to PrepDig.
- Mari King comes to Marquette from Florida — where she is the state’s all-time high school kills leader. The outside hitter was ranked as the 18th best
player in the state.
- Keira Schmidt joins as a middle blocker from Minnesota. The 6-foot3 middle blocker is able to use her frame at the net and become a block threat frequently.
- Avery Helms is a defensive specialist/libero from St. Charles, Missouri. She’s often recognized for her ability to spread the floor with a balance passing attack, while also possessing good defensive skills.
- Annika Kowalski is another defensive specialist/libero from Wisconsin who was originally an attacker in high school but switched to the DS/Libero roll due to her excellent ball handling.
- Emma Parks, an outside hitter from Pennsylvania, is another 6-foot-2 outside hitter with what some describe as “high athletic upside.”
There were also five players who transferred in this offseason:
- Elena Radeff is a transfer from Santa Clara. She’s an outside hitter who earned All-WCC honors in beach volleyball in 2023.
- Allyson Eckel is a defensive specialist/libero transfer from Middle Tennessee. Originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin, Eckel
was averaging 2.15 digs per set by the end of her time at MTSU.
- Allie Korba is likely the best candidate to replace Anchante. The Central Michigan transfer is the reigning MAC Setter of the Year after logging 1,137 assists last season.
- Eastern Illinois transfer Julia Stanev comes to Marquette with two years of eligibility. Stanev averages nearly a block per set and will add to Marquette’s net presence.
What to expect this season
Mendoza is undoubtedly going to have to lean on his veteran returners this season, especially early on. Those returners include unanimous preseason All-Big East selection Hattie Bray, preseason All-Big East selection Natalie Ring, Morgan Daugherty, Ella Holmstrom and Sienna Ifill.
“They’ve been great,” Mendoza said. “They’ve done a great job helping the younger players understand what college athletics is. This summer, they helped the younger players get up to speed, especially in the weight room, and I think that’s why we haven’t had as many setbacks.” It’s hard to know exactly what to expect from this group this season, but Mendoza’s squad is going to work its tail off to put itself in good positions to attack.
“It’s about controlling the first and second contact, trying to put ourselves in good positions,” Mendoza said. “So if we do that, and our attackers can go be aggressive, I think it’ll help us beat the teams that are as physical or more physical than us, which we have plenty of on our schedule.”
Marquette opens up the season Aug. 30 in Honolulu against Hawaii.
BONUS CONTENT:
For live coverage of Marquette sporting events, follow @MUWireSports on Twitter/X
Marquette announced its 2025 M Club Hall of Fame class. Here are the inductees:
1. Markus Howard: MUBB alltime leading scorer (2,761), and the first MU player to reach 2,000 points
2. Natisha Hiedeman: WBB 2018-19 Big East POTY, All-American honorable mention
3. Allie Barber: Only three-time All-American in MUVB history
4. Oliver Farrell: MGOLF 201819 Big East Player of the Year
5. Callum Mallace: MSOC Big East Midfielder of the Year, 2012 MLS SuperDraft first round pick
6. Noah Richard: MLAX 2019 All-American honorable mention
7. Dusan Medan: Tied MTEN program-high singles wins (88)
Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Tom Mendoza (right) was hired as the Marquette volleyball head coach in early March.
MU volleyball has six first-years and four transfers this season
Photo by Mikey Severson michael.severson@marquette.edu
MU ATHLETICS
What to know about fall sports
By Mikey Severson michael.severson@marquette.edu
As the school year kicks into gear, Marquette athletics is beginning its 2025-26 fall seasons.
This year, for the first time, the Big East conference will broadcast games on ESPN+; there will be 75 women’s basketball games, 25 non-con men’s basketball games and 200 Olympic sports featured on the platform, a July 8 release said.
Here’s a one-stop shop on key tidbits for all Marquette fall sports, including tickets, where teams play and marquee matchups.
Volleyball
- Where do they play their home games?
Marquette volleyball plays its home games at the Al McGuire Center, located along 12th Street. Admission to home volleyball games is free for students with their Marquette IDs. The only exception is when Marquette hosts Wisconsin on Sept. 17, in which the match will be played at Fiserv Forum.
- When is their first game?
The Golden Eagles start their season Aug. 30 in paradise for the ‘Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic,’ facing off against host school Hawaii at midnight CST.
Their debut home game is Sept. 5 against Western Kentucky at 7 p.m. Home games won’t be in short supply, because after the team’s Hawaii road trip, the entirety of their remaining nonconference action will be at the Al McGuire Center.
- When does Big East play begin for Marquette?
Marquette has back-toback home evening matches against Providence and UConn, Sept. 26 and 27, to kickstart conference play.
Men’s & Women’s Soccer
- Where do they play? Both programs compete at Valley Fields, located at 1818 W. Canal St., near the Menomonee River. Admission is free for students with their Marquette IDs.
