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IV Leader The award-Winning Student Newspaper of Illinois Valley Community College Volume 56 Issue 3 october 14, 2021

News:

sga freshmen election results Student reactions to covid-19 protocols Pages 2-3

opinion:

social media addiction evolving aspirations Page 6

IV Leader photo

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news Newly-elected SGA freshmen representatives october 14, 2021

By Madison Miranda IV Leader Staff Writer

e Student Government Association recently held freshman elections. To recap, petitions were made available outside of Office E-306 beginning Sept. 20 and were due back outside that same office on Sept. 24.

Elections were then held the following week on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in the Student Life Space.

Positions that were available were a Freshman Representative and two Freshmen Programming Board members. Aer the votes were counted, the Student Government was happy to announce that Caroline Moskalewicz (Freshman Representative) and Raven Bridges and Natalie Orozco (Freshmen Programming Board members) were elected.

Aer the election closed and the votes were tallied, Student Government President, Emme Boom, said, “Students were excited to vote and the process was easy! I am looking forward to working with our new Freshmen SGA members this fall to plan student events and hear from their perspective.”

Cory Tomasson added that, “Although the total number of ballots cast was relatively low, that usually

happens in uncontested elections.

However, the number is higher than the sophomore elections from this past spring. I am excited to have both Caroline and Raven join the strong sophomores that we have in place. I really think that we have a creative and responsible group of individuals that will represent the student body very well.” e IVCC Student Government Association held a meeting on Sept.

16. Cory Tommason and sophomore members went over new and ongoing business. Here, they decided on new office hours being held in their office, E-201B, located in the Student Life Space. ey have their hours hung by the door. If students are in need of new ping pong paddles/balls or have any ideas/concerns, they are able to visit members during office hours.

Also at the meeting, they reviewed results from advisors about possible events for students coming up along with more ways to promote other organizations. ey are looking forward to having a meeting with the President’s Council.

Lastly, the Student Government representatives would like to thank all students who stopped by and took the time to vote.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

iv Leader

Submitted Photo

IVCC student Caroline Moskalewicz was recently elected as Freshman Representative.

Cannabis Production IVCC providing 2022certificate available 23 FAFSA assistance

By Macy Anderson IV Leader Staff Writer

A new course is available at IVCC. IVCC will now be offering a Cannabis Production program. is program offers a Cannabis Production Certificate, and an Advanced Cannabis Production Certificate.

Students who earn this certificate will study fundamentals of cannabis production, and the economics and legal issues that are associated with hemp and marijuana production.

Cannabis Production students will be applying agronomic tech-

niques in pest management and soil fertility to cannabis cultivation practices. If students choose to earn the Advanced Certificate, they will learn about management practices that are a part of the agricultural business.

IVCC Ag has partnered with Mid-American Growers, who will provide internships to students in the Cannabis Production Certificate program. Career Options for this field include Cultivation Technician, Budtender, Lab Assistant, Sales Associate, Packaging Agent, Trimmer, and many more.

By Hope Beelman IV Leader Editor

e 2022-2023 FAFSA is now available for students to complete as of Oct. 1, 2021. Students can visit fafsa.ed.gov or studentaid.gov to fill out and submit the application which will determine their eligibility for federal financial aid. e Financial Aid office, CTC101S, is offering assistance as of Monday, Oct. 4 for students looking to file their FAFSA. Every Monday until Nov. 29, the Financial Aid director and advisors will help

students with the process from 1:303:30 p.m.

Students may also join the advisors on Monday Oct. 25 from 6-8 p.m. at the Oawa Center for help when completing the application.

To send a FAFSA to IVCC, students will need to include the school code, 001705.

Students can stop by the Financial Aid office, call (815) 224-0438, or email financialaid@ivcc.edu if they have any questions or concerns.

3 news Students’ reactions to recent COVID-19 protocols iv Leader

october 14, 2021

By Drake Weber

IV Leader Staff Writer

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many changes on IVCC’s campus. These changes can cause feelings of frustration and confusion among students and staff as they have to continually make adjustments.

The IV Leader spoke with students at IVCC on how they feel about IVCC’s COVID protocol and how it has affected their college experiences. Several students were asked to comment on their feelings about having to wear masks, their opinion on the shield testing and the vaccination incentive that was offered here at IVCC. Brooke Shirley, a sophomore at IVCC, states, “From my personal opinion of being an athlete, I believe the shield testing is a good method of testing. During the season, SHIELD testing will be beneficial because it can prevent your whole team IV Leader Photo/Hope Beelman from obtaining COVID and having your season IVCC student Brooke Shirley studies in the Student Life Space cancelled.”

Shirley also thought after class. Shirley believes that SHIELD testing is helpful for stuthat getting the gift card dent athletes.

from the bookstore was a nice reward; it helped in persuading students to bring their vaccination card in for proof.

After talking to several students, most of them commented that they were not expecting to be wearing masks still this year, so there is some disappointment. However, the majority of them stated that they understand the reasons behind why they are expected to wear them. They realize that it is just following the rules and it is important to keep the student body and the staff safe.

Jace Addis, a freshman, comments that, “I have friends that go to other colleges that are having outbreaks, so I am glad masks are required, even though it is a pain.”

He felt that the incentive was a good idea to help encourage students to get vaccinated. “Getting a $100 gift certificate from the bookstore was nice,” Addis said.

Some members of the student body feel that they should be the only ones responsible for their own health and should not have others impose

their health opinions on them.

They do believe it is necessary to sanitize and wear masks but not necessary to inject themselves with a questionable substance such as the vaccine. They feel this may be giving people false sense of security regarding the transmission of the disease and would be less likely to follow safe practices. This could possibly result in more outbreaks.

According to the “IVCC Response to COVID-19” webpage that was recently updated on Oct. 1, there have been 71 students and 23 staff cumulative that have tested positive since Aug. 14, 2020. For another update on the week of Sept. 1319, there was one student and zero staff confirmed cases of COVID. Even with the challenges and discomforts of the rules, it is obvious that most students are happy to be back on campus and having in-person learning. Most students are hopeful when looking ahead and wishing for less masking, but they do realize this may not be an option for a long time.

Planning courses for spring semester

By Drew Farrell

IV Leader Staff Writer

IVCC students now have the opportunity to register for next semester classes which begin in Jan. Students may either set up their classes on WebAdvisor or talk to a counselor over the phone.

In the past, students have met up in person with a counselor to setup their semester schedules. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, most of the counselors prefer for students to either set it up online or schedule a phone appointment.

Crystal Credi of IVCC’s Student Services has been sending students emails with information regarding the ongoing registration. She has also posted podcasts to the SoundCloud app for students to listen to if they cannot access their email.

Some classes are now split up into eight week courses to make it easier for students to get their degree faster. These courses include spanish classes, wellness classes, computer networking, and truck driver training.

Assistant Director of Admissions, Aseret Loveland, gave the following information about how the college is handling the scheduling for spring semester class: “Ultimately, October is a great time for students to schedule to meet with their counselor to discuss spring 2022 courses. Students should not wait until December to think about their next classes as they will most likely be dealing with finals.”

On Oct. 20, registration for Project Success students and veterans begins. On Nov. 3, registration for all students will begin at 9 a.m. online while in-person and phone appointments will begin at 10 a.m. The spring semester will begin on Jan. 10, 2022.

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OCTober 14, 2021

news

iv Leader

Preparing for the future at College and Career Night

By Hope Beelman

IV Leader Editor

Illinois Valley Community College recently hosted College and Career Night Tuesday Oct. 5 which allowed students and their families to learn more about educational and career opportunities.

A financial aid session was held from 5:306:30 p.m. in the Cultural Centre with the fair being held from 6:30-8 p.m. in the gymnasium. Students

were able to meet representatives from colleges, universities, and branches of the Armed Forces.

“I thought it went very well and it was such a great opportunity for students and families to learn more about their college and vocational options,” stated Aseret Loveland, Assistant Director of Admissions, IV Leader Photo Records, and Transfer Services. “We had over 40 Willard Mott and Caitlinn Hubbell, Agriculture instructors and program co-coordinators, colleges and career reps. speak to Aubrey Vogel and her mother, Cristin Kruse, of Princeton about the Agriculture program offered at IVCC. aend the event.”

IV Leader Photo

IV Leader Photo

Madde and Blake McKee, alongside their Art Koudelka, IVCC Automotive Program Comother, chat with Susan Monroe, IVCC’s Dual ordinator and instructor, explains courses Credit Coordinator and CTE Recruiter. and programs to an attendee of the event.

National Coming Out Day National Coming Out Day was observed Oct. 11 at IVCC with a message board featuring supportive thoughts for the LGBTQIA population in the college’s Student Life Space.

Students posted messages including: “Don’t let them say you aren’t valid. You are!”

“No maer what, someone is always proud of you.”