- How do I get to Valley Fields?
Marquette’s Eagle Express provides rides to and from Valley Fields after 5 p.m.; otherwise, it is common for students to walk the 15-20 minutes from campus to the stadium for day games.
- When are some home games?
Men’s soccer faces Drake
Aug. 28 as the next part of a six-game homestand to start the season. During that stretch, they’ll play Wisconsin on Sept. 6.
After a three-game road trip from the end of August into September, women’s soccer will host Notre Dame Sept. 7 at 1 p.m. The team won their first three games, but lost 2-1 to No. 21 Wisconsin Sunday night.
Men’s soccer drew their season opener against Bradley on Aug. 21, but recovered with a 2-1 win over North Florida Sunday thanks to two goals in the final five minutes.
- When does Big East play start?
Men’s soccer begins Big East play at Creighton, Sept. 19, while women’s soccer hosts Butler the next day to kick off its first Big East match of the season.
Golf
- Where does the team play?
The program participates in invitationals and competitions across the country but does host a ‘Marquette Intercollegiate’ invitational at Erin Hills Golf Course in Hartford, Wisconsin, which is approximately 45 minutes away from Marquette’s campus. Here is the field for the invitational.
- Does the team compete in the Big East?
Yes. While there are no regular-season matches specifically against Big East schools, the league has an end-of-season conference tournament for its members, in which Marquette won its fifth crown in a 10year span last spring.
Cross Country
- Where do they compete?
They have four regular season meets, all of which are away, with two in the state of Wisconsin (Sept. 5 in Kenosha and Sept. 19 in Madison), before the Big East Championships on Halloween.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
- Where do they compete?
The programs play at the Sprovieri Tennis Complex, located inside the freshly renovated Helfaer Wellness & Recreation Center, along Wisconsin Avenue and 16th Street.
- When are the first matches?
They will compete multiple times in the fall, including the Milwaukee Tennis Classic in the last weekend of September.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Bieda leading by example
Senior forward tied for most shots on goal with five
By Benjamin Hanson benjamin.hanson@marquette.edu
As Josie Bieda sprinted past midfield during the first game of the season, she stuck out her right arm to call for the ball despite having a defender running alongside her. The pass came; she gathered the ball and took off dribbling towards the right side of the net. As she got closer to the cage, the Northern Illinois goalkeeper stepped out to limit Bieda’s options, but she took the shot anyway.
The decision to let it fly was the byproduct of a conversation the Marquette women’s soccer senior forward had with her head coach four months prior. The two were talking about what Bieda’s final season would look like after a big pair of shoes needed to be filled.
The top offensive asset in the program, Tess O’Connell, left after last season, and the team came out of that campaign with a -4.2shot differential per game.
In their meeting, head coach Chris Allen was talking to Bieda about stepping into a greater offensive leadership role and getting her out of her comfort zone.
Allen describes Bieda as reserved, but unlike her, he didn’t want this chat to be quiet.
“She’s the type of kid, if you ask her how she’s doing, she says, ‘Fine,'” Allen said. “I told her, ‘I don’t want your soccer experience here to be fine. I want it to be amazing. I want it to be hard. I want it to be challenging. I want it to be rewarding. I want it to be transformational.'”
In her junior season, Bieda netted three goals, averaging less than one shot per game. That and the fact she was out for the team’s entire five-game
spring season with an injury — the cause of which the team didn’t want to disclose — she went into this season having something to prove.
“There’s a lot of pressure,” Bieda said. “Last year, one of our big goals was to make the Big East Tournament for our seniors, and we didn’t do that. I really had a hard time with that, and that really hurt me. Seeing them graduate without doing that was really eye-opening for me. So now, I’m in that position.”
"She's always going to be the hardest worker and the biggest fighter."
Emily Fix Marquette women's soccer junior forward
During the summer, Bieda focused heavily on shooting and improving her fitness level. In practices before the season started, she clocked a 20-mileper-hour max speed.
“She’s the fittest kid on the field for us,” Allen said.
“She’s healthier, she’s more explosive. It’s freaking crazy for a senior like that to keep growing and keep getting faster and more explosive. It’s just been a true testament to her character.”
Despite being a senior and statistically the top returning offensive player from last year, Bieda wasn’t selected as a captain for this season; something she admitted is difficult for her.
“I kind of can struggle to find my voice because I’m kind of a quieter person,” Bieda said. “I prefer to lead by example.”
In the team’s first three games of the 2025 season, Bieda is the highest volume
shooter for the squad. She has attempted five shots, four of which were on goal.
“Bieda is the biggest lead-by-example player,” junior forward Emily Fix said. “You can always see her out-working everyone and showing up in every drill. That inspires a lot of the younger players and everyone else on the team to get into that level of intensity and intentionality in practice. Not just showing up, but actually making a difference.”