“You are worthy. You are loved. You are wanted. You are everything. You are NOT alone.”

Students were able to choose from a variety of IV Leader Photo stickers and pins as well as sign up for a T-shirt IVCC and JRN 1001 students Itzia Casas and Mad- drawing. Winners of the T-shirts were Chloe ison Miranda promote the National Coming Out Bruce, Aurora Wiltfong, Perris Stachlewitz, ArDay message board for students to participate in. ianna Tanas, Leah Meyers, Marissa Boehm, Josh-

ua Maingly, Alyssa Franklin, Jentsie Petersen, Haley Roalson, Jalen Brown, Latrell Coulter and Madison Spicer.

IVCC has a chapter of Gay/Straight Alliance on campus. e club plans to meet on Oct. 27. Students interested in joining should contact Renee_Prine@ ivcc.edu or Jason_Beyer@ivcc.edu.

Activities for National Coming Out Day were sponsored by the college’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commiee in conjunction with the JRN 1001, Introduction to Mass Media class. In addition to the table in the Student Life Space, the class compiled a narrated slideshow featuring famous people who identify as LBTQIA.

5 news Addiction and drug use in our community iv Leader

October 14, 2021

By Hope Beelman

IV Leader Editor

Although people are aware of the widespread epidemic of opioid addiction and drug use, it may be difficult to know that it hits extremely close to home in the Illinois Valley. e participants of the second discussion of Eric Eyre’s “Death in Mud Lick” touched on this topic on Sept. 29 during the One Book, One College event. “at’s why it’s so insidious. You can be nominally functional and a member of society and the next day you’re dead,” emphasized a participant when speaking about those whoexcessively use drugs.

“Addiction is not prejudiced at all,” reminded Amber Robertson, a Nursing Instructor. “It will encompass the richest of the rich or the poorest of the poor.”

Robertson and Jayna Leipart Guilla, an IVCC Librarian, facilitated the discussion. ey mentioned the same guidelines were to be followed as the first discussion and highlighted the following ideas for the participants to know: We are here to learn and listen, empowered to speak, mindful of our words, and excited to grow together.

Robertson spoke on how much of an affect opioid addiction had on her family, in particular, her sister. She told personal stories of her sister’s addiction and overall drug use to the participants and allowed herself to be extremely open as she shared things she had never talked about previously.

Many other participants joined in with Robertson to relate and share their experiences on how addiction impacted their family and friends as well as themselves. A few noted that it is incredibly hard to understand the effects of something without experiencing it personally. ere was great discussion on the idea that without changing the system and environment for the individual that is baling opioid addiction, society cannot expect change as people who use drugs will just fall right back into their routines and unhealthy habits.

“Nobody wants to be in this position,” a member of the group explained. “ese are systemic societal issues and punishing the individual will never fix them in any meaningful way because it’s just going to be some other person next. You have to change a system to fix a systemic issue. You can’t make individual changes and expect anything.” e discussion continued when a question was prompted on the importance of spreading information about basic injustices and amplifying their messages. “e outrage needs to sustain as long as the problem does,” added the same group member.

“You can’t stop being upset about a problem that’s still there. If you stop, then you’re basi-

cally accepting it and saying, ‘Well, I give up.’” e involvement of the community and its help and resources were mentioned as not being as accessible to people as they should be and the discussion leaned more toward how the community was lacking the ability to support those facing opioid addiction.

“As a community, I feel as if we don’t do enough. Addiction is swept under the carpet and people like to blame the addicts rather than try and help them,” indicated a participant of the discussion.

On the other hand, the Perfectly Flawed Foundation shares resources, provides harm reduction, and educates communities on the difficulties people experience and live through.

“On behalf of the Perfectly Flawed Foundation, we recognize how addiction has an impact on those who use drugs, on the families, the friends, and on the entire community,” elaborated Rachel from the foundation.

“As mentioned previously, no one decides to become an addict, so we try not to label people. Our goal is to work together for a positive change. We all have the same goal and that’s a healthy community.”

Robertson also acknowledged more collaborations need to occur between the library and the college as a whole. She expressed that having the opportunity to work on the project of facilitating the second One Book, One College discussion was extremely exciting.

IV Leader Photo/Hope Beelman

Illinois Valley Community College’s One Book, One College community reads program third discussion of Eric Eyre’s “Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight Against the Drug Companies that Delivered the Opioid Epidemic” is at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20.