One day, when the team was focusing on crosses, Bieda showed up early to practice — something she and some teammates consistently do — allowing her to focus on finishing during actual drills.
“She’s always going to be the hardest worker and the biggest fighter,” Fix said. “Knowing that’s what the team needs most and that’s the value that we’re trying to tap into the most. She’s really proven that.”
Marquette started its season 3-0, its best fall regular season start since 2012 — a season in which the Golden Eagles posted the thirdbest record in program history, won the Big East tournament and clinched a Sweet 16 berth. In those games, they averaged 4.6 shots over their opponent per game and didn’t concede a goal.
“[Allen] has been saying that winning is a habit,” Bieda said. “And we’re starting to make that a habit.”
She began that quite early.
As the shot flew off Bieda’s right foot in the season-opener, the Northern Illinois goalkeeper dove, but the ball floated past her fingertips. The ball bounced off the ground and went straight into the left side of the net, putting Marquette in the lead. Bieda’s teammates chased her down and hugged her, jumping up and down. It was only seven minutes into the match.
Photo by Clay Ellis-Escobar clay.ellis-escobar@marquette.edu
Senior forward Josie Bieda shoots the ball in Marquette's game against No. 21 Wisconsin Aug. 24.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
ATTACK: Bold choices led Mendoza to MU
Continued from page 5
that would be the end of it. He was planning on entering the business world with his management information systems degree. Maybe, if he were lucky, he could coach volleyball on the side. But it wouldn’t be his life.
Mike Gawlik had other plans. Gawlik, who went to Naperville North High School and was arch-rivals with Mendoza in club play, came calling with an offer for Mendoza to help out at Michigan State, where he was an assistant coach.
Back in those days, the mid-aughts, pretty much every big program ran off volunteer assistants. That was Gawlik’s offer. An unpaid internship, essentially. But, a way to get his foot in the door. Give this a real shot. It meant uprooting his life and moving hundreds of miles away to a new state to work long hours and late nights — all for zero pay.
Mendoza said yes. He took a chance on himself, his career. Got aggressive. Sound familiar?
Mendoza’s move from Romeoville to East Lansing came with similar strings attached to the pawn push in that midAugust game.
In chess, pawns cannot go backwards. Once you move them forward, they can only keep marching. Sometimes, especially in the early days, as Mendoza is at this time, coaching can feel the same way. Like there’s only one direction. A step back is often not an option, at least not to be successful.
That was never an issue for him, the man whom Bayer quickly could tell had “coaching DNA.”
When he showed up on campus — as a volunteer, remember — his freshfrom-playing volleyball mind was immediately utilized by head coach Cathy George, who began picking his brain in practices and film sessions. Over time, along with the on-court drill-running and ball-hitting, George started having Mendoza hang around the office longer, giving him more responsibilities.
“Probably worked him harder than we should as a volunteer,” George said, chuckling.
Mendoza did — and learned — probably more
than your average volunteer; stuff like what it takes to run a program one day. That was on purpose.
“I wanted it to be an investment in the future for him,” George said. “And then he would have confidence in the next role that he would have.”
George likes to say volleyball is the easy part. Mendoza had that down pat. Where the growing pains existed was in the politics of coaching. The art of juggling your players and their expectations, your bosses and theirs, your program donors and theirs. But, in a similar vein to the speed at which he learned the sport, Mendoza quickly figured out how to get the best from his squads.
“He has a great knack for empowering people to trust themselves,” said Ethan Pheister, Mendoza’s longtime friend and colleague of eight seasons.
One of the earliest examples came in his first year in East Lansing, 2007, which the senior-laden Spartans ended in the Sweet 16. An exception to that bevy of experience was first-year setter Lauren O’Reilly. The season-opener that year, Michigan State was at Southern California. It was O’Reilly’s first career match, and Mendoza, who worked closely with her, could tell. The Spartans were swept out of the gym and Los Angeles. Given two options — either panic or get to work — the pair chose the latter.
“She just got better and better as the year went on,” Mendoza said.
That ability to maximize his players stuck with him
longtime powerhouse No. 18 Florida. Just like they had against Tennessee, the Gamecocks had swept the Gators the first time they played. So, with the sour aftertaste of timid serving fresh on his breath, Mendoza spent the three practice days before the Gators came to town hammering into his players being aggressive from behind the line.
“We thought if we serve the same way, passively, that we had done against Tennessee,” he said, “that Florida would beat us up pretty good.”
South Carolina ended the match with 30 errors to five aces. They won, 3-2.
“Might as well be aggressive,” he said. “Might as well go for it.”
Go for it, they did. Be aggressive, they did. Leave victorious, they did.
Mhis whole career.
One time, in his final year in Columbia, that required preaching the motto that’s gotten him through life.
"He has a great knack for empowering people to trust themselves..."
Ethan Pheister Marquette women's volleyball associate head coach
It was late November 2024, days before Thanksgiving. South Carolina was in Knoxville, the second time it had faced Tennessee. Mendoza was watching his team come up a day late and a dollar short. They dropped the first set 25-20, the second 25-19 and the third 25-20 again. A 3-0 sweep for the Volunteers. In the post-game box score rundown, one thing stuck out like a sore thumb: the serving.
A goose egg number of aces — the first time all season that had happened — and seven errors. Not exactly a winning recipe. But Mendoza was angrier about how they served, not what the stat sheet showed.
“We served super passive and got rolled,” he said.
It was made even worse by the fact he had swept Tennessee the first time they played, three weeks prior. Mendoza knew his team was better than that.
Next on the schedule was
endoza’s push/sacrifice in our mid-interview match paid off. He now has the upper hand, both materially and mentally. Momentum is on his side. He’s suffocating me, not the other way around. The muttering has largely quieted. He’s still rubbing his beard, commenting on moves when they happen, but there’s a different demeanor.
Mendoza cashed in after going all in.
Another day in the life for the guy who turned a twoyear volunteer opportunity into a career. Who rose the ranks so fast he became a college player with only four years experience and a head coach in his 30s. Who has always ended his first year at a new school in the NCAA tournament. Who hopes to continue his decades-long pattern of success, now at a program also with a decade-long pattern of success, that hired and challenged him — or burdened, it could be said — with building off a historic 2024 season with only a few months to prepare.
“'Can the program keep getting better?' And I think the answer is 'yes,'” Mendoza said. “Now that’s going to take a lot of work, but I think we can. I think we can keep growing it, and it’ll be a pretty cool experience to do that.”
Back in the game, Mendoza kept his foot on my neck, stopping my forward progress while simultaneously continuing his. He dictated my moves, forced me to play his way. I was a ragdoll. With checkmate inevitable, I called it quits and resigned. He won, just like he always has: aggressively.
Dakota Barnes-Rush is a sports reporter. He is the beat report -
Mendoza has a chess board in his office. His wife, Megan, gave it to him before flying to Milwaukee.
Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Photo courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Tom Mendoza "has a great knack for empowering people."
Opinions
College starts where comfort ends
By Rachel Lopera rachel.lopera@marquette.edu
College can be an intimidating milestone for many first-year students — and even returning students — but it is also an extraordinary period for growth. Moving into a new room and living with a stranger is a nerve-wracking and overwhelming experience. The challenges of campus navigation and making new friends can seem extremely daunting in the beginning.
Students must remember to keep an open mind when entering this phase of life. Instead of setting expectations of what should happen, embrace the opportunities of what could. The possibilities are truly endless when the unknown is welcomed rather than avoided.
College is a time and place to try new things and meet new people. The tearful family goodbyes and empty childhood bedrooms tug at the heartstrings, but the adventures to come are unbelievably special.
A university like Marquette encourages students to step out of their comfort zones. With its campus mere minutes from the heart of downtown Milwaukee, there are many amazing places to explore
and activities to enjoy. Leaving my own comfort zone led me to discover some of my personal favorite places.
A. Straz, Jr. Hall — the
Milwaukee, the Historic Third Ward is a lively neighborhood full of restaurants, shops and creativity. It is a simple bus
Marquette Favorites
Union Sports Annex
Located at 804 N. 16th
Street, this on-campus spot is great for watching sports games, grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying a round of bowling. Students can even use two meal swipes per week here — I suggest using one to try their veggie burger. My favorite events are the weekly trivia and bingo nights where students can win themed prizes.
Once, my friend won a bean bag chair which we lugged all the way back to Straz Tower.
Haggerty Museum of Art
Free to students and
nursing building — it is an extremely walkable on-campus activity. Some classes take trips to the museum for course-related content, but I also found myself wandering inside at my own leisure.
Some current exhibitions that are open through this fall semester are "No one Knows All It Takes and Life Lines."
Men’s basketball games at Fiserv Forum
I believe every Marquette student should experience at least one men’s basketball game. It almost seems like a rite of passage. There is something magical about the home of the Milwaukee Bucks becoming a sea of gold and blue, but it might also be the Chickfil-A in the building.
School spirit radiates from the stands, and the cheers are deafening. I remember the student sections bursting with pride and joy when Marquette beat Purdue 76-58 back in November 2024. Every game is a time to show up and show out.
Milwaukee Favorites
Historic Third Ward
Just south of downtown
ride east of campus, or a 30-minute walk.
I found thrifting at Retique Store or even just window shopping at Anthropologie a fun scavenge. Go down and explore local vendors, shop indie boutiques or simply take a stroll through the neighborhood.