Sponsored by Jacobs Library and the Perfectly Flawed Foundation, the event will be held in-person and via Zoom at IVCC’s Oawa Center, 321 W. Main St. and Perfectly Flawed, 240 First St., LaSalle.

For information and Zoom details, visit www.ivcc.edu/onebook or email onebook@ivcc.edu.

IVCC is following all state and local guidelines with regard to the pandemic. Mask usage and other mitigations are expected of all participants.

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OCTober 14, 2021

opinion

iv Leader

E Social media: Are we addicted?

D I T O R I A L How much is too much? As a society, we are constantly surrounded by social media. We are immediately aware of every notification that comes through our phones, whether they are Instagram follow requests, Snapchat streaks, or someone sending you a funny TikTok. We are always in the presence of social media, but how do we know if we have become addicted?

An article from CNN, titled Facebook went offline this week. Experts say we should log out, too, touched on the Facebook outage that occurred early this month and how people were affected by it.

According to Ian Kerner, a marriage and family therapist, the break society had to take from a social media network demonstrated the great reliance the world has on being able to scroll and post.

He continued by explaining that social media allows us to escape from our daily lives, whether it is to connect with family and friends, distract ourselves, or deal with the stress and anxiety people struggle with daily. “‘People find that they are alone with their own thoughts,’” elaborated Kerner. “‘And they’re a lile bit of a stranger to themselves in a way.’” e addiction to social media affects society as a whole, not just individuals. We are constantly seeing unrealistic standards that we wish to live up to which only leads us down a path full of self-doubt and fear about what other people think.

An article from e New York Times, titled Worried About Your Teen on Social Media? Here’s How to Help, referenced a Wall Street Journal article focusing on researchers at Instagram who studied the tolls social media takes on young people.

“According to the research, which was not publicly

released, Instagram makes body image issues worse for one in three teenage girls,” Christina Caron, the reporter of the article, stated. “And among teenagers who reported suicidal thoughts, ‘13 percent of British users and 6 percent of American users traced the desire to kill themselves to Instagram,’ the Journal reported.”

Although social media may be helpful in many ways, there are obvious negative downsides, especially when many people panic when they lose their phones or are logged out of their accounts. It only enhances the fear of missing out more.

On the other hand, many people feel a strong wave of relief when they do not feel the pressure to be connected at all times through social media. ese people may understand how essential it is to connect with others in-person. “‘People realized in real time the importance of face-to-face relationships, and the relative emptiness of a connection that takes place solely via Facebook or Instagram,’” explained therapist John Duffy on people during the outage.

In the same CNN article, a Stanford University professor and Medical Director of Addiction Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine noted the connection between the brain and human connection. “‘We can verifiably show that human connections stimulate dopamine release, which is how they are reinforcing, and anything that stimulates dopamine in the brain’s reward pathway has the potential to be addictive,’” Dr. Anna Lembke indicated.

When it comes to social media and the affect it has on an individual, how much is too much? Are you too invested and over-involved on a daily basis?

Past to present: Evolving aspirations

By Hope Beelman IV Leader Editor

IV LEADER STAFF Editor: Hope Beelman Staff: Ryan Grieves, Hope Stunkel, Madison Miranda, Macy Anderson, Ari O’Kirby, Drew Farrell, Itzia Casas, Drake Weber IV Leader, a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, is published monthly by students of Illinois Valley Community College. Editorials and columns express opinions of student and staff members and do not necessarily express the views of IVCC, the administration or the Board.

Editorial opinions are those a student editorial board.

Letters to the editor must be signed and should be addressed to the IV Leader Office B-316, IVCC, 815 N. Orlando Smith Rd., Oglesby, IL 61348-9691.

IV LEADER ONLINE

IV Leader Photos/Hope Beelman

SABRINA BELMONTE Despite her desires to be a ballerina, real estate agent, or architect, Belmonte always knew that she wanted to be a businesswoman. She is currently majoring in Business with the hopes of being able to run her own and support others, primarily Hispanic businesses. Belmonte developed her own Latinx apparel brand, shopparati.com.

She enjoys marketing and social media management as well.

ALEC JOHNSON Growing up, Johnson had aspirations of being a dentist or orthodontist as well as working for NASA. He is currently working toward his doctoral degree in the field of antum Physics and also wishes to pursue a master’s in both Organic Chemistry and one in the mathematics field. Johnson plans to be a researcher and continue on to be a teacher in hopes of educating the future.

YULISSA JUAREZ Although Juarez may have been inclined to be a teacher when she was younger, her interest in sixth grade of bones led her to what she is currently studying, Radiology. Juarez hopes to impact people in a positive way and her involvement in the medical field ties into her desire to help others. Juarez wants something bigger than herself out of life and wishes to live a fulfilling life outside of school.

FOLLOW @IVLEADER

www.ivleader.com Read the IV Leader online, meet the staff, apply for a staff position, and explore the newspaper’s long, distinguished history online.

INTERESTED IN THE IV LEADER? Contact Hope Beelman at K0036453@office365. ivcc.edu or Lori Cinotte at lori_cinotte@ivcc.edu.

sports

iv Leader

october 14, 2021

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Women’s tennis wins region Team headed for national tourney By the IV Leader Staff IVCC’s women’s tennis team won the Region IV championship on Oct. 9, qualifying the team for a trip to the national tournament.

Nationals will be Oct. 29-31 at the Peachtree City Tennis Center in Peachtree, Georgia. Karissa Etzenbach, IVCC’s No. 1 player, stated that the team’s hope for nationals is to go in looking sharp.

Etzenbach, a graduate of La Salle-Peru High School, was the No. 1 singles region champion, and she was awarded Most Valuable Player of the Year for Region IV. “Winning the Region IV Player of the Year honor feels prey good,” explained Etzenbach. “With being a freshman in college, it truly means a lot to me. I couldn’t have goen the award without the help of my teammates and especially my coach, Julie. Julie has been one of the most upliing coaches I’ve ever had.”

At No. 2 singles, Haley Schmitz was also a region champion, recording a 6-1, 6-0 win.

While the team has struggled some this year, the team’s losses have been to Division I opponents. e team competes in Division III. Etzenbach explained that while the size of the team has been an overall weakness as well as losing a player to COVID, their strengths have kept them going. “e team’s strengths have been winning what we needed to win to get to where we are going,” said Etzenbach.

On Sept. 29, the team won against Moraine Valley, 6-3.

Winners that day included Olivia Woods, Amethyst Ernat, Brianna Strehl and Clara Ferrari. Wins also were recorded by the doubles teams of Ernat/Woods and Ferrari/ Schmitz. e tennis team is coached by Julie Milota.

CHAMPIONS

Submitted Photos

Top photo: Olivia Woods, Karissa Etzenbach, Amethyst Ernat, Haley Schmitz, Clara Ferrari and Brianna Strehl hold the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IV Championship trophy. The Region IV win qualifies the team to compete in the national tournament Oct. 29-31 in Peachtree, Georgia.

Photo at left: Karissa Etzenbach, who played No. 1 singles for the Eagles this year, is awarded Player of the Year for NJCAA Region IV. She also was the No. 1 singles region champion.

Women’s soccer faces struggle IVCC’s young women’s soccer team finished up its 2021 season with an 0-9 record.

Although last year’s team was able to play a shortened season in the spring, the team was sophomore heavy. is year, Nyah Nowakowski, Klaire Phillips, Lillian Cavell, and goalkeeper Amanda Moran were the team’s only returning players.

“It feels good to return more to regular season without having to worry about COVID cancelling the season,” said Nowakowski, noting that the team’s goals were to communicate with each other and improve as IV Leader Photo a team together.

IT’S A HIT Despite being a freshman-heavy team afDrake Weber, a graduate of La Salle-Peru High School, ter the COVID shortened 2020 season, Nowaslugs a single during a fall contest vs. Southwestern Illi- kowski said the team’s strengths were its abilnois College on Sept. 29 at the Eagles new home field, ity to get along well together and keeping a positive aitude on and off the field, whether Peru’s Veterans Park.

winning or losing.

Team commitment was one of the team’s weaknesses, according to Nowakowski. “is year is more challenging to play soccer because of commitment,” she said. “Every game we have the minimum number of players to play (11), which means every player plays both 45 minute halves of the game with no subs in mostly 90 degree heat. Most people think soccer is easy but under these circumstances, it’s not very easy.”

In addition, the team’s goalie, Amanda Moran, was injured during an early game and she was the team’s only experienced goalie.

Moran and Nowakowski were chosen as the team’s captains.

Freshman Daisy Arteaga, a Mendota High School graduate, led the team with three goals scored this year.

IV Leader sports Volume 56 Issue 3 october 14, 2021

women’s tennis qualif ies for nationals women’s Soccer faces struggles Page 7 Karissa Etzenbach serves an ace during the team’s win vs. Moraine Valley.

IV Leader photo