Lakefront
Perfect for sunrises or sunsets, Milwaukee’s lakefront offers a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. Students can dine at one of the many lakefront restaurants, like The Bridgewater Modern Grill, or take a walk in the Lakeshore State Park. For a sandier experience, they can venture a couple miles north to McKinley Beach or Bradford Beach. Do not catch an early case of cabin fever, and take a chance to explore these places, along with finding new ones.
College is about growing, and it starts with taking a step out of that comfort zone.
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Statement of Opinion Policy
The opinions expressed on the Opinions page reflect the opinions of the Opinions staff. The editorials do not represent the opinions of Marquette University nor its administrators, but those of the editorial board.
The Marquette Tribune prints guest submissions at its discretion. The Tribune strives to give all sides of an issue an equal voice over the course of a reasonable time period. An author’s contribution will not be published more than once in a fourweek period. Submissions with obvious relevance to the Marquette community will be given priority consideration. Full Opinions submissions should be limited to 600 words. Letters to the editor should be between 150 to 300 words. The Tribune reserves the right to edit submissions for length and content. Please e-mail submissions to: rachel.lopera@marquette. edu. If you are a current student, include the college in which you are enrolled and your year in school. If not, please note any affliations to Marquette or your current city of residence. We're
the public, the Haggerty displays inquisitive, thought-provoking works of art. Located behind David
Rachel Lopera is the executive opinions editor. She is a sophomore studying journalism.
Joey columnist. studying
Marquette Wire Stock Photo
Haggerty Museum of Art located on Marquette's campus has rotating exhibits that students can visit for free throughout the year
Students can bowl at Marquette Union Sports Annex on campus.
Marquette Wire Stock Photo
All Marquette men's basketball home games are played at Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee.
Courtesy of Marquette Athletics
Arts & Entertainment Marquette Theatre announces 2025 theme
'Viewpoints'
will explore new ways of storytelling
By Allison Scherquist allison.scherquist@marquette.edu
Marquette University Theatre has announced its 2025–26 performance schedule, a season built around the theme “Viewpoints,” which explores the idea of seeing stories from multiple perspectives.
The lineup will begin with a performance of “Fiddler on the Roof,” made in collaboration with Skylight Music Theatre, at the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center. Other productions, “Fairview” and “Noises Off,” will be staged at the Evan and Marion P. Helfaer Theatre.
Jamie Cheatham, associate professor of theatre arts and artistic director, shared that “Viewpoints” reflects a fresh direction for the program.
“The reason we’re calling [it] ‘Viewpoints’ is a very ex-
citing departure from our traditional season,” he said.
“We begin with a very different viewing point, a collaboration with Milwaukee’s Skylight Music Theatre in downtown Milwaukee.”
Along with the actors, other students will be working tech behind the scenes to gain more experience.
The decision to only have two main stage shows gives students the time to pursue other goals, as they will collaborate with production professionals in the digital media program to create a TV pilot, further expanding the season’s theme of perspective.
“We hope to raise the bar on everyone’s on-camera experiences here at Marquette,” Cheatham said.
“Fiddler on the Roof" (Oct. 3-5, 8, 10-12, 15-19, 22-26) In collaboration with Skylight Music Theatre, this beloved classic follows a Jewish milkman navigating Czarist Russia as he struggles to maintain tradition while finding good
husbands for his daughters. As anti-semitic tensions rise, the man is forced to confront questions of faith, family and survival.
“Fairview" (Nov. 14-16, 20-23) Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this comedy follows the Frasier family, a middle-class Black
family preparing for their grandmother’s birthday. However, what begins as a lighthearted family party quickly transforms into a layered exploration of race, identity and the act of white surveillance.
“Noises Off" (April 17-19, 23-26) This performance pulls back the curtain on a hapless theater troupe attempting to stage a play. Between missed cues, misplaced props and romantic drama, chaos ensues both onstage and backstage. A play-within-a-play, “Noises Off” delivers hard on its laughs while still celebrating the chaos of live theater.
The five hottest books from summer 2025
Readers enjoyed familiar romance, dystopian authors
By MaryKate Stepchuk marykate.stepchuk@marquette.edu.
Summer is often associated with more free time, taking vacations and enjoying the warmer weather. As people go on vacations and life slows down, bookstores become the next hottest thing besides the temperature.
This summer, wherever people looked, it seemed there was a book in someone’s hands.
Whether you were taking a MCTS bus, waiting in a doctor’s office or enjoying a sunny day on Bradford Beach, someone was captivated by a book, often shown by cracks in the book’s spine.
While everyone has a different book genre they lean towards, it was clear that these five books were flying off the shelves.
“Atmosphere” by Taylor Jenkins Reid Taylor Jenkins Reid (TJR) is back after almost three years since her last book, “Carrie Soto is Back.”
Contrary to her previous books, the main character is not a major celebrity in terms of professional sports, music or acting. The detailed scientific research that went into writing this book does not go unnoticed, and you may find yourself attempting to identify more constellations when the final page comes to a close.
“Sandwich” by Catherine Newman
Although released in 2024, Newman’s most recent novel took off this summer. Found in many “What is the staff reading this summer?” sections at bookstores, Newman creates a nostalgic story about a mother grappling with her children growing into adults.
Set during a yearly week-long family vacation to Cape Cod, Rachel, “Rocky,” experiences all of the emotions that come with menopause. She struggles to communicate with her husband, Nick, despite loving him more than anything.
She watches her family dynamics shift, as her two adult children —Willa and Jamie— slowly become more independent. Rocky worries they
“Atmosphere” details the story of Joan Goodwin, one of the first female astronauts at NASA. Located at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, she grapples with complicated family dynamics, undertones of misogyny and the ability to pursue the one career she has yearned for since she first remembered looking at the stars.
may be outgrowing the small cottage they have rented for 20 years as old secrets finally come to the surface.
It is easy to fall in love with this family due to their raw emotions, and Newman is continuing the story of Rocky’s family with “Wreck," set to be released at the end of October 2025.
“One Golden Summer” by Carley Fortune
Three summers ago, Fortune released her first novel, Every Summer After, gaining significant popularity due to the love story between Persephone Fraser and Sam Florek set in Barry’s Bay, Ontario.
Since then, her readers have ached for more of the Florek brothers, and “One Golden Summer” tells the story of Alice Everly and Charlie Florek. Alice spent one summer in Barry’s Bay during her teen years, sparking her love for photography due to a photo she took of three teens on a yellow boat.
Now, entering her mid-30s, Alice finds herself struggling to find her love for photography again. After her Nan takes a nasty fall—leaving her injured—spending a summer on Barry’s Bay may be exactly what she needs, especially when she runs into the boy on the yellow boat from all those
years ago.
“One Golden Summer” fills readers with grief, nostalgia, pain and love, which is everything a summer book can ask for.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” by Suzanne Collins Collins is back with a new “Hunger Games” book, telling the story of a fan favorite— Haymitch Abernathy.
Haymitch is first introduced in the series as the District 12 mentor for Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Although he is the sole victor from District 12, he struggles with a severe alcohol addiction, causing readers to question his upbringing.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” tells the story of the 50th annual Hunger Games, but with twice as many tributes. Haymitch desperately wants to be with the girl he loves, but once he hears his name called, he knows nothing will ever be the same.
As Haymitch begins the games, he knows he must fight but secretly wonders at what cost it will come in the end and how it will change his life forever.
“Great Big Beautiful Life” by Emily Henry Henry has dominated the romance genre for the past five years, but her novels go slight-
ly beyond the typical romance stereotypes. With “Great Big Beautiful Life,” Henry dips into the area of women’s literature more than ever, and it creates a compelling story sure to bring tears to your eyes.
Henry details the story of Alice Scott, a writer competing against the Pulitzer Prize-winning Hayden Anderson to write the biography of Margaret Ives, the former tabloid princess who disappeared many years ago, and no one has heard from her since.
Alice and Hayden have a onemonth trial period to prove they are worthy of writing Margaret’s biography, but they cannot discuss the information Margaret gives either of them. When stories fail to line up as Alice listens to Margaret, Hayden keeps finding Alice on the small island they are staying on. Tensions rise between the two—good and bad.
The further Alice engulfs herself in Margaret’s story, she learns much more about Margaret’s family dynamics than the media ever shared, causing Alice to analyze—and maybe even fix—some of her own family dynamics.
Henry’s writing is easy to fall in love with, but “Great Big Beautiful Life” is a timeless story like nothing she has written before.
Photos by Marquette Today
The MU Theatre actors will also collaborate with the digital media department to create a TV pilot.
Arts & Entertainment
SPAM fried rice: A back-to-school recipe
The canned meat makes for an affordable meal
By Joseph Schamber joseph.schamber@marquette.edu
As some students move into their apartments this semester, they may find themselves buying groceries on their own for the first time. While the desire to keep costs low and meals less fussy may lead you to stock your shelves with bags of chips and boxes of cereal, there are other reliable, shelf-stable options at your disposal.
Enter SPAM: A canned luncheon meat made of processed pork shoulder produced by Hormel Foods.
While many Americans are known to turn up their nose to it, SPAM is enjoyed across the Pacific, particularly in Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines, where the canned meat is s urprisingly popular.
In Hawaii, you can find it on top of mounds of rice, lacquered in a sweet sauce and wrapped in seaweed in the form of the treat known as SPAM musubi. In the Philippines, SPAM is a breakfast staple, fried crispy and accompanying rice and eggs as an easy morning mainstay.
Guam, which has been re-
ferred to as the SPAM capital of the world, often enjoys it in kelaguen, a dish similar to Peruvian ceviche. The dish is made with coconut, chilis, lime juice, scallions and a protein. Typically, it is made with seafood, but it is frequently made with SPAM instead.
South Korea, Hong Kong and Puerto Rico all have popular food traditions, including SPAM, and for all of them, it originates from a shared history of American imperialism.
During WWII, GIs stationed in Hawaii, the Philippines, Guam and other Pacific territories were supplied processed luncheon meat because it has a long shelf life and did not need to be refrigerated. It became with the locals who came to rely on the American export when fresh food supplies were scarce, and refrigeration options were limited.
While many Americans often turn up their nose at the canned meat, these communities recognize the value of this cheap and reliable can of meat. Fried up crispy, SPAM is just as delicious as other processed pork products like ham and bacon.
Hungry college students looking to pack their pantries with affordable, convenient sources of protein should take a chance on the food and pick up a few cans to try for themselves.
If you are sufficiently convinced, here are a few tips before you get started: It is a good idea to buy the low-sodium SPAM if it’s available. Classic SPAM is quite salty, so the lower-sodium option is much more palatable. This version also provides you with the ability to coat it in a flavorful glaze of sugar and soy sauce without turning it into a salt bomb.
You should also always fry your SPAM until it is super crispy before eating it. A major reason people are so put off by SPAM is its unappetizing appearance straight out of the can, but when fried in oil, it’s just as tasty as a crispy piece of bacon. If possible, it’s a good idea to buy SPAM in bulk. I have been able to pick up an eight-count of low-sodium cans for less than $18 at Costco that last me weeks. SPAM can sit on the shelf for years without going bad, so you need not worry about overbuying and letting it spoil.
Now that you are ready to cook with some SPAM, you can try out this recipe for SPAM fried rice, a great weekday meal that is satisfying, delicious and a great way to use leftover rice. It makes at least four portions and takes less than an hour!
SPAM Fried Rice:
For the sauce:
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce*
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp black pepper
Pinch of MSG
For the fried rice:
4 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a little extra if needed
3 eggs, beaten 12 oz can low-sodium SPAM, cubed 1 bunch of scallions sliced, reserving some green ends as garnish
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrots, shredded or julienned**
1 cup peas**
1 cup corn**
4 cups day-old rice***
Instructions:
1. To make the sauce, mix the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Heat a wok or large nonstick frying pan on high heat. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil and fry the eggs, scrambling them into medium chunks. Once fully cooked, remove eggs and leave to the side.
3. Adding a little more oil if necessary, add cubed spam and fry until crispy for about 10 minutes. Remove spam and leave to the side.
4. Add scallions and garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Add vegetables and cook until softened, about another two minutes.
5. Add the rice and toss together until rice grains
start to separate and the vegetables are fully incorporated. Add the sauce, the spam and the eggs, continuing to toss until the liquid has reduced and all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with sliced scallion tops.
Notes:
While less common in stores than light soy sauce, dark soy sauce is available at most Asian grocery stores. Dark soy sauce does not do much to change the flavor of the fried rice; instead, it is used to darken the color. If it is unavailable, you can simply add more soy sauce to your fried rice sauce.
One of the best things about fried rice is its versatility. In this recipe, I recommend fresh carrots, peas and corn, but frozen or canned options can work just as well to make this recipe more budget friendly. Even better, use whatever fresh vegetables you already have on hand! Just be sure to cut them small enough to cook quick.
Day-old rice works best for the recipe because the grains are dry enough to fry properly. If you want to make this recipe and you don’t have leftover rice, cook fresh rice and lay it out flat on a pan to dry uncovered in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Photos by Joseph Schamber
The SPAM fried rice includes onions, peas, corn, day old rice, soy sauce
Arts & Entertainment
Belly's endgame: Conrad or Jeremiah?
The answer might lie in the show's easter eggs
By Elise Emery elise.emery@marquette.edu
On July 16, the third and final season of the hit teen drama, “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” premiered its first episode. The series, based on the novel trilogy of the same name, has been an extreme success since the release of the first season during the summer of 2022. Jenny Han, the creator of the novels and TV series, has managed to evoke that familiar summer nostalgia for the audience. This is the same feeling that the main character, Isabel “Belly” Conklin (played by Lola Tung), often experiences within the previous two seasons of the show. Because of this, the highly anticipated show has made its mark as a summer staple.
In this final season, the result of the transformative summers from seasons one and two comes to light. The story jumps ahead a few years from the timeline viewers ended with in season two, and Belly is now attending Finch College with her now-longtime boyfriend, Jeremiah Fisher (played by Gavin Casalengo). Even through conflicts like arguments and Jeremiah’s cheating incident, Belly truly believed that Jeremiah was her future, leading her to ultimately agreeing to marry him. But, after her family’s disapproval, she runs to Cousins Beach, where she is greeted by an unexpected roommate, Conrad Fisher (played by Chris Briney), her first love and boyfriend’s older brother.
After spending more time with one another, especially in the place where they first fell in love, buried feelings are slowly ignited within both. And now, as of episode seven, Conrad has confessed his persisting love for Belly, asking her to leave Jeremiah to be with him. She ultimately ends up rejecting this grand gesture, explaining the weakness of their past relationship and the strength of her bond with Jeremiah.
The show left off from the previous season with Belly choosing Jeremiah over Conrad, a decision that received mixed reactions from viewers. Despite this controversial choice, some viewers, especially those who were “Team Conrad,” were still confident that Belly and Conrad would end up together, but their idea as to what might happen in the series was quickly confused after the cast and creator gave their insights on how the season may unfold.
In interviews with the cast and creator, hints were made at the possibility that the season may surprise watchers. This left some viewers nervous that the story wouldn’t play out the way that they had planned. So, certain viewers have decided to take note of the artistic choices within this season and connect them to how they might represent emotions within characters and foreshadow the conclusion of the series.
The search for easter eggs began before the first episode even came out, with viewers inspecting the trailer and promotional posters for the series. The poster created for the announcement of season three was of the three main characters:
Conrad, Belly and Jeremiah. Belly was placed in the middle of the two brothers, Conrad to her right and Jeremiah to her left, with Jeremiah looking as if he was placing a kiss on her cheek and Conrad staring at her.
Though the poster is reflective of the current situation between the characters at this time in the series, viewers were quick to notice how the posing in this poster was similar to that of another movie poster, “Sabrina.” The story of “Sabrina” is eerily like that of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” consisting of a love triangle between two brothers. In the end, though Sabrina was originally with the younger brother, David, she ends up being with Linus, the older brother.
Viewers deduced that this was an intentional choice to pose the characters in this way, and that it could be a subtle hint that the series of events and ending in this season would be like “Sabrina.”
Additionally, color has arguably been the largest choice the audience has pointed out. Fans have deciphered that the colors red and blue are meant to represent the brothers and, more specifically, Belly’s emotions regarding both.
Conrad is often associated with red, while Jeremiah is blue. This conspiracy began after the release of the trailer, where Taylor Swift’s music was seen to potentially foreshadow which relationship is endgame, as the lyrics of “Red” played in the background: “Losing him was blue like I’d never known…but loving him was red.”
A notable moment in episode three, regarding the
use of these colors is when Belly accidentally cuts herself while shaving, revealing red blood to emerge from the wound, but then quickly covers it with a blue BandAid. Fans believe that this choice is representative of Belly’s still present love for Conrad being covered up by the safety of her relationship with Jeremiah.
In addition to this, Belly is often seen wearing blue in scenes where she’s with Jeremiah, but in scenes where Belly is with Conrad or potentially conflicted about the stress of the wedding, she is seen wearing red. This could be an easter egg included to showcase that in times of stress regarding Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship, Conrad’s presence remains constant.
Finally, viewers have been noticing the seemingly deliberate choices of music in certain scenes. One of the strongest features of the show is how the music seems to seamlessly connect to the story being told. Viewers have been quick to notice how some of the song choices could secretly reveal the inner emotions of Belly.
For example, Taylor Swift’s music has been a consistent motif throughout the show, usually played in scenes that depict a pivotal moment that could impact Belly and Conrad’s relationship.
In the first episode of season three, after finding out about Jeremiah’s cheating scandal, Belly runs away from him while Swift’s song “You’re Losing Me (From The Vault)” plays. The lyrics as this scene continues sing, “My heart won’t start anymore,” which viewers have assumed to mean that Belly and Jeremiah’s relationship is broken from this inci-
dent, and her love for Jeremiah cannot be the same as before.
But, in a particularly romantic scene with Belly and Conrad in episode six, a heartbeat sound can be heard while Swift’s “False God” plays. Viewers have concluded that this could mean her heart has now reignited with her love for Conrad after being hurt by Jeremiah.
The inclusion of this song was also interesting, as it originally appeared in the first season of the show in the crucial scene in which Conrad and Belly’s relationship first truly steered from friends to lovers, as they nearly kissed on the dock. Fans have noted that this repeat could only be intentional, potentially foreshadowing a shift in their relationship like the one in season one.
After the release of the most recent episode, “Last Hurrah,” it will be interesting to see how viewers will continue to predict how the series will end after the new developments made in the story, especially since this episode also concluded with a Swift song.
To say the least, the fans of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” have been extremely meticulous when it comes to dissecting each new episode of the season. As each episode of the season is released on a weekly basis, fans will continue to be left pondering how the story will unravel until mid-September.
It’s only a matter of time before the fans discover whether their predictions were true, and if love is truly “burning red.”
Photo By Rotten Tomatoes
The promotional poster for the show's third season alludes to the movie "Sabrina" from 1954, which has a similar love triange.